Transparency issues
Friday, Feb 15, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker pledged that he would be transparent about using his personal fortune to double the state salaries of his top aides in the governor’s office, but the billionaire has yet to release payroll records for those employees. […]
Pritzker said his office is living up to that pledge even though it has yet to release pay records from East Jackson Street LLC.
“We’ve been transparent and we’ve responded to all the [Freedom of Information Act] requests that we’ve received,” Pritzker said.
That was after the nearly three weeks it took for his office to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request from Illinois News Network seeking the private pay records. In response to that request, Pritzker’s office provided state pay records, but said it doesn’t have any documents related to payments from the limited liability company.
“The Governor’s Office does not possess documents relating to the amounts paid by East Jackson Street LLC,” General Counsel Steven Roets wrote. “In January, the Governor’s transition office publicly released the details of the non-taxpayer staff compensation by East Jackson Street LLC State employees.”
The response said state salaries for deputy governor, senior advisor, deputy chief of staff, first assistant to deputy governor and press staff would get an equal amount from the LLC. There were no documents similar to the ones the office provided for the taxpayer-funded salaries.
* From the document distributed to reporters when this pay bump was announced…
Reporting Requirements – Staff
• In the interest of transparency, staff who receive the additional compensation will be required to publicly report it in line with other public disclosures, such as the Statement of Economic Interests.
• Additional compensation will also be reported at the time of hire.
• Staff will be required to sign paperwork reaffirming that their fiduciary duties as employees are to the state of Illinois, and their first and only obligation is to serve the residents of Illinois.
Statements of Economic Interests won’t be filed until May.
* In other news, a group that doesn’t disclose its donors wants legislators who support a tax hike to disclose their full tax returns…
Meanwhile, Ideas Illinois also was launched last week. It is an initiative of the Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity, which like Think Big is a 501c4 not-for-profit group. It will advocate for “a stronger Illinois business climate,” and will argue against a progressive income tax, which it calls a jobs tax.
GREG BAISE, former CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and co-founder of the prosperity coalition, is chairman of Ideas Illinois. JASON HEFFLEY of Springfield, who was campaign manager for Republican ERIKA HAROLD’s run for attorney general and worked in the administration of then-Gov. BRUCE RAUNER in roles including policy adviser for energy and environment, is executive director of the new group.
Just Wednesday, Ideas Illinois issued a news release, based on speculation that there may be a move for a temporary income-tax increase, that any lawmaker should release full personal tax returns before supporting such a plan. […]
Baise said that while the jobs coalition will continue to not disclose donors, it advocates for issues, not candidates — like many other nonprofit groups.
- Fixer - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:43 pm:
That’s rich, coming from Raunerites…
- Perrid - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:47 pm:
I have no problem with office holders releasing tax returns, though I don’t like that this group is trying to make it coercive. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is still kinda bad.
- RNUG - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:48 pm:
== Statements of Economic Interests won’t be filed until May. ==
Those should tell the story.
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:51 pm:
INN and this new group of hypocrites can both pound sand.
INN clearly does not understand how FOIA works. The LLC is not subject to FOIA and even then, if they have not made any payments there wouldn’t be anything to share yet. FOIA’ing a private entity just shows how dumb they are.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:51 pm:
Front for Secret Rich Donors Against Graduated Income Tax Demands Transparency from Others.
That’s comedy gold, Baise.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 1:54 pm:
“We want our hidden monies to demand you are transparent”
- Raunerites, maybe.
- Merica - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:01 pm:
JB is still using many of Rauner’s directors, almost all of Rauner’s general counsels, Deputy Director’s, and chiefs of staff, all of Rauner’s Public Interest and FOIA officers, in fact I think more than a month in, JB’s only hired like 6 people.
Not sure why the IPI is having such a hard time!
- Reserved - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:15 pm:
==INN clearly does not understand how FOIA works==
Except when records are in the possession of a non-public body that has a contract to perform a governmental function, while not themselves subject to FOIA, those records are available through FOIA from the public body who contracted with the entity.
Pretty hard to argue paying employees is not a governmental function, so the question is if there is a agreement or not with the LLC.
- anon2 - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:16 pm:
In other words, Republicans demand that Democrats release their full tax returns, even though the national head of their party is the first modern president to refuse to do so.
If supporters should disclose their tax returns, why not opponents, too? Why should transparency apply only to one side of a vote?
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:21 pm:
=….who contracted with the entity.
Pretty hard to argue paying employees is not a governmental function, so the question is if there is a agreement or not with the LLC.=
The contract, if there was one, would be subject to FOIA. An LLC paying employees is not a contract.
And the records have to exist, you do not have to create e record to satisfy FOIA. It is n’t question and answer- it is a search for actual existing records.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:23 pm:
Seconding JS Mill.
INN and their allies are looking for death by a thousand cuts, but this looks like little more than ankle biting.
- Demoralized - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 2:54 pm:
== Pritzker’s office provided state pay records, but said it doesn’t have any documents related to payments from the limited liability company.==
They wouldn’t have those. That being said he said he would be transparent so he needs to figure out a way to get those records released. Can’t FOIA them because it’s a private enterprise. And I’m not familiar enough with the law as to whether that LLC can release the info.
- Juvenal - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 3:06 pm:
The statements of economic interest are not going to tell you how much staff was paid.
They are not going to tell you whether payroll taxes were paid.
The statements of economic interest are not going to tell you where the money came from before it landed in the LLC.
In fact, THESE statements of economic interest are not going to tell you anything I don’t think, because I believe they will cover 2018 only. It won’t be until a year from now that we actually find out the barest of details.
Is that incorrect?
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 3:11 pm:
Pretty funny stuff about the tax returns, after Trump won’t release his.
The fair tax plan proposes an income tax cut for 90% of Illinoisans. It’s going to be funny watching right wingers try to spin this as bad after screaming all the time about high taxes.
- A 400lb. Guy on a bed - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 4:15 pm:
The INN was so concerned about transparency when Rauner was Governor.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Friday, Feb 15, 19 @ 4:37 pm:
Private companies are subject to FOIA when they perform government work. That is pretty elemental. So, yeah, if you are going to set up this company to pay government workers, you should expect that the company will be subject to FOIA. You’d have to buy into some magic thinking to think otherwise.