McHenry County Blog

As McHenry County Blog reported Monday, State Rep. Jack Franks booked over $1 million during the first six months of 2009.

That was enough to make him noticed by the Chicago Sun-Times in Springfield correspondent Dave McKenney’s story on what statewide candidates raised how much.

Franks’ photo and that of DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom were featured in the article above which State Comptroller Dan Hynes snagged the headlinefor having $3.5 million in the bank.

Franks has told the Northwest Herald that he’s thinking about running for governor.

One thing is for sure, if the campaign “reform” bill is signed by Governor Pat Quinn, this will be the last election cycle that candidates with rich relatives like Franks will be able to tap them for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The new limit is $5,000 per person, if I read the legislation correctly.

Rich Miller, who writes Capitol Fax Blog, asks a question today that stimulated a response from me:

Talking about the refusal of the Chicago Tribune to release emails between those seeking to help it get state money for the Tribune-owner Cubs’ Wrigley Field, Miller asks,

“Do you have any other questions the Trib should answer?”

Actually, I do have a question for the Tribune which has nothing to do with the subject of Miller’s article:

“Don’t you really favor limiting campaign contributions so rich newspaper owners can have more influence than rich folks who don’t own newspapers?”

The liberals mantra for campaign reform is

That pretty much guarantees two things:

• Rich newspaper (radio, TV) owners will have more influence on the political process than rich non-media owners.
• Rich folks will win elective office.

The later certainly has been too often the case in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Now rigorous and immediate campaign contribution reporting (which Illinois most certainly does not have), that would be reform. Add a requirement that those contributing report any contracts, including dollar amount, which they have will governments, local and state, and that would be real reform.

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That’s Capitol Fax’ Rich Miller being interviewed by WTTW in January, 2009, the day Rod Blagojevich presided over the Illinois Senate’s swearing in ceremony.