* Man, I’ve been sick this week. Caught that cold that’s going around. I was hoping to do another post today, but maybe I’ll put it up tomorrow.
Anyway, we have a big week coming in just a few days, so I’m going to get as much rest as possible over the weekend. Until then, the Turnpike Troubadours will play us out…
A major business story got overlooked in the holiday hubbub—and it’s a doozy: Illinois’ biggest economic development weapon is being decommissioned.
As Crain’s political columnist Greg Hinz reported Dec. 19, the state’s Edge tax credit program expires Dec. 31, barring a last-minute legislative rescue that, as of this writing, seems unlikely.
Edge tax credits—while controversial and in need of reforms—are the state’s main lure for companies looking to locate and keep jobs here (see the PDF). Illinois has offered $1.3 billion in tax credits to create 34,000 jobs here and retain an additional 46,000 since the program was created in 1999.
And yet Edge is set to expire at year-end. Why? As usual, everyone in Springfield is pointing fingers: Gov. Bruce Rauner’s team suggests that House Speaker Michael Madigan would have demanded too high a price to renew the program. Team Madigan, meanwhile, says the governor dropped the ball and allowed the program to sunset.
* Greg Hinz did some digging and came up with some of the framework put together by Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno over the holidays…
Rauner and the Republicans reportedly would get the term limits the governor desperately wants, but only for legislative leaders, not the rank-and-file workers. And those term limits wouldn’t kick in for a few years, so Madigan—who can’t live forever, can he?—would still have some time.
The deal would also lack the permanent property-tax freeze that Rauner wants, but would have a two-year one. That would allow time for a legislative panel to redraft the state’s school-funding code, something that Democrats have pushing.
Also in the package, I’m told, are some relatively modest but face-saving changes in the workers’ comp system. And unspecified changes in state worker pensions, perhaps the “consideration” mode that Cullerton has been pushing for awhile.
In exchange, adequate votes would be guaranteed to boost the state income tax back to around the 5 percent level it was at under ex-Gov. Pat Quinn, with a new statewide tax on sugary drinks tossed in to raise more money.
As I told subscribers earlier this week, the personal income tax level would be set at 4.9 percent - just a hair under the 5 percent level when Rauner was elected governor.
There’s plenty more, and the package is expected to be unveiled on Monday. If you want more deets, you can always subscribe.
* So far, neither the governor nor the House Speaker have overtly dumped on the plan, which is a positive sign.
Since Madigan was cut out of the Senate deal-making, he’ll likely want to put his own stamp on whatever emerges (some Democrats have suggested moving the statewide elections to presidential years, for example).
But putting his own stuff in there isn’t necessarily bad. As long as Madigan doesn’t kill off too much or insert too many poison pills, whatever he does will be a de facto counter-offer to the Senate’s counter-offer to Rauner. And that’s progress.
On the other hand, Madigan could try to shave votes off in the Senate or refuse to move anything in the House. I don’t think his members, who’ve barely been paid in 7 months and are growing more sick and tired of this war with every passing day, will love that idea, however. The union stuff that I’ve been briefed on by folks in both parties isn’t horrendous. And it doesn’t appear to be a blatant attack on the middle class (except for the raising their taxes part, that is).
If Madigan does kill it, Rauner can then blame Madigan yet again for not playing ball even when the Democratic Senate President wants to act like an adult.
Of course, there’s always the very real possibility that Rauner might try to kick the legs out from under it as well. He should resist that temptation because he can’t escape blame forever. And he should also keep his own comment in mind from this week…
“Both sides need to want an agreement in order to get one,” Rauner told WGN’s Tahman Bradley during a one-on-one interview. “I certainly want an agreement and I`ll be flexible on everything.”
Then do so.
It’s time to move forward.
*** UPDATE *** Rauner was asked about this topic in southern Illinois today. He said he was briefed by Leader Radogno two nights ago and added that he didn’t yet have all the details and said he wouldn’t comment on those details (including the tax hike) because the talks are “still in flux” and that the two leaders need “space to continue to negotiate.” He also said this…
“I’m heartened by that. I’m optimistic they’re negotiating in good faith to come up with changes to our system so it’s not broken anymore… They’re working on some really important things that can all help us get balanced budgets for the long term. So, I’m optimistic. It’s gonna take work, but I’m very supportive of the Democrats and Republicans continuing to negotiate and trying to get some solutions.”
State records show [Auditor General Frank Mautino], who has also served 24 years as a state representative, stood to receive a starting pension of over $74,000 which is 85% of his final salary of more than $87,000. After just one year at the higher Auditor General salary, Mautino will receive 85% of his $157,000 salary, a starting pension over $133,000. That pension will compound at 3% annually for the rest of his life upon retirement.
