An AFCSCME union poster with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s name crossed out and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s penciled in sits in a vehicle window Thursday outside the Jack Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon. The poster is an apparent protest of Quinn’s announcement earlier in the day that the facility was one of seven he proposed to close due to Illinois’ budget deficit.
Wouldn’t it be wild if the governor responsible for the state’s recall law was recalled?
I seriously doubt it’ll happen. I mean, look at the requirements just to initiate the process…
The recall of the Governor may be proposed by a petition signed by a number of electors equal in number to at least 15% of the total votes cast for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election, with at least 100 signatures from each of at least 25 separate counties. A petition shall have been signed by the petitioning electors not more than 150 days after an affidavit has been filed with the State Board of Elections providing notice of intent to circulate a petition to recall the Governor. The affidavit may be filed no sooner than 6 months after the beginning of the Governor’s term of office.
The affidavit shall have been signed by the proponent of the recall petition, at least 20 members of the House of Representatives, and at least 10 members of the Senate, with no more than half of the signatures of members of each chamber from the same established political party.
* I told subscribers about this development on Wednesday…
Talks with McCormick Place labor unions to achieve work-rule changes at the convention center are progressing well, making it unnecessary call a special legislative session next week, Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stated in a letter to be sent to legislative leaders today.
The letter reports that negotiations between the state, the city, McCormick Place officials and the unions are producing “significant progress” toward an “amicable solution.”
The goal is to achieve show-floor changes that would cut exhibitors’ costs and make Chicago more competitive with lower-cost rivals such as Las Vegas and Orlando. The convention center supports more than 66,000 jobs and $8 billion in spending here each year, the letter states.
“All parties involved in the discussions agree that a negotiated rather than legislative solution is the preferable course of action at this time,” the letter stated. “Should progress on our talks fail to continue in the future, a legislative solution may be appropriate at a later time.”
That’s really good to hear. We don’t need any more drama.
* In other business news, we should know soon if CME Group’s headquarters is leaving Illinois…
CME Group Inc. on Thursday elevated its threats to leave Illinois, making clear for the first time that it is considering the possibility of moving its corporate headquarters out of state.
Executive Chairman Terrence Duffy told Reuters that he will decide “shortly” whether to keep CME Group headquarters in Chicago. He said other states were trying to attract the company and that he expects to have proposals from those states in hand in two weeks. […]
In several instances, companies have used the threat of a departure to negotiate tax incentive packages from the state. The Tribune reported that CME Group was seeking a request for a change to its industry’s corporate income tax formula. Since then, the company has kept the pressure on.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to close the Tinley Park Mental Health Center would put nearly 200 employees there out of work and force 75 patients to find new quarters.
But if the state-owned land where the mental health center and the adjacent Howe Developmental Center sit is redeveloped, it could be an economic boon for the village of Tinley Park, officials said. […]
If no other state agency needs the property, nearly 400 acres of land in the prime location just off Interstate 80 could become available.
It’s no secret Tinley Park officials have coveted the land for years.
“The village is extremely interested in that land and its potential development,” Mayor Ed Zabrocki said Thursday. “Getting the land back on the tax rolls would be a major impact for school districts, the village and park district.”
* Dems: Illinois would get millions under Obama plan: It says 260,000 Illinois businesses would receive a payroll tax cut while cuts to workers’ payroll taxes would save a typical Illinois household around $1,640. The analysis also says tens of thousands of jobs would be created or saved in Illinois through more than $4.5 billion in investments in transit projects, school construction and refurbishing vacant and foreclosed homes. There’d also be more money for police, firefighters and teachers.
* Urich: Tax credit could be shifted - Peoria city manager says funds could help aid Pere Marquette revitalization
* Illinois Jobs Tour coming to Olivet: Joining Moore on the panel will be Bruce Rauner, Principal, GTCR LLC; Ed Murnane, President of the Civil Justice League; Marc Levine, a budget and pension expert; and Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute.
