With high turnout and low morale, rank-and-file Chicago Police officers decided Wednesday to change union presidents heading into contentious contract negotiations.
With 9,811 votes cast, Police Officer Kevin Graham captured 56.2 percent of the vote to incumbent Dean Angelo’s 43.8 percent. […]
Graham could not be reached for comment. His election virtually guarantees that contract talks with the city will be even more contentious than normal.
Hours before the results were announced, Angelo was anticipating defeat because of the level of discontent.
“Everyone’s frustrated. Very, very, very frustrated on this job. Morale is at the lowest I’ve ever seen. . . . Sometimes when you get frustrated, you want to make a change just for change sake. If that’s the case, there’ll be a different person representing the FOP,” Angelo said.
Graham, a staunch critic of outside intervention in the department and efforts to strengthen officer discipline, will take the helm of the department’s most influential police union at a moment of uncertainty and consequence.
The FOP — which represents the wide majority of the department’s approximately 12,000 officers — is heading into a contract negotiation later this year.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced and enacted a series of reforms to a police department plagued by misconduct, but FOP contracts have historically helped shield rank-and-file cops from disciplinary investigations, protections reform advocates would like to see scaled back. […]
Graham, a 22-year veteran patrol officer assigned to the Town Hall police district on the North Side, sought to position himself as an opponent of outside intervention in the department and criticized Angelo for failing to more aggressively resist the Justice investigation. Graham has slammed the media for allegedly lying about police misconduct claims and tied the city’s violence to attempts to “put the handcuffs on the police.”
The city council’s Black Caucus reaction should be something to behold.
Illinois is a few months away from a new fiscal year, yet we have failed to pass a full calendar-year budget for nearly two years. Not only are we working to fix two years of inaction, we’re working to fix several decades of failed choices and broken promises.
It’s going to take a lot of hard work, soul searching and truth telling from everyone involved. That includes Republicans and Democrats in elected office and those running to hold elected office. Voters shouldn’t give anyone a free pass.
* And then she goes on to criticize the Democratic gubernatorial candidates…
Their standard messaging goes something like this: We can’t afford any cuts. We need to increase spending. Let’s just tax the millionaires and billionaires, make them pay their fair share and call it a day. We can talk about reforms later.
* She details some of her complaints and ends with this…
We need more than just sound bites from Democratic candidates for governor. We need an honest evaluation of our problems and concrete solutions to those problems.
The crisis we face today didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of poor decision-making and partisan games. We know both sides got us here. But we also know both sides must get us out.
So, Democratic candidates for governor, stop the partisan rhetoric, step up and put forth real ideas. The people you wish to serve deserve an honest and thoughtful solution to the problems facing Illinois.
I’d say the same for the governor, too, but that’s just me.
They’re in the arena now, so it’s more than fair to ask what their specific plans are.
New York will be the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students under a state budget approved by lawmakers Sunday.
The plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo will apply to any New York student whose family has an annual income of $125,000 or less. To qualify the student would have to meet certain class load and grade point average restrictions, and room and board would not be covered.
“College is today what high school was 50 years ago,” Cuomo said on a radio interview Sunday on AM 970 in New York City. “If you’re a young person who wants success and a career, a college education is necessary.
The initiative is included in a $153 billion state budget proposal that passed the state Senate late Sunday after being endorsed by the Assembly a day earlier. The budget was due by April 1, but difficult negotiations delayed passage.
The state now will have a cap of two and a half years on temporary [workers’ compensation] benefits, which a worker can receive prior to the start of a 10-year cap on benefits for “permanent partial disabilities” — such as a chronic back condition — that affect a worker’s earning potential. […]
Another worker-centered reform lowers the degree to which a person’s injury lowers his or her earning potential — 75 percent, down from 80 percent — in order to apply for “extreme hardship” toward the end of the 10-year period and receive disability payments in perpetuity. […]
The state’s business community and its Republican allies in the state Senate stressed the need for additional reforms for years — particularly in the wake of last year’s passage of a minimum-wage increase and paid family leave — in hopes of relieving businesses of ever-increasing insurance premiums.
It became an issue that a number of GOP senators, including Majority Leader John Flanagan and Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, frequently asserted as a priority of theirs in budget negotiations. The movement for reform managed to generate enough support among Assembly Democrats to stay in the final budget agreement.
Organized labor praised the legislation backed by the GOP. More on those reforms here.
After years of efforts, ride-sharing advocates are celebrating in New York this week. The latest state budget deal paves the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to operate upstate.
A new provision in Gov. Cuomo’s budget will make it easier for union members to deduct their dues payments from state taxes.
The clause in the Empire State’s $153 billion budget — which was approved Sunday night — will put an estimated $35 million into the pockets of union workers in the public and private sectors as well as in the building trades.
To help offset the state’s $3.5 billion deficit and fund income tax cuts for people making under $300,000, the budget extends for two years an 8.82 percent tax rate on individuals making more than $1 million a year.
The 2017-18 State Budget fully funds another installment of property tax rebate checks, providing millions of homeowners with $453 million in direct, much-needed tax relief through a check in the mail. When combined with the STAR and Enhanced STAR programs, these checks will bring total property tax relief in this year’s budget to $3.6 billion.
After the Senate advocated for funding that was absent from the Executive Budget proposal, the final budget provides a $146 million multi-year boost in wages to compensate direct care and other clinical professionals for the important work they do in caring for our most vulnerable adults. The funding helps appropriately adjust salaries at not-for-profits that employ workers who provide services for individuals with disabilities, as well as staff at not-for-profits under the purview of the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services and the Office of Mental Health.
The enacted budget includes a record level of school aid funding of approximately $26 billion. This is an approximately $1.1 billion increase over last year, equating to 4.4 percent, and continues the growth of education funding at twice the rate of the rest of the budget.
* A few days ago (click here), I asked all the Democratic gubernatorial candidates where they stood on legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol. The only person who didn’t respond was JB Pritzker, who hadn’t yet announced. Today, his communications director sent me this statement…
JB favors legalization in Illinois and wants it to be done in a way that ensures common sense regulation and a plan to maximize revenue to the state.
In an effort to increase accountability among law enforcement officers, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) introduced legislation today that requires sobriety testing following all officer-involved shootings.
The initiative aims to improve credibility in police department investigations. It would require officers to submit drug and alcohol test results no later than one hour after a shooting.
Police-involved shootings have gained much attention over the years as the number of victims has increased drastically. In 2014 alone, more than 1,000 people were killed by police officers.
“Whether these attacks were targeted or unfortunate accidents, this policy will hold law enforcement accountable for the frequent tragedies of deadly force,” Hunter said.
“Officers must be held to the same standard as other professionals who are responsible for the lives human beings. This should be a standard operating procedure for every police department.”
Illinois Republicans are disturbed by the video of airline personnel violently removing a passenger from an overbooked flight. Regardless of the circumstances or the person’s race, creed, or religion, no one should encounter violence in the face of a disagreement. We hope that both United Airlines and the City of Chicago investigate the situation and ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to prevent similar problems in the future. The conduct in this case is simply unacceptable.”
- Joint Statement from Tim Schneider (Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party), Yan (Grace) Cui (Chairman of the Chinese American GOP Coalition), Dr. Byoung Suh (Chairman of the Illinois Korean American Republican Organization)
* Black eye for United, Chicago after apologies over bloodying doc: “Anyone who saw that video had the same reaction: this was completely unacceptable at every level,” Emanuel said. “I appreciate that Ginger took swift action at the Department of Aviation, and her team is already hard at work on a thorough investigation – in partnership with the airline – to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Rauner also talked about his “Turnaround Agenda”, which is his multi-layered approach to improving the state’s economic growth. He said when it comes to core issues on this agenda, he is open to compromise with Democrats if it means progress.
“There is nothing in what I’m recommending that has to be there,” Rauner said. “If they refuse to do term limits, OK. Take it out. If they refuse to do a property tax freeze, OK. Take it out. But let’s be clear. We have to have a package together that allows companies to have confidence to come.”
If that’s the case then he should’ve let the Senate pass its grand bargain last month. But, c’mon, we all know it’s not the case. He’s just talking nice things to the cameras because he knows the people behind the cameras won’t ever put one and one together.
* Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist, thinks JB Pritzker’s candidacy is a “a preview of 2020.” He also thinks Pritzker is a sure loser. Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, and Pritzker may not win if he’s nominated. But they don’t get to make up their own facts, like this one…
In Illinois, especially in vote-rich Chicago, Pritzker enjoys almost Trump-like name recognition.
A recent straw poll of Illinois Democrats put Pritzker in fifth place among a list of 9 possible candidates. Depending on how much he spends in the coming months could change that, but he has a big hill to climb. And to make matters worse, he won’t be the only Democrat trying to use his money and name-recognition to garner more Democratic support. One of Pritzker’s opponents is none other than millionaire Kennedy family scion Chris Kennedy.
Meanwhile, the guy leading the pack is State Senator Daniel Biss, whose campaign literature begins and ends with reminders that he is not a millionaire. Biss is way ahead in the early Democratic Party polls.
Democratic Party polls? Does he mean that one straw poll? Is he serious?
At least he didn’t reference that totally made up DGA poll from the other day. So, there’s that.
Beyond money and class issues, Pritzker is also a weaker candidate because he’s truly a product and member of the political class. Pritzker and his family have been major Democratic Party donors for decades. His sister Penny rode her financial support for then-candidate Barack Obama to the Commerce Secretary spot in his cabinet. At some point, big donors like to get off the sidelines and get on the political stage themselves. And when they do, it can be hard to stop them.
President Trump’s unique appeal was predicated on the fact that despite his wealth, he was seen as the consummate political outsider. Pritzker is far from that with his years of political fundraising and schmoozing with elected officials.
Trump played in the political game for years, so I don’t think that’s accurate, either.
If he does manage to succeed, other more nationally viable billionaire liberals like Bloomberg or former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz will then become more likely to challenge Trump on the national stage. If he loses, the progressive wing of the party gains a significant victory.
