It was recently exposed that Governor Quinn received a $75,000.00 political contribution from the Teamsters Union weeks before his signature went on the dotted line to help that same union. Chicago’s convention business is seriously flagging, largely because it is prohibitively expensive to conduct a convention in Chicago.
This recent bill attempted to streamline costs in order to draw back lost convention business by reforming the governance of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (known as “McPier”). The Teamsters and Carpenter’s Union heavily opposed the move, which would have cost them business. Quinn used his amendatory veto power to cut a sweeter deal for his Union cronies, but the state legislature struck down his changes and passed the bill as they originally wrote it.
The Unions say they have always supported Quinn, but the numbers do not show it. How shocking is it that, before Quinn took over the governor’s office, the Teamsters had given him about $15,000 in total! As it stands today, roughly one year and five months since he came to power, Quinn has received at least $175,000 ($75,000 from the latest contribution, plus two $50,000 checks from Teamsters Volunteers in Politics, a shill for Teamsters Joint Council 25). Most of this money has come rushing in since September and the kick-off of his re-election campaign.
This all comes on the heels of Quinn’s last fundraising scandal, where he blamed an aide for trying to sell private meetings with interest groups for $15,000 a pop.
Although Quinn denies there was any link between the sudden influx of Teamster cash and his amendatory veto of the McPier reform bill, it does look suspicious. Bill Brady, the GOP candidate for governor of Illinois, has demanded that there be an investigation in the matter. “The citizens of Illinois are suffering the effects of the pay-to-play politics that were the hallmark of the Blagojevich-Quinn administration. We cannot allow another incident to go unchecked.”
4 Comments
Betty,
This is a bit off-topic, but I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on… (YOUR COMMENT HAS BEEN MODIFIED – please keep your comments related to the article, thank you. Joseph Fosco, Publisher).
I love the addition of Betty-LM to your writing staff.
May I ask a question?
Does the KTF staff ever socialize together? Do you guys ever convene for drinks or dinner to discuss the latest goings-on the blog?
Speaking for myself, I admit I have this fantasy about someday being lucky enough to bump into KTF’s “dramatis personae” at pub one night.
You know…
Joe Fosco sitting at the head of the table, sipping a Peroni or something, while listening intently as Betty, Alex and “Theo” theorize about world affairs.
Meanwhile, Susan and Kate are parked on nearby barstools, quietly and deeply engaged in girl talk.
Vince Costa is somewhere outside, talking to Conrad Black, via his cell phone.
And, of course, no one knows where the heck Charles Sullivan is.
Unfortunately, per my fantasy, Harlem Playboy soon buzzes into the pub and rudely interrupts the group’s chemistry with an inappropriate and tendentious question about Nick Gio.
After you guys tell him that his comments are very, VERY off-base, Harlem Playboy (nonetheless) walks away apologetically and dejectedly, and decides to join Misters Padal and Battaglia at a nearby table.
Yes: an extremely strange fantasy.
Does this kind of thing ever happen?
Dear Anti,
All of KTF’s contributors are never together at one time, anywhere. Sorry.
Betty,
Did you go with “Quinn’s Quandry” because it exhibits good alliteration… ?
(YOUR COMMENT WAS MODIFIED – anything that distracts the readers from the article will be eliminated. Thank you, Joseph Fosco)