60 Comments - tubbfan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:40 am: I don’t see any stories about this online at either of the two large Chicago dailies. Am I missing something? - tubbfan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:40 am: I’m speaking of today’s editions, not the links provided. - Downstate weed chewing hick - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:42 am: Are there any over-the-weekend poll numbers to see if any of this is working? - Big Policy Nerd - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:46 am: Rich, thanks for the very informative subscriber’s only post this morning. Bottom line is this. Hynes office received 22 complaints from constituents about the conditions at Burr Oak. Hynes won’t release the text of those complaints, even though tons of reporters and hacks have been asking for them for months through FOIA’s. Aside from the mausoleum construction issue, When did Hynes first have knowledge that ordinary people who visited Burr Oak to pay their respects at gravesides saw evidence of “visible human remains” piling up on cemetery plots. His staff obviously knew, but the question is did Hynes know? What is in those complaints and when did Hynes first know about constituent complaints about “visible human remains” at Burr Oak?” Just tell us what you knew and when you knew it. If his staff never told him, fine, say it and move on. This isn’t going away in the next 36 hours. There is also a real chance that there is “Whistleblower” in Hynes State office that knows some things and might be spilling the beans. - Pelon - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:49 am: I thought Governor Quinn would rather lose than bring race into the contest? - ILPundit - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:50 am: I’ll just re-state what I said in the Friday thread — if this came from Quinn’s office (and by all appearances, it did) — then the fact that this story broke on the Friday evening before the election is just political malpractice of criminal proportions. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:52 am: A very good friend made an excellent point over the weekend: Even if, as Dan Hynes contends, it wasn’t his job to follow up on complaints of visible human remains, why didn’t he forward those complaints to the appropriate agency and follow up? On the political side: If I were Quinn, I’d cast the Harold Washington ads as an attempt to “suppress black voter turn-out.” “The black community is outraged at Dan Hynes over Burr Oaks, and Dan Hynes knows that the only way he can win is if African American voters stay home. Dan Hynes’ ads have only one purpose: to suppress black voter turnout…its an affront to everything Harold Washington stood for.” - Anonymous - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:53 am: i wonder why we didnt have stories about the informaiton that hynes lack of response in burr oak? Are the newspaapers just ignoring this? why? looks like a coverup to me. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:54 am: “I thought Governor Quinn would rather lose than bring race into the contest?” I think what he said was he’d rather lose than DIVIDE people over race. I don’t think there’s anything divisive about ensuring that our deceased loved ones are properly cared for…most people agree on that point, regardless of race. - Big Policy Nerd - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:58 am: Sorry for the double posts but I am throwing out another point. If the first Burr Oak complaints started coming in to Hynes office in the fall of 2003, Hynes was running for Senate at that time in a crowded Democratic primary against a guy named Barack Obama. Perpetua, which owned Burr Oak Cemetery, hired Dick Phelan’s law firm (Foley and Lardner) to work on the issue involving the discovery of human remains at the mausoleum. There is no doubt that Phelan had a lot of clout in Democratic power circles at the time and was a donor to Hynes previous state campaigns and his Senate race. Phelan still has a lot of clout today. What, if anything do we know about what Foley and Lardner (through Phelan) told Hynes office to do about the cemetery complaints and the discovery of “visible human remains”? - Red - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:59 am: I think Hynes may have peaked a week too soon and Quinn is finishing strong. However, Quinn will live to regret not answering the Harold add with a stronger piece depicting the racial unrest of the ‘83 and ‘87 elections and the role that Tom Hynes played. Would have been more powerful response than Reps. Rush, Shankowsky and Guitierrez. Hynes sneaks out a win 52-48 - wordslinger - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:07 am: I gave up for good on Quinn this weekend. Here’s why, from the AP story: –Quinn said that as state comptroller, Hynes could have taken action but was grossly negligent and lacked the “human decency” to do so.