Among those confirming that they either intend to run or are seriously considering doing so in Roskam’s west suburban 6th District are Amanda Howland, a lawyer and psychologist who got 42 percent of the vote against him in 2016; Barrington Hills Planning Commission member Kelly Mazeski, a former state senate hopeful and ex-financial consultant; and Carole Cheney, who now works as district chief of staff for neighboring Congressman Bill Foster, D-Geneva.
Howland says she’s definitely in the contest and points to the name recognition she built up in her prior race.
Mazesk is is “exploring” running but is interested enough that she’s met both with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (the party’s House elections unit) and Emily’s List, a prominent women’s funding group. Cheney says she “likely” to get in the race because, “The people in the 6th Congressional District are entitled to a representative who respects and listens to them regardless of political party.” […]
I wasn’t able to reach her, but [Maura Sullivan] comes right out of central casting: a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran who graduated from Northwestern Univesity, got an MBA from Harvard University, and until recently was a senior public affairs official at the Pentagon.
But Sullivan also reportedly lives in Evanston, something that likely would become an issue if she moved to run.
Yeah, I’m kinda thinking that an Evanston Democrat may not go over too well out there in DuPage Land, but one never knows, I suppose.
* Meanwhile, from a press release…
Today Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is releasing web ads targeted at Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), urging her to support the VA Accountability First Act of 2017. Duckworth voted for similar legislation, the VA Accountability Act, in 2015.
“How many more veterans will die waiting for care at the Department of Veterans Affairs?” the ad narrator asks. “How many more will be neglected by the people hired to serve them? How many more will suffer before the Senate acts?” The ad then prompts viewers to call Senator Duckworth directly in support of the bill.
The ad is part of a larger series of sixteen other VA accountability ads that CVA is launching this week. Other ad targets include Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).
These ads come as part of a six-figure investment CVA is making into helping the VA Accountability First Act of 2017 pass in the Senate this year. The group is making thousands of phone calls to constituents of Senate targets and is promoting a digital tool which connects CVA activists directly with their Senators’ offices via email and social media.
* It would be fascinating to see what sort of support this bill would get if they’d just put it up on the big board. But they’re the ones doing the counting, not me, so subject matter only hearings is all we’ll likely get this year…
Feedback from community groups, advocacy organizations, public safety officers, medical professionals and the public will be pivotal in shaping efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois. At a press conference today, State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) announced plans to hold the first subject matter hearing on the topic at 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the Bilandic building.
“Rep. Cassidy and I are committed to gathering feedback about how legalizing recreational marijuana would affect the state from a large variety of interest groups,” Steans said. “We have received overwhelming support for this legislation but do not plan to move forward hastily. We want to ensure that there is ample time for organizations and individuals to present testimony and for us to adjust the legislation based on information presented in hearings.”
Barbara Brohl, the executive director of Colorado’s Department of Revenue will testify on how legalizing recreational marijuana has affected Colorado during the first hearing on this subject. Karmen Hanson, the program director of the Health Program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, will also testify on what other states have done around legalizing marijuana.
“Senator Steans and I strongly believe that it’s time that Illinois had a new drug policy,” Cassidy said. “Legalizing recreational marijuana will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the state. We’re discussing all sorts of proposals to end the budget impasse, and we thought this should be part of the conversation as well.”
The Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy organization devoted to ending marijuana prohibition, has estimated that legalizing recreational marijuana would generate between $350 million and $700 million in new revenue for the state of Illinois. Under the Steans-Cassidy proposals, the revenue would go to support the State Board of Education; treatment and education programs about marijuana, alcohol and tobacco; and the state’s General Revenue Fund.
Currently, six groups and organizations have come out in support of the legislation due to the fiscal impact it would have on the state and their belief that Illinois needs a new drug policy.
“It is time for Illinois to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol,” said Chris Lindsey, a spokesperson for the Coalition for a Safer Illinois, a newly formed alliance of doctors, law enforcement, clergy and other organizations committed to updating marijuana legislation in Illinois. “Our current policy causes more harm to the individual and society than cannabis consumption, and a majority of Illinois voters are ready for a better approach. We believe these bills are exactly what Illinois needs.”
* Brian Gaughan, a former cop and a current crusader against the drug war was at today’s press conference. Gaughan lives in Chicago and had this to say to reporters…
It’s time that we put law enforcement working solving crimes instead of going after people who have a plant. There’s enough violent crime that’s actually fueled by illicit cannabis purchases. That money now goes to street gangs and drug cartels and fighting for territory is one of the main reasons we see such a high level of street crime in Chicago.
Walgreen’s and Costco managers won’t shoot at each other over weed territory or sell that product to kids.
