Corbett Calls for Overhaul of Illinois Ethics Oversight After Legislative Inspector General Departure (Palatine, IL) – Independent Illinois gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett is calling for a restructuring of the state’s ethics oversight system following the departure of Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey.
Corbett’s campaign is proposing the creation of a single independent commission to oversee ethics investigations involving state elected officials and employees. The proposal would consolidate the state’s existing legislative and executive inspector general and ethics functions under one entity.
Corbett said the current system gives lawmakers significant influence over legislative ethics oversight and argued that a new structure should provide greater independence.
“We cannot let this moment pass without pushing for real ethics reform in Illinois,” Corbett said. “In this state, the politicians control who oversees them. Illinois does not have independent watchdogs investigating fraud, waste, abuse, or misconduct in state government. It’s time to change that.”
Under Corbett’s proposal, the commission would have nine members. The Illinois Supreme Court would vet nominees, with the governor selecting the chair from those nominees. The Senate president, House speaker, Senate minority leader and House minority leader would each select one member, while the secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and comptroller would each select one.
The proposed commission members could not be sitting lawmakers, state employees, political party leaders or employees, or lobbyists, according to the campaign.
The plan would retain dedicated inspectors general for individual branches of state government. Those inspectors general would conduct initial investigations and submit their findings to the independent commission, which would conduct hearings and determine disciplinary actions.
The proposed commission and inspectors general also would have statutory subpoena authority to compel documents and testimony during investigations. Corbett’s campaign said the commission would receive an independent budget and have authority to publicly release reports after determining that wrongdoing had occurred.
Corbett said the structure is intended to address separation-of-powers concerns while creating a centralized system for ethics oversight.
The candidate compared the proposed structure to Florida’s Commission on Ethics and said the goal would be to establish a system capable of overseeing state government without direct control by the officials being investigated.
The proposal comes as McCuskey is no longer serving as Illinois legislative inspector general. Corbett argued that the transition provides an opportunity for state officials to consider broader changes to the ethics system.
“What we’re proposing is an ambitious overhaul of the entire ethics oversight system in Illinois,” Corbett said. “But scandal after scandal in Illinois has proven it’s time we finally take ethics seriously in this state.”
Corbett also criticized the state’s existing political structure, saying he believes an independent candidate would be more likely to pursue changes to ethics oversight.
Corbett is running for governor as an independent candidate. He is a political strategist and small-business owner who says he has spent more than two decades working with individuals and organizations on civic and political campaigns.
According to his campaign biography, Corbett has recruited and trained more than 3,500 people and founded companies that have worked with nearly 1,200 organizations and campaigns nationwide. He lives in Palatine with his wife, Abbey, their young son and their rescue dog.
Corbett Calls for Overhaul of Illinois Ethics Oversight After Legislative Inspector General Departure
