Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A.D. Quig…
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s bid for reelection is being helped by political contributions from dozens of her government employees, many of whom donated within months of receiving raises from Martinez in their publicly funded jobs.
The first-term clerk won the office in 2020 after pledging to “adhere to the highest ethical standards” in replacing a scandal-scarred outgoing clerk, Dorothy Brown, whose tenure was marked by various controversies that included criticism she took campaign cash from her employees.
But a Tribune analysis of campaign finance and county payroll records shows Martinez repeating that same political fundraising tactic.
Since Martinez became clerk, 52 circuit court clerk employees have contributed more than $45,000 to Martinez’s three campaign funds. Of those employees, 22 received promotions or significant raises in their clerk jobs just months — sometimes days — before or after making those political contributions. Nearly all the raises were $10,000 or more, the payroll records show.
What’s more, 29 of the employees who contributed to her campaign funds also circulated petitions this fall that helped Martinez secure a spot on the March 19 primary ballot. A total of 86 clerk employees passed petitions for Martinez’s reelection campaign, collecting 831 pages, or 45% of the total signature petition sheets she turned in earlier this month. […]
Two of those petition circulators now work in the clerk’s inspector general’s office, whose mission is to “detect, deter and prevent corruption, fraud, waste, mismanagement, and misconduct.” The inspector general employees are hired by Martinez and her administration.
That last graf is wild.
* On to the state angle. Martinez is supporting appointed Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. From one of Toro’s opponents…
20th District Senate candidate Graciela Guzmán issued the following statement in reaction to the recent Chicago Tribune investigation into the activity of public employees funding and staffing political campaigns for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez and her proteges, including State Senator Natalie Toro. Martinez had previously backed Natalie Toro’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign for Cook County Commissioner, and led the effort to appoint Toro as 20th district State Senator. Guzmán shares:
“A recent Chicago Tribune article highlighted the troubling overlap between Iris Martinez’s government staff and her political campaign operations. The Tribune uncovered multiple instances of employees receiving promotions or significant raises shortly before or after contributing financially to Clerk Martinez’s campaign committees and/or performing political work for her. Fifty-two employees contributed a total of $45,000 to Martinez’s campaign funds, and 45% of petition sheets circulated by Martinez to put her on the ballot were circulated by employees of the public office she oversees.
Martinez has put this old-fashioned patronage machine to work on not only her own re-election bid, but on the campaigns of her hand-picked State Senate appointee Natalie Toro. Until just one week ago, Toro’s campaign committee was chaired by a Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County making a six-figure salary working under Martinez. At least three other Clerk’s office employees under Martinez have circulated petitions for Toro’s current campaign for State Senate and her 2022 campaign for Cook County Commissioner, and Martinez has funneled money from her own campaign funds to Toro’s.
The undemocratic appointment process Clerk Martinez used to elevate Natalie Toro to office over community objections is one and the same with the patronage scheme she uses to fund and staff her political projects. I am dismayed but unsurprised by these latest betrayals of the public trust from the Martinez-Toro machine. Despite appointed Senator Toro’s efforts to distance herself publicly from Clerk Martinez, her political mentor and ally, the evidence tells a different story. We trust the voters of the 20th District to reject machine politics once again.”
- New Day - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:14 am:
Is anyone remotely surprised? Iris Martinez is to reform as Donald Trump is to honesty.
- This - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:16 am:
I’d like to say I’m shocked …
- Wobblies United - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:17 am:
It is fair to think that this is a problem, but then lets talk about everyone who does this, not just a moderate Latina.
What about AFSCME who just negotiated a massive raise (which they deserved) after contributing and working on the campaign the individual who approved that pay increase?
What about every CTU member who knocked a door for Mayor Johnson or contributed to his campaign?
If we think it is a problem then lets call it out across the board.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:18 am:
===What about===
There’s a term for that.
- Wobblies United - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:26 am:
I do not support Ms. Martinez nor align with her politics. But writing an article on this issue and only targeting her is purely political. Period.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:30 am:
“But writing an article on this issue and only targeting her is purely political”
The office is historically scandal-prone, to say the least. This was a major focus of the last campaign. Although she was not the most aggressive “reform” candidate, she did make statements talking about changing the culture there. The spotlight on this is well-deserved.
She is also a local leader who is seeking to put her own imprint on the local/state party, backing more conservative Democrats in primaries. How she leads her office is an indicator of the type of candidates who will be accepting her support.
- Thoughts - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:31 am:
==But writing an article on this issue and only targeting her is purely political. Period.==
Welcome to politics. These kinds of articles run for most politicians. The same day there was an article about Johnson and contributions and contracts. This is nothing new. Iris has been around long enough too know this story is inevitable. It’s on her if she didn’t plan better.
