Blagojevich's relationship with Mell not swell

Despite coming together during a family death in December, the state's first family remains fractured, said Chicago Ald. Dick Mell on Tuesday.

Mell revealed that he hasn't talked to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, his son-in-law, since around Dec. 6, when the family attended his wife's burial. While Mell did attend the governor's second term swearing-in ceremony in January, the political power broker made clear the two are still not on good terms.

"I can't talk to him about anything," Mell said Tuesday after attending a rally for transit funding at the state Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.

Mell has widely been attributed as the architect of Blagojevich's rise from prosecutor to state lawmaker, congressman and two-term governor.

But in 2005, the two had a very public and acidic feud when the governor shut down Mell's cousin's landfill after allegations of illegal dumping. In turn, Mell publicly said the governor's fundraisers were trading appointments for campaign cash. He later retracted the statement, but that didn't stop federal lawmakers from opening up a probe and questioning the governor.

On Tuesday, Mell shared the stage with one of Blagojevich's top rivals, House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat. While standing in the back of a crowd of lawmakers, the two laughed as they talked.

When asked later what the joking was about, Mell smiled and said, "He and I have joint interests."