Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office is defending the incumbent Democrat paying $1.5 million a year from his personal wealth to subsidize the salaries of 15 top employees in his office that taxpayers are already paying $1.6 million. Since taking office, the governor has been supplementing pay for some of his top staff with private dollars from the East Jackson Street LLC he controls. During a Senate appropriations committee hearing Monday, Pritzker Chief of Staff Anne Caprara defended the practice amid a tough labor market.
Caprara, who is getting more than half of her $298,000 salary from the governor directly, contends such employees follow all ethical guidelines. Republican state Sen. Brian Stewart raised concerns.
At separate Senate appropriations committees Monday, lawmakers also heard about billions of dollars in budget requests to cover various pension funds, and requests for Illinois State Police and other state agencies. Pritzker has proposed a total state budget of $45.5 billion, the largest spending plan in state history.
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