* From Comptroller Mendoza…
I have consistently said that my office would continue to place elected officials’ paychecks at the back of the line to get paid unless a judge ordered me to stop.
A judge so ordered today.
As former Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka did in a 2013 legislator-pay case, I will release the back pay checks to all elected officials consistent with the judge’s order.
I have always argued that there is a sound policy reason, given the absence of a balanced state budget, to prioritize payments to the state’s most vulnerable – hospice care; child care; meals on wheels for seniors – ahead of paychecks for elected officials.
We will confer with the Attorney General and the consulting attorneys we retained from Holland and Knight, who advised us and the former Comptroller on this case, and ask them to appeal the judge’s ruling.
The brief filed this week by the attorneys for the legislative plaintiffs was pretty good. Click here to read it.
*** UPDATE 1 *** I just talked to one of the plaintiffs in the case, Rep. Chris Welch. Here’s what he had to say…
“It’s unfortunate that we had to do this. But we had to stand up for ourselves because we couldn’t allow one branch of government to hold another branch of government hostage. I hope that the governor will now turn his attention to getting a budget done.”
Legislators have been paid just once since last June.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the ILGOP…
“Today’s decision by a Cook County judge to pay lawmakers before social service agencies and the vulnerable is a win for Mike Madigan and a loss for taxpayers and all those who want a balanced budget. Madigan’s long-time lawyer, Mike Kasper, led the lawsuit brought by Madigan-backed lawmakers. It’s outrageous that these politicians think they should be paid before the vulnerable, but that’s how the Madigan machine operates. This decision should be overturned on appeal.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Deputy Governor Leslie Munger released the following statement on lawmaker pay, calling on Comptroller Susana Mendoza to ask for an immediate stay of the judge’s ruling pending appeal.
“Today, we witnessed the ultimate act of self interest - lawmakers putting their very own paychecks ahead of taxpayers, vital human services and those in need. For more than two years, lawmakers have failed to do their job and now believe they should be paid for doing nothing. As the judge said last week, if lawmakers did what they were sent to Springfield to do and passed a balanced budget this wouldn’t be an issue.
“Rather than immediately releasing all the back pay, the Comptroller should request independent counsel and ask for an immediate stay of the ruling pending her appeal. The fact the Comptroller didn’t immediately request a stay is further proof that the Comptroller, Attorney General and Speaker Madigan are engaged in a coordinated abuse of taxpayers.”
Maybe somebody should tell her she lost the election to Mendoza last year. Just sayin…
*** UPDATE 4 *** I just talked to the attorney general’s spokesperson…
We’re reviewing the decision and we’re talking with the comptroller’s office and we’re aware that they’re interested in appealing.
*** UPDATE 5 *** I asked the comptroller’s spokesman two questions. 1) Why no request for a stay pending appeal? The answer…
I would direct legal strategy questions to the AG.
I already did that.
2) Will statewides get paid now too?…
All elected officials.
I haven’t seen the order, but the lawsuit only covered legislators, even though statewide electeds were also not getting paid on time.
*** UPDATE 6 *** There’s not much to it, but the judge’s written order is here. There’s nothing in there about paying all elected officials, by the way.
*** UPDATE 7 *** A legal source told me that obtaining a stay would require proving irreparable harm to the state. So take this for whatever it’s worth…
“It’s mind-boggling that Susana Mendoza is refusing to call for an immediate stay and instead simply deferring to Madigan while also apparently seeking to expand the ruling so she also gets paid. An insult to taxpayers.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
*** UPDATE 8 *** I asked Comptroller Mendoza’s office when the checks would be sent. I was told at 5:57 pm that they were “Processing now.”
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News from the front
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Austin Weekly News covered a Chris Kennedy event on Chicago’s West Side hosted by Ald. Jason Ervin…
Kennedy also said he was concerned about the steep decline in manufacturing jobs, a trend that has affected the West Side for several decades but that is now also negatively affecting southern Illinois.
