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* The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist goes to John Amdor…
The dude is the face and voice for active transportation issues. And look at the list of other clients: AARP, Elevate Energy, Justice Project, Prison Action Fund, John Howard Association, Shriver, United way. Not a session day goes by that you don’t see him working it at the Capitol.
Amdor is, indeed, an Illinois treasure. I just love the guy. John also has one of the coolest houses that you have ever seen.
* The 2024 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison goes to Wendy Butler…
Wendy Butler is retiring this year and she gets my vote for best liaison. Wendy has served through changes in administrations and avoids being dragged into political fights. She advocates for her agency’s position — a task that is not easy, as those who understand the vast policy areas in CMS know. Procurement and personnel are not for the faint of heart. She’s taught many lawmakers and stakeholders (including me) how to actually get votes for their bills. She will hold you to your word and expect the same in return. She’s a resource to all other liaisons and the state is better for her years of service. Thank you Wendy!
Congratulations!
* On to today’s categories…
Best Statewide Staffer
Please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also please nominate in both categories. Thanks!
* We’re shutting down on Friday for the winter break. You’ll still be able to help buy Christmas presents for foster kids after then, but we won’t be around to bug you several times a day. So, please, please click here and donate whatever you can to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois brighten a child’s life.
Think of the awful chaos in these kids’ lives and the joy a simple gift could bring to their hearts. We’re not trying to solve big problems with this annual fundraiser, we’re simply hoping to alleviate some heartache. Again, please click here. Thank you.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 7:58 am
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Biased, but I’ll put up Heidi Mueller for director.
Within the agency, it’s a night/day shift from her predecessor.
Comment by The Dude Abides Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 8:16 am
Best Agency Director: Kristin Richards hands down. Illinois’ ultimate problem solver. Best Statewide Staffer: Emily Miller. She has one of the toughest jobs in the state and does it well.
Comment by Adams Street Stan Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 8:32 am
State Agency Director: Jerry Costello is quietly doing an amazing job. State Fair gets better and better each year. Illinois farmers continue feeding the world. His leadership, along with Pritzker’s, will be key going forward if the president-elect goes through with tariffs and trade wars.
Statewide Staffer: Nadine O’Leary is doing yeoman’s work at the Department of Vital Records. While the work is never glamorous, she and her crew continue to produce, and they unfortunately have to do it while receiving multiple threats from the public. In an era of name changes, gender changes and all kinds of other changes, Nadine and her team are courteous, professional and timely.
Comment by Provax Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 8:56 am
Agency Director: Heidi Mueller. During her confirmation hearing, legislators offered her support and encouraged her to request the resources she needed to make her agency as effective as possible. She showed her willingness to go get the best staff possible when she brought Vivian Anderson onboard as her legislative director. I look forward to their partnership in 2025.
Statewide staffer: Nadine O’Leary exudes professionalism and understanding of the importance of her role. She and her team interact with countless governmental entities, and they ensure that each case is handled with care, understanding and completed as quickly as possible. She is the kind of unsung hero that deserves recognition for the (at times) thankless task she is tasked with.
Comment by Reformed Blonde Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 9:25 am
Agency Director: Kristin Richards. As professional and effective as you will ever get. She leads by example. Look at all of the new businesses that have came to the state in the last year alone - that is due to the work of Richards and her staff.
Statewide Staff - Andy Manar - this guy delivers. Not only does he oversee a huge chunk of state agencies, including the business development side (see above good work); but he also helps lead all the negotiations on the State Budget. Manar continues to excel in everything he touches and his work on behalf of Governor Pritzker makes him shine only more.
Comment by Yes.Yes.Yes. Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 9:57 am
Best Agency Head - Kristin Richards. She works around the clock at an agency that gets more and more responsibility every year and runs a tight ship. The state’s economic development wins don’t come without strong support from DCEO and Director Richards is among the best of the best.
Best Statewide Staffer - Hands down, Anne Caprara. For more than six years, she’s guided one of the most successful administrations in recent memory. There’s always more work to do in state government and we’re lucky that she chooses to stick around and see to it. The immense progress IL has made over JB’s term is thanks to the powerful women he surrounds himself with and they deserve to get share in some of that credit. She oversees a large diverse team that has weathered the ups and downs from raising the minimum wage, legalizing cannabis and passing an infrastructure plan to COVID and balancing budgets that garner credit upgrades. These things don’t happen because of luck, they happen because there’s a leader making sure her incredibly talented team delivers for the people of IL every single day.
