Mayor Rahm Emanuel has a lot of ground to cover in his speech Thursday night on Chicago violence.
How many questions will he answer, and what elephants in the room will he ignore?
We’ll know more starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, when he delivers his speech to what is likely to be a supportive crowd — it’s invitation-only — at Malcolm X College.
Here are some things to look for:
1. The price tag for his plan to bolster the Chicago Police Department is about $138 million over two years. Will the mayor be any more specific about how to pay for that? He’s ruled out increases in sales, property or gas taxes — but you can drive a truck through that loophole. There are plenty of other taxes and fees he could increase.
Monica Lawton at WBEZ just e-mailed me to say that her station (91.5 on your FM dial) will be carrying the speech live. So, click here to listen and let us know what he says. I’ll be in yoga class.
U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, R-Lincolnshire, has been running hard as a moderate’s moderate in his north suburban 10th District, not only emphasizing his support for gun control and gay rights groups, but underlining that he will not vote for Donald Trump for president.
But Dold has lined up another top Republican to star at his Oct. 5 fundraiser who in some ways is almost as divisive: Gov. Bruce Rauner.
According to an invitation that came my way, the “special guest” at a Glencoe reception and “private round table” is Rauner, whom some like and some hate but who has bitterly battled labor unions and Springfield Democrats most of the past two years. […]
“Raising money with the governor shows Republican Bob Dold’s true priorities lie with the extreme Rauner agenda of attacking labor and working families, cutting the social safety net and restricting access to voting rights,” says [Brad Schneider] spokesman Steven Kirsch.
Today, the Schneider for Congress campaign released a new online ad to shed light on Republican Congressman Bob Dold’s actions to pave the way for a Donald Trump presidency.
Despite his claims that he will not support Donald Trump, Dold recently headlined a local Republican party fundraiser titled “Beat Hillary at the Distillery.”
“Whatever he may say, Republican Bob Dold’s actions show he is raising money to defeat Hillary Clinton and thereby working to elect Donald Trump,” said Schneider for Congress spokesman Steven Kirsch. “This is the same political double-talk Bob Dold use to block the gun safety legislation he claims to back and to introduce legislation to defund Planned Parenthood clinics while claiming he supports women’s health.”
The organizations hosting the event – The Lake County Republican Central Committee, The Lake County Republican Federation, and The Women’s Republican Club of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff – list their support of Donald Trump for President on their websites.
Voters in Orland Township will consider a referendum in November to leave Cook County and join adjacent Will County.
The Daily Southtown reports the referendum is an advisory question, which means the south suburban Chicago township will remain in Cook County no matter the result of the vote.
Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady says it’s an issue he’s heard about regularly from constituents. Specifically, he says, after Cook County raised sales taxes. O’Grady says residents “feel they are not getting their money’s worth.”
Similar referendums to disconnect from Cook County were overwhelmingly approved by voters in Barrington, Hanover and Palatine Townships in 2009, also triggered by the sales tax hike. However, seven years later, those communities are still in Cook County.
Illinois ranks 29th in the nation in overall highway performance and cost-effectiveness in the new 22nd Annual Highway Report published today by Reason Foundation.
The state’s overall ranking has worsened, it was ranked 27th in the previous report.
Illinois ranks 16th in fatality rate, 9th in deficient bridges, 1st (tie) in rural Interstate pavement condition, 1st in urban Interstate pavement condition, and 44th in urbanized area congestion.
On spending, Illinois ranks 39th in total disbursements per mile and 37th in administrative disbursements per mile.
Illinois’s best rankings are rural Interstate pavement condition (tied for 1st), urban Interstate pavement condition (1st), and deficient bridges (9th).
Illinois’ worst rankings are urbanized area congestion (44th), capital-bridge disbursements per mile (43rd), and total disbursements per mile (39th).
Illinois’ state-controlled highway mileage makes it the 12th largest system.
And, by the way, “autonomous” cars (that aren’t autonomous and are a very long way from being much above vaporware) ain’t gonna improve that congestion problem.
The number of unauthorized immigrants residing in Illinois dropped by 10 percent, or 50,000 people, between 2009 and 2014 — something experts say has been key to Chicago’s recent population loss.
“So much of the population growth in this region was based on legal and undocumented immigration. This closes the plug on the growth we’ve had,” said Rob Paral, a Chicago-based demographer who advises nonprofits and community groups. “Undocumented immigrants were a substantial piece of the picture, and that era is behind us.”
