Two years ago, Gov. Pat Quinn provoked the ire of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel when he appointed his spokeswoman, Kelly Kraft, to head the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
Now Quinn has done it again. The lame duck governor, who leaves office a month from today, has nominated his former campaign manager to succeed Kraft as the $160,000-a-year head the ISFA, which owns U.S. Cellular Field and oversees construction and renovation of facilities for professional sports teams in Illinois.
This time, he’s also picked a fight with Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner, who had asked Quinn to hold off on any significant appointments in the waning days of his term.
Democratic state Sen. Julie Morrison agrees with Rauner, and so introduced a bill that would expand the already-existing law that prohibits lame-duck governors from appointing anyone to high-profile, high-paying jobs to include the position of head of the Illinois Sports Finance Authority, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
From the Sun-Times:
“The executive director of the Illinois Sports Finance Authority is among the highest-paid state employees. A governor who’s leaving office shouldn’t be able to use the position as a cushy landing spot,” Morrison was quoted as saying in a news release.
The proposal comes after a Quinn- (and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel-) appointed board voted to hire Quinn campaign manager Lou Bertuca as the agency’s director (on Quinn’s suggestion). The Sun-Times reports that the vote fell right down appointment lines, with Quinn appointees voting for and Emanuel appointees voting against Bertuca.
The state agency manages funds related to Soldier Field, Cellular Field and even some associated with Wrigley Field.
From Crain’s Chicago Business:
The sports authority receives annual $5 million subsidies from the state and the city of Chicago, which combine with revenue from the city’s hotel tax and rent from the White Sox to pay off the debt of U.S. Cellular Field and Soldier Field.
The Sun-Times called the hire an “instant replay” of a hiring made two years ago–though Quinn wasn’t serving a lame-duck term then.
From the Sun-Times:
It was an instant replay of the political hardball that Quinn played two years ago to out-maneuver Mayor Rahm Emanuel and install Kelly Kraft, Bertuca’s predecessor.
The Sun-Times reported that Kraft’s job ended due to the expiration of her two-year contract. Morrison and other critics of the new hire, including some members of the agency’s board, wanted to a see a broader search for and more supervision over the next candidate.
From the Sun-Times:
“We think there should be a search,” [Emanuel-appointed board member Jim] Reynolds said, arguing that Rauner deserves input. “We think the qualifications should be reviewed, and the best candidate should have an opportunity to have that job. And that’s not what happened today.”
Board Chairman Emil Jones Jr. told the Sun-Times the governor is not legally bound to conduct a larger hiring call.
Emanuel, who also opposed Kraft in the position, is also not happy with the development, says the Sun-Times. The mayor said he doesn’t think it makes sense financially, and the Chicago taxpayers will be the ultimate losers in this situation.
From the Sun-Times:
“I don’t think it should be played for politics. . . . God forbid something happened financially or in the fiscal management and stewardship. Chicago taxpayers are on the hook. This should not be just for anybody. It should be for people who . . . take the responsibilities seriously and have a good background and knowledge as it relates to this authority,” Emanuel said Wednesday.
It’s not that he doesn’t like Bertuca, Emanuel clarified. He just thinks “political respect” demands that the new governor gets to make the appointment.
From the Chicago Tribune:
On Wednesday, Emanuel said the post should be filled by someone with deep financial expertise and that Republican Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner should get to pick his own leader, in cooperation with the mayor, after he is sworn in Jan. 12.
To complicate matters further, Bertuca is engaged to Quinn’s communications director Brooke Anderson.
Though the Sun-Times points out his “only” sports experience has been playing football at Lake Forest College for four years, Bertuca said he is ready for the challenge of the $160,000-a-year job.
From Crain’s:
“In the year that Jackie Robinson West took local pride in our Little Leaguers to new heights, this is a great opportunity to take the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to the next level,” Bertuca said in a statement. “I’m eager to work with the board and staff to run the authority effectively and efficiently, protect taxpayers and increase recreational opportunities for youth in our communities.”
The Sun-Times‘ Dan Mihalopoulous wonders if Anderson is the one who wrote the statement:
I don’t know whether Anderson wrote her fiancee’s statement to the media on Monday. I would hope she could have done better than trying to tie this all-too-familiar tale of political favoritism together with Chicago’s feel-good story of the year…
Running ISFA has nothing to do with JRW. And there’s nothing little league about it.
Morrison’s discomfort with the arrangement inspired her to propose the bill for review when the General Assembly returns to Springfield next month.
From the Sun-Times:
“The people of Illinois expect more and deserve more accountability from their elected officials,” Morrison said. “This kind of last-minute patronage is embarrassing for all of us who care about ethical and honest government.”
Crain’s points out that the job doesn’t have to be set in stone. Soon, Rauner will be governor and he will have the chance to make changes.
From Crain’s:
Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner will have the option once he’s in office of retaining or replacing three Quinn board appointees who are working on expired terms for the sports authority. A spokesman for Rauner could not be reached for comment on whether he would support Morrison’s plan.
But for the next 31 days, Quinn is still governor, and Jones points out that such decisions are still his to make at this point.
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