* How to Buy a State Senate Seat

Dear Mr. Gernhardt,

I was surprised to read that Ms. Steans publicly denied the 750K spending figure. Looks like the Pioneer reporter only checked with the State Board of Elections. The State Board of Elections only monitors contributions on state and local candidates and committees.

I also think she missed the PAC money and only looked at individual contributions.

If you check out the Federal Election Commission or the sites that report its data (like opensecrets.org) you will find 179K+ of contributions from Heather Steans that are NOT included in the Illinois State Board of Elections disclosures. I'm attaching a LIST.

This list is interesting for 4 reasons. First, it adds nearly $180K more to the total spread around. Which I think is over $1Million in Illinois state campaign contributions.

Which makes the denial of the 750 K even more of a lie.

Second -- And this is a separate story, it gives a chronology of Steans's actual occupation -- required for federal contributions but not for state ones -- that does not quite match the picture of "professional policy analyst."

It looks like Ms. Steans's last fulltime job was at least 7 years, maybe a decade ago. Her "public school" experience the Trib touts was over a decade ago.

Most years since she variously lists herself as unemployed, a homemaker, "occupation/employer" being "n/a", or, in candor, saying she is a volunteer on boards.

Or, on good self-esteem days, a "philanthropist." And we all know what "consultant" means LOL.

So, assuming she was honest when she filled out the forms you have to fill out when you make a federal contribution, she has been an unemployed homemaker since Bill Clinton left the White House.

I have nothing against homemakers, my mom was one. But my moms doesn't claim to be some economics and policy expert. All I'm say is it's not quite the fairytale her literature or the Tribune endorsement weaves.

Third -- Weird how sometimes in a span of a few months, sometimes even a few days, she lists different employers/occupations. Sends one check, says one thing, then a little later, another check, says another.

Trying to make a trail harder to follow? Or just the fault of the recordkeeping of the recipient committee. It sorta looks like once a committee has you listed one way they tend to draw on that past data.

The employment history is also interesting when you match up the entries to the time period on the Illinois State Board of Elections sites where Leo Smith lists his position, for years, as a lobbyist or director of the Birth-to-5 PAC. But the PAC pays him no salary.

So.... Heather didn't work. And Leo didn't bring home a paycheck. In fact, he was a major funder of the PAC. How do you do that when you have no income? To be fair, some of the PAC money was originally Irving Harris's as well.

# 4 -- What is interesting is how these folks divvy up the campaign $$. Heather gives the high visibility federal bucks to good liberals.

She has Leo (they have a joint checking account she admits) do most of the giving to state candidates, but again mainly Dems.

When they want to give to Republicans on the downlow, they use the PAC. It's a pretty clear division.

Basically, it looks like neither of these folks have held what most folks would consider a real job in years. The only apparent source of income is Heather's family money (I hear Leo comes from a very middle-class background).

So life consists of going to board meetings and political fundraisers and having people fawn over you for writing checks that to them are big money but to you are chump change (except for the half-mil WBEZ donation, which is not a political contriution but probably more important than all the others combined, because it buys one's way into the hearts and minds of the media establishment and the liberals).

Nice work, if you can get it!

I am not saying being rich is not legit. Better they not work than take away a job from someone who needs it. And on the one hand, if you have the money and to choose to devote your time to pro bono activities, that's extremely cool. Our nonprofits depend on people like Steans doing that. But don't try and parlay that into some kind of amazing "professional background."

But, if "to whom much is given, much is expected" has any meaning, at most Steans has done what is expected. She has had nothing but free time the entire time Bush has been President.

If she is such a policy godsend, and so devoted to the community, I'd like to see one paper she's published, one speech delivered outside a crowd of the well-heeled, one single letter to the editor on any issue. Anything that challenges the current system or power structure. Some might say it looks more like a decade of resume-padding and high-end palm-greasing, and a well-planned, long-incubated project.

Best of luck to you.

A friend