In 2014, about 450,000 unauthorized immigrants lived in Illinois, compared with about 500,000 in 2009, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. While most states saw no significant change in their unauthorized immigrant populations during the five-year period, Illinois is among seven states that saw their populations decline, primarily due to a drop in the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico. […]
By almost every metric, the state’s population as a whole is rapidly declining, and the Chicago area in 2015 lost an estimated 6,263 residents, the greatest loss of any metropolitan area in the country. Large numbers of residents leaving the region have traditionally been offset by births and new residents, but those new residents, particularly Mexican immigrants, are no longer moving into the state.
Unauthorized immigrants from other countries remained about the same here during the time period.
* Real Clear Politics has moved the US Senate race here from “Leans Democratic” to “Tossup.” Tammy Duckworth has a 3.5-point lead in the RCP poll average.
* Meanwhile, from the Kirk campaign…
A Union County Judge has set a new court date for the Duckworth whistleblower retaliation lawsuit on October 6, 2016. After the plaintiffs rejected a June 24 settlement offer, no agreement has since been finalized and whether or not a trial will be scheduled before Election Day is uncertain.
“In June, Rep. Duckworth told the public that she wanted to get the truth out about the retaliation charges brought against her for silencing whistleblowers, yet she has continued to hide behind her government attorneys and campaign spokesperson in public while attacking the whistleblowers in private,” said Kirk For Senate campaign manager Kevin Artl. “Voters deserve to hear from Rep. Duckworth about how a convicted a felon ended up caring for veterans under her watch. Voters should hear why the whistleblowers who brought their concerns about veteran care to Duckworth’s attention were fired and threatened. Voters deserve answers from Duckworth.”
The Downstate retaliation lawsuit against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth is back in court after the judge overseeing the case on Wednesday called for the two sides to discuss the matter with him in early October.
Last month, the Illinois attorney general’s office filed a motion to enforce a settlement it said had been agreed upon between Duckworth and two workers at the Anna Veterans’ home stemming from the congresswoman’s time years ago as head of the state’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
But the two employees have not submitted those settlement documents to the judge, court records show. So Union County Judge Mark Boie set a case management conference via telephone between him and the two sides to discuss the status of the case, according to the Union County clerk’s office. The huddle is set for the morning of Oct. 5.
* Related…
* Press release: What People Are Saying About Mark Kirk’s Latest Military Lie
* NaPo joke-tackled me once after I tossed a playful insult his way. I thought his little love tap was gonna send me right through the brick wall I was standing in front of…
A south suburban state lawmaker appears to have played a role in the capture of three murder suspects from Georgia after being the victim of a mugging earlier this month.
State Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey) owns two Beggars Pizza franchises in Oak Forest and Harvey; and decided to give his “overwhelmed” delivery crew a break late one night earlier this month, according to his spokesman Sean Howard.
Harris was trying to make a delivery at a house on 158th and Paulina in Harvey, but Howard said the whole order had been a ruse, and that four men attacked the senator when he arrived at the vacant house, which is up for sale. […]
“They put a chokehold on the senator, but to no avail. They were really trying to choke him to death, and he was just too strong. He out-powered all four of them,” Howard said. “As they were all beating on him, one guy just went out of his way and really hit him hard, and Napoleon never moved. He just looked at him like Hulk Hogan, and from that the guys knew that we better get out of here, because we can’t get this guy down.” […]
Harris called 911 and followed the muggers’ Chevy Tahoe from a distance after the mugging. Harris let police know where the truck was going. […]
Howard said Harris is a license concealed carry holder but did not have his gun with him at the time, because he had been driving his children around earlier and did not like having his gun in the car when they were with him.
* I didn’t realize it, but a private company says there’s a national school bus driver shortage (check the Google) and it’s hurting a McLean County district. From September 9th…
Unit 5’s bus contractor has “let us down,” Superintendent Mark Daniel said Thursday, as hundreds of students again were late for school because of a lack of drivers.
In some cases, buses were running 90 minutes to two hours late. First Student notified the district of the problem at 6:45 a.m. and the district alerted principals, schools and parents
Still plagued by late and overcrowded school buses, McLean County Unit 5 may turn to National Guard members, police and firefighters as possible fill-in drivers and to Gov. Bruce Rauner and other officials for help streamlining the hiring process. […]
“Hopefully there can be some executive action that will allow firemen, police officers and members of the National Guard to solve this problem short term. We need them to be a part of our fleet,” said Daniel.
Daniel said he’ll meet Thursday with state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, and Regional Office of Education Superintendent Mark Jontry to discuss how to expedite the hiring process. The governor’s office could approve an alternative driver certification process, for example, he said.
