Wood campaign raps dual roles for 2 top aides to J. Ryan

from The State Journal-Register:

Wood campaign raps dual roles for 2 top aides to J. Ryan

By BERNARD SCHOENBURG
POLITICAL COLUMNIST

Is the state subsidizing the gubernatorial campaign of Attorney General JIM RYAN? It's a question being raised by the spokeswoman for one of his rivals in the GOP primary Lt. Gov. CORINNE WOOD.

To avoid any appearance of inappropriate use of state workers, Wood has removed five of her former office workers from the state payroll, said TRESSA PANKOVITS, Wood's press secretary and one of the five. Those five are now working full time for the campaign, she said.

Two Ryan campaign aides are being paid half-salaries by the state.

"It looks like the Illinois taxpayers might be footing part of the bill for the Jim Ryan campaign," Pankovits said.

But JERRY CLARKE, Ryan's campaign manager, estimated that the two aides in question, DAN CURRY and JOHN PEARMAN, spend 80 percent of their time on state business, but are paid half of their salaries by the campaign "just so no one would make these allegations." He noted that Curry is traveling on a governmental trip with Ryan three days this week.

"This is the cleanest office I've ever seen," said Clarke, who is on the campaign full time. "Jim Ryan goes above and beyond."

But Pankovits said the dual role of employees "clearly raises ethical flags" with employees "slipping back and forth" between state and campaign roles. "If nothing else, it puts an extraordinary onus for those employees to account for every minute of their day and where do you find those records? It just doesn't pass the smell test."

DAVID MORRISON, coordinator of the Chicago-based Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, called the dual arrangements "very slippery and hard to police," adding, "It always looks bad."

Pearman is special counsel to Ryan in his state job, and spent some time as executive director of the campaign. After taking a leave of absence from the state to work on the campaign for several months earlier this year, he's now paid $44,208 annually by the state, which is half of his old state salary.

Curry, Ryan's top state and campaign spokesman, saw his state pay cut in late summer from $90,420 annually to $45,216.

The Wood staffers switched from state to campaign staff about Sept. 9 the day of Wood's formal announcement said campaign manager GLENN HODAS. He said the five took days off earlier to plan the announcement. They are Pankovits, whose full state salary was $87,500; Hodas, the former chief of staff, who was paid $100,000; CHRIS HENSLEY, who made $75,000 as deputy chief of staff; JOE CALOMINO, who was director of governmental affairs and paid up to $60,375 annually by the state; and DON BARBER, who worked with the Rural Affairs Council and was paid $57,000. Barber was Springfield Mayor KAREN HASARA's campaign manager in the past.

Hodas said campaign pay is designed to be equivalent to state pay for the five.

Curry said the Wood campaign is using the "non-issue" of dual pay as a "smoke screen" to divert attention from its own production of an advertisement that used an image of the World Trade Center towers under attack. "Every day, their answer is different" as to how that ad got on the air, Curry said.

Hodas, noting it was the campaign's first TV "buy" and "I don't think that we all knew how the process physically worked," admitted that the story has changed somewhat. He said the offending version of the ad was sent to TV stations before it was seen by Wood, who nixed that version upon seeing it, and the new version without images of the towers was sent to stations. And Wood did let PAUL WILSON of Wilson Grand Communications, the ad company, know of her displeasure.

"She yelled at him," Hodas said.

The wrong ads apparently ran only on two TV stations in Springfield.

The third GOP candidate for governor is state Sen. PATRICK O'MALLEY, R-Palos Park.

His campaign manager, DON PELOQUIN, said there are no dual state-campaign workers in O'Malley's camp, and Peloquin agrees with Wood that it's a problem for Ryan.

Craven eyes options

DON CRAVEN, a candidate for a 4th District Appellate Court seat, has been approached by Democratic officials who want him to run for state representative.

Craven lives outside Springfield, but in a part of the county that's drawn into the new 99th House District, which is where incumbent Rep. RAYMOND POE, R-Springfield, lives. That district takes in much of the city of Springfield, and is considered a place where a Democrat would have a chance. The 100th, which takes in most of the rural territory in the county, but part of Springfield including the home of Rep. GWENN KLINGLER, R-Springfield, is considered much safer GOP territory.

Word is that Craven is entertaining the idea of running for the legislature, which would avert a primary battle for judge with Democratic Springfield lawyer BILL TRAPP.

Poe has indicated he'd consider running against Klingler in the new 100th, but said Wednesday that House Republicans have been asked by their leader to stay mum on election plans until court challenges to the new map are complete. "I'm just on hold," Poe said.

Evans' 'unity dinner'

He's got a new, weird-looking district to run in, and U.S. Rep. LANE EVANS, D-Rock Island, is hosting a "unity dinner" in Springfield to let everybody get to know each other.

The event is 5-9 p.m. Saturday at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

JEREMIAH POSEDEL, political director for Evans, said the $30 cost is basically to cover food and expenses. Tickets will be available at the door, or can be ordered in advance at (309) 788-5263.

U.S. Rep. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, D-Hawaii, will be keynote speaker. U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN of Springfield will be master of ceremonies. Democratic officials from across the state are invited.

Two Republicans are vying to run against Evans: PETE CALDERONE of Galesburg, a self-employed fishing tackle manufacturer's representative; and TONY REES, a CPA from Aledo.

Condolences

Condolences to state Rep. TOM RYDER, R-Jerseyville, on the Oct. 15 death of his father, THOMAS B. RYDER, at his Roodhouse home. He was 82.

A lifelong farmer and Army veteran of World War II, the elder Ryder was widowed in 1972 with the death of his first wife, IRENE, who was Rep. Ryder's mother. He later married HELEN, who survives, in 1974, and Rep. Ryder said she is a "wonderful lady" who has served as the family grandmother.

In recent years, the elder Ryder enjoyed being in public and seeing people, with activities including bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. And there was often a name game because so many people knew his politician son.

"We got to calling him the REAL Tom Ryder," his son said. "He loved that."

Bernard Schoenburg is political columnist for The State Journal-Register. He can be reached at 788-1540 or bernard.schoenburg@sj-r.com