Rauner seeks ‘superstars’ as administration house cleaning continues

Posted on January 16, 2015

Gov. Bruce Rauner has reversed nearly 200 appointments dating back to the Quinn administration. (Photo courtesy IOCI Media Services)

By Dave Dahl/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – If you’re a patriot, and you love your country, and you’re a superstar, and you love your state, there could be a place for you in the Rauner administration.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says his main focus since winning the election two months ago has been to recruit “superstars.”

Many of the agency directors have quit or been fired, with replacements nominated for some. One that was front-page news in Springfield was the firing of Illinois State Fair manager Amy Bliefnick, who told reporters she initially thought she’d last three or four years but stuck around for 10.

“We pretty much across the board asked for folks to tender their resignation. We’ll be interviewing everybody, both prior and new,” Rauner said Thursday. When asked if that means Bliefnick could return, the governor said, “Yeah, I'm not ruling anything out.”

Agriculture, natural resources, transportation, state police, employment security, and veterans' affairs are among the departments where there are changes in leadership.

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