Governor's pardon raises eyebrows

An administrator at the Chicago school that mistakenly received a $1 million state grant was one of just 67 people to get a pardon from Gov. Rod Blagojevich during his five years in office. Blagojevich cleared Chandra Gill's criminal record last year while hundreds of other Illinoisans waited for him to decide their cases. Today, the list of clemency requests has stretched to 1,571 people, the governor's office said. The grant mistake combined with Blagojevich's pardon have prompted questions of whether Gill received special treatment. A legislative committee plans to begin investigating next week. But one lawmaker argued Friday that the governor was right to clear Gill, who was convicted of aggravated battery in 2003. Rep. Connie Howard, a Chicago Democrat, said she testified for Gill at her clemency hearing with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2006. She praised Gill for her commitment to education and community work. "Anybody who has proven themselves like she has deserves that kind of special treatment," Howard said.