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Davis’ own poll shows him being shellacked by Emanuel and Alexi considering mayoral run

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You’ve undoubtedly read by now that a group of African-American leaders has chosen Congressman Danny Davis to be their standard-bearer in the mayor’s race.

But a poll commissioned by Davis himself, which for some reason he decided to circulate not long ago, actually shows he will have a very rough time against Rahm Emanuel if Davis manages to make it into the runoff. From Congressman Davis’ pollster…

Emanuel does well against Davis and Braun one-on-one, even when just looking at African-American voters and Hispanic voters. Emanuel received 45 percent of the African-American vote and 58 percent of the Hispanic vote, compared to 36 percent and 20 percent respectively for Davis. The numbers are similar one-on-one with Braun, but Braun does better with Hispanic voters.

This seems to be due to Emanuel’s name recognition and generally positive image. So, even if a coalition of African-American voters is possible, that does not guarantee success. However, there are a fair number of undecided voters so that adds another variable into the mix.”

If Rahm Emanuel gets 45 percent of the black vote against Davis in Davis’ own poll, then you have to wonder what he and that committee is thinking.

* And this has been going around for days. I’m not sure yet whether the labor poll actually exists, but there are some aldermen who cannot handle the idea of Rahm Emanuel for mayor and some of them are now turning to a guy who got almost 80 percent of the Chicago vote last week…

Defeated U.S. Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias appears to be at least toying with the idea of running for mayor. But as per my post of Wednesday, I’m still not convinced it’s real or that he’s doing anything except listening to some flattery at a time when he could use some.

In an e-mail on his way back from a post-election vacation, Mr. Giannoulias confirmed chatter that “I have received a lot of calls from aldermen and donors that I was absolutely not expecting.” Reportedly included in that group are City Council graybeards Ed Burke (14th) and Dick Mell (33rd), who don’t much like the idea of taking orders from a Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Mr. Giannoulias further confirmed that results of “a very strong (and flattering) poll” have been shown to him. Sources say the poll was conducted for a labor union and that it reportedly shows Mr. Giannoulias running six or seven points ahead of Mr. Emanuel.

“Does that mean that I’m running for mayor? No,” Mr. Giannoulias continued in his e-mail. “Is it stupid for me to say no, unequivocally, without even listening? Not sure yet.”

Thoughts?

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Tenaska’s Taylorville Energy Center MYTHBUSTERS

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Part 1, Electric Rates.

Myth: Taylorville will put an “enormous economic burden” on consumers

Fact: The Clean Coal Portfolio Standard caps residential rate increases at 2.015%, or $1.67/month, according to the ICC.

Myth: Taylorville means rate increases now, when we can least afford it

Fact: Between now and 2015, the project will invest billions in Illinois, employ nearly 2,500 construction workers and purchase supplies from all corners of the state. The cost to ratepayers between now and 2015? ZERO. NOTHING. ZILCH.

Myth: Taylorville will dramatically increase electric rates for large business customers

Fact: Big business customers currently pay 40.5% less for electricity than residential and small business consumers. Even under their worst case scenario, large customers would still pay 37.1% less.

Myth: Illinois has plenty of electricity. No new plants are needed.

Fact: As Crain’s and others have reported, environmental regulations are expected to force 25-40% of Illinois coal plants to shut down by 2020. Since Illinois still relies on coal for half of our electricity, less supply and more demand means higher electric rates if cleaner supplies of reliable electricity, like Taylorville, are not built. And who benefits from that?

SAY YES TO TENASKA’S TAYLORVILLE ENERGY CENTER!

Learn the facts. For more information, visit cleancoalillinois.com

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Question of the day

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Gallup…

Americans think it is generally more important for political leaders to compromise to get things done (47%) rather than sticking to their beliefs (27%), but Republicans and Democrats hold differing views on the matter.

Republicans tilt more toward saying leaders should stick to their beliefs (41% to 32%), while Democrats more widely endorse compromise (by 59% to 18%).

Gallup used a 1 through 5 rating system, where “1″ meant it is more important for political leaders to “compromise in order to get things done,” while “5″ meant it is more important for political leaders to “stick to their beliefs even if little gets done.”

* The Question: Based on that 1-5 rating system, where do you stand? Explain.

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Time to face reality

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Pat Quinn should listen to Mayor Daley…

Mayor Richard Daley [yesterday] suggested state government leaders should focus on cutting costs before raising taxes.

“First of all, you have to show the intent that you cut off waste, inefficiency, fraud, everything else,” Daley said. “So, they have to really show that. So, it’s up to them. You can’t just tell people, like here, I’m just going to raise taxes. You’d be thrown right out of City Hall. They want you to cut expenses, cut waste, inefficiency, reorganize and get a bank for the buck. That’s what they want. Simple as that.”

