* Terry Cosgrove’s nomination to the Human Rights Commission is causing some trouble in the Senate. Cosgrove runs Personal PAC, a pro-choice group that provides tons of funding to candidates. Republicans are not too pleased with the nomination…
Gov. Pat Quinn’s effort to place a political supporter on the Illinois Human Rights Commission is creating friction in the state Senate.
Two senators argued fiercely and had to be separated Thursday when a Senate committee considered the nomination of Terry Cosgrove. […]
GOP Sen. Dan Duffy strongly criticized some of Cosgrove’s political tactics in past campaigns. He and Democratic Sen. Antonio Munoz had to be kept apart when their argument grew heated.
The committee approved Cosgrove’s nomination 5-4. Now the full Senate will vote.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Pat Quinn defended his nomination of Cosgrove today…
Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, a downstate Republican with a quiet demeanor, said he thought he would see a less political atmosphere under Quinn than his predecessor, impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“In many cases, Luechtefeld said, “it was very hard to deny that there had to be some connection to the support and the donations made by his appointments. That is extremely clear. If it isn’t clear to everybody, I don’t think you’re really looking.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** The Senate just confirmed Joe Costigan to run the Department of Labor 44-6-2. Costigan was a Quinn supporter last year. Nobody spoke on the floor against him. Cosgrove is next.
* Sen. Duffy just called the Cosgrove nomination “pure pay to play politics.”
* Duffy is now complaining about some direct mail that Personal PAC did against him in 2008, which he called “completely false.”
* Sen. Tim Bivins: “I think we have a duty and a requirement that we should avoid the appearance of impropriety.” He added that Costigan was giving up his job for the Dept. of Labor, and Cosgrove should do the same to avoid a conflict of interest.
* Sen. Dale Righter pointed out that former Rep. Careen Gordon was forced to withdraw after she flip-flopped and voted for a tax hike then got a state job. “This does not pass the smell test, either.”
* Sen. Schmidt pursued the “false statements” line, but was just cut off by the chair.
* Sen. Jacobs: Cosgrove “has the right to his point of view… But nobody’s really talked about him not being qualified for the position.”
* Sen. Delgado, who blocked a nominee for political reasons, is now speaking on behalf of Cosgrove.
*** UPDATE 4 *** 30-25-2. He’s confirmed.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Verification of the roll call has been requested.
*** UPDATE 6 *** Verified. He’s now officially confirmed.
As the subject of a conference that will essentially be a retrospective on his political career, former Gov. Jim Edgar is in a unique position. He’s alive.
“Usually the person is dead when they do these. I probably shouldn’t even go,” Edgar joked recently, adding that his presence might intimidate people who will be speaking about him at the “Governor’s Conference on the Jim Edgar Administration,” scheduled for April 15-16 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
* The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s “Illinois Statecraft” oral history project has done an extensive oral history of Edgar’s political career. Go check it out.
* I’ve started watching the interviews, and I may excerpt more in the future, but I clipped out a few TV ads from Edgar’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign for today. Have a look…
Nowadays, 90-second spots are unheard of. Times change.
* The 1994 campaign interview is not yet on video. I’ll post ads from that one if they’re featured. It was one brutal campaign.
…Adding… A couple more, one of which features Speaker Madigan…
[Catholic Conference of Illinois] leaders are backing a measure that would require women to be offered an ultra sound and the opportunity to view it if they are considering an abortion.
Conference spokesman Zach Wichmann said during a press conference that the measure tops the agenda for Catholic leaders.
“We think the government has a role to protect all human life. Obviously we, the Catholic Church, believes life begins at conception. And we think our public policies and our laws should reflect that,” he said
The ultrasound measure has become a contested issue in Springfield. Brigid Leahy of Planned Parenthood Illinois said this is just one of a number of proposals on women’s reproductive rights that are surfacing this year. She takes exception to the notion that the proposal would protect life.
“The government should not tell doctors what to do or what to say when they are practicing medicine,” she said.
“This bill … is about information and transparency,” Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. “We know this (abortion) is a difficult decision, and we all know why having all the facts from the outset before making such a difficult decision is imperative.”
Abortion providers currently use ultrasounds in their practice, but the measure would require they offer to show the results to each patient. The proposal was approved by the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee on Tuesday.
The legislation is designed to discourage abortions, said Zach Wichmann, communications director for the Catholic conference.
