* 2:55 pm - Judge Kelley just dismissed Gov. Blagojevich’s lawsuit against the House Clerk. Blagojevich had hoped to force the Clerk to retroactively enter the guv’s budget veto messages into the House Journal.
Nobody noticed, but the House did enter the budget veto message into its journal on Monday. They entered several others on Tuesday in preparation for the upcoming veto session.
Yesterday, the guv’s people were saying privately that they expected the judge to order Speaker Madigan’s Clerk to enter the veto message retroactively on the day the lawsuit was filed. Didn’t happen. The judge had been presiding over negotiations, but the governor’s lawyers had demanded a hearing. So, the hearing went forward today and the case was dismissed.
“Veto session continues as scheduled,” Madigan’s spokesman said a few minutes ago.
* More…
Kelley ruled that the issue is moot because the House entered the vetoes into the House Journal on Monday. That gives the House until Oct. 2 to act on the vetoes.
Oct. 2 is scheduled to be the first day of the fall veto session.
William Quinlan, chief lawyer for the governor, said after the hearing he’s glad the House has moved the process along. He also said it was not the governor’s intent to deny the House a chance to act on the vetoes.
Had Kelley approved backdating the House journal entry to Sept. 4, the House would have missed its chance to override the governor’s budget vetoes.
Kelley said in court that allowing events to proceed might lead to an improvement in the “ridiculous and embarrassing Hatfield and McCoy atmosphere” that has marked some legislative negotiations this year.
* 3:48 pm - Mysteriously enough, I can’t ever seem to get a press release out of the governor’s office in a timely manner these days. Here’s a segment of his release on his amendatory veto of the Cook County property tax assessment cap extension bill, sent by a pal…
Governor Blagojevich made two primary changes to House Bill 664: increasing the Expanded Homeowner Exemption (often called the 7% solution) for Cook County homeowners to $40,000 per year from its current $20,000 maximum; and making the increased exemption permanent. The Expanded Homeowner Exemption is the mechanism that currently helps slow the growth of rising property tax bills to 7% per year; it expires this year.
The full release can be downloaded here.
[Update: Almost right when I hit the “publish” button an e-mail showed up from the guv’s office with the release.]
* 4:31 pm - When will the back and forth end? Sun-Times…
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) is expected to announce he will retire from Congress during a Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday, a source familiar with the situation told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The seven-term congressman from Morris intended to make his announcement in mid-October, but word spread through Republican circles this week
* RollCall…
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), who has had to fend off allegations in recent weeks about questionable Central American land deals, will announce Friday that he will not seek an eighth term in 2008, inside sources confirmed late Thursday.
- MTP - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:06 pm:
This does not bode well for the lawsuit on the Special Sessions…..
- HoosierDaddy - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:09 pm:
LOL! Somebody needs to tell the Governor that Elvis is the King, not Rod!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:20 pm:
Madigan is, and always will be, one step ahead of this guy who pretends to be a governor.
- The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:25 pm:
But wait, shouldn’t Gov. Blagojevich sue the judge or something first?
- Shelbyville - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:33 pm:
One more reason why the GOvernor isn’t licensed to practice law in IL.
- MOON - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:53 pm:
IT ALWAYS WAS AND STILL IS MY BELIEF THAT MADIGAN WAS A STEP OR MORE IN FRONT OF 99% OF THE PEOPLE HE DEALT WITH. IN THE CASE OF THE GOV., MADIGAN IS MILES IN FRONT OF HIM.
- Lotta Liaison - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:53 pm:
where is he licensed to practice? are they going to appeal?
- A Citizen - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:55 pm:
Has anyone taken gov’s blood pressure this afternoon? I am worried about him. He’s just starting to get used to being a loser.
- Wacker Drive - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 3:58 pm:
SWEET!
- Truth - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:06 pm:
Goobernor’s crack legal staff strikes again.
- downhereforyears - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:08 pm:
He deserves this defeat and more….can anyone tell us what this cost us? On the 7% solution is there a split between Elvis and Houlihan, or did Houlihan just do a double cross.
- Little Egypt - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:08 pm:
Ya gotta love Judge Kelly. Hatfield’s & McCoy’s. How appropriate.
