From Crain's Chicago Business:

Parking probe in secretary of state's office

(Crain’s) — The Illinois Secretary of State’s office has opened an
internal probe into alleged improper use of parking transponders by office staffers.

James Burns, the independent inspector general of the office, confirmed that he began the investigation after receiving information that one employee, whom he declined to name, extensively used an office-supplied transponder to park for free at a garage in downtown Chicago. That has led to a more “systematic audit” of whether others
are misusing a state resource, Mr. Burns said.

“The answer is yes, we are looking at it and a report will be forthcoming,” Mr. Burns said in a phone interview, adding that he has
not yet reached any conclusions that he can report. “I don’t want to
judge until we see the final report.”

According to Mr. Burns, the office has perhaps 100 transponders, which
allow staff to park without having to pay out of their own pocket and be reimbursed later. He said some are assigned to senior staffers, with
others placed on the dashboards of cars kept in a motor pool for general office use.
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Mr. Burns said the review has been going on for several months.

David Druker, the spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White, declined virtually all comment on the matter, saying only, “When the
review is completed by the inspector general, I’ll be happy to talk with you.”

Mr. Druker specifically declined to give any information on how many
transponders the office has, who has access to them, where they can be
used and how much money has been spent on them, saying, “When the review is completed by the inspector general, I’ll be happy to talk with you.”

Asked why he would not provide even basic factual data on a taxpayer-funded program, Mr. Druker complained of “biased” coverage of Mr. White, a Chicago Democrat.

Crain’s reported earlier this year that numerous relatives of Mr. White and his senior staff have been hired or promoted in the office during his tenure. The office has denied any impropriety, but the matter has become an issue in Mr. White’s re-election race, with GOP nominee Dan
Rutherford calling two of the hirings illegal and asking Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to investigate.

Mr. Rutherford said the Burns probe fits a pattern of problems with the
office, and said the refusal by the office to answer any questions about he transponder program is “a coverup.”