What would have been worse: for Gov. Bruce Rauner to just admit he is campaigning for two days while there is no state budget — or for him to do everything that looks, smells and feels like campaigning, but call it something different? […]
Some of the headlines:
– “Rauner insists campaign-funded statewide tour not about re-election bid,” by Chicago Tribune’s Kim Geiger and Monique Garcia: “When Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner tours a business, talks with employees and stresses the importance of his economic agenda and frustration at Democratic opposition, taxpayers typically cover the cost as part of his official duties running the state. As the governor embarked on a two-day statewide tour Tuesday, his campaign fund was footing the bill. Despite that, the governor insisted Tuesday that the proceedings weren’t political. Reporters, Rauner said, shouldn’t cover his tour ‘in any way other than communication to the people of Illinois.’” Story here
– “Rauner: State trip isn’t campaigning,” by AP’s Sara Burnett: “Rauner, who put $50 million into his campaign fund in December, said Tuesday he wanted media to cover the events as ‘communication with the people of Illinois.’ He also refused to say he’s seeking another term, adding ‘That will be discussed later on.’ Rauner and his political team acknowledged, however, that the tour was being paid for out of his campaign fund, Citizens for Rauner. But they described it as a ‘political event’ like others he’s held throughout his term and not a ‘campaign event.’” Story here
– “Rauner launches campaign-funded tour he says isn’t campaign tour,” by Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles: “Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday kicked off a campaign-funded two-day tour of the state — all the while denying that he’s kicking off his re-election or that the 10 stops are campaign-related.” Story here […]
* Subscribers know more about what went on, but check out these ledes, starting with Public Radio in the Quad Cities…
Hoping to bring pressure on the General Assembly to solve the budget crisis, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has started a two-day tour across the state.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner took his plan to solve Illinois’ financial woes to the people Tuesday, including a stop in Rock Island on Tuesday where he held fast to demands for his reform agenda.
“We’ve had a political system that’s been working for the insiders and not for the people,” he told a group at Performance Food Group in Rock Island. “… The answers to our challenges are real simple: We need to grow our economy.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner repeatedly emphasized his persistence in the more than two-year-long fight over the state budget during a visit to a Peoria business Tuesday.
Rauner is encouraged, however, that Senate Democrats are starting to negotiate some of his proposed structural reforms, including a property tax freeze and term limits among other items.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Rauner couldn’t buy coverage like this from ABC 7 if he tried…
Many people will [say] that the State of Illinois is in worse financial shape now than it was two years ago when Republican Governor Bruce Rauner took office. However, as Newschannel 20’s Esther Kwon reports, Governor Rauner says Democrats have been an obstacle to success.
Rauner said his administration has done “a phenomenal job” on the things he can control, and said the Democratic majority has blocked him from fixing the state’s issues.
Today, the JB for Governor campaign released the first in a series of “JB and Me” online videos highlighting JB’s commitment to his community and the future of Illinois.
The video features Neal Sales-Griffin’s work to help people learn how to write computer code. With the help of 1871, a non-profit small business hub that JB founded to help small tech companies get started, Neal was able to build a company that has taught 1,600 people how to code, design, and build web applications.
“I’ve seen firsthand JB’s impact on hundreds, even thousands of other people and businesses,” said Neal Sales-Griffin. “JB sees a challenge — something that others might see as insurmountable — and he’s ready to take it on. I know I’m just one guy, but I hope that my story will help shed a little light on who this man is, and what motivates him. JB Pritzker helped change my life, and I can’t wait to watch him change Illinois.”
* Overall, the Illinois Statehouse has a 4.5-star TripAdvisor rating. Some of the individual reviews are pretty biting, though…
“The building is nice, the legislators not”
The Illinois State Capitol building is an attractive imposing building. Unfortunately, the legislators do not live up to their positions. Go for a visit to see where governing is supposed to take place.
“Our state reps don’t use the building so i figured we’d tour it”
Beautiful building and a lot of history behind it. We were able to go to just about every room in the capitol since all of our state reps were missing, like usual. Definitely visit the basement to see the foundation.
* Most folks have been focused on what the impasse has done to public universities. But private colleges are being hit hard as well because state MAP grants haven’t been appropriated…
Many, including Illinois State University and Lincoln College, fronted the money to students this academic year so they could enroll, hoping the state eventually will come through, as it did last year.
But even the so-called “lifeline” bill approved by the House last week would only cover half of the spring semester grants — if the Senate and governor go along with it.
“We’ve tried to be responsible,” said Lincoln College President David Gerlach. “In good faith, we rolled the dice again” and credited students for the state grants.
For Lincoln College, where about 47 percent of the students receive MAP grants, that amounts to about $1.1 million a semester, according to Gerlach. […]
ISAC Executive Director Eric Zarnikow testified that MAP recipients graduate at about the same rate as other students in the same college while facing greater financial obstacles than their peers.
Private liberal arts schools have been hit hard this decade. Many have closed. And more Illinois colleges could be in very big trouble soon without some MAP grant funding. When half your students rely on a state grant and you’re fronting that money to them without knowing if the cash will ever be distributed, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Kennedy to Rauner: Explain why your “Turnaround Agenda” is more important than passing a state budget
Chris Kennedy, Democratic candidate for governor, issued the followed statement today in response to the news that Governor Rauner will tour Illinois on a two-day swing throughout the state.
