* 11:53 am - That poll I told you about earlier today had a couple of other items that weren’t originally published…
Over half of Illinois voters (55%) said that Gov. Blagojevich is doing a “poor” job in office. Just under a third (31%) said he’s doing a “fair” job, while 13% said he’s doing a “good job.”
The General Assembly fared only slightly better: 26% said it was doing a “poor” job while a majority (52%) said the General Assembly is doing “fair” and 17% ranked its performance as “good.”
Remember, this poll was conducted before the Tony Rezko verdict and the end of session meltdown. Oof.
[402 interviews were conducted… by telephone April 21 through May 4, 2008… The margin of sampling error for the Illinois survey is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95% level of tolerance… The survey was funded by the Joyce Foundation]
* 12:00 pm - Via the SJ-R’s flood blog, check out the interactive news map for the Flood of 2008.
* 12:09 pm - From a press release…
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today added St. Clair and Edgar counties to a state disaster declaration, a move that will expedite state assistance needed to help Edgar County in southeastern Illinois recover from recent storms and flash flooding and St. Clair County battle flooding along the Mississippi River. The Governor also announced that the state’s public health director will be visiting public health departments in western Illinois Thursday to ensure medical and health needs are being met in counties affected by historic Mississippi River flooding.
* 12:54 pm - Guv orders cancellation moratorium…
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich directed the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to impose a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation of any insurance policy for late payment by policyholders who live in counties impacted by the recent storms and flooding. The moratorium covers the insurance policies of families and business owners in all of the counties designated as disaster areas by the Governor since June 10, 2008.
* 1:53 pm - With a hat tip to PI, MSNBC reported about an hour ago from Quincy…
* 3:36 pm - From a press release…
Several thousand state employees, retirees and their families will rally at the State Capitol in Springfield on Monday morning, June 23, then march to the Hilton hotel downtown, site of scheduled negotiations over a new union contract between the state and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.
The state workers and their families will come from all over Illinois to express their growing impatience with the slow pace of contract negotiations and the Blagojevich Administration’s insistence on massive economic concessions from workers, including higher pension contributions and sharply increased health insurance premiums, deductibles and co-pays.
* 4:46 pm - I’ll bet 20 bucks he never pulls the final trigger on this…
A rumor that State Rep. Jack Franks plans to announce a 2010 gubernatorial bid at a Monday fundraiser is not true, the Democrat from Woodstock said Thursday.
Franks, a long-time and harsh critic of embattled Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, said he is mulling a run for the office. But he said any decision he makes will not come until after the presidential election. […]
The rumor stemmed from a Sunday column by Sun-Times gossip columnist Michael Sneed, who said she heard that Franks would enter the race at an annual fundraiser held for him by Chicago 33rd Ward Alderman Richard Mell and other Democratic politicians. […]
“I think that Sneed just got a bit overzealous,” Mell said.
* We ran a poll the other day asking which person you’d like to see appointed to Barack Obama’s US Senate seat if he wins the presidential race. Over 1,000 people participated in the poll, but there was a bit of hanky panky in the evening, so I shut it down.
I’ve added some more safeguards and will hide the results until the poll is closed later today. I’ll also disqualify anyone for the third and final round who I feel is trying to game the results. No appeals. My decision.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Gov. Martin O’Malley is scheduled to attend a campaign event this week for Barack Obama.
The event is set for Friday in Chicago. Other Democratic governors have been invited to attend to talk about economic issues.
I don’t know anything about O’Malley, but I do wonder whether our own governor will be attending. I have a call in to the Blagojevich campaign, but I also have a feeling (call me crazy) that the guv will be “too busy” touring flooded areas to attend.
* While we await a response, the Illinois Republican Party just sent out a press release posing the following questions to Obama…
2.) If so, what role is Rod Blagojevich playing in your campaign?
3.) Do you welcome Rod Blagojevich being a part of your campaign?
4.) You returned all of Tony Rezko’s dirty money, will you call on Rod Blagojevich to return the $1.4 million he received from Tony Rezko, as well?
5.) A recent poll of Illinois voters found that 59% support beginning impeachment proceedings against Rod Blagojevich, do you share the same view with the majority of your constituents?
They seem like valid questions.
* Meanwhile, perhaps the IL GOP should be asking the Tribune Co. some questions. Check out this story…
The deal is, if you sign up for the Chicago Tribune at one dollar a week, you can get one of the hats or teeshirts for free.
And what’s on the teeshirt?
Why “Obama” of course. It wasn’t the official campaign logo but it was his name splashed across the white cotton fabric. The only reason I noticed is because the woman called out to everyone entering the store saying they could get a free “Obama” teeshirt if they signed up for the Tribune.
Residents of Illinois clearly express distrust in their state government. A large majority of residents (77% overall) trusts government to do what is right “only some of the time” (52%) or “almost never” (25%). Just two in ten (20%) trust government “most of the time” and only three percent “almost always” trust state government to do what is right. Distrust of state government has increased since 2006 when 64% trusted state government “some of the time” or “almost never.”
I guess you could look at it the other way. 72 percent trust the government some or all the time. But I see their point.
