Newspaper carnage continues
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Rockford Register Star laid off 13 employees and closed its Statehouse office today, dumping bureau chief Aaron Chambers, who is generally considered one of the best reporters under the dome. Check out this story on the paper’s website…
The newspaper also closed its Springfield bureau today, a step that had been considered five years ago and again 18 months ago.
“We kept the bureau open through some previous tough times,” said Linda Grist Cunningham, executive editor. “Frankly, I made a choice between the bureau in Springfield and local news in the Rock River Valley. It’s a loss, but losing another local reporter would have been worse.”
Chambers worked like the devil to give his paper local angles on every possible story. It’s just a sad state of affairs, and even sadder that he would be spoken of in that way.
* The Champaign News-Gazette closed its bureau earlier this year, putting Kate Clements Cohorst out of a job. The Tribune eliminated one of its Statehouse positions on Friday, laying off the incredibly hard-working Jeff Meitrodt, who was recruited from New Orleans not long ago. And, as of yet, the AP has not filled the vacancy created when Ryan Keith was hired by the State Journal-Register.
So, that’s two bureaus and four reporting slots gone from the Statehouse this year alone, and it’s only August.
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*** 11:58 am *** That other post was getting too long, so let’s start anew, shall we?
* According to officials at the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Senate President Emil Jones had $577,605.04 in his personal campaign account as of June 30th, 1998. That’s the cutoff date for being allowed to legally withdraw funds from an account. Money accumulated above and beyond that 6/30/98 date cannot be used for personal stuff.
As of the end of June this year, Jones had $1.6 million in his campaign account. He still owes his campaign fund almost $25,000 for no interest loans.
No word yet about whether he intends to withdraw that $577K (minus the loan repayment) instead of spending it on candidates, but some Tier One targets (Linda Holmes and Gary Forby) may be a bit nervous right now. The Republicans may also be breathing just a wee bit easier, depending on what Jones says today.
By the way, we may not get a press conference. Last night we were told the announcement would take place at two o’clock today, but it might be done via a simple press release. We dont’ know anything because Jones’ spokesperson and his staff aren’t returning phone calls and e-mails.
My former intern, Paul Richardson, is hanging around downtown waiting for word. We’ll have full coverage if there’s a press conference.
*** UPDATE 1 - 12:08 pm *** From Lee Newspapers…
[Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville)] said Senate Democrats from downstate have already been on the phone with each other, forming a plan to have influence in the selection of a replacement for Jones.
‘’We anticipate playing a major role in that,'’ she said. ‘’We’ll be sticking together.'’
They’re sticking together now, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Sen. Clayborne is a Downstater, remember, and a member of the Black Caucus. There’s gonna be a big effort to slice and dice all of the sub-caucuses up, and it won’t be easy to have complete solidarity for any delegation.
*** UPDATE 2 - 12:22 pm *** From ICPR’s blog…
Senate President Jones’ main campaign account is Citizens for Emil Jones. Formed in 1974, it has State ID 188; one of the lowest of the currently active PAC numbers. The committee reported $577,605.04 in cash on hand as of June 30, 1998. That report listed no investments, but it did claim outstanding loans of $3,300, which may be in addition to the cash balance. State law bars candidates from using campaign funds for personal use, but grandfathers funds raised prior to June 30, 1998. So, that’s the amount that President Jones could take from his campaign fund for personal use (provided that he pays income taxes on it).
It’s worth noting that Sen. Jones is not required to take any money from the PAC for personal use; it’s strictly up to him. Nor does he have to take any action any time soon; he has until the committee dissolves, whenever that may be.
*** UPDATE 3 - 1:09 pm *** Sen. Rickey Hendon is having a press conference right about now. Paul is in a cab on his way. Hopefully we’ll have some audio or notes.
*** UPDATE 4 - 1:31 pm *** It sounds like we’re just going to get a written statement from Jones sometime after 2 o’clock.
*** UPDATE 5 - 1:36 pm *** Crain’s scores an exclusive interview…
Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. is confirming that he will step down when his current term expires in November.
In an interview over his cell phone, Mr. Jones said he’s wanted to retire for a long time but had been restrained by friends and allies. […]
“I’ve never run away from a fight,” Mr. Jones said, adding that he wanted to retire three years ago but “friends and family” convinced him to reconsider.
