* Sun-Times…

In March, Rauner tapped Beth Purvis, a former charter school director, as his education secretary at an annual salary of $250,000. […]

But her contract, signed March 13, indicates that she’s being paid out of the Department of Human Services, even as it indicates she will “report directly to the governor’s chief of staff or designee.”

Three weeks after Purvis’ contract was signed, the governor’s office announced that the Department of Human Services was strapped for cash, and sliced $26 million in services including for autism, epilepsy and burials for the indigent. The cuts, later known as “the Good Friday Massacre,” caused some programs to completely shut down. The cuts caused a furor, prompting House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, to call a public hearing on why it happened after Democrats said they believed a budget deal with the governor protected such services.

* But check this out…

Reached by phone while at a conference in California on Wednesday, Purvis declined comment

Um, wait.

It’s May 28th, three days before the May 31st end of session deadline and she’s in California?

* Ms. Purvis…

* The Question: Caption?

And keep it clean, people.

*** UPDATE *** Sun-Times…

llinois House Democrats are asking Gov. Bruce Rauner to appear before a House committee to explain why the governor’s office arranged to have his $250,000-a-year education czar paid out of money meant for “the frailest and most vulnerable populations in the state.” […]

In a letter to Rauner, obtained by the Sun-Times, state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Ill., questions testimony by then-Acting DHS Secretary Gregory Bassi and then-interim secretary James Dimas “that the lack of available funding was responsible for the decision to eliminate or reduce funding for these vitally needed programs. These programs serve many of the frailest and most vulnerable populations in the state.”

“I invite you to appear before the House Human Services Appropriations Committee to explain the decision-making process that led to this situation. We are also interested to know if there are other department heads whose compensation is buried within the budgets of departments other than those that they lead,” wrote Harris, chairman of the committee.

The full letter is here.

       

