*** 1:20 pm *** The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted 8-2 this morning to block the governor’s health care expansion plan.
JCAR and the administration have been deadlocked over the issue since the governor ordered his agencies to ignore JCAR’s ruling that they couldn’t expand health care with vetoed budget money last year. Some additional background on today’s specific vote is here.
Administration officials hurriedly left the committee hearing room after the vote without taking questions.
* But the governor’s office just released this statement…
JCAR has provided its input. We will move forward and continue to, within the parameters of the law, assist the uninsured in getting access to affordable coverage as well as helping to protect coverage for working parents within the FamilyCare program.
Your guess is as good as mine on what that means.
* My intern Kevin Fanning was at the meeting and filed this report…
After a few introductory questions were asked, Representative Lou Lang fired the first shot:
“Where do you have the money?”
To which the administration officials replied, “In our budget.”
“But if there wasn’t a surplus, and you added a program that wasn’t already there, where is the money coming from?” Lang asked.
The panel had no answer to the question, and more grilling ensued. Finally, Lang asked “Why did you even come to JCAR in the first place?” to which the increasingly angry panel replied: “Because we wanted to go through the process.”
Representative Fritchey added to the fray when he stated, “All we’re being told is ‘Don’t worry we can pay for it.’ How? ‘Don’t worry we can pay for it.’ Help us help yourselves.”
A member of the administration responded: “It shouldn’t be like Mother may I.”
With that Representative Lang made the motion to block the expansion. The motion was seconded, and subsequently passed 8 to 2. The director of DHFS stormed out of the meeting before it formally adjourned.
I asked Representative Lang if he considered the hearing a proxy war with the administration. “The Governor’s office will consider this a battle over process,” Lang said. “They will say that nothing is more important than healthcare. I will say that nothing is more important than the Constitution of the State of Illinois. If the Governor wants to provide healthcare, then I will sit down and join him in that effort, but he needs to come to the General Assembly.”
“We’re going to see if the administration proceeds to continue a program that we’ve now denied twice. We have something on the third floor of the Capitol called the Illinois General Assembly, and if they’re interested in changing the laws of the state of Illinois they can come there with a bill like everybody else. They can propose a law in bill form, and we will vote for it up or down. I might even vote for it. They consider JCAR to be advisory.”
*** 1:51 pm *** Congressional Democratic candidate Bill Foster just released a new poll which shows him leading Republican Jim Oberweis…
This is a special election, held on a Saturday, so polling may not be all that much help. The ground game is gonna be very important and Foster claims superiority there.
The poll itself had just 402 respondents and was taken over a four-day period (Feb. 21-24). It has a rather high margin of error of 4.9 percent.
Foster continues to hold a significant lead (47%-25%) among the critical segment of voters who identify themselves as Independents. Foster has also succeeded in consolidating his party behind him following the primary, as 89% of self-identified Democrats now say they will vote for the businessman and scientist. On the flip side, Oberweis’ biggest problem is his failure to consolidate his party following the negative and divisive Republican primary. Just 76% of self-identified Republicans say they will vote for Oberweis, a number which is less surprising when we see an astonishing 11% of Republicans who are STRONGLY unfavorable to him, a number which has not changed at all since the first survey we conducted (an additional 2% hold somewhat unfavorable views).
The party results have a much larger MoE, of course, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.
* 2:01 pm - From Taegan Goddard…
By law, members of Congress and their highest paid staff are required annually to disclose information about their personal finances, including details about their debts, investments, outside earned income, spousal employment, major gifts received and even their gambling winnings.
*** 2:43 pm *** Reps. David Miller and John Fritchey just held a Statehouse press conference to announce they would sponsor legislation to codify the governor’s health care proposals which were once again rejected by JCAR this morning.
Miller and Fritchey said that their disagreement with the governor wasn’t necessarily over policy, but process. So, the governor’s proposals ought to be subjected to the will of the entire General Assembly, not just JCAR. More in a bit.
UPDATE: From the Miller-Fritchey press release…
“From the beginning, we have maintained that we fully support the principle of providing access to quality, affordable health care,” Fritchey, a co-sponsor of the bill, said. “Our concern has been rooted in the means by which the Governor has sought to do it. An initiative of this scope and importance should go through the Legislature, and that is what we are attempting to do with this bill.”
The problem is, the health care delivery system we’ve created for ourselves — a “third party payer” system, in which most Americans get their health insurance through their employer — creates perverse incentives, and, because the consumer of the health services is divorced from paying for those services, offers no incentives to manage health care costs better. Moreover, too many workers are left in a “job lock,” where they are afraid to move to a new job because they would lose their current health insurance coverage. That stifles economic growth and increased productivity, and is a further drain on our national economy.
