Friday appointments announced
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Governor Bruce Rauner announced today a number of staff transitions and appointments.
As of June 30, Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Director Rocco Claps will transition out of the Administration. Janice Glenn, the Director of Diversity and Recruitment in the Office of the Governor, will take over as the Director of IDHR.
Governor Rauner also made appointments to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the Illinois Lottery Control Board, the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees and the Northeastern Illinois Board of Trustees.
In addition, Mitch Holzrichter has been named Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs and Special Counsel to the Governor. Legislative Director Jim Kaitschuk has been named to the enhanced role of Director of Legislative Affairs.
Name: Janice Glenn
Position: Director – Illinois Department of Human Rights
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Janice Glenn as the Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She will bring years of experience in government relations, leadership development and employee development to the position.
Currently, Glenn is the Director of Diversity and Recruitment in the Office of the Governor. She has spent the last year and a half recruiting and retaining diverse talent for state agencies, boards, and commissions. She also serves as the agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Officer.
Previously, she served as Director of Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC), which is a non-profit civic leadership organization. She worked very closely with the LGC’s class of fellows including recruitment. She also worked in public and government affairs with Amoco Corporation.
In addition, Glenn currently serves as Co-Chair of the Illinois Commission to End Hunger, the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, and the Illinois Human Services Commission. She is Vice Chair of the Rising Leaders Council for Christ The King Jesuit Preparatory High School in Chicago’s Austin community. She is also an Honorary Fellow of LGC.
Glenn earned her bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt University. She lives in Homewood. […]
Name: Jim Kaitschuk
Position: Director of Legislative Affairs
Jim Kaitschuk, who is currently Legislative Director, has been named to the enhanced role of Director of Legislative Affairs. He will continue to oversee day-to-day legislative operations for the Governor and manage State agency legislative programs. His expanded role will include further cultivating relationships with members of the General Assembly and working to achieve the Governor’s legislative agenda.
Kaitschuk brings years of public and private experience to the role. He served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association for 12 years prior to joining the Administration. He also served as House Liaison for Governor George Ryan and as a legislative liaison for a number of State agencies.
Kaitschuk is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana and resides in New Berlin with his family.
Kaitschuk is a good guy.
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* This began on June 2nd…
* And then he started trolling media outlets and Democratic legislators, to no avail…
* Today, somebody finally responded…
* And then a Democrat hit him with some kindness…
*** UPDATE *** He’s still at it, and Rep. Mitchell is not amused…
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Illinois women hurt badly by impasse
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Garcia and Geiger filed a very well-researched report…
Women make up nearly two-thirds of the recipients of a low-income college tuition grant program that’s been underfunded. Women are also the ones seeking help through programs that have lost state funding entirely, including intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, home visits for teen parents, and prenatal and family care management for at-risk mothers. The funding crunch has gotten so bad that low-income women seeking breast and ovarian cancer screenings are being told to wait in a long line, unless they’re already displaying symptoms. […]
Normally, the state sets aside roughly $13 million to provide breast and ovarian cancer screenings for low-income women, a program primarily administered by local health departments or other women’s service agencies. But without a budget, the only money flowing to the program is about $6 million in federal funds. […]
Illinois’ network of 29 rape crisis centers are “operating at bare bones,” said Polly Poskin, executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Without money to pay employees, the centers have had to lay off 16 workers while delaying hiring and furloughing some workers at centers across the state. Volunteers are chipping in to keep the 24-hour rape crisis hotlines operating, but the waiting list of people who need counseling services has grown to 175 statewide, Poskin said. […]
The social services bill on Rauner’s desk, which includes about $2.76 million for sexual assault programs, “would be a godsend,” Poskin said. With it, “we could limp along until November. And without it, we’re facing the dreadful closure of some centers. It’s needed, and it’s needed now.” […]
The uncertainty over higher education funding looms especially large for women. Caught in the middle is a state scholarship grant for low-income students known as the Monetary Award Program. According to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, which oversees the program, roughly 80,000 of the 128,000 students who received the grants last year were women.
This is just a small sampling of their story, so click here and read the whole thing.
Signing that human services stopgap would sure help some of those folks.
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Because… Madigan!
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The problem…
* The solution! And check out that fantastic dot point #3…
Gonna see a whole lot more of these mailers before it’s all over.
