Thursday, April 06, 2006
$23,000 in Bonuses for 17 Daniels’ Employees
I originally wrote this on Feb. 5, 2003, after the campaign disclosure reports were filed for the last half of 2002. Illinois Leader publisher Dan Proft would not allow it to be published. With Mike Tristano’s having admitted to mail fraud this past week, it seems like it’s worth giving it the light of internet monitors. Information contained in the article was current when it was written.
- - - - -
On December 16, 2002, outgoing House Republican Leader Lee Daniels paid $23,041 in cash bonuses to 17 employees from the Friends of Lee Daniels. Daniels has prided himself on not paying employee bonuses with state funds, as his counterpart House Speaker Michael Madigan has.
Kevin Artl received $2,500, the biggest bonus from Daniels. He is currently Policy Director of newly elected minority leader Tom Cross. Policy staffers have traditionally been the most politically involved. Daniels copied the function from Speaker Mike Madigan.
The man who started the avalanche that buried Lee Daniels’ political career was Chicago Attorney Richard Means. He discovered that Daniels’ staffers were working on campaigns on state-paid time and were billing excessive travel expenses
When asked about Artl, attorney Rich Means said, “I owe him a phone call. Artl is on Cross’ staff currently. That’s why Artl called me. He wanted to run some of Cross’ proposed ethics reforms by me.”
Told about Artl’s $2,500 bonus, Means asked,
Philip Bellini, who received a $400 bonus in mid-December, is a Springfield-based employee for Minority Leader Cross. He is the Downstate Policy Director.
Another $400 bonus went to Assistant House Clerk Brad Bolin. Bolin worked in the field on campaigns when he first went to work for Daniels. His good work was rewarded with selection as the top Republican in the House Clerk’s Office. He is considered skilled in telephone polling.
Laura Bondi of Geneva also received a December 16th bonus of $400, used to work no staff, but is no longer with the Minority Leader’s Office.
$200 went to Arlington Heights’ James Drew $200. He is a
policy analyst for Cross.
Greg Durham, who used to be Daniels’ spokesman received a $595 bonus. He is now a public information officer for the Department of Transportation in Springfield.
Cross’ appropriations director Kenton Gaffney got a $595 bonus. He lives in Springfield
Lee Daniels’ executive secretary in his Elmhurst office, Jill Garrett received $400 in bonus money. She has retired.
Another Elmhurst employee of Daniels, Tammy Koehler, got $200 as a bonus from Friends of Lee Daniels.
Elizabeth Laird, also given a $200 bonus is a receptionist/secretary in Cross’s Springfield office.
Lynette Langdon is legislative secretary for State Reps. Bill Mitchell of Decatur and Dave Winters of Shirland, near Rockford. She received $200 from the Daniels’ campaign fund.
Joan Laurino, another $200 recipient, either retired or left the Minority Leader’s staff, a spokesperson for Cross said.
Glen Ellyn’s Sheryl Markay received $400 in bonus money. She is no longer on staff.
Daniels’ long-time top secretarial assistant Denise Pierce got a $595 bonus. Pierce has retired from state government.
Springfield’s Lisa Rawlings received $400. She works on the Minority Leader’s research staff.
Kitty Shores, who was Pierce’s top assistant got $200. She has also retired from state government.
Lori Skinner of Hinsdale (no relation) received a $595 bonus and “is no longer with us,” Cross’s spokesman said.
Some of the bonus recipients might be potential witnesses in any federal trial, if the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s investigation leads there.
A year ago, House Speaker Michael Madigan was heavily criticized for granting what the press called “bonuses” from state appropriation money to employees during the month of December.
When asked whether the Speaker had granted similar compensation this past year, spokesman Steve Brown was emphatic that they were not “bonuses,” but, rather, “merit adjustments.” He said that the granting of such “merit adjustments” had been a practice of the Speaker for several years.
Brown was asked to find out if additional money had been paid to staffers of the Speaker’s Office in 2002. Madigan’s Spokesman did call back with an answer.
Daniels’ committee also paid Belvidere’s Alan Fore, the assistant treasurer of the Illinois Republican Party, $10,000 for “contract-campaign.”