“Governor Rauner is a failed governor who has turned a budget problem into a statewide economic crisis that has hurt people across Illinois,” said Kennedy. “As he flies around the state, we hope he will finally give the people of Illinois an explanation as to why, by virtually every measure, Illinois is in worse shape than when he took office.”
Today and tomorrow, Governor Rauner is traveling to Bloomingdale, Rockford, Rock Island, Peoria, Springfield, Quincy, East Alton, Marion, Robinson, and Champaign.
“Rauner owes it to the people of Illinois to explain why his Turnaround Agenda is more important than a state budget. While he plays politics, our schools continue to go without the resources they need, the social safety net is being shredded, and violence has become the norm in neighborhoods across the state. We ask him to put his agenda aside and give the people a budget. It’s time we get to work to fix this mess,” added Kennedy.
* Pritzker…
Bruce Rauner Chooses Politics Over Governing (Again)
As Rauner Hits the Campaign Trail, Another Campus Forced to Shutdown
Chicago, IL — Today, as Bruce Rauner chooses to hit the campaign trail instead of working to pass a much-needed budget, Northeastern campus is shutting down again. This is the second time in three weeks that Northeastern Illinois University has had to shut down due to the two-year deadlock over a new state budget.
“Today, Bruce Rauner is once again choosing to put politics over doing his job as Governor,” said JB Pritzker. “While Rauner heads out on the campaign trail, our state still doesn’t have a budget and Northeastern campus is shutting down again. This is devastating. Illinois families have had enough of Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership and they are ready for a progressive leader who will fight for what’s right and actually get things done for our state.”
* Pawar…
Ameya Pawar to Governor Rauner: ‘Put politics aside and govern’
CHICAGO — Ameya Pawar, 47th Ward Alderman and Democratic candidate for Illinois governor, issued the following statement today in response to Governor Bruce Rauner’s first campaign tour of the 2018 election cycle:
“Instead of working on passing a state budget that is now more than 21 months overdue, Governor Rauner is out campaigning in an attempt to distract us from the 22,000 seniors outside of Chicago who have lost access to services, the 130,000 low-income college students who are not receiving tuition grants, the nearly 47,000 children whose parents are without affordable child care, and the 80,000 people who have lost access to mental health services in Illinois. Earlier this morning, I joined students, faculty and staff at Northeastern Illinois University to protest Gov. Rauner’s $2.3 billion in cuts to higher education.
It’s past time for Gov. Rauner to put politics aside and govern. Our state can’t afford to wait any longer.”
* IWT…
Rauner puts campaigning ahead of doing his job
Gov. Rauner should put the people of Illinois first
Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis released the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “campaign tour”:
“With the state in the midst of a fiscal emergency and Election Day more than 18 months away, it is downright shameful that Gov. Rauner would rather campaign for his re-election than do his job. Rauner’s refusal to compromise has hurt students, seniors, and the Illinois economy.
“The question Illinois residents should be asking is: why is Rauner campaigning for re-election when he has failed to propose a balanced budget, his most basic responsibility as governor? Instead of campaigning, the governor should drop the political games, propose a balanced budget, and do his job.”
A gathering of Cairo residents erupted in anger Monday night as federal housing officials informed them that close to 200 families residing in two sprawling World War II-era family housing developments of the Alexander County Housing Authority will have to move out of their units in the coming months, and that there is no immediate plan to provide new government-assisted housing in Cairo to replace the developments they intend to demolish. […]
For more than a year and a half, The Southern Illinoisan has detailed the inhumane living conditions of ACHA’s Elmwood Place and McBride Place complexes, which have been in poor condition for years. The problems include mold, plumbing and electrical issues, inadequate heating and cooling, rampant infestation and other health and safety issues.
There are presently 82 families living at Elmwood and 103 families at McBride. Many units are vacant, as those that have been vacated since the housing crisis began and are not being filled, HUD officials said. […]
One by one at the standing-room only meeting, residents expressed anger and frustration that HUD does not have a plan to provide adequate housing for the displaced residents within the city, and that no one has been officially held accountable for the alleged mismanagement of the complexes by ACHA administrators, or the lack of oversight by HUD as millions of federal dollars were squandered.
“You have decimated a whole community and you don’t care,” one resident said to cheers and applause.
According to the story, about half of the students who attend Cairo Unit School District 1 live in those two housing projects. So, this is definitely going to have a ripple effect in Cairo and throughout the region.
* Background…
* Living large on the public dime: CAIRO – Hundreds of people here rely on public housing for shelter, with the average income among Alexander County Housing Authority residents just $8,655 a year, the majority of them raising children and nearly half as single mothers. More than half of the county’s children live in poverty, and nearly a third are considered food insecure – meaning they don’t always know from where their next meal is coming. But some of those who were charged with overseeing the shelter upon which many of them rely, lived large, records show, traveling extensively to conferences in destination cities, drinking on the authority’s dime, shelling out hundreds of dollars for steak, salmon, shrimp cocktails, sorbet and other multi-course meals, sometimes paying nearly $100 per person at fine-dining establishments. Meanwhile, the public housing developments that provide shelter in the state’s poorest county have deteriorated into abysmal conditions, besieged by infestation and violent crime.