Oberweis proposes abandoning employer health insurance and moving towards things like health savings accounts.
* Question: Do you agree or disagree with Oberweis? Explain fully.
* As I’ve said before, Martin Ozinga’s name is being floated as a possible successor to former 11th Congressional District GOP congressional candidate Tim Baldermann. The Pantagraph tried to reach him, but he’s out of the country…
Among those mulling a run include Martin Ozinga III, owner of a Chicago-area concrete and construction company.
‘’He has been contacted. He is considering it,'’ his assistant, Margie Nelson, said Monday.
* But there could be a big problem with Ozinga. Larry found this Tribune story from 2005…
The boldly striped red and white cement trucks have long been a common sight in Chicago, pouring concrete for miles of curbs and sidewalks as well as for skyscrapers, Comiskey Park and Navy Pier.
The trucks have brought their owners, Ozinga Bros. Inc., tens of millions of dollars in city contracts and launched members of the family-owned firm to noted positions in local political and charitable circles.
But behind the scenes, documents and interviews show, the Ozinga firm repeatedly dodged city rules and exploited an affirmative-action program to win lucrative contracts.
As City Hall wrestles with scandals in its programs to lift minority- and women-owned businesses, the Ozingas provide a case study in how a white-owned company can work the system–and win.
The company’s actions include creating a spinoff concrete firm in the 1980s to win city business reserved exclusively for minority-owned companies. Martin, Richard and James Ozinga–all white men–enlisted the help of two African-American churches in Chicago’s depressed South Side, giving nine church members 51 percent ownership to technically meet the city’s rules.
But two of the African-American church members now say the spinoff company was bogus and that minorities had little control of the business. “It was a classic front,” church member Henry Washington says.
Hmm. That wouldn’t be good.
* Meanwhile, OneMan lets loose on those who have criticized Jim Oberweis for having a capital fund that invests in Asia, and whacks Bill Foster for skipping more debates before next month’s special election. Go take a look.
* The least popular thing to do in Illinois is question the sainted Patrick Fitzgerald. The US Attorney has put “The Fear” into almost every politician in this state, so it’s difficult to find fault.
However, a ruling yesterday by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve yesterday has made me rethink parts of Tony Rezko’s prosecution. I went through a bunch of this with subscribers already, so let’s just look at this one avenue here…
The ruling disclosed another alleged transaction involving Blagojevich’s campaign fund. Rezko promised a businessman an appointment to a state post in exchange for a $50,000 political donation to the governor, according to prosecutors.
Joseph Cacciatore allegedly asked Rezko to help his brother, Phil, land a spot on the Illinois Banking Board. Rezko said it would happen if he kicked in $25,000 to the governor’s campaign fund. Rezko offered to contribute another $25,000 through one of his companies on behalf of Cacciatore, according to the ruling.
Phil Cacciatore did get that Banking Board spot, but there are no corresponding contributions on the State Board of Elections website.
* Why is this important? Because Judge St. Eve said that prosecutors could use the alleged Cacciatore scam to buttress a charge against Rezko. The charge centers on an alleged shakedown of Tom Rosenberg for a $1.5 million campaign contribution to Blagojevich. That story has lots of its own serious holes, not the least of which is star witness Stu Levine’s credibility and his alleged $25,000 a month drug habit…
“Two federal fraud indictments did not motivate Levine to plead guilty,” Rezko’s attorneys wrote in a 16-page filing, many parts of it redacted. “Rather, the evidence shows that Levine was fearful that the government would discover his secret life” and that Levine began cooperating only after learning that the government “had discovered and was investigating his secret life.
“As much as the government would like to describe Levine’s [redacted] as merely [redacted], the fact that each such affair involved [redacted] and all-night sessions fueled by huge quantities of illegal drugs gives Levine much more to hide, and much more to fear.”
They really want to get this out, but I’m not gonna help. You shouldn’t, either. Don’t risk being banned.
Monday’s ruling indicated that prosecutors allege that Kjellander served as a straw man for Rezko in the bond deal. Rezko, the ruling suggested, directed the investment bank Bear Stearns to give the fee to Kjellander, who then transferred $600,000 of the $809,000 fee to Joseph Aramanda, a Rezko business associate. Aramanda then allegedly turned over $450,000 to four other people designated by Rezko.