And here’s the son stuff…
Mr. Jones confirmed that he’d like his son to succeed him in Springfield. “That would be nice,” he said. But he declined to elaborate, saying only that, “more than likely,” he would resign his [ballot] position and be replaced on the November ballot by his son. [All emphasis added]
*** UPDATE 6 - 1:40 pm *** Press release from Sen. Jeff Schoenberg…
The unanticipated news that Senate President Emil Jones will announce his retirement later today provides an opportunity for Illinois Senate Democrats to have a fresh start in setting the state’s agenda. Senate Democrats need leadership that is more open and transparent and which works toward consensus in solving the state’s most pressing problems.
I hope to be a major part of the that effort. Thanks to your support and encouragement, I will continue to fight for those priorities and the values we share.
*** UPDATE 7 - 2:32 pm *** Sen. Hendon’s press conference sounded like a pretty staid affair. Hendon lavished praise on Senate President Jones and said he was qualified to succeed Jones because of his position as chairman of the Rules Committee, his being “faithful” to Jones for all these years and his work on behalf of the mass transit bailout, among other stuff.
Hendon said he could work with all of the “eight or nine” other candidates for the Senate presidency, including Sen. John Cullerton, whom Hendon denied was too close to House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Hendon said he would continue to “loyally” serve Jones until he’s gone and then see what might happen.
*** UPDATE 8 - 3:05 pm *** Senate President Jones has issued his statement.
There’s not much to it, but here’s the complete text…
PRESIDENT JONES WILL NOT SEEK ANOTHER SENATE TERM
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. said today that he will retire at the end of his current term in the Illinois Senate. President Jones is the longest serving Democratic Caucus leader since the 1970 Illinois Constitution. He has served as Senate President since 2003.
“I want to thank the many people throughout the years who have honored me by sending me to Springfield to represent them, as well as the members of the Democratic Caucus who have elected me their leader for the past 15 years. This has been a great privilege to work on behalf of the people of Illinois for over 35 years,” President Jones said.
“I want to thank my leadership team and my colleagues in the Senate who worked with me side-by-side to accomplish many things for the people of Illinois,” President Jones said. “My staff has also provided incredible support and an extraordinary effort on behalf of all of the members.”
President Jones was first elected to the Illinois House in 1972 and to the Illinois Senate in 1983. He was elected Senate Minority Leader in 1993 when Democrats had 27 members. In 2007 as Senate President he led Senate Democrats to capture 37 seats – an unprecedented gain of five seats for a veto proof majority in a non-redistricting year. The 95th General Assembly marks the first time in 70 years, and the first time since the implementation of the 1970 State Constitution, that Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Illinois Senate.
Under President Jones’ leadership in Fiscal Year 2008 education received the largest one-year increase in per student funding in the history of the state — $400 per student — $600 million overall in education funding. From 2003 to present, a $196 million increase was provided to early childhood education funding.
President Jones also shepherded the passage of one of the most comprehensive reform measures of the criminal justice system in the history of the State through the Illinois Senate. Among the many substantive changes to the criminal justice system spearheaded by Senator Jones was legislation to videotape interrogations in capital cases. This single piece of legislation put Illinois at the forefront of the nation as the first state to require that interrogations in capital cases be videotaped.
Additional significant legislation that President Jones sponsored or guided through the General Assembly during his 35 year legislative career includes legislation to require state law enforcement officials to collect data on racial profiling; a bill to require equal pay for equal work; a prescription drug discount program for senior and disabled citizens; two increases in the minimum wage; legislation that directed millions of state dollars for disadvantaged public school students to classroom needs, rather than administrative needs; legislation to double the personal exemption on the state income tax in 1998 to benefit working families who had not received an increase since 1969; and an effort to secure an individual’s right to choose a clinical social worker over a psychiatrist.
*** UPDATE 9 - 3:42 pm *** Statement from Gov. Rod Blagojevich…
“Over the last five and a half years as governor, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Senate President Emil Jones.
The accomplishments I am most proud of – making Illinois the first state in the nation to provide access to health care to all children, access to pre-school for all three and four-year-olds, and investing a record amount of money in education without raising taxes on people – would not have happened without the leadership and support of Emil Jones.
