Maybe former state Rep. Kurt Granberg (D-Carlyle) should get a job at AIG next.
When Rod Blagojevich appointed Granberg as director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Blago had already been impeached, though not convicted. Outdoorsmen and politicos who follow these things were both livid and sardonically bemused.
"Granberg has no particular qualifications to head the IDNR," Sun-Times outdoors writer Dale Bowman wrote in a story headlined "Blagojevich Pulls Fast One."
One of the first things Pat Quinn did after becoming governor a few weeks later was to fire Granberg.
But that doesn't mean Granberg's mission wasn't accomplished. After putting in just three weeks on the job, Granberg has been awarded a $40,000 increase to his annual pension, the Sun-Times reports today. Added to his legislative pension, Granberg now "earns" $113,205 a year.
The median household income in Illinois in 2007 was $54,214.
What's worse is that while Granberg had assumed office at the IDNR, he hadn't been confirmed by the state senate before he was fired. The State Employees Retirement System decided to extend his pension benefits anyway.
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Before being named to the IDNR post, Granberg had served in the state House since 1987. "He did not seek re-election and resigned his seat before having to vote on Blagojevich’s impeachment," the Bloomington Pantagraph noted. He made $85,000 a year as a legislator.
Steve Rhodes, the proprietor of The Beachwood Reporter, has never received a pension sweetener but sometimes steals Splenda packets from restaurants. You can subscribe to his sweet NBC RSS feed here.
