* John “Marmaduke” Dawson passed away this week. Marmaduke was a founding member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage along with a couple of guys named Jerry Garcia and David Nelson. Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and bassist Phil Lesh were also in the original band.
Marmaduke was a huge fan of country legends Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, and the Riders covered several of their songs. “Mama Tried” and “Truck Drivin’ Man” were both New Riders staples. He also wrote most of the songs on the band’s early albums.
The band was formed in 1969, about the same time that Bob Dylan released his own take on country music, Nashville Skyline, and Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were wowing the critics with their country stylings on the Flying Burrito Brothers’ The Gilded Palace Of Sin.
* We also have an Illinois connection to Marmaduke and the NRPS. Bill Laymon, who now lives in Springfield and is a buddy of mine, played with the Riders back in the mid 1980s. Laymon started playing with the David Nelson Band in the 1990s.
Marmaduke eventually retired from the Riders and moved to Mexico, but Nelson reconstituted the group and is still touring.
This video is from one of the few Marmaduke performances with the NRPS in the last nine years. Get up and dance to Dawson’s Garden of Eden…
I don’t know why we want to tear
the whole thing to the ground
* Democratic Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes responds to criticism from Gov. Pat Quinn that Hynes was “a no-show when it counts” on the budget…
Statement from Dan Hynes’ Campaign Spokesman Mike Rendina on Governor Quinn’s Negative Attack
“Governor Quinn is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. After Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn spent 6 years in silence watching Rod Blagojevich drive our state into a ditch it is puzzling that he describes a 50% income tax increase on Illinois families as leadership. Comptroller Hynes sent Governor Quinn two letters this past year laying out $1.2 billion in cuts along with alternative revenue sources and urged the Governor not to incite panic in order to pass a 50% tax increase on the backs of working families. While Quinn flip-flopped on his own plans for the last six months, he couldn’t find the time to read either letter.”
Responding to news that state Comptroller Dan Hynes plans to run against him in next year’s primary, Gov. Pat Quinn said today his rival was a “no show” during this year’s rocky budget negotiations.
Quinn questioned Hynes’ leadership abilities, saying as governor he chose to take the tough stance of backing a tax hike to help plug the state’s budget hole while Hynes remained silent.
Quinn said while he went to bat against lawmakers who sent him an unbalanced budget, “a lot of financial people in government, I didn’t hear from. I didn’t hear anything.”
“And I think they need to, you know, ask themselves if you want to be a governor, you can’t be somebody who’s a no-show when it counts,” Quinn said.
Hynes did come out with an alternative plan, which included expanding the sales tax to luxury services and expanding gaming. Stay tuned for a response.
* 1:33 pm - Speaking of the budget, this is from a press release…
…available on our Web site is a one-pager from Larry Joseph, who heads the Budget & Tax Policy Initiative at Voices for Illinois Children. This document walks-up our preliminary estimate of a $10.3 billion budget shortfall for FY2011, which begins next July… In other words, absent significant new revenues, Illinois will have to cut $10.3 billion from its budget next year just to keep treading FY2010’s miserable waters.
I’ve been saying $10 billion for some time now, so I’m glad that Voices is backing me up. Here’s the breakdown…
Loss of one-time revenue from FY 2010
Federal ARRA (recovery) funds 1,400
Pension obligation notes 3,466
Fund sweeps 350
New mandated spending
Increase in pension contributions 1,200
Debt service on pension notes 750
Carryover deficit 3,200
Total 10,366
The governor is in an awfully big glass house to be throwing stones on this budget.
* 1:41 pm - Not exactly germane, but Rep. Bob Biggins won’t run again. From a press release…
….State Representative Bob Biggins (R-Elmhurst) announced today that he would not seek another term. Biggins has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1993.
“It is truly an honor to serve the citizens of the 41st district and a privilege I take very seriously,” said Biggins. “My family is making a change in where we live which has prompted my decision not to run for re-election.”
* Gov. Pat Quinn finally offers up a kinda/sorta straight answer to something, after a bit of prodding…
“So when do you officially announce that you’re running for Governor?” Goldblatt asked.
“Oh, I haven’t thought about that,” Quinn said, adding that he would begin thinking about it.
Goldblatt responded, “Why are you being slightly coy on this?”
“I plan to run,” Quinn said, “there’s no doubt about that. When I announce is another story.”
Watch it…
* Democratic state Rep. Julie Hamos will announce for something next Tuesday. From an e-mail to supporters…
I am pleased to tell you that after a great deal of discussion with you and many other supporters, I have made some decisions about my future and I plan on making a public announcement next Tuesday at noon.
I would like to invite you to the announcement, but if you cannot attend, I will hold a briefing conference call for my statewide exploratory committee at 5:00 pm on Tuesday evening.
She’s widely expected to run for the open 10th Congressional District seat. We’ll see.
