In a state renowned for back-room deals, bribery and the very worst in “public service,” David Hoffman bleeds integrity.

The 42-year-old is a former federal prosecutor who, while Chicago’s inspector general for the past four years, exposed widespread corruption in the city’s building-safety and zoning inspections system.

Hoffman also issued a report scathingly critical of the mayor’s city parking meter sell-off deal – while he still worked for the Daley administration. Clearly, Hoffman understands that the way things always have been isn’t the way they should be, and he has the guts to do something about it.

As a member of the state’s Reform Commission, formed by Gov. Pat Quinn after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest, Hoffman wrote substantial segments of the commission’s proposed reform legislation. He also has served as an assistant U.S. Attorney and was a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Also on the Feb. 2 primary ballot for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee are State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Urban League President Cheryle Robinson Jackson, Dr. Robert Marshall, and Jacob Meister, an attorney.

We endorse Hoffman.