Question of the day
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The man who owns the “Giant Slide” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is putting his possession up for sale…
A guy can have only so much fun with a Giant Slide.
At least that’s how Dennis Herrington, who has been sole owner of the Giant Slide at the Illinois State Fairgrounds since 1995, sees it.
He’s now 57 years old, has had health problems and has no children at home to help him operate the iconic structure just inside the Main Gate of the fairgrounds.
So he’s hoping to sell it before this year’s fair starts in August.
The asking price is $175,000.
The slide…
* The Question: What would you do with the Giant Slide?
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That’s nice, now what about a plan?
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A “goal” is one thing, a “plan” is something far different…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he has a goal when it comes to trade.
The Chicago Democrat says he wants to double the state’s exports by 2015. His office said the value of Illinois’ exports surpassed $49 billion last year.
Doubling that won’t be easy. But just talking about it won’t make it so.
* From Gov. Quinn’s press release…
llinois Export Week, which runs June 20-24, features a series of seminars designed to help educate business owners on export opportunities. The Illinois Export Awards recognize companies that have achieved excellence in exporting and organizations that have provided substantial export assistance to Illinois companies. Governor Quinn presented 17 companies and organizations with awards at a luncheon on Tuesday.
Illinois Export Week events feature top leaders from Illinois’s export business community. Caterpillar Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Doug Oberhelman was the keynote speaker.
“Last year Caterpillar exported more than $13.4 billion in products from the United States—more than a third of that is from Illinois — two figures that would have no doubt been higher had the U.S. fully embraced trade liberalization,” Oberhelman said. “Simply put, many of our 47,000 employees in the U.S. and 23,000 employees in Illinois depend on trade.”
* Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrote a letter to CME Group’s chairman and the media feels the need to call it news…
Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott is urging CME Group Inc. Chairman Terrence Duffy to move the Chicago-based futures exchange to his state after Mr. Duffy complained recently that this year’s hike in the Illinois corporate taxes may drive the company out.
“I will not rest until the business tax is completely phased out in our state so that both Florida and companies like CME Group can thrive,” Mr. Scott said in a June 16 letter to Mr. Duffy.
Mr. Duffy told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting earlier this month that CME was considering other locations because the state had increased the corporate tax rate to 7% from 4.8% and he was frustrated that some companies are avoiding the brunt of the increase through loopholes.
Scott is about the only US governor more unpopular than Pat Quinn.
* And this is rich…
Florida is home to other financial services companies, including online stock and options brokerage firm Tradeking, the founders of which chose the state for its base of operations ahead of its launch in 2005. The increasingly electronic nature of trade made it feasible for the company to run from Florida as opposed to financial hubs in Chicago or New York, according to Don Montanaro, chief executive.
The company has 92 employees, and 40 of them are in Florida.
Read the full letter, which is pretty standard stuff, by clicking here.
* Other biz-related news…
* Madigan and other attorneys general meet with banks on foreclosure practices
* Banks Will Be Sued If Foreclosure Talks Collapse, Two States Say
* Al-Qaida member invested with local firm, U.S. says: An al-Qaida member with access to Osama bin Laden invested almost $27 million with a Chicago-based futures broker, an amount that has fallen to less than $7 million because of bad investment moves by an associate
* Lisa Madigan: An experiment too expensive for consumers
* White launches prepaid tuition plan inquiry
* Casino set to open in Des Plaines
* Campaign for Rockford casino begins Thursday
* Jury’s still out on Groupon’s benefits to businesses
* Home sales, prices in the Chicago area rose in May vs. April
* Illinois Soybean Association is Governors Export Promotion Agency of Year
* Tinley Park man to hit 60 years working at Ford Motor Co.
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* Once Wisconsin’s governor signs this bill into law, Illinois will be the only state without some form of concealed carry statute on the books…
Supporters of the measure in Wisconsin said the fact that none of the 48 other states with similar laws have had to repeal them shows opponents’ fears about concealed carry are unwarranted. […]
Under the Wisconsin bill, people who obtain a permit and go through training will be allowed to carry concealed weapons in most public buildings, including the state Capitol and city halls, unless there is a sign posted saying they are not permitted. The weapons would be barred anywhere within 1,000 feet of school grounds, police stations, jails and prisons, courthouses, secure mental health facilities, and beyond airport security checkpoints.
Current law would be loosened when it comes to keeping guns in cars. Under the bill, permit holders could keep loaded, uncased guns in their cars. Guns are currently only allowed in cars if they are unloaded and in a case. […]
Carrying a gun without a permit would be a misdemeanor.
