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Question of the day - More Golden Horseshoes

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Illinois

* More for your consideration…

1) Best press spokesperson (legislative, congressional, local or statewide)

2) Best Statehouse lobbyist

3) Best non-press staffer for a constitutional officer

Remember: No negativity and no snark. And please explain all your votes. The explanations are worth infinitely more than raw totals. Thanks much.

Winners so far were posted Friday.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 10:56 am

Comments

Pressperson Abby Ottenhoff
Lobbyist Vince Williams
Non press Robin Kelly

Comment by anon2 Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 10:58 am
Got to be Dave Blanchette from CMS - spokes person for IHPA and others. The guy is ALWAYS working, well spoken and never lies.

Comment by lincolnlover Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:04 am
Best press spokesperson hands down Abby Ottenhoff

Comment by J boogy Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:18 am
Abby no longer works as a spokesperson.

Also, no explanation means your votes don’t really count anyway.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:19 am
Best Spokesperson: Abby Ottenhoff. Always the most patient, dedicated, kind, and courteous professional in the field. She handled a nearly impossibly taxing position with ease and grace. She never had an enemy and never held a grudge for as long as she worked in state government.

Comment by Wonderboy Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:20 am
D’oh, sorry Rich, maybe consideration for a posthumous Golden Horsehow?

Comment by Wonderboy Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:20 am
Best staffer: Kevin Schoeben from Hynes office. He is very accesible and helpful. Best press is Steve Brown - great commentary and entertaining. Best lobbyists are Bill Filan (Dem) and Dave Sullivan (GOP). Both are insightful, friendly and intelligent.

Comment by Springfield Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:25 am
Best statehouse lobbyist
Mark Strawn

Comment by downstate hack Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:26 am
Steve Brown gets my vote. He is honest, doesn’t take any BS and knows where the bodies are buried.

The best lobbyist is Mike McClain. He can get a deal done when others have already given up.

Best Staffer. The guy has more on his plate them a fat man at an all you can eat buffet, but Tim Mapes makes it all seem like it worke effortlessly. He has protected Madigan’s flank for over 25 years and deserves two thumbs up.

Comment by It's Me Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:29 am
Steve Brown — always has an outrageously funny comment, is always completely in tune with his boss’s message, and is never caught off guard.

Mike McClain — The guy just gets the job done and he’s one hell of a good man.

Louis Mossos — AG’s office. Great lawyer, great person.

Comment by Absentee Ballot Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:31 am
Best spokesperson: Patty Schuh. Anyone that can serve as Pate’s flack, should win on that alone. But she has served Frank Watson and the SGOP well and is always available for a good line.

Best lobbyist: Tom Cullen, because it’s his birthday and he works the staff, a valuable asset for any contract lobbyist.

Best staffer (constitutional): Linda Piccioli. She has never turned me down on a request to see the Secretary on short notice.

Comment by I'm Certain Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:37 am
Spokesperson brown. The man is a master without a great deal of effort.
Lobbyist - GOP dave sullivan. DEM tom cullen. Both well experienced and have invaluable relationships around statehouse.
Staffer - colleen daly because she is too darned cute

Comment by Youbetcha Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:37 am
Kelley Quinn - Anyone who jumped on to the governor’s staff at this point deserves credit. Kelley did it with her eyes open to the size of the task and has done good work under tough circumstances. You could say the same thing for others as well, but I’m going with KQ.

Neil Flynn is an honest, hardworking guy who looks out for his clients’ interests without creating enemies.

Colleen Daley stands out in a very competitive field of staffers. Colleen puts in a lot of time and lets her boss get the credit. Quintessential staffer now, destined for bigger things later.

Comment by Kewanee Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:41 am
Rich,

I would also hope you will have categories for msm journalist and blogger.

Comment by shore Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:42 am
Spokesperson: Have to say Brown. He’s the only effective one left who knows how this place really works, drops hooks strategically and digs up corpses when necessary.
Lobster: Cullen. He knows what needs to happen to make his clients successful, plus he multi-tasks better than most (politics, government and pop-culture). Besides, he’s honest.
Staffer: John Lowder. House Dem staff. Always shows up, treats his staff like gold and knows when to cut bait on an issue.

