Fritz Pfister

On December 9, 2008 hope was restored to the people of Illinois with the arrest of governor Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich, who may be damaged beyond repair, hopefully is on the way out. Blagojevich promising reform and change when entering office, had many in Springfield hopeful the corrupt days of Ryan were behind them. Only to see first hand the callous disregard of Chicago machine politics in action.

When Blagojevich entered office he pledged a leaner more efficient government, and that means something in a city where the state is the largest single employer. Immediately firing 50 capable department heads, and assistants to be replaced by cronies, Springfield learned the hard way. All these employees sued for wrongful firing and won. Blagojeviches response? The elimination of approximately 1700 jobs in Springfield to be moved to Chicago. A huge blow to the local economy, and housing market.

Blagojevich never took any action that did not benefit him or his comrades, and exacted swift political revenge upon adversaries. When Blago took office there were over 20,000 state employees living in Sangamon, and Menard counties. Today that number is about 16,000. If not for the medical community expansion, Springfield would have been on the economic ropes much earlier.

Following four years of suspected corrupt leadership, as Blago avoided Springfield, the people of Illinois re-elected this governor. Pay to play politics at its finest ruled the day, Blago implemented program after program to buy votes, without legislative approval, or funding mechanisms. All this possible due to unwavering support of another machine politician, Senate President Emil Jones. This unholy alliance placed Illinois in a Chicago machine stranglehold, neutering downstate leadership.

In 2007, when the honest legislators could see the irreparable harm the Chicago machine was doing to the state, an attempt was made to place a referendum on the ballot that would add recall to the state constitution. In true Blagojevich style the governor said he didn’t mind if recall was added to the constitution, just as he recently said he didn’t mind being wire tapped. The measure passed in the house, but low and behold couldn’t muster enough votes in the senate under machine hack Jones leadership. Hell was about to be paid.

Within weeks, due to the Springfield area representatives voting for the recall provision, Blagojevich announced he was beginning to move departments of state out of Springfield, beginning with the Department of Traffic Safety to Harrisburg, whose representative just happened to vote against recall. More moves were imminent because Blagojevich said he had to think of the entire state and move jobs to areas that needed them most. Political revenge that could critically harm the Springfield economy, home to Blagojevich adversaries.

Worse is what happened in Pontiac where their representatives also voted for recall; the closure of Pontiac prison. Still in progress, and only being delayed due to lawsuits, the prison closure would literally force Pontiac into an economic depression. Political revenge exacted from the governor of change, and reform.

Both the Traffic Safety move, and Pontiac closures were voted as unnecessary, and unreasonable by the bipartisan joint committee on state facility closures. Did not matter, Blagojevich said it was a done deal.

Why all this information on a real estate blog? Because the sheeple of Illinois bought into the change, and reform message of a corrupt Chicago hack politician. Following six years of corrupt leadership the city of Springfield, and the state of Illinois are on the verge of financial collapse. The only beneficiaries of this reign of corruption were the cronies, willing supporters, and the Chicago machine.

The economy, and therefore the housing market has suffered as a result. That is why there is renewed hope for the Springfield housing market with the arrest of Illinois’ most arrogantly corrupt governors in history, and that’s saying something!

If for the first time this century the people of Illinois can get honest leadership, we can lick our wounds, heal, move forward and create a great place to live and work. We can create a new Illinois that can be both prosperous and honorable. A place I moved to 28 years ago.