More shady ties
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
There may not be a completely direct connection here to yet another alleged mobster, but Radogno’s point at the end should be addressed.
Former state Sen. John D’Arco — twice convicted of federal corruption charges — is involved in a land deal financed by a bank that’s owned by the family of Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic candidate for Illinois treasurer.
Official records in Florida indicate that Mr. D’Arco and two convicted bookmakers joined in March 2001, to incorporate a company that acquired the Lorraine Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla. Two months later, the firm received the first of a series of mortgage loans from Broadway Bank, where Mr. Giannoulias is a vice-president.
Mr. Giannoulias and the bank Tuesday released nearly identical statements saying that Mr. D’Arco, whose name does not appear on mortgage papers, “has never been a loan applicant, recipient, co-signer, guarantor or customer†of Broadway, and does not hold an ownership share in the hotel deal.
But Florida records also indicate that Mr. D’Arco signed legal papers in connection with renovation of the hotel in October 2001 — four months after Broadway issued its first mortgage loan. […]
In April, after a series of media reports about Broadway loans, Mr. Giannoulias promised to review all loans at the bank for problems “and behold, he never mentioned this,†[Republican opponent Christine Radogno] said. “He’s not forthcoming. Instead, things are coming out little by little. How much more is out there?â€
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Sun-Times goes straight “D”
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
I didn’t notice this until the Giannoulias campaign sent me an e-mail. The Sun-Times and the Sun-Times News Group have endorsed the entire statewide Democratic slate. They lead with Alexi. [Actually, the Sun-Times News Group endorsed Giannoulias. The other papers are apparently allowed to go their own way on the other races.]
Over the last several elections, Illinois voters have increasingly trended toward Democratic candidates. This year, the Democrats offer for statewide offices an attractive field of candidates that includes three incumbents and one political novice. The newcomer to politics is Alexi Giannoulias, who is the choice of the Sun-Times News Group for state treasurer. Giannoulias, though still a young man, will bring valuable private enterprise experience from banking to the job. […]
While that banking experience is the reason we’re endorsing Giannoulias, that background also has opened him up to criticism over some of the bank’s loans. He’s been accused of making million-dollar loans to felons. He insists there was nothing improper in those transactions, says that the bank doesn’t do criminal background checks on bank customers, but admits he’s been too cavalier in answering questions about the loans. Still, Giannoulias hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing, and the loans were repaid. In other words, the community bank, which was in the business of making loans, did just that.
We believe Giannoulias’ banking experience will help him bring creative money management ideas to the treasurer’s office. For instance, Giannoulias outlined a securities lending program that he’d like to explore. The investment strategy, temporarily lending out state-owned securities, is being used in Connecticut, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio to boost investment portfolio returns. Other of his priorities include improving the “Bright Start” college savings program and promoting home-grown ethanol-based renewable fuels. Giannoulias proposes that the treasurer’s office offer low-interest loans to gas station owners who convert to offer E-85 fuel in Illinois.
His Republican opponent, state Sen. Christine Radogno, has an impressive background in politics and legislative work on fiscal issues, but our vote goes to the new ideas offered by Giannoulias.
In case you’re wondering, my occasional little column gives me zero influence over Sun-Times editorial policy. They don’t tell me what to write, and I don’t tell them what to write. Obviously.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
I’ve asked this before, but with two weeks remaining I thought I’d ask again.
Are the national Republicans heading for total disaster on election day? With the Democrats pick up the US House and US Senate? Yes, this is a national question, and I usually try to avoid them, but to give it a local twist I’d like you to also note whether you think any GOP disaster/non-disaster will have an impact on Illinois races, including the governor’s race.
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The governor appeared at the Daily Herald editorial board yesterday.
Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich predicted Monday his campaign fundraising friend won’t be indicted for corruption, argued it’s not a bad thing that his plan to sell the lottery leaves a $1 billion school funding shortfall, and apologized for once comparing state lawmakers to “drunken sailors.” […]
The indictment alleged Rezko worked on the scheme with an “Individual B,” whom multiple sources have identified to the Daily Herald and other media outlets as Christopher Kelly, a roofing contractor and another top fundraiser for the governor.
Asked if he’ll stand by Kelly in the event of an indictment, Blagojevich said he wouldn’t answer, because “I don’t believe that will ever happen.”
The governor also said he was surprised the Rezko had been indicted and said Rezko was never a close adviser.
“He’s a friend of mine, I don’t dispute that. Never a key adviser. He made recommendations to agencies. I sought out his advice on recommendations for agency directors because we wanted diversity in my administration,” Blagojevich said.
Diversity? That’s some interesting spin.
The governor finally gave a straight answer on the $1500 check, after waffling for weeks over which daughter may have benefitted from it.
“That was a birthday gift to my daughter, pure and simple,” he said Monday. “And I disclosed it. Followed the law.”
Animal Farm has more.
