Pay raise politics finally getting some notice
Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some of the mainstream types are finally taking serious notice of a topic I’ve been discussing with subscribers, column readers and you for months: The legislative pay raise’s impact on the Blagojevich-Jones-Madigan war. From CBS2…
Under Springfield’s weird rules, if President Emil Jones convenes his State Senate for just two more days, every legislator immediately gets an almost 12 percent raise, even members of the House who voted overwhelmingly to reject the raise.
But there’s a catch. With many voters angry about their own pay cuts, Jones wants to delay the double-digit raise for legislators until after the November election.
So, important budget business facing the general assembly must wait, too.
“The tail is wagging the entire dog of the $60 billion state budget because a few senators want their pay raise,” said State Rep. Jack Franks.
* And the Tribune…
The House is back this week to fight Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s budget cuts, but the Senate is avoiding the Statehouse in a move that protects lawmakers’ chances of getting a post-election pay raise.
Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) has said there is no need for the Senate to meet because his chamber, unlike the House, has already approved funding plans that would alleviate the need for the governor’s veto of $1.4 billion in spending from the new state budget.
But critics said returning to Springfield also would force the Senate to vote on whether to boost base salaries for lawmakers next summer by 7.5 percent, to $72,985. Jones has not scheduled the Senate to return until after the November election, when it would be less volatile for lawmakers to take a vote. […]
Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), who has fought the pay raise and wants a pre-election vote, contended the Senate is shirking its responsibility to tackle budget issues now because some senators want to protect salary hikes.
“Some people in leadership would rather us not be in Springfield because we would not have to address the pay raise,” she said.
This may have been too “inside baseball” for most publications back in May, but it’s having a serious impact on the Statehouse budget/capital/etc. stalemate and needs more coverage.
However, the Senate’s maneuvering might distract attention from the House Speaker’s role in the ongoing mess, including the fact that funding for cost of living allowance increases is included in the House’s budget bill.
Your thoughts?
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:08 am:
Jones may have outsmarted himself. Didn’t leave himself a lot of wiggle room, and now the issue’s getting play, anyway.
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:09 am:
There is something wrong with the process when if you DON’T vote for something it goes into effect.
- Anon - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:11 am:
I’ve mentioned this before but you’ll notice that the stories still don’t print how much the raises will cost. People are going to start getting laid off because of these cuts and the Senate won’t come back and do anything about it so that they can make sure they get their raise without having to answer for it in the November elections.
Oh, and the reason you never see the value of the pay raises written about is because they’re only worth a couple hundred grand, but that small amount doesn’t jive with the story that reporters want to write “Greedy Legislators Take Small Children into the Sewers and Swallow them Whole”.
- anon - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:14 am:
The topic deserves the attention, and the timing now is probably pretty good. But which House budget bill contains the COLA?
- Cassandra - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:28 am:
It’s annoying, if not all that expensive in context,but that fact is that the great majority of legislators are running effectively unopposed due to the laziness and inattentiveness of the electorate. How do we suppose these folks got to the legislature anyway. Not through hard work and
campaigning from the ground up, for the most part. They did what they had to do and the party slated them. There is no way to punish them for this behavior because their respective parties are unlikely to slate anyone else. We should consider ourselves lucky that they aren’t making $200 or $300k a year by now.How much would it take for the electorate to revolt? A lot more than $72k, I bet.
- Ghost - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:42 am:
The interesting thing about this is the Gov’s strategy of attacking Madigan with the scare tactic of a “concealed” tax hike being held back until after the election. Setting aside that Jones supports the tax hike, Jones is definelty attempting to conceal the pay raise issue until after the election. The Gov should technically be condemning this actual attempt to decieve people if he wants and credibility at all in his press release war. Obviously the Gov wonn’t, he needs Jones too much. This payrais should haunt every senate member into losing their races! The State is in a fiscal crisis with massive cuts to employees, the elderly and the needy, but the Senate is boosting its salaries by 12%!
- Captain America - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 9:46 am:
Frankly, I don’t care one way or another whether legislators get a pay raise or not. Based upon the miserable performance of the legislature the last two sessions, it really is not deserved. Of course, I realize that the political conduct of a sociopathic Governor must be considered a mitigating factor.
If I were king,I’d be inclined to give the rank-and-file legislators the COLA and deny any increase to the legislative leaders and the Governor. Results matter, and the citizens of Illinois aren’t getting anything but dysfunction and gridlock.
However, it is a complete outrage that the pay raise is even a factor in whether or not the Senate reconvenes to consider House veto overrides. What about the public interest, Godfather?
Clearly, the cuts to various human service programs are unconscionable and the cuts to the Constitutional Officer budgets were completely unwarranted. The government spends far too much on unsuccessful enforcement of drug laws and imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders, and too little on addiction treatment service already.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 10:41 am:
Jones’ political stand on his pay raises is now a big part of the gridlock we face in Illinois. He wants a pay raise, so he is ensuring that he gets no work done in July, August, September, or October. By refusing to work, he expected to not bring attention to himself. Do you know anyone that thinks this way? Anyone with political power like he has?
