When a Governor appoints a legislatore to an administrative position, the legislator’s pension ends up jumping a lot.
Here is the press release from the Pritzker Administration announcing another such move:
Gov. Pritzker Names Rep. Jerry Costello II As Director of Law Enforcement at DNR
Springfield, Ill. — Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker appointed state Rep. Jerry Costello II to serve as the Director of Law Enforcement at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“After serving his country in the battlefields of Iraq and the people of Southern Illinois in the statehouse, I’m thrilled Jerry Costello is continuing his public service by leading law enforcement at the Department of Natural Resources,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.
“His wide-ranging experience brings much value to an important piece of state government.”
“It’s an honor to lead the dedicated group of men and women who keep Illinoisans safe while they enjoy our state’s natural resources,” said state Rep. Jerry Costello II. “I’m excited to start this new chapter, and I thank Gov. Pritzker for the opportunity to serve.”
Background
Jerry Costello II will serve as the Director of Law Enforcement for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Costello has represented the 116th district in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2011 and currently chairs the Agriculture and Conservation committee. A graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Costello decided to serve his country by joining the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Not long after signing up, he and his unit saw combat during Operation Desert Storm. Following his military service in Iraq, Costello returned to Illinois where he became a police officer and started a family. Initially a patrolman, he would rise through the ranks and become assistant chief of police. Born and raised in Southern Illinois, Costello lives in Smithton with his wife Lori and their three children.
Beginning his transition into the new role, Rep. Costello resigned from his House seat effective today.
It ain’t his money.
What’s he care!?
He never worked a single day in his pampered life.
No wonder he’s Jack Franks’ role model.
Cal don’t you feel the least bit embarrassed writing headlines like that?
As if the boost he gets in his pension is the reason for this appointment?
Even you ought to be ashamed by that stretch.
Article is “SPOT ON!”
Thank you Cal!
I read Costello was against the graduated tax and JB gave him the gig in order to appoint a person to Rep. that would vote in favor of the graduated income tax.
I’m not sure if the governor and the Democrats’ real ulterior motive is padding Mr. Costello, II’s state pension, then padding his resume’ for a possible future congressional run, most likely in 2022.
The Illinois Democrats are very good at building their “bench” for future elections, and the 12th congressional district, where Costello, II, lives, is held by a Republican, just like the neighboring 13th and 15th districts.
The appointee is the son of former 12-term Congressman Jerry Costello.
In 2014, the Republicans flipped the 12th district where Costello represented in Washington for most of his time in office (10 terms) when State Rep. Mike Bost unseated the Democratic first-term incumbent Congressman William Enyart.
The 12th is the only district flipped by Republicans in the past 10 years that has stayed Republican, thanks to Congressman Mike Bost, and the presence of the Green Party nominee on the fall ballot.
Between the 2021 Democrat-controlled reapportionment, Illinois losing 1 if not 2 congressional districts, and Congressman Bost’s age (he’s 69 now), Mr. Costello, II, who turned 50 earlier this year, would be ready to run in whatever new district is drawn downstate, after a couple of years in his new appointment by Governor Pritzker.
Don’t think the governor didn’t have downstate voters’ interests in mind when he made this appointment.
I’m sure the “Jerry Costello” name is still a good name in the 12th district, and Costello could go the father-son succession like the LaHoods in the 18th and the Lipinskis in the 3rd (though Congressman Dan Lipinski is facing a rematch of his close primary election against a liberal/progressive from last year in the March primary).
Unlike the LaHoods and Lipinskis, the same first name is shared between father-and-son with the Costellos.
Earlier this year, the governor and Illinois Democrats did a similar bench-building appointment with 9-term State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia’s appointment to head the state’s Veterans Affairs.
Ms. Chapa-LaVia, who served in the Army, had only made one attempt to “move-up” in elective politics, her disastrous mayoral primary loss for the open Aurora mayor’s position in 2017.
