It’s Day 3 of Governor Bruce Rauner’s new reelection strategy – “I’m not in charge” – and Rauner’s office has been hard at work reinforcing the new slogan. In the past two days, two different no-bid contracts awarded by Rauner’s administration have been shut down, and the Governor was somehow not aware that the United States Senate passed a major tax overhaul.
Yesterday, the Associated Press reported the State’s Procurement Officer cancelled a $12.5 million no-bid contract with McKinsey & Co., a consultant that “maintains a direct line of communications” with Rauner’s office, for violating procurement rules. The contract is related to the $63 billion state Medicaid managed care transition, which inexplicitly jumped $23 billion in costs that the administration will not explain. The Associated Press said the cancellation is “likely unprecedented.”
And this morning, the Department of Children and Family Services announced it was ending a “high-profile” data mining program that failed to keep children safe. The deal was one of a “series of no-bid deals” awarded under disgraced former Director George Sheldon. In May, Sheldon resigned in disgrace but Rauner reportedly urged him to stay on.
For his own part, Rauner did not know that a major federal tax overhaul passed the United States Senate just days before. The Governor is clearly not in charge.
“Bruce Rauner seems intent on reminding voters of his administration’s failures,” said Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner wants to deflect blame for the state falling behind but his office’s missteps clearly show that the Governor is the problem. Illinois families see the state fall behind every day, and will not be fooled by Rauner’s lame attempts to dodge responsibility for his actions.”
* I missed this yesterday afternoon, but here’s the DGA’s react to the governor saying he’s “not in charge”…
“Bruce Rauner would deny his name was Bruce Rauner if he thought it would help his re-election campaign,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact is Rauner has never taken responsibility for the skyrocketing debt, the diminished services or the continued exodus of people and jobs from the state. The more his administration’s failures pile up, the more likely Rauner will deny he’s even been governor for three years.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s secret $63 billion Medicaid deal is under fire after a no-bid consulting contract was voided by the state’s Chief Procurement Officer.
Rauner snuck the $13 million contract awarded to McKinsey & Company into his $63 billion Medicaid deal that has been shrouded in secrecy. Cost estimates for the deal have skyrocketed 57 percent, and it’s the subject of separate House and Senate committee investigations.
“The Rauner administration broke state procurement law to sneak in a $13 million no-bid contract into Medicaid reform,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This deal reeks of the incompetency and unethical maneuvering that Illinoisans have come to expect from the Worst Republican Governor in America and it’s time Bruce Rauner gives voters the answers they deserve.”
* More Pritzker campaign…
Today, Crisis Creatin’ Rauner continues RAUNER TOP FIVE, a five-day series highlighting the lasting damage, misplaced priorities, and embarrassing stumbles that led Bruce Rauner to be crowned: ‘The Worst Republican Governor in America.’
Over 48 hours after the vote, Bruce Rauner was unaware the Senate had passed Donald Trump’s devastating tax plan that’s opposed by a majority of Americans, with 61% saying it favors the rich at the expense of the middle class. But this isn’t the first time Bruce Rauner has failed to stand up to Donald Trump’s hateful agenda. The #WorstGov has also neglected to fight Trump’s efforts to strip healthcare from millions, demonize immigrants, and deport DREAMers.
“The U.S Senate passed Donald Trump’s devastating overhaul of the tax system and 48 hours later the governor of the fifth largest state didn’t even know it happened,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Bruce Rauner cowers and pleads ignorance as he consistently fails to protect Illinois families from Trump’s destruction.”
The IL GOP is writing an amazing number and amount of checks.
An unprecedented $1 Million to the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee. Another $3 Million to the House Republican Organization.
Nearly $55k to candidate for Attorney General Erika Harold - none to the other GOP statewide candidates running for Comptroller, Treasurer or Secretary of State. Only Harold thus far.
Then $25k each to Cook, Lake and Will County Republican organizations in late November. Another $5k to downstate Henry County. $2500 to Republicans in Stark County.
That’s how the Illinois GOP has spent the party’s funds thus far this fall. But where did that money come from?
Besides $10,000 from the Beer Distributors, every other major contribution to the IL GOP reported thus far has come from Governor Bruce Rauner’s political action committee.
Seems like standard stuff, but the IR asked the ILGOP some questions and heard nothing back…
How does the IL GOP determine where the checks are going?
