Round-Up: 2010 Elections *** UPDATE 1x***
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
***Update 1x***
* GIANNOULIAS STATEMENT ON KIRK PLAYING POLITICS ON HEALTH CARE
Chicago, IL - Illinois State Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias released the following statement in response to Congressman Mark Kirk’s assertion that members of the House would lose seats if they voted in favor of reforming the health care system:
“It’s sad that Congressman Kirk would rather win an election than lower the cost of health care for Illinois families, but with these words and ten years of voting with big drug and insurance companies to block reform, Congressman Kirk has made it clear he puts politics ahead of our families,” said Giannoulias.
***End of Update***
* Giannoulias far outpaces opponents in fundraising
The state treasurer raised $1.1 million in the three months ending Sept. 30 and had $2.4 million on hand after spending $345,000.[…]
Closest to him is Chicago attorney Jacob Meister, who had $1.04 million in his account — nearly all of it borrowed.
Former Chicago Inspector David Hoffman had $837,000 in the bank — including a $500,000 loan to himself.
Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson raised $367,000 and had $318,000 on hand.
* Ill. Republican, Democrat raise $2M in Senate race
Among Republicans, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, of Highland Park, had $2.3 million after raising $1.63 million during the period. He spent $351,000. Another Republican in the race, real estate developer Patrick Hughes, had $340,000 on hand after loaning himself $250,000 and spending $42,000.
* Governor coming to King City
MT. VERNON — Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is expected to make a his formal campaign announcement in the King City on Wednesday at one of the 2009 Governor’s Hometown Award winning buildings.
* Illinois tax increase: Researchers say combine plans by Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes
Both proposals are ‘complimentary,’ says Institute on Taxation and Economic PolicyGov.
Quinn’s campaign touted the analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a sister organization of the liberal-leaning Citizens for Tax Justice, for calling the governor’s plan “the most progressive, most economically sound and most timely option available.”
But the governor’s campaign did not note that the institute said Hynes’ plan, in the long run, “would be preferable as it would further enhance tax equity and would put Illinois’ tax system on a more sustainable path.”
* Comparing (and combining) the Quinn and Hynes tax proposals
* Schillerstrom offers budgeting ideas, with a twist
Republican candidate for governor Bob Schillerstrom issued several proposals today aimed at making the state’s budgeting process more transparent–but immediately backed off his own suggestion that the state comptroller have virtual veto power over the budget.
* Jim Ryan leans ’strongly’ toward run for governor
* Candidates for governor tout ideas at Bloomington forum
Republicans Adam Andrzejewski, Bill Brady, Dan Proft and Dan Schmidt, independent candidate Michael White and Constitution Party candidate Randy Stufflebeam spoke at the event sponsored by the McLean County Freedom Coalition.
* How clout list can help voters next year
Springfield lawmakers’ reaction to the investigative report in the Chicago Sun-Times detailing how they begged the Blagojevich administration for state jobs reminds us of a scene out of the 1942 classic movie, “Casablanca.”
* No Games Chicago leader to run for Cook County president
A top opponent of the failed Chicago 2016 Olympic bid is running for president of the Cook County Board on the Green Party ticket.
Tom Tresser, a lead organizer for No Games Chicago, a grass-roots group that fought the city’s Olympic bid, announced he’ll enter the race for the position held by Democrat Todd Stroger.[…]
Other Democratic candidates are West Side Chicago U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, Hyde Park Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown and Cook County Water Reclamation District President Terry O’Brien. Republicans Roger Keats, a former state senator from Wilmette, and Chicago police officer John Garrido also are running.
* Related
* U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean cancels swine flu talk after family’s brush with the illness
* Former U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski gets building named after him
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Round-Up: State Government
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Quinn names new state finance chief
* Poll shows ‘agenda for reform’
* Illinois voters take initiative
* Your government in secret: Public officials are blocked from information too
“Public bodies have gotten comfortable with an unenforceable law and have gotten very good at roadblocks, making it brutally difficult to give access to information that the public is entitled to or board members are entitled to,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s deputy chief of staff, Cara Smith.
