* No argument here…
Gov. Pat Quinn took four months to remove his director of child welfare after being told state inspectors believed the man had turned a blind eye while a friend ripped off state government, and Quinn kept quiet about problems at the agency even after conducting his own review.
Quinn aides said the governor acted as quickly as possible to determine the truth and then make changes without causing major disruptions at the Department of Children and Family Services. They say state ethics laws barred him from revealing that inspectors were investigating then-Director Erwin McEwen, information that didn’t become public until three weeks ago. […]
Two Illinois House committees plan a joint hearing, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and chairman of the House Human Services Committee. […]
Rep. Jack Franks, chairman of the State Government Administration Committee, said he was troubled that Quinn did not remove McEwen far more quickly, particularly when the report said McEwen was no longer cooperating with investigators as required by law.
* Gov. Quinn received a report on serious ethics problems at DCFS way back on May 25th. The governor ordered a further review, which was completed August 1st. But McEwen was allowed to stay on the job until September, when he was then allowed to quietly resign.
The governor has refused to say why he let McEwen keep his job all those months and why he allowed McEwen to resign and not be fired. It wasn’t until mid October that the public was informed about what had happened…
According to the Illinois Inspector General, McEwen was siphoning millions in state grant money to one of his close friends.
The investigation looked at McEwens tight connections with George E. Smith, who ran several mental health and social service businesses in Chicago.
According to a lengthy report prepared by the state executive inspector general, Smith received a grant bonanza between 2008 and 2011, more than $18 million from several government agencies, primarily DCFS.
The investigation found that Smith forged a 100 signatures to cover up misspending, had excessive expenses including $100,000 in Chicago sports tickets and kept do-nothing ghost payrollers on the books to steal state funds. That was accomplished because McEwen allowed his friend to get away with it, according to state investigators.
McEwen refused to cooperate with the inspector general, but Quinn didn’t step in then, either.
* House committees only have subpoena powers if the House Speaker grants them. So far, that hasn’t happened. As a result, the administration could easily stonewall these two committees. But that would be a very bad idea.
Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
* Other stuff…
* Social Security numbers revealed on Illinois college savings program mailing: Officials with the state treasurer’s office say they’re taking steps to make sure no problems result from an error on a mailing to 36,000 people who participate in Illinois’ Bright Directions college savings program. The Bright Directions account holders received a quarterly newsletter with their Social Security numbers printed on the outside.
* Illinois’ promise to pay not a guarantee: “As of this week, the state has 162,934 unpaid vouchers totaling $3.525 billion, dating back to July 8, 2011,” Hahn said.
* How Quinn reshaped tollway board: A check of political campaign records shows no direct contributions to Quinn from any of the appointees or close family members.
* Quinn ‘optimistic‘ on budget deal for facilities
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 1:21 pm:
One thing I always admired about Daley was he never hesitated to throw upper management under the bus.
As a cabinet member, being the Fall Guy is just part of the job description. Even for a guy like Mac who was given extremely high marks by child welfare advocates.
That, I imagine, was part of Quinn’s hesitation.
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 1:24 pm:
Who acts first, Speaker Madigan or AG Madigan?
(Insert sound of 60 Minutes stopwatch here)
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 1:25 pm:
–Quinn did not remove McEwen far more quickly, particularly when the report said McEwen was no longer cooperating with investigators as required by law. –
Not only do you have to remove him then, but you have to take steps to secure documents, hard drives, assets, etc.
Very puzzling, the lack of action. Can’t see how it would be in Quinn’s own personal interest, much less the state’s.
The federales, I’m sure, are on the trail. Sounds like shooting fish in a barrel. That might become an out to keep Quinn from explaining himself.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 1:31 pm:
And this story is consistent with Quinn being (a) a reformer, (b) a shrewd politician, (c) an excellent manager, (d) all of the above, or (e) none of the above?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 1:33 pm:
This governor doesn’t appear to be corrupted, but his actions so far does give the appearance that this governor is incompetent.
I would give the Governor the benefit of a doubt and say he didn’t remove this guy from his office because he didn’t know what he was doing.
- carbaby - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 2:11 pm:
It is shocking that it took that long and that Quinn allowed Mac to quietly resign- in the same way the Director of Public Health was allowed to go out quietly too. Actually Mac announced his resignation at a Statewide meeting with private agency and DCFS staff a week before the press release went out. The OEIG/OIG report is just the tip of the iceberg- I can assure you. That investigation is ongoing and has now delved into other things. There will be many more things “uncovered” that several of us have known for years. There has been a culture within DCFS that has been made ripe for this to happen and fester because there has been no oversight with people with expertise in these areas.
Contract monitoring has huge gaping holes that are just now getting some attention only because of this report. That is how one vendor could have multiple contracts with different programs within DCFS with a different monitor for each and none of those “monitors” know about any of the other contracts nor communicate with any of the other monitors because no one knows who is doing what. A vast majority of those “monitoring” contracts have no business or financial background- they have social service/child welfare backgrounds/education.
