SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. Pat Quinn said
Tuesday that an ethics law barred him from letting the public know seven weeks
ago that he was dumping the director of the state's child-welfare agency over
allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
He said the law forced him to remain silent about
the real reason for getting rid of Director Erwin McEwen until state inspectors
finished their probe. McEwen's departure was portrayed as a simple resignation,
without any pressure from Quinn's office, when it was announced in August.
Quinn also defended letting McEwen collect a salary
for a month after announcing his resignation. The Democratic governor said that
was done to ensure a smooth transition at the sensitive Department of Children
and Family Services.
"He was head of an agency that deals with
children and their safety that's under federal court order, and I wanted to
make sure there was a proper transition," the Democratic governor said at
a news conference in Chicago.
Quinn's explanation inspired skepticism from some.
Brian Gladstein, executive director of the Illinois
Campaign for Political Reform, said Quinn and his staff were probably being
"overly cautious" in their reading of the law. Releasing reports and
documents on an investigation still in progress might be prohibited, he said,
but the governor would be allowed to announce that an appointee was doing a bad
job and was being replaced.
Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, was more blunt.
He also took issue with letting McEwen remain on
the job for another month. "You don't let it fester," Franks said.
Springfield attorney Carl Draper, who often handles
cases involving discipline of state employees, said Quinn might be correct that
he had to remain quiet if reports from state inspectors were the sole source of
his knowledge about problems at DCFS.
The executive inspector general finished its
investigation and released a report Monday accusing McEwen of turning a blind
eye to problems involving a friend with more than $18 million in state
contracts since 2008.
The friend, Chicago businessman George E. Smith,
falsified documents, forged signatures, claimed improper expenses, collected
pay for non-existent employees and more, inspectors concluded. They recommended
the state seek criminal charges against Smith.
Smith's conduct was made possible by an atmosphere
of lax oversight by McEwen, who was first appointed to the job by former Gov.
Rod Blagojevich, they said.
The law cited by Quinn's office is part of the act
setting up an ethics commission and detailing the duties of inspectors. It says
"all investigatory files and reports of the Office of an Executive
Inspector General ... are confidential."
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