* 7 board members who ran into roadblocks
* Ruff Law a recipe to cook lame ducks
State Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox) has introduced the Paul Ruff Law in the Illinois General Assembly.
The measure is officially known as House Bill 4627, but I’m calling it the Paul Ruff Law after the man who inspired it, the oafish assessor of Frankfort Township.
* Amendment gives power back to citizens
* Student lobbyists to take on lawmakers
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Round-Up: Chicago and Cook County Governance
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* New Cook County health board faces showdown with Todd Stroger
Board president — who gave up direct control of county hospital, hiring and budget — lectured health chief at recent meeting and lets him know Stroger still influences his budget
* Cook health officials on hot seat over hospital plan
* Tuesday Illinois political docket: Daley budget details, Stroger forest preserve budget
* Will Daley have the guts to stop voodoo budgeting?
Be sure to watch the magic show, beginning at 10 a.m. in the City Council chambers as the city’s chief prestidigitator employs his best-ever sleight of hand to evaporate a $519.7 million (or whatever the latest number is) budget deficit without a tax increase.[…]
Daley lays the city’s budget problems on the recession, which has cut substantially into revenues generated from taxes, licenses and other sources. That’s certainly true; corporate revenues have declined, according to the preliminary budget that he released months ago, from $3.2 billion in the 2009 budget to $2.8 billion projected for the fiscal year beginning Jan. 1.
But you might also expect expenditures would also decline. Families are cutting their budgets, eating out less, buying cheaper clothes, skipping vacations and so forth. Silly me. This is government; this is Chicago government. Instead of reducing expenditures, Daley expects them to rise in fiscal year 2010 by 5.2 percent, to $3.3 billion.
Because personnel accounts for some 80 percent of city expenditures, you would be right to find the reason for the increase in labor costs. The preliminary budget identifies those costs as stemming from wage and health care increases, much of them required by labor contracts. Also to blame is the city having to subsidize the debt service for funds that go into employee pension funds. Special funds also have seen cost increases, such as the 5.9 percent increase at O’Hare International Airport.
* Daley looks at ways to cut Chicago’s budget
Daley announced plans Monday to save $114 million by eliminating vacant jobs, continuing furloughs and cutting expenses like travel and supplies by $20 million.[…]
His cost-saving plans include eliminating 220 vacant jobs.
The city will also save $70 million through union agreements and continued unpaid holidays and furloughs for nonunion workers.
Nonunion workers, including Daley, will take 24 unpaid days off next year.
* Daley: City Managers To Take Nearly Five Weeks Off
Thousands Of City Workers To Take 24 Unpaid Days In 2010
* Layoff notices for bus drivers, other CTA workers
Layoff notices have been sent to nearly 2,000 CTA bus drivers and other unionized employees, warning that their jobs could be eliminated in the next two months because of budget problems that also could lead to higher fares and service cuts to close a massive $300 million budget gap.
“They want to mimic what City Hall did with the unions — the furlough days, the unpaid vacations and holidays, things of that nature,” said Darrell Jefferson, president of the bus driver and mechanic’s union, which is expected to bear the brunt of the layoffs. “We’re not open to that.
* End the free rides
The Regional Transportation Authority recently surveyed senior citizens who ride the trains and buses for free and found, not surprisingly, that 70 percent of them think it’s a fine program that ought to be continued. If you’re wondering why Illinois lawmakers can’t bring themselves to eliminate that perk, even as the transit providers slash routes and raise fares for everyone else, there’s your answer.
Almost half of the riders who responded — 46 percent — never went to the trouble of applying for a senior fare card back when the discount was only 50 percent.
A year after the free rides went into effect, the region’s three transit systems are providing an average of 3.1 million free rides per month, the RTA estimates. Roughly 1.7 million of those rides are taken by riders who previously paid half price. The other 1.4 million are taken by people who used to pay full fare or didn’t take mass transit at all.
