CPS pension roundup
Wednesday, Jun 24, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday’s House vote on the Chicago Public Schools’ 40-day pension payment delay came as a complete shock to many people…
Before the vote, Republican leaders suggested that the agreement might be a step forward in thawing the frosty relations between the governor and Democrats who have controlled the General Assembly for the past 12 years.
“I think its definitely a sign of progress,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont. “Hopefully, this is a gesture of goodwill on our part and the governor’s part to keep those talks going.”
Within an hour of Radogno’s positive comment, the measure failed.
* The mayor’s response was subdued…
When Emanuel was asked during an appearance Tuesday on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight what happened to the agreement, he said, “Welcome to the mystery of the legislative process.”
* The governor’s office was not amused…
Administration Statement on House Vote
Attribute the following statement to Lance Trover, Director of Communications:
“Governor Rauner and Republican leaders supported this legislation, but the Speaker had Chicago Democrats vote against it. The only reason the Speaker’s Chicago caucus would vote against the Mayor’s bill is because Madigan wanted to kill it.”
* The Speaker’s response…
Madigan, though, said the deal ”just didn’t get enough votes to pass,” and added he’ll work to secure the votes.
“I’m sure it can be done,” said Madigan, who hopes to persuade lawmakers the bill is “the right thing to do.”
Madigan accused the governor of ”operating on the extreme.”
“Issuing extreme press statements in the middle of the consideration of the bill is not helpful,” Madigan said. “It’s not helpful. It’s not how you do things in the Legislature.”
Speaker Madigan’s full press conference is here.
* Tribune…
The House vote was 53-46, with 71 needed for passage. Democrats have 71 members in the House, but only 37 voted for the measure. The remaining 16 votes in favor of the bill came from among the 47 Republicans.
Looking deeper into the roll call, 16 members were either listed as absent, excused, not voting or voting “present.” And of the 19-member House Black Caucus, a group that’s often influential on key votes, 10 voted against the bill or did not take part in the vote, including five from Chicago.
Democratic Rep. Mary Flowers, a black caucus member from Chicago, contended Emanuel was disproportionately targeting the African- American community with red light and speed cameras to generate revenue and had closed dozens of schools affecting black children. […]
Madigan, the target of a second week of TV attack ads from Rauner, voted for the measure, as did House Republican leader Jim Durkin from Western Springs. Durkin contended he had additional GOP votes for the bill, but they pulled off the measure when it started to fail.
Democratic Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie, a Madigan ally, supported the bill but ended up voting against it to allow him to use a parliamentary maneuver to allow it to be called again if enough votes can be found to approve it.
* More…
Some Chicago Democrats did give the thumbs-down. Rep. Frances Ann Hurley said she opposed any “pension holiday” that puts off a payment, even for six weeks. Rep. Mary Flowers, saying she’s willing to work on a long-term solution, said Emanuel has other options and can dip into existing funds.
“You can’t fix it by pointing the finger at Springfield,” she said.
* Greg Hinz…
If you want something out of Springfield, you’d better figure out what Mike Madigan wants first—and give it to him.
That’s the message after the House speaker yesterday schooled a host of interests—including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Chicago Board of Education—on Springfield realities, leaving city schools in perilous condition and the state’s budget war more inflamed than ever. […]
Given Madigan’s normal persuasive powers with his caucus, much of Springfield concluded that the speaker didn’t want the bill to pass, at least not right now.
Discuss.
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:09 am:
Maybe Goldberg needs to really turn on the charm next time to put points on the board.
- Not it - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:11 am:
I thought the House Democrats said that combining issues that are not related was the wrong thing to do?!?! Apparently Representative Flowers didn’t get the memo.
- South of Sherman - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:14 am:
Greg Hinz is correct — this vote was simply to remind everyone who’s really in charge. It will pass when the Speaker says it will pass, not a minute sooner or later.
Now we just wait to see if the people who need that schooling are paying attention.
- Mama - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:16 am:
Was the bill defeated because there was a poison pill attached to the Chicago Public Schools’ 40-day pension payment delay?
