McKenna refers to running mate's office as "outrageous spending"

With friends like this, who needs enemies?

The Sun-Times' Abdon Pallasch writes that at Andy McKenna's gubernatorial bid announcement this morning, he referred to his running mate Matt Murphy's desired office as an example of the state's wasteful spending...

Pressed for an example of the "outrageous spending" he would cut as governor, McKenna turned to Murphy and noted the state was still spending 2.5 million a year on the lieutenant' governor's office even though the state has no lieutenant governor now.

Wow. That would make one want to go all out to help his running mate's campaign, wouldn't it? Hint:   Murphy should be on the lookout for any approaching buses...

Comments

[Anon]

Matt Murphy has done everything in his power to stop the corruption in Springfield, introducing ethics bills with teeth, and fighting the tax increases the many of the gov opponents supported.

That headline is incredibly misleading

[Steve Hernandez]

Anon, did Pallasch misreport? Or did McKenna say the state was outrageously spending $2.5 million on an office that's vacant? And isn't Murphy running for that office?
What's so misleading?

[spintreebob]

What was Matt thinking?

[Larry L.]

Pallasch didn't misreport. What's confusing is the headline of the blog entry. It makes it sound like Murphy himself is "outrageous spending" or that McKenna somehow did a great disservice to Murphy by saying that a VACANT office with a $2.5 million budget is wasteful. McKenna is right...there's no reason to have that budget for a vacant office. Either fill the office, or axe the budget.

I'm sure Murphy agrees.

During the campaign kick-off, McKenna said that Murphy would take on a more robust role than a traditional Illinois Lt. Gov., and basically act as a compliance officer for the executive branch.

A $2.5 million budget for an office holder, plus staff, with a substantive agenda is fine. What's not OK is spending the $2.5 million budget on a big-fat goose-egg of activity in the vacant Lt. Gov. office, which is what's currently happening under Quinn's watch.

It's an entirely valid point and I don't get what the big dust-up is about...

[Steve Hernandez]

Hasn't there been talk about ending the LG office? The same being said about the Comptroller?

IR's comments are simply pointing out that McKenna was standing next to a candidate for LG when saying the vacant office expenditures are "outrageous spending."

Maybe McKenna was hinting that the office of LG was a waste of money and a place where money could be saved. After all, Illinois has been functioning fairly well for almost year without an LG.

[BannedDaveBack]

Murphy would of been good candidate against bean

[?]

Agreed.