Mike Frerichs Is Part Of "Bad Politics As Usual In Illinois"

Earlier this week, we learned that Democrat candidate for Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs and his chinaman State Senate President John Cullerton caved and finally released state documents that cover Frerichs' career in the State Senate after public and media pressure forced their hand.  

But, just because the outcome has arrived, doesn't mean folks still aren't talking about this boneheaded move.  Yesterday, the Madison County Record editorialized about this being 'politics as usual'.  From the piece:

Campaign operatives for a Democratic candidate for state treasurer, State Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign), make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents pertaining to the Republican rival’s tenure as a state legislator and are accommodated. 

Campaign operatives for the Republican nominee, State Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego), make a FOIA request for similar documents pertaining to the Democrat’s tenure as a state legislator and are denied. 

Looks like a double standard, doesn’t it? 

...Here’s how it works: Everything bad that Illinois Democrats believe and assert about Illinois Republicans, no matter how unfounded, is assumed to be true. Everything bad that Illinois Republicans believe and assert about Illinois Democrats, no matter how reasonable, is assumed to be false. 

Consequently, if the FOIA documents requested by and provided to a Democrat fail to incriminate his Republican rival, the only possible conclusion is that the Republican has doctored those documents or withheld the juicy ones. 

Conversely, if FOIA documents are requested by and denied to a Republican, the only possible conclusion is that his Democratic rival is as pure as the driven snow and the mean-spirited Republican was out of line for questioning his ethics and making the request in the first place. 

...That Sen. Frerichs or Democrat Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who likes to fashion herself a friend of FOIA and open government and is free to intervene, aren’t embarrassed by this outrage is telling. So long as we keep choosing state leaders like these, the politicians, not the people, will always come first in Illinois.

Emphasis, ours.  

Mike Frerichs And The Machine Cave: Taxpayers Win.

From an email newsletter this morning from the Tom Cross for Treasurer campaign and first posted on Rich Miller's Capitol Fax Site:

After three months of evasion, blocking and obfuscation, Senate President John Cullerton’s office has finally agreed to release public documents on Sen. Mike Frerichs, as legally required by the Freedom of Information Act. The change of course came one day after Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider gave Cullerton’s office a one-week deadline before filing an official Request for Review with the Attorney General’s office and possible legal action. 

Below are some recent clips on Frerichs’ #FOIAGATE:

• The State Journal-Register: “...shouldn't be like pulling teeth just to get the Democrats to follow their own laws on transparency and good government.” (Tim Schneider, GOP Chair)

• Decatur Talk 101: “ So at the end of the day, then…what makes me raise an eyebrow is, is he [Frerichs] guilty of some kind of political clouting?

• Illinois Mirror: “…troubling..lack of transparency…”

• Capitol Fax: One standard for Democrats, another for Republicans

#FOIAGATE Takes More Turns Courtesy of @MikeforIllinois Self-Inflicted Wounds

This whole #FOIAGATE story just gets weirder. News out this morning is that after much pressure, Mike Frerichs and his cronies over in the Illinois Senate President's office have finally caved and are going to release public information to...wait for it...the public. Gasp!  Can you believe it?  

We're shocked, too.

From the news:

After three months of evasion, blocking and bureaucratic denials, Senate President John Cullerton’s office has finally agreed to release public documents on Sen. Mike Frerichs, as legally required by the Freedom of Information Act. The change of course came one day after Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider gave Cullerton’s office a one-week deadline before filing an official Request for Review with the Attorney General’s office and possible legal action. 

“It shouldn’t be like pulling teeth just to get the Democrats to follow their own laws on transparency and good government,” Schneider said. “Then again, they can’t exactly be proud of their record after massive tax hikes, record debt, and families and businesses leaving the state on their watch.” 

The office of Sen. Cullerton, who himself is Mike Frerichs’ top campaign donor thanks to a $50,000 contribution, since April had been withholding public information on Frerichs’ use of taxpayer dollars. House Speaker Mike Madigan has released nearly identical information about Rep. Tom Cross, at the Frerichs campaign’s request. 

The reversal by Frerichs’ ally Cullerton also came mere hours after Frerichs himself seemed to contradict previous campaign statements, by announcing on WDWS-Champaign that he had consulted with this staff regarding the FOIA and had compiled all the information requested. Regardless, Frerichs still refused to release the documents and maintained that stance during the interview. 

From the interview - WDWS AM-Champaign, July 1, 2014:“I understand in talking to my staff, and say 'why don’t we just release this?' they said we have information compiled, we’re ready to release it - but they have put a very expensive, burdensome request out there, and if they just rein in the scope, they’d be able to release it right away," Frerichs told WDWS-AM on July 1st. 

