Quinn not attending park rally

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Chicago television personality Oprah Winfrey may - or may not - attend the Save the Parks Rally in Morris on Saturday, rally organizer Rachel Pfaff contends. It's not up in the air with Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, however, who will be absent, a spokesman for his office confirmed to-day. This although Pfaff says the lieutenant governor told her earlier he would be among the speakers. “He gave me his word he's coming,” Pfaff said today. “Pat Quinn said to me, face-to-face, he'd be here. This was at a press conference in Springfield on Sept. 17. I had my (Save the Parks) committee with me.” Quinn spokesman Marlena Jentz confirmed this morning that Quinn cannot make it to the rally, which begins at Stratton Park in Morris at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, and will follow the Illinois and Michigan Canal towpath to Gebhard Woods State Park, where the rally starts at 10 a.m. “He's not coming,” Jentz said. “They (the organizers) did call. It was under consideration, but we had not confirmed it. He wanted to be there, but unfortunately, he can't make it.” Jentz indicated that plans regarding Quinn's appearance could not be coordinated. “It just didn't work out,” Jentz said, “and we're very sorry that it didn't.” Jentz said she could not say when Quinn was contacted with the request to appear. Mark Miller, senior policy advisor to Quinn, said today the lieutenant governor would like to be at the rally, but that he told Pfaff on Tuesday Quinn's appearance was tentative. Pfaff said she learned Wednesday evening through a published report that Quinn would not be attending the rally. She said Quinn was at Gebhard Woods on Tuesday, Sept. 23, for an interview with Channel 7 News, and assured her committee he would be at the rally. “”When I found out last night he wasn't coming, I can't express how I feel,” she said. “It's one thing to get the run-around with Oprah, but to have someone look you in the face and tell you you're doing a a really great job, and turn around, not even three days later ... they didn't even tell me.” Miller said he told Pfaff several times Quinn assured her he would do his best to attend. “He's been to Gebhard Woods recently with (Pfaff's) husband at a press conference,” said Miller. “He has many demands from around the state that he needs to accommodate. Rachel is doing a great job, a phenomenal amount of work and we'll all be better off for that. That's the crux of it. “He's not able to make it.” Pfaff said she contacted Miller after reading the newspaper account. “Mark Miller said I could put in a few good words for Pat Quinn,” Pfaff said. “He said something came up. I said, ‘Unless his mother is on her deathbed, I expect him to be there.'” Pfaff doesn't hold such high expectations for Oprah Winfrey. “I don't want to say she is, and I don't want to say she isn't coming,” Pfaff said. “It's still up in the air. I haven't spoken to Oprah myself. Her agent said she's coming. Her publicist hasn't called me back, so as far as I know, she's coming.” Pfaff said Winfrey's publicist, Kevin Huvann, told her Wednesday afternoon Oprah is coming. “That was about 3 or 3:30 p.m.,” she said. Huvann could not be reached for comment up to press time today, however Angela of Harpo Productions' media relations department said around 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon it was not Winfrey's intent to take part in the rally. She added the call from the Morris Daily Herald was the first of which she was aware from anyone in Morris on the subject.