If at first you don’t succeed…
Wednesday, Apr 20, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You just knew this had to be coming…
An ex-lawmaker whose appointment to the state parole board ran into trouble amid Senate questions about a potential quid pro quo has landed a new state job.
Former Democratic Rep. Careen Gordon started Monday as an $84,000-a-year associate general counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Gordon landed in the new post a month after resigning her spot on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board instead of facing a difficult Senate confirmation vote. Critics questioned whether Gov. Pat Quinn gave Gordon the nearly $86,000-a-year job as political payback for key vote in favor of a tax increase in January. […]
Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said Quinn’s decision to hire Gordon again is a “slap in the face of everybody in the Senate who beat back this blatant pay-to-play.”
Quinn and Gordon have both denied any quid pro quo, and it’s highly doubtful anything was done in an illegal manner (the new US Supreme Court requires proof of a bribe, and that’s most certainly not the case here). But, a deal’s a deal, so Gordon was going to get a gig one way or another.
* And the Belleville News-Democrat may finally succeed in prying some info loose about workers’ comp, but it won’t get everything it wants…
An opinion by the Illinois Attorney General calling for the release of results of medical testing on prison guards who filed successful workers’ compensation claims speaks of the public’s fundamental right to know how its money is spent.
Despite this broad language, this single decision announced Monday in response to a Belleville News-Democrat Freedom of Information request is limited. It cannot legally compel the state’s Central Management Services to release other basic records that relate to how taxpayer money is spent on workers’ compensation claims, said attorney general spokeswoman Natalie Bauer.
Bauer said that Central Management Services, or CMS, contends it can withhold virtually all financial and other records related to workers’ compensation based on a state law that allows “proprietary” information regarding the operation of an “insurance pool” to be off limits to the public.
Under this interpretation, no Illinois taxpayer can learn how tens of millions of dollars in taxes are spent by CMS, which manages claims for the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, critics contend. For instance, the newspaper’s weeks-long effort to find out how much public money has been spent to treat workers’ compensation arbitrator Kathleen Hagan’s leg injury is still pending before the attorney general. CMS refused to provide this information.
* Related…
* Horse racing insiders say toughest year ahead for state tracks
* Duchossois optimistic about horseracing’s future
* Recreation at Rend Lake threatened by old plan
- Pat Robertson - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:43 am:
==Gov. Pat Quinn gave Gordon the nearly $86,000-a-year job ==
Why does the Trib always have to exagerrate? The $86,000 is before furlough days! She’s sharing our pain!
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:46 am:
I have yet to see any evidence of any “deal” between Gordon and Quinn. To the contrary, the very fact that Gordon and Quinn admit that they talked about the tax increase tells me they feel they had nothing to hide.
Of course, with the vote for a tax increase just weeks away following the November elections, it would be really surprising if Quinn hadn’t taken the opportunity to ask her about how she planned to vote.
As for the Belleville News-Democrat, I feel their pain. On the one-hand, we’d all like to know all of the dirty details of exactly what happened.
On the otherhand, I’m not sure that the exact dollar value of the treatment for one patient nor the medical records of injured state workers have any real tangible news value. They certainly won’t affect policy. And I’m a little leery of granting the press access to people’s medical records.
That said, there is a full federal investigation underway, and if in fact any of these records are pertinent, I hope to be reading about them in the trial coverage.
Of course, then the Belleville News-Democrat won’t have the scoop, which makes it harder to sell newspapers, which makes it harder to sell advertising.
- yeah right. - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:46 am:
“But, a deal’s a deal”… And Quinn has never backed out of a deal before. He’s a man of his word. (cough)
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:48 am:
I have no problem with this hire. Careen is qualified for
this position. As a woman in State government,
I say good for her. Too many competant women do not
get promoted or hired because it’s still a boy’s club.
As for quid pro quo, if you know Careen, she has her own mind and can make her own decisions.
- N'ville - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:48 am:
Next up…Director of the Department of Insurance. Wonder which former lame duck yes on the income tax increase legislator lands that one?
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 9:50 am:
It is amazing to me that such a big deal s made of a former legislator being appointed to a state bureaucrat position. Has this never happened before? If it has, did the appointee ever cast a vote in the governor’s favor? A real story would be if a governor appointed a political opponent to some position.
What a complete waste of ink by the Trib and anyone else reporting this as “news.”
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:11 am:
Hmmn, Yellow Dog. She votes contrary to the way she indicated she would vote earlier, gets appointed to an $85,000 a year job, and when that fails, gets a different $85,000 a year job?
MERE COINCIDENCE! She just happened to be the most highly qualified person for each position!
Only Sgt. Schultz could not see what happened here. Schultz, and a certain dog.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:19 am:
Meh, since when do defeated legislators NOT land state jobs if their party has the governor’s office?
- Ahoy - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:24 am:
I don’t know why the Gov would do this. She is of no use to him anymore and this will haunt him terribly if he runs for re-election.
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:28 am:
Ahoy, because for a guy who has spent most of his life in politics, he has the worst political instincts of any person I’ve ever seen.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:34 am:
- he has the worst political instincts of any person I’ve ever seen. -
Funny, I could have sworn he won the election.
This is the biggest yawn inducing story out there right now. If Gordon wanted to she could make loads more money with her qualifications, the state is lucky to have her.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:36 am:
===If Gordon wanted to she could make loads more money with her qualifications===
I dunno about that.
