It’s time for some answers
Monday, May 9, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R...
A political candidate spending more than $200,000 in gas and auto repairs in less than 11 years — at the same gas station — is more than a little bit eyebrow-raising.
When the owner of the gas station turns out to be a city alderman, things get even more interesting.
And when the same candidate reports other campaign expenditures that seem overly large, including payments to a bank for items that don’t seem banking related, it seems time to ask some more questions.
But what makes the case of former state Rep. Frank Mautino stand out even more is this: He’s now the Illinois auditor general, meaning that his job is to examine state government spending and compliance with rules and regulations.
It means that Mautino, a former Democratic deputy majority leader in the House for 24 years, must stand up to an even higher level of scrutiny than most politicians. Anything less and he risks eroding any trust that citizens have in his ability to run the auditor general’s office in an upfront manner as their advocate and watchdog. Indeed, many might argue that Mautino’s spending as a legislator, combined with his lack of an explanation, has already damaged the office’s credibility, especially coming after the long tenure of the well-regarded William Holland.
Mautino isn’t talking, though. In February, a group of Republican lawmakers sent him a letter asking for an explanation. Mautino, who has hired lawyers and a PR firm, asked for time to respond. The lawmakers requested a response by Feb. 25; this week, they publicly asked again for answers, saying Mautino had never responded to them.
- The Man on 6 - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:08 am:
And this is the man that Independent Maps would put in charge of appointing the proposed redistricting commission. Gotta love it!
- Steve - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:11 am:
Politics is such an honorable profession in Illinois! It makes me warm and fuzzy hearing about how government spending is an investment serving the public good!
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:16 am:
To the Post,
I was one person who has thought Frank Mautino was the perfect fit for Auditor General. I supported the idea, I laid out comment after comment that made it clear I supported Frank Mautino, and felt he was person best suited to continue the exceptional work Bill Holland did.
What has transpired now is beyond disappointing. What has transpired with Frank Mautino, now, is the exact reason an Auditor General is not only needed, but warranted. What has transpired… is Frank Mautino devolving from a perfect fit candidate to uphold a stellar legacy, to a person whose stonewalling choices highlight a stellar legacy at a point of facing a swift and ugly end.
Frank Mautino owes clear and simply understood explanation(s). Period. This “misunderstanding” Mautino finds himself in is a result, a clear and undisputed result, of a lack of transparency that an Auditor General should never, ever, seen to be blocking.
It’s way beyond fair, it far beyond reasonable for anyone and everyone to ask and receive answers for legitimate questions. The time for patience is at an end. The time for excuses has passed.
Mr. Mautino, I’m asking for the stonewalling to end, I’m asking for the answers to be revealed. I’ve supported you, I’ve gone out of my way to stand with you and your appointment to the position of Auditor General. It’s tone for you to understand that what you ask of others… is being demanded of you, because patience is at an end.
Answer the bell, respond, or your silence will continue to bring louder cries to your choices.
Oswego Willy
- DuPage Saint - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:23 am:
Where is Orville Hodge when you need him
- Walter Mitty - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:25 am:
OW hit’s it out as usual… PR firm? $200,000 on car repairs.. If the firm and attorney don’t counsel an immediate resignation, I hope that someone he respects can counsel him. There is no real answer to these questions. The Attorney is to make a plea is all that can be explained. Lawyer up… Step 1. What a shame and sham.. People feign outrage that Trump and Sanders have resonated..
- Anon2U - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:32 am:
For all to review…
https://capitolfax.com/2015/10/21/our-own-freedom-caucus/
- Anonymous - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:34 am:
Any federales heat on this? If so, that would explain the silence. Even if you’re innocent, you only want to answer the questions once if the FBI is on you.
If not, then Mautino needs to be held to a hard date on when he will answer any and all questions on the matter.
If he won’t do that in the near future, then he should resign. You don’t get to be Auditor General if you won’t answer reasonable questions about your own spending practices in office.
