Which leads to the main reason we still back an appointed board: mayoral accountability. If you disapprove of board actions, if members are incompetent or corrupt, there's one person to blame: the mayor of Chicago. And there's a powerful way to change the board with one trip to the ballot box: Elect a new mayor with a different education agenda. If Emanuel seeks a third term in 2019, we won't be surprised if challengers cite the record of his CPS board as a reason to dump him.