Who is involved in that decision making?
How much does the IL GOP expect to be distributed and to whom in the upcoming days before the March primary?
“Political insider Tim Schneider is a lapdog for failed Governor Rauner, the Worst Republican Governor in America,” [Rep. Dave McSweeney] said in a text message to Illinois Review. “Incredibly Governor Rauner just admitted that he’s not in charge of the state. Schneider, who was the chief Rauner cheerleader for the Capitol Compromise tax hike and sanctuary state bill, should immediately resign as GOP Chairman.”
I heard from both sides that a telephone conversation between Hicks and Christian County GOP Chairman Seth McMillan didn’t go well when McMillan said his central committee is backing Bourne in the March primary. McMillan said Hicks was “confrontational,” which Hicks denies, saying it was McMillan who raised his voice.
“Maybe we both raised our voices,” McMillan said, adding that he hung up on Hicks.
But in an email to me about the situation, Hicks also wrote this: “Joe Woodward and the HRO are trying to run the Republican Party like a Nazi cult. If Avery Bourne does not disassociate herself from the HRO and Joe Woodward this election, she might as well start wearing the HRO swastika on her sleeve.”
No charges have resulted, but Illinois State Police interviewed legislative candidate Christopher Hicks after he made what was reported as an “aggressive” statement at the Litchfield office of state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond.
According to the police report, Hicks told a legislative aide to Bourne that he would be “coming for blood and vengeance” if Bourne did not co-sponsor a bill about parental rights.
Police interviewed Hicks for about 30 minutes at his home on Nov. 13, and Hicks told them that what he had said was that if the bill did not pass, it would get pushed through with “political blood and vengeance,” according to an incident report obtained by The State Journal-Register under the Freedom of Information Act.
Hicks told police the comment was “political in nature” and meant that advocates of the bill would challenge candidates and “push them out of office,” the report added. It also said Hicks thought the comment was taken out of context and that he had no intention of causing physical harm or violence.
“Hicks acknowledged that some of his words may not have been the best to use, but he never threatened anyone with physical harm,” the report stated. “Hicks was extremely apologetic and wanted us to pass on … to Representative Bourne that he was sorry for the misunderstanding.”
Allegedly threatening to come back for “blood and vengeance” if you don’t get what you want is not your usual every-day mild-mannered comment. They were obviously freaked out enough to call the ISP, no matter what Hicks claims he said.
I sure hope the state cops know what they’re doing here.
Hicks is running in a contested Republican primary for the 48th District Senate seat.
* Rep. Chad Hays talks about how the Boat Drink Caucus has helped the Statehouse come together. Watch it…
Rep. Hays sat down with us to talk about his work on 911 funding and the interesting way that he has found common ground in Springfield – a bipartisan musical group called the Boat Drink Caucus. Listen to the full podcast: https://t.co/O4mk6NJ9Y6pic.twitter.com/SfIttdQate
Ives is a conservative, which to her means belief in fiscal restraint, limited government, freedom of speech and conscience, rule of law and personal responsibility. She is often called a social conservative, but Ives says she is running for governor as a fiscal conservative.
“It is 100 percent not true that I am all about social issues,” Ives said.
She used taxpayer funding of abortion as an example.
“Taxpayer funding of abortion is a fiscal issue. You don’t start programs when the state is practically bankrupt,” Ives said.
She is also concerned about education funding and was adamantly opposed to the education funding bill that passed.
“We now have made another promise we cannot keep,” Ives said.
“Illinois can do a lot better with the right leadership,” said Ives. “We have a very strong governorship. We happen to have a weak man in office right now.”
Ives’ “grassroots campaign” focuses on what she calls, “Rauner’s lies”. […]
After Ives filed her paperwork Monday, Gov. Rauner called her a “fringe candidate”. She says, he’s the one on the fringe with his policies.
Ives said, “Actually, Rauner’s the fringe governor, quite frankly. He’s the one really extreme. He’s not been moderate on anything.”
Ives also stresses, she’s not a “Chicago politician.” She thinks southern Illinois’ resources provide another key to growing the state’s economy.
“Forty percent of our energy still comes from coal, that’s great,” said Ives. “I’m a proponent of it. We need to invest in our infrastructure to expand our energy resources.”
That’s legislation that the governor signed and he did not have to sign that. So he imposed the agenda of Mike Madigan rather than fighting Mike Madigan.
