John Filan on TV: Bonded with Blago?
Revised at 10:20 am on Wednesday to add Paula Wolff to the mix and a link to Bob Kjellander's response to the question of "how he earn's his keep." [See transcript, below].
OMB Director John Filan: Now, this is just you and me talking, just think about it a second—so we are about to give them 10 billion dollars because we have to stop this leak. The pension systems are draining money like crazy. They just lost $14 billion in investments. We went to them and said...
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This week's suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features John Filan, Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Director of Office of Management and Budget. A detailed Metro Chicago suburban airing schedule for “Public Affairs,” is included below. The "Public Affairs," program with OMB Director John Filan also will air through-out the City of Chicago on this coming Monday night, Oct. 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
John Filan, a University of Chicago MBA, '76 [Jim Oberweis, BTW, is another University of Chicago MBA], who has been OMB Director for almost three years, debates and discusses the desirability of the Blagojevich Administration’s 10 billion dollar pension fund bond sale, whether the decision not to make several billion dollars in scheduled bond payments this year and next is a “raid on the pension funds,” the desirability of “fund sweeps,” by the Blagojevich administration, the propriety of payments received by Illinois’ RNC member Bob Kjellander from Bear Stearns and others, whether Governor Blagojevich and his close advisers were engaged in an illegal pension fund/campaign contribution “kickback scheme,”and much, much more with show host Jeff Berkowitz.
During this week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs, Director Filan shows his stuff in defending major fiscal decisions made by the Governor, Director Filan and others relating to state budget planning, bonding, taxing and fiscal management issues.
On the other hand, as the host tries to be tough but fair with all Public Affairs guests, Director Filan faces some tough questions about what the Blagojevich Administration has done or not done with respect to pushing the State Pension Funds and their money managers to use certain “placement agents,” or consultants, competitive bidding of brokerage fees for handling the bond sales and whether the State bonded debt has gone up dramatically under the Blagojevich Administration.
How did John Filan do on the show? We discuss, you decide. One thing is for sure-- you will be informed, entertained and challenged if you watch this week’s show. And, look especially for a strong finish by the guest and the host, which is the show’s trademark, along with the backpack, of course.
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A partial transcript of the show’s strong finishing kick is included, below.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …We very much want to thank John Filan, who is the Director of the OMB for taking the time to come here and talk about a lot of complicated issues. Thank you, John.
John Filan: It is. That was a fast half hour.
Jeff Berkowitz: Fast half hour.
John Filan: [Laughter].
Jeff Berkowitz: You know what people say is-- that you, when you got that 10 billion dollars [from the bond sale in 2003], you tried to direct or tell the pension board what kind of instruments they would invest in, who they would deal with and so forth. And, you are saying that there is no control over that [by Governor Blagojevich’s office]. Is that false? [what was said about you trying to control the investment of the 10 billion dollars in cash from the bond sale].
John Filan: That is so false.
Jeff Berkowitz: Is it?
John Filan: It really would anger me. I wish somebody who would say it would say it to my face because—
Jeff Berkowitz: You didn’t try to do that at all?
John Filan: Anybody who was there--We went to the pension funds to look at—we’re about to—I don’t mean “give,” like I am giving it—but we’re about to give you 10 billion dollars. Okay, remember, if you remember, back in February, ’03, the pension systems in the preceding two years had lost 14 billion dollars. Now, this is just you and me talking, just think about it a second—so we are about to give them 10 billion dollars because we have to stop this leak The pension systems are draining money like crazy. They just lost $14 billion in investments. We went to them and said, myself and Jim Annable [former Bank One Chief Economist and a member of Blagojevich’s CEA ],John Rogers [President and CEO of Ariel Capital Management and a member of Blagojevich’s CEA] and I think Paula Wolff [former President of Governors State University, former adviser to Gov. Thompson and a member of Blagojevich's CEA) was with us. Let me just say—
Jeff Berkowitz: No, we only have thirty seconds left, I have to get to this. [Illinois' RNC member] Bob Kjellander gets a $809,000 fee for getting [some of that 10 billion dollar bond brokerage] business for Bear Stearns in 2003 and now he is apparently getting 4 or 5 million dollars—or is supposed to-- for something that nobody can quite articulate. You are the chief financial adviser to Gov. Blagojevich. What do you think about that?
John Filan: We would 100% disapprove of it. We disapproved of it then. We—
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you say Kjellander should not have gotten that fee?
John Filan: Absolutely not.
Jeff Berkowitz: What did he [Kjellander] do to get that? [See Here for Kjellander's answer to this and other questions]
John Filan: I-- [show ends].
*************************************************************
John Filan, Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Director of Office of Management and Budget, recorded on September 18, 2005, and as the program will air on the suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” tonight and this week and on the City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” this coming Monday night, October 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
*******************************
The suburban edition of Public Affairs regularly airs in ten North Shore suburbs three times each week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Winnetka, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire and Riverwoods.