- Worth It - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:16 am:
Madigan has been playing this game for four decades, why would anyone be surprised? Every time he tries to take the high road or talk about extremes, I feel like crying, he thinks this is a game.
- phocion - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:16 am:
Madigan’s Orwellian Springfield: All branches are equal, but some are more equal than others.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:17 am:
Do you choose Goldberg and the Rauner Administration to count your Democratic votes, or do you actually lobby Madigan to actually secure your Democratic votes?
When choosing to isolate, you may find yourself out in the cold.
- William - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:17 am:
MJM can mock Rauner all he wants, but someone is finally showing the state who Madigan really is. This is fun.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:19 am:
Raise your hand if you think the Governor’s office will be successful in bullying the Speaker to do anything.
You aren’t a CEO anymore Governor. You need to act a little more like a politician and a little less as a businessman if you want to get anything done. You seem to be a slow learner.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:20 am:
==but someone is finally showing the state who Madigan really is==
And that accomplishes what?
==This is fun.==
Only to the sadistic.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:21 am:
—
… but someone is finally showing the state who Madigan really is.
—
So what is it that you think is being shown?
- Duh! - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:24 am:
if this was so important to the Republicans, why did only 16 of 47 vote for it? If 34 Republicans would have voted for it, it would have passed.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:24 am:
- William -,
The bill failed. The Emanuel/Rauner maneuver failed. There is no bill passed today.
No one is happy about that result.
Do you think the Mayor and Governor think this is fun?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:24 am:
Willy is on to something. The Chicago folks might wanna take the time to do a roll call before these bills hit the board.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:25 am:
Rauner gets a win, Rahm gets a temporary loss, and Madigan gets to throw a fit because he can.
Who says Madigan or Rauner don’t control ==their== members in the GA?
- walker - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:25 am:
Madigan’s “persuasive powers” with his caucus are strong, but not an unlimited resource.
His “normal” stance is to apply little or no pressure to move votes, unless the bill is of overriding interest to the state, or key to movement on other bills.
For how many issues do people expect him to push full force against the wishes of significant factions within his caucus?
Madigan fosters the myth of his limitless power, because it is useful to him, but that doesn’t make it less of a myth.
Is Durkin’s failure to produce the bulk of his caucus votes, always because he really “didn’t want the bill to pass?”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:26 am:
How is this a Rauner win?
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:27 am:
As a fan of the author Patrick O’Brian I keep thinking about two ships of the line bow on to each other trading ranging shots with their bow chasers (cannon in the front). Well, those ships are turning broadsides on. Come July 1 the guns come to bear. Broadsides at close range. God help us.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:28 am:
==The Chicago folks might wanna take the time to do a roll call before these bills hit the board==
Whether it is hubris, laziness or miscommunication, this is not the first time Rahm has come up short in the GA.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:28 am:
Madigan just showed everyone that Rauner and the legislative Republicans can’t work around him even if Cullerton and Emanuel join them.
Rahm is the tennis ball being lobbed back and forth between Rauner and Madigan. He really needs to pick a side, soon, to stop the beating. It’s a tough position to be in, for sure, and a lot at stake.
Madigan is not going to let the House get rolled. Rahm’s relationship with the Governor notwithstanding, nothing is going to move forward in the House without Madigan making the deal.
I think the Mayor would be well-served being the emissary between the two instead of the wild card.
- Robert the Bruce - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:29 am:
I find it hard to believe that Emanuel didn’t try to work with the Speaker. I wonder what really happened here.
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:29 am:
It’s pretty weird to come up 18 votes short on something you thought was in the bag.
Did the Rauner and Emanuel peeps talk to anyone before tne vote? Counting to 71 ain’t rocket science.
- dawn - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:30 am:
This 16 vote business reported by rich this morning is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!!! Did Durkin really think that was true??? If he did, then the republicans have much bigger problems than we ever imagined!
- Downstate - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:31 am:
Rich,
Given executive orders, (and presuming a government shutdown) is it possible that Rauner can fund the opening of Illinois schools in August, while the CPS would be closed?
