Rauner should immediately terminate Kim Savage from Student Assistance Commission –

Springfield, Illinois – (ECWd) –

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (“ISAC”) is not immune from controversy in relation to electioneering and reported violations of ethics, election law, the Illinois Constitution, and otherwise general common sense.

In 2012, the Daily Caller reported that ISAC participated in an effort to force 76 of its state employees to attend a Rainbow Push Coalition effort to elect the now-convicted felon, Jesse Jackson Jr., to office.  “ISACorp” used public funds in support of candidates for elected office. In that report, ISAC “suggested attendance” at, and paid the travel, salary, and per Diem of employees to attend the event.

Now you can fast-forward to recent events at the College of DuPage, COD,  and wonder why a certain member of the ISAC Board is still retained in her position.

A previous article of ours laid out the frame-work for alleged electioneering or other election code and policy violations by Kim Savage thru her asking for assistance from the COD attorney.

 Illinois Student Assistance Commission board member make-up:

10 appointed by Governor with advice and consent of Senate (click here)
– 1 representing state higher education institutions
– 1 representing private higher education institutions
– 1 representing public high schools in state
– 5 state citizens interested in, but not employed by, higher education and not members of governing board of any higher education institution
– 1 student nominated by multi-campus student organizations
– 1 representative of public community college 

Kim Savage was appointed on July 7, 2011 to the Student Assistance Commission and was on the board when the PUSH event happened. She was on the College of DuPage board when she sought reelection and asked for assistance in her campaign from the very public body she was representing.

Savage’s ISAC board position is listed as the position designated by law for “one representative of the public community colleges located in the State". Considering she lost her bid for reelection, and is no longer a representative of a public community college in this state, she should resign that position, or in the alternative, Gov. Rauner should immediately terminate her appointment and appoint someone that is currently a representative of a public community college.