McLean County Times

The Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG) has identified a significant conflict of interest at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The investigation concerns former Deputy Director of the Tourism Office, Daniel Thomas, and his past connection to a business he previously owned, which also operates as a DCEO vendor.

According to the OEIG's findings, "The OEIG determined that DCEO committed mismanagement by placing Mr. Thomas in charge of the Tourism Office, despite knowing about his prior relationship with TimeZoneOne, but not taking reasonable steps to determine if there was an actual or perceived conflict, as well, allowing contractual payments to be made with state funds without ensuring reconciliations were performed to support such payments. In addition, it was clear to DCEO management that TimeZoneOne was paying for at least some of Mr. Thomas’s and his subordinates’ travel, yet no action was taken to ensure such payments were appropriate and that the travel rules were followed."

The report suggests that without serious attention to ethics from the Governor and the supermajority Democrats, further mismanagement and inappropriate actions might continue within state agencies.

Further details on the investigation can be accessed at the OEIG's [newsletter](https://oeig.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/oeig/publications/documents/Newsletter_April_21_2025.pdf). The complete report is available at this [link](https://oeig.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/oeig/investigations/documents/investigative-reports/24-00353-thomas-d–summary-report-redacted-final.pdf).