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:32 am:
–
Counting to 71 ain’t rocket science.
—
It is if you think the whole base10 counting system is controlled by Madigan.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:32 am:
The DCEO vote following the CPS vote was a Rauner win.
If those two were intertwined, as reported yesterday, Rauner got a ==win==, Rahm got a ==loss==, and Madigan got to ==pout== publicly.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:35 am:
===If you want something out of Springfield, you’d better figure out what Mike Madigan wants first—and give it to him.===
I’m pretty sure this isn’t what the founders envisioned when they drew up this whole democracy thing.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:35 am:
Advice from Legislators; Never ask for an “up or down” vote unless the desired result will occur.
Oops.
Wonder if Rahm asked Rauner;
“You have that $&@#% money aimed at the GOP Caucuses and you only get me 16 $&@#% votes from that Caucus? I needed more than 16 $&@#% votes Bruce…”
The Durkin quote in Pearson’s tweet was… interesting.
- Enviro - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:36 am:
A 40 day pension payment delay will not solve the problem without an increase in tax revenue to pay for the CPS pension payment. It will only kick the can down the road again.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:37 am:
==Maybe Goldberg needs to really turn on the charm next time to put points on the board==
Maybe we could use Demoralized’s quarter jar to get Goldberg a copy of ==How to win friends and influence people== for his birthday?
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:37 am:
FKA, are you sure the governor saw that DCEO vote as a clear-cut win? Might want to check that roll call.
- Joe M - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:41 am:
If Rauner would stop with the attacks, then maybe something could get one on a number of issues. Constantly calling out someone, calling them corrupt, etc. is not a good way to get that person to cooperate with him.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:42 am:
If you want legislation passed in Springfield, you need to work with the leaders in the legislature.
How could any governor be so daft as to not understand this? It doesn’t matter who the Speaker is. It doesn’t matter which party is in power. It is just elemental government. Why do we have an administration so ignorant of this?
It is easier to move a car using the car’s engine. You get the engine to move the car by using the accelerator pedal. What Rauner and Emanuel were doing is trying to push the car without using the engine, or the accelerator. It is simply stunning how little they understand.
- Enviro - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:42 am:
==you’d better figure out what Mike Madigan wants first—and give it to him.==
Such as an increase in revenue and a budget???
- A Jack - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:45 am:
37 Democrats + 37 Republicans = 74. It was the Republicans that came up short since the Democrats provided their share. This seems like a Republican game to me where had this passed with a majority of Democrat votes, the Republican could just blame the Democrats for kicking the can down the road. Madigan played this correctly.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:48 am:
Count me in with Willy and Word as not finding Rauner’s “W” yesterday.
Maybe Rahm should lobby his bills instead of subcontracting the work, eh?
- Xavier Woods - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:48 am:
The Governor is trying every trick in his book to avoid working with the Speaker to get things done. Thus far he has not succeeded and whether he likes it or not, any type of deal or legislation needs to flow through the Speaker’s Office. The Governor may be too proud to understand that, and that is scary.
- Wow - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:50 am:
Rahm and Bruce cut a deal, and the Gov only needs to produce 16 of 71???? There is your problem.
- Jack Stephens - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:50 am:
@a guy:
I don’t think the founders envisioned tmTV ads to get your point across versus actually talking to the people involved….when they drew up this whole thing.
Why don’t you call your US Rep and suggest an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America giving the Execitive Branch 66% of the power.
- Rod - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:22 am:
We have been down this road before, in 2013, when a delay in payment vote was also defeated. This is news only to those with short memories. The time has come for the legislature and ISBE to recognize some type of fiscal oversight body needs to be appointed for CPS, just as the legislature did in 1979. Governor Rauner prefers bankruptcy as he said on April 15 at a Chicago Public Education Fund luncheon: “The state has a crisis, the city has a crisis. I’m concerned that [CPS] is going to have to go bankrupt the bankruptcy code exists to help the organization get out of financial trouble. There’s a reason for the bankruptcy code.”
