Election results open thread
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
• I have other “obligations” this evening, so I won’t be covering the results. Post ‘em in comments if you care. Thanks.
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Our laws, or lack of them
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is just way too much of a penalty…
A Peoria man faces up to 15 years in prison for behavior that nearly any cellphone toting citizen could easily be tempted to emulate when confronted with the prospect of arrest.
Rodney Anderson, Jr., 37, allegedly slipped his phone into a mode that discreetly records audio while he was being arrested following a domestic disturbance late March 27. […]
Under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, anyone who records audio without consent can be charged with a Class 4 felony, but enhanced charges are possible for those who record law enforcement officials acting in their official capacity. Those instances can result in a Class 1 felony charge.
“It’s a statute with severe consequences. It’s hard to believe,” said Harvey Grossman of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which has recently fought provisions of the Eavesdropping Act without success. “It’s unique in the country . . . in that it prohibits the recording of conversations that are not intended to be private.”
Nobody interfered with the officer’s duties because the cop didn’t even know about it. Yet, it’s a major felony. Ridiculous.
* Lake County’s Avon Township Supervisor Sam Yingling wrote an op-ed in the Daily Herald this week about townships in general. Check this part out…
Township road districts are relevant in rural areas but not in populated areas. Avon Township is responsible for only 11.7 miles of road yet is mandated by law to have and finance a highway commission even when these roads could be more cost effectively maintained by the county.
But a bill to address that issue has apparently died…
Township highway commissioners no longer need to fear a bill that would have made their jobs obsolete.
Senate Bill 1811 would have amended the Illinois Highway code so that township road districts with less than 100 miles of roadway are abolished. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Mike Noland (D-Elgin).
This bill was pretty broad. So, maybe they could come up with a bill that limited it to townships with less than 15 miles of roads. Then again, the Township Officials of Illinois is a pretty darned strong group.
* Oy…
The prospect of more billboards sprouting up in off-limits sections of Chicago-area tollways could cost the state up to $140 million in federal highway dollars under a legislative push from a national sign company represented by one of Illinois’ most influential lobbyists.
The legendary Springfield lobbyist fired back with his own four-lettered response.
The warning came from a top official with the Federal Highway Administration, who urged state lawmakers to put the brakes on legislation that he said runs afoul of a federal highway beautification law enacted in 1965 and later amended in 1972 that puts the states in charge of limiting billboard placement.
In a letter to state transportation officials, Norman R. Stoner, the federal highway agency’s division administrator, said the legislation being pushed by CBS Outdoor Inc. and several suburbs would “violate the terms of the 1972 agreement. Consequently, if [the bill] is passed and signed into law, the state of Illinois would be at risk.
I checked into that story a few weeks ago and was told that the bill wasn’t going anywhere. It did. Good for the Sun-Times for keeping track of it.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat, would make it a civil rights violation for an employer to refuse to hire, promote or renew employment based on pregnancy [or childbirth]. The employer would not be allowed to segregate, punish or discharge an employee on that basis either.
The Illinois Senate approved the legislation last week, and it now moves to the House.
Link said he heard about multiple cases of discrimination toward women who were entering or coming back from maternity leave, and he wanted to strengthen the state law to federal standards. […]
Sen. Chris Lauzen, an Aurora Republican, said he fully supports women’s rights, but Link’s proposal opens too many possibilities for false claims of discrimination. Lauzen said an employer who chooses a more qualified candidate over a less qualified pregnant woman could be unfairly sued under Link’s proposal.
“When I hear pieces of legislation like this, I put myself back in the desk in my office interviewing people,” Lauzen said. “And I say I am sure, I’m positive, I would not offer a job under these circumstances because I will not take the risk of someone suing me.”
The bill is here.
* The Question: Should pregnant women be made a protected class in employment? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
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HB 14 – “The Wrong Bill, at the Worst Time”
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
While ComEd is running a campaign to pass HB 14 called “Smart Energy Illinois”…
Here’s what ComEd’s parent company Exelon’s CEO John Rowe had to say about “smart” energy investments:
“Smart grid we are reluctant to embrace because it costs too much and we’re not sure what good it will do. We have looked at most of the elements of smart grid for 20 years and we have never been able to come up with estimates that make it pay.”
“The real issue is are we doing the customers more good by putting money into more advanced electronics or would we do them more good by putting the same money into replacing more old cable? To me that’s an unknown answer. If I had to choose, I’d bet on the cable.”
See for yourself at http://www.eenews.net/tv/transcript/1293
ComEd says HB14 is about smart energy investing, but AARP knows that the bill is really just a move to allow Illinois utilities to automatically raise electric and natural gas rates every year and eliminate much of the oversight currently provided by the Illinois Commerce Commission. AARP is urging lawmakers to reject HB 14
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* If this story doesn’t knock down all the people cheering for Illinois’ demise, I don’t know what will…
Gov. Quinn and Caterpillar Inc., CEO Doug Oberhelman met Tuesday to assure a commitment to increasing Illinois exports and reforming the costly working compensation system in an effort to make Illinois‚ business climate more competitive. […]
After the meeting, Oberhelman attempted to quell the speculation of the Fortune 500 company leaving by saying Caterpillar “is here to stay.” Oberhelman and Quinn then renewed their commitment to making Illinois a more appealing place to do business, with Quinn highlighting the need to keep the company in state to ensure economic growth. […]
Oberhelman said Tuesday he thought an income tax increase was inevitable and that he looks forward to working with Quinn in addressing the other areas to help Illinois‚ economy, with worker‚s compensation and increasing exports being chief concerns. [Emphasis added]
Well, that pretty much negates every theory about how the Caterpillar CEO is so furious about the tax hike that he’s preparing to leave at the drop of a hat.
* The event was, I’m told, a love fest. At one point, Oberhelman reportedly said that Gov. Quinn would make a good Caterpillar salesman.
Check back later for audio and more updates.
*** UPDATE *** Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman said the two men had an “excellent meeting” and that he was “pleased” with Gov. Quinn’s efforts to date.
“We’ve got a lot of good things going for us in Illinois,” Oberhelman said of his company. “We’re invested heavily here, and we are going to work together to find a way to invest more here, and continue to be proud of our state.”
“He has brought a degree of honesty and integrity back to our state that has been lacking for a long time,” Oberhelman said of the governor. “We have with us today an honest man as governor of Illinois for the first time in a long time, and I think that’s the beginning of an image change (for the state).”
Asked about workers’ compensation reform, Oberhelman said, “The governor is committed to do that.”
On the tax hike, Oberhelman pointed to an op-ed he wrote in January saying he thought the tax increase had been inevitable, and added, “I think the hole in Illinois is so deep it’s going to take all pieces and all elements to get out of over a long period of time.”
“We can go out and poach others,” Oberhelman said about the poaching efforts by other states, if the climate improves. “We want a climate here, that the governor shares, in terms of being very business friendly,” he said, offering further praise for the state’s governor.
“Say, I might make the governor my salesman here after that speech,” Oberhelman said after Quinn delivered a very long response to a reporter’s question.
Listen to the full Q&A…
Oberhelman’s presentation of an award to Quinn was also filled with praise…
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Finally, a little good news
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For the past few weeks, some Statehouse nerves have been on edge because January and February income tax receipts have not come in as expected. Not even close, in fact. The governor’s budget office was concerned, but they wanted to hold off saying anything until the March revenue report was released.
Well, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability report was just issued and the numbers are finally what everybody expected them to be…
Gross personal income tax grew $575 million, or $532 million net of refunds. The monthly growth rate of 71.3% gross would indicate that after two months of lagging revenues since the tax rate increase, receipts are now reflecting full/or nearly full implementation of the rate increase.
* There was some other good news in the report as well. March sales tax receipts were 5.3 percent higher than the previous March receipts. February’s Illinois exports were up 32.9 percent over a year earlier and were 3.4 percent ahead of the previous month. February’s new car and truck registrations rose 13.1 percent over the previous year.
* But there are still problems. The February state civilian labor force total declined a half a point over January, and 0.3 percent from the previous February. Single housing permits were up 26.8 percent over January’s, but that’s still 30.1 percent lower than last February’s report.
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An extremely dangerous idea
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If this happens, all heck will break loose…
When it comes to redrawing the political lines in Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn has his own special pen called the amendatory veto.
For the first time since the state adopted its Constitution in 1970, one party controls all the branches of government needed to create a new legislative district map based on U.S. Census population figures.
One tool created in that Constitution was the amendatory — or corrective — veto. In an age without computers, it allowed governors to correct technical problems with legislation. Over time, however, governors have wielded their amendatory veto pen with more and more power.
Could Quinn use this power to make changes to any political map that the Democratically-controlled General Assembly sent him? According to several state constitutional experts, the answer is yes.
He could use the AV power, but if he does then the Democratic majority would almost assuredly freak out. They’d have no choice but to accept his AV because that would only require a simple majority. And they would be very, very displeased. This isn’t just another bill we’re talking about here. It’s their life.