“Frank Mautino has a campaign finance problem that mirrors those of Aaron Schock and Jesse Jackson Jr.,” stated State Rep. Jeanne Ives. “By all appearances, he is just filling a seat to maximize his taxpayer-funded pension benefits. Illinois doesn’t currently have a mechanism in place to strip legislators convicted of crimes related to campaign finance of their pensions. This is just another example of political insiders looking out for themselves at the expense of families and businesses.”
The State Retirement Systems of Illinois acknowledged Tuesday it provided incorrect information about former state Rep. Frank Mautino’s pension earlier this year.
According to that information, Mautino, D-Spring Valley, was slated to receive a nearly $60,000 jump in his pension after a year as the state’s auditor general.
But a spokesman for the retirement systems said Tuesday the increase actually will be about $19,000. The earlier mistake came to light in September, he said. […]
The pension agency, Houch said, miscoded Mautino as a Tier 1 employee, which means he was hired before Jan. 1, 2011, and would get greater benefits. But Mautino should have been classified as Tier 2, in which those hired on or after Jan. 1, 2011, receive less, Houch said. Mautino was Tier 1 as a legislator, Tier 2 as auditor general.
This basic math mistake happened in September and we’re only finding out about it now? Really?
“He will still receive a substantial increase, assuming he doesn’t get convicted of a job-related felony,” [Houch] said.
Nothing like rubbing salt into the wound.
* Look, Mautino still has a whole lot of explaining to do. I won’t make any excuses for him at all. It would be nice, however, if the feds expedited this inquiry so we could find out if our auditor general was sloppy, or crooked, or whatever.
But given the times we live in, the criteria for charging someone with a hate crime can’t be based on outrage and political correctness.
The most mind-boggling part of this recent drama, and apparently the part that has led to hate crime charges, is that these losers live-streamed the abuse, posting it on Facebook. That’s what brought this sick episode to the attention of millions.
With Chicago in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons of late, the case is a test for newly installed Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx and offers testament that racist behavior toward whites in the wake of the Trump presidency isn’t going to be overlooked.
But let’s be clear. As ugly as the assault upon the special needs young man was, this incident pales in comparison to what happened in Joliet in 2013.
Then, an even more depraved group of young white people lured Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover, two African-Americans, into a Joliet house, strangled them and then had sex on top of the corpses.
Adam Landerman, Alisa Massaro, Joshua Miner and Bethany McKee were each charged with first-degree murder and attempting to dismember the bodies.
Although the victims were black and the attackers white, a spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office said at the time that prosecutors were unsure whether race was a factor in the murder.
Where was the outrage then?
When a victim is a different race than the attacker, the offense isn’t automatically a hate crime. It’s utter nonsense to suggest anything like that. And there was plenty of outrage back then over that grotesque Joliet crime.
Also, it wasn’t the live-streamed video itself, it was what was in the video that caused so much outrage and led to the hate crime charges. C’mon.
The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights condemns the vicious attack on a young man with developmental disabilities that was live-streamed on Facebook by one of the perpetrators and dominated local and national news yesterday. Authorities in Chicago completed their preliminary investigation and have charged four young people with hate crimes, as well as kidnapping, aggravated assault, and additional charges that carry stiff criminal penalties.
The shaky video that went viral Tuesday overnight and generated outrage from millions of viewers shows the 18-year-old victim bound by his wrists and neck, his mouth taped closed, crouching in a corner, as his attackers taunt him, slash his clothing with knives, and take turns slapping, punching and kicking him. On cropped video segments available all over the web, the perpetrators can be heard making comments about the victim being white, and “representing Trump.” They also mock his appearance and force to him drink from a toilet. At one point, one of the attackers cuts a chunk of his hair and scalp off with a knife.
Around homes and offices, millions of people saw the news clips and asked one another, “Who would do such a thing?” “What was the motivation?” “How do we, as a society, respond to and prevent these despicable acts?”
Let’s be clear: Violent acts committed against any person because of that person’s disability status and/or race are hate crimes under Illinois law. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee has worked to support victims of hate crimes for over 25 years. We helped to make Illinois’ Hate Crime law as strong as possible for protected groups, and we have used the law to assist multiple victims in both criminal and civil proceedings. We have represented African American victims who were attacked by skinheads in Fox Lake, Latino families harassed and assaulted in Chicago, and we have secured multiple large civil verdicts to penalize offenders and send a strong message condemning and deterring such actions.