That’s almost 6 percent of total ridership. The freebies are costing at least $49 million a year, a number that will soar if not checked. By 2030, the region’s senior population is expected to be more than double what it was in 2000.
* Still paying for Blagojevich’s mistakes
We support state Rep. Suzie Bassi’s efforts to repeal the free rides except for low-income seniors. The Palatine Republican’s proposal would revert to the old system in which seniors who don’t qualify for free rides receive half-price fares.
Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont also is taking up the cause. Her spokeswoman told Pyke in a Sunday follow-up story that Radogno “feels strongly a senior partner in a law firm doesn’t deserve a free ride downtown. Every dollar counts.”
Even though the idea clearly was politically motivated by Blagojevich, Bassi concedes that now it will be difficult for legislators to reverse course, saying seniors are an important constituent group.
* Daley: Police hiring to stay slow
After hiring only 46 Chicago Police officers all year, Mayor Daley acknowledged Monday that the slowdown would continue in 2010, dramatically impacting the city’s ability to fill 591 police vacancies.[…]
To save $10 million, Daley’s 2009 budget slowed police hiring to a crawl — with only 200 officers expected to be hired all year.
But, as city revenues plummeted, City Hall opted not to maintain even that snail’s pace. Only one class of 46 officers entered the police academy this year.
As of Oct. 9, the Chicago Police Department was 591 officers short of its authorized strength of 13,500 — and that’s not counting hundreds of other officers on duty- and non-duty disability.
* Uptown neighbors stand up against gangs — literally
* Chicago’s most dangerous hour? Statistically it’s 9 to 10 p.m.
* Northwestern University: Prosecutor defends subpoena of students’ notes, grades
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says all information is relevant
* Al Sanchez case: FBI agent tells judge he didn’t connect the dots over key witness at trial for ex-Streets and Sanitation boss
Government witness was under drug investigation, officials say
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Morning Shorts
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Former Blago aide due to plea
Alonzo Monk is set to appear today before U.S. District Judge James Zagel to enter a plea that has been postponed for months while his lawyer and federal prosecutors negotiated the terms.
* Blagojevich cleared for TV show, but with possible provisions
“He has a history of repeatedly commenting on the evidence - usually inaccurately,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar. He said Blagojevich’s comments could taint the jury pool by mentioning evidence or talking about the possible length of the trial.
* Judge fears Blagojevich might talk about case on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’
Judge doesn’t rule on appearance, tells lawyers to address concerns about on-air statements
* Fascination with Blago trumps common sense
* Appeals court overrules judge who cut 25-year sentence to 15
In 1996, a judge reluctantly sent drug dealer Gregory Shelby to prison for nearly 25 years — even though the judge felt the term was unreasonable — because crack-cocaine sentencing rules tied his hands.
Then in 2008, prosecutors went back to the judge to ask for a 2½-year cut in Shelby’s sentence because he snitched on drug dealers while in prison, helping in a case against 23 people. Judge Charles Kocoras went beyond the recommendation, slashing Shelby’s sentence to 15 years.
But Monday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the judge didn’t have discretion to cut the sentence beyond prosecutors’ recommendation.
* Charges dropped against one teen in Fenger beating death
* Jobless recovery no cause for cheer
Rare champagne is bubbling on Wall Street. The Dow Jones hits 10,000. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke says the recession is over. Let the good times roll.
Only, don’t look at the world around us. The real economy — not the casino on Wall Street — is still mired in recession. Some 15 million are jobless, and the layoffs keep coming. Two-thirds of the jobless, the highest proportion since we began keeping records, have been out of work for at least six months. Those who have jobs are forced to work shorter hours — down to an average work week of 33 hours, lowest in 60 years. Incomes are down; health care benefits are getting cut; retirement plans are shattered. One in nine Americans now relies on food stamps.