*I asked Blagojevich if, given all the oceans of newspaper ink that have been spilled the past four years about his ethics and numerous policy ideas, what he would take back. The governor paused for a while, as you might expect given that type of question, then threw out some Ditka-esque “In life..â€-type rhetoric, even quoting Socrates at one point: “The unexamined life is not worth living.†[…]
*The governor also gave what I believe to be a preview to what his statements will be after Friday’s guilty plea by Stuart Levine in the teacher pension corruption case. “You’ve got a longtime Republican operative in Stuart Levine,†Blagojevich said. “By all accounts, and I suspect we’ll learn more shortly, this was probably a continuation of a scheme that happened long before I was governor…It spilled into my first year and got detected at some point during that time.†The governor also said Rezko somehow got involved with Levine during 2003, his first year in office.
The full transcript is expected tomorrow.
*** UPDATE *** Gov. Blagojevich can recite the list of John Wayne’s B movies, he can rattle off 40-year-old lineups from long gone baseball teams, has memorized the lyrics to just about every Elvis song ever recorded, but has a difficult time recalling much of what happened during less than four years in statewide office.
Governor Rod Blagojevich says he doesn’t remember getting a list of people that a now-indicted friend and fundraiser wanted to be appointed to state boards.
Blagojevich doesn’t deny getting the list. He said today that it’s no secret that Tony Rezko recommended people to serve in his administration.
The Democratic governor wouldn’t comment on what he discussed with Rezko when the two met around the time the list was written.
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Weird doings
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
This is pretty solid evidence that Stroger’s campaign is flailing late in the game.
What was billed as a kickoff for the “Rod and Todd Show” instead stumbled getting out of the gate Monday.
More than 100 ministers gathered at New Spiritual Light Missionary Baptist Church, 7566 S. South Shore Dr., armed with campaign fliers and signs touting the candidacies of Rod Blagojevich for governor and Todd Stroger for Cook County Board president.
But Stroger was almost two hours late for the event and Blagojevich was a no-show.
Stroger campaign officials said he was delayed by earlier campaign appearances, while Blagojevich campaign officials said he never committed to the event and instead had staffers there on his behalf.
“Bizarre” is the word that immediately comes to mind.
I thought they were supposed to be working together?
Gov. Rod Blagojevich leads his opponent in cash and in the polls while Cook County Board president candidate Todd Stroger is struggling on both counts, but both are quietly exploring how to benefit each other by mobilizing African-American turnout.
Sources familiar with each Democrat’s campaign said plans are in the works for a rapid-fire, street-level effort to begin in the hours shortly before Nov. 7 to secure a large turnout of African-American voters–a core voting bloc essential for both men. […]
Publicly, Blagojevich has been making Stroger part of his campaign pitch, including at recent stops in the city’s black wards. On Saturday, Blagojevich campaign workers yelled, “Vote for Rod and Todd!” as a truck with campaign signs for the two idled nearby. Inside a South Side Target store where he was campaigning, Blagojevich enthusiastically told one shopper, “You should vote for Todd–and Rod.”
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SurveyUSA: 44-34-14-8
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
Crosstabs are here. Discuss.
In an election for Governor of Illinois today, 10/23/06, incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich’s support is down, Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka’s support is down, and Green Party Candidate Rich Whitney’s support has doubled, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for KSDK-TV St. Louis. Blagojevich today gets 44%, down 1 from an identical SurveyUSA KSDK-TV poll released 9/20/06. Topinka gets 34% today, down 5 points from 9/20. Whitney gets 14%, twice the 7% he got on 9/20. SurveyUSA observes that in two Governor polls released today 10/23, all “major party” candidtaes are down; minor party candidates are up. Could this mean that the anti-Republican sentiment detected in a number of SurveyUSA polls over the past 21 days is now manifesting itself more generally into an anti-establishment, anti-insider movement? Time, and more polling, will tell. It is possible the phenomenon is limited to Maine and Illinois, and not extensible elsewhere. That said, it is interesting enough to take note of, here.
Among Illinois independents, the candidates are effectively tied: Topinka gets 31%, Whitney 29%, Blagojevich 27%. Topinka had led Blagojevich by 12 among Independents, now leads Whitney by 2 in this group, where Whitney has doubled his support. 73% of Democrats vote for Blagojevich. 74% of Republicans vote for Topinka. Among female voters, Blagojevich is down 10 points; Whitney is getting many of these female votes; his support has tripled, from 4% to 11%, among women.
Among white voters, Topinka is down 5, Blagojevich is down 4. Whitney is up 9. In the Collar Counties of Chicago, Blagojevich is down 9, Topinka is down 2. Whitney is up 13. Blagojevich leads 3:1 in Chicago. Topinka leads 4:3 downstate. Blagojevich was first elected Governor in 2002. Topinka has been Illinois Treasurer since 1994.
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