Backers turn out for gov's fund-raiser
Tony Rezko? Who's Tony Rezko?
About 1,000 people packed the River East Art Center downtown Thursday evening for a political fund-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich. It was one of six events the governor is attending this week in hopes of raising several million dollars for his campaign fund, which has been depleted, in part, by legal bills totaling more than $2 million since late 2005.
(Sun-Times file)
Blagojevich's administration has been beset by investigations and the conviction of Rezko, a onetime top adviser and fund-raiser. But a crowd still turned out, including former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, lobbyist Al Ronan and ex-Blagojevich staffer-turned-lobbyist John Wyma.
"We need to have events like this. We can't just rely on all the good press we've been getting these days," the governor joked.
Blagojevich's fund-raising swing comes as he has pledged to rewrite legislation designed to curb the awarding of state contracts to campaign contributors. Blagojevich says he wants to beef up the bill; his opponents say he's trying to kill it.