Unfortunately, it's politics as usual in Illinois.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested today on charges of conspiring to get financial benefits through his authority to appoint a U.S. senator to fill the vacancy left by Barack Obama's election as president.According to a federal criminal complaint, Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired, The Associated Press reported.
A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.
Blagojevich joins a long line of Illinois governors who have faced criminal charges, according to a list posted at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Otto Kerner, governor, 1961-1968. After he left office and became a federal judge, Kerner was convicted on counts of bribery, conspiracy, perjury and related charges. When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Kerner was released early from prison. He died in 1976.
William Stratton, governor, 1953-1961. Indicted on charges of violating income tax laws. The charges concerned the abuse and spending of campaign fund contributions. Stratton was acquitted in 1965.
Dan Walker, governor, 1973-1977. Convicted in 1987, Walker served 17 months for obtaining illegal loans used to finance a chain of quick oil change franchises for personal gain. The loans also funded the operation of an 80-foot yacht, the Governor's Lady. Walker was head of the thrift that provided the loans.
George Ryan, governor 1993-2003: Convicted of political corruption in 2006 for using his office as governor and earlier as secretary of state to enrich himself and his friends at taxpayer expense. He is currently serving a 6 1/2 year sentence.
Sadly, I'm not surprised by the Blagojevich charges. The way politics is carried out in this state makes it rather tempting to take place in wrongdoing, plus Blagojevich's performance in office has been erratic, to put it nicely. He's thumbed his nose frequently at downstate taxpayers, and the most symbolic example of that is his decision to commute back and forth from Chicago to Springfield, the state capital, instead of staying in the Governor's Mansion in Springfield.
As for his record on cycling issues, he signed bills requiring motorists to give 3 feet of space while passing cyclists and allowing cyclists to use their right arms to signal turns. He also approved millions of dollars for bicycle trails.
On the other hand, he attempted to use his line-item veto powers to gut the state's Complete Streets plan, a move that was overwhelmingly rejected by the General Assembly.
Roger 1 comments links to this post 11:20 AM
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