- Princeville - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:08 pm:
“William Quinlan, chief lawyer for the governor, said after the hearing he’s glad the House has moved the process along. He also said it was not the governor’s intent to deny the House a chance to act on the vetoes.”
“The judge had been presiding over negotiations, but the governor’s lawyers had demanded a hearing”
uh, so what then exactly was the intentions? Why, to stop Madigan of course. Spin is getting thin.
Whatever happened to the case Blago has against Madigan for Special Sessions?
- A Citizen - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:13 pm:
- Princeville -
You rascal, you’re smelling blood in the water aren’t you? Predicting the judiciary can be hazardous. I would hope they rule in the Speaker’s favor but . . . ?
- Da Spin - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:20 pm:
I’m sure the governor thinks this is a win.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:28 pm:
let’s see.
blago loses the defraites case (he didn’t win).
now the case against the house clerk gets dropped.
next will be the special session case.
blago’s going to be 0-3 in unnecessary court cases that his office brought on. all within about a two-week period.
gee i hope he runs for a third term.
- Mr. W.T. Rush - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:52 pm:
And as an encore he tell Cardinal broadccaster Mike Shannon he knows more about baseball than government -duh.
And this afternoon’s failures include teaming with outbound Cook County Assessor Jumping Jimmy Houlihan to throw a wrench into local tax bills.
Local schools have been waiting weeks for their cash, now they have to wait for a new bill, because BlunderBoy has gone too far.
What was he thinking?????
- Political Observer - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:52 pm:
People, these kind of stories ran 12 months ago and the Gov won in a commanding lead by the voters. These issues are interesting to some of us but have no real impact in the voting booth.
Bad politics and corruption will stop only when people go to prison and when the voters finally demand real leadership and reform. That means both parties have to start supporting real candidates (as opposed to the lack of choice we had last election).
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:57 pm:
First of all, the DeFraties case wasnt a loss. It appeared that she and the guy violated some policies. They were terminated (if they werent terminated, Blago would have been ripped for allowing illegal giring practices). The judge ruled that no violations occurred. This is a win for her and Casey, but it was also a win for the administration (by declaring that DeFraties/Casey didnt break the law, where is the case for illegal hiring practices in the administration)? Now they get their jobs back. Nobody objects because the judge ruled and everybody ahs accepted the ruling.
Second, the case against the clerk wasnt a loss. The governor’s office was simply trying to force the speaker to abide by his CONSTITUTIONAL responsibilities and record the vetoes (which he quietly did on Monday). Madigan probably knew that he would lose this battle — thats why he set veto for the first two weeks of October. Now, the ruling comes in and, it turns out, the veto session is timed perfectly with the 15 day action requirement. Almost seems a bit fishy to me.
Third, and even Rich has weighed in on this one, the Speaker is stretching it on the special session case. The governor has the constitutional authority to call the GA back at given date and time. The Speaker cant simply ignore the governor’s authority to do this (hopefully, it wont be necessary to call so many in the future, but that remains to be seen).
It amazes me how pro-Madigan/anti-Blagojecich this blog is. I think the governor’s legal team is top notch and, if he considered the counsel of many of these commenters, he would just quit when faced with chellenges. Thats not what this governor does and its not what his legal team does.
Blagojevich 2010!!
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:02 pm:
Your second and third points were reasonable. Your first point was laughable.
—if they werent terminated, Blago would have been ripped for allowing illegal hiring practices—
No. He should have fired the people who ORDERED the alleged illegal activity, not the patsies.
===but it was also a win for the administration (by declaring that DeFraties/Casey didnt break the law, where is the case for illegal hiring practices in the administration)===
The case for illegal hiring is right where the feds are looking. At the top.
- A Citizen - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:06 pm:
- Anon -
Please advise - who is your pharmacist and what is the prescription for? I want some.
The reality is the gov is a loser and becoming more so as the days and court cases go by. Wake up, buddy!
- FED UP - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:22 pm:
Chalk up another defeat for blagos crack legal staff. How much did this little stunt of blagos cost the taxpayers. Blago should have his law degree taken back he is an embarresment to the legal profession and thats saying something. How does dick mell live with the mess he created by making this idiot gov.