* NASCAR-themed carwashes make national debut in Chicago area - Locations in Romeoville, Matteson and Aurora to roll out ahead of Sept. 18 race in Joliet
Not all states use a system of regional superintendents to act as a layer of administration between a state-level education department and local school districts.
A survey by the Education Commission of the States showed 17 states without a system of regional superintendents. The other 33 states did have some level of administration between the state and local school system, although their structures varied widely.
Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hustonville, who is also Hutsonville school superintendent, said direct state-to-state comparisons don’t make much sense.
“States are different. Illinois is a local-control state,” Eddy said.
* The Question: Once the dust finally settles over Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of salaries for regional superintendents of education, do you think the General Assembly ought to change state law and abolish those positions, keep the law as it is, or, as Quinn wants, force local governments to pay for the offices if they decide they want them? Take the poll and then please explain your answer in comments.
* You’ve probably read about the “specific, credible but unconfirmed report that Al Qaeda again is seeking to harm Americans and in particular to target New York and Washington.” Patti Thompson, spokesperson for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, sent out this statement yesterday…
“The federal government did notify the state of Illinois regarding the possible threat. The state of Illinois has been updated through the day and will continue to get any updates as they become available..there have been no indications of any specific threats to anywhere in Illinois. We actually had a plan in place well before the 9-11 anniversary weekend, specifically for this time period and had already enacted it…it includes IEMA position mobile command posts…in northern Illinois, central Illinois and the southern portion of the state in the metro east area. The state’s radiological emergency assessment center will be activated over the weekend. The state’s 24/7 communications center is linked to the statewide terrorism intelligence center and will transfer any calls received from public safety personnel or the public regarding suspicious activities or any other intelligence that law enforcement might have.”
Reacting to an unconfirmed al-Qaida threat on New York or Washington in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Chicago emergency officials said there is “no credible threat” to the city.
“The City of Chicago has been in contact with our state and federal partners,” said Gary Schenkel, executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. “While there is no credible threat to the city at this time, we remain vigilant.
“We encourage residents to also remain alert, and call 911 if you witness any suspicious or unusual activity.” […]
Heightened security presence also will be visible on the CTA, Metra and Amtrak, another regional emergency official said. Key government and private buildings also will receive special attention, he said.
* Chicago’s Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who was a New York cop ten years ago, talks about the new way of doing things…
McCarthy says things are better in Chicago and other major cities when it comes to being protected from a terrorist attack. One reason is the practice of sharing intelligence that developed in the years after the 9/11 attacks. Much more so than before, information gathered by the FBI, the CIA or other national sources is shared with local law enforcement.
Another reason is the improvement in technology that allows law enforcement in Chicago to communicate with the fire department and other emergency agencies, breaking down territorial walls between those groups and bridging technical systems as well. That is a capability that was lacking in New York at the time of the attacks, but that Chicago led the way in developing. […]
McCarthy would never say never again, but he says the public can be confident that the police department is doing everything possible to keep Chicago safe from a terrorist attack.
“I’m very confident that we’re safe. I just had my briefing with the CIA, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, so we’ve got our finger on the pulse of what’s going on, and we’ve got some things in place,” McCarthy said.
* Meanwhile, this press release, sent out before we learned about this possible threat, seems appropriate…
State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) called upon his local volunteers and precinct committeemen to suspend political petition passing and other political activities this weekend in observance of the September 11th terrorists attacks 10th year anniversary. This is the first week candidates can pass petitions to be on the March 2012 election ballot under the newly drawn legislative maps following the census. Dillard will be attending multiple official ceremonies and church services over the weekend.
“This weekend is the time to transcend politics and partisan activities,” said Dillard in a letter to his local volunteers and committeemen. “Let us count our blessings and remember what is truly important.”
* Besides the different times posted by each man, do you notice anything odd about these two public schedule announcements? First up, the governor…
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn will join U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other leaders for a panel discussion about Illinois’ recent historic education reforms.
