*** 7:15 p.m. *** - A source briefed on the matter says the Dept. of Corrections inadvertently released employee names, job titles, and Social Security Numbers while completing a Freedom of Information Act request filed by a member of the general public.
Illinois officials erroneously released the Social Security numbers of more than 1,000 Illinois Department of Corrections’ employees this week.
A news release from the IDOC on Friday evening stated that, in response to a civilian Freedom of Information Act request, employees’ Social Security numbers were released along with their ranks, salaries and job duties.
…Adding…
Official DOC statement…
On Friday, August 14th, we were made aware of a security breach within the Illinois Department of Corrections. More than 1,000 of our employee’s Social Security Numbers were included in a response to a civilian FOIA request, along with their names, ranks, salaries, and job duties. We sincerely apologize for the release of this personal information and we are working to remedy the situation. At this time, there is no indication that the information has been misused. We are in the process of notifying the impacted employees and will be available to assist them with any questions they may have.
Since the breach was discovered, we have undertaken an investigation of the incident. We are also reviewing our internal policies and procedures and will make necessary adjustments to prevent similar incidents in the future. The General Assembly has also been notified, as required under the Personal Information Protection Act, 815 ILCS 530.
*** 8:42 p.m. *** - The Department of Corrections says it has launched an internal investigation into the incident. They won’t confirm where the employees worked just yet, however employee notifications are being sent out in tomorrow morning’s mail.
*** 9:09 a.m. 8/15 *** - AFSCME’s statement…
“The department yesterday informed our union of the potential breach of correctional employees’ personal information. In response to this troubling disclosure, AFSCME immediately recommended steps to inform employees and prevent the data from becoming public.
“At this time we believe that the actions of a quick-thinking mailroom worker stopped the information from being released. That individual is to be lauded for their actions and good judgment.
“AFSCME will do all we can to protect the security and personal privacy of the men and women who keep Illinois safe.”
* Here is a band you never…ever…ever…EVER thought would make an appearance on Capitol Fax.
But then again, remember the last time Miller went on vacation and left me the keys? He sent us some European screamo song for the Friday p.m. post.
So maybe this isn’t so random.
* I was a big Fall Out Boy fan when they were starting up in the early 2000s. Back then those guys played shows in the community centers and Lions Club halls in rural middle of nowhere central Illinois like they were sold out stadiums. I remember at one of their shows before they went really mainstream (I think it was at Bone Student Center?) a member of the event staff came to the microphone and warned us about getting too rowdy and out of hand. Without missing a beat, the band opened the set saying we’d take to the streets if they shut down the show.
Adding to the energy of those shows was a sense of pride. Here was a musical act quickly on the rise, and they were our generation and our state. Now THAT was cool.
* Anyways, FOB is playing the Fair this weekend. If they play the Grandstand like they played backwater Illinois back then, you guys are in for a good time.
This conversation’s still dead on arrival
Thanks for putting up with the kid this week. See y’all around.
Standard Poor’s Ratings Service lowered the Chicago Board of Education’s credit to junk, giving a thumbs-down to CEO Forrest Claypool’s proposed budget for 2016.
S&P becomes the third ratings agency to drop the Board of Ed to below investment grade, following downgrades by Moody’s Investors Service in May and Fitch Ratings in July.
“The rating action reflects our view of the proposed fiscal 2016 budget, which includes what we view as the board’s continued structural imbalance and low liquidity with a reliance on external borrowing for cash flow needs,” said S&P analyst Jennifer Boyd, according to a statement.
Kroll Bond Rating Agency is the only firm to give the Board of Ed an investment grade rating of BBB, one notch above junk bond status.
Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has made appointments to the Labor Advisory Board, as well as several Arbitrator reappointments to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Name: Robert J. Fulton
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Robert J. Fulton to the Labor Advisory Board. Fulton brings close to four decades of experience in labor relations to the board.
Since 2007, Fulton has been a business manager and financial secretary-treasurer at Machine Movers, Riggers & Machinery Erectors, Local Union 136. In this capacity, Fulton provided leadership to Local 136 by negotiating collective bargaining agreements, overseeing day-to-day business and representing the union at political meetings. Prior to this, Fulton was a business agent and apprentice coordinator at Local 136.