In an interview Monday, Kjellander said he made a “loan” to Aramanda “because I got a very favorable interest rate. That loan was repaid before the due date, and I made a very nice profit on the interest.”
So, if Kj loaned the money to Aramanda, what, exactly is the beef with Kj? Judge St. Eve decided that this particular avenue would be inadmissable evidence against Rezko. I’m not sure why prosecutors even brought it up, except to throw more mud on the defendant, which is not their job.
In Monday’s ruling, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, Lon Monk, was mentioned as signing off on Levine’s reappointments.
Since Monk was the chief of staff, he probably signed off on all appointments.
* All that being said, there are some obvious problems with the Blagojevich administration and serious charges against Rezko. For instance, because this contribution actually exists, I give this bit of evidence more weight…
According to the ruling, Rezko and Levine met at a dinner party on Nov. 2, 2002—just three days before Blagojevich defeated Jim Ryan for governor. At the time, Rezko was one of Blagojevich’s biggest fundraisers and Levine, Jim Ryan’s law school classmate, was the largest single contributor to Ryan’s campaign for governor.
The party was hosted by Fortunee Massuda, a shareholder in Rezko’s pizza business, and her husband, Charles Hannon, according to the ruling. In 2003, Blagojevich appointed Massuda to the state’s Health Facilities Planning Board, just weeks after she gave Blagojevich’s campaign $25,000. Prosecutors contend Hannon was to be the recipient of a bogus consulting fee from an investment firm awarded business by the Teachers Retirement System, on whose board Levine sat, St. Eve said in her ruling. The fee is alleged to have been arranged by Rezko and Levine.
I’m not sure if that fee was ever paid. But there is that campaign contribution, and that’s all bad for the governor. There were others just like it around that time.
* Relaxing Wrigley Field’s landmark status is no big thing with me. It would be stupid for anybody to drastically change the look of the place, since the park is what really sells tickets, but if that’s what they want to do, then go for it. I care not.
The Tribune Co.’s plan to have a state agency acquire and renovate Wrigley Field would require the city to relax the ballpark’s landmark status and forfeit for 30 years the sales tax growth generated by the remodeling, a top official said Monday.
More on the new tax thingy…
The Wrigley renovation would be financed by bonds retired by increased stadium revenues — everything from naming rights, sponsorships and concessions to clubs seats and additional skyboxes. The Tribune Co. would get a higher price for the stadium because ISFA can issue tax-exempt, longer-term bonds at a reduced interest rate.
Thompson described the arrangement as a sales tax version of tax-increment-financing (TIF). But, instead of freezing property taxes at existing levels and using the growth for business subsidies and infrastructure improvements within the district, the sales tax increment generated by the stadium renovation would be used to modernize Wrigley.
“The city would have to give up their share of sales tax increment for the next 30 years,” Thompson said.
Too cute by half. And, notice, there’s no estimate given for how much revenue the city would lose.
* Everybody keeps quoting Same Zell and Jim Thompson on this subject, but do you ever wonder how potential team buyers feel? Crain’s had a piece recently that suggested it wasn’t going down all that well…
Would-be owners fear being saddled with decades of rent payments to compensate Tribune for a ballpark they’ll never own. That would crimp cash flow that otherwise could be spent on signing All-Stars in pursuit of a long-elusive World Series championship, they say.
“That is money not going . . . for the benefit of the team or fans,” says a member of another bidding group who also requested anonymity. “It is just rent out of the team’s pocket (that could pay) for salaries that is being capitalized into a lump sum for Tribune’s benefit.”
“Overall, the fairgrounds needs some major overhaul as far as the electrical systems,” Reitz said Monday. “They don’t have the money to make all of the upgrades they need to do. They fix the problems as they happen. It’s just another need, and it’s not in the budget.”
But those dire warnings have failed to persuade most of the board’s 17 commissioners to back Stroger’s $3.2 billion budget plan, which now calls for increasing the county sales tax to 2 percent from 0.75 percent. That increase would boost the overall
In Illinois, Comptroller Dan Hynes’ report prompted the governor’s office to disclose the $750 million hole in this budget. Not only do lawmakers have to worry about how to come up with enough money to pay next year’s expenses, they need to find more cash this year — or make spending cuts.
Most of the research focuses on officials who paid family members for fundraising and campaign work, and senators whose family members are lobbyists. It also details which senators reimbursed themselves with money from their campaign committees.
For months, federal prosecutors have alleged that Antoin “Tony” Rezko tried to extort a $1.5 million contribution to the campaign of “Public Official A” from a Hollywood producer seeking investment business from the state.