Comment by ready for the end Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 10:09 am
State Agency Director: Kristin Richards, there’s a reason why Senate President Cullerton had Director Richards as his chief of staff and why JB has given her some of the most important agency’s. Its been often said on this blog about the damaged reputation Illinois has with the business community. Despite that we have seen multiple items of good news such as Gotion, Rivian, the U of I Biolabs, Quantum campus, and multiple business expansions. Many people deserve credit for these but if your in charge of the economic development agency then you are involved with the economic development. Being able to help develop business after the Rauner years & COVID should say all you need about Director Richards ability.
Staffer: Natalie Pine, The Governor’s Office of Executive Appointments. Natalie got her start as a Dunn for Rauner’s last year. The fact that the incoming JB administration hired her on should say a lot about her ability. But if that’s not enough lets think back to the first year of JB’s first term where we had an avalanche of requests for board appointments. I remember a lot of grumbling on this blog about the backlog back then. Well Natalie & her boss Lee Lobue deserve a lot of the credit for greatly reducing that backlog and keeping it down for six years. Why I’m picking Natalie specifically though is for two reasons. 1) She has the hidden but important duty of “herding the cats” that is getting the board appointments to submit their paperwork by their deadlines so they are actually appointed. Think about all the boards we have (over 400), the number of gov appointees on those boards, the appointees being of every age/background who live everywhere in this state, while meeting the deadlines many boards have for appointments. That requires a lot of administrative & multitasking skill. 2) Executive Appointments is often in the background due to its role. It would be easy to coast but Natalie has always been pushing to improve the process. Projects like working with others to improve the appointments website is beneficial to everyone even of its not apparent to most. State Boards are a way for the public to be involved in the process. Anyone who makes it more accessible to others should be applauded.
Comment by Nomination Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 10:28 am
I wasn’t going to comment, but after seeing all the votes for Kristin Richards, I have to agree,
Kristin has been around a long time and has succeeded at every position she has been given. It is so refreshing to see such a strong female leader absolutely crushing it. When she testifies in committee, it is so enjoyable to watch because she knows her stuff and has such composure and confidence. My vote is for Kristin.
On the flip side of that for best statewide staffer, it has to be Bria Scudder. She keeps a lower profile, but she has to be the hardest-working staffer for the Governor. Again, another confident female leader–the Governor knows how to pick the best, you have to hand that to him. Bria deals with a myriad of complicated issues and she truly cares about her work. She is the kind of person you want working for the people of Illinois.
Comment by Rabbit Hole Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:14 am
Agency director: Adding in my $0.02 for Heidi Mueller. I don’t think there are many more challenging jobs in state government. It might well be an impossible job to succeed in, but if anyone can, it’s someone with the intellect, temperament, and heart of Director Mueller.
Staffer: Gotta go with Rob Baren in LG Stratton’s office. He’s a guy you can go to with any question or concern and get it addressed in a jiffy and with a smile. Beyond that, he’s just a kind person with a wealth of institutional knowledge and stories.
Comment by The Opinions Bureau Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:21 am
Agency Director– I’m going to have to agree with the masses here. Krisitin Richards is a force who understands government in and out. You need someone like her running an agency where complicated deals with the private sector rely on someone who can bridge the gap between the antiquated and complicated state government systems and large corporations. Kristin is the best at what she does, and it shows in all the successes the state has racked up.
Statewide staffer– I’m going to have to second another nomination. Anne Caprara works day in and day out to ensure the Governor’s agenda is not only carried out but that the government is running to the best of its abilities. That means every day, something is on fire and needs to be put out while another entrenched problem needs to be fixed, and the statute doesn’t actually let you solve the problem effectively. Working inside government makes you smarter and more efficient, and over her time there, Gov. Pritzker has not only become a great leader, but we’ve made a lot of progress in the right direction. The Gov gets the credit, but people behind the scenes are the ones who make it all happen day in and day out. She’s running a great team that puts their heads down and does the work. There aren’t a lot of people in her position that point to the record she has.
Comment by Do what I'm told Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:28 am
Agency Director - this is a hard one but my hat goes off to Jerry Costello. Ag’s umbrella covers a lot of issues, but he’s always willing to talk and hear people out. He checks his ego at the door and operates a lean agency the best that he can. He has some of the best staffers out there, and that’s a testament to his leadership. People want to work for him and stay working for him. He was made for this position, almost right out of central casting.
