* 3:04 pm - Two days of heat is all it took. From a press release…
Governor candidate Bill Brady today said to avoid distracting from the failures of the Quinn/Blagojevich Administration, he will make available his income tax returns this week.
“Pat Quinn wants nothing more than to turn attention away the failures he has led us to,” Brady said. “I won’t let anything stand in the way of my determination to bring a clean break to Illinois.”
Brady noted that Quinn has earned his income from taxpayer money while he himself has worked in the private sector.
“Today just shows again that Pat Quinn is part of the public sector ruling class,” Brady said.
Um, Bill, what about that Senate salary? Isn’t that “taxpayer money” too?
* Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno talked to reporters after the leaders meeting today about the governor’s proposals that I’ve already outlined below.
Radogno claimed that the proposed cuts don’t really add up to $2.6 billion because Quinn wants to add spending back into the plan. She claimed the cuts really added up to only $900 million, while Quinn wants to do $9 billion in borrowing and new taxes. Have a look…
* House Republican Leader Tom Cross, like Radogno, was asked about a six-month budget. But, like Radogno, Cross said it wasn’t discussed. Take a look…
* Quinn’s budget director David Vaught talked about extending the lapse period by four months and how that helps vendors avoid the court of claims. Actually, it helps the state avoid the court of claims. Either way, watch…
* In case you missed it below, Gov. Quinn told Chicago reporters that he wants a review of leadership use of cars…
“This is an alarm bell that we need to pay attention to,” Quinn said. “Especially in these times of austerity, we need to look at where all state vehicles are, how they are used, where they’re assigned, and I intend to pursue that.” […]
Quinn said it is “absolutely wrong” for state-owned vehicles to ever be used by family members or anyone not working for the state, but he stopped short of saying top lawmakers should be stripped of the perk saying he planned to meet with legislative leaders and discuss the issue this afternoon.
The governor did suggest the legislative branch could face budget cuts that would force the General Assembly to reconsider some purchases.
“It bears inspection, and this is a good time to do the inspecting,” Quinn said. “We have a tough budget, we have to tighten the budget. Any information that we have that indicates that a vehicle is not necessary, then we will act appropriately.”
* Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan both commented on the Rahm Emanuel for mayor kerfuffle.
First up, Quinn, who cracked that he knew Rahm when “he was an idealist” back in 1980…
* 12:57 pm - The day before thousands of protesters are planning to descend on Springfield to decry the governor’s proposed budget cuts, Gov. Quinn is telling legislative leaders today that he wants to increase budget cuts by $400 million.
Quinn also wants to lengthen the lapse spending period by four months, which would give the state even more time to pay bills from one fiscal year to the next.
From the guv’s office…
In addition to the proposed $2.2 billion in cuts the Governor proposed on March 10, he is calling for authority under the emergency budget act to cut $400 million additional funds from the budget. This would bring the Governor’s proposed total cuts to $2.6 billion. The Governor is also requesting an extension of the lapse period for payments to vendors in an effort to ensure all payments owed are received. The lapse period would be extended from Aug. 31 to Dec. 31.
Currently, we have more than $6 billion in accounts payable. This detailed plan reduces those bills to $2.9 billion by using strategic measures which include borrowing excess money from other state funds and partially liquidating the revenue from the tobacco settlement. Both of these strategies will net the state $2 billion dollars to help stabilize the budget, pay our bills, refinance our debt and keep people employed.
The truth is we need revenue. The education surcharge will generate $2.8 billion dollars that will be used to fund education while keeping tens of thousands of people employed. Education is a top priority for the Governor. He is committed to raising needed revenue in order to continue to provide excellent educational opportunities for our students.
Governor Quinn inherited these fiscal challenges that were created over several years of budget mismanagement and this detailed plan provides the solutions to get the state back on sound financial footing.
Quinn’s budget office also distributed these two graphs. Click the pics for larger images…
We’ll have video from the post-meeting leader availabilities, so check back.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn released his tax returns today and turned his disclosure into a campaign issue by calling on Republican rival Sen. Bill Brady to do the same or drop out.
The governor said there is “something not right” about Brady’s refusal to release his tax information, suggesting Brady is trying to hide business interests that could conflict with holding the state’s top office. […]
“As everyone knows we’ve had two governors preceding me that got into a lot of trouble, one’s in jail, one’s under indictment,” Quinn said, referring to predecessors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich. “ Illinois doesn’t need a shady governor. I think it’s very important we have a governor that’s open, direct, and accessible.”
