By Steve Rhodes
In the wake of the George Ryan scandals, Rod Blagojevich campaigned – improbably – as a reformer who would finally bring change to the state’s infamous political culture. Instead, he set out to exploit it from day one, hardly deterred an inch from the fate that befell his predecessor.
Following Blagojevich’s impeachment and removal from office, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn improbably became governor. This time, it seemed, a real reformer had accidentally risen to the state’s top office and reform might actually be at hand.
It wasn’t.
In his 2010 book Challenging The Culture Of Corruption, former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins described his efforts as the chair of the Quinn-created Illinois Reform Commission to shed some light on why not – and to continue advocating for measures he thinks most important for the state to take.
With Blagojevich entering prison last week, now is a good time to at least briefly reflect on the largely failed efforts of the reform commission and consider where we are now.
Posted on March 17, 2012