Saturday, September 26, 2015
Ex-State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasts Rauner administration - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL
By Carla Jimenez and Doug Finke, Staff Writers
Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:54 PM
Updated Sep 25, 2015 at 7:14 PMFormer Illinois State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasted Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration on Friday, saying that he and former Department of Agriculture Director Philip Nelson were forced to resign because of cronyism and interference.Buchen and Nelson announced their resignations late Thursday afternoon. Rauner's office issued a statement immediately following the announcement saying the governor appreciated Nelson's "commitment to agriculture and his service to the people of Illinois."Buchen, however, insisted on Friday that he and Nelson did not resign willingly. He said that it was either they resign or wait until they were fired."The politicos downtown never wanted me here," he said. "Philip Nelson fought for me very forcefully for my employment."Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said Buchen "is continuing to demonstrate the same type of erratic behavior he exhibited as a state employee.""Mr. Buchen sometimes had a difficult time appropriately communicating with other state employees and often failed to treat fellow state workers with respect," Trover said in a written statement. "He damaged morale within the agency and was beginning to create a toxic atmosphere among those who had to work with him."Buchen said he believes the biggest reason he was being pushed out was because he didn't want to go along with what he believed were unfair practices.One dispute centered on naming the grand marshals of the fair's annual Twilight Parade. Buchen said he and Nelson wanted the Brandt family, owners of Brandt Agricultural Products in Springfield, to be the grand marshals as a way to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the state fair.Instead, two U.S. Navy commanders, Jessie Porter and Darin Hess of the USS Illinois, were named the grand marshals. Buchen said Robert Alec Messina, Rauner's policy adviser for environment and energy, insisted on that choice.Buchen said Messina acted as liaison between the administration and the Ag Department."Alec Messina doesn't know the difference between a boar and a barrow, and he's our ag liaison?" Buchen said.Trover released an email exchange between Buchen and Messina from July 10 regarding the fair parade grand marshal. Messina said he learned from Nelson that Buchen was "rather upset" with the choice of the parade marshal. He said Buchen should feel free to call him directly if there is an issue to discuss.Buchen replied that the "gentleman is not agriculture, the submarine has not been christened and I was most disappointed in the fact that our recommendation was denied.""I am here to promote agriculture for the fair and the state of Illinois," he continued. "If that is not the intent of those who made this decision then I need to go elsewhere."He then added: "You need to understand that when my nose gets bloodied I will break those that bloodied mine. A metaphor of course, but mad or upset is unproductive. I get even."
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By Carla Jimenez and Doug Finke, Staff Writers
Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:54 PM
Updated Sep 25, 2015 at 7:14 PMFormer Illinois State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasted Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration on Friday, saying that he and former Department of Agriculture Director Philip Nelson were forced to resign because of cronyism and interference.Buchen and Nelson announced their resignations late Thursday afternoon. Rauner's office issued a statement immediately following the announcement saying the governor appreciated Nelson's "commitment to agriculture and his service to the people of Illinois."Buchen, however, insisted on Friday that he and Nelson did not resign willingly. He said that it was either they resign or wait until they were fired."The politicos downtown never wanted me here," he said. "Philip Nelson fought for me very forcefully for my employment."Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said Buchen "is continuing to demonstrate the same type of erratic behavior he exhibited as a state employee.""Mr. Buchen sometimes had a difficult time appropriately communicating with other state employees and often failed to treat fellow state workers with respect," Trover said in a written statement. "He damaged morale within the agency and was beginning to create a toxic atmosphere among those who had to work with him."Buchen said he believes the biggest reason he was being pushed out was because he didn't want to go along with what he believed were unfair practices.One dispute centered on naming the grand marshals of the fair's annual Twilight Parade. Buchen said he and Nelson wanted the Brandt family, owners of Brandt Agricultural Products in Springfield, to be the grand marshals as a way to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the state fair.Instead, two U.S. Navy commanders, Jessie Porter and Darin Hess of the USS Illinois, were named the grand marshals. Buchen said Robert Alec Messina, Rauner's policy adviser for environment and energy, insisted on that choice.Buchen said Messina acted as liaison between the administration and the Ag Department."Alec Messina doesn't know the difference between a boar and a barrow, and he's our ag liaison?" Buchen said.Trover released an email exchange between Buchen and Messina from July 10 regarding the fair parade grand marshal. Messina said he learned from Nelson that Buchen was "rather