It’s bad enough that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones won’t let senators vote on whether to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s budget vetoes. But his selfish, self-centered reason for the obstructionism is downright sickening.
Jones isn’t claiming his decision is in the public’s best interest, or even that he is protecting some pet programs. No, this is all about vengeance.
He claims his fellow legislative leaders stabbed him in the back earlier in the year, and he wants retribution. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be dictated to by anyone in this chamber, anyone (in the governor’s office) or anyone in the other chamber,” Jones told one reporter.
Right, but it’s OK for Jones to dictate to everyone else?
… That leaves us with Jones not allowing a veto override vote, and Madigan not allowing a vote on the bills needed to implement the already-passed budget. While over in the executive office, Blagojevich is railing about calling yet another special session in December. Stupid, unnecessary gridlock foisted on us by people who have lost sight of what public service really means.
If this were a third-grade playground, it would be expected. But this is about billions of our tax dollars not going to care for school kids, the disabled and old, sick people. In a word - shameful.
…For instance, it’s no secret that Republican state Sen. Bill Brady, of Bloomington, wants to run for governor in 2010. He ran for governor last year and lost the GOP primary, and ever since he’s attempted to set himself up as a top Republican critic of Blagojevich.
Brady is a popular, well-liked legislator, but he has had his goofy moments this year.
During debate on the state budget bill last summer, Brady said he hoped the governor would veto the bill. Then, a few minutes later, Brady voted for the very bill that he said he wanted Blagojevich to kill.
But that’s not all. After Blagojevich actually did veto part of the budget bill, Brady began agitating to have the General Assembly override those vetoes.
Now, it’s not as simple and clear-cut as it looks. The governor’s vetoes were blatantly political and, in many cases, harmful and hypocritical. But Brady has jumped around more on this thing than an espresso-chugging frog.
…The conflict is between our three top Democrats. In Illinois, that’s the same as a fracture between three brothers. Brothers who happen to be princes of the kingdom. Yes, there are entitlement issues. They’re the elected leaders of our state government.
To sum up the gloomy news: the Legislature opts for the plan that makes homeowners pay more taxes. And Daley takes that as a green light to go after even more.
Ironically, it’s being argued that Canary’s bill isn’t sweeping enough. Ironic, because Senate President Jones is pitching that argument. Jones’ spokeswoman told me Friday by phone that there is a far superior ethics bill in play, HB824. One that would prohibit “pay-to-play” contracting but would also install safeguards about who gets lucrative pension and bond business and more.
Great. Let’s pass that one.
Ah, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? Even though HB824 has genuine reform-minded legislators such as state Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston) behind it, and is filled with good ideas, it appears to have less of prayer than HB1. It’s not even in final written form yet, and has fewer Senate sponsors.
In the end, it may be the same old story. Just as we are about to embark on a $25 billion capital improvement program, where “pay to play” still poisons the process, we have no ethics bill.
Canary calls it the Goldilocks scenario: “This one’s too big, this one’s too little . . . everybody gets to go home and say they put their name on something . . . and we get nothing.”
Blagojevich is “flash, splash, showbiz,” while Madigan is “stealth, quiet … and very effective,” says Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson of Greenville, who has worked with both men in tense private meetings they’ve had this year trying to agree on something, anything.
The fact that both Democrats have turned to Republican Watson, of all people, as a kind of political go-between says it all about their relationship.
“The differences, personality-wise … it is the problem, and the (reason) nothing’s been done,” Watson said last week. “It’s just ingrained personality problems they have between themselves.”
Col. Jill Morgenthaler, most recently Illinois’ Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor, has entered the 6th Congressional District race as a Democratic challenger to first-term Republican Congressman Peter Roskam. Jill has over 30 years of military, government and private business experience, much of it focused on emergency preparedness, communications and business development.
Tammy Duckworth, an Army Major and injured Iraq War veteran, decided against a rematch with Roskam. Duckworth lost by about 5,000 votes in the ‘06 general election, in a race that cost millions. No word yet on whether Morgenthaler will receive similar support from the DC Democrats, who seem to be concentrating much more intently on the Jerry Weller seat.
Between the elder Lipinski’s consulting business, Blue Chip Consulting, which rents space at the Archer Avenue congressional headquarters of Dan Lipinski, and the 23rd Ward political operation, Dan Lipinski has placed his governmental duties precariously close to lobbyists and political entities. Not smart.
When Dan Lipinski won an assignment to the House Transportation Committee, he insisted he would avoid any conflicts of interest. His father represents United Airlines and many other transportation giants.
“He won’t lobby me,” Lipinski said.
Dan Lipinski’s own disclosure forms, however, show he paid Blue Chip $5,500 in consulting fees since 2005 - a contradiction of his previous position, which was dubious from the start. Who would know if, for example, over cheeseburgers and milkshakes, the two Lipinskis discussed transportation issues? Like many questionable loose ends that remain unanswered - how, for example, voting records show Dan Lipinski casting ballots in person, in Chicago, at times when he was living out of state - the All-American Eagle account creates yet another shadow on Dan Lipinski’s credentials.
I’ve met and talked with Dan Lipinski on numerous occasions. He’s a hardworking, sincere guy.
But he’s got this monkey on his back - the slicker, older Lipinski - who thinks he’s helping his son by clearing the underbrush from Dan’s path.
He’s not helping. He’s making his kid look weak and unprincipled.