* Yesterday’s infuriating story about a United Airlines passenger being dragged off a flight from Chicago because the company needed four seats for its own employees was made even weirder by this Chicago Police Department statement posted all over Twitter…
Chicago PD: “Aviation Officers arrived on scene attempted to carry the individual off of the flight when he fell.”
The city of Chicago has two police forces that patrol O’Hare and Midway airports: the Chicago Police Department, whose officers are armed, and city Department of Aviation police, whose officers are unarmed.
Aviation police officers alone handled the situation aboard the United flight.
Despite this, a Chicago Police news affairs officer — not the aviation cops — initially released a statement to an unnamed media outlet saying that a “69-year-old male Asian airline passenger” became “irate” aboard the United flight and that aviation officers “attempted to carry the individual off the flight when he fell.” The statement also said the passenger was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with “non-life threatening injuries.”
As the Chicago Police statement began circulating on Twitter Monday afternoon — with people taking exception to the characterization of the man falling — police said that any further information about the matter should come through the Department of Aviation. “That was not a formal statement by me or CPD,” Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi explained in an email. [Emphasis added.]
Bizarre.
So, who issued the statement? And if a CPD employee did issue the statement, why would he or she do that? The cops who dragged the poor guy out of the airplane were with the Department of Aviation, and one of those cops has been placed on leave.
When asked why the airline had the man forcibly removed, and whether that was standard procedure in cases of overbooked flights, United refused to comment.
Instead they told BuzzFeed News all further questions should be referred to Chicago Police. BuzzFeed News contacted Chicago Police and were told to contact the Chicago Department of Aviation. When BuzzFeed News contacted the Chicago Department of Aviation, the call was transferred to a TSA message bank. A TSA spokesperson later told BuzzFeed News they were not involved and to contact Chicago Police.
* Related…
* Mark Brown: Aviation cops shoot themselves in the foot in gun debate
After the votes were counted for Tuesday’s election, the race for village president in Colp was still undecided. Candidates Tammy O’Daniell-Howell and Bryan Riekena each received 11 votes.
“We are not waiting for any absentee ballots, so the vote total should not change,” said Williamson County Clerk Amanda Barnes.
The race will be decided April 20 by the flip of a coin. A coin toss is the way to handle tie votes, according to Illinois statutes. […]
Riekena, the other candidate for Colp village president, said 29 out of the 250 registered voters in the village showed up at the polls.
“I would have liked to see a little more than 11 or 12 percent show up,” Riekena said.
So, if 29 people voted, then 7 people under-voted in the mayor’s race, which seems kinda weird.
* Either way, whenever you hear people talk about all the local governments we have in Illinois, always keep in mind that we have an absolute ton of these tiny incorporated towns all over the state. You can’t really talk about consolidation without considering that unavoidable fact.
Growing up in Iroquois County, I had some friends who lived in Kempton, population 231. For a time, my paternal grandmother lived in Martinton, population 375. There are only two towns with more than 1,400 people in all of Iroquois County, even though it’s the third largest county in the state at 1,119 square miles. It’s mostly farmland.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s approval ratings have seen a big bump compared to his numbers before the presidential election, according to a Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday.
The poll finds that Rauner improved his approval rating to 42 percent, compared to the 33 percent he fared in September, prior to the presidential election. His disapproval rating dropped from 56 percent to 49 percent over the same time period.
However, Rauner is still in the bottom 10 in the rankings, coming in 43rd out of 50 in terms of governors with the best approval ratings. Fifteen governors had approval ratings below 50 percent in the poll.
Rauner’s approval and disapproval ratings are about the same as Robert Bentley who just resigned as governor of Alabama after a sex scandal.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ranked first with a 75 percent approval rating. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie polled the worst with just a 25 percent approval rating.
More than 85,000 registered voters in America have evaluated the job performance of key elected officials on Morning Consult’s weekly online national polling from January 2017 through March 2017 to determine the latest Senator & Governor Approval Rankings.
On each poll, Americans indicated whether they approved or disapproved of the job performance of President Donald Trump, their state Governor, both of their U.S. Senators, their Member of Congress and their mayor (if they lived in a city with more than about 10,000 residents). For each question, they could answer strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, strongly disapprove, or don’t know / no opinion.
Morning Consult obtained an up-to-date list of Governors, U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives from Sunlight Foundation’s Congress API v3 and Open States API and obtained a list of mayors from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Survey respondents were assigned to their appropriate Governor and both U.S. Senators based on their state of residence, assigned to their Member of Congress based on a combination of zip code, IP address, latitude and longitude, and assigned to their mayor based on their state and zip code.
We obtained population parameters for registered voters from the November 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS). We applied post-stratification weights based on gender, age, educational attainment and race.
Notice anything missing? How were respondents contacted? How did they respond? When were they contacted?
But, their last survey tracked with other polls, so maybe they’re right.