Fulton resides in Chicago.
Name: Pedro DeJesus, Jr.
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Pedro DeJesus, Jr. to the Labor Advisory Board. DeJesus’ experience in corporate management and legal affairs will provide the board with unique insight.
DeJesus is currently the Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Tampico Beverages, Inc. In this capacity, DeJesus serves on Tampico’s executive leadership team. His principal areas of focus are commercial negotiations, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property rights management and legal affairs. He also provides strategic advice to the management team and the board of directors. He has been in this role since 2007. From 2004 to 2007, DeJesus was Vice President & Corporate Counsel at Information Resources, Inc. Prior to that he was an attorney at McGuireWoods Ross & Hardies.
DeJesus earned his bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt University and his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He lives in Lake Forest.
Name: Guy Niedorkorn
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Guy Niedorkorn to the Labor Advisory Board. Niedorkorn brings 13 years of experience to the board.
Niedorkorn is the Vice President of the Power and Utility Group at Aldridge Electric, where he is responsible for overseeing that department’s operations. He has served in this capacity since 2003.
Niedorkorn is an active member of Local 134 IBEW and is on the Corporate Advisory Board for the Illinois Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Niedorkorn resides in Palatine.
Name: John T. Coli
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed John T. Coli to the Labor Advisory Board. Coli brings close to four decades of experience in labor relations to the board.
Coli serves as the President of Joint Council 25 in Chicago and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 727. Coli has been a Teamster since starting work as a parking lot attendant in 1971. He has served as a steward, business agent and Executive Board member of various labor organizations.
Coli resides in Chicago.
Name: Mark B. Buisson
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Mark B. Buisson to the Labor Advisory Board. Buisson’s experience in the insurance industry, as well as in sales and marketing will bring an important perspective to the board.
Buisson is currently the Vice President, Region Executive at PURE Insurance. At PURE, Buisson is responsible for growth, profit and loss for the company’s Midwest region, which is comprised of twelve states and includes $40 million in premiums. Prior to this role, Buisson was a sales and marketing manager at PURE, as well as the Director at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. He is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Risk Manager (CRM).
Buisson earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Carthage College. He lives in Mundelein.
Name: Jonathan D. Ginzel
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Jonathan D. Ginzel to the Labor Advisory Board. Ginzel brings extensive experience in labor and employee relations to the board.
Ginzel is currently the Director of Labor & Employee Relations at Caterpillar Inc. At Caterpillar, Ginzel is responsible for negotiating and administering labor contracts in the U.S. and Canada, as well as providing consolation on labor issues globally. Prior to this role, Ginzel was a Senior Human Resource Manager and Division Manager at Caterpillar.
Ginzel earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bradley University as well as his MBA and law degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. He lives in Peoria.
Name: Kim Clarke Maisch
Position: Member – Labor Advisory Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Kim Clarke Maisch to the Labor Advisory Board. Clarke Maisch’s knowledge of small business issues and the impact of legislation and regulation on them will be incredibly helpful to the board.
Clarke Maisch has been the Illinois State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business since 1998. In this role, Clarke Maisch is responsible for the organization’s communications with both the media and state agencies. Prior to this, she was Director of Communications for Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson. She has previously served on the Illinois Department of Employment Security Advisory Board, the Illinois Small Business & Workforce Development Task Force, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Advisory Board and the Social Security Retirement Pay Task Force.
Clarke Maisch earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She lives in Springfield.
Governor Bruce Rauner has nominated John R. Baldwin to become the next Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Baldwin is the former Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections and brings more than 35 years of overall experience to the position.
Baldwin led the Iowa Department of Corrections from January 2007 until his retirement in January of this year. As the director he oversaw a staff of nearly 4,000 officers who supervised 38,000 offenders. During his tenure, he worked with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative to build a state-specific cost-benefit analysis on the state’s corrections department. The data was used to make more informed policy and budget decisions in an effort to reduce recidivism.
