Thank Blagojevich for Cellini's downfall

By Kurt Erickson

Other than tossing a bunch of George Ryan cronies to the curb when he took office in 2003, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich didn't do a whole lot of good during his tenure as chief executive.

Until last week.

Blagojevich's ham-fisted attempts at corruption helped bring down one of the most notorious backroom wheeler-dealers in recent Illinois history.

If Team Blagojevich's blatant fundraising shakedowns hadn't caught the attention of federal prosecutors, we might never have seen Springfield power broker Bill Cellini on the cusp of heading to a federal prison.

Cellini, 77, was convicted in federal court Tuesday for conspiracy to commit extortion and aiding and abetting the solicitation of a bribe. He faces 30 years behind bars.