THE iLLINOIS OBSERVER

Illinois Politics & Issues at a Glare

Ex-Gov. George Ryan Skipped Over Tony Rezko; Appointed Ex-Sen. Marovitz to Hospital Board

(Springfield, IL) — The AP’s JOHN O’CONNOR unearthed the scoop that former GOP Governor JIM EDGAR nominated TONY REZKO to sit on Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board in 1998, but the Senate declined to confirm him, deferring to the incoming GEORGE RYAN.

Despite the Edgar nugget, the more fascinating revelation in O’Connor’s story was that now former and imprisoned Republican Gov. Ryan skipped over Rezko. George Ryan. Ryan appointed former state Sen. BILL MAROVITZ (D-Chicago) to the Board seat in April 1999. Marovitz served until in June 2003.

And, from the Department of Extreme Irony, it was Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s “reform and renewal” policy–in reaction to corruption of the Ryan era–that finally seated Rezko on the hospital board. There ya go.

March 14, 2008 Posted by David Ormsby | Governor George Ryan, Governor Jim Edgar, Governor Rod Blagojevich, Rezko Trial, Tony Rezko, politics | , , , , , | 1 Comment