 State Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, laid out a plan that would
increase the amount of personal financial information that
candidates and public officials must disclose in order to run for or
hold public office."We're calling for full and complete and
transparent financial disclosure for candidates and public
officials," he said. "We want to make sure that people who are in
positions of leadership and decision-making in the state of Illinois
don't have any conflicts of interest."
Cindi Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political
Reform, said Kotowski's plan builds on existing Illinois law.
"This is really a refinement of a program we've had on the books
for decades now, and that's the statement of economic interest,"
Canary said. "And the real reason here is to highlight the conflicts
of interests."
Kotowski said the existing statement of economic interest does
not do enough to hold candidates and officials accountable.
His plan would require future and current elected officials to
disclose all income, donations, property interest, liabilities and
all previous employment to voters. Additionally, they would be
required to outline the financial interests of all immediate family
members.
Kotowski said the reluctance of candidates such as Republican
gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady and GOP lieutenant governor
candidate Jason Plummer to release their tax returns this year has
shed light on the problem.
"The truth is, right now we are completely in the dark about
people's financial picture when they're running for top leadership
positions," Kotowski said. "And that's got to give people pause."
Since former governor and now convicted felon Rod Blagojevich was
impeached in early 2009, the Illinois Legislature has passed several
laws with similar objectives as Kotowski's proposal. Illinois
enacted a major ethics reform law shortly before Blagojevich's
ouster and passed campaign finance reform last December.
Critics say the passage of such strict reforms puts running for
political office out of reach for the average citizen.
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Chris Mooney, professor of political science at the University of
Illinois Springfield, said he sees where critics are coming from.
"It's another onerous, or potentially onerous, hurdle that might
keep some people from serving the public," he said. "Of course, the
other side of that is if someone has something to hide, we don't
want them serving in public. But that's a place where people have
differing opinions."
Canary said the criticism is unfounded since Kotowski's proposal
expands on a law already on the books.
"You have to be really careful," Canary said. "Because what you
want to do is make sure it's your friends and neighbors who can run
for office, whoever those may be. And you don't want to make it so
complicated that only the professional with the team of legal
experts can come on board, but this is already a requirement. "
But Kotowski said the problem has reached a point where it's
worth the risk of alienating a few would-be politicians.
"The fact is, right now we have a climate in our state where some
people are resistant to even reveal the most basic information,"
Kotowski said.
But Canary acknowledges this proposal will not root out all
backroom deals.
"I don't think that this will eradicate that," Canary said.
"Politics, like most businesses, are relationship businesses. But
statements of economic interests are tools that we use in almost
every state, we use them nationally, and they really very simply
say, where are your investments. It is the notion that when you
elect a public official, they should not be profiting at the public
well."
Kotowski realizes his plan might not fix the problem, but he said
it would allow the public to have a better understanding of who they
are voting for than they have now.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By JENNIFER WESSNER] |