William Lipinski is painting a target on his son’s back, forcing him to answer questions about the questionable payments to staff members; the consulting fees to Blue Chip; and the fundamental fact that a fund supposedly established for kids really is a piggy bank for the Lipinskis’ political activities.
* And we have two updates in the race to replace retiring Congressman Ray LaHood. First, the Peoria paper…
Jim McConoughey, one of three GOP candidates for the 18th Congressional seat, will launch television and radio ads today. And he’s sparing no expense.
He hired an out-of-state crew to film the production and hitting Quincy, Springfield and Peoria television media markets with 30-second spots in most of the 20-county district. He’s also going to have comprehensive coverage on AM radio stations to reach different demographics. […]
Direct mailings are expected to come out in the next two weeks introducing McConoughey and explaining what experience he brings to the table.
As I told you lsat week, McConoughey claims he’ll be in the hunt if he can just get his name and story out to voters. Those early ads will certainly help.
The Peoria column also included the obligatory plug for the local favorite…
Candidate Aaron Schock already sent out mailings the past week or so to reach his core constituency. It’s slick and compelling information.
* Next up, Billy Dennis writes about the third GOP candidate in the LaHood race…
Sources inside the John Morris congressional campaign say the former Peoria city Councilman raised more than $200,000 in contributions during September and August. The 3rd quarter financial reports are due Monday, and will cover campaign donations made from July 1, to Sept. 30.
Morris officially announced in early August, when his campaign took it’s first contribution, the source said, adding that they were pleased with the pace of contributions. Most of the donations came from individuals who live within and are able to vote inside the district. The implication is that there’s a belief that when reports from primary foes are released, they will show large donations from outside the district.
Months after he formed an exploratory committee, state Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, announced his plans to run for Congress.
Lauzen made his official announcement Wednesday morning to a crowd of supporters and others assembled at Garfield Park in Aurora. He will seek the 14th Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Plano. Hastert, the former House speaker, who will not seek re-election in 2008.
“So fasten your seat belts, I’m running for Congress,” Lauzen said to the cheers of the crowd.
The announcement kicked off a three-day, eight-county tour with 26 stops throughout the district.
* That’s quite the grueling schedule. One thing about Lauzen is he’ll outwork just about anybody. One more brief bit…
Lauzen said, so far, more than 3,000 people have volunteered to participate in his campaign.
* Here’s a Video News Service clip that I’ve already posted at my YouTube page…
A former aide to President George W. Bush said Friday she will not run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller’s seat in Congress.
Meg Murer, 38, had considered making a run for the 11th Congressional District seat being vacated by Weller, a Morris Republican.
Murer said she wasn’t ready to return to Washington, D.C., after being away from the White House for a year. Murer had served as chief of the president’s correspondence division, overseeing an office that answers mail sent to the president.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency accuses Attorney General Lisa Madigan of unfairly changing how about $4 million in settlements and fines are allocated.
Madigan wants all of that money to help her office cover legal costs of pursuing polluters, IEPA spokeswoman Jill Watson told The Associated Press on Saturday. That would appear to be a change from earlier practices that made much of the money available for environmental education and grant programs.
The IEPA accuses Madigan of trying to offset $2.5 million in budget cuts ordered by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And agency officials say the new split is “more in the self-interest of the attorney general than in the interest of the Illinois EPA.”
With its budget deficit growing, the CTA moved Friday to eliminate more than half of its bus routes by early January, threatening to strand tens of thousands of daily commuters and worsen gridlock across the Chicago area.
The new plan, while living up to its label as a “doomsday” budget, would also sharply boost fares and employee layoffs beyond those already set to take effect next month — if the legislature does not approve new funding soon to fill a projected $158 million deficit for 2008.
Neil Codell, superintendent of Niles Township High School District 219, said in a prepared statement that legislators “have moved to new heights of buffoonery and uselessness” by not tackling what he considered to be more important issues.
The 4,800 students in his district, he said, already reflect daily through journal writing and class discussions. He noted that both his schools offer a place where students can pray or observe a holiday.
“If I’ve drawn ire here it’s because we are really fed up with their antics which is to avoid dealing with central, pertinent issues that all schools need to deal with which is school funding reform,” Codell said. “No wonder we’re down at the bottom of all the states in school funding because this is what they spend their time on.”
* Burt Constable: God, sleep, teen fantasies can fill students’ moment of silence
Much of that could change, though, under a controversial bill introduced in the General Assembly this year. Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-Elmwood Park) sponsored a bill to let lottery players create online accounts to buy tickets. Winnings would be directly deposited into those accounts […]
All unclaimed lottery prizes now go into a fund for Illinois public schools.
One school advocacy group opposes Saviano’s bill, saying the lottery is a regressive way to raise money. “We don’t see anything that is intended to be an expansion of lottery sales as a real benefit for schools,” said Clare Fauke, spokeswoman for A+ Illinois.
Legislators recently overrode Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s August veto of a bill allowing judges to decide whether juveniles who committed sex crimes can be removed from the state’s sex offender registry if they are no longer a danger to the public.
* Sweeny: SIU President has served the state with honor; more here
The early primary next year also could spell trouble for local political candidates, particularly challengers attempting to unseat incumbents. It means they may need to raise money and garner attention over the holidays and in January - when folks are short on cash and not much concerned about politics.
