Campaign Finance

"As far as I'm concerned I never connect anything I do in government with fundraising. I never have."

—Illinois Governor Pat Quinn after it was learned that, in the midst of his seeking serious ethics reform, including campaign finance reform, his campaign aide was asking interest groups to raise money for him. (from today's Chicago Tribune)

Most of the Illinois Reform Commission's report, which was published yesterday, has little to do with local government ethics, but there is enough overlap to make it worth skimming through. The IRC was charged with recommending changes in the state's ethics and campaign finance programs.

Michael Malbin, executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, testifying to the Illinois legislature's Joint Committee on Government Reform this week (Illinois is one of five states with no limits on campaign contributions; it requires only disclosure. It is also a leading state in prosecutions of government officials, both local and state):

Politics may be local for politicians, but is it for citizens? The 2009 Joyce Foundation Illinois Survey shows that in January the people of Illinois were more concerned about corruption in government than about the economy. Last January only 49% of those polled were extremely concerned about corruption; now 61% are (and 50% are extremely concerned about the economy, as opposed to 45% the year before).

What changed?

Here's a more interesting story out of Massachusetts, this one from the state Senate. Former state senator Dianne Wilkerson admits having accepted up to $70,000 from friends and supporters in what is being called personal fundraising, that is, raising money to pay off personal debts. She says that the gifts were approved by the state ethics commission and by lawyers.