Frerichs’ on-air comments about who complied the information seemed to contradict comments his spokesman made last week to the State Journal-Register:

State Journal-Register, June 26, 2014
“Koutsky responded that, ‘We are not the FOIA officer,’ meaning Madiar has the role of handling requests made to the Senate via the Freedom of Information Act. … 'We have not asked (for) any special favors,' Koutsky said. 'We are letting the process take its place.'" 

“Mike Frerichs wants to be Illinois’s treasurer, so why does it seem like he’s working so hard to avoid accountability for how he’s spent our tax dollars in his office? With ongoing scandals at IDOT and Governor Quinn’s NRI, now more than ever the hardworking taxpayers deserve full transparency and accountability,” Schneider said.

Add this scandal to the pile of self-inflicted wounds that Mike Frerichs and his team have brought to the campaign.  From the campaign launched 'with a lie' to his call for a massive service tax, Frerichs and company have been the absolute best fodder for someone (like us!) looking to lampoon the Illinois political scene.  

For your voters, Mike:  you better change things up.

But for us?  Please, please, please:  never change.  We dance like this every time you open your mouth:

Five Reactions to Mike Frerichs' Admission on #FOIAGATE

On his local radio station WDWS this week, our favorite latex salesman Illinois State Treasurer candidate Mike Frerichs *actually* admitted that his staff had compiled all the information that has been requested to be released to the taxpayers, but he still - for some reason - doesn't want to let it go.

From his WDWS interview that can be heard here:

"I understand in talking to my staff, and say 'why don’t we just release this?' they said we have information compiled, we’re ready to release it- but they have put a very expensive, burdensome request out there, and if they just rein in the scope, we’d be able to release it right away."

What the what?  That can't be his real answer, right?

We wanted to make sure we weren't off-base with our reaction.  So...We asked five of our friends across Illinois what they thought about this self-inflicted mess that Mike Frerichs and his campaign team have brought on themselves and we were there to capture their reaction.

ILGOP Chair Sets Deadline for Mike Frerichs and John Cullerton To Come Clean

This #FOIAGate story just won't go away.  Shame for Mike Frerichs.  Good for us here at the Truth Team.  (as an aside...we can't really believe our good luck that Frerichs' campaign doesn't understand that the longer they keep this issue alive, the worse it gets for them...)

With this story going into it's second week, we have to wonder, what exactly is Mike Frerichs and his campaign hiding?  Must be some nasty stuff for him to stonewall voters from seeing what he's been up to in the Illinois State Senate.  

Now, Tim Schneider, the Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party has set a deadline for Mike and his crony John Cullerton to come clean:  he's given them 7 days to release the public information before they turn to the Attorney General.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider today again called upon Democrat State Senator Mike Frerichs and Senate President John Cullerton to release records as required under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). To date, release of these records has been denied. 

Speaker Mike Madigan has already released nearly identical data on Representative Tom Cross, as requested by the Frerichs campaign. 

“The simple question everyone is asking right now is what is Mike Frerichs hiding?” said Schneider. “Taxpayers have every right to see how their tax dollars are spent, but Mike Frerichs and his powerful allies in state government continue to block public access to these records. Why?” 

If the records are not released in seven days - by Monday, July 7 - the party will work with the FOIA filer to submit an official Request for Review of the denial with Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office, as set in state law. 

The FOIA requests detail how Frerichs has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars in office – important information to know for a candidate running for state treasurer – and to disclose what role he may have had in the scandal-plagued Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and possible illegal hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Repeated requests have been denied by the FOIA officer representing Senate President John Cullerton. Cullerton donated $50,000 to Frerichs’ campaign in March, 2014.

Talk about great campaign 'optics', right?  A campaign is fighting to keep information out of the public's hands?  Fits into a pattern, doesn't it?   The voters love to hear about candidates who refuse to release info.

Mike Frerichs Learning From The Best (Or as Taxpayers Would Say: The Worst)

By now, you've heard this crazy bit of news:  Mike Frerichs, a candidate for Illinois State Treasurer is having his cronies in the State Senate refuse to release the records of his time there.

The details:

When operatives for Democratic state treasurer candidate Sen. Michael Frerichs sent Freedom on Information requests to the Illinois House Clerk for lots of files on his GOP opponent Rep. Tom Cross, the House complied. But Cross’ people have asked for most of the same documents from the majority Democratic Senate and have been denied. 

...The Cross people are understandably upset about this, particularly since President Cullerton is Frerichs’ single largest donor this year.

But, the plot thickens.  Apparently "Tax Hike" Mike - as the locals call him - has been learning these shady campaign tricks from one of the best!

Buried in this story of the Des Plaines Valley News is this little gem about who Mike Frerichs has been hanging out with:

State Sen. Mike Frerichs, the Democratic nominee for State Treasurer, attended four separate events held for him on Saturday, June 21, in Lyons Township. 