“The ground troops are going to be less effective,” said Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland. “People won’t even open their doors. If somebody is knocking on your door in January and you’re not expecting a visitor, they just don’t open up.”He argued primary campaigns will become more reliant on paid media to convey message, and that in turn makes campaigns more expensive - and therefore more dependent on fundraising. Incumbents, who already enjoy name recognition and possible fully stocked campaign funds, could gain an advantage.
* I haven’t yet told my wife yet about the possibility of a mid-December special session and I’m not looking forward to it, either. Still, I am gonna try to enjoy my weekend as best as I can. I hope yours is fun.
* Sen. Dan Kotowski requested some more Bob Dylan for our Friday afternoon music post. Kotowski left the song choice up to me…
…I ain’t gonna work for Maggie’s brother no more.
No, I ain’t gonna work for Maggie’s brother no more.
Well, he hands you a nickel,
And he hands you a dime,
He asks you with a grin
If you’re havin’ a good time,
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain’t gonna work for Maggie’s brother no more.
* 10:00 am - The House is in the process of adjourning. The Senate is coming in at 10 o’clock, so it seems obvious that the House is trying to get out of town before the Senate takes up the property tax assessment cap. Leaving would put more pressure on the Senate to override the governor’s amendatory veto instead of passing an alternative proposal. If the Senate passed that other bill, the House wouldn’t be around to take it up.
Trouble is, the House Republicans are now throwing a fit on the floor about the adjournment and the lack of accomplishments. Listen to the House here and listen to the Senate here.
* 10:02 am - House members were just told that they will have a week’s notice before the chamber reconvenes. No firm date was given.
* 10:05 am - I think I was insulted by a member on the House floor a few minutes ago. LOL. Rep. Mulligan, if you can show me that your HGOP colleagues will vote for the mass transit bailout bill later this month without passing a capital bill, I’ll certainly retract my comments from earlier this morning. If not, well… bite me.
* 10:06 am - The House has adjourned, and the Senate is not in yet.
* 11:03 am - The Senate has just placed the property tax assessment cap override motion on its calendar.
* 11:19 am - Sen. Terry Link is now bringing the assessment cap override motion up for a vote. Link said he wasn’t happy about it.
*** 11:35 am *** The Tribune has posted an interview with Speaker Madigan from this morning…
“The House has done its business. The House came here for a veto session. We considered all of the governor’s actions on bills and we completed house consideration of the governor’s action on bills. That was the purpose of this session. The purpose of this session was a veto session. We finished that. We have taken action on the 7 percent bill, on the real estate taxes. We are prepared to take action on the RTA as soon as we are advised by Mr. Cross and Gov. Blagojevich that they are prepared to put votes on the Hamos bill. Concerning capital, I met with Mr. Cross this week and shared with him my ideas on gaming. I am a reluctant participant on gaming legislation, but I am there and I am talking to Cross. And by the way, the unrest that you heard came from the Republican side, where they are grappling with why they are not supporting the RTA bill. That’s the problem. There are people in the Republican caucus who want to vote for the RTA bill. And then there are other people in the Republican caucus saying, well it should be linked to capital. Which means gaming. I don’t agree with that. I don’t agree that the ability of people to get to work in northeastern Illinois should be linked to gaming casinos. I’m not on that program. I think the Hamos bill ought to pass as is. And would have passed absent Tom Cross and Rod Blagojevich. They both took votes off the bill. They ought to put votes on the bill, pass the bill, put those mass transit carriers in northeastern Illinois in a stable financial position so they can provide service, say, in (Des Plaines Republican Rep.) Rosemary Mulligan’s district. That’s where I’m at.”
“The (budget implementation) bill is part of a budget agreement where there’s been an abrogation of the budget agreement by Sen. Jones. Everyone wants to lose sight of that. There was a budget agreement. Sen. Jones unilaterally abrogated the agreement. The (budget implementation) bill is part of the agreement that was abrogated. So there really is no agreement.”
Translation: No budget overrides, no BIMP.
* On when they’ll come back into session…
“As soon as we’re advised by Rep. Cross and Gov. Blagojevich that they prepared to support the Hamos bill, we’ll be here. And we’ll give 7 days notice to those who want it.”
* 11:38 am - Sen. Link, closing remarks on the assessment cap override motion: “This is not the best bill we could pass out of this chamber. We could do a lot better, and we have passed a lot better bill out of here. But it’s not the 12th hour, it’s past the 12th hour and the people need relief.”
…More… “There’s other issues out there that are important to my area, to other areas of this state, but we’re not addressing them… We could [help all of Illinois] by putting all these issues to rest… We can put all these issues to rest if we put as much concern and as much pressure as we did on this issue.”
*** The assessment cap override on HB 664 passed 55-1. ***
*** 11:58 am *** The Senate Democrats backed off their desire yesterday to amend SEIU’s bill to raise wages and provide health insurance to home care workers after lots of pressure from the union. The bill just passed the Senate 56-1 and now goes to the governor’s desk. Sen. Hendon said the governor supports the bill. Background here.
*** 12:22 pm *** Retiring Congressman Ray LaHood has ridiculed the Democrat who wants to take his seat, former NBA and Bradley University basketball coach Dick Versace…
Versace, who is seeking LaHood’s central Illinois congressional seat, kicked off his campaign with a press conference on Monday in Springfield, Ill.
“He’s out of his gourd,” LaHood said […]
Versace has vowed to embark on a “listening tour,” touring the district’s 20 counties in a 28-foot motor home called the “Common Sense Express.”