Statewide Staffer - Aaron Stein at IDOT. He jumped over from DCEO to IDOT recently and what a change of pace it’s been. He’s responsive, thoughtful and engaging. He’ll answer your calls, return texts and ask how your family is doing. He has the right approach to government and believes everyone deserves to be heard. I can’t say enough about how much he has helped IDOT turn things around. He was a rockstar at DCEO and he continues that effort now. He’ll reach top dog status before we know it.
Comment by Daisy Dukes Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:31 am
Agency Director: Heidi Mueller, quite frankly for being willing to take on the toughest challenge in state government for all the right reasons. She understands the interconnectedness of our child welfare and juvenile justice systems and knows real change requires a holistic approach.
Statewide Staffer: Dave Clarkin. The guy is absolutely obsessed with the mission of getting people’s unclaimed property back to them and has turned that process into a constituent service engine. Helping legislators find people who are sometimes owed life changing amounts of money and property is a pretty cool thing.
Comment by NotMe Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:41 am
Agency Director - Omer Osmond at IDOT. He has decades at IDOT and was instrumental in many key accomplishments and achievements over the year. He has been a team player and made the wheels turn. He deserves this final honor before he retires!
Statewide Staffer - Anne Caprara at the Gov office. Genuinely curious how many bodies she’s buried, especially the ones that we don’t know about. She’s loyal to her boss and always steered him in the right direction, and it’s clear she is his guiding light.
Comment by Sharon Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 11:49 am
I nominate two of the most competent and impressive people in state government that often get overlooked - Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly and Office of the Governor Chief Counsel Ann Spillane.
Director Kelly has transformed what was once a flailing agency into a top notch law enforcement agency. Under his leadership, ISP has modernized and expanded their investigatory capabilities. They’ve cleaned up backlogs related to evidence and FOID cards. Kelly personally works closely with the legislature and Office of the Governor to help craft smart legislation and policies that advance Illinois and help make the people safer.
Ann Spillane has been around state government for more than 20 years and has unparalleled knowledge and experience. Her no nonsense approach to government ensures that things actually get done. She’s the best.
Comment by underdogs Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:05 pm
== Genuinely curious how many bodies she’s buried, especially the ones that we don’t know about. ==
Im baffled how or why this is a positive
Comment by fascinating Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:07 pm
I’ve been thinking about this a lot today. There are some good nominees listed above, but I want to highlight someone whose agency has overseen an explosion in growth and activity, and has managed it almost flawlessly. Specifically, I am nominating Marcus Fruchter of the Illinois Gaming Board.
Since 2019 when he was appointed, we’ve seen a seismic shift in legalized gaming in this state. And this being Illinois, cynics might expect some hinky deals or other under the table stuff as par for the course. Yet while on-line gaming, new casinos and video terminals continue to expand, and Illinois continues to reap the benefits of all of this revenue, there hasn’t been a hint of scandal in the agency. Fruchter is a straight arrow, running a clean shop, under tremendous pressure and dealing with some less than honest industry partners. I find it amazing he’s lasted so long, but that’s a credit to him and his team.
For statewide staffer, I nominate Martin Torres. As deputy governor overseeing education, his outreach to various constituencies is nothing less than amazing. He is always available, and his word is golden. He represents the governor well in a variety of areas and has a deep knowledge of the one of the state’s most important sectors. He knows the players, they know him, he’s on everyone’s speed dial and he always answers. He doesn’t always say yes, but he always takes the call. He’s been tremendously helpful in the higher ed space particularly. Yes, it helps that the Governor and General Assembly have provided more resources to education, and that is always welcome, but Martin has done a good job of ensuring that those dollars make an impact. And he doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, so he’ll probably hate this nomination.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:11 pm
Omer Osman - Talk about a director for everyone. Omer is everywhere, I have already seen him at 3 industry group events this month. R or D didn’t matter to him, region of the state didn’t matter to him. He was always willing to listen and work with everyone. Maybe the most available director of all time, and he followed through. His leadership and personality will be missed, his legacy will be ongoing.
Scott Burnham - The boss will always get all the credit but talk about an office transformation that Scott has implemented. Its truly a new day at SoS and Alexi is positioned to tell success stories for whatever office he wants to go for next.
Comment by Not Again Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:40 pm
Re: fascinating — the fact that you don’t know says enough
== Genuinely curious how many bodies she’s buried, especially the ones that we don’t know about. ==
Im baffled how or why this is a positive
Comment by Sharon Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:43 pm
Director - Lizzy Whitehorn: She came into her new role hitting the ground running. The healthcare space, and Medicaid alone, is a behemoth of a policy area to wrap your hands around. In the short time she’s been at HFS, she’s done exactly that, tackling major issues in the space. She’s sharp, compassionate, and cares about the work. That’s an example of a public servant if I’ve ever seen one. And honorable shoutout to all the amazing staff in the agency who managed the Medicaid program, especially the new chief Dana Kelly. They truly care about what they do.
Statewide staffer - tied between Kaitlyn Edicola and Matt Rigali: Both of them are phenomenal to work with and have done tremendous work in the space they’re in. Managing the healthcare portfolio is no easy task. They are both incredibly professional and easy to talk to. Worth your time getting to know them if you don’t already.
Comment by Lincoln Log Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:55 pm
Kristen is good, but Natalie Phelps Finney is the best on all counts at IDNR.
Likewise we all like Anne & Andy, but Mary Morrissey at ISP has helped moved them way ahead.
Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 12:58 pm
Kristin Richards - Kristin has dedicated her career to public service. From her days of a Dunn Fellow, Senate Staff, Budget Director, Chief of Staff, fixing IDES’s issues during COVID and now what I would call her crowning jewel - the work she has done on behalf of DCEO. She has brought businesses, new federal dollars, programs, tax credits and grants to build the Illinois economy. She is top rate and truly the Pritzker administration is lucky to have her.
Top statewide staffer should go to the Gov’s top staffer- Anne Caprara. Anne’s ability to bring together the best people in State Government is unmatched. Look at her lineup of talent in the Gov’s Office. Anne’s strategic advice around policy, communications, legislation and yes politics has been the guiding light for the Governor’s Office for the past six years. Speech Writing - Check (See Pritzker’s Northwestern Commencement Address), Public Speaking - Check (Her panel discussion post election at the City Club was heartfelt and inspiring) and Tenacity - Check (Pritzker has publicly given Caprara credit for organizing and going after the DNC in Chicago). If you dont know - Anne - you should - she is one of the most inspiring people you will ever meet.
Comment by femininomenon Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 1:19 pm
Agency head should go to Kristin for all the reasons already listed. It also should be mentioned that the General Assembly regularly comes up with new programs that they house at DCEO. Anyone who has worked in state government knows how hard it is to stand up an entirely new program and get funds moving while also checking all the boxes and rules. DCEO has executed that very well and when it doesn’t work they work with lawmakers to ensure they have the ability to get it right. All of that is thanks to their leadership at the top. Kristin is among the best of the best.
Best statewide staffer has to be Anne Caprara. At a time when chiefs of staff in other levels of government are in the news or standing at podiums with their bosses it’s a stark reminder that we have quiet competence in state government. She’s leading one fo the most successful admins in a long time and she does it without bad decisions being highlighted in the press every other week. And I can attest to the fact that she’d never try a peace circle for harassment. That alone should win her this award.
Comment by Here again for this Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 1:29 pm
For Agency Director, Kristen Richards. She is an amazing leader, has built up, and turned around DCEO in several key ways. Unprecedented economic development results, development of smart incentives and has built an uber team that has resulted in billions of dollars in new investment in Illinois and over 400 companies relocating or expanding in Illinois.
Comment by John Atkinson Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 1:54 pm
Kristin Richards has been a star since her time with Senate Dems. She excels at getting the job done well.
And Matt Rigali handles difficult issues and situations like a pro. He should be cloned.
Comment by JB Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 2:09 pm
Agency director - Kristin Richards all the way! She has built an incredible team and has transformed the way her agency works, which has had a really transformational impact on the economic development successes in the state. And she’s just a straight up good person and leader who never makes it about herself.
Statewide Stafford – I mean, there’s no competition: Anne Caprara. I don’t think there’s ever been someone in a leadership position like her who’s had such a wide reaching impact on state government and the ecosystem that surrounds it. And there will probably never be another like her.
Comment by Shytown Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 3:10 pm
Agency Director: hands down, Kristin Richards at DCEO. To put it simply: she is a pro. She is a veteran of state government and masterfully led IDES through a difficult time. Now she is leading DCEO with a steady and strong leadership we haven’t seen in a long time.
Statewide staffer: it’s gotta be Anne Capapra, the Governor’s Chief of Staff. Anne is a fiercely passionate leader who is the real deal. She has been with the Governor since day 1 and is the brains behind the entire operation.
Comment by Illinois lifer Wednesday, Dec 18, 24 @ 3:20 pm