Rod Blagojevich

Relationships with fellow lawmakers

Blagojevich's lieutenant governor is Pat Quinn, with whom he has had a sour relationship since taking office. Quinn and Blagojevich have publicly disputed the latter's proposed "Gross Receipts Tax" to increase revenue for schools and other projects within Illinois. Blagojevich has been criticized by members of both parties in the state legislature who see him as "disengaged" and "dictatorial." Democratic legislator Jack Franks has said that the reason Blagojevich has problems passing laws with the cooperation of the Legislature is that he does not spend enough time with the Legislature. "That’s a real reason he has such poor relations with the Legislature and can’t get any of his agenda passed, because he doesn’t talk to anybody." When lawmakers working on a budget during a special session met at 10 a.m. rather than 2pm and Blagojevich's attorney threatened that the Governor was considering legal action, Democratic Rep. Joe Lyons told reporters, "We have a madman. The man is insane." Blagojevich has had an ongoing feud with Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, a fiscal conservative who resists Blagojevich's proposed increases in state spending.

Following a 2007 meeting with State Senator Mike Jacobs, meant to convince Jacobs to vote for Blagojevich's health insurance proposals, Jacobs emerged telling reporters that the Governor "blew up at him like a 10-year-old child," acted as if he might hit Jacobs, screamed obscenities at him and threatened to ruin his political career if Jacobs didn't vote for the bill. Jacobs said if Blagojevich had talked to him like that at a tavern, "I would have kicked his tail end." Blagojevich would not comment on the alleged incident.

Appointments

In early 2006, after the appointment of Claudette Marie Muhammad, chief of protocol of the Nation of Islam to an Illinois anti-discrimination commission, five other members of this commission resigned. Muhammad has distanced herself from statements made by Louis Farrakhan, and Blagojevich has promised to "oversee meaningful dialogue with leaders of the Jewish, black and gay communities." Despite this, the Anti-Discrimination League has been calling for her removal from the state panel. The resignation or removal of fellow commission member Rick Garcia has also been called for by the Illinois Family Institute, over statements made by Garcia about Francis Cardinal George. Republican candidate for Governor Jim Oberweis echoed the call for Garcia's removal or resignation in an e-mail release as part of his campaign for the Illinois Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Allegations of cronyism and patronage

On December 30, 2005, it was reported that a leasing deal reached for occupants of the remodeled Illinois Tollway oasis has come under investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. This is in addition to other investigations in the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Children and Family Services. Investigations into other programs related to Illinois' Tollway System, specifically the delivery of I-Pass transponders, have also been announced.

On June 30, 2006, it was revealed that state Attorney General Lisa Madigan had received a letter from United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, stating that Fitzgerald is looking into "very serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" in the Blagojevich administration, and thanking Madigan for turning over her office's investigation to the federal authorities. Madigan later stated that she could not endorse Blagojevich because of her office's role in the investigation.

In September 2006, it was revealed that Blagojevich had accepted a $1,500 check from Mike Ascaridis, whom the governor described as one of his closest friends, in 2003. The check was given two weeks after Ascaridis' wife, Beverly, received a state job at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Mrs. Ascaridis received this appointment despite having failed a state hiring exam. Blagojevich initially asserted that the check was written as a birthday gift to his oldest daughter. He then later said it was a gift for his younger daughter's christening.U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI  are investigating the matter.

On October 2, 2006, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a company that contributed close to $120,000 to Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial campaign won a no-bid contract. Even though the contract was awarded by the Illinois' Capital Development Board, the board still reports to the Governor.

On October 11, 2006, Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin Rezko was indicted for participation in a scheme to obtain kickbacks from investment firms seeking business from the state teachers' pension system. Friends of Blagojevich also accepted a $10,000 campaign contribution from the Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC fund on July 23, 2003. In return, the IUEC received several board positions on the Illinois Elevator Safety Board. In addition, the governor's wife, Patricia Blagojevich, was a business partner of indicted fundraiser Antoin Rezko for at least a decade. In 2004, she received over $38,000 in real estate commissions from him.

