In his latest round of spending reforms, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced on June 12 that funding for Illinois’ Tobacco Quitline will be suspended, effective July 1. The program, a hotline for smokers operated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, was funded through a $3.1 million grant from the state.
Around 18 percent of Illinois adults smoke, and helping people quit is an admirable and important goal. In fact, it’s a goal the American Cancer Society is already helping to achieve – without Illinois taxpayers footing the bill.
The “Quit for Life” program is a free service that offers support resources to smokers who are interested in quitting. The program includes resources such as phone counseling with a “quit coach,” online education, web-based planning tools and even text-message plans to help people quit smoking.
With such a robust program being run through one of the leading cancer-prevention and awareness organizations in the country, Illinois taxpayers do not need to be paying for a separate program to accomplish the same goal.
* Since their program is at issue here, I asked the American Cancer Society to comment. The following is from Heather Eagleton, Illinois government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network…
“In April, Illinois unfortunately made history by becoming the only state in the country without a tobacco quitline. While this funding was eventually restored, the Quitline is once again at risk of being eliminated under the governor’s proposed July 1 budget cuts.
“There is a misconception among some that the American Cancer Society’s Quit for Life tobacco cessation program will easily replace the Quitline’s services. However, Quit for Life is a resource that contracts with employers, health plans and state departments of health to help clients’ employees and enrollees quit smoking. Illinois residents are only able to enroll in Quit for Life if their employer or insurance provider offers the service.
“Therefore, if Governor Rauner chooses to cut the state’s tobacco quitline, thousands of Illinoisans will still be without a lifeline to break their tobacco addiction.
“Last year, the Quitline answered 90,000 phone calls and led 43 percent of its callers to quit smoking.
“It should be noted that the Quitline is funded not through taxpayer dollars, but rather through the Tobacco Master Settlement, which gave Illinois $265 million this fiscal year specifically to support programs like the Quitline. With the elimination of this resource, taxpayers risk seeing an increase in tobacco-related Medicaid costs, which already total $1 billion a year.
“We understand Illinois continues to face tough financial choices, but fighting cancer should always be a top policy priority. We urge the governor and lawmakers to come to a budget decision that will not jeopardize the health of Illinoisans.”
Former-Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, of Carbondale, said she’s seriously considering a run for state Senate in 2016.
“I’ve been asked by several folks to look into that, and that’s what I’m doing now is weighing the options,” she said. […]
Simon said she’s eyeing the 58th Senate District seat being vacated by Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville. While some have also encouraged her to run for the U.S. 12th Congressional seat held by Republican Rep. Mike Bost, Simon said she’s not as interested in that position.
She said the state Senate seat seems to be a “better fit,” given her interests in state-level issues and her frustrations with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Tuesday, Jun 16, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois is often compared to our neighbor Indiana when it comes to workers’ compensation costs for businesses. Unfortunately, it is not a fair or accurate comparison. Wages are the main driving factor when it comes to workers’ compensation costs. Workers’ compensation benefits (non-medical) are based on a worker’s average weekly wage. On average, Indiana pays its workers 27 percent less than Illinois. Illinois ranks 8th in the country for average weekly wages, while Indiana ranks 35th. Because workers’ compensation replaces lost wages, lower wages in Indiana naturally creates lower workers’ compensation costs.
Indiana businesses may have lower workers’ compensation costs for employers; however workers injured on the job have meager options for their health care under Indiana’s workers’ compensation laws. In addition, Indiana’s early return to work program often forces injured workers back to work sooner than they should be and often leads to re-injury or new injuries.
Workers in Illinois deserve better. A fair and reasonable workers’ compensation system in Illinois helps injured workers get back on their feet and back to work.
For more information on workers’ compensation, click here.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s hand-picked school team is trying to persuade the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund to accept a partial pension payment — as little as $200 million of the $634 million due June 30 — because the Chicago Public School system doesn’t have enough cash on hand to make the full payment and still pay its employees. […]
In a statement Thursday, an Emanuel spokeswoman said: “Mayor Emanuel believes we are at a tipping point and that Springfield must take action to ensure the city is not forced to make a decision that forces us to choose between making a $634 million pension payment and the educational investments that our children need and deserve. The impact of this year’s massive payment means CPS would spend $1,600 less per student on education than every other district in the state, with severe and harmful consequences.” […]
Municipal finance expert Matt Fabian said a partial pension payment is the latest in a string of “budget gimmicks” that got CPS into this mess. It will make the long-term solution more costly.
But he said, “It’s the better of several fairly wretched options. It’s better than defaulting on their bonds. It’s better than not making payroll. Not making payroll becomes a direct operating issue. Then, they’re pushing cost onto students and families. They’d have to cut teachers. Politically, not making payroll is distinctly more negative.”
