"The Blagojevich scandal and the other cases of corruption in state and local governments have taken their toll on voter confidence in public officials," said Cynthia Canary, Director of ICPR. "Changing governors will not be enough to fix the system and restore the public's faith in government.
Poll: Illinois residents scandal weary
According to a poll released on Thursday by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, 58 percent of Illinois residents believe the corrupt behavior alleged against Governor Rod Blagojevich is common among officials in Illinois. Three quarters of the state's residents believe tighter restrictions on campaign contributions would be beneficial to government. Seventy-eight percent believe contributions by corporations should be banned, 76 percent say a labor union contributions ban would help and 74 percent believe that there should be set limits on contribution amounts by individuals.