* This result is undoubtedly a reflection of the revelations about governors Ryan and Blagojevich…
For Illinoisans, “corruption in state government” and “the influence of money in state politics” continue to be major concerns; nearly half (49%) say they are “extremely” concerned about corruption in state government, and almost the same number (46%) is “extremely” concerned about money in politics.
Corruption and the influence of money in politics rate with the economy (45%), public schools (42%) and health care (41%) as serious concerns, and rate above jobs (39%) and taxes (37%). The only concern more salient than corruption and money in politics for Illinoisans is gas prices (68%).
* The public is either hopeful or they’re suckers. Let’s be charitable and assume they’re hopeful…
Despite their lack of trust in government, Illinoisans still have hope for change in state government.
A majority (58%) disagrees that “money will always influence government decisions, so it is not worth trying to reduce the amount of money in politics,” while 41% agree. Sixty-seven percent reject the idea that “corruption in government will always be a problem, so trying to fix it will not make much difference,” while only 33% agree.
* One of the issues currently in play now is the ethics bill sitting on the governor’s desk. There appears to be a strong majority who think this bill will make a difference…
“Not allow state contractors to make political contributions to elected officials who issue contracts” (88% make a difference; 61% “big
difference”)
* Other issues…
• “Require lobbyists to fully report their clients, what issues they are
working on, and the money they spend on lobbying lawmakers” (88% make a difference; 61% “big difference”)
• “Pass tougher campaign finance laws to limit the amount of money special interest groups can give to candidates and political parties” (86% make a difference; 57% “big difference”)
* Public financing…
• “Public financing of campaigns which would use tax dollars to give
candidates the same amount of money to run their campaigns and not allow them to take money from special interests” (81% make a difference; 58% “big difference”)
• “Public financing of campaigns which would use tax dollars to give candidates the same amount of money to run their campaigns and limit spending by each candidate” (80% make a difference; 54% “big difference”)
• “Public financing for election of judges – that is letting judges use tax dollars to finance their campaigns rather than asking for contributions from lawyers and special interest groups” (74% make a difference; 42% “big difference”)
* This is one that really ought to be in any new Constitution…
• “Instead of allowing politicians to be in charge of redrawing their own district lines every ten years, establish independent, non-partisan commissions to draw district lines” (81% make a difference; 52% “big difference”)
[The 2008 Belden Russonello & Stewart survey for the Midwest Democracy Network (www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org) is a random sample telephone survey of adults… In Illinois 402 interviews were conducted… by telephone April 21 through May 4, 2008… The margin of sampling error for the Illinois survey is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95% level of tolerance… The survey was funded by the Joyce Foundation]
* Sen. Gary Forby explains the current fight over the capital bill and Mayor Daley’s reluctance to sign on to the Chicago casino as only Forby can…
“You have to read the fine print,” Forby, D-Benton, said. “Chicago wants the gambling but they don’t want to see us get any money.
“Chicago will get their boats, but we won’t get our money. If you voted against this capital bill, then you voted against Southern Illinois getting our money. We’re getting the shaft again, people. If this bill goes down, if you think you’re crying now, you’ll need a towel to wipe your tears.”
Translation: Daley wants a lower share of Chicago casino revenues going to the state. That means less money for projects.
* And, as the Southern Illinoisan pointed out in a recent editorial, the folks down ‘yonder are getting a disproportionate share of the pie…
In one example, as the plan relates to the money earmarked for all nine Illinois Department of Transportation districts, the two southernmost districts would get 16 percent of the $14 billion for road and bridge projects. Yet those two districts only make up about 9.3 percent of the state’s population.
The Chicagoland district would get 37 percent of the funding, while it has nearly 64 percent of the state’s population.
* The SI has clearly bought into this notion that the South needs to grab while the grabbing is good, despite past problems with the governor’s truthiness…
We understand some lawmakers are leery of Blagojevich and the Constitutional authority he has to release funding for projects. But measures can be built into the bill that are designed to ensure the timely release of money solely for specific uses.
That would be really tough to do. And, so far, the governor has only agreed to the restrictions that are in the current bill. What’s in the bill is the limit that the governor will concede.
* Rep. John Bradley, who sponsored the motion to table the gaming bill on the last night of session, had this to say…
“Based on their track record, I think it is horrible public policy to give the administration lump sums of money,” Bradley said. “What’s the problem with transparency - with putting in the bill, here is $15 million for Carterville, here is $15 million for Marion? I don’t think it is asking too much to know exactly where the money will be spent.”
* Most of the newspaper editorial boards are focusing on all the sweet projects and jobs that a capital bill would provide. But as I told subscribers earlier this week, the Illinois Manufacturers Association has some harsh criticisms of the bill itself - criticisms that have mostly been ignored by the editorial writers. From a letter to state legislators…
Illinois gaming revenue is down 17 percent since the start of the year due largely to the statewide smoking ban and economic downturn in the economy. Despite the slumping revenue, and possible new competition from neighboring states, Illinois Works relies on a huge expansion of gaming in the form of new casinos and additional gaming spots at current casinos and horse tracks to fund the infrastructure program.
