Lawsuit Seeks Investigation Of Hiring Under Quinn
From the Associated Press
A Chicago attorney asked a federal judge on Tuesday to order an investigation into hiring under Gov. Pat Quinn, saying there's an "embedded culture of patronage practices" in Illinois government and anyone who improperly got a job should be fired.
Michael Shakman -- known for bringing the decades-old court case that led to bans on politically based hiring in Chicago and Cook County -- filed his motion in U.S. District Court in Chicago as part of that ongoing lawsuit.
The filing accuses Quinn of improper hiring and reclassification of employees in the Illinois Department of Transportation. It cites a 2013 report by the Better Government Association, a watchdog group, that concluded hundreds of IDOT jobs may have been wrongly filled based on "clout instead of competence."
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling governing state hiring says that only certain jobs may be filled based on subjective considerations, such as political loyalty or personal connections. The high court indicated politics could be considered only when it directly affects the job, such as that of a high-level policy adviser.
The BGA report and Shakman's lawsuit claim IDOT skirted those rules by reclassifying certain positions so they would be exempt from the state hiring rules and politics could be considered.
Quinn's office referred comment to IDOT Spokesman Guy Tridgell. In an emailed statement, Tridgell said the office launched a comprehensive audit "immediately" after the BGA report.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Associated Press
A Chicago attorney asked a federal judge on Tuesday to order an investigation into hiring under Gov. Pat Quinn, saying there's an "embedded culture of patronage practices" in Illinois government and anyone who improperly got a job should be fired.
Michael Shakman -- known for bringing the decades-old court case that led to bans on politically based hiring in Chicago and Cook County -- filed his motion in U.S. District Court in Chicago as part of that ongoing lawsuit.
The filing accuses Quinn of improper hiring and reclassification of employees in the Illinois Department of Transportation. It cites a 2013 report by the Better Government Association, a watchdog group, that concluded hundreds of IDOT jobs may have been wrongly filled based on "clout instead of competence."
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling governing state hiring says that only certain jobs may be filled based on subjective considerations, such as political loyalty or personal connections. The high court indicated politics could be considered only when it directly affects the job, such as that of a high-level policy adviser.
The BGA report and Shakman's lawsuit claim IDOT skirted those rules by reclassifying certain positions so they would be exempt from the state hiring rules and politics could be considered.
Quinn's office referred comment to IDOT Spokesman Guy Tridgell. In an emailed statement, Tridgell said the office launched a comprehensive audit "immediately" after the BGA report.
Read more in our daily News Update...