Hare thinking Kennedy will dole out government jobs just like Pat Quinn did

“After witnessing Chris Kennedy’s pathetic attempts to court Mike Madigan, Phil Hare must be thinking Kennedy would dole out illegal patronage jobs just like Pat Quinn did. Since he’s failed at running as a political insider, Kennedy is now running as a phony reformer.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot

Illegal political hiring may be making a comeback after former Congressman Phil Hare endorsed Chris Kennedy’s campaign for governor this past weekend.

After witnessing Kennedy’s pathetic attempts to court Illinois patronage king Mike Madigan (here, here, and here), Hare must be thinking that Kennedy would dole out illegal government jobs for him just like Pat Quinn did.

When Hare lost his congressional campaign in 2010, Pat Quinn took care of him. According to an Office of the Executive Inspector General report on Quinn’s IDOT patronage scandal, IDOT “absorbed” several former staffers from Phil Hare’s Congressional office who were put out of work by Hare’s loss.

News reports said the illegal hirings at IDOT spiked significantly under Quinn and Quinn’s former IDOT secretary even said the “vast majority” of people hired illegally were recommended by Quinn’s office.

It didn’t end there. Quinn’s administration even hired Hare’s son – whose only previous management experience was as assistant manager at a video store – as an assistant warden for the Illinois Department of Corrections. A separate OEIG investigation found that Hare’s son was not qualified for the position.

In Phil Hare’s eyes, Chris Kennedy would run state government like a Chicago political machine.

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