* 6:24 pm - Jim Thompson pulls out for now. From a press release…
Press Statement of Governor James R. Thompson, Chairman, Illinois Sports Facilities Authority
The Chicago Tribune organization and representatives of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority met today to determine whether we could reach an agreement on a plan for ISFA (the current owner of U.S. Cellular, the home of the Chicago White Sox) to acquire and restore Wrigley Field.
The Tribune believes that ISFA’s participation in such an acquisition requires either the transfer of future sales and amusement tax revenue from transactions at Wrigley Field for the next 30 years, or the imposition of new taxes, or the transfer of existing ISFA funds now pledged to projects at U.S. Cellular. ISFA cannot agree to this. In our judgment, there are no votes in the City Council or in the Illinois General Assembly for transferred or new taxes for Wrigley Field. And we cannot break the promises we have previously made to the White Sox under our lease terms.
We believe that we would be able to offer the owner of the Cubs (present or future) a plan whereby ISFA could acquire Wrigley Field through the issuance of taxable bonds paid for by lease revenues from the team and associated naming rights. This would cost Illinois taxpayers nothing.
We believe that sufficient funds can be raised from the sale of newly constructed seats in an Equity Seats Rights offering which would give the new owners of the team a fully restored Wrigley Field. This would be done within the policies and rules of Major League Baseball, would produce more revenue that would allow the Cubs to be even more competitive, the fans and players to enjoy enhanced facilities, the neighborhood to enjoy more amenities and parking. This would cost Illinois taxpayers nothing.
When Governor Blagojevich asked ISFA to explore this opportunity, he wanted to insure that under new ownerships the Cubs would stay at Wrigley Field in Chicago and that Wrigley Field would be restored. We have no doubt that these two goals will be reached — whether or not ISFA acquires and restores Wrigley.
We stand ready to resume negotiations with the Tribune or any new owner of the Cubs at their request.
* No, it’s not music. What we have here is Reps. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville) and Brent Hassert (R-Romeoville) discussing the capital bill, budget negotiations, Rezko, etc. on Fox Chicago Sunday.
There is a spot of “new” news in the video when Rep. Hoffman claims that the governor is willing to make $500 million in budget cuts if the House is willing to pass the capital plan as well as $900 million or so in Fiscal Year ‘09 budgetary funding streams that have already cleared the Senate (special fund sweeps and pension obligation bond).
Both men hammered away at House Speaker Madigan, but neither were ever asked whether the House Republicans would support those two revenue streams. The HGOPs have said before that they were opposed to the funding sources. So, that unasked question is pretty darned important.
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today named Bob Greenlee as Deputy Governor, effective June 9. Greenlee will replace current Deputy Governor Sheila Nix when she concludes her four-year tenure with the administration at the end of this week. […]
Greenlee will be based in Chicago and will oversee the administration’s policy and legislative affairs efforts. Greenlee previously worked as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the State’s infrastructure agencies and as the Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. Greenlee also worked as a lawyer in private practice in Chicago before joining the State. He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.
“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. Illinois, like states across the country, is experiencing an economic slowdown that impacts families and businesses statewide. Governor Blagojevich is keenly aware of the important role the State can play in helping families and stimulating the economy. I’m excited to have the opportunity to help him achieve his goals for the people of our state,” said Greenlee.
Greenlee recently has been overseeing the Blagojevich administration’s push to lease much of the Illinois Lottery to a private firm to help pay for a statewide construction program.
As of November, Greenlee was being paid $120,000 annually as deputy chief of staff overseeing administrative and infrastructure agencies, including Revenue, Central Management Services, Transportation, the Toll Highway Authority and the Housing Development Authority. He also did revenue estimation and valuation and special projects in public finance.
He began with the state in late 2003, after working for Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago.
“We have a governor who just doesn’t quite understand his responsibilities, and we have the leaders of his party in the Legislature who spend more time being mad at the governor than doing what needs to be done,” Edgar said, adding he has no future plans to run for political office.