Baldwin began working for the Iowa Department of Corrections in 1983. In addition to his leadership as Director, Baldwin was the Deputy Director of Administration where he oversaw a number of areas including the budget, personnel and evidence-based practices. Prior to that, he supervised the business office for a forensic psychiatric hospital that was under the control of the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Baldwin holds a master’s degree in political science from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa.
Nearly 90 percent of state spending has now been committed because of recent court rulings and Rauner administration actions even though there is no state budget in place.
Illinois Senate Democrats estimate that 89.4 percent of all state general funding is covered by court orders, consent decrees, mandated state spending or other agreements and arrangements. In other words, almost 90 percent of what the state usually spends has already been committed even through there’s no state budget in place.
In recent weeks, a federal judge ordered the state to pay Medicaid providers who serve children in Cook County. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration subsequently announced that it would expand those payments to Medicaid providers serving children throughout the state. Most recently, the administration further expanded that to cover all Medicaid providers and all services statewide in order to avoid additional legal action.
That means nearly $7.8 billion worth of Medicaid spending will occur at the Department of Healthcare and Family Services despite there being no state budget in place. Medicaid spending across all state agencies is approaching $9 billion in the absence of a budget. The Medicaid program and overall budget numbers reflect Senate Democrats’ best estimates based on tracking of past budgets and estimated spending for those programs in the current budget year.
At the moment, the court orders and other agreements have put the state on a trajectory to spend an estimated $38 billion this fiscal year. The budget lawmakers approved that the governor vetoed, contained $36 billion in spending and investments. The state is expected to bring in $33 billion in revenue this budget year.
The thing is that these consent decrees do not cap spending. They only say what services or operations should be funded - sometimes broadly. To the best of our knowledge the administration is sticking to Fiscal Year 2015, but absent a budget and with the decrees structured the way they are there isn’t anything binding them to that.
So what if the budget passes with an appropriation that is below what was spent under the consent decree? It doesn’t sound like there is solid answer to that right now. Depending on how late in the year a budget comes and how much has been spent by then, is it possible there won’t be enough left to cut so that revenues and expenditures line up?
The whole scenario reminds me of speculation during the campaign that Rauner would have to sign a tax increase because the budget would be that bad and his hands would be tied. Are we headed that direction?
* I did ask the Governor’s Office if they agreed with the Senate Dem’s analysis. Their response…
The Governor proposed and asked the legislature to support numerous proposals that would result in billions of dollars of savings to the State, including adjustments to Medicaid provider rates, reductions in the amount the state spends on units of local government, pension reforms, workers compensation reforms, and reforms to the state employees’ health insurance program, among others. None of those proposals have been enacted by the legislature. None.
Instead the Madigan Democrats continue to support the failed status quo and push only for tax increases which failed to solve any problems over the last 4 years.
* Senate Democrats announced their intentions to make MAP Grants their next funding goal. They call it a “financial aid compromise to end student limbo…”
Democrats increased MAP funding in a budget proposal approved earlier this year. Rauner, however, vetoed the legislation, leaving many colleges and students in limbo for the coming year. Because of the governor’s veto, the state began its budget year on July 1 without a full budget plan, forcing colleges and universities to start up a new academic year with no state support and no financial aid for students.
That’s where the Senate hopes to begin to add some certainty. Since the governor vetoed efforts to raise MAP funding, the Senate Democrats are now putting forward a compromise that mirrors funding levels recommended by the governor in his budget plan.
Gov. Rauner recommended spending $373.3 million on student financial aid through MAP. The General Assembly approved an addition $24 million in student aid that led to the veto.
* Our Opinion: Topinka correctly predicted Illinois’ heart attack: The state is like a body, Topinka said during a campaign debate between her and Democratic challenger, former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon. “If you try to pull it all out now, you will take a $2 billion hit, and you will cause the state to have a heart attack,” Topinka said. “You will also cause me to have a heart attack, because it would leave us high and dry.”
* An analysis of a recent PPP survey by the Clean Energy Trust suggests Gov. Rauner could win over, or at least maintain some support, of independent Illinois voters by supporting President Obama’s new clean energy plan.
