Governor won't disclose who got scholarships

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Governor won't disclose who got scholarships

March 10, 2003

BY DAVE MCKINNEY SUN-TIMES SPRINGFIELD BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD--A month ago, Gov. Blagojevich called for the elimination of the controversial legislative scholarship program, but his reform effort stopped short of publicizing his own scholarship recipients from when he was a state lawmaker.

Blagojevich's administration rebuffed a request from the Chicago Sun-Times for a list of those receiving free college from him, noting that a 1997 law requiring the public disclosure of legislative scholarship recipients was not in effect when he served in the General Assembly.

"As you know, the legislative scholarships had a confidentiality clause in them saying recipients' identities, their privacy, had to be protected from 1996 and earlier. We need to honor that confidentiality clause," Blagojevich spokesman Cheryle Jackson said.

"That's something we're just not going to compromise, the privacy and confidentiality of the recipients of the awards. Plus, these things are in files and boxes that have been packed up a long while."

The confidentiality decision by the governor, who served in the Illinois House from 1993 to 1997, has sparked criticism from a government watchdog and members of both parties. It also threatens to undercut his attempt to position himself as a government reformer.

"It's unfortunate he'll not release that information because of a legality," said Rep. Constance Howard (D-Chicago), a supporter of the scholarship program who believes it has allowed inner-city students a chance at college they may otherwise not have gotten.

"I'm confused why he wouldn't want to just comply and release that information. But that's him," said Rep. Terry Parke (R-Hoffman Estates). "He said he wants to have a new reformed way of doing government. And so far, all I've seen is a lot of lip service."

The program, which has been in effect since 1905, allows each legislator to grant two four-year college scholarships per year, one to the University of Illinois and the other to any other state school.

Widespread abuse of the program was uncovered in the mid-1990s when legislators were caught doling out the perks to the children of relatives, political allies and lobbyists.

A 1996 Associated Press analysis found that after Blagojevich beat a candidate backed by former Ald. Terry Gabinski (32nd) for a seat in the Illinois House in 1992, Blagojevich gave a legislative scholarship to Gabinski's niece, Sara.

At the time, Blagojevich, who voted to abolish the program when he was a state legislator, said he offered two scholarships to Gabinski's ward because it comprised 40 percent of his House district.

Blagojevich maintained he was not aware Gabinski's niece wound up with a legislative scholarship and noted that he later changed the way he awarded scholarships, turning the screening over to a committee.

"He didn't abuse the program," Jackson said. "You get these legislative scholarships and if you don't use them, they go to waste. What he's trying to say is that as a legislator, he himself could see the process was flawed by which these legislative scholarships were or were not given out. As a legislator, he created this panel to try and address that. That didn't go, in his opinion, far enough."

When asked about the governor's refusal to release names, Howard countered: "I'd think he should not be ashamed of the fact he used a program that is a really good program for our state. I don't know why he's not willing to do that. It's not something you should be ashamed of."

Cindi Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said, The bottom line is we're talking about the public's money," she said, "and the public should know how their money is spent."