Appearances matter, even in Illinois.

Caught in a no-win situation, former state Rep. Careen Gordon has wisely decided to resign her $86,000-a-year seat on the state's Prisoner Review Board and spare herself an embarrassing confirmation fight in the Illinois Senate.

Gov. Pat Quinn appointed Gordon, a Democrat from Coal City who was defeated in the November election, to the board after she voted during the January lame-duck session to raise the state income tax. Questions were raised immediately about the appointment because Gordon had indicated before the election that she opposed Quinn's proposed state income tax increase.

Skeptics suggested she voted for the tax hike in exchange for Quinn's explicit or implicit agreement to give her a job after Gordon left office.

Naturally, all parties to the agreement denied any impropriety. But what else could they say?

Quinn claimed Gordon, a former prosecutor, was well qualified for the position. But she is no more qualified than hundreds of others, none of whose vote Quinn needed to pass his controversial tax plan.

Obviously, both Quinn and Gordon failed to anticipate a problem with her being confirmed in the Democrat-controlled state Senate. But with Republicans up in arms and Democrats reluctant to defend suspicious circumstances surrounding her appointment, Gordon obviously felt fighting for her seat on the nine-member board wasn't worth the effort.

Quinn's office said it was her decision alone. If so, it was a good decision. Illinois has had enough of these kind of cozy deals.