All things considered, it could be worse for Jesse Jackson Jr.

On Friday, the former Chicago congressman was charged with a number of counts centering around his illegal spending of campaign contributions, which totaled $750,000. With the money he bought a $43,000 Rolex watch, fur coats and a fedora once owned by Michael Jackson. He and his wife, Sandi, also found creative ways to spend campaign contributions to pay down personal debts and fund vacations. Sandi Jackson, a former Chicago alderman, has already pled guilty to falsifying tax returns for the couple, and multiple sources report that Jackson will also plead guilty, most likely in a plea bargain.

And for the voters of Illinois, especially Jackson’s congressional district, that’s the best news possible at a time like this. 

No one wants to turn on the 6 o’clock news night after night to see yet another Illinois politician grasping at straws to defend himself for months on end. Jackson is doing the right thing by trying to wrap up a trial before it begins, not taking up valuable federal court resources, just to end up debating the nuances of just how guilty he is in one instance over another.

This admission of guilt comes at the end of a long saga of cat-and-mouse games between federal investigators and Jackson. In 2008, Jackson reportedly involved himself in a bid for President Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the attempted sale of which indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is currently serving prison time. Though Jackson was never charged in that case, it was a hit to his public reputation.

Last summer, Jackson disappeared from public view, his office later issuing a statement that Jackson was being treated for bipolar disorder at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

This period of laying low seems to have been a strategic move. Even while public disapproval mounted, Jackson never withdrew his candidacy for his reelection to Congress, which he won easily in November. Fifteen days later, however, Jackson resigned from his seat. A special election will be held Feb. 26. 

The congressman had served in his role since 1995, when Jackson’s predecessor was indicted on charges of having sex with a 16-year-old campaign worker. Jackson won a special election to replace the former Rep. Mel Reynolds. And while it would be crude and irresponsible to write off Jackson’s actions as just another player in the corrupt Illinois political game, it’s hard not to.

The people of Illinois deserve better. When he went “into hiding” in the summer, Jackson chose to use his Congressional health insurance to his advantage, having an extensive stay in a top-rated hospital. He had another chance to come clean after his treatment but chose to continue on the campaign trail with little effort, garnering even more campaign contributions along the way. Jackson completely neglected the people of his district — a population that legitimately needs attention with respect to policy — and instead used his post for his own political gain. 

So it comes with great relief that Jackson is pleading guilty, closing the book on a story that has been drawn out far too long already. Better late than never.