Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2011

Newspapers continue to push hard for “their” casinos

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The bizarre boosterism by local newspapers on behalf of their casinos - whether proposed or already existing - continues unabated. For instance, here’s a recent Rockford Register-Star editorial…

More and more people are jumping on the Rockford casino bandwagon.

Last week Loves Park Mayor Darryl Lindberg, Machesney Park village President Tom Strickland and Pecatonica village President Shawn Connors joined Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen to show their support for bringing a casino to Rockford.

On Friday, the Rockford Casino Coalition met with Gov. Pat Quinn. “We really appreciated that he took as much time as he did to meet with us,” Morrissey said. “I’m hopeful. I wish I could, but I can’t tell you that I got any signs.”

The number of people who have signed the online petition at rrstar.com has risen to 1,341.

Um, wait. The newspaper is sponsoring an online petition drive for a new casino? Really? Yep, here’s the link on the paper’s home page…

If you go to the petition page, you’ll see a handy link to the paper’s casino coverage along with this language…

The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation that would allow for five more casinos in Illinois, including one in Rockford. Gov. Pat Quinn seems reluctant to approve anything other than a Chicago casino. Let the governor know that a Rockford casino is wanted and needed in this city by signing the petition below.

We the undersigned, citizens of the State of Illinois, do hereby petition that you, Gov. Pat Quinn, sign SB0744 to bring a casino to Rockford.

* On the opposite end of the spectrum is the East Peoria Times Courier, which is flacking hard for its local casino…

East Peoria is one of those cities that needs relies on the funding from its casino. With the cost of the Bass Pro Shop and downtown project, the city needs the Par-A-Dice to continue bringing in a consistent amount of tax revenues to the city.

However, the city could seriously be crippled if the bill passes and attendance at the casino drops dramatically. While this issue goes beyond East Peoria to all the casino communities in Illinois, the average state politician doesn’t appear to care.

It would be nice to see politicians do the right thing and put the state’s interests in front of their own.

However, Illinois isn’t a political utopia and it appears to be business as usual with the state’s politics.

So, the “state’s interests” are now whatever is in the best interest of East Peoria? Somehow, I don’t think that works.

* Des Plaines has a fab new casino and the publisher of the local paper dutifully gushed all over the grand opening…

I knew something special was occurring all around me late Monday morning when the little lady, a desperate look on her face, tugged at my hand and asked, “Where’s the 1 and 2 cent slot machines?”

Like Ralph Kramden, I responded, “hum-ah-hum-ah, hum-ah…straight down there, I think.”

A moment later, longtime Des Plaines resident and Maine Township Highway Commissioner Bob Provenzano had a similar experience when an elderly man asked him, “Where’s the crap tables?” “Down there, keep walking,” responded Provenzano. We kind of felt like staff. [Emphasis added.]

Sheesh.

* Meanwhile, Mike Riopell critiqued some of the stories that have popped up in the wake of a Common Cause report on campaign contributions from gaming interests…

But just suggesting gambling interests were pushing for expansion via campaign contributions misses a bunch of the story. Sure, places like Arlington Park gave to candidates and were also pushing for expansion.

But, remember. The biggest opponent of expansion is the existing casino industry in Illinois. They think increased competition from a Chicago casino and slots at Arlington Park could be devastating to their revenues.

Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, a Joliet Democrat, received more than $57,000 from gambling interests over the 10-year period, according to the study. He voted against expansion. The two casinos in Joliet are staunchly against the idea.

Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia of Aurora got about $39,000 from gambling interests in the last 10 years, including from Penn National Gaming, owners of the Hollywood Casino in Aurora. They, of course, oppose gambling expansion.

That’s what makes gambling interests in Springfield particularly interesting. Lots of industries make big campaign donations, but they also often have common goals.

The stories, particularly in the Tribune, suggested that the contributions were behind the latest expansion plan. On the contrary, many of the contributions were designed to persuade legislators to vote against the plan. The Tribune’s lede…

Nearly three-fourths of the lawmakers who voted on doubling the number of Illinois casinos accepted political contributions in the last 18 months from the gambling industry — a practice several states ban.

Yeah. Except that some of those legislators voted “No.”

* Riopell also noticed this buried nugget in a Peoria Journal Star story about the gaming bill…

“That bill has not arrived at my desk [said Gov. Quinn]. “The Senate is holding it. I’ll analyze it. I was told it will come Aug. 26. I will listen to supporters of the bill and opponents.”

August 26th? Hmm. Riopell’s take…

So what’s the significance of Aug. 26?

Sixty days from Aug. 26 is, approximately, Oct. 26.

Lawmakers are expected to return to Springfield to deal with Quinn’s vetoes on various legislation Oct. 25.

This would give them a chance to act on whatever Quinn does.

They’d have that chance to act whenever Quinn acted on it, unless there is some sort of agreement by the governor to hold the bill until veto session begins. I couldn’t get a decent explanation out of the Senate Democrats yesterday, but I’ll let you know if one comes along.