– –Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Chicago, called Hynes cold and callous. He also said a Hynes campaign ad is “evil” because it features the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington criticizing Quinn…– –Quinn backed up Rush’s comments. “His words come from his heart and they are on target,” the governor said.– We’re all used to Quinn saying silly stuff, but we let it slide because he has a “good heart.” When you say someone lacks “human decency” and is “evil” over this decades-long Burr Oaks cockup and a legitimate TV spot, you’re way over the line. Same goes for bragging about attending soldiers’ funerals in a campaign spot. Talk about decency. Ed Burke and Joe Berrios remove the “reformer” credentials. And his performance as governor has been a car wreck. I’ll either vote Hynes or try to find a glimmer of something in a GOP candidate. Quinn should have run for Senator. It’s the perfect job for him. - Obamas' Puppy - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:10 am: 51-49 Hynes, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! - quinn fan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:13 am: a large problem for the response was the weak team of advocates for the gov. to some people that said alot, b/c no one of high credibility would defend gov quinn. wish alderman rush would have been on vacation. actally think he did more harm than good, b/c alotof hiss cred went bye bye after the senator burris fiasco. - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:16 am: The Burr Oaks story has had 3 or 4 iterations in the last several days. Each iteration targeted to various groups. Black people got the Hynes is “cold, callous and evil” iteration. While the media, or more specifically Chuck Goudie of ABC-7, got the “cover up” iteration and ran with it, and Polish people got the Stanislaw says this guy Dan Hynes is “incompetent” version; whomever stanislaw is , because he refused to give his last name. What will the Quinn Camp think up next? A (photshopped) picture of Dan Hynes standing next to a pile of bones at Burr Oaks? Win or lose tomorrow Quinn has the rest of the year to mount a case against Dan Hynes on the Burr Oaks issue, that is if he is truly concerned about what happned at Burr Oaks. To push so hard on Burr Oaks several days before an election determines whether or not he gets to fight another day to keep the governor’s office he inherited from blago’s downfall, smacks of disengenuousness and politicization. Also, judging by the amount of glee and gloating by the Quinn camp on the blog Friday night/early Saturday morning over getting WGN –TV and ABC-7’s chuck goudie to report a story they had been shopping, was downright disgusting. Some of the Quinn camp were high-fiving themselves and gleefully commenting on this blog over the fact that they got a what amounted to a “3 minute campaign commercial for Quinn” through the WGN-TV coverage Friday night. Now, does that sound like they are truly concerned about what happened at Burr Oaks? - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:18 am: tubfan, both the trib and sun times gave more than adequate coverage of Quinn’s burr oaks issue over the weekend. - tubbfan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:23 am: my point in raising the issues about coverage is “traction.” If there are no screaming headlines on the Monday before the election, how damaging will this story truly be? - True Observer - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:24 am: You go to the cemetery and notice problems. So, the first thing you are going to do is call the Office of the Comptroller of the State of Illinois? Pretty ridiculous. Don’t you call or go see your alderman? How about your Precint Captain? - quinn fan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:24 am: wcw- i do recall that many of the hynes camp did the same thing when the HW ad came out. it happens, and i wasn’t that offended. it’s politics. - Anon - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:25 am: This is horrible for Hynes. Anytime people are saying that they want to know “what you knew and when you knew it,” you know you’re in trouble. Trib and Times both covered the Burr Oak stuff, even in the Sunday edition which more people read than the weekday stuff. The coverage wasnt very positive for Hynes. He lost control of the message in the final days and is now forced to play defense. This will still be close, but I think Quinn’s victory is more certain today than it was a week ago. - Wondering... - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:26 am: This whole race has been pathetic and this comes down to this the day before the elcetion is even more pathetic. Quinn has shown himself to be anything but the reformer and good guy he has always claimed to be… I laugh at those stupid commercials he’s now running telling me/us that he’s counting on us come tomorrow. Hynes… I don’t even know what to say after listening to him on WVON and over the weekend. Geez… and