Opinion

Lobbyist doesn’t belong on state payroll

Posted March 24, 2012 5:00 am

A recent Fence post letter criticized a congressional candidate for hiring a former lobbyist. That’s nothing compared to our governor. How many people know that Terry Cosgrove, the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Political Action Committee, Personal PAC, was appointed to a position on the Illinois Human Rights Commission by our Gov. Quinn last spring? Not only does Mr. Cosgrove solicit donations for abortion rights, he also doles out campaign money to candidates who favor his positions.

How can the governor not sense a conflict of interest in such a blatantly political appointment? How did the state legislature miss the obvious potential for bias in decisions rendered by the commission by placing the head of a political fundraising organization on the state payroll?

So now we have Cosgrove as an employee of the state of Illinois. We taxpayers are paying Mr. Cosgrove a salary and providing him with a pension. Where’s the outrage over this political abomination?

Call your state reps and senators and ask them how this type of pay-for-play politics is allowed to continue on their watch.

@Biz Ledger Coffee answers:Peter Gennuso

Schaumburg

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