159 Comments - Harry - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:11 pm: About to laugh all the way to the bank… - East Central Illinois - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:11 pm: Drats . . . they found me out!!! Get me one of those Illinois governmental charter jets and fly me back to Springfield! - Finally Out (and very glad to be) - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:11 pm: It’s only a quarter of a million dollars, we didn’t think anyone would notice! - eek - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:14 pm: Isn’t there a ban on out-of-state travel? - Wensicia - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:14 pm: “My lips are sealed; I’ve got nothin’ to say.” - 47th Ward - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:14 pm: So much for that freeze on nonessential spending. Is she at least staying for Game 7? - Macbeth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:15 pm: I got it. You don’t. - Democrat Grrrl - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:15 pm: Hi. My name’s Beth, and I don’t care about Illinois. - Century Club - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:15 pm: “Hey Bruce, I’m in California studying how they turned their state around - raising the minimum wage and increasing taxes on millionaires! Think it will work here?” - kimocat - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:16 pm: What’s the problem? We can lay off some riff raff to cover my salary. And don’t bother me when I’m out of town. - East Central Illinois - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:16 pm: Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this “education secretary” position a brand new position under Gov. Rauner?? The same Governor that’s goin’ to Shake up Springfield and reduce waste and government spending?? Maybe she needs to stay in California and give up the $250,000. - Observation - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:17 pm: I am “speak no evil.” I think that “speak and hear no evil” are at the bar. - Big Joe - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:17 pm: Nuts!! Somebody ratted me out!!! Bruuuuuuuce, help me please, Bruuuuuuce!! - Norseman - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:17 pm: Beth Purvis’ refuses to respond when asked if her placement on the DHS payroll represents business as usual. - Beaner - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:20 pm: Governor’s Executive Order 8 - Travel Requests Out of state travel requests continue to require the approval of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. Wonder if she received proper authorization to attend the out of State Conference? Wonder if any federal Human Services monies are being misappropriated by using it to pay for an Education person? - Just askin' - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:21 pm: I’ll have a comment after I wrap up this “conference” and have time to confer with the Governor. - siriusly - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:21 pm: I agree with Governor Rauner, we need better people in state government and higher salaries to attract them - not just at the director level. I hope this is a sign that he is recognizing the revenue problem because he proposed a state budget that was $6 B out of balance - so perhaps he should balance the budget first and then pay top dollar for good administrators second. Oh yeah, and how in the world is it transparent to pay her out of DHS ? - Mouthy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:21 pm: “Illinois?” Hmm. “Is that somewhere close to Ohio?” - Johnnie F. - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:22 pm: Nervous, Pervis? - Hawkeye in Illinois - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:22 pm: My advice to Governor Rauner was eliminate teachers’ unions and education will be reformed. That is $250,000 well spent and there was no reason to spend any more time in Illinois, especially that backwater hell hole of a state Capitol. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:22 pm: “Guess I’m not a ‘Superstar’ after all this…” - Give Me A Break - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:23 pm: Still don’t understand why my cards say DHS. - LaughingJane - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:23 pm: Keep quiet, he said. Nobody will notice, he said. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:23 pm: “Shoulda took the job at Payton Prep…” - Coach - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:24 pm: See what I can get away with when I only have to answer to Gov. Rauner! - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:24 pm: “Guess that perfect score on the ethics test won’t help explain this mess…” - Amalia - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:25 pm: they said I could go to Venice. I thought they meant Italy, not just the beach. Public service….. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:26 pm: “Hi Beth -, If you could come in at least once this month, like a well-bribg check, that would be great. Thanks! ck” - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:26 pm: She needs to be paid out of DHS because…well, kids with disabilities go to school, right? Makes perfect sense. Nothing to do with making the governor’s office look more thrifty. - Norseman - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:26 pm: Trey just told me that I don’t qualify for the superstar staffer classification since I work for DHS. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:27 pm: “Can you explain why your travel vouchers all say ‘United’? United what? United Airlines?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:29 pm: “Ms. Purvis, we don’t think your time sheets, on Pacific Time, are of any help…” - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:29 pm: D’oh! - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:31 pm: “Ms. Purvis, ‘Skype’ is a tool, not an office…” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:32 pm: “Ms. Purvis, your state issued cell phone has put of area roaming charges of $1,893 dollars… and 13 cents.” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:33 pm: “Ms. Purvis, for the record, ‘Arizona Bob’ is located closer to Illinois than you are…” - MrJM - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:34 pm: “A quarter million bucks a year? Sorry — Superstars™ don’t get on a plane for anything less than 300 grand!” – MrJM - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:35 pm: “I ain’t kiddin’ around when I tell you Beth is a real superstar! I said it before and I’ll say it again, she’s worth every penny I’m… I mean, you’re…. payin’ her. Heck, she’s so good she doesn’t even need to be here. I’m tellin’ ya, I just wind her up and let her go. In fact, I didn’t even know she was in California until you just told me. How about that.” - Bluefish - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:35 pm: California Dreaming (apologies to The Mamas & The Papas) All the chips are down and Bruce’s mood is grey I went to a conference on a session day I’ll be safe and warm if I stay in L.A. California dreamin` on such a session day Stepped into a job I passed along the way Well, I got 250 grand and I pretend to stay You know the governor uses a slush fund for my pay California dreaming on such a session day All his bills voted down and Dems he’s gonna slay I’ve seen the education budget and think I’ll stay away How the heck did Sun Times track me down today California dreamin` on such a session day On such a session day, on such a session day - State employee - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:38 pm: “Is it too early to start drinking?” - MrJM - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:39 pm: “It’s May 28th, three days before the May 31st end of session deadline and she’s in California?” And she’s made $52,000 since signing her contract. – MrJM - Macbeth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:39 pm: “I’ll tell you something. I’ll teach you. Now listen: you want to talk about 1%? I’ll talk. Here’s what it means: I make money when you’re on strike. Think about it, and you tell me. Would you rather strike and make nothing? Or be like me and make money during a strike? That’s my education. And it’s a thing you haven’t learned.” - illinifan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:42 pm: Telecommuting and a big paycheck….government work is so like private industry. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:43 pm: “Is this true, you were once an elevator operator in for Cook County?” - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:43 pm: Looks like the Illinois House also has questions about Ms. Purvis. http://t.co/K9GH8knkMc - Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:44 pm: Let’s leave Chicago to the Eskimo… that town’s a little too rugged for you and me babe…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtDhtadoeUk - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:44 pm: “Well, of course, this conference is non-non-essential spending.” - Former Titan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:45 pm: Out of Service Purvis - Macbeth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:45 pm: BTW — this isn’t a caption but a comment. Knowing know that this woman is making an obscene amount of money — and heading out-of-state on travel which for most employees is restricted — this woman — this “education” person — should insist — publicly — that her salary should come from the Governor’s office — and not from the same funding that funds autism. She wants to teach? She wants to consult on her “education” bona fides? Then publicly insist on proper funding for her half-a-million dollar a year a job. Illinois is not a cookie jar for folks like this woman who don’t need it — and most likely don’t deserve it. No one deserves 250K a year. I don’t care if she has advanced degrees (many line employees do, too — where’s the 250K for them)? I don’t care how many books she’s written (has she written any?). No one deserves that much money coming from the cookie jar of those who — without a doubt, without question — need and deserve it more. - Precinct Captain - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:46 pm: Superstar turnarounder Beth Purvis looks out for special interests, unions, Quinnochios, and Madigan cronies. - Sir Reel - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:51 pm: I’m in California as part of the Governor’s Turnaround Agenda. It’s too complicated to explain. Trust me. - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:53 pm: I’m touting Gov. Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda in Illinois West. - james the intolerant - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:53 pm: It was supposed to be a no-show job, not a no-work job! - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:54 pm: Gov. Rauner is here to turnaround Illinois, not turn me back around to Illinois. - 47th Ward - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:54 pm: Education Czar? No, Tsar. Yes! Or maybe Tsarina? SuperTsar? - Annon3 - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:57 pm: Let the FOIA’s begin. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 2:59 pm: “Are you sure your testimony is ‘I’m going so you don’t have to’…” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:00 pm: “Ms. Purvis, you can’t expense your Hawks-Ducks tickets…” - Evelyn Macbeth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:00 pm: California Dreamin’ - Bill White - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:01 pm: Right now, I’d rather be in Disneyland - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:02 pm: “Sunscreen? You asked CMS if they had sunscreen?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:04 pm: “Yes, Ms. Purvis, you can expense meals, but really ‘4 Double Animal’ In and Out burgers?” - WeeblesWobble - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:05 pm: Well…um….it’s in my “portfolio” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:05 pm: “Mr. Schock is wondering if you will Instagram your wasting of tax dollars…” - vole - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:09 pm: What? You mean you’d rather have mediocrity? - walker - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:13 pm: As it ever was, on hiding salaries away from the Governor’s staff, just bigger numbers. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:13 pm: “Ms. Arduin was wondering when you’ll get a job…” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:14 pm: “Ms Purvis, did you just say to this committee you’ll send us a postcard!” - 47th Ward - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:15 pm: Hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t have said, “why don’t you go and ask him yourself,” to Greg Harris… - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:15 pm: “Ms. Purvis, anything to say to the Autistic children and their families?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:16 pm: “Ms Purvis, heading to Cali to warm your cold heart, or…” - vole - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:16 pm: Face of government reform and restoration of faith and confidence of the electorate. Not … - Demoralized - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:17 pm: “Beth Purvis, shortly after she is informed that her salary will be unable to be paid due to budget cuts” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:18 pm: “We feel your trip to Jamaica, and the month in the South of France is probably be held in review now…” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:20 pm: “You submit this trip to California for reimbursement, and the one lecture you skipped for beach time was.. ‘Ethics in Education’?…” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:21 pm: “Did you really submit a receipt for dinner and drinks with Arne Duncan?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:22 pm: “Wait, Ms Purvis, the TMZ Bus Tour is not considered research…” - Anon. - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:23 pm: What is that package of cannoli doing in the seat next to me? - JS Mill - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:24 pm: “I have known Bruce for 6 or 7 years” Direct quote by the way, and THAT is how she got the job, by her own statement. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:24 pm: “We’d reprimand you for your choices, Ms Purvis, but you and the governor seem to have no conscious so we won’t waste anyone’s time here today…” - Austin Blvd - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:25 pm: Word is that Ms. Purvis is on her way back now that the House and Senate Dems have worked out their differences on the education funding bill. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:26 pm: “Did you submit selfies of yourself on Santa Monica Pier as examples of work-product?” - MurMan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:27 pm: “Umm… isn’t this a part time position?” Followed by “Bruce told me the General Assembly only works part time, so I assumed the same was true for employees of the executive branch. My bad” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:29 pm: “Did you just snicker at us when we asked do you think you’re worth $250 thousand in salary?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:32 pm: “Is it your belief you, Ms Purvis are a duel threat of time and money wasting?” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:33 pm: “Did you think… no one would find out?” - Mama - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:33 pm: D@#n! there are people from IL here. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:36 pm: “Is it your testimony that your trip to California was to answer once and for all, for the Governor, if the Portillo’s Strawberry Shake the same in Illinois and California?” - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:40 pm: “Bruce warned me about those (banned word) at the Sun-Times.” - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:41 pm: Caption: “After careful deliberation, I’ve decided to resign to spend more time with my family.” - Quizzical - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:42 pm: I’m actually out here managing the State’s olive oil import business. - Demoralized - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:43 pm: ==We are also interested to know if there are other department heads whose compensation is buried within the budgets of departments other than those that they lead== If it’s anything like past administrations the answer is yes. I think you’d be surprised as how prevalent this is. If somebody submitted a FOIA for these agreements dating back a few years it would be interesting reading. - Henry Moon - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:46 pm: No one told me that this was ‘gotcha’ Illinois where all state employees are treated like children, whose lives must be controlled through forms and approvals and ‘travel’ is the greatest gotcha of them all. Billions of dollars of endemic overspending, but let’s concentrate on a $2000 business decision I made. - Careful what you wish for... - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:47 pm: Answer / Deline I knew I should have sent that one to voicemail… - dupage dan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:48 pm: Bilandic didn’t take the blizzard seriously and look how that worked out for him. Too bad Rauner isn’t near an election - this makes him, and the sec’y, look disinterested. - Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:48 pm: I’d bet a whole box of wine that Rauner doesn’t accept Rep Harris’s invitation. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:48 pm: Are you sure Bruce that’s it’s not “shaking down” Springfield instead of “shaking up”? - Mama - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:49 pm: Gee… why should the Gov pay his Education Secretary from the Board of Ed’s budget? Hmmm… - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:50 pm: Statement from Lance Trover, Director of Communications, Office of the Governor: “Rep. Greg Harris’ letter is part of the corrupt bargain the Illinois Democrats have sustained for years. Governor Rauner needs a superstar team to Turnaround Illinois, and they come at a low cost compared to the mess Speaker Madigan and union bosses have put us in.” - Norseman - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:51 pm: Demoralized, you are right. This has been done many times before. That’s been business as usual. Like Blago, Rauner pledged to end business as usual. Most of us knew that wouldn’t be the case. He’d just have creative ways of justifying business