It is completely possible Governor Rauner is opposed to restructuring CPS debt and creating an oversight body that can veto CPS budgets. But right now a change is state law relating to municipal bankruptcy is not supported by many of the Governor’s buddies in the Commercial Club because they stand to lose money, nor is it supported by public sector unions and their supporters in the Democrat party. An oversight authority is now the best option. Governor Thompson got the bill for the last oversight authority passed, maybe the Governor should call him up and seek some guidance.
The critical meetings to create the Chicago School Finance Authority took place in fact in the Governor’s mansion on January 3, 1979 and included 60 people that hammered out the bailout deal, a much younger Mike Madigan was there too as I recall. While many cuts took place after everything was done and there were indeed many legitimate protests over taking control over CPS finances, none the less the district survived. Call up Big Jim he will tell you how it was done.
- sal-says - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:29 am:
It’s Madigan’s Fault !!!
From the Tribbies above:
# 71 needed for passage - 53 voting for = 18 more needed
# 37 out of 71 Dems voted for = 52% voted for with 34 more available
# 16 out of 47 Repubs voted for = 34% voted for with 31 more available
AND it’s Madigan’s fault.
C’mon, man.
- Rod - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:39 am:
Just for the record I believe in 1979 William A. Redmond a Democrat from DuPage County was Speaker of the House. He was elected Speaker with the support of Republicans if my memory services me correctly.
- nona - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:40 am:
So 52% of House Dems voted for the bill, compared to only 34% of House Republicans. Yet Rauner blames Madigan, even though Madigan supplied a majority of his caucus, unlike Durkin, who could muster only one-third.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:40 am:
===He was elected Speaker with the support of Republicans if my memory services me correctly==
I think it was just one: Lee Daniels.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:40 am:
===unlike Durkin, who could muster only one-third===
Oh, please. This is a Chicago-only bill.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:45 am:
- nona -,
Only in the Rauner/Emanuel dynamic is Durkin even remotely responsible to bringing votes to this bill.
Durkin’s quote to Pearson makes it clear. Read that tweet.
I’m actually very proud of the HGOP. No snark.
There’s more at play.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 11:46 am:
===I think it was just one: Lee Daniels.===
Speaker Daniels, I believe told that story the day he was elected Speaker too.
- Harry - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
I think Rod is on the right track.
1979 was the year before the disastrous Quinn-led House Cutback amendment, though. Bipartisanship was much easier then. And, of course, Jim Thompson instead of Bruce Rauner.
I’m with Rich, I don’t understand the commenters who think somehow it was the GOP’s job to pass this bill. They put 16 votes on a Chicago-only bill, and Durkin said they had a few more if it was close. What more could Chicago ask for?
- Arizona Bob - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:12 pm:
If Rahm doesn’t deal with this issue, it’ll put more pressure on the state to kick in bucks to “solve” their problem. I don’t see suburban and downstate legislators being able to vote their constituents school funding away so that Chicago can keep their property taxes much lower than the burbs.
Perhaps that’s the message being sent here.
Are there enough aldermanic votes to increase real estate taxes for CPS? Rahm probably won’t run again, so it’s better that he bite this bullet early and put Chicago funding on SOME sustainable path…
- Norseman - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:21 pm:
Rahm, put your arrogance aside and kiss the ring.
- Tone - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:44 pm:
Folks, CPS is doomed without reamortizing the pension payments. There is no money. The amount needed would kill Chicago. This really hurts the poor the most. 85% of CPS student body is low income. 90% is minority. Chicago Democrats who voted against this are dumb.
- Tone - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:48 pm:
In addition, if Chicago goes down, so does the State. Bunch of morons.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 12:52 pm:
Rahm must raise taxes but does not want to. He admitted as much in 2013
==Combine City Hall’s pension costs with the huge amount of money needed to fund Chicago Public Schools pensions and the resulting property tax hikes means “there will be a mass exodus” from Chicago, Emanuel said. “It will be the largest caravan since America settled the West,” the mayor said. Suburban property taxes historically are much higher than those in Chicago, however.==
https://capitolfax.com/2013/09/26/emanuel-predicts-mass-exodus-from-chicago-if-no-pension-relief-from-state/