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Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn held a fund-raiser Monday night—but he refused to accept any funds at it. Quinn spokesman Bob Reed said Quinn “didn’t feel it was appropriate” to throw a check-collecting party while the country is waiting to find out the latest sordid details in the state’s latest pay-to-play scandal. Instead, Reed said, the gathering “became a holiday reception.”
But that doesn’t mean the lieutenant governor won’t receive donations at other times. Interest in Quinn has grown in proportion to disgust with embattled governor Rod Blagojevich; expect the money to flow in even faster if impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich move along.
Quinn, who made his name as a government watchdog, taxpayer advocate, and annoyance to the political establishment, hasn’t been the most prodigious fund-raiser. Over the last four years his primary campaign fund has collected about $626,000 in donations; by contrast, Blagojevich raked in more than three times as much cash ($1,891,238) in just the first six months of 2008.
But Quinn does have his loyal supporters, led by unions, developers, and some wealthy and connected Chicagoans. His top contributor since the beginning of 2005, to the tune of $49,000, has been AFSCME Council 31, which represents thousands of state employees. The Chicago Teachers Union has kicked in $34,500, and the Illinois Pipe Trades, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the United Auto Workers, the Sprinkler Fitters, the Associated Fire Fighters, the Service Employees International Union, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have each given thousands of dollars to Quinn.
The lieutenant governor has also received big contributions from prominent property tax attorney Richard Shapiro, venture capitalist and Hyatt heir J.B. Pritzker, and restaurateur Yick Y. Chiu, as well as lesser sums from alderman Richard Mell, Blago’s father-in-law; alderman Ed Burke and his wife, justice Anne Burke of the state supreme court, which today decided not to weigh in on a motion to remove Blago from office; and, of course, Blagojevich himself.
Reed says Quinn screens his donors. "He's pretty selective in terms of who he takes contributions from," Reed said. "He doesn't take anything from currency exchanges, utilities, or insurance companies."
Below are his top 20 donors since the start of 2005; the full list is here.
| AFSCME Illinios Council No. 31- PAC | $ 49,000.00 |
| Chicago Teachers Union PAC | $ 34,500.00 |
| Chiu, Yick Y. | $ 30,075.00 |
| Pritzker, J.B. | $ 25,000.00 |
| Illinois Pipe Trades PAC | $ 24,500.00 |
| Shapiro, Richard | $ 20,200.00 |
| IUPAT | $ 17,500.00 |
| Quinn, Patrick | $ 16,500.00 |
| UAW Illinois PAC | $ 16,500.00 |
| 315 W North Ave. LP | $ 15,000.00 |
| Chicago Investments L.P. | $ 15,000.00 |
| Development Specialists Inc. | $ 11,500.00 |
| O'Brien, Pete | $ 10,000.00 |
| Berry, William | $ 9,380.27 |
| Assoc. Beer Distributors of Illinois | $ 9,000.00 |
| Sprinkler Fitters Local Union No. 281 | $ 8,200.00 |
| Assc. Fire Fighters of IL PAC | $ 8,000.00 |
| SEIU Illinois Council PAC Fund | $ 7,750.00 |
| I.B.E.W. Local 15 | $ 7,500.00 |
| Plumbers & Pipe Fitters P.A.C Fund | $ 7,000.00 |
HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT
He is honest, fiscally frugal, for term limits, for open government, is personally honest, and pro-soldier/pro-veteran.
Thanks, pat, we already know how highly you regard yourself, you don't need to brown nose your own ass.
For Immediate Release Roberto Garcia – 312.402.7459 (Cell)
January 30, 2008 or Ana Maria Montes de Oca-Rojas – 708.712.0202
State Board Of Elections Begins Investigation Into Larry Dominick
− Political Fund Purchased Business Property Owned By Larry Dominick, Inc. −
CHICAGO – The Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) has begun a review of the financial dealings of Larry Dominick’s political action committee fund after a complaint was filed detailing the improper use of funds for a private business venture and the existence of a separate undisclosed political account.
“According to corporate documents released from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, Cicero Town President Larry Dominick and Cicero Town Attorney Michael Delgaldo started a private For Profit corporation for Larry Dominick on March 7, 2006. On March 8, 2006, Larry Dominick’s political fund reported a $120,350.84 transfer of funds to David Cwik for the purchase of a business property on 35th Street to be owned by Larry Dominick’s personal business corporation,” said Roberto Garcia. “Apparently they tried to use similar names for Larry’s political fund and Larry’s private corporation to avoid suspicion, but it is clear that political funds were used to fund a private personal business venture, which is expressly prohibited by Illinois state law.”
The $120,350.84 transfer of funds to Larry Dominick’s personal corporation is income which should be taxed at the rate of 39%, or $46,936 for the 2006 tax year. It is unknown whether Larry Dominick or his corporation paid those Federal income taxes to the United States Internal Revenue Service or if the corresponding corporate taxes were paid to the State of Illinois. Dominick also paid his property taxes on the building through the political fund in 2008 in the amount of $7,408.66, which is also taxable income.
“Separately, Larry Dominick’s attorney Richard Means disclosed in a document submitted to the Cicero Electoral Board that Larry Dominick had a “separate ballot access account” which is not disclosed to the State Board of Elections as required by law,” said Garcia. “If what Dominick’s lawyer said is true, they have a slush fund which they don’t report to the government, which is a violation of the Illinois Election Code. Slush funds were outlawed over 35 years ago but the news apparently hasn’t reached Cicero Town Hall yet.”
The Illinois State Board Of Elections will schedule a closed preliminary hearing to establish the nature of the offenses before the February 24, 2008 primary, after which all hearings on the matter will be open to the public. The State Board of Election will determine whether the transactions should be referred to Illinois Attorney General for prosecution. The matter has also been referred to the United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald.