Learning the hard way – once again
Public officials in Illinois just can't bring themselves to follow the rules.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn – Mr. Reform – has been remarkably quiet since his deputy chief of staff resigned under a cloud last week.
Quinn confirmed that Carolyn Brown Hodge, a longtime aide from Paris, has left his employ but said nothing else.
News accounts, however, indicate that the state's Office of Executive Inspector General is investigating whether Hodge was performing private political duties on Quinn's behalf at taxpayers' expense. Authorities have seized her computer as part of the probe.
Whatever it was, Hodge decided to get out while the getting was good.
This, of course, is nothing new in Illinois. But this incident comes on the heels of the Ryan and Blagojevich scandals, which involved using state resources for private political purposes. One would think that those employed by Blagojevich's successor might be a little more careful about how they conduct themselves.
But one would be wrong. This is, after all, Illinois. So it's same old, same old.
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