* Tribune…
Two years ago, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin quietly co-founded a consulting firm with a top city aide, who’s also a lifelong friend, and two men from Virginia.
The arrangement has raised several potential conflict of interest issues for Irvin: There’s a mayor going into business with a city employee who is so close to Irvin that the mayor calls him a stepbrother. There’s the employee skirting through a process requiring city approval for side jobs. And there’s the two Virginia men, who went on to get a $15,000 city contract without their ties to Irvin being disclosed. […]
That scrutiny now includes questions about the consulting firm Aurora Dynamic Solutions, based two blocks from City Hall. Irvin owns it with Michael Pegues, who Irvin hired right after being elected mayor in 2017 to be Aurora’s chief information officer. While the two are not related by blood, Irvin considers Pegues a stepbrother because Irvin’s biological father — who did not raise Irvin — at times raised Pegues, and Irvin has said he and Pegues have been close since childhood.
Irvin never announced his ownership in Aurora Dynamic Solutions, and it isn’t disclosed on the state ethics form he filed when he ran for governor. As of Tuesday, the consulting firm had a half-finished website that’s designed to be hard to Google but — if someone could find it — advertised a wide swath of services, including government consulting.
Go read the whole thing. The Irvin campaign makes a valid point that their guy has lost money on this company. But he’s also keeping the company alive, including paying for office space, until he leaves politics.
The company’s website is here.
*** UPDATE *** And here’s the DGA…
GOP candidate for governor Richard Irvin may portray himself as a political outsider ready to clean up corruption, but his past tells quite a different story.
Two years ago, Irvin co-founded a consulting firm with a top city aide and two men from Virginia, the Chicago Tribune reported. The firm’s conflicts of interest are endless, from the mayor of the second-largest city in the state going into business with a city employee so close that he calls him a stepbrother, to said city employee dodging the formal reporting process for side jobs, to the Virginia men scoring a $15,000 city contract without disclosing their ties to Irvin.
And to make matters worse, Irvin never reported his ownership in the firm, and it isn’t disclosed on the state ethics form he filed at the start of his gubernatorial campaign. The business isn’t even in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.
This is just the latest example in a long string of corruption and pay to play scandals. There’s Scientel, which donated over $100,000 to Irvin’s campaign and committees connected to him, and in return, received millions in city contracts and permission to build a high frequency trading tower that sparked concern it would interfere with fair access.
There’s the time Mayor Irvin arrived at the scene of an arrest of his then-girlfriend, accused of hitting a security guard at a marijuana store — promising the charges against her “would be taken care of.”
And now, there’s apparently a sham consulting firm he founded with a city aide and two Virginia men that scored city contracts during Irvin’s mayoral term.
“While Richard Irvin parades around as an anti-corruption political outsider, the exact opposite is true,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Time and time again, we’ve seen Irvin bend the rules to enrich himself, his friends, and his donors. That’s how he behaved as mayor of Aurora, and that’s exactly how he’ll behave as Governor. Illinoisans deserve better.”
- Rural Democrat - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:37 am:
If you click on “Who We Are”, a picture of Irvin pops up and this is his description, “I’m a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.”
- Anon - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:37 am:
That’s what JB Pritzker wants to talk about
- Real - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:38 am:
Irvin must think that having billionaire connections makes him untouchable. At least you had to guess what Madigan did.. Irvin is corrupt in your face.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:39 am:
The nut graf for me is that his business partners ended up with city contracts, not the status of the company.
- Annonin' - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:42 am:
RichieRich startin’ to look like TrickyDick…Yikes…perhaps he needs a sit down with Maze and Hollywood to review tactics. Meanwhile are there any reporters who can traipse over the offices that certify vet owned companies to see what paper work was filed? Just for grins.
