From the Decatur Herald & Review (Editorial):

April 19, 2008
Governor should put action where his mouth is
By the H&R Editorial Staff

Gov. Rod Blagojevich asserts that he doesn't engage in "pay to play" politics. He also says the federal corruption trial of his former adviser and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko doesn't involve him or his office.
Although a recent story by Kevin McDermott, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Springfield Bureau chief, calls Blagojevich's remarks into question, there is a way for the governor to put some meaning behind his denials.
Get behind the ethics laws that are being proposed in the House and Senate and make sure they get approved.
McDermott's story, which was published in the Herald & Review, detailed how political donors from around the country contribute to the governor's campaign funds and also receive state contracts under his administration. The story details a review of the state's 50 top contractors and found that about half have been significant contributors to Blagojevich's campaign coffers.
These firms include consultants, auditing firms and others in various states. Many of these firms have made five- and six-figure campaign donations, while at the same time reaping millions in service contracts under Blagojevich's administration.
The list of firms also brings up many questions. Why would a consulting firm in North Carolina or Massachusetts be making a campaign contribution to the Illinois governor? We can understand out-of-state firms bidding on state government contracts, but the campaign contributions do raise suspicions.
Such circumstances are legal and common in Illinois, but that doesn't make it right. As Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, points out, no one is saying firms can't make campaign contributions or receive state contracts. "We're just saying you should be precluded from doing both."
Fritchey is the author of HB1, which calls for widespread ethics reform. In essence, Fritchey's bill would prohibit firms receiving state contracts from donating to the campaign of the officeholder who approved the contract. The bill also calls for companies receiving state contracts to disclose all past campaign contributions.
The bill, first introduced in 2006, has passed the House but is stalled in the Senate Rules Committee. That's where Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, sends bills to die.
This week, Illinois Senate Democrats approved a similar ethics reform bill.
So, that's good news, right?
Not in Springfield. Most observers believe the Senate bill is a sham to prevent anything from happening. These observers believe the House and Senate will never get together on a compromise bill. The result will be politicians can say they voted for ethics reform without anything being accomplished.
The governor can break the logjam. If he really believes ethics reform is necessary, he can tell the House and Senate to pass some form of ethics reform, and he'll sign it. Blagojevich needs to do more than say it, however. He has to mean it, and that requires telling his chief ally, Senate President Emil Jones, to make sure ethics reform gets approved.
Blagojevich can work to make ethics reform a reality, but all he has done so far is pay lip service to the idea. His actions show that he's happy handing out state contract to campaign contributors.