Laura Durkin, a sister-in-law to House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, last worked in 2001 selling office furniture before landing a $80,000-a-year job last spring with the Illinois Tollway as general manager of Engineering.
Durkin’s previous work history was revealed when the Tollway released her resume to the Daily Herald after withholding it for weeks. The Tollway released the resume after the newspaper appealed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Attorney General’s public access counselor.
The Daily Herald reported that Laura Durkin's resume shows she has a degree in interior design; and from 1996 to 2001 worked as an account executive for Workspace, an office furniture dealership in Oakbrook Terrace.
Illinois State House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs)
The Tollway’s description of the general manager of Engineering job says that the person filling the position should have at least five years of management experience administering construction contracts.
Joelle McGinnis, a spokesperson for the Tollway, said that Jim Durkin had no influence over his sister-in-law getting the job.
“No one from the Tollway was contacted by Rep. Jim Durkin regarding her application, nor was he listed as (a) reference on her application, so the contention that patronage was somehow in-play is not applicable,” McGinnis wrote in an e-mail.
McGinnis further said that the position was open for six months, resumes were solicited and Durkin was one of 10 applicants interviewed by the Engineering Department for the position.
“As a result of the independent interview process, the Engineering Department believed she had the best skill set of the candidates considered for the job including management experience, organizational skills and detail focus,” she said.
The Tollway has a long history of being a patronage dumping ground.
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