Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2008

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Posted by Kevin Fanning]

* Rep. Roskam calls for legislation to block Canadian National’s proposed purchase of the EJ & E Railway…

Specifically, the Wheaton Republican’s legislation would designate a 36-mile stretch of the EJ&E railway through Chicago suburbs as a “Corridor for Inter-Suburban Commuter Rail.”

If enacted, Roskam said the initiative would promote the creation of the Suburban Transit Access Route, known as the STAR line, and halt CN’s attempted use of the EJ&E. The STAR line would provide for suburb-to-suburb train commuting by connecting nearly 100 towns from Joliet to O’Hare International Airport.

* Independent candidate Allan Stevo has entered the 10th Congressional District race against Republican Mark Kirk and Democratic challenger Dan Seals…

A University of Illinois graduate, Stevo said in his statement that he would base his decisions in Congress strictly on the Constitution:

“No undeclared wars, innocent until proven guilty, no searches without probable cause, everyone gets his or her day in court, small central government,” he said.

His campaign Web site touts personal choice on health care and a “more humble” foreign policy. Stevo also vows, on his Web site, that he never would vote to increase taxes, spending or national debt.

* Constitution Party candidate likely out of race in the 18th…

Carter did not fulfill the signature requirement for the office, so even if he does contest the objection, he likely will not win. He said earlier he had hoped to “fly under the radar” and get into the race.

“I can not withstand a challenge,” he said. He will be notified of the objection by certified mail this week and can still argue his case, but said that’s not likely.

He received “thousands” fewer signatures than the required number. “I’m still taking it under consideration, but the likelihood is I won’t,” Carter said.

* Rep. Phil Hare calls for levee upgrades in flooding’s wake….

U.S. Rep. Phil Hare assessed Mississippi River flood damage Monday in Gladstone and told constituents he is working to upgrade levees in the area.

“It’s incredibly sad. We’re having a 200-year flood every 10 or 12 years,” the Rock Island Democrat said. “After we get through this, we have to invest in the long term and build these levees up.”

[…]

“No one knows how much this will cost,” Hare said after watching the 20-minute presentation. “The supplemental appropriations bill the president signed is for $2.5 billion, but I’m guessing this could easily go as high as $4 billion. We are probably going to do another supplement appropriation for this flood.”

* Dr. Steve Sauerberg speaks at “election awareness candidate forum” sponsored by the La Salle County Republican Women…

Sauerberg’s concerns ranged from the open border and “taxes that support Springfield, who has never seen a big enough government. We have a government that just wants us to drive less without drilling for oil anywhere.

It’s hard to do anything if energy issues are not resolved. The Legislature has been dealing with this for 25 to 30 years and they have done nothing. We need to deal with our rising health costs. We need change and without all of our efforts, there will be no change.”

15 Comments

Question of the Day

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Posted by Kevin Fanning]

* Last Friday Andy Shaw was on Chicago Tonight and had the following to say on a possible gubernatorial bid by Lisa Madigan:

“Mike Madigan has done great damage to Lisa’s chances with his obstructionism in Springfield.”

Question: Explain why you agree or disagree with Shaw?

75 Comments

IL Congressional campaigns stuck in ‘98?

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Posted by Kevin Fanning]

* If you’ve been receiving tons of spam from Illinois Congressional campaigns don’t worry because you’re not alone:

The first few I ignored, recognizing that as a former party chair in the state I was bound to be on some lists. But by winter I’d grown mildly curious: where were these guys getting my address? I’d keep making it clear I didn’t live in Illinois, I’d keep asking to be removed, and sometimes they’d acknowledge receipt (not often) and remove me. Too often my e-mail went unanswered, and I’d get the next randomly-timed e-mail blast from them, repeating the cycle.

If this were one or two campaigns I’d let it slide. But it’s growing – I estimate at least half of the Congressional races in Illinois have added me to their list. Where are they getting my name from? My blog is linked to from Rich Miller’s influential CapitolFaxBlog.com site – and they are apparently spamming everyone on that list. (Three of the campaigns have admitted this is where they got my name from; no clue if the others are following suit, but it sure fits the pattern.)

It’s pretty ridiculous to spam everyone on someone’s blogroll. Not only is it uncreative and impersonal, it just becomes increasingly annoying. I have personally seen my fair share of it, and can attest to the frustration.

It becomes aggravating when a list server perpetually ignores your request to be removed from it.

* Rick also has some good advice for campaigns…

…If the stream of spam in my inbox is any indication, the state of online campaigning at the Congressional level in Illinois is stuck circa 1998.

Here’s some free advice, guys. Talk to your constituents. If you have some bloggers in your district (chances are you do), engage them. Meet them for coffee. Call them. Invite their feedback on what the candidate should be doing.

It’s a great point. Rich and I look at these blogs all of the time. They usually have very good coverage of local events, and add great insight into how many of the voters in that district feel.

For instance, I was looking at Team America’s 10th District Blog today, and saw this post regarding Congressman Mark Kirk and Dan Seal’s presence at a parade in Waukegan:

In yesterday’s parade in Waukegan, Mark Kirk had, by all accounts, somewhere between 200-250 supporters marching with him, many of whom were Latino, and who are turning out to be a huge base of support for Kirk. In fact, Kirk had so many marchers that, in the words of one Kirk observer, it “was actually kind of ridiculous.”

Dem challenger Dan Seals, on the other hand, apparently had about 15 folks marching with him. Seals had more people marching in Libertyville, so I have no idea why he’d have less in Waukegan, unless it simply shows that his base of support in what ought to be Dem territory is pathetically shallow.

* It would do these campaigns a world of good to heed some of the online advice.