I wouldn’t be surprised, given the Schock case, that all sorts of highlighted expense reports are being thrown over the transom at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Springfield.
- wordslinger - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:35 am:
Pardon, 11:34 was me.
- Annonin' - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:39 am:
So Capt Fax throws in with BigBrain boot locks hoping to get a GOPie into the Auditor General spot…..perhaps we can get IPI and BGA to tell us their funders too.
Love to see all the handwringers on this one.
- Zonker - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:39 am:
Peel away a layer of corruption in Illinois politics and you just find another layer of corruption. These are the people that Illinois voters keep on electing and re-electing over better, honest candidates (Electing Blago twice-REALLY?). The problem isn’t the corrupt pols, it’s the voters who support and subsidize them.
- Formerly Known As... - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:46 am:
Someone needs to audit the auditor. He cannot investigate himself.
This is an investigation that should be done by the Attorney General’s office, or someone of equal standing that ranks above him.
- Formerly Known As... - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:54 am:
==hoping to get a GOPie into the Auditor General spot==
Tinfoil hat. Please remove.
- Joe Biden Was Here - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 11:56 am:
He should do the right thing and resign. There’s no way to make those numbers add up, and who needs an auditor that can’t add??
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 12:00 pm:
- Walter Mitty -,
While I thank you for the props, I’m not asking Mautino to resign, but I am asking Mr. Mautino to choose to respond, in any way, so these calls for answers end.
How Mr. Mautino chooses to respond is up to him.
Not responding at all, to me, is not acceptable any more.
With respect.
- BluegrassBoy - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 12:18 pm:
==Mautino, who has hired lawyers and a PR firm, asked for time to respond.==
How long will it take him to respond?
How long does he have to be in the job for the next level of his retirement pay to kick in?
- Harvest76 - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 12:22 pm:
I’d probably recommend those Republican lawmakers demanding answers and investigations be careful what they wish for. Afterall, Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich, and Bob Livingston were all front and center in the Clinton Impeachment circus. Not saying the aforementioned are guilty, but when you stand on a hill of hypocrisy and self-righteousness, even the slightest wind can bring you down.
- Mouthy - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 12:37 pm:
Ain’t no legitimate way, IMO, to spend that kind of money at one gas station. The question is “Who’s gonna take it to court”?
- Qui Tam - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 12:43 pm:
Illinois missed an opportunity to bring in a qualified outsider to the Auditor General job, instead we used a longtime politician.
What could possibly go wrong?
Now we learn that he stabled an unbelievably high-maintenance vehicle fleet. Gross mismanagement, or ?. Either one disqualifies from any oversight position - expect with the SOI.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 1:10 pm:
Illinois missed an opportunity to bring in a qualified outsider to the Auditor General job, instead we used a longtime politician.
Worked out OK the last time with Mr. Holland…and most people on both sides of the aisle were convinced Mr. Mautino was his second coming.
- Joe M - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 1:19 pm:
I cant wait to make a trip to Spring Valley to try out the food at his wife’s family restaurant. They must have good food to get this kind of of repeat business! Earlier stories on Mautino pointed out: “About $33,000 was spent at his wife’s family’s restaurant, Alfano’s Little Sicily in Spring Valley. Since 1999, Mautino billed the campaign for 500 trips to Alfano’s.”
- Mama - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 3:13 pm:
Why are campaign funds only audited when it politically beneficial to the opposing party?
If the funds were audited annually, this would not happen.
- siriusly - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 3:13 pm:
All legit questions. And the onus is on him to respond.
BUT - how did the House GOP not hit him on these things when he was an actual candidate? What a huge miss for them. These were reported expenses.
- cannon649 - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 7:17 pm:
Let’s get a real audit and get the facts. This is not going away.
What we are seeing is another reason why we term limits.
Get this right
- Mama - Monday, May 9, 16 @ 8:06 pm:
I’m sure there is a good reason he has not responded yet.
- Chris Robling - Tuesday, May 10, 16 @ 12:51 am:
Three words: Edgar County Watchdogs.