“I think anybody who wants to aspire to this office and doesn’t want to disclose their tax return really should re-think their candidacy, because I think this is fundamental to making sure the governor of our state does not have any conflicts of interest that would in any way harm the people of Illinois.”
“The senator said he’s concerned such a disclosure would harm his business interests. Then the question is what are those business interests and do they conflict with the public interest,” Quinn said.
…Adding more… The Quinn campaign is pushing back against the notion that it said Brady ought to release his returns or drop out. The Tribune interpreted it differently, and so did I. But just so you know, the Quinn campaign doesn’t see it that way. The headline has been adjusted to reflect that protest.
*** UPDATE *** As mentioned above, Quinn talked to Statehouse reporters today about the Brady income tax issue.
“Sen. Brady says he doesn’t want to hurt his business interests by disclosing his income tax. Well, wait a minute. If you’re going to be the governor the number one interest is the public interest, not your private business interest that you want to keep hidden.”
Quinn also talked about the possibility of Scott Lee Cohen entering the governor’s race. Quinn said he ran into Cohen at a ballgame and Cohen told him to be prepared for a “big surprise.”
* This is not unexpected, since Quinn endorsed Joe Berrios in the primary and bashed Dan Hynes’ father for leaving the Democratic Party to run for mayor against Harold Washington…
Gov. Pat Quinn Tuesday made it clear that a longtime friend, Forrest Claypool, is on his own in his race for Cook County assessor.
“I supported the Democratic party nominee in the primary (election),” tax appeals Commissioner Joseph Berrios, Mr. Quinn told a Chicago press conference. “I’m a Democrat. That’s where I’m going to be” in the November general election. […]
Politically, Mr. Quinn’s stance could cost him if Mr. Claypool gets enough signatures on petitions to run as an independent candidate. But Mr. Claypool stands to lose, too, given Mr. Quinn’s influence among African-American voters in particular.
And even though the announcement was predictable, it’s also pretty predictable that the Chicago Tribune is gonna hammer Quinn - and probably everybody else that goes with Berrios - for this.
* Meanwhile, we got a “revelation” today from the Illinois Policy Institute…
In total, the Maine Workers’ Compensation Commission spent around $5 million on wages or approximately half of the $11.5 million that Illinois spent in 2008.
Maine population = 1,318,301
Illinois population = 12,910,409
Where:
Outside the Law Office of Sam Adam and Sam Adam, Jr.
6133 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
More information:
The former governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich will make the strongest public statement to date concerning the charges he is facing.
Blagojevich has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and says he is innocent of all charges.
The former governor will react to developments in this case.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: For stations planning to carry this statement from Rod Blagojevich live, please be advised that it will begin promptly at 5:03pm CST.
Gov. Blagojevich will not be available for any interviews or comments prior to the 5:03pm Central statement.
Out of respect for his children, please avoid reporting or videotaping at or near his Chicago residence.
* Garritt Cullerton’s DUI while driving a state car assigned to his Senate President father without permission has sparked questions about just how many state vehicles are controlled by legislative leaders. The Tribune comes up with the answers…
The assignment of state vehicles to the four partisan leaders of the state Senate and House was part of a little-known provision of a law passed in 1984 that eliminated controversial legislative commissions that had become bloated by the salaries of lackeys and relatives. One panel that was eliminated had a dozen vehicles, and the four legislative leaders divvied them up. The legislature has bought new vehicles since that time through its operations account.
Cullerton’s office said the Senate currently owns six vehicles, three used by Democrats and three by Republicans. The fleet includes three late-model Ford Escape hybrids, two Tauruses and a 2005 Dodge Caravan.
The House clerk’s office under veteran Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago said the House has eight vehicles. A spokeswoman for House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego said Cross primarily uses a 2007 GMC Yukon, but Republicans also use a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer and a 2005 Chrysler 300 C. The five other House vehicles include 2007 Ford and Chrysler vans, a 2004 Chrysler Concorde, a 2006 Chrysler 300 and the newest vehicle, a 2010 Mercury Milan hybrid. […]
Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont uses one of the SUVs to drive while in Springfield, spokeswoman Patty Schuh said. She said another car is kept at the Chicago office for the use of staff and other lawmakers, and the van is used by staff for deliveries to district offices.
