Chicago Said To Be Most Corrupt City In America

[Dave]

I know, I know... this is a complete shock. I wonder what spot Ludington was on this list (as far as the local government goes of course... the city its self is great, just the loons running the city that suck the life out of it).

CHICAGO (CBS) — A former Chicago alderman turned political science professor/corruption fighter has found that Chicago is the most corrupt city in the country.

He cites data from the U.S. Department of Justice to prove his case. And, he says, Illinois is third-most corrupt state in the country.

University of Illinois at Chicago professor Dick Simpson, who served as alderman of the 44th Ward in Lakeview from 1971 to 1979, estimates the cost of corruption at $500 million.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody Reports

It’s essentially a corruption tax on citizens who bear the cost of bad behavior — police brutality, bogus contracts, bribes, theft and ghost payrolling to name a few — and the costs needed to prosecute it.

“We first of all, we have a long history,” Simpson said. “The first corruption trial was in 1869 when alderman and county commissioners were convicted of rigging a contract to literally whitewash City Hall.”

In the Northern District of Illinois, which includes Chicago, there have been a total of 1,531 public corruption convictions since 1976, Simpson found. A distant second is California’s central district in Los Angeles with 1,275 public corruption convictions since 1976, Simpson found.

Statewide, that number hits 1,828. Only California and New York have more, but those states have much higher populations. Per capita, only the District of Columbia and Louisiana have more convictions.

Since the 1970s, four of Illinois’ seven governors have been convicted (Otto Kerner, Dan Walker, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich). In addition, dozens of Chicago alderman and other city and county public officials have been found guilty, Simpson said.

Corruption, Simpson said, is intertwined with city politics. Simpson found that about a third of sitting alderman since 1973 have been corrupt.

“We have had machine politics since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871,” he said. “Machine politics breeds corruption inevitably.”

Simpson says Hong Kong and Sydney were two similarly corrupt cities that managed to change their ways. He says Chicago can too, but it will take decades.

Simpson is set to present his full report Wednesday morning, and testify before the new Chicago Ethics Task Force at City Hall Wednesday night.

RELATED: READ THE REPORT HERE

In his report, Simpson recommends the following:

• Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to allow Illinois citizens to adopt ethics reforms by referendum should be passed;
• Amend the City’s Ethics Ordinance to cover aldermen and their staff;
• Give the Inspector General access to all city documents including those held secret by the Corporation Counsel;
• Ban all gifts to all elected officials and public employees except those from family members;
• Bar all lobbying of other governmental bodies by elected officials and city employees;
• Prohibit double dipping, patronage and nepotism with real penalties including firing; and
• Improve the city’s ethics training and bring it up to at least the State of Illinois level.   

[Willy]

Because of the similarities I think a good new name for Ludington would be "Little Chicago". Ludington and Chicago are both on Lake Michigan, both have a reputation of nepotism, both deny access to documents, both have officials serving and lobbying on multiple boards and commissions, both have a rigged bidding process, ect. ect. One thing about Ludington that I know exists but I am not so sure about Chicago is the lack of a responsible newspaper that will investigate and report on corruption by local officials instead of sweeping it under a rug. Not something to be proud of.

[XLFD]

You would think with the bad reputation Chicago has for corruption and the dedication of true citizen-patriots like Dick Simpson, they would be getting better as far as corruption.  And it may be, but the detection of it becomes easier. 

The sad thing is that other cities without such reputations are going bad, without the public officials getting any notice for their actions.  As noted, many of the good citizens of Ludington are blissfully unaware that a significant portion of their tax money is being used in ways that go contrary to law or just to common sense, or being used to prop up the downtown area at the expense of all others. 

Dave originally introduced us to the Bell (California) Scandal back in 2010, and this showed how difficult it was to get an obviously corrupt local government in check.  This was just a 'warning Bell' to what can happen when public apathy and politicians with few scruples mix. 

[AQUAMAN]

As bad as Chicago is, from the distant past, and also today, they could take a jaunt about 225 miles to the north, and take a few lessons from the experts here in Ludville, for living proofs, that this way of corruption can exist, and prosper, right under the apathetic noses of the public at large.