Yeah, there’s a great idea. Unilaterally and quickly lower the state standards for school bus drivers. What could possibly go wrong?
First Student, the largest provider of student transportation in North America, saw revenue and profit gains for fiscal year 2015, according to annual earnings released last month. The company cited alterations in the prices of new contract bids and renewals for the boosts.
The company, which transports roughly six million students across more than 1,300 school districts, said it saw revenues for fiscal year 2015 peak at $2.4 billion, which is up from $2.3 billion last year.
As for operating profits, First Student increased to $177 million, an improvement on the $153 million made in 2014. These returns were a result of a push from parent company FirstGroup plc for a turnaround plan to increase the rates of contract bids and renewals, which proved successful, and made up for losses in other divisions.
With almost a third of its contracts up for renewal in 2014, the company held a 90 percent retention rate with those contracts averaging 4.5 percent price increases.
To attract applicants, First Student is offering a $2,000 hiring bonus. Applicants must be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license for at least three years and must pass a background and drug check and physical performance test, according to the company’s website.
Starting pay for First Student bus drivers is $14 per hour with five paid holidays and paid CDL training.
Looks to me like people with commercial drivers licenses aren’t willing to operate a school bus for that part-time wage in an improving economy. So, maybe the company should sweeten the pot and attract more applicants so the government doesn’t have to lower standards and spend precious dollars sending in National Guard troops or pay to use high-wage cops and firefighters?
The company’s bottom line shouldn’t be a concern here. They signed the contract so they gotta provide the service. If it costs them some extra money, so be it. The government shouldn’t bail them out. So, if the state does send in troops, First Student should be sent an invoice.
*** UPDATE *** From Anders Lindall at AFSCME Council 31…
The drivers were school district employees (AFSCME-represented) until just a couple years ago. We fought hard to stop the outsourcing for this reason — they were doing it to undercut the wages of the drivers, which was bound to affect quality if not safety.
As Chicago’s public school teachers tell their union again this week whether or not they would still approve a strike, as they did in December, they’re not making that choice in private.
Union members are being asked to sign their names on a sheet of paper, next to their pre-printed name; check yes or no on whether they would authorize a possible strike later this fall; and initial that check mark, according to Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey.
Given that, you would think CTU leaders would be confident of prevailing in a secret vote now. And probably they are. So we’re perplexed about why they have come up with this Big-Brother approach that falls into the See?-Everyone-Voted-For-Me school of electioneering.
Some famous examples of this strategy:
• In 1995, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein swept to victory with 99.96 percent of votes cast. (We shudder to think of what happened to the recalcitrant .04 percent.)
• In 2014, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly notched an even more convincing victory — 100 percent — to confirm his leadership in the Supreme People’s Assembly. No other name appeared on the ballot. Voters who (bravely or foolishly) sought to reject Kim would have had to do so in an open booth so everyone could see.
• Even more convincing was the 1927 Liberian presidential triumph of Charles D.B. King with about 240,000 votes. The impressive part: Liberia only had about 15,000 registered voters.
This method was considerably less expensive than the secret ballot method used in the winter that cost about $250,000 because it relied on sending couriers twice-daily to all the voting sites. And [Sharkey] pointed to past strike votes when the union members would all meet in person in a hotel ballroom and stand to indicate a yes or no.
I was leaning against the CTU, then the Tribune editorial made me question my judgement and then I read the whole Sun-Times story and now I actually think the union isn’t being all that horribly unreasonable.
Would a secret ballot be ideal? Yep. Is the union acting like a crazed despot? Um, no.
Gov. Rauner pushed this week for meaningful economic and political reforms to bring back Illinois.
In Rockford, he highlighted the need for job-creating reforms to grow manufacturing jobs. In an op-ed published by the Springfield Journal-Register, Gov. Rauner explained the need for the legislature to pass redistricting reform following the Supreme Court’s decision to block a citizen’s initiative to enact Fair Maps.
Please take a moment to learn more by reviewing the updates below.
-Team Rauner […]
FACEBOOK LIVE
On Tuesday, Gov. Rauner participated in his first ever Facebook Live forum - taking questions live from participants on the popular social media platform. He answered questions on the state’s budget, the need for term limits, redistricting reform and other topics.
* The liberal Illinois Working Together group posted a Facebook video on Wednesday touting what it stated were Gov. Rauner’s “four most outrageous claims” during his Facebook Live chat.