- plutocrat03 - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:25 pm:
So why are the Cook county homeowner special? An increase from 20K to 40K for a homeowner’s exemption? Give me a break.
Lake county taxpayers get a 5000 homestead exemption? ‘Ya think property values did not climb outside Cook county?
Per the latest figures I could find (2000) from the state of Illinois Property tax Statistics, Chicago’s effective tax rate was 1.1% ranked 521 out of 533 communities.
Without cherry picking, I see Libertyville at 1.84%, Joliet at 2.01%, Elmhurst at 1.52% and Orland Park at 1.74%. I can easily catalog quite a number of communities that are over 2%.
Perhaps it is time to realize that Chicago real estate is undertaxed in comparison to the vast majority of the state and the reason there is not enough money for the schools and rapid transit is that the taxes are too low.
Our dear Governor is pandering to anyone he can these days and it appears that he now wants to play hero to the residents of Chicago, while telling the rest of the state to %^& themselves.
Seems to me that all residential properties in the state should be treated alike. Everything from using 1/3 of the assessed value for their calculations to size of homeowner’s exemptions to protection from unwarranted property tax increases. (My dollar amount went up 14% last year.. any bets on whether my property could sell for 14% more than last year?
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:27 pm:
Rich, she said that she did nothing wrong and that she wasnt told to do anything wrong. The judge agreed with her story. You cant have it both ways.
- Mr. W.T. Rush - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:36 pm:
First ANON 4:57 I suppose you also believe the Titanic just brushed the iceberg and people drown because the rescue boats were too slow….
But back to another failure.
This morning the Spin Sisters’ favorite boy toy DeJong said the “General Assembly did not address health care and people who lack health insurance, and the vetoes “helped to reshift the budget’s priorities to reflect that crisis.”
“If legislators feel strongly” about funding certain projects important to them, DeJong said, “they should start working together with the governor’s office to identify new revenue sources.”
This is at least position number three from JD.
Perhaps he should leave the phone ring for awhile.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 5:37 pm:
No, Anon. She said she didn’t do anything wrong and didn’t order anyone to do anything wrong. Big, big difference.
- the Chicago Cubs of legal representation - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 6:28 pm:
Maybe Rod should hire Ron Kanowski. He comes with ominous music!
Rod’s not a governor, he plays o e on TV. He should be nationally excoriated for these courtroom shennanigans.
- Just the Facts - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 7:03 pm:
“the Chicago Cubs of legal representation???” - stop slandering the Cubs - the Cubs know how to play their game - they just have occasional difficulties with proper execution - on the other hand . . . .
- ABolt243 - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 7:13 pm:
Looks to me like ANON 4:57 could have been written by Rod himself!!!! Ya think????
- Norseman - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 7:32 pm:
Anon, your such a comedian. Point one - I won’t bother. Rich already took you out on that one.
On case 2 - the Governor loses because he didn’t win. Madigan got his dog and pony shows and he didn’t file the vetoes when the Governor wanted and the House meets whe Madigan wanted. Frankly, I agreed with the legal point on this one, but his efforts to continue the circus sideshow in the courts was firmly rejected by the judge.
His outrageous behavior will also result in a loss on the special session case as well. I can’t see a judge ruling that meeting earlier in the day is detrimental to the best interest of the citizens of the state. It’s ludicrous to argue that its ok to meet later than the proclaimed time, but not earlier.
- Mr. W.T. Rush - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 7:54 pm:
Abolz:
The Governor could be ANON 4:57 but:
1. He really does not care that much
2. The only electric appliance he knows how to operate is a blow dryer.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:10 pm:
“It amazes me how pro-Madigan/anti-Blagojecich this blog is.”
That’s because we’ve been paying attention.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:12 pm:
PS: let’s leave Lufrano out of this!
- Holdingontomywallet - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:18 pm:
This administration is great at wasting time and money. Who selected the attorneys that are advising our fine Governor and his top advisors? Fine job you are doing Gov, fine job… Who sits around the table at these meetings and suggests these law suits and who says, “yes great idea, let’s go with it?” The incompetence of this administration is unprecedented.
