January, 2006

Voters are increasingly convinced that public corruption is deeply embedded in Illinois’ history and political culture. With U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s establishment of three full time public corruption units—reportedly more than any other district in the country—a steady torrent of indictments of public officials at all levels of government has been issued. On top of that, the trial of former Governor George Ryan has cast a spotlight on Illinois’ long-standing culture of corruption.

The Chicago region and, indeed, all of Illinois appears to be drowning in corruption. Add to that the lobbying scandal in Washington, D.C. and you’ve got an electorate that is rapidly loosing faith in government and elected officials.

Will the Illinois General Assembly listen to the voters and exercise the courage to change business as usual in Illinois?

Connecticut’s experience should be instructive to us. Until recently, cronyism and pay-to-play deals were standard operating procedure in the Connecticut capitol, too. Former Governor John Rowland is now in jail after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Responding to public outcry, the Connecticut legislature and Governor Jodi Rell, working across party lines, recently enacted real campaign reform. Connecticut has introduced modest public financing; permanently banned lobbyist contributions; established mechanisms to discourage election self-financing of campaigns by millionaire candidates; strictly limited contributions by political appointees; restricted giving by state contractors and recalibrated contribution limits on individuals.

Connecticut has embraced reform and is trying to win back the respect of voters for their government. Why can’t Illinois?

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform calls on the Illinois General Assembly to act this session. In addition to toughening our lobbyist registration act and expanding statements of economic interest, Illinois should enact legislation that gets at the heart of the problem—money in Illinois politics. Numerous reform bills have been introduced, and we believe that three in particular warrant your attention:

a. Campaign contribution limits (HB 743/SB1822)
b. Public financing of Supreme Court elections (SB1955)
c. Ban on state contractor contributions (HB4073)

A short session is no excuse for inaction. If you want to hold your head high on the campaign trail, show the voters that you are serious about changing business as usual by enacting campaign finance reform now.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Canary

Executive Director