* Rauner’s video is much longer, of course, and people greatly prefer short videos. So, the Rauner folks posted a new video yesterday that’s only about a minute and a half long and already has 2,500 views. The new video talks solely about the new state bicentennial commission. Good idea.
Article I, section 13, of the Illinois Constitution, on the other hand, reveals an intent on the part of the drafters to maintain common- law characteristics of jury trials. Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 13. Article I, section 13, provides: “The right of trial by jury as heretofore enjoyed shall remain inviolate.” Id. The phrase “as heretofore enjoyed” plainly indicates that the drafters intended for certain characteristics of a jury trial to be maintained. For this reason, we construe the right of trial by jury protected by the Illinois Constitution differently than the rights protected by the federal constitution. […]
We recognize that both defendants’ and plaintiffs’ positions have some merit but remain concerned with whether the right to a 12-person jury was “heretofore enjoyed” at the time the 1970 Constitution was drafted. “Our task is limited to determining whether the challenged legislation is constitutional, and not whether it is wise.” […]
There is ample evidence that the drafters at the 1970 Constitutional Convention believed they were specifically preserving the right to a 12-person jury when they adopted the current constitution. […]
Because the size of the jury —12 people—was an essential element of the right of trial by jury enjoyed at the time the 1970 Constitution was drafted, we conclude jury size is an element of the right that has been preserved and protected in the constitution.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Doctors from the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) and ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company praise the Illinois Supreme Court’s 5-0 decision striking down an unconstitutional mandate to impose a six-person limit in civil jury size. Both organizations voiced concern over the flawed jury reduction legislation, which passed during the final days of Governor Quinn’s administration. The controversial law was considered an outgoing gesture to help personal injury lawyers, because smaller juries are perceived as more favorable to their clients.
“The move to allow six-person juries was misguided from day one,” said ISMS President Thomas M. Anderson, MD. He added that “delegates to both the 1870 and 1970 Illinois Constitutional Conventions considered the merit of six-person juries and purposefully deemed them inappropriate for Illinois. If that’s not an indication of constitutional intent, we don’t know what else could be.”
ISMIE Mutual Chairman Harold L. Jensen, MD offered that “the right to a trial before 12 people is an issue of legal fairness. Research has demonstrated that smaller juries have less diversity, are less deliberative and tend to deliver higher than average awards. Forcing the reduced jury composition is in essence a thumb on the legal scales.”
ISMS and ISMIE Mutual are proud of our advocacy to lead the effort to overturn this onerous law. Illinois’ difficult legal environment got a little bit better today.
An official of the Illinois Policy Institute has said that a film crew doing interviews for a “documentary” about House Speaker Michael Madigan was “very forthcoming about … our involvement.”
That statement was in response to Rich Miller, publisher of the Capitol Fax newsletter and blog, saying last week that he was “duped” into taking part in a policy institute project without notice that the group was involved.
But the head of production and development for Austin, Texas-based Emergent Order, which is doing the project for the policy institute, told me this week that the person who interviewed Miller could not have told him of the policy institute’s involvement because that contractor was not told who was providing the funding. […]
“I was not at the interview, but I sent out a producer who was one of our contractors,” said Teryn Fogel, the Emergent Order production head. “The contractor didn’t know who was funding it except that they were hired through me. … A lot of times subcontractors don’t know who’s doing financing … because we do not want to sway anybody’s interviews in any direction.” … which backs up Miller’s story and refutes the statement by [Diana Rickert, the policy institute’s vice president of communications] that Miller was told of the group’s involvement.
Again, I had no problems at all with the questions asked or my responses. I actually had fun with the producer and director during and after the interview. My complaint is I was not told in advance that the Illinois Policy Institute was backing the project.
* After the White Sox won the World Series, team owner Jerry Reinsdorf and manager Ozzie Guillen brought the trophy to the Statehouse. I ribbed then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (a notorious Cub fan) for playing such a high-profile role in the festivities and Reinsdorf snapped at me, saying Sox fans shouldn’t be so mean to Cub fans. I replied that when Ozzie (a notorious Cub hater) told me to back off, I’d back off. Besides, Cub fans were just horrible during that playoff run. Their constant heckling in comments here and elsewhere was brutal and uncalled for.
Our first step in weighting is to survey more than enough people. This allows us to then be able to systematically reject individual surveys from demographics that are over represented. Next, survey data is weighted with a 3 point decrease in Conservative opinion and a 3 point increase in Liberal opinion to offset the bias in land line only telephone polls.
Um, that’s not a good way to do things.
*** UPDATE *** The press release and more details are here.