Emil Jones used his position as Senate President to give those without a voice better health care, better funded schools and increases in the minimum wage.
Emil Jones is a man with a big heart and a man of action. He is a true champion of the people. He didn’t just do the talk, he did the walk. All of us in Illinois owe him a great debt of gratitude.”
*** UPDATE 10 - 5:02 pm *** Statement from Justin DeJong, Illinois Director of Communications, Obama for America…
“Senator Jones has been a passionate advocate who has fought for working families and the underprivileged for more than three decades, and Senator Obama is confident he will continue to serve the people of Illinois in retirement.”
Notice, this was not from BHO himself.
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Vote No
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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This November, voters will be asked whether Illinois needs to hold a constitutional convention to rewrite it. The Alliance to Protect this Illinois Constitution urges everyone to support the state constitution and reject this costly and unnecessary proposal by voting “no.”
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*** UPDATE 1 - 12:09 am *** I warned subscribers a couple of weeks ago that this was a distinct possibility, and I spent most of Sunday evening working the phones after I heard Jones had been making calls. I was just about finished writing the Capitol Fax when I noticed that the Trib had it posted…
Powerful Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. is expected to announce Monday that he soon will retire, sources close to him said Sunday night, which will leave Gov. Rod Blagojevich without one of his closest allies. […]
His decision, not officially confirmed, likely opens a free-for-all to succeed him. Possible candidates to succeed Jones, a Chicago Democrat, as president include Sens. James Clayborne of Belleville, Jeff Schoenberg of Evanston; John Cullerton, Rickey Hendon and Donne Trotter of Chicago; and Terry Link of Waukegan, who doubles as Lake County Democratic chairman.
Jones’ name is on the Nov. 4 ballot with no opposition. He could remain on the ballot and throw the choice of his successor in the Senate district to local party leaders. […]
The loss of Jones at the helm will be a setback for Blagojevich, who counted on his ally to deliver support in the Senate for numerous controversial proposals. Jones’ support gave the Democratic governor a counterweight to House Speaker Michael Madigan, with whom Blagojevich has feuded.
There are others on the possible list, of course, but those are most of the bigger names.
Electing a Senate President requires 30 votes in the Senate, not just a majority of the Democratic caucus. As I told subscribers this morning, that’s the real key. Take a look at this 1981 story for how crazy things can get. And 1979 was worse.
As Larry notes…
The Governor is probably delusionally trying to come up with a Banana Republic type scenario. Of course, some people actually liked Jim Thompson.
Find out what he’s talking about by clicking here or here. But keep in mind that the current Senate rules require a constitutional majority to elect a Senate President.
And as the Tribune points out, the loss of Jones is a huge issue for Gov. Blagojevich. His whole strategy will have to change.
*** UPDATE 2 - 1:43 am *** From the Sun-Times…
Senate President Emil Jones is expected to announce his retirement plans today, stripping Gov. Blagojevich of his most vocal and reliable ally as the governor contemplates a third term. […]
A spokesman for Blagojevich said he did not know anything about Jones’ intentions.
I talked to a Blagojevich insider last night who was taken completely by surprise. Interesting, eh?
* Also…
One source indicated that Jones is likely to serve through the end of this year’s session, scheduled to end in November. Other close allies insist Jones, 72, remains healthy.
Both of those statements are true, as far as I can tell.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune took a recent look at how the governor has “re-emerged” in the past few weeks…
One top Blagojevich counselor acknowledged that “issues during the spring”—a euphemism for Rezko’s corruption trial—”necessitated him not always being out there” in the public eye.
“At the end of the day, he’s going to take heat no matter what,” said the Blagojevich adviser, who asked that his name not be used because he was not authorized to speak about strategy. “There was a consensus that it was time for him to get out there.” […]
Like the Golden Gloves boxer he once was, Blagojevich had to climb back into the ring and flail sometimes wildly to put the focus back on his agenda.
“I think the governor, with all the problems going on out there, maybe is happiest when he’s in the ring throwing those punches,” said state Rep. Robert Molaro (D-Chicago). “I think he sat back and tried other ways, he’s getting other advice, and then he says, ‘I’m only happy when I’m fighting.’ ” […]
“If the speaker thinks this kid is going away, that he’s maybe losing the fight, then the speaker is sadly mistaken,” Molaro said. “I think Rod Blagojevich is going to fight to the bitter end.”