this guy wants to run the state? God help us all. - espoir - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:34 am: Quinn handled the crisis at Burr Oak masterfully if you ask me. Its not easy to pass a massive bill to reform an entire industry in Illinois and he was able to do it because he brought excellent people together on the task force and got all parties involved in drafting and passing the legislation. He is not getting NEARLY enough credit for that accomplishment. And Hynes is getting a free ride for what appears to be blatantly ignoring the problem until it blew up. Why would anyone vote for someone like that? - DemVOTER - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:34 am: OK, I really think Quinn is trying to make hay out of something that isn’t… I mean, don’t you think that if there was some big crime going on years ago, that some one would have contacted the Law, or some other agency to try and stop this???, ya maybe the comptrollers office over saw Cemetery, but come on, Just looks like some one grasping here. - Responsa - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:34 am: While most CapFax commenters and political insiders, along with the Chicago media understandably are focused on the mechanics of the horse race, there is a another bigger story. Large numbers of normal voters–yes, including Democrats– are looking at both Hynes and Quinn and thinking “they both seem to have serious competency issues and both campaigns have been vile.” Not normal negative election season brick throwing, but vile. This really may impact turnout especially downstate where the Democratic GOTV machinery is less noticeable. And, how does whichever candidate who wins survive in November with all this stuff out there and with all the bad blood? - too late - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:36 am: ILPundit hits the nail on the head. The fact that this story didn’t break until the evening news the Friday before the election is political malpractice by the Quinn folks. If it got out a week earlier the big newspapers would have been all over it, but they’re afraid to weigh in at this late hour. If Quinn survives tomorrow, you would think their mishandling of this issue would create a huge shake-up in his staff. But I get this feeling that being Pat Quinn means never having to say your sorry — or wrong — so his campaign team will probably stay in place. Regardless of the poor timing, after reading over all the Burr Oak info, I really think there are a lot of legit problems for the Hynes folks here. This is probably a better issue to hit him with in a Dem primary, given the negative backlash it could cause among black voters. But, if Hynes wins Tuesday, I think (and hope) the Republican candidate can make some hay out of this in the Fall. Let’s face it, the Comptroller’s Office doesn’t have a lot of official duties. The fact that he screwed up one of the few regulatory jobs he has should give the GOP a golden opportunity to question Hynes’ competence. Le - Arthur Andersen - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:36 am: catch this quote from one of our occasional posters: =“Democrats are starting to realize that every single Democrat in the country is vulnerable now. It’s a very angry electorate, a very volatile electorate,” Jerry Morrison, political director of the state Service Employees International Union, which has endorsed Pat Quinn and Alexi Giannoulias told Policito.(sic)+“Democrats are starting to realize that every single Democrat in the country is vulnerable now. It’s a very angry electorate, a very volatile electorate,” Jerry Morrison, political director of the state Service Employees International Union, which has endorsed Pat Quinn and Alexi Giannoulias told Policito.= Source: NBC5chicago.com - Big Policy Nerd - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:38 am: @ True Observer -You go to the cemetery and notice problems. So, the first thing you are going to do is call the Office of the Comptroller of the State of Illinois?- Hynes for years has encouraged people all over Illinois to call him with cemetery complaints. If you get on goggle and dig around you can find it yourself. His office is the office to call with cemetery complaints. Sure it is totally bizarre that the Comptroller’s office is in charge of cemetery complaints, but he is the one to call. “During the next few months, Illinoisans will be encouraged to speak up and tell Comptroller Dan Hynes about any troubles they’ve encountered with the cemetery and funeral home industries. Hynes, who became state comptroller in January, announced Monday that his office is forming a task force and plans to conduct eight regional hearings to listen to people’s concerns and suggestions.The hearings will start July 15 in Marion. Hearings also will take place in Galesburg, Quincy, suburban Cook County, Decatur, Chicago and the Metro East, although those dates haven’t been set. The purpose of the hearings is twofold, according to