What we saw on the video clips looks very much like a hate crime against a young man because of his disability status and race. The Chicago Police Department has determined that four people committed certain crimes against a young man because of his disability and race. And now prosecutors and the courts must do their work to enforce the law. Under the Illinois Hate Crime Act, crimes motivated in whole or in part because of racial or disability bias are hate crimes, even if there were other motives for the crimes. The perpetrators should be held accountable for their brutal acts against a particularly vulnerable victim.
But let us also acknowledge history and context here: Most victims of hate crime in our country are people of color; this has been true every year since the FBI has collected hate crime statistics. Over the past year, African Americans, Latinos, people of color, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ individuals, and people with disabilities have all been targets of hate crimes far more often than white individuals. What happened to this young man in Chicago is heart-breaking and intolerable. We must seek justice and healing for him and his family and demand appropriate punishment for his attackers. But as we do so, let us remember to speak up and insist on justice just as vociferously and promptly every time we hear of a hate crime, no matter the race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability status of the victim.
Most hate crimes are not reported and they must be. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee is committed to supporting individuals and communities targeted by hate speech and violence. We encourage all people who are victims of hate crime, or who need additional information and support, to call our Hate Crime Project at 312-202-3663. Hate crime is bigotry at its worst. In a country that stands for equal rights and equal protection for all, violent intolerance is unacceptable.
* The recently elected House Democrat did not come prepared for this line of questioning. From the ILGOP…
In an interview yesterday with WQAD, incoming Democrat Rep. Mike Halpin doubled down on Boss Madigan.
It’s no surprise that Halpin would back his political patron – Madigan funneled $345,000 to help get Halpin elected this cycle.
Asked whether he will support Madigan for Speaker, Halpin replied:
“Again, I’m gonna vote for, I’m gonna vote for the Speaker who I believe as a Democrat, represents the values that I as a Democrat represent, and what I ran on when I talked to people.”
Boss Madigan only values protecting the broken status quo.
“Mike Halpin is a bought-and-paid for hypocrite. He claims on his campaign website to reject ‘politics as usual’ and ‘insider politics’, but by doubling down on his support of Boss Madigan, the literal definition of politics as usual, Halpin betrays his own words.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Gov. Bruce Rauner stopped in Rockford today for a low-key visit with local officials, residents and members of the media.
The Republican governor held court at Prairie Street Brewhouse, going table to table to shake hands and talk with residents about issues that affect the state. He also met with local TV news stations and members of the Rockford Register Star Editorial Board.
Eighteen months and counting. That is how long the State of Illinois has gone without a budget.
Governor Bruce Rauner was in Rockford Thursday and 13 News anchor Sean Muserallo sat down for a one-on-one interview with him to dig deeper into the things that will affect citizens around the Stateline, including taxes, social services and how the governor views Rockford.
Rauner will give his State of the State Speech at the end of this month.
Right now, the state looks like this: $11 billion in unpaid bills; $130 billion in unfunded pension liability; and a shrinking population, with a loss of nearly 40,000 people from the state last year, the highest in the nation.
“Boss Madigan treats Illinois like his own personal kingdom, undermining democracy and disrespecting taxpayers. That’s why the Illinois Republican Party is announcing the contest to win your very own Boss Madigan Starter Kit. House Democrats need to be reminded that their political patron rules over them with an iron fist, putting the needs of his machine before everyday Illinoisans.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Following the release of the digital ad 46 Years, the Illinois Republican Party continued its countdown towards January 11th, the election for Speaker of the Illinois House. With five days left until Decision Day, the Illinois Republican Party is announcing a contest to win your very own Boss Madigan Starter Kit!
Running a corrupt political machine for more than three decades is hard work and requires much experience making backroom deals and catering to special interests, but with this Boss Madigan Starter Kit, you can get started in no time.
To enter the contest, visit BossMadigan.com/Contest.
The Boss Madigan Starter Kit includes:
A $50 Gift Card to Saputo’s - Boss Madigan frequents the secluded backroom of this Springfield Italian restaurant, treating it as his own Godfather-like meeting space.
A Crown and a Scepter - Boss Madigan treats Illinois like his own personal kingdom, now you can pretend to be a king too!
A Red Apple - Boss Madigan is said to meticulously slice an apple a day for lunch. Share a connection with Madigan with this (non-perishable) centerpiece!
Copy of “Boss” by Mike Royko - Boss Madigan learned how to run the political machine from his mentor, Former Chicago Mayor and Political Boss Richard J. Daley. Read about Daley and learn what it takes to run a political machine for your own benefit!
I’m guessing the good folks who own Saputo’s ain’t gonna be too happy about this, especially since they’re Republicans.
Also, Madigan doesn’t frequent the restaurant’s “secluded back room.” That’s where the Rauner folks go. And those guys quote the Godfather movies like gospel. Nice ethnic stereotyping, though. Way to go, ILGOP. A new low.
