In this episode of The Cole Memo, I’m joined once again by Chicago Tribune reporter and author Ray Long for a deep dive into Illinois’ ongoing ethics crisis. We discuss his recent reporting on how, despite a wave of public corruption convictions—including former House Speaker Mike Madigan—lawmakers have made little effort to close glaring loopholes in state ethics laws. From revolving door lobbying rules to coordination with super PACs and campaign finance “money bombs,” we explore how Springfield continues to delay meaningful reform.
After our conversation, I also share a broadcast clip from 92.7 WMAY Springfield, where Ray expands on these issues and offers additional insights into why ethics reform always seems just out of reach in Illinois.
- Watch the episode on Youtube here
- Stream the episode on Soundcloud here
- Stream the episode on Spotify here
- Stream the episode on Apple Podcast here
- Stream the episode on X here
Links mentioned during show
- Gov. JB Pritzker, lawmakers moving sluggishly on Illinois ethics law reforms despite uptick in convictions
- You can listen to my recent conversation with Ray Long here
- Read the series on Illinois’ notorious political legacy: ChicagoTribune.com/Corruption
- Purchase Ray’s book here: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=68qcg2pd9780252044472
- Link to the broadcast that I played from WMAY can be found here
The Cole Memo 
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