Molaro has a point, but Emil Jones’ retirement is gonna have a huge impact on this comeback.
For instance, instead of putting together a capital plan now, Madigan might want to wait until Jones is gone.
*** UPDATE 3 - 9:14 am *** This was filed last night, at about the same time as the Tribune’s piece, but I didn’t see it…
“Emil called me tonight and said that he has been thinking about it for two years and has decided to retire. He said he will announce it at a news conference Monday,” Sen. Jacobs said. […]
Sen. Jones called each member of the Senate Democratic caucus to inform them of his impending announcement, Mike Jacobs said. He added Sen. Jones told him he plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January.
The AP is only quoting the Tribune and Sun-Times at the moment. Maybe they could get off their behinds and call Jacobs and some other members, and mention the Small Newspaper story while they’re at it.
*** UPDATE 4 - 9:56 am *** The AP finally got ahold of somebody…
Senator Rickey Hendon tells The Associated Press that Jones has told him he’ll step down after November’s legislative veto session.
Hendon says Jones isn’t retiring because of health problems. He says Jones has spent more than 30 years in the Illinois Legislature, is about to turn 73 and is ready to move on.
Hendon is 1 of Jones’ top deputies. The Chicago Democrat says he’s interested replacing Jones as Senate president.
*** UPDATE 5 - 9:59 am *** Chicago Public Radio makes two important points…
There is also talk about the timing of Jones’ announcement. It comes just eleven days before state election officials finalize the ballot for the fall election. That leaves the potential for party leaders to swap Jones off the ballot and replace him with a hand-picked candidate. That has fueled talk that Jones may make a move to have his son succeed him in office—a maneuver that has been a favorite of Illinois politicians. […]
Jones’ announcement will come as his political mentee Illinois Senator Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic presidential nomination next week. Jones and Obama grew extremely close during Obama’s time in the state senate. Any distasteful Chicago-style political dealings connected with Jones’ retirement could become a problem for Obama who has long sought to keep his distance from the city’s reputation for political corruption and slight-of-hand.
I wrote about Jones wanting to install his son, Emil III, a couple of weeks ago. The Obama thing is important as well. This helps create a tiny bit of distance, particularly if something breaks between now and election day.
*** UPDATE 6 - 10:33 am *** Mentioned above, but worth noting …
Jones has been the governor’s biggest supporter [on the capital bill]. He’s expected to stick around through the end of this session — in January. But make no mistake, word of his retirement makes him a political lameduck and the power struggles to replace him have already begun.
The next Senate president is likely to want to put his (or her) stamp of approval on project spending rather than rubberstamp Jones’ vision.
And that’s why the construction spending spree is a little bit deader today than it was yesterday.
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Question of the day
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Did you go to the State Fair this year? How was your experience? Explain.
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Overreaction? *** UPDATED x1 ***
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This post from Progress Illinois is not entirely correct…
Last Friday, we learned that State Sen. and Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson’s stepson, Jay Bush, was seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan. According to an account in the State-Journal Register today, Bush “had been riding in a truck that came under fire at night … Ordered to evacuate, Bush jumped out of the side of the truck. He did not realize the vehicle was parked on a bridge, so he fell 25 feet, landing on rocks.” The Register also reported that Halvorson and her husband were visiting Bush at Walter Reed Hospital in D.C., where he was flown over the weekend. Before heading East, Halvorson said that Bush had “broke his back, and they think his neck.”
If you’re the GOP candidate in the 11th District race, common sense should instruct you to lay off your opponent until she’s gotten through this ordeal.
Well, think again. At least if you’re Marty Ozinga.
That’s right. While Halvorson is in Washington dealing with a family emergency, the Ozinga campaign has apparently put out a robocall attacking her. We have it on good authority from a contact in the field that the call hit district residents’ phones earlier today.
Pretty despicable when you think about it. Especially from a guy who claims he “not a politician.” To the contrary, it looks like politics are foremost in his mind.
But we already had an inkling that Ozinga lacks a certain … decency.