The Democrats couldn’t override with three-fifths unless the Republicans went along, and the Republicans won’t go along unless Quinn’s revisions made the map even worse for them. Not likely.
The only way Quinn would even sanely attempt such a thing is if African-American, Hispanic or other Democratic lawmakers were displeased with the map’s results. But if Quinn went ahead without allies or an extremely good reason (like a drafting error), then, man, he’d have some seriously big trouble on his hands.
Rod Blagojevich would probably veto a remap. I doubt Quinn will.
* Speaking of maps, check out this silly contraption of a congressional map produced by somebody at Swing State Project. Click on the pics for larger images.
Statewide…
Chicago-area…
The object was to create a map that has only 4 Republican districts, plus..
1.) Keep all 3 black seats intact; not easy considering hundreds of thousands of blacks have left Chicago over the last decade.
2.) Create two Hispanic seats — ones that would be guaranteed to elect Hispanic representatives.
3.) Keep all currently Democratic-held seats at very high Democratic levels (this includes the minority-majority seats, ofcourse, as well as IL-3, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-12).
4.) Create seats where the incumbent Democrat would keep as much of his or her current constituents as possible.
What this map shows is how impossibly difficult it is to draw a reasonably constitutional congressional map with that many strong Democratic districts. It just can’t be done, especially with that 200,000 population loss in Chicago. The new map is not going to easily produce solid D results.
* Related…
* Editorial: More hearings needed after map is drafted
* Redistricting forums coming
* Redistricting Roundup: Deadlines looming for many states in redistricting process: Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D) announced the formation of the House Redistricting Committee as well as a new redistricting website. The site includes a timeline, details on the 15 public hearings that have been announced, and access to census data. Thus far only Democrats have been named to the committee.
* Springfield hearing on redistricting attracts little interest so far: As of Friday morning, only one organization — the Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — had notified Democrats who control the redistricting process that a representative wanted to testify at the hearing. One other group, the Illinois Farm Bureau, made inquiries but did not register as a witness, Democrats said.
* Illinois House Minority Leader Cross names 5 members to redistricting committee
* Suburban redistricting committee members outline priorities
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Unions and reality
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* One cannot simply snap one’s fingers and reopen a union contract…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno today called on Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn to renegotiate the state’s contract with its largest employee union, saying workers should give up scheduled pay raises in the face of an ongoing budget mess.
Radogno’s comments came after a speech hosted by the City Club of Chicago in which she said unions, particularly the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, must make sacrifices to help get Illinois out of the red.
“I don’t want to be anti-union, hostile or whatever, but when you add up what these raises have been… that’s a problem,” Radogno told reporters. “Particularly when you stack that up against the average person, who is struggling and thankful they have a job and haven’t had raises.” […]
“It has to be a function of the executive branch, they are in control of that contract,” Radogno said. “But I would stand with Pat Quinn and try to support him in doing that. He needs to do that. We need to do that for the people of the state.”
You can apply public pressure all you want, but the union has to agree to reopen the contract. They did it last year, when Quinn threatened facility closures and layoffs, but they got a no-layoff and no-closure deal out of him in exchange for helping him find millions in budget cuts. The governor claims that he’s been able to get $200 million in concessions, etc. so far, but his ammo is pretty much gone unless they try something new. What else do they have? Pensions? Yeah, but state employee unions cannot by law negotiate on that topic.
In other words, the state is likely stuck with that contract until it expires next year unless AFSCME decides otherwise.
* The big Sun-Times front page headline today was all about how Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel had issued a threat to unions. The threat is actually old news. He’s been saying the same thing for months, mainly that he wants a longer school day. But, guess what? The CTU agrees a longer day is needed, although you have to skip way down in the piece to find it…
[Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis] agreed with the mayor-elect that Chicago needs a longer school day. The only question is, how schools would use the extra time.
“One of the things we want to make sure is that we have professional development built into the day and that we also have a full, rich curriculum that includes art, music, recess, p.e., history and science for all students,” Lewis said.
Pressed on what the union wants in return, Lewis said, “We’re not having that discussion yet. We don’t make backroom deals. We have a different way of doing it. The conversation we need to have is what that [longer day] will look like.”
As for Emanuel’s threat to ask Springfield to mandate a longer day if the CTU won’t agree to it at the bargaining table, she said, “I guess my question is, why do we need to threaten one another? Can we start by having a conversation without threats? We’re reasonable people.”
I guess it’s news that the mayor-elect is being Mr. Tough Guy, but getting the CTU to agree to a longer school day has been sought for years. An opening like this is pretty significant. The question now becomes if Emanuel can take advantage of it.
