Illinois Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner has announced he will appoint former Helene Curtis/Unilever executive Leslie Munger to replace the state's late comptroller, Judy Baar Topinka. This announcement comes even as Gov. Pat Quinn is about to embark on a Jan. 8 special session of the General Assembly to discuss his own appointee.
Reboot Illinois' Madeleine Doubek shared her thoughts on the issue:
In Munger, he chose a well-credentialed woman who just lost a race for state representative by 1,349 votes to Democratic incumbent Carol Sente of Vernon Hills. Munger is from Lincolnshire and the popular Topinka, of course, was from Riverside.
Despite her recent run and election loss, Munger said she isn't interested in a political career. She joined Rauner in voicing support, in a release issued by his transition office, in combining the statewide offices of comptroller and treasurer. The comptroller issues state checks, while the treasurer's office oversees revenue investments.
Putting a fine point on the political optics of the move, Rauner and Munger repeatedly referred to the idea of merging the two offices as "Judy's amendment." Merging the offices was an idea Topinka supported and campaigned on before she died of complications from a stroke after her November victory last month.
Read more about how lawmakers feel about the possible merge and what it would mean for state politics at Reboot Illinois.
In another corner of state government, the Better Government Association is concerned about the transparency levels at the Illinois Department of Transportation--literally and figuritively. The agency has faced questions about patronage hirings in the past and now is seeing questions raised about the tinted windows on the agency's vehicles. Find out what this is all about at Reboot Illinois.