According to a recent survey by Public Policy Polling (PPP), Illinoisans overwhelmingly support President Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) by a margin of 67-31%, including 48% who strongly support it. Among Democrats, 85% approve of the CPP (73% strongly) while 67% Independents support the CPP, including 43% who strongly favor the President’s plan.
Even after negative arguments against the CPP are read to respondents, voters still overwhelmingly favor the President’s plan, with 62% of Illinois voters approving and just 31% opposed. Again, plans to limit carbon pollution are popular with Independents, who favor the CPP by a twenty-point margin, 59-39%, even after negative arguments are read.
Once respondents are read a description of the Illinois Clean Jobs bill, which would raise wind and solar production to 35% and double energy efficiency in order to meet the President’s Clean Power Plan, 67% approve while just 31% oppose. As with the CPP, Independents pace support for the Illinois Clean Jobs bill by 65- 33% margin, including 45% who strongly support.
Were Governor Rauner to support the CPP, it would greatly help him win back Democrats and Independents whose support may have waned during the ongoing and highly partisan budget crisis. By 38-15% margin, voters would look more favorably upon Governor Rauner if he supports President Obama’s initiative. That includes an astonishing 48-6% margin among Democrats and a healthy 23-point margin among Independents, whose opinion of Governor Rauner would improve by a 36-13% margin. Even 26% of Republicans would feel more favorable to Rauner if he supported the CPP.
The hike was supposed to be automatic because of court decisions and a 2014 law.
But Rauner, a Republican, battered the Legislature for weeks in mid-summer over the 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for lawmakers who haven’t seen an increase in eight years.
But there were a few other fairly interesting measures the Governor also acted on, including some vetoes. Let’s go over them together, shall we?
The bill numbers and actions taken were announced via press release yesterday. The synopsis is straight from the General Assembly’s website.
Bill No.: HB 228
An Act Concerning State Government
Action: Signed
Effective Date: January 1, 2016
Amends the General Assembly Organization Act. Provides that until 4 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the General Assembly shall not enact any law creating any new unit of local government, including, but not limited to, the division of existing units of local government. Provides that the amendatory Act does not apply to the creation of a new unit of local government from the consolidation of 2 or more pre-existing units of local government.
Bill No.: HB2644
An Act Concerning Civil Law
Action: Veto
Current law permits condominium owners, acting by approval of 75% of unit owners, to limit or restrict certain rights of their board with respect to disputes and legal actions. This bill would remove that right and automatically void any contrary provision in a condominium instrument. This bill is an unnecessary restriction on the rights of condominium owners with respect to their property.
Bill No.: HB3104
An Act Concerning Local Government
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediate
Amends the Counties Code. Provides that appropriations required to meet an immediate emergency and certain transfers of appropriations exceeding the budget may be made with a two-thirds vote of a county board….provides that transfers of appropriations may be made without a vote of the board except in transfers that affect personnel and capital which require a two-thirds vote. Further provides that such transfers may be made only if the total amount appropriated for the fund is not affected.
Bill No.: HB3231
An Act Concerning Animals
Action: Signed
Effective Date: January 1, 2016
Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, a person who is convicted of a specified cruel treatment of animals violation upon a companion animal in the presence of a child shall be subject to a fine of $250 and ordered to perform community service for not less than 100 hours.
Bill No.: HB 3428
An Act Concerning Education
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediate
Amends the College and Career Success for All Students Act. Provides that beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, scores of 3, 4, and 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement examinations shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree requirements by all public institutions of higher education. Provides that each institution of higher education shall determine for each test whether credit will be granted for electives, general education requirements, or major requirements and the Advanced Placement scores required to grant credit for those purposes. Provides that by the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year, the Board of Higher Education shall analyze the Advanced Placement examination score course granting policy of each institution of higher education and the research used by each institution in determining the level of credit and the number of credits provided for the Advanced Placement scores and file a report that includes findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor. Provides that each institution of higher education shall publish its updated Advanced Placement examination score course granting policy on its Internet website before the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year. Effective immediately.
Bill No.: SB 816
An Act Concerning Local Government
Action: Amendatory Veto
Note: Amendatory veto message below.
Illinois currently has almost 7,000 units of local government, far more than any state in the country. I strongly support the authority of units of local government to take initiative to dissolve and consolidate.
