West Central Reporter

After a full-year of serving as the face of the 50th District, Illinois state Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) laments that Springfield is still Springfield.

For all the talk about ethics reforms, fairness and “restorative justice” as a flood of federal corruption probes yet play out, McClure senses that nothing has really changed about the way too many of his colleagues seem to do business in the State Capitol.

“At this point, it’s just a lot of talk but there’s been no fundamental change to the nature of Springfield,” he told the West Central Reporter. “I really believe fair maps would go hand and hand with cleaning up the corruption.”

To that end, McClure said he would like to see the job of map drawing taken out of the hands of partisan lawmakers and entrusted with someone with less of an ulterior motive for coming to any conclusions they might arrive at.

But for now, that all just seems like a pipedream.

“No one in Springfield really seems to be taking this too seriously,” McClure added. “You got some on both sides that want it, but the powers-that-be haven’t signed on. It has to start at the top and with the ones in power wanting to get things right.”

Recent federal corruption probes that have ensnared a veteran state senator and a longtime state representative tell you that things are far from fine in Springfield. Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) has already pleaded guilty to taking a bribe in the still growing red-light camera scandal that even more recently snagged Patrick Doherty, the chief of staff of longtime Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski.

And that still may be just the beginning.

Even as he talks of the need to “root out the corruption,” the Chicago Tribune wonders how much relief can truly be expected to come from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Illinois’ great lord, Gov. Pritzker, the multibillionaire with his offshore accounts and the nagging toilets scandal, talks of setting an example for the people and returns to Springfield this week pushing for a whopping tax increase,” the newspaper added. “He’ll rely on the purveyors of corruption to get that done.”

Meanwhile, people continue to walk away from Illinois at alarming rates and McClure continues to plot strategy.

“We’ve got to keep pushing, try to come up with ways that truly make it easier for people to stay in the state,” he said.