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Rauner dumps Quinn “staff assistants”

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Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has issued layoff notices to 29 workers at the Illinois Department of Transportation, a move the governor’s office says is aimed at ridding the agency of patronage hires that flourished under his Democratic predecessors.

Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly confirmed the layoff notices went out Thursday to employees classified as “staff assistants,” a special position created to hire hundreds of people without having to go through strict personnel procedures designed to keep politics out of most state hiring.

The patronage hires were the subject of a scathing report the state’s top ethics investigator issued in 2014. The probe found the lax rules had been in place since before ex-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office in 2003, but determined that such hiring escalated during former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration.

“The duration and pervasiveness of IDOT’s improper acts have undoubtedly denied countless qualified candidates the opportunity to lawfully obtain state employment on the basis of merit,” the report stated.

…Adding… Press release…

Governor Bruce Rauner today announced the state has reached a conclusion in the IDOT patronage hiring scandal that began under previous administrations. IDOT gave the remaining staff assistants layoff notices today.

“Our administration has put an end to the illegal patronage hiring that started under Blagojevich and continued under Quinn,” Governor Rauner said. “Since taking office, we have worked for taxpayers to ensure proper hiring at all of our state agencies. This is an additional step to restore citizens’ faith in state government so it works for them and not the political insiders.”

IDOT notified the remaining 29 staff assistants connected to the illegal patronage hiring scandal their last day with the agency will be September 15th. In 2014, an Executive Inspector General report found staff assistants at IDOT were illegally hired and then either transferred into protected government positions or allowed to perform job duties that had little or no relation to their actual job description. The previous administration attempted to lay off these employees, but the union representing the staff assistants sued the state to stop those proceedings. As a result of the settlement of the lawsuit, the 29 employees were notified today their services are no longer needed by the State of Illinois.

During the first month of his administration, Governor Rauner signed an Executive Order to publish all Rutan-exempt employees on the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal website in a direct response to the IDOT hiring scandal. In addition, he signed an Executive Order that removed the requirement that the Governor’s Office review and approve the hiring and promotion decisions of Rutan-covered positions. This Executive Order removed a level of bureaucracy in hiring civil-service positions and further protected the process from unlawful political influence.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:20 pm

Comments

Good! This should’ve been done as soon as the investigative report was released. It’s this kind of patronage hiring that gives all state employees a bad name.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:26 pm
He keep them around in case there was a strike?

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:26 pm
There are “staff assistants” still around? They must not have been too smart because they didn’t move to Rutan protected position.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:29 pm
I got a kick out of this paragraph:

“Later, Quinn left the Illinois Industrial Commission after lawmakers launched an investigation into whether Walker had been hiding the payroll costs of governor’s office workers on state boards and commissions to make it look like the governor’s payroll had dropped.”

Quinn did that when he was Governor and Rauner is doing it now.

Comment by interesting Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:29 pm
It says hundreds were hired, but most of them are now blending in with the real technical personnel in made up positions, or in positions that once required engineering degrees but were re-classified by Blago’s henchmen. In ten years when the technical people from pre-Blago have retired, IDOT will be lost.

Comment by Stooges Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:30 pm
Interesting timing considering the Open the Books link I provided earlier on a different thread —

“IDOT is the historic haven of Illinois political patronage. Today, August 31st, Munger cut $4.1 million of “performance bonus” checks to 1,320 IDOT employees – members of the Teamsters. That’s a handout, not a performance bonus, when one of every two eligible IDOT employees qualifies for a first time ever pay enhancement.”

Check it out and look at the “performance bonuses that some employees “earned” on top of their very competitive wages.

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:36 pm
Should have happened a long time ago. I have no sympathy for these Quinn groupies. They denied honest public servants a rewarding career, and they denied the taxpayers hardworking professionals.

Comment by Just Me Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:44 pm
I have a feeling they will sue to get their jobs back.

Comment by Mama Retired Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 3:54 pm
So do I, Mama Retire.

In any case, one does have to wonder not only why this took so long but if this will be the extent of Rauner’s anti-patronage efforts, which appear to me to be on the puny side.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:00 pm
Hmmm. ‘Staff Assistants’ to be replaced shortly by ‘Staff SuperStarts’ or ‘Staff Emporers’ job titles & bodies courtesy of Ruiner?

Comment by sal-says Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:01 pm
…and quietly Rauner will install his own cronies in those vacancies.

Comment by IllinoisBoi Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:06 pm
I guess they weren’t Superstars.

Comment by The_Equalizer Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:10 pm
And now Quinn is posing as a reformer? A redistricting reformer as well?

Comment by Formerpol Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:12 pm
I’m wondering if it is still possible for those hired into Rutan-exempt positions (political hires) to move into the permanent civil service bureaucracy instead of being treated as new applicants.