* Catalyst interviewed Charles Burbridge, the new executive director of the $10.8 billion Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund…
Catalyst: Where does the pension fund stand on the upcoming $634 million payment?
Burbridge: We’re expecting the payment. …We have not been told that we won’t get it or that we’ll get some discounted portion of it. Last year we got it.
Catalyst: What happens if it’s not paid?
Burbridge: If it’s not, then we’ll have to explore options that are available to us, see what the Board of Trustees is interested in pursuing. We’ll have to cross that bridge when it comes.
Catalyst: Explain what’s included in the outstanding payment.
Burbridge: One component is the money that should be paid for the benefits current teachers are earning. Last year that amount was about $145 million and it is similar this year. The second component, much larger, is the [amount] required to make the annual contribution toward the debt that’s been run up over the past 10, 15, 20 years. That total [debt] is now almost $10 billion.
Catalyst: Why such a huge unfunded liability?
Burbridge: Pension funding works when the employer pays for benefits as they are earned. When the employer doesn’t pay for those benefits, you get into problems.
Catalyst: What would happen if the district somehow in the next couple of weeks was able to get a ‘pension holiday’ again?
Burbridge: It would exacerbate the current situation. The unfunded liabilities – the benefits that the employees are earning – would not be paid and [there would not be] a contribution to reduce the outstanding debt.
There’s plenty of worry that CTPF will sue, but that will take some time.
For the second time in a week, a City Council member has backed away after threatening legislative action to protest the use of the title “Chiraq” for filmmaker Spike Lee’s Chicago-based movie.
The City Council Finance Committee was set Monday to hold a hearing on a nonbinding resolution asking the state to withhold a tax break from Lee and his company, 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks, as long as the film kept its controversial title.
But the resolution’s sponsor, Ald. Will Burns, 4th, said the hearing would instead be held at a later date. Asked whether he still wants state lawmakers not to give Lee the break, Burns said the important thing was to hold a hearing so Chicagoans can air their thoughts on the term “Chiraq.”
“There are folks who want to talk about the movie title and they should be given an opportunity to do so,” Burns said in an email. He did not say when he plans to reschedule the hearing.
In May, State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) led the Senate in commending director Spike Lee for his planned investment in Southside neighborhoods and supporting his choice of the title “Chiraq.” Collins reiterated today that there is broad consensus among elected officials statewide and, most importantly, her constituents, in favor of Lee’s project.
“As an elected representative of residents whose neighborhoods will be portrayed in this film and will benefit from the economic activity and jobs it generates, I have been overwhelmed with expressions of support for ‘Chiraq’ and introduced Senate Resolution 587 with this in mind,” Collins said. “More than 30 state senators co-sponsored the resolution in favor of a tax credit for ‘Chiraq,’ and while Alderman Burns is entitled to his personal opinion, what ought to matter is the perspective of local residents, along with the willingness of state government to give this project the same tax treatment as other eligible productions.”
Collins’ resolution urges the state to find Lee’s production company eligible for a tax credit designed to encourage television and film productions to employ Illinoisans and contract with Illinois vendors.
“The communities I represent are buffeted by unemployment, depressed property values and a chronic lack of investment,” Collins said. “This film will provide not only temporary jobs but also valuable training and experience for those hired, and local businesses will benefit from the opportunity to provide goods and services to the production.”
Lee is in the process of hiring nearly 3,000 extras, 100 crew members and 20 interns; most will be residents of Englewood, whose 21.3 percent unemployment rate far exceeds the state and national average, and neighboring communities. Englewood will also be home to ninety percent of the locations used in the film.
Spike Lee, best known for his compelling treatments of race in America in movies such as “Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X,” has said that “everything I’ve done has led up to this film.” His proposed title – “Chiraq” – has generated controversy, but Collins says she and many residents welcome an honest look at the violent crime that helps perpetuate the cycle of poverty and economic neglect in Englewood and disadvantaged communities throughout the state.
“Communities such as Englewood need better statistics, not better semantics; a commitment to people, not perceptions and a focus on public safety and the public good, not merely public relations,” Collins said. “This film will challenge society’s acceptance of the unacceptable in its forgotten corners, and by generating jobs and economic growth, it will also serve as part of the solution.”
A rookie alderman has backed off on his threat to withhold a block party permit for a prominent South Side church that collaborated with filmmaker Spike Lee on a movie that has the working title of “Chiraq.”
Earlier this week, Ald. David Moore, 17th, said he would not sign a permit for a block party to be held Saturday by St. Sabina Catholic Church being sponsored by Lee, who worked on the film with Rev. Michael Pfleger, the prominent anti-violence activist who is pastor of the church.
But on Friday Moore said that after speaking with residents on 1700 and 1800 blocks of Throop Street, where the party is being held in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, he has signed the permit.
* A Hart Research poll conducted for SEIU Healthcare shows the public isn’t exactly “all in” on parts of the governor’s agenda. Click here for the memo, but keep in mind that the actual polling questions aren’t included in this summary…
MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Geoff Garin
DATE: June 15, 2015
RE: Voters Strongly Oppose Rauner’s Home-care and Child-care Cuts
Overview
Our recent survey of 1,051 voters in Illinois shows that there is an overwhelmingly negative reaction to Bruce Rauner’s proposed cuts to state home-care and child- care programs. Opposition to Rauner’s cuts crosses party lines, suggesting that legislators who back his cuts would be put in significant jeopardy regardless of the party composition of their districts.
Rauner already has deep vulnerabilities with Illinois voters because he is perceived to be more interested in doing what’s best for the wealthy and big corporations than in doing what’s best for average people in the state. Rauner’s proposed cuts to home care and child care exacerbate these vulnerabilities, as do his efforts to undercut the workers who provide these services. The survey results show that by a lopsided margin Illinois voters are more likely to side with home-care and child- care providers than with Governor Rauner in a major policy disagreement.
Key Findings
1. There is strong opposition across party lines when voters hear about Bruce Rauner’s proposed cuts to state home-care and child-care programs.
Fully 73% of all voters in Illinois say they would have an unfavorable reaction if they heard that Governor Rauner wants to make large cuts in state government funding for in-home assistance for seniors and people with disabilities, including 53% who are very unfavorable. Similarly, 68% react unfavorably upon hearing that Governor Rauner wants to make major cuts in government support for child care, including 47% who are very unfavorable.
Large pluralities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans react unfavorably to Rauner’s proposed cuts to home-care and child-care programs.
Rauner’s proposed cuts to home care and child care are unpopular even among those who recall voting for him last year. Rauner voters are unfavorable to his home-care cuts by 51% to 20%, and are unfavorable to his child-care cuts by 46% to 26%.
Negative reactions to Governor Rauner’s policies extend to his contract proposals for home-care and child-care providers.
74% are unfavorable to his proposal to cut or totally eliminate health insurance for home-care and child-care providers.
74% are unfavorable to his proposal to eliminate reimbursement for equipment, protective garments, and supplies (including latex gloves) for home-care providers.
73% are unfavorable to his proposal to eliminate training and professional development for home-care and child-care providers.
62% are unfavorable to his proposals to freeze the pay for home-care and child-care workers.
2. Illinois voters already are skeptical about Bruce Rauner when it comes to caring about people like them or understanding the challenges of working-class families, and the plurality say he is more interested in the wealthy and big corporations than in what’s best for average people. These negative perceptions create a significant vulnerability for Rauner in the debate on home care and child care.
Just 40% of voters in Illinois have confidence in Bruce Rauner when it comes to looking out for the middle class, while 50% have doubts about him.
Similarly, by 50% to 41%, voters express doubts about him on “caring about people like you.” Rauner especially lacks credibility with voters on understanding the challenges faced by low-wage workers and working-class families, with 58% expressing doubts about him.
When asked which matters more to Bruce Rauner, only 31% say his priority is doing what’s best for average people in Illinois, while 46% say he is more interested in doing what’s best for the wealthy and big corporations.
3. Voters in Illinois have positive feelings about home-care and child-care providers. In a fight between these providers and Governor Rauner, voters in Illinois side with home-care and child-care providers by a margin of close to three to one. Voters support the right of home-care and child-care workers to have a union, and they react unfavorably to aspects of Rauner’s contract proposals that would weaken the union.
Fully 75% of Illinois voters report having a positive opinion of child-care providers, and 72% are similarly positive to home-care providers. In a dispute between Governor Rauner and home-care and child-care providers, only 21% of voters say they would side with Rauner, while 61% say they would side with the home-care and child-care workers.
By 60% to 29%, voters support home-care and child-care providers being represented by a union to negotiate with the state on issues involving pay, benefits, working conditions, and training. Sixty percent (60%) of voters react unfavorably (including 45% who are very unfavorable) when they hear that Governor Rauner wants to weaken the union that represents home-care and child-care providers, and 66% are unfavorable when they hear that he wants to stop home-care and child- care providers from joining together to have a voice at work.
Voters are not persuaded by a defense that Rauner’s proposals are necessary because the state budget is “out of control” and that average taxpayers will end up paying the price “if we don’t take action now to hold the line on excessive union contracts.” Surprisingly, 60% say this line of argument makes them no more likely at all to support Governor Rauner’s proposals.
Given these results, it is safe to assume that voters across Illinois want their state legislators to stand with home-care and child-care providers instead of Bruce Rauner, and that those legislators who instead align themselves with Rauner’s unpopular policies would be creating significant political jeopardy for themselves.
