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* One of Gov. Quinn’s problems is that he likes to appoint friends to important posts instead of searching around for the best possible person. He did that with his completely inexperienced State Police director, among other positions.
At first, I thought Quinn’s appointment of his longtime friend and former personal physician Dr. Quentin Young to chair the horribly corrupt Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board wasn’t a bad move at all, despite the obviously disturbing trend about putting buddies into important slots. Young is widely respected and may have done a good job over there.
But another big problem with Quinn is that he’s not yet ready for prime time, partly because he often doesn’t do all his homework. Which leads us to this story, which combines both problems into one…
Dr. Quentin Young has withdrawn from consideration as chairman of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, citing a potential conflict of interest.
Young, a former top official at Cook County Hospital and longtime advocate of health-care reform, “voluntarily withdrew his appointment upon discovering that his former medical group practice had partial ownership in a property that leases space to a health-care provider,” a spokesman for Gov. Quinn said.
Unreal.
* Quinn roundup…
* Mental health providers fear cuts
* State projects, ‘green’ future touted at energy summit
* State police director withholds records on Stratton arrest
* State to use stimulus money to offset spending
* Federal stimulus money: Illinois schools to get $1.4 billion to avert teacher layoffs and improve system
* State snares federal funds for ed, jobless benefits
* State gets $100 million more for jobless benefits
* Illinois Insuring Unemployment Benefits
* Stimulus money paying for Chicago subway repairs
* CTA Blue Line to get $88 million overhaul
* Stimulus money paying for Chicago subway repairs
* State issues $12 million in loans for fire trucks
* Ceremony at Dana-Thomas House to mark historic sites’ reopening
* Governor will attend Freedom Wall re-dedication
* Quinn paid $32,504 in state, federal taxes
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 10:49 am
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I know I am maybe setting the bar too low. But the reason that Quinn has such high approval ratings is because our last governor would have appointed someone who had the conflict of interest and wouldn’t have cared.
I have interviewed Quinton Young, and he seems like a very sincere person who wants the best for Illinois. In a way, the fact that Dr. Young is stepping aside so willingly makes me think he wasn’t a bad choice for the job.
Comment by Speaking at Will Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 10:55 am
Who is worse at appointing people to top positions, Governor Quinn or President Obama? A possible QTD?
Comment by ChiCountryGuy Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 10:57 am
Just goes to show you that inexperienced Chief elected officials don’t quite understand the importance of thoroughly checking the backgrounds of potential appointees before announcing them. Obama and Quinn have both screwed up royally in this regard. You have to woodshed these people first.
Comment by One of the 35 Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 10:58 am
Oh come on. Even inexperienced elected officials know the importance of checking out appointees. I think the Obama problems and perhaps the Quinn problems relate more to how convoluted the laws have become and how challenging it is for people to be subjected to a fine tooth comb. The tax problems that the Obama nominees have had have been pretty darn obscure and I know the tax code pretty well. The law that tripped up Dr. Young appears to be quite a reach, too - “former medical group practice had partial ownership in a property that leases space to a health-care provider”.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:09 am
Just as important, Quinn doesn’t seem to be looking too hard at existing, inherited Blago appointees in state government, including agency heads, their senior staff, and executive staff in the governor’s office. The vast majority of them appear to be still there, doing what they’ve always done. None of them resigned under Blago, obviously.
Quinn could be clueless or lazy but he could also be afraid to annoy powerful Democrats and their campaign contributors. Everybody in those jobs likely has a powerful Democratic sponsor after all.
Plus ca change…
Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:12 am
Is anyone else bothered by the fact that one time money (the stimulus) is going to be used to pay recurring operating expenses like salaries and raises? I know it is intended to prevent layoffs but what happens next year when the money isn’t there?
Comment by Retired Non Union Guy Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:13 am
This is pretty simple. A member of the planning board can’t have ANY financial interest in a business over which the board has jurisdiction. Poor vetting in the face of Quinn’s desire to change policy through more government intervention.
What the media ignored in covering Dr. Young’s appointment was that his new position would allow him to implement his long-held very liberal, socialized medicine agenda through the planning board’s authroity to control all major health care projects in the state.
Dr. Young is a good man and an impassioned advocate for what is simply a bad idea. The planning board is a troubled agency, but it won’t be fixed by making it the blunt instrument with which to impose radical changes in the health care system.
Comment by Abe Froman Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:18 am
…the horribly corrupt Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board
Not only is this ridiculous board obsolete, drives up health care costs by eliminating market controls, encourages monopolies in state communities, and should have never been created - it is horribly corrupt.
Quinn wants to demonstrate some progressive and reform-minded abilities? Kill this board and spend the money it wastes on real health care costs!
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:21 am
Is anyone else bothered by the fact that one time money (the stimulus) is going to be used to pay recurring operating expenses like salaries and raises?
Reminds me of Duane Thomas’ quote. “If the Super Bowl is the ultimate game, why do they play it every year?” Maybe this “ultimate” stimulus will be a recurring theme.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:40 am
Another screwup by Blago Lite. What a surprise.
And if Filan thinks he’s going to save himself by putting out a presser on fire truck loans, he’s kidding himself. First of all, locals want free fire trucks, not ones with a fat payment book. This is the same Mr. Public Safety who kept bricking the money for new State Police cars because “they just go out and tear them up.” Oh well, maybe the new State Police chief will get that all turned around.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 11:40 am
Have to agree with ChiCountryGuy- where was the vetting proces in either Quinn or Obama’s choices that didn’t stand up to public scrutiny or the rule of law?
And with Vanilla Man on the Health Facilities Planning Board, “Not only is this ridiculous board obsolete, drives up health care costs by eliminating market controls, encourages monopolies in state communities, and should have never been created - it is horribly corrupt.”
Quinn wants to demonstrate some progressive and reform-minded abilities? Kill this board and spend the money it wastes on real health care costs!
Well said. I can only hope someone will listen!!!
Comment by Just a Citizen Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 12:21 pm
–“voluntarily withdrew his appointment upon discovering that his former medical group practice had partial ownership in a property that leases space to a health-care provider.”–
I guess I’m missing it. Is that really a conflict? Not much of one.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 2:56 pm
Putting Chris Kelly in charge of the state’s gambling policies when he is a degenerate gambler, indebted to the mob and about to be sued by a Vegas casino for bad debts-now that is a conflict of interest.
Appointing a well regarded and trusted 85 year old doctor without any blemishes on his record to a health planning board even though he did business with a health care provider could be in the best interest of the people of Illinois. Unless there is more to it-this doesn’t seem like a huge conflict of interest and an exception could be made.
I would suspect the 85 year doctor agreed to the job, found out how petty politics can be and figured he didn’t need the aggravation.
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 4:18 pm
Quinn needs to send out a survey similiar to Obama’s to his potential picks before he makes a decission.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 4:22 pm
It makes me feel so old that I understand this headline.
Delicious candy problem, perfect breath problem..
Comment by soccermom Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 4:46 pm
I second the observation that the conflict appears infintesimally minimal - it could have been noted and waived. Qunitin Young was an excellent appointment.
Comment by Captain America Tuesday, Apr 21, 09 @ 6:17 pm