* While this story has an interesting premise - the sworn testimony of a witness in Al Sanchez’s trial that House Speaker Michael Madigan put so many employees into the city’s Bureau of Electricity that it was called “Madigan Electric” - the evidence presented is somewhat slim…
In all, 16 employees of the bureau have contributed a total of $45,200 since 1997 to the speaker’s 13th Ward Democratic Organization and to Citizens for Lisa Madigan, according to campaign records.
That works out to $235.42 per year per employee. Not much.
But this statement is more than a bit weird…
“Madigan doesn’t have anything to do with hiring in Chicago,'’ says his spokesman, Steve Brown.
What? Nothing at all? The Speaker, a ward committeeman for decades, has nothing to do with city hiring?
* Meanwhile, I’m kinda curious about the story behind this story…
Gov. Quinn’s office took the unusual step late Friday of retracting a letter of support for a West Side hospital expansion after drawing bipartisan criticism for personally promoting the project.
Quinn’s office sent a letter bearing his signature to the scandal-plagued Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, touting Hartgrove Hospital’s bid to build an 88-bed mental health facility at 520 N. Ridgeway.
His letter, dated March 5, praised the hospital’s “commitment to once again provide services in this community.” But it sparked serious questions about why he would personally intervene on a matter before a board that was ground zero in the corruption scandals that knocked former Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office.
Late Friday, Quinn’s office said the letter was written without his backing and said it shouldn’t have been sent to the board. A new letter correcting the original one would be sent immediately to the hospital construction board.
There’s nothing in the piece about who wrote the letter and put the governor’s name on it or whether that person has been punished. Curious, that.
* And the Daily Herald takes a fairly honest, if brief, look at some of the pros and cons of various ethics reforms today…
PRO: District lines drawn by a computer would lead to more candidates competing in more competitive elections. Instead of always re-electing incumbents, voters would get to choose from many candidates in races for Congress and the state legislature. Term limits for leaders would get new people in control of the chamber much more often and make the leaders less powerful than they are today.
CON: More candidates running in more-competitive races will require candidates to spend more money in election races. Leader term limits could backfire. Madigan is the only leader who stood up to Blagojevich and stopped him from gaining control of nearly $30 billion in project spending. A new, less-experienced leader might not be so willing to say “no” to a governor.
* Related…
* Sen. Raoul Frustrated by Tone of Reform Debate
* Quinn takes to suburbs to stump for government reform
* Gov. Pat Quinn expects ethics laws to pass late in session
* Illinois legislation calls for Web portal about state salaries
* FOIA rewrite would help public get information
* Revised FOI Act would add penalties
* Let the sun shine in
* How you could find out more about state spending
* Local prosecutors support commission’s idea to add powers
* Redistricting reform to wait for later
* Your role in ethics reform
* State’s purchasing system shows complex challenges of reform
- lake county democrat - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:17 am:
On Sunday Carol Marine reported that Mike Madigan either gives out the wrong email address or, when his office gives one that doesn’t bounce back, emailers get no response.
My rep, Karen May, is similar. There are two email addys on the web for her — one to a campaign operation, one to America Online. Neither has responded to two emails, not even acknowledging receipt.
- moron - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:38 am:
” … $235 per year per employee. Not much.”
Cash is hardly the only way to honor your rabbi. Time and shoe leather are valuable.
- Legaleagle - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:42 am:
Come on! Those Madigan patronage hires, and their families and friends, have to work on campaigns to get and keep their jobs. That is their value, not contributions.
- wordslinger - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:43 am:
Brown’s comment on hiring was certainly too categorical — but he’s correct that the money mentioned in the story is relatively small.
Kind of makes you wonder what got the story in print so long after the comments were made at trial.
- anon - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:49 am:
Legal eagle is right. Their payback is working precincts. Much harder to track than contributions. The Speaker is too smart for that!
- Steve Brown - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:55 am:
The story took so long because it really wasn’t a story and the Sun TImes needed a real slow day.
