Twenty Ways to Stop Corruption in Illinois

This promises to be a great program. Please consider attending if you're in the Chicago area...


Please join us for this special program

Twenty Ways to Stop Corruption in Illinois
A Panel Discussion

Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 6 - 8 p.m.

Chicago Temple First United Methodist Church Sanctuary
77 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL

The recent arrest and pending indictment of Governor Rod Blagojevich have cast national and international attention on our state, leading to the charge that Illinois is the most corrupt state in America.

While Blagojevich's actions may seem extreme to a wider audience, for those of us who live in Chicago his shenanigans read more like business as usual. And with good reason – since 1971, one thousand politicians and business people have been convicted of public corruption, including 30 Chicago Aldermen, three Illinois Governors, several city clerks and treasurers, suburban mayors, appointed government officials, judges, lawyers, insurance magnates and trucking company owners.

In Illinois, political corruption isn't an anomaly – it's the "Chicago way" – all over the state. The aftermath of scandal after scandal has seen little long-term outcry and insignificant reforms.
It's up to us to end the culture of corruption. We as informed citizens have a responsibility to hold the government accountable and insist upon widespread – and lasting – political reform, along with a cultural shift that would make political corruption unacceptable.

In this critically topical conversation, we will hear from experts about concrete ideas to eliminate political corruption in Chicago and Illinois. Our featured panelists will analyze the cycle of corruption in Illinois and offer tangible actions for citizens and activists to take in order to gain control of our government. The payoff is potentially huge – Professor Dick Simpson calculates that we would save at least $300 million in corruption taxes now used to pay for patronage, waste and bloated government contracts every year.

Panelists: Cindi Canary, Illinois Campaign for Political Reform; Patrick Collins, Attorney and Chair of an Ethics Commission charged with making recommendations to reform state government; Chicago City Clerk Miguel Del Valle; Dick Simpson, Professor of Political Science at UIC and former Chicago Alderman; State Representative Art Turner (invited)

Co-Sponsors: Better Government Association, Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, Crossroads Fund, League of Women Voters, MALDEF, Wieboldt Foundation, Woods Fund of Chicago
Please RSVP by Friday, January 30th to Lisa Avila at 773.227.7676 or lisa@crossroadsfund.org