“We think government has a role to protect all human life,” Wichmann said. “We think our public policy should reflect that.”
* The Question: Should abortion providers be forced to offer ultrasound results to patients? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* The Sun-Times editorialized today against politicians taking campaign contributions from strip clubs. The Southtown Star found campaign contributions to eleven politicians and political organizations, including $2,000 to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. President Preckwinkle and others have since returned the cash…
Now, let’s be clear: Strip clubs are legal businesses, and their donations to political campaigns are legal, too.
But there’s an indisputable taint about those offerings, given that strip clubs are particularly dependent on the goodwill of local politicians.
Strip clubs tend to have their share of problems that involve the law. There may be underage dancers with phony IDs. There may be fights. There may be drugs.
That’s when a friendly politician can help ensure that police won’t jail the establishment’s customers, employees or even owners. […]
Citizens need to know their elected representatives are acting in their best interests, not in the best interests of a strip club with deep pockets that might be looking for a favor down the road.
* But state Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights) has taken $2,000 from Jimmy’s Restaurant (a Chicago Heights strip joint) and another establishment since 2005 and sees no problem with it…
“Whether someone is in the adult entertainment business or someone in the garbage business or someone in the printing business, there’s many people who contribute money who are involved in all types of business,” DeLuca said. “Just the fact that they are in the adult entertainment business, it doesn’t exclude them from being in the political process either.”
The Southtown Star story also included this exchange…
Thomas Amadio, a former manager of Sharkey’s, a now-defunct club owned by his family, said there’s a reason strip clubs will pony up the cash to politicians.
“To gain political favor with them and to get help for problems that occur — with liquor licensing, underage dancers who come in with fake IDs … fights, drugs,” said Amadio, a Chicago Heights park district commissioner. “To keep the police off their back. That’s why they’re doing that.”
Chicago Heights Police Chief Michael Camilli called the charge “absurd,” saying that no amount of money will keep his investigators from charging criminals.
* Meanwhile, the Better Government Association is not happy that a portrait of former House Speaker Lee Daniels was hung in the Statehouse last month. Daniels was once investigated by the feds. His former chief of staff was sent to prison, but Daniels himself was never brought up on charges…
So, it’s logical to ask if this is really a guy we should be “honoring”? Should taxpayers really be spending upwards of $2,000 so this guy’s image can be hung majestically in the Illinois Capitol or the Illinois House chamber?
We’re not saying Daniels did anything illegal; he was neither charged with nor convicted of a crime.
And we’re not saying he hasn’t done good things in his career. A recent Daily Herald story noted that Daniels is “known for his work on issues to aid the developmentally disabled.”
We understand it’s tradition to hang portraits of legislative leaders – just as it’s tradition to name public buildings after less-than-perfect government officials such as late Cook County Board President John Stroger and late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.
But there are public servants out there who work hard, honestly and selflessly – and who have never been implicated in a federal investigation.
They won’t have their pictures displayed in public buildings. In fact, they’re faceless to the masses. But they truly deserve our appreciation.
* And the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has a roundup of the top legislative campaign contributions disclosed so far…
(1) Ameren ($77,000)
(2) Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois/ABDI ($57,500)
(3) IL State Council of Operating Engineers/IUOE ($52,000)
(4) IL Laborers Legislative Committee/Laborers Unions ($48,000)
(5) IL State Medical Society ($44,500)
Ameren’s giving stands out, not only because it’s heads and shoulders above the rest, but because it’s aggressively pursuing a major legislative initiative right now. Ameren, along with Commonwealth Edison (#8 on the list, showing $33,250 in contributions) is seeking a change to the law which would allow them to spend more on infrastructure improvements and pass those costs along to rate payers, while simultaneously curtailing the Commerce Commission’s oversight role.
Since the start of the year, Ameren gave half of their donations to leadership, including $15,000 to House Republican Leader Tom Cross ($10K to Cross’ own committee and $5K to the House Republican Organization); and $10K each to the Senate Democratic Victory Fund and the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee. They gave another $10K to Sen. Kirk Dillard, who sits on the Senate Energy Committee. Other recipients include Sens. Gary Forby, Mike Noland, and Dale Righter, all of whom also sit on the Senate Energy Committee, and State Rep. (and Chicago Clerk-elect) Susana Mendoza, who sits on the House Public Utilities Committee.