WHEN: 12:30 p.m.
Now, hizzoner…
Mayor Emanuel will join U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan during his national “Back to School” bus tour to discuss the importance of giving students across Chicago more time in the classroom and a longer school day.
WHEN: 12:15 PM
The guv and the mayor are appearing together, yet neither mentions the other in their announcement. There’ll be a press conference afterward, which will be the first time these two gentlemen have appeared together in public since their falling out over the gaming bill. Hopefully, we’ll have audio.
The City Council [yesterday] backed Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s push to get Gov. Pat Quinn to sign off on a major gambling expansion that would bring a casino to Chicago.
One after another stood up to say a casino would bring new jobs and generate $20 million a month or so that Emanuel has pledged to use to rebuild the city.
“Governor, sign this bill, it’s a no brainer,” said Ald. Richard Mell, 33rd, who has long advocated a casino for the city.
* Legislators are also growing weary of the governor’s inaction on the gaming bill and refusal to say exactly what he wants. So, there could be some movement soon…
Unless Quinn outlines his concerns “in short order,” legislative leaders will present him with their own version of a clean-up gaming bill, known as a trailer bill, that will tighten control over the proposed Chicago-owned casino, according to State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), House sponsor of the bill. Other revisions may be coming as well, Lang said.
The options will be limited: Any change risks losing a vote on a bill that was a delicate balance of interests among Chicago, struggling cities such as Danville and Rockford that want new casinos, the horse racing industry and places like Joliet and Aurora where existing casinos fought the increased competition.
An amendatory veto, which would allow Quinn to change the bill and send it back to lawmakers for a re-vote, would be an unwise choice, Lang said.
“Substantial changes would put the speaker in a position of weighing compliance with the (Illinois) constitution on the amendatory veto,” said Lang, who is House Speaker Michael Madigan’s floor leader. “That’s not a good way to go. If the governor thinks we’re going to have substantial changes by way of amendatory veto, I think he’s mistaken.”
* Let’s go back to education for a moment, shall we?…
The Chicago Teachers Union on Thursday filed its first major legal salvo in the battle over a longer school day, charging that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his education team are waging an illegal campaign to circumvent the union.
CTU President Karen Lewis said Emanuel’s actions amount to a declaration of war.
The union’s complaint with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board came as teachers at a fourth school — Benjamin Mays Elementary in Englewood — voted to waive the existing CTU contract and add 90 more minutes to the school day in exchange for 2 percent raises and other perks.
While the union has a point about Emanuel not having any real plans for how to use a longer school day, if members do end up striking (or trying to strike) they’ll need the backing of parents. And since the longer school day is quite popular in the city, they’d better come up with a much better reason for walking.
* This week, for instance, Ald. Ed Burke, a huge union backer, said “I’m starting to get embarrassed at the attitude of some leaders of organized labor,” over the longer school day topic…
On WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight, Chicago Teachers Union head Karen Lewis replied: “I don’t know what he is embarrassed about. I mean, it’s sort of like Michele Bachmann calling somebody stupid.”
The president of the Chicago Teachers Union says Mayor Rahm Emanuel “exploded” at her during a debate over a longer school day, pointing his finger in her face and cursing.
CTU President made the allegations in a Friday morning press release detailing a complaint filed by the union to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board over the ongoing battle between the union and City Hall.
“A couple of weeks ago I sat down with the mayor in his office to talk about how to roll out a longer school year and what components would go into making it a better school year for our students but he did not want to have that conversation,” said Lewis. “When I explained to him that a longer school day should not be used for warehousing or babysitting our youth he exploded, used profanity, pointed his finger in my face and yelled. At that point the conversation was over — soon thereafter we found ourselves subject to a full-scale propaganda war over a moot point.”
Emanuel was expected to be asked about Lewis’ claims at a school event this morning.
