Danny Clayton: Politics probably cost him IDOT job
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Danny Clayton, recently dismissed as a district engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said politics is the probable cause of his job loss.
Clayton was fired Monday by the agency. A spokesman for IDOT confirmed he is no longer employed by the state as of Jan. 24. The department will not comment either way on personnel issues, spokesman Josh Kauffman said.
Kauffman also would not comment on whether or not an investigation of Clayton is taking place. Clayton said rumors of an investigation, or that he was escorted off IDOT property by the State Police, are false.
"There's no investigation going on," Clayton said.
Clayton said though being terminated is never pleasant and the procedure is probably a little cold, he wasn't treated any differently from anyone else who is eliminated from a job.
"I'm not bitter. I'm not bitter toward anybody, it's just the nature of the beast," Clayton said.
Clayton was appointed seven years ago by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Now, under a new administration, Clayton had a "Blagojevich label" on him, he said.
"Right now, that's not a good thing," Clayton said.
Legislation has even been introduced that would eliminate all Blagojevich employees. The first time such legislation was introduced, appointments made under former Gov. George Ryan were included. Neither piece of legislation has been passed into law.
There does not have to be any real reason to eliminate Clayton's job - he serves at the pleasure of the governor and is not protected by a union.
"Since I am what they call double-exempt, or serve at the pleasure of the governor, I am an easy target," Clayton said.
Clayton said he understood the risks when he took the job seven years ago. If Bill Brady had been elected governor, the same result would have happened, Clayton said.
Clayton also suggested he made enemies during his time as district engineer. Due to his job, he has not always made popular decisions.
"I probably ruffled some feathers by straightening some things out and curtailing some of the overtime," Clayton said.
"When you add all that up, it was an easy thing to fulfill what some people wanted to see happen."
Clayton does not regret taking the job, he said. A lot of long-neglected improvements were made in this region, he said.
Clayton said he is confident he will find a good job somewhere soon, although he hasn't really thought about that yet.
Assistant IDOT Secretary David Phelps recommended Clayton for the job. On Tuesday, Phelps suggested some sort of investigation might be taking place regarding Clayton.
"There is no one that has higher integrity than Danny Clayton," Phelps said Tuesday.
No matter what the investigation says, "(Clayton) stands for the truth and anything else that comes out just ain't so," Phelps said.
Phelps may be set to retire soon, although as of Wednesday morning he was still on the job.
"It would be soon if I do," Phelps said on Wednesday.
Phelps said he contemplated retirement before the election and will not stay on if his salary is reduced, which is a possibility in the current budget climate.
"If I'm going to be faced with negotiating a salary (lower than retirement); I'd probably be better moving on," Phelps said.
Phelps said he will probably make a decision in the near future.
Like most public employees, Phelps' retirement pension is affected by his ending salary, or the salary he received over the last few years of his employment. A salary cut would therefore reduce his pension.
Phelps said if he retires, it has nothing to do with Clayton's situation.