The mayor’s remarks came after Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s claim that he has a mandate to raise the income tax after campaigning on a tax-hike pledge and prevailing in last week’s governor election.

Quinn’s response? Not heartening…

At an unrelated news conference [yesterday], Quinn said he’s confident a tax increase will pass.

“I think members of the legislature need to have a rendezvous with reality. That’s what I would say. We’ve got to do what’s best for Illinois. The election’s over. It was over last week. So now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and work hard on what’s necessary for the people,” the governor said.

Quinn’s tax increase alone will barely make a dent in the state’s deficit, so he’s going to have to cut anyway. He might as well come up with at least a partial plan now. Earlier this week, all he could point to was eliminating the legislative scholarship plan. Yeah. That’ll help pass this tax hike. Watch…

A win is a win and Quinn won the election. But that doesn’t make him dictator. He can’t pass his tax hike by fiat. And he can’t wish away this budget deficit, either.

49 Comments

How about we band together and try to take the lead on something for a change?

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* One of the things that Gov. Pat Quinn gets right is his vocal support for alternative energy. And Illinois is at the center of wind power partly because of his work.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center has produced a new study identifying over 100 Illinois companies with 15,000 employees active in the “wind power supply chain.” The group also estimates that 17 manufacturing jobs are created for every megawatt of power developed. That means 2,500 jobs for a 150 megawatt utility-scaled wind farm.

* The state now has 25 wind farms. Chicago is home to 13 major wind power company corporate headquarters. Here are just a few…

Acciona, a $7 billion Spanish-based multinational corporation, develops and manages clean energy projects, operates a turbine assembly and has its North American headquarters in Chicago. Acciona has ownership interests in seven North American wind farms.

Invenergy has its global headquarters Chicago and it develops, owns and operates large scale renewable energy facilities in North America and Europe. The company has developed twenty U.S. wind farms, two of which are in Illinois, making it one of the nation’s largest independent wind energy producers.

Midwest Wind Energy, headquartered in Chicago, is a utility-scale wind farm developer, with a current project portfolio of over 5,000 megawatts of power in Illinois and the Midwest.

Naperville’s BroadWind Energy headquarters recently got a writeup in the local paper…

Naperville’s Broadwind Energy is a wind-industry holding company with four businesses: logistics, technical and engineering services, turbine tower construction and precision gearing systems manufacturing.

“We make the towers that the turbines go on and manufacture the gears that go in the gear boxes, and we also have a service business that maintains the turbines,” said Broadwind spokesman John Segvich on Tuesday.

According to Segvich, Broadwind began in 2006 in Manitowoc, Wis., and moved to Naperville in March 2008. The 800-person company serves wind farm developers and operators throughout the United States. While Naperville is its corporate headquarters, Broadwind operates a gear-manufacturing plant in Cicero and a turbine plant in Texas.

“The services business is pretty much where the customers need them,” Segvich said, adding that the company chose to move to Naperville to be near a major international business center.

“The wind players are here in Chicago,” he said.

Another business snagged from the cheeseheads.

All those headquarters need lawyers, CPAs, caterers, programmers, insurance, public relations specialists, and on and on and on.

* But there’s also a more direct benefit. A. Finkl & Sons is gearing up to supply the industry with high grade steel for turbines. Winergy Drive Systems, a division of Siemens, just opened its second turbine production facility in Elgin. The company employs 500 Illinoisans. There’s lots more. Read the report.

* This is clearly a growth industry for Illinois, and the state needs to do even more. A new state law that allows school districts to cut deals with wind farm companies is starting to pay dividends for districts like Warrensburg-Latham, which is near Decatur…

Emmett Aubry was tired of hearing complaints about the wind and decided to find a way to put it to good use.

Aubry, the Warrensburg-Latham schools superintendent, told those at the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Ag Café luncheon Monday that what he found could help not only the school district but provide a boost to the area’s economy.

“When you come to Warrensburg for a football game at the high school, it will blow you off the hill top,” Aubry said. “We griped about it a lot.”

A nearly $400 million wind farm is planned for 10,000 acres of leased land outside Warrensburg, Aubry said. The school district sits on what would be the northeast corner of the farm, he said. […]

The project would create 300 construction jobs and 22 permanent jobs, Aubry said. Many of the workers would be trained in a newly-developed wind technician training program at Richland Community College in Decatur.

* What about price? There is an argument that the price differential between wind and what we have now is just too great. But Illinois Wind Daily (yes, there is such a publication) makes a good point…

An article in this weekend’s New York Times highlights an interesting hurdle facing the wind industry during the current economic crisis: state utility commissions are viewing renewable power supply contracts as too expensive in comparison to standard power supply contracts. This issue has been problematic for wind projects in Illinois and other states, but could be a short-sighted perspective because power prices are now at historic lows.

They’re low because of the recession. They’ll eventually go back up again, but this wind industry opportunity will be gone by then if we lay back now.