* Ownership lawsuit stalls CBOE’s switch to stock-based company
* Outsourcing firm readies to hire, expand
London company Xchanging sets up HQ in Chicago
* State’s tech exports growing, but future challenging
* Target, CVS encourage reusing shopping bags by paying back their customers
* A fair approach to red-light cameras
* Not quite a house call, but not far off
* Bears do better rating than Dodgers in blase LA
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Rasmussen: US Senate race now tied
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s now tied up…
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds Republican hopeful Mark Kirk tied with Democratic State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias 41% to 41%. Only four percent (4%) would choose another candidate, while 13% remain undecided.
In mid-August, Kirk held a modest 41% to 38% over Giannoulias.
Women in Illinois prefer the Democrat by a 43% to 38% margin, while men choose Kirk 45% to 39%.
Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer Kirk by more than two-to-one - 52% to 23%. […]
But Giannoulias hasn’t wrapped up the race on his side of the fence yet, and the race is heating up between Kirk and another possible Democratic contender. Kirk’s lead over Cheryle Jackson, a former top aide to Blagojevich, is now down to four points - 43% to 39%. Kirk led Jackson by 17 points in August. Only four percent (4%) now say they would vote for another candidate given that match-up, and 13% are undecided.
Once again, unaffiliated voters in Illinois pick Kirk over Jackson by a substantial 52% to 19% margin.
Kirk also leads another Democratic hopeful, former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, 43% to 33%. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided on this match-up, while another eight percent (8%) favor a different candidate.
The swing is within the margin of error, but Kirk has consistently held a lead in the polling, so this shift is newsworthy.
Those “unaffiliated voter” numbers were strongly highlighted by Kirk in a press release this afternoon, by the way.
More…
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Illinois voters somewhat or strongly approve of President Obama’s job performance so far, showing little change from August. Forty-four percent (44%) disapprove of the job their former senator is doing in the White House. Obama’s approval ratings in Illinois are well ahead of those found on the national level in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking poll.
Rasmussen has consistently shown lower job approval for Obama than most other national polls.
Fine print…
This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters in Illinois was conducted by Rasmussen Reports October 14, 2009. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
…Adding… From The Hill…
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) is backing Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Robinson Jackson in the state’s Democratic Senate primary.
Davis signaled his support with a $2,000 contribution to Jackson on Sept. 29, according to his third quarter federal financial filing. Davis spokesman Ira Cohen said the congressman will join a number of elected officials Sunday to formally endorse Jackson.
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Poll: Rein in the leaders
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We have more poll results today from the Paul Simon Institute. Let’s take a look at a few responses to questions about the power of legislative leaders…
We’d like to know what you think about some public policy questions that are being talked about in Illinois…
* A proposal to limit the amount of campaign money that party leaders can redistribute to other candidates. Would you say you:
Strongly favor 31.5%
Favor 33.9%
Oppose 18.6%
Strongly oppose 5.3%
No opinion/Don’t know 10.8%
[Totals: 65.4% Favor/Strong Favor; 23.9% Oppose/Strong Oppose]
* A proposal to limit “in-kind” contributions to state legislative campaigns? In-kind contributions are goods or services, such as office space, printing, or buying advertising on behalf of a candidate. Currently there are limits on how much cash people can contribute, but not on in-kind contributions. Would you say you:
Strongly favor 32.1%
Favor 39.5%
Oppose 14.5%
Strongly oppose 5.0%
No opinion/Don’t know 8.9%
[Totals: 71.6% Favor/Strongly Favor; 19.5% Oppose/Strong Oppose]
* A proposal to limit how long legislators could serve in leadership positions—such as Speaker of the House or President of the Senate—before they stepped down to let other legislators lead. Would you say you:
Strongly favor 38.0%
Favor 39.6%
Oppose 10.8%
Strongly oppose 3.9%
No opinion/Don’t know 7.8%
[Totals: 77.6% Favor/Strongly Favor; 14.7% Oppose/Strong Oppose]
And a near majority supports public funding of campaigns…
* A proposal to eliminate contributions to state legislative campaigns by providing public funding for all candidates who qualify for it. Would you say you:
Strongly favor 15.6%
Favor 33.8%
Oppose 27.9%
Strongly oppose 10.6%
No opinion/Don’t know 12.1%
[Totals: 49.4% Favor/Strongly Favor; 38.5% Oppose/Strong Oppose]
* Methodology…
Interviews were conducted between September 9, 2009, and October 8, 2009, by the Survey Research Center at the University of North Texas. Respondents were chosen at random, and each interview lasted approximately 15 minutes. Results from the entire sample have a statistical margin for error of ± 3.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. This means that if we were to conduct the survey 100 times, in 95 of those instances the results would vary by no more than plus or minus 3.4 points from the results obtained here. The margin for error will be larger for demographic, geographic, and response subgroups.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute created, directed and financed this telephone survey of 800 registered voters across the state of Illinois.
