(The Center Square) -- Illinois' highly paid diversity commissioners dodged in-person questions from The Center Square last week about their decisions that have, in effect, made it more difficult for minority-owned businesses to get state contract money, contrary to their mandate from lawmakers.
Instead, one of the commissioners -- who earns about $150,000 annually -- asked a Center Square reporter to fix the problem.
"If you've got ideas on how the process could be improved to benefit the stakeholders, you should share those ideas," said Bruce Montgomery, one of seven members of Illinois' Commission on Equity and Inclusion, in a brief exchange after the meeting.
He and two other commissioners who attended their monthly meeting in-person in Chicago refused to answer questions from The Center Square after the meeting concluded. Montgomery left after a few questions, declining to address any of the substantive issues. For months, the commissioners and staff have not responded to written and verbal requests to comment about their decisions and actions.
State lawmakers created the commission in 2022 and have allocated more than $7 million to it annually with a goal of increasing the amount of state contract money that flows to businesses owned by racial minorities, women and people with disabilities.
The commission's most recent annual report showed that the state is far from reaching that goal. Further, the commission's switch to a new computer system has led to a precipitous drop in certifications of those businesses, which blocks them from getting preference in contract awards and help navigating the contract processes. At last week's meeting, the commissions certification statistics continued to decline, but the commissioners took no action that would address the failures.
An ongoing Center Square investigation has found that the commissioners earn more money but have fewer responsibilities than other paid board members in state government, take no votes of consequence to the public, and work side jobs that pay them thousands of dollars more.
"Illinois' Commission on Equity and Inclusion commissioners are living the dream -- they are making around $150,000 a year to not work," Kathy Salvi, chairperson of the Illinois Republican Party, told The Center Square. "This is nothing more than pandering to the far-left, woke Democrats. But Illinois Democrats can't even do that without wasting millions of taxpayers' dollars."
The commissioners were appointed by Gov. JB Pritzker, who also has not responded to repeated requests to comment.
But Illinois lawmakers from both parties questioned the commissioner's pay and the agency's work based on The Center Square's investigation, and Republicans plan to question commissioners or their staff in Springfield this year when their budget is up for consideration.
Plummeting numbers
The commission's staff reported at the Feb. 18 meeting that there were 2,782 certified businesses, a decline of about 40 in the past month. That total is about half of the peak total during the commission's tenure.
The tremendous drop began in summer 2024 after the commission bought a new computer system that was meant to make the certification process more efficient but instead made it more difficult. That's because its inability to communicate with other agencies' systems has forced businesses to undergo a separate certification process with the state.
Before, businesses that were certified by the other agencies -- such as the city of Chicago -- also received state certification.
For undisclosed reasons, the commission has not been able to remedy the technological snafu and has not reverted back to its old system.
Instead, the commission's staff has launched informational campaigns to convince businesses to submit to the additional state certification process. They have emailed more than 6,000 businesses and, in January, began calling those whose certifications have lapsed.
Commissioners and their staff called several hundred businesses and connected with about half of them, staff reported at the meeting.
But those efforts, so far, have not reversed the downward trend in certifications.
The Center Square attempted to talk to three commissioners -- including Montgomery -- after their meeting at their downtown Chicago office. Commissioners Ennedy Rivera and Richard Costes declined to be interviewed. Montgomery denied he had not responded to questions but refused to answer any during the encounter.
To justify his refusal, Montgomery said: "We're not making any decisions on our own accord. ... That's what commissioners do. They listen and they take on suggestions."
The state pays more than $1 million each year for the commissioners' salaries.
