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Trib uncovers more problems with Quinn program

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* The Tribune takes a look at Healthcare Consortium of Illinois, which is based in Thornton Township, a major Democratic area…

Healthcare Consortium, in documents it sent state auditors, accused three of eight other nonprofits of misspending some of that [$1.2 million in state cash], and state auditors in turn questioned $125,000 that Healthcare Consortium itself spent to administer the program.

None of that counts several questionable expenses found by the Tribune. Those range from payments linked to a Dolton cop who records indicate accepted grant money to mentor kids at the time he was assigned to patrol the town, to a nonprofit’s executives buying scores of self-help management books, including one identifying “perfect phrases” for saying a program was successful.

The details are brutal. Make sure to go read the whole thing.

* The Rauner campaign and the state GOP are highlighting one aspect of the story, however. From a state party press release…

Former NRI Grant Adviser: “It was to drive, to get the vote out”

Bishop Lance Davis, Former Advisory Board Member to NRI Grant Distributor, Tells Chicago Tribune: “I believe, after the timing of it all, that absolutely, that it was to drive, to get the vote out.” (Chicago Tribune, 7/15/14)

Davis: “I don’t know what [NRI] was designed to do, myself. I thought it was to get kids, to change their mindset and their behavior, and to get them off of the street, and to set them onto something other than jail or nefarious activities, but I had no idea it was something that was more, you know — I won’t say sinister — but it’s certainly political.” (Chicago Tribune, 7/15/14)

* Bishop Davis cut a radio ad last year opposing the gay marriage bill and helped lead the opposition…

“We want to make sure that we a send a message to our elected officials that as a collective community and a collaborative, we will not allow you to speak in our churches, you will not be invited to our church when you’re running for office because we as a community are incensed,” said Bishop Lance Davis, senior pastor at a church in Dolton, who’s part of the group.

Quinn signed the gay marriage bill, so he’s obviously not welcome in Davis’ church.

* Davis also has ties to FreedomWorks, a very conservative national organization. From a report filed last month…

Despite the fact that the vast majority of black voters are Democrats and support President Obama, there’s a growing anti-establishment, anti-Democrat and anti-Obama trend that’s percolating in the black community.

Black urban communities, such as Chicago, are plagued with high unemployment, failing public schools, and crime. Since liberal policies have failed to help the black community, some blacks are questioning the political establishment and are seeking fresh alternatives to reverse the downward social and economic spiral.

Recognizing the growing dissatisfaction with politics as usual Empower.org, a FreedomWorks outreach program dedicated to help black Americans achieve their personal potential through education, financial literacy, and developing marketable skills, planned an event in Chicago.

On Father’s Day weekend, FreedomWorks and the community of The New Zion Covenant Church on the South Side of Chicago hosted the first Empower.org town hall for a candid discussion about the problems plaguing the community and new ways to empower the local citizens towards real progress.

At the event, I had the pleasure of moderating the panel of black leaders: FreedomWorks Senior Fellow and former NAACP chapter president, Rev. CL Bryant; Senior Pastor at New Zion Covenant Church, Bishop Lance Davis; Congressional Candidate in IL-02, Dr. Eric Wallace; Director of African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University, Kwesi Ronald E. Harris, and Professor David Johnson.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 10:49 am

Comments

Whether it was incompetence, driving votes or some combination of the two, this is fast becoming Quinn’s albatross.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 10:57 am
The negative ads against Quinn write themselves.

Comment by Cassiopeia Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:01 am
Millstone or albatross? I am not sure which analogy fits better.

Looks like Republicans are going to get their perp walk tomorrow, and spend the summer doing Rudy Giuliani impersonations, except that instead of “9/11″ every sentence out of their mouth is going to be a noun, a verb and “NRI.”

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:13 am
YDD

You forgot to mention the “Pat Quin’s” part of every sentence. Ought to make a good drinking game a shot for every “Pat Quinn’s NRI” a beer for the “Governors NRI.”

Comment by Mason born Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:17 am
Meh, Davis is hardly a disinterested source.

There may be a smoking gun out there regarding GOTV, but he doesn’t have it.

The other deets — self-help books? — are a bad joke.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:18 am
NRI might be to Quinn what MSI was to Edgar.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:19 am
==YDD

You forgot to mention the “Pat Quin’s” part of every sentence. Ought to make a good drinking game a shot for every “Pat Quinn’s NRI” a beer for the “Governors NRI.”==

Well that’s what the Governor’s office called it before the program became a liability.

