From the Palatine Countryside: 
 
Political leaders see lessons in Ryan's fall 
 
By Kimberly Fornek 
 and Todd Shields 
 STAFF WRITERS 
 4/19/06
Local political leaders responded to former Gov. George Ryan's conviction in federal court Monday by expressing hope the verdict will lead to more ethical behavior by politicians. 
 
Both state Sen. William Peterson, R-26th, of Long Grove, and state Rep. Sidney Mathias, R-53rd, of Buffalo Grove, called Ryan's conviction Monday a sad day for Illinois government. 
 
"It's a disheartening day for citizens anytime a public official is convicted of abusing the public trust," Peterson said. 
 
Ryan, 72, was found guilty by a federal jury Monday of all 18 counts against him, ending a historic, marathon public corruption trial that started more than six months ago. The six-man, six-woman jury reached one of the most awaited verdicts in recent history after 10 days of deliberations and after U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer swapped two dismissed jurors with alternates. Ryan's codefendant, Lawrence Warner, 67, a lobbyist and businessman, was also found guilty on all counts against him. 
 
New ethics laws 
 
Retiring state Sen. Wendell Jones, R-27th, of Palatine, and other legislators noted the General Assembly has passed many new ethics bills over the past few years that should help clean up state politics. 
 
"I know people in the House and Senate are more cognizant of themselves and what they do," Jones said. 
 
State Rep. Suzanne Bassi, R-54th, of Rolling Meadows, said she was among the House Republicans to formulate ethic reforms four years ago. 
 
"Not all the reforms were passed into legislation, but several did and were even co-opted by House Democrats," she said. 
 
Bassi said the most significant legislation outlawed state employees from providing services to political campaigns while working. 
 
Mixed reaction 
 
Ruth O'Connell, Wheeling Township Republican committeeman, said the guilty verdict surprised her. 
 
If he had to predict before the verdict what the jurors would decide, Harper College Trustee Matt Murphy -- the Republican candidate for Jones' Senate seat -- said he "was more inclined to guess guilty" but had wondered whether the jurors might be overwhelmed by the number of different charges. 
 
"What has been business as usual in Springfield looks a whole lot different under the light of a trial," Murphy said. "The big thing it proves is that no one is above the law, and as importantly, we as a state are prepared to demand ethical conduct in government." 
 
Democratic response 
 
Sue Walton, Palatine Township Democratic committeeman, said special Illinois vehicle license plate numbers given to campaign workers during Ryan's tenure should be recalled. 
 
"People with those plates should hang their heads in shame. Whenever I see the plates ... I think of the Willis children who were killed," she said. 
 
In 1994, six children of the Rev. Scott and Janet Willis were killed on an expressway near Milwaukee when a metal part fell from a truck and struck their van that caught fire. The accident spawned the federal Operation Safe Road investigation in which it was alleged truck driver Ricardo Guzman fraudulently received an Illinois drivers license during the time that some secretary of state employees sold commercial licenses to raise money for Ryan's campaign. 
 
"I also think, with great sadness, this is all about campaign finance reform. When political leaders who we trust become so enamored with themselves, there needs to be change," Walton said. 
 
Dismissed juror 
 
Ryan's jury had a local connection. Dismissed juror Robert Pavlick, 55, of Buffalo Grove, is a Palatine Home Depot employee interviewed by the Countryside last year for his local volunteer work. 
 
Asked Monday about the tumultuous deliberations reported by some jurors, Pavlick would only say: "When you put 12 people from everywhere in a room, you're not there to be friends. You're there to do a job." 
 
Pavlick, who was dismissed from the jury for not disclosing drunken driving convictions, said he was "disappointed" he couldn't be part of the verdict. 
 
"I put six months of my life into it," said Pavlick.