That plan gave LaHood even more ammunition as he wondered aloud to reporters why Versace would not answer questions. He suggested that the Common Sense Express would get only “five miles to the gallon.” […]
“Versace in Congress?” LaHood intoned. “That’s like me coaching Bradley [University] basketball.”
Um, didn’t LaHood want to be Bradley’s president just a few weeks ago?
* 12:36 pm - It sounds like the Senate may be preparing to do some more budget override motions. Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson has two new override motions in the hopper.
*** 12:46 pm *** The lawsuit filed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Bob Thomas has been settled for $3 million, but the fighting ain’t over.
*** 2:06 pm *** The Senate has adjourned the veto session. The chamber passed voted on but did not pass a bill to restore some of the governor’s budget vetoes. [Post corrected. Thanks to commenters. I wasn’t paying attention because I’m working on something else at the moment.]
*** 4:12 pm *** Gov. Blagojevich press release on the override of his amendatory veto of the assessment cap bill…
“There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the legislature extended the property tax cap that Cook County homeowners have enjoyed since 2004.
“The bad news, and what they won’t tell you, is at a time when the city of Chicago is considering the largest property tax increase in history, the legislators voted to begin phasing out property tax relief in the second year and completely take it away in the third year. That’s going backward, not forward. Homeowners deserve real meaningful property tax caps that will last for more than just one year.
“I am going to continue to work with Senate President Emil Jones and Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan to increase property tax relief for homeowners and make it permanent. Unfortunately, the Illinois House, led by Speaker Madigan, passed a plan that would take that relief away from homeowners by protecting the big downtown commercial real estate developers.
“Considering how long it took to provide just one more year of property tax relief, Assessor Houlihan and I think it’s critical that the legislature address the long-term need for property tax relief now, before taxpayers face even higher bills. I am asking the General Assembly, on their own schedule, to reconvene before the end of the year to restore the property tax caps they just voted to take away. If they fail to do that, then it is my intention to call them into special session sometime by mid December to get it done.”
Mid December? Well, so much for my Christmas travel plans.
…Adding… Notice how he refers to the assessment bill as a “property tax cap.” Does he even know what he’s talking about here? I kinda doubt it.
Last spring, a whole bunch of Chicago aldermen were utterly indignant that labor unions would dare to finance their political opponents.
How undemocratic, the aldermen screamed, that they could no longer easily dispatch their historically token opponents with Machine money and Machine precinct workers. It just wasn’t right.
Much of their ire was directed at the Service Employees International Union, which recruited and trained candidates and dumped millions of dollars and deployed hundreds of volunteers into several city wards. As we all know by now, many of those targeted aldermen are now ex-aldermen.
That election was watched closely by the powers that be in Springfield. So when the union came to town last week to lobby for an expensive piece of legislation, they were welcomed with open arms.
Next year’s primary is just around the corner, in early February. Several Chicago Democrats in both the House and Senate either have primary opponents already or are worried that opponents will emerge before next month’s petition filing deadline. The union plans to make its legislative endorsements shortly after that deadline, so there isn’t much time left to boost an incumbent’s voting record.
The union wants millions in new state spending to increase wages by a buck an hour and provide some heath insurance coverage for 19,000 home-care workers who are state contract employees.
Late last month, the union sent thousands of pieces of direct mail into several House and Senate districts demanding that their bill be passed, and then followed up with another mailer this month. They combined all that with some deft Statehouse lobbying work and passed their appropriations bill through the House last week without a single dissenting vote.
Union officials said Wednesday that the floor votes would be weighted heavily when it comes time to make endorsements next month. Most legislators are well aware that this one vote could make or break them in the union’s eyes, and that could lead to all sorts of problems come February.
The union has a long, close relationship with Gov. Blagojevich, and the House Democrats have been openly fighting with Blagojevich all year, so the House Dems are keeping a wary eye on the Service Employees Union these days. The Democrats have to figure that if the union’s demands aren’t met, then that big pile of union cash might wind up behind their primary opponents, some of whom are backed by Senate President Emil Jones’ inner circle. Jones and House Speaker Michael Madigan have been on the outs all year as well, partly because Jones has allied himself with the governor. An unhappy union could mean some very expensive primary races ahead.
So, state representatives with primaries, such as Art Turner, Elga Jeffries, Esther Golar, Monique Davis, Mary Flowers and Deborah Graham, would naturally want a chance to boost their records ahead of the union’s endorsement session. Jeffries and Golar both lost almost all their aldermanic allies during that union-backed purge last spring, so they’re probably extra paranoid.
Over in the Senate, people such as Iris Martinez, Rickey Hendon and Willie Delgado are all fending off primary opponents, so a Service Employees endorsement could mean a significant difference if their races are close.
The Senate Democratic leaders, however, started to play some games with the bill early Thursday afternoon, which could possibly delay its ultimate passage for weeks or kill it altogether. If they go through with their plan, they could be playing with fire. Just ask those former aldermen.
*** UPDATE *** The Senate Dems backed off the games and overwhelmingly passed a “clean” version of SEIU’s bill. It now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is threatening to lay off 1,800 of the state’s roughly 2,000 Illinois State Police troopers in January unless lawmakers approve key budget legislation soon.
“We simply can’t pay some of our bills,” Blagojevich spokesman Justin DeJong said Thursday.
