* If you were watching the live coverage post today, you saw that the Senate Democrats attempted to move ahead with some “grand bargain” votes even though the Republicans said the entire package wasn’t ready and ended up voting either “Present” or “No.”
* The Question: Do you think the Senate can get back on track or is this just too difficult to go it alone? Please explain your position. Thanks.
But the 2012 Tribune story does not contain the phrase “On a mission to fight hunger.” Click here to see it yourself. The actual headline is “Chris Kennedy’s ambitious food project.”
You might think that the BGA said Kennedy has “vision,” but it was actually a quote by former Gov. Pat Quinn, who isn’t exactly popular…
“I thought the U of I board was the right fit,” Quinn said. “I nominated him for the board because he has the same qualities as his father. He has a passion for social justice. He is someone who can build a team and work together with people. He’s very smart. And he has vision, which you’ve got to have when you’re chairman of a $6 billion corporation, which essentially what the University of Illinois is.”
$1 billion high-rise project proposed downtown at Wolf Point
3-building plan, backed by Kennedys, would be biggest Chicago development since recession, financial crisis
Probably close enough, and that headline is accurately quoted later in the video, as is a headline about how Kennedy is on a “quest to do more.”
*** UPDATE *** From Eric Adelstein…
The piece is an amalgamation of Chris Kennedy’s record in the fight against hunger and as a businessman creating jobs.
The “mission to fight hunger” quote is from the CBS 2 news story narrated by Linda McClennan that accompanies the piece.
The visual in the video is a combination of his work for the Greater Food Depository and his creation with his wife Sheila of Top Box Food referenced in the Tribune article. We combined the Tribune article and the CBS 2 story to accurately reflect over 30 years of work to eliminate hunger.
Job Creator is a summary of the Tribune article referencing “The biggest development since recession” quoted in the article on a project that has and will create upwards of 2,000 jobs. In the video, the term is not in quotations.
Bruce Rauner is a failed Governor. He and the Republican Party should spend less time making false attacks and get to work cleaning up the mess they’ve created in Illinois. That’s what Chris Kennedy’s focus will be on as Governor.
House Democrats expressed concern over a number of items contained in a report released last week by the panel considering changes to the state’s education funding formula. In a letter to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s appointed secretary of education, House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie and other House Democrats on the commission questioned aspects of the report, some that were not explicitly endorsed by all commission members.
“While this commission did not accomplish all it set out to do, it was encouraging that a bipartisan group of lawmakers could work cooperatively to begin moving forward on a very difficult and complex issue. However, the final report failed to clarify some key points, and included items that were not agreed upon by all members of the commission,” Currie said. “Given the importance of this issue for families and communities in every corner of the state, these points need to be clarified.”
* The report does not properly recognize that Illinois’ current school funding system is broken, in large part, because of overreliance on property taxes. Property tax dollars account for 67% of all education spending, while the nationwide average is 45%. This creates inequity, because too often there are not enough state resources to support the districts with inadequate local wealth. Unless a truly massive infusion of state resources can be provided to our schools, Illinois will continue to be regressive compared to states with less property tax reliance. Perhaps the current discussion surrounding a property tax freeze would help the situation while providing the benefit of relieving the property tax burden for local constituents, but ultimately we must acknowledge that an influx of state education dollars is necessary to increase equity, approach adequacy, and avoid classroom cuts.
* Appendix II of the report provides the entirety of the 27 adequacy elements proposed in the Evidence-Based Model. Commission members did not explicitly endorse the Evidence-Based Model or these 27 elements. At this time, there remains a lack of general understanding regarding the elements and how removing, adding, or changing elements would impact school districts.
* The report suggests the group found consensus on the notion that district-authorized charter schools should receive funding that is equitable to district-managed public schools. While all commissioners believe adequate charter school funding is important, the term “equitable” can be misleading. There are situations where a school district will offer services, use of buildings, and other benefits to its charters.
As such, districts should retain the flexibility to provide funding that is commensurate with such services. A strict interpretation of “equitable” funding removes this flexibility.