- - - - -
On December 16, 2002, outgoing House Republican Leader Lee Daniels paid $23,041 in cash bonuses to 17 employees from the Friends of Lee Daniels. Daniels has prided himself on not paying employee bonuses with state funds, as his counterpart House Speaker Michael Madigan has.
Kevin Artl received $2,500, the biggest bonus from Daniels. He is currently Policy Director of newly elected minority leader Tom Cross. Policy staffers have traditionally been the most politically involved. Daniels copied the function from Speaker Mike Madigan.
The man who started the avalanche that buried Lee Daniels’ political career was Chicago Attorney Richard Means. He discovered that Daniels’ staffers were working on campaigns on state-paid time and were billing excessive travel expenses
When asked about Artl, attorney Rich Means said, “I owe him a phone call. Artl is on Cross’ staff currently. That’s why Artl called me. He wanted to run some of Cross’ proposed ethics reforms by me.”
Told about Artl’s $2,500 bonus, Means asked, What was the date? The date is important because Artl was one of the people who was deeply involved in the scandal or controversy that brought Daniels down. He was one of the people who was the supervisor and approved the time sheets and the state paid travel vouchers that were clearly to political campaign headquarters.In addition, Means continued,
Artl approved a number of puffed up and apparently fraudulent travel vouchers claiming travel to further distances than their own internal records showed that the staffers traveled. Artl himself was one of the persons with apparently inflated expense accounts for state paid travel on days when he clearly did political work.“So, it is not just that they were stealing state time in their salaries,” Means stressed. “They were stealing state reimbursements because they claimed political travel. And, then, on the theory that you never steal anything small, they inflated their claims.”
Philip Bellini, who received a $400 bonus in mid-December, is a Springfield-based employee for Minority Leader Cross. He is the Downstate Policy Director.
Another $400 bonus went to Assistant House Clerk Brad Bolin. Bolin worked in the field on campaigns when he first went to work for Daniels. His good work was rewarded with selection as the top Republican in the House Clerk’s Office. He is considered skilled in telephone polling.
Laura Bondi of Geneva also received a December 16th bonus of $400, used to work no staff, but is no longer with the Minority Leader’s Office.
$200 went to Arlington Heights’ James Drew $200. He is a
policy analyst for Cross.
Greg Durham, who used to be Daniels’ spokesman received a $595 bonus. He is now a public information officer for the Department of Transportation in Springfield.
Cross’ appropriations director Kenton Gaffney got a $595 bonus. He lives in Springfield
Lee Daniels’ executive secretary in his Elmhurst office, Jill Garrett received $400 in bonus money. She has retired.
Another Elmhurst employee of Daniels, Tammy Koehler, got $200 as a bonus from Friends of Lee Daniels.
Elizabeth Laird, also given a $200 bonus is a receptionist/secretary in Cross’s Springfield office.
Lynette Langdon is legislative secretary for State Reps. Bill Mitchell of Decatur and Dave Winters of Shirland, near Rockford. She received $200 from the Daniels’ campaign fund.
Joan Laurino, another $200 recipient, either retired or left the Minority Leader’s staff, a spokesperson for Cross said.
Glen Ellyn’s Sheryl Markay received $400 in bonus money. She is no longer on staff.
Daniels’ long-time top secretarial assistant Denise Pierce got a $595 bonus. Pierce has retired from state government.
Springfield’s Lisa Rawlings received $400. She works on the Minority Leader’s research staff.
Kitty Shores, who was Pierce’s top assistant got $200. She has also retired from state government.
Lori Skinner of Hinsdale (no relation) received a $595 bonus and “is no longer with us,” Cross’s spokesman said.
Some of the bonus recipients might be potential witnesses in any federal trial, if the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s investigation leads there.
A year ago, House Speaker Michael Madigan was heavily criticized for granting what the press called “bonuses” from state appropriation money to employees during the month of December.
When asked whether the Speaker had granted similar compensation this past year, spokesman Steve Brown was emphatic that they were not “bonuses,” but, rather, “merit adjustments.” He said that the granting of such “merit adjustments” had been a practice of the Speaker for several years.
Brown was asked to find out if additional money had been paid to staffers of the Speaker’s Office in 2002. Madigan’s Spokesman did call back with an answer.
Daniels’ committee also paid Belvidere’s Alan Fore, the assistant treasurer of the Illinois Republican Party, $10,000 for “contract-campaign.”