The results in this memo are based on telephone interviews with 1,051 likely voters in the 2016 elections in Illinois. The interviews were conducted from June 2 to 7, 2015, and the statewide sample provides a representative cross section of the Illinois electorate.
Tuesday, Jun 16, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions hold a strong belief in giving back to their communities at the credit union level and on a geographic basis. Twenty-four chapters unite the state’s 305 credit unions and are integral to fulfilling their mission for nearly three million consumer members. Like the boards at credit unions, chapter boards are also run by volunteers.
The Illinois Quad Cities Chapter alone serves 10 credit unions and their 241,000 members in a three county area. Similarly to other credit union chapters, Illinois Quad Cities is particularly active in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes. This includes helping consumers protect their personal information by sponsoring community shred days to properly dispose of documents. The chapter also hosts “community nights” to provide local organizations a forum for requesting financial support. As a result, more than $17,000 has been provided to a variety of local charities. Motivated by their stories, credit unions separately hold fundraisers to support these groups, as well participate in events for others, including the local children’s hospital.
Members know credit unions will be there for their daily financial needs and support their community – just some of the many virtues that define the credit union difference.
“On behalf of the City of Chicago, I am thrilled to congratulate hockey’s new dynasty — the Chicago Blackhawks — on winning the Stanley Cup for the third time in six years. To do it at home in front of the most dedicated fans in the world makes this title that much sweeter. I want to congratulate every member of the Blackhawks family, including Rocky Wirtz, Coach Joel Quenneville, and especially every player for their grit and determination to bring the cup back to Chicago. I want to also congratulate the Tampa Bay Lightning on a great season and a thrilling series. Be ready, Chicagoans, because in the coming days we will put on a world class celebration for a world class team.”
* Gov. Bruce Rauner on Sen. Mark Kirk’s hot mic gaffe…
“I heard about Sen. Kirk’s comments. Inappropriate. My understanding is he has apologized. That is the right thing to do. And that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Rauner said at a stop in Vernon Hills to talk about his pro-business, anti-union agenda that’s part of a Springfield stalemate.
Duckworth called a statement from Kirk’s office last week a non-apology.
“I just don’t think it’s an appropriate way for a United States senator to speak,” Duckworth said. “What about to all the women he referred to as ho’s, which I assume refers to all women. … I think as a United States senator, step up, and apologize. It’s that simple. … I think it’s a continued demeaning of women and our roles. It’s really derogatory.”
* From a press release…
During the keynote address at an EMILY’S List 30th Anniversary event today in downtown Chicago, Congresswoman and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Tammy Duckworth made the following statement regarding the controversy surrounding her opponent, Senator Mark Kirk:
As a woman, a wife and the mother of a baby girl, I am personally offended. I think every woman in Illinois needs to hear an apology from Senator Kirk personally, something that he has so far refused to do.
But Senator Kirk’s so-called joke was not only demeaning to women, it was horribly offensive to the African-American community as well. This is not the first time Senator Kirk has made callous, racially insensitive remarks, and he owes a personal apology not just to South Siders, but to everyone who is offended by racial stereotypes.
It’s Day 5, Senator, and it’s time to come out of hiding and say you are sincerely and personally sorry.
Unfortunately, as bad as Senator Kirk’s remarks were, his voting record is pretty offensive to women as well. He has repeatedly voted against equal pay, and he’s voted against affordable child care. These are not just women’s issues — they’re family issues. They’re economic issues.
Last week, Kirk was caught on a hot mic referring to Senator Lindsey Graham as a ‘bro with no ho,’ which he further qualified as something “we’d say on the South Side.” A Kirk staffer issued a statement saying Kirk was sorry “to anyone offended,” which has been called, among other things, a “bogus” “nonapology” and a “weasel-worded faux apology” by Illinois observers. It was also reported that Kirk apologized personally to Lindsey Graham.
The Duckworth campaign also passed along some other links.
I think Kirk can get past the remark if he makes a heartfelt apology. Instead, a staffer issued a weasel-worded faux apology: “Senator Kirk was joking with his colleague and immediately apologized to anyone offended by his remark, spokeswoman Danielle Varallo said in an email to The Associated Press,” CBS St. Louis reported. Which means to me that if anyone was not offended by his remark, Kirk doesn’t have to apologize to them. Bogus.
Kirk was hoping to make a private joke, riffing off of Graham’s also awkward comment about a “rotating first lady” should he win the White House. But it would be too easy to let Kirk off the hook with the classic “boys will be boys.” This was a committee room in the U.S. Capitol, not a locker room. Regardless, we would expect more from a senator from Illinois, especially while making light of the plight of historically unprivileged Americans. […]
(T)here’s something particularly unsightly about a group of powerful white men making cracks at populations who’ve spent generations clawing for equality. Kirk’s “bro with no ho” gaffe is more than a privileged white guy making a cultural reference that’s clearly beyond his comprehension.
In four short words, Kirk minimized decades of oppression and suffering. And he did it while seated comfortably within the halls of power.
Is this all about political correctness, as Kirk’s apologists are saying?
No. In 1915 it might have been, but not in 2015.
Thoughtful people just don’t make Polish jokes anymore, or Helen Keller jokes, and they don’t say what Kirk said Thursday. They are above that. Their thinking is above that.
History has shown you never know what might come out of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk’s mouth. It could be a falsehood, a stretch of the truth or a really bad attempt at humor.
Lately, odds are it may be something insensitive. Not good for a Republican who is up for re-election in 2016 and is considered one of the nation’s most vulnerable senators.
House to Hold Committee of the Whole on Rauner’s DCEO Proposal
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, will chair a House Committee of the Whole hearing on Tuesday to examine Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to restructure the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
“The governor has proposed a significant change to the makeup of DCEO and how millions of taxpayer dollars are spent,” said Franks, who chairs the House State Government Administration Committee. “It’s important that we study other states’ experiences with public-private partnerships and get details about the governor’s plan before we act so that we don’t trade one unfair, unaccountable system for another and to ensure there are safeguards in place for the use of taxpayer dollars.”
In April, Governor Rauner proposed the partial privatization of DCEO, Illinois’ executive branch agency tasked with attracting new employers and advancing the commercial interests of Illinois businesses. Under the governor’s proposal, a new entity called the Illinois Business and Economic Development Corporation would form a public-private partnership with DCEO and make taxpayer-funded grants to assist with job creation and economic growth.
Franks, a longtime advocate of reforming DCEO’s system of awarding taxpayer-funded grants, sought the Committee of the Whole to provide legislators an opportunity to learn more about how Governor Rauner’s proposed corporation would be set up and operated and ask what plans are being made to ensure that taxpayer dollars would not be misused, as has happened in other states with similar public-private economic partnerships. Franks has previously proposed eliminating DCEO entirely and returning the cost savings to Illinois employers through a reduction in the corporate income tax rate.
“Based on other states’ experiences, many people, including myself, have concerns that state funds could be misused without strong, built-in transparency measures and significant oversight,” Franks added. “I look forward to an informative hearing and the opportunity to work together to develop meaningful reforms that will help improve Illinois’ economy and create jobs.”
The House Committee of the Whole hearing on DCEO reform will be held on Tuesday, June 16 at 2 p.m.
The HDems have repeated pointed to Wisconsin’s failed experiment as a reason to be skeptical of the governor’s plan. The Rauner folks point to oversight within their proposed bill that would’ve prevented those problems.
Sources who would know have since confirmed the report and say the ad will target only Madigan and not Senate President John Cullerton, also a Democrat.
Cullerton indeed can be somewhat more conciliatory than the speaker. But I have real doubts whether the obvious divide-and-conquer tactic will work. More likely, what is expected to be a quite personal attack will juice up what already is a highly polarized environment in Springfield over the fiscal 2016 budget, Rauner’s “turnaround” agenda and related matters, probably assuring a summer full of all-out political nastiness. […]
“I think (Rauner) is dead wrong,” [House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie] said. “I don’t know that it’s a particularly useful tactic if you want to get a budget settlement . . . What is he thinking?”
Rauner may be going after just Madigan now and not Cullerton, but, “Maybe it will be all about John next week,” Currie said. “Who knows? . . . It doesn’t set a very pleasant table for negotiations—or work when you come to (the 2016) elections.”
Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said the cuts were “preparations for the out-of-balance Madigan-Cullerton budget.”
Democrats observed that the list identifies programs that are already at risk of losing funding, since state government runs out of spending authority at the end of this month.
“Without a budget, none of that stuff’s getting funding anyway,” said Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago.
Steans is right.
* Also, as with his previous freeze of LIHEAP spending, he can’t use almost any of that money being “saved” by this latest round of “cuts” for anything else until he receives permission from the General Assembly or the federal government. For instance…
Suspend funding for agricultural extension and 4-H clubs for premiums at agricultural shows.
Ding the kids all you want, but you can’t spend that premium money on anything else. The same goes for the Tobacco Quitline suspension, etc., etc..
People on the outside of this slow-motion train wreck in Springfield, who nonetheless are paying attention, may have noticed the almost schizophrenic aura surrounding the thing.
Take last Tuesday. House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN and Senate President JOHN CULLERTON, both Chicago Democrats, met with Republican Gov. BRUCE RAUNER. At a news conference later in the day, Madigan said the meeting was cordial and productive.
But between the meetings and Madigan’s news conference, Rauner held his own availability, at which he accused Madigan and Cullerton of making millions in their private law practices off of high property taxes. It was very close to calling both men crooks.