But, hey, it’s all about finding a solution to the impasse, right?
The longest consecutively serving House Speaker in the United States was Tom Murphy from Georgia, who served 29 years from 1973-2002. Speaker Madigan has served 19 years consecutively.
The title for most total years as House Speaker is held by Solomon Blatt of South Carolina, who served 33 years, from 1937-1946 and 1951-1973. If Michael Madigan is re-elected on January 11th and completes the 2-year term, he will become the longest serving state House Speaker in the last century.
* But the Illinois Policy Institute has now pivoted to the second vote House members will make next week: The rules…
Illinois Democrats possess oversized power in Springfield.
Democrats control both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. Though this majority will not be veto-proof in the 100th General Assembly, whose members will assume office in January 2017, it still allows Democratic politicians to easily pass their party’s legislation through the House and Senate – and to block any spending or economic reform Gov. Bruce Rauner proposes.
But there’s another source of power the majority party of Illinois holds that allows its leaders a more underhanded influence over the legislative process and, ultimately, the daily lives of Illinoisans.
That power emanates from the little-known legislative rules that Illinois House of Representatives Speaker Mike Madigan – who’s held that position for more than 31 years since 1983 – uses on an everyday basis to orchestrate the legislative and political outcomes he wants.
Those rules allow Madigan to influence the makeup of legislative committees; how lawmakers vote; and when, if ever, the bills get voted on. But the most obstructive rule of all keeps bills – even those with popular support, such as term limits – from ever seeing the light of day. Madigan, and not the General Assembly, has the power to decide what has the chance to become law.
Virtually no state grants the types of powers to its legislative heads that Illinois grants to Madigan.
Those rules have contributed to the failed policies that exist in Illinois today and to the fiscal debacle Illinoisans must contend with as they try to make ends meet.
Many, if not most of the onerous rules the group looks at were actually formulated by the Senate Republicans back in the 1990s. But it’s still an interesting read. A few charts…
For the second year in a row, Chicago Public Schools officials are looking to slash expenses after failing to cash in anticipated funding from Springfield.
The budget hole created by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a state aid measure is less than half the size of the nearly half-billion-dollar gap CPS faced last year, but the district could use familiar measures to patch it. […]
The district has said in financial disclosures it will turn to budget cuts, unspecified legal action and borrowing in efforts to close budget gaps left by shortfalls in expected state assistance. This week, CPS used the threat of budget cuts to stoke its public battle with Rauner.
“Gov. Rauner is using Chicago children as his political pawns, so we will continue to fight for fair funding in Springfield using every tool we can. Our priority is to protect CPS classrooms from Gov. Rauner’s draconian agenda,” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in a statement. […]
“Blaming 20 years of fiscal mismanagement on a governor who has been in office for two years is ridiculous,” state education secretary Beth Purvis said in her own statement.
The two Democratic and Republican leaders in the Illinois Senate have been talking about ways to try to break the long-running Springfield impasse ahead of next week’s lame-duck session, but both sides are being tight-lipped and downplaying the possibility anything will actually happen.
The private talks illustrate the delicate politics at the Capitol: After two years without agreement on a broad spending plan, neither side wants to spill the beans and compromise even the potential for movement.
The talks between Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Republican Leader Christine Radogno come after a temporary spending plan that funneled money to universities, social service providers, prisons and veterans’ homes expired with the new year. Negotiations between the four legislative leaders and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner came to a halt in December amid a disagreement between the governor and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan about how to proceed.
A Cullerton spokesman declined to confirm or deny new negotiations with Radogno. A spokeswoman for the Republican leader said Radogno and Cullerton chat all the time.
As they brief more of their members, more stuff will come out.
* From David Jacobson at Moody’s Investors Service…
On p. 5 of its new Weekly Credit Outlook for Public Finance released today, Moody’s notes the State of Illinois (rated Baa2/negative outlook) has experienced a third consecutive annual population drop in 2016, a credit negative underscoring tepid growth trends that will complicate efforts to enact a balanced budget and keep up with mounting pension funding pressures. From 2013-16 as the national population increased 2.2%, Illinois shrank by 0.6% as thousands of residents departed for other states. Illinois was one of only four states to see population declines each year for the period 2014 through 2016, according to Census Bureau data released on December 20.
Net migration has had a negative impact on populations in 31 states since the last census, while helping population growth primarily in states that serve as retirement havens or that have strong economies. But the case of Illinois appears more severe; its annual outflow of residents steadily worsened during the past three years. Based on the Census Bureau’s state-to-state migration estimates for 2015 (the most recent available), many of the top destination states for those leaving Illinois were adjacent or nearby states, such as Indiana (Aaa/stable) or Michigan (Aa1/stable), which both featured faster job growth. Other top destinations for those leaving Illinois included Arizona (Aa2/stable), California (Aa3/stable) and Florida (Aa1/stable).