* Oh, wait. I just happen to have a couple more. Side by side for your viewing pleasure…
* And the cookie cutter campaign is already getting on The Southern Illinoisans’ nerves…
Thumbs down to the thus-far unoriginal, uninspiring campaigns of Republican statehouse challengers Jason Kasiar and Dave Severin. Kasiar, of Eldorado, is challenging Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg; and Severin is challenging Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion. It’s not uncommon for the newspaper to receive back-to-back emailed statements from challenges Kasiar and Severin slamming their opponents for something going on in Springfield, and tying their opponents to House Speaker Mike Madigan. The problem is the messages sound so canned, and so unlike the way the candidates actually speak, that it’s hard to take them seriously. And they come from the same email address, one belonging to Aaron DeGroot, whose LinkedIn account says he is the downstate press secretary for the Illinois Republican Party. So much for our hope for independent voices of reason on the campaign trail.
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Way over the top
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Fr. Michael Pfleger’s Facebook page…
Can’t understand why the DuSable Museum [of African American History] will Allow Gov. Rauner to speak there on Monday….this is disrespectful…and insult to be invited to speak at this jewel in the African-American Community. This man has abandoned and raped the community of resources
Whoa.
Apparently, the meek will not inherit St. Sabina’s Parish.
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Deja vu all over again
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Riopell…
People who’ve waited more than a year for Illinois leaders to finish a state budget might start to feel like the prospects of a compromise are similar to the odds of winning the lottery.
Now, Illinois Lottery winners might — again — face the prospects of not being paid their jackpots in a timely manner if no spending deal is struck by the end of the month.
Last year, lottery winners sued the state to get their payouts and eventually did after Gov. Bruce Rauner and lawmakers agreed on a patchwork budget plan.
That plan, though, expires with the budget year on June 30. Attorney Thomas A. Zimmerman Jr., who represented about three dozen lottery winners in that lawsuit, said he’s prepared to act quickly again. […]
“Lottery prizes will continue to be paid to all winners prior to the end of the fiscal year, June 30,” spokesman Stephen Rossi said. “We encourage the majority party in the General Assembly to pass the governor’s stopgap budget proposal.”
This is just so tiring.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Claps stepping down
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an internal IDHR e-mail…
Dear Colleagues:
I have had the profound privilege and honor to serve as Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights for over thirteen years. It is, I readily admit, bittersweet, as I announce today that I will be leaving IDHR on June 30th.
Working together we have had many, many achievements in those thirteen years. I have been most heartened by the depth of kindness and support you have all shown me as Director–and I hope that you have felt the same in return. I have said it dozens of times in the past—I am deeply proud of your collective work, professionalism and ability to help people—people who come to our Agency for assistance when they need it the most.
I hope that you will continue to support the next Director, who will be announced later this afternoon, as the new Director undertakes this important role. I can think of no one better suited for this job and to lead the agency that I, honestly, very much love.
I wish you all the very best—and please know my kind thoughts and prayers are with each of you!
Sincerely,
Rocco Claps
Claps was a Quinn holdover, but I’m told this was a mutual decision. No ill will.
*** UPDATE *** Claps just confirmed that he’s heading to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
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Basic arithmetic is not compromise
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Bruce Rauner…
And, I am not a fan of taxes. I am an anti-tax, limited government person. I have said I am willing to raise taxes. I will support a tax hike. I don’t like it. It’s hard to do. But, I am willing to do it as a compromise- to get truly balanced budgets. So, anyone who would say, “Well, the Governor just won’t compromise.” They’re not, that’s a little disingenuous.
Higher taxation is not part of a compromise. Higher taxation is a given. It’s basic arithmetic. If it wasn’t, the governor would’ve already submitted two budget proposals that were completely balanced with cuts. He’s never come close to doing that. Why? Math, baby. Math.
And if anybody thinks that Democrats are falling all over themselves to raise taxes, well, they should think again. While many are willing to do it (because math), most aren’t looking forward to it, even in Chicago. After a county sales tax hike and huge city property tax hikes and coming local tax increases for CPS, no Chicago Democrat in their right mind would vote to sharply curtail union and worker rights and benefits in exchange for simply being allowed to pass a big state tax increase.
* The governor wants some things that I support, like workers’ comp reform (also, giving school districts the same latitude on union contracts that CPS has ain’t exactly revolutionary, either).
But in exchange, all he’s basically offering is continuing most of the same programs that existed before he was elected along with the privilege of passing a tax hike.
Some compromise you got there, dude.
