Disappointment, hope at Cohen job fair

CHERRY VALLEY -- Martina Love had two words to describe the job fair hosted by Scott Lee Cohen, the independent candidate for Illinois governor: false advertisement.

Out of work for a year, the 23-year-old said she was looking for a "real job" at a factory or elsewhere, not selling jewelry or enlisting in the military like recruiters at Cohen's Rockford-area job fair offered.

The job fairs are a cornerstone of Cohen's long-shot bid for governor.

But the jobseekers who lined up Tuesday weren't necessarily interested in helping him gain employment in November as Illinois' chief executive.

Cohen's event at the Tebala Shrine Center was called a job fair, but it had all the makings of a campaign event, with campaign signs everywhere.

His campaign says more than 500 people attended.