Population loss can be a cause, as well as an effect, of economic deterioration. A self-reinforcing cycle of population loss and economic stagnation could greatly complicate Illinois’ efforts to stabilize its finances. Even assuming the state reaches a consensus on addressing its current operating deficit and benefits from steady economic growth, Illinois’ pension funding requirements as a share of budget likely will rise to 30% (from about 23% currently) in coming years.
Moody’s declaration of “credit positive” or “credit negative” does not connote a rating or outlook change. It is indicative of the impact of a distinct event or development as one of many credit factors affecting the issuer.
Pension payments rising to 30 percent of the budget is just downright chilling.
A plan could be coming together to end the 18-month-long state budget impasse, but one lawmaker is still concerned the logjam may continue.
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said he hears a deal is being worked amongst legislative leaders in the State Senate as a means of circumventing the bad blood between House Speaker Michael Madigan and the governor.
“It does kind of make sense that maybe there would be some shoots out of the Senate because the relationship there is a little more cordial, to say the least,” Batinick said.
While the exact details of the deal are not yet known, in the past Gov. Rauner has expressed openness to considering an increase in the state income tax, if it were paired with significant economic reforms, such as property tax freezes, workers’ compensation reform or term limits.
State Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago has resigned from office, ending a nearly 30-year career in which she developed a reputation as an outspoken lawmaker unafraid of controversy.
Davis submitted a letter of resignation in late December, but it was not received by the Illinois House clerk until Tuesday. In her letter, Davis thanked Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan for “your respect, ethical leadership, responsibility, concern, information, knowledge and most importantly care, concern and assistance for my district.”
“Your leadership as speaker of the House of Representatives of Illinois contributed to my successful legacy,” Davis wrote.
During her time in office, Davis co-sponsored legislation with then-state Sen. Barack Obama to require police to videotape interrogations of murder suspects, fought for funding for her alma mater Chicago State University and served on the panel that recommended the impeachment of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Her retirement letter is here. She was a force to be reckoned with, for sure.
* I’m told that Justin Slaughter is getting the slot today. Slaughter worked in Pat Quinn’s policy shop and was Deputy Director of Programs for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. He was also district director for Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore. And he worked for Sen. Kwame Raoul.
Slaughter, 36, is currently the legislative coordinator to the Secretary to the Board of Commissioners in the office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Slaughter filed to run against Rep. Davis in the Democratic primary, but withdrew from the race.
Mr. Slaughter has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University. Mr. Slaughter is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., where he is an executive board member for his local chapter’s foundation. A native Chicagoan, Justin Slaughter grew up on the Southside of Chicago in the Washington Heights community where he currently still resides.
* Revolving Door: John Keller’s been named Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s new chief of staff, the fourth for Preckwinkle in the last 16 months. Keller previously ran Chicago Democratic state Rep. Christian Mitchell’s campaign and also worked for Democratic former Gov. Pat Quinn. He most recently served as Preckwinkle’s director of external affairs. In a statement, Preckwinkle said Keller has “a demonstrated ability to work well across the county’s vast landscape of responsibilities” noting his recent work on the 2017 budget, which she called “balanced and fiscally responsible.” Keller replaces Brian Hamer, who was appointed in March and resigned Friday.
Two men and two women have been charged with a hate crime, after allegedly kidnapping an 18-year-old mentally challenged man, torturing him for up to two days, and posting videos of the torture online.
Jordan Hill, 18; Tesfaye Cooper, 18; Brittany Covington, 18; and Tanisha Covington, 24, have been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery, and hate crime, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Hill also was charged with robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Hill, Cooper, and Brittany Covington also were charged with residential burglary.
Police have said the 18-year-old victimized in the videos is a northwest suburban resident with special needs who had been reported missing. The four suspects are black. The victim is white.
In the first 30-minute video, which apparently was posted live on Facebook on Tuesday, the victim is backed into a corner, his mouth duct-taped shut. The victim’s clothes were cut, he was peppered with cigarette ashes, and then his hair cut with a knife until his scalp bled.
Several people can be seen laughing and eating during the attack, in addition to making disparaging remarks about President-elect Donald Trump and using racially charged language. At one point, while the victim is backed into a corner, someone is heard shouting “F*** Donald Trump. F*** white people.”
A second video, which surfaced on Twitter, showed the suspects grabbing the teen’s head, shoving it into a toilet, and forcing him to drink.
