Blagojevich gets $40,000 after state trip
SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich took a taxpayer-funded flight to southern Illinois in November on the same day he raised $42,000 from contributors in the area, including the family of a man he had recently appointed to a university board, records show.
After making his public appearance in Mount Vernon on Nov. 20, Blagojevich attended an economic development briefing at a bank office run by a family that has contributed large sums to his campaign fund. He came away with 14 checks ranging from $500 to $20,000, according to interviews and records reviewed by The Associated Press.
Three-quarters of the take came from Market Street Bancshares Inc. and its managers, brothers J. Hunt and F. William Bonan. Their $30,000 in donations were offered just a month after William Bonan's son, William II, was appointed by Blagojevich to a non-salaried post on the Southern Illinois University board of trustees.
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on a federal complaint that he tried to trade official government actions for campaign contributions or a cushy job. The complaint, which details Blagojevich conversations caught on wiretaps, notes the urgency with which he was trying to raise campaign cash before a new state ethics law began on Jan. 1.
The Illinois House has impeached the second-term Democrat, and he awaits a Senate trial that could remove him from office.
None of the Bonans returned phone calls left at their Market Street Bancshares office. They have not been accused of wrongdoing. Prior to Nov. 20, the Bonan brothers and Market Street had contributed $166,000 to Blagojevich dating to October 2001.
Blagojevich has been repeatedly criticized for his liberal use of the state plane, including round trips from his Chicago home to the Capitol in Springfield during legislative sessions.
The governor appeared Nov. 20 at Rend Lake College Market Place for a 5 p.m. event to announce special "workforce outreach days" taking place that week at six sites to help unemployed people find work or get assistance.
That event is on Blagojevich's official calendar, obtained by the AP last week. But there's no mention of the later meeting, which was at the Bonans' corporate office, according to one participant who spoke only on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Another participant, McLeansboro businessman Jerome Gholson, said the meeting was about a coal mine scheduled to open in nearby Hamilton County in 2010.
Gholson said Blagojevich didn't say much but that there was no talk of politics, just the coal mine. He couldn't remember who contacted him about the event but said his $1,000 contribution was his idea
"There was a receptionist there who was taking us in, and I said, 'See that Gov. Blagojevich gets this check,'" said Gholson, one of about 100 people there.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Katie Ridgway said the Mount Vernon outreach event was one of several around the state to highlight economic services available during tough times.
"These events were quite successful," she said. She declined to comment on why Blagojevich chose Mount Vernon over other outreach centers in Rockford, Peoria, Decatur, Granite City or Marion. Nor did she respond to questions about the coal-development meeting that followed.
Gholson said he believes the Bonans spoke only to introduce Blagojevich, Mount Vernon Mayor Mary Jane Chesley and other dignitaries.
Chesley did not return a call seeking comment, nor did any of the other contributors. They are not accused of wrongdoing.
Documents from the Department of Transportation, which maintains the state-owned fleet of aircraft, show Blagojevich, a bodyguard and press secretary Lucio Guerrero flew Nov. 20 from Chicago to Springfield, where they picked up former Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee and Transportation Secretary Milton Sees before continuing on to Mount Vernon. Greenlee, who is heard in some of the discussions taped by federal authorities, resigned shortly after Blagojevich and former chief of staff John Harris were arrested.
Blagojevich's fundraising for the second half of 2008 is not due to be reported to the State Board of Elections until next week, but the House impeachment committee subpoenaed the records, which show the Nov. 20 contributions.
The AP reported earlier this week that another $80,000 was contributed between July and November from firms with road-building contracts, including $10,000 the day after Blagojevich announced a $1.8 billion tollway expansion.