Will County Gazette

As a recent report ranked Illinois the third-most corrupt state in the U.S., state Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is calling for ethics reform.

'Let's give Illinois residents a government they can be proud of," Batinick said on Facebook. "We have the power to end the culture of corruption in Illinois by enacting robust ethics reforms, creating a strong watchdog, and empowering citizens to act."

In the Northern District of Illinois, which covers Chicago and the northern third of the state, 22 Illinoisans were convicted on public corruption-related charges in 2020, according to WTTW. That number is a decrease from 2019, when 26 Illinoisans were convicted of public corruption. 

The report, co-authored by University of Illinois Chicago professor and former 44th Ward Alderman Dick Simpson, is based on data from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Some of the corruption cases detailed in the report are related to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his alleged schemes with Commonwealth Edison. 

Madigan was indicted on March 2 for federal racketeering and bribery charges. 

"The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates," a press release from the DOJ said. 

Madigan faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. The press release noted that in addition to his role as speaker of the House, Madigan also held the positions of representative for Illinois’s 22nd District, committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.           

Former Legislative Inspector General (LIG) Carol Pope resigned in July; she said her office was "essentially a paper tiger," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Pope said in her resignation letter that when she accepted the  position as LIG, she had hoped to be "able to make a difference working from the inside." 

Pope called out lawmakers for failing to pass effective ethics reform legislation.

"This last legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority," she said.

The office of LIG had been vacant for more than four years when Pope took the job in 2018.