It’s morning in Illinois. Gov. Patrick Quinn (SFS ’71) is a welcome remedy for the politically shaken state after a 10-year carnival of corruption and controversy.
Last Thursday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was removed from office by the Illinois Senate in light of federal corruption charges. Quinn, Blagojevich’s estranged lieutenant governor and a former sports editor at The Hoya, was sworn in about an hour after the conviction.
Known for his unassuming populism, Quinn is the perfect antidote to Blagojevich and the shady Chicago politics he has come to personify. The administrations of Blagojevich and his predecessor, Gov. George Ryan, formed nearly a decade of corrupt rule in Illinois – Ryan is currently serving time in federal prison after being convicted on 18 counts of corruption in 2006.
Supporters in the Illinois House of Representatives called Quinn, a former tax attorney and state treasurer, “an apolitical creature in a political world” and “the anti-Blagojevich.” This depiction seems reasonable: Quinn made his name promoting policies designed to check the power of state officials and represent the interests of the consumer. He notably targeted salary increases for state legislators and the distribution of special vanity license plates by the Ryan administration.
Perhaps most importantly, Quinn comes without the stain of corruption. As far back as 2006, Blagojevich said that Quinn had no role in his administration. Quinn is a notoriously straight shooter – one who seems to have no taste for the sort of political razzle-dazzle that defined his predecessor’s administration.
Some have expressed uncertainty as to whether the new governor will be able to manage Illinois politics, a political environment that has historically eschewed the outsider. Only time will tell, but we believe that Quinn has what it takes to lend his state desperately needed legitimacy and respectability. With the buffoon Blagojevich out of sight at last, Quinn offers his constituents something they’ve yearned for since the start of the debacle: a new beginning.
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