Corrupt Illinois : patronage, cronyism, and criminality / Thomas J. Gradel and Dick Simpson ; foreword by Jim Edgar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gradel, Thomas J., author.

Simpson, Dick, 1940- author.

Contributor:

Edgar, Jim, writer of introduction.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political corruption--Illinois--History.

Political corruption.

Misconduct in office--Illinois--History.

Misconduct in office.

Patronage, Political--Illinois--History.

Patronage, Political.

History.

Illinois--Politics and government.

Illinois.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xii, 270 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Urbana ; Chicago ; Springfield : University of Illinois Press, [2015]

Summary:

Public funds spent on jets and horses. Shoeboxes stuffed with embezzled cash. Ghost payrolls and incarcerated ex-governors. Illinois' culture of "Where's mine?" and the public apathy it engenders has made our state and local politics a disgrace. In Corrupt Illinois, veteran political observers Thomas J. Gradel and Dick Simpson take aim at business-as-usual. Naming names, the authors lead readers through a gallery of rogues and rotten apples to illustrate how generations of chicanery have undermined faith in, and hope for, honest government. From there, they lay out how to implement institutional reforms that can cleanse politics of cronyism, sweetheart deals, and conflicts of interest and change it from a pay-to-play-driven marketplace into an instrument of public good. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Corrupt Illinois 1

2 Machine Politics and Stolen Elections 17

3 The Sorry State of Illinois 37

4 Aldermanic Corruption 53

5 Chicago City Haul 71

6 Crook County 93

7 Suburban Scandals 117

8 Police Abuse and Corruption 131

9 Jailbird Judges and Crooked Courts 151

10 Congressional Corruption 167

11 Ending the Culture of Corruption 193.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0252078551

9780252078552

OCLC:

893454391

Publisher Number:

99961927001