"The
attorney general [Burris] is the highest-ranking of Illinois political
figures who have used their campaign funds as personal banks or
convenient income sources..."
Amidst
the latest news, a look
back at Governor
Blagojevich's
appointee
Chicago Sun Times
Sunday,
February 2, 1992,
SUNDAY NEWS, Page 4
Burris borrowed
$28,200
from his campaign fund:
Burris latest IL
politician found dipping into coffer
Note: This
article is from the print edition of one
of Chicago's two major city newspapers,
here in the
state capital; highlighting/links
on this
page have been added for reference only... We do not necessarily
endorse the content of external web pages.
By CHUCK
NEUBAUER & MARK BROWN
THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES
Illinois Attorney General Roland W.
Burris is the latest state politician found to dip into his campaign
coffers for personal purposes - giving himself a $28,200 loan.
In a report released Friday, Burris noted that he borrowed the money
July 31 from the Friends of Burris Committee. On the report, the
campaign expenditure is explained only as "personal loan."
Note:
This is one of the news articles from an excellent 'Animal Farm' blog
entry at the Daily Herald. (
Hat tip: NBC
Chicago )
A spokesman for Burris
said the
Chicago Democrat used the money to increase his state pension
benefits.
By paying $28,200 into the state pension fund, Burris can draw the
maximum pension benefit when he retires.
Burris plans to wait until after he leaves public office to repay the
loan, with 5 percent annual interest to the campaign fund, said Al
Manning, director of communications for the attorney general's office.
The State Board of Elections maintains that it has no power under
Illinois law to question how political campaign committees spend their
money as long as all payments are disclosed. The Internal Revenue
Service requires politicians to pay taxes on any campaign money
converted to their personal use.
Burris, whose annual state salary is $85,915, gave up a part-time
position with the Chicago law firm of Jones Ware & Grenard when
he became attorney general last year, a spokesman said.
The attorney general is the
highest-ranking of Illinois political
figures who have used their campaign funds as personal banks or
convenient income sources.
Last week, indicted
former Ald. Fred B. Roti (1st) disclosed he
used
more than $127,025 in campaign funds last year to pay his lawyers.
Roti is scheduled to go on trial March 16 on federal corruption charges.
Roti's 1st Ward cohort, Sen. John A. D'Arco
Jr. (D-Chicago), has yet to
repay any of a $ 45,000 loan from his political fund in 1990. D'Arco is
scheduled to be sentenced in federal court April 16 for taking $ 7,500
in bribes.
Another
politician-felon, former Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Morgan M.
Finley, repaid a $25,000 loan from his campaign fund, aids said.
Finley is serving a 10-year prison sentence on a bribery
conviction.
Senate President Philip J. Rock (D-Oak Park) is still repaying campaign
funds that he says he borrowed to help finance his children's education
between 1983 and 1988.
Rock, who calculated at the end of 1990 that he still owed $ 38,500,
reported that he paid back $ 8,467 last year. Rock also has taken
campaign funds, including at least $ 46,000 as "stipends" for his
political work.
Rep. William O. Lipinski (D-Ill.) also has paid himself for political
work. Lipinski has reported on federal disclosure forms that he gives
himself an $ 8,000 salary as 23rd Ward Democratic Committeeman.
Other politicians have increased their household income by putting
family members on their political payrolls.
The Sun-Times reported last week that former state Treasurer Jerry
Cosentino, who is facing financial problems because of the collapse of
his trucking business, paid his wife and daughter $54,000 in campaign
funds last year.
Cosentino said he paid them for work on his unsuccessful 1990 campaign
for secretary of state, although he had not reported on two earlier
disclosure reports that they were owed any money from that period.
Former Gov. James R. Thompson paid his wife, Jayne, about $40,000
annually for several years for working on his campaign, and Jay
McMullen, husband of former Mayor Jane M. Byrne, received $166,000 one
year while she was in office.
Chuck Neubauer & Mark Brown are staff writers for the Chicago
Sun Times.
Note from webmaster:
Of the Illinois
Chicago politicians mentioned in this article, three of them - Alderman
Fred Roti, Senator John
D'Arco, Jr., and Treasurer
Jerry Cosentino,
were
subsequently convicted of crimes, and sentenced to prison. Check out
this
pertinent
page that I created in August
2002 (based on a document created by the Illinois Republican Party).
I have improved it since it was created, but have not added
any new information, for Illinois Democratic crimes and corruption that
have occurred since then. (There
have certainly
been quite a few!!... And the beat goes on.)
FAIR
USE NOTICE: This newspaper article by from
theChicago
Sun Times
is provided for non-profit and educational
purposes, in accordance with Section
107 of
the U.S. Copyright Act.