* The report placed a significant negative emphasis on the Chicago Block Grants without a commensurate discussion of the pension inequities facing the district. Chicago taxpayers continue to help fund the downstate teachers’ pension system payment, over $4.5 billion for FY 18, while receiving only $12 million in state funding for Chicago teachers’ pensions. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the single largest district in the state, representing 19% of all Illinois’ students. If the commission’s work is truly an attempt to find a statewide solution to our school funding issues, then we must consider revising policies that impact CPS both positively and negatively.
* While the report accurately reflects the commission’s acknowledgement of the additional funding needs for students living in concentrated poverty, we feel this point is of vital importance. The report does mention some possible strategies to ensure additional funding for this population, but without further study, it is unclear whether or not such strategies will sufficiently address the issue.
* Appendix III of the report provides specific details regarding membership, duties, and timeframes for the “Commission for Oversight and Implementation of the School Funding Formula.” While many commissioners are comfortable with these details, there are outstanding concerns that it will exclude experts who have spent their entire professional lives working towards the common goal of funding reform. The report’s identification of the specific commission membership, duties, and timeframes seems to be unnecessarily limiting.
I’m thinking the CPS aspect might be the most important question they have.
It’s just hours into his campaign for governor and Chris Kennedy is already defending House Speaker Mike Madigan and dodging questions about him.
“Chris Kennedy is already showing that his true loyalties belong to Mike Madigan,” said Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe. “If Chris Kennedy won’t stand up to Madigan as a candidate, he will never stand up to him as governor.”
A bit of a stretch.
* Kennedy campaign response…
Every minute Governor Rauner and the Republican Party spends attacking Chris or someone else is another minute he is not working on a balance budget, helping a small business grow, or helping someone find a job. That is what Chris will focus on as Governor.
* The Sun-Times asked Kennedy himself for a response to the anti-Madigan press releases from earlier today…
“The voters are too smart to fall for that. They know that I’m going to be an independent voice,” Kennedy said.
“I know the speaker and I think he’ll, as head of the Democratic Party, run a good primary — a fair and open one. And so be it,” Kennedy said when asked about his relationship with Madigan.
“I believe that negotiation is compromise. I don’t believe that compromise is surrender,” Kennedy said. “He doesn’t understand how to get people to work with him unless he’s paying them, and this must be a very frustrating experience. I think that differentiates us entirely.”
Kennedy called Rauner “ambitious,” “smart” and “bright,” but “heartless.”
“He has no heart and if you have no heart you can’t be part of a team — and you can’t get others to go out of their way to sacrifice for you,” Kennedy said. “What leader does not sacrifice? Every great leader sacrifices and has asked others to sacrifice. He’s never done that. A heartless leader who makes no sacrifice doesn’t deserve to keep the job.”
But, interestingly, he not only left the door wide open to but seemed to back term limits, something unlikely to earn him plaudits from Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, even as the Illinois Republican Party put out a statement saying Kennedy “will never stand up” to him. […]
(A)sked about term limits, he replied: “If term limits encourage the nation that government is trusted, we ought to embrace them.”
* From Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesman John Patterson…
Here’s a status report to give you an idea of where we are:
The Senate President informed the Republican leader that we intend to begin voting today on provisions of the balanced budget and reform package.
The Senate Republicans have asked for a 30 minute caucus.
At the moment, when we start back up the plan would be to take up SB 3 (government consolidation) and see what happens.
As always, things are subject to change, but this is my attempt to give you an idea of where we stand.
John
There is some question about whether the Republicans want to vote today. Plenty of pressure out there to delay at the moment to try and get a better deal. But, as I told subscribers this morning, the Democrats are raring to go. So, they may wind up going alone. But as Patterson says, things are subject to change.
*** UPDATE *** Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno is urging her fellow Republicans to vote “Present” on the first bill in the grand bargain - local government consolidation. Looks like the Democrats are going to have to go it alone today.
“As many people know, I’m seriously considering running for Governor. I’ve listened to people throughout Illinois, and it’s clear that our government isn’t working effectively for them. Governor Rauner has failed to address the real needs and concerns facing our state. We need a new leader with a record of getting results, who wakes up every day thinking about improving the lives of working families and people all across Illinois.”
