And even then their attempts have pretty much amounted for nothing, Piltover's system of corruption remains untouched.
Even worse. Piltover's corruption actively subsumes Jace's innovations. Specifically fro the benefit of the council members and their interests.
As for Heimerdinger. I regard him as kind of the ultimate sympathetic criticism of a sincere centrist. Heimerdinger is productive, secure, fat, and content on the larges of the system he helped to create and make prosperous, and thus totally oblivious to the corruption that is swirling all around him. Just look at the way he nods along happily with the opera while all of his fellow council members are scheming and indulging in their own corruption.
Meanwhile, the little Yordle is by no means corrupt. He is genuine in his desire to help the city and is not unwilling to change. But slowly. So slowly. His long prosperous life causes him to be oblivious, again, to the urgency of the situation around him.
And then, when he finally tries to put his foot down, he's dismissed unanimously from the council he founded. Because the rest of the council was simply tolerating him due to the wealth he had brought them all.
The second he was more trouble than he was worth and they had a replacement for his source of invention in the form of Jayce, they cut him loose.
Like I've been saying, that's kinda the point.
The very methods of Clawing enough power together needed to affect change has in its course also shaped him into a Very callous and ruthless person. His entire philosophy revolves around becoming Callous and Ruthless enough that NO body will want to cross you, that No one would try to stop you from having your way. That this is the lesson he's learned from his time on the bottom.
Ie he sank lower for power, and it's Showing on his character. Its not an indictment on his cause, it's an indictment on the entire system which pushed more reasonable minds from being able to affect change, leaving people like him to become the ones who gain and hold power.
Of note. Silco isn't just in the same position as Vander with the enforcers. He's in the same strategic position as Vander was with Piltover*. Only potentially even worse off due to Jayce's introducing Hextech.
Silco himself says it. They're falling behind the top siders.
And this is completely correct as, due to its control of the gates, Piltover is from a strategic and economic perspective, wheresoever in the world it wants to be to benefit itself at any given moment. The only thorn in its side is literally Zaun because it sits on top of it.
So Zaun becoming worse off is not that surprising. The more powerful and independent Pilterfort becomes, the less it has to care about its mirror city. And they already cared VERY little.
* Actually, it's not quite the same Vander and Grayson have something of a cordial relationship. They are on opposite sides but commiserate in what they have to do to keep the peace.
Silco's relationship with Marcus meanwhile is out and out one of coercion and loathing.