* Conservative talk show host Cisco Cotto, of WIND AM, may run for US Senate…
Cotto wrote to his FaceBook friends Thursday, “I’m going to start talking with some people about the Senate to see if it would work. I know many of you think it’s crazy because I’m young and have never been in politics, but someone has to do something…”
Cotto would not be the first radio talk show host to run for U.S. Senate in Illinois. In 2004, 890 WLS liberal talk show host Nancy Skinner ran against five others, including Barack Obama, who eventually won over fellow Democrats Comptroller Dan Hynes, CPS School Board Prez Gery Chico and millionaire Blair Hull.
* Speaking of the Senate, Republican Mark Kirk took a hit from Pace board chairman Richard Kwasneski for a recent letter to the editor…
While hybrid buses are more expensive than diesel buses ($500,000 vs. $320,000), a hybrid bus will use approximately 30,000 gallons less fuel over its lifetime. A new hybrid fleet could save more than 1 million gallons of fuel and eliminate 10,500 tons of greenhouse gases, saving taxpayers at least $2.6 million in diesel costs alone. Those savings will only increase as diesel prices rise.
When asked why it won’t change course, Pace responds it will lose stimulus funds if it doesn’t act quickly. Far from the case — the stimulus only requires 50 percent of the funds designated to each transit agency to be spent within the first 180 days before those funds are lost.
For starters, attacking a transit agency to make a point about fighting fuel usage and improving air quality is incongruous, considering each Pace bus can take 50 cars off the road.
The comparisons Kirk makes relating to the fuel economy of diesel and hybrid buses are an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the figures he cites compare 40-foot hybrid buses with 40-foot diesel buses. However, the buses Pace purchases are 30 feet in length and actually get better fuel mileage than the 40-foot hybrids he heralds. A 30-foot hybrid might achieve fuel savings, but no such model is in production.
Pace approached Congressman Kirk for five straight years requesting federal funding to add hybrid buses to our fleet, and each time the request was ignored. Had he taken action, it’s very likely Pace would not only purchase hybrid buses with federal stimulus money as he’s now asking us to do, but we would already have them out on the road today.
We’ve done the research to prove that buying more of the considerably less expensive diesel buses for the available funding we have will result in a greater net improvement in air quality. Emissions control technology for diesel buses has advanced to the extent that the difference in the amount of particulate matter found in exhaust from buses is essentially negligible between diesels and hybrids.
Kirk’s comments also ignore a fact we have repeatedly conveyed to him: Pace is committed to testing not only hybrid vehicles but other “green” technology.
“Mark Kirk would have a lot more credibility in calling for investments in environmentally friendly technology if he had signed onto the Economic Recovery Act that invested hundreds of millions in green jobs when he had a chance,” said Press Secretary Hari Sevugan.
* Related…
* Suburban lawmakers play key, opposing roles in health care battle
* Would you support a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote after May 31st to pass any bill with an immediate effective date? The current rule is three-fifths. Two-thirds would make it even more difficult to pass anything, including the budget, perhaps adding encouragement to settle things before the end of session deadline.
Explain fully.
* By the way, yesterday’s Sox ticket winner is Phocion for this comment…
Breaking News: Bud Selig announced today that he will ban for life each of the Tampa Bay Rays batters who faced Mark Buehrle today. According to documents provided to the media, House Speaker and White Sox fan Michael Madigan oferred the players University of Illinois scholarships for their children in exchange for throwing the game.
Phocion needs to e-mail me today. If Phocion cannot attend the August 17th Chicago White Sox vs. the Kansas City Royal game, Bill gets the ticket…
It is quite simple, actually. Elect CapitolFax Bill governor of Illinois.
Actually, Bill will probably get a ticket anyway.
* Our Wednesday winner, How Ironic, cannot attend the game, so Jim Rockford needs to contact me right away.
By legalizing video gambling, Illinois is poised to go down a path that led Sioux Falls, S.D., to accumulate mom-and-pop casinos, pawn shops and payday lenders on almost every major street.
The gambling outlets do not have clocks on the walls and curtains are drawn, leaving gamblers no hint of how much time they have spent inside, said De Knudson, a City Council member and wife of a gubernatorial candidate. Money is only a few steps away and snacks are free, so even gamblers’ stomachs don’t rebel.
…Adding… Wordslinger writes in comments: “Poor folks must have pawned their watches and cell phones, too! Or maybe since they’re apparently too stupid to make their own choices, they just don’t know how to tell time.”
Exactly. “No hint” of the time? Did the Tribune lay off all their editors?
* South Dakota has more casinos than Illinois, and their video lottery is somewhat different than what is heading for Illinois. From the South Dakota Lottery website…
…the current levels of approximately 8,900 terminals in 1,470 establishments across the state.
South Dakota’s video lottery terminals offer variations of poker, blackjack, keno, and bingo games, with both quarter and nickel games available. The maximum bet is $2 and the top prize is $1,000.
That top prize is twice what Illinois’ would be. There’s no mention of that fact in the Tribune story, though.
* Also not mentioned anywhere in the Tribune story is that opponents of South Dakota’s video lottery have put a statewide initiative on the ballot four times and failed every time…
“With 795 of 818 precincts reporting [in 2006], Initiated Measure 7 to repeal video lottery lost by a healthy margin: 67 percent were against the measure and 33 percent were in favor.
“In 1992, 63 percent of voters chose to keep video lottery. Two years later, the vote was 52.8 percent. In 2000, 53.7 percent of voters supported video lottery.
So, about two-thirds of South Dakota voters backed video lottery in 2006, but that doesn’t rate a mention in the Tribune, yet the games are a “devastating development” for the state which “bodes ill” for Illinois?
What a horrible piece of slanted journalism.
* Related…
* Lottery sales continue to climb during recession
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said he would issue a veto Friday opposing a resolution passed Tuesday by county commissioners to partially roll back the 1.75 percent sales tax, a penny of which went into effect last summer.
“I plan to veto this measure because it is no longer feasible for the county to rollback any portion of the sales tax,” Stroger told the Defender. “For example, next year we have $104 million in pension obligations to meet.”
Stroger said that the state’s budget problems have compounded the county’s fiscal challenges.
“About $13 million may be held back from the state due to its budget shortfalls, so now is not the time to be cutting revenue,” he said.
* But he will not veto the marijuana decriminalization ordinance..
.”I’m fine with it. It’s just another tool a law enforcement office can use,” Stroger said. “It’s also like anything else; (officers) can also check and see the background of a person, and if (the person has) been fined twice, (police) can say, ‘OK, you’re going in.’ It doesn’t take their ability away from doing that.” […]
Asked whether he has smoked pot, Stroger said, “No, not my kind of thing.”
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says he’s open to local efforts to decriminalize marijuana.
The Cook County Board voted Tuesday to decriminalize small amounts of the drug in unincorporated parts of the county. But Quinn stopped short of endorsing the plan.
QUINN: I think it’s important that counties assess what their law enforcement priorities are. Crimes that are not grievous crimes against persons need to be looked at.
The legalization of online horse betting in Illinois could boost a company with ties to former Gov. Jim Edgar.
The two-term Republican is a member of the board of directors of Youbet.com, which could be among the companies vying to provide an online horse betting platform in Illinois.
The proposal was approved by the House and Senate this spring and is awaiting action from Gov. Pat Quinn.
Three-term state Comptroller Dan Hynes has told top Democrats that he intends to seek the party’s nomination for governor, setting up a February primary challenge to Gov. Pat Quinn, sources familiar with Hynes’ conversations said Thursday.
Hynes would become the first major Democratic opponent for Quinn, who has not formally announced an election bid but has said he plans to seek the office. Quinn was elevated to the governor’s office in January following the arrest, impeachment and ouster of his disgraced predecessor, Rod Blagojevich.
The comptroller starts the race with a major fundraising advantage. Hynes has $3.5 million banked after raising more than $905,000 in the first half of the year. Quinn raised more than $860,000 in that time period but had a little more than $700,000 left.
The sources, who asked not to be identified so as to not preempt Hynes’ official announcement, said the comptroller discussed his plans to run with leading Illinois Democrats. No timetable was given for Hynes’ formal entry into the race, but politicians can begin soliciting signatures for their candidacy petitions Aug. 4.
As for Governor Quinn himself, he’s not interested in self assessment at this point. I asked him a week ago what mistakes he’d made in the past six months, and what he’d learned from them.
QUINN: I’d have to take a little bit of time to come up with a laundry list of mistakes.
Quinn asked for a week to think about it. So, Thursday, I asked him again.
QUINN: That’s your favorite question. Well, I thought and thought in the last week. Maybe I need another month or so to come up with that. I’m sure all of us are fallible. Don’t get me wrong, I make mistakes. But I don’t think I spend a lot of time looking at my navel, saying, ‘What mistakes have I made today?’
The big question: What does Gov. Quinn think of Chris Kennedy’s sudden interest in becoming the next governor of Illinois?
• • Quoth Quinn to Sneed, who first tipped Kennedy was preparing a U.S. Senate bid: “I worked for his father [the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy], whom I consider a hero; I think highly of Chris personally and his family; I visited with Chris earlier this year about doing some work with us; whatever he decides to do is his decision, and he certainly has every right to make one.”
* Related…
* Pat Quinn Responds to Blagojevich Criticism: When he was doing that, I was visiting with American soldiers who put him to shame in terms of their public service. I mean, talk about a difference. In my opinion, he betrayed the public trust.
* Afghanistan almost ‘medieval,’ Quinn says after trip
It was impossible to concentrate on politics Thursday while White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle pursued a perfect game.
Did I say concentrate? Strike that. I couldn’t even bother to think about politics.
Discouraging unemployment numbers, a nasty state budget deficit requiring big cuts to social services, education and college scholarship programs, a General Assembly that can’t ever seem to get the job done. For a few, glorious moments, all of that faded away while Buehrle successfully chased ultimate perfection.
Thanks, Mark.
And thanks, DeWayne Wise for making that spectacular clutch catch to save Buehrle’s perfect outing.
Thanks, Ozzie Guillen, for, um, wisely putting Wise into the game in the ninth inning.
And thanks, Josh Fields, for that grand slam.
I’m not silly enough to write a column suggesting that politicians should act more like great baseball teams.
Baseball players and politicians come from totally different universes. Players are chosen for individual abilities and how they mesh with a coach’s system and with other players. Politicians are picked individually by voters who often know little about them and are then thrown into a system where they are expected to get along with other politicians with whom they have almost nothing in common except ambition.
Imagine that you could divide a group of 177 Sox fans, Cub fans and Cardinals fans into two rooms. Then, give them the task of agreeing among themselves and then between the two rooms on who was the best first baseman of all time.
It could take a while.
Maybe forever.
The Illinois General Assembly is a little like that. There are 118 House members and 59 senators from two political parties who are elected by vastly divergent regions — Chicago, the suburbs and Downstate. The differences are stark even within those regions. Think Englewood and Lincoln Park. Or Wheaton and Waukegan. Or Galena and Decatur.
Unlike baseball fans, politicians are always supposed to work toward what’s best for their state. But all of those regions and their myriad sub-regions have vastly different ideas of what’s really best for Illinois.
Political parties tend to hold legislators together around a central theme, but that’s not always the case, either. Southern Illinois Democrats are often far more socially conservative than suburban Republicans, for example. There are probably as many pro-life Chicago Democratic legislators as there are pro-choice suburban Republican legislators.
The two chambers also have different ideas about what to do. There is always tension between the House and the Senate, no matter who is running things.
Frankly, it’s a wonder anything ever gets done.
Somehow, though, the General Assembly managed for almost 200 years. Nothing was perfect, but they seemed to at least finish the job.
Then, along came Rod Blagojevich, that notorious Cub fan, and everything went to hell.
Everybody stopped working together and began working against each other — until it came time to rid the state of the corrupt doofus, at which point they all united for one brief, shining moment to banish him to Sunday talk radio.
The extraordinary mess Blagojevich left behind and the concurrent international economic collapse combined to create problems more daunting than our state Legislature has faced since the Great Depression.
But instead of rising to the occasion, legislators bickered, pointed fingers, hid behind their party leaders and bemoaned their horrible political predicament all year, then ran home, tossing billions in new debt, horrible program cuts and an unthinkable (and probably unconstitutional) budget deficit at our overwhelmed mid-season replacement governor, Pat Quinn.
Our politics have become almost perfectly ugly and cowardly.
If it were not for small miracles like Mark Buehrle, I’d probably tear my hair out.
* Money laundering, trafficking body parts and rabbis allegedly in on the scheme. I think Illinois might have just been surpassed…
Federal agents swept into New Jersey towns across several counties Thursday morning, arresting about 30 people including mayors and religious leaders, in a federal investigation into alleged public corruption and a high-volume, international money-laundering conspiracy.
The probe also involves the trafficking of body parts, according to a person familiar with the matter. One of the individuals who was arrested Thursday morning is an alleged organ dealer, this person said.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, the arrests related to the public-corruption probe included Peter Cammarano III, the newly elected Democratic mayor of Hoboken; Dennis Elwell, mayor of Secaucus, also a Democrat; state Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, a Republican; and Democrat Leona Beldini, the deputy mayor of Jersey City.
Arrests that are part of the money-laundering portion of the investigation include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey, the statement said.
* The Question: What could Illinois do to regain its title as the most embarrassingly corrupt state? Snark heavily encouraged.
Snarkiest response wins a ticket to the August 17th Chicago White Sox game vs. the Kansas City Royals.
Jesse White running for Secretary of State in 2045 poses with Rich Miller of “Capitol Fax” fame; both men are still at the top of their game. Although Rich has aged some, strangely enough Jesse has not.
HI should e-mail me so we can figure out the ticket hand-over. If I don’t hear from him/her, the ticket will go to our runner-up Jim Rockford for this gem…
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White poses with a man born the year the Chicago Cubs last won a World Series.
* I’ve been telling subscribers about this for a few weeks now, and Chicago Public Radio had a piece earlier in the week that I missed. Negotiations have been underway for some time to pass a bill that “strengthens” the huge controversial and widely mocked reform legislation approved by the General Assembly…
Three weeks ago members of the advocacy group Change Illinois met with Senate President John Cullerton and Senator Don Harmon, the [ethics reform] plan’s sponsor. Harmon says they talked about what’s known as a trailer bill. That could be passed later to change parts of the original campaign finance plan.