Democratic committeeman and fellow state Sen. Steve Landek, along with his local Lyons Township Democratic Organization, sponsored the four events across the township on Saturday starting as early as 7 a.m. 

The second event was in Lyons where Mayor Christopher Getty hosted a breakfast at D. Thai restaurant on Ogden Avenue...

Emphasis ours.

So...you guys remember Christopher Getty, don't you?  Oh...you don't?  Allow us to give you a refresher:  he's the guy who is the current mayor, but also requires taverns and bars in town to buy their liability insurance from his family firm.  Oh...and then to make matters worse for taxpayers?  Mayor Getty and his administration refused to release any public documents.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Lyons bar owners are turning to their village president's company to buy liability insurance, and town officials refuse to release related public documents, saying some are "under lock and key." 

The refusal to release public records sets up a test for the Illinois attorney general's newfound powers to force reluctant local governments to turn over documents. And the potential conflict of interest could add another note to the western suburb's seamy past with clout and nightlife. 

Purchasing liability insurance from Village President Christopher Getty's company is what one former club owner described as "just the way it is" in town.

Getty believes in an 'open and transparent government'.  Just like Mike Frerichs.

Now Frerichs' failure to release any documents from his time in the State Senate makes total sense.  He's learning from the best including folks like this allegedly sleezy dude Christopher Getty.

And he wants to be our State Treasurer?  What's he going to do?  Shake down firms in Illinois to do business with his family biz in order to do work with the Treasurer's office?  If we are to judge a person by the company that they keep, that'd be a fair guess.

We Finally Know Why Democrat Mike Frerichs Wears Earmuffs (We Think...)

By now, you likely know how much Democrat State Senator Mike Frerichs from Champaign loves to wear earmuffs.  You can see the history of his fashion choice here on this post from the Truth Team.

We've long wondered why a guy like Mike would purposely choose to wear those muffs.  We know he has made questionable choices with gear this year - like the time he wore a suit to a Habitat for Humanity build.  (Yes...a suit!  Not a tshirt and a work belt.  Not jeans.  Nope.  A suit!  Check out the backstory on his suit here.)

But the muffs?  We think we finally have an answer!  Turns out, he can't stand to hear all the clamor around his campaign about the mistakes he's made.  The easiest way to tune that stuff out?  Earmuffs, of course.  We were tipped this by one of our fine readers.

Mike Frerichs can pound away on his keyboard prattling on and on posting to his Facebook Wall, all the while wearing those earmuffs.  "I can't hear you...I can't hear you."

But...now that he's compounding his problems by first 'ducking' a debate?  And now refusing to release his records from the State Senate?  The noise is about to get worse, Mike.  Brace yourself.

What Could State Senator Mike Frerichs Really Be Hiding?

Must be some really incriminating stuff, right?  Why else would Mike Frerichs have his stooges refuse to release information from his tenure as an Illinois State Senator?

The comments on the Capitol Fax post are pretty rich.  Check out some of these:

Wouldn’t they all be public records? What “private records” are the Senate holding on to?
Stupid politics by the Senate Dems. Makes it look like there’s something to hide. 

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“Different chamber, different process, different lawyers.”
Different party… they could at least be honest with us and just say it’s political, that would be the decent thing to do. 

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Just another example of why people have lost faith and trust in government at all levels.

Sorry, Mike.  The drumbeat on this issue is only getting stronger.  This isn't going away.  Transparency in our elected officials is on the top of every voter's mind.  What you're doing?  Stonewalling.

Those earmuffs you so clearly adore won't help you drown out the problems this has created for your campaign.

Whatever reason you're hiding this stuff has done more damage to your campaign that whatever is likely in those documents.

Add this to the pile of mistakes the Frerichs for Illinois State Treasurer campaign has made.

On second thought, those earmuffs might give you some comfort today.  Go ahead.  Put 'em on.  We won't tell anyone.

Even Bill Cosby is Confused by Democrat Mike Frerichs and His Evasive Tactics

Mike Frerichs' largest campaign donor (according to Capitol Fax) is State Senate President John Cullerton.

He's the same guy who's refusing to release any of the records from Mike Frerichs' tenure in the State Senate.

Coincidence?  Not in Illinois.  Not with Democrats.

From CapFax:

When operatives for Democratic state treasurer candidate Sen. Michael Frerichs sent Freedom on Information requests to the Illinois House Clerk for lots of files on his GOP opponent Rep. Tom Cross, the House complied. But Cross’ people have asked for most of the same documents from the majority Democratic Senate and have been denied. 

...The Cross people are understandably upset about this, particularly since President Cullerton is Frerichs’ single largest donor this year.