Chicago area has most corruption convictions in nation (Springfield, Columbia: crime, attorney)

[jwaiter]

Wow, it's official now...

Chicago area has most corruption convictions in nation, UIC study says - chicagotribune.com

The Chicago area logged the most public corruption convictions of any federal jurisdiction in the United States during the past 36 years, according to a report released today by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Federal prosecutors secured a total of 1,531 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois since 1976, said Dick Simpson, head of the university’s political science department.

Meanwhile, Illinois logged 1,828 public corruption convictions, the third most of any state, according to the report. Only California and New York had more.

But those states are much larger than Illinois. On a per-person basis, only the District of Columbia and Louisiana had more convictions than Illinois, according to the report.

Four governors, two congressmen, a state treasurer, an attorney general, 11 state legislators, numerous judges and dozens of aldermen have been convicted since the 1970s, according to the report, dubbed Chicago and Illinois, Leading the Pack in Corruption.

“For a long time — going back at least to the Al Capone era — Chicago and Illinois have been known for high levels of public corruption, Simpson said. “But now we have the statistics that confirm their dishonorable and notorious reputations. . . . . The two worst crime zones in Illinois are the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield and the City Council Chambers in Chicago.”

Simpson and Jim Nowlan, a senior fellow with the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, released the report as Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s ethics task force prepares to hold its first public hearing this evening.

Simpson said he plans to make a series of recommendations at the hearing, including compelling the city’s top attorney to release documents he has refused to provide to the city’s inspector general on the basis of attorney-client privilege.

The professor also wants ethics rules that govern the conduct of city staff to be extended to aldermen.

[gomexico]

Simpson has little experience to be making many proclamations. Most convictions? That wouldn't surprise me. We probably have the most agressive U.S. Attorney and it's been that way for a generation. One after another. And that's good. But convictions aren't the sole indicator of level of corruption. Not by a longshot.

[JBVirtuoso]

Well, this is much preferred to having a low number of convictions with a high number of cases.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by gomexico

Simpson has little experience to be making many proclamations. Most convictions? That wouldn't surprise me. We probably have the most agressive U.S. Attorney and it's been that way for a generation. One after another. And that's good. But convictions aren't the sole indicator of level of corruption. Not by a longshot.

This.

[chet everett]

You take your "this" and do a little fact checking...

Simpson is not really my kind of politician, but when it comes to Professor of Political Science who understands the ENORMOUS gulf that exists between what is conventionally accepted as Good Government and the sham that the people of Illinois / Cook Co / Chicago suffer under I would suggest that NO ONE ALIVE has a better handle on the scholarship or HANDS ON experience with bullying, obstructionism and corruption than Prof Simpson:
http://www.uic.edu/depts/pols/faculty/dicksimpsoncv.pdf

[Mister Mappy]

Of course, he's your kind of politician when he backs up your anti-Chicago bias, right Chet?

I believe arag's "this" was in reference to the line she highlighted in bold, and not to Simpson's area of expertise. Need to get the reading glasses prescription checked?

[chet everett]

I said he is NOT may kind of pol -- pretty much every candidate he's supported has been of the "no apparent qualifications" type ...

It is no surprise that Illinois will continue to suffer under the yoke of corrupt politicians when there are so many willing to make outrageous excuses rather than face the facts of corruption.

[TheSunshineKid]

This is no surprise. Love the comments on CBS's article - one would think Chicago and the sate of Illinois are hell one earth, even though I think most of them are being melodramatic. In saying that, this type of media exposure doesn't bode well for Chicago nor the Midwest. Add people connecting Obama to Chicago machine politics and Chicago's corrupt political stigma is forever imprinted.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by TheSunshineKid

...Add people connecting Obama to Chicago machine politics and Chicago's corrupt political stigma is forever imprinted.

Yea, I can see how his political career has suffered because of his Chicago connections!

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Mister Mappy

Of course, he's your kind of politician when he backs up your anti-Chicago bias, right Chet?

I believe arag's "this" was in reference to the line she highlighted in bold, and not to Simpson's area of expertise. Need to get the reading glasses prescription checked?

This