Discuss.
…Adding… Related…
* Top lawmakers put big money into statehouse races - Campaign finance bill maintains unlimited transfers from leaders’ warchests
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Question of the day
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
On Thursday, David Hoffman, Democratic Candidate for the United States Senate, released his tax returns for the past five years, including schedules, and challenged his opponents to do the same. Hoffman also reiterated his pledge that, should he be elected to the U.S. Senate, he will place all of his financial holdings in a blind trust.
Each of his opponents has refused to take the challenge, or answer questions about whether they will provide this information to voters.
“The voters are entitled to know as much as possible about each candidate so they can be sure there are no conflicts-of-interest, improper dealings, or private agendas in play,” said Hoffman. “The silence from my opponents demonstrates the deep divide between their campaign rhetoric and their actions.”
The personal finances of each candidate should be of interest to voters, especially given the serious concerns that have been raised about the shareholders of Broadway Bank - 100 percent owned by the Giannoulias family - who pulled $70 million in dividends out of the bank just as increased loan defaults put the family’s bank on shaky financial ground according to a recently published report. Giannoulias, who is one of the bank’s owners, and who campaigned for treasurer based on his experience as a banker, has refused to answer questions about the propriety of the dividend withdrawal and whether the funds should be restored to the troubled bank - all according to the Crain’s article.
* The Question: Should Illinois pass a law requiring all candidates for every office to disclose income tax returns for the previous 2 years?
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Excruciating and mostly pointless
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A couple of months ago, I wrote this in my Sun-Times column about Rod Blagojevich and the upcoming 2010 campaign…
We’re in for an excruciating and mostly pointless 14 months.
Cue mostly pointless…
Twenty-eight of the 59 Illinois state senators who voted early this year to remove Blagojevich as governor had gone to him with recommendations for state jobs, promotions, transfers or appointments to state boards, a database of patronage hires kept by Blagojevich aides shows.
In the House, 53 of the 114 state representatives who voted to impeach Blagojevich were listed as earlier having sought personnel moves from the governor.
Most of those who made hiring requests were Democrats, according to the records, which cover the period from 2003 to 2005.
It’s hardly breaking news that, after 26 years of Republican governors, Democrats would deluge a Democratic governor with hiring requests.
Look, this is very good ammo to have when some Democrats start claiming that they were always opposed to Rod Blagojevich. But, few people could’ve known in 2003 that Blagojevich would’ve been arrested early in his second term and then removed from office. Things were becoming more clear by 2005, but the guy did get reelected in 2006 by ten points, so it’s tough to say that everyone should’ve seen this coming.
* House GOP Leader Tom Cross is also on the Blagojevich hiring list…
Cross’s spokeswoman, Sara Wojcicki, said “many” of the recommendations on his list [of 46 people] “were for boards and commissions that require a certain number of Republicans and Democrats. Other ones were for people who had worked under the [George] Ryan administration, were fired by Blagojevich and had asked to be reinstated.”