Today, Citizens for Rauner released a new digital ad highlighting J.B. Pritzker’s shady tax history.
On Tuesday, Governor Rauner pointed out some of the questions surrounding Pritzker’s reported income. Pritzker’s disclosure of just $15 million in income despite his $3.4 billion in assets suggests that Pritzker is either the “worst investor in the world” or “hiding from taxes.”
This coming after just last week, Pritzker made it clear he believes “Illinois may need another tax hike to balance the books.” JB Pritzker’s plan is to raise your taxes, but is he even paying his fair share?
With the Pritzker family’s history of stashing money abroad, the people of Illinois deserve answers.
You knew I was running for governor to get Illinois back on track, but you didn't know the best advice I've ever received or my favorite TV show – until now. Check it out! pic.twitter.com/37Q9wkYPeW
Whatever else you may think of Pritzker, I cannot imagine Gov. Rauner pulling off something like that.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
In response to JB Pritzker’s “Up Close & Personal with JB” video, Daniel Biss asked a question of his own, calling out Prtizker for the continued questions swirling around his usage of offshore tax havens to avoid paying his fair share of taxes.
JB Pritzker isn’t the only billionaire candidate running for governor in Illinois who has a history of using offshore accounts to shift their tax burden to working families. During his time as a chairman of private equity firm GTCR, Bruce Rauner had a stake in several Cayman Islands-based investment pools. He’s falsely claimed to have placed his assets into a “blind trust” but it’s been repeatedly demonstrated that isn’t the case.
The only way for both Pritzker and Rauner to earn the trust of Illinois voters is to release their full tax returns as Daniel Biss did more than 8 months ago.
December 6 marks the anniversary of the last legislative leaders’ budget meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner. The governor then cancelled all future meetings. Lawmakers ultimately approved and enacted a bipartisan budget without him.
Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton issued the following statement.
“It’s hard to run a state without a governor. I’ve said all along that I’m willing to work with Governor Rauner. But I’m also willing to work without him.
“Governor Rauner has a state budget proposal due in 70 days. He needs to take charge and finally deliver a balanced and realistic budget for the people of Illinois. To do otherwise would threaten to plunge the state back into the impasse that has so far haunted his administration.”
* Senate Democrats call on Franken to resign amid further allegations of sexual harassment: More than a dozen Senate Democrats called Wednesday for Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment, raising the possibility he will become the second lawmaker to step aside over recent accusations of inappropriate behavior. In a campaign started by Democratic women, senators said Franken should leave Capitol Hill. Franken faces multiple accusations of inappropriate touching and unwanted advances. He has denied intentional wrongdoing and has apologized… The other senators urging Franken to resign were Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Patty Murray (Wash.), the highest-ranking woman among Senate Democrats, along with Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.).
J.B. Pritzker’s Campaign Supporters Are Riding To The Rescue Of Pritzker Friend Rod Blagojevich
Does J.B. Pritzker agree with his campaign supporters that the U.S. Supreme Court should hear Rod Blagojevich’s appeal?
The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Illinois Democrats, including key allies of J.B. Pritzker, signed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear imprisoned Governor Rod Blagojevich’s most recent appeal to get out of prison early.
Congressmen Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley, and former Congressmen Glenn Poshard all have endorsed Pritzker’s campaign for governor and all have also signed their names onto the brief concerning Blagojevich’s appeal.
Does J.B. Pritzker agree with his campaign supporters that the U.S. Supreme Court should hear Rod Blagojevich’s appeal?
J.B. Pritzker has long been under fire for his extremely close ties to Rod Blagojevich.
In a bombshell investigative report from the Chicago Tribune, it was revealed that Pritzker was recorded on FBI wiretaps conversing with Blagojevich about being appointed State Treasurer, among other offices. Pritzker and Blagojevich also discussed campaign contributions on the same wiretap recordings.
In the late 90s, Pritzker said that Blagojevich would be “very helpful” for Pritzker’s own political plans. Public records also reveal that J.B. Pritzker was Rod Blagojevich’s fifth-largest gubernatorial campaign contributor.
Given J.B. Pritzker’s close ties to imprisoned former governor Rod Blagojevich, surely Pritzker has an opinion on Blagojevich’s latest attempt to get out of prison early.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Chris Kennedy, announced today that he has accepted four televised debates and one non-televised debate ahead of the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary. As he originally proposed, three debates will be in the Chicago market and two will be outside the Chicago market. Most of the debates will be accessible statewide through online streaming or through broadcast TV.
Jan. 23, 2018 — NBC Chicago/Telemundo
Feb. 21, 2018 — State Journal-Register/WMAY-AM (Springfield-Decatur-Champaign)
March 2, 2018 — ABC 7 Chicago/Univision/League of Women Voters
March 5, 2018 — WCIA-TV (Springfield-Decatur-Champaign)
March 14, 2017 — WTTW-TV (Chicago)
“Democratic primary voters deserve numerous debates to hear directly from the candidates,” Kennedy said. “I hope my primary opponents join me in accepting these debates so voters can hear our plans for the future.”
The Kennedy campaign also committed to two all-candidate gubernatorial forums, including:
Jan. 30, 2018 — Daily Herald Media Group/Southern Illinois University
March 1, 2018 — WBEZ-FM/POLITICO/University of Chicago
Pritzker just sent out his own press release (click here) and he agreed to all the above except one: The March 5th WCIA TV debate. I haven’t yet heard from the Biss campaign.
…Adding… Biss’ campaign says the candidate is “looking forward to being at any debate, anywhere at any time.”
…Adding More… WCIA TV, I’m told, has debate carry agreements with WBBM, KMOV (St. Louis) and stations in Rockford, Quad Cities, Peoria-Bloomington, Carbondale and two Indiana border cities. This is, in other words, a statewide debate.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
Response from Rebecca Evans, Chris Kennedy’s spokeswoman:
In September, Chris Kennedy publicly committed to doing a series of televised debates leading up to the March 20, 2018 primary so that voters throughout Illinois have access to where we stand on issues that are critical to bringing opportunity back to Illinois. Our opponents all agreed.
Given the diversity and geography of our state, it’s important for voters to have access to televised debates. The fact that JB Pritzker has not committed to a single televised debate outside of the Chicago market, tells us where he stands in his commitment to Illinois voters. He has no problem spending millions of dollars on TV time so he can speak to voters in soundbites, but it appears as though he’s dodging an opportunity to have a robust conversation about issues that affect downstate voters.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Biss spokesman…
Don’t know why we’re even debating the debates. But @JBPritzker must think he has the election locked from his tower in Chicago to skip the @WCIA3 debate that will be televised in every media market in Illinois. @danielbiss will be at any debate, anywhere, at anytime. #ILGov18https://t.co/5Y8Z2b8CqD
Bruce Rauner’s candidacy makes some Illinoisans nervous. The prospect of him in the governor’s mansion leaves some long-time Springfield power brokers absolutely apoplectic.
To which we reply: Good.
Illinois requires the kind of shake up Rauner promises. Reform the state’s awful, unfair education funding formulas. Slash the number of redundant local governments and departments. Revive redistricting reform trashed by House Speaker Michael Madigan. Cut spending. Raise some taxes.
It will be ugly, but no uglier than the cabal that has dragged Illinois deeper in debt and despair. The Democrat legislative stronghold led by Madigan has failed to not only deliver for Illinoisans. They’ve let down Democrats, beginning with Gov. Pat Quinn. […]
Rauner prevails as a promising alternative because of his focus on growth and education reform and an eagerness to initiate tough cuts and targeted revenue hikes needed to curb Illinois’ descent.
We give Pat Quinn our thanks for a lifetime of reforms that still couldn’t sway his own party’s bosses. We give Rauner our support to shake up Illinois and free the state from crony politics that stymied even the renowned reformer.
“… I am not in charge. I’m trying to get to be in charge,” Rauner cracked, while listing a slew of legislative reforms he’s wanted since before taking office.
Just take that quote in for a second. What Rauner intended as a partisan shot at broken politics spearheaded by Madigan’s Democrats was, instead, an admission that he, a sitting governor, was a lame duck. […]
On Monday, Rauner admitted that he’s powerless in a state that needs reform as much as any other. Make no mistake, statements such as these will make their way into black-and-white Democratic television ads paid for by the likes of J.B. Pritzker for Governor.
