Kane County lobbyist defends his contracts
Kane County's lobbyist appeared before a county board committee Monday to explain what taxpayers receive in trade for the thousands of dollars he was paid over the past two years.
On the heels of questions last week about how much his firm is paid, Andy Raucci told the Legislative Committee he is their man in Springfield when they can't be there. Raucci's firm received more than $64,000 in separate contracts with three Kane County departments last year. The firm is on pace to surpass that total this year.
Raucci said he is in the Capitol every day the legislature is in session to provide lawmakers with the county's perspective on bills. Raucci said he examines every piece of legislation drafted by state lawmakers and writes a synopsis for board members whenever a bill might affect the county.
But committee members said they seldom see those reports, inspiring shock-filled reactions from Raucci and Committee Chairman Jesse Vazquez.
“If you're not getting them in your county email, that's a problem,” Vazquez said. “I'm surprised to hear that. No one has ever told me that before. I'll fix it.”
Committee members said the reports would help them decide when to contact local state representatives on their own when critical legislation is up for debate. Raucci encouraged board members to make calls and write letters but suggested he is better suited to do the face-to-face talks.
“My business is all relationship oriented,” Raucci said. “Anybody can go down to Springfield, can go up to the secretary's desk and say, I'd like to see Representative X,' ” Raucci said. “The question is getting in. I have built many key personal relationships.”
Raucci even spoke of having a man close to Gov. Pat Quinn who is traveling with the governor right now in Israel but reporting back to Raucci on comments Quinn has made about the future of video gambling.
Committee members also asked Raucci how he handles potential conflicts of interest with his clients. Raucci's firm lobbies on behalf of Metra, Elgin Riverboat Resorts, the Wirtz Corp. and ComEd, among others.
Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, until recently, was embroiled in a lawsuit to block the expansion of video gambling during the county's deliberations on the matter. Kane County initially voted to ban video gambling, then reversed itself. More recently, the county considered a multibillion-dollar plan by ComEd to upgrade its infrastructure in Illinois. The full county board never took an official stance on the legislation, despite several discussions.
Raucci told the committee he has never seen a conflict of interest between his lobbying for the county and his other clients. If such a conflict arises, Raucci encouraged board members to address him with their concerns.
After the meeting, Vazquez said conflicts of interest with Raucci's firm could be handled by county board members contacting state lawmakers themselves whenever they care about an individual piece of legislation.
“They should be representing their districts,” Vazquez said. “I know I never hesitate to call my representatives whenever something is happening that I don't like.”