That isn’t the greatest spin I’ve ever seen from Cross. Fired George Ryan cronies wanted their state jobs back?
But, as I said at the top, this has little to nothing to do with Blagojevich’s eventual legal troubles unless the job requests were tied to actual illegalities. Some may have been, since more than a few requests by legislators were for positions covered under civil service codes. That’s what bears a closer look, in my mind, at least.
* Cue excruciating…
Federal prosecutors on Monday are expected to raise concerns over Rod Blagojevich’s slotted appearance on Donald Trump’s reality show: “Celebrity Apprentice.”
At issue is the March airing of the show, which is just months before jury seating is to begin in the former governor’s criminal trial, sources said.
The corruption trial is set to begin in June. […]
“Celebrity Apprentice” doesn’t air until next spring, so prosecutors are likely complain there’s a possibility of tainting the jury pool, sources said. Blagojevich will reportedly join Cyndi Lauper and Sharon Osbourne, among others.
Oy.
* Related…
* Strip club clout?
* Taking names is essential to quid and quo
* State Sen. DeLeo shown sponsoring widow of mob associate
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It’s all how you look at it
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My syndicated newspaper column this week takes a look at a couple of polls…
Underdog Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Hoffman has a new poll which purports to show that he’s in the hunt, but the camp of Democratic primary rival Alexi Giannoulias says there’s no way the poll is accurate.
Hoffman’s survey of 505 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted October 2-4 by Hart Research Associates. The initial head-to-head has Giannoulias, now the state treasurer, leading with 18 percent, followed by Urban League President Cheryle Jackson at 7 percent and 5 percent for Hoffman, the former city of Chicago inspector general and a former federal prosecutor.
The Giannoulias campaign, however, points to a poll it took July 28 through Aug. 2 that had its guy at 45 percent, with 17 percent for Chris Kennedy and 13 percent for Jackson. No way, they say, could they be as low as Hoffman’s poll shows.
The Hoffman pollster read “positive” statements about all three candidates, and afterward another head-to-head was conducted. Hoffman jumped into the lead with 36 percent to 27 percent for Giannoulias and 11 percent for Jackson. Read those positive “pushes,” however, and you’ll see that Hoffman’s positive statements paint the man as almost a superhero. “He earned a reputation for being fiercely independent and putting accountability ahead of politics by exposing insider deals and taxpayer rip-offs, including the Chicago parking meter scandal,” is just one.
Afterward, the Hoffman pollster posed negative questions. While not all were divulged, some were, including an undefined “criticism involving loans to Tony Rezko by the Broadway Bank.” The Giannoulias family owns Broadway. Questions were also asked about Hoffman, including one about how he was once “a law clerk for conservative judges, including former Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who opposed a woman’s right to choose.”
After all the questions, both positive and negative, Hoffman’s poll claims he leads with 43 percent to 18 for Jackson and just 16 for Giannoulias.
This isn’t really a surprise. Giannoulias’ negatives obviously make him quite vulnerable or the White House wouldn’t have spent so much time and energy trying to recruit somebody else to run last summer.
The question is whether Hoffman will have enough money to make his case and drive his points home, both positive for himself and negative against Giannoulias, before the Feb. 2 primary. Right now, he’s reportedly raised about $900,000, more than half of that from his own pocket.
Candidates will need to spend tons of money in January because so many others will be running ads. The Democrats and Republicans have the two big primaries - governor and U.S. Senate. Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk’s open 10th Congressional District seat will probably see some Chicago TV spending by both parties. The Cook County Board president’s race could see more than a few bucks spent.
The bottom line is that without big bucks, even a compelling message might easily be lost in the TV clutter. That’s a big reason why state Comptroller Dan Hynes started running commercials so early against Gov. Pat Quinn.