- Amalia - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:32 am:
as with any of these situations, more followup is necessary. who is really behind all of this? is she really the power? who else benefits? why in the world is she so dim about conducting things?
- PublicServant - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:34 am:
If Martinez is pledging to “adhere to the highest ethical standards”, perhaps it’s the ethical standards that need to be raised…just sayin.
- Keyrock - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:35 am:
Maybe that Shakman monitor was still needed after all.
“The world looks just the same/And history ain’t changed”
- Henry Francis - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:46 am:
So the Clerk herself, and the clerk’s office, declines to comment. But her campaign responds, and simply plays the race and gender card. If that doesn’t scream innocence I don’t know what will. /s
- AlfondoGonz - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:50 am:
“But writing an article on this issue and only targeting her is purely political”
I, for one, am shocked to see the writer of this political blog write about something political.
My dad was appointed to audit the Office of the Cook County Clerk not long before his death. I joke (in the vein as my dad would have) that the corruption was so corrosive, my dad chose death over taking on the burden.
It’s a shame Ms. Martinez has seemingly continued the culture of self-dealing that permeates the clerk’s office.
- Pundent - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:50 am:
=But writing an article on this issue and only targeting her is purely political. Period.=
Given Martinez’s past statements and present actions the article writes itself.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:53 am:
We should have just kept Dorothy Brown if we were happy with continued incompetence and corruption.
- King Louis XVI - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 10:58 am:
— The undemocratic appointment process Clerk Martinez used to elevate Natalie Toro to office … —
Guzmán would have taken the senate appointment in a NewYork minute.
Phony.
- Regular democrat - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:08 am:
The fact that shakman exempt employees are circulating petitions for her is not surprising and expected. My suggestion would be not accept any monetary donations perhaps return it. Looks bad. I understand people have the right but as the candidate following Brown you have to be better. Smarten up
- Just Me 2 - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:18 am:
Serious question: If all these pols going to prison doesn’t convince them to change their ways, what will?
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:20 am:
“What’s more, 29 of the employees who contributed to her campaign funds also circulated petitions this fall that helped Martinez secure a spot on the March 19 primary”
This is an acceptable risk - the calculation is that sure it looks bad, but knowing Cook County politics with its one-party patronage-heavy leadership who would challenge her.
- PublicServant - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:20 am:
Frankly, the County Clerk doesn’t need a to be an elected position anyway. It’s purely a bunch of pencil-pushers. Eliminate the need for an elected official to run it.
- low level - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:22 am:
So exempt employees passed petitions and gave money. Not all of them, mind you, but a small percentage even of them.
If anyone was threatened, then that evidence should be brought forward. Otherwise there is nothing to this story.
- Pizza Man - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:26 am:
Bye-bye, Clerk Martinez…it was a nice jump politically from state senator though.
- JC - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:29 am:
=What about every CTU member who knocked a door for Mayor Johnson or contributed to his campaign?=
As a teacher, the analogue to what goes on in the Clerk’s office would be if I get preferential treatment in hiring at a school closer to home, or get hired to teach despite being unqualified, or get an individual pay raise as a quid pro quo for donating.
Being part of a union that is capable of running candidates for office that negotiate with us on more favorable terms is a different animal. The union can’t force me to canvass. The union has a democratic process for allocating political contributions. The union doesn’t give me promotions. My raises are determined by a seniority and qualification track system that applies to everyone.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:32 am:
==Frankly, the County Clerk doesn’t need a to be an elected position anyway.==
That’s a wholly different position.
- PublicServant - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:42 am:
Ya got me BD, but I’d dump’em both. Record-keeping bosses don’t need to be elected.
- Sir Reel - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:46 am:
Patronage in Illinois is like wack-a-mole, beat it down one hole and it pops up somewhere else. The generous taxpayer funded salaries of these defacto campaign workers burns me.
- Big Dipper - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 11:50 am:
Well they did get rid of the Recorder of Deeds a few years ago. Also it seems every four years candidates for State Treasurer and Comptroller support merging the offices but nothing ever comes of it.
- David - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 12:28 pm:
As a private citizen - people are within all of their rights to donate to whomever they choose to (even if they work for the government). Gracielas excuses is super lame, given that the majority of her support are also from public sector workers (in non profits, Chicago Teachers Union and other sectors of labor). Please, spare me the drama. I hope voters come out in droves and support our Clerk of the Circuit Court - Iris Y. Martinez.
- Chicago Blue - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 12:29 pm:
A friend that works for one of the progressive unions was passing out palm cards for Rossana Rodriguez at a polling location during the April runoff and there were 4 city clerk staff at the same location distributing lit for Sammie Martinez. 4!
