Effectively immediately, all Administrative and Professional and non-negotiated employees will do one furlough day per week beginning the week of March 14. I mentioned at the Open Budget Forum on February 23rd that furloughs could be a part of our cost-savings measures. Given that the budget impasse is entering its ninth month, the University is now compelled to begin its furlough program. This is necessary because we anticipate that our tuition revenue and reserves will be diminishing to the point where we can’t sustain operations through summer and into fall. The furlough program, spending freezes, holding positions vacant, and other actions are intended to provide cost savings to bridge operations to the next major infusion of funds (the FY16 appropriation or fall semester tuition revenues).
We are continuing to negotiate with our collective bargaining units. Additional details about the furlough program are being put in place, and you will receive information and FAQs very soon. Even as we implement the program, we will discontinue it when our state appropriation is received (assuming it will be adequate to meet this year’s cash flow requirements).
The decisions we are forced to make are incredibly difficult and certainly painful both economically and personally. This is an action that we all regret having to take, but for the sake of our students and Northeastern, it is a necessary one. Working together, we will endure these unprecedented times.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our University and our students. Your commitment will take Northeastern into the next 150 years stronger and more resolute in fulfilling our mission.
* Angry Twitter users continue to hammer the NRSC for its admittedly offensive, but now deleted tweet about how US Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth “has a sad record of not standing up for veterans,” even though she lost both her legs in Iraq. Click here to see the rage in all its glory..
Politico has a story up and I expect more to follow. And the Duckworth campaign has responded…
“Tasteless and dishonest, just like everything else to do with Mark Kirk’s flailing campaign. Tammy has made fighting for Veterans her life’s work, and will continue to do so in the Senate.”
Congresswoman Duckworth Stands Up for Small Business by Introducing Paperwork Relief Legislation
Emphasis added.
OK, it isn’t the same, but “stands up for…” is a common expression. I’m not excusing the NRSC’s ignorance, but she’s used it about herself.
* Also, keep in mind that Sen. Mark Kirk spends much of his time in a wheelchair since his stroke. I’ve seen him struggle mightily to “stand up.” From just last month…
Now it's time for @MarkKirk to stand up to Mitch McConnell's obstruction & demand hearings on a nominee #ILSEN
Again, it’s not exactly on the same level. But we’re talking a common expression here that somebody at the NRSC stupidly misused and that Duckworth’s campaign has also misused.
* Greg Hinz has Rep. Ken Dunkin’s reaction to President Obama’s endorsement of his Democratic primary opponent…
“All the members of the black community have patiently waited, for seven years with baited breath for President Obama to weigh in on the issues that impact our communities,” he said. […]
“So,” he continues, “you can imagine our surprise when we heard about his endorsement. The president’s presence in this race hopefully will shed some attention on the many other issues in the district — namely the high unemployment among our young black males, as well as the unprecedented number of shootings.”
The statement goes on to suggest that Dunkin is ‘the only one discussing the issues and coming up with solutions,” such as banning red light cameras. “We need the president and anyone else, who claims to be invested in our communities, to give their undivided attention to these issues.” […]
Anyhow, Dunkin announced a news conference today to further discuss Obama, but abruptly cancelled it within an hour of when the advisory went out. Spokesman Glenn Reedus said the candidate had a “schedule conflict,” but added that he’d try to get Dunkin to call me later.
* Um, hold on a second. Dunkin is running a radio ad featuring remarks by President Obama which sure make it appear as if Obama is backing Dunkin’s candidacy…
Dunkin was perfectly fine with Obama when he was promoting the fiction of the President’s backing. So for him to whine now is just plain goofy.
* Also, Rep. Dunkin voted for red light cameras when Rahm Emanuel wanted them. Now, however, he’s conveniently against the cams and Emanuel.
In response to the NRSC’s vile tweet, since deleted, Duckworth deputy campaign manager Matt McGrath issued the following statement:
“Tasteless and dishonest, just like everything else to do with Mark Kirk’s flailing campaign. Tammy has made fighting for Veterans her life’s work, and will continue to do so in the Senate.” - Matt McGrath, campaign spokesman
Despite the title of that poly sci course you took in college, politics really is an art, not a science. Good politicians almost instinctively know when to take up a given subject, when to show up and how far to go. The others bumble or stumble, coming across as arrogant and disconnected.
Which leads to U.S. Senate hopeful Tammy Duckworth.
By just about all indications, the northwest suburban congresswoman is going to win a smashing victory a week from today, on March 15, capturing the Democratic nomination to oppose GOP incumbent Mark Kirk in the fall. By all indications, she’ll enter that contest as the clear favorite.
But you never want to act like the clear favorite. Voters want to be courted and treated with respect, not taken for granted. But like Hillary Clinton did in the presidential race earlier this year, Duckworth continues to do so in the Senate contest.
The latest example is Duckworth’s decision to skip tonight’s WTTW-TV/Channel 11 debate. Her aides are suggesting only that her primary debate schedule was all filled up long ago—with (golly) three whole debates in three months. […]
Duckworth isn’t senator yet. She needs to do what all good pols do: run scared. If she can’t handle a half-hour exchange on public TV, she can’t handle the job.
