Another Day, Another Failed Pat Quinn Program Turning Into Emerging Scandal

Over in the Chicago Sun-Times this weekend, the details of another failed Pat Quinn-lead program started to emerge.  And, just like with his failed and scandal-ridden NRI program, it seems that inept leadership and poor execution lead to (at best) the squandering of MILLIONS of taxpayers dollars and (at worst) potentially even more graft, corruption, and mismanagement.

You can read even more details from the team at Illinois Mirror where they break down the numbers, but this is the important part:

Illinois legislators created the Urban Weatherization Initiative in 2009, promising that as much as $425 million in taxpayer money would go to train an army of workers in predominantly African-American neighborhoods to identify and fix energy-efficiency problems in homes. 

The initiative would put people to work in economically struggling neighborhoods statewide and help homeowners cut their utility bills, supporters said. 

But five years later, the program has fallen far short of its goals.

That last line -  '5 years later, this has fallen far short of its goals' -  is a really great way to summarize Pat Quinn's tenure as Illinois Governor.

We've given Pat Quinn enough time.  Illinois should move on and give Bruce Rauner a shot at fixing this mess.

Governor Pat Quinn's Handling of Subpoena's Just "Stinks"

Dave McKinney at the Sun-Times gets to the heart of the matter on Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's handling of the release of subpoena documents related to the scandal-plagued NRI program and calls in an 'expert' to say what Jay Sherman would say about Pat Quinn's administration:  It stinks.

Despite having a new criminal subpoena in hand, Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration dragged its feet in releasing the politically-sensitive public document — a delay one expert called a gaming of the state open-records laws that “stinks.”

On Tuesday, the governor’s office finally released the federal grand jury subpoena dated Aug. 27 that sought records related to Quinn’s failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative anti-violence program, but it did so only selectively.

Pat Quinn The Patronage King? Whodathunk.

For a guy who cuts himself as a 'everyday man' that lives in a modest house and wears modest suits, he sure knows how to build a patronage army.  NBC's Ward room claims that the latest patronage scandal that is facing Illinois Governor Pat Quinn might be his 'undoing':

For a state that’s sent a number of sitting governors to prison, running for re-election as a reformer is a smart political strategy.

But it can prove to be a bit of an issue when your name is continually linked in the minds of voters with corruption and patronage scandals.

That’s the problem Democratic Governor Pat Quinn is facing as he runs for another term against Republican Bruce Rauner.

Quinn’s image as a reformer took another hit recently with news of a confidential report by the state’s top ethics watchdog obtained by the Chicago Tribune. The report found hundreds of positions at the Illinois Department of Transportation were filled by political appointees under Quinn and his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich.

Hundreds of people were hired into a special "staff assistant" position without having to go through strict personnel procedures under rules designed to keep politics out of most state hiring, according to a confidential report by Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza obtained by the Tribune. 

The rules have been in place since before Blagojevich took office in 2003, but many of those improper hirings at the Illinois Department of Transportation happened under Quinn's Democratic administration, the report said.

The report follows months of headlines suggesting Quinn used the troubled Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, a state program designed to combat gun violence, as little more than a “political slush fund.”

There, the 2010 program was designed to funnel state dollars to social-welfare organizations for anti-crime programs. Later, investigations revealed many of the millions of dollars spent were spent poorly, unaccounted for or were appropriated with patronage in mind.

All of which could be written off as the kinds of collateral damage or nagging scandals any sitting governor could expect to have after years in office if it weren’t for one thing: Quinn’s Republican opponent has built his entire campaign around this very issue.

This is exactly the kind of stuff that just absolutely outrages voters:  insiders get fat and happy.  Normal folks get left behind.

Schneider: Callis and Frerichs Owe High School An Apology

As we covered last week, Democrat candidate for Congress Ann Callis and Democrat Candidate for Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs have been pulled into a voter registration scandal down in Champaign.

ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider is now calling for both candidates - Callis and Frerichs - to publicly apologize for delivering this 'black eye' on what was supposed to be a wonderful, important event for high schoolers registering to vote for the first time.

“Callis and Frerichs owe Champaign Central High School an apology for injecting their own partisan politics into these students' first engagement with citizen democracy,” said Tim Schneider, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

We couldn't agree more.  This was a shameful move by desperate politicians.  We'll be joining Chairman Schneider and launching a petition to call on these two to step and set the record straight.

Stay tuned for that soon!

Mike Frerichs Involved In Another Scandal: This Time Involving Shady Voter Registration Practices

The news keeps piling on Democrat candidate for Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs as today he's been roped into an emerging scandal involving questionable tactics involving voter registration in Champaign.