In October 2006, it was revealed that Patricia Blagojevich, a licensed real estate broker, earned $113,700 in commissions from Anita and Amrish Mahajan. These were the only commissions earned by Patricia Blagojevich this year. Anita Mahajan owns a urinalysis company that holds a no-bid contract with the state Department of Children and Family Services. Amrish Mahajan is president of a bank that has two requests pending before state regulators to acquire two out-of-state banks.

On November 27, 2006, a day after the indictment of lawyer Milberg Weiss, "Friends of Blagojevich" returned a $10,000 contribution his campaign received from Milberg Weiss, records show that Blagojevich has not returned another $40,000 from Melvyn Weiss and other lawyers in Weiss' firm. Weiss paid $5,000 toward lodging, meals and entertainment for Blagojevich and others with him during the December 2003 trip to New York.

Daily Show appearance

In early-February 2006, Blagojevich appeared on The Daily Show to discuss his executive order that pharmacists must dispense any drugs for which a customer had a valid prescription, including birth control pills and Plan B. This controversial measure was being challenged on the show by state legislator Ron Stephens from Greenville in the 102nd District. Blagojevich was interviewed by Jason Jones who repeatedly pretended to be unable to pronounce Blagojevich and simply called him "Governor Smith". This prompted Blagojevich to turn to the camera and ask "Is he teasing me or is that legit?" Two weeks after the interview, Blagojevich admitted that he was unaware of the nature of the show. Stephens said he knew beforehand that the show was a comedy show: "I thought the governor was hip enough that he would have known that, too."

Stephens later said, "With all due respect to the governor, he knew it was a comedy show. It's general knowledge for people under 90 years of age. It was when he came off looking so silly that he said he thought it was a regular news program. Even assuming he didn't know about it beforehand, we had to sign a release before the interview."

Feud with his father-in-law

A major event of 2005 was Blagojevich's dispute with his father-in-law, Richard Mell. The feud went public when Blagojevich shut down a landfill owned by a distant cousin of his wife Patti for environmental problems, and it was revealed that Mell had served as an advisor to the cousin. Legislation was eventually passed giving the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency more authority over landfills and preventing relatives of top Illinois officials from owning landfills.

Regarding his decision to shut down the landfill despite the fact the landfill was owned by a relative, he said, "This is the kind of thing that I think frankly separates the men from the boys in leadership. Do you have the testicular virility to make a decision like that knowing what's coming your way? I say I do." This remark was both ridiculed as an undignified comment for a governor as well as criticized for being sexist.

In June, Mell served as honorary co-chairman of an event for state Representative Jack Franks, a longtime Blagojevich critic.

Expensive daily commute

As of July 2007, Illinois lawmakers are in a deadlock over approving a budget. In light of this, Blagojevich has come under criticism for choosing to take daily, expensive commutes between his Chicago home and his office in Springfield rather than stay in the governor's mansion during the budget crisis. The round trip on a state plane costs nearly $6,000, and Blagojevich made the trip nine times between May 22 and June 7, costing taxpayers more than $75,000 according to state transportation records. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that a commercial roundtrip flight between Springfield and Chicago can be had on short notice for between $500 and $700. State representative Chris Lauzen noted that the cost was more than a teacher's annual salary. Blagojevich's office refused to answer questions pertaining to the flights. However, after ridicule from lawmakers, voters and editorial cartoonists, he stopped the daily flights home.

Blagojevich had earlier criticized state lawmakers for not working five days a week, with his spokeswoman saying, "Everyone in America works five days a week and is expected to put in full-time work in order to complete their jobs" on June 4. Travel records showed that Blagojevich had flown into Springfield in May and June an average of three days a week, arriving about noon and sometimes staying for as little as three hours before returning to Chicago.

As Governor of Illinois, Blagojevich is entitled to live in the Illinois Executive Mansion, located in the state capital. However, he and his family have opted to remain in Chicago. One reason he gave was an unwillingness to move his infant daughter away from home. In the governor's absence, the Illinois Times, a newspaper based in Springfield, held a satirical contest in 2003 for readers to decide how the mansion should be used. Suggestions ranged from using it as a hotel or homeless shelter to converting it to a "house of ill repute." The Blagojevich family has shunned the use of the Mansion even for one-night stays. Past Governors have lived in Springfield or stayed there during legislative sessions.

Sources:
Wikipedia.org
Ill. Family Institute
Washington Post
CBS
WQAD
Fox News