All four face charges of aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the state’s attorney’s office. Hill also faces charges of robbery, residential burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Cooper and Brittany Covington are also charged with residential burglary. […]
Community activist Andrew Holmes said of the incident: “In so many ways this was a hate crime because of what they said to him — saying he’s with Trump. When you make a person say, ‘I love black people,’ that’s a hate crime all the way.”
Holmes said he hopes the video doesn’t provoke a racial backlash in Chicago.
“Let the chips fall where they may, and let the judicial system work,” he said.
In November, the day after the election, an online video showed a man being attacked in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, while bystanders taunted him, saying he had voted for Donald Trump.
Eventually, four people were charged in connection with that attack.
Chicago police said the victim encountered one of the suspects on Monday - apparently someone he’d met before - and he was driven into the city. They did not say which suspect that was.
“He is an acquaintance of one of these subjects. They stole a van and brought him to Chicago,” Area North CPD Commander Kevin Duffin said Wednesday.
“It’s sickening. It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that,” [Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson] said. “I’ve been a cop for 28 years and I’ve seen things that you shouldn’t see. It still amazes me how you still see things that you just shouldn’t.
“I’m not going to say it shocked me but it was sickening,” he said.
JAMEY DUNN, the interim editor of Illinois Issues, is leaving her media job to become deputy director of communications for Comptroller SUSANA MENDOZA.
“She’s distinguished herself in her ability to analyze budget data and describe the impact on Illinois residents of state budget decisions,” said ABDON PALLASCH of Chicago, Mendoza’s director of communications who said he approached Dunn about the position. […]
Dunn said she wrote about state special funds some years ago, helping generate what has become a focus on budgetary issues.
Jamey is a darned good reporter.
The others who left are Ivan Moreno and Seth Perlman (AP), Kelsey Gibbs (WCIA), Ed Cross (WAND), Amanda Vinicky (WUIS) and Mike Riopell (Daily Herald).
Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says he won’t be in Washington later this month for GOP President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Rauner says he’s “focused on Illinois” and is trying “to minimize the distractions” and his time out of state. Rauner is amid a state budget impasse with Democratic lawmakers. Trump is to take the oath of office Jan. 20, just five days before Rauner is scheduled to give the State of the State speech in Springfield.
Rauner did not back Trump for president in the primaries and can claim limited personal and political connections to the new president. He did lend his name to a big Chicago fundraiser that Vice President-elect Mike Pence starred in just before New Year’s, but was on a family vacation and did not attend.
One Rauner insider says you shouldn’t read too much into the inaugural no-show. “There’s no bad blood,” that source says.
But another just chuckled when I asked whether Rauner’s focus isn’t just on passing his budget but in getting himself re-elected in 2018, a task that likely would not be furthered in Democratic-dominated Illinois by the perception that Rauner and Trump are thisclose.
Keep an eye on Trump’s tweets to see if he has any thoughts.
Governor Bruce Rauner spoke on-camera to ABC7 for about 10 minutes in his office on Wednesday. No topic was off limits. He discussed the state’s budget crisis, his relationship with House Speaker Michael Madigan, and what grade he would give himself as governor so far.
RAUNER: The simple fact is both sides need to want an agreement. If you don’t want an agreement, it won’t happen. That’s part of negotiations.
BACA: You are saying you want an agreement.
RAUNER: Boy, very much so.
BACA: But you’re saying the Democrats do not.
RAUNER: They don’t want any change, of any type.
Madigan’s people constantly complain (including on this blog) that reporters don’t provide the other side to Rauner’s statements, but then they don’t cooperate with reporters when Rauner is doing yet another one of his TV appearance rounds.
#FacePalm2.
By the way, Rauner gave himself a “very high grade” on “the things that we control,”and gave himself an “incomplete” on “things that the legislature controls.”
He’s the state’s chief executive, but rarely talks publicly of the scandalous violence in Illinois’ biggest city: hit by 4,300 shootings and nearly 800 killings last year.
FOX 32: Do you agree it’s a crisis, the shootings and killings in Chicago?
“It’s a massive tragedy. It’s just heartbreaking what’s happening in many of our neighborhoods,” Rauner said.
Rauner says his pro-business, turnaround agenda would help reduce Chicago violence
FOX 32: Should you be dropping everything else and focusing on stopping the killing?
“Um, so the question is, “what’s the answer?” Everybody’s got different ideas,” Rauner said. “There’s a lack of economic opportunity. Young people don’t see a future for themselves in so many of these neighborhoods. We have massively high unemployment. Massive unemployment in many neighborhoods in Chicago and around the state. And we have the worst-funded schools in low-income neighborhoods of any state in America. And I’m working to change those two facts, because that will have the long-term impact to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
People need to live in the short-term, too, governor. Long-term is certainly necessary, but what are you doing for them right now during this very real crisis? That was the question.