Madigan called his news conference to rebut Rauner, to explain that his law practice deals with property assessment errors, and to make clear that there is a firewall between his law practice and his position as a public official. He said that during his meeting with Rauner, the governor made no mention of his problems with Madigan’s law practice. […]
It just seems like the opposite of the way people usually operate. Normally, they say nice things in public and save the vitriol for private discussions. In this case, the governor apparently is very pleasant and cordial in private meetings before holding a public news conference to label the top two Democrats in the legislature as corrupt insiders.
Rather than sitting down and hashing out some kind of deal with the General Assembly, Gov. Bruce Rauner last week first accused the Democratic leaders of breaking state ethics laws and then, during a stop in Decatur, cast them as part of the “Chicago machine.”
I’m no expert on negotiation tactics, but that doesn’t seem like a recipe for success when it comes to finding common ground and solving problems.
The governor visited a handful of Downstate and suburban communities last week to promote what he calls his “turnaround agenda” and vilified Madigan and Cullerton as driving the “Chicago machine” and questioned whether local Democratic lawmakers were wedded more to Chicago and their leaders’ political interests than to their own voters. […]
Rauner’s initial efforts to tour Downstate also reflect the regionalized nature of rural Democrats, who tend to be much more socially conservative than their city counterparts. Notably, Rauner’s targeting of Downstate lawmakers validates concerns some Democrats voiced during a May 31 closed-door meeting of senators following what was supposed to be the last day of session.
Fearing an onslaught of millions of dollars in negative TV ads funded by Rauner and his allies, several Downstate Democrats complained to Cullerton that they were being left politically vulnerable and without a way to answer the attacks, according to two senators at the meeting who were not authorized to speak publicly about it. […]
Republicans attempting to tarnish Downstate and suburban Democratic lawmakers with the “Chicago machine” label is nothing new in Illinois politics. But the next election is a year away, and Rauner himself has been an integral part of Chicago city politics as a top adviser and close friend to Emanuel.
Governor Rauner has to negotiate with Democratic leadership. He’s calling out House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton for personally benefitting from their positions of power.
They’re both also Chicago attorneys for separate law firms.
When asked, Rauner wouldn’t say specifically if there was a grant, contract, project, bill, or overall policy that Madigan or Cullerton have personally profited from. Instead - Rauner spoke generally - saying they’re part of the Chicago political machine.
“It’s built on a large government insiders’ dominance,” Rauner said.
Tammy Duckworth’s time under disgraced Governor Blagojevich is coming back to haunt her. Duckworth needs to answer questions about her involvement in retaliating against whistleblowers.
With the trial date set and Duckworth avoiding questions, it makes you wonder what more she has to hide.
A trial date has been set in a whistle-blower lawsuit involving U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth.
In a case dating to her tenure as a member of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration, the Democrat from Hoffman Estates is alleged to have retaliated against two employees of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
After six years of legal wrangling, a Union County judge on June 2 scheduled a bench trial for April 4, 2016. A pre-trial hearing is set for Aug. 4 at the courthouse in Jonesboro. […]
Allegations outlined in a September 2009 amended complaint say Duckworth, who headed the agency from December 2006 to 2009, violated state ethics rules and inflicted emotional distress on two employees of the Anna Veterans’ Home.
* From the Illinois Republican Party…
On June 2nd, a Union County Judge set the trial date for Rep. Duckworth who is facing charges filed by employees of the Anna Veteran’s Home in Union County for state ethics violations stemming from Duckworth’s attempts to silence reports of wrongdoing and abuse of veterans by caretakers.
According to the suit and documents filed in Union County Court, after firing one of the whistleblowers, Duckworth told the other whistleblower:
“If you do your job and keep your mouth shut and concentrate on job duties, you will keep your job”
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2009, alleges that Duckworth wrongfully terminated one employee and threatened and intimidated another employee for bringing reports of abuse and misconduct of veterans when she was head of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The brave women who tried to call attention to problems within the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs should have been commended for their actions. Instead, Tammy Duckworth intimidated them, ordered one woman to ‘keep her mouth shut’ and attempted to fire another. These allegations of outrageous misconduct against Congresswoman Duckworth are extremely troubling. It is time for the Congresswoman to explain her actions and send a clear message that acts of retribution against whistleblowers in government will not be tolerated,” said Nick Klitzing, Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.
The Republican Party taking the side of state bureaucrats is pretty rich. And the initial “whistleblowing” was about some yelling and a few accusations from a supervisor who made it clear she wanted to get rid of one of the plaintiffs before the plaintiffs actually blew the whistle. Go read the complaint yourself, with the link helpfully supplied by the ILGOP.