I don’t think Sen. Kirk has debated even once this primary season, but she should’ve been more available.
* The governor said today that the Senate President should call the “agreed” pension bill for a vote right now and immediately pass the governor’s proposed K-12 approp bill.
Press release…
Statement from the office of Senate President John J. Cullerton regarding the governor’s comments on pension legislation and school funding. Please attribute to spokesman John Patterson.
Pensions:
As recently as the day before the governor’s budget speech, the Senate President met with the governor while attorneys on both sides continued to explore new ideas and new drafts. We appreciate the governor’s support. But passing pension reform legislation is a contentious process. The Senate President is trying to pass a law, not just create a roll call.
The potential savings can’t be spent now. Under the plan the governor and Senate President have been discussing, there are no savings in the first year. In addition, it would be unwise for the state to spend savings before the courts weigh in.
School Funding:
The Senate President met today with state education officials. In a couple weeks we hope to have a district-by-district analysis of the governor’s education spending plan. Remember, it was the governor who said he couldn’t support a funding system in which any school district lost money. Preliminary information shows that under Governor Rauner’s proposal Chicago public schools would lose $78 million.
He makes valid points.
And that bit about the governor’s plan producing $78 million less funding for Chicago will most certainly be repeated elsewhere.
Voters in Illinois show overwhelming support for medicinal marijuana use, but less than half of them support legalization for recreational use, according to a new poll conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The sample of 1,000 registered voters was taken Feb. 15 – 20 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
When asked whether they favor or oppose legalized medicinal marijuana in Illinois, 82 percent express support for the policy. Only 16 percent oppose and 3 percent did not know or answered otherwise.
Currently there is a four-year pilot program in Illinois for the use of medical marijuana. That program is due to expire in 2018.
Overall support for medical marijuana has increased dramatically - by 19 percentage points - and opposition has been cut in half since a 2013 Institute poll asked a similar question. The 2013 poll showed 63 percent support and 32 percent opposition. The 2013 poll was taken before the current medicinal marijuana pilot program was in effect.
Support is less strong on the question of recreational marijuana. There are 51 percent who oppose legalization of recreational marijuana while 45 percent said it should be legal.
“We see clear support for medicinal marijuana, but recreational use is a mixed bag,” said David Yepsen, director of the Institute. “Medical use, recreational use, and decriminalization are all related but are still distinct public policy issues in the minds of many voters. They are likely to be issues in the debate over criminal justice reform, new revenues and public health,” he said.
Support for medicinal marijuana is strongest with younger voters. Among voters younger than 35, 90 percent favor medical use. Only 8 percent of those under 35 oppose medicinal use and 2 percent answered otherwise. On average, older voters were also supportive but not as strongly.
Younger voters are also much more supportive of legal recreational use than older voters. Among those younger than age 35, 72 percent support and 24 percent oppose. Support significantly decreases among people over 65 years old - with only 29 percent in support.
“These data show that substantial support for medical cannabis can be found in every demographic, and that support has substantially increased in the last few years. Another result to pay attention to is the heavily skewed support for recreational marijuana among millennials,” said Delio Calzolari, associate director of the Institute and one of the designers of the poll.
* Meanwhile…
The poll also gauged attitudes toward gay marriage and abortion.
* On the issue of marriage equality, 53 percent stated that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry and 25 percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to form civil unions, but not marry. There were 16 percent who said there should be no legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
The U.S. Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have the right to marry in a 5-4 decision. Illinois began recognizing same-sex marriage in 2014 and civil unions in 2011.
* On the question of abortion rights, 44 percent of Illinoisans said that abortion should be legal in certain circumstances and 36 percent said that abortion should be legal in all circumstances. There were 15 percent who stated that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.
* If you were watching our live coverage post at noon, you already know that Gov. Bruce Rauner told reporters it was a “dereliction of duty” for the House Speaker to adjourn his chamber for a month. The House isn’t scheduled to return until April 4th.
Rauner refused to call a special session, saying, with some justification, they don’t ever work. He wants the House to come back to town and start voting on “real bills,” not the “sham bills” that the Democrats have been passing.
* The Question: Should the House come back into session this month? Please make sure to explain your answer in comments. Thanks.
There are few lawmakers in Springfield that are as conservative as Republican state Senator Kyle McCarter, but incumbent Congressman John Shimkus wants downstate voters to believe that his GOP challenger is “Chicagoish.”
And while Governor Bruce Rauner has sided with Shimkus over McCarter in the 15th District’s GOP primary race, Senator McCarter asked the governor Monday if he believed McCarter was “Chicagoish,” and Rauner said “No,” according to McCarter’s tweet.
Heh…
Just asked @GovRauner if he believed I was a Chicago Republican. "No, I don't." He chuckled. #twill#IL15
* But McCarter doesn’t have the money to fight back. And the Club for Growth is no longer running its ad attacking Shimkus for violating his term limits pledge, saying “We ran the original buy that we planned and are still strategizing for the final week and bundling for McCarter.” As I’ve already told you, the group is shifting into anti-Trump mode.