“It’s exactly the same in Southern Illinois, except they aren’t used to it,” he said. “They have whole counties without a grocery story. They are angry, they’re raging, they’re mad. The American Dream — that promise has not been kept.”
Kennedy said that the idea that, with grit and determination, anyone should be able to build a better life for herself is something fundamental to America.
“My belief is that the American Dream is a civil right,” he said. “If you can’t make it, if your children can’t make it, then why be civil?”
According to the article, just 15 people showed up. Too bad. Sounds like they may have missed a decent speech. It can be really lonely on the campaign trail this early in the cycle.
* Daniel Biss spoke at a Springfield restaurant yesterday. No word on how many people showed up for that one…
Biss was at The Feed Store on the Old Capitol Square greeting voters, and also spoke with reporters. He said the 1970 Constitution allows only a flat income tax, which Biss called “a provision put in by special interests that said that we could not tax the richest Illinois residents fairly. Unlike almost every other state, unlike the federal government, we could not say, ‘Hey, if you’re earning $5 million this year, you ought to pay a higher tax rate than someone who’s earning $50,000.’ That’s unfair. It’s not in keeping with how our economy works today. It’s not what our neighboring states do. And it’s made our state broke as well. That has to be our No. 1 priority. If we fix that, it will enable us to fix many of the other problems the state is facing.”
Biss said only a handful of state constitutions mandate the flat tax, and prominent Republicans, from President DONALD TRUMP on down, back a progressive tax system.
So, what about facing a campaign and being called a tax-raiser?
“We have unfair taxes in Illinois,” he said. “The middle class pays too much. The working poor pay too much. The people who have benefited from two generations of economic growth don’t pay enough — not by my standards, not by our neighboring states’ standards — and most people of Illinois feel that. … We’re trying to fix a fairness problem in our economy, and I think that’s something the voters of Illinois will appreciate.”
* Could we have a new gubernatorial candidate? Maybe, maybe not…
Sometime politician, businessman and gospel television host Willie Wilson says he’ll open his checkbook again, this time for Chicago-area homeowners in danger of losing their property in a county tax sale next month.
Wilson, who rose from poverty to own McDonald’s franchises and a multimillion-dollar plastic glove distribution business, is donating $150,000 for the creation of a property tax relief fund with the Cook County Treasurer’s office. That money, along with a $5,000 donation from Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, will be given out as interest-free loans to home owners trying to pay off property tax debts ahead of the Cook County property tax sale April 3. […]
His higher-profile efforts come after a long-shot bid for president in 2016 and, a year earlier, a lost bid to unseat Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Still, Wilson isn’t ruling out a political future: “The (governor’s race) is years away. I don’t know what I’m going to do it.”
* Meanwhile, Bob Daiber signed a pledge…
* And Ameya Pawar showed off some of his bumper stickers…
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Illinois employment finally reaches milestone
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate declined 0.3 percentage points to 5.4 percent in February and nonfarm payrolls increased by +25,600 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data proved by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. January job growth was revised up to show an increase of +8,100 jobs rather than the preliminary estimate of +1,700 jobs. February’s monthly payroll gain kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average, but Illinois now surpassed its prior peak employment reached in September 2000 by 100 jobs, even with some sectors such as manufacturing remaining 297,800 jobs below their prior peak.
“After 17 years, Illinois jobs have finally regained their September 2000 peak,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “However, nearly 300,000 manufacturing jobs that existed in the year 2000 are no longer in Illinois. While many other states – including our neighbors – have had positive growth in manufacturing jobs in the last several years, Illinois has not.”
“Illinoisans deserve a state that attracts good paying jobs, especially because of the great assets we have here in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We cannot afford to waste another 17 years lagging behind. We need to make common sense reforms that will boost our economy and create more opportunities for Illinois families.”