Despite 8 consecutive election wins in her safe 83rd district seat, Chapa-LaVia showed she could not win a “big one” (and mayor of Illinois’ 2nd largest city is a big one).
She didn’t even make it out of the primary.
Ads like this one did her in:
https://thefirstward.net/2017/02/20/a-bomb-drops-in-aurora
Given Tammy Duckworth went from Veterans Affairs director to Congresswoman to the U.S. Senator within 10 years, Chapa-LaVia might be seen as potential to follow those footsteps, especially with 11th district Democrat Congressman Bill Foster being in his late 60s come 2022.
Illinois Democrats would love to have another Hispanic woman in Congress besides Cheri Bustos (17th), and increase the number of women in Illinois’ congressional delegation to more than 5 (Duckworth, Congresswomen Kelly, Schakowsky, Underwood and Bustos).
Don’t think these appointments by Governor Pritzker is only about putting the right people into his administration.
It’s about future elections, regardless of pensions.
My dad was 82nd Airborne and jumped into Normandy in WWII.
This guy is ok by me, regardless of political affiliation.
The Governor can appoint two positions to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The positions are the Department Director or designee.
The term of each position is two years, beginning the 3rd Monday in January of odd numbered years, and until a successor is appointed.
The most recent Governor appointees to the DNR were two former Republican State Representatives:
Richard Brauer, appointed February 16, 2018, expiration January 21, 2019 (appointed to IDOT in February 2015, then moved from IDOT to the DNR).
Wayne Rosenthal, appointed November 26, 2018, expiration January 19, 2019 (this was a re-appointment as he was initially appointed in January 2015).
source:
State of Illinois
Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA)
Expiration and Vacancies – Governor report dated January 2019
ilga.gov/commission/lru/Gov.pdf
note 1: This report is published by the Legislative Research Unit (LRU) section of COGFA.
note 2: COGFA is in the legislative branch of state government.
note 3: The COGFA LRU also publishes two similar reports.
One for the Senate President.
One for the Senate Minority Leader.
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Jerry F Costello Jr (Jerry Costello II) was employed as a police officer by the Village of Sauget.
Village of Sauget police participate in the IMRF pension fund.
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As an employee of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Mr. Costello II will participate in the SERS pension fund.
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Both the IMRF & SERS pension systems have reciprocal rights with the GARS pension system.
IMRF has very good benefits.
SERS has better benefits.
GARS has Rolls Royce benefits.
The reciprocal rights converts the IMRF very good benefits and SERS better benefits to the GARS Rolls Royce benefits for Mr. Costello II.
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IMRF = Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
SERS = State Employment Retirement System.
GARS = General Assembly Retirement System.
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It’s been reported in the press that Democrat State Representative Costello Jr was against a few legislative bills being pushed by Democrat Governor Pritzker:
The constitutional amendment to permit an adjustable (graduated) state income tax.
Legalizing marijuana for everyone age 21 and over (currently marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes).
The DNR appointment increases Mr. Costello II’s salary, which will increase his pension payout.
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Sauget is a small village in terms of residents but it contains some large industrial company locations.
Sauget is located in St. Clair County just south of East St. Louis.
The village does not even have a website, thus no way to obtain its annual financial report without submitting a FOIA (freedom of information act) request to the village.
That’s ridiculous since the village is large enough to participate in IMRF for its police and fire departments.
Even though it is a small village in terms of residents, Sauget needs a police and fire department large enough to handle the industrial facilities.
There is an elegant legal solution, available to all unincorporated territories in Illinois (which comprise most of the land mass in Illinois).
Not only does the solution (exquisitely legal) provide SELF DEFENSE against predatory practices of State, County, and Municipal OPM (other peoples’ money) vampires, it provides a safe-haven for entrepreneurial proponents of equitable legally defined bases of any hyper-local taxation required to provide fair-value services in return for POLITICIAN-PROOF, legally mandated taxation.
Contact me for details.