SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The man Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed as the state’s new agriculture director was one of 12 lame duck lawmakers who voted for a controversial increase in the state’s income tax – something Quinn pushed hard to win.

Whether the appointment earlier this month was a quid pro quo, as some Republicans allege, likely will be the central question when the Illinois Senate considers whether to OK the selection later this legislative session. Bob Flider, a former state House member from the central Illinois town of Mt. Zion, campaigned for reelection in 2010 on a platform that included opposing any increase in the state’s income tax.

But after he lost his reelection bid, Flider was one of 12 outgoing lawmakers who voted in January 2011 to raise the state’s individual rate from 3 to 5 percent. It was Quinn’s proposal, and the measure passed by one vote.

Decatur Republican Adam Brown defeated Flider in the 2010 election, and he called the appointment questionable.

“I think it raises some serious questions. People in the community can probably connect the dots and understand that, unfortunately, this is business as usual in Illinois,” Brown said. “I think this just boils down to common sense and doesn’t pass the smell test.”

Pat Brady, the state’s GOP chair, noted six of the 12 lame duck lawmakers who voted to boost the income tax rate now have government jobs.

“It’s an insult to every Illinois farmer who has to pay taxes that the governor would appoint an agriculture director who would oppose a proposed tax hike when he was running for reelection, but then cast the deciding vote for an even larger tax hike a few months later,” Brady said.

Flider said his appointment wasn’t payback. He said he and Quinn never discussed the income tax vote beforehand.

“There was never any discussion at any time about it. He never asked me to vote for a tax increase, and during the appointment process, never once acknowledged anything about it,” he said. “I believe this is a situation where he knew me and knows I will work hard for the state.”

The state’s deteriorating financial condition led Flider to change his mind about the tax vote.

“I felt that as my term was coming to a conclusion, a tax increase was necessary in order to help the state,” said Flider, who served four terms in the Illinois House. “The reality is, I saw the numbers as I was concluding my term, and upholding the constitution meant I needed to support ensuring the state was in a better fiscal situation.”

Flider served on several state committees, including the Agriculture and Conservation and Energy and Environment committees. “Throughout his career, Bob Flider was a tireless, effective leader for rural farming communities and global agri-business leaders,” Quinn said.

The Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) applauded Flider’s appointment to the $133,000-a-year job.

“Bob Flider worked well in the agricultural arena when he served in the General Assembly and on the House Agriculture Committee,” said IFB President Philip Nelson. “Bob’s door was always open, and we look forward to working with him in his new role as director of the Department of Agriculture.”