September 15, 2005

In This Issue:

• George Ryan Trial to Start
• Cindi Canary in the Tribune
  

George Ryan Trial to Start
At its core, Operation Safe Road, and the George Ryan trial, are about campaign finance.  The investigation that became Operation Safe Road began as Licenses for Bribes - bribes that were laundered into political fundraising committees.  Employees at the Secretary of State's office came to know that promotions, salary increases, and career advancement all depended not on how well they did their jobs but on how much money they could raise for politicians.  The Secretary of State's office came to be riddled through with corruption, as state workers were pressured to contribute to politicians, to work for candidates, even to steal equipment for campaigns.

As jury selection begins for this trial, ICPR has posted to its website a host of information to help the public put the trial in context.  Our site has now has a timeline of events leading up to the Ryan trial, copies of earlier Safe Road indictments, a list of the top lifetime donors to Ryan's now-defunct campaign fund, and more.  Click here.

Cindi Canary in the Tribune
As corruption investigations continue to swirl at Chicago City Hall, apologists have begun to argue that The City that Works won't without political favoritism.  ICPR Director Cindi Canary offered her thoughts in a featured Letter to the Editor to the Tribune.  Read it on our homepage.

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ICPR Spotcheck is a publication of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a non-partisan public interest group that educates, conducts research, and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics, and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government.

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