* Here we go again…
* It starts like this…
Hi everybody. As you all know, Attorney General Madigan went into court last month, trying to force a government shutdown. At the same time, Speaker Madigan had a government shutdown bill ready in the legislature. And Comptroller Mendoza refused to fight for state employees. Fortunately for us, they all lost. A judge ruled state employees must continue getting paid and support for the Madigan Shutdown Bill collapsed in the House.
Actually, AG Madigan was simply attempting to clarify that state bills shouldn’t be paid without valid appropriations. Speaker Madigan proposed a bill to fund state worker salaries through the end of the fiscal year. And Comptroller Mendoza didn’t do as the governor ordered and hire her own lawyer in that AG Madigan fight.
* Back to the governor…
Sadly, it appears the fight isn’t over. Since the court ruling, Comptroller Mendoza has been looking for other ways to create a crisis and force a shutdown of state services.
She’s cut hardship payments to the Department of Aging by millions of dollars, putting services for the elderly in danger of collapse. She’s delayed payments to critical vendors at the Department of Health and Family Services and the Department of Corrections. And now she’s threatening not to process payroll for nearly 600 state employees.
This latest attempt to force a crisis is a clear violation of a court order to pay state employees. It’s part of a pattern we’ve seen. Trying to create a crisis that would force another incomplete, stopgap budget or a massive tax hike with no changes to our broken system.
The payroll for nearly 600 state employees was submitted to the comptroller last week. It’s a valid payroll, no different than the payrolls she’s processed since she became comptroller. And by court order she is legally obligated to process it once again. But she is continuing to resist.
To state employees, please know that we will use all of our legal options to make sure Comptroller Mendoza processes the payroll we’ve submitted on your behalf, on time and in full.
And to the social services providers and vendors she’s putting at risk, we will forcefully advocate on your behalf as well.
Thank you for your support to keep government operating as we work for changes to fix our broken system.
The background on the payroll dispute is here, in case you need to refresh your memory from last week. I’ve asked the comptroller’s office for comment on this aspect and the rest of the allegations.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Background…
Today the Rauner Administration filed a motion in St. Clair County, asking the court to direct Comptroller Mendoza to continue paying state employees in compliance with the court order that has done so since July 2015. That order provides that state employees must be paid for the work they perform and orders Mendoza to process lawful payment vouchers submitted for that purpose. The Rauner Administration submitted a lawful voucher late last week for 578 employees of the Illinois Central Management Services. The Comptroller to date has refused to process it. That is a clear violation of the court order. Our filing today shows the Administration’s commitment to ensuring that all state workers continue to receive regular, uninterrupted paychecks.
The motion is here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Comptroller’s office…
Instead of fulfilling his constitutional duty to propose a balanced budget, Governor Rauner is concocting ridiculous conspiracy theories and wasting more taxpayer dollars.
It gets harder to take him seriously when what he presents in his tweets and court filings has so little basis in reality.
CMS
Payroll records show that under Rauner’s handpicked “wingman” comptroller, the Dept. of Central Management Services consistently used the Garage Fund and the Maintenance fund to pay for 578 employees who work on maintenance and in state garages.
Now Governor Rauner suddenly wants to hoard those funds which he has tellingly renamed “government shutdown prevention funds” and instead raid the state’s General Revenue Fund, which would take critical funds away from nursing homes, hospice care and care for the disabled.
Instead of using the funds that are $93 million in the black, Gov. Rauner wants to raid the fund he put $12.5 billion in the hole by failing to propose a balanced budget for the last three years.
Rauner’s administration has more than enough money to pay employees from the department’s self-protected funds. The only reason to draw attention to this issue now is to manufacture a phony headline about state employees in “danger” of missing a paycheck. This is just one of many phony stories Rauner’s administration has shopped in recent weeks, like the Dept. of Aging hoax. Expect more: All just as phony.