17 Comments

Question of the day

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The setup…

In a potential shift in attitude, Chicago police may begin issuing citations to people caught with small amounts of marijuana instead of booking them and locking them up, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Saturday.

The superintendent’s remarks came after Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle highlighted last week how people arrested for possessing small quantities of drugs often clog up the system, only to have their cases later dismissed by judges.

McCarthy said he talked about the issue with Mayor Rahm Emanuel as far back as May. He insisted police will continue to arrest people for marijuana offenses, but said the arrestees might get a citation or a court summons, rather than being booked. […]

n any case, people caught with marijuana whom police suspect of more serious crimes or who have outstanding arrest warrants will continue to be processed, McCarthy said.

* The Question: Do you agree or disagree with the CPD’s possible new marijuana arrest policy? Take the poll and then, as always, explain your answer in comments, please. Also, please try to stick to the question at hand. Thanks.

Online Surveys & Market Research

50 Comments

Old Pat Quinn vs. New Pat Quinn

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The governor is trying to have his cake and eat it, too…

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn won’t say whether he thinks the state tollway should increase rates.

The Illinois Tollway says the plan is necessary to pay for a $12 billion project to repair and expand Chicago-area expressways. When pressed by reporters, Quinn refused to take a stand on the issue.

More…

Tollway board members, who are appointed by the governor, are floating the hikes as a way to pay for a 15-year road plan. Projects would include the region’s first new tollway since the opening of the Veterans Memorial Tollway, a new interchange in the south suburbs and rebuilding the 50-year-old Jane Addams Memorial Tollway to Rockford.

The toll increase plan is a tricky one for Quinn. He fancies himself a consumer advocate who initially fought to keep predecessor Rod Blagojevich’s idea of free public transit rides for seniors. Quinn also helped push through a major income tax increase in January that has Illinois taxpayers handing over more of their earnings to cover the costs of state government.

But Quinn also refers to himself as the “jobs governor” and shepherded through the state’s first major public works plan in decade, saying it was vital to help Illinois’ economy. And Quinn already promised various interest groups over the last year that key parts of the tollway’s blueprint would be built.

Details…

The toll would increase 35 cents for I-Pass users at a typical mainline toll plaza, with cash-paying passenger vehicles continuing to pay double the I-Pass rate. I-Pass users comprise 75 percent of the tollway’s 1.4 million daily users.

The hike would be the first toll increase in 28 years.

Officials said the proposed increase — typically from 40 cents to 75 cents — would bring the cost of a car trip on the tollway system for an average I-Pass customer to $1.18. That’s up from today’s average of 63 cents per trip and an increase of $2.75 a week, or $11 a month.

* Whatever the governor said - or didn’t say - yesterday, he’s on record supporting both the Elgin-O’Hare west bypass and the new interchange connecting 1-57 to the Tri-State. From a July press release…

Governor Pat Quinn announced today that the Elgin-O’Hare West Bypass advisory council has submitted its final report. The Governor created the council by Executive Order last fall to assist in the planning for extending the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway east and building the west bypass around O’Hare International Airport to connect Interstates 90 and 294, with space to accommodate mass transit. The council determined that the project will create more than 78,000 short-term and long-term jobs, maximize the potential of an expanded O’Hare International Airport and strengthen the economy throughout the Chicago region for decades to come.

“This report will be extremely helpful as we move forward with the Elgin-O’Hare West Bypass, which is a priority of my administration,” said Governor Quinn. “This important project will create thousands of jobs and serve as a major economic engine for northeastern Illinois.” [Emphasis added.]

Quinn is also on record strongly supporting that new 1-57 interchange. Those two projects are by far the most expensive, along with the much-needed rebuild of I-90 out to Rockford.

* But, as is so often the case with Pat Quinn, his former life as a gadfly reformer has crashed into his new role as somebody who has to actually lead…

As state treasurer, Gov. Pat Quinn was a critic, threatening in 1994 to block the agency from issuing more bonds unless it changed how it did business.

Quinn also called for setting a final date for all tollways to become freeways.

Oops.

So, passing the buck onto the tollway board that he appointed - as well as his hand-picked executive director - allows Quinn to skirt this historical conflict with himself, at least for now.

30 Comments

Private scholarship fund for undocumented students signed into law

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This wasn’t necessarily a huge piece of legislation, but it is quite unusual in that it defies the national trend on a very hot-button issue…

Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed a measure into law creating a privately funded scholarship program for documented and undocumented immigrants, a move supporters hailed as a civil rights victory as other states have recently moved in the other direction on immigration.

The Illinois DREAM Act creates a nine-member commission that will oversee the scholarship fund, which is aimed at removing one of the biggest barriers to higher education for immigrants: cost.

“It is a special day, a historic day, a landmark day where we in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln … we say to all people of our country and our state, we want everybody in, and nobody left out,” Quinn said during a bill-signing ceremony in the Pilsen neighborhood.

The measure narrowly passed the House and easily passed the Senate. Some opponents said they worried such a law would encourage illegal immigration to Illinois, while others said they were reflecting voters’ opinions back in their districts.

* More info…

Immigrant children here legally and illegally can qualify if they attend an Illinois high school for at least three years and have at least one parent who immigrated to the United States.