The old Rahm is back.
* Related…
* Chart: How long is your kid’s school day? - Instructional minutes in Illinois’ schools
* Debate over longer day rages at N. Side magnet school - Disney principal ‘hopeful teachers will see this as the right thing to do’
* Arne Duncan: CPS deserves ‘a badge of shame’ for short school day: “Chicago has had the shortest day and year among [large] urban districts for far too long,’’ Duncan told the Chicago Sun-Times in advance of a Friday visit to Schurz High School. “That’s not a badge of honor. That’s a badge of shame.’’
* Warren: Longer School Days Are Just a Start: The staged rollout again left the impression that Emanuel was playing 3-D chess while his union opponent was playing checkers. It even included a title for a new program cum campaign of persuasion: The Longer School Day Pioneers Program.
Friday, Sep 9, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
SB 1652 can be a cornerstone in building a clean energy economy by stimulating the growth of new “clean and green” businesses and jobs. This includes products and services needed to manufacture and support the smart grid, development and delivery of new energy efficiency programs, and business opportunities from expanded use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
This is a major reason why innovators and environmental groups support SB 1652. Jay Marhoefer, founder and CEO of Intelligent Generation, believes SB 1652 can provide the foundation his company needs to create a market for solar that doesn’t exist today. ‘…It means green jobs that can’t be exported to install and service these (solar) systems, and when the demand is great enough, it probably means local manufacturing jobs for solar panels and batteries.’
Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club in Illinois, says getting serious about the smart grid and SB 1652 can, in his words, ‘be a big spark to the emerging clean energy economy in Illinois at a time when Illinois needs the jobs and economic development most.’
Bottom line: SB1652 is an early stage investment vehicle designed specifically to help Illinois-based companies.
* Here’s your last chance to win an invite to tonight’s barbeque at Casa de Miller. Pictured below is Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady and his scary eyes…
Our state’s reigning drama queen has struck yet again.
As you know by now, Gov. Pat Quinn held a news conference Thursday to blame the General Assembly for forcing him to close seven state facilities and lay off almost 2,000 employees.
The Legislature, Quinn said, had passed a budget that didn’t provide enough funding for operations. So, he said, he had no choice but to close down three mental health centers, two centers for people with developmental disabilities, a prison and a youth correctional camp.
The governor is right about the budget. The Legislature did, indeed, not provide enough money to run those agencies.
But Quinn took himself out of the budget process early this year by irresponsibly proposing to spend $2 billion more than the state had.
Legislators decided that he could no longer be taken seriously, so he was essentially cut out of the process. He could’ve easily made himself relevant again by facing reality, but he wouldn’t do it.
Instead, he blasted the proposed budget as “radical” and “extreme” and vowed in a series of drama-filled public appearances to stand strong against it. But in the end, he signed that “radical” budget into law while cutting an additional $376 million from an already underfunded bill during yet another drama-packed news conference.
Quinn’s latest pronouncement will free up less than $55 million this fiscal year.
To give you an idea of how small these cuts are in the big picture, his new plan is less than 0.2 percent of the entire state budget.
That’s what is known in the parlance as a budgetary “rounding error.”
Actually, it’s more like a rounding error on a rounding error.
But instead of treating this small change for what it is, he proposed things such as slashing 350 workers from the Department of Corrections by closing Downstate Lincoln’s prison. That will save just $9.2 million this year and, as a result, cram even more inmates into the state’s remaining and terribly overcrowded prisons.
For crying out loud, he could’ve almost found $9.2 million in couch cushions.
OK, that’s an exaggeration. But the governor could’ve proposed canceling cable TV for inmates, streamlining management and eliminating education and job programs for inmates sentenced to life or near-life terms.
But sensible, reasonable, moderate reductions like those wouldn’t have gotten his face on Chicago TV and on the front page of every newspaper in the state. He also could have sat down and talked with legislative leaders about the changes he needed in the budget.
