* I’m out of sync with the strong majority of people who took our poll yesterday, but I happen to agree with the governor on this one…
House Republicans called for the removal of Auditor General Frank Mautino on Wednesday amid a federal probe of his campaign spending, while Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner declined to weigh in, saying the investigation should “play itself out.”
Mautino, a Democrat, is a former member of the Illinois House whose appointment late last year to the 10-year term as the state’s fiscal watchdog won overwhelming support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers. […]
Asked about the calls from his fellow Republicans to fire Mautino, Rauner said he was “troubled” by what he’d heard about the case but was “focused on other things.”
“There’s an investigation, there’s a process going on,” Rauner said. “It should just play itself out.”
Agreed. Mautino has a couple of weeks to get his state campaign filings in order and we’ll know a lot more then. We can all wait two weeks.
- A guy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:06 am:
What an interesting place for Frank to find at least some temporary sanctuary.
- Rufus - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:07 am:
Agree with Rich
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:08 am:
The fact that he needs another couple of weeks, after six months, to get his financial reports in order is kind of the point.
I mean, the job is auditor general. Making sure financial reports are in order is the gig.
Nothing personal, just business. Not the guy for that job.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:12 am:
–What an interesting place for Frank to find at least some temporary sanctuary.–
LOL, why would the Rauner political operation want Mautino to go away? His peeps are running on Mautino all over the state.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:13 am:
===“There’s an investigation, there’s a process going on,” Rauner said. “It should just play itself out.”===
Agreed.
===LOL, why would the Rauner political operation want Mautino to go away? His peeps are running on Mautino all over the state.===
This is so true too…
- Norseman - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:19 am:
I want to say this is the reasonable response we want from our governor. However, Rauner’s track record makes me think this is a case of good cop, bad cop. While Rauner looks like he’s being considerate, the caucuses are taking fulling political advantage of the situation.
- Gone, but not forgotten - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:21 am:
Is this matter under FBI investigation?
- Mama - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:23 am:
Yes we can wait 2 more weeks and 2 more months.
Whatever happened to waiting to pass judgement until one is proven guilty?
- Just a Guy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:25 am:
The Republicans have Mautino right where they want him. He holds a state-wide position where he cannot be political so he continues to remain silent while he takes bullet after bullet while the process plays out. I am not sure where all of the wrong-doing is here, folks. You have a former state representative who spent $200,000 on gas and vehicle repairs over 10 years. That would amount to $20,000/year. I spend over $5,000/year driving to and from work each year. If the reps calling for his ouster looked at his campaign reports they would find this spending was typical for trips to and from Springfield, Chicago, etc. It is also worth noting gas was near $5/gallon during the time in question. If there is something here why haven’t we heard from the Republican party leaders and not just the radicals that continue to give their party a black eye?
- Huh? - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:30 am:
Mautino has to hang on for another 6 months to qualify for a pension in a reciprocal system. Once he gets vested in the new system, he can quit. He just has to hope that he doesn’t get convicted of anything related to his tenure in the GA. Then he loses all of his pensions.
- Captain Illini - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:35 am:
I like Frank…I know Frank, and it troubles me that he’s allowed himself to become entangled in this kind of controversy. Although there is a process, the perception of wrong-doing is enough for him to take the ethical step of recusal - an absence - so the Office can operate without a leader under investigation.
- My opinion but who cares - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:37 am:
Good point, Just a Guy. Where are the Republican leaders? Perhaps they know this is BS. Of the 17 Republican sponsors interested in removing Mautino from office, 10 were elected to the House in 2015, 1 in 2014, 3 in 2013, and 3 in 2011. Maybe these experienced lawmakers should learn about the campaign process before trying to convict on speculation.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:46 am:
Andrea Darlas said on WGN this morning that because the infraction was related to his service in the General Assembly and not his current position as Auditor General, there is no statute that would nullify his pension. If he can last a year his annual pension increases by $59K a year.
She had Jeannie Ives on to discuss the investigation. Illinois has an Auditor General with no accounting background who has serious issues with his own recordkeeping and expenditures serving a 10 year term.If he is not gone before the election this will be a huge campaign issue.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:50 am:
LP:
Bill Holland had neither auditing nor accounting experience and he did ok so that line of attack doesn’t really hold water.
- Foster brooks - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:52 am:
With the increased pension at stake no way he steps down.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:58 am:
Demoralized how about the record keeping issues and direct payments to a bank? The Auditor General need to be transparent in his dealings if we are to trust the office and it’s investigations
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:01 pm:
–She had Jeannie Ives on to discuss the investigation.–
LOL, what’s the over/under on how many GOP GA types turned it down before they landed on Ives?
I’ll say….. eight.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:07 pm:
===I’ll say….. eight. ===
I’ll say one. I think that was deliberate to get the react they wanted to air.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:13 pm:
Andrea Darlas agreed with just about everything Representative Ives said. She thought it was incredible that the removal resolution would be held up in the Rules committee by the speaker and said what is wrong with us in this state?
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:13 pm:
That was me at 12:13
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:16 pm:
There’s a good line in the movie Syriana which always comes to mind at times like these: “In this town, you’re innocent until you’re investigated.”
- Annonin' - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:17 pm:
Yikes BiGBrain jams up Dwight,ComandoIves et al.
They looked bad enough yesterday and now hung out by the Boss
Very embarrassing
But they are all helpin’ Trump so we guess nothin’ is embarrassin’ any more.
- Anon2U - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:22 pm:
Mautino will not go anywhere until Madigan asks him to. No way the resolution ever sees the House floor. Madigan doesn’t want his subserviant members voting on that one! One can only hope that Madigans once top budget guy flips on him and tells the Feds everything.
