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Group Wants to End Illinois Political Corruption
CHANGE Illinois, Coalition for Honest and New Government Ethics, is calling for and end to the culture of political corruption in Illinois.

A coalition of civic, business, professional and non-profit organizations launched the campaign Thursday and called for Illinois citizens to join the battle to demand honest government.

According to Peter Bensinger, former administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and co-chair of CHANGE Illinois says the first priority for the group is to reduce the influence of large campaign contributors by enacting strict limits on the amount of money that can be given to candidates and political action committees.

AARP with its nearly two million members in Illinois, most of whom vote, has joined the coalition. "For too long we"ve seen business as usual stand in the way of progress as it should be," said Bob Gallo, director of AARP Illinois. "Something has got to change."

The group acknowledges that there are many avenues for political reform including an end to gerrymandering legislative districts, more openness in government, more public information about the economic interests of government officials and tighter regulation of lobbying. The coalition says those ideas will be looked at in the months ahead.

(Illinois Radio Network)
03 02 09 by Newsroom
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