‘ THEYARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES’
Upheaval and fear as more top staffers step down or are fired from Gov. Rauner’s camp
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s trusted policy chief kicked off another week of tumult in the administration on Monday, becoming the latest high- level staffer to leave the governor’s staff under protest.
And signaling that the turmoil is far from over, another five senior staff members quickly followed Mike Mahoney out the door before the day was over.
A new hire — a handpicked assistant whose first day on the job was Monday — was also fired based on homophobic and racially insensitive tweets.
That brings the total administration exits since last week to at least 20.
Fear is the operative emotion in the governor’s office, which has essentially been taken over by a conservative think tank, according to remaining staffers. The resignations on the administration’s policy, digital and communications team were a way to protest the new ideology, sources said.
“People are scared,” a staffer said Monday. “I was cornered by a staffer today so worried she’s going to be fired. She has a ‘ meeting’ with [ new chief of staff] Kristina [ Rasmussen] and was visibly upset.”
Mahoney, who served as the governor’s chief of staff for policy and legislative affairs, resigned on Monday. Bridget Davidson, the governor’s digital director; Bob Stefanski, director of House and Senate Operations, and Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Munson, also stepped down.
Sources said the governor’s team in Washington, D. C., including Kathy Lydon and Therese Magnuson, also resigned.
“They are dropping like flies,” a Rauner staffer said Monday.
Phil Rodriguez, who served as deputy chief of staff for public engagement, also quit, but he was allowed to move to another job.
Mahoney was replaced last week by Michael Lucci, policy director for the Illinois Policy Institute, the state’s leading conservative think tank. Mahoney had been given an option to stay on in a different role. Mahoney, who at one point served as Rauner’s pension expert, helped to craft the Tier 3 pension plan that ultimately passed both chambers. The Joliet native was also known as the governor’s “social chair,” organizing events with the governor and lawmakers.
The shake- up began July 10 when Rauner unexpectedly fired his chief of staff, Richard Goldberg who was swiftly replaced by Rasmussen, former president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute.