The Senate Ethics Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is opening a preliminary probe into Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) and his seeming misleading statements about events leading up to his appointment by ousted Gov. Blagojevich to the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
“Whenever allegations of improper conduct are brought to the attention of the Senate Ethics Committee, we open a preliminary inquiry,” Boxer Communications Director Natalie Ravitz said Tuesday. […]
A Senate probe could take months.
So, let’s see, he’s been a US Senator for about a month and a state’s attorney is already investigating him for possible perjury charges. The US Senate is launching a preliminary ethics investigation. Plus, the Illinois Republicans are refusing to stop pressuring the Democrats to reactivate the House impeachment committee so that Burris can testify again. And certain types are even suggesting that the Illinois House Dems deliberately sat on Burris’ latest affidavit until after the federal stimulus bill was safely passed. Watch for that last one to get more play, but it’s probably the most dubious of all, and wouldn’t have impacted the vote. It might’ve been a gigantic distraction, but he’d still be a Senator.
Anyway, this has to be some kind of a record.
Congratulations, Senator!
*** 6:23 pm *** This also has to be a new record. One month in office and a major newspaper calls for his resignation….
There’s only one honorable action for Burris: resign.
By the way, the Tribune editorial also asked…
Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan says Sangamon County prosecutors should look into this. But she’s the attorney general. Where’s the announcement of an investigation by her own office?
Under Illinois law, state’s attorneys have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute violations of the vast majority of criminal laws, including the perjury law. The Attorney General’s office does not have jurisdiction to investigate these allegations or a grand jury to use in conducting that investigation.
The AG’s office is a weird little entity. So far, politicos have been reluctant to give it more power. Various AGs fought for years just to get a statewide grand jury for drug kingpins, for example.
UPDATE: The slam on AG Madigan has now been removed from the editorial.
*** 7:12 pm *** The Tribune’s new favorite congressional candidate follows suit…
Statement from Commissioner Mike Quigley, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 5th Congressional District.
“Roland Burris’ failure to be honest and upfront with the people of Illinois should disqualify him from service in the United States Senate.
“He should resign, immediately.
“The Illinois legislature should work with Governor Quinn to pass legislation immediately setting up a special election empowering the people of Illinois to have a voice in this matter and allowing us all to finally turn the page on this sad chapter in Illinois politics.”
*** 7:15 pm *** I was saving this for tomorrow, but what the heck. From a letter sent by David Orr…
…Naturally, any nominee can play word games, a verbal hide-and-seek with the truth. But your silence in this matter is subterfuge, not gamesmanship. No Americans or Illinois voters nor your colleagues in elective office should have to suffer through more episodes in this unseemly drama. We deserve a clean break with the embarrassing Blagojevich era. This is not merely a legal issue; it is a moral issue.
I have supported you in the past as a colleague and as a friend. But today I ask you to step down and let the people of Illinois move forward into a new era of good governance.
Sincerely,
David Orr
Cook County Clerk
* 10:56 pm - Rep. Susana Mendoza thoroughly guts Burris on Chicago Tonight…
* 5:06 pm - The Chicago Tribune has just endorsed Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley in the 5th Congressional District race…
Quigley has been a forceful, persistent critic of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Even better, Quigley has done exhaustive work on how county government could provide better health care and other services to people in far more efficient and cost-effective ways.
His reports on how to improve county government are without parallel in Illinois politics. They’re not goo-goo yammer. They’re tightly researched and spot-on accurate in their assertions about best practices and likely savings. He produces facts, facts, facts. If Quigley’s ideas had all been put in place, the county would not be crying now for more money. […]
There is more to him than his work on government reform. Quigley has an outstanding record on human rights, health care and the environment. (The Reader said he’s “arguably the greenest elected official in Chicago.”) He has sound ideas on reviving the U.S. economy, on national health care, on how to put people back to work.
Quigley couldn’t have written that better himself. Notice how the line about Todd Stroger will help Quigley fend off attacks by Rep. Feigenholtz over his endorsement of Stroger and his support for Stroger’s first budget.
And at the end of the piece, the Trib whacks Fritchey…
Another candidate, state Rep. John Fritchey talks about reform, but voters really ought to take a look at how Fritchey deflected the hard questioning of Sen. Roland Burris during testimony at the now-infamous House impeachment committee hearing. Rep. Fritchey, whose interests were you serving there? Not the public’s.
