Longtime political watcher Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman-turned-teacher-and-author, shared all things Chicago and Illinois politics during an hour-long program for Southern Illinois University’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Simpson says the corruption trial of former House Speaker Mike Madigan is on hold, pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision. “The Supreme Court, I have to say, has been a problem in the corruption area,” he said. “Essentially, what the Supreme Court has said is that corruption only occurs when there is an exact quid pro quo.”

The activity spurring the allegations against Madigan is far more nuanced.

As for Simpson’s days as a “reform” alderman during the 1970’s, “The battles with the Machine and the city council were quite fierce,” he said. “For instance, I opposed the appointment of the floor leader’s son to the Zoning Board of Appeals, because it was both nepotism and a conflict of interest, since he worked for the largest real estate firm in Chicago.

“The final vote was 44-2.”

Simpson is working on another book, “Dreaming Chicago’s Future.”