The Quinn years: Fiscal malaise, gridlock bedevil 'accidental governor'
Former Gov. Pat Quinn discusses his troubled Neighborhood Recovery Initiative program.
If Illinois ever had an accidental governor, Pat Quinn was it.
I covered nearly all of his six years as chief executive -- from the point he declared "the ordeal is over" after succeeding impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the closing weeks of a tight election that Republican Bruce Rauner would go on to win.
Quinn scored a handful of big accomplishments. But he was defined by an inability to power many of his ideas through a General Assembly that had Democratic supermajorities. Despite narrowly winning election in 2010, Quinn endured miserable voter-approval ratings in the low-30-percent range.
Among his legislative victories, the Chicago Democrat enacted a temporary increase in the state income tax, the abolition of the state death penalty, a $31 billion capital program and the legalization of civil unions.
He later helped end the scandal-tainted legislative scholarship program and legalized gay marriages. After losing a legal battle to withhold legislative pay to broker a pension deal, Quinn eventually attached his signature to landmark pension legislation, a move that triggered litigation from public-sector unions and turned many rank-and-file members against him.
But many of Quinn's edicts got ignored by Democrats. His effort to increase the minimum wage fell on deaf ears. He couldn't shape a state concealed-carry law nor make headway on any significant gun-control measures. Quinn appointed an ethics-reform commission shortly after taking office in 2009, headed by former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins, but the governor never was able to muscle its major recommendations through the Legislature. A push for property-tax rebates went nowhere.
Quinn also was unable to persuade lawmakers to permanently extend the temporary income tax increase, and he failed to eliminate a multibillion-dollar backlog of unpaid bills. Coupled with crippling pension payments year after year, the state's financial paralysis during his time in office led to bond-rating downgrades that made Illinois the least creditworthy state in the country.
Having spent years carefully refining his image as a government reformer, Quinn was hurt by revelations surrounding the anti-violence program he launched one month before his 2010 election, the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. A state audit criticized NRI for pervasive mismanagement, Republicans drove legislative hearings on the program, and federal investigators dug into possible improprieties.
I covered nearly all of his six years as chief executive -- from the point he declared "the ordeal is over" after succeeding impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the closing weeks of a tight election that Republican Bruce Rauner would go on to win.
Quinn scored a handful of big accomplishments. But he was defined by an inability to power many of his ideas through a General Assembly that had Democratic supermajorities. Despite narrowly winning election in 2010, Quinn endured miserable voter-approval ratings in the low-30-percent range.
Among his legislative victories, the Chicago Democrat enacted a temporary increase in the state income tax, the abolition of the state death penalty, a $31 billion capital program and the legalization of civil unions.
He later helped end the scandal-tainted legislative scholarship program and legalized gay marriages. After losing a legal battle to withhold legislative pay to broker a pension deal, Quinn eventually attached his signature to landmark pension legislation, a move that triggered litigation from public-sector unions and turned many rank-and-file members against him.
But many of Quinn's edicts got ignored by Democrats. His effort to increase the minimum wage fell on deaf ears. He couldn't shape a state concealed-carry law nor make headway on any significant gun-control measures. Quinn appointed an ethics-reform commission shortly after taking office in 2009, headed by former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins, but the governor never was able to muscle its major recommendations through the Legislature. A push for property-tax rebates went nowhere.
Quinn also was unable to persuade lawmakers to permanently extend the temporary income tax increase, and he failed to eliminate a multibillion-dollar backlog of unpaid bills. Coupled with crippling pension payments year after year, the state's financial paralysis during his time in office led to bond-rating downgrades that made Illinois the least creditworthy state in the country.
Having spent years carefully refining his image as a government reformer, Quinn was hurt by revelations surrounding the anti-violence program he launched one month before his 2010 election, the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. A state audit criticized NRI for pervasive mismanagement, Republicans drove legislative hearings on the program, and federal investigators dug into possible improprieties.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn and his one-time running mate, Sheila Simon, (above) campaign at Midway Airport during an October 2010 stop. Quinn (right) answers reporters' questions during a media scrum at Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair.
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Stories:
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jack Higgins offers his take on Quinn shortly after he helped push through a temporary income tax hike.