And for months, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has repeatedly denied he was “Public Official A.”
But a week before Rezko’s much-anticipated trial, a federal judge revealed that Blagojevich was to have been the recipient of the $1.5 million campaign contribution at the center of the alleged extortion plot. […]
In another ruling, the judge allowed testimony at trial about an allegation that Rezko offered the relative of a politically connected developer a post on the state’s banking board in exchange for a $25,000 donation to Blagojevich’s campaign fund. […]
Later Monday, a federal appeals court in Chicago sided with prosecutors that Rezko should remain jailed pending trial.
In a nine-page ruling this afternoon, U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would allow federal prosecutors to present evidence about a portion of a $375,000 finder’s fee that a Rezko associate, Joseph Aramanda, obtained through an alleged kickback scheme orchestrated by Rezko.
She also ruled that prosecutors can ask questions about how some of the $375,000 allegedly was used “to make a political contribution” in Aramanda’s name “because Rezko had already donated the maximum amount by law and he could not make the contribution himself.”
The ruling does not identify Obama as the recipient of that contribution. But sources have identified Obama as the “political candidate” who prosecutors say received a $10,000 contribution from Aramanda — at Rezko’s direction — during his 2004 run for U.S. Senate. Obama has donated that contribution to charity.
[Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff] dismissed the suggestion that Public Official A was Blagojevich, saying, “Based on the description in the filing, it is not the governor.”
* 6:57 pm - The Sun-Times has updated its story to include Obama’s response…
Informed of the judge’s ruling, Obama presidential campaign spokesman Bill Burton said, “We had no knowledge of any straw donations and have returned any of the donations about which we have any reasonable question.
“By now it is well established that Sen. Obama is not involved in the matters at issue in the [Rezko] trial.”
After cancelling Friday’s session, the Senate has now cancelled tomorrow’s session, which was news to one member who was already half-way to Springfield when I spoke to him on the phone a few minutes ago.
Anyway, now you know.
Also, Senate President Emil Jones was interviewed by ABC’s Nightline last week and I’m told that he and some other legislators, including Sen. Kirk Dillard, will be featured either tonight or tomorrow. Check your local listings. [UPDATE: Here’s the transcript]
…Adding… I really need to find the time to watch WGN morning news more often. A hilarious, must-see video…
* Fran Eaton and others have been following the legislative maneuvering surrounding the proposed Equal Rights Amendment over at Illinois Review and elsewhere, and she makes the ERA itselt the topic of her SouthtownStar column this week…
If the ERA passed in Illinois, a couple more states would follow suit, and it would return to the federal level for adoption. With its adoption, the word “sexes” for the first time would be included in the U.S. Constitution’s language. The ERA’s aim is to promote special protections based on sex. That would demand that all abortions - because only women have abortions - be constitutionally protected and paid for by tax dollars. States that already have adopted the ERA have been forced to adopt those policies.
Pro-traditional family activists are very concerned that with the ERA, states will be forced to issue marriage licenses to any two persons who request them because the ERA eliminates discrimination based on sex.
But Madigan may not be aware that stay-at-home moms and widows will be affected by the passage of the ERA. Women who have chosen a career of taking care of their families instead of a career outside the home no longer will be able to tap into their husband’s Social Security reserves upon his retirement or death.
Because sex no longer will be a factor, provisions within Social Security set aside for women who haven’t paid into the system will be discontinued. This is the opinion of none else than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
But not only will the ERA’s passage stir the hackles of little old ladies and helpless widows, 18-year-old college women may be up in arms.
No longer will military registration be required of just males, it also will be required of females - again, no discrimination based on sex. While more and more young women are choosing the military as a career option, if the draft were to be enacted in a stepped-up defense in the war on terror, our 18-year-old women would be forced into service along with our 18-year-old men.
* Here’s the language of the proposed amendment…
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
* Question: Should Illinois pass the ERA? Why or why not?
Normally, a tax hike would be the last thing state legislators would consider in an election year. Tax increases are usually approved in “off years” to give voters time to forget before they vote. So you’d think that any talk of a large income tax increase in Springfield would be the last thing being considered.
But the ever-growing likelihood that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama may end up as the presidential nominee is giving Illinois Democrats hope that his presence at the top of the ticket will negate any voter negativity associated with just about anything they do this year. And one of the controversial items on the agenda for some of those Democrats is an income tax increase.
A spokesperson for Illinois Senate President Emil Jones confirmed last week that Jones once again is supporting an income tax hike.
