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Clouting relatives and contributors

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Illinois

* While much of this Tribune “Clout Goes to College” series has been overblown nonsense, today’s story shows how the U of I’s admissions system may have been gamed for political ends…

A relative of Chicago Ald. Frank Olivo’s didn’t have the required grades for a specialized accounting program at the University of Illinois but got accepted anyway after Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office intervened.

Another applicant — the relative of a prominent attorney who, along with his firm, contributed more than $120,000 to ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign — got into the law school despite objections from the admissions dean.

A relative of convicted Blagojevich influence peddler Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s was going to be rejected until a series of powerful patrons got involved, in a case previously reported by the Tribune.

While these scenarios suggest that admissions at the state’s flagship university may have been used as a political plum, the connections may not be apparent to a special commission looking into how influence affects admissions at the U. of I. The commission has decided not to press for the names of more than 800 politically connected applicants given special consideration at the Urbana-Champaign campus during the last five years.

Retired federal judge Abner Mikva chairs the governor’s commission. I can’t help but wonder if he ever made any calls to law schools on behalf of students while he was a judge.

* Meanwhile, Senate President John Cullerton has promised to get more aggressive in defending the GA’s reform record. Today’s op-ed in the Tribune is an opening shot…

When the commission completed its work in April, it offered reform ideas — not actual legislation, just ideas — in six areas: campaign finance, procurement, enforcement, government structure, transparency and what the commission called “inspiring better government,” a catch-all for miscellaneous reform ideas. As commission chairman Patrick Collins, acknowledges, the General Assembly implemented the commission’s procurement, transparency and “inspiring better government” ideas.

As for the other three ideas, Collins claimed that the General Assembly viewed them as a “grave threat” and our decision to not accept them whole cloth revealed an “unwillingness to get to the core of the culture of corruption.”

That’s simply not true. The General Assembly was already striking at that culture of corruption before the Reform Commission was created. Let’s be honest. We rejected some parts of the commission’s campaign-finance proposal for good reason. First, the proposed contribution limits — which mirror federal contributions caps — are too low. That’s not just our view. It’s also the opinion of the most vocal reform advocates, the Chicago Tribune and other editorial boards. The commission’s proposal also would favor wealthy, self-funding candidates, not the average citizen running for office.

More…

Patrick Collins is incorrect that we “outright ignored” the commission’s legislative rule-changes idea. Early in my presidency, the Senate adopted rules changes that provide members with greater ability to advance and control their own bills. In addition, I reversed the policy of my predecessors by assigning virtually every bill and amendment to a substantive committee. At no time did the commission ever propose actual language for these rule changes. As I’ve said before, the General Assembly enacts legislation, not press releases.

As to the “legislative leader term limits” recommendation, the commission’s report fails to explain how it targets “the core of the culture of corruption” or even relates to the rampant and bipartisan corruption in the executive branch over the last decade. If anything, the “reform” idea smacks of a personal or partisan animus toward House Speaker Michael Madigan, rather than a proposal supported by evidence. Of the scores of legislative leaders elected in the last 100 years, only two have served for more than 10 years — Madigan and former Senate President Phil Rock. There is no need for term limits as a fair reading of history proves.

Not quite. Cullerton didn’t include minority leaders in that calculation. Senate President Emil Jones, for one, served 16 years as a leader when his minority leadership is taken into consideration. House GOP Leader Lee Daniels served for well over a decade as minority leader.

* Related…

* Feds look into Blago’s contact with universities

* Feds probe Blagojevich contacts with colleges

* Feds look for Blago role in university admissions

* Blagojevich ordered ‘very special’ letter for U of I applicant

* William Cellini filings may be made public

* Ethics reforms approved; budget work looms ahead

* Ryan, Blagojevich appointees firings list stirs up concern

* UC backs new UC Davis chief, won’t probe her role in Illinois controversy

* Never too old to be a judge

* Illinous Supreme Court rules judges retirement age unconstitutional

* Daley didn’t expect to be quizzed on contract

* City Council to take another vote on Olympic contract

* Olympics funding: City Council in no mood for games

* Aldermen want Daley to explain Olympic money guarantee

* Alderman wants Daley to explain money guarantee

* Daley to hold public meeting with aldermen on Olympics contract controversy

* An Olympic accounting

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 11:07 am

Comments

Rich asks a very good question: did Mikva ever do a favor for someone seeking admission to a school? Anyway, the 64K question is did Barack Obama as a state Senator or U.S. Senator? The Trib doesn’t have his name coming up. But, is U of I hiding this? We don’t know. It would be odd if he didn’t try and help someone tied to Rezko.

Comment by Steve Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 11:42 am
“Federal prosecutors have sent wide-ranging subpoenas to three public universities in an attempt to determine whether indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich or his political allies had any contact with the schools about their admissions process.”

Everybody and his uncle was putting in the fix and they want to explore Blago.

That means the Feds don’t think they got enough.