Will Ameren’s giving have an effect on public policy? What about the other interest group giving? We’ll have to wait and see. But we wouldn’t even know to ask without the greater disclosure made possible by the new election law.
* Related…
* Minority groups weigh in on legislative redistricting
* Witnesses tell redistricting panel to keep counties together
* Democrats urged to keep counties intact in remap
*** UPDATE 1 - 1:08 pm *** The House is taking up Rep. Bradley’s workers’ comp bill. The Republicans are arguing over a fiscal impact note that was requested by them today, but not yet received. The House voted 57-54-3 to declare that note inapplicable. Other impact notes will also be debated.
*** UPDATE 2 - 1:17 pm *** The House voted 55-55 on whether the Judicial Impact Note was applicable. The motion by Rep. Bradley to rule it inapplicable therefore failed. The bill has now stalled until a note is received from the courts. But Bradley said as soon as the note arrives, he’ll push for passage of the bill, either today or tomorrow.
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* I’ve been telling subscribers about this development for a few days now…
After weeks of trying to come to terms on reforms to Illinois’ workers’ compensation system, a southern Illinois lawmaker now wants to tear it all down.
State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, introduced his legislation Wednesday morning. He’s been working with lawmakers, business groups, doctors and hospitals, labor unions, and lawyers. But the groups could not agree on changes. Bradley said if there is no room for agreement, there is no need to continue with the current workers’ comp system.
“Let’s get rid of the system that we know isn’t working. Let’s try something new. Let’s take this approach. … Let’s make a stand as legislators and say enough is enough,” Bradley said.
Changing the workers’ comp system is seen as gutsy by some lawmakers, but freshman State Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Glenn Carbon, said Bradley’s move may not be solve Illinois’ problems.
“This system, as I see it, could be fixed if we had the political will and the determination, and frankly, the guts to stand up and do it,” Kay said.
Yes, the system could be fixed, but right now there’s a major deadlock. The Medical Society has teamed up with organized labor and the trial lawyers to kill off just about everything that’s been tried.
Despite fears of a backlog in cases, lawmakers moved legislation onto the House floor in the first step in transferring legal authority in the 60,000 workers’ compensation cases heard each year from the workers compensation system to local circuit courts. Increased costs associated with hearing the new cases in the courts would be covered by about 120-million-dollars that currently goes to administration of the workers compensation system.
A spokesman for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, who spoke against Bradley’s proposal, said he agreed the system is broken, but eliminating it entirely was not the way to go about fixing it.
“We don’t believe at this time that throwing out the baby with the bathwater is the right approach,” said Jay Shattuck.
Illinois State Chamber of Commerce chief Doug Whitley calls Mr. Bradley’s abolishment bill “a shot across the bow. . . .We just want a decent standard of causation.”
But he agrees that it’s not a terribly propitious sign. We’ll have to see if Mr. Bradley and the Ds are bluffing, or if Republicans and biz can win a sweeter deal.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 also opposed the legislation.
“The workers’ compensation system is a bedrock of fairness for workers who are injured on the job,” said spokesman Anders Lindall. “The system ensures that a family isn’t bankrupted by medical bills or lost wages because of an injury suffered at work.”
* Meanwhile, in other business-related news, Illinois is vying with 24 other states for a big pot of federal high-speed rail money that was turned down by Florida…
If the Midwest states are successful in obtaining some of the $2.4 billion that Florida relinquished, the money would be used to buy new trains, accelerate plans to build track and signals for 110 mph passenger service and install railroad crossing upgrades on the Amtrak route between Chicago and St. Louis on the Union Pacific Railroad line, officials said.
A joint application totaling $806.8 million for new trains was submitted by Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin. Illinois would receive $262.8 million, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. […]
llinois, meanwhile, is also seeking $186.4 million in federal funds, with a state match of $42.4 million and a railroad match of $19.7 million, for additional track, rail sidings, signaling and crossing upgrades on the Chicago-to-St. Louis route; and $800,000 in federal funds, with a $200,000 state matching grant, to conduct planning for a station in East St. Louis.
* Over 90 applications for that cash have been filed…
LaHood said the department’s Federal Railroad Administration will begin determining which of the 90 projects can quickly deliver benefits such sustained economic development, reduced energy consumption, and improved regional transportation efficiency.
