Swordsmyth
07-12-2017, 11:42 PM
Since Monday morning, the first-term governor has fired his chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and his spokesperson, among other aides. In another sign of the turmoil gripping Springfield following a recent budget showdown, the GOP state House floor leader was demoted and state Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, who helped lead a grand bargain attempt to resolve the two-year budget stalemate, resigned from office July 1.
The governor's dramatic staff changes come as Rauner faces a reelection battle for the ages in a solidly Democratic state. And they follow on the heels of a budget crisis brought on by a long-running political fight between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The governor suffered a stinging rebuke last week when legislators — including nearly a dozen Republicans — voted to override his veto of a Democratic budget and put a permanent income tax increase into law.
Rauner is replacing his staff by opening the doors of the governor’s office to an influential — and controversial — conservative think tank: the Illinois Policy Institute. He hired its president, Kristina Rasmussen, as his new chief of staff, and its vice president of policy, Michael Lucci, as a deputy chief. He’s alsobringing on Laurel Patrick, a former spokesperson for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, as his communications director, according to an internal office memo. More staffing changes are expected this week.
More at: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/12/bruce-rauner-fires-top-staffers-240460
The governor's dramatic staff changes come as Rauner faces a reelection battle for the ages in a solidly Democratic state. And they follow on the heels of a budget crisis brought on by a long-running political fight between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The governor suffered a stinging rebuke last week when legislators — including nearly a dozen Republicans — voted to override his veto of a Democratic budget and put a permanent income tax increase into law.
Rauner is replacing his staff by opening the doors of the governor’s office to an influential — and controversial — conservative think tank: the Illinois Policy Institute. He hired its president, Kristina Rasmussen, as his new chief of staff, and its vice president of policy, Michael Lucci, as a deputy chief. He’s alsobringing on Laurel Patrick, a former spokesperson for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, as his communications director, according to an internal office memo. More staffing changes are expected this week.
More at: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/12/bruce-rauner-fires-top-staffers-240460