Last year at this time, Jones joked with reporters that while state Sen. James Meeks’ income tax hike proposal wasn’t exactly dead, Jones would be assigning it to the “hospice committee” and wouldn’t allow a floor vote on the bill. Jones had long supported an income tax hike for school funding and property tax relief, but he abandoned that position last year in favor of the governor’s gross receipts tax - which never went anywhere - and adamantly refused to budge.
The column goes on to detail Meeks’ new bill to raise the income tax and looks at its prospects. Discuss below, but I’m also wondering what you think of the column’s thesis: Democrats may be able to get away with almost anything this year if Obama is at the top of the ticket.
This is not a prediction that Obama will, in fact, make it to November, particularly since the column was written on Friday morning and since then the Clinton campaign appears to be pulling out every single stop in the week leading up to Texas and Ohio. So, let’s avoid that subject, please. Try to keep it to a “what if” discussion, Drudge’s hyperventilating notwithstanding.
* Universities are like little political kingdoms dotting the landscape of Illinois. They’ve resisted every attempt to reform their fiefdoms, whether it be throwing some sunshine on their insider contracting, or freedom of information or the Public Meetings Act. Every time the General Assembly tries to force reforms, they gin up their almuni organizations to oppose them as certain death knells. It’s pretty ridiculous to watch.
Also, their budgets ballooned over the years while salaries for top administrators soared beyond alll reason except “everybody is doing it.” So, I often avoid the topic of university budgets because they still have a lot more to cut.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to give $300-per-child tax rebates to help families make ends meet, but they may need it to help cover rising tuition under his budget plan.
Faced with stagnant and now possibly declining state funding in Blagojevich’s proposed budget, state schools say they’ll be forced to raise tuition even higher next year.
All told, the governor’s higher education budget would drop state general support of public universities by nearly $11 million to $1.36 billion. […]
Randall Kangas, budget spokesman for U of I Urbana-Champaign, said its proposed state funding is below what it received in the 2000 budget year, not accounting for inflation.
Somehow, some way, state government needs to rein in university spending while still providing enough resources to avoid massive tuition hikes. Maybe you can come up with some ideas in comments.
* More budget stuff, compiled by Kevin…
* SEN. KIRK DILLARD: Imperative to hold the line on spending
* I seriously doubt that Lauzen’s name is being floated by anyone who would have a vote in the matter, but this shows you how weird things can get in times like this….
State Sen. Chris Lauzen has not considered a November congressional run in a nearby district where the Republican nominee plans to drop out the race — at least not yet.
“Let me give that some thought,” he said Saturday when asked if he would be interested in taking over for New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann, who said he will withdraw from the race in the 11th Congressional District after winning the GOP nomination earlier this month.
Lauzen was among several area officials listed in a Saturday Sun-Times story as possible replacements for Baldermann, who announced Friday he would drop out of the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller. The Aurora state senator finished second in a February primary for the Republican nod in the 14th Congressional District race to succeed U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert.
* Considering how poorly both of Baldermann’s opponents did in the primary, this looks like a shot in the dark…
Among those who may be considered are New Lenox resident Tery Heenan and Jimmy Lee of North Utica, both of whom sought the nomination in the Feb. 5 primary.
* And since Sen. Radogno would have to give up her seat to run and passed up the opportunity a few months ago, I’m not sure that she should be considered a prime contender either…
Local Republicans on Friday mentioned a few names to replace Baldermann, starting with state Sen. Christine Radogno of Lemont. But Radogno, who is seeking re-election to the senate, said she would not be a candidate. “We will need a candidate who can raise money, has some experience and who reflects the views of the district,” she said.
David McAloon, a Republican candidate for state representative in the 75th District, said he would be very interested in switching to the congressional race.
* The bottom line is that the bigwigs are looking for a self funder…
Party sources said money is going to be key in what national political observers say will be the among the 10 most competitive house races for Congress. GOP sources also stressed that they want to find a new candidate — who would be seeking to follow the retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller of Morris — with good name recognition and experience, whether in government or business.
One name being floated right now as a possible replacement is Martin Ozinga, III, who owns Ozinga Bros. Inc. in Mokena. Ozinga is reportedly considering a candidacy and would likely be at least a partial self-funder.
* A self-funder is more evidence that the Republicans are seriously worried about losing this district.
In light of Baldermann’s withdrawal, CQ Politics has changed its rating on the Illinois 11 race to Democrat Favored from No Clear Favorite. […]
The Republicans do have the opportunity, though, to make a more competitive contest out of it by November — if they can persuade a strong candidate to make a prompt decision to enter the race. […]
Finding a new, strong candidate from scratch this late in the campaign may be difficult for the Republicans, though, especially since Halvorson has a sizable head start on fundraising and could benefit from the increased possibility that the presidential candidate at the top of the Democratic ticket may be Illinois Sen.
