Patti Blagojevich Fired By Chicago Christian Industrial League

CHICAGO — The wife of impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was fired from her $100,000-a-year job as a Chicago homeless agency's chief fundraiser.

The Chicago Christian Industrial League's board exercised a termination clause of Patti Blagojevich's contract on Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reported on their Web sites Wednesday.

Interim Executive Director Mary Shaver told the papers she could not discuss personnel issues. She did not return telephone messages from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Patti Blagojevich, 43, was "saddened" by the board's decision, said Lucio Guerrero, a spokesman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"She enjoyed working at the CCIL and thinks the organization does a good job of helping empower those in need. She wishes her colleagues well in these financially trying times," Guerrero said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The company hired Patti Blagojevich in August. Earlier this month, officials from the nonprofit organization said its new $25 million shelter has left them desperate to raise money to continue its 100-year-old mission.

The governor was arrested in December in a federal fraud and bribery case and faces an impeachment trial in the state Senate next week.

Patti Blagojevich is not accused of wrongdoing and has not spoken publicly since her husband's arrest. Prosecutors have said she was recorded in a telephone call suggesting newspaper editors should be fired if the Tribune Co. wanted state assistance to sell Wrigley Field.

"Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive)," she says as her husband talks on the telephone, according to the criminal complaint. "(Expletive) them."

Patti Blagojevich is also a licensed real estate broker and appraiser whose Chicago brokerage firm has raised questions about whether she benefited from contacts from her husband and her father, powerful Chicago alderman Richard Mell.

Comments

[harriettubman]

What kind of shelter or charity pays their fund raising person $100,000/yr?!! Insane. Non-profits do the same thing all the time. Their CEO and managers make HUGE salaries while the subordinates make minimum wage and can't afford to order office supples. Makes me sick!

[ManwithaParachute]

I feel for the kids....but then I realize that with parents amoral as theirs the consequences need to be very significant to overcome the parent's direct influence.

[shedances]

I don't care for the governor's wife, and I'm glad to see this group break their ties with her.

[JJ30]

Can't help but to feel sorry for the family (especially the kids) but this is what happens when you dabble in illegal activity and think you're above the law. Bush is lucky none of this happened to him.

[burnsknight]

He deserves zero pity. He is completly free to make any choices he wants. He is never free from the consequences.

[johnnygoodwud]

gee that's a same,,,,,,,,just made my morning.

[bittertooth]

To: HuffP
From: Bittertooth

Re: Was it fair?

1. This lady has been crushed by the media.
2. Luckily for her, the charges are lame.
3. She is very cute.

[GeorgeP922]

1. Not really, the media would be crushing her if they pressed the feds as to why she was not also arrested for conspiracy to commit extortion charges.
2. On the streets she would have been charged with at least one count, either conspiracy or aiding and abetting.
3. Not really, I looked at older pictures.

And it's really not cute when you realize it was HER father that pushed Blago up and up the ranks.

IT was her Sister, a state Senator who voted not to impeach Blago.

It was HER that was willing to take a fake job to get bribe money to her husband.

[uniquelyme]

Not to mention: what does being cute have to do with anything? So you can commit any crime and not have to pay for it if you're cute?

[mjb5406]

Mind you... this is a CHARITIBLE organization paying Mrs. Plastichair $100K per year! I want a job like that!

[Lerrin]

No kidding! $100K is unbelievable- what a SWEET deal! - for her!
She's pulling in $100K??
For what??

How would the average donor feel about their money being spent this way??

I volunteer for a charity (radio reading for the blind) in downstate IL - where our TOTAL budget (operations + 1 staff member (salary+benefits) ) is $30,000
TOTAL.

NOT a $30K salary: fringe & operations come out of that $30K too.........

Welcome to the very corrupt state of Illinois .............:o*(

[BurtR]

I thought she was a realtor

[SabrinaFair]

She was up until last year when the market started to go bad.

Losing her job today -- well, that's what happens when you marry a crooked bum.

[blues101]

Am i naive (as a charity fundraiser myself for years) in thinking that working toward raising funds for a homeless shelter should have been considered community service, not a 100K job paid for by whom? couldn't the homeless shelter have used that money to help the homeless? i'm confused.......what does public "servant" really mean?

[mamala4]

These people don't do anything for free...they put a price tag on everything....by firing this scraming meamie, the State of Illinois is their only source of income....Blago won't quit ever....they need the dough!

[harriettubman]

Any other governor's wife wouldn't even have a job outside the home and would volunteer. Unfortunately not this couple. They've made some huge financial deals and he makes a great salary but are still in debt. They live in a tiny house so I don't know WTH they do with their money.

[Catjya]

Blago campaigned against Gov Ryan's record of corruption,then comes in office and is caught
on tape soliciting various unlawful self enriching deals,,and appointing Burris of course
his state and party and FBI want him gone.

[Bitsko]

Does the whole family "fund raise"?

[kareemachan]

Evidently, as his brother is head of the "Friends of Blago Campaign Fund.

[BartLA]

When asked to comment on her firing, Patti said, "*@!&$#!!!"

[mjb5406]

Her mentor is Dick Cheney

[MovingtoNorway]

McD's is always hiring for the night shift

[K-Dog76]

She could always auction off her "virginity" on the internet...

[Halter]

Didn't Burriss help her get this job






/

[mjb5406]

Now the Blagojevichs can complain that they have even LESS money.

[thegeniesez]

It's true they have less money. And will have even less by the time Fitzgerald is through with him. And ofcourse, they won't be able to find jobs now with a record like that. He should do himself and his family a favor and save the little money he has left, if any, by firing the lawyers and pleading guilty...............

[Catjya]

While Pres Obama was being sworn in ,Blago had to be refinger printed.