The administration, which has been battling with lawmakers over the state budget for 10 months, didn’t deny that the move could have a devastating effect on the state’s crime fighting force. […]
Although lawmakers have approved a budget, separate legislation that gives the administration the authority to funnel it to specific programs has been held up as a bargaining chip over other issues, including a massive expansion of gambling that would pay for a $13 billion statewide construction spending program.
As the article notes, this is simply a “pressure” tactic on House Speaker Michael Madigan, the governor’s nemesis. But the threat is so ludicrous and would be so disastrous that nobody believes the governor is crazy enough to do it - although he has done some seriously crazy things in the past.
Wanted to make sure you knew the full story on the ISP situation in Lee News - because we aren’t threatening anyone, just laying out the facts - despite how headline reads.
The Illinois State Police depend upon BIMP legislation to pay a significant number of their front line officers (out of the Road Fund, which has taken place since 1984), and there has not been legislative action, despite this being the last day of veto session. Without this legislation, we simply can’t pay some of our bills - including salaries for state troopers. Layoffs are the last thing we’d want to happen and that’s why it’s imperative that legislators take action to pass these bills. New funding for schools and providers for those with developmental disabilities is also in jeopardy and the Illinois House needs to pass the BIMP bills so they can receive the money they are entitled to in the budget passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor.
ISP currently has funding for officers until January 1. If the BIMP is not passed by December 1 - only 6 weeks from now - ISP will need to issue layoff notices to approximately 1,800 of their officers. While funding levels were established in the budget passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor - we need the secondary legislation known as a Budget Implementation Act (BIMP) to make sure funds are transferred and available to make payments.
* During his first term, Gov. Blagojevich admitted that he had never been to a state park. From what I hear, that’s still true today. It shows…
A panel of state lawmakers Wednesday blamed problems at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Responding to a laundry list of financial and management missteps revealed in an audit issued in April, the lawmakers said the Chicago Democrat isn’t committed to the state’s parks and outdoor activities. […]
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, who chairs the Legislative Audit Commission, which was reviewing the audit, said Blagojevich-imposed job cuts have “gutted” the agency, leaving it unable to function properly.
“You need more people,” Mautino told agency officials. “You just don’t have enough of them.”
Since Blagojevich took office, the agency has lost more than 400 employees. Although it has permission to hire 1,720 workers, it currently has just 1,668, according to DNR Deputy Director Leslie Sgro.
Perhaps the next time the governor is on a statewide bus tour he can stop off at one of our state parks and check it out.
* Meanwhile, if you want to be the health care governor, wouldn’t it make sense to clean up the environment a little better so that people could, you know, be a little healthier? Apparently not…
Thirty-five years after the federal Clean Water Act, “significant improvement” has been seen in water quality nationwide, but nearly 50 percent of Illinois waterways are unsafe for swimming and fishing, environmentalists said Thursday.
About half of industrial and municipal facilities in Illinois discharged more pollution into waterways in 2005 than permits allowed, according to Environment Illinois.
Will County ranked eighth in the nation for most facilities exceeding their limits, with 15 facilities in 1995. Industrial offenders in Will County included operations owned by Citgo Petroleum, BP Amoco, ExxonMobil and plastics manufacturer Stepan Co. […]
DuPage County and McHenry County ranked in the top 50 counties nationally for exceeding permits, the Environment Illinois analysis, “Troubled Waters,” said.
* Congressional candidate John Laesch was an embarrassment to many Democrats last year during his race against Republican Denny Hastert. Laesch had a problem with his often goofy antics and silly statements. He hasn’t shown any real improvement this year, either.
But while his fundraising has improved over his less than stellar showing last year, he’s in a heap of trouble, as Hiram accurately points out…
John Laesch’s race this time, however, is much different than last primary cycle’s race against Ruben Zamora, who in his end of year filing for 2005 had $4,535 in contributions (Ruben did not file an October 2005 quarterly report). While Laesch’s total numbers have improved by almost $52,000 compared to 2005, he is now in a four-way race with two competitors who have more money than him. One of those candidates is Bill Foster, who raised almost four times Laesch’s total contributions in just this quarter - before Bill doubled that number through a personal donation to his campaign.
Jotham Stein, the first Democrat to announce his candidacy in the 14th District race, has almost certainly also raised more money than John Laesch. By Jotham’s second quarter report he had raised a total of $44,040, although most of it, like John Laesch’s, was burned through in operating expenses and debt. The Stein campaign has not yet filed its third quarter report.
In a physically large congressional district with expensive media money will count a lot. The John Laesch campaign has to ramp up fundraising dramatically this quarter if they’re going to have a shot at winning the primary. We should know the status of Jotham Stein’s campaign finances soon.
* You can see Laesch’s quarterly fundraising report here. Below is a screen cap of the summary…
Foster, who has considerable personal wealth, will probably spend whatever it takes to win this primary, so Laesch is the decided underdog.
* Meanwhile, as you may recall, I took a bit of a whack at Marguerite Murer the other day for a silly resume inflation. She writes…
Great blog. Thanks for writing about my pondering the 11th District race yesterday. I grew up in the district and am proud of its rich history of strong values, strong families, and a commitment to helping each other. It was a great place to grow up and I would like to give back and serve the community that has positively shaped so many lives. It has been exciting to come home and see the growth and development throughout the area and I would like to be a part of the team of the forward thinking leaders.
The Senate moved unanimously to preserve the mission of the state Procurement Policy Board on a busy legislative day that also included a Senate vote to restore $8 million that the governor cut from the budget.
