Illinois State Senate Majority Leader Received Caribbean Trips, Campaign Donations And Cash Bribes. So What?
Block Club - When scandal engulfed Loretto Hospital this spring, the West Side facility had a powerful champion: Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford.
Lightford defended hospital administrators when they admitted improperly vaccinating people at Trump Tower and other places miles from the community the hospital serves. She stood by the officials even after multi-million insider contracts with the business partner of Loretto’s chief financial officer were revealed.
Lightford’s staunch support of Loretto is part of her legacy — but she’s also been the recipient of perks and payments from the publicly funded hospital for years, the Better Government Association and Block Club Chicago found.
She’s been paid by an insurance firm owned by Loretto, which also paid for her to travel to the Caribbean for firm meetings, records show. During some of those trips, she stayed at a luxury hotel and used campaign funds to cover the cost.
Lightford’s campaign fund also has accepted more than $38,000 in contributions from the hospital’s key management contractor, records show.
A Democrat from Maywood, Lightford has served on Loretto’s board for 21 years and is currently the vice chairman. The lawmaker’s website touts that she has steered $26 million in state grants to the hospital, which has put her name above its emergency room front door.
Talk about a non-story. What's the big fucking deal?
This is Illinois. You think people run for office out of a noble call to duty and help their communities?
HA.
It's called a J-O-B. They're here to get paid. And stay paid. Forever. That's the name of the game here.
Kimberly Lightford was just doing what every other politician does in this state. Looking out for #1. If you don't who is gonna?
You think people get their names on libraries and hospitals for free? No sir. Gotta write big boy checks to be bestowed an honor like that, even if it's tax payer money and not your own. Same difference.
Also, act like you've never taken an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas to discuss work before. Let he who hasn't put down their campaign donation-backed platinum card at The Four Seasons cast the first stone.
That's what I thought.
I think I speak for everybody when I tell Block Club and the rest of the media to take their witch hunts and shove them up their asses. Go cover something important. Like when the fuck that Tin Man statue in Lincoln Park is being taken down.
