Friend of governor's leaves Metra's board

From The Chicago Tribune:

Friend of governor's leaves Metra's board

By Ray Gibson
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 2, 2002

Donald Udstuen, a longtime friend of Gov. George Ryan, has resigned from Metra's board of directors, a spokesman for the commuter rail agency said Wednesday.

Metra spokesman Frank Malone said Udstuen handed in his one-line resignation letter Monday afternoon, giving no reason for his departure.

Udstuen has served on the seven-member board since its formation in 1984.

Udstuen is a political mentor of Roger Stanley whose political direct mail and polling operations have been implicated in the federal probe of Ryan's campaign finance committee.

Federal authorities have subpoenaed records of all of Stanley's dealings with Metra for the last 12 years. Records show that firms affiliated with Stanley have received $2.9 million in contracts since 1990.

Udstuen also resigned Tuesday from his top administrative job at the clout-heavy Illinois State Medical Society, the Chicago based physicians' lobbying organization.

Udstuen was unavailable for comment. His attorney, David Stetler, declined to comment on why Udstuen stepped down from his positions, citing a "pending investigation." He declined to elaborate.

"I hope he is going to be in a position to be as cooperative as possible," said Stetler, a former federal prosecutor.

Last month's indictment of Ryan's campaign committee and one-time top aides Scott Fawell and Richard Juliano contend a vendor, which sources identified as a Stanley-owned firm, supplied prostitutes to Fawell.

In addition, Stanley allegedly provided free or heavily subsidized trips to Fawell to Costa Rica; Door County, Wisconsin; and Lake Ontario. As part of a racketeering charge, Fawell was accused of failing to report those as gifts on the state-required statement of economic interest. Officials are required to disclose in the ethics statements potential conflicts of interest, some outside income, and gifts of more than $500.

Udstuen's resignation from the Metra board came just one day before Udstuen was required to file his annual statement of economic interest.