Illinois schools out of money? We know where $13 million went …
Filed under: Blagojevich, Corruption, Spending, Taxes
The next time Governor Quinn or Mayor Daley tell you there’s simply no money left for Illinois schools (as part of their sales pitch for higher taxes), please remember this story from today’s Sun-Times.
If you don’t have time to read the story, we’ll sum it up: politicians pass new law to require vision testing in schools; optical business gives big money to Illinois politicians; optical business wins contract; taxpayers lose.
This story focuses on Chicago-based eyeglass business, Tropical Optical, which is run by Daniel Arce, who also runs the Mexican American Political Action Committee. As the Sun-Times reports, Arce’s business and the PAC have “given more than $590,000 in political contributions” to a number of local politicians, including Rod Blagojevich.
And, not surprisingly:
Since 2000, Arce’s company has gotten more than $13 million in taxpayer money to provide eye exams and glasses for more than 60,000 uninsured students from Chicago’s public schools, as well as providing vision tests for his rapidly growing Medicaid business, which has become one of the biggest in the state.
Please click here to read the full story.
And the next time a local politician cries poor, claims the government coffers are dry, and asks you to pay more in taxes — remember this one, small story of how your taxpayer money is really being spent to benefit not students, but a politically-connected businessman.
Who is “The Burnham Committee”?
In our previous post, we mentioned certain political contributions made by “The Burnham Committee” … which is chaired by Chicago Alderman Ed Burke.
But what is exactly is this organization?
Well, according to Illinois State Board of Election reports, the committee’s purpose is “to support the women and men who share Burnham’s dream of a ‘people’s city.’”
Apparently that includes helping Burke himself, whose committee “Friends of Ed Burke” received a whopping $150,000 contribution from the group on 9/24/08. According to this recent story, Burke certainly does fancy Chicago a “people’s city” … helping those “people” who supported his committee and law firm get city deals.
The Burham Committee also supports stalwarts of honest, accountable government such as Rod Blagojevich, to whom the committee contributed $25,000 on 11/3/06.
The Committee has also spread around significant cash to other local candidates (almost all Democrats), including current Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who received $10,000 from the group on 2/19/08 and another $5,000 on 10/3/08.
To be sure, a smattering of Republicans have received cash from the organization, such as State Sen. Dan Cronin ($200 on 2/5/08), State Rep. Jim Durkin ($500 on 8/21/07 ), and State Rep. Bob Biggins ($250 on 4/15/08).
So, who contributes to The Burnham Committee? As you can imagine, a number of Cook County politicos, businesses and friends close to Ed Burke (such as Calvin Boender, the “friend” at the heart of the city deal referenced in this Sun-Times article, contributed $1,500 on 8.5.08, and another $1,500 on 6/20/07.)
Also interesting are the contributions from International Profit Associates of Buffalo Grove, IL — a company that contributed $5,000 on 10/3/08; $1,500 on 5/28/08; $1,500 on 6/29/05; $2,500 on 6/7/06; $3,000 on 5/15/07; and $5,000 on 5/23/07. (That’s in addition to thousands the company has contributed to Ed Burke’s political committee.)
International Profit Associates (IPA) is the same company against which Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit in April 2009 for “cheating hundreds of small businesses out of thousands.” Nevermind the fact that Madigan’s campaign had received $16,200 in “in-kind contributions” for phone polling from IPA in 2002.
And this New York Times article reports on John R. Burgess, who owns IPA:
A disbarred New York lawyer with a criminal record for attempted larceny and patronizing a 16-year-old prostitute, Mr. Burgess owns International Profit Associates, a management consulting company in Illinois.
Federal authorities are pressing a sexual harassment suit against the company on behalf of 113 former female employees.
And, according to the Reverse Spin blog, numerous politicians have returned campaign cash received from IPA:
Since about 2002, politicians have returned tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions to IPA and Burgess. Ethically challenged Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has returned more than $100,000 from IPA. Andrew M. Cuomo, who ran for Attorney General in New York and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle are among the others who have also purged their IPA money.
No word on whether or not The Burnham Committee has ever considered returning their contributions from IPA. But feel free to email Ald. Burke to ask him if intends to do so. (Warning: don’t expect a response.)
We’ll leave it to you to decide if this cast of characters who contributes to and receives campaign cash from The Burnham Committee fits within the organization’s mission of creating a “people’s city” … but then again, the I guess it depends on which people you’re talking about.