Republicans, already hoping to expand their House majority in 2018, have devised a 36-seat list of top Democratic targets for the next two years — and they are particularly focused on blue-collar parts of the country where President Donald Trump is popular.
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s target list provides an early window into how the GOP is preparing for the midterm elections — a still-far-off political fight, but one that is already taking shape behind the scenes.
One-third of the districts, detailed in a NRCC spreadsheet, are seats that President Donald Trump carried over Hillary Clinton even while a Democratic House member also claimed victory. That segment of the list is heavy on blue-collar districts in the Midwest, which Republicans believe will be especially fertile political territory in the Trump era. It includes two Democrats who were not heavily targeted by the GOP in 2016: Reps. Dave Loebsack, a veteran incumbent from southeastern Iowa, and Ron Kind, who is from west central Wisconsin and ran unopposed in 2016 while Trump carried his seat by more than 4 percentage points.
Democratic US Rep. Cheri Bustos is on the list (click here for the full list) because Donald Trump won her district last November. Congressman Brad Schneider, incidentally, is not on the list, even though he lost two years ago after winning four years ago. Clinton won that district bigly.
Often, when congresscritters’ districts change on them, they look to move up the ladder. Dick Durbin did it with his US Senate bid, for example. So, as John Gregory notes, that may be the reason why she’s taking a harder look at running for governor.
* The IMA’s Greg Baise has been on a statewide tour recently talking about the dire straits of Illinois manufacturing. He was in Carbondale yesterday…
Down a quiet street in Carbondale, millions of plastic products are rolling out of Com-Pac International’s factory every year.
The flexible packaging manufacturer turns about 6 million pounds of plastic resin into dozens of different medical and food bags and products that are shipped to locations around the world.
Highly engineered, value added packaging is the company’s specialty. Com-Pac’s success translates into 235 full- and part-time jobs for Southern Illinois residents. The benefit package for full-time employees includes health care at a nominal cost.
It’s the type of business that’s held up as an example of what it would be nice to have more of — because there used to be more. Manufacturing companies were once looked to as the employers in Southern Illinois who provided the vast majority of middle-class wages for blue collar workers.
Together with Rich Miller, they’ll be hosting a happy hour reception at Boones Saloon, 301 W. Edwards St., on Wednesday, February 8th from 3:30 to 6:30pm. They’ll have a computer set up, so you can see first-hand how TrackBill can work for you.
Stop by for cocktails and light appetizers, and feel free to bring a friend!
What: Chicago Republican Party Chairman and Chicago Public Schools parent Chris Cleveland to file ethics complaint against CPS CEO Forrest Claypool for using taxpayer funds for political letter
When: 1:00pm, Monday, February 08, 2017
Where: Office of Inspector General for the Chicago Board of Education, 567 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60661
Note: Chris Cleveland will be available for questions following the filing of the complaint
Copy of the ethics complaint letter:
Mr. Schuler:
Earlier this week, Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool used taxpayer resources to send a blatantly political letter home with students.
The letter was sharply criticized by parents as “inappropriate” and rebuked by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform as “invoking partisan politics.”
Using public time and resources on such a letter should always be considered a misuse of taxpayer funds, but it is made even more egregious in light of CPS’s self-declared financial crisis.
Via this letter, I am formally filing an ethics complaint against Mr. Claypool and ask that you investigate Mr. Claypool’s latest actions as part of your on going review of Mr. Claypool’s questionable stewardship of Chicago Public Schools.
Coming on the heels of the school district blocking an investigation into a $250,000 legal contract with Mr. Claypool’s former law firm and interfering in another investigation of major theft and “criminal conspiracy” by a CPS’ employee, Mr. Claypool’s latest misuse of taxpayer dollars appears to be part of an alarming personal habit of disregard for and abuse of the public’s trust.
Former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when high-ranking CPS officials thinks the rules don’t apply to them.
I ask that you look into Mr. Claypool’s pattern of unethical behavior to help guard against CPS finding itself with the same fate under Mr. Claypool as it had under Ms. Byrd-Bennett.