This is a story that resonates, and it will be remembered for a very long time. It’s one reason why this tax hike is such a PR debacle.
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:40 am:
STL: The actual Skeeter (a highly trained German Shepherd Dog) could have beaten Brady, despite the fact that the actual Skeeter spends much of his life glaring warily at strangers. Although, with him as the candidate, the puppy issue may have been even more compelling.
Beating Brady doesn’t prove much about Quinn, other than to establish the fact that Quinn’s name is not “Bill Brady.”
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:41 am:
@Skeeter -
from the Daily Journal, October 30, 2010:
“Gordon said she’ll oppose any tax increase until the Quinn administration can detail where the extra revenue will be spent.”
From the above Tribune story, April 19th:
“In January, Gordon told the Tribune she approached Quinn about the parole board spot soon after losing her Grundy County House seat in November. Gordon said Quinn asked her what she thought of the possibility of a tax increase.
Gordon said she told Quinn she could support a tax hike only if she knew how the money would be used, and if cuts were included. He did not ask for her vote, she said. Nor did she feel pressured to vote for the legislation, she said.”
Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, Gordon was always understood — like most lawmakers from both sides of the aisle — that a tax increase had to be part of any plan to address the structural budget deficit.
The difference between Gordon and the Republicans is that she had the guts to back it up.
Moxy — for better or for worse — was a defining trait of Gordon’s all-too-short legislative career.
She voted consistently to expand gay rights and protect a woman’s right to choose, not easy for a downstate lawmaker to do.
She voted to abolish the death penalty — a difficult vote for both a downstater and a former prosecutor.
She opposed the dubious yet popular STAR bond program — TIFs on steroids — comparing their backer to Gordon Gekko.
And she wasn’t afraid to say No to Speaker Madigan or his staff.
Its laughable to hear all of these folks who’d never heard of Gordon until the tax vote let alone met her pass judgment on her character.
I think most folks who’ve followed Gordon’s record since she came to Springfield will agree her vote for the tax hike was completely in keeping with her record of being willing to stand up for her principles, even when it ain’t popular.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:46 am:
There is a reason the senate stayed away from appointing her. Congratulations on creating the first campaign ad for 2014 Pat.
Also if she could do so much better in the private sector why isn’t she doing that? The two roles are very different in some ways being an attorney for a prisoner review board and an attorney from the banks and real estate regulator strike me as a tad different.
You wouldn’t call the guy who did your closing to do your DUI defense, would you?
- Morris Football - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:49 am:
YDD: Why don’t you tell us about the numerous votes she missed last year?
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 10:51 am:
- This is a story that resonates, and it will be remembered for a very long time. -
Oh, I understand how it’s newsworthy especially for political reasons, but to me it’s extremely overblown and mostly just sour grapes.
As far as making more money, I just assumed that a lawyer with state legislator on her resume would look pretty good to a lot of folks.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 11:19 am:
- Also if she could do so much better in the private sector why isn’t she doing that? -
Perhaps she believes in public service?
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 11:45 am:
@Morris Football -
She was in the hospital.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 12:37 pm:
No biggie. Just Illinois “bidness” as usual. Randy Bachman’s voice keeps echoing in my head: “Taking Care of Business!”
- A Different Belle - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 12:54 pm:
It’s fishy.
Quinn also keeps Manny Flores around, transferring him around…until Quinn showed up at the Inauguration with a woman; I thought he was just hot for him.
- John A Logan - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 1:36 pm:
what has changed since Blago left office?
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 3:14 pm:
Sort of provable, illegal activities, Quinn should be able to appoint this former legislator. And the next governor should be able to do the same thing. To the victor go the spoils. Remember this when the next governor is not your political cup of tea so you don’t look hypocritical, dear reader.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 4:01 pm:
- Remember this when the next governor is not your political cup of tea so you don’t look hypocritical, dear reader. -
Sure will, nice to agree for once.
- Rod's Hair - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 4:56 pm:
You can sure tell from these comments who has worked with Rep Gordon and who just sees the D after her name. It’s easy to throw blind political bombs Fox News style, but it’s a whole different ballgame when your perspective is real life experience. Those with actual skin in the game who worked with Rep Gordon know exactly what I’m talking about. Judge a person by the content of their character, not their partisan label or perceived qualifications.
- Can't Say My Nickname - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 7:52 pm:
The easiest way to get Quinn to do something is to tell him he can’t.
- JustMe - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 8:09 pm:
==Judge a person by the content of their character, not their partisan label or perceived qualifications. ==
Sure. As soon as Quinn starts judging merit comp employees (who not only have character but proven track records at their jobs) as individuals, I’ll accept that he is doing the same here and not just paying off a political favor. Until then, he’s just Blago without the charm.
- Insane State - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 1:04 am:
Yet another disappointing act by Quinn. How I miss the old Pat Quinn who appeared to be ethical. Same as the old boss. This state is a joke.
- Bill - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 7:36 am:
Gordon derserves a state job. She voted for the tax increase. Without her vote some potential target would have had to step up. Grow up. This is how stuff works.
- Skeeter - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 7:39 am:
Grow up? Perfect. That sums up the Democratic Party’s governance of Illinois over the past decade. “We do it our corrupt way and if you don’t like it, grow up.”
Thanks Bill for putting into two words the real Democratic Party platform.
- Bill - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 9:34 am:
You’re welcome.