STATE OF CHANGE
Attorney general hopefuls make push to regain public trust, spar over corruption, contributions — and Lisa and Mike Madigan
Democratic candidates for attorney general on Thursday agreed on the need to fight public corruption and battle conflicts of interest in Illinois — but some said that needs to start with contributions raised by the perceived front runner that “fly in the face of the campaign finance laws.”
Also coming under fire in the joint appearance at the Chicago Sun- Times was the outgoing occupant of the office, Lisa Madigan. Some of the Democrats vying to succeed her said she was limited in how far she pursued investigations because of her father, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
The eight Democrats, who have just weeks to get their messages across before the March 20 primary, appeared before the Sun- Times Editorial Board.
While some priorities differed, all eight were on board to making changes to the state that would help ensure more public trust in government.
And perceived front- runner state Sen. Kwame Raoul took heat over a contribution from tobacco companies.
Raoul last year received 10 political contributions of $ 10,000 each from companies including Top Tubes, Republic Tobacco and Top Tobacco.
Top is included in a national tobacco settlement enforced by Lisa Madigan that is still being negotiated in Illinois.
Sharon Fairley, who served as the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, argued people “toe the line” they are given while saying the contributions “fly in the face of the campaign finance laws.”
Jesse Ruiz, former Chicago Board of Education head, chimed in that the matter is still pending with the attorney general’s office.
“It will be most likely still pending when I become attorney general or if you were to be attorney general. That’s an advance bribe,” Ruiz said.
Raoul shot back at the accusation: “Coming from somebody who just stepped off of Exelon’s board and took a contribution.”
“You took Exelon money,” Fairley told Raoul.
“I did, but I’m not pointing fingers,” Raoul said.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn sat in a corner seat with a stack of papers and in many cases complimented his competitors. He painted himself as the defender of “everyday people” while citing his work in creating the Citizens Utility Board. Quinn said his campaign theme is “to take on and defend the interests of everyday people.”
State Rep. Scott Drury, D- Highwood, who is no stranger to criticism of Speaker Mike Madigan, said the next attorney general must fight a public perception that Lisa Madigan was “saddled with.”
“One of the biggest knocks on the current attorney general, true or false, is that she was only able to go so far because of who her dad was. And so the reason she didn’t go after public corruption because her dad was Mike Madigan,” Drury said. “You have to ask, when the time comes to actually investigate something of real significance, is the attorney general going to do that or are they going to be criticized with the same accusation that Lisa has been saddled with?”
Aaron Goldstein, a criminal defense attorney who served as one of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers, said the state must change an “attitude issue.”
“Lisa Madigan came in as attorney general, she said she was going to investigate corruption even if it meant her father, and she never did any of that,” Goldstein said. “She didn’t raise her hands up and say, ‘ We don’t have the resources. She just refused to do it. It’s a matter of being proactive.”
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said the attorney general’s office must increase its watchdog activities and empower the people through education.
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said he’d work to make economic justice his priority should he win, saying his father is a cashier at Wal- Mart.