Ethics and taxes; Gov. Quinn spends his first day on the job tackling the daunting task of cleaning up government. But as for climbing a mountain of debt and fixing the rest of the state's ills, he had little to offer off the bat. And as for the threat of raising taxes . . . (1/31/2009)
Grading Quinn's first 7 months; Gov gets mixed reviews, from 'pretty decent job' to 'unbelievably weak' (7/19/2009)
Squeaker: With thin lead, Quinn declares victory, but Brady won't concede (11/3/2010)
House OKs civil unions; Dramatic victory for Illinois gays, lesbians (12/1/2010)
'Our fiscal house was burning: Gov' (1/13/2011)
Blago rips tax hike: 'I hate the fact I was right about this' (1/14/2011)
Gov set to ban executions; Quinn expected to sign bill, making Illinois 16th state to repeal penalty since late '70s (3/9/2011)
Murder victim's mom furious with Quinn: 'Is he a coward? Did he not want to face us' before making death penalty decision? (3/20/2011)
Casino bill sent to Quinn: Gambling in Chicago, four other sites OKd; slots at racetracks (6/1/2011)
Casino bill 'excessive': Quinn; 'My job is to make sure the people . . . come first, not the gamblers, not the insiders' (6/2/2011)
Unions blast gov over yanked raises; 'fundamental assault on worker's rights' (8/18/2011)
Union members heckle Quinn (8/16/2012)
Analysis; Not-so-super Tuesday: Concealed-carry loss and pension woes go a long way to proving Gov. Quinn is powerless (7/10/2013)
Pension crisis; Political payback: Quinn keeps lawmakers from getting paid (7/30/2013)
Madigan, Cullerton sue over pay (7/31/2013)
Daley: Quinn can't win. Gov: Yes, I can (8/15/2013)
Quinn’s pay freeze rejected: Governor vows to appeal judge's ruling ordering immediate pay (9/27/2013)
Gay marriage passes (11/6/2013)
'I know my son was proud'; Love and loss in epic vote (11/17/2013)
‘I exorcise you’: Big crowd for bishop's service protesting same-sex marriage (11/21/2013)
Quinn calls for minimum-wage hike, celebrates pension reform (1/30/2014)
Quinn far short of 60 tax-rate votes (5/20/2014)
Madigan: Votes not there for extension of tax rates (5/22/2014)
'Doomsday budget' defeated in lopsided Statehouse vote (5/24/2014)
Grading Quinn's first 7 months; Gov gets mixed reviews, from 'pretty decent job' to 'unbelievably weak' (7/19/2009)
Squeaker: With thin lead, Quinn declares victory, but Brady won't concede (11/3/2010)
House OKs civil unions; Dramatic victory for Illinois gays, lesbians (12/1/2010)
'Our fiscal house was burning: Gov' (1/13/2011)
Blago rips tax hike: 'I hate the fact I was right about this' (1/14/2011)
Gov set to ban executions; Quinn expected to sign bill, making Illinois 16th state to repeal penalty since late '70s (3/9/2011)
Murder victim's mom furious with Quinn: 'Is he a coward? Did he not want to face us' before making death penalty decision? (3/20/2011)
Casino bill sent to Quinn: Gambling in Chicago, four other sites OKd; slots at racetracks (6/1/2011)
Casino bill 'excessive': Quinn; 'My job is to make sure the people . . . come first, not the gamblers, not the insiders' (6/2/2011)
Unions blast gov over yanked raises; 'fundamental assault on worker's rights' (8/18/2011)
Union members heckle Quinn (8/16/2012)
Analysis; Not-so-super Tuesday: Concealed-carry loss and pension woes go a long way to proving Gov. Quinn is powerless (7/10/2013)
Pension crisis; Political payback: Quinn keeps lawmakers from getting paid (7/30/2013)
Madigan, Cullerton sue over pay (7/31/2013)
Daley: Quinn can't win. Gov: Yes, I can (8/15/2013)
Quinn’s pay freeze rejected: Governor vows to appeal judge's ruling ordering immediate pay (9/27/2013)
Gay marriage passes (11/6/2013)
'I know my son was proud'; Love and loss in epic vote (11/17/2013)
‘I exorcise you’: Big crowd for bishop's service protesting same-sex marriage (11/21/2013)
Quinn calls for minimum-wage hike, celebrates pension reform (1/30/2014)
Quinn far short of 60 tax-rate votes (5/20/2014)
Madigan: Votes not there for extension of tax rates (5/22/2014)
'Doomsday budget' defeated in lopsided Statehouse vote (5/24/2014)
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