This Burris explosion is coming at absolutely the wrong time for Fritchey.
The Sun-Times also endorsed Quigley. Like the Tribune, it praised several of the other candidates. Unlike the Trib, the CS-T didn’t mention Fritchey’s name in its endorsement.
* 12:18 pm - From a press release comes still more info on this fast-breaking story…
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan today referred several documents associated with U.S. Senator Roland Burris and his testimony last month before the Illinois House Special Investigative Committee to Sangamon County States Attorney John Schmidt.
Speaker Madigan also sent a letter to Schmidt which began “Pursuant to our telephone conversation today…” So, this is obviously more than just a blind referral. More in a bit.
* 12:29 pm - Speaker Madigan’s spokesman just said that Madigan did not specifically ask for an investigation of Burris’ statements. Instead, Madigan simply told Schmidt that the documents were on the way.
*** 2:12 pm *** It appears that the House impeachment committee won’t be reconvened…
House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office… said it will not reconvene to hear any further testimony from Burris.
I’m told that the above excerpt does, indeed refer to the impeachment committee.
*** 2:34 pm *** Madigan’s spokesman just clarified a point with me. Some have wondered whether Schmidt asked for the material or whether it was offered up by Madigan.
“We initiated the referral,” the MJM spokesman said.
Also, Schmidt has just issued a press release…
Today, the Sangamon County State’s Attorneys Office received from the Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan’s office documents concerning U.S. Senator Roland Burris’ testimony before the Illinois House Special Investigative Committee.
The matter is under review by this office.
* 3:02 pm - State’s Attorney Schmidt just confirmed that Madigan initiated the referral.
Schmidt, by the way, said he would only do “news” interviews, but will not appear on commentary-type cable TV shows. Good for him.
* 4:24 pm - From the attorney general…
Under Illinois law, state’s attorneys have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute violations of the vast majority of criminal laws, including the perjury law. The Attorney General’s office does not have jurisdiction to investigate these allegations or a grand jury to use in conducting that investigation. The Sangamon County State’s Attorney has jurisdiction to conduct this investigation and prosecute if necessary.
I encouraged the Sangamon County State’s Attorney to take a closer look at this in the interest of truth, integrity and transparency, and I am pleased to learn that State’s Attorney Schmidt is reviewing the issue in an effort to fully understand all the facts related to this matter.
* 12:08 pm - Yet another deviation from the story by Sen. Roland Burris…
U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged he sought to raise campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the governor’s brother at the same time he was making a pitch to be appointed to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.
Burris’ latest comments in Peoria Monday night were the first time he has publicly said he was actively trying to raise money for Blagojevich. Previously Burris has left the impression that he always balked at the issue of raising money for the governor because of his interest in the Senate appointment.
In comments to reporters after appearing at a Democratic dinner, the senator several times contradicted his latest under-oath affidavit that he quietly filed with the Illinois House impeachment panel earlier this month. That affidavit was itself an attempt to clean up his live, sworn testimony to the panel Jan. 8, when he omitted his contacts with several Blagojevich insiders.
* Here’s the relevant portion of the press conference transcript…
“So some time shortly after Obama was elected, the brother called. And now in the meantime, I’d talked to some people about trying to see if we could put a fund-raiser on. Nobody was—they said we aren’t giving money to the governor. And I said, ‘OK, you know, I can’t tell them what to do with their money.’”
“So when the brother called me back, I said, ‘Well, look Rob…I can’t raise any money from my friends. I said, maybe my partner and I, you can talk this over and see, could we go to some other people that we might be able to talk to that would help us out if we give–because we give a fund-raiser in the law office, nobody going to show up. We’ll probably have a thousand dollars for you or something to that effect.’”
“Oh, by the way, in that first conversation with him (Rob in October), so that part is where I raise a question about the Senate seat with him. But no other time do we talk about the Senate seat. So then we came back, and when he called me back the third time, because I went to talk to my partner, and we then assessed the situation and said, ‘Look, you know, I’m interested in the Senate seat. I can’t raise any money for him.’ And so he called me back and I told him back and I told him that. I said, ‘No. 1, I can’t raise any money for you and I can’t give you any money because I don’t want to have a conflict.’ I mean, that should give some indication of my commitment right there to get out of pay to play and they’re still trying to tie me in to pay to play.”
* From Burris’ second sworn affidavit is this conversation with Robert Blagojevich…
In one of the other conversations (I believe the last one), I mentioned the Senate seat in the context of saying that I could not contribute to Governor Blagojevich because it could be viewed as an attempt to curry favor with him regarding his decision to appoint a successor to President Obama.
No mention that Burris actually tried raising money and couldn’t.
U.S. Sen. Roland Burris said today he is open to a Senate ethics investigation into how he got the Senate seat from ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and that he has reached out to a Sangamon County prosecutor who is reviewing Burris’ sworn testimony before Illinois lawmakers.
* John Fritchey’s new TV spot is certainly one of the more entertaining ads of the season…
…Adding… Notice how Fritchey appears to be blaming Mike Quigley for the hit on Feigenholtz that she asked George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich for jobs. That was a Fritchey slam.
…Adding More… As two three people from two three different campaigns have now pointed out to me via e-mail, Fritchey’s ad looks an awful lot like an ad his media guy did for another campaign. Watch the other ad here. No big deal, but figured I’d pass it along since my pals were so insistent.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Feigenholtz responds via an e-mail to supporters…
I have some sad but predictable news.
Some of my so-called reform-minded opponents have turned to old-school political tricks in this election. Rather than discuss the biggest challenges our nation faces in a generation - a stalled economy and a crumbling health care system - my opponents are content to resort to Karl Rove-style mud slinging.
I need your help to fight back against my opponents’ negative attacks. Please contribute $150 today to allow me to fight back.
Heh.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
Unlike most other candidates, Fritchey and Feigenholtz are the only ones with any real points behind their TV ads. Charlie Wheelan has some eye-catching ads, but he has done a poor job of even attracting Intertube interest in them. Mike Quigley is concentrating on direct mail.
* Fritchey, by the way, is starting to take some heat for objecting to the second question of this excerpt during the House impeachment committee hearing…
REPRESENTATIVE DURKIN: Okay. At any time were you directly or indirectly aware of a quid pro quo with the Governor for the appointment of this vacant Senate seat?
MR. BURRIS: No, sir.
REPRESENTATIVE DURKIN: Okay. If you were
aware of a quit pro quo, what would you have done?
The question was a bit silly, but I’m betting that Fritchey would probably like to take back his comments now…
REPRESENTATIVE FRITCHEY: Madam Chairman, if I may, Mr. Burris had already stated that he was not aware of any quid pro quo, which answers that question and puts it to rest. What his response would have been had there been something, which he stated did not occur, is clearly irrelevant to this, and according to Mr. Burris, to speculate on something that would have happened if another situation had happened which he clearly says has not.
That may explain this press release which just landed in my in-box…
State Representative John Fritchey (D-Chicago), a candidate in the upcoming Special Primary Election for Illinois’ 5th Congressional district vacancy, announced that, if elected, he will work toward the passage of a constitutional amendment requiring special elections in the case of any vacancies in a United States Senate seat. Rep. Fritchey’s statement comes as controversy continues to swirl around the recent appointment of Sen. Roland Burris by impeached former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
…Adding… The Trib’s site now has a story about this Burris/Fritchey thing, but there ain’t much new stuff in it.
The FEC requires candidates to report contributions of more than $1,000 within 48 hours in the final weeks leading up to an election. According to those reports, Feigenholtz raked in the most, $43,550, of the candidates in the race.
That’s far ahead of everyone else and brings her total raised to about $600,000. Not bad at all.
* Speaking of money, this is probably no big deal if Feigenholtz is telling the truth…
Controversial lobbyist Al Ronan has surfaced in the heated 5th Congressional District race, making a $500 campaign contribution to Democratic candidate Sara Feigenholtz in December.
“Al Ronan is an old friend of mine. He’s not really involved in the campaign, he just made a contribution because he’s someone I called,” Ms. Feigenholtz said.
Asked whether he’s providing her with advice as well, Ms. Feigenholtz said, “If you know anything about Al Ronan, all he has is advice. I’ve known Al for 30 years.”
Ms. Feigenholtz’s aides insist Mr. Ronan has no formal role in the campaign.
* Keep in mind that voters probably won’t just wander into the polls and cast their ballots for whatever name looks good. This is a special election, so they’ll have to be motivated to vote. The stories listed below in the “Related” section about “too many candidates” don’t really matter because there will likely be few barely interested voters at the polls.
Nearly two-thirds of those who called themselves Democrats said they believed stronger ethics measures would help eliminate corruption, while half of those who called themselves Republicans doubted the success of any cleanup efforts.
When voters were asked what reform measure might have the greatest impact on curbing corruption, 31 percent said greater access to government records, including those involving internal investigations, 26 percent cited term limits for elected officials and 20 percent said limits on campaign donations. […]
A total of 12 percent of the voters identified the recall of public officials as a step to curb corruption, a move Blagojevich allies in the Senate foiled last year, while only 2 percent cited taxpayer-financed political campaigns as a needed remedy.
When asked to gauge Illinois’ corruption problems against other states, a total of 63 percent said they believed Illinois was more corrupt than most states or one of the worst in the nation. A total of 70 percent of Republicans and a nearly like number of independent voters shared that view compared to 57 percent of Democrats. Another 33 percent of the voters said corruption in Illinois is no worse or even less than other states.
Again, the Tribune’s adamant refusal to post their complete poll results onine means big areas are left blank here. We’re supposed to just accept the word from the Mountain Top that the Trib’s analysis is the holy truth.
This poll was apparently conducted differently than a recent survey which allowed voters to say how they felt about individual reform ideas. In the Trib poll, voters apparently just chose their top pick. Both methods can be useful.
Public records “sunshine” was apparently at the top (I say “apparently” because there is no complete list). That result will likely be trumpeted by Speaker Madigan’s people because Madigan has made opening up inspector general reports a top priority of his new ethics committee. And notice how far down recall and public finance apparently are. Those two items would have a huge impact on politics in this state. Sunshine? Not so much. As I’ve been saying for years, sunshine only works if shame can be injected into the system. Illinois politics is mostly shameless.
The Trib editorialized today about the need for ethics reform and at the top of its list was consolidating local governments, which apparently wasn’t even in their poll.
* Related…
* After scandal, state has chance to enact real reform
* Patti’s problems : Sneed hears the feds delivered a subpoena to the Chicago Christian Industrial League Wednesday, which once employed former first lady Patti Blagojevich as its development director.
[Bumped up, updated with “Related” links and comments opened for your enjoyment.]
*** UPDATE *** Giannoulias’ office just called and said that the treasurer is paying for the trip out of his own pocket, not campaign funds, not state funds.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* Sen. Dick Durbin is on what had been billed as a government-sponsored economic development trip to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. Guess who’s traveling with him? From The Hill…
Durbin is traveling with Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat first elected in 2006 who has taken initial steps toward running for Burris’s Senate seat in 2010
A week ago, Burris said that Giannoulias would be a “formidable” candidate if he ran for Senate. Durbin also met with Giannoulias during the treasurer’s latest trip to DC to talk about building his possible Senate campaign.
President Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) met on Monday US Senator to Illinois Richard Durbin and Illinois State Finance Minister Alexi Giannoulias.
No statement has been released about the meeting.
Durbin and Giannoulias are currently in the island to have talks about the solution of Cyprus question.
US Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the “No. 2″ Democrat in the US Senate, will visit Athens next Wednesday for talks with Bakoyannis. He will be accompanied by Illinois State Treasurer Alexis Giannoulias.
The talks are expected to focus on Cyprus, the situation in the Balkans, Greece’s OSCE chairmanship and international issues, such as Middle East, Koumoutsakos stated.
“The visit is interesting and important, and takes place shortly after the inauguration of the new US President,” Koumoutsakos said.
The US delegation will also visit Nicosia, Ankara and Istanbul.
It seems undeniable that Durbin is now helping Giannoulias with his foreign policy chops. State treasurers don’t usually get that sort of experience on their own, of course.
Mr. Obama’s two-year stimulus package includes more than $135 billion for states, to help them pay for education, Medicaid and infrastructure projects. Yet even that sum would cover less than half of the total budget deficits the states will face through 2010, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal research and advocacy organization.
Not all of that money would directly help states balance their budgets. The education cash is mainly just pass-through to school districts, so part of that would help relieve upward pressure on state budgets, but wouldn’t get Illinois, for instance, out of its fiscal hole. The infrastructure projects also won’t help the budget crisis aside from the stimulus effect, which would hopefully increase some state revenues. The Medicaid provision will help state budgets, although the formula was rejiggered to benefit states that don’t have the Medicaid problems which we do.