Did Burris mislead impeachment panel?
The Sun-Times has this potential huge story this morning:
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post — something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.
Wow.
Blago’s Removal from Office
Well, as expected, Rod Blagojevich was removed from office today.
No big surprise there.
The most important thing to take away from this situation is that Illinoi scorruption didn’t begin with Rod Blagojevich and doesn’t end with Rod Blagojevich.
With our former governor - a Republican - in jail, and now our current governor being removed from office, it is clear that our state’s problems stem from a bipartisan addiction to corruption and cronyism that has destroyed any semblance of a two-party system in Illinois.
The voters of Illinois need to start holding our state’s attorneys accountable - to ensure they are no longer asleep at the switch and “punting” corruption investigations to the feds.
And reform-minded officials and voters in all political parties need to clean house and restore dignity and integrity to Illinois government.
Alvarez on the ‘Reform Commission?’
Excuse us if we find it a bit comical that new Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is serving on Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s “Illinois Reform Commission.” As head of the County State’s Attorney Public Integrity Unit, she did not aggressively (if at all) fight public corruption (plent of it in Cook County, no?) and the finance chair of her campaign for State’s Attorney was major Blagojevich fundraiser Bob Clifford - a trial lawyer who has made a fortune suing the county that Alvarez now represents.
So we found this snippet funny from CBS 2 Chicago’s coverage of the Commission’s first meeting yesterday:
Another touchy moment came when former state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, R-Elgin, said “the level of corruption in Illinois is unprecedented and unmatched” and asked “why Illinois’ 100 state’s attorneys are not more engaged in uncovering it and prosecuting it.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, a commission member, sat expressionless as he spoke.
Today’s Quick Hits
Filed under: Blagojevich, Budget, Corruption, Mayor Daley, Reform, Taxes, Todd Stroger
Today’s headlines from Cook County which further demonstrate why we need reform…badly:
- Law firm city vowed to fire still getting business a year later
- We’re going to spend tens of billions on two new O’Hare runways - when O’Hare’s air traffic hit a 15-year low in 2008?
- Two years later, Todd Stroger opens his campaign books … but would he allow Cook County government to do the same?
- Blago calls impeachment a “sham”
Headline of the Year
This headline about sums up Illinois politics:
Obama sworn in, Blagojevich fingerprinted
Blago’s Recent Donors Revealed
ABC 7 Chicago posted on its Web site tonight a memo from law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson - which represents the “Friends of Blagojevich” political committee - to the Deputy Counsel of the Office of the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
The memo shows recent donors to the governor’s political committee, including donors who gave right up through the end of November 2008. That’s just days before the governor was arrested by federal agents.
One of the most interesting donors - in our opinion - is super-trial lawyer Bob Clifford, whose law offices donated a hefty $10,000 to the governor’s campaign committee. Remember Bob Clifford? He’s the political insider who served as campaign finance chair for “reform” candidate and now-Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
We also love the $2,000 contribution to Blago from Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico, who’s up for re-election this spring. It’s been a week of publicity for Serpico, who was also mentioned heavily in stories about the arrest of Serpico’s donor/consultant Anthony Bruno on federal tax charges.
Burris’ Cook County Clout
We had posted previously about (Senator-to-be?) Roland Burris’ background as a Cook County political insider - but we missed this little gem of a story in last Wednesday’s Chicago Tribune.
Here’s the most interesting part:
Burris’ clout has also carried over to Cook County where his firm has been paid nearly $425,000 since 2006 to lobby Cook County officials, according to disclosure statements. Of that, $240,000 was paid by ACS Healthcare Solutions, which has been named in the corruption indictment of a former Las Vegas public hospital official.
ACS long pursued an $18 million bill-collection contract with Cook County’s public health system, but County Board President Todd Stroger’s administration pulled the contract from consideration in March, after the Tribune wrote about the indictment.
Please click here to read more about the ACS situation - and then ask yourself: is it really a surprise that a guy like Blagojevich picked a guy like Burris for the Senate?
Cook County Employer Target of Alleged Blago “Shakedown” Scheme
CBS 2 Chicago News reports that Bridgeview-based Prairie Materials Corp. was “allegedly asked to raise half a million dollars for the governor in return for work on a proposed billion dollar plus Toll way project.” Watch the video below (H/T United Republican Fund):
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