* In Hastert country, new name rakes it in: So far, Democrat G. William Foster, a former Fermilab physicist and small-business man, has beat his GOP rival, dairy and investment firm executive James D. Oberweis, in the money race by about $100,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Each also put roughly $1.4 million of his own funds into the campaign for the March 8 special election.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Oops. I forgot to mention that Rep. Renee Kosel’s name is also being floated. Not sure yet if the party is interested, but she may be.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Kankakee Daily Journal just posted a story with this headline…
Baldermann exit a head scratcher
Please.
It’s not that difficult to figure out. Remember this story from late January?
“I have done very little fundraising,” [GOP candidate Tim Baldermann] said. “It makes me sick to my stomach. My campaign people gave me a list of people who gave money to (Weller). I told them, ‘If you think I’m going to call somebody who’s never heard of me and ask for $2,300, that’s insane.’ I fight with them every single day over it.
“They wanted my Christmas card list. I’m not doing that stuff. I refuse to do it. The Republican Party wanted me to run; the Republican Party should help fund my campaign.”
* Man alleges politics is key to landing state job
“I don’t know who’s making the call,” he said. “I don’t know, but I know as a veteran who’s qualified I cannot even get an interview and that is a sad day for the state of Illinois.”
Thousands of Illinoisans may have “wasted” their primary votes this year by taking advantage of Illinois’ early voting laws and supporting candidates who then dropped out before the Feb. 5 election.
If you had to be stranded on a desert island, you’d want a man like Patrick “P.J.” Quinn around.
Mr. Quinn, so capable he got his driver’s license at age 12, could whip up a meal, fire a weapon, fix anything, and pray all the decades of the Rosary. If you were lucky, he might serenade you with a few plucky Irish songs.
He survived the Great Depression and dangerous duty on an aircraft carrier in World War II. On a three-day shore leave, he married his sweetheart, Eileen Prindiville, and stayed at her side for 65 years.
Mr. Quinn, 93, died Saturday at his home in River Forest. “He was an outstanding father,'’ said his son, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.
* MaryAlice Erickson, longtime Republican Party official, stepping down March 9
“My brief tenure as chairman has laid a foundation for building and uniting the Cook County Republican Party. And with this foundation in place, I believe I can step aside so that new leadership can continue this work and so we can place all of our energy into the important tasks leading up to the November election.”
The convicted clerk said he got a letter detailing the alleged skimming at the Cicero facility shortly after he was indicted on charges of accepting $48,000 in bribes in exchange for steering Hired Truck business to a company owned by Mick and Traci Jones.
The RTA’s wish list was a pleasure to see and consider. But one couldn’t help wonder whether the proposals were little more than idle dreams if the state cannot scrounge up the money for billions of dollars of projects already identified and slated for completion.
Indicted developer Tony Rezko is claiming his former business partner, Dan Mahru, became a federal informant and turned on him to avoid being arrested for his own legal problems.
While the whole grand project on a site the size of Downtown Peoria would take a decade to fill out, “We want something in brick and mortar in two years,” Triggs, the city’s attorney and point man on the project, said in August 2001
Our server was down while my site hosting company moved to a new office. I forgot about it, so I didn’t warn you. Oops.
As a consolation prize, here’s some of the cast of “Animal House” talking about the 30-year anniversary of the movie on WGN’s morning news program. It’s a hoot…
What one political/legislative reform proposal would you like to see enacted this year? I’m not talking about a bill, here, I’m talking about one specific reform. Explain.
* This story, albeit slightly “comical” (ahem), illustrates again the growing divide between the public and the General Assembly. As before with Gov. Blagojevich’s declaration that senior citizens ride free on all mass transit systems, his new “economic stimulus” plan will likely be viewed with far more favor out there in Voter Land than it will be in Insider Land…
Governor Rod Blagojevich’s budget address has many small businesses hopeful. The governor is proposing a 20 percent tax break. We visited some businesses to see what the tax break could mean. […]
At Acme Comics, owner Jim Schifeling says a 20 percent cut in taxes is great news.
“That’s wonderful, every dollar in my pocket feels wonderful,” said Schifeling.
And he says it could add up to about $500 at the end of the year, meaning he may be able to pass some of those savings on to his customers.
Lawmakers already are expressing skepticism in the idea. Some say the same struggling economy Blagojevich is trying to help could also cripple the state budget, making the $300 tough to come by.