* And as long as the market is out there, we need to not only stay in the game, but lead it and help pave the way. For instance, people tend to believe they “own” the sightlines from their property. That’s pretty silly, but it seems to be a natural inclination. I know I can feel the same way. But too often, a tiny handful of rural neighbors are allowed to stop or greatly slow down wind farm projects…

The [Marshall County] board’s approval came over the objections of several residents who live in the area where the 16 turbines will be located. Rebecca Donna, an Illinois Valley Community College professor who also had objected at an earlier Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, said the turbines will reduce quality of life and property values for residents not involved in the project.

“There are 31 residents (in that category),” Donna said. “I know that’s not a lot of people, but I think the county should consider those people. It will very negatively impact our lives.”

* What we also don’t need is for ComEd to continue dragging its feet. The company has so far prevented a bill from passing that would extend a provision in state law that only allows the company to apply only renewable energy sources from Illinois to its minimum alternative energy mandate. ComEd wants to import wind-generated power from out of state instead. Legislators need to be for Illinois jobs, not utility games. If this bill isn’t properly drafted, then the players need to come up with a new one. But soon. As with everything else, we’re in competition with other states and other countries in this industry.

We have lots of coal here, and clean coal technology needs to be invested in as well. Environmental regulations are trending harshly against coal these days, so we can either do nothing and stick with the old technology and be left behind (once again), or kick it up ten notches and get out in front of the changes coming our way, whether we like it or not.

[Hat Tip: Progress Illinois and Illinois Wind Daily.]

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Gov. Quinn plays hardball with the cheeseheads

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Now, this is what I call aggressive business recruitment…

Gov. Pat Quinn says a Wisconsin trainmaker is welcome to move its jobs to Illinois.

Quinn is inviting Talgo Inc. to come to the state after Wisconsin’s newly elected Republican governor said he wanted to give back federal money for a proposed high-speed rail project or use it for something else.

Quinn sent a letter to the Milwaukee company Wednesday. He says Illinois will do whatever it can to lure them.

* The company is interested in moving here…

A Spanish-owned train company would seriously consider moving its plant from Milwaukee to Illinois in 2012 if Governor-elect Scott Walker follows through on his vow to kill a planned high-speed rail line, a company executive said Wednesday night. […]

“If Wisconsin is losing its enthusiasm for its rail program and others are not, we could go to Illinois and manufacture world-class trains there,” said Nora Friend, Talgo vice president for public affairs and business development. “We certainly appreciate Gov. Quinn reaching out to us. We will consider very seriously states that want to grow their rail program.”

* The federal government has allocated $810 million to Wisconsin to build the high-speed train line. Gov. Quinn had this to say several days ago about the Wisconsin governor-elect’s campaign promise to halt the Milwaukee to Chicago project…

I just heard from Ray LaHood today, he called and said, ‘Well, Wisconsin might not want the money for high speed rail.’ We’re here, here we are. We’ll be happy to take it. You know, anything we can grab hold of

* Governor-elect Walker wants to use the money for roads instead, but Transportation Secretary LaHood has said they can’t, and it doesn’t look like Wisconsin will have a legal leg to stand on…

Walker, meanwhile, made another pitch to use the stimulus money for roads instead. He wrote U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, saying that voters across the country chose new governors who are against using transportation money for passenger trains. And the Republican Walker said, quote, “I believe it would be unwise for the Obama administration to ignore the will of the voters.” LaHood said on Monday that the $810-million would have to be spent on trains – or else it would go to another state for its trains.

But House Republican Tom Petri of Fond du Lac said Congress probably wouldn’t be much help to Walker. He said the law would have to be changed to use the money for roads – and states like Illinois that want the train funding would never vote for that. Walker is against having Wisconsin pay the train’s operating costs once its built.

From Secretary LaHood’s letter…

“None of the money provided to Wisconsin may be used for road and highway projects, or anything other than high-speed rail. Consequently, unless you change your position, we plan to engage in an orderly transition to wind down Wisconsin’s project so that we do not waste taxpayers’ money,” wrote LaHood.

Oof.

* And despite potentially losing jobs and nearly a billion dollars in transportation money, the Wisconsin governor-elect is not backing down…

“Gov.-elect Scott Walker is going to fulfill his campaign promise to stop the construction of the Madison-Milwaukee train line,” Walker spokesman John Hiller said in a statement. “He will also fulfill his campaign promise to create an economic environment that allows the private-sector to create 250,000 new jobs.”

Yeah, well, that Wisconsin project would’ve created 5,500 construction jobs over the next three years. And then there are all those Talgo jobs.

* And then there’s this…

If Illinois receives the money, it could “add insult to injury” because Wisconsinites would still be burdened with the Illinois tolls while traveling to Chicago, but the toll payoffs would not be returned, [Jay Heck, executive director for Common Cause in Wisconsin] said.

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