More info…
Permit holders could carry guns in taverns and other places that sell alcohol, provided they were not drinking.
Under current law, guns are banned in schools, on school grounds and in school zones - the area 1,000 feet beyond school grounds. The bill would keep in place the ban on carrying guns in schools and on school grounds, but would allow permit holders to carry guns in areas just off school grounds.
Private businesses could post signs to keep guns out of their buildings. Signs could also be posted in government buildings, such as city halls and the state Capitol. But guns could not be banned from government-owned grounds, meaning they could be carried on the Capitol lawn or the Milwaukee Public Zoo. […]
State religious groups have said that the bill should have prohibited carrying concealed weapons in churches instead of requiring individual churches to post signs prohibiting concealed weapons. On May 24, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Wisconsin Jewish Council and the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin sent a letter to lawmakers asking them to ban concealed weapons in churches.
* The state decided not to go with a “constitutional carry” bill, which would allow concealed carry without a permit. Four states allow that now. The “constitutional carry” bill apparently had some momentum, but Gov. Scott Walker signaled that he wouldn’t sign it. Still, the NRA is hoping to broaden the law in the future…
Once a proponent of training and permitting concealed carriers, the NRA is now on a mission to get rid of those mandates, putting the group more in line with groups like the Gun Owners of America and Wisconsin Gun Owners, which has in the past blasted the NRA for being too willing to compromise.
Eradicating the training and permitting mandates, LaSorte says, “will certainly be an aspiration of ours down the road.”
* But since the bill allows concealed carry in their Statehouse, you gotta wonder how long this new policy will remain in effect…
MADISON, Wis. — Authorities have removed metal detectors from the state Capitol’s entrances.
Capitol Police set up the detectors at three Capitol entrances and closed all the other ground floor doors after thousands of protesters descended on the building in February to demonstrate against Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to strip almost all public workers of their collective bargaining rights. […]
The metal detectors were in place Tuesday but were gone on Wednesday morning. Police allowed tourists and visitors to enter the building unimpeded.
* Background…
Since 1986, the NRA has been able to increase from eight to 38 the number of states that “shall issue” concealed carry permits, meaning they will issue permits to anyone who passes the criteria set by law. The NRA is working to change laws in eight other “may issue” states, which give discretion to law enforcement regarding who can receive a permit.
Last year, Arizona passed one of the most permissive concealed carry reform bills in the nation, rolling back training requirements and making the state, along with Alaska and Vermont, the only “constitutional carry” states in the nation. Wyoming made the list earlier this year, and while eight states have turned back attempts to throw out their permit requirements this year, proposed constitutional carry legislation is still on the table in Iowa, Ohio, Georgia and New Hampshire. […]
• Indiana enacted a law that makes it illegal for local governments to prohibit firearms in public libraries, on public transit, in some hospitals and in most local government buildings.
• Florida has adopted a law that prohibits health care providers from asking about or recording information about firearm ownership or the presence of firearms in the home.
• North Dakota enacted a law prohibiting employers from asking if customers or employees are carrying a gun.
• Utah passed a law that allows concealed firearms in parks and stadiums being used for K-12 school activities.
• Both Utah and Arizona have also adopted official state guns.
* From the Illinois State Rifle Association…
“By now, Illinois is used to coming in last place in nearly every form of endeavor,” said Pearson. “But one thing is for certain, Illinois comes in first place when it comes to placing politics before public safety.”
* A note to commenters: Bumper sticker slogans and quickie “drive by” comments are frowned upon here. Come up with an original thought, or don’t bother commenting. Thanks.
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Pay politics
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some legislators won’t be happy about voting to cut their own income today, but furlough days were approved the last two years, and the tradition of 12 days with no pay may be around for awhile…
The furloughs would cost each lawmaker more than $3,000. Legislative aides say the total savings is about $564,000.
The cuts reach $1.2 million when furloughs for other state officials are included.
This would be the third straight year lawmakers have cut their pay.
* More info…
Senate Bill 266 requires lawmakers to forfeit a day of pay each month, and it blocks their annual cost-of-living allowances, which would have been 1.1 percent in the fiscal year that starts July 1, according to a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.
The bill also blocks COLAs for the governor and the other statewide elected constitutional officers and others whose pay is recommended by the Compensation Review Board, and it freezes lawmakers’ per diems at $111, the same as this year but below the $140 they got two years ago. […]
But Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, believes more can be done. McCann supports taking furlough days but would also like to see a bill passed that would cut legislative pay by at least 10 percent.