“I think it’s a questionable deal,” said state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg.
Phelps has been a pretty reliable Blagojevich vote for the past several months, so that statement is very bad news for the governor and strongly indicates just how unpopular the proposal is in the General Assembly.
* It appears that the Chicagoland Chamber may recognize the danger of flat-out opposing the stimulus plan. President and CEO Jerry Roper was quoted yesterday in the governor’s press release…
“We strongly agree with the Governor that stimulating our economy needs to be the top priority for our state because many small businesses are struggling. The business tax cut, household rebates and capital bill will provide an important boost to bolster business investment and job creation as our country lies on the brink of recession. We can replicate the stimulus package being used at a national level to help keep our economy moving forward,”
* But more Republican and Statehouse-oriented business groups were quick to pan the iidea. Doug Whitley, president and chief executive of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, had this to say…
“The governor’s rhetoric was gentler toward business in this speech than in the past, but offering a tax cut that only a handful of businesses would qualify for in exchange for a payroll tax increase that every business would have to pay is not going to create jobs or build prosperity in Illinois,”
A University of Illinois economist figures, even if every dollar of the governor’s proposed $900 million economic stimulus is spent in Illinois, it won’t do much to jump-start the state’s $528 billion economy. […]
Jeffrey Brown, a professor of finance at the U of I’s Champaign-Urbana campus, says $300 per kid for families earning between $3,000 and $75,000 a year ‘’will barely register as a blip,'’ if the plan is ultimately approved as part of the new state budget.
In other words, the plan was likely drafted as a political boost instead of an economic boost. Typical, but what do you expect?
* More budget stories, compiled by myself and Kevin…
* Is Blagojevich Leaving Transit Money on the Table?
* Considering my own experience with unjustly showing up on a “clout list,” I always take these breathless revelations with a grain of salt. People sometimes wind up on these lists without reason. The authors of the lists are not always reliable.
“Clout lists” that tracked politically backed job seekers to Gov. Blagojevich’s administration have surfaced in the case of indicted businessman Tony Rezko, with Rezko’s lawyers arguing the documents shouldn’t be allowed as evidence in his upcoming corruption trial.
The lists, which total 26 pages, offer yet another glimpse into the administration’s hiring practices shortly after the governor took office in 2003. They include dozens of recommendations made by Rezko, other Blagojevich fund-raisers, members of the General Assembly and lobbyists for full-time jobs and seats on unpaid state boards and commissions.
* Political types make recommendations to governors. That practice is as old as the Republic itself. Older…
The appointment list indicates that dozens of Democrats, including presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and even eventual Blagojevich adversaries House Speaker Michael Madigan and Rep. Jack Franks (D- Woodstock), made recommendations for posts.
But powerful Republicans also show up as patrons, including House Minority Leader Tom Cross and former Kendall County GOP Chairman Dallas Ingemunson.
David Blanchette, a spokesman for the capital board, said: “Executive Director Jan Grimes knew nothing of this list and was surprised to find out that she was on it.”
Andrew Sosnowski, an Elgin attorney who worked at the Department of Children and Family Services from 2001 until 2004 said he has had no relationship with Rezko.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said. “I have never met him, don’t know him, have never talked to him, haven’t spoken with him. I have never heard of him.”
* And while this may also be misleading, it’s quite interesting [fixed link]…
“They might have put my name down there because I’m a woman who takes in children with disabilities,” Jackson said. “I sold Tony Rezko his first condo, when he moved to Hyde Park. I’ve known him for years and years. He’s known about my work with disabled children.'’
The Wondisfords hired Jackson’s company, MetroPro Realty, to sell their mansion and the adjacent lot [to Barack Obama and Tony Reko’s wife]. Several people wanted to buy the lot without the house, but Jackson said the Wondisfords “insisted these two properties close on the same day.'’
* And, finally, here is an excerpt from that column I wrote years ago after I appeared on one of George Ryan’s clout lists, which were written by Scott Fawell…
I remember another conversation with Fawell, from a year or so before. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was pushing the Illinois General Assembly to let him build a humungous land-based casino. A huge team of lobbyists was working on the project, and some of them put together a list of legislators with comments about how each legislator could be “convinced” to support the casino. The list was leaked and much embarrassment ensued.
Fawell ridiculed the “idiot” lobbyists for putting their thoughts on paper. ”The first rule in this business is ‘Never write anything down,’”Fawell said at the time.