upset" with the choice of the parade marshal. He said Buchen should feel free to call him directly if there is an issue to discuss.Buchen replied that the "gentleman is not agriculture, the submarine has not been christened and I was most disappointed in the fact that our recommendation was denied.""I am here to promote agriculture for the fair and the state of Illinois," he continued. "If that is not the intent of those who made this decision then I need to go elsewhere."He then added: "You need to understand that when my nose gets bloodied I will break those that bloodied mine. A metaphor of course, but mad or upset is unproductive. I get even."Page 2 of 3 - Fair conflictBuchen said Messina forced him to hire Janet Dobrinsky, who used to work at the comptroller's office under Judy Baar Topinka, as the assistant fair manager. He said it was the first time in years that an assistant fair manager had been appointed and that Dobrinsky — earning $90,000 annually — was "essentially useless" in the position."She's never done a fair," Buchen said. "She's never done events. She had no value being there whatsoever."Trover said Dobrinsky was hired before Buchen was appointed fair manager, "so it is untrue to claim he was forced to hire her."Buchen also said Dobrinsky spent more money than was necessary, including on a ceremony to rename a street on the fairgrounds for Topinka. Buchen said the state could have saved money by having the ceremony at the ag tent, which was nearby. Dobrinsky instead had the stage and sound system set up at the corner of the new road, and it cost about $2,000, mostly for the labor to move an existing system there.Buchen added that whenever he confronted Dobrinsky about her job performance, Dobrinsky would tell Illinois chief operating officer Linda Lingle that he yelled at her in front of the entire staff or that he threatened and strong-armed older employees into retirement.He said he was also forced to issue all-access passes to government workers or to issue press passes to people who weren't members of the press."Did I push back and fight them on it? You bet I did," he said.Trover denied that excessive numbers of passes were issued."A small number of Department of Natural Resources employees were provided press passes, as they had been provided in past years," Trover said. "The press passes enabled these employees to fulfill important duties related to the state fair, including putting on Conservation World, which is run by DNR."Attendance controversyBuchen, who was only state fair manager for five months, received criticism for low attendance numbers at the fair. An estimated 850,000 people were recorded at the fair for 2014, but 411,547 attended in 2015.But he insisted that numbers from previous years had been inflated and had been for years if the numbers for revenue and parking were any indication. He said he and others in the Ag Department were berated for reporting what he called the correct numbers.Buchen believes the governor didn't know about the incidents since Rauner has only ever said he and Nelson were doing very well in their jobs.Instead, Buchen thinks it's the people surrounding Rauner who forced his and Nelson's resignations."Boy, did we take heat for it because of the cronyism," Buchen said. "And we thought this administration wanted to clean all this up."Page 3 of 3 - Warren Goetsch will act as the director for the Ag Department until a permanent director is appointed. Previously, he served as the bureau chief of environmental programs within the department.A new state fair manager has not yet been named.Nelson could not be reached for comment Friday. The Illinois Farm Bureau, where Nelson served as president from 2003 to 2013, issued a statement praising Nelson's service as agriculture director."He put his heart and soul into the position," farm bureau president Richard Guebert Jr. said. "He wasn't afraid to make tough decisions to put the Illinois Department of Agriculture in a position to be successful, even during these difficult times. I like the changes he and his staff made to put a renewed focus on youth and agriculture at the Illinois State Fair. I don't know anybody more dedicated to improving Illinois agriculture. I wish him the best in his next endeavor."
Friday, September 25, 2015
EPA warns other carmakers it will test for defeat devices - Yahoo Finance
By Chris Bryant in Frankfurt and Barney Jopson in Washington 3 hours ago
The US environmental regulator put all vehicle manufacturers "on notice" on Friday that it would intensify its emissions testing on diesel-powered vehicles to discover whether "defeat devices" were being used more widely.
Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told reporters: "We are stepping up our testing activities in response to VW's alleged violation."
The new testing regime will start immediately and Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's office of transportation and air quality, said that for manufacturers it meant "we'll be keeping their vehicles a little bit longer and driving them more".
The EPA's announcement came as Volkswagen's board gathered to appoint a new chief executive to lead the carmaker, with Matthias M�ller, head of Porsche, widely viewed as the favourite candidate
Click to read entire article: EPA warns other carmakers it will test for defeat devices - Yahoo Finance
Apocalyptic ad blasts Bennet for Iran vote | The Colorado Statesman
9/24/2015
A TV ad taking aim at U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet over his vote in favor of the Iran nuclear deal drew howls of outrage from Democrats and others this week. But the outspoken head of the group that paid for the ad says it’s just the opening salvo in a fusillade of vicious attacks on Bennet, who is up for reelection next year.
