Ryan memo faxed in error // Accused of using state employees for campaign

SPRINGFIELD A strategy memo inadvertently released by GeorgeRyan's campaign shows plans to pit gay voters against Democrat GlennPoshard and raises questions about whether Ryan's staff worked onstate time to further his bid for governor.

The 14-page memo surfaced Thursday after it mistakenly was faxedearlier this week from Ryan's Chicago secretary of state offices - inpossible violation of state law - to an Urbana public radio station.

The memo lays out plans to fill the Windy City Times newspaperwith "more letters to the editor, two or three guest editorials and aweekly . . . ad campaign." This would complement a group of"progressives" the campaign helped form to stoke divisions betweenPoshard and gay-rights groups.

The campaign document went on to address potential strategiesinvolving anti-gun groups, labor unions, veterans organizations andpharmacists. It also discussed a strategy that involved "a staffmeeting . . . with all SOS (secretary of state) staff and agingstaff" to lure senior voters to Ryan's campaign.

If done on state time, that also could pose a potentialviolation of Illinois law.

Two weeks ago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Ryan's officebilled taxpayers nearly $143,000 to mail out refrigerator magnetsbearing his name to 500,000 senior citizens in late July.

"It sounds like George Ryan has turned the secretary of state'soffice into a campaign machine, and he's using public resources inpeople, equipment and time to run for governor," said Jim Howard,executive director of Illinois Common Cause, a government watchdoggroup.

Ryan campaign spokesman John Torre said the memo was drafted inlate May or early June before Poshard's difficulties with gay groupsexploded. The document should not have been sent from a state faxmachine, Torre said, and the campaign will reimburse the state $1 perpage.

Torre said the strategies were drafted by a low-level campaignworker, and were to be circulated between campaign manager ScottFawell and Ryan's secretary of state chief of staff Bob Newtson.

Poshard campaign spokesman Joe Novak compared the strategy aimedat gays to Watergate-era dirty tricks.

"This underscores the abuse of taxpayer dollars by George Ryan.It clearly proves he's using his staff and equipment of the secretaryof state's office to supplement his campaign," Novak said.

Some of the steps suggested in the memo were taken,including formation of a group called Progressives in Politics.