The 56-0 vote in support of the lease-monitoring agency came the same day the Chicago Sun-Times disclosed Blagojevich’s veto, as well as concerns from a key member of the panel about at least $1.1 million the administration has spent to lease 225 parking spaces near the James R. Thompson Center.
* University chief says Poshard can stay, but must correct ‘84 paper; more here and here and here
* Daley ‘insulted’ at being blasted by press about tax hikes
Southwest alone can stop the deal because, under federal law, it must be approved by airlines making up 65% of the combined weight of the planes that land at Midway. Southwest, Midway’s largest tenant, accounts for more than 65% of the landing weight all by itself.
If the silence is “truly neutral and there’s no religious coercion'’ during it, then the law probably could survive a court challenge, said Rob Boston, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Children even now are allowed to cross themselves or fold their hands in school, as long as their acts are voluntary and not disruptive, Boston said. But a second grader from a non-Christian family may be confused if he sees classmates crossing themselves, and his teacher may have a tough time explaining to him what his rights are during his new moment of silence, Boston said.
“Unfortunately lawmakers continue to meddle in this area, so we end up with laws like this that are either difficult to interpret or end up not having much practical effect, except to add another burden to the teachers’ day.”
A Southern Illinois University investigation into plagiarism allegations against President Glenn Poshard found that portions of his master’s and doctoral writings were lifted or improperly cited, and that they would not hold up to today’s academic standards.
Poshard, who will keep his job, should correct the errors using currently acceptable citation practices, according to the seven-member faculty committee that reviewed Poshard’s graduate work from the 1970s and 1980s.
The board of trustees, which has expressed its support for the beleaguered president, again said today that Poshard should continue as the leader of the state’s second-largest university. He had faced the possibility of disciplinary hearings or revocation of his graduate degrees.
“Even though the Review Committee says these mistakes were unintentional and inadvertent, they are my mistakes. And I take full responsibility for them,” Poshard said in a statement. “At no time in my life would I have ever intentionally brought harm to this University or its reputation, but even for those unintentional acts, I apologize to the University community.”
* 3:38 pm - Mayor Daley is insulted by press coverage of his budget plan. Whatever…
“All of the sudden, you blasted me the first day without ever hearing anything. I went there [to editorial boards] for maybe an hour and, all of the sudden, you decided that everything is bad. Everything is wrong. That I don’t understand struggling families. That’s an insult to me,” the mayor told reporters at an unrelated news conference at Davis Square Park, 4430 S. Marshfield.
“You’ve done a lot to me over the years. You try to put me in different images. And you have the power of the pen. You have all the ink you want. But, I hope you never say I don’t understand the people of Chicago. I’ve been mayor since 1989. I’ve lived in this city all my life. . Never try to say that the mayor doesn’t care about struggling people . I have worked very hard as a public official to understand the problems.” […]
“We’re talking about $100 at the most on a $250,000 [home]. One-hundred dollars at the most. And that’s the highest. That’s what we’re talking about. So, don’t infer that, some way, real estate taxes are just gonna be thrown away wasteful,” he said.
* Via Bill Dennis, Jim McConoughey is a Republican candidate in the race to replace retiring Republican Ray LaHood and has released a new poll…
As the race stands today, among those voters who have a definite opinion of whom they would support, Aaron Shock garners 23%, Jim McConoughey garners 6.6% and John Morris is at 2.6%. The key point is that 67.8% of likely Republican primary voters are not firmly committed to any one candidate.
The key driver in Schock’s early lead is simply name identification. Of likely voters in next year’s primary, 51% of voters have “heard of” and have a “formed opinion” of Schock, while McConoughey’s number stands at 19.6% and Morris is at 19.2%.
* After biographies were read to the respondents (no bios supplied yet) the poll shows these numbers…
McConoughey Bio – 37.8%
Aaron Schock Bio – 29.4%
John Morris Bio – 13.4%
Undecided – 17.2%
Refused – 2.2%
* Methodology….
The survey was conducted September 10-11, among 500 Illinois voters in the 18th Congressional District who indicated they were likely to cast a Republican ballot in the primary next February. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%
* Schock also polled this district back in late August, when incumbent Ray LaHood’s son was still considering the race. The trendlines, such as they are, are below, with the more recent McConoughey’s results listed first…
* Make of this what you will, but if McConoughey releases a strong financial report this month then it will be much easier to make his case that getting his message out is what he needs to win.
There are very high expectations for Schock’s fundraising abilities, so McConoughey’s financial success, or lack thereof, is a crucial issue here. If he has no money - or if he’s buried by Schock’s cash - there will be no message.
* The most prominent Democratic candidate is, of course, Dick Versace, whose campaign kickoff event didn’t go over well with several people who covered it, including Bernie Schoenburg…
However, the idea that his life has taught Versace something he can pass on to voters was turned on its head at the end of the session. That’s when Versace, whose campaign manager recently moved in from Washington, D.C., refused to answer questions from reporters.
Well, if Versace has life experience, he probably has opinions on things like gun control and abortion and health care, not to mention how to get the U.S. out of a war he said he wants to end. He said he wants to hear from voters during a listening tour before giving his views on the issues, on the grounds that, if people knew he had views already, why would they want to talk to him?
