(The Center Square) – The head of the Better Government Association told the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University that Illinois has a culture of corruption and the governor missed a chance to change it.
David Greising, president and CEO of the Chicago-based not-for-profit news organization, said corruption in Illinois government has always been a long standing tradition.
“There is something about the culture of corruption that is undeniable about the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois,” Greising said. “A lot of it has to do with our tolerance for conflicts of interest that are not the case in other areas.”
Specifically he said, the fact that while Michael Madigan was Speaker of the House he also was head of one of the state’s top firms in real estate tax appeals. Madian served as Speaker of the House for decades. He also served as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
“When you allow one person to hold that much power for that long, you’re going to have compromises,” Greising said.
Madigan confidant Michael McClain and several former ComEd officials have pleaded not guilty to a nearly decade-long bribery scheme that was revealed in the summer of 2020. Madigan was referred to as “Public Official A” in that deferred prosecution agreement with ComEd where the utility agreed to pay $200 million for its role in the scheme.
Greising said Gov. J.B. Pritzker missed a chance to address ethics reform after Madigan was indicted.
“Pritzker ran as an ethics reformer, but when the major ethics reform package was being considered, he was basically a no-show,” Greising said. “He signed a law and declared victory for reform that was really just not up to the measure of the reform and so we missed a moment.”
He added that Pritzker’s failure to act on serious ethics reform may be seen as a negative should the governor make a run for the White House.