Groups across the city are pushing the state to ditch laws banning rent control in Illinois as rental markets in Pilsen, Logan Square and Hyde Park heat up.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Logan Square) has introduced a bill in Springfield that would repeal a 1997 law passed under Republican Gov. Jim Edgar.
“The fear was the bogeyman of rent control,” Guzzardi said of the Rent Control Preemption Act at a Tuesday news conference in Kenwood. […]
The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Logan Square has increased by 40 percent to $1,250 at the end of 2016 from $895 at the end of 2011.
Under a rent control system, a city caps rent increases for a certain percentage of apartments. The goal is to maintain a supply of affordable rental units, even in areas where housing costs are shooting up. New York and Los Angeles, for example, have rent control rules. But by disrupting market forces, rent control inevitably creates a dangerous disincentive for developers to build new housing and for landlords to properly maintain existing units. Rents for some apartments hold steady while rents for others shoot up to make up the difference when the demand is high. An illegal black market develops as one renter quietly tries to pass an apartment along to another renter — sometimes demanding a kickback — without the landlord catching on. […]
One way City Hall can help residents caught in the cross-hairs of gentrification is through transit-oriented development. This is a creative and far-sighted effort to build a greater number of living units near transportation hubs than would be normally be allowed. By requiring a large number of affordable units in the new construction, aldermen are helping longtime residents stay in their neighborhoods.
Transit-oriented development also works naturally to produce more affordable living opportunities in a city. Because the building typically is located right next to a CTA L stop or Metra station, residents are less likely to need a car. And the building can be designed with fewer parking spaces, bringing down the cost.
U.S. presidential candidates would be barred from appearing on the ballot in Illinois unless they release five years of their income tax returns under legislation introduced today by Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston).
Biss says the measure is designed to ensure Illinois voters have important information about the financial interests of candidates who seek the most powerful and influential job in the world.
Ambitious legislation in the Illinois House would restrict the hours pharmacists can work each day, limit the number of prescriptions they can fill each hour, require break time during their shifts and provide whistleblower protection if they expose safety problems. But the bill already is drawing heavy opposition from lobbyists and skepticism from Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The measure represents one of the nation’s most aggressive responses to concerns from pharmacists that growing pressure to work faster increases prescription drug errors.
The move comes as states beyond Illinois mandate break time. A rule is in the works in Minnesota to require bathroom and meal breaks; pharmacists there complained they are afraid to drink liquids during a shift because they may not have the time to go to the washroom.
Filed last week, the House bill is the latest reaction to a Tribune investigation that found half of 255 pharmacies tested in the Chicago region failed to warn about prescriptions for potential drug interactions that could be harmful or fatal.
The mammoth budget blueprint under consideration in the Illinois Senate changed shape yet again Tuesday, with lawmakers floating the idea of applying a higher state sales tax to food and drugs.
The change allows backers to shelve a proposed “opportunity tax” that would charge companies for the “privilege” of doing business in the state. That ran into opposition from business groups. But the broad nature of the sales tax expansion is likely to spawn arguments that it hits hardest those least able to afford the increase.
Some background: the state sales tax on most goods is 6.25 percent. The rate, however, is just 1 percent for many food, drugs and medical supplies — think stuff bought at the grocery store. It’s higher in places where local governments can impose their own taxes. In Cook County, for example, shoppers pay an additional 1.25 percent tax to the Regional Transportation Authority for a 2.25 percent total rate.
Here’s how the Senate plan would work: The overall sales tax rate of 6.25 percent would drop to 5.75 percent, but it would be applied to a broader range of goods including food, drugs and medical supplies. Cutting the overall sales tax by half a percentage point would drop the total sales tax in Chicago to 9.75 percent. In addition, services would be taxed at 5.75 percent, including car repairs, landscaping, laundry, and cable and satellite.
Extending the sales tax to some services such as landscaping, laundry, and cable and satellite television remains in the bill. […]
Trotter, though, said, “This is continually changing.”
Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, said the trade-off is a lower tax rate that applies to a broader base. […]
Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, a member of the Republican leadership team, said there was “great reserve and concern” about the business opportunity tax, which would impose a new tax based on the size of a company’s payroll.
“Obviously, this is a mathematical problem. If you take away one, you’ve got to come up with something else so both sides are equal,” Althoff said.
Chris Kennedy – A Mike Madigan-First Politician
ILGOP Launches MadiganKennedy.com
To Mike Madigan’s pleasure, Chris Kennedy today announced a run for Governor.
Over the summer, Mike Madigan endorsed Kennedy’s run. After a secret meeting, Madigan lauded that Chris Kennedy would “make a very good candidate for Governor.”
“Mike Madigan has already endorsed Chris Kennedy’s run because he knows that Kennedy will never stand up to him. Chris Kennedy secretly met with Madigan this summer to kiss his ring and get Madigan’s blessing. Kennedy’s already done his part to placate his boss, giving Madigan thousands to fund his anti-reform attack ads. We need a Governor who will fight for reform, not another Mike Madigan-first politician.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
To highlight Chris Kennedy’s deep ties to the Madigan Machine, today the Illinois Republican Party has launched MadiganKennedy.com
Chris Kennedy’s already proved he will be loyal to Mike Madigan. Before announcing his campaign, Kennedy secretly met with Madigan to get his blessing to run for governor. Then, Kennedy bankrolled a $10 million Madigan-aligned political front group and gave thousands more to Madigan’s hand-picked candidates for the legislature.
Chris Kennedy is committed to the Madigan Agenda and tried to give Madigan even more power. The last thing Illinois needs is a Madigan lap dog in the governor’s office.
Illinois needs an independent reformer, but Chris Kennedy is just another Mike Madigan-first politician.
Sources: Federal Election Commission, Illinois State Board of Election, Crain’s Chicago Business 11/2/2016, Chicago Tribune, 10/11/2016
Um, Madigan didn’t endorse Kennedy. Madigan said he met with the guy and told him “he’d make a very good candidate for governor.”
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s campaign…
Today, Chris Kennedy announced his bid for Governor of Illinois.
Show your support for Team Rauner instead by contributing $5, $15, $50, or whatever you can afford today.
We’re here to tell you that Illinois deserves better. Why? Because Chris Kennedy is a pawn of Mike Madigan. Kennedy secretly met with Mike Madigan to get his seal of approval before announcing his candidacy. And now he wants to do Madigan’s bidding.
Now, more than ever, Citizens for Rauner needs your support to hold Kennedy accountable and make sure that another Madigan crony isn’t elected Governor.
We’re here to make sure that Illinois is put first. Show that you’re with us by contributing today.
An adviser says Democratic businessman Chris Kennedy plans to run for Illinois governor in 2018 against Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner.
Hanah Jubeh, a Kennedy campaign adviser, told The Associated Press Wednesday that Kennedy is running.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Kennedy just called me to confirm the report. He’s in the race.
He said something interesting about the “Because… Madigan!” angle used by the Republicans here. “We may think it’s unique,” to Illinois, he said, but the Republicans are “using it everywhere” to suppress the vote. People are told over and over that “government is broken” and there’s nothing that anyone can do. So, people choose to just tune out, basically, and stay home.
“I can battle that better than just about everybody,” he said. “I can give people reasons to vote.”
The challenge, he said, is not “simply to get more union members or [other demographics] to vote Democratic,” but to “get more people to vote,” and the Democrats will win.
As he was winding down from those remarks and trying to move on to his next call, I asked him to quickly comment on the Senate’s grand bargain. Gov. Rauner, he said, “should show some leadership.”
Anyway, it was a pleasant call and we’ll be sitting down for a more formal interview soon.
* Meanwhile, here’s his announcement video. Rate it…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Formal statement…
Today I will file my formal paperwork to the State Board of Elections, launching my campaign for Governor of Illinois.
What once made our country different from any place on earth was the notion that anyone could make it here - that America was the land of opportunity. But today, if you’re born poor in America, you will almost certainly stay poor. The American Dream is slipping away and it’s up to us to keep this fundamental promise.