* And McCarter is about to be buried under even more TV ads…
The American Action Network (@AAN) today launched an independent expenditure ad campaign supporting Congressman John Shimkus in Illinois’ 15th congressional district primary. Highlighting Shimkus’ strong conservative voice, the ad campaign will ensure Illinois primary voters know he is the principled fighter they need in Congress.
Shimkus’ conservative leadership includes fighting to dismantle Obamacare, standing up for 2nd Amendment rights, and defending the right to life. Shimkus is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, National Right to Life, and other conservative organizations.
AAN’s $200,000 independent expenditure campaign includes broadcast and cable television buys running through the March 15 primary election day in five district media markets as well as digital advertising and GOTV phone calls.
“Our country needs strong leaders - fortunately we have conservatives like John Shimkus willing to step up,” said AAN President Mike Shields. “John Shimkus is willing to take on the tough fights like dismantling Obamacare, protecting gun rights and fighting for conservative values.”
* The governor is holding a media briefing at noon. Click here for the state’s audio and video. Click here for the BlueRoomStream.com video feed. And most definitely follow all that and the Senate today with ScribbleLive…
The evidence is mainly anecdotal at this point, with Democratic ward committeemen reporting more Democratic voters than usual requesting Republican primary ballots this year. City election officials report only a slight uptick to 9 percent GOP primary voters from 6 percent in 2008.
Some Democrats may be taking a Republican ballot for the express purpose of voting against Trump, but I doubt there are many, especially in a year with a contested presidential race and other important contests on the ballot.
I’d actually made the drive out to the 23rd Ward to look into a related phenomena — Democratic voters who never really understood the legal requirement to declare their party until they went to vote for Trump. These voters have been caught off guard to learn that in a primary they can’t have their cake and eat it, too, meaning vote for their state and local Democrats and Trump as well.
When that happens, those angry Trump voters have found one more reason to be angry.
“People are mad because they never realized before they couldn’t vote for who they wanted,” said Larry Thomas, a poll watcher for Jason Gonzales, the Democrat trying to unseat House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Thomas, who is stationed outside the Clearing Library, said he’s been amazed at how many voters were unaware there is no ticket-splitting in a primary.
He said he spoke to three or four voters last week who emerged from the polling place to say they had written in Trump’s name on their Democratic ballot. That’s a vote that won’t count, of course, but if you’re making a statement you’re making a statement.
A jump from 6 to 9 percent may be more significant than I think Mark gives it credit for being.
I was in that district over the weekend and saw a house with a Jason Gonzales sign and a Trump sign. That person will have to decide which race is more important to him.
In a general election, it only gets easier to abandon the Democrats.
Yep.
Ronald Reagan won Madigan’s 13th Ward in both 1980 and 1984.
* Related…
* Trump leads splintered Republican primary field in Illinois: Trump’s lead in Illinois comes despite 42 percent of Republican voters holding an unfavorable opinion of him — far more than the 31 percent of voters who view Cruz unfavorably. Trump is viewed unfavorably by 50 percent of Cook County voters, 49 percent of white suburban women and 47 percent of women voters statewide.
* Clinton holds commanding lead over Sanders in Illinois: Among Democratic voters ages 18 to 35, Sanders had 56 percent to 44 percent for Clinton. But voters ages 36 to 49 broke for Clinton, 51 percent to 43 percent. She also dominated among voters older than 50, with nearly 70 percent of voters favoring Clinton.
* Last week, Gov. Rauner’s education czar Beth Purvis sent a letter to school superintendents to say that the debate over reforming the state’s school aid formula should not “hold up record funding for all schools in Illinois.”
Senate President Cullerton disagrees…
March 7, 2016
Dear Dr. Beth Purvis,
I read with interest your letter to Illinois public school superintendents.
Those superintendents, their teachers, students, parents and taxpayers need to know what the governor’s education budget actually does to their individual school districts. Since you have already calculated that you can fund the outdated foundation level with an additional $55 million in taxpayer resources, then perhaps you have already calculated the individual effects for each school district in Illinois.
Before arguing that the governor’s plan should pass “without delay,” you owe it to superintendents to provide them with information on the effects.
We both know that the governor’s plan will create winners and losers. We would like to know who they are before we vote.
Last year, Illinois Senate Democrats increased school funding by more than a quarter billion dollars – an investment the governor ultimately signed despite the lack of Republican support – and still many of the schools serving the most impoverished students in this state lost millions of dollars in state funding.
It speaks to the fundamental unfairness of our current system. It’s why Senate Democrats are committed to creating a better system that sends resources where they are most needed and can do the most good.
In order for us to do that we need information. Weeks ago, Senate Democrats sent you details regarding a possible alternative formula and asked that you break it down, district by district, so we could study the results and make changes and improvements.
We certainly will not vote for an education budget until we have this information.
Again, this information is vital so that the public can better understand the governor’s budget proposal and we can continue to explore how to overhaul the state’s unfair and outdated school finance system.
Some portion of these claims appear to be based on one contribution Patel received from one donor who also had contributed to Rauner. That individual has also contributed to President Barack Obama and Senator Dick Durbin’s campaigns. “Those who use this one contribution to suggest I am in any way tied to the Governor are knowingly and purposefully trying to mislead the voters,” said Patel. The identity of the “secretive group” the mailers claim Patel is connected with remains unknown.
Patel has received support from hundreds of grassroots small donors, including donors who have also given to people like State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-39th), members of the Chicago City Council Progressive Caucus, Chuy Garcia and more.
“Sadly, some old-school machine political operatives believe that the best way to win elections is to resort to these untrue attacks. I think it is important to set the record straight, especially when the attacks are totally irresponsible,” said Patel. “I have always been and will continue to be a relentless voice against Gov. Rauner’s failed policy agenda that has done nothing but harm working families and communities. The voters don’t just deserve independent progressive leadership, they deserve honesty.”
* This is about his concealed carry vote, which passed with large bipartisan majorities…
The Father Pfleger quote is pretty powerful, so maybe it’ll work.
* And the AP reports that the state’s attorney is investigating the allegations of Dunkin campaign vote buying…
Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, said Monday that the office’s election unit is “looking into” a complaint against state Rep. Ken Dunkin of Chicago. The complaint was first lodged by Alderman Pat Dowell, a supporter of Dunkin’s opponent in the Democratic primary who on Sunday released videos that she says were made by “volunteers” who entered a Dunkin campaign office to secretly record the payments. […]
In one video that Dowell released, a man wearing an orange Dunkin hat can be seen handing out cash to people signing papers, while asking at one point if a man had voted. In the other video, a woman outside Dunkin’s office on the city’s South Side tells a person wearing a camera that people at a local library will be paid if they “punch 121.”
Sample ballots for Dunkin’s district show he is listed under 121 in the March 15 primary.
A man can be heard asking, “How much money?” The woman responds, “$50 apiece.”
* Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune editorial board didn’t even comment on the President’s address to the Illinois General Assembly, but did weigh in on Obama’s Dunkin endorsement today…
So thank you, Mr. President, for helping voters sort out this troublesome race. Now, who are your picks for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District?
So clever.
* They also claimed Dunkin’s opponent “chickened out of a face-to-face endorsement session with her opponent.” The other day, however, the Tribune endorsed US Sen. Mark Kirk. But Kirk also “chickened out” of a face-to-face endorsement session with his opponent…
The Chicago Tribune, the state’s largest newspaper, will not be holding an editorial interview for the top statewide race in the Illinois Republican primary. They say they’ve been unable to work out a time for U.S. Senator Mark Kirk to appear before the board, leaving his GOP challenger James Marter without recourse to get his views to their readership.
The board held an interview for the Democrat Party primary February 8, 2016.
“We couldn’t schedule a time with the other candidate, so we probably aren’t going to do [an editorial board review] in this race.” Elizabeth Greiwe, the editorial board coordinator, told the Marter campaign in an email Friday.
* An Eastern Illinois University student attempted to ask a question of Gov. Bruce Rauner yesterday, but didn’t manage to blurt it out fast enough and the governor made a skillful escape…
Check out this video I took of Governor Rauner refusing to answer an EIU student's question! #FundEIU #FundOurSchools
After enduring 15 years of shrinking convention attendance and persistent budget difficulties, the government agency that owns Chicago’s sprawling McCormick Place convention center is trying to outgrow its problems through a $650 million expansion. […]
The $250 million figure comes from a McPier-funded study that assumes DePaul fans will fill almost all of the arena’s 10,000 seats for games — nearly tripling the team’s recent average attendance. The Blue Demons, who now play in suburban Rosemont, haven’t had a winning record since 2007. […]
If the arena does not at least break even, that will add to the financial pressures on the new hotel, seen as the project’s cash cow. McPier already plans to divert some of the Marriott’s revenues to pay off a $250 million construction loan. Competition for guests will also be tough, as hotel construction in Chicago is expected to accelerate in the next two years, records show. […]
If the project’s benefits don’t materialize and McPier runs more budget deficits, taxpayers will ultimately pay the price. Since 2008, Illinois has spent about $50 million in sales tax dollars helping McPier cover its debt payments.
In interviews, more than a dozen experts raised doubts about whether the project would have the economic impact McPier officials predict, questioning in particular the wisdom of building the arena. Stadiums are not successful catalysts for economic growth, they said, and nothing about the planned McPier arena suggests otherwise.
Although there isn’t a full budget for Illinois, money for capital projects will be put to work to help ensure a military intelligence operation moves to the Land of Lincoln, according to members of Congress and Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Gov. Rauner said Friday that despite the state budget impasse, the state’s Democrats and Republicans agreed on capital funds for various projects throughout the state.
One project the governor said is a priority is building infrastructure in hopes the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, or NGA, western headquarters moves to metro-east St. Louis.
“There is no budget impasse of any sort that will impact the investment and the infrastructure needed to make this facility work,” Rauner said.
NGA Director Robert Cardillo met with representatives from both Illinois and Missouri on Friday. The NGA is expected to make a preliminary decision on where to build the $1.6 billion project on April 1st. Proposals for St. Clair County and north St. Louis City quickly emerged as front runners, and officials are now entering into the home stretch of making their case to the agency, which employs about 3,100 people in St. Louis.
