SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Executive Inspector General has found that an Illinois Department of Transportation administrator violated conflict-of-interest and merit-hiring rules when her next-door neighbor was hired as fleet management assistant in 2014.
Wednesday’s report also found that Laura Campbell made false statements that she informed her supervisor that she knew applicant Paul Lee.
Campbell received a 30-day unpaid suspension last fall. She retired in June and responded to the report that her 34-year career was “unblemished.” Contact information for her was unavailable.
Records show she has a $45-an-hour short-term IDOT contract.
Lee lives next door to Laura Campbell and contributed $1,200 to her husband Jack’s unsuccessful 2014 campaign for Sangamon County sheriff.
The OEIG previously cited IDOT patronage-hiring problems. IDOT now requires interviewers to disclose in writing whether they know job applicants.
