[Gov. Pat Quinn] suggested lawmakers should skip their upcoming spring break to vote on his tax increase.
I hope he’s not thinking of screwing with my spring break with a special session. Frankly, I don’t care if legislators are inconvenienced, but I have plans, and they don’t include Springfield.
“I really feel the legislature shouldn’t take a break, a holiday, until they vote on this tax increase,” said Quinn during an appearance at Morton Community College in Cicero. “I think when you’re in a crisis, members of the legislature have to have an urgent sense of duty and an urgent sense of acting.”
The governor, however, stopped short of saying he would call a special session to keep lawmakers at the Capitol the last week of March and first week of April.
Women leaders from across the state called on Gov. Pat Quinn and legislative leaders today to approve a tax increase that would continue services supported by the state.
The group provided a letter sent to the leaders with more than 200 signatures from women politicians and organization leaders.
The plan comes from the Illinois Policy Institute, which is technically nonpartisan but whose views on economic matters bear a close resemblance to those of Bill Brady, the GOP nominee for governor.
In essence, it goes beyond cuts in state employee pensions and Medicaid to focus on a wide and deep range of cuts throughout every level of state government — all $3.7 billion worth of them designed to make the state live within its existing income, as the group puts it.
Zeroing out programs like local government aid, Advanced Placement, agricultural education, foreign language education, Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia scholarships, home delivered meals to seniors, the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, and slashing things like the child death review teams at DCFS and cutting Circuit Breaker by 75 percent won’t exactly be politically feasible.
Less…
For instance, asserting that the average state worker makes 15.7% more a year than those in the private sector, the institute proposes to save $900 million by cutting labor costs. Exactly how it would do that isn’t certain, since the state’s workforce is near 20-year lows now and employee unions have been unwilling to open existing contracts.
And less…
Education would get $300 million less than Mr. Quinn proposed, which would put schools $1.6 billion below this year’s level at a time when some districts already are laying off staff. Mr. Tillman responds that the institute would cut spending on extraneous items like preschool, principal mentoring and higher education, to focus the state’s education money on in-classroom work in grade and high schools.
The biggest single cut — more than $2.7 billion — would be in “health and human services.” Some of that is lower salaries for state workers, but much of it is less money for outside grants to community groups, service agencies and the like.
We just went through a huge debate in this state about funding human service groups, led by Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno. I’m sure Radogno won’t be climbing on board any time soon.
…Also… Regarding higher education, from the report…
Students are in the best position to make prudent decisions over their financial and academic futures. As such it was a priority to maintain funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which is a tuition assistance program that enables students of limited means to better afford college. Insofar as reductions were made to direct institutional funding for the state’s four-year universities, community colleges, and support agencies, it was done so in order to allocate higher levels of support for the MAP grant program, which assists students attending all institutions of higher learning in Illinois.
They propose bumping up MAP grants by about $70 million, but cut the University of Illinois’ budget alone by almost $200 million. Not quite an exact tradeoff here.
* My deepest sympathies to the family and many friends of Michael Rosenquist. Michael died suddenly this week after surgery. He was an attorney with the Legislative Reference Bureau for the past three years. You can sign his guest book by clicking here.
Visitation Wednesday 3 to 9 p.m. at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, 203 S. Marion St., Oak Park. Prayers Thursday 9:15 A.M. to St. Luke Church, 528 Lathrop Av., River Forest for Mass at 10 A.M.
Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to: American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) or National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter (msillinois.org) are appreciated. Funeral info: 708-383-3191.
Myers announced in a news release Monday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He says he will undergo testing in the coming weeks to determine the best method of treatment.
The 62-year-old Republican from Colchester has been in the Illinois House since 1995.
Myers says he will continue his work in the House but might have to miss some legislative session days in Springfield because of his treatment.
Myers is a quiet, can-do legislator who has always had the ability to work with both sides of the aisle. I’d just like to add my fervent hopes for quick and totally complete recovery.