Hynes. They’ll provide a forum for consumers to voice complaints, he said, and they will raise public awareness that the comptroller’s office is the primary regulator of cemeteries.” (State Journal Register,6/15/1999) - Wondering... - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:39 am: Responsa… thank you; my thoughts exactly. I’ll probably take a DEM ballot tomorrow and hold my nose when I vote for Govorner. Come November when I have a chance to vote irrespective of DEM/REP I can seriously see voting anybody but Quinn or Hynes. Question is: how can these guys not know that this is what they are doing?? - cassandra - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:51 am: Well, as others have suggested, the Republicans likely aren’t sorry to read all this stuff about the Washington video, cemeteries, and other purported misdeeds on the part of Quinn and Hynes. Kind of gives them a head start on their own campaign, which, when viewed in conjunction with the budget meltdown, massive Democratic giveaways to AFSCME, and the Blago trial, is looking better and better. Starting Wednesday. - anon - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:54 am: Ok, here’s a question that really bugs me - It appears from the reporting that Quinn’s camp has had this confidential memo for a few weeks or so and sat on it. If Quinn is so concerned about Burr Oak, why did he hold the memo and when he did release it, why did he take it to the press? It would seem to me that if he was really concerned about the issue, he’d have immediately handed the memo over to the authorities running the criminal investigation because the confidential memo seems to show that Burr Oak execs knew this stuff was going on. The real indecency here is that Quinn and his people held this stuff for political purposes instead of actually doing the right thing. I’d like to see a reporter look into that. - Your Funeral Guy - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:57 am: Quinn knows that the real coverup in the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal rests with The Owner Perpetua and the manager Silvy Cotton. That is what the leaked memo shows! - Irish - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:58 am: Is this the same Quinn who backed down from Madigan and did not push the income tax increase and allwed needless suffering by people dependent on healthcare and other services that are not funded anymore? It doesn’t matter whether he would have been able to get it passed he just wimped out. So apparently it depends on who you are as to whether you “roll up your sleeves and get something done.” And is this the same Quinn who did know, didn’t know, did know, didn’t know, about the early release of dangerous criminals that put common people in serious danger? “When something goes wrong, we do not need leaders, at any level, who will waste time trying to point the finger of blame at someone else.” Okay so we don’t need Quinn who did exactly that when approached about the early release problem. So Rich, I predict that Soy Boy Pat will not see his shadow tomorrow and will proclaim an end of winter…, no, six more weeks of Winter because I saw part of a shadow, ….no, the end of Winter because that is what the public wants,…….no, because snow removal provides jobs I did see a shadow,… oh, wait Winter means higher heating bills, no I definitely did not see my shadow, it was Dan Hynes shining a light behind me that caused the shadow…….. - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 10:59 am: the HW ad was for public use. HW was interviewed by a news organization abnd is words a matter of public record. nothing wrong with using his words. if it had been a taped privated conversation, i might see how somoeone could have a problem with its usage. the video as used was fair game. my point about the glee and gloating on the part of the Quinn camp, is that their glee and gloating was over the fact that they scored political points. nevermind the fact that they were doing so at the expense of burr oaks families. Quinn opens up their (personal) wounds through his burr oaks political attack against dan hynes. i got the impression that what matter most to the Quinn camp was the media coverage they got from the stroy the shopped to ABC-7 and WGN-TV because it was in their favor. - VanillaMan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:03 am: Burr Oak is an emotional issue which is being milked for political mileage by a sinking governor. Both Quinn and Hynes has had this issue on their desks long before this weekend. Quinn has now decided that with his sinking poll numbers, he would play this situation beyond the facts. The do-nothing governor is accusing Hynes of doing nothing on Burr Oak, knowing full well that the issue doesn’t deserve the spin he is giving it. I don’t know who is looking better right now for tomorrow - but I am definately not voting for the Comatose Quinn. - espoir - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:04 am: Quinn isn’t “playing politics” with Burr Oak. He is campaigning on a real legislative accomplishment. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/HB/09600HB1188enr.htm Did Hynes help with this? No. In fact, he is responsible for ignoring the problem, he didn’t play a role in the coming up with a solution and is turning around to call our Governor incompetent. That’s playing politics. - Small Town Liberal - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:07 am: WCW - Are you really this out of touch with reality? It wasn’t Quinn who screwed up with Burr Oak, so how exactly is the Quinn camp doing anything at the expense of Burr oaks families? Are people who support a candidate supposed to remain stoic when they get good news? Whether or not you consider Burr Oak a major issue is your own business, but to question the reaction of a group of Pat Quinn supporters is ridiculous. - FJ - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:09 am: I feel that african americans will now turn out becuase of these ads? Soeaking of turn out, does a low turn out benefit Quinn or Hynes? Aren’t incumbents supposed to benefit from low turn outs? - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:17 am: espoir, actually hynes did propose legislation last summer (and before 2009). it was likely to pass, but the governor got wind of it and stopped it, so that he could create a cemetery task force to investigate and make recommendations instead. the speculation has been that the governor stopped hynes’ legislation last summer for purely political reasons. Quinn’s cemetery task force stopped short of blaming hynes for what happened at burr oaks. if you look at the task force’s final report on page 36, the task force writes that it “considered” the comptroller’s office to have had “comprehensive” oversight of cemeteries. ok. it “considered” the comptroller to have had that, in other words they may have thought he did, but did he? apparently not because the task force went on to conclude that a hodpodge of regulations existed as did gapping holes as to oversight authority. here’s an excerpt from the final report. “The testimony and evidence presented to the Task Force during the past two months reflect a systemic failure of oversight and regulation of the cemetery industry in this State. The Task Force has concluded that although there are a number of laws in Illinois that address various aspects of the death care industry, a regulatory disjunction exists with respect to the operation and management of cemeteries. The Task Force has concluded that there is a direct connection between the hodgepodge of regulations governing the death industry and the deteriorated condition of Burr Oak Cemetery and other cemeteries. The Task Force also believes it is likely that the lack of regulatory oversight was a contributing factor to the criminal scheme that allegedly unfolded at Burr Oak Cemetery. It is the primary finding of this Task Force that without legislative reform and increased oversight of cemetery operations, the events that occurred at Burr Oak and other cemeteries in this State will continue to occur, and the same types of tragic stories the public has already heard too many times will continue to be told. ” http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:cGcece18On0J:blogs.chicagotribune.com/files/final-draft-cemetery-oversight-task-force-report-department-revisions.doc.doc+cemetery+task+force+final+report,+illinois&cd=55&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us - Why No Headline? - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:26 am: I agree with Anonymous - where’s the headline in the State Journal Register? Even though yesterday’s Op-Ed piece called the IFDA fund botched from the start, it didn’t even mention this latest piece of information concerning Burr Oak and Comptroller Hyne’s office. Could it be that since the State Journal Register endorsed Hynes they don’t want to admit they might have made a mistake? Now that’s a cover-up! Regardless of all else, if Quinn doesn’t win on Tuesday, the Governorship will already be decided on the Republican ballot; as they will (as Rich put it) “Fry Hynes” over this matter. - espoir - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:28 am: what’s the bill number for Hynes’s bill please? Ive read the task force report. - Wondering... - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:29 am: WNH… and they won’t be able to “fry” Quinn as a flip flopping, Dem party money grubbing, do-nothing, Blago-enabling interim Govorner? - cassandra - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 11:35 am: Why No Headline- I disagree. We may hear more about cemeteries from the Republicans but both Quinn and Hynes have given them ample fodder for the next performance of the Illinois Political Theater, starting February 3. It’s a toss. Don’t Democrats ever think ahead even a day or two? This campaign is Chicago Machine Classic nasty. Tammany Hall. Really. And it has produced, on