Reminiscent of the “Daisy” ad targeted at GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater more than 50 years ago, the ad begins with children counting down in their native languages — including Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese — before the screen fills with a mushroom cloud and scenes of devastation.
“A nuclear Iran is a threat to the entire world,” it says. “Sen. Michael Bennet supports Obama’s Iran Deal. Sen. Michael Bennet is jeopardizing our safety. Call Sen. Michael Bennet. … Ask him, ‘Why?’”
With a $46,000 ad buy on three local Denver stations — backed up by about the same in online advertising — the ad won’t be seen often by many, but that wasn’t the point. So-called “earned media” (stories like this one!) amplify the ad dollars by treating it as a news event.
Jonathan Lockwood, the director of Advancing Colorado, the uber-conservative, ultra-provocative group that lobs vitriolic press releases almost daily, threw down.
“Bennet is a dangerous puppet, and we will never forget he voted to hold the American people hostage and sided with terrorists and madmen to silence the innocent people he represents here in Colorado,” Lockwood said.
Calling the ad “horribly offensive and misleading,” state Dem communications director Andrew Zucker responded.
“With Washington Republicans lacking an opponent in the Colorado Senate race, it comes as no surprise that a secretly funded group with ties to the billionaire Koch brothers is out with a deeply offensive, fear-mongering attack against Sen. Bennet,” said Zucker. “The truth is, Michael Bennet passed tough sanctions against Iran, has worked to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon and is authoring legislation to make the Iran deal even stronger.”
The next day, when The Denver Post editorial board called the ad “the latest exercise in political sleaze” and opined that Lockwood “sounds flat-out deranged on the topic,” Zucker forwarded that far and wide, too.
The criticism doesn’t faze Lockwood, however. While he refused to say who funds his group, he claims the Left’s favorite bogeymen — that would be “the billionaire Koch brothers” —aren’t behind it.
“Liberals are more scared of this ad than they are of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he told Chatter. “They are more mad or shocked or scared over Americans expressing themselves than with Iran chanting ‘Death to America.’
“This is our opening salvo on the Iran deal issue-advocacy campaign,” he added. “The deal is not going to get any better as time goes on, it’s going to get worse and worse. People can rest assured we’re going to be continuing our work on this issue.”
Apocalyptic ad blasts Bennet for Iran vote | The Colorado Statesman
Rauner accepts resignations from IDOA Director, State Fair Direc - Wandtv.com, NewsCenter17, StormCenter17, Central Illinois News-
SPRINGFIELD - The Office of Governor Bruce Rauner has announced that the resignations of Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Phil Nelson and State Fair Director Patrick Buchen have been accepted.
Officials say Nelson will continue to be employed at the IDOA to help with the transition to a new director. IDOA Chief of Staff Warren Goetsch has been appointed as Acting Director by Governor Rauner. State officials say the search for a permanent director is underway.
In a news release, Governor Rauner says he wishes Nelson "all the best." We will provide more details as they become available
Both the head of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the director of the Illinois State Fair submitted their resignations Thursday, a month after they announced attendance at the annual event was down by half.
Agriculture Director Phil Nelson will remain on the job for a month while Gov. Bruce Rauner looks for a permanent replacement. Nelson is the former president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, and Rauner picked him to lead the agency because of his experience as a fourth-generation farmer.
There was no word about an immediate replacement for fair director Patrick Buchen, who was named by Rauner in May. Buchen formerly worked as the executive director of the Indiana State Fair.
Last month, Buchen's office released figures for the 11-day State Fair in Springfield clocking attendance at 411,547 — down from 844,649 the year before. He contended past numbers were inflated, pointing to gate and parking revenues that were down just $55,000 from 2014.
Rauner took some heat for holding the state fair despite the ongoing budget impasse, and he made it a point to visit the grounds every day. Rauner's office would not comment beyond announcing the departures.
Twitter @moniquegarcia
Above ifs from: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rauner-illinois-agriculture-director-state-fair-met-0925-20150924-story.html
Central Illinois newspaper sues Gov. Rauner over public information request for schedule
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — A central Illinois weekly newspaper is suing Gov. Bruce Rauner after the attorney general's office said he must turn over appointment calendars showing his daily schedule.
