And "abuse power for own vested interests" is certainly a big part of the story here.
"In April 2019, it was revealed Pritzker and his wife, M.K., were
under federal investigation for the tax breaks. M.K. Pritzker had directed workers to remove the toilets from the home during renovations so the mansion would be deemed uninhabitable, resulting in a property tax break. After an inspection was complete, she had them reinstall one toilet in J.B.’s 'hangout/meeting area.' J.B. Pritzker said he would pay the taxes when the tax dodge was revealed during his campaign for governor, but that has not cooled the interest of investigators. A 2018 Cook County Inspector General
report called Pritzker’s actions a “scheme to defraud.”
As federal investigators circle closer to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, they have also been working on collecting records related to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Gold Coast mansion property tax break.
www.illinoispolicy.org
"The contractor who helped save Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker $331,000 in property taxes by removing toilets from a mansion was awarded nearly $9 million in a contract to convert an old Chicago-area hospital for use in the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Department of Defense
records show Bulley & Andrews was award nearly $9 million through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract to convert the old Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park into a COVID-19 care facility. The Corps last worked with the firm in 1944."
The contractor who removed toilets from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mansion in a $331,000 property tax scandal received a nearly $9 million COVID-19 contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contractor hadn’t worked with the Corps in 76 years.
www.illinoispolicy.org
"The Pritzker administration is targeting a decree the state entered into in 1972 to combat patronage hiring, but Republicans said it should be expanded, not vacated. A filing the Illinois Attorney General made on behalf of Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month seeks to vacate a decree from 1972 about questionable hiring practices in Illinois State Government."
"An investigation into Illinois’ largest-ever capital projects bill found nearly
$4 billion in discretionary funds set aside for politicians’ pork projects, including $2 billion for Gov. J.B. Pritzker to spend as he saw fit – including on needs he saw driving around during his campaign."
An investigation found $4 billion in funds to be doled out by politicians at their discretion, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker controlling half of it. The extra pork was packed into Illinois’ $45 billion infrastructure plan, including $144 million for Madigan friends – some who never asked for it.
www.illinoispolicy.org
"A new federal lawsuit accuses a “cartel” of influential large companies, including a company associated with the family of Gov. JB Pritzker, of exploiting political connections to improperly dominate Illinois’ marijuana marketplace."
True Social Equity in Cannabis accuses the Pritzker, Wrigley and Kovler families of using political connections and influence to monopolize the state's regulated marijuana dispensary markets
cookcountyrecord.com
"In a recent court filing, Governor Pritzker is seeking to vacate a set of court decrees that seek to prevent politically motivated hiring, as well as politically motivated firings or other punishments against public employees known as the Shakman decrees. "
"The political fallout for J.B. Pritzker may not be known for weeks, but it raises the issue about the importance of the African American vote for Democrats in the upcoming primary. Pritzker caused quite a stir among African American voters when they heard
secret FBI wiretap recordings of phone calls with Rod Blagojevich, in which he disparaged two powerful and popular African American politicians, Emil Jones and Jesse White. The two came up when Pritzker and Blagojevich were talking about who should be appointed to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat."
The political fallout for J.B. Pritzker may not be known for weeks, but it raises the issue about the importance of the African American vote for Democrats in the upcoming primary.
abc7chicago.com
"The blind trust set up to manage Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s vast wealth bought stock in one of the state’s biggest Medicaid contractors in 2020, the same year his administration made several decisions that benefited the company’s bottom line. The purchase of stock in health insurance giant Centene Corp. was made on behalf of the billionaire governor by trustees at Northern Trust, appointed by Pritzker to independently manage his portfolio to separate those investment decisions from his role as the state’s most powerful elected official. The investment in Centene — which collected more than $2.6 billion from state Medicaid contracts in the first half of 2021 alone — demonstrates the pitfalls of a blind-trust arrangement that still leaves the nation’s richest governor open to potential conflicts of interest."
A BGA review of public records shows the purchase of Centene stock could have been made any time between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. While the blind trust is designed to guard Pritzker from knowing when the investment in Centene was made, actions taken by his administration nevertheless benefitted the big health care company. Starting in 2019 and continuing into 2020, Centene faced antitrust concerns during its $17 billion acquisition of Medicaid insurer Wellcare. The Pritzker administration helped Centene
overcome federal antitrust scrutiny by reassigning thousands of Centene patients into other plans. The state of Illinois also oversaw
Centene’s June 2020 acquisition of state Medicaid contractor NextLevelHealth Partners. The transfer gave Centene a toehold in the lucrative Cook County Medicaid market. And in September 2020, the state enrolled 36,000 juvenile state wards to a Centene subsidiary named YouthCare
amid concerns from foster parents and child welfare advocates about Centene’s performance.
Purchase of stock highlights weakness of Pritzker’s blind-trust arrangement in preventing conflicts of interest for billionaire governor’s holdings.
www.bettergov.org
"Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday staunchly defended the politically-connected head of the state agency that regulates the scandal-scarred Commonwealth Edison power company and other public utilities. Pritzker's appointee as chairwoman of the Illinois Commerce Commission is Carrie Zalewski — whose father-in-law, former 23rd Ward Ald. Michael Zalewski — profited from the
broad and long-running bribery scheme ComEd has admitted to perpetrating in Illinois politics. According to federal court records unsealed Friday, the giant electric company acknowledged steering consulting contracts to allies of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, in exchange for favorable government action in Springfield."
The Illinois Commerce Commission leader's father-in-law is a retired alderman who the feds say benefited from the Springfield bribery scheme.
www.npr.org
"In Governor Pritzker’s
State of the State address last year, he committed to fighting for a series of meaningful ethics reforms to address our endless corruption scandals and begin rebuilding Illinoisans’ shattered trust in their state government.
The ethics bill the legislature passed last week falls short of every one of those promises."
In Governor Pritzker's State of the State address last year, he committed to fighting for a series of meaningful ethics reforms to address our endless corruption scandals and begin rebuilding Illinoisans' shattered trust in their state government. The ethics bill the legislature passed last week...
www.reformforillinois.org
We know Repub. voters will happily vote in lunacy. For the rare thinkers, this might sway some votes left, but I don't think it would be enough effect. Maybe there's more to it with some data, but I wouldn't know. 