The story is based on a vague unsubstantiated trial comment that was reported in a vacuum.
Not sure what else there is to say. Sorry to burst the bubble, but patronage has not been in style for years.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:55 am:
===That is their value, not contributions.===
Sure it is, but nothing was mentioned in the story.
- Ghost - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 11:37 am:
“A new, less-experienced leader might not be so willing to say “no” to a governor.”
What is interesting is that as part of the process of “reform” we are talking about creating rules which would have only aided and abbetted blago. Removing strong leaders is a prime example.
Its not a check and balance if the GA is made up of legislatures who are new wth no power or influence, or being shoved out the door by the mere passage of time and so have no vested interes in the job they are doing in their final terms.
Do we really want a GA watching over the Gov that is comprised of either the powerless or those with short timers syndrome?
- Easy - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 11:39 am:
So the guy under oath, says there’s a hiring issue, but the guy on the street says patronage in Cook County is over.
Hmmm…wonder which one I tend to believe….
I’m sure Tony Cole was hired on the merits.
- Anon - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 11:55 am:
==There’s nothing in the piece about who wrote the letter and put the governor’s name on it or whether that person has been punished. Curious, that.==
Same guy who gave the $1 million to the wrong organization, I’m betting. Maybe the fumigation will get him, but more likely it will take some very close analysis of an exemption added to the Speaker’s fumigation bill to identify him. The guy seems capable of anything!
- VanillaMan - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 12:00 pm:
A new, less-experienced leader might not be so willing to say “no” to a governor.
That is a ridiculous statement. Blagojevich may not be simply a one-off, but he is unique. Claiming that a future Blagojevich will be elected is crazy, claiming that a future Blagojevich will be elected at the same time we will see a a future weak newby leader in the GA to counter him, is a fantasy story.
- Anonymous45 - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 12:26 pm:
Is it May 29th yet?
- Anonymous - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 1:58 pm:
Lake Count Democrat - I know that Karen May recently changed her e-mail address and no longer uses the aol account. I don’t know when you tried to contact her, but try using her new e-mail karen@repkarenmay.org
- Abe Froman - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 2:16 pm:
Can’t beleive that Quinn’s office would weigh in on a matter before the Hosptial Planning Board! Is it business as usual or is it gross incompetence?
- this old hack - Monday, May 18, 09 @ 5:15 pm:
Ethics reform: Rich noted that Sen. Don Harmon said “there will be limits” on campaign contributions.
According to the State Board of Elections, Sen. Harmon is sitting on about $215,000 in his campaign account.
When he makes it more difficult for challengers to raise money, by imposing limits that he did not have to adhere to in raising that money, the question is:
will he donate that $200K to charity and start from scratch, as is Gvernor Quinn’s solution?
Of course he won’t, and neither will any of the other politicians that vote for limits, which is why this “reform” will actually be an “incumbant protection plan”
- The Doc - Tuesday, May 19, 09 @ 9:00 am:
===Not sure what else there is to say. Sorry to burst the bubble, but patronage has not been in style for years.===
Where’s the punchline, Steve? As a lifelong Chicago resident, I can stomach quite a bit of BS, but your credibility takes a major hit when you issue patently false statements like the one above. It’s offensive, especially as the Speaker singularly holds up a bill that would effectively reduce the ridiculously high sales tax rate in Cook County.
There’s little doubt your boss saved us from ourselves by continually putting up road blocks for Blago, but he certainly is on the hook as much as anyone else for the woes of this state. And his power needs to be checked as much as anyone else statewide.
- Office of Rep. Karen May - Wednesday, May 20, 09 @ 1:06 pm:
Re: lake county democrat
I apologize for the trouble you have encountered trying to reach our office. Our e-mail address is updated on the website, repkarenmay.org, and we do make a concerted effort to respond to every email we receive from our constituents.
Also, feel free to call our office at 847-433-9100 if you have comments or questions.