Carbondale Bytelife

Via the Capitol Fax, a lawsuit now threatens the planned move of IDOT jobs to Harrisburg:

Opponents of a plan to relocate 150 state transportation jobs from Springfield to southern Illinois will be in court Monday trying prevent the state from spending money on the move.

Springfield attorney Don Craven is asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction that would temporarily prevent Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes or Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias from allocating any money in connection with the move.

The prohibition would remain in place until Attorney General Lisa Madigan acts on the Blagojevich administration's plan to buy half of a former Wal-Mart building in Harrisburg to house the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety. Madigan must sign off on the purchase before it can take place.

Gov. Blago has asked the court for permission to hire an outside attorney to represent the state in the move since, according to him, AG Amy Madigan would have a conflict of interest in representing the state in the lawsuit.

Labels: Governor Blago, Harrisburg, IDOT, state government