Who says Chicago ain’t ready for reform?  A referendum on Clean Elections in the City of Big Shoulders received a 76 percent approval rating from voters in the recent election. The referendum was limited to six precincts but they represented a cross section of the diverse city – from President-Elect Barack Obama’s intellectual Hyde Park, to the tough West Side, to the upper class environs of Lincoln Park, and further north to middle-class ethnic areas on the city’s border.  The Illinois Ballot Integrity Project successfully got the signatures to put the referendum on the ballot in the precincts. Its small but hard working staff knocked on doors, canvassing the precincts to discuss Clean Elections with voters. The results speak for themselves. Congratulations.  The referendum asked voters whether the Illinois General Assembly should: “enact “Clean Elections” legislation, a system whereby candidates voluntarily agree to accept limited individual campaign contributions and spending, in return for public financing of campaigns for statewide offices?”  Three out of four voters said yes. There is a bill (HB 1640) in the Illinois General Assembly from Rep. Mike Boland to create a Clean Elections-style system for the election of the governor along with members of the statehouse.  Chicago Alderman Paddy Bauler said the city wasn’t ready for reform. Can't blame him. Anyone who thinks Chicago would enact Clean Elections probably thinks the country would elect an African American president. Never happen.