* First there was the millions of dollars in agriculture-related money magically released the day before the recall vote in the Senate…
“The Senate president (Emil Jones of Chicago) came on the floor today and told us we could go ahead and start making notification of our soil and water districts and extension offices,” Demuzio said.
Sen. Demuzio voted “No” on the recall proposal. [UPDATE: Sen. Demuzio did say a few weeks ago that she was going to be a “No” on recall.]
* Then there was today’s announcement that IDOT was moving an office with 150 jobs out of Springfield to Benton and ignoring state law in the process.
Sen. Gary Forby of Benton missed the recall vote, but has a good excuse.
* Now comes word that Stateville prison in Joliet may remain open….
MEDIA ADVISORY
State Senator AJ Wilhelmi will be joined by Senate President Emil Jones to make a major announcement regarding the proposed closure of Stateville Maximum Security Correctional Center.
Sen. AJ Wilhelmi (D-Joliet) voted “Present” on recall.
* As a side note, Rep. Brent Hassert has been downplaying impeachment talk lately…
But until there is more evidence of wrongdoing by the governor, some critics of Blagojevich oppose impeaching him, including the second-highest ranking Republican in the Illinois House, Rep. Brent Hassert (R-Romeoville).
“Somewhere down the line that might change, but right now I don’t see anything that’s impeachable,” Hassert said.
Hassert is on the list of invitees to the Stateville press conference.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Joliet Herald News has more…
Legislators have found a way to keep Stateville Correctional Center open.
“The word is out that Stateville is not going to be closed,” said state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet. “I am proud that we have been able to accomplish this.” […]
State Rep. Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville, said good news is coming.
“Based on my conversations with the governor’s office over the week, I feel we’re going to be in good shape,” said Hassert, whose district includes Stateville.
*** UPDATE 2 *** More magic money discovered since the Senate’s recall vote…
Blagojevich also released an additional $32 million for programs such as medical research grants and community college grants for veterans.
The governor has been saying for weeks that there just wasn’t any money in the budget for these otherwise worthwhile programs and that he had to focus on other priorities, like healthcare… and, apparently, not being recalled.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Legislators, governor’s office flatly deny any pressure was exerted on recall…
On Friday, word spread that the Blagojevich administration was backing off plans to shutter Stateville — the massive state prison in Joliet. An announcement is planned Monday, but Wilhelmi said one has nothing to do with the other.
“Absolutely not,” he said. […]
Asked why he didn’t vote “no” if he felt so strongly, Wilhelmi said, “I didn’t want to engage in what I think is a silly debate. It didn’t deserve any of us engaging.” [..]
Spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the projects had been held up because there isn’t money. If senators decide the projects are a priority, the state would consider delaying payments to health-care providers and schools to get around budget constraints. But she denied there was any connection between the local funding and the recall vote.
“No!” Ottenhoff insisted when asked the question.
* But Pat Quinn disagrees…
“The governor really let us down here,” Quinn said. “He was working behind the scenes to keep the recall amendment off the ballot. Voters should be very upset. Instead he was out there opposing it.”
* And…
“I don’t think it is a coincidence at all,” said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, a prominent proponent of the drive for recall. “[The governor’s office] basically told senators if you want this money back, then you have to vote ‘no’ on recall.”
* And what the heck?
The southern Illinois city of Benton, apparently the leading candidate to become the new home of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s division of traffic safety, has no building that would accommodate the agency, according to Benton Mayor Gary Kraft.
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Rezko lawyer plans brief defense
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The testimony phase of the Rezko trial may wrap up early next week…
Tony Rezko’s lawyers originally said they would take weeks to present their defense case. Then they said it could take days.
Today, his lawyers said the whole thing could be done in an afternoon, or possibly a day and a half.
The prosecution said they will likely rest Monday. Rezko lawyer William Ziegelmueller said the defense could be done by late Monday, maybe Tuesday.
* However…
The shortened time frame apparently will not change St. Eve’s plan to start closing arguments on May 12. Before that, the lawyers still have to hash out jury instructions.
* More…
One of [the defense witnesses] is a forensic accountant who is expected to testify that Ata could not have taken the kind of cash from his family business that he has claimed.