He could’ve asked individual legislators whose facilities were targeted to help him find the votes to patch the budget’s holes. Instead, he decided to hold a news conference and his office directed angry phone calls to those same legislators’ office.
“Quinn is just like Rod Blagojevich without the criminality,” is a phrase I’ve heard for a while.
That’s not fair. Blagojevich’s battles with the General Assembly were long, exhausting wars that wound up putting the state deep into a gaping fiscal hole. As bad as things are in Illinois, we’re now in infinitely better fiscal shape. Also, Quinn has a real heart, not Blagojevich’s cynical proclamations of universal love.
Even so, Quinn’s behavior is scarily reminiscent. Never admit fault and always blame the Legislature when something goes wrong. Hold big, splashy Chicago news conferences rather than do the actual hard work of quiet governance.
And, no matter what, try to get yourself on Chicago TV as much as humanly possible.
We are so screwed.
* Meanwhile, the SJ-R is taking the governor way too literally…
Quinn doesn’t want these cuts any more than do the (mostly Republican) lawmakers in whose districts the targeted facilities are located. He said as much during the spring, when he advocated for a budget more than $3 billion larger than the one ultimately sent to him.
Lawmakers, intent on ensuring that the income tax increase passed in January remains a temporary tax, opted to spend less. Are there less painful ways to find the $54.8 million in savings Quinn announced Thursday?
Is the state, which has had an uptick of $1 billion in tax revenues this year, still too broke to appropriate more funds to prevent these closures and layoffs in vital areas? Are lawmakers prepared to weather another, far larger, round of cuts, when Quinn addresses the remaining $182.8 million gap in “Phase III” of his budget implementation?
There are no easy answers for these questions, but Quinn has set the stage for them to be answered when the General Assembly returns on Oct. 25.
* Madigan’s mouthpiece didn’t seem all that sympathetic…
“Lawmakers approved a spending plan based on the revenues that were realistically coming in,” said Steve Brown, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. “This is recognition by the governor of the very difficult national economic situation that we’re in. The Legislature recognized that several months ago, and the governor is recognizing it now.”
Quinn suggests there’s a way to avoid much of this: Lawmakers should agree with $376 million in cuts he made to the budget this summer and shift that money around to “mitigate the damage.”
The governor could find an ally in Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, who released a statement saying he intends to “revisit the shortcomings of the budget that was passed this spring.”
But Quinn could face a tougher go in the House, where Democrat Madigan has aligned with Republican Leader Tom Cross, of Oswego, to keep spending levels lower and use any extra cash coming in to pay down the state’s multibillion-dollar backlog of bills.
* And this is an accurate depiction of what these threats will do to small town Illinois…
Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder said Quinn’s announcement will have a psychological and financial effect on the community. People who are worried about being laid off will purchase less gas and groceries and go out for fewer meals.
“You start to watch your expenses,” Snyder said. “That’s a huge deal for Lincoln.”
Parents at the Jack Mabley Development Center in Dixon already are planning to hire an attorney to fight the proposed closure, said Barbara Cozzone-Achino, the mother of two developmentally disabled men who live there.
“It’s going to be devastating, because my sons don’t take change very well,” Cozzone-Achino said.
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said even though many of the to-be-closed sites fall in GOP areas, Democratic and Republican lawmakers will fight the governor’s plans.
“When you’re talking about the closure of five (mental health and developmental) centers, there is a local impact regardless of where you’re from,” said Mautino.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a vintage Quinn news conference without an allusion to how swell it would be if lawmakers let him drive taxpayers deeper in debt by borrowing still more billions to pay those old bills.
No way, Governor. Your borrowing, and your predecessors’ borrowing, have made a terrible mess of this state’s finances. Enough with living today off of tomorrow. You got your fat tax increase. Make do.
Or keep eliminating services and employees until all that’s left is you and the pension system you don’t want to reform.
