Lake County Gazette

Dan Yost (R-Antioch) points an easy finger at what he sees as the source of all of Springfield's corruption problems.

“We have a culture problem here in Illinois and the primary driver of culture is leadership,” Yost, now running against state Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee) in the 61st District, told the Lake County Gazette. “Until those in positions of leadership are willing to stand up together and, with one voice, say “enough is enough” then put forth a clear vision and plan for what they hope to achieve by way of a new culture in Illinois, we will continue to be plagued by corruption.”

Yost’s assessment comes in the wake of a recent University of Illinois at Chicago study that found Illinois is home to more public corruption convictions than any other state since the year 2000. Within that mix, four of its past 10 governors went to prison, with current Gov. J.B. Pritzker now under federal investigation over his removal of toilets from a Gold Coast mansion that saved him upwards of $331,000 in property taxes.

While multiple bills seeking to enact ethics reforms are awaiting hearings during the current legislative session, Yost thinks he already knows what is needed.

“It’s going to require new representation down in Springfield to clean up our state government,” he said. “Representation from citizens’ who don’t see politics as a career, but rather as an opportunity to serve, give back to the community and then go back home.”

Currently, Illinois is just one of 14 states that allow former state lawmakers and agency heads to immediately become lobbyists, an issue Yost argues should be easy for all to see.

“This isn’t rocket science,” he said. “I’m troubled by the fact that we seem to need a 'think tank' to figure out the definition of right and wrong. It seems simple enough to me. The job of the legislature is to work on behalf of the people of Illinois, to enrich their lives. If a legislator is getting rich off legislation that he’s proposing and voting on, that’s wrong.”

As more and more residents have come to that conclusion, Yost said the price the state has been forced to pay is huge.

“Voters have lost confidence in our government and for good reason,” he said. “Our representatives in Springfield have had every opportunity to reform themselves. They’ve failed. Until there’s a change in leadership, there will always be a cloud that hangs over our state, a well-deserved skepticism that will have Illinoisan’s always asking, 'who’s benefiting from that deal?'"