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 12:42 pm:
I know very little about what is going on in the clerk’s office. The question that is difficult, if not impossible, to answer is why…a few possible explanations: 1) the employees are simply following past practice without questioning it; 2) it has been made known that this is something to do if an employee wants to advance; 3) the new boss is a refreshing change and the employees want to keep her. The focus of the discuss seems to be 1 & 2, but 3 needs to be in the mix because if none of the employees circulated petitions or made donations, it would be a red flag.
All that said, the few folks that serve in the IG office should not donate, circulate petitions, or be otherwise involved in campaign stuff.
- Amalia - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 12:47 pm:
another thought on the piece, are the salaries referenced high for those jobs?
- yinn - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 1:05 pm:
==I’d dump’em both. Record-keeping bosses don’t need to be elected.==
Except one is a Constitutional officer and the other is not.
- low level - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 1:09 pm:
==there were 4 city clerk staff at the same location distributing lit for Sammie Martinez. 4!==
OK. How did that work out for Sammie?
- thisjustinagain - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 1:26 pm:
Maybe all the internal politiking is why the Clerk’s office can’t tell me what happened to serving my small claims suit some 3 months ago, so I had to pay the Sheriff to re-serve it…in about 5 days.
- Frida's boss - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 1:43 pm:
So, people from Martinez’s office are helping her to run for reelection in their free time and contributing their own money to her campaign.
CTU hires Guzman, former Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor and political Director for Senate Leader, and gives her a job as an organizer once she loses the slating for the outgoing Senator. She is now being paid for with union funds, to run for office.
Anyone who thinks Unions don’t control their members think again.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 1:50 pm:
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s campaign could focus on volume rather than amount. Her campaigns can accept unlimited small contributions from folks on the payroll and keep it a secret if the donations are under $150
“(a) Each quarterly report of campaign contributions, expenditures, and independent expenditures under Section 9-10 shall disclose the following: (4) the full name and mailing address of each person who has made one or more contributions to or for the committee within the reporting period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $150,”
- Ryder - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 2:01 pm:
This story looks like a political stunt. They all do it. We’re supposed to be surprised?
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 2:03 pm:
==Anyone who thinks Unions don’t control their members think again. ==
In my experience, it goes both ways. The leadership follows the membership and the members ignore the directions they don’t like.
When the members don’t like what the leadership is doing, they toss them. It might take a couple of goes, but there are plenty of examples in recent memory, including at the CTU.
When the leadership tells the membership to vote a certain way, the members follow when they see a threat or opportunity and then only when they don’t have some other issue at top of mind. One of the best examples would be downstate unions trying to get members to support Democratic candidates that are pro-union, but the members vote on guns and abortion because they don’t see their bargaining rights at risk.
- Westsider - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 4:21 pm:
“patronage scheme”
CTU hired Guzman almost immediately after Carlos Ramirez couldn’t secure her an appointment. And as far as I can tell her job for CTU is to run for the 20th district State Senator. Adding to this hypocrisy, CTU endorses her and contributes to her campaign. Now, she seems to be spinning a convoluted narrative that resembles a conspiracy board. CTU machine is running on all cylinders.
‘The undemocratic appointment process Clerk Martinez used to elevate Natalie Toro to office…”
Guzman should remind everyone how Cristin Pacione-Zayas became the 20th district State Senator. And how Guzman was also a participant in the same process this year. She just lost. So now it is undemocratic.
- Rose - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 4:28 pm:
The term “political machine” gets thrown around so much in Illinois politics, I took a minute to find a definition. From Encyclopedia Brittanica:
“In U.S. politics, a party organization, headed by a single boss or small autocratic group, that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state.”
Sounds a lot more like CTU than anything Iris Martinez has managed put together.
- Frida's boss - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 4:48 pm:
If the title is -Meet the new boss same as the old boss shouldn’t it show Madigan walking out the door and CTU, with their slate of bought Chicago politicians, having their pockets lined and the DSA whipping everyone into shape, walking in the back door to take it over.
Guzman and the CTU jobs they give their politicians. The new Streets and Sans. mixed in with some “community grassroots organizations” paid for by CTU member dues as well.
Going to be a heck of a contract the Mayor delivers them.
- HarveyGuy - Monday, Dec 18, 23 @ 6:19 pm:
Ok so employees from the clerk’s office collected petitions, donated and door knocked.
The ward and county staff are doing the same for Guzman 🙃
Hate the game, not the player am I rite?
- Arock - Tuesday, Dec 19, 23 @ 12:41 pm:
Once again corruption in Illinois politics, say it isn’t so. So much for any of the reforms that are ever promoted by political campaigns and politicians. We need to cut back on elected positions in government that have no need to be in the elected position category but needs to best person to be hired to do the job and get politics out of the way.