* The Ozinga robocall was a disproportionate response, but it was a response. The DCCC spent over $40K on recent mailers, at least one of them whacking Ozinga for supporting more tax breaks for Big Oil. Here’s the Ozinga campaign’s e-mail sent out in response…
The DCCC made a scurrilous charge that Marty “supports more tax breaks for Big Oil.” As proof, they cite Ozinga’s support of tax credits to encourage refinery expansion and construction – a long-overdue development that would increase supply and lower gas prices.
The rub for the DCCC is: Halvorson also supports “increasing oil refinery capacity,” in addition to supporting “tax incentives for companies who devote resources to the research and development of renewable sources of energy” – incentives for which Big Oil companies would qualify[1]. So Halvorson also supports “more tax breaks for Big Oil.”
The DCCC mailer also claimed that Majority Leader Halvorson “led the fight” for electric rate relief, when it was Senate President Jones who fought that relief for months.
I talked with some Republicans the other day who said Ozinga couldn’t just let the attacks stand (there was also another somewhat negative mailer from Halvorson in the boxes at the time), so they responded.
It may backfire, however, because the response could be seen as disproportionate, particularly when her military stepson is in the hospital.
*** UPDATE *** I’m told that the Ozinga campaign sent a letter to the Halvorson campaign last week offering a mutual truce on negative attacks. No reply.
The DCCC and Halvorson have sent out 4 mailers with some negativity in them in the past few days, plus a Halvorson robocall responding to Ozinga’s robocall, plus a WHOI TV interview on Friday during which Halvorson is quoted as saying this about Ozinga’s lack of political experience…
Halvorson says her experience makes her the better candidate.
“Theres so many things we need to talk about, what we are there for, and you know, if you are a patient, who would you want to do your surgery? Someone whose done it before or someone whose not?” said Halvorson
That’s not exactly hugely negative. Again, Ozinga has been mostly responding, so some of the criticism is unfair. But this is a very difficult high-wire act and Ozinga needs to be extremely careful or this meme could move into the MSM.
* I mentioned the other day that Rep. Aaron Schock’s speech was a bit flat. He tried his best to throw some red meat at the crowd, but the GOP congressional candidate showed once again that he’s not always the most prepared candidate…
“The last time we had this level of socialism being proposed and inexperience at the helm was Jimmy Carter,” said Schock (who was born four months after Democrat Carter left office in 1981).
I later asked Schock what he meant by the “level of socialism” Obama represents.
“Well, he’s promoting what I would term a government takeover of the health system,” Schock said. “He has said he wants to mandate free college tuition for every student in America.
“Unlike TED KENNEDY (he meant JACK KENNEDY, of course) who said, don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country … he (Obama) says, we’re the wealthiest country in the world; you should get this, you should get that. You’re entitled to this, you’re entitled to that. To me, that’s a move toward socialism.”
Schock was not specific, at that point, on Obama’s programs.
“I’m familiar with what his work was here at the state Capitol, and to me, the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior,” Schock said. “And he has supported what I would consider to be socialistic moves on health care as a state senator.”
“I don’t remember the exact bills,” he said.
* Related…
* Fake Ozinga ad crosses political line
* Schock, Callahan pander to train enthusiasts
* Marin: Time out for update on political scene
* 2008 Election Forecast: Illinois is Sweet Home for Obama
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A look ahead
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I told you Friday afternoon, the Senate is coming back to town tomorrow…
The Senate’s main focus will be to take up two bills that Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to expand through his amendatory veto power, said Senate President Emil Jones’ spokeswoman, Cindy Davidsmeyer.
As the governor has rewritten the measures, one would allow parents to keep children on their health insurance plans until age 26, and the other would offer a new property tax break to disabled veterans.
* There’s also a “mini capital plan” that was passed by the House…
Number to Know
$1.2 billion. That’s the size of the scaled-back capital program the Illinois House of Representatives voted for on Wednesday. It’s substantially less than the $25 billion program the governor wants, but Blagojevich called the House action a good start.
* That’s pretty tiny considering the latest economic news…
Illinois’ unemployment rate has jumped to 7.3 percent — the highest level in 15 years — with job losses hitting the construction industry hard, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said. One year ago, the rate was 5.1 percent.
