Sun-Times' Pallasch To Take Over As Assistant Illinois Budget Director
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Award-winning Chicago Sun-Times reporter Abdon Pallasch is going from reporter to newsmaker, as he has been appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn as assistant Illinois State Budget director.
Pallasch, a 25-year veteran reporter who has been with the Sun-Times since 1999, confirmed on Facebook over the weekend that he is making the switch.
In a weekend Facebook posting, Pallasch pointed out that he has covered federal, state, county and city budgets extensively over the past quarter century, and the governor seemed to notice.
He wrote that Quinn told him, "Abdon, you do a very good job taking these complex budget issues and explaining them so people can understand them – and a large part of this job is communication."
In her column this past Friday, Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed expressed hope that Pallasch's expertise would "help (Quinn) sort out the state's financial mess."
Pallasch's predecessor, Kelly Kraft, recently became communications director for Quinn.
