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* Bob Starks, a professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University….

I’ve been watching, with great interest, Bruce Rauner’s TV ads, and it certainly creates the impression that he places a high value on diversity. Several African-Americans, Latinos and women appear in the ads. […]

So I reviewed GTCR’s website, the private equity firm founded by Rauner in 1980, and from which he retired in 2012. By my count, of the 51 people on the GTCR staff website, http://www.gtcr.com/who-we-are/, I found:

▪ 0 African Americans
▪ 1 Latino
▪ 3 Asians
▪ 6 Women

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:29 am

Comments

Living in an alternate universe.

Comment by Walker Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:35 am
Rauner phoniness. Shocker.

Comment by too obvious Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:39 am
Why should this be a surprise? He is a walking contridiction. Carhartt jacket, flannel shirt, $18 watch versus 9 mansions (including a ranch), private air travel on his buddy’s jet, $53 million in income. “I know what’s good for me and what’s good for you. And what’s good for you isn’t what’s good for me.”

Comment by Knome Sane Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:40 am
Perhaps Prof Starks could also share with us the human resources files so we can learn who applied and was denied as well. This info is pretty useless.

I am more concerned with the overabundence of men without neckties.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:42 am
How much diversity has CapitolFax had over the years? I would definitely not describe Rich as racist/sexist.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:44 am
I contend that there is a severe shortage of African Americans in finance, and that is why Bruce can’t hire them. The solution is the immigration bill before federal legislators, whereby we will allow immigration of financially-oriented African American individuals over and above today’s artificial quotas.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:48 am
Wumpus, I’m not sure how many paid staff Capfax has, my guess is probably one or two, so I fail to see your comparison. Not a fair reference.

Comment by Stones Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:48 am
I guess Google and other major tech firms are living in an alternate universe also…

Comment by PhoenixRising Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:50 am
Private equity is a very exclusive club.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:51 am
Baloney. Non issue. Move along. One of the other partners did the hiring. I was leading the sales team, and putting my hands on managers, or something like that.

A lot of minorities and females work in the nursing factories i bought.

Comment by Langhorne Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:52 am
Rahm was criticized on this issue with regard to his cabinet as well.

Comment by The Prince Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:53 am
Bob Starks, protege of Jesse Jackson and professor emeritus with a concentration in promotion of race baiting, throws a line based on in depth academic research of a web page, and some people bite. Shocking.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:54 am
It depends on the kind of diversity you seek. Obviously the professor is concerned more about visual diversity, over any other kind.

Should he study the ideological diversity within his own work environment, he will most likely discover a shocking lack of it if it is at all representative of an average university faculty today.

A non-diverse business often fails to reach beyond its own limits and often fails as a business. I suspect the diversity within GTCR on many levels to be greater than the diversity professor Stark feels it lacks visually.

Professors of all people should know not to judge a book, or diversity, by its cover.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:54 am
It’s hard to tell that Joe is white after he comes from his tanning appointment. Jerry does a heck of a rap song. Sam can’t keep his pants up.

Then nobody mentions the language diversity. Besides Juan’s couple of words of Spanish, Jonathan speaks fluid Latin.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:54 am
I didn’t see any fat people either.

Comment by Southwest Cook Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:54 am
===How much diversity has CapitolFax had over the years?===

I didn’t choose my interns, they chose me. It was a deal I used to have with the U of I.

So, bite me.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:55 am
Give me a break. First of all, he’s looking at the current website which could have changed. Secondly, stats can be manipulated. Here’s another one.

Bruce Rauner has a female Latina as running mate.

Pat Quinn has a white male.

Comment by 4 percent Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:55 am
talking meet walking

Comment by in the know Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 10:59 am
So I guess the conclusion I am supposed to reach off of this “study” is the Bruce Rauner has an issue with minorities? Perhaps something more sinister?

Comment by John A Logan Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:00 am
Diana Rauner was an associate at GTCR before marrying Bruce shortly after his divorce.

Doesn’t Bruce get any credit for that?

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM (@MisterJayEm) Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:02 am
= putting my hands on managers =

LOL! I’m glad I wasn’t taking a drink when I read that, or I would have had Pepsi syndrome for sure.

Comment by cover Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:03 am
First….thank you for the first “bite me” in a long time!!

As to Rauner…do as I say, not as I do.

Comment by Sunshine Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:06 am
==Professors of all people should know not to judge a book, or diversity, by its cover.==

The good professor has built his career on judging books by their cover, so why would he change now

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:07 am
Rauner is 100% for equal opportunity and diversity in the hiring of actors for his campaign ads!

Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:08 am
I would definitely not describe Rich as racist/sexist.

Rich, no one said you were sexist/racist. That would probably be as ridiculous as Mr. Stark’s opininon.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:17 am
Now, apologize to me!