Tuesday’s aldermanic runoff election was expected to cost Chicago taxpayers about $50 for each vote cast.
The chairman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said relatively few were turning out to cast ballots. Based on the number of votes cast as of 4 p.m., Langdon Neal said he foresaw a turnout of about 23 percent in the 14 wards conducting runoff elections
Neal estimated the runoff contests would cost taxpayers about $5 million, perhaps as much as $6 million. Divide that by the number of votes likely to be cast – about 100,000 of the 409,707 registered in the 14 wards. The result: the election was likely to cost about $50 a vote.
Neal estimated voter turnout would be barely 10-12 percent in South Side wards 15 and 16. The highest turnout was expected to be just above 30 percent in North Side wards 41, 43 and 50.
February’s first round saw a 43 percent Chicago turnout.
* But if Chicago’s ward average of 23 percent turnout was bad, others were worse…
Kane County voters have set an election record, but it is not an achievement County Clerk Jack Cunningham is proud of.
Voter turnout was about 13.17 percent – a new low, he said. According to online county records, the prior record was 19.34 percent, which was set in 1987.
Voter turnout in DeKalb County for Tuesday’s consolidated election was 11.53 percent, according to unofficial results from the county clerk’s office. Of the 57,823 registered voters in the county, 6,668 voted Tuesday.
. Despite changes in Illinois law that allow people to vote in a more convenient time and manner, less than one in 10 registered voters showed up in Aurora. Less than one in 8 showed up in Kane County.
Voter turnout in McHenry County might have hit an all-time low.
Only 12.55 percent of the 202,494 registered voters in McHenry County cast their vote in Tuesday’s election, McHenry County Clerk Katherine Schultz said.
Just under 15 percent of Lake County’s registered voters cast ballots Tuesday
* The low turnout may have had a big impact in DuPage County…
While a historic number of DuPage County voters took the day off from the political process on Tuesday, the few who went to the polls made their opinions very clear.
The small electorate ousted incumbents, ignored the endorsements of entrenched local political parties and rejected any hint of a tax increase.
“There was an anti-incumbent wave even though voter turnout was low,” said Phillip Hardy, an assistant political science professor at Benedictine University in Lisle.
Only 16.4 percent of DuPage’s 559,603 eligible voters cast ballots on Tuesday — the lowest percentage in the 30-year history of the county’s consolidated elections.
In fact, concerns about the four-candidate field creating needless distractions played out much as the critics envisioned. That’s why we support a bill sponsored by Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, that would bring back the previous system, in which the top two finishers in a primary advance to the general election.
Numerically, Tuesday’s election almost mirrored the primary results. Mike Houston and Sheila Stocks-Smith finished first and second in both. Houston also nullified our theory about party-backed candidates having an inherent advantage. He handily won the primary election over GOP-endorsed Mike Coffey, who finished third in both the primary and general elections.
In the general election, the public spat that ensued after GOP Chairman Tony Libri withdrew party support for Coffey provided a sideshow that distracted significantly from discussion of issues. (On the plus side, it also presented a fascinating look into political operations behind the scenes of a “nonpartisan” election.) Stocks-Smith attempted to push Houston into the Coffey-Libri fray, claiming independence for herself despite fundraising help from the most powerful Democrat in Springfield, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Kudos to candidate Frank Kunz, who mostly stayed out of it.
Finally, a voter turnout of 28.15 percent puts to rest our initial hope that more candidates might equate to more voters.
*** UPDATE *** The elections did have one big impact. Well-known atheist activist Rob Sherman is leaving the country after losing a local campaign…
After garnering just 18 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election for Buffalo Grove Village clerk, Sherman said he’s not sticking around.
He declared that after his daughter graduates from Buffalo Grove High School this spring, he will move to the Cayman Islands.
“I’ve been planning this for the last two years,” he said. “I would have stuck around if the residents had wanted me.”
* Vote count goes on in several unusual races: In the Blue Island Park District Board race between a write-in candidate and a woman who recently died, more write-in votes were cast than ballots for the late commissioner, Joanne Ring.
* Wisconsin Supreme Court election: Republican, Democrat neck and neck - A recount is said to be inevitable in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election that has come to represent the battle over Gov. Scott Walker’s unions measure. Democrat JoAnne Kloppenburg has a small lead over conservative Justice David Prosser.
