STATE SATURDAY
June 21, 2014 Northwest Herald Section B • Page 2
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Event honoring Quinn raises ‘pay to play’ issues By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press CHICAGO – A lobbying firm with close ties to a key subcontractor hired to promote the nation’s health care law in Illinois is hosting a fundraiser for one of Gov. Pat Quinn’s top political donors, raising questions about “pay to play” politics amid the state’s highly competitive governor’s race. The Roosevelt Group is hosting a breakfast fundraiser Tuesday for the Democratic Governors Association “honoring Pat Quinn,” according to an invitation sent out last week that lists suggested sponsorship levels of between $20,000 and $2,500. The Democratic Governors Association formed a political action committee last fall to support Quinn’s re-election and has contributed $260,000 to it so far this year.
ILLINOIS ROUNDUP
In 2010, the group gave about $1.8 million to Quinn – making it the Chicago Democrat’s second-biggest donor, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Roosevelt Group was co-founded by its two partners, Mike Noonan and Victor Reyes. A third person, Maze Jackson, is a lobbyist for the company. The three own Compass Public Affairs, a political strategy consulting firm that has a $250,000 state subcontract for the “Get Covered Illinois” marketing campaign. The contract, which paid Compass at a rate of $282 per hour, may be renewed when it ends in August. Illinois’ “pay to play” law bars contractors from making certain contributions to prevent politicians from steering lucrative government work to businesses that make dona-
tions to their campaigns. Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert, said the “degrees of separation” between DGA, Quinn’s campaign, Roosevelt and Compass may keep the event from violating the letter of the law. But he said the fundraiser raises ethical issues. “Clearly you’ve got people who are benefiting from state government contracts trying to facilitate contributions to re-elect the governor,” said Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at University of Illinois at Springfield. Quinn campaign spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said the event “is not a fundraiser for the governor.” “He is not attending this breakfast,” Anderson said. “If the DGA holds an event to support their organization that is their prerogative and fully within campaign finance law.”
The invitation shows a photo of Quinn with the governor’s name in the largest size font on the page. It reads: “You are cordially invited to a Breakfast Fundraiser for the: Democratic Governors Association honoring: Pat Quinn.” The Roosevelt Group principals are among the bestknown Democratic political strategists in Illinois. Noonan is a former staffer for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and a former campaign manager for Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Reyes is an ex-aide to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and founded the powerful Hispanic Democratic Organization. Jackson is a former statewide field director for Quinn. The men’s political strategy company, Compass, is part of a team working with FleishmanHillard to promote President
Barack Obama’s health care law in his home state under a $33 million contract that ends in August, but is up for renewal. Compass helped develop the “Get Covered Illinois” campaign’s grassroots strategy and supervised outreach to church leaders, black business leaders and ethnic media. “The Roosevelt Group and [the law firm] Reyes Kurson have been supportive of the Democratic Governors Association for many years,” Roosevelt co-founder Reyes said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday. “We welcome the opportunity to assist in the election of Democratic governors across the United States.” Reyes Kurson, listed as a cohost of the Tuesday event, shares an address with Roosevelt and Compass. The Washington, D.C.based Democratic Governors
Seth Tinsley ran the store and rented office space upstairs to Abraham Lincoln and William Herndon for their legal practice. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices building was built in 1840 and is the oldest non-reconstructed building on Springfield’s Old Capitol Plaza.
Tracking turtles
News from across the state
1
Judge off Jordan case, denies calling him ‘hog’
CHICAGO – A federal judge in Chicago withdrew from a civil case involving Michael Jordan after lawyers for the former Chicago Bulls star accused the jurist of comparing Jordan to a “hog” and “Dr. Frankenstein,” though the judge denies the descriptions were aimed directly at the former NBA player. The legal fracas arose in a 4-year-old civil case in which Jordan sued Dominick’s Finer Foods LLC after the grocery store chain invoked his name and persona without permission in a 2009 Sports Illustrated advertisement. Jordan’s lawyers this week succeeded in getting Judge Milton I. Shadur to remove himself from the case after they alleged he described the six-time NBA champion as “greedy,” comparing him to a “hog” and to “Dr. Frankenstein.” In the ad, Dominick’s congratulated Jordan on his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame and offered a $2 off steak coupon. The court already found Dominick’s liable, and the lingering dispute is over damages. Jordan, 50, is seeking $2.5 million. Shadur, a recent Jordan filing argued, also showed bias in slapping down the star’s assertion that his actual damages may run to $10 million. At one hearing, Shadur said in an allusion to the stock market, “The bulls may make money and the bears may make money, but the hogs get slaughtered.” At earlier hearings, Shadur denied calling Jordan a “hog” or
Association is hosting a twoday regional policy conference in Chicago next week. The fundraising breakfast is on the first day of the conference. DGA describes itself as “the only organization dedicated to electing Democratic governors and candidates.” Illinois campaign contribution records show DGA has given $260,000 this year to its Jobs and Opportunity for Illinois PAC, which was formed to support Quinn’s re-election. The DGA also gave $50,000 to a union-backed PAC fighting Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner and $84,300 in in-kind contributions to Quinn’s campaign. DGA spokesman Danny Kanner said the breakfast “is a fundraiser for the DGA, to support its programs across the country, not any specific candidate.”
4
New law improves oversight of tire sites
CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn has signed new legislation meant to improve oversight of used tire storage and processing sites that can pose major environmental hazards. Thursday’s signing comes one year after a massive fire broke out at a tire-recycling facility in central Illinois. The June fire at J&R Used Tire Service in Hoopeston engulfed tens of thousands of tires and took weeks to extinguish. Many homes in neighboring communities had to be evacuated. The cleanup also took several weeks.
AP photo
Lincoln Park Zoo and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials released 20 ornate box turtles into the wild Wednesday in northern Illinois as part of efforts to restore natural grasslands and prairies. The turtles were released in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge near Thomson and Savanna. They hatched from eggs at the zoo where they were raised without the threat of predators. Before their release, they got unique markings and transmitters so they can be tracked by researchers.
“Dr. Frankenstein.” He employed those descriptions, he insisted, in reference to Jordan’s damages claims – not to Jordan himself.
2
Scholarships for slaying video game foes
CHICAGO – Note to parents: All those hours your kids spend blazing a trail of destruction in video games may not be a complete waste of time after all. A small private university in Chicago is offering hefty scholarships for players of one game in particular, League of Legends, which has become one of the most popular games for
organized team competitions. Robert Morris University Illinois announced its new program this month and said it recognizes the growing legitimacy of what are known as “eSports.” The school said it also wants to give credit to those with a competitive spirit who don’t necessarily want to play traditional sports such as basketball or football. Associate Athletic Director Kurt Melcher, who will be in charge of the school’s new varsity eSports program, said Friday that he expected a certain amount of surprise and attention, but was surprised by just how much feedback he’s
getting. Melcher said League of Legends is a competitive game that demands team strategy and mental prowess, and spending money to recruit the best will deliver the types of committed students who are drawn by scholarships for traditional sports. The school is even hiring a coach for its team. Starting this fall, the scholarships will cover up to 50 percent of tuition and 50 percent of room and board. That’s worth up to $19,000 per student. Robert Morris said it is among the first in the nation to offer such substantial scholarships of this type.
3
Springfield project to overhaul Lincoln law office
SPRINGFIELD – Plans are underway to overhaul the historic Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices site in downtown Springfield, including a working version of an 1840s dry goods store similar to one that was below Abraham Lincoln’s law practice. About $1.2 million to pay for the project comes from state capital construction funds. State officials said a start date for construction hasn’t been set. They are finalizing designs and soliciting bids. Once construction starts the site will be closed for 15 months.
5
Zoo-hatched turtles released in Illinois
CHICAGO – Twenty ornate box turtles have been released into the wild in northern Illinois as part of efforts to restore natural grasslands and prairies. Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the turtles Wednesday in the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge near Thomson and Savanna. They hatched from eggs at the zoo where they were raised without the threat of predators. Before their release, they got unique markings and transmitters so they can be tracked by researchers. Lincoln Park Zoo curator Diane Mulkerin said researchers will learn about the turtles’ nesting grounds, diet and preferred environment.
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