The conviction of former Illinois govenor George Ryan on racketeering charges that date back to his time as Secretary of State has sent a chill through the political establishment in the state.
Under the helm of Patrick Fitzgerald, the US Attorney's office in Northern Illinois has been very villigant in rooting out the culture of corruption in this state. For too many years, both parties have worked together in order to make sure they all share in the spoils.
Now that Ryan has gone down for the count, the focus is going to turn on another big name - Richard Daley of Chicago.
For the last 18 months, the Feds have been following the money in a scheme where the city would hire independent trucks in return for the truckers to kickback money to democratic operatives. The investigation has been getting deeper and as of now it has uncovered that the city has violated a federal order to end patronage hiring in the city, an order that has been in force for nearly a quarter century.
Like the Ryan investigations, Fitz has been moving up the chain as he gets closer to the Mayor's office. As of now, they have several people from City Hall itself under indictment for fixing hiring practices so they can hire democratic workers, who in return would make sure some of the pay goes to the democratic organization.
The conviction of Ryan has to have Daley running scared right now. If 12 citizens can take down a guy who arguably was one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, then Daley could be vulnerable. If any one of his indicted aides flip and starts talking, Daley is going to be in big trouble.
I, for one, am tired of the corruption that happens in this city. The conviction of Ryan was a great victory for those who believe in clean govenment and politics. I only hope that Fitz sticks around enough to make sure that the message is sent to City Hall and we can get a clean Mayor here.