You may remember seeing former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s name all over open road toll signs. Well as of Thursday, signs like those are illegal.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new law Thursday afternoon at the Cermak road toll plaza on Interstate 294. The law bans self-promotion on state-funded billboards.
“We shouldn’t spend money on frivolous things like that -- the self-promotion of office holders,” said Quinn. “That’s a principle that ought to be part of government. And obviously if it costs money that just adds to the woe.”
According to Quinn, about half a million tax dollars were spent putting the former governor’s name on 32 highway signs.
But this new law doesn’t apply to signage funded by municipalities. When asked about public works signs with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s name on them, the governor said he hopes the state is setting a good example for others to follow.