- Mama - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:32 pm:
“In this town, you’re innocent until you’re investigated.”
Sad but true!
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:41 pm:
Lots of Dems voting for resignation in yesterday’s poll. Many probably see the political baggage more than anything else…
- Andrew Baloney - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
The only real audit/investigation that will occur in Frank’s term as Auditor General will be his own and that is kind of sad. It is Illinois after all.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:59 pm:
“… because the infraction was related to his service in the General Assembly and not his current position as Auditor General, there is no statute that would nullify his pension.”
Tell that to our convicted governor, George Ryan. There was a February 2010 ILSC ruling, opinion #108184, that stripped of all his IL pensions.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 12:59 pm:
===Lots of Dems voting for resignation in yesterday’s poll.===
I musta missed where we all had to declare party affiliation yesterday in the poll.
You base this thought on what, imaginary cross tabs?
- Bigtwich - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:04 pm:
– innocent until you’re investigated.–
“Innocent until investigated? That’s nice. It’s got a nice ring to it. Bet you’ve worn some miles on old sayings like that. Gives the listener the sense of the law being written as it’s spoken.”
- Huh? - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:04 pm:
Apologies, Anon @ 12:59 was me.
OW - mea culpa, Bless me Father for I have sinned by not having a handle on my post.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:11 pm:
= I think that was deliberate to get the react they wanted to air. =
Ives can be depended on for her predictable reaction for sure.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:24 pm:
Aw - Huh? -,
No worries. We ALL have had the “recycle” or something make us ” - Anonymous - “, no sin commited.
It’s those purposely deciding to get in 5-way discussions with all… purposely… being ” - Anonymous - “, lol
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:25 pm:
OW, after a while of hanging out here, we kinda know who the D’s, R’s and I’s are…except for that pesky Anonymous, who is hard to nail down.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:36 pm:
- Six Degrees of Separation -,
With respect,
With 888 votes (yep, 8.8.8.), and 44 comments, I dunno, tough to gauge, clinically.
- A guy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 1:54 pm:
===His peeps are running on Mautino all over the state.===
Maybe a few are somewhere. But it sure doesn’t come up anywhere I’ve been. They don’t know Frankie Mautino from Frankie Valle, or the Auditor General from Lutheran General.
It ain’t frosting many mugs.
They are bashing Madigan in an unprecedented way. Why let a member of the chorus get in the way of that? Answer; they’re not.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 2:06 pm:
Huh, the pension forfeiture law says pensions are lost if one is convicted of a felony “arising out of, related to, or connected with service as a member.” Clear as a bell in the case of Governor Ryan/ SoS office, and pretty spot-on here.
I don’t know what Andrea Darlas’ educational background might be, but she’s a lousy pension lawyer.
- Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 2:17 pm:
==The fact that he needs another couple of weeks, after six months, to get his financial reports in order is kind of the point.==
At this point, I suspect the financial reports are ready to go; the release is probably in the lawyers hands. With competing investigations, the Feds will get precedence; I would be surprised if the lawyers give much to the BoE before the Feds finish their work.
==I mean, the job is auditor general. Making sure financial reports are in order is the gig.==
Actually, financial accounting is only part of the gig. The AG performs financial, compliance, performance, and information system audits. The overarching function of the office is to ensure that agencies follow the processes laid out in statute. The gig is about following the process.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 2:21 pm:
===It is also worth noting gas was near $5/gallon during the time in question.===
Not true. Mautino reported $157.96 for gas on December 6, 2015, and $125.00 for gas on December 9, 2015.
- Robert the Bruce - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 2:22 pm:
Sorry. 2:21 anonymous fact checker was me
- Demoralized - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 2:28 pm:
==Demoralized how about the record keeping issues and direct payments to a bank?==
Yeah, that’s obviously an issue. I was responding to your insinuation that somehow his lack of accounting experience has some bearing on his ability to perform the duties of the office. It doesn’t.
The other stuff . . . absolutely.
- Just a Guy - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 3:38 pm:
===Not true. Mautino reported $157.96 for gas on December 6, 2015, and $125.00 for gas on December 9, 2015.===
Sorry, gas was not $5/gallon in December 2015, but how about five of the ten years?
- Excessively Rabid - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 3:51 pm:
They shouldn’t have to remove him. He should quit.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 4:30 pm:
==- Captain Illini - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:35 am:==
If I file a complaint against Bruce should he go away too?
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 4:33 pm:
==- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 11:46 am:==
Campaign Issue?
Find me 100 random voters and we’ll see if they know who Frank Mautino is or what the Auditor General does.
- Former IL Resident - Thursday, Jul 14, 16 @ 4:36 pm:
Just a guy, you do realize that Frank received over $30k in mileage reimbursement from the state for official business (i.e. driving to and from Springfield) during the 10 year period in question?
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Jul 15, 16 @ 2:15 pm:
==Just a guy, you do realize that Frank received over $30k in mileage reimbursement from the state for official business (i.e. driving to and from Springfield) during the 10 year period in question?==
Very good. at an average of 50 cents/mile, and 240 miles round trip to Springfield, that comes out to 25 trips to Springfield per year.
- Former IL Resident - Monday, Jul 18, 16 @ 8:18 am:
Pot, thanks for jumping in to help make my point that most, at the very least, of Frank’s trips to Springfield were being paid for by the state. Now that I have your attention, I was wondering if you could help me out with something. As you’ve been pretty vocal here in defending Frank, I was wondering if you could point out to me any other IL legislator (or legislators) whose campaigns spent similarly on gas/vehicle repairs? I’ve seen a media outlet do a limited comparison which showed that among a limited sample his spending dwarfed that of others (including those from neighboring districts and others in leadership), but I’m sure that that particular newspaper just missed others with records similar to Frank…