* Ata took an early retirement “offer” from his employer after the FBI questioned him shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He was worth $12 million in 2004. So, he apparently didn’t need the money a state job would bring. Why did he want the job? Redemption for being pressured out of his old job…
You didn’t need your state job to pay the bills?” Duffy had asked Ata earlier. “I did not.”
“Your state job had nothing to do with money, did it sir?” Duffy asked
Ata: “No it did not.”
Duffy tried to portray Ata as having a sense of pride to be the highest-ranking Muslim in the Blagojevich administration when he acted as the Executive Director of the Illinois Finance Authority from 2004-2005.
“One of the ways to get redemption was through a state position, is that fair? ” Duffy asked.
“That’s fair,” Ata said.
* More…
But Ata did agree that he sought a state post because, “I felt I needed to prove myself again through a position.” Duffy asked whether Ata wanted to have the highest position in the Blagojevich administration of anyone in the Muslim community.
“It was important to you?” Duffy asked.
“Yes,” said Ata, who was appointed executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority.
Thoughts?
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This just in… *** IDOT to ignore law ***
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
[This is getting really long and we have some new information. Comments are now closed on this post. Click on this link for the new updates and comment there instead.]
* 11:00 am - IDOT is planning to move 148 jobs out of Springfield to the southern Illinois town of Benton. IDOT is blaming the price of the lease at its “Annex” building on Dirksen Parkway. It’s a $1.7 million annual lease, but city officials have already pointed out to the administration that there are tons of empty office buildings in town that could be leased for far less.
The building is managed by Bill Cellini’s company, and there are already accusations that the governor - who is taking big hits lately in the Tony Rezko trial - may be looking to distance himself from someone else who has played a role in the trial.
The governor is also being accused privately today of trying to curry favor with Sen. Gary Forby, a Benton Democrat. Forby, a likely “Yes” vote on recall, was not in town yesterday for the Senate’s recall debate.
This could be a stretch. Forby’s wife had surgery yesterday, so he had a very good reason to be home, but this issue is being raised since the governor also promised to release millions of dollars in agricultural program funding shortly before the recall vote.
More in a bit.
* 11:10 am - The SJ-R now has a story online about the move…
“Governor Blagojevich is committed to growing the economy of southern Illinois,” the news release quotes [IDOT Secretary Milton Sees] as saying. “This move will bring new families and jobs to an area that needs them the most.” […]
The [Springfield] building costs about the same per square foot as IDOTs office at 300 W. Adams in Chicago, the news release said.
One legislator’s reaction was swift and strong…
But state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said he believes Gov. Rod Blagojevich is being vindictive in the move and is reacting to low voter approval from central Illinois.
“I’m calling for the House to start impeachment proceedings,” Bomke said today. “This is absurd. I mean, this guy has destroyed the state. He’s destroying communities. He’s destroyed families. Enough is enough.”
* 11:27 am - Mayor Tim Davlin’s response…
“It’s hard to constrain the feelings I have following this announcement. Clearly, this is a devastating blow to our community and as Mayor, I cannot sit idly by without criticizing the decision.
“Any argument that the lease held by IDOT is too expensive will simply not pass a test of credibility. Everyone in government understands that leases are renegotiable and landlords understand that leases can and should be re-negotiated when times so dictate. Moreover, Springfield, the capital city, has hundreds of thousands of square feet available to house these positions, so economics does not even play into the debate.”
“I call on the governor to reconsider what I believe to be a shortsighted decision. There is more at stake than the state budget here. This decision runs the risk of devastating Springfield families.”
“Our economic viability as a city is at stake, and there is no political alliance that will stand in my way of fighting for the people of the Springfield community.”
*** 11:37 am *** I’m wondering whether this office closure is even legal. Check out the State Facilities Closure Act.
*** 11:58 am *** Oh, man, check out the local Benton Chamber of Commerce membership under retail businesses. Not much there.
And then there’s entertainment.
No doubt that they need some more jobs.