Ortiz and Garcia were victims of the 38th shooting on Chicago-area expressways in 2016, a record-high number for a city stung by a murder rate not seen in two decades. […]
Political gridlock in Springfield is also a factor, said Joe Moon, president of the Illinois Troopers Lodge 41 Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing state troopers.
Feuding between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature has kept the state without a full operating budget since July 2015. That meant no cadet hires in 2015 and 2016, and 2017 remains in limbo as well, state police said.
Since 2000, the number of sworn officers has declined steadily to just over 1,600 from around 2,100, Moon said.
State police said the budget impasse had no impact on the force’s work. Governor Rauner’s spokeswoman, Catherine Kelly, declined to comment beyond what state police said.
“While the world was changing around him, Boss Madigan stayed the same - choosing to tighten his grip on power over fixing a broken status quo. Forty-six years of damage is enough. It’s time for House Democrats to embrace reform and toss Boss Madigan into the dustbin of history.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Following the release of the Boss Madigan Quiz, the Illinois Republican Party continued its countdown towards January 11th, the election for Speaker of the Illinois House. With six days left until Decision Day, the Illinois Republican Party is releasing a digital ad highlighting major world events that have occurred during Mike Madigan’s unprecedented forty-six years in Springfield.
While the world was witnessing history-making events such as the resignation of an American president, the collapse of Communism, and the advent of new technologies, Mike Madigan, the longest serving House Speaker in United States history, amassed political power to the benefit of his corrupt Chicago Machine.
Next week, House Democrats face an historic choice - side with taxpayers and embrace bipartisan, broadly popular reforms or side with Illinois’ most unpopular career politician, Chicago Political Boss Mike Madigan, and his status quo.
The future of Illinois is at stake. Voters are watching and they will not forget.
* Some progressive House Democrats are hopeful about the direction of their party and their leader…
“The speaker is ready to lead the party in favor of a more bold and clear agenda,” state Rep. Will Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat, told POLITICO Illinois.
Guzzardi said that he and colleagues in both the House and Senate have been meeting to discuss a policy platform, a messaging strategy, and social media presence — areas in which he says Democrats have failed over the last two years. “The most important work that we must do and that I am working on is to define the message and define the agenda,” Guzzardi said.
Guzzardi said he was among several Democrats who spoke to Madigan last year to “rethink our approach” about how the party was combating the proposed policies of the Republican governor. The group told Madigan that Democrats were failing to express a specific message and offer concrete solutions to the state’s budget woes.
“I was surprised by how receptive the speaker was,” Guzzardi said, adding that Madigan and the rest of the leadership team “have really expressed an openness to start putting forth a more ambitious agenda … I think early in the session you’re going to hear from Democrats on what we think needs to be done. At the very least, we’ll put some bills on the governor’s desk.”
* The House Democrats are getting absolutely pummeled by Rauner. Yeah, the governor’s numbers ain’t good, but theirs are worse. So even a slapdash response would be better than what they’re doing now.
As for social media, I find myself being not quite as optimistic as Guzzardi. Here’s a memo distributed to Madigan’s members during the veto session. Click the pic for a better image…
Sigh.
A caucus website is more than a decade overdue. A leader who once prided himself on using the latest technology became an absolute Luddite when the World Wide Web became a thing, and then doubled down on his retro views when social media emerged.
The problem with this idea is that Speaker Madigan is one of, if not the most unpopular politicians in the state. Tying all of his members’ social media accounts and press releases directly to himself through a web page might not be the greatest idea he ever came up with.
But, hey, that’s classic Madigan. It’s all centralized at the top.
* A far better idea would be to individually help his members expand their social media reach into their own districts.
On top of that, maybe the state party could hire some folks to help focus the hounds on Twitter and Facebook.
For the past two years, I’ve been monitoring two Twitter searches constantly throughout the day. One searches for all mentions of the word “Rauner” and one searches for “GovRauner,” which is his official Twitter handle. I do this as just one more way to monitor breaking news.
However, something else has been happening lately. Ever since Donald Trump won the presidential election, I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in the number of negative references to the governor on Twitter and that far more people are tweeting some pretty harsh stuff at the guy. Some of it is coming from known people and entities, but a whole lot of it is being generated by what appear to be everyday citizens. Something is definitely going on.
Madigan, Rauner’s primary political adversary, is up for reelection as house speaker next week. The governor claimed Wednesday that he’s staying out of the election altogether.
“I’m not getting involved in any of the General Assembly’s decisions on their leadership,” Rauner told NBC 5.