Under Illinois Works, the State Lottery would be leased to a private vendor for fifty years for a one-time payment of $10 billion. In the past two decades, the Lottery has been a stable source of revenue, providing nearly $600 million year-in and year-out for the Common School Fund. According to proponents’ stated plans, Illinois would be leasing a $30 billion state asset for a one-time payment of $10 billion. It does not make financial sense to sell or lease a state asset for 30 cents on the dollar, especially in light of the time-tested reliability of the revenue it has made available for our children’s education.
Finally, Illinois Works creates a funding gap in the state budget by diverting the sales tax on motor fuel from the General Revenue Fund… Illinois sales tax revenues are performing poorly, growing less than 1 percent over last year. This means that there is no additional tax revenue to patch the hole in the General Revenue Fund. […]
At a time when the state is facing a fiscal crisis, owing billions of dollars to health care providers and facing the worst funded pension system in the United States, it defies common sense to pass a massive new public works program that contains billions of dollars in unallocated, lump-sum spending or does not contain a mechanism to evaluate the merits of a project.
Illinois cannot afford a massive new program using unstable revenue.
$115 million in capital funds in 2007 were diverted to cover RTA operating expenses. Of that total, the CTA diverted $83 million. And the five-year total is $315 million.
That’s just a harsh reminder that the state legislature still hasn’t provided any capital dollars for public transportation.
Huh? They’re getting capital dollars and diverting it to operating expenses.
The Army Corps, which operates river locks and dams, said 23 levees along the Mississippi had failed this week. It said 48 levees protecting more than 285,000 acres (115,335 hectares) of cropland from Dubuque, Iowa, to St. Louis, Missouri, were overflowing or at high flood risk.
* Illinois seems to be better prepared this time around, as this story illustrates…
Hull, a town of roughly 500 about nine miles from the Mississippi River, was under water when the levees broke during the flood of 1993.
That experience was enough to spring residents to action this time around.
“It’s so much smoother. This has been handled better this time,” said Cathy Fesler, whose family owns farmland in the Hull area. “Unfortunately, we could remember what happened last time.”
* I’ve been getting nothing but good reports about Gov. Blagojevich since he became engaged in the flood prevention and rescue efforts. He is often, however, prone to exaggeration…
Blagojevich [yesterday] said Quincy’s water treatment plant is at risk. If the plant goes underwater, the governor said, the city will need 128,000 bottles of water a day. Already, he said, the state has stockpiled 100,000 gallons of water in Springfield.
But Quincy Mayor John Spring said he isn’t worried. He doesn’t think the city’s water-treatment plant will flood.
“I don’t expect it at all — not at all,” the mayor said. “We’re in great shape.”
“Every time we’ve asked President Bush for federal disaster relief … they’ve always complied,” Blagojevich said. “I have no reason to think they’ll do anything but what they’ve done in the past.”
The feds have denied aid in the past, which the state has appealed. Back in March, southern Illinois was denied FEMA assistance, Watseka got bad news several months ago, as did Rockford.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich said during a visit here Wednesday that Illinois’ ongoing battle with flooding increases the need for a statewide construction plan.
“What we’re learning here from the flooding could very well have an impact on the capital bill,” Blagojevich said. “The jobs bill is very relevant to this so we can provide resources to those affected by the flooding.”
Abby Ottenhof, top spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is leaving her job in July and says she’s proud of the work she’s done for the administration.
Lucio Guerrero. a former Chicago Sun-Times reporter who recently has been deputy assessor in the office of Cook County Assessor James Houlihan, will take over the job as the governor’s communications director, Ottenhoff said. Pay for the position will remain $120,000, she said.
Guerrero starts today, Ottenhoff said, and she expects there to be “a couple weeks of transition before I move on.”
Ottenhoff, 35, of Chicago, said it was her idea to leave. With spring legislative session over and being in the middle of the governor’s second term, now is “a pretty natural time to make a transition,” she said.
Although Ottenhoff told Sneed she wanted to travel and was eager to “do something different after 10 years in state government,” it’s left political wags wondering if it’s the beginning of a bailout due to feds fine-tuning their gun sights on Gov. Blago.
Abby, Sheila Nix and Rebecca Rausch were simply burned out. And, yes, the multiple federal investigations undoubtedly contributed to that burnout. Abby and Sheila both worked the campaign, and neither really had a chance to decompress because the campaign led directly to a never-ending war with House Speaker Madigan and never-ending corruption revelations. So, try not to put on your tinfoil hat today.
But until then, Cari remains licensed to practice law in Illinois. Cari — a former top Democratic Party fund-raiser — is likely to be disbarred by the Illinois Supreme Court, but not until he’s sent to prison.
“The important thing for us is that it’s both a fund-raiser and a celebration — and there are 7,000 free seats available. We want the broadest number of Chicagoans possible to come out and celebrate and participate in the Olympic bid,” Sandusky said.
A company that builds towers for wind turbines is shopping for a place to locate about 150 jobs and a multimillion-dollar facility, and it has its eye on Peoria and Tazewell counties.
