State Corruption Rankings – Where Should Mass. Be?

BOSTON (CBS) – Have you ever wondered where Beacon Hill ranks nationwide in terms of corruption?

We could find out soon.

The Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C. is going to hire part-time reporters in every capital and "rank the 50 states for susceptibility to corruption."

Where will Massachusetts come in?

WBZ political analyst Jon Keller thinks the Commonwealth will be "in the mix" and rank "fairly high."

"I don't know if we're going to be able to compete one-on-one with states like Illinois, where the former governor openly tried to peddle a U.S. Senate seat or Maryland, where the governor once sold, or took bribes, in exchange for issuing pardons. And certainly Louisiana has got to be right up there in the top ten."

Keller talks to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Rod Fritz

What will the center be assessing?

"What mechanisms each state has for exposing and rooting out corruption, civil service protections, that kind of thing," Keller said.

"Massachusetts, I think, lags behind many other states in that regard. It will be fascinating to see where we rank and I applaud the project, because really, the only true disinfectant for this kind of thing is exposure and the shame that it brings."

The research will be paid for with $1.5 million in grants.

Where do you think Massachusetts will rank?

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