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Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.

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This just in…

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 3:02 pm - The Senate has passed SB 1102 - part of the FY 2009 budget - with 36 votes.

Sen. Bomke just said he accidentally voted “Yes” on the bill. Oops.

The Senate will not vote on the $16 billion pension obligation bond plan until next week.

They are currently debating SB 1103 - another piece of the budget. Sen. Dahl is currently complaining about the complete lack of funds for a new veterans’ home in his district. He is not a happy camper, to say the least and is promising a fight.

Listen or watch here

* 3:08 pm - Kevin was complaining about this earlier today while he was sitting in a committee hearing trying to text me…

Doormen for a Senate committee are telling reporters they can’t text message on cell phones during committee hearings under the general rule of electronic devices not being allowed. […]

The reasoning given was the noise is distracting to others in the committee.

I was just told that the Senate Dem tops weren’t aware of this action and that it wouldn’t happen again. That’s good news, because I have live-blogged committees with my iPhone, and other reporters take notes on laptops, which are also “electronic devices.”

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Question of the day

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The setup…

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency says preliminary results from tests show the state’s drinking water is safe.

Officials took samples from across Illinois in March to test for unregulated pharmaceuticals or personal care products. […]

Officials say they tested for 57 chemicals. Seventeen chemicals were detected at low levels.

But the EPA says there is no cause for immediate concern.

* The question: Do you typically drink tap water or bottled water? Why?

46 Comments

Reform and Renewal *** UPDATED x2 ***

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There is a simple explanation for this revelation…

Long under fire for installing political donors on state boards and commissions, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was criticized in a state audit released publicly Thursday for failing to make enough board appointments.

Auditor General William Holland found about one third of state panels do not have the legally required number of appointees.

They included boards overseeing elevator safety, ethanol research, lottery tickets for breast cancer research, student loans, and Downstate teacher pensions, among others. No appointments were made for nearly one of five boards and commissions out of scores the auditor general sampled between July 2005 and July 2007. Those included basic hospital services, HIV/AIDS, regional economic development and capital punishment reform.

A cynic might say that since the governor is no longer allegedly selling appointments, he no longer has any interest in filling the slots.

I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

* As I write this (9:57 am), the Senate is debating the ethics bill, which would bar Blagojevich from raising cash from contractors doing business with or submitting bids to agencies under his control.

*** 10:09 AM UPDATE *** The Senate just approved the ethics bill without a single dissenting vote. It now goes to the House, but the governor has threated to “improve” it with an amendatory veto.

*** 11:24 AM UPDATE *** News stories about the ethics bill’s passage are now online: Daily Herald, Post-Dispatch, Tribune, and Illinois Issues.

* Last-minute fundraising is therefore a top priority…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich rarely appears in public these days, but he popped up Wednesday night at Tavern on Rush for an intimate political fundraiser that was a classic display of cash and clout.

Blagojevich was greeted outside by trusted adviser and longtime fundraiser John Wyma, whose deep ties to the governor have made him a highly sought lobbyist with companies seeking contracts from state agencies and the Illinois Tollway.

And waiting inside was Blagojevich’s tollway chairman and more than a dozen campaign contributors, including at least one businessman with tollway and state contracts.

* While the ethics bill is causing some urgency at Friends of Blagojevich, the Trib report focused on the timing of the funder in relation to the Tony Rezko trial…

“At the very time a jury’s considering whether Mr. Rezko engaged in criminal fundraising practices and major decisions are being made on spending and contracts at the Capitol, it sure doesn’t seem like there have been many lessons learned,” said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston). “This is much more than bad timing,” he Schoenberg said. “We have to shut these practices down for good.”

* Related…

* Auditor: Governor’s Office Way Behind in Appointments

* Cellini lawyer: Billing gifts to hotel permitted

71 Comments

Hit piece *** UPDATED x2 ***

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I don’t completely buy into this logic…

A political campaign stunt meant to draw attention to the nation’s high oil prices backfired Thursday when hundreds of motorists seeking cheap gas caused a massive traffic jam in north suburban Lincolnshire before most were turned away.

I wasn’t there, of course, but if people did line up for a mile and a half as reported, then Dan Seals’ stunt wildly succeeded in getting his message across.

* Even so, the Tribune focused almost solely on the negative…

Come they did, causing a lunchtime traffic nightmare that left Lincolnshire Police Chief Randy Melvin fuming. He had almost half of his 25-officer staff directing traffic, which nearly came to a standstill.

When was the last time that a congressional candidate in Illinois got that kind of response? Yet, the Tribune claims it was a “nightmare.”

* And…

“This was a very disappointing experience, and we will remember it come election time,” businessman Rick Hirschhaut complained in an e-mail. “Mr. Seals just demonstrated that he is a typical politician. What he says and what he does are not the same thing—just a lot of over-promising.”

A quick Google search would have shown the Tribune that Hirschaut and Kirk have a relationship, leading me to believe that the reporting was way out of whack.

Plus, Hirschaut apparently wasn’t even at the event. Why no harsh interviews from motorists waiting in line? I’d find that more believable.

* Only about 50 motorists got their discounts, which is the biggest downside to the stunt. This angle, however, is probably just a distraction…

North Shore Congressional candidate Dan Seals was offering gas for $1.85 at a station in Lincolnshire and making up the difference himself, but opponent Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) says the stunt amounts to vote buying.

* So, when Kirk hands out food, drinks, balloons, buttons and other tschotkes he’s buying votes as well? Please. As Larry notes with tongue firmly planted in cheek…

I’ll be heading out of country to avoid the inevitable prosecution from Patrick Fitzgerald regarding the vast amounts of beer I have [drunk] over the years paid for by campaigns.

