A perfect time for a talk about public corruption

If Patrick Collins was worried that the clamor for reform in this punchline-of-a-joke state was waning, he needn't anymore.

Roland Burris has arrived to save the day and keep the spotlight on Illinois' sorry state of affairs and Collins' group's efforts to change that.

The topic of Burris' recent questionable testimony will likely be brought up by the public tonight when Collins' Illinois Reform Commission hosts its first town hall meeting at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

"I think if it comes up, it's a fair question," said Collins, a Lisle native. "I think it's important in the context of what standards should we hold public officials (to). Should we hold them to a perjury standard or something higher?"

Collins is the former prosecutor who put George Ryan in prison. A few months ago, then-Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn tapped him to head up a commission to suggest legislative and other changes to curb corruption. The group is shooting to publish a report by the end of April, and is looking for suggestions and information from the public.

To try to keep it focused, the group is asking the public to focus on problem areas it has already identified: government transparency, campaign financing, procurement procedures, executive authority, enforcement and attitudinal issues. Speakers will be asked to keep their comments to 2-3 minutes. After introductions, the first half of the meeting will consist of a "reverse" town hall meeting where commission members ask residents questions. The second half will follow a more traditional format where the public asks commissioners questions.

While tonight's meeting is open to all ages, Collins said he expects a lot of students, due to the high school setting. And that's not a bad thing, he noted.

"One of my personal views is (that) we learn what's wrong in school, and then we learn, as adults, how to justify what we do is not wrong," Collins said. "My sense is that students sometimes have a better sense (of right and wrong)."

The meeting is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the recital hall of Stevenson's Performing Arts Center, 1 Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire. Stevenson Drive is on the north side of west Half Day Road, about six miles west of I-94.