“I would even entertain a 25 percent pay cut,” he said.
There’s always at least one in the bunch.
* Speaking of pay, this seems a bit much…
Former Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis walked out with a $76,308 check for accrued vacation days when he resigned his $310,000-a-year job on March 1 — a lump-sum payment for 64 unused days that’s raising eyebrows at City Hall.
His former $168,438-a-year chief-of-staff Mike Masters left police headquarters with a check for $30,448. That’s the equivalent of 54 unused vacation days
Weis and Masters are among 1,026 city employees paid $7.4 million for their unused vacation days since September, 2010, in the transition from former Mayor Richard M. Daley to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, according to information released to the Chicago Sun-Times in response to a Freedom of Information request.
* And it’s easy to understand how this can be viewed as unfair…
Newly installed Chicago School Board members Wednesday will be asked to approve six-figure salaries for new Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and four other new top executives that represent raises over what their predecessors were paid.
The vote on whether to boost executive Chicago Public School salaries comes only a week after the same board members, in their first official action, found the deficit-ridden system did not have enough money to pay for 4 percent raises to teachers and other unionized school workers worth $100 million. […]
“It’s not a good way to start a new administration when you elevate the salary level of a lot of administrators and tell the teachers they cannot get raises without putting a plan on the table for higher performance,’’ said Andy Shaw, president of the Better Government Association.
“People who take over a struggling school system ought to implement some positive changes before they are paid higher salaries [than their predecessors]. You could argue previous salaries were too high because the performance level of the schools was dismal,’’ Shaw said.
“This will only further incense teachers.’’
* But should labor leaders’ salaries be public? I dunno…
Is this a case of good for the goose, but not for the gander?
◆ Translation: Last month, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called for “transparency” about Chicago Schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard’s salary and threatened to file a Freedom of Information request to get it.
◆ The turn of the screw: So how come Lewis’ salary is so secret?
◆ Explanation: Sneed inquired last week about her salary and was told “I don’t know,” by top Lewis spokeswoman Liz Brown. Her salary is not publicly listed, and Sneed was told: “She doesn’t have to do so.”
* Unfunded pension liabilities are only a fraction of this debt, but you better believe that’s what will be the media’s focus…
The average Chicago household now owes a staggering $63,525 to cover local government debt, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
Suburbanites are deeply in the red, too, with the average household owing $32,901, according to the treasurer.
Among the biggest reasons: $25 billion in unfunded pension liability.
In comments after an appearance Tuesday before the Civic Federation, a watchdog group that has released somewhat similar numbers in recent years, Ms. Pappas said she was “stunned” to learn that county taxpayers on the whole owe more than $108 billion toward local debt.
* Related…
* Civic Federation: City should modernize vacation pay-out policy
* Teachers to picket meeting over denial of raises
* Report: City workers required to give cars back
* Police chief: I can’t pull Ald. Ed Burke’s security detail: In the past, Burke has cited Circuit Court Judge Joseph Wosik’s 1986 decision to block the city’s attempt to cut his bodyguard detail at the time from four officers to two. Wosik upheld Burke’s argument that he was a high-profile official subject to periodic threats and that a reduction in the number of bodyguards would have stifled his opposition to Washington.
* CPS may grant residency waiver for high-ranking official
* Officials play musical chairs with city jobs
* Editorial: Cook taxpayers are on the hook for $108 billion
* Elmwood Park Leaders Get Home Improvements on Village’s Time: Silvestri admits the work on his house was completed on village time, but said he told Martorana to do the work on his own time. Once the problem was discovered, Silvestri said, the village disciplined Martorana by dipping into his following year’s vacation to pay back the time. He said he also wrote two personal checks to Martorana for the work and materials used.
* Personal financial woes on file for Cook County recorder - Moore faces foreclosure, tax liens, diminished clout
* Reciprocal Act sweetens pension pot for former state legislators
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All tied up
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The White Sox won last night, evening out the Crosstown Classic at one game apiece…
It was Konerko leading the way again with another home run, his fifth in as many games.
Konerko led off the second inning against Matt Garza with the homer, his 21st of the season, giving the Sox a 1-0 lead. They had a 2-0 lead before Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena homered for a second straight game, off Mark Buehrle in the fifth, to make it 2-1 before the nearly two-hour rain delay.
The Cubs tied the score when play resumed. They had two men on in the sixth, and Reed Johnson scored from third on Aramis Ramirez’s sacrifice fly off Jesse Crain (3-2).