Illinois’ $115 million in incentives includes about $54 million already being spent on nearby road upgrades and infrastructure, Rauner said. If selected, St. Clair County intends to donate the 182 acres outlined in the proposed site near Scott Air Force Base.
During the press conference, Illinois representatives made their case for moving the NGA’s western headquarters to St. Clair County. Rauner proposed creating a hiring pipeline to the agency from the University of Illinois’ computer science and engineering programs. Senator Mark Kirk said the NGA should be closer to the military in the case of an emergency.
“If the enemy tries to take out NGA—with a 4,000 pound IED, they wouldn’t be able to do that. I want to make sure the NGA is always in the position to deliver key, real time imagery to the war fighter,” Kirk said.
The Friends of Ken Dunkin campaign fund has received $800,000 this year from the Illinois Opportunity Project, run in part by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft. Proft’s Liberty Principles Political Action Committee has received $1.8 million from Rauner’s Turnaround Illinois PAC.
* An interesting take on President Obama’s endorsement of Rep. Ken Dunkin’s Democratic primary opponent Juliana Stratton…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, said the president isn’t endorsing a candidate as much as he is endorsing an end to the state budget stalemate.
“Where we now are literally holding back poor kids who are accomplishing great things in education and not funding it correctly, so the fact that we now have kids leaving college because of their state government doesn’t have the right budget priorities, that’s what the endorsement is,” Emanuel said.
Your interpretation of this nearly unprecedented endorsement?
A DNC source told me that part of the reason behind Obama’s making the spots for Stratton was “to set the record straight that the President has not endorsed Dunkin, he is endorsing the challenger.”
“And also we’ve heard some rumblings that Dunkin is trying to say that the ad isn’t real – it is. Also, the key issue is gun violence prevention. Stratton is in the right place and POTUS said previously he would help candidates who were in the right place on guns. She also has the support of many community leaders and the labor community, which helps,” the DNC source said.
But the decision to intervene came directly from the White House, multiple sources tell me, and just about everyone in politics thinks Madigan had something to do with it. […]
But Madigan has done Obama a few favors through the years, moving up the 2008 presidential primary to help then-candidate Obama and more recently passing legislation to clear the way for Obama’s library to be built in a Chicago public park. […]
The DNC approached the Stratton campaign shortly thereafter and said Obama “might want to be helpful,” says one source who knows. Scripts were prepared and, late last week, the White House sent word to proceed.
You ally yourself with a Republican governor, then interrupt the preznit’s address, then run a radio ad saying the preznit endorses you and your effort at “bringing people together” when he doesn’t, you’re gonna upset the preznit.
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Monday that students, teachers and parents have become hostages in the ongoing state budget battle — but she also made it clear whom she blames.
“We are all being held hostage by a governor who doesn’t want to work for us,” Lewis told the crowd at the Logan Square’s Parent Mentor celebration and workshop Monday morning at Apostolic Church of God, 6339 S. Kenwood Ave.
“The budget is being held hostage by a … sociopath” Lewis added, pausing to choose the word.
President Lewis has a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology and music, not psychology. She ought to keep her amateur diagnoses to herself.
By the way, “sociopath” is a banned word on this blog, for this very reason. Don’t use it.
Many of the state’s economic analysts say a structural budget deficit emerged and then grew under former governor Bobby Jindal, who, during his eight years in office, reduced the state’s revenue by offering tax breaks to the middle class and wealthy. He also created new subsidies aimed at luring and keeping businesses. Those policies, state data show, didn’t deliver the desired economic growth. This year, Louisiana has doled out $210 million more to corporations in the form of credits and subsidies than it has collected from them in taxes. […]
Initially, Jindal had been able to cut taxes because Louisiana was buoyed by billions in federal money, an influx to help with the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, which struck in 2005. But as that money ran dry, Jindal said he would veto any bills that would push taxes back to where they had been. Instead, to plug budget gaps, Jindal relied not just on cuts but also on controversial, one-off fundraising methods. The state sold off assets, including parking lots and farmland. It cleaned out money from hundreds of trust funds — among them, one intended to build reefs for marine wildlife. It pieced together money from legal settlements. […]
Then, as Jindal was on the campaign trail last year, fossil-fuel-rich Louisiana was hit with one more obstacle: The price of oil and natural gas fell off a cliff, causing a retrenchment in an industry that provided the state with jobs and royalties. […]
The math is daunting: For the fiscal year that ends June 30, Louisiana is facing a $940 million deficit, roughly one-eighth of what the state typically doles out from its general fund in a year. For 2016-2017, which begins July 1, the gap is $2 billion. […]
On Jindal’s watch, nearly every agency in Louisiana shed employees, and state lawmakers say some teetered because of the losses. The Department of Children and Family Services shrank to 3,400 employees, from 5,000 in 2008, and social workers began carrying caseloads larger than national standards. The state also cut funding for youth services and mental health treatment. […]
In Louisiana’s capital, on a university campus just seven miles north of the government offices, is perhaps the most acute evidence of the funding cutbacks — and the mounting concern about what will happen next. At Southern University and A&M College, a historically black institution along the Mississippi River, mold spreads across building walls, and rats scurry through dormitories. Eighteen buildings have roof leaks; in two, raw sewage occasionally belches onto the floor. An entire section of the library is off limits because of a perpetually broken fire alarm.