Change Illinois is drafting legal language the group’s spokesman expects will be sent to legislative leaders and the governor within a week or so. That language could be used by the governor to issue an amendatory veto of the bill, or later by lawmakers.
Quinn has until the end of August to act.
We’ll see what happens with the new language. One big problem is getting the House Speaker to agree to any changes. But this probe might prod him a bit…
Cook County prosecutors have demanded records from the county tax appeal board amid questions about property-tax breaks awarded to businessmen who are political supporters of a state lawmaker, the Tribune has learned.
The grand jury subpoenas to the Cook County Board of Review seek records on tax appeal cases that are already the subject of an internal board investigation involving state Rep. Paul Froehlich (D- Schaumburg) and a political associate who used to work for tax board Commissioner Joseph Berrios.
One of three elected board members, Berrios is also chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party and a Springfield lobbyist with close ties to House Speaker Michael Madigan, the state Democratic Party chairman.
Board members and their staffs have been investigating whether Froehlich used any “undue influence” through Victor Santana, the political associate who worked for Berrios, or anybody else to get the tax breaks for businesses in Froehlich’s district, Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. said. Rogers said he was aware that investigators for State’s Atty. Anita Alvarez were looking at tax cases as well but wouldn’t say whether they were the same ones.
And, of course, it’s possible that some Chicago legislators could be subjected to some scrutiny over this…
The Inspector General for Chicago Public Schools has been asked to investigate how kids were picked for admission to some of the city’s most coveted public schools — a process long criticized and questioned.
Even an auditing firm has been pulled in to review whether the admission process for the system’s “selective-enrollment'’ schools needs to be improved, CPS officials said Wednesday.
And then there’s the ongoing U of I clout list story.
Asked to explain why, exactly, an indicted ex-governor continues to host radio shows and appear on television even as he faces a massive criminal indictment, one of Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers gave it his best shot today: “We got a guy who’s innocent,” Sam Adam Jr. said. “When you’re innocent, you stand on top of the roof and yell it.”
On Sunday, Blagojevich hosted a two-hour talk-show on WLS (890 AM). He’s slotted to do the same this weekend.
The pressure is definitely on.
* Related…
* Chicago schools: District officials probe admissions at top public schools
* Republican state Rep. Beth Coulson’s voting record would be a good match for the 10th Congressional District, so it’s no wonder she’s under pressure to try to hold that seat for the GOP. Coulson’s office told CQ Politics just days ago that she would run for reelection, but she sent this e-mail to supporters yesterday…
As you know, Congressman Mark Kirk has announced that he will seek election to the United States Senate in 2010. Since his announcement, many people have urged me to run for the 10th Congressional District seat that he will be vacating.
I have been honored to serve as your State Representative of the 17th District for the past 12 years and I believe I have played an important role in effecting policy in critical areas such as health care, education, ethics reform and the environment. Nevertheless, I believe I have the duty to consider this unique opportunity to continue my work on these issues at the federal level.
Over the next few weeks I will be discussing the possibility of running for Congress with my family, my friends and my constituents. As you may guess, this is a big decision and I must give it ample consideration. As always, your input is crucial and I welcome and appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts and advice as to how I can best serve the people of this area. You can visit my website at: www.bethcoulson.org and click on the “Join the Team” tab to leave your thoughts in the comments section or email me directly at: coulsoncampaign@hotmail.com
In the meantime, thank you for your ongoing support. I will be making a decision shortly.
* Kirk, by the way, has a new Internet ad that features Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris. Click here to watch it.
* Sen. Dan Cronin announced for DuPage County Board Chairman during a big campaign rally yesterday. But he’s not alone…
State Sen. Carole Pankau of Itasca said she’s also looking to replace Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, who is vacating the seat to run for governor.
And Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso kicked off his campaign for chairman by announcing he already has financial commitments of more than $100,000 and endorsements from eight mayors. […]
Whether more DuPage Republicans enter the race remains to be seen. County board members Pat O’Shea, Brien Sheahan, Jerry “JR” McBride and Debra Olson all said they’re considering it.
But the field is narrowing. Despite early speculation, former Illinois House Speaker Lee Daniels isn’t expected to come out of political retirement and enter the race.
* From a press release…
Terrence J. O’Brien, President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will announce his candidacy for Cook County Board President at 10am on Friday, July 24th. The announcement will be held at the Centennial Fountain and Water Arc located at 300 N. McClurg Court. O’Brien has a strong record of fiscal responsibility and the MWRD continues to stand on solid ground with a AAA bond rating. O’Brien has served as President of the MWRD for the past 13 years, an entity with a budget of over $1 billion. O’Brien has fought hard for and received millions of dollars in state and federal grants. Under the leadership of O’Brien, the MWRD has saved taxpayers millions of dollars through tax abatements.
