Reform and Renewal
Tuesday, Jan 2, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
If the governor’s people injected politics into federally funded IDES job placements, there could be real trouble afoot.
Federal authorities have questioned current and former employees of a state agency already under fire for alleged hiring irregularities and political influence, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Unfolding over the last few weeks, the interviews concerning the Illinois Department of Employment Security show that the sweeping investigation into state hiring continues to dog the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, even as it prepares to embark on a second term in January. […]
Agency employees who have been questioned said federal authorities are asking whether they know of any cases in which politics played a role in hiring and promoting people into jobs that were supposed to be free of political influence. […]
The employees said investigators asked specific questions about alleged violations of what is known as the Rutan decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 that most state hirings, promotions, transfers and firings should be free of political influence.
Also in the piece…
Employees interviewed this month said they are unclear why federal investigators waited this long to seek them out.
It sometimes takes a long time for the federal wheels to turn. But they rarely stop turning once they start.
Meanwhile, some merit comp employees could be up for a raise soon.
An estimated 6,000 nonunion state employees would be eligible for performance-based pay raises in the new year under an emergency rule filed Friday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration.
In the not so old days, post-election raises for many workers would be based at least partly on political performance. I certainly hope that with the feds watching over their shoulders the administration doesn’t try anything stupid.
- anon #1 - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 6:06 am:
#1
“Performance-based compensation is the way of the corporate world,” she said. “It makes sense to apply that to the public sector as well, to provide incentives and rewards to people who are doing their job well.” Why are state employees compared to ‘the corporate world’ (i.e. vacation policy and raises)? The corporate world works for a profit and they also give bonuses. Quite picking and choosing which parts you want to compare state employees.
#2
“I certainly hope that with the feds watching over their shoulders the administration doesn’t try anything stupid.†Hahahahaha, that’s so funny. How much you wanna bet?
#3
Why stop at federally funded IDES job placements – check around, check around, check around.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 9:22 am:
The question we will be asking this year regarding the Blagojevich administration is: Are these people really this stupid?
I suspect we will be seeing people deeply involved in scandals not because they are evil, but because they are clearly stupid, arrogant and ignorant. Throughout the first term we have seen a parade of sweet morons playing house with our money.
Democrats justify the abuse because these idiots are smiling as they break the law. The ends justify the means to them. As for the rest of us, we are going to pay repeatedly for this administration’s amateur leadership and wanton neglect of law.
Watching this administration operate is like watching 16 year old drivers mow down pedestrians on sidewalks. How much longer are we going to excuse them as newbies and kids?
- Snark - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 10:41 am:
Yes, it’s exactly like watching drivers mow down pedestrians on sidewalks.
- MJ - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 10:53 am:
Rich, I wonder if Alexi Ginnoulias is watching this investigation.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the turnover of Rutan protected positions at the State Treasurer’s Office occurs with him taking over from Topinka.
If he takes his time, that’s evidence that he’s determined not to repeat someone else’s mistakes, and may be around for a long time.
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 1:36 pm:
What taxpayers don’t realize as their Blago prepares to hand out lots of moolah to the state non-union civil service crowd is that basically there are no civil service performance standards. The state has something called performance objectives for employees but in reality these are written by employees and their managers and are kept so low that nobody has any trouble meeting or exceeding them. This makes it easy for the governor’s office to give 7 percent raises to political cronies who have somehow gotten into the civil service; it also makes it easy for supervisors and managers to reward their cronies and, in some cases, their relatives. Not all civil service hanky panky is political. There is a huge amount of cronyism (people promoting and given huge raises to pals) which goes virtually unnoticed by the electorate.
So, what does this really mean. Well, state civil servants end up making way more than their counterparts in the private sector, in a much less competitive work venue. So they don’t do much, there is little or no innovation, few incentives to cut costs creatively, and bad service all around for Illinoisians.
For a particularly egregious example of lack of
innovation or even of good hard work, read the Belleville New Democrat’s Lethal Lapses series, about DCFS caseworker mistakes which led to the deaths of children they were supposed to be supervising. Overly dramatic, you say. Look at the prison system, the Department of Human Services, the other human service agencies.
Low production, no innovation, yet huge raises
for the executives are certainly forthcoming.
- Willie Stark - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 1:43 pm:
Where the is all this money coming from?
Oh I forgot, Governor Corruptovich must have sold the Illinois Tollway and Illinois Lottery without permission during the holidays.
- He makes Ryan look like a saint!!! - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 1:46 pm:
Cassandra, are you a state worker? If not, DO NOT speak on what you have NO CLUE about.
- Papa Legba - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 2:14 pm:
This administration do something stupid? They have NEVER done anything stupid. Just ask them.
What I find most absurd is that the very Supervisors who will be determining who gets what regarding the proposed raises are the hack Supervisors slid into those positions by the Blago gang. Anybody left from before Blago took office should prepare for another kick in the gut.
- Disgusted - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 2:31 pm:
If you want to see where merit comp. employees got leadership positions from their agency chief friends, look at HFS.
Also FYI, Cassandra, a merit comp. employee of IEMA designed and implemented a world class monitoring system for nuclear power plants while a state merit comp. employee. Sought after by Japan, Yugoslavia and other nuclear powered nations. So much for all merit comp. personnel being lazy and incompetent
- Willie Stark - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 3:03 pm:
State personnel being lazy and incompetent,
say it isn’t so….
- Beavis - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 3:06 pm:
I thought the state was broke?
- Properly Greased - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 3:25 pm:
The state was broke before the 2006 election, now it’s 2007 and Da Guv found da money.
Can a state file for bankruptcy?
More smokin’ mirrors, where’s Da Fitz?
- Cal Skinner - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 5:13 pm:
Disgusted- What does “HFS” stand for?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 5:30 pm:
Healthcare and Family Services (formerly Public Aid)
- Limerick - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 6:38 pm:
We’ve blown our chance to undo,
The mistake of 2002.
So let the story unfold,
On how a state can be sold.
Welcome to “Blagojevich II.â€
- Another Limerick - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 7:01 pm:
A gal named Cassandra was known
To make state employees groan.
Her “lavish pension” quotes
And “lazy bum” notes
Made them wonder if she was one of their own.
- Max Maxwell - Tuesday, Jan 2, 07 @ 7:29 pm:
Ottenhoff’s quote about performance-based raises is a classic Blago administration alteration of reality. The state had a performance-based system for many years, until 2003, when merit comp staff all were given zero raises regardless of performance. First they deny raises to their best staff, then they claim to have invented the very mechanism they refused to use. One thinks they will eventually understand how state government is supposed to work, but apparently that is still down the road a bit.
- Milorad - Wednesday, Jan 3, 07 @ 12:51 pm:
Hiring fraud in Moronavitches administration!? I find that hard to believe.