Rezko's wife under fire for board attendance

The corruption trial of Tony Resko is providing new insight into how political appointments are made to many obscure boards and commissions in the state.

Those positions exist in nearly every level of government. In Cook County, some part-time jobs pay as much as full-time work.

Now the wife of indicted fundraiser Rezko is facing scrutiny for her attendance record on one such board.

Federal prosecutors portray Tony Rezko as the money man behind several prominent politicians. Chief among them is Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But while the current governor was still a congressman, Rezko was raising big money for former Cook County Board President John Stroger. And that's when the late Stroger appointed his fundraiser's wife to a little known board that has now become a reliable source of income for the Rezko family.

During Tony Rezko's high-flying days as an international businessman, political confidant and fundraiser, the $38,000-a-year salary his wife drew from Cook County wouldn't even cover the property taxes on the couple's Wilmette mansion. But these days, Rezko is in jail and on trial. He told a judge earlier this year he was teetering on bankruptcy.

His wife continues her work on the Cook County Employee Appeals Board. It decides on the fairness of firings for the roughly 6,000 non-union workers on the county's payroll. Last year, they handled 18 cases.

Rita Rezko has been on the board for eight years. But recently, she has had to spend a lot of time at the Dirksen Federal Building. It's where her husband is on trial, accused of stacking state boards and then fixing some of their votes. No one has called into question Mrs. Rezko's work on the board; but some say her attendance leaves a lot to be desired.

She and other board members are each paid $38,500 a year, plus health insurance, for this "part-time" job. They're expected to attend about one meeting a month.

According to documents released by the county, in 2005, Mrs. Rezko missed nearly half of the meetings. The next year she attended eight of 14 sessions. Last year, her attendance improved and she only missed one. But, with her husband on trial, she has made it to one of three meetings this year.

Asked if her attendance was worthy of the $38,000 pay check, Mrs. Rezko said, "Oh, absolutely. Just like everyone else on that board."

She's not exactly just like everyone else. Chairman Bill Filan has missed two meetings in three years. Board secretary Gary Weintraub hasn't missed any.

"I really don't want to talk about anything," said Rita Rezko, who walked away when pressed on the issue.

"I'd like to say just sometimes because you're not at the meetings doesn't mean you're not working," said Gene Mullins, spokesman for county board President Todd Stroger.

Mullins said he is looking into Mrs. Rezko's reasons for missing meetings but concedes there is no policy that dictates how often board members must show up.

"He doesn't feel it's acceptable for anyone in any capacity working for the county to miss half the days you're supposed to be employed. But as you know, there are extenuating circumstances that can lead you to, such as illness or other things," Mullins said.

It's seems more a matter of political connections, said Jay Stewart, of the Better Government Association.

"It always seems if you're politically connected there are a special set of rules for you. You get certain courtesies the rest of us aren't going to get," he said.

A county spokesman did say that new attendance guidelines will be drawn up for every board within Cook County government, as a result of ABC 7's report.