“I want to do for Cook County what I have done for the Water Reclamation District. I brought greater financial accountability and leadership to the Water Reclamation District,” O’Brien said, “and that is what I will do for Cook County.”
Terrence J. O’Brien has served as President of the MWRD for 13 years and has served on the board of Commissioners for 21 years. O’Brien is a lifelong resident of Chicago. He currently resides on the northwest side of Chicago with his wife, Julie, and three children.
* The Republican primary in the 11th CD is filling up…
Will County resident Henry Meers says frustration with both Democrats and Republicans led him to become the third Republican to announce his candidacy for the GOP nomination for the 11th District congressional seat currently held by Democrat Debbie Halvorson of Crete.
“I am not the handpicked candidate of Republican bosses,” Meers said in a press release. “They have failed our party over and over with insider candidates pre-selected and jammed down the throats of the voting citizens.”
Other candidates are David McAloon of Bourbonnais, who works as a television producer for his Tinley Park church, and Adam Kinzinger of Normal, a former McLean County Board member and an Air National Guard pilot. […]
Though he entered the race on his own volition, Meers already assumes a major advantage over his two announced opponents. His base is Will County, which accounts for more than half of the likely GOP vote in the 11th District. This advantage is seen in his early endorsement by Will County Board Chairman James Moustis, R-Frankfort, and Bill Walker, GOP leader of New Lenox Township. Walker is serving as Meers’ campaign manager.
* And the Daily Herald thinks Republican attorney general candidate Joe Birkett needs to think again…
When it was assumed Attorney General Lisa Madigan would be aiming for governor or Senate, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced his true vocation is rooting out corruption - and that he is running for attorney general to do that. Then, days later, the seemingly unbeatable Madigan announced she wants to keep her job after all. We like Birkett, but common sense suggests he should reconsider.
First of all, that’s not your call, and if Joe Birkett wants to run against Lisa, maybe the ground rules should change a little to even things up. How about Lisa using her married name, Lisa Byrnes, instead of “Madigan.” Wouldn’t that kind of level the playing Field. I’m sure everyone knows Lisa Byrnes is the famous daughter of Michael Madigan, Speaker of the House.
* Related…
* Candidates line up to replace Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias - Former state lawmaker Robin Kelly and newcomer Kip Kirkpatrick heading for Democratic primary battle
* Primary opponent for Hastert? A 27 year old graduate of Elgin’s Judson College is close to announcing his intention to run in the 14th CD, taking on attorney Ethan Hastert for the Republican bid to regain Congressman Bill Foster’s seat back from the Democrats.
* The Sun-Times says there’s no reason Cook County Board President Todd Stroger should wait to sign the “marijuana ticket” ordinance passed this week by the board…
The county measure is essentially a variation of pot decriminalization laws that have been popping up across the country, and reportedly working well. In Illinois, Sugar Grove, Springfield, Carbondale, Normal and a number of other towns have decriminalized pot, lightening the load of our overburdened court systems and bringing in extra revenue. Last year, more than 40,000 people were charged under state law with misdemeanor pot possession — less than 2.5 grams.
Springfield, for example, decriminalized pot in February to alleviate crowding at the Sangamon County Jail, but also to get a greater part of the fines offenders are paying. In Sangamon County last year, the courts collected $46,000 in fines for misdemeanor pot possession.
Sugar Grove in Kane County started issuing tickets for the small pot violations 10 years ago, largely because the return on so much paperwork seemed absurdly small.
“You arrest somebody for murder and it’s not as bad,” Sugar Grove Police Chief Brad Sauer said, talking about the hassle of processing a pot arrest. “And for such small amounts. It was ridiculous, time-consuming.”
* Phil Kadner quotes somebody in his column who makes a very good point…
“You know who likes prohibition? Al Capone liked prohibition. (Colombian drug lord) Pablo Escobar loved prohibition.
“The criminals and the politicians are on the same side. So who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?”
“We just had a ban on smoking. People say you can’t smoke, they said, ‘Please don’t smoke.’ And now everyone’s saying, ‘Let’s all smoke marijuana.’ I mean, after a while you wonder where America’s going to,” Daley said.
Um, no. Nobody’s saying that, ya goof. Nor did they say this…
“We’re worried about health care for everyone and, all of the sudden, we think marijuana smoking is the best thing if someone drives down the expressway, someone’s driving a cab, someone’s driving a bus, someone’s flying a plane. After a while, where do you go?” the mayor said.
On ABC7 Thursday morning, Stroger called it progressive discipline and an ease on overcrowded jails.
“You have a first offense, and it is really someone standing on the street smoking a marijuana cigarette, the police stop them, give them a ticket. That same person could be stopped again for a second time, the police can look back, see that they have been stopped before, and they can decide that, no, you are not getting a ticket, we are going to take you in and charge you with a different offense. So, this is really trying to help us manage our jail system,” said Stroger. “And we pay a lot of money to keep people in jail and for small offenses like this, this is saving taxpayers money.”