In February, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Government (+8,300); Construction (+7,300); and Education and Health Services (+5,800). The largest payroll declines were in the following sectors: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-2,900); and Professional and Business Services (-500).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +47,000 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in February: Education and Health Services (+15,300); Professional and Business Services (+12,100); and Government (+10,200). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Manufacturing (-7,400); and Other Services (-3,500). The +0.8 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is half as strong as the +1.6 percent gain posted by the nation in February.
The state’s unemployment rate is higher than the national unemployment rate reported for February 2017, which decreased to 4.7 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.7 percentage points from a year ago when it was 6.1 percent. At 5.4 percent, the Illinois jobless rate stands at its lowest level since October 2007.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -5.9 percent from the prior month to 352,400, down -12.5 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force increased +0.1 percent over-the-month but declined by -0.6 percent in February over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WJBC…
State Rep. Dan Brady said he expects the Illinois House will pass a budget before the spring session ends in May.
The Bloomington Republican told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn he expects House Speaker Mike Madigan will use his Democratic majority to pass a spending plan, but who knows were it will go from there.
* The Question: Do you think the session ends this year with yet another partisan House budget? Please explain.
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Even Luxembourg is ticked off at us now
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an e-mail…
Dear Speaker Madigan,
Dear Republican Leader Durkin,
I have the honor to write with regards to House Bill 3419, sponsored by the Honorable Representatives Jaime M. Andrade Jr, Christian L. Mitchell and Katie Stuart.
The bill seeks to bar “expatriate corporations” from participating in Illinois’ procurement markets and would further bar Illinois public investment into such corporations. One of the criterions used in order to identify so-called “expatriate corporations” is that a business re-incorporated itself in a tax haven jurisdiction. The proposed legislation includes Luxembourg on the list of these alleged tax havens.
Please find attached a letter by H.E. Sylvie Lucas, Ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States, which specifies how 1) Designating Luxembourg as a tax haven is factually incorrect; 2) Luxembourg has not been a destination for Illinois headquartered corporate-expatriations; and 3) How the proposed policy would violate the State of Illinois’ WTO commitments, and which we have sent also to all members of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Please feel free to contact the Embassy if you have any further questions or concerns.
Yours sincerely
Michael Fischer
Senior Advisor
GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG
Embassy of Luxembourg to the United States
The full letter is here.
* By the way, they sent Speaker Madigan an e-mail, but they may have been surprised when the e-mail address they used bounced back - as it did when I tried it because Madigan doesn’t use such things…
“Madigan hated e-mails. He wouldn’t have wifi in his house. He used to get all his e-mails second hand, then you’d have to e-mail the people back from a smart phone. There were guys, that’s all they did all day long was take care of Madigan’s e-mails.”
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Let’s celebrate the holiday!
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Today is National Puppy Day. We’ll start with a canine-related story…
Cubs President Theo Epstein on being picked as the No. 1 World Leader by Fortune: “Um, I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house,” he wrote in a text.
* And here’s a photo of Oscar when he was a pup…
Feel free to share your own puppy stories below.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some folks are calling HB 3393 the “Rauner tax” for obvious reasons…
Amends the Illinois Income Tax. Imposes a privilege tax at a rate of 20% on partnerships and S corporations engaged in the business of conducting investment management services, until such time as a federal law with an identical effect has been enacted. Provides for the determination of the tax due, defines “investment management services”. Effective immediately, but this Act does not take effect at all unless the states of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York enact laws having an effect identical to this Act.
An amendment to the bill narrows the tax to “fees earned from the investment strategy of the investment manager and not from the investment itself.”
The bill cleared committee as amended today on a partisan roll call.
* Probably a good idea, but not sure if it should be a state mandate…
A bill that would require motorists to leave their headlights on at all times while driving narrowly passed an Illinois House committee Wednesday.
House Bill 2448 was approved by the Transportation Committee in a contested 5-4 vote and now moves to the full House.
The main sponsor, Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said the requirement is a good idea because of safety concerns in low-visibility areas.
