Hi, I’m former Capitol Fax intern Barton Lorimor. You may remember me from such posts as “Rich isn’t here right now,” and “You’re stuck with me until he gets back.”
* State sales tax collection jumps 11 percent: Illinois sales tax collections soared by more than 11 percent in August, likely fueled by a surge in automobile sales…”It’s a little surprising,” said Jim Muschinske, revenue manager for the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. “Certainly we’re above where we thought we would be. The caution is, however, that there’s still a lot of time for that to change.
* Tally in Illinois grant-fraud probe so far: 13 charged, $16M embezzled
* ComEd Rolling Out ‘Smart’ Meters, Ameren To Follow
* Exec: Fracking could change industry
* Illinois law to target cigarette flicking from cars
* Bill to speed income tax payments to local governments stalled
* Quinn: Chicago gets state loan to replace water pipes
* Sun-Times: Grounding Midway deal a smart move: Were Emanuel’s motivations pure? Did political considerations come into play? The possibilities are plentiful, including a potential rejection of any deal by a highly dubious City Council and the fact that Emanuel’s chief financial officer, who has been quarterbacking this process, is under scrutiny for recommending the city comptroller for his position.
* Behind the scenes as Midway privatization deal falls apart: “Usually, if someone is gonna withdraw, you pick up signs. They stop coming to meetings. Lawyers stop paying attention to documents. In IFM’s case, they were very engaged until the end. Then, quite suddenly, we had a process with only one bidder.”…But Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), the mayor’s City Council floor leader, insisted that the Midway deal would have passed and that Scott’s political troubles had nothing to do with Emanuel’s decision.
Nor did Ferrovial-Macquarie’s decision to hire lobbyist William Filan, who works together on some projects with former Ald. Mark Fary (12th), husband of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino. While the lobbying relationship might have created an appearance of a conflict, Andolino’s job — one of the lone holdovers from the Daley administration — is considered safe.
* Firm got city deals after hiring lobbyist linked to indicted Rahm aide’s deputy: Raussen and Colwell have ties going back more than a decade, Ohio campaign finance records show. Colwell was among the former Ohio legislator’s earliest political backers, contributing $1,500 to Raussen’s campaigns between 2000 and 2008. Raussen also got $4,153 in contributions from the Cincinnati Bell telephone company between 2000 and 2004, when Colwell was the company’s vice president of government relations.
As Raussen weighed whether Colwell’s client should be given more city insurance business over other companies vying for the work, it’s unclear whether he disclosed to Ahmad or other city officials that Colwell had given him campaign money, Emanuel spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton said. City ethics rules do not require him to do so, according to Hamilton.
* City sues convicted, formerly clout-heavy contractor over fraudulent contracts
* Rahm Emanuel picks ex-Ald. Martin Oberman for Metra board
* Ventra cards go on sale Monday at CTA stations, retail outlets, online
* Money, jobs on the line as CPS takes official student head count
* Aldermen Back $2M Settlement For Discriminatory Firefighter Exam
* Livingston County state’s attorney on sheriff resignation: ‘End of troubled time’
* Quinn Releases State Money For Local Road Projects
* Du Quoin Police Chief Retires
* Mayor wants new Caseyville police chief this month
* Cairo Residents Question New Tap Water Source: Officials at Illinois American Water apologize for the inconvenience of the water treatment plant repairs, but assure customers the water is safe. “It may be different than water from the Ohio River, but it is safe to drink,” says spokesperson Terry Mackin. “We made this decision because we wanted to ensure that Cairo had uninterrupted water services. We wanted to make sure the customers in Cairo turned on their tap and that water came out.”
* Policy group says 4 metro-east counties violate open government laws
* Does state law need to be changed to push governments to be more transparent?