Let him refuse to work. Let our deadlines pass and our government collapse. The idea that he believes that voters will still reward him for his part of this disaster is based on a long history of voters doing just that. Illinois is a one party state, and Jones expects it to remain a one party state as he rolls over in bed to sleep throughout our state crisis.
By refusing to work, Jones is giving an opportunity to the GOP and to the House, and believes he can easily survive. His godson Obama is heading to the White House, and his silent partner Debbie Halvorson is heading for Congress, so who is out there to disagree with his political judgements?
Voters have been proving Mr. Jones right for ten years. His actions say to us all, “I dare ya!”
- Marbley - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 10:56 am:
Emil Jones Sr. gets a pay raise and his son Emil Jr. Public Service Administrator Department Of Employment Security cannot be found at work anywhere for 6 months? Something wrong here when they cut pay for the Needy like autistic children?
Blatant Abuse of Power.
- MouthofBabes.. - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 11:05 am:
Susan Garrett’s and her husband buy and sell companies throwing innocent people out of work for profit, and now she doesn’t want a pay raise. Convenient.
- Mongo - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 12:39 pm:
mouthofbabes, how about some facts?
And while we are at it, does everyone remember President “give me all my cash” Jones attacking Garrett for her good government stance on the issue of pay raises?
- Anonymous 45 - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 12:50 pm:
I have been outraged on this issue for weeks…how dare the boys club call out Susan Garrett on this in the last days before regular session ended…she looks like the only Senator with “testicular virility” to call it as she saw it…You Go Girl…
- tanstaafl - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 1:40 pm:
The senate is not going to meet until after the election. That means for half of July and all of August, September, and October they will esentially not be doing anything. If I did virtually no work for 3 and one half months, not only would I not get a pay raise, I would lose my job. The least the senators should do would be to reimburse the state for 30% of their annual salary.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 1:43 pm:
tanstaafl, don’t be silly. Most are working in their districts, and we have a part-time citizens legislature. Do you really want them in session every day of the year? I didn’t think so.
- ahoy! - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 1:47 pm:
The front pages of our papers need to be calling on the resignation of Emil Jones and the rest of his party’s senators that keep electing that man to his position.
Of course if the Senate Republican’s had any idea how to win an election…
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 3:29 pm:
I think it would be a step in the right direction to rid ourselves of Blago by impeachment and stage a coup in the Senate to rid the good citizens of the State of President Jones as well…it is just a fantasy, but I’m enjoying the prospect…if Emil’s guy Obama winsthe Oval office, he could take care of him by offering him the an
Ambassadorship of whatever country he desires…
if only…
- Lemay55 - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 3:34 pm:
Speaking of the legislative pay increases…..who are the members of the Compensation Review Board anyway? All I could find through my own brief research is that the members are appointed by the 4 leaders! Is this not the fox watching the chicken coop? I want to see the names of all members and the criteria on which their recommendation was made. Can anyone provide this information? And why don’t we see this information in the news media?
- Anonymous34 - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 4:56 pm:
If credible, I applaud the anonymous House Democrat’s cry for responsible governance in that chamber. The inability for Democrats in this state to adequately perform even the most basic legislative duties, like passing a balanced budget, speaks very poorly of their ability to lead Illinois in the right direction. However, the call for greater legislative responsibility would have been much more resounding if the legislator took responsibility for his/her own words. How can you call out the current House leadership when you lack the backbone to stand up for what you believe in? If anything, this action is emblematic of the futility that defines Democrats in the state.
- Tired of the Mess... - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 6:37 pm:
What a joke! Jones and Hollywood Hendon saying that they will need food stamps if they don’t get their raises. Do they not realize that their constituents actually do recieve food stamps and that their salaries are substantially less than the $70+ that each of them are making?
If their voting districts had any collective brain, they would send these two clowns packing.
- Disgusted - Wednesday, Jul 16, 08 @ 8:19 pm:
To Lemay55:
Here you go. By the way, if you check these names against the Board of Elections contributions listing, you will see that between 2000 and 2008, members of this board have given over $92,000 to Democrat politicians.
Compensation Review Board
12 public members
As of February 2008
Appointed by the Senate President:
Ronald G. Fleisher
111 West Washington
Suite 1505
Chicago IL 60602
Jessen Patton, Jr.
475 Martendell Road
Suite 650
Schaumburg IL 60173
W. Bill Williams, Jr. CNP
12531 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago IL 60628
Appointed by the Senate Minority Leader:
Thomas D. Marcucci
204 W. St. Charles Road
Elmhurst IL 60126
Charlotte Mushow
170 Farfield
Elsmhurst IL 60126
Wm. E. Tienken
422 Hudson Avenue
Clarendon Hills IL 60514
Appointed by the House Speaker:
James P. Daley
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
70 West Madison
Suite 3100
Chicago IL 60602
Kevin M. Forde
1011 West Washington
Suite 2025
Chicago IL 60602
Fredenna Lyle
Smith & Lyle
850 West Jackson Blvd.
Suite 701
Chicago IL 60602
Appointed by the House Minority Leader:
Todd Morse
23641 W. Andrew Road
Plainfield IL 60544
Dave Schlaker
636 Pearse’s Ford
Oswego IL 60563
(vacant position)