No employees will miss any paychecks if the administration uses the money that the General Assembly authorized them to use and the Governor signed. The administration can continue using those funds for payroll as they always have. Or they can choose to create a phony crisis for P.R. value and continue playing politics with people’s lives.
Dept. of Aging
While the comptroller and her staff work tirelessly to triage the state’s obligations and do all they can to prevent closures and shutdowns, the governor is more interested in using state employees as political pawns to score political points.
In her first three months in office, The Comptroller made the elderly a greater priority than the previous administration by processing more than $110 million to providers in Department on Aging programs. The Governor is peddling the black-is-white falsehood that the Comptroller has “cut” payments to Aging while he proposes cutting the Community Care program and kicking 40,000 elderly people out of the program and forcing them into nursing homes. That’s the real Bruce Rauner - not the Twitter version.
All outside observers agree the main reason for the state’s financial crisis is the Governor’s failure for the third year in a row to propose a balanced budget for the General Assembly to consider.
Even Standard & Poor’s wrote, “Illinois’ fiscal crisis is, in our view, a man-made byproduct of policy ultimatums placed upon the state’s budget process.” In other words, Gov. Rauner owns this fiscal disaster.
Our office and Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office will present to the court today the history of CMS payments coming from the Garage and Maintenance funds and Gov. Rauner’s attempt to rewrite history.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Ouch…
She even quotes Chance the Rapper at the end.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:43 am:
===Thank you for your support to keep government operating even as we work tirelessly to break and undermine our system.===
I think that must have been what he meant. Not sure how it got so garbled in the original, but I think this is the best translation of his words.
- Hambone - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:46 am:
If only there was some way to allocate funds to different agencies and programs… if only….. hmmmmm.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:48 am:
If any individual or group of State Employees think siding with Bruce Rauner over anyone on the issue of their (state employee) well-being, you haven’t paid any attention to what’s happening in YOUR agencies, YOUR offices, YOUR missions, YOUR functionality….
Bruce Rauner thinks so little of you, State Employees, Rauner truly believes you will, at enough of a clip, still believe the phony Rauner is.
The other audience, my State Employees friends, is the general public, whom Rauner also to that you are overpaid lackeys that belong to unions (when there are those who do not) that Rauner loving includes the term “Scammy”
Rauner cares about you State Employees so much, he never misses the chance to disparage you.
This video is another in a string that points to Rauner thinking very little about your (personally and collectively) intelligence.
Keep that in mind.
OW
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:51 am:
Instead of ending the impasse, Rauner wants to litigate to sustain the impasse. Social services, higher education, etc. would benefit by it’s end, not it’s continuation.
- Jocko - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:52 am:
==It’s part of a pattern we’ve seen.==
Bruce and the Superstars sure do notice a lot of stuff. Any chance those observations will translate into action anytime soon?
- anonymous retiree - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:53 am:
Madigandoza doesn’t know what she’s doing. But she sure knew how to buy a new car.
- My New Handle - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:53 am:
“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. Hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance.” Orwell
Here is the gaslighting Rauner, telling us two opposing situations are both acceptable and unacceptable at the same time.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:55 am:
===Madigandoza===
Is that you, John Kass?
- Steward As Well.... - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:56 am:
Governor Rauner the state workers best and only friend. lol
- illinoised - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:59 am:
The positive is he didn’t accuse Mendoza of tapping his his phone.
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
He’s worried about social service provides getting paid?
The man’s cynicism, dishonesty and disrespect for the intelligence of the citizenry is beyond belief.
He could have done anything in retirement. He chose to spend his time and money pursuing willful destruction of vital services and institutions.
It’s creepy.
- Seats - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
What makes those 600 workers pay situation different than the rest of the 28,000?
- Honeybear - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
Governor your Semper Fi Marine Hoffman said it
Government Shutdown Protection Funds
AKA
Strikebreaker fund
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
===The positive is he didn’t accuse Mendoza===
Don’t give him any ideas.