Keep in mind that this was done by design. They didn’t expect a crash in energy revenue, but everything else was done on purpose. And now… chaos.
It’s a question I’m asked a lot these days. The inquirers always wonder how Gov. Bruce Rauner, House Speaker Michael Madigan and their more full-throated enablers on both sides can live with themselves as they watch big chunks of the state government’s responsibilities crumble before their very eyes during the months-long governmental impasse.
As far as I can tell, they’re sleeping pretty well. And both sides appear to be using almost the exact same coping strategies.
Rauner and his crew say they’re horribly upset that Illinois doesn’t yet have a budget, but it’s all being stopped by one man, Madigan. Until Madigan and the legislators he controls decide to compromise, there’s nothing Rauner can do, they say. Simple. Move along.
Speaker Madigan and his crew have been saying for months that Rauner is operating in the extreme by demanding non-budgetary items that go against core Democratic principles. Until Rauner changes course, they say, there’s nothing Madigan can do. Simple. Move along.
Both men also see the key to a solution in the rank and file membership of the other party. Rauner repeatedly insists, without offering evidence, that several rank-and-file legislative Democrats are ready to stand against Madigan. The governor seems to truly believe that he’s not far away from breaking this thing wide open, despite the shunning of Rep. Ken Dunkin by his fellow House Democrats for openly siding with Rauner and the fortune being spent in a primary to tar and feather Dunkin, who dared stand up to Madigan and the unions.
Madigan, for his part, believes that a big key to solving this crisis is to continue putting pressure on House Republicans — forcing them to take the worst votes possible, like standing against college MAP grants for impoverished students. He did it again last week by forcing an override motion on a vetoed MAP grant appropriations bill. Madigan rightly notes that the Republicans have cracked before and forced Rauner to relent on funding for child care, local governments, etc. All he has to do is wait them out, even though there’s that little problem of Sen. Sam McCann being shunned by his fellow Senate Republicans and the fortune being spent in the primary to tar and feather McCann, who dared to stand with the unions and against the governor.
Rauner and Madigan are also portraying each other as almost the embodiment of evil in their respective proxy campaigns. The imagery is ugly on both sides.
Both men are also employing anti-Chicago rhetoric, with Rauner demanding a state takeover of the city’s schools and swearing off a bailout. For their part, Madigan and his suburban and Democratic members claim Rauner’s proposed school takeover idea is actually a state bailout, and they strongly oppose sending money to the big, bad city at the expense of their own districts.
In the meantime, Chicago’s school system was forced last month to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars at usurious interest rates just to keep its doors open during the impasse. Chicago State University accelerated its spring semester in order to limp through the academic year and has sent layoff notices to every one of its 900 employees.
Western Illinois University just announced layoffs and cuts. Eastern Illinois University’s bond rating was just downgraded to junk status. Northern and Northeastern Illinois Universities were both downgraded to one notch above junk.
Rape crisis centers are closing, homeless teens can’t get help and drug treatment programs are going out of business.
And yet, there’s no end in sight. Senate President John Cullerton has tried to play mediator, but that’s going nowhere as long as Madigan is dealing with his own Democratic primary opponent who’s funded mainly by Rauner’s supporters, and as long as Rauner is fully engaged in GOP primaries around the state.
Primary day is March 15. Both sides are seemingly trying to demonstrate to the other that their actions can have real electoral consequences. So, on March 16th we may know whether or not a truce can be called long enough to fix at least some of these problems.
But Madigan doesn’t easily forget attacks like these, nor does he cotton to outsiders meddling in his and his members’ primaries. And the governor seems committed to win at all costs.
Plus, I’ve learned over the years to always bet on nothing when it comes to getting something done in Illinois. It’s the historically smart play and you’re only wrong once.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner will endorse U.S. Rep. John Shimkus for reelection at a series of events on Monday.
Rauner has already made numerous favorable remarks about Shimkus, a Republican from Collinsville, but tomorrow the representative will officially have the governor’s support, said Steve Tomaszewski with Volunteers for Shimkus.
The pair will make the announcement at six different small events across District 15, which Shimkus currently represents.
“The Congressman plans to speak to the governor’s efforts in Springfield (on reforms and the economy),” Tomaszewski said.
I was reading a newspaper story the other day about the usual politically connected folks lining up for contracts at Midway International Airport, and I remembered something I saw several weeks ago.
A state legislative candidate’s website is touting his ambitious plans to make the area around Midway more vibrant like the area around O’Hare International Airport. Midway’s “huge market of potential customers,” the candidate says, has the potential to “create many good-paying jobs for people living in our community.”
I used to live not far from Midway, and I couldn’t agree more. While some hotels have been built since I lived there, the development is pathetically small in comparison to what is near O’Hare.
O’Hare handles infinitely more fliers every day than Midway ever will, but that doesn’t mean Midway can’t be much better-utilized as a development anchor.