How silly. People give their two cents’ worth to politicians all the time, on a wide range of issues they care about, hoping to reinforce or change policy decisions. The abrupt end to the event was clearly a gimmick to keep Versace from saying the wrong thing. The tactic also kept news outlets from providing a better picture of a first-time candidate who voters know nothing about except that he’s been big in basketball.
It’s bad enough when the governor plays games and walks away with mouth shut. It’s not smart for a new candidate seeking to introduce himself to do the same thing.
Basketball is a game. Representing people in Congress shouldn’t be.
Versace tells audiences that he’s not a career politician. A experienced politician — such as Ray LaHood, for example, or two of the people running the GOP nomination — would not be so foolish as to enter a race not willing and able to discuss the issues on day one of the campaign.
“If I answer questions on issues today, the people who I’m going to go visit would say, ‘What do you need to see us for? We already know where you stand,’” Versace told reporters during a contentious Springfield news conference formally launching his long-expected candidacy.
When pressed by reporters for some hint of his stance on issues, Versace responded: “I don’t want to debate this with you. I’ll tell you what: Your question deserves an answer, and I’m going to give you an answer. But it’s not going to be today. OK?”
At issue is the change of a single word in existing law. The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act already says teachers “may” have their students observe a moment of silence as “an opportunity for silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day.” But Senate Bill 1463 replaces “may” with “shall.”
Earlier this year, the legislation passed the Senate, 58-1, and the House, 86-26. But Blagojevich saw it as raising the specter of enforced school prayer.
The Senate has already overridden the veto. The House is scheduled to vote on it this week.
“This isn’t about prayer and it’s not about punishing anyone,” [the House sponsor of the bill] said. “We’re just trying to encourage teachers to use this moment at the beginning of the day to get things off to a good start.” […]
Some schools, some classrooms and some students may benefit from the calming effects of a moment of silent thought-gathering as the school day begins. Sure. But others may not need it. They might benefit more from a moment of science, to paraphrase a bumper sticker I saw recently, or from singing a song, or from doing 100 jumping jacks or issuing a group primal scream as the tardy bell rings.
The fact is setting aside a moment to contemplate the day’s events, to take a deep breath, to repeat a favorite phrase or Scripture or yes, even, say a few words to one’s Best Friend and the King of the Universe, doesn’t threaten our freedoms at all. It gives us a chance to exercise our First Amendment rights.
Question: We had this debate several months ago, but take a look at the stories linked above and discuss what you think of this bill. Should the veto be overridden or not? Also, please explain your rationale.
* As I told you yesterday, Republican Tim Baldermann launched his campaign to replace retiring Congressman Jerry Weller with an attack on the likely Democratic nominee, Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson…
“Debbie Halvorson has been the number two leader in the state Senate for the past four years and if anyone has followed the news to any degree at all, they know our state government is as badly managed as is conceivable,” said Baldermann. “Our federal government has problems, but the last thing we need is to have the proven dysfunction of Springfield infect Washington.”
“Our state government also is in desperate need of a clean break and those that created the appalling state of affairs in Springfield are the last people on Earth to straighten out Washington and that is a large part of why I’ve decided to make this race.”
* I asked Halvorson about the early attack yesterday and she said she’d have no comment, claiming that she wants to stay above the fray. Halvorson said basically the same thing to the Pantagraph…
“I have no comment. We don’t even know if he’ll be my opponent,” Halvorson said.
“It’s that kind of tired and agonistic [rhetoric] that people are tired of,” said Myron Brick, chairman of the Will County Democratic Party. “We want to send problem solvers to Washington and that’s what Sen. Halvorson is.”
“It’s plain to see that many Republicans in Congress have strayed from our core principles and that is why they lost the majority in the last election. With a new president taking office after this election we will have the opportunity for a clean break from the recent past. That will also be a good time for reinvigorated Republicans in Congress to have a new beginning.”
* If you want any more justification for overriding one of the governor’s vetoes, here it is…
The state is paying more than $1 million over two years for 235 parking spaces in private garages around the Thompson Center.
Back in August, the governor vetoed a bill that renewed the state’s Procurement Policy Board oversight authority of leases. The House overwhelmingly overrode the veto, but the Senate has not yet taken action.
More on those parking spots…
Responding to the criticism, state officials cited “safety” as well as key state workers’ need for quick access to vehicles to “attend events to help promote the governor’s budget proposals” and to “drive to Springfield on short notice.”
Besides, says Hofer, why should state workers have to use mass transit to get to their various appointments when driving is quicker?
“It doesn’t make sense to take a train — and spend an hour and a half on the train — when you could drive there for 20 minutes,” says Hofer.
Oh, man, that’s gonna sting. At a time when so many legislators are screaming for more mass transit dollars, the governor’s office disses the CTA? Oof.
“This board has paid for itself a thousand times over by thoroughly reviewing the hundreds of state leases worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” says state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), who’s pushing for a Senate override. “This is yet another prime example of why we need to not only keep the board but strengthen its authority and give it more resources to watch our wallets.”
Agreed.
* Meanwhile, the House voted to uphold one of the governor’s other vetoes yesterday, giving Blagojevich a rare win in that chamber…
Truckers must still drive 55 mph after the Illinois House had second thoughts about raising the highway speed limit for semis to 65.
Prodded by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and safety experts, more than 30 state representatives ditched their previous support for the increase and sided with the governor that speed limits should stay where they are. After getting 90 votes in May, the plan for higher trucker speeds received just 57 on Wednesday.