The governor’s office is assigned state vehicles and the executive branch is co-equal to the legislative branch, so while I can surely see the reasoning behind any outrage, it’s best to keep this in perspective.
Still, I’ve been around 20 years and I don’t remember any previous stories about those cars.
Leadership spending is super-secretive, so it’s high time that they open their books and let everybody see just what the heck is going on over there.
As far as the younger Cullerton’s traffic stop record goes, well, that’s not good, either. But, as with yesterday, I would rather avoid this particular topic. They tend to get way too overheated. Also, in case there’s any question about what happened to that car in question, ABC7 has the answer…
Cullerton’s spokeswoman says the Ford Escape was impounded by the Chicago Police Department Sunday and that President Cullerton himself paid the fee to get the vehicle released from the auto pound.
“This is an alarm bell that we need to pay attention to,” Quinn said. “Especially in these times of austerity, we need to look at where all state vehicles are, how they are used, where they’re assigned, and I intend to pursue that.” […]
Quinn said it is “absolutely wrong” for state-owned vehicles to ever be used by family members or anyone not working for the state, but he stopped short of saying top lawmakers should be stripped of the perk saying he planned to meet with legislative leaders and discuss the issue this afternoon.
The governor did suggest the legislative branch could face budget cuts that would force the General Assembly to reconsider some purchases.
“It bears inspection, and this is a good time to do the inspecting,” Quinn said. “We have a tough budget, we have to tighten the budget. Any information that we have that indicates that a vehicle is not necessary, then we will act appropriately.”
* On Saturday, Bill Brady’s campaign invited a few bloggers to discuss the issues for 15 minutes. Among other things, he was asked this question by the Illinois Review…
Do you have a couple of wedge-type issues to appeal to Cook County? One of the issues has been that you’re not well known in Cook County, and there’s been some kind of pessimism about you being able to reach into some of the minority communities.
Brady’s response…
…The school choice thing appeals to people. The term limits thing appeals to people. When you reach into the minority communities, which we have been horrible at.
Last general election for governor, we got 14 percent of the black and Latino vote. That’s 25 percent of the vote, by the way. We cannot ignore it. When we asked why, we blatantly found out that it’s not because of issues. Those communities are with us on the family issues. They’re with us on the school issues. The problem is, we’ve been AWOL. The Democrats have been propagating those communities, if not monthly, weekly, then daily. Our message has got to be inviting. We simply haven’t invited. The school voucher is helping us. The big box issue is helping us. Fresh food, jobs, affordable food, a say in your child’s education.
Those are some valid points, but some of his numbers are off. According to the exit polling, blacks and Latinos made up 20 percent of the 2006 gubernatorial vote, not 26. Judy Baar Topinka got 16 percent of the African-American vote and 12 percent of the Latino vote, so that is 14 percent on average.
Historically, though, when Republican candidates talk about winning minority votes, it’s mostly about appearing to be open-minded to more moderate white folks, not really an all-out push for black votes (the Latino vote was kinda up for grabs a while back, but national GOP immigration policies pretty much spoiled those chances).
That’s not a bad thing at all, of course. Having a Republican candidate talking about issues impacting minority areas is a positive thing. But this isn’t about winning that vote. It’s about winning.
* Chicago Public Radio is the only media outlet that appeared to even remotely connect the dots today between Republican Mark Kirk’s call on Alexi Giannoulias to release his tax returns and Democrat Pat Quinn’s demand that Republican Bill Brady release his returns.
I point this out because it’s an interesting little battle we have going on here right now at the top of the ticket. It’s not an exact comparison, since Giannoulias filed for an extension (although he did provide WBEZ with his paperwork) and Brady is just flat-out saying “No” when asked about his returns. The advantage, then, goes to Quinn, who might conceivably use Kirk’s demands against Brady, but hasn’t. That’s partly because Quinn has no real campaign organization in place. Here’s part of what Kirk said…
“I worry the coming implosion of his family bank may have tax implications for him, and therefore he’s not willing to release his taxes,” Kirk said.
Brady has previously admitted that his family businesses are suffering mightily during the Great Recession. So, the connection is there.
But the rally probably won’t push politicians to support a tax increase in an election year, many lawmakers said.
“To say that is going to rally enough support for a tax increase, I don’t think so,” said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. […]
“You got rallies going on today in my area against taxes,” said state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion.