The candidate proposes beautifying 63rd Street as well as other streets in the area. He wants an entertainment center like Rosemont’s fabulous MB Financial Park. He wants to redevelop the derelict Ford City Mall, turning it into a top-quality outlet mall with shuttle bus service to Midway. Rosemont’s outlet mall is often packed to the gills with shoppers.
The House hopeful is dreaming big. He wants to build “an advanced manufacturing cluster and job training center” in the area and an overpass to “prevent freight trains from delaying traffic for long durations of time.”
There’s probably only one politician in Chicago with the power to pull off such massive projects. That pol, House Speaker Michael Madigan, also happens to represent Midway Airport.
But those aren’t Madigan’s ideas. Instead, they were developed by
Club for Growth Action, a political arm of the Club for Growth, released the following statement about a new ad buy that is starting today in Illinois:
“The momentum is shifting away from Donald Trump,” said Club for Growth Action president David McIntosh. “Overwhelming wins by Senator Ted Cruz in Kansas and Maine, and a delegate tie in Louisiana showed that Republican voters don’t want a big-government liberal like Donald Trump at the top of the GOP ticket. They know that Trump would cost Republicans the White House, the Senate majority, and, ultimately, the Supreme Court. It will be no surprise to see the numbers tighten in tomorrow’s primaries and caucus. As voters come to know Trump’s record, they will turn to true pro-growth conservatives.
“Primary voters need to know that Trump has spent years arguing for far-left positions on taxes, health care, bailouts, and the abuse of eminent domain. And now he sounds like the worst kind of politician, warning voters that he will change positions when he feels like it. The shell game that is the Trump candidacy needs to be stopped.”
Club for Growth Action is spending about $2 million for ads that are airing on statewide broadcast and cable TV in Illinois, along with digital ads. The two ads were both aired previously and successfully in Iowa. The first ad also played a significant role in Trump’s loss in Oklahoma.
* Script for “Politician”…
Which presidential candidate supports higher taxes, national health care, and the Wall Street bailout?
It’s Donald Trump.
“In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.”
Trump wants us to think he’s mister tell-it-like-it-is.
But he has a record. And it’s very liberal.
He’s really just playing us for chumps.
Trump: just another politician.
“In many cases, I probably identify more as a Democrat.”
Club for Growth Action is responsible for the content of this advertising.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump will come March 11 to Chicago for a rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion, just days before the March 15 Illinois primary election.
University officials confirmed the Trump campaign had rented the arena for an event that will begin at 6 p.m. […]
Trump’s Chicago rally will take place while the Illinois Republican Party holds a fundraising dinner honoring Gov. Bruce Rauner featuring a rival for the GOP presidential nomination, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Although all presidential contenders were invited to the state GOP event at the Palmer House Hilton, only Cruz has confirmed he’ll be there for the fundraiser, which begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception and follows with dinner at 6:30 p.m.
A candidate for the Illinois House says he was attacked by his opponent’s supporters.
Bob Zwolinski is running for Illinois’ 4th District, against incumbent Cynthia Soto.
He says Sunday night a man and a woman were stapling posters for Soto outside his campaign office Ashland and Chicago in East Ukrainian Village.
Zwolinski says he asked them to stop and that’s when the man punched him in the chest then the woman hit him in the head with a beer bottle and then shot a staple gun at him — leaving him with a staple in his forehead.
Chicago police say Zwolinski has filed a police report and the accused attackers are claiming they are the victims in this case.
* OK, brace yourself. From Zwolinski’s Twitter feed…
Zwolinski alleges in a statement that the posters supported his Democratic primary opponent, incumbent State Rep. Cynthia Soto, who took office in 2001 for the district, which includes parts of Bucktown, Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Ukrainian Village.
When he asked the pair to remove the posters, an argument ensued and the 26-year-old man hit Zwolinski in the chest. The woman, thought to be in her 20s, then struck him in the head with a bottle and shot a staple gun at his forehead, causing a laceration, police said. […]
But the man and woman are also alleging they were victims in the attack, police said. The man told investigators Zwolinski ripped the posters down, grabbed him by the shirt, threw him to the ground and punched him several times. […]
As of Monday morning, no one has been taken into custody in connection with the incident and no charges have been issued. A representative from Soto’s office could not be immediately reached for comment.
A law enforcement source also said that 911 callers described four people fighting, not one individual being attacked.
Speaking outside Zwolinksi’s office Monday, Frank Avila, an attorney representing the alleged attackers, called the episode a “false flag” and a “media stunt trying to draw attention to a flailing campaign.”
“[Zwolinski] saw people putting up signs along Ashland, and he started pushing them and grabbing them,” Avila said. “He initiated physical contact, and they defended themselves. …If he ended up getting the worst of it, that’s on him.”
Avila said his clients, two unpaid volunteers for Soto’s campaign, were stapling signs over a vacant property next to Zwolinski’s office — not on the office itself. On Monday, a large splatter of blood remained next to the vacant property, although some droplets showed near the office as well. […]
“Yes, there was a fight, yes, there was self defense,” Avila said. “[But] why did he call the media before he called 911? Why is he going out and confronting people? Why would they just fight him?”
