* A couple of state politics types were named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ annual “40 under 40″ list. Sen. Daniel Biss…
If it’s complicated and controversial, Sen. Daniel Biss is likely in the middle of it. As a Democratic freshman state senator from the North Shore, he jumped to co-sponsor gay marriage legislation and use his Ph.D. in math from MIT to help craft pension reform law. “Daniel is just scary-smart—I don’t know any other way to put it,” says Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, who chairs the House Pension Committee. “He’s the idea guy.”
Before becoming the state Legislature’s resident policy wonk, Biss was an algebraic topologist who taught math at the University of Chicago. Now he’s crunching the numbers behind such ideas as automatic enrollment in retirement savings plans at companies without pension benefits. A bipartisan bill to this effect has riled up the insurance industry, which fears it would drive down fees, he says.
Still, don’t pigeonhole him as a numbers guy. “I don’t want that to be all I do,” says the father of two, a skilled juggler who occasionally flips lit torches for his kids’ amusement in his Evanston backyard. He recently ushered into law two bills—one that cracks down on patent trolls, another that allows townships to consolidate. Running unopposed for re-election this year, Biss admits to toying with the idea of seeking higher office. Says Nekritz: His future “is whatever he wants.”
* And John Kamis…
The power of belief was instilled early in John Kamis, whose mother, Eiline, once was a nun (and died when he was 5). For his part, Kamis has faith that Illinois government can be saved. And his instrument, Innovation Illinois, a nascent left-of-center advocacy group, aims to convert such beliefs into action by mining voter sentiment and using it to sway rank-and-file state legislators on issues such as gay marriage, despite the General Assembly’s oligarchic reputation. “He’s selling ideas, not charisma,” says Christopher Kennedy, who chairs the group.
So far, Kamis, a partner at Chicago-based Carpenter Lipps & Leland who ran Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2010 primary campaign, has raked in $100,000 for the group, which inevitably will be seen as a counterforce to the right-of-center Illinois Policy Institute. Not quite so, says Kamis, who as a Quinn adviser oversaw Budgeting for Results, a work-in-progress seeking to measure government output. To which Kennedy, chairman of the University of Illinois board of trustees, says amen: “Innovation Illinois needs to stand on its own—not simply be against somebody else.” Kamis, he adds, “has a capacity to be an honest broker.”
* Also definitely worth mentioning, Amisha Petel…
Patel became an activist and, since 2007, the executive director of the Grassroots Collaborative, a powerful coalition of labor and community groups. Small but mighty, the nonprofit—which had a $319,000 budget in 2013—aims to connect the dots of wages, violence, poverty and affordable housing.
An early coup was the 2006 Big Box Living Wage Ordinance, which required retailers like Wal-Mart to pay Chicago workers $9.25 an hour. A few years later, Patel and her group spotlighted the mayor’s property tax kitty, tax-increment financing, and helped force the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to relinquish $15 million in TIF subsidies back to city coffers. United Airlines followed suit, returning $1.5 million of its own TIF funds.
Patel’s campaign ultimately spurred a policy shift: Now TIF districts with a balance of more than $1 million must release at least a quarter of available funds back to the city and schools.
While her work involves many people, Patel’s influence is distinct, say those who know her. Through the Grassroots Collaborative, she has “laid the foundation for this moment,” says Jackson Potter, staff coordinator at the Chicago Teachers Union. That moment: making 2015 the year of securing better wages for hardworking Chicagoans.
Congrats to all. The full list is here.
* Also, a heads up, we’ll start taking nominations later today for our annual “Golden Horsehoe” awards.
- Soccermom - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 9:38 am:
Biss - woot! Kamis - woot woot woot!
- A guy... - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 9:52 am:
Biss is a very smart dude.
- AlabamaShake - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:05 am:
Big congrats to Daniel Biss … very well deserved.
- Concerned - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:06 am:
Biss is not only smart, he is thoughtful and honest. Those don’t always come in the same package. Glad to have him on Team Illinois.
- Under Further Review - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:14 am:
Smart enough to craft a pension reform bill that was unconstitutional out of the box. Smart enough to put a cap on earnings by part-time adjunct faculty instructors at community colleges that is being grieved by the IEA/NEA right at the moment and is the subject of a possible amendment due to “unintended consequences.” That’s Biss for you!
Oakton Community College may lose sixty instructors earning meager part-time wages because under the Biss law that where all of the pension waste is occurring.
If this guy is one of the best and the brightest, send me someone mediocre to get the job done.
- Tom - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:27 am:
In addition to being smart and capable, Biss and Kamis also happen to be really nice guys.
I assume Biss is biding his time, waiting for Jan Schakowsky to retire. But a lot of those Congress critters stick around way too long (see Sid Yates, Bobby Rush) and the pols waiting to succeed them grow old and end up slipping past their prime too. If Daniel wants to go to Congress, he should run in the Dold/Schneider district. Biss, unlike Schneider, could hold that seat in the midterms…and he gets a free shot in ‘16 as he will be in the middle of his state senate term.
It’s probably too much of stretch for him to jump in the US Senate primary to take a shot at Kirk, but depending on the primary field, not a completely crazy idea.
- Under Further Review - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:40 am:
Biss also helped dissolve the township government in Evanston (a redundancy to be sure), but the end result is the township funds are now available for the spendthrift Evanston City Council to waste.
- Johnny Q Suburban - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 10:50 am:
Met Dan Biss when he was walking his district in 2010. Asked him about protecting pensions and he pledged he would. Then, of course, he didn’t.