* At the last minute, the Congress restored $8.8 billion to what had earlier been a $25 billion general aid program for state budgets. But it was done in a way that will surely cause much consternation…
States can use the $8.8 billion in flexible block grants to avert budget cuts in education or in other basic state services, such as public safety and law enforcement, services for the elderly and people with disabilities, or child care. These funds can also be used for school modernization, renovation, or repair.
Illinois’ portion of that will be $374 million. But, this line is where the Congress decided to back-door school capital repairs/upgrades into the bill, so the pressure for a piece of that money (from Chicago, particularly) will be beyond intense.
* In the end, Illinois budget-writers probably won’t get much help from that particular budget program. My column last week for the Sun-Times was written before some of the flexible grant money was restored, but I’d make essentially the same points today…
Americans will get a few hundred dollars in tax breaks out of the new federal stimulus program. But Illinoisans will soon discover that the economic stimulus isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when they’re handing over many of those very same dollars to their state government in the form of higher taxes.
The U.S. House’s original stimulus bill would’ve given the states $25 billion to help patch their budget deficits. It was laughably inadequate in the face of one projection that state budget deficits will total $350 billion over the next two years (way higher than the total federal tax cuts), but it was something.
The idea was to help states avoid tax hikes, which could hurt the economy. States would also spend the money quickly, injecting it into the economy at large. […]
States can’t borrow or print money when they run a deficit. Since Illinois’ projected deficit for next fiscal year is as high as $9 billion, it’ll be impossible to cut ourselves all the way out of this crater. Tax hikes are on the way.
In a “normal” year, we couldn’t hope for federal aid. But this is not a normal year. The intense, frightening recession has zapped state revenues and will force more spending on social programs. In that way, we’re like most other states.
But Illinois is a special case. The recent ouster of Rod Blagojevich from the governor’s office finally ended Illinois’ brutal political civil war, which inflamed the state’s budget disaster. The war meant that no problems were ever solved and a whole host of problems were made far worse. And now we’re flat broke.
Kansas tax refunds, employee paychecks and money for schools are all on hold after a showdown erupted Monday between Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
California lawmakers were told to bring their toothbrushes and prepare for a long day Tuesday, with the goal of passing a budget as the state faces a $42 billion deficit and 20,000 layoff notices were set to go out to state workers Tuesday.
Etc., etc. By not paying enough attention to state budget crises, much of the stimulus plan’s tax cuts will likely be self-defeating.
I’ll leave it to the proper investigative bodies to decide whether Roland Burris committed perjury last month in testimony before the Illinois House impeachment committee. From a strict legal perspective, maybe he didn’t.
But I’ll tell you straight up, our new U.S. senator proved himself to be a lying little sneak. […]
The problem is that if he couldn’t tell the whole truth previously, why should anybody believe he’s telling the whole truth now? I don’t.
I’m not saying he did anything improper in pursuit of the appointment. I’m just saying there’s no reason at this point to accept his denials that he didn’t. Maybe we’re still not asking him the questions the right way to suit him.
* Brown’s column today goes beyond the House Republican claims that Burris evaded Rep. Jim Durkin’s questions at the House impeachment hearing to something I also pointed out to subscribers this morning. GOP Rep. Jil Tracy attempted to get Burris to talk about his other contacts later in the hearing and Burris was more than just a little evasive…
Tracy: “So you don’t recall that there was anybody else besides Lon Monk that you expressed an interest to at that point?”
Burris: “No, I can’t recall. Because people were coming to me saying, Roland, you should pursue that appointment, you’re qualified, and this was –”
Tracy: “Is there anybody that comes to mind in that light that you can –”
Surely, here was one last chance for Burris to clear the air and mention his contacts with Harris, Wyma or the governor’s brother. But who did he name?
Rich Barber, a friend of his from New Jersey.
Case closed.
I’m still not convinced that Burris legally perjured himself, but it’s obvious that Roland Burris has not been truthful with the state of Illinois. His first sworn affidavit was apparently a complete fabrication, his sworn testimony was filled with repeated acts of evasion, and therefore his recent sworn affidavit simply cannot be trusted.
* And check out how Burris informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin about his latest affidavit…
Burris, I’m told by several sources, strolled up to Durbin, the No. 2 Senate leader, and Reid on the Senate floor while they were in the midst of overseeing the vote on President Obama’s stimulus bill, one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of this nation.
Burris vastly minimized the nature of the document he filed.