- Deft Wing - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:04 pm:
The Gov needs to lead. He looks weak when he’s just blamin’.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:04 pm:
No ‘g’ droppin’? Bruce #2 shifts into character
- Me too - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
The audacity of nope.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:09 pm:
Statements like that may well win the news cycle. But they don’t get anywhere nearer to a grand compromise.
- illini97 - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:10 pm:
If only there was someway we could really, truly ensure employees and social services and…well, everyone who has a contract to provide goods or services will get paid.
I mean, I guess a budget could provide that certainty. We could even Bargain on what’s in that. In Grand fashion.
If only we had a Governor who supported doing that and didn’t spend so much time on Facebook and Twitter.
- Earnest - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:12 pm:
Rauner is indeed fighting hard with regard to his two wedge issues–AFSCME and social services. If it weren’t hurting real lives, it would be hilarious to be in the room writing this stuff.
- WhoKnew - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:13 pm:
I’m a little confused!
Is it “Perception, Location, Location”
or
“Location, Location, Perception”! /s Of course
- anonymous retiree - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:15 pm:
no, OW not John Kass
- A Modest Proposal - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:16 pm:
-Madigandoza-
Madi-doza flows off the tongue easier than madigandoza… please be more clever-er next time.
- A Jack - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:16 pm:
If there is no legal appropriation for those funds, what right does any Governor have to hold on to that money?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
anonymous retiree, you’re not a retiree.
- Johnny Tractor - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
What Wordslinger said - does the Governor think we forgot how he wanted to create a crisis to achieve his goals? I remember, and while I’m not surprised by the existence of a crisis, I am stunned at the level of callousness he’s exhibited about the pain and human hurt he’s inflicted, the absolute lack of any spine and sense of public service exhibited by certain members of the Republican caucus, and his audacity in his claims about his role in this mess. Again, I voted for the guy because I thought having a different party in the Governor’s mansion would help provide for more balanced financial legislation and progress on issues like the pension. I did not foresee that I was helping to elect an extremist, and “extremity” doesn’t provide “balance” - so far, it just seems to make existing problems exponentially worse. (I may change my moniker to “Johnny Hindsight.”)
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
- anonymous retiree -
You’re someone besides Kass and you use a term like that, purposely, and… want to be taken seriously?
I didn’t think you were Kass, I also didn’t think the question needed a comedy tip in. Appeciate it.
Dear Social Service groups,
“Who” signed those contracts that the Rauner Administration continues to refuse to fund the payments for, for you?
The Rauner Administration?
Comptroller Mendoza?
Just so you’re clear, Rauner now is inserting you as a wedge by both refusing to honor your signed contract, and blaming a Comptroller not a signator on either side of the contract he, the Governor, continue to refuse to honor.
Whoa
- Wylie Coyote - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:30 pm:
Gee, OW, you sure write like a state employee….
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:32 pm:
===Gee, OW, you sure write like a state employee…===
I’m not. So there’s that.
- lake county democrat - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:33 pm:
I didn’t know there was 100% unanimity among the Democrats (other than state workers who can’t cover the missing paychecks) that shutting down the state to pressure Rauner is a good strategy. Interesting!
- Last Bull Moose - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:33 pm:
Rauner is trying to keep his stash of cash for emergencies. Meanwhile, on another thread, he is trying to drain Rahm’s
Stash of cash in TIF funds. Clever financial maneuvering.
I see no sign of compromise in either move.
- Nick Name - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:34 pm:
“To state employees, please know that we will use all of our legal options…”
I wonder if the state constitution provides for a legal option to pay employees. Hm.
- August Spies - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:34 pm:
This from the man who said he would shut down government to create a crisis. Hypocrisy at its finest.
- Annonin' - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:42 pm:
Hey Capt Fax the BigBrain Update forgot to mention he “lost” in the court on the impasse issue and there has been little progress on his effort to block fair share. Maybe he “forgot” or maybe Goldie forbid him to talk about this.