as usual. Rauner is who we thought he was. - Stacy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:53 pm: Beth Purvis, Secretary of Education of the State of Illinois, will be a featured speaker during an AAG Annual Meeting panel on K-12 policy. The session will be held on Friday, April 24, from 8:00 – 9:40 a.m. and speakers representing various U.S. Senate and House offices have also been invited. The panel will focus primarily on the possibility of Congressional reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA; currently known as No Child Left Behind) in 2015 and related opportunities for geography. Geography is one of the nine core academic subjects included in the ESEA, but it is the only one of these disciplines that does not receive a dedicated authorization to promote its instruction. The AAG has been working in recent years to promote the importance of K-12 geography as a critical STEM field and as a public need for American students as the world becomes increasingly interconnected. John Wertman, the AAG’s Senior Program Manager for Government Relations, will lead the session. Really-Geography???? How is this essential - Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:53 pm: @Norseman And we let him off the hook! - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:55 pm: @Stacy - You’d be surprised how many kids these days couldn’t point Russia out on a map. - Austin Blvd - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:57 pm: Rauner, Trover and his lapdogs have boasted that, while he is paying his staff higher salaries than under Quinn, it should be relatively easy for one to do an analysis of whether this is true. - Macbeth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 3:58 pm: Her Kellogg bio: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/purvis_elizabeth.aspx - Austin Blvd - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:00 pm: Let’s try again… Rauner, Trover and his lapdogs have boasted that, while he is paying his staff higher salaries than under Quinn, over all, the payroll of his staff is lower. It should be relatively easy for one to do an analysis of whether this is true. Perhaps someone from the Chicago Tribune editorial board might want to take this one on. - MurMan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:01 pm: @Turnaround Agenda: is that a real comment from Trover? If so, please elaborate on how the letter is part of a “corrupt bargain” - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:09 pm: Greg Harris - 1 Bruce Rauner - 0 - Subzero - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:11 pm: Cant’ we pull an OW and blame the staff? - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:13 pm: ===Cant’ we pull an OW and blame the staff?=== The suntan you can’t blame on staff, lol - Fly On the Wall - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:13 pm: No different than other Admins, much ado about nothing. Gary Hannig went to work in Gov Quin’s office and was paid out of IDOR. Doubt he spent one day at IDOR. Happens in Interagency Agreements all the time. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:20 pm: @turnaround agenda - great post. We’ll probably see something like that from Trover soon. I really hope this doesn’t get swept under the rug. - Wensicia - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:21 pm: I’m waiting for the Rauner team response… - Emily Booth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:21 pm: My contract doesn’t include a chauffeur! - Vote Quimby! - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:27 pm: ==“I am not sure that given our history of governors in Illinois that simply repeating mistakes from the past is a good idea,” said Harris.== He did everything but call him Blago… - Aldyth - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:27 pm: We know the answer. Rauner just thinks we have no right to ask the question. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:32 pm: The Ledger lists her as a DHS “Contractual Worker” and says her Last Paid Gross was $10,417.00 and YTD Gross was $62,502.00 - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:34 pm: I’ll bet Trover says “we’re not going to comment on this sideshow in the middle of negotiations” or something like that. - Anon - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:37 pm: I know it looks bad, but let’s wait for the facts to come in on this. Was it an educational conference? Will it be billed to the taxpayers or paid out of her own pocket? Will she be back in Illinois for the close of Session? How would her presence in the Capitol affect the budgeting that is going on? - XDNR - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:37 pm: Bruce this is Beth, had to cut the conference short to meet with the “Terminator” to see if he can get us out of this mess. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:38 pm: Stuporstar. superfly: dept of revenue ain’t DHS, and Quinn didn’t throw people with disabilities in the street. Other than that, your comparison is useful. - Tournaround Agenda - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:40 pm: @MurMan, it’s not real. Trover’s comments often veer so close to satire it’s hard to parody them well. - dupage dan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:42 pm: My brain hurts. 3 1/2 more years of this? - illini - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:46 pm: Willy, you have outdone yourself today - well done. And the other participants in this link as well. Do you think BVR is taking notice? - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:52 pm: (Tips cap to - illini -) Agreed, way too many good ones today. Rauner doesn’t read news, the Governor is probably not aware Ms Purvis left town… - Team Sleep - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 4:54 pm: Maybe she heard the Lenny Kravitz song “California” and just decided to leave. - NewWestSuburbanGOP'er - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:19 pm: Ooops… how did the Sun-Times find out? - 47th Ward - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:25 pm: Hey, aren’t you banned for life? Take your garbage somewhere else. You’re way out of bounds. - RaunerSuperFan - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:27 