its own, wonderful videos and governmental failures for the real opposition. The opp, by the way, has been rather muted in its internal wars. Even Dan Proftt sounded reasonable on WTTW debate. - Why No Headline? - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 12:06 pm: I agree that they both have made stupid mistakes that the Republicans can profit from but I think Burr Oak will “haunt” Hynes more than Quinn caving to the whims of the omnipotent Madigan. My first question remains, Why isn’t the SJ-R covering this? - VanillaMan - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 12:21 pm: I was watching Fox News late one night When my eyes beheld an ugly sight A Quinn TV ad about Burr Oak was seen The facts were twisted into something obscene! The ad was brash! Quinn’s ad was absolute trash! Absolute Trash! About a graveyard smash Absolute Trash! It cost a whole lotta cash Absolute Trash! Quinn’s ad gave me a very bad rash! From Quincy to Danville in the castle east Across Illinois the ad talked about the deceased. Children were hustled out of rooms, Whenever Quinn spun his trash about tombs! The ad was brash! Quinn’s ad was absolute trash! Absolute Trash! About a graveyard smash Absolute Trash! It cost a whole lotta cash Absolute Trash! Quinn’s ad gave me a very bad rash! I was watching Fox News late one night When my eyes beheld an awful sight The late Mayor Washington from beyond the grave, Told the Living that Quinn out to live in a cave! The ad was brash! Hynes’ ad was absolute trash! Absolute Trash! About a graveyard smash Absolute Trash! It cost a whole lotta cash Absolute Trash! Hynes’ ad gave me a very bad rash! From Beloit to Cairo in the way down south Our now-ghostly Mayor called the Governor out. The faint hearted voters went into a trance, As Hynes said he agreed with the Mayor’s stance! The ad was brash! Hynes’ ad was absolute trash! Absolute Trash! About a graveyard smash Absolute Trash! It cost a whole lotta cash Absolute Trash! Hynes’ ad gave me a very bad rash! So if you wonder why Illinois is dead, Just listen to what these Democrats said It doesn’t matter if you are dead and gone, As long as they can use you as a political weapon! Illinois is cashed! It’s finances are trashed! Completely Trashed! As these two boneheads smash! Our hopes are dashed! But it’s not too soon, To take a gander at the Trailblazer’s tomb! - Amalia - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 12:23 pm: wouldn’t you love to know who leaked these items to Chuck Goudie? if Quinn had these things it would have happened a bit sooner. who has it in for Dan Hynes? and what will appear on palm cards tomorrow, for this race, and the Senate race? will pols remember or forget the Treasurer’s race where the endorsed candidate lost to Broadway Alexi? - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 12:37 pm: Amaila, one of the Quinn camp folks who posted on the blog this past weekend speculates about a former un-named comptroller office employee (I think its on the smoking gun 2 thread). How do you know that story wasn’t worked up especially for Goudie and then given to him? A month or so ago Rich posted that he received a mistaken reply from someone at the guv’s office, a press person there, and the e-mailed referred to rich as “not being a fan of the house,” I hope you understand the implications of that. at the time it made me wonder if quinn has fans out there in the media who give him favorable slants in their coverage of him. what happened friday suggests to me that it may be very likely that there are some in the chicago media who are indeed fans of his and willing to help him out. as some in the Quinn camp pointed out, in not so many words, on the blog this weekend, ABC-7 is the highest-rated and most watched 10 pm newcast in the chicago area. and getting wgn tv to give him a “3 minute campaign commercial” during their 9 pm newscast helped to get a percentage of potential voters who watch that station’s news broadcast. the Quinn camp clearly understood that quinn’s making the claims publicly would not have the same credibility or carry the same weight as ABC-7 carrying/breaking the story. ABC-7’s reporting of the story gave it the credibility it needed for other stations to pick it up. ABC-7 was saying that the comptroller’s office knew in 2003, not Quinn. I recall Goudie reporting a Burr Oaks story a week or so ago that didn’t catch fire. So based on what happened last Friday, to me, it really looks like the Quinn camp, desperate draw black votes and cut into Hynes’s (overall) poll lead ratcheted up the Burr Oaks story and spoon fed it to a reporter at ABC-7, who then ran with it. - dave - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 12:48 pm: **what happened friday suggests to me that it may be very likely that there are some in the chicago media who are indeed fans of his and willing to help him out.