* Could a casino/slots at tracks deal be for real this time? Greg Hinz notes that the Duchossois family (of Arlington International Racecourse fame) gave $46,000 to Rahm Emanuel’s campaign late in the game. Greg also checked around…
“If Mayor Rahm Emanuel is truly in favor of gambling expansion, I’d say its likelihood of passage is over 50%,” says state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, who knows the politics of this issue as well as anyone. […]
Even peppier is Senate President John Cullerton.
“A(n expansion) measure has passed the Senate twice. Cullerton’s conversations with House leaders leads him to believe there is sufficient support in the House to get it done this year,” his spokeswoman says. […]
(D)uring the campaign, Mr. Emanuel was pretty clear.
“We have a casino in Chicago, It’s called Hammond, Indiana,” Mr. Emanuel told WLS-TV’s Alan Krashesky. “I don’t come into this enthusiastic, but I accept the fact we’re losing too much revenue and we have too many needs. So I’m for it with the right type of restrictions and conditions.”
Keep in mind that the governor has been opposed to a major gaming expansion, but if the incoming mayor wants this, the leaders could use the opportunity to give him a nice house-warming present. Then again, these things tend to die of their own weight.
* In other city/state news, Bernie Schoenburg has a piece today about how Republican Congressman Aaron Schock contributed $10,000 via his two campaign committees to Democrat Susana Mendoza’s Chicago city clerk campaign…
Mendoza, who starts her new job May 16, stressed to me that the citywide job she won is officially nonpartisan. She added that other GOP colleagues also donated to her campaign, she’s always worked in a bipartisan way in Springfield, and the Chicagoans she’ll serve include independents and Republicans.
“Aaron reached out to me,” Mendoza said. “He was very excited to hear about my desire to run for citywide office.”
Mendoza said she and Schock are in touch “all the time.”
“It’s funny, because I disagree with like 90 percent of his political ideology,” she said. “But point being, we’re friends … and as a person I think Aaron Schock is wonderful.
Mendoza appeared in a TV ad for Schock when he first ran for Congress in 2008.
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- Don Diego - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 6:56 am:
The casino in Chicago and slots at the tracks makes a lot more sense than video gambling. The cost associated with implementing and running video gambling will be huge and will cost the state far more money to implement and administer than it would bring in. Now the slots at the tracks and a casino would instantly make the state money from licensing would be easy for the gaming board to implement and cost far less to setup and administer. Plus it would save the horse racing industry create construction jobs and permanent jobs. This is a win win. And to stop Quinn from vetoing it tell him they will exchange this for video gambling. This would be a win win for the state.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 7:57 am:
There will be winners and losers with gambling expansion. Indiana could be a big loser with a downtown Chicago casino and slots at the tracks, but Joliet, Elgin, Aurora and the new one in Des Plaines could also take a hit, too.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 8:13 am:
Indiana a loser?
Isn’t that redundant?
How do you keep the other boats from killing racino/Chicago deal?
- just sayin' - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 8:28 am:
For crying out loud, Schock didn’t contribute his own money. He passed along money entrusted to him by REPUBLICAN donors. And he gave it to a very liberal Chicago Democrat. Can’t imagine his donors would be happy about that.
- Kasich Walker, Jr.'s Consultant on Spiritual Fitness & Sport - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 8:36 am:
The space is available at Balmoral & no doubt the other tracks for renovations that could include gaming & perhaps lounges for State Licensed Hookah Handlers.
- Down South - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 9:00 am:
Could be Schock is looking State wide if he does not have safe seat. If you cannot work for me don’t work against me attitude.
- Developer - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 9:16 am:
The Chicago YRs were supporting Mendoza too. She is one of the few politicians who really put public service in the right light. She isn’t that political but there to help people.
- Ghost - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 9:27 am:
the racing industry i dead. This is just providing guaranteed casino licenses to wealthy individuals.
If you want to add slot only casinos, add a few special licenses and let people bi don them so they State can get max value for the license. The idea that owning a fialing buisness should entitle somone to a license is obscene. When the last casino license was put up one of the bidders was a race track owner. They did not avethe successful bid. So now we are just going to give them a no bid liense?
Perhaps everyone with a failing business should be given a licesne to run slots.
Besides, if they really want to cash in on extra slot positions, a race track is not the best location. Airports are! put slots at th airports and attached to the airports to grab money from travelers during hold overs, delays, while waiting on flights etc.
- just sayin' - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 9:43 am:
“She isn’t that political but there to help people.”
Really? Hasn’t she always towed the Democrat line pretty much 100% while a state rep in Springfield? Didn’t she vote for the 66% tax hike in January?
Is that the same YR group that had to sack its president not long ago over some scandal?
- Kasich Walker, Jr.'s Budgetary Analyst - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 10:01 am:
Illinois legislators can create a bit of economic activity by expanding personal freedoms — two examples: “Racinos”; ending prohibition of Marijuana — or burn through treasury funds funds restricting them.