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:18 am
Starks does have a history of hyperbole, but this is somewhat interesting.

Comment by The Prince Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:18 am
Seems like Prof. Starks is race-baiting.
I am sure that the company has many other support staff employees that were not identified on the website by photograph.
Unimpressed with the research.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:22 am
Let’s look at the hiring practices for Governor Quinn’s private businesses. Oh that’s right he has been a publicly paid man all his life and never created a business or any jobs.

Comment by downstate hack Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 11:43 am
Sounds like we’re playing the race-card card a little too often today. Exactly how is it “race-baiting” to point out the disconnect between the image projected by Rauner’s political ads and his private equity firm’s promotional material?

Comment by olddog Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:04 pm
Northeastern Illinois University? What conference are they in?

Comment by Keyser Soze Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:19 pm
==Exactly how is it “race-baiting” to point out the disconnect between the image projected by Rauner’s political ads and his private equity firm’s promotional material?==

Please. Consider the source, and what he was clearly hinting at.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:22 pm
Starks is notorious for race-baiting. It’s only interesting because he always, always finds something to race-bait about.

Comment by The Prince Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:40 pm
I don’t even support Rauner but I am SSSOOO Tired of race baiting.

Comment by Rob Roy Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:40 pm
What’s good enough for Reverend Meeks is good enough for me… :-/

Comment by Obama's Puppy Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:42 pm
I’ve considered the source, and what I see is another $18 watch.

Comment by olddog Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 12:44 pm
So long as Rauner does not try to rebut the claim by pointing out the number of folders with resumes that he has for female job applicants. . .

Comment by Upon Further Review Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 1:32 pm
Does anyone have something that is not an ad hominem attack against Starks? That said, there are 83 employees listed in the directory and it looks like the only “diversity” is in the non-financial roles (Executive Assistant, IT guy, etc.) I think it’s a valid point.

Comment by MEP Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 1:52 pm
@VMan:

You are incredibly naive if you think diversity isn’t a HUGE issue in state government. Legislators constantly ask about diversity in state departments and constantly question what is being done to increase that diversity. He’s gonna have to answer for diversity in government if he’s Governor so he may as well answer for it in his business.

And this little gem you wrote:

==Should he study the ideological diversity within his own work environment, he will most likely discover a shocking lack of it if it is at all representative of an average university faculty today.==

Grow up.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 1:55 pm
So by looking at someone’s picture you are qualified to discern who has Latino heritage?

Comment by zxdew Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 2:13 pm
==I’ve considered the source, and what I see is another $18 watch.==

Really? Because I’ve seen Bob Starks wearing much better watched than that. Maybe we should look into the true diversity standard Bob Starks has for his staff and research assistants, since he’s always so intent on it

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 2:46 pm
Rauner claims to be diverse, but calling him out when it counted for years in his business, which he is using as the basis for why he should be governor is race baiting? Right. Sorry white folks you had 250+ of affirmative action in America, I’m not sorry if other people want an equal opportunity.

Let’s also not pretend that the finance industry is some bastion of diversity or anti-racism. Merrill Lynch settled a major racial discrimination case before it went trial and one of its preliminary defenses was that it wasn’t biased because society was systemically and structurally biased, thus the company should preference white employees and not be punished for it. A real profile in courage!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-27/merrill-lynch-messed-up-my-career-says-broker-who-won-lawsuit.html

Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 3:26 pm
What I have written must not have been clear to you because there is no cause to claim I need to grow up, as though I am suggesting an immature point of view.

There is nothing shocking in acknowledging that most college faculties are about as politically and ideologically diverse as would be the attendees to a Democratic convention in Chicago.

So if this professor wishes to enrich us of what it really means to be diverse, perhaps he should start with his own place of employment.

Mr. Rauner’s campaign shows the level of diversity this professor wishes to see. So someone among this candidate’s staff obviously recognizes the need for the kind of diversity this professor espouses within state government.

For him to suggest otherwise - is illogical.

As is it for you to be offended.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 3:29 pm
@VMan:

It was an analysis of GTCR. It was simply an observation of the make-up of the staff. That’s it. For you to get into some ideological debate about the make-up of university faculty is absurd and completely unrelated and irrelevant to the observation. I’m not offended by your statements. I just think they are silly in this context.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 3:41 pm
So when he says he wants to run the state like a business, he means that all important decisions will be made by white males. Great.

Comment by Soccermom Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 4:14 pm
Prof Starks may want to check out Zefer. Rauner sat on the board. The internet company went broke and 300+ lost their jobs
So the total on the biz leader from
1. Pay Stu $30k a month — don’t know him
2. Kiling Grandma Nursing Home Inc
3. Lason Systems —- biggest accounting fraud
4. TransFirst — 8 million families get credit asrds compromised
5. Zefer 300 tossed on street
This really looks like leadership IL needs

Comment by NoBody's Perfect Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 5:02 pm
Vanillaman -

C’mon, really? Blaming the Liberal University-Media Industry Complex?