In one particular circumstance, however, this authority is hampering the DuPage Water Commission’s ability to effectively serve its constituents. The Commission was created and funded by voluntary participating municipalities. Because the Commission can be effectively dissolved by those municipalities, the additional authority conferred by the 2014 law is not necessary in the limited case of the Commission.
Bill No.: SB 1344
An Act Concerning Civil Law
Action: Veto
Note: Veto message is below
Under current law, a common interest community association may initiate the process to incorporate as a municipality upon approval by two-thirds of its members. Senate Bill 1344 would lower that threshold from two-thirds to “51%” of the members.
The decision to incorporate as a municipality, which implicates a range of tax and local governance policies, should not be taken lightly. Illinois has almost 7,000 units of local government, more than any state in country. As such, we should maintain the higher threshold for initiating the incorporation process.
Bill No.: SB 1360
An Act Concerning Business
Action: Veto
Note: Veto message is below.
Under current law, a business that operates with an assumed name is required to register that name with the Secretary of State and each county in which the business operates. The business is also required to renew that registration with the Secretary of State – and pay a renewal fee to the State – periodically. This bill would require the business to also renew its registration with Cook County, but no other county, every five years and pay a renewal fee to Cook County.
This new mandate and fee would apply mostly to small businesses. The economic climate in Illinois is already detrimental to business, particularly small business. Over and over, we hear small businesses report that they are overburdened with regulations and fees, which hamper their ability to expand and impose barriers to entry.
“We continue to look forward to productive conversations as we work toward an agreement that protects our classrooms, our teachers’ pensions and the taxpayers,” district spokeswoman Emily Bittner said. “Mediation is often productive in helping parties bridge their disagreements.”
Because the Chicago Teachers Union has deemed picking up all 7 percent of its pension costs at once as “strikeworthy,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel confirmed Wednesday that CPS CEO Forrest Claypool will propose stretching out the change over several years.
“It’s one of those things that the parties do when you don’t have a contract done, by law,” said CTU attorney Robert Bloch. “We could settle through mediation, that could get it done.”
Mediation is the first of several steps required before a strike can occur. The CTU has not yet held a strike authorization vote by its members.
* Meanwhile, We Are One chairman Michael Carrigan has an editorial in today’s SJ-R bashing the Governor for vetoing the arbitration bill…
The use of an independent arbitrator is a common and time-tested way to resolve contract disputes. The same fair process that SB 1229 offers to all state employees has been used for police officers, firefighters and prison security staff in Illinois for more than 30 years.
Unfortunately, Gov. Rauner has employed a lot of misinformation in his effort to defeat the bill. Contrary to his claims, there are many safeguards to ensure arbitration is fair. Among them, the governor and union mutually select the independent arbitrator, who has to take the state’s financial condition into account in crafting the fairest possible result for both sides.
The governor says the bill is not needed because he won’t lock out state workers. Tellingly, however, he never says he won’t try to impose demands so extreme that employees essentially are forced out on strike
* Related…
* New CPS CEO Forrest Claypool lines up leadership team: Andrell Holloway, a former CTA official who supervised internal audits, has taken a similar position at the school district at a $191,000 annual salary.
Another hire from the CTA is Doug Kucia, who resumes his role as Claypool’s chief of staff. Kucia, a longtime aide to Claypool during his time as a Cook County commissioner and head of CTA, has an office adjacent to Claypool’s executive suite at CPS’ downtown headquarters and will make $175,000 a year.
* My family and I marched in the Twilight Parade. There were a TON of people at the Fairgrounds taking in the parade and the preview. Here are some of the videos I took…
Jenny and I thought Robin, who is 14 months now, would throw a bunch of waves and blow kisses as she is prone to do during our walks through the park. No dice…
he Illinois Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in November on Chicago’s year-old pension law.
Orders entered Thursday set an expedited schedule with briefs due over the next three months.
The overhaul approved by Illinois lawmakers sought to eliminate more than $9 billion in unfunded pension liability by cutting benefits and increasing contributions. It would affect about 61,000 city employees and retirees.