29 Comments

Fiscal year starts without a budget

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Posted by Kevin Fanning]

* Well it’s officially July 1, and a budget has yet to be hammered out. It looks like the Governor is becoming less optimistic:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he’s hopeful but “cautiously less than optimistic” that lawmakers will come up with new revenues to make up the $2 billion hole in the proposed state budget before the July 9 deadline.

Blagojevich also praised Republican leaders for their support on a capital plan, while some Republicans were around the state complaining over their role in the process:

“We’re limited in what we can do,” said Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield. “The only thing we can do is vote on a budget, up or down, before the end of May. We can encourage that to occur every year, but it’s up to the governor to agree to a budget.”

“The first thing you’ve got to do is include us in the (negotiating) process,” said Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield. “Republicans were totally left out of it.”

* Standing by the Governor’s side, Rep. Hamos had the following to say about a capital plan:

“It’s beginning to feel like maybe we don’t want to pass a capital bill. Maybe we want to stall a capital bill,” said Rep. Julie Hamos, D-Evanston. “Maybe we want to stall it until the year 2011 — how does that year sound? — or maybe the summer of 2010, when this governor can’t get any ribbon-cuttings.”

Hamos has been very critical of the Speaker on the issue lately, and one has to wonder how that will bode for her relationship with him.

* Meanwhile, Sen. Rutherford was speaking on the Governor’s penchant for prison closings, and dared to gaze into the budget’s crystal ball:

Rutherford said he expects the budget issue won’t be resolved until right around then.

“I think right now it is probably going to go all the way to the morning of when those checks need to be written to force the issue and to try to put as much pressure on (House Speaker Michael Madigan) as possible,” he said.

That’s a pretty fair assessment, especially since any crisis resulting from the lack of a budget deal appears to be at least a couple of weeks off:

Hynes is not scheduled to issue the next round of payroll checks for state workers until July 15, for instance.

The state has already disbursed July general state aid to schools, and it’s not expected to allocate another round until August.

Let the drama continue.

* Related…

* State lacks budget, but it’s not out of money — yet

* No state budget leaves schools, others in limbo

* July 1 arrives with no budget, so what’s next?

* Illinois’ New Fiscal Year Starts without New Budget

* Why he won’t do it

20 Comments

Pilgrim Baptist Church back in the news***Updated x1***

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

[Posted by Kevin Fanning]

* It looks like Governor Blagojevich is finally making good on a promise that was made over two years ago:

Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago has finally received the $1 million promised it by the Blagojevich administration to help rebuild the fire-damaged structure next to the destroyed sanctuary.

You may recall that a “bureaucratic mistake” caused money to go to the private, seemingly non-existent Loop Lab school that rents the space:

[A]t least 59 times in the roughly 90-minute hearing, Peters professed ignorance toward what Blagojevich has called a “bureaucratic mistake.”

“I would not have any idea who in the governor’s office would have the most answers,” Peters told members of the House State Government Administration Committee.

* It looks like everything finally worked out. But wait…

The Trib’s story doesn’t tell us what happened to the other $1 million and whether the school has reimbursed the state for the check it received by mistake.

That’s one little nugget left out of the story that has yet to be reported.

* The folks over at the IR are also wondering if the grant violates the Constitution:

Where’s the ACLU protesting state funds going to a religious institution? The 1970 version of the Illinois Constitution clearly draws the money line between church and state…

I think that’s a bit of a stretch. It seems like the administration has that base covered:

That deal specifies the funds have to be used to rebuild a burnt-out building next to the church that would be used as a community center for legal fairs, health clinics and other “non-secular” purposes — a stipulation designed to fend off church-state legal challenges.

“This grant has a clear secular purpose — the construction of a community center that will house social programs open to the public regardless of religious affiliation or ability to pay,” DCEO spokeswoman Ashley Cross said.

* Discuss.

*** UPDATE ***

* I just spoke with Ashley Cross from DCEO. It appears that she was misquoted in the article and was on record as saying “that deal specifies the funds have to be used to rebuild a burnt-out building next to the church that would be used as a community center for legal fairs, health clinics and other “secular” purposes.

It has also been changed on the Sun Times website. I know that there were a few comments on that, and I just wanted to clear up any confusion.

22 Comments

Morning Shorts

Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Mayor Daley Considering Changes to City’s Gun Laws

* Chicago Students Talk About Gun Violence

* Tax to the max

* Cook County Sales Tax Hike Takes Effect Tuesday

* What you need to know about sales tax

* Chicago can keep data on police lineup study under wraps

* You’re not protected: individual insurance in Illinois

Illinois has adopted a “hands-off” regulatory policy toward individual insurance, according to the report, which is based on a survey of insurance commissioners in all 50 states.

* CTU board again votes to try official

The Chicago Teachers Union executive board on Monday voted to try union vice president Ted Dallas on charges of spending money lavishly at high-end Chicago restaurants and on top-shelf liquor, among other purported misdeeds.

* Gettysburg Address goes back on display

* Man’s wall stands tall

* Bush offers Illinois more aid for flood recovery

The authorization announced Monday means the Federal Emergency Management Agency can reimburse counties an additional 15 percent of their costs.

* Ill. GOP’s ’shock’ economic cure demands guv’s support

* Business as usual, governor says

Asked Monday to what extent the investigation was having on his administration’s day-to-day governing, Blagojevich said: “Absolutely not. There’s no impact whatsoever.”

* Blagojevich signs preschool funding bill

* If not now, when?

This year, however, maybe we will have a convention because things are so messed up in Springfield that we can’t get anything done on things we care about— such as health care and education funding and mass transit and immigrant rights and . . . (supply your own causes here).

* Democratic Leadership Council centrists say anything Obama does is fine by them

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