* House Speaker Michael Madigan just passed a “clean-up” measure for the McCormick Place reform bill out of his Executive Committee. Click here to read it.
Among other things, the proposal requires McCormick Place to follow the state’s procurement code, rather than allowing it to have a “substantially similar” procurement process. It also provides for a means to oust the new trustee, or czar, provides for appointing his replacement in case of a vacancy, subjects him to the governor’s constitutional removal authority, and makes it even more clear that he is subject to the one-year revolving door prohibition.
These appear to be Gov. Quinn’s reforms. The governor has not yet issued any statement on his expected amendatory veto of the original McCormick Place bill. Click here today to see its status.
* As I told you last night, Gov. Quinn’s campaign blasted Sen. Bill Brady for voting to double the taxicab “departure tax” which is included in the McPier reform bill. Here is the Brady campaign’s response…
Governor Quinn is pushing a 33 percent income tax increase on the taxpayers of Illinois, a dozen tax increases on Illinois’s job creators and fee hikes on citizens. Despite the efforts at distraction – that’s the Quinn record. Bill Brady opposes the Quinn tax increases.
The city of Chicago – and people of Illinois – anxiously await his action on the bipartisan solution passed by the legislature to keep as many as 66,000 jobs in the Chicago area convention and trade show industry.
McCormick Place has approximately 3 million visitors a year—most of whom are out-of-town conventioneers who spend their money on everything from airline tickets and taxi rides to hotel rooms and theater tickets. Democrats and Republicans worked together to impose labor work rule reforms, eliminate costly mark-ups and put in place professional management that will make McCormick Place competitive again in the convention industry. At the same time, the cost to the state and its taxpayers will be reduced by more than $300 million in the coming years with stringent ethical standards and sunshine that eliminates backroom deals.
This week the National Restaurant Association – which for 61 years has come to McCormick Place for its annual trade show – announced it will move elsewhere unless the reforms become law. This one trade show brings more than $100 million annually into the city.
Governor Quinn needs to set aside the political rhetoric and sign the McCormick Place reforms into law. If he continues to kowtow to political interests – Chicago stands to lose one its prime economic engines.
- jonbtuba - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:05 am:
I get a chuckle seeing Brady demanding Quinn set aside political rhetoric when last week Brady, on the record, admitted he had no plan to fix the budget.
More constructively, Brady has said nothing about the role of Jim Reilly, which is one of Quinn’s main points of dispute on the bill. No one disagrees about the economic benefits of the bill.
- jonbtuba - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:06 am:
Erm…by “more constructively” I should have said “to make a more constructive point, I should note”. Whatev…
- anon - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:10 am:
A dangerous game of chicken… One has to wonder how much Team Quinn values a little political hit, to put so much at potential risk.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:15 am:
That is how it is to be played. Kudos for both candidates.
- just sayin' - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:15 am:
So Brady voted to raise taxes after campaigning on a promise that he wouldn’t.
Wow, it had been about 10 minutes since Brady wasn’t honest about something.
- OKthen - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:19 am:
==No one disagrees about the economic benefits of the bill.==
So why is it taking so long for Quinn to say he will sign the Bill then?
- jonbtuba - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:31 am:
OKthen, didn’t you read my above post? Answer: Jim Reilly
- Ghost - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:34 am:
So Brady say;s he is opposed to rasing taxes, then votes do it….and his response is Quinn wants more taxes too….when Quinn has awlays made clear he thinks we needa tax increase…
Quinn 1 Brady 0
- Niles Township - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:36 am:
Poor Bill Brady. His staff his horrendous. They can’t even get basic facts right. It was the Housewares show that announced the threat this week, not the NRA.
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:39 am:
I beleive Quinn has put on his game face…I would love to hear the conversation between Daley and Quinn on how to smooth over this wrinkle…I’ll wager that Jim Reilly will be sent his walking papers and Quinn will pass the bill if he gets to name a chair of McPier…stay tuned indeed…
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 10:54 am:
–McCormick Place has approximately 3 million visitors a year—most of whom are out-of-town conventioneers who spend their money on everything from airline tickets and taxi rides to hotel rooms and theater tickets. –
That’s off. The last full-year numbers were 2.3 million visitors, about a million of whom — less than half — were there for conventions and trade shows.
The auto show pumps up the visitor numbers, but that’s primarily a drive in, drive home, day-tripper crowd. The economic benefits of the auto show are pretty much limited to the three-week payday for Mac Place workers.
http://www.choosechicago.com/media/statistics/attendance/Pages/YT_Tradeshows_mtgs.aspx
- illinoise - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 11:30 am:
did no one notice that bill brady had no mention of the tax increase in his response? how is he going to justify raising a cab tax after pledging not to raise taxes at all (and after bashing quinn repeatedly about his budget plan)
- the Patriot - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 11:55 am:
Brady said he won’t raise taxes as Governor, a promise he hasn’t broken. The tax is mostly on out of staters, not IL residents.
As soon as the democrats and Quinn have a budget, then they can hammer Brady for not having one. Madigan is getting ready to hang a noose around Quinn’s neck and call it a budget giving him broad powers. Quinn will spend the summer deciding who gets cut and who gets paid.
Quinn has no plan and if the AG had any tool other then a crayon in her desk she would file an injunction because of the obvious unconstitutional nature of the the budget they will pass yet again.
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 12:00 pm:
nothing like splitting hairs Patriot…Brady is a goof…anyone who is elected Governor next year will have to raise taxes as well as cut spending…this week has shown Quinn to be tempered and realistic, while Brady looks inept and unrealistic as well as someone who cannot be truthful with the electorate…
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 12:06 pm:
==The tax is mostly on out of staters, not IL residents.–
I doubt that very much. I’d wager the great majority of cab rides to and from the airports are taken by Illinois residents. There just aren’t that many visitors compared to the number of Illinois residents who fly in and out of the airports.
- just sayin' - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 12:08 pm:
“Brady said he won’t raise taxes as Governor, a promise he hasn’t broken. The tax is mostly on out of staters, not IL residents.”
Yep, as Brady would say, it’s all semantics.
Seriously Brady campers, it’s like you’re not even trying anymore. Best stop the silliness or your guy is going to be blown out in November by a huge margin, that is if he manages to survive his land deal/voting scandal until then.
- OKthen - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 2:29 pm:
==nothing like splitting hairs Patriot==
That’s funny when most of you on this site spend more time twisting his words and his record then Isley Brothers.
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 2:34 pm:
OKthen: ? I don’t think it’s funny that posters here can’t spell and are obtuse as well…
- OKthen - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 8:36 pm:
==Seriously Brady campers, it’s like you’re not even trying anymore.===
Yeah seriously–the state is $13 Billion going on $17.4 billion in debt that’s pretty serious.
$8 million not serious a billion in jobs and economic growth that’s serious.
==to be blown out in November by a huge margin==
you can’t be serious
- McCormick worker - Thursday, May 27, 10 @ 10:48 am:
Niles
The NRA spokeswomen said that they would leave if the bill was not passed.
Quinn is a scab by letting the Teamsters/ carpenters take over the two smaller unions. The Teamsters are unskilled labor who Daily and the democrats will use as patronage workers. Riggers are journeymen Ironworkers, the shows who have not threatened to leave are the BIG machinery shows. The Riggers are the only machinery moving local left in the country. The IMTS, Print, Plastics, and Radiology come here because there is no place in the world that can bring in these size shows in such a short time periods. Once the Teamsters take over Chicago will lose these shows to more exotic venues. radiology comes in the week of Thanks Giving the weather is crap why stay here?