Money is still a serious “if” with Hoffman. He raised a decent amount of cash right out of the gate, but it’s uncertain whether he can sustain it. Hoffman’s quite the fighter, though, so we’ll see how it plays out.
Meanwhile, Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard has a new poll that may show a major bounce from Jim Edgar’s endorsement of him for governor.–
The former GOP governor announced his Dillard endorsement last Monday, and Dillard’s campaign followed up almost immediately with 300,000 “robocalls” to Republican primary voters. The calls featured Edgar asking voters to support Dillard.–
The new automated poll, which was taken Wednesday, shows Dillard with 23.5 percent of the vote. His closest competitor is former attorney general Jim Ryan, with 10.5 percent. State Sen. Bill Brady is third at 8.5 percent. Former Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna, who will likely have the most money to spend on this race (the word is more than $3.5 million) and who just hired a new media consultant, scored just 2.56 percent.–Nearly 45 percent remain undecided, however, so this is still anybody’s game.
A poll conducted last week for another statewide Republican campaign showed a similarly dramatic “Edgar bounce” for Dillard. Those numbers have not been officially released, but they show almost the same result for Dillard, providing more evidence that the Edgar impact could be real.–
The Dillard poll was taken by We Ask America of 3,193 likely Republican voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.73 percent.
* On a related noted, I’m told by a Republican source not affiliated with the Dillard campaign that Sen. Dillard has placed at least $17,512 on radio stations in Bloomington, Decatur, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield for 10/19-10/29. That ain’t a lot of cash. “This buy is weak,” the GOP source said, but it’s the Edgar endorsement.
* Other campaign stuff…
* Preckwinkle needs Daley’s backing to win : While the media got into a tizzy about Stroger’s reverends, the incumbent’s approval rating stands at 10 percent. Black voters are smart enough to smile, give “pastor” a hallelujah, then make an intelligent choice on Election Day. I hope.
* Danny Davis to decide which post to seek: Nov. 9 is when candidates have to declare what office they are seeking. Davis said he may announce before then which office he would be a candidate for but don’t be surprised if he takes his time. “I am going to say what I am going to do when it’s time,” Davis told the Defender. “I am under no pressure to make a decision on which office to pursue. If someone wants to run for my congressional seat they are free to do so. I am not preventing anyone from getting out here circulating petitions and raising money to run.”
* More money totals for congressional races surface: Long Grove Mayor Maria Rodriguez, considered the top Republican candidate in the February 2010 primary [in Democrat Melissa Bean’s district], raised $22,525 during the filing period.
* Rep. Wait’s aide to seek to replace his boss
* Bean skips get-together to tend to daughter with swine flu
* Lipinski: Constituents Support Jobs Priority
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Borrow, defer and cut
Monday, Oct 19, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Quinn signed a bill yesterday appropriating money for the MAP grant scholarship program without actually funding it…
State lawmakers last week agreed to appropriate an extra $200 million for the program but without deciding where to get the money.
The “best and quickest way” to get the revenue is with the passage of a statute allowing for so-called interfund borrowing, Quinn said Sunday. That would enable the state to borrow money from some state accounts that have large surpluses. He plans to identify the accounts this week, he said.
“It’s a financial technique used by many, many states,” Quinn said. “We have proposed a bill to the General Assembly about that. We hope to get it passed.”
More…
After students and university presidents took their pleas to Springfield to restore the grants, Quinn announced a plan to borrow $1 billion from some of the state’s roughly 600 special funds. While the state needs only $205 million to pay for MAP grants for the spring semester, Quinn on Sunday did not say what the remaining roughly $800 million would be used for. He has said the dollars could be used for “unmet needs,” such as the state’s backlog of medical bills.
Any money borrowed from accounts would be repaid in 18 months, Quinn said.
Since a tax hike appears off the table for the foreseeable future, borrowing, deferring and cutting is the only way out of this mess - even though it just buries the state deeper and deeper in red ink.
