Vive la différence
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Sneed…
What a difference an impeachment makes: Where once you could have thrown a bowling ball through a crowd and not hurt anyone at Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s fund-raisers, it would now knock a lot of people over. Hundreds stood in line to have their pix taken at Gov. Quinn’s fund-raiser Monday night at Fulton’s on the River, according to a Sneed source. “He never knew he had so many new friends,” the source added.
* From a reader…
-Hundreds lined up at Fulton’s on the River last night. It was jam packed. Plenty of drinks, not much food.
-Handful of politicos present including David Orr, Ald. Joe Moore, Art Berman, Billy Marovitz and a few others…
-Dennis Gannon and other big union types were all there.
-Every social service special interest was there.
-Many of the ciy’s big name lawyers were there, including Joe Powers.
-This was the biggest who’s who ever at any Quinn fundraiser.
* For Thursday…
On Thursday, Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, Gov. Pat Quinn will host an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.
“The Executive Mansion belongs to the people of Illinois,” Quinn said. “There is no better day to open up this beautiful house to the people than the day marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of our state’s greatest resident, Abraham Lincoln.”
* This is surely a different approach…
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has picked former assistant U.S. attorney Theodore Chung to be his new general counsel. Quinn says Chung’s commitment to reforming Illinois’ government made him the right choice for the job.
Chung says he doesn’t have any previous ties to the new governor. Chung says that’ll be an asset to the administration.
CHUNG: I don’t have a lot invested emotionally in this man [Quinn]. A lot in the office, it’s true of it. But, I don’t feel like there’s going to be kind of an inner conflict within myself, in terms of giving him the best possible legal advice, exercising the best possible judgement.
* But, now, let’s get to the meat of things. This profile of Quinn’s new chief of staff Jerry Stermer was penned by Bethany Jaeger…
Jerry Stermer of Elmhurst said [yesterday] that he accepted the chief of staff position because the administration would put “children first.” That’s rounding out Quinn’s agenda that, so far, has prioritized a capital construction program, a plan to chip away at the state’s $4 billion in unpaid bills, a yet-to-be announced education plan and an ethics reform package.
Stermer is the founder and 22-year president of Voices for Illinois Children, a privately funded group based in Chicago that advocates for health care and education. The group worked with former Gov. Jim Edgar in a failed attempt to change the state’s tax structure to fund public education, relying more on state income taxes and less on property taxes. The measure has been proposed numerous times in various forms since then, but Senate President John Cullerton, who now controls the flow of legislation in his chamber, is a proponent.
Stermer and Quinn acknowledged during a Chicago news conference this morning that taxes are on the table as part of a “rescue plan” for the state budget, but they also used the words “fairness strategy” to indicate tax breaks or deductions for low-income families. “We do want to have in Illinois a tax code that is fair to parents raising kids,” Quinn said. “I think I saw once that our state gives more tax breaks to those raising thoroughbred horses than it gives to parents raising children. We’re going to change that.”
Those three grafs give you a pretty darned good idea of where Quinn is going. Tax reform and tax hikes to fund education and social programs.
* Related…
* Scott Reeder: Illinois’ identity and the Land of Lincoln
* Quinn in position to push ‘reform’ agenda
* Gov. Pat Quinn appoints child activist as chief of staff
* Gov appoints chief of staff, general counsel
* Quinn says tollway needs review
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 10:57 am:
But I also think that Quinn will give Stermer a mission - find an effective way to cut a Billion from social costs. I don’t mean cutting services, I mean cutting costs while still delivering services. If anyone could do this Stermer could.
Also Stermer knows where the bodies are buried regarding social costs. If anyone could reform and improve services with little additional costs, Stermer could do that too.
Just because Stermer is Chief of Staff doesn’t mean that education and social programs will get a blank check. It means they will be protected from damage that could have been caused by simple GA budget cuts.
Realities require a skilled surgeon to cut, reform and remake Illinois’ education and social programs. Stermer can be the guy to do that, instead of just be a spender and turf protector.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 11:31 am:
This is the right guy for good times to help move priorities. Given the extreme nature of our problems, I’m just not sure he’s the guy to get things done.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 11:32 am:
I wonder if there is time/inclination in this crisis to pursue the elusive and legendary income tax/property tax swap in the context of education reform. Edgar used to be on board, I recall. Would farmland GOPers?
- honesty in government - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 11:42 am:
Great choice for Chief of Staff and now to finish the task get rid of Cylton Harris who oversaw the Dan Ryan Rippoff
- Lakefront Liberal - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 12:07 pm:
Everything I hear gets better and better. And the idea that there might be a chance for the tax swap — wow.
- Lakefront Liberal - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 12:11 pm:
You know, I hope that all of the supposed “progressive” legislators who in my neck of the woods who spent the last six years telling us how great Blago was because he wanted to provide health care for kids will take notice of this — the fact that we could have had someone who had those same values but was also HONEST and COMPETENT. What a waste it all was. Worse than a waste because it caused or failed to address real hardships in people’s lives.
- Cassandra - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 1:16 pm:
Every time somebody brings up the tax swap I have to to wonder why for decades assorted politicos have tried to put it through to no avail. Somehow, when folks see the actual numbers in relation to what they are now paying (income, property taxes), a great hue and cry ensures and the whole thing stops in its tracks.
And remember, the folks who are looking at those numbers now may have seen huge drops in their 401k’s, may have lost their jobs or be afraid they will, may be facing health costs without insurance or with inadeuate insurance. Especially when their is no guarantee that property taxes will stay down as a result of the swap, many may be reluctant to take a fiscal leap into the taxation unknown.
I would probably benefit from a tax swap personally but I am not optimistic, nor am I
optimistic about many of the other old saws that are being dusted off like the progressive income tax, increased service taxes, and so on.
I think we need some new ideas but I’m not sure we’ll get them from this iteration of Chicago Democratic pols, even tho I wish them well.
- Mr. Wizard - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 1:45 pm:
Does this mean someone has found a way to ASSURE that prop. taxes actually go down?
- The Doc - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 2:14 pm:
“…nor am I
optimistic about many of the other old saws that are being dusted off like the progressive income tax, increased service taxes, and so on.”
Cassandra, some of these “old saws” aren’t bad ideas - there’s just be no political will to move them. Our state’s financial crisis is an opportunity to do so. If you choose to dismiss such ideas out of hand, at least propose some alternatives.
- Belle - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 3:43 pm:
Cassandra - wait till those same people learn of this : http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs Between the ’spendalots’ from the feds and Illinois huge problem I think I can cancel retirement!
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 8:09 pm:
When did Jerry Stermer move to Elmhurst? He lives in Evanston. He’s a Democrat, not a Republican!
- Just the Facts - Tuesday, Feb 10, 09 @ 9:14 pm:
Rich, why are the salaries of Quinn’s new appointments not included in your articles? I don’t remember seeing any of them from day one. Are they lower/higher than the previous ones? You immediately listed Granberg’s salary!