But the Sox went ahead for good in the seventh. Alexei Ramirez hit a double off Jeff Samardzija (5-3) and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brent Morel.
Trash talk time. Have at it.
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Johnson predicts GOP remap lawsuit will fail
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Congressman Tim Johnson just rented an apartment in Litchfield, which is in the middle of his new congressional district. He talked about the move and his pending run for reelection with the Champaign News Gazette…
“I’ve said before that the (redistricting) process was flawed, that it wasn’t transparent and, frankly, it’s kind of an embarrassment to the Legislature and to good government. But nonetheless I’m not going to go to somebody in Bond County and say, ‘I think this is a flawed process and I hate it but I want you to vote for me.’ The reality is this is the district. We’re going to file a lawsuit but it’s not going to succeed, so you’ve just got to go forward with the way it is.” [Emphasis added.]
That won’t make him too popular with the powers that be, I’m sure.
* Johnson, by the way, has picked up a new Republican primary opponent. Samuel Thomas Spradlin, a Springfield truck driver, has a website, but no plans to raise much money…
“His campaign war chest is approximately $200,000,” Spradlin said. “I’m sure he can make that $2 million overnight. And I’d be lucky to raise $2,000. That’s the truth.”
* Related…
* Let’s Talk About Redistricting
* Redistricting’s Bottom Line Might Surprise You: Democratic gains in just two states, Illinois and California, will almost completely offset the party’s losses elsewhere. On the GOP side, gains in North Carolina, Texas and Georgia almost offset Republican losses in Illinois and California.
* Some Lake County Board Members Cry Foul Over Redistricting
* Mike Boland considers congressional run
* Congressman Shimkus Fears Loss of Ethanol Credits
* Schock pushes bill to end ethanol support
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*** UPDATE *** From Natasha Korecki’s Twitter feed…
And … day seven ends with #Blagojevich jurors gone, no verdict.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* It’s Day 7 of jury deliberations in the Rod Blagojevich trial. Eric Zorn wonders what’s going on…
I was pretty sure that the jurors would come back, refreshed and clear-eyed from their long weekend and finalize their verdict [yesterday]. That they did not indicates to me that there’s a fairly stout stalemate on the panel on at least one of the issues before them — maybe all of them.
* And WBEZ is the latest media outlet to examine what impact an eleven-woman, one-man jury might have on the verdict…
* The Question: What do you think the jury is up to?
Snark is heavily encouraged.
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Maybe one day
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* One of my greatest disappointments in life is that the citizenry and our civic and political leaders repeatedly refuse to understand the extremely valuable lessons from Prohibition.
If you outlaw something that the people really want, they’re gonna get it anyway and it’ll be the outlaws who’ll supply them. For instance, here’s a story from today’s Tribune…
The Chicago mob once had as many as seven street crews, but is down to two or three, Rice said. It has found a steady source of revenue by controlling video poker machines, but authorities are catching on.
In December, Sarno and four co-defendants were found guilty of running a video poker racket, pulling off a string of armed robberies that spanned three years and four states, and protecting their gambling franchise by planting a bomb in front of a Berwyn business that encroached on their turf.
The recent legalization of video poker machines has been blasted by opponents as immoral and, weirdly enough, a boost to organized crime. The plain fact that just about every tavern in the state currently has the machines, and that the vast majority pay out illegally, and that many of those machines are controlled by the Outfit doesn’t seem to penetrate.
If you want to really hurt the mob, then cut it off from video poker. The best way to do that is by legalizing and regulating video poker. As far as the morality, I’m a big proponent of leaving individual morality up to the individual. Regulate it, sure, but banning it creates more problems than legalization. A legalized system won’t lead to bombs being planted by gangsters.
This is really not all that difficult to comprehend, and there is an even more direct historical connection than Prohibition. The state lottery destroyed the numbers rackets here.
* So, it was a pleasant surprise to watch Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s speech the other day marking the 40th anniversary of the nation’s “War on Drugs.” From her address…
“We all know that the ‘War on Drugs’ has failed to end drug use. Instead, it’s resulted in the incarceration of millions of people around the country and 100,000 here in Cook County on an annual basis. Drugs and the failed war on drugs have devastated lives, families and communities. For too long, we’ve treated drug use as a criminal justice issue rather than a public health issue, which is what it is. […]
“The cost is too great to continue this ‘War on Drugs’ with so little success.”
She didn’t explicitly call for legalization, but we cannot correct the problem until we first recognize that what we’ve done so far has been an abject failure. She most certainly sees that.
