Governor Pat Quinn says he has "zero tolerance" for rule-breaking when it comes to hiring people for state jobs. This comes as a long-time activist accuses Quinn of making too many political hires.
Last year, the Better Government Association raised questions about several dozen political jobs in the Illinois Department of Transportation. Quinn says the agency did an audit last year.
"I want them to carry that out, to follow the law at all times," Quinn says. "That's what I've always believed in, and I will continue to do that."
IDOT says the majority of those jobs will be re-classified as non-political.
But attorney Michael Shakman says more needs to be done. He's asking for a court-appointed monitor to take a close look at state hiring - as was done years ago in Chicago and Cook County.
Shakman says he's tried to work on this with the Quinn administration going back to 2009, with no success.
"Quinn, you may or may not remember, long, long ago, was Dan Walker's patronage chief," Shakman says. "So Quinn doesn't come to this issue as a novice."
Shakman says Quinn needs to account to the public about state hiring.