The latest unemployment rate for July, which translates to 491,300 unemployed people, mirrors the economic downturn nationwide, said IDES director James Sledge. […]
The national unemployment rate for July hit a five-year high of 5.7 percent, the federal government reported earlier.
Both Sledge and his boss, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, singled out the loss of 12,000 construction jobs since the start of the year to argue for a multibillion-dollar statewide construction program that’s become bogged down in Springfield.
* The most likely amendatory veto to be accepted by the Senate is the disabled veterans property tax exemption…
One bill would eliminate property taxes for 16,000 Illinois veterans. Blagojevich’s proposal would be available for veterans with a disability of 50 percent or more, such as the loss of limbs.
Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman for Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), said she did not think the break to veterans would have “any trouble at all.”
The biggest hit would be to local governments, which collect $35 million to $40 million for the veterans in this category. Other property owners would pick up the slack.
I’ll have more on the other bill in tomorrow’s Capitol Fax. I meant to have some info on it today, but was sidetracked with the Jones retirement thing.
* More…
Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria, thinks that approval of the amendatory vetoes would set up a legal challenge intended to resolve the thorny question of just how far Blagojevich or any governor can go in rewriting legislation.
“My opinion is he’s out of line,” Risinger said. “I think the authority that was given to him was to rewrite bills if there’s any tweaking that needs to be done. He’s just writing legislation, not rewriting legislation.”
Thoughts?
* Somewhat related…
* State legislators might inch closer to acceptable capital plan
* With no capital plan, it’s a long road ahead for transportation plans - Projects only get more expensive as political feud goes on.
* State budget cuts mean layoffs for some
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Pay raise politics
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Last week’s umpteenth special legislative session had a lot more to do with giving the Senate an opportunity to kill off the legislative pay raises than coming up with education funding reform ideas or passing a capital construction plan.
The official reason the General Assembly was brought back to town last Tuesday was to deal with education funding reform, but that was a farce on its face. Gov. Rod Blagojevich offered up no plans of his own. Blagojevich said he called the special session at the behest of the Legislative Black Caucus, but didn’t bother to reach out to African-Americans at all. The governor, who said this month that he sometimes considers himself to be the state’s first African-American governor, instead spent the day at the Illinois State Fair’s “Auction of Champions.”
That failure to communicate and to show his face brought harsh words from Rev. Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago), an education funding reform advocate who is sounding more like a possible gubernatorial candidate with each passing day.
“When the governor calls a special session, the governor is supposed to have an agenda,” Meeks told reporters yesterday. The Senator also quipped that the governor had put “cows before kids,” with his decision to attend the animal auction. Blagojevich pledged to put $2 billion into education funding during his 2006 reelection campaign, which prompted Meeks to drop out of the race. It’s now payback time.
But early last week, there was little talk about education and much talk about the pay raise. It’s actually been that way throughout the summer. Editorials have lambasted Senate President Emil Jones for refusing to call a vote to reject the raises during the spring session and for his… um… unfortunate choice of words regarding the issue. Jones had joked with reporters that he needed a pay raise and food stamps in the final days of the spring session, and those remarks have been repeated ad nauseum for months.
The governor’s special session call was immediately seized upon by most of the state’s news media as a prime opportunity to reject the raises, especially since many believed that the raises would kick in last week. Illinois law requires both chambers to reject the raises within 30 session days or they automatically take effect. It’s been assumed for weeks that Jones has wanted to quietly allow the raises to take effect after the November elections, but it has become clear that there would be nothing “quiet” about this tactic.
Instead, the pay raise issue managed to break through all the clutter and resonate clearly with voters. One suburban Democratic Senator claimed he was receiving ten calls an hour early last week from his constituents about the raises. The raises had essentially become the chief symbol in the voters’ minds for all the intractable Statehouse problems.
Usually, the public tends not to notice much of what goes on in Springfield, but the governor’s horrible poll numbers and various state crises have made voters sit up and take notice. Last year’s skyrocketing electric rates exploded Downstate voter anger, and the mass transit meltdown caught Chicago-area voters’ attention, and not in a good way. The intransigence on the capital construction plan has prompted much voter disgust. But this pay raise thing was working against the legislative Democrats throughout the state in a way that those other hot-button issues didn’t even approach.