Rauner took office in 2015 with plenty of promise. The new governor had, on many counts, correctly identified that which plagues Illinois. But, almost immediately, he took it too far. Full of hubris, he targeted unions from day one. He amassed a huge war chest and hung it like an ax over the heads of Republicans in the General Assembly. He played incessantly to rural parochialism and anti-Chicago sentiment.
The miscalculations have piled up and rendered Rauner completely ineffectual.
And, apparently, even Rauner himself seems to know it.
A Chicago Public Schools plan to close four high schools on the city’s South Side has been met with an avalanche of criticism, including from students in the area.
“It makes me feel like I’m worthless,” Harper High School student Traivon O’Neil said.
O’Neil was one of several students who staged a sit-in at the high school on Friday. Harper is one of four in the neighborhood that CPS is planning on closing to make way for a privately-operated new $85 million charter school that is slated to open in the fall of 2019.
The plan has been criticized by the Chicago Teacher’s Union and elected officials, including State Representative Sonya Harper. […]
Harper, Hope, Robeson, and Team Englewood are all set to close in June as part of the plan, meaning that hundreds of students in those schools will have to transfer to different institutions for the 2018-19 school year.
* JB Pritzker tweeted out his support last night…
I stand with our students because public education needs investment, which will help bring stability to our communities. Juliana and I stand in opposition to school closures, which further destabilize communities that are most in need. https://t.co/WyFW0qSKBR
We strongly support a progressive income tax in our state to ensure that Illinois public schools are fully funded, so that every child gets a quality education no matter where they live.
Today, Daniel Biss will join members of the Chicago Teachers Union, and students and parents at a press conference and rally being held at 9:30 a.m. at Chicago Public Schools headquarters to speak out against Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to close more schools in mostly Black and Latinx neighborhoods.
“I stand in support of Chicago’s students, parents, and teachers,” said Daniel Biss. “Once again, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has targeted schools that serve mostly black and brown communities for closure — ripping the heart out of neighborhoods already weakened by years of disinvestment.
“We’re being sold a lie, that we can’t afford schools. But that’s only true in a system that doesn’t make the wealthy pay their fair share. It’s no wonder that when the wealthy and well-connected govern, their schools are funded without debate while black and brown working class families have to constantly fight to keep their schools open.
“I’m proud to stand united with the working families of Chicago to demand an end to school closures, a moratorium on charter school expansion, a repeal to private school vouchers, and a duly elected school board.”
* Kennedy campaign…
Five years ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 50 Chicago Public Schools. Since 2013, we’ve seen 32,000 students leave CPS schools, which is enough to fill over 50 additional schools.
Now, the Mayor says it’s not enough. CPS has put out its School Action Plan that includes closing even more public schools — primarily impacting students in the black community.
“Closing schools is not a plan for building up communities and fostering economic growth,” said Chris Kennedy, Democratic candidate for governor. “It’s a recipe for more violence. It’s a plan to push people out. It’s a tool of strategic gentrification. We should be investing in our neighborhood schools by ending our reliance on the broken property tax system that is chronically underfunding our schools. Our public schools are the backbone of rebuilding our economy; they’re not line items in our budget that we can cut.”
Kennedy’s running mate, Ra Joy, spoke at a Chicago Teachers Union press conference this morning in front of CPS Headquarters in support of students whose schools are facing closure.
“What’s happening with our schools is a symbol of dysfunction, it’s a symbol of racism: the massive cuts, the massive layoffs, the massive school closings,” Joy said. “If politicians had half the courage that these student advocates have, Chicago would be a just and more vibrant city. We need a Chicago where equity is paramount.”
*** UPDATE *** Ra Joy spoke eloquently on this topic. Watch this video…
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Add a Republican senator from Central Illinois to the growing list of Illinois lawmakers who say the state should legalize recreational marijuana.
State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, says he is ready to support legal, recreational marijuana if the law is written correctly.
“I think fiscal conservatives need to be in this debate,” Barickman said Tuesday. “It is inevitable that this is going to happen. Our opportunity is either to sit on the sidelines and watch how it happens, and not influence the outcome or put ourselves at the negotiating table.”
Barickman says that way he can try and shape how a legal, recreational marijuana program will work. And he can shape how the hundreds of millions of dollars that Illinois could see in new taxes is spent.
“I would like to see these revenues pay down our backlog of bills, our debt, our pension liabilities,” Barickman said. “I’d like to see us move our income tax rates.”
