CHICAGO, IL. Feb. 18, 2010
More than 140 people have been convicted of corruption in county-related cases since 1970, according to a new report by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Better Government Association.
The scams took place over the past four decades in the courts; the offices of the Assessor, Sheriff and Treasurer; and the President’s Office of Employment and Training. They involve bribes, payoffs, rip-offs, padded contracts, ghost payrollers and the wholesale subversion of the judicial system. The perpetrators include elected officials at the highest and lowest levels of city, county and state government; judges, lawyers and lobbyists.
Is it any surprise this multi-billion dollar labyrinth of governmental entities is referred to disparagingly as “Crook County?”
The “Hall of Shame” report is being released on Thursday, February 18, by UIC professor Dick Simpson and BGA executive director Andy Shaw, at a 10 a.m. news conference on the 5th floor of the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark. Copies of the report will be presented to Board President Todd Stroger and the County commissioners.
Congressman Mike Quigley, a former Cook County Commissioner, is expected to attend the news conference to voice his support for the reform recommendations in the report, which include:
--Stronger campaign finance limits;
--More government transparency;
--Tighter restrictions on lobbyists;
--Better enforcement of existing laws by IG’s and prosecutors
The reform effort is also supported by the three candidates for Cook County Board president: Toni Preckwinkle, Roger Keats and Tom Tresser.
“This pervasive pattern and culture of corruption must be changed if county government is to provide honest, transparent, efficient and effective government at a cost taxpayers can afford,” said professor Simpson.
“This rogue’s gallery of corrupt individuals is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the BGA’s Andy Shaw, “because, for every one of those convicted, there may be a dozen or more people who narrowly escape the justice system, not to mention all the clout-related conflicts of interest. It is truly a ‘culture of corruption.’”
For the full report and more details on the reform recommendations, visit www.uic.edu/depts/pols/chicagopolitics.htm.
The report and the news release will also be on the BGA web site: www.bettergov.org