* Progress Illinois appears a bit bummed out by yesterday’s state central committee meeting…
As you may remember, back in early February the Scott Lee Cohen debacle spurred a refreshing amount of criticism regarding House Speaker Michael Madigan’s longstanding reign as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois — a tenure that has been marked by a laser-like focus on his House majority and complete neglect of federal races. The Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet even wrote that he had done “an awful job” as party chairman. There was even some hope that some Democratic committeemen would put up a fight when it came time to consider his reelection this spring.
Political Rule Number One: The mushrooms always complain and moan, but then they always get in line. This rule most certainly applies to the Illinois House and, apparently, the state central committee.
* Anyway, after he was reelected, Madigan telegraphed some worries about the lt. governor selection process…
Asked later how confident he is about the lieutenant governor selection process, Madigan said, “I am not confident at all.”
That lack of confidence wasn’t really explained in the article. Madigan, however, went on to spin the interest in the vacancy as a positive for the party…
“We’ve been surprised by the number of applicants, but I think that it’s a good message to the Republicans that there’s a high level of interest in the Democratic Party of Illinois,” Madigan said. “At the end of the day, the process will be open, transparent, and I think that the governor and the Democratic Party of Illinois will be together.”
Central committeeman Billy Marovitz had a good question…
If a last-minute candidate becomes the nominee, Marovitz said, “It’s going to make all of us look really foolish.”
“There needs to be a chance for all of us to question the person, not just have the person foisted upon us,” he said.
Madigan responded that he would keep the nominations open. “I don’t plan to restrict my options.”
Quinn has said since the debacle with Scott Lee Cohen — which left the Democrats without a lieutenant governor candidate – that he supports keeping the position. However, the governor zeroed out the office budget for the state’s number two spot in his current spending plan. […]
Kelly Kraft with the governor’s office cautioned not to read too much into that.
“We’re going to let the newly appointed, or newly elected, come in and frame his or her own budget.”
The budget does contain a salary for the post of lieutenant governor, as required by the state Constitution and set by a state compensation review board. Whoever voters elect will receive an annual salary of $139,200 for fiscal year 2011.
Two of the candidates who want to become the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor said they’d hope to have the ability to handle their own office budget. […]
Kraft said Quinn will restore the office budget for the second-in-command after the Nov. 2 election.
“He will come into veto session in November and he will ask for a supplemental, then there will be a vote.”
* In other Madigan-related news, Republican Cook County Board President nominee Roger Keats tries to play connect the dots…
Keats outlined his main campaign strategy by trying to tie Preckwinkle to Democratic Party leaders House Speaker Michael Madigan and Board of Review Commissioner Joseph Berrios. Keats pointed to Madigan’s legal side business arguing appeals on county assessments as the “epicenter of pay-to-play politics,” adding, “This is all with the help of his pal, Mr. Pay-to-Play Jr., Joe Berrios.”
Keats cited how Preckwinkle as a ward committeeman nominated Berrios in his bid to remain chairman of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee
So, Preckwinkle nominated Berrios and that means she’s totally in league with Madigan. OK. Next?
* As we discussed yesterday, one of the leading proponents of banning red-light cameras was called out yesterday for not telling the truth about his own red-light ticket. Senate President John Cullerton showed video of Sen. Dan Duffy clearly running a red light. Duffy responded…
“That was an interesting play there. Obviously the president of the Senate and the red-light camera companies are doing everything they can to intimidate me,” said Duffy, who said he won’t stop trying to abolish red-light cameras, even though a Senate panel rejected the idea Monday.
Duffy agreed he deserved a ticket and said Monday that he never claimed otherwise and questioned why, other than politics, the Senate Democrats would air his video.
“I’ve also gotten speeding tickets before. I didn’t say we should repeal all speed limits in the state of Illinois,” he said. “I don’t know why this is there as an example. This is obviously trying to target me. Why would, out of all people, would they bring my ticket up and show my film?”