But his solution was far from perfect…
“I think (Blagojevich) has got to admit he’s made some mistakes and buckle down and spend a little more time in Springfield and reach out to the Democrats and Republicans he hasn’t been able to get along with,” Edgar said. “There’s a lot of lack of confidence in state government today.”
* The governor’s word is mud. There is almost nothing he can do to salvage that. Admitting his past mistakes won’t help, partly because he is so thoroughly trapped by those old mistakes…
Back in 2004, when (surprise) the state was going through financial problems, Blagojevich complained that many of those problems were caused by “the biggest borrowing binge in Illinois state history.” Specifically, the Illinois FIRST capital program pushed through by former Gov. George Ryan.
For the record, that biggest borrowing binge in Illinois history cost $12 billion. Blagojevich’s capital plan is $34 billion.
Not all of that is based on borrowing, but you get the idea.
Blagojevich began the year with an ambitious wish list: A massive infrastructure program; universal health care; and a $300-per-child state income tax rebate. He suggested paying for it with a major expansion of gambling.
But by the time the Legislature adjourned for the summer, virtually all of Blagojevich’s agenda had been ignored. Instead, the Legislature unanimously sent him a campaign ethics bill that clearly was a swipe at the governor’s own fundraising methods.
Blagojevich’s failure to win passage of his $33 billion proposed infrastructure plan has been an especially bitter one.
* Speaking of the capital bill, did you know this?
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.
* Related…
* Kane lawmakers ‘frustrated‘ over Springfield antics
Sneed hears Governor Blago’s top deputy gov, Sheila Nix, just quit. Is this the beginning of an office bailout now that the feds are fine-tuning their gun sights on Gov. Blago? Stay tuned.
“I’ve been working for the governor for almost four years, and I told him probably about six weeks ago that … when we finish (the legislative session) in Springfield after the end May, and my kids get out of school the first week in June, that I wanted to have some time with them,” Nix said Sunday. […]
She said her decision had nothing to do with last week’s guilty verdicts in the corruption trial of Blagojevich friend and advisor Antoin “Tony” Rezko.
“In these positions, you have to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to be able to do your job,” Nix said. “Obviously, we spend a lot of time in Springfield and I’m away some. It was really more just a situation where I felt like after four years, it was the right time.”
Nix, 46, of Oak Park, laughed about the idea she is leaving her $135,000-a-year job to spend more time with her family, because she knows people think that’s code for getting fired.
“I actually am going to really enjoy spending some time with the kids over the summer and then be ready to move onto something new,” she said.
The Rezko mess undoubtedly contributed to Nix’s work-related stress, but so did the other federal investigations. The timing is odd, of course, but nobody can last in an environment like that forever.
But I have been repeatedly told that Sheila was part of the brain trust that prepped Carol Ronen for her disastrous Chicago Tonight appearance, and who helped conjure up the Governor’s dimwitted and ill-received strategy to try to derail the pay-to-play ban by uttering flat out lies.
Paycheck or no paycheck, the concerted efforts of Sheila, Carol and Rebecca Rausch to aid and abet the Governor’s efforts to prevent ethics and campaign finance reform by conjuring up and mindlessly parroting the party lines were inexcusable and emblematic of the legacy that will mark the Blagojevich era.
The Governor’s need to surround himself with sycophants unwilling to question the misguided wisdom of his strategies, coupled with individuals all too willing to play that role, have done untold damage not just to the Administration, but more importantly, to our fine state.
While Sheila may be the latest out the door, I think that it’s a safe bet that she won’t be the last.
Frankly, I’m not really interested in your own theories claimed as fact for why Nix left. Just a warning.
* My syndicated newspaper column this week is about the Tony Rezko verdict. You may already be familiar with some of this, and maybe not with other parts…
Some random thoughts about Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s guilty verdict in his federal corruption trial …
• After Rezko was convicted on 16 of 24 counts, both Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama expressed sadness at the verdict and gingerly danced away from their former friend and fundraiser. Some in the media criticized the two men for not being tougher on the guy.
There are plenty of reasons why those post-conviction statements weren’t more judgmental or harsh. The first that came to my mind was that Rezko is theoretically facing 300 years in prison. A guy caught up in such a predicament might say anything, true or false, to avoid spending the rest of his natural life behind bars. It’s probably best not to rile him too much. He may know something about one or both men, or he may just make something up. Either way, discretion is the better part of valor in situations like that.
• Is Blagojevich next on the federal “hit list”? Plenty of reports since the Rezko verdict have quoted U.S. attorney insiders as saying the multiple criminal investigations against Blagojevich and his campaign are going “full speed ahead.”
“Speed” and “U.S. attorney” are usually not things you see in the same sentence. They like to take their sweet time, so don’t get too impatient. The feds will put another Blagojevich fundraiser, Chris Kelly, on trial later this year. Actually, Kelly is not just a fundraiser. He’s a close Blagojevich friend. Plus, there’s still another trial pending against Rezko. So, like I said, be patient. It’ll happen when it happens.
• Why did Rezko immediately surrender himself to authorities when his official sentencing date isn’t until September? He’s been out on bond for a few weeks, after the judge sent him to a holding facility for receiving some money from overseas without informing her. He whined and whined when he was in jail, complaining about having to share underwear with his fellow inmates. So why did he volunteer to go back?
Several reasons have been offered, including that he fears for his life, or he’s ready to flip on Blagojevich or that he is showing the feds he is a tough guy who won’t flip on anyone else. I don’t think the answer is any of these.
It’s probably easier to do harm to him in prison than anywhere else. Bad guysabound in prison, and it’s pretty tough to hide from them unless he was put in solitary confinement. If he was making a statement about whether he was about to flip or not, he’d probably say something, rather than just silently surrender.
A commenter at my blog probably had the simplest explanation. Rezko’s friends and family put up millions in cash and property to spring him from that jailhouse. Going back to prison meant the judge’s “hold” was taken off all the money and property.
It most likely was just a decent thing to do by a guy who has done some very indecent things.
• Will Rezko flip on Blagojevich?
Call me a rat if you want, but if I were Rezko and I were facing all that prison time, I’d flip like Nadia Comaneci on steroids. I’d flip so much that I could open up my own IHOP franchise.
I’d be another Flip Wilson.
“They call him Flipper, Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning,” would be my new theme song.
I’d … well, you get the idea.
I can’t read Rezko’s mind, but I do believe that if he has something to say, he will.
• Do Illinoisans really care about Rezko?
Shortly after it was announced that a verdict was on its way, the Web sites of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times were so overwhelmed with visitors that they both crashed. I don’t think that’s ever happened before.
So, yes, people are very interested.
• What was the most overlooked part of the Rezko verdict?
The media has been covering one aspect of the trial for months: Rezko and others were accused of conspiring to squeeze an investor out of a $1.5 million campaign contribution for Blagojevich.
Rezko’s defense lawyers claimed there never was any such plan. It was all a fantasy concocted by “star” prosecution witness Stu Levine, they said. The jury declared Rezko “not guilty” on those counts, apparently believing the defense contention that no such conspiracy ever existed.
* Also, if you missed my appearance on Don & Roma’s show last week, you can download it by clicking here.
The Illinois Senate quietly approved a bill this spring that would have steered the proposed third airport down a path of pay-to-play politics – and certain doom.
I know, because Antoin “Tony” Rezko attempted to lead Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. down that same path two years ago – a proposal Jackson flatly rejected.
Pay-to-play was the pathway laid out in Senate Bill 2063, sponsored by state Sen. Debbie Halvorson. That bill would have codified what Rezko essentially proposed to Jackson, ALNAC and its developers (SNC-Lavalin and LCOR), which was to create an airport board comprised of appointed – not elected – commissioners.
City Hall is planning another subsidy for Block 37 — this time a three-phased bailout of an el station under construction there that’s running more than $100 million over budget.
* Sketchy transportation plans drag down Chicago’s Olympic bid
“Why is it easier to get a consumer guide to get a home appliance or consumer electronics … than it is to see if your representative is voting in a way that represents your values?” Bean said.
* OK, that’s it for me. I think I may head over to Decatur for the IL GOP festivities. You ought to head to Illinoize for lots more talk and fun. Also, make sure to buy an ad at InsiderzExchange. We have big plans for that place.
* How about some serious party rock to end our week? I can’t tell you how many memories this song brings back. I also can’t tell you what those memories are. Turn it up!!!…
It ain’t easy
Livin’ like you wanna
It’s so hard to find peace of mind
* 3:32 pm - In case you care, a committee of the Illinois Republican Party just voted to elect Patrick Brady and Demetra DeMonte as the party’s new national committeepersons.
I’m working on getting the vote totals. Fewer than seven votes for any of the losers means there is no committee minority report, making it much tougher to get a floor vote at the convention. Former state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger was running for the second time and lost out to Brady, who came almost out of nowhere.
Rauschenberger’s loss won’t go down well with the Illinois Review/Jack Roeser types. Kathy Salvi was also being backed by the Right, but DeMonte is also very conservative and was not thought to be beloved by the old guard.
* 3:49 pm - I’m told Brady won 15-4. The other race was closer. 10-9 DeMonte over Carol Donovan on the second ballot. Salvi’s people backed DeMonte after losing in the first round.
* I thought you might like to see these. Rep. Watson, as most of you know, is a Marine reservist stationed in Iraq. Here are two new videos from the Department of Defense which feature Rep. Watson. The first has a shout-out to the folks in Springfield…
*** UPDATE *** My good pal Jerry Clarke, who is also stationed in Iraq, is the proud father of a new baby girl: Reagan Marie Clarke was born at 8:17 pm last night. 8 pounds 11 ounces. Mom and baby are said to be doing fine.
According to the auditor general, the costs of Illinois’ two state fairs exceeded revenues last year.
In a report issued yesterday (Thursday), Illinois Auditor General William Holland said the 2007 fair in Springfield cost taxpayers more than $3.4 million. The Du Quoin State Fair exceeded revenues by more than $900,000 in 2007, although that is less than the nearly $940,000 deficit in 2006.
According to officials at the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the deficit at the state fairgrounds in Springfield is inflated by the approximately $2.6 million spent of maintaining the facility.
* Personally, I think it’s silly to think that the fairs ought to pay for themselves. So, I agree with Squibb…
Ag spokesman Jeff Squibb says the purpose of the fair is not to make a buck for the state, but to showcase the state’s agricultural assets.
“Certainly we would like it to (pay for itself), but we don’t believe that the purpose of the fair is to make a profit,” Squibb said. “I think you need to consider the return the state gets for its investment in the fair.”
The report also said the fair “did not have adequate controls over gate and parking admissions,” and “did not perform adequate procedures to ensure that all leases for space were properly enforced and that all space rental permits were properly displayed.”
Permits not properly displayed is no biggie, but they need to be on top of those gate and parking admissions. Read the full audits here and here.
* I’m pretty sure that this Sneed item is on the money…
Sneed hears rumbles that Gov. Blagojevich, whose administration has been beset by a phalanx of federal probes, still owes the law firm of Winston & Strawn big bucks.
• • The buckshot: Word is that the law firm’s partners are none too pleased. Last January, it was reported Blago’s campaign had paid the law firm $1.1 million — but he still owed the firm $1 million. “I’m told it’s now bigger than that,” said a source.
Warning to all potential Blagojevich campaign contributors: Your cash is going straight to Winston & Strawn.
State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said Gov. Rod Blagojevich mentioned Lincoln Estates, formerly the Lincoln Developmental Center for the developmentally disabled, about eight times during a Senate Republican caucus a few weeks ago.
