Durkin is managing director of a major investment bank that is heavily involved in underwriting government bonds. This industry has long been tainted by “pay-for-play” scandals in which the firms that receive lucrative contracts to issue these government bonds also underwrite the campaigns of the politicians who award these contracts. In ’93, then-Illinois Gov. Edgar received $16,500 from First Boston Corp. (see Pioneer John Hennessy) and $19,000 from Donaldson Lufkin. Both firms were then underwriting major bond issues for the state, which had no bidding process to govern these contracts. Durkin left First Boston the following year to work for Donaldson Lufkin.