After contact with federal agents, U.S. Sen. Roland Burris changed his sworn testimony to the Illinois House committee that moved to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Burris acknowledged Sunday that federal investigators have contacted his lawyers. But he denied that was the reason he sent the House panel new testimony Feb. 5 disclosing for the first time fundraising discussions with Blagojevich’s brother, Robert, who chaired the ex-governor’s campaign fund.
But Burris’ efforts to clear up the matter also created more confusion. Asked to clarify his recent acknowledgment that federal authorities want to talk to him about the appointment, he said they may have contacted him even before he testified Jan. 8 to the House panel that recommended impeaching Blagojevich.
“This is a particularly frustrating revelation,” [Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan] said of Burris’ recent disclosure that he had contact with five Blagojevich insiders. “I encourage the Sangamon County state’s attorney to take a closer look at this in the interest of truth, integrity and transparency.”
* Is it perjury or not?: Former Cook County prosecutor Irv Miller said he wouldn’t approve perjury charges if the case were brought to him. There may be inconsistencies in Burris’ statements, but key questions put to Burris by a House impeachment panel were asked in meandering fashion, rather than the specific, “Isn’t-it-a-fact?” style of a prosecutor, he said.
* What qualifies as ‘perjury?’: Faulty memories don’t constitute perjury. Deliberately lying under oath does. Not telling all you know? Well, that’s a bit trickier.
The state’s two biggest public pension funds suffered historic losses in 2008, shedding a combined $17 billion in assets and leaving them significantly underfunded.
The State Universities Retirement System saw its assets decline nearly 28 percent last year, and the Teachers’ Retirement System, the state’s biggest pension, saw its portfolio drop 30 percent.
“It’s been unprecedented – there’s been no place to hide,” said Dan Allen, chief investment officer for SURS, which is based in Champaign and represents 205,000 current, retired and inactive university and community college employees in Illinois.
SURS’ pension assets declined $5 billion last year to $10.9 billion, as of Dec. 31. The Teachers’ Retirement System pension assets declined from $41.7 billion on Dec. 31, 2007, to $29.1 billion a year later.
Here’s the kicker…
SURS and TRS are now funded at 42 percent of their future liabilities and officials said it will take significant increases in state funding to put them back on solid financial footing.
How much more state money? Not sure yet. But it won’t be cheap. And, as this story points out, Gov. Quinn’s latest directive to cut state spending will likely produce far fewer budget-savings results than advertised. The problem is deep and wide.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s choice of Jerry Stermer as his new chief of staff tells us a lot about what’s going to happen soon.
As the head of the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children for the past 22 years, Stermer has been a tireless advocate for progressive tax reform and expansion of human services and education programs.
If this was anybody else working for any other governor, you might think that Stermer would be the perfect choice to deliver the bad news to Medicaid providers, education lobbyists and liberals of all stripes that their agenda just wasn’t affordable in the face of Illinois’ horrific budget deficit mess.
But almost nobody believes that will be Stermer’s role.
It’s doubtful that Stermer, 65, took this job so he could cap his career as a bad guy after working most of his life to expand programs near to his heart.
nstead, Stermer’s appointment reinforces the belief at the Statehouse that Quinn will unveil a “temporary” income tax hike of 1 or 2 points next month during his budget address, coupled with increased exemptions for individuals and families and a much higher Earned Income Tax Credit to make the tax hike more progressive.
There might even be some tax relief component as well, perhaps for property taxes. Stermer and Quinn have both pushed those ideas for years.
The tax hike would reportedly be followed by a constitutional amendment referendum in 2010 to institute a “true” progressive income tax.
Also, it’s widely expected that Quinn will push to close numerous corporate “loopholes” that he’s worked so hard to expose over the years.
Stermer is much more of an advocate than an administrator, and many insiders believe that Quinn will take the actual helm of running the government himself and use Stermer more as a policy chief.
Quinn reportedly mulled acting as his own chief of staff last month, but was talked out of it by friends, sources said weeks ago. He has long been known as a micromanager, and not exactly in a good way.
The governor’s management history has many of his old friends worried sick about how he’ll handle this new job, and they’ve been spilling their guts over the past 4 or 5 days about why they feel this way. I’ve heard horror stories about Quinn’s management style that would make your hair stand on end.