** This is pretty much true of any/every mainstream electoral candidate. Dan Hynes has his friends in the media. So does Pat Quinn. And it appears that you are alone in thinking that these new Burr Oak revelations are not relevant. - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 1:03 pm: Dave, I am really questioning the veracity of the new revelations and timing of them. as far as the overall relevance of the new revelations, other than to cause Hynes to lose tomorrow, I do not what purpose the new revelations truly serve. So far as I am concerned the burr oaks issue was largely resolved by quinn when he halted Hynes’ cemetery legislation, convened a cemetery task force which reported its findings and made recommendations, and when quinn signed those recommendations into law. to be fair I have suggested on this thread that if quinn is being sincere and acting in the public interesst here, rather than just his own/political interest, win or lose tomorrow, he can spend the rest of the year mounting a case against hynes and keeping the public informed. - dave - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 1:17 pm: **I am really questioning the veracity of the new revelations** Has Hynes denied them? He hasn’t, because he knows that he can’t. The Comptroller’s office has admitted that the documents are valid, and that the office was told about these things. So what veracity are you questioning? As for being “largely resolved,” that isn’t the point, is it? The point is to point out that the Comptroller’s Office severely dropped the ball on this. If Quinn’s early release program and Mayor Washington’s 20+ year old criticisms are fair game to talk about the competence of the Governor, than surely the Comptroller’s office’s actions on Burr Oak are just as fair, yes? - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 1:48 pm: Dave, on sept 15, 2009 there was this report: Gov. Pat Quinn said he would not criticize Hynes Tuesday for the role his office played in overseeing cemeteries such as Burr Oak. Hynes is challenging Quinn in the 2010 Democratic primary for governor. “Don’t put words in my mouth, alright? I don’t wanna make this political,” Quinn said. http://cbs2chicago.com/local/cemetery.task.force.2.1185079.html So, now he ‘wanna’ make this political? Why? you don’t think tomorrow’s primary and his slide in the polls have anything to do with his making this political now, do you dave? - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 2:04 pm: p.s. dave if you come back in response to my previous post, please stop to consider this first… Quinn put off dealing with the fy11 budget until after the feb 2nd primary. surely that is the most important and pressing issue facing the state. so if he could put the state’s most important/pressing issue on hold until after the primary, why not his “new revelations” about burr oaks? hynes isn’t planning to hop a flight and get out of dodge after tomorrow. burr oaks cemetery isn’t going to disappear. etc. etc. - dave - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 2:21 pm: **you don’t think tomorrow’s primary and his slide in the polls have anything to do with his making this political now, do you dave? ** Umm… where did I say that? Of course it is political, and of course it is related to the current state of the Dem Governor race. But you haven’t answered my questions. You question the veracity of the new revelations, even though Hynes and his office have admitted to them. So how, exactly, do you doubt the new revelations? And again - if Quinn’s actions during the Washington admin and on the prison release are relevant issues, why is the Comptroller’s handling of Burr Oak not an issue? - independent - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 3:20 pm: willcountywoman- i’m a hynes supporter, but you are a little bit too biased… soem of the people tha are answering back have some good points that are fair. we have a split household in our family, i’m for dan—my wife is welllllll—for pq. - Fan of the Game - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 3:35 pm: @espoir– Quinn isn’t “playing politics” with Burr Oak. He is campaigning on a real legislative accomplishment. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/HB/09600HB1188enr.htm Did Hynes help with this? No. In fact, he is responsible for ignoring the problem, he didn’t play a role in the coming up with a solution and is turning around to call our Governor incompetent. That’s playing politics. ———————————————- If you call enacting legislation that will put most cemeteries out of business (excluding municipal and Catholic cemeteries) and for the most duplicates existing laws a “real legislative accomplishment,” then, yes, the governor accomplished something. If I were him, I wouldn’t brag about it. - Will County Woman - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 3:37 pm: “willcountywoman- i’m a hynes supporter, but you are a little bit too biased… soem of the people tha are answering back have some good points that are fair.” not at all too biased. just disgusted with Quinn, who finds himself in a