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Unclear on the concept
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an editorial entitled “Our view: Lock doors on lawmakers”…
May we offer one more solution once all of the members are seated in the chamber in Springfield next Wednesday? Lock the door from the outside, and the legislative body is not allowed to leave without a balanced budget that keeps schools and social service agencies open.
If that sounds uncomfortable, too bad. If it sounds like it’s too hard, tough.
It doesn’t sound “uncomfortable,” it sounds like a massive felony.
Look, we’re all frustrated, but I’ve seen this silly suggestion all over the place. Any idea how this could be accomplished? It would probably take something as extreme as a military coup d’etat to pull this off and I’m just not a big fan of that sort of thing.
So, if it wasn’t a serious idea, label it as such. If it is serious, then… well… that’s just plain scary.
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Maybe not
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Rauner administration’s response to yesterday’s $550 million bond sale…
“It’s clear from today’s bond sale that investors realize Illinois now has a governor that is trying to turn the state around and right its fiscal ship,” Kelly said in a statement.
* But…
New analysis by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs demonstrates the consequences of the state’s poor credit rating.
On June 16 the state of Illinois sold $550 million in General Obligation Bonds. This was the first bond issue since the state’s recent credit rating downgrades by Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. The sale also occurred as Illinois ends FY16 without a budget, and failed to pass a budget for FY17.
The analysis shows that the state received $70 million less for this bond sale than it would have received ten years ago, and $12 million less than it would have received six months ago.
The full report is here.
* Also, from the Bond Buyer…
Illinois paid a steeper penalty to borrow Thursday after a fresh round of downgrades but a municipal market offering historically low yields helped disguise the spreads.
A market flush with buyers and a dearth of yield staved off more severe damage for the $550 million competitive general obligation offering from a state gushing red ink after almost a year without a budget in place.
Municipal professionals said the outcome indicates that the state of the bond market and belief in the strength of Illinois’ GO bond statutes outweighed its morass of fiscal woes and political gridlock. […]
Illinois paid the highest yield penalty over the triple-A curve imposed on a sovereign state, one that’s risen since it last sold bonds in January.
* Related…
* Wall Street sends flowers and candy to Toni Preckwinkle: The bond folks clearly liked Preckwinkle’s highly controversial move a year ago to bump the county’s sales tax up a penny on the dollar, an action that raised the combined sales tax in Chicago to 10.25 percent and will net $470 million a year, most of which will go toward pensions.
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Flooding the zone
Friday, Jun 17, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Illinois Policy Institute is ramping up its rhetoric in support of remap reform and tronc has published two of its recent op-eds, including this one entitled “How Madigan became king”…
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s first political splash had nothing to do with policy. It wasn’t a blueprint for a better state. It wasn’t middle-class jobs growth. It wasn’t a successful welfare program.
It was cartography.
Political mapmaking is how Madigan first took hold of a position he’s held for 31 of the past 33 years: speaker of the House. For comparison’s sake, the median age in the Land of Lincoln is 36, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While Madigan has endured a few legislative embarrassments over the years, he’s never lost the vote he desires most from House Democrats. His caucus has elected him speaker 16 times in a row.
It’s not that I disagree with the premise or the history, it’s just that the rhetoric at tronc is really getting over the top, including today’s “king” reference.
Last week, they ran a cartoon describing the play “Hamilton” as “Powerful Democrats scheme and plot. Some people get shot.” Another person in the cartoon asks “Then shouldn’t it be called ‘Illinois’?”
This past Sunday, the Chicago Tribune’s main editorial headline was “Sniper alert: Why Chicago and Illinois pols are firing on one another.” After Sunday’s Orlando massacre, the paper thankfully changed the online title to “Chicago and Illinois politicians are losing to financial reality. And they’re miserable.”
Whew.
* Anyway, on to the second remap reform piece written by an Illinois Policy Institute staffer [Sorry, it just looked like an Illinois Policy Institute piece. It’s actually a tronc guy. All apologies.] and published by tronc…
The current legal challenge to the Independent Map Amendment claims having an independent commission decide redistricting would be unconstitutional.
To me, calling this citizen-led reform effort unconstitutional is like saying voting is undemocratic or flying the flag is unpatriotic.
Amendment supporters are only asking for the chance to put the question to voters. If opponents can muster enough support to defeat the question at polls, then so be it. But it’s only fair to give voters a chance to decide.
If the state’s Constitution didn’t have such strict ballot access requirements for popular referenda, I’d fully agree. But it does. And I’m sure they must know this.
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