Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Will the political guns still be firing in late August?

Posted in:

Illinois

* I wouldn’t be too sure that these things are necessarily connected…

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has extended the contract of one if its top-paid consultants, Donna Arduin, but is cutting her $30,000-a-month fee in half, following increased scrutiny over a governor’s office practice of paying top dollar to appointees while threatening to slash state services.

The move comes after an Illinois House committee held a hearing last week reviewing why another top appointee, education secretary Beth Purvis, was drawing her $250,000 salary out of the Department of Human Services, rather than the governor’s office budget. That same committee has called on Purvis to appear for testimony on Tuesday, said state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago. Harris could not yet say whether she would attend.

* This is somewhat more interesting to me…

“Her compensation has been reduced by half from her previous contract and will terminate when the final budget is signed or on August 28, whichever comes first,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

Emphasis added for obvious reasons.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:10 am

Comments

Could the only State Fair this year be inDuquoin?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:15 am
Well, this is also the administration that banked its budget upon the pension plan passing muster with the Supremes - so there seems to be a component within these people that prevents them from dealing with reality, isn’t there?

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:19 am
From what I can tell, Tim Nuding is doing all the heavy lifting anyway. Why is Ms. Arduin even needed? Maybe this is a simplistic way to look at the situation, but perhaps Mike Z. and the boys have realized and thusly advised Governor Rauner that paying a “consultant” $30,000 a month was silly and now looks even worse than when it was announced. I also wonder if Governor Rauner has gotten pushback from Leaders Durkin and Radogno and other senior GOP legislators that Ms. Arduin’s contract looks more like an albatross than a dove.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:19 am
I think the battle will continue until Rauner leaves office.

Comment by DuPage Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:20 am
Why Friday Aug 28 and not Monday Aug 31?

Comment by Centennial Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:21 am
August and then some.

If Rauner and Madigan believe this is a war, then it will last as long as it needs to. Preferably they come to terms before then.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:27 am
Tim Nuding is the only one that understands and cares about state gov’t operations. Donna has demonstrated she does not fron her awful actions
in other states. What did the taxpayers get for her no-bid contract this year? If Rauner didn’t have Nuding I’d be more worried. But, the other “top” Gov staffers need to heed Nuding’s advice.

Comment by Just Saying .... Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:29 am
“but is cutting her $30,000-a-month fee in half”
How is Donna Arduin supposed to get by on only $3,500 per week?

Comment by Bluefish Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:30 am
I don’t think they’re connected at all. A renewal by nature doesn’t need to include some of the front heavy costs of implementing a process. Not too unusual. But, hey, if your digging for truffles, anything that looks like one is good enough.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:32 am
Centennial - maybe she gets paid biweekly, so Aug 28 is a more fitting end point?

As for Arduin’s $, her reduced fee could also be explained by a less intensive work load now that her initial budget related responsibilities are done. She should be familiar with most of the budget by now.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:36 am
Maybe she has done her job identifying costs that can be cut from the budget. Nuding can manage just fine from here. I.e. She didn’t find much

Comment by Archimedes Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:40 am
August 28th? That early?

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:42 am
Guy - you may be right. It could literally just be contractual language. Is there an opt out or buyout clause?

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:46 am
Can anyone even name a thing Purvis has done? Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I’d leave, and say “I just can’t do anything if my appointment is so contentious in the first place”, because it’s the truth.

Comment by Southern Illinois Hoopdee Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:46 am
Did they extend Ms. Arduin so we’d quit talking about Ms. Purvis?

Comment by SAP Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:47 am
==Maybe she has done her job identifying costs that can be cut from the budget.==

Or maybe the cuts from the Good Friday Massacre were her idea.

Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:47 am
Maybe she got $30g a month to identify she was being overpaid 30g a month, so she suggested they cut it in half. Look she just saved 15g a month! Amazing job!