However, the Illinois Republican Party has gotten involved in the race, launching a “Boss Madigan” blog targeting Illinois Democrats with ties to the longtime speaker. Rauner dumped millions into the Illinois Republican Party’s coiffeurs in the lead-up to the 2016 general election, but claimed Wednesday that he doesn’t “run” the party.
“I support it,” he said. “We need a two-party system. We were a one-party state for a long time.”
I just find it impossible to believe that a guy like that would spend money like that and not involve himself in the least.
When asked about re-running for election next year, he said that’s a conversation for another day, but he’s persistent.
He just dumped $50 million of his own money into his campaign account and yet he doesn’t want to talk about it. Lovely.
* Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this yesterday…
As for the race for speaker, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin confirmed Wednesday that he planned to throw in his hat for the position, which he did two years ago. Typically, the top vote-getter in the chamber is elected speaker and the runner-up is minority leader. After the November election, the GOP caucus voted to re-elect Durkin as minority leader and by caucus rules, members will be bound by those votes next week. If a Democrat were to challenge Madigan, he or she would have needed Republicans to cross over.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, said Republican talk of ousting Madigan is nothing more than a distraction from the real issues facing the state.
“There’s a lot of folks talking stuff up as if there’s a bunch of candidates,” she said. “They’re generating emails everywhere, it is creating noise and distraction.”
* As I’ve been warning, fighting a brutish political war and not getting the state’s economic and fiscal houses together is gonna put us into a much, much deeper hole if we slip into a recession. We’re not there yet, but the signs are troubling. From the General Assembly’s Commission on Governmental Forecasting and Accountability’s latest monthly briefing…
Year To Date
With half of the fiscal year completed, base receipts are off $865 million, or 6.1%. Readers of the last several briefings likely have noticed growing oncern with each successive month’s disappointing revenue performance. Embedded within the overall falloff of 6.1%–of which a large part is due to a drop of $290 million or 22.4% in federal sources—is the combined drop of 4.5% from the “Big Three” [gross personal, gross corporate, and sales]. While that percentage falloff may slightly overstate the decline due to timing aspects still related to the income tax rate phase down, perhaps most unsettling is that the last time the Big Three experienced a combined decline during the first half of a fiscal year [absent tax rate changes] was during the recessionary years impacting FY 2009 and FY 2010, when performance was - 0.9% and -10.4%, respectively. That is not to say we are in recession, as most economic measures would indicate otherwise, but rather gives context to what only can be described as troubling revenue performance thus far in FY 2017.
Gross corporate income taxes are off $386 million, or $340 million net of refunds. Gross personal income tax is down $189 million or $260 million if refunds and diversions to the education and human service funds are included. As mentioned, sales taxes are weak and have managed to grow only $45 million. Overall transfers are down $62 million to date. Only the one-time nature of this month’s SERS repayment has allowed other sources to post a $111 million increase.
With continued dramatic falloffs month after month in federal sources, receipts are behind last year’s dismal pace by $290 million. In all likelihood, federal sources will fall several hundred million below the Commission’s forecast, and probably over a billion below the GOMB forecast released in Oct/Nov. [See last month’s briefing for a more detailed discussion of the CGFA/GOMB revenue estimate comparisons].
To summarize, to date the State has experienced across the board revenue weakness. The most closely economically-tied major sources are experiencing levels of weakness not seen since the last recession. This poor receipt performance has limited the ability to direct more resources to reimbursable spending and as a result, federal source receipts have also suffered.
That being said, economic conditions as measured by most conventional indices would reflect weakness, but not at recessionary levels. In addition, non-wage income from strong stock market performance in 2016 could translate into more positive performance in final payments. Additionally, as the Commission has indicated in earlier briefings, the DoR’s ledger conversion has altered historical receipt patterns, likely contributing to some of the year to date declines experienced thus far. As we near the end of the first year’s impact of that accounting conversion, the potential exists for a return to less volatile monthly swings, which up until now, has trended toward the negative.
* John McCarron has long been one of the few adult opinions of reason at the Chicago Tribune. Here’s his latest…
Compromise is possible in Springfield.
Don’t believe it when Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner’s reform agenda has no place in negotiations over a state budget. Technically that’s true, but informal quid pro quo deals long have been part of our state’s legislative history.
Likewise, don’t believe Republican claims that Illinois is about to go under because of mismanagement by longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan. Truth is, both parties have been screwing up the state’s finances for decades.
It’s past time to end the blame game and craft a set of compromises that lets both sides save some face, that lets Illinois avoid digging a fiscal hole so deep we may never emerge.
Go read the whole thing. I don’t necessarily endorse all of his ideas, but I do endorse his sentiment. It’s time to end this war once and for all.