Mike's deputy decided it would be a good idea to get the Democrat Party apparatus to show up at Champaign Central High School to register - and 'put the arm on' - a bunch of High School Juniors and Seniors.

But..did the Frerichs team invite the Republican Party?  Nope.

The Champaign News Gazette has more in a piece they call:  Lesson Learned:

After a political tiff over voter registration at Champaign Central High School's registration day, Principal Joe Williams is altering plans for future registration efforts. 

"There will be no partisan politics involved," he said. 

Williams' comments come after a Democratic Party-organized registration table, complete with signs backing Ann Callis, the party's candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, drew comments from the public. There was no Republican table present, raising suggestions of partisanship the school district wants to avoid. 

It turned out that it was school board President Laurie Bonnett, a member of the staff of local Democratic state Sen. Mike Frerichs, who delivered the black eye.

Emphasis, ours.

What a total shame.  Instead of introducing these young adults to government and their right to vote, Frerichs toadie introduces partisan politics right in their face.

She - clearly - learned from her mentor, Tax Hike Mike Frerichs, as he knows a thing or two about patronage and questionable tactics.

Did Pat Quinn And The Chicago Democrats Slip In A $20M Slushfund To This Year's Budget?

You've heard the phrase: "Meet the new boss.  Same as the old boss", right?  

Well...that's apparently what we're dealing with in Illinois with Pat Quinn as Governor.  He's already in a tough spot trying to explain how his last 'slush fund' called NRI was doled out right before election day to gin up votes.

But...now it looks like he's at it again?  I guess you have to feed The Machine if you want to win in November, right Pat?

From CCB:

The General Assembly's top two Republicans said they've found a mysterious $20 million appropriation that in their view looks suspiciously like the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative "slush fund" that already has the Quinn administration in legal and political hot water.

But Mr. Quinn's office says the money is going to train 5,000 youths to get jobs instead of getting into trouble.

The charges came today when the Legislature's GOP leaders, Sen. Christine Radogno and Rep. Jim Durkin, said at a Chicago news conference that they have increasing questions about a $20 million appropriation for the Department of Labor that showed up in a pending appropriations bill just days before lawmakers enacted Mr. Quinn's proposed fiscal 2015 budget in May.

Republicans received "no response" when they asked in committee and on the floor what the money was for and who would get it, Mr. Durkin said. "There was dead silence," he said, with even Democratic committee chairs professing ignorance.

When will this stuff stop?   Here's hoping in comes on the first Tuesday in November.

You Had Us Worried There For A Bit, Illinois Legislative Republicans

We have to admit that we had our concerns with all the pushing that State Represenative Ron Sandack, State Representative David Reis, State Senator Bill Brady and State Senator Jason Barickman were doing on the Legislative Audit Commission this week.  In light of the request from the US Attorney's office, we thought things would (politically speaking) work themselves out by mid-October, right before the November election.

We worried that this would turn into a political witch hunt and that the public would think it was just partisan politics and tune out.  The reality here is that we're dealing with a very serious situation:  $55M of taxpayer dollars were squandered.  We do deserve to find out.

But...we were concerned.  Sure..we're all eager.  We, too, saw the big prize just dangling out there in front of us.  But...too eager?  We thought we were headed for this:

That guy flew a little too 'close to the sun'.  Got a little too eager.  And guess what? He got tossed.  We didn't want the GOP side of the Legislative Audit Commission to 'get tossed'.

Thankfully, it appears things have netted out exactly where they should:  there's a federal investigation into the NRI program.  And, about 3 weeks before Governor Pat Quinn will be asking voters to give him four more years, we'll start to get even more answers about this scandal-ridden program and who was at fault.

Pat Quinn Continues To Try To Change Subject, This Time With "Microbeads"

The word coming out of the Illinois Governor Pat Quinn campaign these days seems to be:  let's talk about anything other than the NRI scandal engulfing his time in office or how he can't seem to put the state back on track fiscally.  Nope...let's talk about EVERYTHING else instead.

The latest is his crusade (oh...how brave of him!  Talk about building a 'profile in courage'!) against Microbeads.  Yes, the Governor is working hard to rid the state of this scourge that is known as Microbeads.  Like the ones in body wash.

From Mother Tribune:

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Sunday banning the manufacture and sale of personal care products containing synthetic plastic microbeads. 

“Banning microbeads will help ensure clean waters across Illinois and set an example for our nation to follow,” Quinn said. “Lake Michigan and the many rivers and lakes across our state are among our most important natural resources. We must do everything necessary to safeguard them.” 

The new law bans the manufacture of personal care products containing microbeads by the end of 2017, the sale of personal care products and the manufacture of over the counter drugs by the end of 2018, and the sale of over the counter drugs by the end of 2019.

