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* A completely wasted opportunity…
Illinois legislators created the Urban Weatherization Initiative in 2009, promising that as much as $425 million in taxpayer money would go to train an army of workers in predominantly African-American neighborhoods to identify and fix energy-efficiency problems in homes. […]
But records and interviews show:
◆ More than 1,900 people have been trained for jobs as laborers and inspectors for the program. But only a fraction of them have been put to work or found jobs utilizing their skills outside the program. Exactly how many isn’t clear. State officials say they don’t have a figure. People involved with the program say it’s only a small percentage of those trained.
◆ Officials say that’s because no work on homes was done until last spring — three years later than planned. As a result, only 183 homes have gotten energy upgrades.
◆ More than $13 million of the $16 million-plus spent so far has gone for administrative costs and training.
◆ Worker training didn’t begin until 2011, though Quinn signed the legislation into law in July 2009.
Oy.
…Adding… The Sun-Times didn’t break it out, but admin costs were $1.5 million, according to DCEO. The rest of that $13 million was spent on training.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 9:39 am
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I don’t doubt that Governor Quinn is a mostly honest guy who tries to do the right thing.
But this is just another example of mismanagement and wasted taxpayer dollars. Is it small potatoes in the grand scheme of things? Yes. But to quote the great Everett Dirksen, “A million here, a million there…pretty soon you’re talking real money”. Quinn has no idea how to efficiently run government.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 9:48 am
This is typical of government programs from both parties. Take an idea with a little appeal and spend millions on something that does very little good.
It would be better to just hand out those millions to impoverished people at random and generate some economic stimulus.
But that would make me a socialist.
Comment by Skeptic Cal Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 9:52 am
Jobs for African Americans in green energy with high administrative salaries for management connected to legislators! A dream bill for Democrat-controlled state government; no wonder it passed.
from the article: “there isn’t much demand for weatherization workers and that the state program was supposed to help create that demand.” - state government trying to create demand for a business - haha, good luck with that.
It is programs like these that make me consider choosing Rauner over Quinn.
Comment by Robert the Bruce Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 9:54 am
At best, programs such as these often have unintended consequences such as these. At worst (and this is Illinois after all), such programs are cover for taxpayer dollars siphoned off to poplitical supporters and friends. On this one, I’d question just exactly what the training was and who provided it.
Comment by Mister M Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 9:58 am
Methinks this was unintended commentary:
“David Roeder, a spokesman for Quinn’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, defends the program, saying it “was set up with a great deal of oversight.””
—————-
“Great Deal of Oversight” - Nice way of saying “Don’t do anything useful unless it’s specifically approved by the Governor’s office”.
Maybe they should have ‘outsourced’ the entire weatherization program to IDOT - maybe that’s where all the administrative money went - for creating more spreadsheets and planting trees.
Seriously, can this ‘clown show’ do anything right (other than run a negative campaign)?
Comment by Judgment Day Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:00 am
Another example why there is really nobody to vote for in this race. Two inept candidates.
Comment by Peoria guy Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:09 am
As with most government programs, Federal, State, and even some Local, that were announced with great fanfare, it starts two or more years late, and only a small portion of it gets done. Note: only a small portion of the money is actually spent as well.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:09 am
To me - and this is just my opinion after watching Rauner’s new ad - Rauner needs to turn this into a commercial. This is something everyone can understand. Government wasting money and creating/producing minimal results for a minimal amount of people. Government inefficiency. People get that.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:12 am
Another Pat Quinn program that over promised and under delivered? I don’t believe this. This is totally unlike his administration.
Comment by Lunchbox Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:21 am
run an ad on this? Rauner run a negative ad bashing a program intended to created jobs and assist african american communities in Chicago and other urban areas? not sure that would be a good idea for him to do.
Comment by PoolGuy Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:24 am
Seems like a problem with the legislation with respect to the prevailing wage act. Looks like something that could be fixed.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:30 am
Another DCEO embarrassment. Unfortunately this will only be corrected with new leadership at all levels.
Comment by Cassiopeia Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:40 am
Another DCEO embarrassment. Unfortunately this will only be corrected with new leadership at all levels.
Comment by Cassiopeia Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:40 am
If you made it about not actually creating jobs it might work…
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:44 am
Pool Guy -
1. Not everything has to be about race.
2. Government waste, inefficiency and mismanagement is something that can be sold to independent and undecided voters. OneMan is right - the ad would have to be done in a certain context. But since this was Quinn’s idea, an ad could force him to wear the jacket for its failure.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 10:53 am
I was involved with an organization that was denied a grant for this program. Read some of the minutes from the UWI board meetings.
Comment by Highland, IL Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 11:11 am
Team Sleep, where have you been? Everything is and will be made about race. It should not be the case (we may agree), but this is Bloodtober! Rauner will campaign on this and it should be done well if his history is an indicator.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 11:14 am
Team Sleep you’re right, not everything has to be about race. but this is an election year. one side spins government waste, the other side spins it another way. if Rauner did run an ad on this he would have to tread lightly.
Comment by PoolGuy Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 11:21 am
More evidence that Quinn is just a typical Democratic politician who will use taxpayer funds and race politics to further his goals.
Then you have Rauner, who is vicious.
What a choice!
Comment by Federalist Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 11:37 am
I suspect over the years, decades, there have been many “such programs are cover for taxpayer dollars siphoned off to poplitical supporters and friends.” We probably never heard about much of it in the past because it was a lot easier to keep covered up and out of the public eye back then.
Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 11:55 am
“There wasn’t much demand for weatherization workers” says it all.
The GA creates a $425 million program without thinking it through. The Administration burns through millions without thinking it through.
Nothing new here.
Comment by Sir Reel Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 12:25 pm
What were they thinking? Why on Earth would the State issue bonds to pay for worker training, unless someone was trying to pull a fast one over on someone else. Clearly the outcome of the program was impacted by the prevailing wage issue, but it’s also not unreasonable to think that one person among all the staffs and agencies involved here should have caught that.
Perhaps we’re lucky that the Quinnies only wasted around $13 million this time and a couple hundred families got their houses buttoned up for winter as a benefit.
How many more programs out there like this?
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 12:45 pm
It’s hard to imagine just how many of these kinds of bungles are out there that haven’t come to light yet. I would submit, all of this money could have gone to paying pension liability instead. This is the kind of thing your money was sacrificed for. Gads.
Comment by A guy... Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 1:12 pm
$16,000,000 in bond money spent
1,900 trained but no jobs exist
(Were they staff assistants?)
183 homes weatherized
In what fantasy land does this make sense?
Comment by Langhorne Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 3:30 pm
No prob Lang, just another program effort to give it a try. This, instead of funding pensions. Say that enough and the darn things would be funded, wouldn’t they?
Comment by A guy... Tuesday, Oct 14, 14 @ 4:30 pm
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Comment by Major Wednesday, Oct 15, 14 @ 3:53 am