Bloomington Pantagraph
June 5, 2008
EDITORIAL
Override any veto of bill targeting pay-to-play politics

The conviction of political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko on 16 of 24 counts in a federal probe of political influence peddling is just one more example of why Illinois needs to enact the campaign finance reform bill approved by the Legislature.
Without even seeing what "improvements" Gov. Rod Blagojevich might make to the bill, we urge lawmakers to override any veto and put the original provisions into law promptly.
That sounds harsh, but anything less risks sending the entire measure down the tubes.
The bill - passed in both houses without a single "no" vote - bars entities with more than $50,000 in state contracts from donating to the political campaigns of the elected officials who control the agencies issuing the contracts.
It's a good bill for what it does: attacking pay-to-play politics and the perception - or reality - that one's campaign contributions are linked to business with the state.
Pay-to-play politics is the central theme of an ongoing federal investigation of state government that included the indictment of Rezko, a former top adviser to Blagojevich.
But the governor wants to use this rather straightforward bill "to really do sweeping things."
What those "sweeping things" are, the governor hasn't spelled out.
But the risk is that adding more ballast to this boat will sink it. Cynics claim that's precisely the goal of the governor, who has collected millions of donations from state contractors, but has not been charged with wrongdoing.
Giving Blagojevich the benefit of the doubt and recognizing a desire to expand the reforms - for example, to include limits on donations to legislators - we say, "Wait 'til next year."
The governor himself said House Bill 8224 is "a step forward." So let's move a step forward and not risk tripping over add-ons.
Instead of looking at it as "an opportunity with that vehicle in my hands to really do sweeping things," as the governor described it Monday, Blagojevich should look at it as an opportunity to do one specific thing - a step toward breaking the link between campaign contributions and contracts.
Considering the bill was approved 56-0 in the Senate and 114-0 in the House, there should be more than enough votes to override a veto.
If lawmakers allow this measure to fail by getting wrapped up in a debate over changes suggested by the governor, they will be just as responsible as Blagojevich for its death.
Enact this bill as a first step, then continue moving forward with more reforms.
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.