“This is an issue where too many people are already violating the law that says you’re supposed to have your headlights on when visibility is limited,” Pritchard said. “People are violating that. You can see that every day when you’re driving on the open road. So that was the genesis for which I bring forward this idea, that if you are visible, other people can avoid you.”
* Unintended consequences…
An effort to reduce some court fees that advocates say hurt low-income Illinoisans cleared its first hurdle Wednesday.
The bill in Springfield also would create a waiver system for people who can’t afford the fees and standardize what advocates say is a patchwork system.
The proposal is a response to findings by a bipartisan task force that pointed to a wide variation in fees for the same crimes in different Illinois counties. It also said growing fees put more pressure on low-income residents. […]
Kelly Smeltzer, general counsel for the Cook County Circuit Court clerk, said Cook County could lose more than $30 million under the proposed changes. Smeltzer said this would cause a reduction in services.
Maria Moon, a campaign coordinator for Cabrini Green Legal Aid, said she’s not against supporting government services but contends the current system is hurting low-income residents.
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We’re bleeding out
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Of the country’s 10 largest cities, the Chicago metropolitan statistical area was the only one to drop in population between 2015 and 2016. The region, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes the city and suburbs and extends into Wisconsin and Indiana.
The Chicago metropolitan area as a whole lost 19,570 residents in 2016, registering the greatest loss of any metropolitan area in the country. It’s the area’s second consecutive year of population loss: In 2015, the region saw its first decline since at least 1990, losing 11,324 people… [Cook County] in 2016 had the largest loss of any county nationwide, losing 21,324 residents.
Experts say the pattern goes beyond just the Chicago region. For the third consecutive year, Illinois lost more residents than any other state in 2016, losing 37,508 people, according to U.S. census data released in December.
Nearly all the cities that lost population in 2016 are located in the Midwest or northern parts of the country. Those cities, which are in smaller metropolitan areas, include St. Louis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
* Related…
* Sangamon County population up from 2010 to 2016 — by 34
* Could vacant state jobs be moved to Springfield?
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Rauner disses “part-time” legislators
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie followed up on a comment made by Gov. Bruce Rauner earlier this week…
[Rauner] told reporters in Springfield Monday that he wants Comptroller Susana Mendoza to “make sure that legislators, who are not workin’ every day — part-time job — and not balancing a budget, which is a constitutional requirement of all of us together, they shouldn’t be put as a priority.” […]
Given that the governor is pushing legislation sponsored by Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, for continuing state worker pay, I asked Bourne and other lawmakers about the “part-time” thing. […]
“It’s my full-time position,” she said. “You can work as much as you want in any job, and so you could work 60, 80, 100 hours a week if you wanted to. Most of my time is spent in my office (and) in the community.” […]
“I know that as a state rep you’re always sort of on call for matters that are important to your constituents — nighttime meetings, breakfast meetings, all during the day session,” [Rep. Sara Jimenez] said.
“I don’t want to get into an argument about that with the governor,” she added. “But I do know that me, as well as all of my colleagues that I talk to, are very busy with constituent work and session work. … And especially being a state rep in the capital city where there are lots of challenges at the moment, I spend a lot of my time when we’re not in session visiting places out in the community. … There are always requests for us to attend to things and visit places, and there aren’t enough hours in the day.”
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* Remember the story last month about a state employee whose infant son required on oxygen machine to live, but the state insurance program didn’t pay the provider and the county sheriffs showed up to repossess the machine? The machine wasn’t repossessed (I’m told the deputies called in to headquarters and were told to get the heck out of there) and a new oxygen machine provider was found.
Anyway, that mom, Kenea Williams, testified yesterday at a House committee hearing and she brought her little son Kobe with her. Jordan Abudayyeh filed this report…
Lawmakers in the House appropriation committee heard requests Wednesday from state agencies focusing on numbers and cents.
But for the people stuck in the middle of the budget crisis, the politics are personal.
Kobe Williams is 15-months-old and has a condition that leaves him unable to breathe without his oxygen tank.