* Chicago’s new Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy also seems to have a grasp of the real problem here…
“It becomes the issue of mass incarceration,” he said during an interview for WBBM-AM 780’s “At Issue” program set to air at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday. “There is an issue here. And law enforcement has gotten this wrong. Narcotics use is a criminalized social issue. It causes crime. Drug dealers get into violent disputes over turf. It’s about the money.”
McCarthy added: “It’s been so twisted up that law enforcement looks at narcotics as the crime, when it’s not. It’s the cause of the crime. So, we’ve had this wrong for a long time in law enforcement.”
You want to stop violent drug-related crime? Well, it’s a pretty darned safe bet that Walgreen’s and CVS employees aren’t going to be shooting at each other if their employers are the ones selling pot.
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* IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig is set (again) to retire at the end of the month. Gov. Pat Quinn talked Hannig out of retiring earlier this year to at least the end of the spring legislative session. Quinn convinced Hannig to stick around for another month. So far, no replacement has been named, or even floated. But that hasn’t stopped former Senate Majority Leader and one-term US Rep. Debbie Halvorson from floating her name yet again…
With 10 days to go before he’s due to retire — again — it appears the governor still has not found a successor. A Quinn spokeswoman said the administration is reviewing candidates, but she did not elaborate.
Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson has been the highest profile contender for the post.
She argues that her experience in Washington D.C. and as a member of the Illinois Senate gives her an advantage over other potential candidates. And, she says she’s gotten a lot of encouragement from members of the state Senate, who must approve of whomever Quinn picks.
“They know I know how to get money from D.C.,” Halvorson said Monday.
Don’t hold your breath. The governor rebuked her once and I was told yesterday that Quinn’s position hasn’t changed. Also, she may not have the support she thinks she has in the Senate. She was reportedly offered other jobs, but turned them down. I have no idea what she’s thinking.
*** UPDATE *** Despite what Halvorson just told Lee News, she told an acquaintance of mine something different today…
Just read the story you posted about Debbie and wanted to send you an update. I talked to her and she said she is not going after the position and focused on finishing her book and spending time with her family.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has battled with Halvorson for years over the 3rd airport and he strongly condemned her desire to run IDOT earlier this year. Jackson has since taken on a new project. He wants the Southland to unite in its bid for a casino site…
As Southland towns gear up for battle over a long-coveted casino license, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is warning such a plan could leave the Southland divided and conquered.
“There’s a history of the Southland not getting things because of too much infighting, and that might be an incentive for the governor, who’s already called this bill top-heavy, to reject the Southland proposal simply by not wanting to get involved in the fight,” said Rick Bryant, a spokesman for Jackson Jr. (D-2nd).
“If we can get communities working together, we can maximize the opportunities here.”
The congressman’s call to unite behind one location comes as Gov. Pat Quinn ponders a bill to massively expand gambling in the state by signing off on the creation of five new casinos, including one in Chicago, as well as adding slots machines to racetracks.
* So far, though, the reaction has been mixed at best…
But municipalities such as Country Club Hills and Ford Heights can make their own pitches to the Gaming Board. They have their own plans for sharing casino revenue with neighboring suburbs to gain political support. […]
Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch said he likes Jackson’s “concept,” but he balked at having to give up considerable control and money to a commission run by other communities.
“I don’t know any mayor in their right mind who would go along with that,” Welch said.
Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin said late last week he wasn’t aware of the proposal. He said Jackson should wait until Quinn signs the legislation before considering such a move.
* If her state job bid doesn’t work out, Halvorson might end up running against Jackson for Congress. I’d almost pay to see that.
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* Some good news…
The economic recovery may have stalled in parts of the South and West hit hard by the housing bubble, but Rust Belt states, buoyed by a manufacturing comeback, have seen a steady decline in their jobless rates over the last year.
Of the 10 states where unemployment rates dipped the most from May 2010 to May 2011, Rust Belt states — Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois — account for half, according to Labor Department figures.
Locally, metropolitan areas in the five Rust Belt states accounted for 30 of the top 34 declines in regional unemployment rates since last year, as well.
* More good news…
Chicago hoteliers are having their best year since 2008, as both occupancy and room rates are climbing thanks to increasing business and leisure travel.
The average daily room rate at Chicago-area hotels through May was $107.44, up 5.7% from $101.61 through the same period last year. The occupancy rate, meanwhile, stood at 56.8% compared with 54.3% through May last year, according to Smith Travel Research.