pinch, deciding to use burr oaks and more importantly its families as his out. what is it about that you can’t understand? i think i’ve consistently stated that if quinn really wants to push this because it is in the public interest then it doesn’t need to be done 4 days out before a primary determines his fate, and which only works to quinn’s advantage. what’s the rush/ what’s with the full court press? i get the strong feeling that if quinn were not in a pinch he would not have pulled out all the last-minute burr oak stops this weeekend. interesting how quinn was all for slow down, slow down when hynes introduced cemetery legislation in the summer, and now his camp is in a tizzy because i’m suggesting that he slow down, slow down and stop being so overtly political and stop using this solely for his political ends? - Amalia - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 3:53 pm: WCW, you might turn your principles on the actions of Dan Hynes, his pals in the media, and his actions and inactions in an attempt to win office. You would find a mighty critique of your own candidate. he’ll be lucky to win this round but this Burr Oak matter is real, not a figment of the imagination of politicos. - Anon - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 3:54 pm: Any attempt to blame Dan Hynes for Burr Oak is ridiculous and politics at its worst. Any body who has followed Hynes’ career as Comptroller would know that he has done more with respect to cemetery care than all previously comptrollers combined. He found solutions where none previously existed. Even Quinn acknowledged that it was Hynes who saved the Peoria cemetery when no one else could or would. He saved others throughout the state as well. Even the now famous memo from 2003 shows that Hynes’ office was dealing with a very serious problem when no one else was. The comptroller’s powers are limited to financial regulation, yet he attempted to use his office to deal with the statewide problem orelating to the condition of older, private cemeteries. It is indeed unfortunate for the families with loved ones at Burr Oak that he was unsuccessful there, but the comptroller is not the insurer that every cemetery manager will be a decent, law-abiding human being. At least, Hynes tried. The story here is the phony outrage by politicians trying to obscure the facts to advance their own political interests. But, to the dismay of most voters, that isn’t really news either. - Quinn T. Sential - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 4:53 pm: {The real indecency here is that Quinn and his people held this stuff for political purposes instead of actually doing the right thing. I’d like to see a reporter look into that.} The internal memo almost assuredly came from one of two sources, which has either investigatory power; or subpeona power, or both. That would be the Attorney General’s office, or the new Sherriff of Knottingham, neither of whom want to see Dan Hynes succeed and advance here, for their own selfish reasons. If Quinn had this informnation from any other source other than those mentioned above, and did not bring it to those sources himself, then he has a big problem on his hands, irrespective of whether he wins or not. If I were Hynes, I would be calling for the Ag to recuse herself, and for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor in this matter. Look at the Criminal Code, and the Code of Criminal Procedure, and I think that you may find both Official Misconduct on the part of Quinn, and Obstruction of Justice, for either witholding the information, and/or not bringing it to law enforcement. I think the same may be tru of law enforcement sources if they provided it to Quinn. Whether I won or lost; if I were Hynes, I would would be pressing on this matter from now until the cows come home, because something is rotten in Denmark here, and it has nothing to do with politics, because the end result may be an inability to effectively prosecute criminal wrong-doing as a result. - independent - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:19 pm: wcw- it is just politics–don’t let it disgust you. there are plenty of people that are disgusted with what quinn hass been hit with too, on their side of the fence. i could never vote for quinn, and won’t. but it is not personal. dan is the better candidate overall, and quinn is just fighting to hang on. hopefully it won’t work, and he will be a very angrylame duck for the rest of 2010:) - Ricca - Monday, Feb 1, 10 @ 9:28 pm: When I represented the 92nd District in Peoria, historic Springdale Cemetery was taken over by a private owner who sold valuable artifacts (including Civil War cannons), ruined the cemetery’s finances, and fled the state. Dan Hynes worked with local officials, the VFW and cemetery trustees to recover the artifacts and put the cemetery back on a firm financial footing. The community was very grateful for his caring and professional assistance. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.