The rise and fall of a golden boy: Operation Board Games' Nick Hurtgen

With the Blago investigation on a roll,with the recent conviction of Nick Hurtgen,it's time to look at an old Isthmus article from May,9,2006:

Peter Nicholas Hurtgen entered Wisconsin government fresh out of college in 1987, getting in on the ground floor of Tommy Thompson's extraordinary 14-year tenure in the governor's mansion. Over the course of nearly a decade on Thompson's staff, he rose to become the No. 2 man in the Department of Administration, arguably the most important cabinet office. He left for a plum job in investment banking, specializing in, no surprise here, government bond issues.

A year ago it all came crashing down. Today Hurtgen, 43, stands indicted in Illinois in a complex pay-to-play scheme involving construction and financing for hospital and healthcare facilities. He also stands largely alone, abandoned by the Dairyland politicians and lobbyists whose company he kept.

It was a stunning fall for someone who had once been a financial wunderkind in the Tommy Thompson administration. Hurtgen was "a rainmaker," says Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. "He played a very critical role in arranging campaign contributions and setting up fund-raisers and making campaign money appear. He's the classic influence peddler."

You'll want to read this one.Thanks to reader GS for the heads up on this one.