Posted by Rick Pearson, Ashley Rueff, Hal Dardick, Ray Gibson and Monique Garcia at 2:15 p.m.; last updated at 6:35 p.m.
Gov. Pat Quinn said today that if embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris doesn’t step down within the next two weeks, he wants lawmakers to send him a bill to set up a special election that could effectively remove Burris from office.
Quinn, appearing on “The Steve Cochran Show” on WGN-AM (720), said he spoke to the top two Democrats in the General Assembly today about the possibility of moving ahead with the legislation, which would take advantage of a clause contained in the U.S. Constitution’s 17th Amendment.
Quinn’s actions follow a legal opinion issued last night by Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan who said she believed the state could enact a special-election law that would effectively force Burris from office. Under the Constitution, a governor’s appointments to fill Senate vacancies should be considered temporary until an election is held, she said.
But under current state law, appointments to Senate vacancies last until the next federal election, which is scheduled for next year. Burris was appointed by former-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the vacancy left by President Barack Obama. The appointment came three weeks after Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on federal criminal charges of allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat for personal or political gain.
Last week, Quinn called for Burris to resign, joining other leading Democrats who say he can no longer effectively represent the state after he revealed more extensive contacts with Blagojevich allies than he had originally testified to before the Illinois House panel weighing Blagojevich’s impeachment.
Quinn had proposed legislation that would allow him to name a temporary caretaker to the Senate vacancy, subject to a Burris resignation, followed by a quick special election. But Burris has made clear he does not intend to resign.
“I think the optimal course is if the senator, upon reflection, talking to his family and friends, especially the people of Illinois, comes to realize that being U.S. senator at this time is not an avenue of service for Roland Burris,” Quinn said.
“If he voluntarily resigns, it really accelerates everything and makes it much better,” the governor said. “Now, after a short reasonable period of time, if he doesn’t do that, then I think we should pursue ahead with a (special-election) statute. I’ve urged the two legislative leaders today in Springfield, when I was there. to go ahead and do that. Let’s get it on the books.”
Asked what a reasonable time was for Burris to contemplate before steeping down, Quinn responded, “I think two weeks is enough.”
Republican lawmakers in Springfield seized upon Madigan’s opinion and said a special election should be held with a primary on April 7 and urged the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to move quickly with legislation to authorize the vote.
But Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said he was awaiting some guidance by the Illinois House, where Speaker Michael Madigan has said his caucus is divided on the issue. Madigan is the father of the attorney general and a veteran Southwest Side lawmaker who also heads the Illinois Democratic Party.
Cullerton has supported holding a special election since Blagojevich was arrested, but said he remained concern about cost estimates of $40 million to $50 million to hold a special election. The House speaker also has cited cost concerns as a major impediment.
But Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), who is sponsoring special-election legislation, said the balloting could cost half that amount or less and said the state could subsidize the costs to local election authorities by tapping $15 million set aside in the current budget for pork-barrel projects.
Quinn also said he didn’t believe the $50 million price tag being touted by some election officials and opposing lawmakers and said he believed a special election was needed “after all of the controversy and scandal that we’ve had in our state” as a way to “clear the air.”
“Upon review, I don’t think the cost of the election would be as great as some people are saying,” Quinn said. “I do think we should have a special election to replace Barack Obama...and I think that is the best way to help the most people in Illinois and our country get over something that has really harmed us.”
Earlier today, Quinn said he asked his chief of staff and top lawyer to look into revelations that Burris’ son was hired by a state agency five months ago.
The Illinois Housing Development Authority said in a statement today that the agency hired Roland Burris II last September after he submitted a resume in response to a job posting on CareerBuilder.com (the jobs web site is partly owned by Tribune Co).
The younger Burris was then twice interviewed by agency officials and then offered a $75,000-a-year job as senior counsel, according to the statement. Burris II is one of four senior counsels and his primary focus is closing "multifamily transactions," the agency said.
"Mr. Burris is a graduate of Howard University and the Northwestern University School of Law. He has a wealth of experience in law and finance and comes to the Authority with over twenty years of real estate and municipal bond experience," agency spokeswoman Man Yee Lee said in a statement.
Burris II got the job despite a $34,163 tax lien the IRS filed last summer against their South Side home.
Quinn said he didn’t want to prejudge the matter of the younger Burris but said it “deserves some serious review” and it was likely a recommendation would be offered to the housing agency's executive director.
In Chicago, a group of African-American aldermen came to Burris’ defense, warning politicians seeking his ouster that they could lose support from the black community.
“I would just suggest to those people who seek to run in the wards of the City of Chicago where there are people of color living that they should tone it down, because some of us are taking notes,” said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th), city chairman of the Cook County Democratic Organization. “Those people will run at their peril.”
Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the City Council Black Caucus, said all caucus members back Burris and the call for others to back off.
“We want this cutting and bleeding to stop,” Austin said. “He is in our federal government legally. He has been sworn in as our United States senator.”
She said the accusations against Burris are “lies, innuendos and speculations to just muck up (Burris’) 30-plus year record. We say it’s time for this to stop, and if it does not, we shall remember this at the next election.”
For his part, Burris offered no comments in Washington today although his office noted in a news release that as “the nation’s only African American senator” the junior senator from Illinois “applauded the swift passage” of a resolution to authorize a plaque to commemorate the role of slave laborers in constructing the U.S. Capitol building. Burris was a co-sponsor of the resolution.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/02/quinn-time-is-fast-approaching-for-burris-to-step-down.htmlI would not give the BShitter 2 weeks his time is up
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