From the Daily Southtown:

State officials' Web sites dig up fundraising stink

October 25, 2007
By Kristen McQueary

Before campaign-finance watchdogs invented the term "bundlers," Tony Rezko was one.

He was a go-to fundraiser who personally would write generous checks to politicians' war chests but also channel the dough to hand-picked politicians. He would host exclusive fundraisers at his home, collect the money and deliver it to a particular candidate, thus the term "bundler."

Rezko's involvement in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign and in a real estate transaction with his potential neighbor, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, shoved him into the media spotlight.

Federal authorities who indicted Rezko last year on fraud charges said he recommended appointees to state boards and then used his influence to muscle campaign contributions for favored politicians from firms seeking business with the state. He pleaded not guilty to the charges a year ago this week.

From the moment Rezko became tainted by scandal, dozens of elected officials groaned collectively. Rezko spread his wealth far and wide.

While Blagojevich and Obama reaped the brunt of bad press about the Rezko money, dozens of other elected officials were beneficiaries of Rezko's generosity, including Comptroller Dan Hynes and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn's campaign fund took in more than $30,000 from Rezko; Hynes over the years collected about $22,000, according to disclosure documents.

I raise the issue because both officials recently launched initiatives to end "pay to play" politics in Illinois. Both support House Bill 1, an ethics bill stalled in the state Senate. The bill prohibits certain office-holders from accepting campaign contributions from companies or executives seeking or doing business with the state. The Senate has failed to act on the bill, and Quinn and Hynes grew frustrated and took the issue into their own hands.

Separately, they launched Web sites designed to pressure the legislature and the governor into action. Quinn's site, www.standingupforillinois.org, allows users to click a button and send a letter to Blagojevich urging the passage of House Bill 1. Hynes unveiled a more sophisticated Web site, www.openbook.ioc.state.il.us, that connects campaign contributions and state contracts.

The issue is this: While it's certainly worthwhile to compare campaign donation data and state contracts, the appearance of a correlation doesn't necessarily mean something nefarious. After all, both Hynes and Quinn took money from Rezko, the man who has become the modern symbol of pay to play.

Hynes' site combines data from his office and the Illinois State Board of Elections. It allows side-by-side comparisons of state contracts and campaign donations. He launched the site to draw attention to the need for contracting reform, which House Bill 1 addresses.

"Let's get out there to highlight the fact that there are still problems with contractors," Hynes told me Wednesday. "They're stonewalling us on House Bill 1, so short of that, we can enhance disclosure and also help the effort."

Within 24 hours of its unveiling, Hynes' site experienced a whopping 28,000 hits. That's huge.

Quinn's letter to Blagojevich also saw heavy traffic - and revealed a rare, public split from the governor. Quinn - the one-time loudmouth reformer who railed against everything from heavy-handed utilities to wasted tax dollars - quieted dramatically once he became lieutenant governor. Only rarely does he openly criticize Blagojevich.

His letter to Blagojevich says: "Every business owner in Illinois who bids on state contracts should feel that he or she is competing on a level playing field, instead of suspecting that the fix may be in."

As for Hynes' Web site, Hynes said he is merely presenting information that already is out there.

"In terms of it creating a false perception, I don't know. All we're doing is presenting information, not making suggestions," he said. "I am not holding myself out to be perfect in any way, nor am I saying I don't have to go through the same unfortunate efforts of raising money for campaigns. As long as we're in office and required to raise money, there are going to be situations where people are giving money and later found to be unseemly. There's nothing you can do about that.

"I don't agree with every campaign finance reform proposal that's out there, but everyone seems to agree a first step is to ban contributions from those doing business with the state so that there's no perception of a quid pro quo or pay to play."

Hynes' own campaign operation incudes a check and balance system. His inspector general each quarter creates a list of entities doing business with the comptroller's office. That list is cross-checked with Hynes' campaign fundraisers to make sure they don't solicit or unknowingly accept a contribution from a contractor.

The Web site he created is quite handy and a step in the right direction, to be sure. Just don't jump to conclusions if you tool around it and find something that looks fishy. Do your homework, and find out if it really stinks, and I'll do the same.

In the meantime, if you want to see campaign finance reform, contact your state senator and demand that House Bill 1 get called in the Senate. Do it today.

Kristen McQueary covers government and politics for the Daily Southtown.