Comment by True Observer Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 11:54 am
What specific strikes might Senator Cullerton be referring to?

Comment by Suzanne Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 11:59 am
Suzanne, don’t be so lazy. Go read the whole thing and see for yourself.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 12:00 pm
When the Republicans ran congress in 2006 and got hit on things like taking trips overseas, the media never defended these fact finding missions or any of the conduct. They pounced.

Now Springfield, Republicans included, gets a free pass for this u of I thing? We’ve spent the entire year focused on ethics reform aka misbehaving state government when the states been hit with tough economic times. Rich may think this is no big deal but when you put it with everything else that has gone on it matters.

Comment by Shore Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 12:10 pm
=Retired federal judge Abner Mikva chairs the governor’s commission. I can’t help but wonder if he ever made any calls to law schools on behalf of students while he was a judge. =

…And whether he lobbied U of I on behalf of applicants when he was a legislator/Congressman from Hyde Park/Evanston…

Comment by Conservative Republican Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 12:27 pm
Using clout to get into the Big U is one thing, but why hasn’t the rest of the story been explored. Along with the clout, are these connected students getting a “free ride” to go along with it? Is there a special scholarship along with the special admission? What happens when the connected student fails to keep up with the work and flunks a few classes? I don’t blame the kid and if the kid gets in with a dose of clout and makes the grade and graduates, then maybe the Big U’s selection process is flawed. This goes alot deeper than it appears and maybe the arrogance displayed by the Big U will result in some major changes in the Trustees and Administration. Can’t hurt.

Comment by Ernest T. Bass Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 1:00 pm
Cullerton’s argument is contemptible. Even if Collins and his gang were Springfield simpletons, Cullerton doesn’t explain why HB7, coughed up at 3 am and voted out of Executive less than 12 hours later, is better for Illinois than HB24, which many reformers endorsed. Cullerton is on the wrong side of this and his rank and file mostly knows that.

Comment by Doubting T Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 1:19 pm
If only we has some king of ammendemnt to the US consitution which protected speech, such that individuals, whether they be elected to an office, work in a trade or stay at home, would be free to petition a school, employer or branch of governemnt on behalf of a policy or a person they wanted to support.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 1:34 pm
The reason I still can’t too exercised about this U of I stuff is that the numbers are so small and many of those who had legislators intervene were still refused.

Believe me, clout happens. But in Illinois, this is relatively small potatoes.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 1:42 pm
GHOST

We have such a mechanism in the constitution…….Freedom of Speech.

I see nothing wrong with anybody(elected officials included) recommending an individual for a job, school admittance, etc. In fact applications for jobs and schools more than not require references.

Comment by MOON Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 1:51 pm
Wow. 45 out of 46 comments on the Tribune web site are extremely anti-Cullerton article thus far.

Not a scientific survey but obviously the readers who responded to this article aren’t buying the “game changer” arguments.

True ethics reform would eliminate “game” from the process I guess.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 2:50 pm
For those of you panning the U of I Tribune articles, you have no idea what kind of nerve those articles have struck. I think the Trib has figured it out because they have been playing it up for about a week now. This story (or non-story to some of you) has some legs.

I think of my nephew who posted higher scores and qualifications but couldn’t get in and ended up going to a more expensive school. He has backbreaking student loans, dad has a huge second mortgage to contend with, all of which financially impacted them far greater than if he had been admitted to the U of I. When he got his rejection slip, he was told there was no appeal process.

There is a cost to corruption in this state. Those who argue “what’s the big deal” may want to consider how many parents and students have been busy calculating how much extra money they spent because they weren’t pals with certain politicians, movers and shakers.

In these hard economic times, do politicians want a group of voters thinking like this?

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 2:56 pm
Cullerton is right.

The corruption occurred in the office of the governor. Patrick Collins corrupted the debate and targeted the legislature. Even Don Knotts’ Barney Fife had better aim.

Comment by David Ormsby Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 3:01 pm
LOUIS

I understand your nephew situation. I am certain there are many similar stories throughout the State. But let me ask this question. If your nephew, family,or their friends had a personal relationship with an elected official would they have sought a recommendation from this official?

My life experiences have shown that many of the people who find fault with what others do would do the same thing if they could.

Comment by MOON Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 3:05 pm
Moon,

The answer would be yes. And therein lies the problem.

So long as that “yes” is out there, there is a price tag attached to it.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 3:41 pm
So I take it that affirmative action is now off the table as a means to assist in admission?

That’s good.

Comment by DuPage Moderate Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 4:48 pm
Louis -
How do you feel about space being taken up by athletes? Out-of-staters, who are let in because they pay a higher tuition? Foreigners, who pay even more? The cost of legislative scholarships?

Comment by Smitty Irving Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 7:03 pm
Will this be a “show” when the aldermaen question Daley? is it too late for anything to be done about it?

Comment by Wumpus Friday, Jun 19, 09 @ 8:32 pm