Comment by burbanite Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:52 am
A guy - well said. Arduin’s reduced fee could also be explained by a less intensive work load now that her initial budget duties are complete.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:56 am
he budget could be settled before August, but the war will be even fiercer and continue well beyond that time frame.

The war never was about the budget. It has only been a symbol to be used.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:56 am
August 28th — the anniversary of the Plainfield F5 tornado that hit in 1990. If only I was better at metaphors.

Comment by Stuff Happens Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 10:59 am
I still think the Dems have the stronger hand. They are ok with Rauner making the cuts if he won’t come around to more revenue. The Dems are also giving Rauner (workers comp. for example) just a little bit of what he wants — will be able to say we did reforms as far as we could go without hurting the little guy. The Dems are going to continue to hand Rauner just a tast of his agenda to give him cover and also make it harder for Rauner to look reasonable. They are actually giving Rauner some cover, but don’t know if he will pivot and take it…probably not.

Comment by facts are stubborn things Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:00 am
Burbanite - HA! Thanks for my morning chuckles.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:02 am
I’d like to know what Donna Arduin did that couldn’t have been accomplished by the people already around. I’ve found time and time again that people from the outside are generally useless when it comes to the budget. Unless you know what’s in it and what those things in the budget are for you can’t make intelligent decisions on what to cut. This is the type of thing that makes the comparison to Blagojevich valid. Operationally, Rauner and Blagojevich have more in common than not. That’s not a good thing.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:06 am
Kotowski, Korecki et al:

Lapsed period spending ends on August 31.

It looks like they “found” some unspent monies in the Dept of Revenue’s FY 15 budget and are trying to spend it down as quickly as possible, showering it on their friend.

They aren’t slashing her pay in half, they are giving her a bonus.

If these were FY 16 dollars, she wouldn’t get paid until a budget is signed.

Thanks to this maneuver, she would get paid without a budget, even during a lockout.

Nice work, Nuding.

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:09 am
A guy:

Reread the story.

It isn’t a renewal, it is an extension.

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:11 am
Juvenal:

She can’t get paid from FY15 dollars for work she performs in FY16. Any work done after July 1 must be paid with FY16 funds. Your comment isn’t accurate.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:12 am
Perhaps we could loan Arduin out to Governor Brownback and the Kansas GOP to help them fix their mess?

Comment by aunt_petunia Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:13 am
TeamBungle seems to be admittin’ mistakes…Sec Purvis appears (should have happened last week)
OutOTowner’s contract slashed to bargain $180K annually….now Durkie usin’ the Blagoof defense very odd

Comment by Anonin' Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:21 am
== Juvenal - Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:11 am:

A guy:

Reread the story.

It isn’t a renewal, it is an extension.===

Juvy, an extension with different terms. Call it whatever you want. Has a floating out clause for termination too. When you try to be extra cute, it’s usually a bad idea.

Read it right the first time. You have provided no enlightenment. In other words, you continue to meet expectations.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:29 am
A guy -

Looks to me they are paying her out of FY 15 money. It is an extension of her current contract.

If you have a copy of the contract that shows otherwise, great.

But there is a big difference.

In the mean time, let’s leave the personal insults to the tenth graders.

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:47 am
Juvenal:

You CANNOT pay her for work done after July 1 out of FY15. Period.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:48 am
Arduin should have her contract slashed.

It’s been weeks since her business partners, Laffer and Moore, have written something fawning about the govenor in the WSJ or been quoted doing so in other pubs.

Thr best was shortly before his inauguration when Moore wrote in the WSJ that Rauner was going to roll back the state income tax. — something that had already happened.

That’s what they’re getting paid for? You didnt think it was for drawig up a balanced budget, did you?

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:49 am
Arduin isn’t helping the perception, even at half cost.

Rauner still has no budget or a legislative/fiscal agenda that has landed on his desk.

