Documents released by Gov. Pat Quinn's office show
that patronage positions at the Illinois Department of Transportation increased 57 percent from 2003 to 2011.
Memos that the Quinn administration released Friday show that in 2011 there were 369 jobs at IDOT that could be given without restriction to those with
political connections. That was up from 234 in 2003.
The memos were sought by Chicago attorney Michael Shakman. The anti-patronage activist mentioned them in a lawsuit he filed this week asking for a monitor to investigate Quinn hiring. The Better Government Association reported last summer
that IDOT skirted rules against political hiring in filling hundreds of
positions.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson says the office offered the documents to
Shakman this week but he refused to accept them.
Documents Show Increase In Patronage Hiring
WUIS