That sort of behavior is no big deal in the tiny lieutenant governor’s office, but it’s a huge deal now that he’s at the helm of a gigantic bureaucracy. Many longtime Quinn associates were hoping the governor would choose a strong administrator as chief of staff to get the bureaucracy in line and try to put the brakes on spending.
Every new governor faces two important tasks right off the bat. They have to figure out what sort of governor they want to be, which usually becomes apparent to the public and themselves during long political campaigns.
Quinn, of course, was dropped into office without having to face that illuminating event. But new governors also have to get their heads around what, exactly, a governor needs to do to be a successful manager.
The appointment of Stermer likely shows us what kind of governor Quinn will be: a progressive who wants to expand government to help people in need and fight against the ruling class. But we still don’t know quite yet whether Quinn fully understands his management role.
Yes, it’s early. He’s only been in office a couple of weeks. But it’s difficult to overstate the problems the government is facing right now, and most of the people who know Quinn the best are not even close to being convinced that he fully comprehends the task at hand.
And if they’re that worried, then we should all be concerned.
* Related…
* Cullerton open to all sorts of tax hikes: In cash-strapped Illinois, everything from a 16-cent gas tax hike to taxes on Internet purchases and an income tax increase is on the table for new state Senate President John Cullerton.
* Sell lottery tickets online, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says
* Report: Online sales tax would raise $150M: But it also cautions that $150 million is far less than other estimates, which put the loss total at as much as $800 million. As a result, taxing Internet sales would only go a little ways toward filling state government’s $9 billion state budget hole.
Local banks’ cushion to absorb losses is shrinking fast, pushing a growing number to the point where they must raise additional capital or face the prospect of failure.
At the end of 2008, 16 local banks had bad loans on their books that equaled or exceeded their loan reserves plus their equity, up from just three banks last spring, according to Virginia-based data provider SNL Financial. Many more were in an only slightly less precarious position, including Broadway Bank, owned by the family of Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.
His creditors are a “who’s who” of Rezko’s world, including:
• • A company owned by Nadhmi Auchi, the Iraq-born billionaire who took control of 62 acres in the South Loop that Rezko and Mahru hoped to develop.
• • Joseph Cacciatore, a lawyer and developer who says he’s owed $5 million from the South Loop project.
• • John Thomas, a developer and FBI mole who helped authorities document the repeated visits former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and President Obama made to the offices where Rezko and Mahru ran their Rezmar Corp.
• • Fortunee Massuda, a podiatrist who invested millions in Rezmar projects.
Across the Chicago suburbs, a 67 percent increase in homeless students during the two years that ended in June reflects a faltering economy. Some districts are reporting their first homeless students. In Chicago, the schools expect to top last year’s record number of 10,642 homeless students.
Illinois lawmakers last year voted to raise some sales and real estate taxes to help balance the books at the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. Because of the economic slump, those tax revenues are coming up short. But don’t expect transit officials to lobby Springfield for another bailout.
REILLY: The state couldn’t help us, and we’re not about to ask the state to help us.
REILLY: The legislature did very well by us, and it’s our job to get through these tough times.
The total estimated CTA shortfall — $213 million — dwarfs the $158 million deficit the CTA faced in its 2008 budget until state lawmakers and Chicago aldermen raised taxes dedicated to transit in 2008, averting a partial shutdown of the agency.
A high-ranking Midwest officer of the Service Employees International Union, who had been serving as trustee of a financially troubled local, has resigned after being accused of billing the labor organization for $9,000 in personal expenses.
The Chicago-based Byron Hobbs, who also sat on the union’s national board, is the latest of several SEIU officials to lose their positions or otherwise come under scrutiny for alleged financial improprieties. Among them is Tyrone Freeman, former president of the union’s largest California local, who is the target of a federal criminal investigation.
Hobbs could not be reached for comment.
He was executive vice president of the SEIU’s 90,000-member Illinois-Indiana healthcare local, and was overseeing a St. Louis chapter that the union had placed in trusteeship.
With the exception of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Chicago’s black political class monolithically backed Stroger. Now Preckwinkle poses a potential dagger to the heart of Stroger’s electability. She could vanquish the racial conundrum that black voters are compelled to support tired and incompetent black officials in order to “keep the seat.”
Preckwinkle, who has already pulled in backers such as Cook County Commissioner Jerry “Iceman” Butler and 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, is in heavy meeting mode. She has already buttonholed “40 or 50″ pols, she says, including 20 aldermen, county commissioners in Chicago and suburban townships. Preckwinkle, who vows to pitch every committeeman in the county by June, has hired campaign consultants and is spending 25 to 30 hours a week dialing for dollars. She’s starting from scratch.