“The governor admitted that he had not lived up to his commitment to me,” Bomke said, referring to a promise Blagojevich made that the facility would be reopened.
Shortly after he was elected, the governor promised Bomke, in writing, that he would reopen the state-run LDC if Bomke voted for a pension-funding bill. Bomke kept his end of the bargain; Blagojevich has not.
Blagojevich also promised to reopen LDC — one of Logan County’s largest employers — during his initial campaign for governor less than six months after the facility closed in 2002.
That governor’s renewed interest in the matter could be significant, Bomke said.
So, the guv admitted he lied and now Bomke believes him? I’m sure that’ll work out fine.
“Things have changed obviously,” said Senate Republican leader Frank Watson, whose GOP members last week swallowed their contempt for the governor to back his major gambling expansion plan. “It is going to be difficult to move forward, to be honest about it.”
“I’ll concede it’s a big distraction, we’ve got stuff to do, we’ve got a budget that’s out of balance by $2.5 million, I can’t just walk away and say ‘we’ve got a distraction, we’re not going to do anything about it’,” said Rep. Tom Cross, (R) Illinois House minority leader.
“While the governor gets a lot of attention, it’s Democratic House and Senate members that have helped cause this,” said House Republican leader Tom Cross, of Oswego. “These guys have been trying to run the government, and they’ve failed miserably.”
* Watson’s quotes were put in more context in the Tribune…
“We do need to move forward, but it is getting difficult,” Watson said when asked how the Rezko verdict is interrupting government business. “It just taints the whole process now that we have this in front of us. . . . There is a certain lack of trust” in Blagojevich. […]
…” It’s been said, ‘There’s a trial going on.’ Well, the trial is over now, and the guilty verdict is in. And I just think that resonates considerably with the people of this state.”
Democratic Rep. Julie Hamos of Evanston said it’s too early to say how the Rezko conviction might affect Blagojevich’s already sour relationship with the Legislature.
“I don’t think it can get any worse,” Hamos said.
* Madigan’s spokesman lays out the Speaker’s thinking in more detail…
“If you look at that in context, with the lawsuits and threats and firings and the decision to abandon the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (J-CAR), it’s impossible to imagine that going to meetings with (Blagojevich) is an appropriate approach,” Brown said. In the just-concluded legislative session, three items of substance were accomplished: rate rebates for ComEd and customers, money for the RTA and ethics reform, “and all three happened without the help of Rod Blagojevich.” […]
“The speaker is hopeful on the capital plan. He thinks there’s a need for a capital plan; he’s offered support for at least three different ideas,” Brown said. But the bill sent from the Senate to the House was “in a take it or leave it fashion.” The most important problem with it, Brown said, is that “they wanted the city to pay for a casino in Chicago, and the mayor was opposed, and he was opposed to how some of the money would be spent. It’s hard to expect that anybody’s going to support a bill like that.” […]
“The very real and drastic problems facing Illinois right now are primarily because of the person that occupies the governor’s office,” Brown said.
“This person has a fundamentally destructive view of how government operates in Illinois, and Mike Madigan is not going to go along thinking everything is hunky-dory.”
* One of the two remaining Spin Sisters says her boss is focused on his job…
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff suggested that the governor wasn’t distracted by Wednesday’s guilty verdict and instead is focused on doing his job.
* But the governor may speak about the imbroglio soon…
Aides said the governor would appear in public to address questions about the Rezko matter and other state business “within a few days,” but gave no further specifics. The governor has declined to take questions since the Rezko verdict and for months has curtailed his public appearances following Rezko revelations.
“If it was an issue that involved a Mom and Pop store or a high-rise, that is totally within the jurisdiction of that alderman. But, you’re not gonna say the lakefront belongs to one ward. It would be just as absurd to say that, because O’Hare Airport is located in the 41st Ward, that alderman should have sway over development practices at the airport,” said Zoning Committee Chairman William Banks (36th).
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing on down the backroads headin’ south.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You’re an idiot, babe.
It’s a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