Comment by Ms Port Belly Mushroom Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:50 am
Spokespersonage: I wanted to pick Hendon because he did so much to ensure Cullerton’s win, but I must go with Dring — snappy dresser and knows when to pull the rip cord.
Lobbyist: John McCabe edges Cullen and McClain.
Staffer: Mapes maybe, but I think Ann Spillane does a lot to keep the Attorney General on top.

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 11:55 am
Spokesperson - Christina Angarola (Sen. Durbin)
Helpful, patient, very dedicated to the the job.

Comment by Apple Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:24 pm
Spokeperson: Brown he can shove it down our throats with a soft smile.
Lobbyist: Any of the Mayor’s state house lobbyists (Daley always gets want he wants.
Staffer: Schoeben (Hynes’ office) can find you a voucher and get you paid no matter how broke the state is..

Comment by Just sayin Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:41 pm
A little background for my nominations: Last winter, the Peoria Public TV station (WTVP) had issues with it’s bond guarantor(the notorious Bank of America). With the consent of the station, I called around looking help and found it! With help from area legislators and others (see below) the station was able to settle with BoA.

Spokesman: Steve Brown he went to bat for WTVP and he played a big part in the development and construction of the community center in Washington, IL. All this work is outside his job description, but I think it is a very good indicator of the kind of person Steve is.

Staffer: Colleen Daley (Treasurer’s office) She brought BoA and WTVP back to the table and played a key role in saving the station. I was not privy to the details of what happened, but, had it not been for her assistance, the station might well have gone off the air.

I suspect that Steve and Colleen do this kind of thing on a regular basis, behind the scenes, with little recognition.

Comment by Mike Phillips Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:48 pm
The best by far for the State Lobbyist is Bobby Myers from the ABDI. You could not find anyone to be as courteous, friendly and as funny as Bobby. He is always there to help lend a hand.

Comment by Silver Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:50 pm
Bob Myers with the Associated Beer Distributors. He is hardworking, extremely competent at his job and always pleasant to be around. He is very thoughtful to staff, legislators and other lobbyists. I think it would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t know and like him.

Comment by Tonto Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:54 pm
Press: Steve Brown is a pro who ably defends and explains the Speaker’s every move.
Lobbyist: Al Ronan knows the process as well as anyone and can make things happen in the G.A.
Non-press staffer: Sean Vinck of the Lt Gov’s office stays in touch with legislators and works closely with them.

Comment by cicero Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 12:58 pm
Steve Brown - he’s great at his job, and knows the role of the legislators better than many of them do themselves.

Colleen Daley - not only does she do a superb job for Alexi, but she ran my office, and put up with me, for years. If that doesn’t get her the award, it should at least get her a medal

Comment by Rep. John Fritchey Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:02 pm
The best lobbyist is Len Lieberman. He works with both sides of aisle to pass legislation while not ruffling feathers. He does his job with a smile and concern for the micro and the macro.

Comment by Lazy intern Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:02 pm
Dring just for things like this.
“The current Democratic leadership even thinking of spending taxpayer money at this point in time to buy the stadium of a team that hasn’t won the World Series in 100 years could only be topped in ridiculousness if Britney Spears purchased Enron,” said David Dring, spokesman for House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego.

Comment by Montgomery Mike Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:10 pm
Steve Brown - has been a consistent, behind-the-scenes resource for legislators and staff, and does way than he gets credit for.

Non-press const. staffer would have be to Kevin Schoeben in Hynes’ office. It’s an impossible position to pay providers when the state is broke, and Kevin gets plenty of “special requests” to push things through from legislators and others. He manages to get it done, and if he can’t or it’s outside his wheelhouse, is honest about it up front and will point you in the right direction. Much appreciated, Kevin.

Comment by former staffer Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:17 pm
Steve Brown is always creative and fun. I agree that Tom Cullen (Dem) and Dave Sullivan (GOP) are the best lobbyists…both are smart, experienced and represent their clients well.

Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:26 pm
Lobbyist - Tom Suffredin, he is a hard worker who looks out for the best interest of his clients. When many of the lobbyists have called it quits for the day he is still plugging away.

Comment by Are you kidding me? Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 1:53 pm
I have somewhat limited contact with the folks down in Springfield, so I’m at a loss for the lobbying category.

However, I do have much contact with Tom Cross spokesman David Dring. He’s honest, he gets back to me very quickly and most of the time I can reach him on his cell phone. If I need a comment from Tom he can usually get him to me quickly. He also has great taste in music, which helps.

Comment by Tony Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 2:22 pm
==. He also has great taste in music, which helps. ===

And he resigned. He’s now a lobbyist. Not sure which category he should be in, so I suppose since he served almost the entire year as a flak he should be judged as one.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 2:27 pm
For press person, of course it would have to be Patty Schuh. She proved it when she beat the rest of them (and Rich) in the harness race at the fair this summer.

For best staffer Colleen Daley has to get the nod, if for nothing else she is always there. She is always at committees, around the rail and working after hours. She also knows what is happening with bills covering many diverse issues.

For lobbyist I am taking a pass since Feller doesn’t come to Springfield anymore.

Comment by Been There Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 2:45 pm
Dring because anita forte scott was endorsed by numerous papers, and I don’t think it was because the Trib liked Anita’s anti-tax platform.

Comment by oswego otto Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 2:48 pm
I’m not that much in the loop down there, but Steve Brown was always tops with me when I was a reporter. Smart, helpful and funny.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 3:56 pm
I would like to see some of the fabulous female lobbyists get mentioned. Many of them work with the more touchy feely social causes and get much accomplished on a greatly reduced budget. Great lobbyists include Loretta Durbin, Alice Phillips, Sue Clark, and Michelle Gentry-Wiseman. If I had to pick, I would put Loretta at the top. She knows everyone, but doesn’t overplay her hand. Her work encouraging other women to succeed and her passion for her issues makes her a great leader and a successful lobbyist.

Comment by anon female Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:01 pm
Since I did not see anything explicitly stating that one may not nominate oneself for a Golden Horseshoe, I figured that I would take this opportunity to do a little pro se lobbying(Not pro bono, mind ye. Loophole finding and prompt billing are both important lobbyist skills).

In reviewing the list of other nominees, I have noticed a pattern. These men (seriously? all guys? really? in 2008?) all possess experience, knowledge of the legislative process, good teeth and hair, nice suits, impeccable reading and writing ability, the respect of their peers and good interpersonal skills.

I have none of these things.

It’s still a 50/50 proposition that I will even find the capitol building on any given session day (is it off second or third? oh wait monroe is one way the wrong way, darn,screw it, i tried, i’m just going home i’m tired anyway.) And if I do manage to find it, I’ll probably get lost once I’m there (mezzanine? how come i can’t get there from here? screw it. i’m going to the rathskellar for chicken fingers.)

I thank a previous commenter for pointing out that I am often at the capitol very late, but I feel that I must point out that this is mostly a result of my inability to remember that the east entrance is closed in the evenings and I get disoriented by the other doors (Stratton and Howlett Buildings look the same to me, i have no sense of direction, and may possibly be colorblind as well).

Plus who could forget my stirring “Record of appearance only. No position on the merits.” committee testimony? People wept.

Moreover many of the other nominees have won awards in the past. Me? Not so much. Rich, you know that this thing will go on my desk or wall or whatever proudly. Can the others say the same? I think not.

This screed is likely riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. I am also functionally illiterate. I may not have mentioned this.

Comment by Tom Suffredin Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:08 pm
I am going to agree with “anon female” and change my vote to Loretta. She’s no Feller, which is good for her, but we can give her a lot of the credit for being able to walk out of a bar or restaurant without smelling of smoke. She’s works it hard at a grassroots level and knows her issues.

