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* Between election day and inauguration day, former Gov. Pat Quinn’s office handed out 609 grants totaling $404.6 million. The Sun-Times zeroes in on one of them today…
The village of Melrose Park was awarded a $3 million grant just weeks after its mayor, Ronald Serpico, ordered a stretch of a street in the west suburb to be named after the late father of a top Quinn aide — John D’Alessandro, who was his chief operating officer. Melrose Park has gotten $2.7 million of the grant so far.
* You should definitely go read the whole thing…
Quinn’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity — the agency that gave out the grants — fell under the oversight of D’Alessandro in the governor’s office.
D’Alessandro, 28, who grew up in Melrose Park, joined Quinn’s staff in 2011 as his scheduler and travel aide. He’d risen to deputy chief of staff when he left the state payroll last June to work for the Democratic Governors Association, which pumped $5 million into Quinn’s campaign against Rauner…. He rejoined Quinn’s staff as chief operating officer after the Nov. 4 election.
Around that time, Serpico decided to honor D’Alessandro’s late father — also named John D’Alessandro — by placing his name on a street sign or monument at the corner of 25th Avenue and Division Street as part of the suburb’s marquee “Gateway Project” a few blocks north of Village Hall, according to Melrose Park village records.
The elder D’Alessandro had passed away four years earlier.
* The paper ties that grant to another, more well-known and far more controversial Quinn grant…
D’Alessandro is a longtime friend of Anthony Abruzzo, a member of the Melrose Park village board, but says they never discussed the honorary street name. […]
Abruzzo, 31, owns the architectural firm Forza Design & Consulting Inc. His biggest clients include Cinespace, which got five grants totaling $27.3 million under Quinn — including the $10 million the film studio ended up returning. Cinespace paid Abruzzo’s company about $60,000 out of state grant money, according to records Cinespace filed with the state.
Flat denials, explanations, etc. can be found by reading the whole thing.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:16 am
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Wow!! Just, Wow!!!
Comment by anon Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:20 am
This is the “spend” part of “tax and spend.”
Comment by Collinsville Kevin Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:24 am
Quinn: “Miss me yet?”
State: “NO!!!”
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:27 am
So, from the first excerpt you zeroed in on, are you implying that Melrose Park was awarded their grant because a street sign was changed? I think those grants were more to gin up votes for Quinn in the waning days of the election.
Comment by Anom Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:28 am
This is why Quinn had 0 credibility in asking the middle class for more of their paychecks.
Comment by Very Fed Up Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:29 am
Why is anyone surprised by this? This is one reason why we are where we are at.
Comment by Citizen Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:29 am
And this is surprising? It’s Illinois.
Comment by Shanks Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:30 am
==- Anom - Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:28 am:==
How did you feel about Rauner’s donations to churches and credit unions?
Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:31 am
Never a Quinn fan, but that he was seen as a populist is what makes this so disappointing to read.
Comment by Shemp Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:31 am
Wow… And that’s why Rauner is fighting so hard to cut waste… This doesn’t help the optics of getting the 5% back we need… This is why if IF Rauner add’s revenue.. The Dems are going to need to cut… Wow.. Just Wow..
Comment by Walter Mitty Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:32 am
So much for Quinn and his good guy phony reputation.
Comment by Tom Joad Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:33 am
==How did you feel about Rauner’s donations to churches and credit unions?==
Were they made with State money?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:35 am
==How did you feel about Rauner’s donations to churches and credit unions?==
You mean Rauner spending his own money and not tax payer money?
Comment by ABC Lawyer Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:35 am
Say what you want about the timing of these grants, but bringing John D’Alessandro Sr. and the naming of a street in his honor is absurd and upsetting. They say you can judge a man by who shows up to his funeral, and I was at John D’Alessandro Sr.’s funeral. The town of Melrose Park shut down. Police from several nearby towns were involved in the massive escort between the service and his burial. The man was described by those who knew him - and there were many - as an institution in the town. He died too young, and naming a street in his honor is the least that town could do to remember his legacy. The S-T went one step too far by suggesting that JD (the son) would utilize (or even need) political favors to get a street named after his father.
Comment by Empty Chair Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:36 am
@Precinct Captain
Rauner was not giving away the states $$$$$, your money and mine, that’s the difference.
Comment by Citizen Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:37 am
Precinct Captian
Donations to church? Great. I’m sure the donations weren’t altruistic. He, like Quinn, was trying to buy as many votes as he could.
And let’s be clear. Rauner didn’t DONATE to any credit unions. He put up a million dollars for the credit union to give out loans. He made money off of that investment. Whether or not he kept the interest off that investment, I don’t know. But he didn’t donate money to any credit union.
Comment by Anom Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:38 am
“coinkydink”….BAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Comment by Nick Danger Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:40 am
It’s crazy to give any governor that much grant power. It’s bound to be abused.
Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:41 am
Citizen-
Park Grants aren’t giving away money. They are improving parks in towns, which then make the town that has nicer parks look better to that young couple that is looking for a new place to live with their young kids. You make it seem like park grants are evil. Don’t you like having a nice neighborhood park in your town?
Comment by Anom Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:41 am
“Forget it Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
Comment by Hedley Lamarr Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:42 am
Rauner may have a commercial cut by noon… This just gave him a fastball down the middle.. Even someone on the Sox could hit this out…
Comment by Walter Mitty Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:42 am
And if Quinn had doled out the grants prior to the election, the “Watchdogs” would say he was trying to buy votes.
Comment by chi Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:45 am
– And thats why Rauner is fighting so hard to cut waste–
Where? How? Certainly not in his proposed budget.
Campaigning is fun.
Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 10:52 am
Paid for by the “See, I’m not so bad, support me” Rauner Foundation.
Comment by Stuff Happens Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:00 am
That $404,600,000 could have been used for something legitimate.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:02 am
I wonder if this was related to DCEO’s Chief Financial Officer ( a holdover from Dem administrations) being perp walked out of the building a couple weeks ago? I believe she had sign off authority. Nobody knows why she was marched out of the building. Maybe this had something to do with it.
Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:07 am
Mayor Serpico. Really? D’Allesandro, Quinn top aide age 28? Doesn’t pass smell test.
Comment by Soccertease Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:10 am
Honeybear, unlikely.
Comment by Q Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:12 am
the Fenwick mafia strikes again.
Comment by North Shore Joe Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:16 am
wait, why do you need 2.7 million dollars to name a street after somebody?
Comment by North Shore Joe Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:18 am
Wait, you’re telling me that an outgoing administration, facing a successor administration that was philosophically / ideologically opposed to its method of governance, chose to sprint to the finish rather than going on a two month long paid holiday? SCANDALOUS.
Comment by Cantankerous Cal Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:24 am
Wait. JD got paid $182k by the DGA for 5 months of work?? Is that a typo?
Comment by Centennial Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:33 am
=wait, why do you need 2.7 million dollars to name a street after somebody?=
Exactly. You don’t. The article raises a bunch of false alarms, and can’t connect any of of the grants to improper behavior.
Comment by chi Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:34 am
I’m sure the taxpayers in struggling rural farming communities of central Illinois and the taxpayers in the struggling ex-factory towns of western Illinois have no problem whatsoever with paying millions for a fancy street sign in Melrose Park. Sheesh. Yes. That is sarcasm.
Comment by Responsa Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:42 am
You would think one of these benefactors would have cut Pat’s lawn every now and then.
Comment by anon Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 11:59 am
I’m more bothered by the grant to link the parking garage to the fashion outlet mall.
Comment by Chicago Guy Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:31 pm
==paying millions for a fancy street sign==
I see your street sign and raise you 2 monuments:
http://www.melrosepark.org/division-st-gateway-enhancement-begins-spring-2015/
Comment by nixit71 Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:37 pm
The legacy continues…
Comment by A guy Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:41 pm
Interesting stuff. But it’s curious, isn’t it, that the Sun-Times is going after Quinn post-mortem. The reporters and editors there know that they are not permitted to go after Rauner. None of them wants to end up roadkill like McKinney.
Comment by Reo Symes, M.D. Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:44 pm
Former CUB founder Pat Quinn and former IL State Treasurer Pat Quinn would be appalled by this revelation.
Comment by Nick Naylor Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:44 pm
3 of the top 4 donors to the Democratic Governors Assn in 2014 were the usual suspects:
AFSCME = $4.6M
NEA = $3.4M
AFT = $2.7M
Comment by nixit71 Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 12:54 pm
==But it’s curious, isn’t it, that the Sun-Times is going after Quinn post-mortem.==
Curious? The timing bothers you? You’d rather this abuse of state funds had not ever surfaced or been exposed? Isn’t getting at the truth generally considered to be the purpose of a “post mortem”?
Comment by Responsa Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 1:04 pm
So here’s my question - where exactly in the 2014 budget was this kind of money, $404 Mil, taken from?
Comment by Kodachrome Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 1:13 pm
From reading the “Top 10″ list (gosh I miss Letterman) 5 of the 10 largest grants went to Cook County EDA for weatherization-energy assistance. If this is Fed LIHEAP money, $120 million is a lot of cash but may or may not be out of line depending on the total LIHEAP approp for the year. Now, if they just created a state-funded program through a capital bill and gave all the money to Cook, that’s well, interesting to say the least.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 1:25 pm
AA, from the IOC website it appears the CEDA contracts are in line with what they have gotten in other years, so it appears it is mostly LIHEAP or some other non-capital bill weatherization program, and not some new program shoved out at the end.
Comment by Juice Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 1:42 pm
Thanks, Juice. That takes a bit of the burn off this story.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 3:12 pm
I am sure that D’Allessandro will be able to make just as much, if not more, in the private sector.
Comment by Soccermom Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Soccermom - you’re sure about that? What is he doing now?
Comment by phocion Monday, Jun 1, 15 @ 4:02 pm