ILSAAP "Game Changers" Provided Extensive One-On-One Tax-Paid Consulting to Their Political Clients -- Louis Bianchi & ILSAAP Vice Chairman Joe Birkett.
While under contract for media consulting for the Illinois Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor (ILSAAP), Reverse Spin of Wheaton was paid for campaign work for McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi and former DuPage County State's Attorney/ILSAAP Board of Governors Vice Chairman Joe Birkett.
ILSAAP contracted Reverse Spin from January 2008 through June 2009 for media consulting. Reverse Spin is co-owned by Dan Curry and John Pearman, self-dubbed as "game changers". (From October through December 2007, the state agency had contracted with Reverse Spin's predecessor, Curry Public Strategies.)
According to activity reports submitted to ILSAAP, Reverse Spin also devoted considerable one-on-one tax-paid time with these two political clients -- especially Bianchi. It remains unknown what project at Bianchi's office required the urgent and extensive work of an ILSAAP media consultant starting Oct. 1, 2007.
In 2008, the Committee to Re-Elect Louis Bianchi paid Reverse Spin $5,500 -- $2,500 for media production for the primary election and $3,000 for consultation and materials. In 2008 and 2009, Citizens to Elect Joe Birkett had paid Reverse Spin $49,500 for consulting. Birkett announced his bid for Illinois attorney general in July 2009, then pulled out of the race one month later.