Comment by Been There Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:10 pm
anon female,

i started typing before you posted and then you ruined my premise. dang.

Comment by Tom Suffredin Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:12 pm
been there,

i’m the most fellerian choice!!!!

Comment by Tom Suffredin Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:13 pm
Best Spokesperson: David Dring. He not only deserves a Golden Horseshoe, but a
Capitol Fax/Golden Horsehoe Lifetime Achievement award for sticking with a job that made him the voice of a caucus that faced dwindling numbers and limited (at best) power during the last 6 years.

Comment by So ILL Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:46 pm
Best lobbyist - should be the team of Dave Vite and Rob Karr. They have prospered in both the House and Senate despite endorsing Blagojevich for Governor - twice! They are as good as anyone working either behind the scenes or front and center. And finally, their annual reception hosted with the IMA is the BEST party in town now.

Comment by 4% Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 4:52 pm
Tom Suffredin should get the award for best lobbyist if for no other reason than making me fall out of my chair laughing. We need lobbyist that are not only good, but funny too!

Comment by Suffredin should get this... Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 5:01 pm
3) Ann Spillane. She didn’t grow up in the Springfield beltway but has come in and done a great, understated job for AG. A real gem.

Comment by Chicago or bust Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 5:06 pm
1) Best press spokesperson (legislative, congressional, local or statewide)

Let me give a vote for Sally Daly. Did a great job for former Sheriff Sheahan and for Anita Alvarez in her campaign.

‘Course, she did have Tony Peraica to kick around, but she shouldn’t have points distracted for taking advantage of all the “low hanging fruit” Tony threw her way.

Comment by Three Doors Over Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 5:18 pm
I think Dring is a great spokesperson and has the most creative attire. If we are ranking lobbyists by the party they throw, then Dave Sullivan and the rest of the Sullivan Caucus would win hands down. Their party is a blast every year!!

Comment by GOP Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 8:34 pm
Sufferdin, because he was the only one willing to lobby for himself. Clearly the top lobbyist.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 9:28 pm
(1) Brown is the obvious choice for best spokesperson. No one has done the job longer or better. A great second choice is definitely Dring.

(2) I have to agree the Vite/Karr team is the best for in-house lobbyists. Mike McClain would be the best when it comes to clients. No one knows there way around the process like he does, and there isn’t a nicer guy.

(3) Colleen Daly knows how to get things done and make her boss (who really isn’t the brightest) look like a genius. That’s all her. Oh, and she put up with Fritchey, so she definitely deserves to win. Also need to give credit to Deborah Haggen from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection staff.

Comment by my picks Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 9:59 pm
1) Steve Brown is in a class of one. He is always on message, on the same page-para-sentence-line with Mr. Speaker, and makes it look easy most of the time.
2) Nick Yelverton from the IFT. Always ready with answers on easy or complicated stuff, understands the staff/agency concerns, and has been known to pick up a bar tab on occasion. AA hopes he sticks around a long time.
3) Several good choices from other posters, but I have to go with Mapes. Master of multitasking, great staying power, and a cool public face. AA would have punched Harris’ lights out if the weasels had canned my spouse.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Dec 8, 08 @ 10:14 pm
A late vote…

2) Tom Suffredin, hands down. Represents his clients to a T while still being, unapologetically, himself.

If given ample time, I would be the creator of the “Tom Suffredin for Best Statehouse Lobbyist” facebook page. He’ll carry the Golden Horseshoe with pride.

Comment by "Ted" Theodore Logan Tuesday, Dec 9, 08 @ 3:15 am
Lobbyist-Jim Reed at IEA. He is one of the hardest workers in the capitol and has great integrity. Watch him. He is going places.
Spokesman-Dave Blanchette has to be the one. He is the only one who speaks honestly and forthrightly and can still go to sleep at night.
Staffer-Alexis Sturm Comptroller. She knows her stuff better than anyone around. She is a valuable staffer no matter what the position. Her recent promotion is well deserved.

Comment by From the forgotten part of the state Tuesday, Dec 9, 08 @ 12:43 pm