Should state's attorney select IG when one of the candidates is a donor?

When Cook County commissioners were writing the ordinance that revamped the county's Inspector General office, they never considered that one of the future candidates would be a Cook County assistant state's attorney.

Without that consideration, it seemed logical to put the county's top lawyer, State's Attorney Dick Devine, on the committee that would winnow the three finalists to one.

But since that time, one of the three finalists has turned out to be not only an assistant state's attorney, but a political donor to Devine as well.

Patrick Blanchard was one of three finalists picked by the Cook County and Chicago Bar Associations. He serves as a top aide to Devine, acting as a division chief in the civil litigation office. He donated to Devine's campaign fund three times, for a total of $275.

"He (Devine) considers Pat to be an outstanding individual and an outstanding lawyer," said John Gorman, Devine's spokesman.

Nonetheless, Gorman said, Devine will now confer with other committee members to see if they consider Devine's relationship with Blanchard to be a conflict of interest.

"I think that he would have to recuse himself from voting on this," said Cook County Commissioner Gregg Goslin, a Glenview Republican and one of the other five selection committee members. "I would think, I would hope, it would make him uncomfortable."

Blanchard offered no opinion on whether Devine should recuse himself, saying it was up to Devine.

"It certainly wouldn't be a conflict in the true sense of the word," said Blanchard.

Blanchard insists he can vigorously pursue corruption in the county despite, and perhaps because of, having worked for it. The fact that he has donated to both Devine and Cook County state's attorney candidate Anita Alvarez should not create an issue as to whether he could vigorously pursue allegations of pay-to-play, he said.

"I think the perception should be viewed as I was supporting the state's attorney (Devine), and I support Anita in the state's attorney's office and what she will do," Blanchard said.

Election records say Blanchard donated to Alvarez after she won the primary, but Blanchard said he donated prior to her victory as well, but in amounts that were probably below the threshold reporting level, he said. Alvarez' campaign could not immediately provide information one way or the other late Tuesday afternoon.

If chosen as inspector general, Blanchard said he would not only investigate complaints received, but take up investigations on his own initiative and work with department heads to encourage employees to approach the office.

Blanchard's competition is Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Ferguson and a Los Angeles Schools deputy inspector general, Robert Williams.