pm: Yes. - Robert the Bruce - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:31 pm: ==Really-Geography???? How is this essential== Maybe her next position will be Redistricting Czar? - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:39 pm: Never sign a contact on Friday the 13th - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 5:58 pm: YDD, I have to agree with you here. This isn’t your everyday “payroll parker,” as we called them back in the day. - Wordslinger - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:01 pm: “It was a joke! I can’t believe he said ‘yes,’ no hesitation. I should have asked for $350K…..” - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:01 pm: Rich, The Napa city council passed the Turnaround Agenda! ck - Wordslinger - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:03 pm: “Autism, autism, autism… I’d like to phone a friend, Regis….” - Wordslinger - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:05 pm: “Yo, Cali, I gotta governor who can make it rain rycheer…..” - Just Me - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:14 pm: I’m missing something, hasn’t it been past practice by many Governor’s to put Governor’s Office’s employees on the payroll of a state agency? I’m not being snarky here, I thought this was pretty common. Is the difference being the amount she is paid or that there is no direct correlation between education and human services? I would argue there is a correlation, but I digress…. - MyTwoCents - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:30 pm: It looks like Rep. Harris could be asking a lot of questions about how staff are being paid: http://thesouthern.com/news/state-and-regional/rauner-may-be-shuffling-payroll-to-hide-office-costs/article_1630c209-a39f-56bc-9b27-3bbc72f12403.html And Just Me, yes it’s been done before but 1) it doesn’t make it right 2) didn’t Gov. Rauner say he was going to “shake up” Springfield? I think Professor Redfield sums up the issue quite nicely in the Sun-Times article. - Tough Guy - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 6:56 pm: “I’m not really in California, it’s Baja Illinois.” - A Jack - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:03 pm: I am not surprised this came out and I expect more. Its the same little trickle that turned into a flood for Ryan and Blogojevich. The Feds see these little things and start to dig deeper. - Wordslinger - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:16 pm: “So, Ms. Purvis, what would you say…. you do here?” - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:37 pm: The cat that ate the canary - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:42 pm: Word, excellent! - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:42 pm: Superstar glowing radioactive - DuPage Dave - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:44 pm: I’m a superstar, baby, $1,000 a day. Don’t have to be in Illinois. Bruce says it’s OK. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:49 pm: Brain freeze - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 7:54 pm: Superstar walk of shame - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 8:23 pm: The grin reaper - Chicago 20 - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 8:39 pm: What’s everyone complaining about? Bruce is paying Purvis less than what he paid Stuart Levine. - efudd - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 9:33 pm: Not a caption but a question- When Rauner made his announcement that he was running for Governor, he joked that his daughter told him not to, she didn’t want him to go to prison. Bruce, is it still funny? - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 9:35 pm: ^^ comment of the day! - cdog - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 9:43 pm: The hypocracy is staggering. This administration is so busted. No citizen should condone, from either side of the aisle, a “do as say but not as I do” fake leadership style. Mr. Turnaround Transparency needs to be watched very carefully. He may have missed the lecture on when, or if, the means are ever justified by the ends. - DuPage - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 9:49 pm: “I’m taking a few vacation days”. There was a typo, it said 20 weeks instead of 20 days. Bruce winked and said “a deal is a deal”. - In the know - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 9:51 pm: Rich, there are other departments currently running payroll through DHS. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 10:03 pm: A search of the Ledger shows 236 “contractual workers” at DHS. Purvis is the second highest paid. The highest paid is Howard Tin who was paid quite a bit more the last pay period. - Dr X - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 10:08 pm: ooooooo!! That federal hiring monitor is going to get it now. - Langhorne - Thursday, May 28, 15 @ 11:02 pm: Accept her resignation. Then fire the person who put her on the DHS payroll. Oh wait, mr hands on, i know all my managers is clueless Session is boring, so the financial pedigree of all the superstars is prob being scoured as we blog. Timing is everything - Rod - Friday, May 29, 15 @ 7:02 am: Here is the problem with Rep Harris’ letter to the Governor. He needed to have ordered a complete audit of DHS and have all the listed employee’s reviewed to determine the full scope of this. The Southern Illinoisan article linked by MyTwoCents is important. The article indicates “one-quarter of the more than 40 people Rauner announced as members of his administrative team don’t technically work for the governor’s office.” This calls for much more than an inquiry just by the House Human Services Appropriations Committee, because Governor Rauner’s tactic involves multiple State agencies. Of course Rep Harris did get his PR hit, but did the joint committee meeting he cites in his letter chaired by Rep Barbara Flynn Currie ever get the explanation of the assignment and expenditure of money from the FY 15 fund sweeps they asked for once Team Rauner backed off the Good Friday cuts, I bet not. - ruck fauner - Friday, May 29, 15 @ 1:27 pm: He’s a no good spoiled rich snob take from the poor and middle to make his rich friends richer dirtbag Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.