Ryan, Greenwood, birds of a feather
Columnist
James Ingram
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan described his recent conviction (and sentencing to 6 ½ years in a federal prison) as “the saddest day of my life.”
Ryan, 72, was found guilty of shaking-down government contractors in exchange for campaign money, personal gifts and vacations, as well as systemic corruption.
Ryan’s troubles extend as far back as 1993. It was then that Ryan (Illinois Secretary of State at the time) faced allegations of driver’s license selling, culminating in a major scandal in which a trucking official admitted paying a Ryan crony to fix the license test of a driver who later killed six children in a driving accident.
Apparently, Ryan learned nothing from the 1993 scandal and, ultimately, went on to bigger and more corrupt endeavors.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said it best prior to sentencing Ryan: “The real harm done by public corruption is to the confidence they (voters) have that their government plays by the rules.”
Unfortunately, many politicians, to be blunt, simply don’t give a damn and consider the public to be new-born suckers.
Consider East St. Louis School Board President Lonzo Greenwood. Campaign records reveal similarities in Greenwoods and Gov. Ryan’s relationships with vendors.
For example, Attorney Pearson Bush (brother of former ESL mayor Gordon Bush) made a $5,000 contribution to Greenwood. However, considering that Bush earned over $198,000 in fees from the ESL School District, that’s a drop in the bucket.
The Becker, Paulson, Hoerner and Thompson law firm also donated $5,000, but made more than $561,000 from ESL Schools.
Even the janitorial supply company New Systems made a $5,000 campaign donation to Greenwood but sold about $300,000 in products to ESL schools.
Oh, but it gets worse. Even the ESL teacher’s union forked over $5,000 toward Greenwoods political campaign, but not to worry.
It seems the money was well spent, with ESL School Board members Joe Lewis, Irma Golliday, Kinnis Williams and Khalil El-Amin all being well paid for their work on Greenwood’s campaign.
Now correct me if I’m wrong, but if Ryan is headed for the federal pen (in part) from “shaking-down” state vendors, shouldn’t Greenwood also be locked down for accepting “campaign contributions” from those who profiteer from ESL School District 189?
Greenwood has long been associated with inappropriate financial wheeling and dealing. Only a couple of years ago, I wrote of Greenwood’s awarding (without school board authorization) a $3.5 million food service contract to Sodexho, despite the fact that Sodexho submitted a high bid.
The scandal nearly cost Greenwood his position; but you know ESL “politi-tricks.” If there’s a way to thumb one’s nose at the public and the law, then there’s always someone willing to do it….if the price is right.
What’s disheartening is that no matter how much I expose such corruption, no matter how vigilant KMOV-TV reporter Craig Cheatham is (and I commend his tenacity), the ESL public will eventually have to be the force that votes these scoundrels out, be it at the school board or city government level.
Otherwise, this becomes the editorial equivalent of the Sunday comics, in which we are entertained for a brief moment, but return to our sense of complacency with the status quo.
At least Ryan will get what he deserves. What of the Lonzo Greenwoods (and others) who flagrantly suck the blood of an already anemic ESL school district and a city that has existed on life support for decades? Even Job (of the Bible) would, surely, have run out of patience by now.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.