Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2008

GOP appears to be cementing around Ozinga

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* In an announcement Monday, GOP officials said they will wait until April 30 to decide who will challenge Sen. Debbie Halvorson to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller.

Martin Ozinga III is the president of Mokena-based Ozinga Bros., one of the largest material supply companies in the Midwest. A story broke in Chicago Business yesterday that Ozinga is likely to get the spot over another wealthy business owner, Harry Bond, president of Monical’s Pizza:

Knowledgeable party sources describe Mr. Ozinga, 58, as “the consensus candidate” and say he is likely to be formally made the party’s nominee when 11th-District committeemen meet on April 30. The party’s previous nominee, New Lennox Mayor Tim Baldermann, withdrew after the February primary, creating a vacancy on the November ballot.

Will County Republican Chairman Richard Kavanagh holds the heaviest weighted vote, and apparently he’s with Ozinga. However Chairmen in Kankakee, LaSalle, Bureau and McLean counties also have a sizeable vote in the replacement, and it seems like there is still some support left for Bond.

* Ozinga has a few issues though:

The Chicago Tribune three years ago described Ozinga Bros. as a classic case of a white-owned company working the system to win minority set-asides in the city of Chicago’s contracting program. According to the story, the Ozingas forged relationships with black church leaders who then took over part of the business.

The church leaders claimed they were not included in day-to-day decisions; Ozinga told the Tribune it was a sincere effort to involve minorities in his enterprise. When it failed, he reached out to other minorities, who were able to turn a profit.

And this:

“…word of his selection already is drawing fire from some party activists, who note that he has been a major donor to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, giving the Chicago Democrat $10,000 late in 2005.”

Federal Election Commission records also show that Mr. Ozinga has given $6,000 to Rep. Weller since 2001, as well as a $1,000 donation to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The donations to Durbin and Blagojevich will likely not sit well with many loyal republicans.

* Still, both Ozinga and Bond are attractive candidates because of their ability to self-fund, especially after Baldermann’s late implosion. Who do you think should/ will be the nominee, and if Ozinga gets the nod, are these issues enough to severly hurt his chances against a potential showdown with Sen. Halvorson?

20 Comments

Question of the Day

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* The Senate Revenue Committee recently passed a proposal by Sen. James Clayborne to create a sales tax holiday beginning Aug. 1 and running through Aug. 10. Items included are school supplies, clothing or shoes under $200, and computers under $3,000.

Meanwhile, Illinois House Republicans also are seeking a sales tax break over the Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, which would exempt items priced at $600 or less from the state sales tax.

The impact of lost revenue by Sen. Clayborne’s bill on the state budget is unclear, but the Republican proposal is estimated to cost the state $40 million in lost revenue.

* The question of the day is, are proposals like these worth the lost revenue to the state?

29 Comments

Hate Crime Commission in state of paralysis

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* After Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad invited her boss, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, to speak in front of her fellow commissioners of a panel on Discrimination and Hate Crimes several of its members resigned citing disparaging remarks that were made about Jews and gays.

Lonnie Nasatir, one of the former commissioners recently said “It’s difficult for me to see how you could be eradicating hate when your primary boss is the one that spews it out.”

So after the controversy lawmakers decided to create a new version of the Governor’s Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, designed to promote tolerance within the state’s diverse population. The problem is seven months later Gov. Blagojevich hasn’t appointed a single person to the overhauled commission, and it will fail to accomplish its first major goal, presenting a report by March 30.

* What’s even more striking is that the old version of the commission hasn’t met in two years, but its executive director, Kimberly M. White, continues to draw her $96,000 annual salary.

The administration wouldn’t explain why the governor hasn’t named anyone to the commission but did say they are reviewing candidates recommended by the state.

Spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff also said the Democratic governor is following through on his promise to hold private discussions meant to help bridge the state’s racial and religious differences, although she would provide no details.

“The issues won’t be resolved overnight, but the governor is focused on maintaining dialogue and doing what he can as the chief executive of the state to foster diversity and support people who have traditionally been left behind,” she said in a statement.

Sen. Ira Silverstein, who sponsored the original legislation to establish the new commission, had the following to say:

“There’s plenty of competent people in the state of Illinois that could serve on this commission. It’s something, unfortunately, in society that we have to deal with.”

20 Comments

Stroger faces criticism after pay raise to cousin

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Cook County Board President Todd Stroger just can’t get a break these days. The Chicago Sun-Times led with a front page article yesterday on how Stroger’s cousin Donna Dunnings, the county’s new chief financial officer, is receiving a 12% pay increase.

Dunnings’ salary will be the largest increase of any county employee in the budget, with the average increase coming in at around 5%. She will make nearly $160,000 with the pay increase, about $5,000 more than Tom Glaser made at the job previously.

Stroger’s spokesman, Gene Mullins justified the pay increase by saying that “she’s doing twice the work she was before and has more responsibilities.”

The news has brought out many critics:

“It sends the message that taxpayers have to make sacrifices and President Stroger’s friends, family and supporters get special treatment,” said Jay Stewart, of the Better Government Association. “It is a classic example of how Cook County politicians look at the world — one set of rules for the outsiders and a different, more favorable set of rules for the insiders.”

Several Cook County Board commissioners are upset as well:

“This is a little bit over the top to go ahead and afford these kinds of raises,” said Commissioner Tim Schneider, a Bartlett Republican, on Monday.

Commissioner Forrest Claypool had the harshest criticism though:

“This underscores Todd Stroger’s arrogance,” Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) said of the pay raise for Dunnings. “Everybody seems to be doing poorly except for Todd Stroger’s family.”

* Stroger’s decision to spend more and hire more contradicts recent comments by Mayor Daley, who said his city government is tightening its belt and freezing hiring because of poor economic conditions. Discuss.

24 Comments

Morning Shorts

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Hugs, rolls for piano prodigy at White House

“I said, ‘Hi,’ and I gave him a hug,” Emily, 6, said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon after she’d played piano in front of about 300 people at the White House before the traditional annual Easter Egg Roll.

* City: We’ve got a way to keep cabbies from gouging

* Organic Frangos?

* Closing arguments heard in sex suit against agency

* Illinois hits record low in new TB cases

State Public Health Director Damon Arnold says everyone needs to be aware of the risks of TB, especially since the number of drug-resistant cases have been increasing.

* Residents speak out against housing plan near SIUE

* SIUC Chancellor Trevino placed on administrative leave

* Poshard: ‘I was determined to make it work‘

* Hookah lounge owners find options limited with new smoking law

* Hookah lounges havens for culture as well as smoking

* Impact of smoking ban: Casino Queen says it’s been devastating

* Illinois power disconnections begin in April

Ameren and ComEd plan to begin disconnecting electricity customers who are behind on their power bills beginning next month.

* Clydesdale sale taken out of state fairgrounds

* Illinois budget woes worry Q-C residents

* Taking a Closer Look At the Illinois GOP

* Terry Link Campaign Finance Disclosures a “Matter of Interest” for State Board of Elections

* Greg Blankenship: State leaders must shake ‘Groundhog Day’ mentality

* In Combine, cash is king, corruption is bipartisan

* Edward officials ‘kickstarted’ health board probe

* Jack Kevorkian formally announces run for Congress

* Something’s fishy about pork debate

You’ve got to hand it to Sen. Dick Durbin. When everyone is blasting the “earmarking” of federal funds for favored local projects, the Illinois Democrat defends the practice.

* Doing the math

The Obama campaign has relentlessly argued — for weeks now — that the delegate math makes Barack Obama the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee, even with 10 elections still ahead.

4 Comments

« NEWER POSTS