* But since both Democratic gubernatorial candidates are battling over their dreamy tax hike plans, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy out of DC has a new suggestion for Illinois policy makers: Implement the original Pat Quinn tax hike plan now and then do Dan Hynes’ plan later…
While much of the press coverage of these two sets of recommendations has emphasized their differences, the reality is that Illinois policymakers would be wise to adopt both of them. In the short run, given the depth of the state’s fiscal woes, the restrictions imposed by its constitution, and the extremely regressive nature of its tax system, the most progressive, most economically sound, and most timely option available to state legislators for generating additional tax revenue is an increase in Illinois’ single income tax rate. In the long run, a graduated income tax would be preferable, as it would further enhance tax equity and would put Illinois’ tax system on a more sustainable path. The former does not – and should not – preclude the latter, nor, due to the time likely required to enact it, is the latter a complete substitute for the former. Indeed, policymakers should view an increase in the existing single income tax rate as a bridge to a graduated rate structure, a bridge that could be removed once that new structure is in place.
The problem, of course, is that Quinn’s plan was never taken all that seriously. There were so many exemptions that the tax rate had to be increased too high to produce needed revenues. Quinn eventually backed all the way off his proposal by the end of the legislative session. Then again, the Hynes income tax hike plan won’t be all that easy to pass, either. Keep that in mind when reading this excerpt from ITEP’s press release…
In particular, the report finds that:
· the income tax plan put forward by Governor Quinn in March 2009 would reduce the taxes paid by 27 percent of Illinois residents – and leave them unchanged for another 15 percent – yet would still generate roughly $3 billion, if in effect in 2011. Of that $3 billion, close to $2.5 billion would come from the wealthiest fifth of Illinois residents.
· the Hynes proposal to create a graduated income tax would represent an even more targeted approach to generating additional revenue, but would be less effective in helping to balance the budget. Approximately 95 percent of the additional $2.2 billion the Hynes plan would yield if in effect in 2011 would be paid by the richest 1 percent of Illinois taxpayers, taxpayers whose average income is expected to exceed $1.5 million that year.
Again, I seriously doubt that either plan is likely to see the light of day any time soon, unless the political climate abruptly shifts.
* Meanwhile, almost nobody wants to talk about one of the biggest elephants in the room: The total tax exemption on pension incomes. The phrase “Seniors ride free” doesn’t just apply to mass transit…
Give up the pass, seniors. The free rides are over. Not right away but soon enough. What never should have happened in the first place is about to be fixed.
If common sense prevails, the General Assembly soon will overturn a ridiculous law passed last year allowing anyone 65 or older to ride for free on the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.
We apologize to our elders, but it was only a matter of time before you had to pay up again.
Thoughts?
* Related…
* AP: : Hynes, Quinn gloss over tax facts
* Sun-Times editorial: Illinois needs a new tax system — one that treats lower earners more fairly and generates more income. Until we get it, we’ll keep romping in dreamland until the state goes broke.
* Hynes: Plan to fix budget won’t be popular: Next, he said, the state must look to a number of revenue measures, including expanding the sales tax base to include “luxury” services such as elective cosmetic surgery, country club memberships and dating services; expanded gaming; and closing some corporate tax loopholes. The “toughest part,” he said, will be persuading voters to adopt a new, graduated state income tax, as opposed to the current flat 3 percent individual income tax.
* Zorn: Which political TV ad for governor should we trust?
* Free rides for seniors proving too costly for RTA: A University of Illinois at Chicago Urban Transportation Center analysis found that free rides for seniors and disabled individuals will equal a loss of more than $1 billion for the CTA, Pace and Metra by 2030.
* State just digs another hole with MAP vote
* Legislature reinstates MAP Grant on Lobby Day - Some wonder if controversy was real
* McCarter: Democrats plan new sales taxes: But Steve Brown, the spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, shot down McCarter’s prediction that new taxes are on the agenda when the statehouse’s next regular session begins in January. “I would say his perception is not terribly accurate,” Brown said.
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