Collins turns to writing in lifelong corruption fight

Patrick Collins is not accustomed to losing.

As a fresh intern for the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago, the Lisle native helped convict a Cook County judge on bribery charges.

Once hired on as an assistant U.S. Attorney, Collins helped take down a fraudulent hiring and ghost payrolling scheme in the Cook County Sheriff's office.

Then he capped off his career as a federal prosecutor sending former Gov. George Ryan to prison on corruption charges, not to mention a litany of others in the state's license-for-bribes scandal.

So when he was tapped by Gov. Pat Quinn after the ouster of Rod Blagojevich to head a blue-ribbon reform commission, Collins put the tenacity of a top prosecutor into the legislative ring.

Collins and the commission scored some points: first-ever campaign finance limits for state candidates, stronger open records laws and more contract regulations.

But Collins, 45, feels it was overall a disappointment.

"I candidly don't see that there has been any structural reform," he says.

Collins hasn't given up yet, however.

In the wake of the commission's reform push, he penned the book "Challenging the Culture of Corruption: Game-Changing Reform for Illinois."

Collins hopes the book, released in January, can end up making some difference. "It is a call to action," he says.

Collins, after all, doesn't see himself as one to give up.

The 1982 graduate of Benet Academy helped pay his way through the elite private high school by taking on jobs cleaning dog kennels and mowing lawns. Never much of a jumper, the second youngest of seven children, managed to make it to the state basketball playoffs his senior year.

Now an attorney with Perkins Coie in Chicago, Collins travels the local speaking circuit touting his book and calling for better reform despite the commissions perceived shortcomings.

Topping his agenda is the commission's unfinished business, including redistricting reform, stronger investigative powers for state's attorneys and campaign finance limits on party bosses.

The first half of his book briefly reviews Collins' experience prosecuting Illinois corruption at all levels and then explores the commission's efforts and the need for specific reforms.

Then the former prosecutor heads into a passionate plea to the jury - the citizens of Illinois - to keep reform at the forefront when they vote, support campaigns and petition their government.

Ultimately, Collins says, it is up to the citizens to change the system. He says he realized it is nearly impossible to get lawmakers in the system to voluntarily change it on their own.

"You are not going to convince them," Collins says. "You have to go to the people and get them fired up. That and media pressure can bring the change."

Yet, Collins concedes that even with the last governor facing criminal corruption charges and the one before him sitting in prison, it can be difficult to motivate the public.

He recalls last year walking out of the federal courthouse in Chicago and witnessing a tea party protest that numbered in the low thousands.

"It was a very passionate crowd. I remember thinking to myself ... wouldn't it be great if we could get this crowd or passion for ethics reform. To say it is almost laughable," Collins says. "I can't see people with their pitchforks screaming about redistricting reform."

Collins said writing the book was "cathartic" given the commission's setbacks last year with the legislature. And he sees that maybe it is already having the goal of impacting the debate. The book has had some success landing on must-read lists for college students.

Collins' bookChallenging the Culture of Corruption: Game-Changing Reform For IllinoisAuthor: Patrick CollinsPublisher: ACTA PublicationsPrice: $10False16951330Back when he was a federal prosecutor, Patrick Collins talked about the investigation that led to the conviction of former Gov. George Ryan.Bill Zars | Staff PhotographerFalse