- A Jack - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:49 pm:
Does Rauner have to spend the funds on something for which it was not appropriated before he can be charged with misappropriation?
I don’t see how he has any legal authority to those funds unless he spends it on payroll or another court ordered item.
- Demoralized - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:49 pm:
I don’t want there to be a lawsuit. Everyone needs to play nice. But in this case the Governor is right. The Comptroller doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have the ability to direct a state agency which appropriation they should pay bills from. Like it or not there is a court order that allows employees to be paid. She has a payroll. She should process it. I’m tired of Comptroller’s using the office for politics. We’ve now had two in a row doing it.
- Chicago_Downstater - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:52 pm:
“And to the social services providers and vendors she’s putting at risk, we will forcefully advocate on your behalf as well.”
I seem to remember a bill that sat on Rauner’s desk for weeks that he eventually vetoed that would have helped pay social services providers. Where was this “forcefully advocate” business then?
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Rauner-Vetoes-Democratic–382530261.html
- AC - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:52 pm:
Ignoring those who are bought and paid for, who can Rauner get along with?
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:52 pm:
== “To state employees, please know that we will use all of our legal options…” ==
I hate seeing my prediction about Rauner’s, and the State’s, legal bills come true. I think we’re well past the point of exceeding all of Blago’s legal bills during his entire term as Gov.
THIS story is why the loss of Munger was HUGE to the Rauner camp. Rauner no longer has a willing co-conspirator in warehousing funds and in selectively diverting funds to aid in the warehousing. A significant amount of flexibility was lost, and even more will be if someone starts auditing all the spending vis a vis the funding sources and what appropriations were actually enacted.
The sad thing is I actually support some of Rauner’s fiscal goals, but I DON’T agree with his methods and can’t stomach his malfeasance. But John Q. Public, busy as he is, only hears the sound bites … and Rauner’s sound bites are all structured to appear reasonable, so Rauner still has as much support as a bottomless campaign fund can buy. So he’s golden with a good portion of the state’s voters.
If only the Democrats, the unions, the social service providers and the schools had an effective message …
SIGH …
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:52 pm:
“A judge ruled state employees must continue getting paid”
It was AFSCME’s legal counsel whose fine work kept the TRO in place for state employees to continue getting paid. AFSCME’s legal counsel did real well also to win the permanent stay for the contract dispute at his chosen appellate court venue.
I agree with wordslinger–the dude has a lot of gall in insulting people’s intelligence. He’s shameless.
- Allen D - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:53 pm:
so again we find out that CMS is just a money Laundering Front for the Governor’s to use as they see fit….. Hrmmmm
- Justdoingtime - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:59 pm:
Hey Governor if you’re going to use all your legal options to make sure state employees get paid, maybe you could try that for the back pay that still owed state employees. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last year it must be paid yet it still hasn’t been appropriated. But I guess once again it’s just a lot of talk
- Roman - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:07 pm:
More Governor Victim.
Geez, for a billionaire alpha-male, this guy does a lot of whining.
- Anon1234 - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:10 pm:
Justdoingtime,
That is an interesting point about the backpay. Didn’t someone say they can’t pay us the backpay without an appropriation? How is that money somehow different from the rest of our salary, aside from looking bad politically? I’m sure afscme realizes suing for that money now would look really greedy, but the courts agree that money needs to be paid.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:10 pm:
And it would be great if someone “will use all of our legal options to make sure” raunner does his Constitutionally mandated job to present his balanced budget to the GA for action and his failure to uphold his Oath of Office.
A legal failure by raunner for THREE budget cycles.
Oath: “I do solemnly swear (affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of …. to the best of my ability.”
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:13 pm:
Re-reading the Oath: ‘… to the best of my ability.”
Maybe raunner realizes he has no ability & thinks that clears him?