Case in point, supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment brought even more than 15,000 people to Springfield for a rally back in 1982, to no avail. However, a huge rally that same year sponsored by labor organizations against a move by GOP House Speaker George Ryan to bring a “right to work” bill to the floor did work. The difference is, that bill wasn’t going anywhere anyway. It would’ve been vetoed by Republican Gov. Jim Thompson if it ever advanced to his desk, which was doubtful.
* And when the Republican gubernatorial nominee is pushing for huge cuts in programs and is adamantly opposed to a tax increase, there is just no political cover at all for a tax hike now…
Converting one state government agency into an advisory group, and renegotiating employment contracts at another agency, are two of the ways that the Republican running for governor would save taxpayer money.
State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) would change the Illinois State Board of Education from a policy-setting agency to one that would only advise the governor.
Brady says the $80 million agency is currently more of a hindrance to education than an administrator. He also complains about accountability at the board, saying everyone there points their fingers at everyone else. “Harry Truman would have a field day with where the buck stopped,” Brady said.
Brady also says he would renegotiate contracts for Illinois State Police troopers and civilian workers, because he says the salaries and pension are too sweet compared to those in the private sector.
* But the anger at Springfield is palpable among rally organizers. Here’s a quote from David Comerford, a spokesperson for the Illinois Federation of Teachers…
“No politician will be speaking at the rally. They’ve done enough talking without acting,” said Comerford. “They need to hear from us.”
More than 120,000 people have signed petitions to get the proposed citizen initiative on the ballot, but that’s less than 50 percent of the 288,000 needed. Amendment supporters had hoped to finish the petition drive by April 1.
The coalition behind the amendment, which includes the League of Women Voters, said the fight is not yet over.
“It’s two weeks before we have to file,” said Jan Czarnik of the League of Women Voters. “If we do fall short, it’s only because we haven’t had enough people circulating petitions in such a short amount of time.”
The League remained upbeat and defiant in Springfield yesterday, even though its original goal was 500,000 signatures by April 1st, to ensure that it had enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot…
“We’re not having so much trouble; it’s two weeks before we have to file,” Jan Czarnik with the League of Women Voters said… “This is the easiest public education campaign (the League has) ever undertaken,” she said. “Our petition circulators get as far as saying ‘Hello, did you know that the members of the General Assembly draw the districts for which they run for reelection’–the voters are appalled by this and angered by this.”
Roughly 1,100 signatures were collected from Southern Illinois by the League of Women Voters of Jackson County, who took the lead on gathering petitions earlier this year.
League representative Dorcy Prosser of Carbondale said it was simply difficult to get people passionate about something as esoteric as legislative districts, and the fact Republicans began supporting the Fair Map amendment put a political spin on things that repelled others.
“I certainly hope we can get it on the ballot, but obviously it’s looking questionable,” Prosser said.
That’s pretty much the exact opposite of what Czarnik told Springfield-based reporters yesterday.
* The controversial League alliance with the Republicans mentioned by Ms. Prosser was also the subject of a press release issued this morning by State Sen. Marty Sandoval (D-Chicago). Sandoval demanded that people not sign the petitions…
Dozens of Republican operatives and a few self-styled reformers are asking Illinois citizens to sign a petition. This petition, called the Fair Map Initiative, would create very unfair representation of the largest minority group in Illinois: Hispanics. Even though Hispanics are responsible for all the population growth in llinois over the last decade (and thus due for a major increase in representation in local, county, state and federal levels with new maps drawn after the census), if the Fair Map Initiative is implemented, Hispanics will not see a proportionate and fair increase in Hispanic-majority districts.
I joined with my Democratic colleagues in the Illinois Senate to improve the transparency of the map-making process while my Republican colleagues voted against our proposal, preferring a process that would put a lid of Latino representation. Now they are hoping to build another wall between Hispanics and our government with the “Fair Map Initiative.”
Republicans will be on the streets until early May asking for your signature on the petition. If you are approached, I suggest you take the advice of one of the country’s most beloved Republicans, former First Lady Nancy Reagan: Just Say No!
The League has until May 3rd to turn in its signatures. Two years ago, the League opposed a constitutional convention, partly on the grounds that changes could be made to the existing constitution via the amendment process. They’re finding now that it isn’t so easy.