- Fed up - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 10:03 am:
Let’s just call it a revenue bill and put a casino or two in the city raise the gaming positions at existing casinos add one in the south burbs one in the north burbs maybe downstate and video gaming at midway and ohare. It’s better than the alternatives. Maybe Quinn could call it an education surcharge if it helps him sleep at night. Pension surcharge? Social services surcharge? Infrustructure surcharge?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 10:31 am:
=== we’re friends ===
Mon dieu! Ds and Rs as friends? Whew.
What’s next? Legislators fleeing their home state capitols to testify at another state’s capitol? Nah, that’s just not believable.
- chuddery - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 11:14 am:
==For crying out loud, Schock didn’t contribute his own money. He passed along money entrusted to him by REPUBLICAN donors==
Yeah, but he didn’t donate their money either. Those Republican donors gave him money to be spent as he thought best for the benefit of HIS career. If he thinks this is the best use of it, so be it.
They may not be happy, and they can obviously cut back on their donations, but it’s not like he has some moral or fiduciary duty to use political contributions only to help other Republicans.
- Stooges - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 11:17 am:
Hopefully we end up with a casino or more for Chicago, expanded gambling for the existing casinos, and slots at the race tracks. I hate when things die of their own weight.
- just sayin' - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 11:34 am:
“but it’s not like he has some moral or fiduciary duty to use political contributions only to help other Republicans.”
I’m quite sure the vast majority of the Republican donors who just saw their money passed along to one of the most liberal tax-and-spend Democrats in the state house would disagree with you.
But if Republicans want to fund Chicago Democrats, fine. But Republicans should at least have the decency then to stop whining about the Chicago Democrats like Pat Brady does again in that silly plea for money using the AG’s ruling in the gun thing. It’s just more hypocrisy and stupid behavior from the IL GOP.
- Ghost - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 11:56 am:
Shock wanted to put missles in taiwan! so we could all relive the cuban missle crisis, and the donation of a few thouan dollars is what gives members of the GOP concernc?
- Wumpus - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 12:20 pm:
I demand Mendoza give the money back to Schock!
- downstate hack - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 12:27 pm:
Racinos are a no brainer. Keeps the horse industry alive and thriving for the first time in years. Without them the industry here will disappear.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 12:34 pm:
I like the Schock-Mendoza connection. They are not hiding the fact that they think highly of each other in a professional way, and they are working to help each other in the wide open.
For all the Repubs upset about it, well, didn’t she do the ad for him? Were you so “up in arms” about giving him money for an ad featuring a Dem?
And we wonder WHY caucuses are leaving states? No mutual respect to find reasonable common ground. Mendoza herself says she politically disagrees with him 90% of the time! But, they think very highly of each other, so good for them.
- Montecore - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 12:48 pm:
Mendoza and Schock are smart. Their combined successes demonstrate that well.
- Racer - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 12:54 pm:
I agree with Don Diego. Stop the video gambling in bars an put slots at racetracks. Churchill already runs casinos at Calder and Fai Grounds and knows what they are doing. SAVE HORSE RACING!!!
- Ghost - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 1:27 pm:
— SAVE HORSE RACING!!! —
why? you mean very time a business fails we should step in to save it? lets put slots at Disney Stores ™ then and bring em back!
- Rudy - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 2:57 pm:
The City Clerk’s office should become a small office of a few people whose core mission is to serve the legislative branch by publishing and archiving the proceedings. It could eventually become an appointed office–by the City Council.
It’s dog licensing and vehicle sticker sales don’t fit with this mission and can migrate to the Department of Revenue or Business Affairs and Consumer Protection—where they can become additional functions for the cashiers already in place.
Del Valle just wasted 4 years as the City Clerk, and Susanna Mendoza is kidding herself if she thinks the office is relevant or needs rejuvenation or expansion of duties–it’s a waystation offering publicity opportunities for pols with stars in their eyes.
- steve schnorf - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 3:39 pm:
I demand Mendoza give the money to me. Schock clearly doesn’t need it. After I get it, I will donate it to someone of my choice. Btw, Rs do donate to Ds and vice versa, and Is to both.
- just sayin' - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 3:47 pm:
I say we call Jim Edgar’s bluff and don’t give the horsies what they want. Edgar told the Sun-Times he was ready to head to Indiana if his industry didn’t get the payoff it wants.
We should say good. Let the Hoosiers deal with that egomaniac from now on. Will be the best news Illinois has had in ages.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 3, 11 @ 3:54 pm:
The racing industry doesn’t even try to promote its product. Where’s the advertising, promotion, social media? It’s entertainment, right?
The Sun-Times story points out that the few people at the track are in their 70s. Go figure.
Instead of investing their own money in trying to promote their entertainment product, every few years or so Richard D. and crew show up at the Capitol for a bailout.
These guys. I was at a wedding when Arlington caught fire. My hotel room overlooked the track. The local firefighters did such a good job putting out the fire, it had to catch fire, again, later that night.
Then, Richard D. got a new track, courtesy of Big Jim and Sam Vinson.
These millionaires, or billionaires, should put up or shut up. Edgar can move his horses wherever he wants, to.
There are plenty of entertainment options out there.