Pure. Intellectual. Laziness.

As you have so often proved, just because someone can read — and in this case count — does not make them a liberal.

You are correct that Mr. Rauner’s campaign reflects the diversity he would like us to perceive, and most likely it is a message about how he intends to govern. But character is revealed when people are not looking. And it is the decisions that candidates makes before they contemplated running for statewide office that tend to tell us more about their core values.

I know that, you know that, and Reverend Meeks knows that.

That said, this story was inevitable, fortunately for Rauner it comes in June…and unless someone comes forward to claim actual discrimination and puts a face and name on the story, it is as legless as a newborn nightcrawler.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 8:13 pm
Isn’t that unusual in Chicago finance in general…

and Soccermom

So when he says he wants to run the state like a business, he means that all important decisions will be made by white males. Great.

Vs the vast diversity we see today in the top levels of state government?

Comment by Oneman Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 8:28 pm
One word reaction to Rauner on THIS Post: OUCH! No, TWO word, the second one stating the OBvious, I suppose, but still: HYPOCRISY!!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Jun 4, 14 @ 9:21 pm
How many African-Americans are employed by the 13th Ward Regular Democratic Organization?

Comment by anon Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 1:52 am
I think it’s a meme that draws steam from the broader truth that Rauner at best lacks substance and at worst is someone whose pattern in business is personal profit, shareholder and stakeholder pain and a trail of wreckage in his wake.

Once again, unfortunate that Dillard didn’t win the primary.

I think it’s time to pitch a paper topic for the forum.

“The 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election has been described as being a fight to the death between an incompetent and a fraud. Discuss.”

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 7:35 am
Occasionally I am diverted from the point of a post. In this case I was angered by an individual wearing a cloak of professorial intellectualism abusing his societal credibility by claiming an insight on a gubernatorial candidate, based on pure concoction and garbage.

Fact is, this professor utterly fails to give a balanced presentation of what ought to have been an important revelation regarding this campaign. He doesn’t apply his investigation to all gubernatorial candidates. He doesn’t apply the standard equally. Instead of attempting a true liberal science approach to this issue, he did a partisan hack job. He calls himself a professor?

If this individual wished to make a presentation based on his findings with sticking power, he would have applied those findings equally and fairly. If one candidate is a closet bigot based on his study, then he needed to have applied that same standard to the other the same way.

Fact is, his study reveals his targeted candidate as wishing to present an appreciation towards the diversity based on the standards the professor supports. But that wasn’t good enough, was it? Instead he had to resort to going back 30 years into the candidate’s corporate history in order to find the appearance of the impropriety being originally searched. Pitiful.

All this professor ended up with is a sophomoric “gotcha” moment of political hypocrisy only a high school kid could relish.

This professor could have been onto something if he did his job professionally, thoroughly and correctly. He failed.

This is what angered me about this story.

Rauner will need to have an administration reflective of Illinois. He knows this. His actions demonstrate this. He knows the difference between private organizations and public ones. His actions demonstrate this.

If this man was a closet bigot, it would be shocking news to those who have known him, worked alongside him, saw him financially support causes favoring diversity and which attempted to uplift minority populations, and politically support him today. The testimonials we’ve seen on television ads focused on his years of this kind of work.

Consequently, this case is closed. Verdict - this professor is a biased partisan amateur who doesn’t know how to do a complete job, fails to recognize an incomplete one, but smart enough to abuse his intellectual credibility as a professor to score political points.

He must want a job in the next Quinn administration.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 8:37 am
I’ve tried to hire African-Americans in my small business for years and have interviewed and made several offers. But these very talented applicants always go elsewhere where they can make more money than I can pay. So I guess under the ‘Professor’s analysis that makes me a closet racist. Is this the kind of crap science they are teaching today?

Comment by Formerpol Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 10:52 am
Different target audiences. This really isn’t hard to explain.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 11:06 am
I must be looking at something different than some of you. I don’t see any accusations of racism or bigotry. I took the “analysis” for what it was: a simple commentary on the racial make-up of GTCR coupled with a statement about Rauner’s ads showing diversity. I don’t think it requires a lot of deep thought. It is what it is. And of course there’s a slant. Duh. Welcome to politics. I think Rauner can handle it.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 1:06 pm
This is what the race has come down to? How racially inclusive the camps are? Considering the race of the Huffpo writer- he’s driving his own personal agenda. Simply put: Quinn/Vallas = balding white middle aged male x2; Rauner/Sanguinett= White middle-aged male/ soccer mom latina lawyer. End of story…

Comment by Statesman Thursday, Jun 5, 14 @ 2:03 pm