Governor Pritzker LLC…?
A Rocky Start for the Incoming Illinois Governor
On November 6th, Democrats and fed up Republicans across the state of Illinois joined together in jubilant celebrations as they waved Bruce Rauner — the infamous governor without a budget — goodbye. While replacing one billionaire with another may not have been many voter’s first choice strategy, JB Pritzker’s victory was still seen as a momentous step in the right direction for Illinois politics.
Then came Pritzker LLC.
With just days leading up to his inauguration, Pritzker’s staff announced his plan to double the government-funded salaries of his top aides through out of pocket expenditures.
To fulfill this mission, East Jackson Street LLC was created so the governor can “personally compensate” his top staffers as he sees fit. Chief of Staff Anne Caprara will now make $298,000 — $148,000 from taxpayer dollars, and $150,000 from Pritzker’s pocket. A handful of other senior staffers will face the same salary supplements.
Pritzker is not the first Governor to use his own deep pockets to attract top aides; New York Billionaire-turned-Governor Michael Bloomberg set up Manhatten West LLC to fulfill the same purposes.
While there’s no illegality at stake here in either instance (for now), the question of responsible governance remains hanging at the balance.
JB Pritzker was elected to represent the people of Illinois, and his staff — employed to do the same. But with lucrative salaries coming from the Governor’s pocket, the question of staff loyalty becomes more than a little muddled.
But the real issue at contention here is not his recognition of a problem — it’s his solution. There is a problem, the Governor admirably recognizes that his incoming hard-working staff deserves more competitive salaries. Competitive salaries attract better talent, bottom line. As a former campaign staffer myself, I am all too familiar with the meager wages offered in turn for hundred hour weeks with few benefits. Addressing the low wages present in public-service oriented jobs may encourage more young professionals to consider state-employed and electoral careers otherwise off the table for financial reasons. Racing top aides salaries could be a step in the right direction.
Out-of-pocket financing is not the way to do it. If the next Governor of Illinois is not a billionaire, the salaries quickly disappear. And if you’re not one of the 20 aides chosen to receive these higher wages, you’re out of luck. If Governor Pritzker really wants to represent the people of Illinois that voted him into office, he should stick to legislative means to achieve his wage-increasing aims.
And if the ethics of legislative change doesn’t have enough appeal for Pritkzer, its proven success should.
The Illinois House voted 68–37 this week to increase his agency head salaries by 15%, a bill that will affect the entirety of his 49 member Cabinet. The widespread passage of SB3531 demonstrates that Pritkzer is not alone in his pursuit of boosting desire for top state jobs.
East Jackson Street LLC undermines his commitment to the legislative process and the Democratic belief in using the government to solve problems.
He may have won by 15.7 points to Rauner, the largest margin in Illinois history — but that doesn’t mean it was fueled by his own likability. Governor Rauner was awarded the lowest favorability ratings of any Governor in the country by Morning Consult. The $50 million out of Pritkzer’s own wallet for the campaign didn’t hurt him either.
Therefore, Pritzker would do well to kickstart his leadership without a focus on his personal finance. His LLC does not achieve that aim; it brings it into hyper-focus.
Now only time will tell whether he can pivot to lead like a constituent-first Governor, not a businessman.
