Editorial: To show commitment to change, Speaker Welch can start with ethics reform
Last in an Opinion series
Public service.
Sounds selfless, right?
But if you're lucky enough to be elected to the Illinois General Assembly, it isn't always.
Sure, there are plenty of people in office who enter the public arena simply because they have a vision for how to make things better for their districts and our state. They view serving the people of Illinois as a solemn oath - with no further expectations than being compensated for their time and perhaps health care and a pension. A few eschew even some of these perks.
But the way laws are set up in Illinois, "public service" is looked upon by some as an opportune step up the ladder toward something more lucrative and powerful.
Wednesday's election of Hillside Democrat Emanuel "Chris" Welch to succeed Michael Madigan as House speaker provides a test of which definition of the phrase we will see in the years ahead. Welch has a big job ahead, and a big opportunity, to show that he represents change in more than just name.
It's true that Welch has long been a proponent of ending the gerrymandering of legislative districts in Illinois - something that helped Madigan maintain power for decades - and he told reporters Wednesday he supports term limits for leaders. Facilitating legislation to create these kinds of changes would be an enormous step toward breaking up the power monopoly in Illinois.
In addition to these and other reforms we've advocated in a series of editorials this week, we urge him to lead the General Assembly toward limits on how quickly a legislator can leave that post to become a lobbyist.
That any legislator can leave office one day and be a lobbyist the next invites temptation to make one's tour of duty less about public service and more about nest feathering.
Revolving door lobbying is one of those practices in Illinois that encourages self-interest.
Illinois is one of just seven states that does not require a "cooling off" period for legislators who want to become lobbyists. Yep, you can be voting on bills one day, then retire and take a job the next day persuading your former colleagues how to vote.
Most states have opted for a one-year cooling off, but seven require two years. Florida will extend its two-year ban to six starting in 2023, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.
In Illinois, there is a long list of both Democrats and Republicans who've taken this career path.
Why do special interest groups hire these people? Because they have connections. Many lobbyists know how to influence sitting legislators because they, themselves, recently held that seat.
So in building a resume for a lobbying firm, a legislator is not really a public servant but a servant to his or her self interest.
If we want to create a government that works for the people of Illinois, it's necessary to remove this temptation. Establishing a cooling-off period for legislators with an eye toward a career in lobbying is one step in that direction. We look forward to the new speaker's advocacy of this and other ethics reforms. We expect suburban lawmakers to hold him and themselves to that kind of public service.