Last month, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rita Novak overturned a 2014 state law that reduced cost-of-living benefit increases for retired city workers and laborers and increased contributions by current employees. Those changes were coupled with increases in taxpayer payments to the pension funds.
Novak based her decision on a unanimous state Supreme Court ruling in May on a similar pension case. The court struck down a law changing state pensions, saying the Illinois Constitution’s protection against “diminished or impaired” pension benefits for public workers and current retirees was absolute. Novak concluded that ruling provided “crystal-clear direction” in the city pension case.
* I found this study while researching the McQueary column.
A study of New Orleans schools that considered test results of only students that returned to NOLA after the storm and their cohorts was published recently and concluded…
Student academic performance has risen considerably in New Orleans over the last decade as most of the city’s public schools were turned into charters, according to the Education Research Alliance.
The education overhaul following Hurricane Katrina boosted student performance by eight to 15 percentage points in the last decade. (That’s effects of 0.2 to 0.4 standard deviations for the more statistically minded among you).
That range takes into account a variety of factors that could skew the numbers either way: the effects of trauma, population changes, test-based accountability, and students spending a spell in better-performing out-of-state schools after evacuating from New Orleans.
Assuming the research was done in good faith and without bias, it sounds like good news. But then you have to consider that this only puts New Orleans on par with school districts throughout the State of Louisiana, which is consistently rated as one of the worst in the nation. Progress, but where else is there to go if the only option is up?
The national response to the hurricane aftermath was heartening, and for many young people, contributing to the rebuilding effort became a calling. Later, as the reform effort took hold, New Orleans also became the nation’s epicenter of school reform, an ideal place for aspiring reform-minded educators. Because the city is smaller than many urban districts, school leaders could be very selective in choosing from the pool of educators who wanted to come and work there.
The effects might also be smaller, at least in the short run, if the reforms were adopted on a statewide basis, because the reform is dependent on a specific supply of teachers. It seems difficult enough attracting effective teachers and leaders to work long hours at modest salaries in New Orleans; doing it throughout Louisiana is unrealistic without a major change in the educator labor market.
Leslie Koczur was a very popular lobbyist who worked for Comed as well as other organizations.
She passed away Tuesday. Can you post the details?
Here are the arrangements for Leslie Koczur:
The family will accept visitors on Sunday, August 16, 2015 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Sullivan Funeral Home & Cremation, 60 South Grant Street, Hinsdale, IL 60521, 630-323-0275.
Funeral service will be held on Monday, August 17, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, 306 West 4th Street, Hinsdale, IL 60617, 630-323-1248.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF)http://jdrf.org/
Many readers thought my premise — through my use of metaphor and hyperbole — was out of line. I certainly hear you. I am reading your tweets and emails. And I am horrified and sickened at how that column was read to mean I would be gunning for actual death and destruction
*** End of update ***
* A member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board and columnist is facing strong criticism for saying she hoped a “storm” would hit the nation’s third largest city as the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches.
Envy isn’t a rational response to the upcoming 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
But with Aug. 29 fast approaching and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu making media rounds, including at the Tribune Editorial Board, I find myself wishing for a storm in Chicago — an unpredictable, haughty, devastating swirl of fury. A dramatic levee break. Geysers bursting through manhole covers. A sleeping city, forced onto the rooftops.
That’s what it took to hit the reset button in New Orleans. Chaos. Tragedy. Heartbreak.
That’s why I find myself praying for a storm. OK, a figurative storm, something that will prompt a rebirth in Chicago. I can relate, metaphorically, to the residents of New Orleans climbing onto their rooftops and begging for help and waving their arms and lurching toward rescue helicopters.
* The column was initially posted on chicagotribune.com at around 3:20 p.m. yesterday, but was subject to some edits throughout the remainder of the afternoon and early evening. Huffington Post Chicago saved the first edition, and has made it available for review.
Among the edits was a new headline…
“In Chicago, wishing for a Hurricane Katrina” to “Chicago, New Orleans, and rebirth”
…and a modified closing…
“That’s why I find myself praying for a real storm. It’s why I can relate, metaphorically, to the residents of New Orleans climbing onto their rooftops and begging for help and waving their arms and lurching toward rescue helicopters.”