Serious allegations of voter fraud surfaced Sunday within a high-stakes Illinois House campaign, catching the attention of Cook County prosecutors.
Secretary of State Jesse White and Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) appeared at a South Side press conference to accuse Rep. Ken Dunkin of buying early votes in the battle to keep his 5th District seat in the state House of Representatives. Dunkin’s opponent, Juliana Stratton, also stood nearby as Dowell shared what she claimed is video evidence of Dunkin’s alleged scheme — purportedly shot by people who infiltrated the vote-buying operation and cast ballots in exchange for “crisp $50 bills.”
“This is a violation of all laws of human decency, and shame on Mr. Dunkin and his organization for doing this,” White said. […]
Campaign workers noticed a larger-than-normal early voter turnout Saturday at the Chicago Bee Branch library, Dowell said. So four unnamed volunteers decided to go undercover. Dowell claims voters were being vetted at Dunkin’s campaign headquarters in the 2900 block of South Wabash, told to vote for Dunkin, taken to the library and returned to Dunkin’s campaign office to collect $50 or $100.
The four people who went undercover cast ballots, collected money and have since spoken to Chicago Police, Dowell said.
* I was in Chicago over the weekend for a Saturday morning speech, so I was able to attend the Sunday presser. Here’s part of Ald. Dowell’s statement…
In another video, a woman wearing a red jacket standing outside the Dunkin office at 2907 S. Wabash Street is seen speaking with a man wearing a hidden camera.
“Thirty-seventh and State, that library, that’s where everybody at,” she says, likely referring to the Chicago Bee Library, 3647 S. State St. “And when they get through right there, they get their sheets in [inaudible] they voted, they come back here, and everybody just gotta make sure they punch 121.”
The video man asks, “I gotta go down there and then come back here?”
She responds, “How you gonna get your money?”
Then another man in the background asks, “How much money?” and she responds, “Fifty dollars apiece.”
The video man asks one more time, “I gotta come back down here to get paid?”
And she says, “Yeah ’cause that’s the only way we gonna know you did it.”
* Watch the video, but be aware of some bad language…
“It is another example of them being in a desperate mode and not talking about the issues,” Dunkin said. […]
Dunkin said state House Speaker Mike Madigan is behind the effort to smear his campaign. Dunkin, who has received big campaign contributions from Republicans, has voted against Madigan on several issues, denying him a veto-proof majority that would break the partisan stalemate in Springfield.
“Mike Madigan will tell elected officials to do whatever he thinks he can to derail an independent voice for a man standing up in his district,” Dunkin said.
A debate planned for Monday night featuring the candidates running in the 50th district state Senate Republican primary has been canceled.
Challenger Bryce Benton’s campaign notified The State Journal-Register on Sunday afternoon that Benton would be unable to participate in the Monday night event, which was to take place at the SJ-R building.
Benton is out of state because of a family member’s serious illness, spokesman Aaron DeGroot said.
Benton is challenging incumbent state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview.
* This doesn’t appear to be a ploy by Benton. Click here to see why. His dad just had a double lung transplant. He was discharged from the hospital over the weekend, but I’m told the recovery is not going well. The Benton campaign says the candidate will reschedule the debate.
Juliana Stratton, Democratic candidate for state representative in Illinois’ 5th District, announced Monday that President Barack Obama is endorsing her campaign to unseat state Rep. Ken Dunkin. The president has recorded a radio and television commercial in which he endorsed Stratton and asked Chicagoans to support her.
“I’m endorsing Juliana Stratton because she will stand up for our children, our seniors and our working families,” Obama said. “Juliana will fight to get guns off our streets. Throughout our neighborhoods, too many young people and families live in fear. These families can’t afford inaction. Juliana Stratton will bring a new voice to Springfield as State Representative. She is the strong and devoted leader our neighborhoods need.”
Stratton, a first-time candidate for office, is taking on 13-year incumbent Ken Dunkin, who has received nearly $1.5 million in campaign support from right-wing political committees and a group that was created to advance Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda. Stratton has made a cornerstone of her campaign cracking down on the gun violence that has ripped through the city, vowing to push for tougher penalties for shooters who target children.
“Receiving President Obama’s endorsement is an incredible honor, and I will work hard every day for our families and neighborhoods to earn his continued trust and support,” Stratton said. “Our neighborhoods are proud of how President Obama has taken on dangerous right-wing agendas and has stood up for working families. As state representative, I will fight against reckless agendas that threaten our families.”
Stratton has criticized Dunkin’s record of failure, including siding with the National Rifle Association in voting for a law that made it easier for criminals to get guns and for helping Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner slash affordable child care for thousands of children.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Dunkin ally Maze Jackson just said on WVON radio that “the same person who gave us Rahm Emanuel” is now endorsing Dunkin’s opponent, and then asked rhetorically if that means Stratton is now backed by Rahm. Click here to listen. Jackson has also cut a radio ad for Dunkin, which is airing on his program. And Jackson endorsed Emanuel himself last year.
The Sun-Times has learned that the spots will run through the March 15 Illinois primary; there is about $300,000 behind the TV ad buy and about $100,000 for radio. The ads were produced by Adelstein and Associates, handling the media for the Stratton campaign.