Duffy said he wrongly received a ticket from a red-light camera in Schaumburg. He said he stopped behind the line and inched forward before making a turn because a utility box obstructed his view. He said he wanted to fight the ticket but said it would have cost more than $1,000 to fight the $100 ticket.”
He’s been telling reporters the same story for at least a month now.
* Anyway, as I told subscribers this morning, Duffy didn’t just get one red-light ticket. He got two. Here’s the video of the first offense for comparative purposes…
* The Senate Republicans are questioning whether the use of the video is legal. From an e-mail…
(625 ILCS 5/11‑208.6)
(g) Recorded images made by an automatic traffic law enforcement system are confidential and shall be made available only to the alleged violator and governmental and law enforcement agencies for purposes of adjudicating a violation of this Section, for statistical purposes, or for other governmental purposes. Any recorded image evidencing a violation of this Section, however, may be admissible in any proceeding resulting from the issuance of the citation.
When asked if the use of enforcement video from an individual’s red light camera ticket was legal, Duffy replied, “My staff is researching that.”
Cullerton’s staff obtained the video of a vehicle registered to Duffy rolling through a right on red turn lane in Schaumburg back in early 2009, via a Freedom of Information Act request.
“It is legal if it is used for legal proceedings or government proceedings,” explained Rikeesha Phelon, spokesperson for Cullerton’s office. “Duffy has been very public about his opposition to red light cameras. That’s why we used this video.”
* Make restaurants display calorie counts?: The bill, sponsored by Deborah Mell (D-Chicago), would require fast-food chains to include calorie amounts for menus posted at counters and drive-through lanes. Her push comes as at least one national chain, Panera Bread, began putting calorie totals on its menu boards.
* Speed limit talk another example of poor planning: Consider current discussion of increasing speed limits to 70 mph. Why wasn’t this brought up months ago when lawmakers debated increasing truck speed limits to 65 mph to match cars?
A year after winning “Celebrity Apprentice,” Joan Rivers went on the show as a guest this week. After spending time with this year’s controversial competitor, Rod Blagojevich, she tells me she was completely underwhelmed.
“He’s an idiot,” she says of the indicted former governor of Illinois. “When you talk to him for 10 minutes, you go, ‘How did this man get elected?’
“Come on, Chicago, didn’t anyone TALK to him?”
Joan Rivers is now my hero.
* In real news, federal prosecutors yesterday opposed Blagojevich’s motion to delay his trial until November…
In their filing Monday, prosecutors contended that neither argument by the defense is persuasive, “particularly in light of the strong public interest in resolving this case as expeditiously as possible.” […]
“The charges in this case allege that the defendant engaged in a longstanding and pervasive abuse of his power as the governor of the state of Illinois,” the prosecution said. “The defendant has repeatedly and publicly challenged the legitimacy of the charges against him. As a result, the public has a strong interest in the expeditious resolution of the charges.”
Prosecutors argued that no matter how the Supreme Court rules on the “honest services” law, the underlying evidence against the former governor would remain the same at trial. […]
Prosecutors also dismissed the defense claim that it has been overwhelmed with evidence from the prosecution. By the time the trial would begin in early June, the defense would have had months to review all the material, they said.
He’s asked for testimony from Mayor Daley and up to 10 Chicago aldermen. But politically-connected developer Calvin Boender, on trial for bribing a city alderman to get a zoning chane for his West Side development, sent out a subpoena to an unlikely recipient: Rod Blagojevich.
The former governor received the subpoena two weeks ago, one of his lawyers said.
But Blago won’t be taking the witness stand.
His lawyers opposed the subpoena, saying the indicted ex-governor and Boender don’t know each other.
The defense agreed to withdraw it [yesterday] morning, said Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky.
Mark Brown is taking Boender’s case much more seriously…
City Hall apparently finds the Boender trial a big yawn, too, especially now that his lawyers have dropped their bid to force Mayor Daley to testify. How else to explain Daley’s announcement that he had named state Rep. Deborah Graham to replace Carothers as alderman?