Storger went on to say that the way government works is that the legislature makes the rules, then it is up to the sheriff to enforce the rules.
“So, they don’t have to write the ticket. The police can decide we are taking everybody in. But I think they will do what seems to be prudent for the situation,” Stroger said.
The federal judge presiding over former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s corruption case says he expects to decide next week whether to unseal key documents and wiretap evidence.
Blessings rained down Wednesday upon the defiled grounds of Burr Oak Cemetery as an ecumenical rainbow of leaders from diverse houses of worship re-consecrated what was formerly sacred but now is a crime scene.[…]
“Black and white, Jew and Gentile, Protestant and Catholic, Baptist and Greek Orthodox, we are here, all of us with one voice saying, ‘These grounds are hallow again,’ ” said the Rev. Marshall Hatch of New Mount Pilgrim Church in Chicago
He was among some 50 area religious leaders who converged on the beleaguered Alsip cemetery to tour and bless the sites where corpses were allegedly illegally unearthed and dumped in mass graves as part of an alleged grave-reselling scheme.[…]
The clergy were invited and accompanied by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, whose office is managing an investigation that has brought the FBI and high-tech equipment that has recovered more than 200 bones or bone fragments from one four-block-wide area alone.
* Teen mother hoping to leave drugs and violence behind with help from CeaseFire workers
CeaseFire is bolstering its efforts to reach women and girls like Rivera who are caught up in Chicago’s violent street life. The strategy marks a shift for the Chicago-based organization, which historically has worked with men, the primary offenders and victims of crime.
Mayor Daley today urged labor leaders hell-bent on preventing Wal-Mart from expanding in Chicago to “come to grips” with the need for jobs.
After accepting a $700,000 Wal-Mart grant to create “green jobs” for ex-offenders, Daley lauded the world’s largest retailer as a “great corporate citizen” that is “responding” to concerns about wages and health care that have fueled union opposition.
The mayor said it’s “up to the citizens” to pressure their aldermen to give Wal-Mart the go-ahead to build its second Chicago store — and first super-center that sells groceries — at a former Chatham industrial site at 83rd and Stewart
Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon has threatened to revive the big box minimum wage ordinance vetoed by Daley if the City Council approves a second Walmart.
Chicago Police officers could retire with premium health benefits at age 55, instead of 60, under a deal reached Wednesday that could save the city $23 million and pave the way for an infusion of younger officers.
Nearly 700 officers currently fall between the ages of 55 and 60 and could be lured into retirement, if only they were guaranteed affordable health care, said Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) put off a License Committee vote on his proposal to crack down on the practice under pressure from a handful of condo owners, some of whom have hired veteran lobbyist Bill Griffin to plead their case.
“It was represented to them when the building was being constructed that this was a perfectly legitimate practice. Make an investment. Buy four or five units and rent them out. Open your own mini-hotel. And folks said, ‘That sounds great,’ ” Reilly said.
“They came in and said, ‘What gives? We made this investment in good faith.’ And I said, ‘I’m very sorry to report that the developer sold you a bill of goods. This is in direct violation of city code. I’m sympathetic to your situation. Let me see what we can do.’ ”[…]
It would allow condos to be turned into hotel suites, only if owners get prior approval from the condo association, secure at least $1 million in liability insurance and obtain a two-year “vacation rental license” for a $500 fee.
For thousands of drivers commuting downtown from the city’s Far North Side and near north suburbs, Ridge Avenue is a time-saving lifeline that picks up where transportation planners left off — funneling traffic to and from the dead end of North Lake Shore Drive.
But it turns out the same fast-moving features that make Ridge the in-the-know route for savvy drivers make it a nightmare for local residents who say they can’t even cross the street.
Now, the alderman who oversees one of Ridge’s busiest stretches says she has decided to open it to parking, essentially shutting down two of the four lanes, except during rush hour, in an effort to slow the cars and divert those commuters elsewhere.
* Hiring freeze no better idea despite layoffs, Davlin contends
The fact that the city of Springfield has issued layoff notices to some employees doesn’t make a hiring freeze any better an idea, aldermen were told Tuesday.
The issue: Several economically challenged suburbs are banding together to try to bring a high-tech, experimental garbage disposal facility to the Southland.
We say: While it may seem far-fetched or foolish, until more concrete plans for sound economic development are brought to the table, we applaud these mayors for at least seeking a solution. We need far more information to decide is if this a good move. But it’s a fair start.
ROCKFORD — William Charles Ltd. and the Winnebago County Board are working on a deal that will bring thousands of tons of garbage to county land and hundreds of thousands of dollars to county coffers.
It could also reduce the life span of the landfill by 20 percent.
So after this year, Aurora and Naperville will spend more than $20 million converting their analog radio systems to ones that use digital technology. The new radios will be more reliable and authorities say they will also provide better service from inside buildings and allow all emergency responders to communicate with each other instead of through a dispatcher.
