Anti-Corruption - University of Illinois at Chicago

political work for the mayor and his allies. All together over 40 people were indicted or
convicted as a result of this investigation. The estimated cost of this scandal is $10 to $15
million per year for at least 10 years.
Incubator and City Contracts
Operation Incubator was a federal investigation into city contracting, particularly
granting a City of Chicago parking fine collection contract from one New York company
to another. This probe revealed rampant corruption and use of bribery to win city
contracts for collecting unpaid parking tickets and water bills. Four aldermen, a former
state senator, a deputy water commissioner and an aide to former Mayor Washington
were among the convicted individuals. The Incubator corruption scandal cost citizens
over $239,000.
Licenses for Bribes (Operation Safe Roads)
A fatal truck accident in 1994 and a government whistleblower led to an investigation
into a scheme to trade truck operators’ licenses for political contributions. The massive
investigation, Licenses for Bribes, resulted in 79 people charged, including former
Governor George Ryan. The probe revealed that the examiners at the secretary of state’s
office were selling truckers’ licenses for bribes, with money funneled to Secretary of
State George Ryan’s campaign. The investigators discovered that the Inspector General
was obstructing investigations and that Governor Ryan accepted free vacations and other
favors while giving out state contracts to his friends. The George Ryan scandal cost
taxpayers almost $5 million.
Silver Shovel
Federal authorities conducted a massive corruption investigation, named Operation Silver
Shovel, into Chicago city government regarding suspicions about public officials
misusing their offices by permitting illegal landfills and other environmental abuses to
occur. The probe revealed that corrupt aldermen accepted bribes to allow illegal dumping
in their wards. At its conclusion in 1996, Silver Shovel had uncovered everything from
labor union corruption to drug trafficking and organized crime activity and resulted in 18
convictions and guilty pleas from public employees and six aldermen. Besides costing
taxpayers $5.4 million, this investigation caused more tangible harm to low-income
wards where tons of debris were illegally dumped.
Conclusion
Corruption is not funny and it is not free. It costs Illinois taxpayers more than
$500 million a year. The Hired Truck Program included a hidden “waste and stolen
services bill” estimated to be $10 to $15 million annually for more than 10 years. The
City Inspector General found that Sanitation Department garbage collectors worked 25%
less time than they were paid for – costing the city more than $20 million for work not
done by employees. Governor Blagojevich’s well publicized corruption lowered the
state’s bond rating and cost more than $20 million more for the last state bond issue. And
so it goes – in a time of deep recession we are wasting taxpayer money and raising taxes
and fees on citizens who can ill afford to pay for corruption any longer. A corruption tax
of $500 million a year is too high.
6