“Do you want to make no money accomplishing nothing or $15K a month accomplishing nothing.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:51 am
Arduin has been invisible. Is that what Rauner means when he says that he wants to be the transparency gov. Another transparent person on the Gov’s staff is the ex-Gov.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:53 am
The ex-Governor of Hawaii is still a head scratcher.

What ex-Governor wants to be on a Crew for a governor and work for people, even as a contractor?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:56 am
Arduin is a consultant. I wonder if the new contract also cut her hours in half or did she cut her rate in half?

Comment by Robert the Bruce Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 12:06 pm
Rich, Makes me wonder if Rauner is having doubts about her worth. Another cheerleader isn’t what Rauner needs at this point. The reduction in fee says more than the end date.

http://extra.heraldtribune.com/2014/01/24/arduin-story/

Economic studies by Arduin’s firm “would never pass muster in a peer-reviewed academic journal,” said Carl Davis, a senior analyst with the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington, D.C.

Comment by Liberty Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 12:14 pm
I believe that contractors only paid once a month? So why the Aug 28 instead of Aug 31. Strange. Is there a revolving door that starts revolving at midnight on the 28th? I’ll take off the tin hat now….

Comment by Former State Employee II Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 12:37 pm
Juvy, I’m a 16th grader.
Demo, thanks for the clarification. Both times.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 1:04 pm
I haven’t bothered to follow the details of Arduin’s contract but typically personal services contract extensions run for either 90 or 180 calendar days. 90 days is a bit less than 3 months.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 1:05 pm
==- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 11:56 am:==

She’s a native Midwesterner. Maybe get in touch with her roots? Maybe she just needed to get away from island life since she got trounced in her Senate race. Easy money? It’s about all I can think of.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 1:40 pm
This is one of the things that boggles me about Rauner.

He was going to run IL like a business.

Fine.

So he hires a consultant and gives her a job. She delivers a budget $2.2 billion in the red. In short, she failed miserably.

What kind of business extends the contract of a person who fails miserably at her only job?

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 2:03 pm
Willie, she’s going to be making $198K, doing what, who knows?

There does seem to be a pattern of high-pay redundant positions with Rauner, though.

A chief of staff and a chief operating officer.

A budget director and a budget “consultant.”

A state sup. of education and an education “secretary.”

Maybe the governor needs a lot of hand-holding. Maybe he’s building an Ark and wants two of everything, just in case.

Maybe the l.g. task force on shrinking government could look into it, if they ever figure out what they’re supposed to be doing and anyone shows up for a meeting.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 3:36 pm
Maybe Sling, he should hire you at whatever salary you might require. Then he wouldn’t need anyone else. Just ask you.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 4:27 pm
If the Ark is completed with prevailing wage carpenters…

When you lay it out like you did, - Wordslinger - it’s pretty eye opening.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 4:31 pm
Guy, you badded that.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 4:40 pm
Let’s add to Wordslingers list deputy chief of staff for communications and a communications director.

Comment by MyTwoCents Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 8:07 pm
Demoralized, yes you can, as long as the contract is entered into before July 1, the funds are obligated, and the work that contract is for is completed by the end of the lapse period.

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jun 9, 15 @ 8:45 pm
Guy-Wordslinger wouldn’t accept a position with this “shamphony” administration, he would be insulted by their .collective lack of governmental understanding (unless, of course, there was half a mil on the table and the job would end August 1st! LOL!).
FYI - Word, you’re the top commenter here, smart and reasonable. Thanks

Comment by Property of IDOC Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 1:08 am
==yes you can, as long as the contract is entered into before July 1, the funds are obligated, and the work that contract is for is completed by the end of the lapse period.==

Steve, you can pay for work done prior to July 1 in the lapse period but any work that happens after July 1 cannot be paid out of prior fiscal year funds. You are wrong here. I work on this stuff every day and if I sent a payment request to the comptroller for an invoice for work done after July 1 and tried to pay it out of FY15 funds they would reject it.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 8:14 am