* Related…
* Is Rauner polling on Democrats in governor’s race?: The respondent said the poll asked if Rauner or his chief political nemesis, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, was responsible for the Springfield impasse and whether Madigan’s tenure was part of the ingrained problems at the statehouse. In addition, the poll asked questions about Democratic governor candidates Chris Kennedy and J.B. Pritzker, including a voting preference for either one as well as an opinion of each of the two candidates. The survey did not mention two others in the contest, Northwest Side Ald. Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston.
* Gov. Rauner was on “The Big John and Ray Show” on WLS Radio this morning. After going through his usual litany of how he’s changed the things he could change and has been blocked by Madigan on everything else, co-host John Dempsey asked him this…
You’re running for reelection and you’re saying the General Assembly has blocked us, things are unfair, the system is rigged. It’s one excuse after another. Would you hire somebody who came in and just offered one excuse after another?
Well, that’s interesting, I’ve never heard Madigan’s majority called an excuse.
The reality is they rigged the system. It’s broken. It’s the reason we lead the nation in property taxes. It’s the reason we lead the nation in out-migration. They’re the reason we have so much cronyism and corruption. The system’s broken, it’s rigged by career politicians.
And I’m the one person as a volunteer - I’m not taking any compensation, I’m doing this because I love Illinois. I’m fightin’ against that corrupt machine and we’re gonna win ’cause it’s the right thing for the people of Illinois.
* The Chicago Reader has a profile of the only Downstate Democrat in the race for governor, Bob Daiber…
“I’m the candidate who can carry the downstate vote,” he says. “I can carry Trump voters. On the county board I represented a largely Republican district.”
On social issues, he’s a moderate. “My personal values are more pro-life, but I recognize pro-choice is the law of the land and I will respect that law,” he says. “I’m fully supportive of reproductive rights. I support Planned Parenthood. And I recognize gay rights.”
As for gun control, he’s says, “I support concealed-carry gun laws. The Second Amendment is a big issue where I come from.”
On economic issues, he’s an unabashed pro-union progressive. “We have a revenue problem,” he says. “I would support a progressive income tax. There’s only one solution. The debt has to be bonded out. And we have to pay down that debt with the principal of new tax revenue. I want to become governor to stabilize Illinois. Education is my passion. No one needs to tell me how important education is to kids—I taught for 28 years. And no one needs to tell me about living in poverty—I was raised with solid New Deal Democratic values. This is who I am and who I’ve always been.”
Ironically, Daiber would probably have an easier time beating Rauner than he will winning the Democratic nomination. He’s up against two wealthy businessmen, Kennedy and Pritzker, who can self-finance their campaigns. The other two announced Democrats, alderman Ameya Pawar and Evanston state senator Dan Biss, have a wealthier base to tap for money.
Independent suburban have decided major statewide races for decades here. As Judy Baar Topinka found out, being a moderate on abortion means you get hit by both sides and that doesn’t help with suburban women. The same goes for other traditional hot-button items like guns and gay rights.
So, he actually might have an easier time of winning a super-crowded Democratic primary race.
“When jobs leave a small town,” he says in the ad, “that hurts Chicago.” How, I asked, and how do you make that message work in a state that’s been divided by politicians for so long that many voters south of I-80 wish they could secede from the city.
That line in the ad comes directly from a time when Pawar was standing in a barn on a working farm near Champaign with former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar and a group of others in Edgar’s first government Fellows class at the University of Illinois. Edgar paused, turned to the Chicagoans and told them to realize that what happens on LaSalle Street is dependent on what happens on that farm. He turned to the downstate Fellows and told them if they didn’t support Chicago’s infrastructure, then whatever was grown on the farm didn’t matter because it wasn’t going anywhere.
“We all have our visceral reactions to things,” Pawar said, “but then when you sit down to listen to people, you find we have things in common. Just sit down and listen. We’re not going to write people off based on who they voted for in the last election. We don’t care if a county is red or blue because, by the way, most of the state is red.”
Maybe the money, or the media’s obsession with it, will swamp Pawar. Or maybe this talk of being fiercely for family and one Illinois won’t fly in a state where it’s blue up north and fiery red south. It’ll be fascinating finding out.
“It’s important to go talk to people and to really listen to people,” Pawar said. “We have a lot more in common than we do apart.”
There’s no doubt that Pawar has a strong message. But messages usually only work if lots of people hear them over and over again.
Today, as Bruce Rauner chooses to hit the campaign trail instead of working to pass a much-needed budget, Northeastern campus is shutting down again. This is the second time in three weeks that Northeastern Illinois University has had to shut down due to the two-year deadlock over a new state budget.
“Today, Bruce Rauner is once again choosing to put politics over doing his job as Governor,” said JB Pritzker. “While Rauner heads out on the campaign trail, our state still doesn’t have a budget and Northeastern campus is shutting down again. This is devastating. Illinois families have had enough of Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership and they are ready for a progressive leader who will fight for what’s right and actually get things done for our state.”
* Twitters…
No school at @neiu today because of the lack of a state budget. Faculty and staff are demonstrating outside of campus during a furlough day pic.twitter.com/TaVuEAiMbi
Three class days were cancelled to cut costs during the budget impasse, and union leaders are planning a rally to protest the school’s financial straits — but Northeastern Illinois University was planning to pay former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett $30,000 to speak at its commencement ceremony.