*** 1:04 pm *** Dan Long, the director of the Legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, just told me that this office closure does fall under the State Facilities Closure Act. There will be an opportunity for public input…
Within 10 days after it receives notice of the proposed closure, the Commission, in its discretion, may require the State executive branch officer with jurisdiction over the facility to file a recommendation for the closure of the facility with the Commission. […]
If a recommendation is required by the Commission, a 30‑day public comment period must follow the filing of the recommendation. The Commission, in its discretion, may conduct one or more public hearings on the recommendation.
But all the Commission can do is issue an advisory opinion.
****** 2:19 pm ****** Not surprisingly, IDOT says the Facilities Closure Act doesn’t apply…
“This is a relocation. It is not a closure per se,” said IDOT spokesman Brian Williamsen.
“That’s absurd. That’s absolutely absurd,” said Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield. “The act applies to leased facilities and if they aren’t going to lease it, that’s closing it. The law means nothing to (Gov. Rod Blagojevich).”
Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, D-Evanston, agreed.
“The law explicitly states that the act would indeed apply,” Schoenberg said. “There really isn’t any wiggle room in the law despite the administration’s interpretation.”
Director Long said the same thing when I asked him about this earlier. This falls under the law’s jurisdiction. Period.
[This is getting really long and we have some new information. Comments are now closed on this post. Click on this link for the new updates and comment there instead.]
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Question of the day
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Steve Dahl and Ron Santo “debate” in the Tribune today over which Chicago baseball team has the best ballpark.
Dahl’s tongue in cheek piece can be enjoyed here, and Santo’s dreary tome can be scanned here.
* Question: Which Chicago baseball park do you prefer? Explain fully, please.
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Not a banner day in the Senate
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday will not go down in history as the Illinois Senate’s finest moment…
“I need a pay raise. I need a pay raise,” [Senate President Emil Jones] told reporters who asked him about the [salary increase] proposal.
* You wonder if Senate President Jones knows how he comes across to the public when he makes comments like that on the same day that he helped engineer the defeat of a recall proposal and then refused to call the alternative House version for a vote…
Some Illinois Republicans maintained that the Senate’s version was designed to fail because it made so many more public officials, including judges, eligible for recall.
Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock), who sponsored the House proposal, predicted his version of recall would have passed and was denied a “fair shot.”
Franks’ narrower proposal would have only allowed voters to toss out legislators, the governor and other statewide officials.
* Jones said yesterday that Franks admitted the Senate version was superior to the House version and snapped at reporters who asked why he didn’t call the House proposal for a vote.
But at least two of Jones’ own members admitted publicly that they didn’t support the Senate version because it included local officials…
Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, was among the senators who opposed the recall plan on Thursday.
“My biggest concern was for local officials,” Sullivan said. “I know how difficult it is to get people to run for alderman and for city council and for mayors. This would have created a situation, in my opinion, that would have made that even more difficult.”
Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville, also voted “no” and echoed Sullivan’s comments, saying: “Who would want to take on the responsibilities of running for a local municipality or city in rural Illinois?”
* Other Senate Democrats said they couldn’t support their chamber’s proposal because it included judges. The Tribune’s editorial quotes one of those Senate Dems today…
Even the Senate debate was rushed. But some of it was telling. Sen. John Cullerton voted to deny citizens the right to recall the people they put in office. Cullerton was aghast at the notion of “turning over to an outside entity” the question of whether to recall inept judges.
Yes, you, Illinois voters, are that much-feared “outside entity.”
That’s such a complete lie and/or evidence of gross incompetence that it makes me believe the Trib’s editorial page will do anything it can to smear whoever dares question its authority. Cullerton was referring to the fact that the recall proposal required that the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board file a complaint against a judge before that judge could be recalled. That’s the “outside entity” he was talking about, not voters. The Tribune needs to retract that utterly false statement.
* The bottom line, though, is that if Franks’ proposal had made it to the floor then a whole lot of Senators would have either voted for it or they would’ve been forced to come up with another excuse. We’ll never know.
* There is a bright side, however. As Dan Johnson-Weinberger wrote over at Illinoize yesterday, the odds of the voters approving a constitutional convention just went up…
The main justification for voting yes on the constitutional convention is now clear: the only practical way to give the electorate an opportunity to improve the Illinois Constitution is through a convention. The General Assembly is not able to improve the Constitution.