“That’s why I find myself praying for a storm. OK, a figurative storm, something that will prompt a rebirth in Chicago. I can relate, metaphorically, to the residents of New Orleans climbing onto their rooftops and begging for help and waving their arms and lurching toward rescue helicopters.”
On that front, a comparison of how the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, spends its money and levies its taxes to the City of Chicago, Illinois? Really? Quite a few differences between the two.
Today, there’s a feeling of desolation on nearly every block of the [Lower Ninth Ward] predominantly African-American neighborhood.
One of the first things you notice is the many empty lots, several on every street. Instead of houses, they now hold weeds and tall grass.
After Katrina, only about 37 percent of households returned to this once-vibrant neighborhood, which had a population of about 14,000 in 2000.
* Putting all of that aside, I can’t quite figure out what the author is hoping for if not a catastrophic natural disaster…
That’s what it took to hit the reset button in New Orleans. Chaos. Tragedy. Heartbreak.
Residents overthrew a corrupt government. A new mayor slashed the city budget, forced unpaid furloughs, cut positions, detonated labor contracts. New Orleans’ City Hall got leaner and more efficient. Dilapidated buildings were torn down. Public housing got rebuilt. Governments were consolidated.
…and…
At City Hall, nothing much has changed under four years of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The candidate in 2011 who promised to make tough decisions on city finances has followed many of the risky practices of his predecessor. The city continues to pass budgets that are unbalanced and rely on borrowing, temporary revenue sources, gimmicky fee hikes and tax increment finance sweeps.
But before closing…
So if you think somehow new leadership is going to right the ship, you might want to get your head checked.
If electing new leadership won’t solve the problem, then why wish for a catastrophic event that might lead to an overthrow of the government? The column is critical of Mayor Emanuel for, in the author’s view, breaking his promise to make tough decisions. But if new leadership won’t change things, then I guess Emanuel can count on your vote.
For crying out loud, the new Governor this editorial board endorsed and has backed at virtually every turn while simultaneously lobbing bombs at his political enemies was elected after campaigning to shake things up. But if new leadership won’t solve the problem, as this column says, then all of that was for naught.
Throw the bums out, but that won’t fix the problem. What does that mean? Is that a different way of saying, “Meet the new boss; same as the old boss?” Is that to say we’re forever trapped in a cycle we can never free ourselves of?
If that’s the case, then what is the point of wishing for “an unpredictable, haughty, devastating swirl of fury” storm, figurative or not, other than just to have one?
* Last day, campers. I hope those of you who were in town enjoyed the Twilight Parade and the Fair.
A Bears pre-season victory and a Cubs sweep of the Crew certainly made for an even more enjoyable evening.
Let’s do this. Only one more day to the weekend!
* Frustrated Emanuel takes second crack at infrastructure trust: Nearly the entire board has been replaced ahead of a Friday meeting. Former Boeing Co. executive James Bell quietly resigned as the trust’s chairman in January with a year left on his term. The new chairman is Kurt Summers, who was an executive at the private equity firm of the mayor’s top campaign donor when Emanuel named him city treasurer late last year.
* Schock judge schedules hearing next week on leaks: U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough ordered the hearing after federal prosecutors told the court “that, on August 10, 2015, there were media reports containing information that appear to derive solely from the government’s motion for an order to show cause, which remained sealed as of August 10, 2015.” “In light of this information, the court sets this matter for a videoconference on August 18, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.,” the judge said in the order.
* Top taxi official admits laundering vehicle title on Chicago cab: Alexander Igolnikov, 68, of Northbrook, faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to a single count of securities fraud when he is sentenced Nov. 19 by U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang.
* Motorola Mobility slashes 500 jobs in Chicago: Motorola Mobility is cutting 500 positions, or 25 percent of its workforce in Chicago, as part of a major restructuring by its parent, China’s Lenovo Group.
* Chicago FOP president worries new Rauner law will slow cop responses: “This will burden the officers with more paperwork and keep them from being proactive,” FOP President Dean Angelo said Thursday. “They won’t be out there as much as they used to be.”