- Retired 2010 - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
anonymous retiree, you’re not a retiree.
HaHaHa Big Brother os watching.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:16 pm:
===Big Brother===
Nope. Just me.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:17 pm:
Is the lawsuit about whether the payroll should be paid or from which account the payroll should be paid?
I thought the Comptroller was willing to issue the paychecks but wanted to fund those checks from a different account.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:21 pm:
- anonymous retiree - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 11:53 am:
Madigandoza doesn’t know what she’s doing. But she sure knew how to buy a new car.
Raunnermung doesn’t know what he’s doing. But he sure knew how to hire more superfluous staff at a yearly cost of hundreds of thousands on the taxpayers dime.
There. Fixed it for ya.
- Henry Francis - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:22 pm:
Rauner’s priorities have been made painfully obvious.
At least it’s good to see he has his general counsel actually doing lawyer work instead of filling in for ck with shameless political shilling
Looking at the Govs office lawyers on this pleading, Kenton Skarin (former clerk to Clarence Thomas) and Dennis Murashko, who has publicly admitted that Clarence Thomas is his favorite S Ct justice.
- Huh? - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
I wish that 1.4% would be hauled into court and made to answer questions about his actions like vetoeing the budget. How his actions have caused the problems that beset the state for the last 2 years.
- Perrid - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
As I understand it, she’s not flatly refusing to pay, she just won’t pay the employees from the fund the governor wants. So basically she’s telling CMS/the governor they did their paperwork wrong, and CMS is saying they didn’t. Am I correct in that? Because if I am, then this seems disingenuous.
- Honeybear - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:32 pm:
HEY! St. Clair is our court! Stay in your lane!
- InTwoPolitics (Dems/Repubs) - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:36 pm:
1. Can anyone tell me why hasn’t anyone challenged Rauner in court for not submitting a budget as a breach of IL Constitution?
2. Are we forgetting here (according to a post last week) that the dispute here is not paying 578 employees, but where to pay them from? As I understood, Rauner suddenly changed the budget (the crisis) he wants the funds to come from. Thus, draining the (swamp) funds while reserving the normal payroll funds budget.
- Valvino - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:40 pm:
He really does not expect us to believe he is fighting for the State workers does he?
- Commonsense in Illinois - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:44 pm:
I have to move…I’m too damn tired of this…stuff!
- Stones - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:49 pm:
Bruce Rauner, Best friend and protector of all state employees!
LOL! You can’t make this stuff up.
- Bigtwich - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:51 pm:
If the Court has ordered payment “regardless of appropriations”, can’t the Comptroller take the money from any account she wants?
- Living it daily - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 1:54 pm:
I wonder if the cms employees are including JT and his public access crew he keeps on staff.
- Free Set of Steak Knives - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
@Bigtwich -
Nope, the governor must submit the proper paperwork.
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:12 pm:
== please know that we will use all of our legal options … ==
Might want to try an actual budget with line item appropriations …
- Saluki Matt - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:14 pm:
“This latest attempt to force a crisis…”
Uh…we’ve been in crisis for two years and counting. Thanks, Governor.
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:18 pm:
== 1. Can anyone tell me why hasn’t anyone challenged Rauner in court for not submitting a budget as a breach of IL Constitution? ==
Rauner submitted a budget; it just wasn’t balanced. It never made it out of committee in the House; that’s what happens when you personally attack the head of the committee (and the guy who makes the rules) and you don’t have the votes to change the rules.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:37 pm:
I too want to know how the Gov. can violate his Const. obligations without legal action. The Const. is pretty clear that he must pass a budget. He, clearly, will not.
Please, if anyone knows, tell me if there’s legal action to be taken? Or is everyone just so dumbstruck that a Gov. won’t do his job that nobody has considered this issue before?
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
Personal experience: it took Mendoza 58 days to pay a small invoice that Munger routinely paid in 15 days.