- A Citizen - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:25 pm:
I guess we’re going to have to face it sooner or later. The governments of Chicago (Winston and Strawn), Springfield (Sorling Law Offices), and the State (?) are being run to profit the lawyers and law firms. They get the largest cut and direct the leftovers to the chosen. The second runners up are the consultants, contractors, and lobbyists. That’s why we only get the crumbs.
- PC - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 8:30 pm:
The “7% Solution” was always supposed to be a temporary fix, awaiting an overhaul of our rapidly collapsing taxation structure. (Wow, now that sounds really familiar now.) Making it permanent is, as Pluto points out, not only unfair to the rest of the state, but to Cook County businesses and renters — and ultimately to Cook County. We need a clearer, less complex property tax system, not what we have today.
- anon - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 10:26 pm:
i guess poorer communities will just have to such it up and help pay the taxes for million dollar homes! Now thats a fai tax system that works
- Quicksilver - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 8:11 am:
To: Anon - Thursday, Sep 20, 07 @ 4:57 pm
Since your so much in the know, tell us more about all those federal subpoenas that are such big secrets. And be specific!
- anon - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 8:13 am:
Oh, the name calling is just the answer. The cowseda here continue to trash the governor, yet the fight goes on. If the speaker is truly the master strategist that everybody says he is, and the governor is such a fool, why are we still dugting into October? Wouldn’t a master strategist oil a fool away effortlessly?
You continue to underestimate the governor. That’s great for him. He is best when he’s the underdog. He will go the distance and the state will be better for it.
- Goober - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 8:16 am:
Anon
Please tell us about those federal subpoenas.
- Illinois - True Welfare State - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 8:22 am:
Rod guards his federal subpoenas like Nixon guarded his tapes.
- Truthful James - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 8:37 am:
Has anybody noticed that residential properties during this sub prime tsunami have not been increasing in value anything like 7% per year? Yet the Cook County Assessor (and other Counties as well) using out of date sales ratio studies continues to insist that they have.
Has anybody noticed the vacant store fronts in the small strip center, the vacant offices in the small office parks? Why do you think that is happening? Taxes are above $6 per square foot and going up. Tenants can not afford it, because the customers are cutting back too.
Houlihan has been too clever by half. His predecessor violated the State statute and the Cook County Ordinance by de facto assessments of 10% of estimated market value instead of the Ordinance requirement of 16%. The Statute permitted a differential of 250% between the lowest and highest assessment ratios. Cook’s Ordinance had 16% for residential and 38% for Commercial. Going down to 10% meant that the Commercial would have to fall to 25%
The big guys figured it out and took it to the State property Tax Appeal Board which lowered the valuations to 25% and ordered tax rebates. Ma and Pa didn’t and got the Houlihan screwdriver.
Rebates shorted the taxing bodies. 7% meant that Houlihan could go back to 16% for residential (and the Commerial stayed at 38%), stopping the rebates, but the residential did not have to pay on the full 16% if the valuation rose more than 7% per Year. In Byzantine ways the tax burden was shifted to the Commercial property which passed it on to the enants who passed it on to the customers by embedding it in prices, increasing where it could, swallowing it otherwise.
Cook County broke the old system and now has tried to put in a fix.
The only fair answer is to freeze all valuations until the property is sold or improved. That would mean that citizens would pay more attention to budgets, spending and burden and might even rise up against their political masters. We can’t have that, can we?
- L.S. - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 9:08 am:
Anon - your passion and loyaltly are admirable but at some point reality needs to check in. Starting with GRT and moving forward the Gov. has been reeling from a string of defeats both in the GA and the court room. He has responsded to these defeats with an almost uncanny ability to ignore the electorate, the media and everyone else and press on with his agenda no matter how many lawmakers, judges or voters disagree. Some might say he’s tenacious but it looks more like stubborness and ignorance. This blog isn’t pro-Madigan or anti-Blago (for the most part) ut the people here are well informed about what’s going on in the patch and they know the governor is a HUGE dissapointment on more levels that I have space to mention.
- Anon - Friday, Sep 21, 07 @ 9:49 am:
Plutocrat and PC, the 7% solution is not unfair to the rest of the State. Any county could have elected to switch to that exemption; only Cook decided to do so. Complain to your county officials for dropping the ball. Certainly one would think homeowners in at least DuPage and Lake counties experience more than 7% increases in their assessed valuation per year.