* Two independents kicked off Kankakee mayoral ballot
By identical 3-0 votes Friday afternoon, the Kankakee Electoral Commission knocked both independent mayoral candidates off of the April 7 ballot.
Candidates Nickey Yates Sr. and Dexter Thompson both said they are considering taking their cases to the Kankakee County Circuit Court to seek reversal of the city commission’s decisions.
Yates, a political unknown in 2005, became the Democratic primary nominee and ran a surprisingly close race against Mayor Don Green as he won his fourth four-year term.
“Dogs bark and cats meow,” Yates said after the approximate 25-minute hearing. “You can’t make a dog meow. This was the decision I expected. They already had their minds made up.”
Fifty-six pedestrian fatalities were logged last year—up from 49 deaths in 2007 and 48 deaths in 2006. Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele said the agency is reviewing the reasons behind the uptick but said in certain cases, problems with pavement markings, faulty signage and construction projects may be to blame.
* This exchange at the House impeachment committee hearing between GOP Rep. Jim Durkin and Sen. Roland Burris is quite problematic in hindsight…
REPRESENTATIVE DURKIN: Okay. At any time were you directly or indirectly aware of a quid pro quo with the Governor for the appointment of this vacant Senate seat?
MR. BURRIS: No, sir.
However, Burris swears in his new affidavit that the governor’s brother and campaign committee chairman Robert Blagojevich said he heard that Burris was on the list for US Senate and still asked him three times to contribute and raise money for the then governor…
During the first conversation I asked Rob Blagojevich what was going on with the selection of a successor if then-Senator Obama were elected President, and he said he had heard my name mentioned in the discussions.
Even so, the governor’s brother asked him three times “to seek my assistance in fund-raising for Governor Blagojevich.” That could easily be interpreted as at least an indirect quid pro quo for the appointment. It certainly appears to have been interpreted that way by Burris, who swore in his latest affidavit about a chat he had with Robert Blagojevich…
In one of the other conversations (I believe the last one), I mentioned the Senate seat in the context of saying that I could not contribute to Governor Blagojevich because it could be viewed as an attempt to curry favor with him regarding his decision to appoint a successor to President Obama.
So, according to Burris’ sworn affidavit, Robert Blagojevich said he believed Burris was in the mix for an appointment to the Barack Obama Senate seat in early October. At that point and then twice after the 2008 election, Burris talked with Robert Blagojevich about fundraising, finally saying that he couldn’t give or raise money because of an appearance of impropriety.
Burris’ original testimony to the impeachment committee that there was no attempt at a quid pro quo for the seat is misleading at best and possibly perjury at worst. Whether this is worth a full-scale investigation is another question.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune attempts to make another Burris problem into a he said, he said affair instead of just quoting the record itself…
[Burris was asked by the House impeachment committee] specifically about any contact he had with insiders that included Robert Blagojevich, the former governor’s brother, as well as chief of staff John Harris and former aides John Wyma, Lon Monk and Doug Scofield. Burris testified only about a discussion he had with Monk dating back to July. […]
Asked why he went on to answer a follow up question by Durkin that only detailed contacting Monk, the senator blamed his Republican questioner who “took us off in a different direction” that didn’t allow him to give a complete answer. “Why didn’t he come back to those [others] if he was interested in them?” Burris said of Durkin.
After Burris’ news conference, Durkin said it was “pretty clear what I was asking” at the hearing. “There’s nothing from what I heard in the press conference that changes my mind” in seeking a perjury investigation, he said.
Check the transcript. After Burris testified about his meeting with Lon Monk, this is what Rep. Durkin asked…
REPRESENTATIVE DURKIN: Okay. Did you speak to any individuals who — any individuals who were also seeking the appointment of the United States Senate seat, otherwise people we’ve referred to as Senate candidates one through five?
Mr. Durkin scoffed at the notion that Mr. Burris had not been granted time to mention such relevant conversations or that lawmakers had moved on.
Durkin moved on to another subject. Period.
Should Burris have offered up information about his other contacts with several Blagojevich insiders about the Senate seat? Absolutely. Was he legally obligated to do so considering how the questions were asked at the impeachment committee hearing? No.
