CHICAGO - Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner updated his Illinois State Board of Elections reports for 2013's second, third, and fourth quarters to comply with election law requirements concerning staff salaries.
Rauner's amended filings show the campaign building up staff to a total of 15 at the end of the year. Those 15 are in addition to financial consulting and law firms, as well as advertising groups of which Rauner's campaign lists as outside consultants.
Of the staffers reported, almost all have worked for U.S. Senator Mark Kirk or former U.S. Congressman Bob Dold as political campaign or legislative office staffers. Two others either presently or have up until recently worked for the Illinois Republican Party, and one, the campaign's communications director Mike Schrimpf served in the same capacity for the Republican Governor's Association until he signed onto the Rauner campaign.
Schrimpf told Illinois Review Thursday that he left the RGA when he joined the Rauner campaign, although Schrimpf's LinkedIn account showed Tuesday morning he still worked for both:
In addition to Schrimpf, Rauner staff includes (all amounts given are in addition to taxes and health insurance paid by the Rauner campaign through Paylocity):
Chip Englander, who has managed congressional campaigns in California as well as Congressman Ernest Istook's failed bid for Governor in Oklahoma. His home address is listed as Wisconsin. Englander is paid $10,614 monthly.
Kelly Folino is a Highland Park-based campaign fundraiser that served former U.S. Congressman Bob Dold as his District Chief of Staff. The Rauner campaign pays her a base salary with commission, which records show can exceed $10,000 a month.
Senator Mark Kirk's former Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Zolnierowicz of Chicago worked at the Illinois Republican Party before working for Kirk and then joining the Rauner campaign. He's paid $5,169 bi-weekly.
Chicago's David Ramirez shows on his LinkedIn account that he's currently working as an Intern Coordinator for the Illinois Republican Party while he's working in the same capacity for Mr. Rauner.
In addition to Folino, other former Bob Dold staffers from the 10th CD include Bryan Reed, Kristen Jaciw and Jared Dubnow, which are paid $2,644, $2,292 and $2,110 monthly by the Rauner campaign. Reed was Dold's campaign manager in 2012. Jaciw's position is listed as the Rauner campaign's "financial coordinator."
One Rauner campaign staffer, Melissa Lajka, identifies herself as an "investment advisor" for the R8 Capital Partners, LLC, a Rauner-owned company. Lajka is paid about $1,500 a month from the Rauner campaign.
University of Michigan graduate Leilli Doerr joined the staff and coordinated Rauner's downstate bus tour. She is listed as receiving $2,650 monthly. Jaline Ellis of Chicago is a finance and fundraising person that also worked for the Illinois Victory Center in 2012 and served as a legislative intern.
Bethalto's Patrick McKae is paid $2,654 monthly by the Rauner campaign to be a Downstate field director. Another in south suburban Tinley Park, Holly Griff, is paid $5,208 monthly by the campaign. Her position is not defined on ISBE records.
Along with Zolnierowicz, Andrew Weissert was also a Kirk staffer until he joined the Rauner campaign. He's paid $3,280 monthly. Weissert is one of three Kirk staffers listed as with the Rauner campaign now:
Since the last quarter filing, Kirk staffer Lance Trover has joined the Rauner campaign as another communications director on the team.