* And then there’s this…
“We have a chance to do what we want to do, and that’s impeach the governor of Illinois,” [Sen. Mike Jacobs] said. He called on Blagojevich to “do the right thing” and quit first.
* Related stuff…
* Recall cartoon
* Anticlimactic
* Senate rejects recall proposal
* Recall amendment officially dead, for now
* Recall Amendment Fails In Senate
* Illinois: Voters will not get recall option
* State Senate Kills Recall Amendment
* Recall plan narrowly defeated in Illinois Senate
* Con Con Considerations: Special Election, or Regular?
* A Trip down Memory Lane (con-con version)
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Capital plan funding options
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Daily Herald has some comments by Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson about the various funding mechanisms for the capital construction bill being discussed by legislative leaders…
…legislative leaders emerged from closed doors to say they continue to have good discussions on piecing together a multibillion-dollar construction spending program, but how to finance it remains elusive.
Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, emerged to tell reporters everything was on the table, including an income tax increase.
Next out of the governor’s office was Senate Republican leader Frank Watson of downstate Greenville, who promptly said an income tax was off the table.
Watson said lawmakers were discussing raising vehicle fees, selling off a portion of the state lottery and gambling expansion to come up with the needed billions.
“Nothing’s concrete,” he said.
[emphasis added]
As I told you yesterday, Jones said he doesn’t think that gaming expansion will fly because the Senate has passed it twice and Speaker Madigan has not let the proposals move.
I’m curious which of those above options do you prefer to fund the capital plan?
* Meanwhile, despite tons of rumors to the contrary, it doesn’t appear that IDOT completely shut down operations on May 1.
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McQueary examines Ozinga’s Machine ties
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kristen McQueary has a must-read column today on new congressional candidate Martin Ozinga III. She includes his bigtime contributions to Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund and details even more…
Ozinga has opened his checkbook for gubernatorial candidates, Chicago aldermen, Mayor Richard Daley, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District officials and city ward organizations.
His company, Ozinga Bros., holds a lucrative and powerful position as the sole provider of concrete for city of Chicago projects. He’s handled the big kahunas: Sox park, Soldier Field and the reconstruction of the Dan Ryan, sending his red-and-white striped trucks to pour ready-made cement wherever needed.
* McQueary then asks whether someone who plays in that sandbox can stay clean. Ozinga replied that he and his family have longtime personal associations with Mayor Daley, and adds…
“He knows we’re Republicans from the south suburbs. Maybe because he knows that, our experience with the city of Chicago has always been straightforward, very professional, regulated and aboveboard. That’s the simple story.”
* Kristen concludes…
After 40 minutes, I wasn’t entirely convinced. For railing against the system, Ozinga is doing pretty well within it, running a multimillion-dollar company and befriending politicians on the charity and fundraising circuit.
But she also looks at the positive side. Go read the whole thing.
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Morning shorts
Friday, May 2, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* 105-0: House OKs audit of gov’s $1 mil. church pledge
* Madigan: Cut Illinois American water rates
Madigan and state Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox) have joined forces to oppose Illinois American’s rate hike request, but the ICC has a history of being generous with utility companies.
* Gov’s ex-aide: I gave Rezko cash
* Ali Ata testifies he paid Rezko, donated to Blagojevich
* Blagojevich got gifts from fundraiser now under indictment
* Rezko trial: ‘He was being watched’
* Hoffman’s name comes up at Rezko trial
* Political threats, hired lobbyists and ward organizing - Children Museum supporters, opponents in high gear
* EPA official ousted while fighting Dow
* Voters and ID cards
* Big splash over probe of suburban mayor’s pool house
* Burt’s back: Natarus now lobbying City Hall
* Stellar public servant should need no defense
* Summer jobs, new city park programs aim to curb youth violence
City Hall will spend $1.5 million to provide 1,000 summer jobs for young people in 10 impoverished neighborhoods with the highest levels of teen violence, the mayor said.
* Daley speech focuses on teen jobs, violence
* Daley ready to slice city spending again
* Public Defender Takes Stroger to Court
* Failed clinic operator on county’s health board list
* Cook Co. commissioner has his say over meeting
“I was there with my vote when they really needed me,” Goslin said. “I voted against 13 different tax increases.”
* Friday Beer Blogging: Bud Lime Edition
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