Jul 16, 2008 10:01 pm US/Central
State Rep. Absent From 1 Of 2 Government Jobs
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Ill. State Rep. Richard Bradley
CBS
The Illinois House is debating billions of dollars in state spending this week. Action's been slow, in part because so many representatives are absent.
In Wednesday's Truth In Politics, CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that State Rep. Rich Bradley was also absent from his second job at City Hall in Chicago, where he is paid $99,000 a year.
Rich Bradley was at his desk on the Illinois House floor last week, but official records show that he rarely attends sessions in Springfield, skipping 37 of the last 47 legislative workdays, absent 79 percent of the time.
Although he was back to playing hooky Tuesday and Wednesday, records show Bradley's still collecting his $75,000-a-year salary and travel stipends.
An employee for Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department, where Bradley works as an assistant general superintendent, said Bradley was not at work on Wednesday. "You probably have to go over to Jamaica or somewhere; he's not here," he said.
His co-workers at Streets and Sanitation told CBS 2 News Producer Ed Marshall Wednesday that Bradley's on paid leave.
Department spokesperson Matt Smith said, "When I asked yesterday where he was, yeah, I was told he's on vacation."
While a vehicle with Bradley's legislative license plate was parked in front of his house Wednesday, CBS 2 got no answer at the door.
Aside from a few spiders, no one was in at Bradley's state office on the Northwest Side either. Taxpayers give him $69,400 a year for this office and for staff, but CBS 2 visited the office several times and never found it open. It appeared no work has been done there in a very long time.
While Bradley's not running for re-election, some constituents complained that since he's stopped doing the job of state representative, he ought to stop taking state tax dollars.
Nick Carusi said, "This guy doesn't show up for work, he gets paid, he gets his pension, he gets his perks. … I want him to quit now."
Bradley told CBS 2 a few weeks ago off-camera that his state office looks abandoned because a construction project has made it difficult to get there from his home.
However, his office and home are only three-tenths of a mile apart. CBS 2 drove from his house to his office Wednesday night and found no construction.
Bradley lost a bid for the state senate this year and his term in the Illinois House is up at the end of the year.
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