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Shakman rebuts Quinn in new filing

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Illinois

* AP…

Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration should face federal scrutiny to ensure it complies with bans on political hiring for nonpolitical jobs, anti-patronage lawyer Michael Shakman argued in a Tuesday filing, which also disputes the Democratic governor’s claim that a monitor would undercut his authority. […]

Shakman also rejects Quinn’s assertion that the hiring allegations amount to mere speculation, pointing to recent comments by then-IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider that the agency had hired people for positions designated as political, then transferred them to nonpolitical jobs without posting the openings to the public. […]

Quinn said his office had already acted to fix any lingering hiring issues.

Shakman’s filing says that remains to be seen. Quinn gave assurances before, as far back as 2009, that he was addressing the issue. But it says the “assurances, however earnestly made, cannot be relied upon” in the wake of allegations of improper hiring at IDOT.

Shakman also asks the judge again to order Quinn’s office to turn over thousands of hiring-related documents.

I don’t see this going away any time soon.

The governor is facing a far different environment than he did in 2010, when people thought he might be a bumbler, but was at least a non-crooked bumbler.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:30 am

Comments

Which of Rahm’s “super pacs” is paying SHAMman?

Comment by William j Kelly Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:33 am
–The governor is facing a far different environment than he did in 2010, when people thought he might be a bumbler, but was at least a non-crooked bumbler.–

So after they get done slinging mud we the voter are going to be left between the choice of either a Crony capitalist who avoided taxes legally (Assuming) or a typical business as usual corrupt politician who used tax money to buy votes and gave jobs to his cronies.

Splendid. I just wished i owned a piece of the local radio and TV stations.

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:36 am
The reformer bloom is off Quinn and he has been revealed more for the phony that he has always been.

Comment by Cassiopeia Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:38 am
Nonissue, as the other candidate is .01% Rauner.

Comment by WootBaseball Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:38 am
Anyone thinking about a write-in campaign?

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:43 am
I always thought the Shakman case covered Chicago and Cook County and Rutan covered state government. Shouldn’t one of the plaintiff’s attorney’s from Rutan be bringing these allegations under that case? Or is Shakman taking a bit of a financial hit now that the City has been freed of monitoring and in need of a new payday?

Comment by Wondering Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:45 am
Blago & Quinn are a dynamic duo of corruption. 50+ million in taxpayer money to buy the last election, patronage hacks running departments, lying to the whole state about taxes taking 50k from the unions to guarantee jobs. No longer can we say he is incompetent but honest. He is incompetent and corrupt. Illinois is the loser come Nov. no matter what.

Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:45 am
How do we get federal monitoring over Madigan?

Comment by Brass Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:49 am
Rich is right that this thing isn’t going away anytime soon. Federal subpoenas and Shakman’s litigation do not bode well for Quinn. Neither would be happening if there wasn’t a whole lot more there.

One additional firing took place last week that garnered very little attention, even on Cap Fax. IDOT deputy director of finance and administration Mike Woods “resigned” effective July 2 - which is to say the same day. The 32-year-old Woods is a former agency personnel chief. This IDOT thing is gonna get real ugly. Possibly worse for Quinn than the neighborhood violence prevention scandal.

Comment by phocion Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 9:56 am
Remember when Quinn promised to get rid of all those Blago appointees whatever happened to that promise. Lots of coverage of the promises. No coverage of broken promises.

Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:07 am
Wasn’t there another governor recently who was running for re-election while under investigation from the FBI, U.S. Atty., etc.? I have a short memory but I thought I remembered that he was elected in spite of the investigations and suspicions of ethical as well as legal lapses in acceptable behavior.

Comment by northshore cynic Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:09 am
Illinois has really bad karma. I wonder what it was in a previous life?

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:14 am
nc, I don’t remember his name but his PID # is 40892-424. And the good voters of Illinois re-elected him despite knowing there was a trial in his future. I also remember that voters had decided that he was the lesser of 2 evils. The evil on the other side? Judy Barr Topinka. Oh, the campaign commercials were filled with the descriptions of her evilness. Illinois would have been destroyed had they elected her. Thankfully, 40892-424 won and Illinois has been a better place for it.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:20 am
== Wasn’t there another governor recently who was running for re-election while under investigation from the FBI, U.S. Atty., etc.? I have a short memory but I thought I remembered that he was elected in spite of the investigations and suspicions of ethical as well as legal lapses in acceptable behavior. ==

And we are all the better for it. DuPage Dan is right, thank the lord he saved us from the horror that was/is Judy Barr Topinka….

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:30 am
==Nonissue, as the other candidate is .01% Rauner.==

It is an issue, since both campaigns boil down to “Vote for me because I’m not that other guy.”