In twenty-four North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the show will air once this week in its regular time slot: Tonight, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on either Comcast Cable Channel 19 or Channel 35, depending on the suburb. The show airs tonight at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette. Also, the show airs tonight at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," program with OMB Director John Filan also will air through-out the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, Oct. 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
*******************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********
OMB Director John Filan: Now, this is just you and me talking, just think about it a second—so we are about to give them 10 billion dollars because we have to stop this leak. The pension systems are draining money like crazy. They just lost $14 billion in investments. We went to them and said...
***************************************************
This week's suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features John Filan, Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Director of Office of Management and Budget. A detailed Metro Chicago suburban airing schedule for “Public Affairs,” is included below. The "Public Affairs," program with OMB Director John Filan also will air through-out the City of Chicago on this coming Monday night, Oct. 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
John Filan, a University of Chicago MBA, '76 [Jim Oberweis, BTW, is another University of Chicago MBA], who has been OMB Director for almost three years, debates and discusses the desirability of the Blagojevich Administration’s 10 billion dollar pension fund bond sale, whether the decision not to make several billion dollars in scheduled bond payments this year and next is a “raid on the pension funds,” the desirability of “fund sweeps,” by the Blagojevich administration, the propriety of payments received by Illinois’ RNC member Bob Kjellander from Bear Stearns and others, whether Governor Blagojevich and his close advisers were engaged in an illegal pension fund/campaign contribution “kickback scheme,”and much, much more with show host Jeff Berkowitz.
During this week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs, Director Filan shows his stuff in defending major fiscal decisions made by the Governor, Director Filan and others relating to state budget planning, bonding, taxing and fiscal management issues.
On the other hand, as the host tries to be tough but fair with all Public Affairs guests, Director Filan faces some tough questions about what the Blagojevich Administration has done or not done with respect to pushing the State Pension Funds and their money managers to use certain “placement agents,” or consultants, competitive bidding of brokerage fees for handling the bond sales and whether the State bonded debt has gone up dramatically under the Blagojevich Administration.
How did John Filan do on the show? We discuss, you decide. One thing is for sure-- you will be informed, entertained and challenged if you watch this week’s show. And, look especially for a strong finish by the guest and the host, which is the show’s trademark, along with the backpack, of course.
****************************************
A partial transcript of the show’s strong finishing kick is included, below.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …We very much want to thank John Filan, who is the Director of the OMB for taking the time to come here and talk about a lot of complicated issues. Thank you, John.
John Filan: It is. That was a fast half hour.
Jeff Berkowitz: Fast half hour.
John Filan: [Laughter].
Jeff Berkowitz: You know what people say is-- that you, when you got that 10 billion dollars [from the bond sale in 2003], you tried to direct or tell the pension board what kind of instruments they would invest in, who they would deal with and so forth. And, you are saying that there is no control over that [by Governor Blagojevich’s office]. Is that false? [what was said about you trying to control the investment of the 10 billion dollars in cash from the bond sale].
John Filan: That is so false.
Jeff Berkowitz: Is it?
John Filan: It really would anger me. I wish somebody who would say it would say it to my face because—
Jeff Berkowitz: You didn’t try to do that at all?
John Filan: Anybody who was there--We went to the pension funds to look at—we’re about to—I don’t mean “give,” like I am giving it—but we’re about to give you 10 billion dollars. Okay, remember, if you remember, back in February, ’03, the pension systems in the preceding two years had lost 14 billion dollars. Now, this is just you and me talking, just think about it a second—so we are about to give them 10 billion dollars because we have to stop this leak The pension systems are draining money like crazy. They just lost $14 billion in investments. We went to them and said, myself and Jim Annable [former Bank One Chief Economist and a member of Blagojevich’s CEA ],John Rogers [President and CEO of Ariel Capital Management and a member of Blagojevich’s CEA] and I think Paula Wolff [former President of Governors State University, former adviser to Gov. Thompson and a member of Blagojevich's CEA) was with us. Let me just say—
Jeff Berkowitz: No, we only have thirty seconds left, I have to get to this. [Illinois' RNC member] Bob Kjellander gets a $809,000 fee for getting [some of that 10 billion dollar bond brokerage] business for Bear Stearns in 2003 and now he is apparently getting 4 or 5 million dollars—or is supposed to-- for something that nobody can quite articulate. You are the chief financial adviser to Gov. Blagojevich. What do you think about that?
John Filan: We would 100% disapprove of it. We disapproved of it then. We—
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you say Kjellander should not have gotten that fee?
John Filan: Absolutely not.
Jeff Berkowitz: What did he [Kjellander] do to get that? [See Here for Kjellander's answer to this and other questions]
John Filan: I-- [show ends].
*************************************************************
John Filan, Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Director of Office of Management and Budget, recorded on September 18, 2005, and as the program will air on the suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” tonight and this week and on the City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” this coming Monday night, October 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
*******************************
The suburban edition of Public Affairs regularly airs in ten North Shore suburbs three times each week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Winnetka, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire and Riverwoods.
In twenty-four North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the show will air once this week in its regular time slot: Tonight, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on either Comcast Cable Channel 19 or Channel 35, depending on the suburb. The show airs tonight at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette. Also, the show airs tonight at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," program with OMB Director John Filan also will air through-out the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, Oct. 3 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21.
*******************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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