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From a press release.
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today appointed longtime consumer advocate Martin R. Cohen as his first Director of Consumer Affairs, responsible for advising the Governor and coordinating state agencies’ actions on consumer matters ranging from privacy protection and identity theft, to energy policy. […]
Mr. Cohen will provide the Governor with timely advice regarding initiatives and laws that can help protect the state’s consumers, and will help coordinate State agencies’ policies regarding issues of consumer fraud, identity theft, privacy protection, and energy and telecommunications policy.
Cohen, you will recall, was appointed to chair the ICC, but the state Senate rejected the nomination after the electric utility industry and the Chicago Tribune editorial board turned thumbs down.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 9:33 am
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Will this be a new department? How many employees? Where are they coming from (what patronage pool) and where will the money come to pay for this department when there are budgetary cutbacks at other agencies? Too many unanswered questions, too many problems created in the spirit of giving a friend a job. Classic Rod.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 9:41 am
Good move! Marty is a great guy and this is his forte’. It looks good for the Governor too. He can use all the Quinns and Cohens he can surround himself with!
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 9:42 am
It was the least he could do for Marty after the guy left his job only to be used as a political pawn for Rod, who knowingly put up a guy that the Senate President disliked without the common sense of first talking to Emil.
Another guy, another bus to throw him under.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 10:07 am
Anon 9:40, right on! How will his agency will distinguish iteself from the AG’s office? Won’t this agency first have to be created through legislation, and won’t his appointment again be subject to Senate approval?
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 11:20 am
Where will this office be located? Where will Mr. Cohen live? What is the salary for this new director? I did not see this included in the press release. Just what the state agencies need is someone else being paid to help them save money - and we are tying to get our state out of debt!
Comment by Budget Bulge Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 12:07 pm
11:20 et al, Exactly my point. I have no animosity toward Cohen and I happen to think his expertise is needed in the Blagojevich administartion. But that old addage “two wrongs don’t maka right” applies here. He got jobbed befgore and now Blago is pulling strings, running roughshod over the process and creating something that may not be needed and will either be underfunded, or will take funds from somewhere else.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 12:48 pm
Another Home Run for GRod!…..He is having a grerat week and it only Wednesday…lst Mayor Box then the capitol program and now a new spot for Marty Cohen.
Meanwhile Esquared whines and the GOPs ( as in MOPEs) are nearly invisible.
Comment by Reddbyrd Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 2:07 pm
It’s not a new agency, no employees under him or anything like that. He’s an advisor.
Comment by anon Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 3:25 pm
If I were in Governor’s shoes, I’d be very careful not to let this move be seen as either creating a rival to the AG’s office (which will upset the Madigans) or a hostile retort to the Senate (which will upset Jones) – which would require (to borrow from Reddbryd’s baseball rhetoric) trotting around the bases without waving on this one. I’d be surprised if this governor musters the self restraint to not let this backfire.
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 3:32 pm
Anon 3:25, you may be right (the reports don’t give enough info to know for sure), but in Illinois government, the title “Director” is typically reserved for heads of Departments or Agencies….which typically have staff. If this really is just going to be an advisory role, why is it not a Deputy COS?
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 3:36 pm
And he took the job? What a cop-out. All of these advocacy gurus talk a big reform game but when somebody offers them a cushy government job boy oh boy do they jump for it. Does anyone seriously believe this individual can reform anything from within the Blago administration?
And do any of the reformers still out in the cold really believe he can?
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 5:12 pm
Since the Governor’s press release didn’t mention it, we should assume Cohen will have 10,000 new employees, a budget of $3 billion annual, and all of the money will come out of the pension system.
After all, the GOP method of operation is to invent your own facts and attack those. Or maybe you really are that ignorant, and just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
In either case, maybe you should stop and THINK before you type and post.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 5:16 pm
Just what we need at a time when budgets are still tight, the creation of another big buck political job.
Cohen’s a well respected consumer advocate, but it appears to me Blago’s just throwing him a bone after totally screwing up the ICC nomination.
The appointment will look good to those who know about Cohen’s work at CUB, but it looks to me like the creation of a job that’s not really needed. That seems to be a consistent pattern with this administration.
Comment by known for news Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 7:23 pm
YDD, Happy New Year old man…….
To the extent that you are right, let’s not pretend that the GOP either invented or has exclusive rights to that tactic.
But I think, in this case (as I alluded to in my 3:36 post), that it is completely unreasonable to make that assumption - hastey as it may have been. Read the Governor’s statement again. Aside from semantics regarding the title, on a practical level, do YOU really THINK that Mr. Cohen will be able to “provide the Governor with timely advice regarding initiatives and laws that can help protect the state’s consumers, and will help coordinate State agencies’ policies regarding issues of consumer fraud, identity theft, privacy protection, and energy and telecommunications policy” all on his own?
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 7:52 pm
of course, I meant to either say it is NOT completely unreasonable, or it is completely reasonable to make that assumption. Sorry for the confusion….Rich, you’ve got to bring back the feature that let’s us delete our own posts and try again!
Comment by grand old partisan Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 7:54 pm
This is ridicules. Whatever happened to Blago ‘streamlining’ government? This is the second ‘newly created position’ this week. Not to mention that there were dozens of newly created positions in 2005. (I didn’t keep track in 2004, 2003). How ironic that the newly created Office of External Affairs that was created a couple of years ago is now being disbanded. All the ‘newly hired workers’ are now being transferred to DOH or CMS. Nothing personal against the Cohen guy, but does the state of Illinois really need this new position? How was the salary set? Who was providing this service to the Gov before? If no-one provided this information, than he really doesn’t need to know this information. If someone provided this information to the Gov before now, what is that person currently doing (since their duties have been taken away)?
