A new report released from the University of Illinois at Chicago has made official what many for a long time have assumed: Chicago is the most corrupt city in the United States. In “Chicago and Illinois, Leading the Pack in Corruption,” Dick Simpson, former alderman and head of UIC’s political science department, and his coauthors cite data from the U.S. Department of Justice to show that the Chicago metropolitan region has maintained its status as the most corrupt area in the U.S. since 1976, contributing to Illinois’ ranking as third most corrupt state in the nation. Since then, Illinois has logged 1,828 public corruption convictions, with Chicago accounting for 1,531 of those convictions. In identifying patterns to city and state-wide corruption and the ensuing statistics, Simpson expresses confidence in the ability for reform, saying that the majority of Illinois residents (more than 60%) cite corruption as a top concern. This overwhelming number will provide a broad coalition of support to build and implement a comprehensive reform program that includes corruption prevention and enforcement as well as public involvement and education. Even more than confidence, however, is a sense of urgency in the report. Illinois taxpayers currently spend $500 million a year on corruption, an amount demonstrating negligence and ill use of taxpayers’ money at a time when many are struggling in this economy and the state suffers from deep budget deficits. Corruption has also undermined voters’ sense of “political efficacy,” causing many to feel disempowered in their participation in government and inciting them to vote less. In order for reform to work, city and state government must adopt an attitude committed towards change so that Illinois can begin to turn away from corruption.
Simpson’s report will be presented to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Ethics Reform Task Force Wednesday night. The event takes place February 17th from 6-9 p.m. at Olive-Harvey City College (10001 S. Woodlawn Ave). This is the task force’s first public hearing. You can share your ideas for reform at the event or online at here. You can also e-mail suggestions to ethicstaskforce@gmail.com.