“Kobe has bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which he needs and requires treatment of oxygen supplementation,” Kenea Williams, Kobe’s mother, said.
Kobe’s mother is a state worker who covers his medical expenses under her state healthcare plan.
“I pay my premiums,” Williams said. “I do my part. Now I feel like the state needs to do their part. They need to pay their bills.”
Without a budget, the state can’t pay all of its bills on time and companies are cutting off patients on the state health plan.
After pleading by Kenea, she says they left the equipment until she could get everything from another provider.
But that provider is 50 miles away from her home and she said she fears the same thing will happen again.
“Eventually, with them losing payment we will lose them also, and I’m out of options,” Williams said.
* More from WCIA…
Williams did not have a lot of options. Hundreds of providers around the state leave notices on doors telling customers they cannot accept some payments or they have to pay up-front.
It’s making people, like Williams, scramble for solutions.
“A struggle. I mean, it was an embarrassment.”
Williams eventually found another company to help her son continue to breathe, but the fear of this happening again, haunts her.
Williams and her son made the trip to the Capitol Wednesday to share their story with lawmakers. She says she hopes she made an impact to speed up the process for others in similar situations.
I hope so, too, but I really doubt it.
* Our good friend Dave Dahl was also at the hearing yesterday and he graciously sent me this raw audio of Ms. Williams’ testimony…
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* CBS 2…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday that an attack by terrorists in the state is “just a matter of time.”
Rauner made his remarks a few hours after the rampage outside Parliament in London, which killed four and injured nearly two dozen. British authorities believe that attack was an act of terrorism.
“My view? It’s just a matter of time,” Rauner said at a meeting of the Illinois Terror Task Force in Springfield. “There’s a lot of bad people around. And we’ve got to be ready. And that’s what you guys do, and I want to say, thank you.” […]
Past plots involving Chicago include the aborted attack on the Willis Tower; the explosive copier cartridges destined for Chicago but intercepted in Yemen; and the underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who flew to Detroit on Christmas 2009, because airfares to Chicago were too high.
* More…
“There is no domestic correlation or link to Chicago as of yet but we are continuing to monitor the situation,” Chicago Police Department.
“No credible threats on the local level,” Cook County Homeland Security.
“FBI Chicago has no credible threats to the Chicago area at this time. We continue to work with our local, state, and Federal partners to address any potential, credible threat to the area.”
“Cook County Courthouses were placed on heightened security today and will remain in place for the foreseeable future,” Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Be vigilant, be safe.
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* From Diana Popa at WalletHub…
Hi Rich,
With President Donald Trump proposing the deepest budget cuts to federal research and development in history for FY 2018, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2017’s Most & Least Innovative States.
In order to give credit to the states that have contributed the most to America’s innovative success, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of STEM professionals to R&D spending per capita to average Internet speed.
Innovation in Illinois (1=Most Innovative, 25=Avg.):
26th – Share of STEM Professionals
27th – Projected STEM-Job Demand by 2020
36th – Eighth-Grade Math & Science Performance
31st – Share of Science & Engineering Graduates Aged 25+
13th – Share of Technology Companies
19th – R&D Spending per Capita
22nd – Avg. Internet Speed
13th – Venture-Capital Funding per Capita
We can most easily do something about that internet speed issue. Some of the other problems, like science and engineering graduates, are more long-term issues, but they can and should be addressed as well. Also, the state’s R&D tax credit ought to be made permanent. But, you know, we’re gonna need a real budget first.
The full report is here.
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More CPS finger-pointing
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
As the stalemate over Chicago Public Schools funding persists, Wednesday’s CPS board meeting saw more rhetoric, with the school district and the state continuing to lay blame at each other’s feet.
“Yesterday, Governor [Bruce] Rauner, in a statement of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ absurdity, blamed the city for the immediate financial crisis that threatens to close our school doors early,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said.
Claypool has said CPS may have to close on June 1, as opposed to June 20, unless the district receives more money from the state to fill a $215 million budget hole.
Rauner’s administration fired right back.