Several e-mail messages were circulated among board members and officials at least a month before the final vote June 1 — correspondences that one expert called a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Tarkington, 3330 W. 71st St., opened in 2005 as the Chicago Public Schools’ first “green” building. Since then, the school system has certified two others and has plans this fall for four new green elementary schools and one high school, said Suzanne Carlson, director of environmental affairs. Five more green schools are scheduled to open in 2010, officials said.
Unemployment-insurance claims have declined steadily since the spring, but most private economists and the Federal Reserve expect jobs to remain scarce and the unemployment rate to top 10 percent by the end of the year.
The Labor Department said today that its tally of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 30,000 to a seasonally adjusted 554,000. That was above analysts’ estimates of 550,000.
OSF Healthcare System employees were informed Wednesday morning of a yearlong freeze on salaries and other cost-saving measures.
All employees’ salaries will be frozen for 12 months effective this Sunday, Jim Farrell, OSF senior vice president of marketing and communications, confirmed Wednesday. That affects 12,000 employees systemwide.
Under the Illinois Home Start Loan Program, hundreds of residents will be offered a 30-year- fixed rate loan. Available to first-time home buyers, the loan is insured by the Federal Housing Administration.
The program offered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority also gives the home buyers the opportunity to use a second loan to help them make a down payment. This loan allows the first-time buyers an advance loan on the $8,000 federal tax credit that they can pay back once they get the credit.
Besides first-time home buyers, the program is available to veterans and members of the military who are on active duty even if they’ve purchased homes before.
Ticket sales were up a little more than 1 percent over the year before, for the fiscal year ending in June. That meant Illinoisans bought almost $2.1 billion worth of lottery tickets, setting a sales record.
Still, because of the timing of some payouts and other issues, profits for the state lottery were down nearly 5 percent last year. That means less money brought in for the state.
People spent more money on scratch-off tickets but less on more profitable games such as Mega Millions. That means the lottery sent the state about $625 million, down from $657 million the year before, said Jodie Winnett, lottery superintendent.
The FutureGen Alliance recently bought the final piece of property needed for the plant for $750,000 from Kurt and Michelle Theriault. The couple paid $155,000 for the wood-frame house and 4.3 acres in 1971.
Coles County Supervisor of Assessments Jean Tipsword says that’s more than anyone has ever paid for a residence in county. The previous record was $548,000.
In a filing Wednesday, the company proposed continuation of an incentive plan for about 720 employees, including the top 10 executives, with a maximum payout for this year of $45.6 million.
Tribune also has proposed bonuses of up to $10.6 million to be divided among 21 core managers, including the top 10 executives, for operating and restructuring efforts. An additional $1.3 million would be available for lower-level employees.
The Chicago-based company also proposed up to $9.3 million in performance bonuses to be divided among 23 key operations leaders, and permission to pay about $3 million in bonuses earned last year to nine top executives.
An association representing computer and video game publishers sued the CTA over the agency’s prohibition of ads for adult-only and “mature 17+” rated games.
The suit, filed in federal court in Chicago today, alleges that the CTA’s ban violates free speech rights.[…]
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s bid to restrict the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games was rejected by the federal courts as unconstitutional. The state had to pay the ESA $544,550, according to an ESA spokesman.
Cook County hospital officials will descend on the Southland next week for the first in a series of public meetings asking what people think of their government-run hospital system.
The South Holland stop Monday on the so-called listening tour comes as the system grapples with potential budget cuts due to the county board’s tax rollback and an increasing number of uninsured patients - all while south suburban activists decry services moving to Chicago’s inner city.
Three young surveyors for an elaborate University of Chicago project aimed at mapping resources on the entire South Side recently discovered what Woodlawn residents long have known — though only blocks away, their neighborhood is worlds apart from the more celebrated Hyde Park.[…]
“What’s really depressing is what you find. There are a lot of liquor stores; you don’t see a lot of libraries or day-care centers,” said U. of C. senior Ruben Ornelas, 21, who is helping map every store, church, social service facility and health clinic in the area. “When you’re in these low-income communities you see things that aren’t going to help anybody.”
Block by block, by foot and car, these paid fieldworkers — many South Side natives and from various universities — are gathering data that will be uploaded to a Web site, giving the public visual proof of the health-care and resource disparities among South Side communities. The site will be available to residents, social service agencies and advocates to use as a research tool.
* Former Sox pitcher Jim Parque confesses: Why I juiced
With my career in jeopardy, I turned to performance-enhancing drugs, like some other players did. I never had needed them before, but with a shoulder that wouldn’t heal, it was realistically the only thing I could turn to.
Work harder, you say? Take vitamins and get in better shape? Did it, and I was rewarded with pathetic Triple-A stats, a fastball now in the low 80s and an average high school curveball.