Comment by Anon. Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:38 am
NC

I suspect that he poisoned the well with that reelection. Not only that but his opponent didn’t have unlimited reserves to pound it through.

On the bright side he could honestly say that his LG is actually competent unlike 40892-424.

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 10:44 am
I remember when Pat Quinn and Michael Shakman were on the same team and appeared together at Sunday morning press conferences.

I guess it’s true what they say about living long enough. And I’m not that old.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 11:23 am
–How do we get federal monitoring over Madigan?–

LOL, Madigan was the White Whale of the Pat Fitz crew. Patrick Collins is still obsessed with him.

If the Justice Department can’t lay a glove on you with the resources of the FBI and IRS….

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 11:52 am
Is questioning Shakman’s motives allowed?

I haven’t heard that there’s been some sea change in city hiring since MRE was elected. Yet, Shakman argues the federal monitor should go away for Chicago.

Is Shakman or his firm getting something from MRE or Emanuel supporters?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:10 pm
Why do we presume Shakman is the keeper of hiring morality? He is just a trial lawyer hustler. Ka-ching, ka-ching.

Comment by Tim Snopes Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:18 pm
It’s about time that someone is looking into the hiring practices of PQ. It is my opinion that he has skated for years because of the perception that he is honest, but just incapable. I believe he knows exactly what he is doing in the area of patronage. And from what I have seen in the hiring practices of this administration this is just the tip of the iceberg. To PQ Rutan is a joke and he blatantly violates the ruling on a daily basis.

Comment by Irish Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:20 pm
Not much new here, but it doesn’t take much to destroy a shaky image. It just take perseverance.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:25 pm
Irish, that is crap. Give an example. Quinn is obsessed with following the rules.

Comment by Mimi Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:26 pm
Mimi- How about four sets of interviews where applications were to be sent to the address on the posting and applications numbered in the teens yet the interviews were exactly the same number as the open positions, one or two, and all the interviewees were not in the applications received. The names came from Springfield.
And that is just one example

Keep drinking the kool aid.

Comment by Irish Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:36 pm
Underestimate Quinn at your own peril. The man won the last election despite becomming Lt Gov on the coattails of a convicted felon, a nationwide republican push, a horrible approval rating and he campaigned on a tax increase. Actually campaigned on it!

If this State was ever going to be ripe for a return of a GOP to the mansion, the stars were aligned the last election. But it didn’t happen.

Comment by Jack Handy Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:49 pm
“Illinois has really bad karma. I wonder what it was in a previous life?”

At various times, it was French Canada, French Louisiana, England, Virginia, the Northwest Territory, and the Indiana Territory (and that’s not counting any of the Native American nations that had it first):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Territory

Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:53 pm
Quinn could benefit from our extremely low bar for politicians in Illinois. We pretty much expect our public officials to mismanage (or worse) large amounts of taxpayer dollars, hire political cronies and relatives into high-paying government jobs-for-life and otherwise behave like politicians in those “developing” countries we so often criticize for corrupt governance.

And that’s a problem for Rauner, who is running as Not Quinn. If the electorate has given up,
it’s hard to get any kind of throw-the-bums-out movement going, especially if you aren’t that well known. A lot of folks, for example, probably think that all Il state employees are patronage employees, just like in the not so distant old days. And that Mr. Shakman is a nice gentleman tilting at windmills.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:57 pm
Irish, you sound like one of those holdover Repubs hell bent on skulduggery.

Comment by Mimi Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 12:57 pm
with all of this going its sad to think how many voters will simply forget it come November.

Comment by concern1 Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 1:08 pm
Irish: Good to hear from you more often.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 1:14 pm
Mr. Shakman,
The reason we have corruption in Illinois government is because that is where the money is. Expecting a perfect meritocracy in a multi-billion dollar spending government, is like expecting that every contestant in a beauty pageant to be a virgin.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 1:26 pm
I am perplexed that we haven’t heard more outrage from veterans organizations. I have watched Quinn’s people skip around veterans preference requirements as well as Rutan in hirings at IHPA and presumably most other agencies, but I haven’t heard a peep out of the vets. They used to be pretty touchy about that sort of abuse.

Comment by Skirmisher Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 1:34 pm
Skirmisher

I would hazard they veterans groups aren’t aware. Otherwise i would expect that to be pretty big with all the vets from Irag and Afghanistan struggling to find work.

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 1:40 pm
I can tell you from personal observation , being a IDOT retiree , that IDOT has turned into a cesspool of political hacks. They were hired in Rutan exempt positions, then shortly get moved into union protected positions.

Comment by Road dog Wednesday, Jul 9, 14 @ 11:13 pm