Who makes someone drive 2 hours only to have them immediately turn around and go back to where they came from twice in one day?
Answer: State Treasurer Dan Rutherford.
The recent lawsuit filed against Treasurer Rutherford has brought to light some allegations of strange behavior. I will not be commenting on that as anyone - who wants to - can file a lawsuit, but to say whether or not any of it is true, I am not sure and won’t speculate. (As an aside, however I really liked the idea of tank tops Tuesdays.)
But what the Treasurer is claiming as evidence that the whole case is made up is truly bizarre. On the same day the accuser, Ed Michalowski, claimed that he spent the night at the Treasurer’s abode and awoke to having Dan fondling him, Dan shows proof that Ed was never there in the form of a travel voucher submitted for reimbursement from the state.
That travel voucher showed that Ed left Chicago at 4am on the morning of April 4th, 2011 he drove to Pontiac, Illinois, approximately two hours away. Picked up Treasurer Rutherford in Pontiac, turned around and drove to Chicago then went back from Chicago to Pontiac dropped Dan off then returned home to Chicago. A total of 8 hours and around 400 miles in a 12 hour timespan for Ed Michalowski for which he was reimbursed $118.94 of taxpayer dollars.
According to the Treasurer this voucher proves that Ed didn’t spend the night in Pontiac and this no fondling could have taken place. But if this is the smoking gun that proves Rutherford’s innocence it should also be used to prove that he may not be the best manager of people or state resources.
Dan has a car, in fact he has a legendary car in Illinois politics. A car with its own nickname and even at one time its own Facebook page, I introduce Pongee.
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| Photo from the SJ-R. See the original story here. |
Knowing that Dan is a car owner why did he think it was a better use of resources to make a state employee drive a total of 8 hours in a 12 hours span and get reimbursed $118.94 to take him to and from Pontiac?
And not just any employee, as Dan said yesterday Ed is the 6th highest paid employee in the office, if he has car duty what do the low ball staffers have to do? No pun intended.
Next time Dan, take the train, it goes right through Pontiac.
Next time Dan, take the train, it goes right through Pontiac.
