From the Times of Northwest Indiana: 
 
Ryan conviction illustrates need to continue to fight corruption 
The issue: Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's conviction 
Our opinion: This shows the need for the U.S. attorney's office to make fighting public corruption such a high priority. Keep weed 
 
 
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, April 20, 2006 12:23 AM CDT Revelations on Wednesday that as many as six of the George Ryan jurors failed to fully disclose arrest records or other court experiences cannot be ignored and will certainly be examined by federal appellate justices. 
 
But what should not be lost in the controversy is the role the U.S. attorney's office played in winning Ryan's conviction. 
 
On both sides of the state line, the U.S. attorneys must make fighting public corruption a high priority. 
 
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald earned the admiration of Chris Mooney, professor with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Springfield. 
 
"We have an incredibly competent and tenacious U.S. attorney up there," he said Monday. "If he is sniffing around by you, you better watch out. There was no smoking gun. It was just the mass of evidence." 
 
And that mass of evidence was enough to convict Ryan on all counts of racketeering and fraud charges against him. 
 
Likewise, U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen, serving the 34 counties in northern Indiana, has made fighting public corruption a priority. 
 
And his office, too, has earned a number of convictions in high-profile cases. 
 
When it comes to cleaning up corruption in state and local government, it is very important to have the U.S. attorney's office committed to the effort. 
 
The feds partner with other agencies -- for example the Indiana State Police, which provides investigators, and the Indiana attorney general's office -- but having the feds involved helps make it clear that the investigation is not to be taken lightly. That perception -- both by the public and by the public officials -- that investigations and prosecutions are serious is key. 
 
Ryan's conviction is a major success in cleaning up Illinois state government. It sends a strong signal that corruption will not be tolerated. 
 
But signals can fade, so fighting public corruption must remain a high priority. 
 
Keep weeding that political garden, because without continual maintenance the pests will invade again. 
 
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