Losing candidate gets veterans post

Facing criticism over his record on veterans issues, Gov. Rod Blagojevich turned Tuesday to former congressional candidate and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth to run Illinois’ Veterans’ Affairs Department.

Duckworth was looking for work and contemplating returning to college for a graduate degree after losing to Republican Peter Roskam Nov. 7 in a close race in the 6th Congressional District.

A former district manager at Rotary International, Duckworth, 38, said she would be able to keep advocating for veterans as the director of a state agency with a $94.2-million budget and more than 1,100 employees.

“The appeal of continuing to serve my country and serve my state was definitely one of the top reasons why I decided to do this,” she said.

Duckworth, an Illinois National Guard helicopter pilot, lost her legs in Iraq in November 2004. In 2005, her Capitol Hill advocacy on behalf of veterans helped launch her political career, and her compelling personal story made her congressional race one of the most closely watched in the nation.

The surprise move by Blagojevich, a Democrat just elected to a second term, gives him a chance to repair a dented image with veterans.

His administration has been criticized by groups that say the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has been slow to respond to their concerns, while the governor’s heavily touted Veterans Care health insurance program has enrolled only 15 veterans since it started in September. Blagojevich has also faced pointed political criticism over reports that his administration repeatedly circumvented state laws that give military veterans the first crack at state jobs.

“She has been an inspiration to people all over the country, showing extraordinary personal strength and speaking out on behalf of soldiers who are coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Blagojevich said in a statement announcing Duckworth’s appointment Tuesday. “I know that as the director of veterans affairs she will inspire her department to do everything they can to make sure every veteran is getting the assistance and services they’ve earned.”

Duckworth will start Dec. 15 as the replacement for current Director Roy Dolgos, who faced unhappy state lawmakers during a hearing last week in Springfield. Legislators and veterans’ groups pressed Dolgos to explain why millions of dollars from a scratch-off lottery ticket created to fund veterans programs was sitting unused instead of going to new programs.

About $4.6 million in veterans’ assistance funds has sat untouched for months, much to the disappointment of groups like the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, which is waiting to apply for the money.

“We need to get that funding out as quickly as possible,” said the shelter’s co-chair, Bob Adams. “We are definitely looking forward to working with Ms. Duckworth.”