Ethics legislation marks anniversary of former governor Blagojevich's arrest

December 9, 2009 marked the anniversary of the arrest of then - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Since that date, the former chief executive of the State of Illinois was impeached, wrote his autobiography, hosted a radio show, attempted to participate in the television reality series “I’m a Celebrity...Get me out of Here” (that his wife Patti eventually joined and almost won) and appeared on every national talk show that would have him.

(AP Photo)

Also, since the Blagojevich arrest, then - Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn became governor per the Illinois Constitution and the state has endured booming unemployment, bursting budget deficits and plummeting bond ratings. But, finally, the Illinois General Assembly did pass a campaign ethics bill that ironically was signed by Governor Quinn on the anniversary of Blagojevich’s arrest.

The gist of the legislation places Illinois’ first-ever contribution limits on candidates, political parties and political action committees. The new law also makes campaign contribution and expenditure information more open and available to the public.

To some, this is a historic step. To others, such as Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady, it did not go far enough. Per the Illinois GOP web-site, Brady states “Governor Quinn will sign into law legislation claiming to be a significant victory for ethics reform in the State of Illinois. However, the reality is quite different. Notwithstanding the laudable efforts by numerous citizen reform groups, the legislation does nothing more than enhance the power of those who supported Rod Blagojevich.”

What Brady is actually referencing is that the legislation gives more control over campaign donations to the legislative leaders, which includes Speaker of the House (and Brady’s Democratic Party rival) Mike Madigan.

It will be interesting to see if campaign ethics will actually be a campaign issue in the 2010 elections. If the GOP tries to campaign on ethics reform tied to Blagojevich, the Democrats can counter by referencing Blagojevich’s immediate predecessor George Ryan, who is currently where Blagojevich may end up – prison.

For other articles on this topic go to:

http://www.examiner.com/x-14887-Chicago-Statehouse-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Blagojevich-on-The-View--again

http://www.examiner.com/x-14887-Chicago-Statehouse-Examiner~y2009m7d17-Illinois-lieutenant-governor-101