Listen...we agree that the environment is important and this is probably a good move, but can we have a discussion about priorities?   Shouldn't the Governor be trying to affect the big issues of the day?  Let's let Senator Heather Steans - who carried the water on this we think - do the well-deserved victory lap and allow the Governor to focus on righting the ship in Illinois.   Mmmkay?

Kankakee Daily Journal: Taxpayers Deserve Some Answers, Governor Quinn

From the Kankakee Daily Journal:

Illinois taxpayers deserve to know why the state wasted $55 million on a Chicago neighborhood violence reduction program. 

That's the bottom line of a lot of political-wrangling that's going on these days. Federal and Cook County prosecutors are investigating the details of Gov. Pat Quinn's Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and will determine if there are any criminal avenues to pursue. 

...What we already know about this program is troubling. Illinois voters — which have a too-high tolerance for ethical and legal lapses by officials — should question how a cash-strapped state could so callously waste $55 million. Quinn and his administration needs to supply some answers.

Emphasis, ours.

Don't Let Governor Pat Quinn Off The Hook With His "Ah, Things Happen" Answer

We have to say:  Governor Pat Quinn:  "How Dare You."

Fellow Taxpayers of Illinois...If you're not outraged enough by Illinois State government, the latest from our fearless leader Governor Pat Quinn will get you charged up.

Illinois can't make things right when we have abuses of power and patronage hires like we've seen under Quinn's watch.  The latest came from the Illinois Department of Transportation and forced the head of IDOT to have to resign in shame in the wake of a secret hiring and promotion of her family member.

The Governor's reaction:  "meh."

Well...to be fair, that's not exactly the words he used, but that's a pretty good Cliff's Notes version of his reaction.

Here's the full response from WLS Radio:

Illinois Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider has abruptly resigned.
Governor Pat Quinn apparently made Schneider walk the plank because her stepdaughter was hired and promoted at IDOT. 

“Well, I read that in the paper,” Quinn said. “I wasn’t happy to read it. And, ah, things happen. And I wanted to make sure that when I read about that, it was looked into and we’ve acted accordingly.”

Is that the reaction you want from your Chief Executive after a hiring scandal?  A shoulder shrug and the wave off?  Pat Quinn may be a lot of things including how he bills himself as an 'everyday man', but he sure isn't equipped to lead the State of Illinois.  

Of Course Governor Pat Quinn Isn't Going To Testify About His NRI Mess

If you were at the helm of this corrupt, scandal-ridden mess would you want to face the music?  We know that we sure wouldn't.  

From WBBM:

Gov. Pat Quinn has rejected a challenge to testify before a legislative panel looking into the scandal-plagued anti-violence program Quinn created before the 2010 election. 

WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports Quinn said he has no intention of facing questions from the Legislative Audit Commission, which is looking into the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, has subpoenaed a number of the governor’s aides and other state officials. 

“This is an Audit Commission. The program didn’t work out. I’m angry about the fact that it didn’t work out. Having said that, we defunded that particular program, abolished the agency that was running the program, and moved the anti-violence effort to another agency,” Quinn said. “I’ve talked about this issue repeatedly.” 

Earlier this year, Auditor General William Holland issued a report finding NRI had major problems with mismanagement and spending. The report said the program was so hastily organized and sloppily executed that auditors questioned 40 percent of the expenditures claimed by service providers. 

The program is now under investigation by state and federal prosecutors for how $55 million was spent.

Sun-Times: "Rutherford’s Reasoning on Withholding Report Doesn’t Hold Water"

Photo from Robert Feder's column on political reporting

Natasha Koreki - who 'Expert Chicago Media Watcher' Robert Feder pointed to as a key asset for the Sun-Times in a story this week about the expansion of political coverage in the mainstream media - is really putting the screws to Governor's Candidate Dan Rutherford.

Rutherford’s reasoning on withholding report doesn’t hold water http://t.co/SR2uAMqSnT via @suntimes #TWILL
— natasha korecki (@natashakorecki) February 14, 2014

She's been all over this Rutherford story (and the entire 2014 campaign like nobody else at the Sun-Times) from day one.   And, unfortunately for the Rutherford campaign, the political beat she's currently on isn't her first assignment.

What did she cover before state government and politics?  Federal Court for 8 years.  She knows what happens in terms of press conferences and federal litigants.  Good for her.  Not great for the campaign, we're thinking...

From her piece where she's doing her job as a journalist and not letting the campaign, nor the attorney off the hook easily:

Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s reason for not releasing a taxpayer-funded report looking into sexual harassment allegations just doesn’t track. 

