In Illinois, at least as late as 2011, state and local legislators could use their position to benefit paying clients. According to The New York Times, fourteen elected officials in Cook County, where Chicago is located, were registered as lobbyists in the 2009-2011 period and had clients who did received government contracts in Illinois. Rep. Fred Crespo observes, “When I see them [the law makers] at a hearing in the Capitol, I often can’t tell of they’re here for their constituents or for their paying clients.” Legislators in Illinois “can legally vote and otherwise act on matters that directly benefit their lobbying clients.”[1] As this involves a conflict of interest, which is inherently unethical, this case demonstrates for us the contention of ethicists that ethics as a field is distinct from law.
The full essay is at Institutional Conflicts of Interest, available in print and as an ebook at Amazon.
1. Mike McIntire and Michael Luo, “When Santorum Left Senate, Some He Aided Found Him Work,” The New York Times, January 6, 2011; John Sullivan and Fredric Tulsky, “When Office Holders Also Represent Clients, Collisions Are Likely,” The New York Times, January 6, 2011; and Fredric Tulsky and John Sullivan, “Is It a Conflict? Yes, But It’s Legal,” The New York Times, January 6, 2011.