That is how it would be very easy to navigate someone through this because you have personal knowledge of the system cracks to slip through.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 2:12 pm:
I cant fault Quinn for ordering a followup investigation or not putting the director on leave immediately because im not sure what the initial investigation said.
However, I would like to know why the followup investigation took two months.
- Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 2:37 pm:
The judge who ordered Hynes to make payroll even though there was no state budget might take a different view than retired prof Redfied in that ISN “no promise to pay” story. But why consult legal opinion and rulings when you can espouse professiorial theory?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 2:40 pm:
===The judge who ordered Hynes to make payroll===
It was an agreed order. And onetime only.
- JustMe_JMO - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 2:41 pm:
Has Dr. Smith been charged with anything yet? Action seems to be going slow in that area.
Is he and his companies still getting paid by the State?
- Chris - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 3:20 pm:
“The governor has refused to say why he let McEwen keep his job all those months and why he allowed McEwen to resign and not be fired.”
What would the effect of a termination for cause been on his pension? Did he hit a milestone between August 1 and when he was allowed to resign?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 3:21 pm:
===What would the effect of a termination for cause been on his pension?===
Zero.
- Objective Dem - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 3:44 pm:
Yellow dog,
I disagree with you regarding Daley. He threw some good people under the bus because they were not politically connected and could be used as a scapegoat. And he retained people who should have been dismissed because they had clout with either him or others.
- walkinfool - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 3:45 pm:
I hope this gets to a thorough committee hearing. Greg Harris is fair, and tough as nails, and Jack Franks relishes attacking a government scandal.
- john parnell - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 3:46 pm:
Isn’t this social security number problem about the fourth screw up by Dan Rutherford? Is anybody running that office? Either campaign for Romney or do your job. You have proved that you cannot do both.
- Bemused - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 4:14 pm:
In the situation with Quinn, McEwen and DCFS my suspicion would lean toward McEwen having other friends with stroke in the Quinn inner circle.
Maybe someone who could whisper in Pat’s ear that Mac was a good guy that just trusted a friend too far? Was a return favor promised if the whole thing could be kept on the down low? With the amount of money involved it would seem strange that you could not see the course of action they took being looked into.
- Chris - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 4:30 pm:
“===What would the effect of a termination for cause been on his pension?===
Zero.”
Jeebus. Had no idea. That has to change, at least in the case of termination for (proven) criminal conduct related to the job.
And don’t anyone say “but it’s protected by the constitution” (I’ll let anyone thinking that ruminate on the why).
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 4:42 pm:
===in the case of termination for (proven) criminal conduct related to the job.===
If he’s convicted, he’ll lose the pension.
- Chris - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 4:47 pm:
“If he’s convicted, he’ll lose the pension.”
Is that dependant on what crime (assuming that the facts are all related to govt employment) the conviction is for? Does an EE have an out if s/he pleads to a lesser count, outside the realm of pension-diqualifying crimes?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 4:48 pm:
“The investigation looked at McEwens tight connections with George E. Smith, who ran several mental health and social service businesses in Chicago”
Anyone know what other organizations Smith was running?
- anonymice - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 5:07 pm:
==But why consult legal opinion and rulings when you can espouse professiorial theory?==
Especially a professor who doesn’t realize that the constitutional protection for pensions merely says that membership in a pension plan is an “enforceable contractual relationship,” which means that rights to pension payments are no better than state employees’ rights to get paid for services actually rendered. If the state refuses to pay (as opposed to delaying) after a court finds it is contractually obligated to pay, the court would eventually order the payment to be made, appropriation or not.
- Maybe, Just Maybe. . . - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 5:32 pm:
. . .he was acting in concert with law enforcement, and at the advice of his lawyers, who advised him to maintain the status quo for their investigative purposes.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 5:43 pm:
Isn’t the obvious reason that the Directors of DCFS and Public Health were allowed to slip out quietly because they are both African-American and the Governor didn’t what to worsen his already strained relationship with the legislature’s black caucuses?
- Borealis - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 6:00 pm:
That sounds about right to me anon 5:43 pm. Quinn never tires of doing backbends for the caucus, and I really don’t see an overt benefit. I am stating this as a person who has a very good view of this effort on an almost daily basis. Beats me!
- Fed Up - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 9:26 pm:
543
Just because Quinn has a history of bending over for that very reason. Remember the U of I trustees that quinn stated he would remove if they did not resign. Quinn backed down when it came to the AA trustees.
- sal-says - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 9:33 pm:
Has any state ever impeached 2 elected governors in a row?
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Nov 16, 11 @ 9:58 pm:
This is an example of why most state employees find the “ethics” training we take yearly a joke. Most of us abide by the highest standards of conduct, and if we don’t we are punished. With rare exceptions, however, the higher up the food chain you go the less the “ethics” law applies to you. Refusing to cooperate with an investigation, last time I checked, is grounds for immediate dismissal, especially in an at-will appointed position. Quinn was beyond wrong on this one. He has proven to be an abyssmal failure as Governor. This proves he has totally lost his way.