FOR AS LONG as we can remember, Chicago’s City Council has been a source of ceaseless entertainment, a parlor filled with suck-ups, bullies, blowhards, and the occasional crook. It should be an outrage, but it’s so outrageous it’s ridiculous.

Now more than ever, though, it’s important to follow what our 50 aldermen are up to. With Mayor Daley safely ensconced at City Hall for another four years and his administration stocked with yes-men who approve his every whim, there’s no one to stop him from driving us bankrupt with wasteful plans (think Olympics) paid for by Rube Goldberg financing schemes (like tax increment financing districts). Except the City Council.

Are our representatives up to the task of telling the mayor “no” once in a while, or, better yet, of coming up with an alternative vision of Chicago government? Read our guide and decide for yourself what their prospects are. Click a ward to get started.

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From the Reader blogs

Chicagoland Whet Moser: The governor hands out more free public transit passes.
Thursday at 2:56 pm