Bucks for Baar; TOPINKA LOOKS LIKE BLAGOJEVICH IN HELPING CONTRIBUTORS GET STATE BIZ.(Column)

Crain's Chicago Business, May, 2006 by Hinz, Greg

Byline: Greg Hinz The last time I heard the name Fred Malek, I had hair. It was the mid-1970s and Mr. Malek, Richard Nixon's then-personnel director, was paddling fast to avoid being swamped by the unfolding Watergate scandal. Mr. Malek escaped and disappeared from my mind. Until last week, that is, when someone pointed out a hefty campaign donation he made not too long ago to Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

And therein lies a tale about who plays, who pays and who truly can be trusted to clean up Springfield. Back to Mr. Malek: After his work for Milhous, he turned to business. He did serve a stint as deputy chair of the Republican National Committee, but mostly he engaged in the process of making a buck. Most notably for this column, he formed...

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