Maybe Citizen/Solider Sullie can grab that stuff
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:45 am:
Two ways for a pol to lose my vote-
1) “I’m not a politician”
2) “I’m an outsider”
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:45 am:
=== The Irvin campaign makes a valid point that their guy has lost money on this company. ===
So? You don’t have to be competent to be corrupt.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:48 am:
The company is NGS with the IL Secretary of State’s office…
Corporation/LLC Search/Certificate
File Number 08879591
Entity Name AURORA DYNAMIC SOLUTIONS LLC
Status NGS on Wednesday, 1 June 2022
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:53 am:
Really odd and unhelpful oppo… can it overcome millions exploiting it?
Nothing like a news organization giving it credibility too.
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:57 am:
From the Google:
NGS Not in Good Standing
Illinois corporation not in good standing refers to a corporation in the state of Illinois that has failed to comply with the state’s requirements for reporting and paying fees.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 10:59 am:
Mayor Irvin, Ken Griffin on line 1.
- Back to the Future - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:00 am:
Looks like the Trib is back in the civics game with the endorsement of Paul Schimpf followed up by a front page investigative piece on Irvin.
The Tribune used to have a circulation of over 435,000 with a Sunday circulation of nearly 790,000. Not sure what it is now, but pretty sure it still has some punch in Republican politics.
As to the Ad in the blog, it is just another example of why we need to support the Times, the Trib and other news outlets in Illinois.
- Curious citizen - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:04 am:
I thought the most important part of the piece is that Irvin did not disclose his ownership of the company on the ethics form he filed as part of his campaign for governor. Guess it just slipped his mind.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:09 am:
==I thought the most important part of the piece is that Irvin did not disclose his ownership of the company on the ethics form he filed as part of his campaign for governor. Guess it just slipped his mind.==
He’s going to. But you have to let him finish.
- Real - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:12 am:
I thought the most important part of the piece is that Irvin did not disclose his ownership of the company on the ethics form he filed as part of his campaign for governor. Guess it just slipped his mind.
-
Jb Pritzker wants you to talk about that.
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:12 am:
To be fair, Irvin’s annual report was due today. Apparently he has yet to file it, but it is a simple form and LLCs are given a 60 day grace period before penalties accrue. This is not a big deal. (And that is the extent of any defense of Irvin I have).
- Sax - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:24 am:
I think the real meat here isn’t that he started a business, it’s that he gave his partners lucrative city contracts… Don’t know why we’re always trying to let this guy off the hook.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:26 am:
=Not sure what it is now, but pretty sure it still has some punch in Republican politics.=
Any “punch” that the Tribune had left was likely exhausted on the Gary Johnson endorsement. Schimpf’s campaign was DOA out of the gate and the Trib’s endorsement isn’t going to change things.
The continued revelations on Irvin aren’t really a surprise. He wasn’t vetted into his role he was cast. And the role he’s playing doesn’t always match who he is.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:37 am:
==He’s going to. But you have to let him finish. ==
Roaadrager with the zinger of the day
- Norseman - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 11:44 am:
The more I read about Irvin, the more I understand about his decision to sell his soul.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 12:13 pm:
Poor Ken did not realize his money was going to a Madigan wannabe
- Amalia - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 1:00 pm:
I’ve had to read this story several times to be convinced that Irvin actually did this because it is so blatant and wrong. Wow. Just wow.
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 1:21 pm:
Irvine’s a poker compared to our former President/poor businessman.
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 1:22 pm:
That’s piker not poker.
- wow now - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 2:17 pm:
There used to be a standard in government that elected officials would take steps to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Hiring his business partners via contract (likely was not bid) and also hiring a city employee, all to work on a business that is designed to benefit from his status as Mayor - while actually not having any business? This is way beyond an appearance of conflict.
It’s just sketchy and he is clearly not different than any other self-dealing self-interested politico.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Jun 1, 22 @ 4:01 pm:
-If you click on “Who We Are”, a picture of Irvin pops up and this is his description, “I’m a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me.-
Sure that’s not his campaign site? If that’s not representative of his entire run, I don’t know what is.
- Rabid - Thursday, Jun 2, 22 @ 6:25 am:
Hope Irvin ain’t going run the state like a business ?