Phelps: '... a mass exodus of Republicans from the state payroll ...'

I blogged earlier this week about the comments made by former Congressman David Phelps, who is back at the government trough in an administrative position with IDOT.

Phelps was quoted during a Democrat rally, saying that there will be a "mass exodus of Republicans from the state payroll when Blagojevich is re-elected."

I recieved an email from a friend in that neck of the woods.

Here is his comments.

"Recently former congressman and now Assistant Secretary of the Illinois Dept. of Transportation was keynote speaker at a Pope County Democrat rally in Golconda,Illinois. The event was covered and reported by the weekly Golconda Herald Enterprise in their March 8th edition.

IDOT assistant secretary Phelps spoke on behalf of the Governor citing Blago's accompolishment-he went on to say: " When he(Blagojevich) is reelected there will be mass exodes of Republicans from the State payroll".This is a bold and maybe stupid comment on the part of Phelps. However I do appreciate his giving us a preview of the future if Blago is re-elected. I think Phelp's comments will lay the groundwork for a lawyer's heaven for lawsuit.

Friday morning Assistant Secretary Phelps was in Metropolis campaigning for his nephew Rep. Brandon Phelps....wonder if he remembered to take time off?"

Quickly assuming the role of politico, Phelps denied the comment and said he was misquoted.

From what I'm hearing about Phelps' door-to-door campaigning and arm-twisting during the past two months it appears that taxpayers are footing the bill for him to play politics for the governor and his son-in-law Kerry Sutton, who is running for a vacant judicial seat in the Second Judicial Circuit.

I spoke with Sandy Cowsert, the owner and editor of the newspaper and the person that wrote the story with Phelps' comments. Cowsert, a 20-year veteran of the news business, covered the event herself and wrote the story and told me point-blank that the quote is "100 percent accurate."

Let me say, unequivocally, that I believe Cowsert.