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
== Please, if anyone knows, tell me if there’s legal action to be taken? Or is everyone just so dumbstruck that a Gov. won’t do his job that nobody has considered this issue before? ==
About the only legal action with any consequences for Rauner will require both Democrats AND Republicans (at least 10 of each in the House and 5 of each in the Senate) to act … something Rauner’s ownership of the Raunerite party precludes.
- GA Watcher - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:49 pm:
Is this news intended to deflect the media from the Chance the Rapper story? It will be interesting to see which one gets more coverage.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:51 pm:
==The Const. is pretty clear that he must pass a budget. ==
youre skipping a few steps and responsible parties in what it takes to “pass” a budget
- Bobby Catalpa - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
I assume Rauner wants to preserve his scab cash?
And Mendoza wants to drain it?
Is that the basis of today’s absurdity?
- Lt Guv - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:55 pm:
Governor, “Do Your Job!”
- Nero's Fiddle - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:57 pm:
Rauner just sent all state employees a link to this video in an email. Many report that it is unplayable because of insufficient bandwidth. Smooth move Governor, this is a massive waste of time and resources - not to mention illegal campaigning on state time!
- RNUG - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:58 pm:
== I assume Rauner wants to preserve his scab cash?
And Mendoza wants to drain it?
Is that the basis of today’s absurdity? ==
Pretty much …
- Bobby Catalpa - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 2:59 pm:
“Government Shutdown Funds?”
What the heck?
- Bobby Catalpa - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:03 pm:
Someone should explain to Terranova and Rauner that no, they don’t need to send videos.
Either (a) don’t send anything or (b) just send an email or (c) send a link to a website.
Video embeds are one of the most annoying things to get via email — especially on the excrutiatingly slow Illinois network.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:06 pm:
First Rauner emailed state employees and said Lisa Madigan was trying to create a crisis, and now it’s Mendoza.
Dude, stop. A strong majority of unionized state workers don’t believe in you. You’re phoniness is quite transparent. You created the crisis by not agreeing to a budget because you’re trying to smash the very people you say you’re fighting for.
- August Spies - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:06 pm:
Nero, your heart is in the right place but this isn’t campaigning in the traditional sense and unless someone wants to challenge it with the OEIG, expect more to come.
- Earnest - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
>That’s the real Bruce Rauner - not the Twitter version.
She has good content in the response and a little snark like the above. We also had a good statement from John Cullerton’s office. Still, nothing to resonate with a consistent cohesive message from the Illinois Democratic Party.
- Bobby Catalpa - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:15 pm:
—
Dude, stop. A strong majority of unionized state workers don’t believe in you.
—
What Rauner doesn’t realize — or what his staff isn’t bright enough to suggest to him — is that he looks far less believable on video than via email.
His earnest, “aw-shucks, I’m just doing the right thing” is incredibly, incredibly condescending and transparent. I suspect it sends the collective blood pressures of every single state employee sky high.
No one believes Rauner — especially not this far into the game. This is a bad day for sure, but it’s time Rauner removes his face from the spotlight for a while.
He’s not helping. Anyone.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:16 pm:
Let the judge decide.
== Payroll records show that under Rauner’s handpicked “wingman” comptroller, the Dept. of Central Management Services consistently used the Garage Fund and the Maintenance fund [currently $93 million in the black] to pay for 578 employees who work on maintenance and in state garages. ==
If Leslie Munger did in fact pay maintenance and garage workers from this fund and if that Fund now has a $93 million cash balance, it seems to me that Comptroller Mendoza has a strong case and none of those 578 workers need go without a paycheck, at least for now.
- Free Set of Steak Knives - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:23 pm:
Hope the judge in St. Clair orders Rauner to resubmit paper work in accordance with Mendoza’s request.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
Rauner is like the hanging judge who is demanding that the defense attorneys stop appealing his innocent victim’s death sentence so that he could order up for them a really nice bottle of wine to go with their last meal.