Seeing room rate and occupancies increase during the winter months is a strong indicator that the upcoming peak summer season won’t disappoint, says Brian Flanagan, president of Property Valuation Advisors Inc., a Chicago-based hotel appraisal and consulting firm.
* Even more…
Last year, Illinois generated $29.3 billion in revenue from the tourism industry, an increase of more than $2.2 billion from 2009, according to tourism data from Quinn’s office. Illinois visitor numbers increased by 5 percent, to 84.7 million, according to the data.
* Some mixed news…
Fewer leisure travelers came to Chicago last year, marking a low point for the city’s tourism in the past six years. But business travel perked back up.
A total of 38.1 million people came to Chicago in 2010, according to figures released Monday by Gov. Pat Quinn’s office. That was down 3.5% from 39.5 million visitors in 2009 and a 16.6% drop from 45.7 million in 2008. (Travel to Chicago peaked in the past decade in 2007, when 46.3 million people visited the city.)
Don Welsh, president and CEO of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, pins the drop on people reluctant to make day trips into the city.
“We’ve had a couple of spikes in gasoline prices, so in many cases, people will stay closer to home,” Mr. Welsh said.
But he says he is encouraged by the data showing the number of overnight visitors to Chicago rose 7.4% in 2010.
* But here’s yet another troubling report about a corporate tax incentive…
A $64.7-million state deal last September to keep Navistar International Corp. in Illinois lacks a guarantee that the truck and engine maker won’t cut jobs here. […]
In its application for state tax credits, Navistar said it employed 3,100 workers in four Chicago-area locations but planned to pare that number to 2,200, while hiring 400 more “over the next several years.”
Because of efficiencies and “normal attrition,” it added, “it is anticipated that the current work number will be reduced by 15-20%.”
Don Sharp, Navistar’s chief information officer and the company executive who negotiated the deal, said local employment should rebound to “that 3,100 number or above” by the end of next year, spurred by the closing of a truck plant in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and other consolidation.
Asked yesterday about a similar incentive for Motorola, which allowed it to reduce its state workforce by 800 people and still retain its $100 million tax package, Quinn said the proposal was a good one and added “They’re not going to be cutting back.”
Quinn also talked about reports that Sears is shopping around for a new headquarters. Listen…
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Quinn defends push to strip union cards
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn yesterday defended his push to strip union membership from thousands of state workers while forbidding others from ever joining a union…
Quinn is pushing Senate lawmakers to vote on the plan when they return to Springfield on Wednesday. House lawmakers signed off on the idea earlier this year, but support is low among Senate Democrats.
“I fervently support the right to bargaining, right to form a union,” Quinn said after speaking at the annual Rainbow/PUSH conference. “At the same time, there have to be some positions in government which are management positions and we’re trying to draw a fair line.”
Quinn’s office argues the move would save the state money and make government more efficient, saying the bill would apply to high-level management positions such as attorneys, legislative liaisons and deputy chiefs of staffs for state agencies. The idea is to prevent situations where there is no clear leadership at state facilities because all the workers are union members and managers can’t discipline employees under them.
* Raw audio…
“Our state has more people belonging to a union than any other state,” Quinn said. “But you also have to have some people in management. You can’t have everybody in the union.”
Quinn also pointed to legislative liaisons, most of whom have now joined AFSCME. “That’s part of management. That’s a policy-making position. You can’t have them saying, ‘Well, it’s five o’clock we have to go home now.’”
Quinn called criticism by union leaders “unfair.”
* As I told you yesterday, the bill faces a tough road even after it’s called in the Senate. The legislation has an immediate effective date, so it’ll require a three-fifths majority. The bill received just 62 votes in the House - two more than the bare majority. More than two-dozen House Republicans voted against the bill. Expect a higher percentage of Senate Republicans to vote for the bill and a lower percentage of Senate Democrats to do so.
* AFSCME, by the way, is ratcheting up its rhetoric. This is what the union told its members after it helped block the bill at the end of session…
Though AFSCME members in Illinois are not facing the same kind of sweeping assault on collective bargaining seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Florida and other states, Illinois Democrats - who should be solidly in labor’s corner - have joined with Republicans in a continuing effort to strip thousands of state employees of their bargaining rights by redefining “managerial and supervisory” under state labor law.
* And this was in the union’s latest action alert…
Hundreds of thousands of public employees to our north in Wisconsin have had their bargaining rights stripped from them by their Governor. Let’s not let Governor Quinn and his legislative allies get away with it here in Illinois.
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