After going through the motions of taking resumes on the city Web site, Daley picked someone who wouldn’t have been state representative if Carothers hadn’t decided to pull out all the stops to get her elected in 2002, with some help from Carothers’ wholly owned subsidiary in the 37th Ward — Ald. Emma Mitts.
I suppose this increases the likelihood we can look forward to the time when the by-then formerly incarcerated Carothers will show up as an adviser on either Mitts’ or Graham’s political payroll in the same way Carothers’ formerly incarcerated father William was always a mainstay on his.
We replaced typewriters with computers faster than we can change Chicago’s machine politics.
That’s pretty unfair to Rep. Graham. While a Carothers ally, she wasn’t exactly owned by him. He was a hugely powerful force in that region, and nobody could have been elected without cutting a deal. Sen. Don Harmon cut his own Carothers deal in the 2002 campaign, but we haven’t seen him publicly flogged lately. And for good reason. The same ought to go for Graham, as far as I can tell.
* Related…
* Not much of a horse race: Blagojevich, ‘Apprentice’ less appealing to nation’s TV viewers than ‘Boss’ at the track
With a $13 billion budget deficit looming, the state is forging ahead with a plan to move employees of the Department on Aging from their free digs in two state-owned buildings to a joint office in a privately owned building that will cost $530,000 a year in rent.
House Republicans tried to put the brakes on the move last week. Their resolution called for the Department of Central Management Services to re-evaluate the lease and look for cheaper options. All but five Democrats voted to lock the measure in the Rules Committee.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget, meanwhile, calls for a 6.5 percent cut for the Department on Aging next year. Social service programs that help the elderly already are being slashed and stiffed. Common sense says this is a move that can wait.
OK, first of all, the House GOP put forth a resolution, not a bill. There’s a big difference. A resolution has no legal weight. You can’t “put the brakes” on something with a resolution. Here’s the summary…
Urges the Departments on Aging and Central Management Services to work with the Procurement Policy Board to review current leases as well as existing space in State facilities to find the solution that imposes the smallest burden on Illinois taxpayers in this time of budget challenge.
The resolution basically did nothing at all, except embarrass the Democrats for blocking it.
The Quinn administration has suspended the state Department on Aging’s proposed move into leased office space while officials review the plan. […]
“The Department on Aging’s relocation out of the Herndon building has been suspended to allow for additional review of the situation,” CMS spokeswoman Alka Nayyar said in an e-mailed message.
“CMS will continue to work with the Department on Aging, the Secretary of State and all other involved agencies to help ensure that the health and safety of employees remains a top priority while working to maximize efficiencies.”
Gov. Pat Quinn won’t say if he has a plan to avoid deep education cuts if lawmakers resist his call to raise the state income tax.
Quinn insisted Monday he’s optimistic lawmakers will do what he wants so the state doesn’t have to cut $1.3 billion from education. He outlined the tax increase in his budget address last week, and he says he’s talking to lawmakers to get them on his side.
I doubt he has a fall-back option yet. The lack of a “Plan B” was one of Dan Hynes’ criticisms about Quinn’s absence of leadership last year, and it’s likely to be recycled by Sen. Bill Brady.
* Steve Huntley’s column today succinctly sums up why the “free rides for seniors” is such a volatile political issue…
Although I had several times criticized pandering politician Rod Blagojevich’s free CTA rides for seniors, in all honesty I have to say my first reaction to the news the state House of Representatives had voted down the freebie was — They want to take away my free ride!
For a moment I had succumbed to the entitlement mentality that government programs inspire. I’ve been riding Metra, the CTA and Pace for free for a year, and by golly, that “right” is mine and don’t you politicians in the Legislature dare take it away.