And the same thing goes for the Blagojevich administration and whomever wrote and kept that clout list. Rules don’t apply to them. They thought they’d never get caught. And the tragic lessons of Ryan’s administration were never learned.
The Republican nominee for retiring Rep. Jerry Weller’s (R-Ill.) seat will be withdrawing from the hotly-contested Congressional campaign Saturday morning, according to two GOP operatives in Illinois.
“It’s pretty much a done deal,” said one Illinois GOP operative.
New Lenox mayor Tim Baldermann, whose campaign was dogged by fundraising woes, never was able to garner much momentum in his campaign to succeed Weller in the GOP-leaning exurban Chicago district.
* The Politico thinks this might be good for the Republicans…
Baldermann’s withdrawal from the race could possibly play to the GOP’s advantage. Since the primary has already taken place, the county GOP committees in the district appear like they will be able to appoint a replacement to take Baldermann’s spot on the November general election ballot.
* But it’s far from clear who the GOPs would go with. There wasn’t exactly a big line of well-known, capable Republicans begging to run in that district. And with the national Dems pushing hard for Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, recruitment could be pretty darned tough.
Baldermann, 41, said that until the primary was finished, he was unaware of how time consuming his campaign would be.
He said when he ran for mayor he had no trouble fulfilling his duties as police chief, despite critics who said it could not be done. But campaigning in a large congressional district and raising the money to run a legitimate campaign would require all of his time and attention over the next nine months.
“That wouldn’t be fair to the people of Chicago Ridge, New Lenox, or my wife and children,” Baldermann said.
He said he was not withdrawing due to an illness or fearing any threat of a smear campaign during the election.
“This is the best thing for me and the Republican Party right now,” Baldermann said. “The party leaders can select the best person to represent the district in the upcoming election.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna…
“Running for Congress is a difficult job that requires the full commitment from a candidate and his family.
“I respect Tim’s decision to step aside from this race and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
“The 11th District is representative of the mainstream values Illinois families share and I’m confident a Republican candidate will emerge who brings the type of change for Illinois we’ve failed to get from Blagojevich Democrats in Springfield.”
*** UPDATE 5 *** One name being floated right now as a possible replacement is Martin Ozinga, III, who owns Ozinga Bros. Inc. in Mokena. Ozinga is reportedly considering a candidacy and would likely be at least a partial self-funder.
* There’s something important missing from this story…
[A]n Illinois House committee mustered just enough votes Thursday to advance a measure that would make the state’s moment of silence law optional for schools.
House Bill 4180 would largely rewrite a law passed last year that requires schools to start the day with a moment of silence. The law is the subject of a lawsuit filed in October by talk show host and atheist Rob Sherman and his teen-age daughter, who say it is an effort to inject religion into public schools. […]
If moments of silence were made optional, “we would certainly get the superintendent’s and the community’s input” before deciding how to proceed, Conley said.
Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill, opposed the bill sponsored by Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, saying that 14 states have a mandatory moment of silence in schools.
A bill which would “allow” rather than “mandate” a moment of silence in Illinois public schools passed its first hurdle Thursday in the Illinois House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.
In each public school classroom the teacher in charge may observe a brief period of silence with the participation of all the pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day.
* And this is what last year’s change looked like…
In each public school classroom the teacher in charge shall observe a brief period of silence with the participation of all the pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day.
In each public school classroom, the teacher in charge may conduct a brief period of silence with the participation of all the pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day.
This bill is clearly a flat-out repeal of last year’s law. I’m not sure why that hasn’t been made more clear in most of the coverage. The only other significant change is that the title of the statute has been altered, from…
But now, the RTA can veto big-ticket capital projects. It’s added a five-step process before new train track gets laid or major bus terminals get built.
To make this work, the RTA can also wield another new power; it can now demand strategic planning budgets from the CTA, Metra and PACE.
That ruling — by the California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, San Diego, in Lexin vs. Superior Court — found that trustees, who often are participants in the retirement systems on whose boards they serve, can be criminally liable if they approve a contract that tangentially provides them a personal benefit.
Last week the Chicago Reporter’s Kimbriell Kelly reported on Chicago’s “gray drain”, a mass exodus of elderly residents who simply cannot beat back the developers any longer. According to the Reporter piece, between 1990 and 2006, the City lost 15% of its elderly residents, a shocking decrease.
* Gov. Blagojevich sends letter to President Bush appealing denial of disaster aid to flooded counties
* Drug-possession charge filed against Cook County prosecutor
Charges have been filed against a Cook County assistant state’s attorney who was arrested while possessing what police say they believe were packets of heroin.