Democratic polling was apparently showing that the raises were causing significant problems for some Senate incumbents. The Democrats in both chambers believed earlier this year that they could do just about anything they wanted and not be harmed at the polls because of Barack Obama’s presence on the ballot. But that isn’t turning out to be the case, mainly because the pay raise issue has become such a potent and devastatingly simple rallying cry for critics of the current system.
Freshman Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) was said to be particularly vulnerable on this issue. Senate President Jones had hoped to easily hold all his Democratic seats this year and even add to his super majority, but the pay raises were apparently mucking up the works.
Clearly, something had to be done, and no matter how much Jones and some of his members wanted those raises, they weren’t going to be able to grab that cash.
* Related…
* Chambers: Public finally has say over wishes against pay raises
* Illinois Senate shamed into action
* Finke: Special session doesn’t deliver
* SJ-R: Students know a stunt when they see one
* Risinger: Special Sessions a Waste
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Meeks on school funding
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kristen McQueary interviews Rev. Sen. James Meeks. He does a pretty good job…
Q: But parents should be more responsible for their kids’ education.
A: That misses the point. Even if parents in New Trier had to operate on Chicago Public Schools’ budget, they would lose $31 million. They could not provide the same education today with a $31 million hole in the budget. Multiply that by 25 years and you get all the social ills we have. They couldn’t do it, even with two parents.
Q:Throwing money at the schools is not going to solve the problem.
A: I beg to differ. Ask Linda Yonke (New Trier’s superintendent) if she didn’t have that extra $7,000 per pupil, could she do the job she is doing today? She will tell you that money matters. Don’t let anybody tell you money does not matter. They have training coaches for kids taking the ACT test and ACT prep courses and 17 students in a class. When Thornton or Fenger high school students take the ACTs, that’s the first time students sat down with it. Money matters because they have a coach and aquatics and microbiology.
Also, the school that feeds into New Trier spends $21,000 per student. Those kids come prepared. They don’t need remedial courses. They are all (Advanced Placement) when they come there.
Q: There are districts, particularly downstate, that are able to do more with less, that spend less than Chicago Public Schools, and get better results.
A: No downstate school has New Trier’s statistics of 88 percent of teachers with master’s degrees and 95 percent college graduation rate. No downstate school has that. It’s a totally different environment downstate. Everybody knows everybody.
Q: But back to the parents, do you admit they play a more important role than the school?
A: I am not going to let this discussion go in the way people are trying to take it. They’re trying to take this into family responsibility. We have two-parent families in our congregation, a mother and a father, who insist their kids do their homework; who take their children to school; who know who is on the local school council. But if the school doesn’t have the resources to do the job, it makes no difference the commitment level of the parent. […]
Q: Are you going to run for governor?
A: I doubt it. There are other more qualified people to become the Democratic nominee.
Thoughts?
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Morning Shorts
Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning
* The Tribune Casualty List
* Community Groups On Chicago Olympic Bid: “We Want A Seat At The Table”
* State, AFSCME reach tentative deal
Brian Williamsen, spokesman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, issued a written statement saying, “In fairness to the employees, we are not discussing the agreement until they have been provided an opportunity to review it.”
* Updated 8/15: Ousted candidate Stevo seeks restraining order on state
* Condo chasm hits new low
* Foreclosure nightmare: Many homes in jeopardy
* Illinois Attorney General Wants More Charity Care at Hospitals
* Sheriff’s rebate ruse brings in 66 fugitives
n what was dubbed Operation Rebate & Switch, officers set up the fictional Tax Recovery Experts Inc. store front office on South Archer Avenue and lured the fugitives to the site with letters promising to help them get their first rebate or supplemental check. Those who got the letters were instructed to call the Southwest Side office to set up an appointment.
* Illinois to launch smoke-free ad campaign
* Business owners take smoke ban in stride
* No suit filed yet against IDOT move
* Our Opinion: Expect lawsuit over IDOT jobs
While sometimes tedious and time-consuming, legislative oversight provides the opportunity for decisions to be properly vetted and examined publicly. In an era where executives like Blagojevich and Bush act as though their elections allow them to do as they please, additional legislative scrutiny is nearly always a good thing.
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