There is no such thing as a free ride. Somebody has to pay for it, taxpayers through a subsidy or other riders through higher fares. Or the service must be reduced. The CTA has had to cut service, some of it because of Blagojevich’s give-away. My free ride might not seem such a bargain if I end up waiting longer for a bus in Chicago’s bone-chilling winters.
I’ve known Steve for a long time. He was my column editor for years and I loved the guy because he is so very smart. But the hard truth is that a whole lot of voters just don’t continue his thought process, or won’t allow themselves to do so. Instead, they stop at Steve’s first impression: “They want to take away my free ride!”
There’s an old saying in politics: Candidates who rely on voters to think usually lose.
* Related…
* Full-time School for Only Half the Kids at St. Charles: In other words, the State of Illinois locks up teenagers and then fails to provide them with even a basic education. It’s a situation that has existed for years.
* Facing New Rules, Elections Board’s Budget May Get Slashed: The Illinois State Board of Elections picked up a bunch of new responsibilities this past year. But Governor Pat Quinn is asking the legislature to give the board less than half the money it requested.
Hundreds of teaching jobs also could be at risk. Full-day kindergarten, magnet schools, gifted programs, early childhood programs and bilingual education also would take a hit under the plan that outlines $301 million in school-based trims and $398 million in central office and citywide cuts.
Mayor Daley is already reeling from a personal low 35 percent approval rating tied to the parking meter mess, City Hall corruption scandals and Chicago’s first-round Olympic flame-out.
Now, a coalition of liberal-leaning civic groups is piling on — by giving the mayor a “D” for job performance.
Developing Government Accountability to the People (DGAP) accused the mayor of “mortgaging the future” by selling off Chicago parking meters and draining most of the $1.15 billion windfall to fill a massive budget shortfall.
Mayor Daley said Monday he’s willing to let Chicago businesses substitute plastic fences for more costly wrought-iron, but he’s not about to declare a blanket moratorium on Chicago’s landscaping ordinance.
* Video archives of City Council meetings available on clerk’s website
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart — who made international headlines in 2008 when he temporarily stopped evicting tenants in foreclosed buildings — was fined $1,400 Monday over a delay in carrying out a 2009 eviction order.
Just as most of the massive rehab of the Illinois tollway system ends, construction on a small segment, the Edens Spur, threatens to snarl the commute for thousands of motorists and handcuff Chicagoans’ escape to Wisconsin this summer.
* Cabbies working longer hours and facing increased risks, experts say
In a recent survey conducted by a researcher with the University of Illinois at Chicago, more than one-fifth of Chicago-area drivers said they had been attacked or threatened with violence by a passenger at least once in their careers. However, only half of them said they had reported the attack to police.
“It’s hard for these towns to adjust to the fact that gangs are everywhere,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “It’s not a stigma against any town, because they’re everywhere.”
He said that his gang-intelligence officers have detected increased activity in pockets of Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights because of an influx of rival gang members.
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
There is a critical need to update Illinois’ 25-year old, outdated Telecommunications Act this year, according to a recent study commissioned by the Illinois Technology Partnership, Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and conducted by the Discovery Institute.
Results showed revamping the state’s telecom policy is necessary to sustain investment in broadband which, according to one estimate, would create or save 105,622 jobs. Other projected benefits would include:
· $6.2 billion in economic impact annually from increased broadband availability.
· $28 million in average health care savings
· More than $4 billion in direct annual income growth.
Our telecommunications landscape is rapidly changing, but our state’s policies have failed to keep pace.
During a time Illinois is experiencing record levels of unemployment, modernizing policies like the Telecommunication Act that will spur investment and job creation in Illinois at no cost to taxpayers should be the state’s top priority.
Our policies need to encourage investment in broadband networks that companies and consumers want and need. For more information and to view the entire study, visit iltechpartner.org.
* Gov. Pat Quinn appeared on Chicago Tonight last night and was grilled pretty hard by hosts Phil Ponce and Carol Marin on a wide range of topics. It’s a must-watch…