* And Rob points out this factoid…

Republican Luke Puckett, also a challenger just like Dan Seals, pumped free gas a month ago in South Bend while bending drivers’ ears about his plans to drill for oil in pristine natural areas of California and Alaska

* From that Indiana story…

Luke Puckett gave away 250 gallons of gas in 30 minutes at the Marathon station on East Ironwood. He said he was giving away free gas to draw more attention to the oil problem and the need for change.

Most people would do just about anything for five free gallons of gas right now, so waiting in a line that stretched around the building wasn’t a big deal.

Notice the vastly different spin from the news provider. Compare that to the Tribune…

Only about 50 motorists who waited in a 1.5-mile line of cars for more than an hour actually made it to the pumps at a Marathon station at Milwaukee Avenue and Half Day Road, where for one hour Democratic congressional candidate Dan Seals offered motorists the chance to buy as many as 10 gallons of gas for $1.85 per gallon.

Some motorists may have been upset about not getting the freebie, but I doubt that missing out will cause them to vote against the only candidate who tried to give them a break. I didn’t see a single negative quote from motorists in any of the news stories posted online.

* There was obviously a huge pushback from Kirk’s office. The Daily Herald’s story was originally entitled “Political gas giveaway works,” but was then changed to “Political gas giveaway jams traffic, raises questions.”

*** UPDATE *** Now, this is a reasonable GOP response. From the state Republican party…

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna today called on Tenth Congressional District Democrat Candidate Dan Seals to reimburse local police departments for the cost of providing traffic management to deal with a campaign stunt that backfired.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Rob got an e-mail from the Seals campaign…

Feel free to let folks know we are picking up the cost. We’ve already been in touch with the dept today to get the final amount and we talked to them in advance of the event regarding the cost as well.

84 Comments

Surprise! Senate won’t vote on pay raise rejection

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is no surprise. Sen. Hendon won’t bring the pay raise rejection legislation to the Senate floor for a vote…

Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, told Republican senators who asked for a chance to vote the pay raises up or down that he won’t allow those measures—or any legislation that doesn’t deal with the budget—to advance by the May 31 adjournment deadline.

* Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), who opposes the pay raise, claimed that Senate Presidet Emil Jones and other SDem leaders “promised” there would be a vote on the issue. Without a vote in both chambers to kill them, the pay raises will automatically take effect after 30 session days from the date the plan was submitted…

Jones, who told reporters earlier this month that “I need a pay raise,” denied he promised a vote on the raises. Despite backing the raises, Jones claimed he is “fighting like heck” to get Hendon to let the pay-raise resolution come up for a vote.

* I’m sure he’s fighting hard to get that pay raise resolution called. And then there’s this bit of schtick…

Jones “is not chairman of rules, he is president of the Senate,” Hendon, a strong Jones ally, told the committee. “And he can do a lot of things that he wants to do. But as long as I am chairman of rules, I am going to make a lot of the decisions here.”

* Somewhat related…

* Officials resigned to ‘bare-bones spending

* GOP Senators storm out of budget committee

* Brady: Budget is a sham

* State delay may leave schools in the lurch

* Senate panel advances pension borrowing plan

* Pension idea advances

* Editorial: Don’t trust state government - Illinois needs a capital bill, but we doubt that leaders will spend money fairly, honestly

* Comptroller Hynes raps gov’s fiscal policies - Education budget ’stagnating, shrinking’

* U of I Faces $17 Million Budget Gap

27 Comments

Daley’s tired excuses

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* After the feds announced a big corruption bust involving real estate developers and contractors allegedly bribing Zoning and Buildings departments workers, Mayor Daley tried out several defense. First up, anger…

The mayor called the alleged behavior “appalling and regrettable”

* Prosecutors said the corruption was “systemic.” So Daley gave us the predictable “bad apples” defense…

As Daley often does after corruption charges are leveled, he insisted that the accused are not representative of most employees in his administration.

“You cannot condemn everybody for a few,” Daley said. “I don’t know if it’s systemic, but you can’t indict everybody on that.”

* Then there was the familiar “I’m the one responsible for rooting out the corruption in the first place,” line that Gov. Rod Blagojevich so often employs…

Daley noted that the investigation originated with the former federal prosecutor he hired to root out City Hall corruption from within. Never mind that Daley and Inspector General David Hoffman have been at loggerheads for months and the mayor’s office has been undermining Hoffman behind the scenes.

* Don’t forget the “This is Chicago, people are corrupt,” argument…

“I wish I could get it right once and for all. You wish you could. But, people who take money from the private sector or public sector are gonna get caught. It’s a great job. They lose their job. They lose their health benefits. They lose their pension. These are good paying jobs,” he said.

“You do everything. You try to put GPS on people. You try to go after the developers or contractors — whoever wants to bribe the system. It takes two to tango. It takes two people — both a public employee and the private sector. They’re both gonna be caught.”

Perhaps you can think of more excuses that Daley missed.

* More on what was going on…

Authorities said the inspectors would often tell developers that their work would pass even though they had never seen the properties in question.

Corners were cut at developments around the city and at a South Loop hotel. Inspections of everything from plumbing to fire systems were undermined, said David Colen, assistant inspector-in-charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago.

Discuss.

24 Comments

Morning Shorts

Friday, May 23, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Long weekend ahead for Rezko jurors

* Jury gone until Tuesday

* Dan Ryan, Stevenson on IDOT wish list

* Will IDOT’s ambitions match its budget?

* State roads chief says bridge repair gets the money first

* State pot for road upgrades includes funds for new bridge

* Road, bridge repairs only priorities for state highway funds

* Illinois halts ‘Yo-Yo’ rides after Calif. fair collapse