We all understand that there will be some patronage hiring, but should political hires
have special dibs on permanent civil service positions. In these days, when government jobs provide benefits and security lacking in much of the private sector, you’d think this would be more of an issue.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:14 pm
Formerpol–Quinn has been posing as a reformer for decades.
(But he did sign a tax increase, pay the pensions, and pay down the state’s bills.)

Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:18 pm
Rauner has been slow to move out Quinn appointees, but is picking up the pace. One theory is that he was making sure that those targeted to leave had no strong political connections that could hurt him.

This last set of hostages had no political value, so he removed them. Most likely he realized that their sponsors were not going to line up with him in any case.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:26 pm
Actually Keyrock, Illinois taxpayers paid down the state’s bills and paid the pensions.

Comment by Piece of Work Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:27 pm
This is the tip of the iceberg. Herb Savage, Chris Kelly’s brother in law still works at the tollway. This guy was a bartender at Morton’s when he got this highly technical job.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:30 pm
Piece of Work - then why in the heck did you stop making those payments?

Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:32 pm
I think this is just the beginning of Rauner’s next round of pink slips. No doubt he will blame the cuts on the unions.

Comment by Mama Retired Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:32 pm
–Check it out and look at the “performance bonuses that some employees “earned” on top of their very competitive wages.–

I’m sure I know how the Teamsters got raises. Hmmmm…Teamsters made a deal with Rauner. Rauner appoints Teamster leader to the ILRB. Teamsters get bonuses. Hmmmmmm is there possibly a connection?

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:34 pm
Honeybear - I knew you would connect the dots.

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:42 pm
Henry Francis, apparently MJM should have had better foresight than to have the whopping 67% increase sunset.

Comment by Piece of Work Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 4:43 pm
Any other State employees spend their day today training an “Intermittent” employee to do their job? No need to answer, just Know.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 5:00 pm
Didn’t Quinn move to fire remaining staff assistants in September of 14? And didn’t some of them sue? Is the end of that lawsuit?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 5:25 pm
I’m waiting for Rauner to excuse the individuals he put in place which bypassed the hiring process. He is a hypocrite. He bypassed the IDOT hiring monitor once he got into office. I know of two kids hired in Chicago that bypassed the process. But I’m sure that’s different.

Comment by Jc19pd2 Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 5:37 pm
What happened to the fumigation list of Blago cronies?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 6:26 pm
If he had spent the first 1.5+ years focusing on things that are feasible, perhaps we wouldn’t be in the mess we are. I don’t understand why he hasn’t looked for strategic cuts to save money. Do the doable.

Comment by burbanite Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 6:30 pm
Jc19pd2 - did you report that accusation to the inspector general?

Comment by Just Me Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 7:15 pm
Yea, Rauner got rid of some political hires, why doesn’t someone look @ DCFS and a whole new layer of management.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 7:18 pm
Can Pat Quinn stop pretending that he is a “reformer”? It will be 30 years before the state payroll is cleared of his cronies. His greatest achievement as governor was…?

Comment by Trapped in the 'burbs Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 7:56 pm
Please, the hiring of cronies in made up jobs continues. We’ve got made up positions that were never posted but filled at high salaries. And yes, I reported it to the OEIG and nothing happened

Comment by Just another lawyer Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 7:59 pm
IBHE just got a patronage hire, in a newly created position paying $66,000 a year. She works in “external relations.” Never advertised.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 8:34 pm
hundreds of them still at idot just not classified as staff assistants

Comment by foster brooks Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 8:39 pm
IDOT is the historic haven of Illinois political patronage. Today, August 31st, Munger cut $4.1 million of “performance bonus” checks to 1,320 IDOT employees – members of the Teamsters. That’s a handout, not a performance bonus, when one of every two eligible IDOT employees qualifies for a first time ever pay enhancement.” anyone who was “nice” to the boss got the top bonuses lol

Comment by foster brooks Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 8:42 pm
Why did Rauner wait so long? The report was out years ago.

Comment by anon Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 9:07 pm
I wonder how many individuals know of Rauner patronage hires. I wonder if the media and the watch dogs are willing to listen and investiage? I mean Rauner isn’t Mr. TRANSPARENT.

Comment by Jc19pd2 Thursday, Sep 1, 16 @ 9:32 pm
2 years, Rauner moves with lightening speed! /S/S

Rauner’s people brought in a whole new level of management at DCFS…

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 6:58 am
Now how about we dump all the ones the Gov has appointed since he took office?

Comment by Dog Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 8:20 am
@Dog…my I was just going to say that and let’s start with the overpaid and under producing “superstars”!

Comment by Flynn's mom Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 8:52 am
When you look at the accountability portal, you only see about a dozen jobs on the report from IDOT. There are several times that list. The list is only their CMS coded folks. Rauner signed the order in his first month. They should have fixed that by now by including all the Rutan exempt employees. Whoever does these releases should proof their own information. Guess it is just easier to point fingers at the incompencies of others.

Comment by Nearspringfield Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 9:02 am