* Tribune…
Claypool said the district’s latest fiscal emergency was caused solely by Rauner’s veto of a measure that would have provided the $215 million.
“He is only threatening to take away critical school days for CPS students. He is only threatening to take away textbooks and after school programs for children of color in the state’s largest school district.”
State Education Secretary Beth Purvis, in a statement, continued to urge Claypool to get behind a legislative effort promoted by the governor to both overhaul state pension systems and secure funding for the district. The governor has said he vetoed the measure to aid to CPS because it was not tied to broader pension reform.
“Look in the mirror, Mr. Claypool. You presented a budget to your board knowing that it spent $215 million more than the General Assembly appropriated,” Purvis said. “As CEO, you knew that the additional money was dependent on the passage of statewide pension reform.”
It’s like watching a tennis match. Kinda tiring, too.
* ABC 7…
Some teachers, union members and parents that don’t want Chicago schools to close early this year voiced their opinions.
“I’m not here to say who is right or wrong, knock it off, get these kids educated, keep Chicago Public Schools Open,” Diane Palmer, SEIU, said. […]
“What are we doing? We need to make plans. Are we having school in June or not?” Jesse Sharkey, Chicago Teacher’s Union vice president, said.
At Wednesday’s school board meeting, Claypool gave no indication about his plans.
* Related…
* Cash-Strapped CPS Green-Lights Nearly $300 Million In School Construction Projects
* Chicago Teachers Having ‘Hard Discussion’ Before Upcoming Strike Vote
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Pritzker oppo dump goes back 30 years
Thursday, Mar 23, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Billionaire J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel empire and who was named one of the wealthiest people in the world this week, once pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of writing a “worthless check.” […]
The check was written in June of 1986 for the amount of $60.46.
Two years later, he was charged with writing a bad check for an even smaller figure: $17.72, records show. The charge involving the second check, written to Big Star, a grocery story chain at the time, was dismissed. The second charge came in 1988, but records show the check was written in July of 1985. […]
An official with Pritzker’s exploratory committee for governor said Pritzker, then a college student, had written the check and later closed his bank account. The check was cashed after the account closed, the official said.
The documents are here.
The Republicans, by the way, flatly denied to me this morning that they leaked this. I’ve been hearing whispers for weeks from both parties that there was something “obvious” in Pritzker’s oppo file.
* There are two ways of looking at this. 1) A guy screwed up when he was in college thirty long years ago and got prosecuted over an incredibly minor thing; or 2) An heir to a billion-dollar fortune kited checks, so how trustworthy can he be?
Also remember that Speaker Madigan often pointed out the felony and misdemeanor record of his vanquished 2016 primary opponent Jason Gonzalez, who’d received a full gubernatorial pardon from Pat Quinn.
* Meanwhile, this is from the other day…
J.B. Pritzker has hired Anne Caprara - who served as executive director of Priorities USA, the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC - to help lead Pritzker’s exploratory efforts for governor. Caprara would move to campaign manager if he decides to run, a Pritzker source confirmed.
“She managed a multi million-dollar budget and a professional political staff focused on the 2016 Presidential election,” Caprara’s bio on Huffington Post says. “Before coming to Priorities, Anne served as the Vice President of Campaigns at EMILY’s List. In 2014, Anne was political director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, helping to oversee Senate races in 33 states. In 2011 and 2012, Anne served as the DSCC’s Deputy Political Director, covering all Senate races east of Wisconsin.”
TAKEAWAY - The billionaire (named by Forbes just Monday as among the wealthiest in Illinois - and the world) is looking in and outside of Illinois to recruit who the top campaign strategists in the nation. But is Pritzker already moving too slowly in this race? While Pritzker announced an exploratory committee last week via an email statement, he’s remained quiet. Each week, another candidate either enters the fray or trumpets a populist platform that threatens to steal his thunder. The danger he faces is becoming viewed as too Clintonesque, presuming that because of his access to money, the race is his.
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