“There is a federal lawsuit that has been filed — under federal rules, we are not supposed to be talking to the whole world about the case — we are supposed to be talking about it in the courtroom,” Rutherford attorney Peter Andjelkovich told me last night. 

I told him I’ve covered federal court for more than eight years — and watched litigants routinely hold press conferences on their cases. 

“Then you’re familiar with federal rules?” he asked, following up that federal judges may slap a gag order on parties in a case for talking. 

You mean like Rod Blagojevich? He talked and talked for years before his trial. 

We aren’t even that far along in the Rutherford case yet.

Why Even if Dan Rutherford is Right... He is Wrong.

Posted by: The Ghost of Babe Woodyard

Who makes someone drive 2 hours only to have them immediately turn around and go back to where they came from twice in one day?

Answer: State Treasurer Dan Rutherford.

The recent lawsuit filed against Treasurer Rutherford has brought to light some allegations of strange behavior. I will not be commenting on that as anyone - who wants to - can file a lawsuit, but to say whether or not any of it is true, I am not sure and won’t speculate.  (As an aside, however I really liked the idea of tank tops Tuesdays.)

But what the Treasurer is claiming as evidence that the whole case is made up is truly bizarre. On the same day the accuser, Ed Michalowski, claimed that he spent the night at the Treasurer’s abode and awoke to having Dan fondling him, Dan shows proof that Ed was never there in the form of a travel voucher submitted for reimbursement from the state.

That travel voucher showed that Ed left Chicago at 4am on the morning of April 4th, 2011 he drove to Pontiac, Illinois, approximately two hours away. Picked up Treasurer Rutherford in Pontiac, turned around and drove to Chicago then went back from Chicago to Pontiac dropped Dan off then returned home to Chicago. A total of 8 hours and around 400 miles in a 12 hour timespan for Ed Michalowski for which he was reimbursed $118.94 of taxpayer dollars.

According to the Treasurer this voucher proves that Ed didn’t spend the night in Pontiac and this no fondling could have taken place. But if this is the smoking gun that proves Rutherford’s innocence it should also be used to prove that he may not be the best manager of people or state resources.

Dan has a car, in fact he has a legendary car in Illinois politics. A car with its own nickname and even at one time its own Facebook page, I introduce Pongee.

Photo from the SJ-R.  See the original story here. 

Knowing that Dan is a car owner why did he think it was a better use of resources to make a state employee drive a total of 8 hours in a 12 hours span and get reimbursed $118.94 to take him to and from Pontiac? 

And not just any employee, as Dan said yesterday Ed is the 6th highest paid employee in the office, if he has car duty what do the low ball staffers have to do? No pun intended.

Next time Dan, take the train, it goes right through Pontiac.

Rutherford’s Rauner Rumblings

Posted by: The Ghost of Babe Woodyard

It seems that nothing can happen in the race for Governor that doesn’t get blamed on Bruce Rauner. As Bruce said this month, its “beat up on Brucie day” 24/7. Today Dan Rutherford is now blaming Bruce for an internal problem within Dan’s own office. A Rutherford employee has an employment complaint against the Treasurer, Dan alleges that the employee looked to settle for $300,000 through an attorney that has done work with the Rauner campaign in the past. Dan thinks this is an attempt by the Rauner campaign to “destroy” him, maybe he is right...but a quick review of the situation says he is probably not. 

First point, the alleged attorney, Christine Svenson, has done lots of work for Republicans before, including some work for one of Truth Teams favorite Senators, Matt Murphy. So she is not a Rauner exclusive attorney, nor has she done work for the Rauner campaign since July of 2013.  See here for the full list.

Next, Christine is heavily involved in Republican politics, even serving as the 42nd Ward Republican Organization President. It would seem to me that Dan, being a Republican, would have Republican staffers advancing Republican ideas that may have other Republican friends that may know a Republican attorney in Christine Svenson who focuses on employment issues that they would turn to if they had a workplace issue.

The final point is this, who is Dan fooling? 

If this came from Rauner they wouldn’t have the gall to ask for such a pittance as $300,000 to keep quiet. Bruce hasn’t seen that few zeroes after a number since he stopped milking cows. If this was a campaign issue from Rauner,  a suit would have been filed and poof would have been on the front page of the Tribune, or maybe even the Truth Team (ahem, ahem), after they leaked it.

As with any boss, Dan has employees who don’t like him and maybe he crossed the line with someone, or maybe he didn’t. But to blame Rauner for all your problems is amateur. Maybe next week we will see a press conference from Dan on how he thinks the Rauner campaign is taking the safety pins out of his socks causing him to spend more time searching for sock pairs and less time advocating ICash.

Posted by: The Ghost of Babe Woodyard - our latest "Correspondent"