An American success story from teacher to everything LOL
A former high school physics teacher in Springfield, Cellini, 73, began his political ascent in 1968 when he helped elect Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie. The governor made Cellini the state's first transportation secretary, an appointment that would give Cellini power over the state's highways for decades. When Ogilvie lost re-election to Gov. Dan Walker, Cellini struck out on his own, setting up companies that would make a fortune on state deals.
Cellini raised millions of dollars in campaign contributions for governors and other politicians while his businesses amassed a fortune in excess of $50 million, primarily on state-financed deals.
Cellini got the state's first casino license. He leased office buildings to state agencies. He got state financing to build low-income apartments across Illinois. He got a state loan to build a hotel in Springfield, which has been foreclosed upon by the state.
He set up a real estate investment company that manages state pension funds. He helped an HMO company make millions by providing health care to welfare recipients. And he is executive director of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, the trade group that controls road building in Illinois.
His business partners are equally powerful men, including Victor Cacciatore, president of Lakeside Bank; Earl Deutsch, a longtime Democratic attorney who, with Cellini, created Commonwealth Realty Advisors, which invests about $1 billion in state pension funds; Michael Marchese, president of Harlem Irving Companies, and Richard Stein, senior managing director of Mesirow Financial's real estate division.
Through it all, Cellini has been a mysterious figure, a man who rarely speaks to reporters. Few of his associates will talk about him. A state senator once described Cellini's power as a "perfect blend of fear and respect."
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politic...file31.article