An Illinois Times reporter submitted a May request through the Freedom of Information Act for Rauner's daily calendar from April 1 to May 15. When the documents arrived, information was redacted.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office issued an 18-page opinion saying Rauner's office violated the act and should provide the requested information.
However, Madigan's office can't enforce the ruling.
That led to the Springfield newspaper filing a lawsuit Wednesday in Sangamon County. It seeks to force Rauner's office to turn over complete documents, saying the administration "intentionally and in bad faith" violated open records law.
Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly declined comment, citing pending litigation.
Above from: Central Illinois newspaper sues Gov. Rauner over public information request for schedule
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 03:48 pm
AG rules against Rauner, in favor of Illinois Times
Newspaper sues governor
Gov. Bruce Rauner has refused to release his appointment calendar to Illinois Times, so the paper sued him today, following a favorable decision from the Illinois Attorney General. Photo by Patrick Yeagle.
Illinois Times today sued Gov. Bruce Rauner after Attorney General Lisa Madigan ruled that the governor must turn over his appointment calendar in response to the paper’s request made under the state Freedom of Information Act.
The newspaper asked for Rauner’s appointment calendar last spring after the governor walked out of a Holocaust remembrance ceremony. The newspaper’s request came after the governor’s press office ignored an emailed query asking where the governor had gone while a Holocaust survivor spoke at the annual ceremony held at the Old State Capitol.
Rauner gave the newspaper a redacted version of his appointment calendar showing that he had attended a meeting in the governor’s office while the ceremony continued. The governor redacted the names of the person, or people, with whom he met. The newspaper subsequently appealed to the attorney general, who ruled that Rauner must disclose the names of the people who attend meetings memorialized in his appointment calendar, which is prepared by public employees on public time using public equipment.
Rauner had claimed that the calendar was maintained for the governor’s convenience, but the attorney general determined that the calendar is the public’s business.
“(T)his office’s review of the redacted entries indicates that they all appear to pertain to the business of the state, rather than the personal affairs or private business interests of the governor,” Michael J. Luke, counsel to Madigan, wrote in the 18-page decision issued Tuesday. “Because the governor’s calendar was prepared and is maintained by the governor’s office and pertains to public business, it is a public record of the governor’s office for purposes of the Illinois FOIA.”
The newspaper sued Rauner today in Sangamon County Circuit Court, demanding that the governor release the requested appointment calendar. The newspaper sued because the attorney general’s decision is not final and could be appealed in court by the governor. In short, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act contains no provisions that force the governor to follow the attorney general’s directive.
“We have no way to enforce a binding opinion (by the attorney general),” said Don Craven, attorney for Illinois Times. “They (the governor’s staff) can just sit there and do nothing.”
Other media outlets, including the Associated Press and the Chicago Reader, have been unsuccessful in convincing Rauner to release his appointment calendar showing with whom he has met. Rauner has also refused to tell the Chicago Reader the names of lawyers in private practice who have done work for the state and been paid with public money.
In refusing to release his calendar to Illinois Times, Rauner had claimed that providing unredacted copies would pose a security risk and that someone who intended to harm the governor could discern patterns from the calendar that would provide opportunities to physically hurt Rauner. The attorney general’s office, after examining Rauner’s unredacted appointment calendar, determined that was nonsense.
“The governor’s calendar predominately consists of information regarding appointments: names of individuals and groups, and telephone numbers or meeting locations as applicable,” Luke wrote in his written decision. “The governor’s office has not provided facts demonstrating that disclosing those names, telephone numbers or meeting locations from past appointments would pose a security risk to the governor.”
The governor had also claimed that information on his appointment calendar was preliminary in nature and therefore exempt from disclosure. However, the attorney general found that Rauner had not demonstrated that this was true.
Rauner had also claimed that the public could discern his thought processes and legal strategies if he revealed his appointment calendar, particularly with regard to meetings attended by attorneys for the governor. The attorney general found no merit in that argument.
“(T)he mere presence of an attorney in a meeting is insufficient to justify (withholding of the record),” Luke wrote. “Based on our review, disclosure of the redacted entries would not reveal that privileged communications were involved or, more specifically, the substance of any confidential attorney-client discussions.”
As a candidate, Rauner had pledged to be open and transparent. Neither the governor nor a spokesman could be reached for immediate comment on Wednesday.
Read the lawsuit here.
Read the AG's decision here.
From: Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com
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