Posted on 8/3/2004, 2:52:48 AM by BluegrassScholar
In the case of former state Sen. Aldo A. DeAngelis, you can take it with you.
The south suburban Republican who served in the General Assembly between 1979 and 1997 died on Feb. 13. But newly released state records show that DeAngelis' political fund was cashed out on March 30, with $143,000 posthumously paid directly to him.
Such a lump sum couldn't happen under today's state campaign finance laws, which prohibit political war chests established after mid-1998 from being used like personal bank accounts.
But a ''grandfather clause'' exists for funds like DeAngelis' that were set up before then. It allows candidates to declare as income the amount of money they had in their funds as of June 30, 1998, said Rupert Borgsmiller, director of campaign disclosure for the State Board of Elections.
DeAngelis had $200,867 in his fund on that date, thereby making the $143,000 paid to his estate earlier this year perfectly legal -- providing the taxes on it are paid, Borgsmiller said. He also withdrew $53,000 in 2002 for ''personal use,'' records show.
Still, the payments and others like it irk government watchdogs because candidates can spend the money on anything they want.
''It's kind of emblematic of the broken political culture in this state,'' said Cindi Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
''But I've always understood the whole way that law was going to pass was with a grandfather clause. Sometimes you just have to hold your nose if you want the greater good.''
Reformers like Canary would prefer to see hefty campaign fund balances donated to charity or returned to contributors, or the money transferred to others seeking office.
The prohibition on personal expenses came in response to politicians using donations to pay for everything from country club memberships to cars.
DeAngelis' wife, Meredith, is consulting with a lawyer about what to do with the $143,000 from her husband's political fund, said one of her sons, Christopher DeAngelis.
''I definitely appreciate what the law is trying to do. I know it makes a lot of sense,'' he said. However, ''I'm looking at it from a personal standpoint and my mom's well-being. If it were to be used, she would have to pay the taxes on it.''
DeAngelis' fund isn't the only one that's been tapped, state records show.
Former state Rep. Joel Brunsvold of Milan, appointed director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources by Gov. Blagojevich, paid himself $150,475 on Dec. 31, 2002.
Former state Rep. Philip Novak of Kankakee took $65,000 out of his political fund for himself on Dec. 31, 2003.
And in June, former state Rep. Charles Hartke of Teutopolis, now the state's agriculture chief, paid himself $9,100.
Before the 1998 reforms went into effect, late Democratic state Sen. Frank Savickas of Chicago became a poster child for using his campaign kitty for personal use, recalled Kent D. Redfield, a political studies professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
While in office, Savickas used his campaign funds to pay country club dues in Florida. After he left office in 1993, Savickas took $15,000 from his campaign fund for undisclosed ''services.'' He closed out the account in 1996 after he bought $44,373 worth of stock.
FMCDH(BITS)
Why shouldn't the dead in Chicago accept campaign contributions? They've been voting for years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.