Illinois House candidate distances himself from gaming exec who lost Waukegan casino bid

Most resumes develop over time. State legislative candidate Thomas Maillard’s shrank over the previous two years. Gone from his LinkedIn web page: his work for ex-state Sen. Michael Bond’s video gaming enterprise.

In 2020 — whereas a high aide to Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham — Maillard’s web page mentioned he’d labored in “partnership improvement” for Bond’s Faucet Room Gaming, LLC, from December 2013 to December 2015.

Now in a Democrat major race for state consultant in Lake County, he’s dropped from the web resume these ties to Bond, a controversial determine after it got here to gentle that he helped finance Cunningham’s successful 2017 marketing campaign earlier than submitting a bid for a on line casino in Waukegan in a course of partly overseen by Cunningham.

“I feel it has little or no relevance to my expertise working in authorities,” says Maillard, one in every of three candidates within the June 28 race in a district that features all or elements of Libertyville, Grayslake and Spherical Lake.

Amongst these backing his marketing campaign: Cunningham, who misplaced a reelection bid final 12 months.

Bond isn’t amongst these backing him, and Maillard says he “couldn’t care much less.”

Reached by telephone, Bond informed a reporter he wasn’t “able” to speak however “completely happy to name you again.” He didn’t.

Bond was within the Illinois Senate from 2007 to 2011, some extent particular person in Lake County for then-Illinois Home Speaker Michael Madigan.

Bond additionally was amongst lobbyists with ties to Madigan who obtained employed to foyer for ComEd, information present.

Bond’s LinkedIn profile says he was chief govt officer and founding father of Faucet Room, which he headed from 2013 till it was bought in 2019.

The corporate — which supplied video gaming gadgets for bars, eating places and different institutions — reported practically $200 million in internet revenue from playing machines from 2017 via 2019, state information present.

Maillard says of his work there: “I collected machines. I used to be a terminal handler. . . . I additionally helped arrange pool and dart leagues with numerous small companies” whereas “working my method via school.”

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Maillard additionally was a “information analyst/intern coordinator” for Bond’s marketing campaign operation from 2008 to 2010 and helped on Cunningham’s 2017 basic election marketing campaign at Bond’s behest.

Cunningham had unsuccessfully run for mayor thrice when he gained the 2017 major. Bond then obtained concerned in his basic election marketing campaign, contributing to political teams that routed money to Cunningham, ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Solar-Instances reported in 2019.

Bond recruited Chicago political consultants Victor Reyes and Mike Noonan to assist Cunningham with every thing from canvassing to fundraising, sources say.

Maillard says Bond requested him to work on Cunningham’s marketing campaign.

When Cunningham gained, he employed Maillard as a high Metropolis Corridor aide as a result of, Cunningham says, “The man knew what he was doing, and constituent providers have been proper up his alley.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed laws in 2019 permitting an enormous growth of playing, together with a on line casino in Waukegan. The town was allowed to solicit proposals, vet them and make a advice to the Illinois Gaming Board.

Maillard turned concerned in Waukegan’s inside on line casino course of, based on information and interviews.

Amongst different duties, he says he was concerned in fine-tuning the bid solicitation. He says his involvement was minor, that he ultimately recused himself from the method and by no means was concerned in “scoring” bidders that included the North Level On line casino proposal led by Bond.

Then-Waukegan metropolis lawyer Robert Lengthy says of Maillard and the on line casino course of: “He wasn’t actually an influencer. He was a processor.

“As soon as he acknowledged there’d be an issue, he bowed out, which was the precise factor to do.”

Maillard was interviewed by gaming board investigators however says that was routine and that everybody even loosely related to the mission was interviewed.

The gaming board can’t “opine on Mr. Maillard’s characterization of his interview,” an company spokesman says.

Waukegan was allowed to ahead a single proposal to the gaming board. However Cunningham says his administration submitted 4 plans to the town council after they’d been vetted by a advisor the town employed. The council despatched three to the gaming board, together with Bond’s.

A on line casino improvement group affiliated with the Potawatomi tribe whose proposal wasn’t among the many three chosen sued Waukegan, saying the method was rigged to favor Bond.

Cunningham says, “I’m not going to disclaim my friendship with Michael Bond, however I’ll say my integrity would by no means be compromised by Michael Bond.”

One of many finalists dropped out, leaving solely Bond’s North Level and a proposal from Las Vegas-based Full Home Resorts.

In December, the gaming board unanimously picked Full Home “as the ultimate applicant from the town of Waukegan” and granted “Full Home preliminarily appropriate licensure.”