While Gov. Pat Quinn's campaign accused his leading opponent of misusing footage of former Mayor Harold Washington to make political points yesterday, a key insider in the Washington administration says the mayor's comments reflected a heartfelt disappointment with Quinn.
Calling an early release program for state prisoners "a case study in bad judgment," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes continued to press Gov. Pat Quinn for explanations yesterday.
During a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Chicago, Hynes released new figures on crimes committed by inmates released early. He called the state's publication of a "scrambled list" of released inmates a "breach of responsibility."
"This information, I think, tells a horrible story about a program that was mismanaged," Hynes said. "There are consequences to Gov. Quinn's bad judgment." Read more...
Pointing to "public outcries for more information," the Dan Hynes campaign has formally sent a second request for details about state prisoners who were released early under the Illinois' now-notorious "meritorious good time" program.
Records obtained by The Associated Press show that, under the "MGT Push," more than 850 prisoners — among them drunk drivers and batterers — left the big house earlier than they otherwise would have been let go.
Several have since returned to custody, charged with crimes committed after their release. Read more...
Days after Gov. Pat Quinn suspended an unpublicized release of state prison inmates, rival Democrat and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has tied the "secret" release program to a plan to bring Guantanamo detainees to Illinois.
Federal officials plan to buy the Thomson Correctional Center to house the terrorism suspects, and Hynes says it "understandably causes some unease" in light of a policy that releases state prisoners before their sentences expire.
Hynes supports the proposal to move detainees to Thomson, saying that "President Obama would weigh this decision carefully," but he suggested that the state release program reflects poorly on how the governor would handle federal detainees. Read more...
Update | 4:18 p.m. Quinn's campaign has released a statement on today's AFL-CIO vote:
As a former member of the Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Workers, Governor Quinn is honored by the support he has received from organized labor. To date, Governor Quinn’s campaign has received endorsements the Service Employees International Union, the United Auto Workers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 25 and several other major unions. Together, the labor groups that have endorsed Governor Quinn represent more than 450,000 hard-working men and women.
Union leaders have praised Governor Pat Quinn’s vision of economic development and his effective leadership in passing Jobs and Growth for Illinois, the state’s first comprehensive public works program in more than a decade. Over the next six years, Illinois Jobs Now! will create and retain more than 439,000 jobs, helping to revive Illinois’ economy. Read more...
