Morning Shorts
Monday, Feb 2, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Downstate mayor to be new Amtrak chairman
Amtrak’s new conductor is from Illinois: Thomas C. Carper, former mayor of downstate Macomb, was unanimously named chairman by Amtrak’s board of directors yesterday.
Mr. Carper, a long-time supporter of passenger rail, has served on Amtrak’s board since last March. He was nominated to be a director by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Il., a leading advocate of Amtrak in Congress.
* Durbin Supports ‘Buy American’
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says he wants American made steel to be used in infrastructure projects funded by an economic stimulus bill.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes the Buy American provision that was included in the stimulus bill introduced in the U.S. House. The chamber worries other countries could retaliate with tougher trade rules. Dick Durbin acknowledges that could happen but he says America’s steel industry needs a boost.
* Transportation Secretary LaHood to meet with states
* Word on the Street: LaHood hasn’t forgotten his roots
* Who gets what from the stimulus package
* CN-EJ&E merger completed during the weekend
Canadian National Railway Co. says it has completed its acquisition of a nearly 200-mile railway line encircling Chicago.
The closing on the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company was completed late Saturday.
* CN completes purchase of EJ&E rail line
* Bosses’ bonanza at CTA
CTA union officials say they weren’t surprised to learn that 150 CTA managers make more than $100,000 a year.
* No Games Chicago Forms Against Olympics
People who oppose Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics in Chicago are hosting a forum Saturday that highlights problems of other host cities.
* Hospital board ignores lowest bidder for security system
The Cook County Health and Hospital Board Friday approved an $868,000 security contract, even though it was roughly $30,000 more than the lowest bid.
* Plan to shutter prison triggered protests, lawsuits
* Pontiac businesses hinging on prison’s outcome
* ‘A platinum parachute’
A Niles Township school superintendent made $411,500 last year — a record in a year that saw top public elementary and high school administrators’ pay climb past $400,000 for the first time.
But the taxpayer tab for Neil Codell, 56, didn’t stop after he left his post June 30.
Codell continued to receive his superintendent’s salary — even while in a lesser job — for an additional six months. Niles Township High School District 219 now faces a potential penalty of well over $100,000 from the Teachers’ Retirement System because of Codell’s early retirement and large spike in pay, state officials say.
“This may turn out to be a platinum parachute by the time all the bills are paid,'’ said the agency’s executive director, Jon Bauman.
* Teachers got bigger raises on average
The state’s 863 public school district superintendents had the highest average pay — $140,000 — of all the categories covered by state Board of Education salary data, but when it came to getting raises, they were near the bottom of the list.
Salary raises for superintendents averaged 2.3 percent. In contrast, elementary and high school classroom teachers got average raises of 4.9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2008.
- One of the 35 - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 8:57 am:
Kudos to Tom Carper for his appointment as Amtrack Chair. He has done a great job representing the transportation interests of downstate Illinois.
- Downer - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 9:02 am:
Durbin needs to brush up on his history. Nationalistic protectionism following the Crash of ‘29 is one of the reasons why a normal recession ended up as the Depression. We can’t afford a trade war at this time.
- Cassandra - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 9:24 am:
I think that the problem with those exorbitant school executive salaries is the presence around the state of a lot of inept, possibly even corrupt school boards.
By the time many citizens find out about these jaw-dropping salaries, it’s too late…they’re locked in. And the salaries and perks are often unconnected to actual performance. You can have highly paid school execs in charge of a set of really bad schools.
It’s tedious, especially if your kids no longer
are in the system, or you don’t have any kids, but
in addition to keeping a close eye on our federal and state governments, we each need to track more closely what our local officials are doing, vote in local referenda, and make sure our opinions are heard.
- Wumpus - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 9:31 am:
Mike Murray? Cubs/Sox or wish them both well?
Is the buy american provision buy made in america or buy it if it is an “american” company?
- Six Degrees of Separation - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 9:44 am:
Cassandra-
Being on the school board is an often thankless job, and many slots around the state are left vacant at election time due to a lack of interest, so someone gets appointed. Those who follow school board affairs are definitely in the minority and will continue to be. However, I have seen a lot more “accountability” in teeny-tiny rural districts than elsewhere because of the close-knit nature of the community.
- Phil Collins - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 10:22 am:
Illinois has too many school districts. When I lived in California, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, I noticed that each of their school districts include at least one high schools, at least one junior high, and at least one elem. school. IL has many districts that only have one school. Each district has a superintendent with an average salary of about $120,000, per year, and each district collects property taxes from the homeowners of the district. Many of Illinois’ school districts should be consolidated, to save taxpayers’ money.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 10:51 am:
==The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes the Buy American provision… ==
That’s just a little bit funny, isn’t it?
- Leroy - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 12:34 pm:
I hope Durbin sponsors legislation to support his ideas.
We can call it the Durbin-Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 1:38 pm:
Although I see no mention of the fluff piece about Roland Burris in today’s Tribune, I thought it worthy of mention because of it’s hypocracy.
Ole Roland says putting his resume on his Tombstone isn’t like him and he is not a egomaniac. He blames it on the manager of the cemetary who told him he has too many accomplishments not to do it. He also says the manager of the funeral home made him do it. Maybe he is confusing the two and they are the same.
Then he goes on to say he did it because Harold Washington is buried there and he never got his just do because of lack of money so he did it out of respect for Harold. Then he says he did it so kids will know who he was. Then he says he did it because he is a financial planner and that is what he counsels people to do-so he should take his own advice.
My point is, how can people take this guy seriously if he can’t even take responsibility for the tomb he had built? I mean really. Can you hear him when he has to cast a tough vote?
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 1:55 pm:
Phineas, you just don’t know the illustrious Roland Burris. The article is not surprising at all to anyone who has spent anytime around him.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 1:59 pm:
Thanks for the reminder about Burris.
- Mike Murray - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 3:06 pm:
-Wumpus-
I am a die hard Sox fan…so I hate the Cubs. In April, I’m going to openig day for 5th straight year and I am pretty pumped for the season.
- Suburban Republican - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 6:01 pm:
When Mike Murray no longer works for Rich, he will be free to express his true baseball loyalties.
- Mike Murray - Monday, Feb 2, 09 @ 6:24 pm:
*Suburban Republican*
MALARKY! If this were the 1800s I would challenge you to a duel.