Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Reform and restraint

Posted in:

Illinois

* The Illinois Executive Ethics Commission has fired a major warning shot at state employees: Do a little campaign work on state time for your boss and you could be fined…

Three aides to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich have been fined by a state ethics panel for campaigning for Barack Obama on the taxpayers’ dime.

Sheila Nix, Abigail Ottenhoff and Rebecca Rausch broke the law in 2007 when they issued a press release supporting Obama on behalf of Blagojevich, the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission ruled.

More from the Daily Herald…

The ruling came in the case of three employees of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s communication staff who wrote a memo under the governor’s signature in February 2007 praising the nascent presidential campaign of fellow Illinoisan Barack Obama. The ethics commission, responding to a complaint filed in September 2008 - before Obama’s election and the ethics allegations that led to federal charges against Blagojevich and his eventual ouster - ruled that the memo actually constituted “political activities” and, since it was created on state time and state-owned computers, it represented a violation of state law.

The release itself - which the three employees testified the governor never saw or discussed with them - was cloaked in the guise of a statement of pride for the hopes of a state’s favorite son, but with a particularly Blagojevichian flourish, it added “Senator Obama supports the very best of these Democratic values; they are values that he and I share, values I know he will fight for.”

Phrases like that, the ethics commission said - as well as others stating Blagojevich was “excited and proud to support Senator Obama in his bid for the presidency” - cannot be read in any other way than as a statement of political support.

“The prohibition of political activity would mean nothing if a State employee could use State time and equipment to support a political candidate as long as he or she made clear that the support was based on the candidate’s priorities or policies,” the commission wrote. “Indeed, a fundamental aspect of campaigning is to attempt to convince the electorate that they should support the candidate because of his or her policies or priorities.”

I remember that press release and recall thinking that it sure looked like a campaign release to me. There can be a fine line between governing and politics, but this seemed to cross that line. But we have to be careful not to take this too far. Our entire system is based on the political process. They can’t always be easily separated, nor should they.

* WBEZ has chocked up a win for media access and governmental transparency…

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is allowing WBEZ to document life inside the state’s juvenile prisons. The permission resolves months of haggling over the issue.

WBEZ requested the access to see if the Department of Juvenile Justice is living up to its mission. The department was created three and a half years ago to help rehabilitate kids but critics say little has changed.

Quinn had originally denied our requests to visit the facilities but several attorneys on the governor’s staff recently sat down with WBEZ and a civil rights attorney, Craig Futterman, from the University of Chicago’s Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. Futterman has been volunteering his services as WBEZ has been seeking access.

It’s about time.

* The State Journal-Register, like most editorial boards, misses the point…

When state budget time arrives this spring, lawmakers once again will be scrambling to find new money sources that don’t involve raising taxes. Last year’s magic solution was the legalizing of video poker in bars and numerous other public places. To us, this was one of the most irresponsible and cynical votes on record. It’s not by accident that these machines have earned the nickname “the crack cocaine of gambling.”

The problem has been that taverns, fraternal clubs, truck stops and restaurants all over the state currently pay out illegally on those video poker machines. Perhaps the SJ-R edit board should walk over to their local VFW hall to see for themselves how the current system works. The only real day to day “regulation” is done by the bartenders who “regulate” who gets the payouts and who doesn’t (if we know you, you get cash, if we don’t, you don’t). The Gaming Board appears to be taking a super-strict, slow-it-down approach to legalization, so there’s no mad rush to put these machines on every corner. A little perspective is in order.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 11:12 am

Comments

How about fining the candidates who pressure the state employees? Do you really expect the new college kid with her first job in state government to take a stand against her new employer?

Depending on the little guy to do what the big guys are supposed to do, isn’t being very courageous.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 12:15 pm
VanillaMan raises a good point. It seems odd to fine the people who execute illegal schemes while not holding the supervisors who give the orders accountable.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 12:25 pm
The fine is quite ironic, too, considering at least one of the people fined was at the time a Hillary supporter, to my knowledge.

Comment by George Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 12:51 pm
Its also ironic, given what we know now about Blago’s feelings for the President, that the press release wasn’t intended as much to boost Obama’s campaign but to get some press for the Governor.

Comment by George Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 1:16 pm
Well, it makes a hell of a lot more sense to me to fine or otherwise discipline people for minor transgressions than to send them to the big house for a few years (Sorich?) And yes, Rich, the line does need to be watched. What if a Republican Governor had said “I feel great pride that Barack Obama, a good and decent man that I know well, is running for President. I won’t vote for him, but if he is elected I believe he will serve the country well”? Still a problem?

Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 1:50 pm
What is the fine amount and under what authority does the panel have to collect? Isn’t Abby living out of state now?

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 2:50 pm
===What is the fine amount===

It’s $1K. Read the story. There’s a handy link.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 3:08 pm
Illinois has significant problems w/ patronage, pay-to-play, Blago and Ryan cronyism and this BS is what the Executive Inspector General is wasting time upon. Following upon the misbegotten prosecutions of Defaties, etc., this brings the whole notion of Illinois governmental ethics to a new laughable low. As Schnorf accurately points out, it’s very difficult to clearly ID this as political as an isolated incident w/o implying intent or establishing a pattern and practice.

Comment by D.P. Gumby Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 3:47 pm
WBEZ owes CapitolFax a BIG THANK YOU for shining a spotlight on this story.

So does the public.

Muchas gracias, Senor Miller.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 3:59 pm
On the Ethics Panel:

The same month, the Governor’s Office issued a press release declaring “Chicago Bears Week” in honor of their remarkable season.

Someone explain how that is state business?

But that kind of stuff happens every day in Illinois politics, and not just at the state level, and not just in Cook County.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 4:04 pm
I’m going to try and tread lightly here; I know Rich likes these folks personally, but I’m frankly disappointed the ethics commission didn’t throw the book at the spin sisters for the many things they worked on professionally under Blago’s direction. The cases they got nailed for were slam-dunks, but barely the tip of the iceberg as far as their work product under Blago. And I think the fines are way late and too small - Nix probably spends more than her fine on shoe purchases. The Commission is a joke if this is as scary as they get. Who will be scared into compliance by such weak and untimely enforcement? And I’m wondering how Cheryle Jackson skated away without any ethics fines.

Comment by Gregor Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 5:46 pm
This is a case of punishing the weak and leaving the strong alone. Writing up a press release takes how long? It’s nice to know that the Secret Police have finally tidied up the Blago administration’s real problems.

Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 6:34 pm
George also ironic that the greater offenders here, who actually spent State money on an ad with Blago’s name in it and were also fined (gee, wasn’t that on the Ethics Test, Larry?) long after the law took effect were, that’s right, the former Director of the Illinois State Police and two current staff, one a State Police Captain.

Next time you get pulled over for speeding, tell the Trooper you didn’t know it was illegal and see how much good that does.

Captain Curly should be on midnights in Cairo and the civilian “Chief of Staff” Joe should be canned.

And BTW, Shemp over at the Inspector General’s office woulda let the press release slide if the EEC hadn’t read a news article and beefed.

Nyuk. Nyuk. No.

Comment by Stooges Fan Monday, Jan 4, 10 @ 9:52 pm
About time is right. Here’s to WBEZ for sticking to its guns, and to the Cap Fax for turning up the heat. Let’s all pay attention to what they find out, as well.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 5, 10 @ 2:47 pm