- working stiff - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:00 pm:
==HEY! St. Clair is our court! Stay in your lane! ==
filed in st clair to later place blame on others that aren’t in his circle?
- Honeybear - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:14 pm:
Just wait till Mendoza finds Rauners honey pot(s) over at DCEO. I heard a lot of the Munger folks are there now. If I were Mendoza I’d look there as well.
- walker - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:15 pm:
Two problems with Rauner’s political messaging here:
No one who actually cares about social services agencies and social workers of all kinds, would ever blame Mendoza before Rauner, for starving them of pay and resources.
Rauner risks enlarging his target set too much. This should be a “Madigan + Madigan” issue. Mendoza is a pain in his side, but not a real threat to him winning.
- A Jack - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:16 pm:
Rauner’s case seems rather flimsy to me. And I thought the Comptroller’s response was quite good.
I think Rauner’s case rests solely on whether the judge said state employees can only be paid from GRF and I doubt he said that and I doubt AFSCME sought that in the original court order. In fact many state employees are paid outside of GRF if they have specials funds set up for that. For instance, Insurance employees get paid from a fund of insurance company fees.
- Nero's Fiddle - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
==Nero, your heart is in the right place but this isn’t campaigning in the traditional sense and unless someone wants to challenge it with the OEIG, expect more to come.==
If it’s not illegal campaigning, then it is at least misuse use of the state’s email system. What’s next? Rauner, both Madigans, Mendoza and AFSCME using the state email system to battle it out over the hearts and minds of state employees? He would just tell them all to “get off of his” email system” and then continue with his shameless falsehoods.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:02 pm:
To the Mendoza video,
Abdon…
That’s a response.
Put the cue cards under the lens next time, that’s the only critique.
OW
- My New Handle - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:06 pm:
Besides this blog, how was this video distributed, and to whom?
- Henry Francis - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:27 pm:
Mendoza ain’t being subtle with the governing via tweeting references.
- Henry Francis - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:32 pm:
With the day he’s been having, maybe it’s time for the Guv to claim he just uncovered that Quinn was wire tapping the Rauner manse in 2014.
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:47 pm:
Willy beat me to it. I was distracted from an otherwise well written speech by her focusing on the cue cards to her right.
- What's Up - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:51 pm:
How many votes would Susana Mendoza have lost if her campaign emphasized that she was going to use the office to serve as Speaker Madigan’s surrogate?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 5:58 pm:
===How many votes would Susana Mendoza have lost if her campaign emphasized that she was going to use the office to serve as Speaker Madigan’s surrogate?===
“Welcome to Illinois”.
You must not be from Illinois. We had a whole 6 months of Ads that said just that.
Someone who honestly asks that can’t be from Illinois.
I’m guessing you’re not being… honest. lol
- My New Handle - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 6:27 pm:
What’s Up at 5:51–
How exactly is Mendoza acting as Madigan’s surrogate? And if she is acting as Madigan’s surrogate, how exactly is her position on the CMS “shutdown” fund wrong?
- Pelonski - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 6:30 pm:
Finally, the Democrats have someone both willing and capable of calling the Governor out on all his lies. He’s going to come at her hard with money in the next election, but I think she is going to more than hold her own.
- Dr Mark - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 7:18 pm:
Nero - I did file a complaint with the OEIG in previous communications both against the Gov and JT for improper use of State resources for political purposes. In both cases they ruled they were unable to decide what to do and referred the matters back to the Gov’s Office and CMS. Guess what - no response back…
- red raider - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 7:29 pm:
Rauner acts like the abusive spouse that refuses to let anyone else abuse his loved one.
- foster brooks - Monday, Mar 6, 17 @ 8:51 pm:
better get those cms mechanics paid, winter isn’t over yet
- Good for her - Tuesday, Mar 7, 17 @ 8:29 am:
You can say what you want about Mendoza but she is never scared. You go girl!!!!