I love this state, and I’m running for governor because we can do better. Together we can restore the American Dream in Illinois in a single generation. Watch the video below to learn more, then share it with your friends and family to encourage them to join our campaign.
We have a tough task ahead: taking on a governor who has put Illinois in the worst shape it’s been since I moved here thirty years ago. I feel called to serve at this moment because I know we can do better. Through my previous work at The Merchandise Mart, through Top Box Foods, the nonprofit hunger relief organization I co-founded with my wife Sheila, and through my involvement in dozens of civic and service organizations, I have brought people together to solve complicated problems for a common good.
Compromise is not surrender. We can fix the immediate budget crisis facing our state. If we are willing to work together, mothers and babies will have early access to health care and nutrition. Early childhood education for all Illinoisans can be a priority again, and K-12 education can be paid for at the state level so every child in our state receives an equal, quality education. I want to give everyone access to higher education or trade school, and prepare the next generation of Illinoisans to be productive members of a healthy economy. If we can put stubbornness aside, we can act on a shared vision for making Illinois a place where everyone can succeed.
We can restore the future and keep the promise of this state. Let’s get to work.
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., said Tuesday that she has given herself 30 days to decide whether to run for governor and that she’ll weigh such factors as whether a downstate figure “with my brand of politics” can appeal to a statewide audience — and if she has the skills to make a difference in the infamously deadlocked state. […]
“As I weigh this, it is a matter of where can I make the biggest difference and how can I be in a position to help our state and region as much as possible,” she said. […]
“Does my brand of politics and governing, does it resonate in other parts of Illinois?” she said. “I’m a downstater. My politics are not the same as perhaps another member of Congress in another part of the state.” […]
“I ask myself, ‘Am I the best person to set our state on a healthier path,’ and I take that part very, very seriously,” she said. “And if there’s something that keeps me up at night as I make that decision, it is that. I think about that a lot.”
She was given an A-minus rating from the NRA, which could go badly in a Democratic primary traditionally dominated by Cook County. She has other conservative votes as well, like voting for a refugee ban in 2015.
But if the votes are split between several Cook candidates, she could have a chance. Deciding this early is understandable, but it doesn’t give the rest of the ticket time to shake itself out.
As speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Michael Madigan has outlasted five governors and is now on his sixth. This year, the Chicago Democrat will become longest-serving state or federal House speaker in the United States since at least the early 1800s.
Madigan is to Illinois what his late mentor, Mayor Richard J. Daley, was to Chicago, the state’s great metropolis - a city the political boss once controlled down to the last garbage truck. As speaker for all but two years since 1983, Madigan has directed the fate of key pension, labor and tax laws. As state Democratic Party chairman since 1998, he has shaped the fortunes of his allies and stymied opponents.
But if Daley’s Chicago was “the city that works,” a nickname coined during his tenure, Madigan’s Illinois is the state that doesn’t work. The speaker is one of America’s most powerful politicians, presiding over arguably its most dysfunctional state capital.
Illinois is beyond broke. It is the first state in eight decades to go without an annual budget, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Its bond ratings, the lowest of any state, are near junk status. It is projected to have a budget deficit this fiscal year of $5.3 billion and owes vendors about $10.8 billion in unpaid bills. […]
No one in modern Illinois politics wields as much legislative power, said David Axelrod, the Chicago-based Democratic political consultant who helped put Barack Obama in the White House.
“In his domain - in terms of the art of keeping and exercising power within that building - he’s incomparable,” Axelrod said, referring to the state capitol in Springfield. “Whatever his complicity in helping to create the problem, he’s also going to be essential to its solution.”
* Madigan’s money maker: lowering property taxes for big business: As Illinois House speaker for more than three decades, Michael Madigan has often worked to raise people’s taxes. As a private attorney, he works to lower them… Between 2004 and 2015, the speaker’s firm won $63.3 million in refunds for clients, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the Cook County treasurer’s office. In 2015, Madigan’s practice ranked second among law firms in total property tax refunds, the county data shows.