Blagojevich issued a statement saying the Illinois House had done the “right thing.” Earlier Wednesday, he’d stood under an interstate overpass in Chicago and said lawmakers who supported the change would be ‘’voting to kill people.'’
Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the governor made personal phone calls to legislators on the issue but said he did not offer construction projects or other incentives in return.
There was definitely an all-out effort to convince the House to uphold that veto, which the Senate overwhelmingly overrode. I can’t help but wonder how some of those Senate Democrats who overrode the veto think about the governor’s remarks yesterday about how they had voted to “kill people,” however. Most likely, they just brushed it off as typical Rod Speak. But politics is a game of addition, and he may have subtracted a bit from his Senate base yesterday.
* More…
* IL House puts brakes on truck speed limit increase
* Mark Brown takes a crack at writing about TIF district spending today, which he calls Chicago’s “hidden tax increase”…
Instead of flowing though the normal channels, where the [tax receipt] money would be split among the city, Board of Education, Park District, City Colleges and Cook County, the city gets to keep the TIF funds in a separate pile that can be spent at the mayor’s direction and without even showing up in the city’s budget.
The money goes for a variety of purposes, some undoubtedly worthwhile, some questionable. Much of the money goes toward subsidies for the developers within the ever-expanding TIF districts.
* And how much are we talking about?
“We’ve now TIFed 30 percent of the land area of the city,” he continues, pointing out that the $400 million in TIF spending exceeds the entire budget of the Department of Streets and Sanitation. […]
The $400 million is also more money than the oft-maligned Cook County government receives in total annually from property taxes.
An Associated Press analysis released on Tuesday shows that, on average, Illinoisans paid $9,336 in federal taxes in 2005 and got $6,328 back. That amounts to 68 cents on the dollar.
* Meanwhile, Mayor Daley’s tax hike plans aren’t going over too well. The Tribune editorializes today…
[Daley’s] proposed 2008 budget would increase city spending by 5.7 percent — a far bigger boost than most Chicago households and businesses can anticipate for their own spending next year.
The mayor seems to blame his workforce’s wage and benefits increases for those higher costs. As if the increases in personnel costs that he approved were imposed on him by some unseen dictator.
* And while Daley and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger talk about raising taxes, the General Assembly still has a full plate…
Senate President Emil Jones moved to boost the size of a key property tax break for Cook County homeowners Wednesday, putting in play new legislation aimed at settling the festering issue.
The movement came as Mayor Richard Daley unveiled a new city budget that would be balanced by a hefty increase in Chicago’s property taxes, placing even more pressure on lawmakers to keep the county break alive.
Democrats in the Illinois Senate are preparing to restore at least some of the money cut from the state budget by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
However, senators said Wednesday it will not be anything close to the $424 million in restorations approved by the House last week.
Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, said Senate Democrats are working on reinstating about $50 million of the $463 million cut from the fiscal 2008 budget. A detailed list of what might be restored was not available Wednesday.
“There will be some restorations of some of the reductions,” Trotter said. “We are still looking at some of the things we need to do that were inadvertently done. There’s been some reassessments.”
As the General Assembly continued its fall veto session, Chicago area transit officials on Wednesday braced for the grim prospect of a continuing stalemate over transit funding.
Already burned by unfulfilled promises of long-term help from Springfield, CTA President Ron Huberman refused on Wednesday to slam the door on yet another bailout but warned that delays in approving new transit funding would result in service cuts and fare hikes in January that will “scare a lot of people.”
* More…
* Daley’s call for record property tax hike stuns aldermen
* Daley’s proposed tax hikes have residents worried
Thursday, Oct 11, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* McQueary: Peraica faces Southland challenge in GOP race for State’s Attorney
Cook County Board member Tony Peraica, a Riverside Republican, is running for state’s attorney. A second Republican, Ed Barron, of Orland Park, is preparing to run, as well. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, Barron is a shill for Ed Vrdolyak, running for the position simply to undermine Peraica in the Feb. 5 primary. Vrdolyak and Peraica have been foes for years. Despite Vrdolyak’s recent indictment by federal prosecutors, Peraica believes Fast Eddie still is attempting to jackknife his political career.
The conspiracy theorists even speculate Vrdolyak and Co. lured Peraica to a fake fundraiser last month co-hosted by a potentially damaging character just to trap him. Can you imagine? A state’s attorney candidate collecting checks at a fundraiser hosted by unsavory gentlemen? Talk about headlines.
Illinois pharmacists who object to dispensing emergency birth control would be allowed to step aside while someone else filled the prescription, under a deal that could settle a lawsuit against the state.
That person — not required to be a pharmacist — would contact a pharmacist at a different location, then follow directions for dispensing the so-called morning-after pill.
The compromise means pharmacists would not have to offer a drug they oppose on moral grounds, but minors who need it (adults can obtain emergency contraceptives without a prescription) would not be turned away and have to find a different pharmacy.
* Union calls for good care of IL nursing home residents
Illinois took a step forward recently in providing a tool to combat the destructive, sometimes fatal, effects of mental illness. A new law that will take effect next June will make it somewhat easier for family members to commit a loved one for treatment.
While many mental health advocates heralded the signing of House Bill 234 into law, they certainly are not cheerleading for involuntary confinement of people in mental hospitals. Rather, they see hope in allowing families to step in before a mentally ill person hits rock bottom and thus provide treatment that will allow them to lead a happier, safer and more productive life.
* Anti-violence group, CeaseFire, aided with protest