Either way, the headlines probably ain’t gonna be good for Duckworth’s US Senate campaign.
*** UPDATE *** It is, however, a bit odd that Duckworth denied the existence of this suit in her 2012 race against Joe Walsh…
Transcript…
Well, first and foremost that’s not true and you continue to say things repeatedly that are not true and you think if you say them over and over again thinking they would be true and they’re not. This is what Mr. Walsh does he tries to distract people from the issue at hand
The electricity meeting dominated the statehouse activity on Thursday and kept Jones and Madigan away from a meeting Gov. Rod Blagojevich had called with Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan over how best to renew a property tax relief plan. Jones and Madigan, both Chicago Democrats, have passed different versions of a plan.
The governor halted the meeting after the two legislative leaders sent deputies instead, leading to the latest round of personal rancor that has marked interactions between the governor and his fellow Democrats since they pushed the legislative session into overtime.
Madigan sent Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) to the meeting. Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said “it appears to be a sexist thing” that the governor would not recognize Currie as Madigan’s proxy.
Deputy Gov. Sheila Nix vigorously disputed Brown’s assertion, saying “there was nothing sexist about” the governor’s decision. She called Brown’s remarks a “smoke screen” for Madigan’s absence.
Currie called Blagojevich’s actions “very bizarre behavior.”
We recently had a “sexist smear campaign” allegation, but by this date in 2007, things were far worse than they are today.
The contracts for more than 40,000 Illinois state workers will expire at the end of the month, and their unions and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s negotiating team apparently aren’t close to agreeing on new ones. […]
Without a contract in place, many unionized state workers would be allowed to vote to strike and walk off their jobs, though Lindall said that hasn’t happened in Illinois history. That includes caseworkers at the Department of Children and Family Services and home health care workers, among others. State agencies like the Department of Human Services and secretary of state’s office could shut down.
Without a contract, Rauner would also be able to lock out workers from their jobs. […]
“The administration is not going to lock out employees, and our team will continue to negotiate in good faith,” [Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly] said. “If AFSCME members decide to strike, it will show they are placing their personal interests above the people they serve.”
“My donors are basically taxpayers. My donors are taxpayers. And the reality is, I have not taken money from folks who do business with the state, who make money from the government and by the government spending more money. Frankly, it’s illegal for businesses or individuals who contract or do business with the state to do business with politicians. That’s a good restriction. I haven’t taken any money from any of those folks. My donors are taxpayers, pure and simple.”
The head of a company that has done more than $50,000 in business with the state in each of the past four years donated $2 million to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign fund in December in apparent conflict with state campaign finance laws.
Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest is CEO of Uline, a packaging supply company now based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. In December, he gave Citizens for Rauner a $2 million contribution. Uihlein’s wife, Elizabeth, is president of the firm, and she donated $25,000 to Rauner in October. […]
A state law that took effect in 2010 state, “Any business entity whose contracts with State agencies, in the aggregate, annually total more than $50,000 … are prohibited from making any contributions to any political committee established to promote the candidacy of (i) the officeholder responsible for awarding the contracts or (ii) any other declared candidate for that office.” Vendors whose business exceeds the threshold are supposed to register with the State Board of Elections.
Uihlein’s company did not register with the Board of Elections.
Yikes.
* The matter is now under investigation by the state’s chief procurement officer. Other candidates who’ve found themselves in violation have had to give the money to the state’s General Revenue Fund…
As for whether that means Citizens for Rauner, the governor’s campaign fund, will have to give more than $2 million to the state treasury because of Uline’s state business, [the state’s chief procurement officer, Matt Brown] said he didn’t want to go that far.
“We want to conduct that analysis before I give you any idea what the outcome could be,” he said.
…Adding… This specific Uihlein topic was first mentioned by a commenter ten days ago.
* Meanwhile, let’s go back to this Tom Kacich story about how the governor is attempting to recruit candidates with the promise of spending $1 million each on 20 legislative candidates next year…
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants Meister to consider running for Senate, and is willing to bankroll his campaign to the tune of about a million dollars.
“He told me very specifically that he has 20 million dollars and that he’s working to do a million for 20 races that he thinks are the most winnable,” said Meister, the 32-year-old owner of Minneci’s Ristorante in southwest Champaign, and an unsuccessful candidate for state representative in 2012.
* I told subscribers about the questionable legality of this effort last week and included it in my newspaper column this week. The Sun-Times followed up…
“Whoever it is who is doing the recruiting and contributing would have to be set up as something other than the independent expenditure committee,” said Ken Menzel, general counsel to the Illinois State Board of Elections. […]
“When you say you’re going to encourage someone to run and you’ll help them raise so much money, that doesn’t mean you’re going to hand them a check for that amount,” Menzel said, but instead could mean: “’I can put you in touch with other groups from my donor base’ . . . the national campaigns kind of end up working that way, too.”
