Who’s really in charge of new foundation?
Thursday, Sep 1, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From earlier this month…
Frustrated with a lack of legislative progress, a group of agriculture leaders is bypassing the General Assembly to form a private foundation to support the state fairgrounds in Springfield and Du Quoin.
Characterizing it as a completely private initiative, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner applauded the effort, which was announced Tuesday morning during Agriculture Day at the state fair. […]
“The wonderful thing for the people of Illinois is now private citizens – farm families, community leaders, agriculture executives – are stepping forward to take the leadership on this initiative,” Rauner said. “We’re not going to wait. … The General Assembly won’t do it; private citizens are going to do it.”
* From a Rauner press release at the time…
Leaders in the agricultural community established the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation to promote, support, assist, and sustain the Springfield and Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The foundation will be led by a volunteer board representing a diverse cross section of the agriculture industry. Board members will engage with private sector business organizations and individuals to develop strategies to raise private funding, coordinate with the Department of Agriculture to plan projects and determine the Fairgrounds’ needs, and serve as ambassadors for the revitalization and improvement of the Fairgrounds and their agricultural heritage.
* Today…
When Gov. Bruce Rauner announced during last month’s Illinois State Fair that a nonprofit foundation had formed to help pay for upkeep of the state fairgrounds in Springfield and Du Quoin, he touted it as an effort of private individuals in agriculture and business.
“This is not going to be a government agency in any regard,” Rauner said in announcing the foundation on Agriculture Day at the fair. “This is all private money, all private management, all private control.”
But emails and other records released to the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act show that officials with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Rauner administration were heavily involved in the group’s formation. […]
Records show that state officials have been meeting since at least early June to discuss the foundation and played a role in assembling the organization’s board. State officials also put together a “Facts & FAQs” document detailing how the foundation would function and set the agenda for a conference call with board members five days before the effort was publicly announced.
The governor was most certainly hyperbolic during the unveiling, but somebody had to get this thing off the ground and the original story included this quote from John Slayton, a bank vice president who’s been involved with the fair’s Sale of Champions for years…
“Gov. Rauner really took the lead,” Slayton said, “and he’s the one that gets credit for the formation of this foundation.”
Even so, if they’ve already put together the details about how the foundation would function it’s not really a privately led organization.
…Adding… The governor’s office claims that “individuals reached out” to the Department of Agriculture asking to be involved if the bill creating the foundation passed. When the bill failed to move, the governor’s people say they “helped bring those individuals together so they could create a foundation.”
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:30 am:
Exactly what happened with DCEO and Intersect Illinois. Andrea Winters, former Assistant Director of DCEO is following Jim Schultz over to Intersect. I’ve got a problem with public officials working full time on private ventures. It’s got to be a violation of something.
The privatization of government function is well underway.
- Joe Schmoe - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:31 am:
No different than what they did in Iowa, but Iowa was more blatant in getting ag businesses to invest in their fair. Surprised it took Illinois this long to figure out how to strong arm those guys.
- illini - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:33 am:
I read the article from the Southern online earlier this morning and was hoping this would be picked up.
In spite of some differences I have had with their editorial policies at times they are capable of doing some good investigative journalism.
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:36 am:
The Governor Can:
Appoint the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Appoint the Director of the Illinois State Fair.
Appoint the Director of the DuQuoin State Fair.
Introduce a budget with line items supporting the state fairs.
Introduce capital projects for the state fairs.
Instruct his state fair directors, etc, to perform a needs assessment, create a mission statement, vision statement, and a strategic plan.
These are all things the Governor can do.
The Governor does not need to create a “private” foundation to do the things that the Governor can do.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:38 am:
Obviously, all this privatization is for a reason. Here and elsewhere in Illinois state government.
So what is Rauner doing? And why?
- Nick Name - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:43 am:
More privatization. Someone’s going to be making a lot of money off this.
- Homer J. Quinn - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 10:55 am:
“So what is Rauner doing? And why?”
he’s busting out a state.
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:04 am:
Honeybear is right with Intersect. Remember one of the reasons why they needed a private DCEO was to attract superstars? But the leadership of private DCEO is turning out to be all ex-DCEO public folks. And presumably they did a lot of the organizing of private DCEO while on public time as public DCEO employees.
This move to “privatization” is akin to offshore bank accounts. It’s a move to avoid transparency.
- The Captain - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:10 am:
I’m a frequent critic of the Governor but I’m not finding the same outrage here. If the foundation doesn’t operate independently then I’ll be upset that the Governor broke his word. But these sort of things don’t create themselves, I had no expectation from the Governor’s initial promises that this foundation would create itself out of thin air without any help whatsoever from the Government it intends to financially support.
- sal-says - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:31 am:
Politics as usual?
So, somewhat related - Forbes opinion piece: The $50 Billion Illinois Favor Factory Hums Along by Adam Andrzejewski.
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:40 am:
The fairgrounds need millions in improvements. Will also private foundation secure millions?
DNR created a foundation years ago. It’s delivered squat. The parks are in terrible shape.
- NoGifts - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:49 am:
As far as I’m concerned, private foundations to undertake public activities are another form of “pay to play.” People who donate get special access to the governor and favors.
- illini - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 11:49 am:
@Sal - actually a good read with some interesting info.
Check it out http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2016/08/31/the-50-billion-illinois-favor-factory-hums-along/#b9493c7620a5
- Ghost - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 12:16 pm:
I think this idea has some potential. it will need watched carefully. i would like to see a legislative approval with transparency and disclosure tequirements; but lets see what they can do. and if the govenor or staff were invovled, kudos for trying to get a creative solution going.
- Huh? - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 12:33 pm:
How is this private foundation going to raise money for the state fair founds when the private foundation for the mansion is having a hard time finding the cash for the on-going repairs?
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 1:07 pm:
I’m actually fine with a foundation. What I’m not fine with is a public private partnership which is what DCEO/ILBEDC-Intersect as supposed to be. They still haven’t achieved 501c3 status and yet they are totally acting like they have. Even sharing corporate and DCEO personnel and officers. All WITHOUT legislative oversight, statute or approval. That’s where I’ve got the problem.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 1:49 pm:
Not really concerned by this.
Maybe now the governor can find a way to fund Universities, social services, and K-12 education.
I see that as much more important than the Du Quoin state fair.