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Looks like Bernie’s back from vacation.
The new chairman of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission wants some of the same things the previous chairman sought: more openness in the ethics process and more for the commission to do.“As it is, we’re shut out, and we think we can help,” said Jim Brennan, 41, a Wheaton lawyer who took over as chairman July 1 from author Scott Turow of Glencoe. “We want to help. We want a role.” […]
The commission, created by legislation signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in December 2003, has never acted on a single case. The state’s ethics laws have generally worked to keep matters investigated secret, and those laws should be changed, Brennan said Monday. […]
Turow said last year that about 25 people were fired as a result of hundreds of investigations by the governor’s inspector general’s office in its first year, but the commission never received the names of those fired.
I wonder if and or when the golden boys and girls on the commission finally decide they’re being used as props?
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 1:27 pm
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Rich,
This link from my website, http://fritchey.com/sharedAssets/pdf/05.23Tribune.pdf, is to a Tribune article from May,2005 about this very issue, titled, “State’s laws foster secrecy”. At the time, the administration cited ongoing Commission investigations as the reason for not answering questions in committee about a critical report issued by Auditor General Holland.
The interesting thing was that the commission said that they had no problem with the questions being answered. Scott Turow weighed in saying that the Commission was “materially hampered” by its inability to access investigation information. There are other stories on the site about the same issue as well. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. I have worked with Sens. Dillard and Garrett and with the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform on this issue, and we will likely try to fix this issue when we reconvene.
Comment by Hon. John Fritchey Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 3:22 pm
Let’s see if we understand Honest John and Crew.
State worker gets ratted out, investigated and punished — if state worker did something wrong.
State worker could get fired, docked $, demoted
And if crimes were committed prosecuted.
I fail to understand what the Commission or Honest John & Crew add to the process. Do they miss the chance to call Bernie, Sneed or Capt Fax with a tidbit. Did Scott miss out on some free plot treatments?
How about we just mandate the Comptroller to release the names of all people who leave the payroll each month. That way Bernie could list all their names and let them deny they left under a cloud.
That way all hands,including Kent Canary and all the other “watchdogs” can put some scalps on their teepees every month.
That should make everyone happy!
Comment by Johnny Deadline Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 4:50 pm
If you read the entire story you’ll see that commissioners are getting paid about $32,000 per year for what has turned out to be “do nothing” jobs. How ethical is that?
Comment by Roadkill Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 5:00 pm
They get paid $32,000 for a “do-nothing” job (plus health insurance and other benefits)? That’s almost as much as I get working full-time for the Cook County Court system (with 27 years of service).
Talk about “it’s who you know.”
Comment by Randall Sherman, Secretary/Treasurer, Illinois Committee for Honest Government Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 5:21 pm
If Turow can’t make a Pulitzer-winning book and Oscar-worthy movie script out of his tenure on this commission, he’s not trying. Except no one (outside of Illinois) will believe it’s non-fiction.
Comment by Mister Gambini & 2 yoots Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 5:50 pm
Johnny D,
What is missing is the chance for the Commission to find out if complaints are being handled properly and that things aren’t swept under the rug. Right now, a serious complaint and violation could be ignored or swept under the rug, and there is ZERO independent review of the matter. That is WHY the Commission was created.
I’m not saying this to be argumentative, but why don’t you first look at the flowchart of how the process works and then post a comment as to whether or not YOU think that it has any logic or oversight to it.
Your attempt to be clever and demeaning sounds more like the argument of somebody with no real defense to the issue.
Time will bear out all of this. And a couple of indictments.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 8:10 pm
To pilot: Pull back on the stick man! We’re going to burn in!
That’s the kind of no-show job I’d like to have… Milorad. Wink, wink.
Comment by El Conquistador Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 8:47 pm
The Commission needs to have the oversight responsibility. The Goobernur cannot be trusted.
Comment by Anon. Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 8:49 pm
sweet!!!!!!
So what happens now? By their own admission, the commission has never acted on a single case. What exactly are their duties?
Comment by state worker #1 Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 9:04 pm
I still can’t believe that Blago passed his state ethics test. I was it regraded!!
Comment by "F" Tuesday, Jul 11, 06 @ 11:19 pm