One whisper got hospital funding approved
With a whisper, one board member had another change his vote to approve an $81 million hospital — the first to be built since the 1970s, according to testimony in the Tony Rezko trial today.
Donald Jones, a section chief at the state Department of Public Health, said he had never seen anything like it.
Jones’ testimony centered on an application to build Mercy Health Systems’ Crystal Lake hospital.
The project needed support from five of the nine board members to go forward. But Dr. Imad Almanaseer had voted present, Jones testified. At that point, another board member — Stuart Levine, the government’s star witness — got up from his chair, walked over to Almanaseer and whispered in his ear.
“Dr. Almanaseer changed his vote to yes,” Jones said.
Mercy Hospital got its approval — even though it looked like it wouldn’t be approved by the state Health Facilities Planning Board in late 2003.
Levine was allegedly working behind the scenes, using his board influence to grease the skids for Mercy. In return he arranged to receive a $1.5 million kickback from Jacob Kiferbaum, who got a $49 million construction job out of the deal.
Prosecutors said they plan to call planning chairman Thomas Beck to the stand as early as this afternoon.
Beck was at the helm when Levine allegedly struck corrupt deals with Rezko while on the planning board. Levine’s home phone was wiretapped and hundreds of conversations were recorded, including some with Beck.
Rezko, 52, of Wilmette, is accused of using his clout and influence in Blagojevich’s administration to appoint members to state boards and allegedly rig important votes.
Rezko did it to line his own pockets or direct campaign donations to his favorite candidates, which include Gov. Blagojevich and Sen. Barack Obama, prosecutors allege.
Rezko was the driving force behind Levine’s reappointment to the health board. He also recommended Almanaseer for appointment, according to court testimony.
Neither Blagojevich nor Obama are accused of wrongdoing.
The defense spent much of the afternoon trying to illustrate a need for Mercy Hospital in the community.
Rezko lawyers showed letter after letter supporting the project and saying there was a need for such a facility in Crystal Lake, a population hub in McHenry County.