Comment by girl friday Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 8:59 pm
This is ridicules. Whatever happened to Blago ‘streamlining’ government? This is the second ‘newly created position’ this week. Not to mention that there were dozens of newly created positions in 2005. (I didn’t keep track in 2004, 2003). How ironic that the newly created Office of External Affairs that was created a couple of years ago is now being disbanded. All the ‘newly hired workers’ are now being transferred to DOH or CMS. Nothing personal against the Cohen guy, but does the state of Illinois really need this new position? How was the salary set? Who was providing this service to the Gov before? If no-one provided this information, than he really doesn’t need to know this information. If someone provided this information to the Gov before now, what is that person currently doing (since their duties have been taken away)?
Comment by girl friday Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 8:59 pm
YDD, you are being overly partisan and vitriolic - as always!
Consumer advocacy and protection are areas covered by the Illinois Attorney General. They are also covered by the Consumer Product and Safety Commission as well as the Department of Justice. Why is another office needed? And why is Mr. Cohen going to receive in excess of $100,000 per year for a job that is already done by other branches of the government?
I also noticed that IDOT recently hired a bunch of political cronies, most of whom make well over $80,000. Hmmm…
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 9:25 pm
You are correct Team Sleep. IDOT just hired the Mayor of Mt Vernon, Milt Sees to replace Vic Modeer as the Director of Highways. He is in his first year as mayor and his attorney stated that “If he chooses to finish out his term, it would not violate the state’s ethics law because the mayor’s office is a nonpartisan post.†Sees worked as general manager of Crisp Container Co. in Marion from February until last week. In additon (this is purely a coincidence - wink, wink)Crisp Container is part of Pepsi MidAmerica, which is headed by Harry Crisp who donated $5,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign fund in April. Sees donated $500 to Blagojevich in December 2003, but he said he doubted it had an effect on his hiring.
Also, Brice Sheriff, 31, of Springfield started work Monday as IDOT’s chief operating officer, a newly created position. Sheriff will report directly to Martin and will be paid $90,433 annually.
Also, Clayton Harris III, 35, also served his first day Monday as IDOT chief of staff,Harris will be paid $102,960 and will be based in Chicago.
Why does IDOT need a chief of staff and chief operating officer. Not to forgot the other guy that was fired from Daley’s administration last year that was put in a (get this) ‘newly created position’.
Comment by girl friday Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 9:54 pm
Yes, Reddbyrd, it’s a good week for Hairdo. Good press, bad press (of which there is plenty), it’s all good as long as the “do” is in the paper. How pathetic you all are.
And how about that Chicago Trib editorial today. Aren’t you glad they wrote that one!!
Comment by Ex-Newfie Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 10:13 pm
Kudos to girl friday for keeping everyone posted on the happenings at idot, I am really disappointed that no press besides the SJR picked up on that story. I don’t understand how they can abolish a department of newly created positions (all blago loyalists) and give them the jobs in traffic safety of people who were laid off in 2004. How ethical is that? Where is Mary Lee Leahy on this one?
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 10:18 pm
Oh great ROD..hire ANOTHER manager…too many chiefs and not enough indians. How about hiring some security in your prisons before someone gets killed!
Comment by SHAFTED STATE EMPLOYEE Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 10:39 pm
Oh great ROD..hire ANOTHER manager…too many chiefs and not enough indians. How about hiring some security in your prisons before someone gets killed! Ever cross your mind?
Comment by SHAFTED STATE EMPLOYEE Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 10:40 pm
Might as well get Marty because Lisa is the incredible shrinking AG. Utterly ineffective.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 11:06 pm
GOP & Team Sleep -
Believe it or not, you don’t need an army of people to develop a consumer agenda — you just need the cajones to carry it out.
I’m sure if there are any facts or figures Marty doesn’t have in his head, he can contact his friends in the advocacy and academic worlds or the relevant state office.
As for duplication, in case you haven’t noticed, we could use a few more consumer advocates in state government. Yes, the Attorney General has a role to play in consumer protection, but her primary role is enforcement. And while Lisa Madigan has put together a great consumer protection agenda in the legislature, especially on issues like identity theft, she could certainly use an ally in the Governor’s Office that can find their derriere without using both hands and a map.
The Governor is bound to screw up many things this week, especially with more budget leaks coming, you guys should keep your powder dry and lay off Cohen. It’s a mindless attack.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jan 11, 06 @ 11:17 pm
Right before Blago took office Ryan had created jobs and appointed several of his buddies.Blago said he would never do that.Well hello!If he loses, and I am quite sure he will lose this election ,is going to pay for all of these lawsuits to get these scavengers out of these offices and these jobs abolished.These SO.Illinois appointments he keeps making is an effort to get the vote out again.Bad news Gov. a lot of us voted for you trying to get rid of a crooked politican and we got a professional crminal.I think tha GOP sign saya”WELCOME BACK”.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Thursday, Jan 12, 06 @ 7:24 am
How much taxpayer money do they have to waste at IDOT? The word is that Brice Sherif, $90,433 newly appointed IDOT Chief operating officer, rarely worked more than an hour a day at IDNR when he was a director. He was paid by IDNR but did not work there. Now he moves to IDOT with a huge salary increase. If IDOT has so much money why doesn’t Governor Blagojevich transfer it around so all state employees can have a huge salary increase - especially all of us who work full days on “state business”. What a slap in the face to all state employees who come to work each day to a position they are qualified to do (one that was not created just for them), do it well and are told to wait for salary increases until the state has money. What are the qualifications of these people other than to work on the Governor’s re-election campaign and be paid with state money. Big brother is watching!
Comment by Governor Hypocrite Thursday, Jan 12, 06 @ 8:44 am