* This looks like two baseball seasons’ worth of spending. NBC 5…
From April 1, 2018, through March 31, 2019, Friends of Michael J. Madigan - the speaker’s political committee - made five purchases of Cubs tickets totaling $184,392, according to state campaign finance records.
During the same period, records show Madigan’s political campaign spent over $118,700 combined for White Sox tickets and Bulls tickets.
That puts his grand total spent on sports tickets, according to expenditures filed with the Illinois Board of Elections, at $303,125. […]
A spokesperson for Madigan said the tickets are used for supporters and volunteers, and that if the speaker - or his family - uses them, they pay for them.
A Cullerton political aide added that most tickets are given to charitable groups and used less for political purposes. […]
“It’s perfectly legal but I would also say it’s borderline, it’s right on the fringe,” [former state Sen. Susan Garrett, now the chair and co-founder of the Center for Illinois Politics] said. “If you look at other states, and we have looked, we don’t see any other states that allow for this type of practice.”
“It’s not how our government should work but it is in fact how our government works,” [Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois] added.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Hmm…
- Powdered Whig - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:19 am:
=== “It’s not how our government should work but it is in fact how our government works,” [Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois] added. ===
Its not how our government in fact works. These are political campaign committees. If the tickets are being used for volunteers and campaign supporters, I do not see an issue. These groups should spend their time on things that actually matter - not baseball tickets.
- unclesam - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:22 am:
So Madigan is more of a Cubs fan?
- Perrid - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:23 am:
If MJM is telling the whole story and the tickets are basically a form of compensation for campaign workers, there is 0 problem. The only possible way this could be bad would be if he was trying to woo voters or donors (or other politicians), which isn’t happening.
- MOON - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:23 am:
UNCLESAM
Madigan is a Sox Fan
His wife is a Cub Fan
- GoSoxGo - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:25 am:
This doesn’t say whether or not President Cullerton pays for the tickets that he uses (or his family uses).
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:26 am:
Baseball/Sports tickets never bothered me in the spending of campaign cash, oftentimes those same exact tickets are raffles off at fundraisers for the same person to, you guessed it, raise more funds.
They’re also the easy “gift” fur charities to receive so they can fundraise, courtesy of the elected official.
When there were multiple political armies, tickets were a reward, like for (gulp) absentee ballots, or greatest pluralities, or largest win for an ally in a precinct.
When you donate to a committee or elected, there are strict rules how they can’t use the cash… then everything else is an ethics question.
Tickets? Meh.
- illini - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:26 am:
It would be great if season tickets had been purchased for the Illini as well. Agree?
- wordslinger - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:27 am:
–From April 1, 2018, through March 31, 2019, Friends of Michael J. Madigan - the speaker’s political committee - made five purchases of Cubs tickets totaling $184,392,…–
You don’t get your South Side Irish card revoked for that?
Could Garrett and Young expand on what their beef is? It’s unclear to me.
If the campaign funds spent the same amount of money throwing parties for volunteers and supporters, or giving money to charitable organizations, would that be a problem?
I’d say purchasing Bulls tickets the last couple of years definitely qualifies as double-secret charitable giving. And actually attending the games as atonement for sin.
- Leslie K - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:28 am:
Volunteers, supporters and charities getting sports tickets from a political campaign committee. I’m not seeing a problem. NBC 5 couldn’t find actual corruption in Illinois to report on?
- Jack Aubrey - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:28 am:
The last refuge for a lazy, hack, reporter: stories (usually tossed over the transom, packaged neatly with a ribbon, by political opponents) about ‘travel’ or ’sports tickets’. Pulitzer story all the way!
- Arsenal - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:28 am:
I know several legislators who have fundraisers at ballgames, I wonder if that factors in here?
I’m not too upset by this, but then I’m a recovering Big Law attorney where taking clients to games was the norm.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:32 am:
“How can anybody justify spending huge amounts, hundreds of thousands of dollars on sports tickets? How can that happen?”
How to Win Friends & Influence People
- A guy - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:32 am:
Surprised they’ve been able to even give some of these away, given the state of sports here recently.
They are popular auction items at every charitable event these days.
Seriously would wonder how many of these tix wind up hitting the floor on account of lack of interest or bad weather?
They’re accounted for. I don’t see a huge problem here, any more than restaurant tabs.
- Tequila Mockingbird - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:33 am:
I guess I’m more concerned about the large amount of cash available for this than the way it is actually spent. The machine is pretty well lubricated with the green stuff.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:36 am:
No wonder why Hawks owner Rocky Wirtz is so vocal with his criticism of Illinois politicians
- DD - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:46 am:
400k for one state house and one state senate district? It may be legal, but it’s certainly not ethical.
- A guy - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:49 am:
==400k for one state house and one state senate district?==
Come on dude. Rather certain these were spread around far and wide for everyone’s benefit.
- Powdered Whig - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:51 am:
=== 400k for one state house and one state senate district? It may be legal, but it’s certainly not ethical. ===
C’mon - don’t be naive. They are caucus leaders. While you’re at it, explain the “ethical” problem with this other than the fact that you don’t get the tickets.
- OutOfState - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:52 am:
===Could Garrett and Young expand on what their beef is? It’s unclear to me.===
I think the concern is that the tickets /could/ be used to launder lobbying efforts. Donor contributes to campaign, campaign buys tickets and brings donor, donor gets to spend time with campaign to “fundraise.”
I know Carol Marin did an identical piece last year. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/illinois-political-leaders-spend-hundreds-of-thousands-on-sports-tickets-482566241.html
Not sure why this is important enough to be an annual thing. It’s interesting, and Chicago loves baseball, so maybe it’s just a fun story to do. Who knows. I think of all the DPI/MJM shenanigans out there, this is probably not the most important, but it is one of the easiest.
- 47th Ward - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:53 am:
I find it interesting and kind of funny that the Illinois GOP is in such disarray that the Democrats can blow what amounts to a full legislative campaign budget or two on sports tickets. Imagine if the ILGOP was an actual, functioning political party? There’s be howls of outrage from Democratic donors over this.
Also, $420K? Not $419 or $421? An omen?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:56 am:
===I find it interesting and kind of funny that the Illinois GOP is in such disarray that the Democrats can blow what amounts ===
Narrator: Bruce Rauner owns parts of the Steelers, Red Sox, and Bulls. No need to buy tickets… for anyone.
- Craig_Says - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:58 am:
IF the Campaign Committees are purchasing individual or group tickets on a game by game basis (individual ticket purchases) then I don’t see a problem, HOWEVER it should NOT be allowed for a Campaign Committee to purchase Season Tickets belonging to Candidate/Family Member even if the Committee is reimbursed for individual games/events Candidate/Family Members attend. In the first place SeasonTickets are LESS expensive per event than tickets to the same event purchased on an individual basis not to mention cherry picking the ‘best’ games at discounted rates & dumping the ‘dogs’ as charitable contributions (OR guaranteed first crack at tickets for post season play) subsidized by political contributions is a crappy way to conduct democracy.
- Robert the 1st - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:07 am:
=The only possible way this could be bad would be if he was trying to woo voters or donors (or other politicians), which isn’t happening.=
=C’mon - don’t be naive. They are caucus leaders. =
- The Captain - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:08 am:
Be honest Rich, you mostly noticed because of 420.
- Pick a Name - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:09 am:
Hi—Here are some great seats to the Cubs game, now remember to vote D
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:09 am:
===you mostly noticed because of 420===
I swear I didn’t even think about that until after I hit the “publish” button. lol
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:10 am:
===now remember to vote D ===
LOL
That’s… not how it works.
- Nanker Phelge - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:17 am:
Not sure what Rauner’s investments have to do with any of this . . . Seems like some people just can’t stop talking about Rauner.
I don’t see any problem with a campaign buying tickets and giving them out to volunteer workers as a way to thank them and reward them for their hard work. I am not so sure about giving them to supporters. I totally get wanting to thank financial supporters, but it seems sort of silly to take their money and then spend it on them. At the end of the day, if the tickets aren’t being used to curry favor and obtain financial support, then who cares.
- Occasional Quipper - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:22 am:
This does not bother me in the least. All of that money was donated and every dollar spent on sports tickets is one dollar less spent on advertising and mailers.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 11:27 am:
===Not sure what Rauner’s investments have to do with any of this . . . Seems like some people just can’t stop talking about Rauner===
Please, do keep up. Thanks.
======I find it interesting and kind of funny that the Illinois GOP is in such disarray that the Democrats can blow what amounts ===
Up to January 2019 Rauner was the sole piggy bank; leaders, party, himself, the whole GOP apparatus revolved around RaunerBucks.
Looking at *how* each got their RaunerBucks, “when” and the pass thru, the Rauner funding model had no need for rewards, or gifts or spending on such; those getting these monies, relying on these monies, not having a strong funding source outside RaunerBucks or Griffin…
It’s just good fun too… owning pieces of the Steelers, Red Sox, and Bulls… why would the largest, at times the sole donor of the GOP have a need or concern about… tickets?
- Leatherneck - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:22 pm:
- unclesam - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:22 am:
So Madigan is more of a Cubs fan?
————
Unless they were for the Sox-Cubs games
- Leatherneck - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:25 pm:
- Leatherneck - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:22 pm:
- unclesam - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 10:22 am:
So Madigan is more of a Cubs fan?
————
Unless they were for the Sox-Cubs games
———————-
Or unless he bought them for five of the Cardinals games at Wrigley and gave them to downstate legislators
- Sue - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:25 pm:
Better they donated the money to pay for Julie Porter’s Madigan necessitated investigation
- Anonymous - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:26 pm:
No Bears tickets? I know a guy who would like one for the December 22nd game.
- FormerParatrooper - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:27 pm:
That was me at 12:26
- My New Handle - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 12:59 pm:
I am kind of surprised no Cardinal tickets were gifted.
- DD - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 1:18 pm:
— . The fee hasn’t been changed since 1989 — irrelevant, as property values increase, so should revenue.
- Annonin' - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 1:33 pm:
Maybe Garrett wanted to mooch some tickets and got snubwd.
Did Carol bill the station for this one since it is a repeat. Maybe a freebie
- JJJJJJJJJJJ - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 2:26 pm:
Why should anyone besides their political donors be particularly concerned by this?
- wordslinger - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 3:27 pm:
–No wonder why Hawks owner Rocky Wirtz is so vocal with his criticism of Illinois politicians–
I don’t recall any criticism other than that of Emanuel.
What’s the news from Island of Misfit Bots, and how does it relate to ticket purchases?
- wordslinger - Friday, May 17, 19 @ 3:53 pm:
–I know Carol Marin did an identical piece last year. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/illinois-political-leaders-spend-hundreds-of-thousands-on-sports-tickets-482566241.html
Not sure why this is important enough to be an annual thing.–
It’s called “phoning it in.”
- Eire17 - Monday, May 20, 19 @ 9:04 am:
Zero issue with this. Move along.