* In other news, Gov. Pat Quinn and Caterpillar’s CEO have scheduled a press conference for this morning. I’ll post something when I know something.
* Related…
* McCormick Place will operate under labor changes, at least for now
* CS-T: Share the pain in workers comp plan
* Legislator: UI appropriation likely less than Quinn’s budget: Following the more than 4-hour-long hearing, Hogan said the university could survive another budget cut next year.
* Illinois lawmakers debate rights for pregnant workers: But in a state where Republicans argue the business climate is already among the worst in the nation, the proposed law could add more potential for unwarranted court battles for businesses.
* FutureGen still has hurdles to clear
* Illinois House reduces pension benefits for judges, lawmakers
* Lawmaker Wants Illinois to Bail Out Prepaid Tuition Program: A West Suburban Republican legislator says College Illinois’s prepaid tuition program mislead tens of thousands of families. Now that it faces a shortfall of more than $300 million, he says the General Assembly should bail out investors. About 55,000 current or future college students count on the funds.
* Mental health community asks legislators to halt cuts
* Bellwood digs $40 million hole for taxpayers, has no new Metra station to show for it - All-in plans for a redefining Metra station leave Bellwood in a lurch
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WOULD YOU BUY THE HOUSE BEFORE YOU GOT THE BANK LOAN?
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Of course not. But that’s the scenario Illinois’ outdated regulatory system creates for utilities looking to modernize the state’s electric grid to provide even more reliable service and give consumers new tools to save money on energy costs.
Illinois’ regulatory system is about yesterday.
It was developed for a bygone era when utilities could count on free-flowing capital and the ability to spread fixed costs over an always-growing customer base.
It needs to be about tomorrow.
A modern energy infrastructure requires multi-year investment. But utilities don’t know if they can recover their investments, and even if they do recover it isn’t until years after they’re made. This uncertain, unpredictable environment stifles innovation and the economic growth that would be created by a modern grid.
House Bill 14 proposes a better system.
It combines the transparency and accountability of current regulation with specific performance metrics to ensure customer benefits are being realized. While actually increasing scrutiny of utility costs through annual reviews, it gives utilities greater incentive to make the investments necessary to move Illinois forward.
Today’s regulatory uncertainty is holding back tomorrow.
To learn more, visit SmartEnergyIL.com
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* The SJ-R got used bigtime today…
Ward 5 aldermanic candidate Ryan Tozer says the president of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association violated rules governing the organization’s tax-exempt status by being quoted in a campaign mailer for Tozer’s opponent, Sam Cahnman, over the weekend.
Tozer called on Steve Combs Monday to publicly apologize and resign as president of the neighborhood group.
That sounds like a real problem, until you read down to the 11th paragraph…
Cahnman’s flier describes Combs only as a “neighborhood advocate.”
However, Nick Bellini, Tozer’s campaign manager, said everybody knows what “neighborhood advocate” means.
Great job by Belllini getting a clueless SJ-R to cover this complete nonsense. My hat’s off to Nick, but this is a total non-issue. No use was made of the group’s name or the man’s title. There is no violation here, except by the editor who approved that goofy mess.
* Cahnman is a Statehouse lobbyist known to many, and his aldermanic campaign has been brutal lately…
A candidate for Ward 5 alderman is running a radio ad accusing incumbent Ald. Sam Cahnman of having “groped a female prisoner at Sangamon County Jail,” but the woman involved Wednesday said that characterization is wrong.
“That is absolutely untrue,” said Stephany Miller, 34, now of Mobile, Ala. “It was just a brief hug. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate.”
Ryan Tozer, a House Republican staff member who is challenging Cahnman in Tuesday’s election, is running a radio ad that refers to allegations against Cahnman, including some in a complaint filed by the state Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. An ARDC panel will hold a hearing on those allegations June 15. […]
Tozer’s ad says Cahnman “has a long record of questionable personal behavior.”
“Illinois’ attorney discipline panel filed a complaint against Cahnman alleging he … solicited a sexual act from undercover police officers and groped a female prisoner,” the ad states. “Enough is enough. It’s time for honest leadership.”
Here’s the Tozer radio ad…
Oof.
And click here for the Tozer walk piece. Oof again…
No mention, of course, that Cahnman was acquitted of the solicitation charge.
Keep it clean in comments, people. It’s gonna be a long day and I really have no desire to, um, police your every word. Especially after yesterday.
* What’s going on in your local election today? Poll reports, weather, signage, news of trouble, etc. is always appreciated. Thanks.
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