Blago using state workers to build budget support
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich, never shy about using taxpayer resources to push his agenda, is once again marshaling state employees to build backing for his budget proposals, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The administration is contacting social service providers and advocates to drum up support, officials confirmed, raising concerns among some that the groups could feel pressure to back the governor.
The documents show agencies are encouraged to fill out "endorsement forms" and are provided with a sample letter of support they're asked to put on their own letterhead and send back to the state.
A Blagojevich spokeswoman said the administration merely wants to publicize the governor's proposals, which include a $300-per-child family tax credit and one-time 20 percent business-tax cut, expanded health care access financed by a $417 million employer payroll tax, and a $25 billion construction plan.
Agencies being contacted might include those who receive state funding, spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said.
An e-mail from Blagojevich's Department of Healthcare and Family Services, obtained by the AP, encourages the recipient to complete an attached "endorsement form," which instructs it be returned to the governor's office.
It includes a "Here is how I can help" box with options such as speaking to the media or at a press conference as a supporter, sending letters to legislators and newspapers, or volunteering at events.
"We have also been asked to obtain testimonials from people who are struggling to make ends meet and would like to share their story with the governor's office," continues the e-mail.
There's nothing wrong with trying to rally support for your ideas, said Jay Stewart, executive director of the Better Government Association. But the governor's communication only allows for a positive response _ no opportunity for dissent.
"When you're beholden to the state, when the individuals being solicited have an interest in government business, or a state contract, are they free to disagree or ignore it?" Stewart said. "Given the history of the state of Illinois, you can't pretend that isn't a concern."
It must be particularly worrisome to state contractors getting a call from the governor, Stewart said, when newspapers are full of testimony from the ongoing federal fraud trial of Blagojevich friend and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko. He is accused of conspiring to squeeze companies seeking state business for kickbacks and campaign contributions to the Democratic governor. Blagojevich is not charged with any wrongdoing.
Contacting social service agencies is an innocent way of passing on details of Blagojevich's plan to those who would be affected, Ottenhoff said.
"There's absolutely no expectation beyond making sure people know what's in the governor's proposed budget and making sure they know how they can get involved in the process if they want to," she said.
Such "outreach" efforts by Blagojevich are not new. The Associated Press reported a year ago that the administration asked state-funded business-development centers to recruit crowds for a Blagojevich tour touting his doomed gross-receipts tax.
In 2005, an aide to the governor asked top agency executives to recruit family and friends to write letters to newspapers in support of Blagojevich's education plan. Just a month earlier, the administration instructed agencies to encourage participation in the governor's program to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.
"It's inappropriate to use state resources as an extension of your campaign," said Kim Clarke Maisch, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. "For groups that rely on grant dollars from the state, to ask them to endorse a plan or write a letter puts the grant recipient in an awkward position."
Ottenhoff did not respond to questions about how many and which organizations are being contacted, how many state employees are involved, and what response the administration has received.
She said agencies responsible for human services and economic development are making the contacts. But neither DHFS spokeswoman Ruth Igoe, nor Marcelyn Love of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, responded to questions about the campaign.
Not an isolated incident
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has routinely turned to state employees and taxpayer-funded agencies to rally support for his ideas. Here are some examples:
April 2008: The Associated Press reports that Blagojevich agencies are contacting private organizations, encouraging them to fill out "endorsement forms" and copy sample letters of support for the governor's budget plans. Officials acknowledge some agencies might be state grant recipients, raising concerns they would feel pressured to back the plan.
April 2007: The AP reports that Blagojevich used state-funded business centers to recruit participants at Blagojevich rallies for his ill-fated gross-receipts tax, a practice a business advocate called "intimidation." Regionally based state employees were instructed to contact area enterprises to gauge support, using a prepared script.
April 2005: The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that Blagojevich's office asked executives at a state agency to recruit family and friends to write letters to newspapers backing the governor's education plan; a sample letter was included. Copies of the letters were to be sent to the agency director.
March 2005: The State Journal-Register reports Blagojevich required all state agencies to promote participation in his I-SaveRx plan, which imports cheaper foreign prescription drugs against federal rules. Some state workers were required to attend, with pay, an after-hours meeting on the I-SaveRx marketing strategy.