 Quinn is standing by his defense that a number of people in his
office deserved increased pay, in some cases topping 20 percent.
"I had to reorganize the staff of the governor's office. Some of the
people that I inherited, they departed. Other people came in. Other
people I changed their assignments."
But that excuse is not flying with everyone.
Earlier this week state Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville, sent
out a press release that rapped Quinn for those pay hikes.
Her statement said: "Apparently the best way to make it through
one of the worst economic downturns in our nation's history is to
get a job working for the governor of the state of Illinois."
Demuzio has called Quinn an "old friend." She and her late
husband, former state Sen. Vince Demuzio, were longtime friends of
the governor. But her campaign release still stung.
"If the governor wants to advocate fiscal responsibility, he
needs (to) lead by example."
Quinn said of those statements: "I didn't think those were
well-stated remarks."
But the governor said he won't hold those statements against
Demuzio. And Quinn said he will support Demuzio for re-election this
fall.
"In politics, I'm used to this. ... You just gotta keep moving
on," he said.
And that's what state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said
everyone needs to do: move on.
"Taxpayers get distracted by things that don't matter worth a
hill of beans," he said.
[to top of second column] |
Jacobs said he wouldn't have approved the pay hikes, but he can
understand why Quinn did.
"The governor's staff has a right to make a living, and people
shouldn't take that away from them," he added.
Quinn continues to defend his actions. The governor said he's
focused on the big picture and thinks taxpayers need to look at the
same.
"The bottom line is, I've lowered the overall budget in my
office," he said.
Jacobs says that might not convince many voters this fall. But he
also doesn't think this one issue will have much lasting power.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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