The attention that the practice is getting has set off alarms in the world of campaign finance, though, and word is campaign finance attorneys are looking into the legality of Rauner’s overture to Meister.
“The governor is not above the law,” said Jerry Morrison, assistant to the president of the SEIU Local 1 union. “If you’re going to present yourself to the public as a reformer and you’re going to shake up Springfield, you certainly should be following the law.
Gov. Bruce Rauner gave rip-roaring speeches in several Democratic legislative districts last week denouncing the state’s Democratic leadership. All of his visits were accompanied by Illinois Republican Party press releases bashing area Democratic legislators for being in the back pockets of House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.
Some are warning that this tour is only making it more difficult to cut a budget deal before the government shuts down. By belittling legislators in front of their constituents, those lawmakers are going to get their backs up and switch to a campaign war footing just like Rauner appears to be doing. When that happens, they won’t want to cooperate.
But if you look at the numbers, Rauner did quite well in all of those districts.
The governor won 15 of the current 39 Democratic Senate districts last year, some by quite a lot. Despite what you may read, many of the Democratic-drawn districts are not prohibitively partisan.
Add in all the Republican Senate districts he won, and Rauner took 35 Senate districts to then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s 23, and came very close to tying Quinn in one other (Sen. Linda Holmes). I used Scott Kennedy’s indispensable IllinoisElectionData.com website to compile these numbers.
The governor was in Democratic Sen. Gary Forby’s district last week. Rauner stomped Gov. Pat Quinn in Forby’s deep southern Illinois turf 62-31.
That same day, Gov. Rauner appeared in the Metro East, an area represented by Democratic Sens. Bill Haine and James Clayborne. Rauner won both of those districts as well, 56-38 and 48-47.5, respectively.
Rauner also stopped in Democratic Rep. Mike Smiddy’s Quad Cities area district, which he won last year 55-41.
The Rauner folks are most likely looking at these results and thinking that their guy can help take out some of those Democrats next year.
Yet, all of those Democrats have withstood Republican victories at the top of the ticket in past years. Sen. Forby, who was first elected to the House 14 years ago, is a prime example. The House and Senate Republicans have spent millions of dollars attempting to unseat him because they’ve long recognized that his district isn’t nearly as Democratic as his winning margins would suggest.
Partisanship is only one consideration when drawing district maps. Most are drawn because the incumbents or certain types of candidates can win them. Forby is a wildly pro-coal social conservative and NRA poster boy and, simply put, his people love him. There’s a good reason why Rauner used a recording of Forby (without Forby’s permission, of course) attacking Quinn in a campaign robocall.
Presidential years are also quite different than “off” years, when governors run. Next year will be tougher to defeat these legislators because Democrats tend to vote in much higher numbers during presidential elections.
Even so, the Democrats do know that next year will be unlike any other because Rauner’s pledge to spend $20 million during the campaign targeting 20 Democrats for defeat means they will not have a financial advantage for the first time in decades.
Rauner’s $20 million pledge was first reported by Champaign News-Gazette reporter Tom Kacich. A prospective Republican candidate told Kacich that Rauner let him in on the secret while asking him to run.
If the governor follows through, though, he might want to rethink using his recently created independent expenditure PAC “Turnaround Illinois.”
Why? Well, state law prohibits coordination between independent expenditure committees and candidates. Promising to spend a million bucks each on 20 people to lure candidates into the race may very well be deemed coordination.
There are ways around all of this, of course. Money always finds a way.
Candidates could bust the state’s contribution caps on their own by contributing at least $100,000 to their campaign funds (perhaps even by taking out loans from certain wealthy individuals), which would then allow Gov. Rauner and his pals to give as much money to the candidates as they desired. Gov. Rauner could also funnel money through the state party, which could then spend on behalf of the candidates. Or he could funnel his cash through a “dark money” committee.
Whatever the case, the House Democrats recently distributed a guide to some of their members about how to deal with Republican “trackers” – people who are paid to follow politicians around with video cameras and catch them in awkward positions.
Democrats are being advised to stick strictly to their “middle class” talking points and avoid any sort of conflict, among other things.
The Democrats say they feel fairly confident about their odds, but they’re obviously worried about what’s about to hit them.
NBC Chicago has learned Turnaround Illinois, the independent expenditure committee formed in April to “support state legislative candidates who support Gov. Rauner’s bold and needed reforms and to oppose those who stand in the way,” is on the cusp of making its first ad buy in the Chicago television market reportedly for an estimated $450,000.
When asked about this, the governor’s office had no comment. But according to sources who track such transactions, the ad buy is currently set to run from June 16 through June 22.
Local television stations were told Friday to expect orders to arrive Monday morning for commercials to begin airing on Tuesday.