Those plans changed after a few university trustees objected — and the Sun-Times began asking questions. Northeastern said late Monday that a donor came forward to pay the five-figure speaking fee.
But at an April 6 board meeting, trustees approved an honorary degree for Jarrett — while learning that a contract had already been negotiated and signed to pay her $30,000 for her May 8 speech.
Just the day before, the school’s interim president said the university was in a “state of emergency” amid the 22-month budget impasse.
Hearing of Jarrett’s contract on April 6, at least one board member uttered “wow,” according to audio of the board’s meeting.
Click here for the trustee meeting audio and fast forward to about the 1:38:00 mark. It’s quite the discussion, with one trustee arguing that it was “classist” to oppose the speaking fee.
And ironically enough, the trustees discussed a statement on impending employee furloughs immediately after they finished talking about the speaking fee.
Additionally, the university’s board last week approved an “expenditure recommendation” of $98,000 to executive search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates to search for a new university president.
Asked for comment on that approval, the university said it couldn’t comment on the search for president or the $98,000 approval.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is launching the first official campaign tour of his re-election bid on Tuesday, as Democrats line up to unseat him in 2018 and the Republican tries to turn around his sagging approval ratings.
Rauner will kick off a two-day, multi-stop swing with a morning event in the Chicago suburb of Bloomingdale, followed by events in northern and western Illinois and an evening rally in Springfield, his campaign said. On Wednesday he’ll appear at five restaurants and businesses in southern Illinois, Quincy and Champaign. […]
Rauner’s campaign says he wants to take a message directly to voters that he’s working hard and is still determined to “deliver real change” for Illinois, such as term limits for lawmakers and a property tax freeze.
He also will criticize Democrats for trying to “duct tape over” Illinois’ problems - a central theme of television commercials that an arm of the Republican Governors Association began airing last month. In the ads, a plaid shirt-wearing Rauner stands in what appears to be a workroom stocked with tools and says he’s the one trying to fix Illinois.
Governor Bruce Rauner will kick of his re-election campaign Tuesday with a stop in Peoria.
The Governor will be at the Brewer’s Distributing Company, talking about his plan to balance the budget, and fix what he calls a broken political system in Illinois.
* Peoria County Republican Party…
You are invited to join Peoria area leaders at a rally to support Governor Bruce Rauner this afternoon at 4:00 pm at Brewer’s Distributing, corner of Allen Road and Townline Road. The doors will open at 3:45 pm, no earlier. Come learn about the Governor’s plans to turnaround our state.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is launching the first official campaign tour of his re-election bid as Democrats line up to try to take him out in 2018.
Rauner will kick off a two-day, multi-stop swing Tuesday morning, April 11, 2017 in suburban Chicago, with a stop planned for Rock Island at 1:45 p.m. The Governor’s itinerary says he will be at Performance Food Group, 8001 51st St. W.
Wednesday’s scheduled 5:15 p.m. appearance at HL Precision Manufacturing, 2110 Round Barn Road, Champaign, is the final stop on a two-day swing around the state. […]
The media release about Rauner’s appearances echoed the theme of television commercials the governor’s campaign staff has been running on Illinois television stations since late March.
“Rather than work to finally solve Illinois’ structural problems, politicians in Springfield want to duct tape over Illinois’ challenges with more spending, higher taxes, and no real reforms,” said the notice. “Gov. Bruce Rauner will tour the state this week highlighting the need for a truly balanced budget with real reforms to fix Illinois’ broken political system, freeze property taxes, reduce the debt and grow jobs.”
Stops today include Bloomingdale, Rockford, Rock Island, Peoria and Springfield. Tomorrow’s campaign tour takes him to Quincy, East Alton, Marion, Robinson and Champaign.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the ILGOP…
Hi Rich,
This tour is not the governor formally launching his reelection campaign. He’s traveling the state to talk about the need for a balanced budget with reforms. It is being paid with political resources out of an abundance of caution.
Thanks,
Aaron P. DeGroot
Illinois Republican Party
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Rauner campaign…
This week, Bruce and the team are taking to the road, traveling all across our great state to listen to Illinois families and to talk about budget and reform.
But before we go, we need your help. Will you consider contributing to our Volunteer Fund today to directly help our grassroots team as we prep for this trip?
Chip in $5 >> Fliers for our events
Chip in $20 >> Fuel for grassroots team before hitting the road
Chip in $30 >> Pizza for our grassroots team
Chip in $50 >> Recruitment of more volunteers
Every donation counts as we work to get out the important message this week; we’re so grateful for your support!
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner says his two-day trip across Illinois “has nothing to do with the election” even though it’s being paid for out of his campaign fund.
Rauner spoke Tuesday in Bloomingdale before flying to stops around Illinois.
His tour comes after several Democrats in recent weeks announced they’re running for governor in 2018.
Rauner refused to say he’s running for re-election, saying it’ll be “discussed later on.” He insists the tour as simply “communication with the people of Illinois.”