Mayor Richard Daley spoke for many Illinoisans Monday when he evoked a “Springfield bubble” in which lawmakers are oblivious to the economy around them and unwilling to bleed inefficiencies out of their operations. [Daley’s] government’s latest economizing involves asking vendors to renegotiate their contracts with a goal of cutting the city’s costs. Last week he announced an audit of health benefit rolls to purge ineligible employees or dependents — people who aren’t entitled to city-paid medical care but who receive it courtesy of taxpayers
“We’re doing everything here, and the state and federal governments are not doing that,” Daley said, adding he wasn’t pointing fingers at specific politicians. “It does get you upset. You figure why are they immune from the economy — that people are suffering.
“They don’t understand that this is a national recession. They are living in — they call it the Washington or Springfield bubble.”
“There isn’t one state employee or federal employee taking any time off. You wonder, why not? Don’t they realize that this is a national recession? Don’t they realize that people are suffering? There’s where the disgruntled attitude is — that they don’t get it. … They’re living in the Washington or Springfield bubble.”
Not one mention in any story or the Tribune’s editorial that Daley totally and unequivocably opposes a plan by Gov. Pat Quinn to slash state funding to local governments. Not one mention in the Tribune editorial that the paper is on record supporting an even deeper cut to local government funding. And not one mention in any story that the state does, indeed, have a furlough program for non-union employees.
The Tribune, as we’ve discussed before, is also on record supporting a move to slash pension benefits for current state and local government employees. I’ve already told you that the edit board bases its position on a report by Sidley Austin, a lawfirm which represents the Trib’s parent company in bankruptcy proceedings. The Tribune led off a pension cut editorial yesterday with a quote from Eden Martin of the Civic Committee. Not mentioned in the editorial is that Martin is “of counsel” to - you guessed it - Sidley Austin.
* Meanwhile, a story plastered all over today is absolutely no surprise. Rahm Emanuel has thought about running for mayor for a very long time. Before he got it into his head that he could be US House Speaker, mayor was at the top of his list. Now that the Speaker’s job is out of the question, mayor is back on the wish list…
In an interview with PBS host Charlie Rose to be run late Monday night, Emanuel said he does not plan to run against Mayor Richard M. Daley, but he has his sights on the office if the mayor decides to retire one day,
“I hope Mayor Daley seeks reelection. I will work and support him if he seeks reelection,” Emanuel said. “But if Mayor Daley doesn’t, one day I would like to run for mayor of the City of Chicago. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.”
In an interview with The Hill last week before Emanuel’s appearance on PBS, Gutierrez said Emanuel “better stay in the White House.”
“He’s not to get my endorsement anytime soon. He should stay in the White House, but then he can go make millions in investment banking,” Gutierrez said, referencing the Wall Street job Emanuel held between his post in the Clinton White House and his run for Congress in 2002.
Gutierrez, a Latino leader who has represented Chicago in the House since 1992, has criticized Emanuel’s performance as chief of staff and has expressed anger at what he sees as a lackluster push by the Obama administration for comprehensive immigration reform.
The 56-year-old lawmaker has also considered running for mayor himself, but in the interview he insisted he is not going to be leaving Congress any time soon.
The station is installing a new emergency generator at its transmitter site in Monticello, which also broadcasts the public radio station WILL-FM 101.1.
The funding includes $313 million from Illinois, $115 million from Missouri and $239 million from federal resources for a total of $667 million.
Officials estimate the bridge project will create $25.3 billion in regional economic activity over the next 45 years. It is also expected to create about 2,200 primary and secondary jobs for the greater St. Louis Metropolitan area.
Scheduled for completion in the middle part of this decade, the four-lane, cable-stayed bridge will divert Interstate 70 traffic from an existing bridge that’s one of just two in the nation that accommodate three freeways. The plan also allows for the bridge, designed to be two lanes in each direction, to be expanded by a lane each way.
Romel Esmail and Bassam Haj Yousif of Global Real Estate Investors LLC are accused of using at least $3.6 million of loan proceeds for their own personal benefit — including the purchase of a vehicle, jewelry and other real estate….The two launched an effort to convert a building at 6 N. Michigan Ave. into condominiums and also acquired the nearby 59 E. Van Buren St. with loans from the former CIB Bank of Hillside.
This time we’re talking about a Wal-Mart Supercenter proposed for an empty lot between 103rd and 111th streets next to the Bishop Ford Freeway. Wal-Mart is the critical element in an ambitious development called Pullman Park, which would bring thousands of jobs to the Far South Side.