I have not cared for the man after the vote he took last year.
- Siriusly - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 11:31 am:
He has nice hair
- JS Mill - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 11:33 am:
Biss is an intelligent, articulate, seemingly pleasant guy (only met him once)and I read or listen with interest when his comments are available. Unfortunately he tuned out Eric Madair and his exhaustive research when attempting to address the pension issue with his “ideas”. That failed attempt has cost both time and money. It does not fall solely on Biss’ shoulders, he is just one of many.
- howard - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 12:05 pm:
Biss helped write SB1, you know the bill that takes retirement income away from old people living on a fixed income. He asks for ideas, pretends to be on your side, and then just does it his own way. Neckritz is all in for SB1 and pension holidays. As long as these two are legislators there may never be a solution that shares the pain.
- Unfiltered - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 12:07 pm:
I echo the statement at 10:14 AM. As a SURS member who resides in his district, his involvement in the Pension issue has done more harm than good. He created a very complicated law related to return to work under SURS that hasn’t done much to address the major “double-dipping” issues, but has generated unnecessary stress on the subject.
I noticed that he no longer makes strong claims on his website that SB 1 is Constitutional. Yes, he is very smart and does his homework, but many of his pension reform proposals lack common sense. As a SURS member, his involvement in the
pension reform issue concerns me.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 12:59 pm:
Let’s not be too hard on Biss.
He never claimed to be a lawyer.
Who else would you nominate from the General Assembly, if not Biss?
- Unfiltered - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
=Who else would you nominate from the General Assembly, if not Biss?=
YDD - Mike Zalewski
- Under Further Review - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 2:17 pm:
@Yellow Dog Democrat:
It does not matter whether or not Biss is a lawyer or not (his SB 1 co-sponsor, Raoul, is an attorney). The language on pensions in the Illinois Constitution of 1970 is expressed in clear and unambiguous terms. The courts have also issued decisions upholding that portion of the constitution. It was pretty clear that this pension law was on shaky ground from the get go.
It seems more and more like a ploy to get some credit for passing legislation without any concern for the end results.
- MrJM - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 2:18 pm:
Congrats to all awarded.
(For the record, I’m on target to be named to Crain’s “130 Under 130” list for 2099.)
– MrJM
- Rahm'sMiddleFinger - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 2:46 pm:
A post congratulating people turns into a debate on pension reform… surprise.
- Unfiltered - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 3:11 pm:
=It seems more and more like a ploy to get some credit for passing legislation without any concern for the end results.=
Amen.
=A post congratulating people turns into a debate on pension reform… surprise.=
When the legislator winning such award uses the pension reform issue as his opportunity to increase his name recognition at the expense of constituents he made promises to… yeah it’s going to be brought up.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 3:25 pm:
Unfiltered: Fair point.
Under Further Review:
I think the legal credit goes to Nekritz. Raoul always made it clear he believed the measure most likely unconstitutional, while Nekritz continues to suggest it may still be upheld.
I don’t get it.
- Tom - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 3:46 pm:
Unfiltered — I second your nomination of Mike Zalewski….another great guy and an up-and-comer. But, you are aware of Mike’s voting record on pensions, right? Pretty much lock-step with Biss.
I get the criticism in this thread directed at Biss over SB 1…you vehemently disagree with the stance he took — fair enough. But I think you’re missing the point. He jumped into the biggest policy debate in Springfield with both feet and ended up being a major player in the issue. That’s almost unheard of for a freshman legislator. That’s why he’s on the 40 under 40 list, because he’s proven himself to be influential at a young age, not because he was “right” on any particular issue.
- unfiltered - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 4:09 pm:
Tom,
Very aware of Zalewski vote on SB 1. My beef with Biss is that he is trying to make a name for himself on this issue in the face of constituents he made promises to. Zalewski voted the way he did because Madigan asked him to. And from what I know, he didn’t promise constituents he’d vote no on pension reform.
- Tom - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 4:36 pm:
- unfiltered - So if Zalewski merely “voted the way Madigan wanted him to” on pension reform, are you prepared to recind your 40 under 40 nomination for him? I mean, that’s hardly a ringing endorsement of the guy. And, I might point out, it’s unfair to Mike. Yes, he’s close to Madigan, but he’s also a pretty thoughtful guy who — trust me — made up his own mind on pension reform.
- DuPage Moderate - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 4:41 pm:
Kamis - maybe this is the year the award has really jumped the shark.
- Old and In The Way - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 4:41 pm:
YDD
Nekritz is a real estate lawyer. To her everything is constitutional as long as she gets paid! I’m a bit tired of Biss always tell us how smart he is. Fact is he is smart but absolutely no common sense and he is as ambitious as he is smart. Is he really a Democrat though?
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 4:50 pm:
I don’t think Biss is “trying to make a name for himself.”
You can’t accuse a self-admitted juggler of ambition.
- Montrose - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 5:10 pm:
It is great to see Amisha recognized for her tireless work.
- Under Further Review - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 5:54 pm:
@Yellow Dog Democrat:
What was the upside for Raoul? He co-sponsored a bill that he himself believed was unconstitutional? So was the whole SB 1 thing nothing more than a glorified publicity stunt? How much time have government units wasted trying to comply with this law? How many hours has the AG spent trying to defend the law?
To quote, Rich, “Sheesh.”
- B - Monday, Dec 1, 14 @ 8:37 pm:
“…the Grassroots Collaborative, a powerful coalition of labor and community groups…”
How could they print that with a straight face?