Comment by so... Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:19 am
If a self proclaimed prophet wants to make a profit, start a non-profit.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:22 am
You overplay this hand, it becomes way too partisan.

The rest should take care of itself, the question is how far do you push what is already pure gold.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:23 am
African-American voters will not be enthused about voting in the election. Not good news for any statewide candidate.

Comment by Apocolypse Now Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:26 am
Are the Koch brothers , through FreedomWorks, trying to make inroads in urban America??

Comment by Steve Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:30 am
Yes 47, the conviction of two mid-level employees and the acquittal of their supervisor

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:46 am
Sorry Steve, all I meant was that federal investigations often end political careers regardless of whether the governor(s) was implicated.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 11:50 am
There may have been inept management. But no one was hurt. No one was sexually assaulted. No one left to die.

Comment by Tim Snopes Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 12:46 pm
My favorite Pat Quinn program, from when he was Lt. Gov, was the Lt. Governor’s Dam Safety Project.

Comment by Jimbo Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 12:57 pm
@Tim Snopes,

The state’s terrible fiscal situation directly leads to a lack of funding that would help deal with the repercussions of or help prevent: people getting hurt, sexually assaulted, or getting left to die.

Inept management kills businesses. Since government can’t die, critical services die instead.

Comment by liandro Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 1:05 pm
==There may have been inept management. But no one was hurt. No one was sexually assaulted. No one left to die.==

Directly, like in State run nursing homes Quinn administration oversees? No. Indirectly through misusing funds that could’ve been used elsewhere for violence protection? Possible.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 1:14 pm
“Indirectly through misusing funds that could’ve been used elsewhere for violence protection?”

Exactly. To say “no one got hurt” ignores one of the major issues in this debacle: that money was supposed to go towards PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT!

Comment by liandro Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 1:29 pm
===Directly, like in State run nursing homes Quinn administration oversees? No. Indirectly through misusing funds that could’ve been used elsewhere for violence protection? Possible===

Raunerbots;

We understand the talking point is out. Congrats.

Explain how Rauner has been successful in EVERTHING he has ever done… except when he didn’t succeed?

Wait for that talking point before you answer.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 1:50 pm
==Are the Koch brothers , through FreedomWorks, trying to make inroads in urban America??==

They dropped many millions on UNCF.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 2:02 pm
===”Given the timing…”===

That’s his evidence?

Davis is guessing like the rest of us.

This will stick, however.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 3:21 pm
3:21 above was me. Sorry, laptop indigestion. Mark

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 3:22 pm
Just spent the day at an entity that has been the recipient of state grants to keep teens off the street this summer engaged in STEM learning activities…what a great bunch of kids…I am glad that some folks use these monies properly and feel for the parents that have to worry that their kids won’t live long enough to get to graduate high school.

I for one am glad the Governor gave the monies to address the violence that plagues these communities…if folks that receive the monies mis appropriate it, or those that administered the program were irresponsible, the blame does not fall at the Gov’s feet…

Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 7:24 pm
Loop lady.

Quinn gave taxpayer money to politically connected groups to get out the vote before the last election. Yes the blame falls on the Gov. But typical of a liberal the buck stops over there. Why would anyone actually be responsible for anything.

Comment by Fed up Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 8:30 pm
Nice idea Fed Up, but no one can tell the head of the group I worked with today what to do about anything.

Pretty broad stroke painting…by you who is not a liberal, whatever your definition of that is…

Comment by LCP45 Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 9:47 pm
Loop Lady:

I was right there with you up until the very end.

This was at best a poorly designed, poorly executed and poorly evaluated project.

And it was an initiative of the Governor’s Office.

So yes, the Governor’s Office is responsible.

The more they try to push the responsibility somewhere else, the more news they create.

Sometimes, the best way to control a forest fire is to dump a bunch of cold water on it. They tried that, it didn’t work.

The next best thing is a fire line — an impenetrable gap in fuel — to contain the fire. Sometimes that requires a little backburning, thus the phrase “fighting fire with fire.” Oft misinterpreted as returning fire on your enemy, fighting fire with fire involves setting fire to yourself to halt an even bigger inferno.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jul 15, 14 @ 10:57 pm