The nomination of Springfield attorney Don Tracy as chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board has been put on hold.
The reasons aren’t clear. Tracy, who was named to the board by Gov. Bruce Rauner in February of last year, was attending a meeting of the board and could not be reached for comment. He is awaiting confirmation by the Senate.
Catherine Kelly, spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed that the appointment is on hold.
“We value our collaborative and productive relationship with the Senate with regard to executive appointments,” Kelly wrote in response to a query from Illinois Times. “In the case of Chairman Tracy, additional time was requested to consider his nomination, and we complied with that request.”
John Patterson, spokesman for Senate president John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said that he didn’t know precisely what concerns senators might have about Tracy.
“Within the Democratic caucus, there were some questions that still needed to be answered,” Patterson said. “The gaming board has always been a very high-profile position. I think there were just some general questions about Mr. Tracy in that role that members hadn’t really had a chance to flesh out and get a grasp of.”
Patterson said that the governor’s office yesterday agreed to a delay in the appointment process. The deadline for confirmation is fast approaching, Patterson said. In light of the deadline, he added that he believes that Rauner will withdraw, then resubmit Tracy’s nomination.
Kelly said that Rauner continues to support Tracy’s appointment to the board. Tracy raised money to help elect Rauner during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign and has said that he opposes the expansion of gambling. In an interview last year with the State Journal-Register, Tracy said that he didn’t seek appointment to the gaming board.
“I did not ask for it,” Tracy told the newspaper. “I was asked to do it.”
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2016.
