Rules for officeholders go beyond 'Don't sell Senate seat'

When our felonious, impeached and disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich strides back into federal court Wednesday for his corruption retrial, he won't just be sporting a mop of hair and a nice suit. He'll also be lugging with him the cynicism he creates in the rest of us by constantly insisting that the state of Illinois has an environment that encourages or even requires all elected officials to play the “What's in it for me?” game.

That's unfortunate because the suburbs are blessed with many elected public servants who actually set out to serve the public instead of themselves.

“What's going on at the municipal level is a very different animal,” says lawyer Ruth Alderman Schlossberg of Barrington, who doesn't let political cynicism taint her view of elected officials in the suburbs. “I am not cynical. I see people working hard.”

But even decent, hardworking people can make mistakes. That's why Schlossberg and others in the Crystal Lake-based law firm of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle are conducting a half-day seminar April 30 on the dos and don'ts of government for newly elected officers and other public servants. Officials who attend will receive a copy of the handbook Schlossberg wrote with her co-worker attorney Richard G. Flood: “Congratulations! You've Been Elected: Now What Do You Do?” And no, it doesn't offer advice on which shredder to buy, the proper way to accept a bribe or even what to wear to your first arraignment.

Newly elected people sometimes grasp the big picture of the their job, but don't really understand “the nuts and bolts,” Schlossberg says. “Government is one of the most highly regulated industries there is. There are a lot of rules.”

Without proper training and some instructions, “good-faith people” can break the law without even realizing it, she says. “I don't think most violations are intentional.”

Working with organizations that represent park districts and community colleges, the Illinois Municipal League also is hosting a series of four-hour “Newly Elected Officials Workshops” in June, including one in Schaumburg.

While “sunshine laws,” which require governmental bodies to follow the Freedom of Information Act and the Illinois Open Meetings Act, might cause the most confusion, seminars also help public servants understand details in everything from campaign finance statements and conflicts of interest to the basics of running a civil and effective public meeting.

“Government isn't the same as business,” Schlossberg says. Bosses who are used to doing business on golf courses or at a ballgame are “surprised” when they discover that governments make them conduct business in public forums.

“The training we do is often eye-opening for them. I think people freak out. Suddenly you commit a criminal offense because you sat around and talked about buying swing sets,” Schlossberg says.

While the “broad brush” of public opinion gives the impression that all elected officials are out for themselves, “it's pretty clear there is somewhat more confidence in local government than there is in federal or state government,” says Larry Frang, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League.

“The vast majority of the people, if not all of them, are working hard and acting in good faith. They want to comply. They are your neighbors,” Schlossberg says. “I admire these people.”

But the state that promised reform after impeaching Blagojevich hasn't quite fixed the problem. The first edition of Schlossberg's and Flood's handbook included a footnote that read, “As this goes to press, we expect ethics reform.”

Not to be cynical, but the new edition doesn't hint of coming ethics reform.

“We took that out,” Schlossberg says.