Private scholarships are among the few ways that illegal immigrants can pay for college because they don’t qualify for government financial aid. Illinois already offers in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants at public universities.

The new law also lets anyone with a Social Security number or taxpayer identification number to enroll in state-run college savings programs. It also requires high school counselors to provide college information to immigrant children.

The state’s far Right was initially outraged by the legislation. But top Democrats were all jumping on board yesterday…

“Immigrants are a driving force in our city’s cultural and economic life, and opening the way for all Chicago students to earn an excellent higher education will make our city even stronger,” Emanuel said in a statement.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who was invited to the signing, was called to Washington for a debt vote.

“I am disappointed that I missed the opportunity,” Gutierrez said. “I was really looking forward to it.”

“Because our immigration system has been in a shambles for almost three decades, individual states and localities are having to pick up the pieces,” he said. “Illinois has been and continues to be visionary in its approach to including immigrants into the fabric of our communities.

26 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Better never late

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE *** The debt is finally paid…

“I’ve been a Bears fan all my life, and this is not easy,” a grimacing Quinn said as he donned the hated green and gold shirt at the Shalom Center Food Pantry. “I’ve never worn a Packers jersey and I hope I never have to wear one again.”

Quinn lost his bet with the Republican cheesehead when the Packers beat the Bears 21-14 at Soldier Field in January.

He tried to soften the blow by picking the number 75 jersey of Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga, who Quinn said “had the good sense to be born in Illinois,” and by wearing a signed number 40 Bears jersey underneath.

“Gayle Sayers is closer to my heart,” Quinn joked as he peeled back the Packers jersey to reveal Sayers’ autograph, momentarily provoking a panic among onlookers afraid that he might continue to strip.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* Wisconsin is learning what just about everybody in Illinois already knows. The state is always late paying its bills. This time, though, it wasn’t for lack of funds, but lack of will…

Gov. Pat Quinn will trade his normal suit and tie for a Green Bay Packers jersey when he travels to Kenosha today to settle a losing bet that the Bears would win January’s NFC Championship game.

The state’s Democratic governor made the wager with Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker nearly seven months ago, but it’s taken Quinn a while to pony up. Wisconsin has had labor unrest and mass protests under Walker.

Instead of just making the usual bet over state foods and beverages, Quinn decided he’d go all dramatic and require that the losing governor would appear at a food bank in the winning state wearing the winner’s jersey. But, he’s still not backing away from his team…

Quinn joked about his predicament shortly after declaring today Richard Dent Day in honor of the former Bear, who will be enshrined in the football Hall of Fame the same day Quinn fulfills his bet.

“If you are going to the Hall of Fame, you can say a prayer for me,” Quinn said to Dent.

The football star said he’d be happy to oblige, but suggested Quinn use his situation to inspire the team to do even better this season

Quinn took it one step further, channeling the powers of his office.

“We almost made it last year to the Super Bowl, and this year we will make it, and we will win,” Quinn said. “That’s my executive order to the team.”

* Quinn also had some harsh words for our neighbors to the north last month…

“We’ll pay the bet, and this year the Bears will beat the Packers twice and go to the conference championship and win, and then hopefully win the Super Bowl,” Quinn said. “But we’ve had enough of these cheeseheads.”

Ouch.

8 Comments

Rep. Ron Stephens resigns

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Subscribers knew this would happen yesterday…

State Rep. Ron Stephens, the senior GOP member of the Illinois House of Representatives, said Monday he’s resigning for personal reasons.

“It’s something that I need to do for personal reasons,” said Stephens, a Greenville Republican. “I regret it that I’m not able to finish my term, but I am resigning.”

Stephens, whose term would have expired in January 2013, said he is submitting his resignation Tuesday. He has served 27 years in the House, representing parts of the metro-east. His 102nd House District covers all or parts of Bond, Clinton, Madison, St. Clair, Effingham, Fayette and Shelby counties.

A pharmacist, Stephens in 2001 admitted publicly that he was addicted to painkillers. He said pain from a Vietnam War injury led to his addiction. In March 2010, he was cited for drunken driving in Decatur.

“No, it’s nothing to do with that. My life is very much in order,” Stephens said. “I just won’t be able to finish my term. Let’s leave it at that.”

* More…

Stephens, 63, has battled substance addiction problems in the past, but said in an interview that wasn’t what drove his decision. One factor, he said, was a new Democrat-drawn district map that puts him in the same district as fellow Republican Rep. John Cavaletto of Salem.

“That made the decision a little easier,” said Stephens. “I could run against Cavaletto, or run in the new district. Neither of those choices was palatable.”

The 27-year veteran of the House, a decorated Vietnam veteran-turned-pharmacist, Stephens has been a fervent conservative in a state where Republicans tend to be more moderate. He frequently gave voice to hard-right sentiments on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and taxes.

Stephens’ often abrasive personality means that some of you might want to kick him on his way out. Try to resist that temptation, please.

21 Comments

Caption contest!

Tuesday, Aug 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Have at it…

90 Comments

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