Rod Blagojevich Helped His Kids' Private School

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

When Gov. Blagojevich declined to move his family from Chicago to the Executive Mansion in Springfield, a big reason was his daughter's private school. "She's comfortable there and likes it there and has her friends there," Blagojevich explained after winning office in November 2002.

Since then, the governor has helped give his daughter, and now her younger sister, more reason to like Rogers Park Montessori School.


His administration assisted the school's leaders in building a new, state-of-the-art facility, with 17 classrooms, a high-school-sized gymnasium and foliage-covered roof. The building, which opened in January 2006, is a major upgrade over space the school had been leasing from two churches.

The school bought its 2.4-acre site and constructed its new home using a 30-year, $11.75 million borrowing plan it secured through Blagojevich's Illinois Finance Authority. Private investors -- not Illinois taxpayers -- would be on the hook should the school default on that deal, which won approval when the Finance Authority was headed by a man who has since pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges.

State records show the governor personally signed off on the borrowing plan at the same time his wife, Patti Blagojevich, sat on the school's board.

"Is there a conflict of interest?" says state Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield). "Absolutely."

The governor and first lady say through a spokeswoman they did nothing wrong.

In Illinois,there seems to be no limit on what the government can do.