Industry experts say legal, recreational marijuana in Illinois could be worth as much as $700 million a year.
Barickman said he’s ready to vote yes for legal marijuana, but not to co-sponsor the plan. He expects other Republicans to also endorse marijuana, and he hopes Gov. Bruce Rauner changes his mind.
Barickman said for him recreational use of cannabis is not a moral issue. And it is not in the same realm as the opioid epidemic as a health concern. He said the state already has a template of laws to draw on regarding alcohol use, transportation, and youth use of alcohol that could be adapted to marijuana.
“Rather than flippantly dismissing this idea, the governor ought to study it further, hear from Republicans around the state, and others, and re-evaluate the position that he has taken on this issue,” said Barickman. […]
“I come as a fiscal conservative who recognizes we need to broaden our tax base. This is an issue that we have talked about through our budget stalemate of the last few years. This is an opportunity to broaden our tax base and hold, if not reduce, the individual income tax rates that today we’re struggling with,” said Barickman. […]
Some advocates have said this year is too soon for a bill to be ready to pass. Barickman said he’s not sure exactly when one will. He said he would be surprised if it were later than 2019. Eight states already have legalized recreational use of marijuana and more are considering proposals.
* First, our winners from yesterday. The 2017 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statehouse-area Bartender goes to Marcena Fleischli…
Marcy at Boone’s always keeps my glass full, and she can handle the Happy Hour Rush by herself with ease. The statehouse should really keep her on retainer. Plus she is great conversation. Honestly favorite bartender I have ever had.
She is by far the best waitress in Springfield. She has an eye for detail and makes such a great impression, you will always ask if she is working tonight.
Agreed. Also, she’s the late John Brillhart’s niece, so that helps in my book. Glad to see she was nominated by several people.
* On to today’s categories…
* Best political tavern in Springfield
* Best political restaurant in Springfield
Remember, this is about the intensity of the nominations, not the number of the nominations, so make sure to fully explain your votes. And, please, nominate in both categories. Thanks.
* Some of you have noticed that House Speaker Michael Madigan has an opponent in his reelection for state party central committee. If Madigan somehow loses that race, he can’t be state party chairman. Mateusz ‘Mat’ Tomkowiak had originally decided to run for Congress as a Democrat. From this past June..
While no Republican contender has yet come forward, Democratic U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski, of Illinois’ 3rd District, continues to gain challengers from his own party.
The latest candidate to announce his intention to run is Mateusz “Mat” Tomkowiak, an academic with an eye toward health policy, who wants to be the first openly LGBT federal elected official in Illinois’ history. He will be joining Lipinski and marketing consultant Marie Newman, who announced her candidacy in April, in the March 2018 primary.
Being the first federal LGBT elected official from Illinois would be a significant step for the LGBT community, Tomkowiak told Windy City Times. He believes LGBT members of Congress are important in demonstrating that LGBT people are “capable of representing constituents in the same way that non-LGBT people are.”
* I asked Tomkowiak about his race and he sent me this…
The thing that I believe in more than anything is single payer health care. I have fought for that most of my adult life (ever since my brother’s and mother’s mental illnesses tore apart their lives). I thought I could change the health system from a university (so I got a PHD at Princeton), or by advising politicians (so I got involved in writing the ACA); but, those avenues didn’t work. So, I tried to run for Congress in the place I grew up (the place where my family first stepped on American soil when we came here from Poland). Sure, I am half the age of the two other people in the race, but, at least on paper, I thought that my resume of progressive accomplishments was longer than both of my opponents’ records combined. Nonetheless, I realized that I don’t have the money to buy the Democratic primary for Congress in the 3rd. Both Lipinski and Newman (two rich folks, from the two wealthiest cities in the district, Western Springs and La Grange) spend more money in a month, then my parents or I made in a year.
Name and wealth are destiny in American politics. The rich rule while the poor spectate, fooled into thinking that their cheering has an impact on the outcome of the game. While I was pursuing my PhD at Princeton, I was part of study that demonstrated empirical evidence for this conclusion. For instance, when the rich and the poor disagree in public opinion polling, the rich almost always win in public policy, whether the Democrats or Republicans are in power (we called America an “oligarchy”). Still, I wanted to experience this on my own skin. Maybe the data were wrong.
The data were NOT wrong. And what I have seen over the last few months has only further convinced me that the Democratic party is not the vehicle for the changes I want to see in the world. For instance, I have watched as a wealthy businesswoman who worked as a PR consultant for the health insurance industry, working to deny health care to the poor, has bought herself the label of “progressive.” This is America in a nutshell. The wealthy and the well-connected can make catastrophically bad decisions, yet elude accountability.
All of this is to say that I have decided to run as an independent against whoever buys the Democratic primary for Congress, and for the State Central Committeeman of the 3rd Congressional District in the March Democratic primary (against Madigan).
In my race against Madigan, I don’t paint him as some cartoon villain; but, I point out the obvious – the current status quo lays squarely at his feet. Rauner is terrible, but Illinois’ problems didn’t begin during his term. Madigan and the cogs in his machine had plenty of opportunities to make changes. They failed. Now, it’s time for something new.
I will propose a number of changes to the party, to make it more open to independent voices. Like the progressives of the late 19th century, who broke the party bosses of their day by turning towards proportional representation, I believe we need to change the rules that govern our elections. I argue for multimember districts, proportional representation and public financing of elections. Cross-national studies have shown that democracies with such insitutions have greater trust in government, higher turnout, lower polarization and more diverse legislatures. Moreover, I will argue for a bold progressive economic and social agenda, which should have as it’s centerpiece, the necessity of a single payer health care system.
* Yesterday was the first time I can recall Gov. Rauner ever uttering the name “Pritzker” to reporters. Sun-Times…
For months, the governor has been coy about talking about his re-election campaign or his competitors. But with a Republican primary challenger surfacing and a costly primary battle ahead, Rauner went full forward with an attack on Pritzker’s finances.
Until Tuesday, the trading of jabs largely had been confined to competing campaign press releases. Rauner, however, has had a difficult week, saying Monday that he’s “not in charge” of Illinois despite being governor for nearly three years, and fending off attacks from Ives, his new Republican primary challenger. Faced with reporters’ questions Tuesday, Rauner lobbed his charges against Pritzker, providing no documentation to back them up.
A commenter believes that Rauner went after Pritzker yesterday to show his GOP base that “he, and only he can dig the dirt up on Pritzker,” and win in November. Rauner himself said on Monday that his core message during the Republican primary will be this…
I will win the general election. I will win the general election. And if we don’t win the general election, nothing else matters. If we go back to being a one-party state that’s controlled by one person, we don’t have a future. We don’t have a future.
So, he’ll probably try to ignore and/or marginalize Ives as long as he can by focusing on Madigan and Pritzker, who are two peas in a pod as far as he’s concerned.
* Ives, on the other hand, will need to put some real cash behind her red meat attacks if she wants to get Rauner’s direct attention. This one didn’t work, for instance…
Ives, who formally announced her candidacy Monday, wasted no time launching a vitriolic attack on Rauner. She questioned his manhood — Is our governor really a girly man? — as well as his loyalty to regular voters.
“We were promised a conservative, reform governor. Instead we got an Ivy League gender studies professor,” Ives said, referring to him as “Benedict Rauner.”
As long as she’s raising ho-hum money, and/or unless she catches real fire on social media, she’ll be ignored in an attempt to keep the party together as much as they can and to avoid giving her more attention that she otherwise would.
In Florida, Sheldon worked closely with the Clearwater-based nonprofit called Eckerd Kids, which last year took in $169 million in government contracts to run child welfare and other programs in that state and others.
In Illinois, DCFS under Sheldon gave Eckerd a $375,000 contract to help develop a web-based program to pinpoint abuse and neglect investigations with the highest probability of serious injury or death to children.
In contract submissions filed as part of its Illinois DCFS contract, Eckerd touted the “remarkable” accomplishments of its predictive analytics method in Florida’s Hillsborough County, where it won a $65 million annual state contract to oversee child welfare services there in 2012.
But the firm has been embroiled in a series of controversies there, according to published reports. In October, a court-appointed advocate filed a lawsuit alleging that Eckerd and a subcontractor negligently placing a minor brother and sister in the home of an accused sexual predator. Eckerd separately acknowledged last year that 43 children were forced to sleep in offices and other unlicensed locations because Eckerd had run out of foster beds — after initially telling Tallahassee media that 17 youth were sleeping in the offices.
* Like much of what Sheldon did here, that contract has not turned out well and DCFS has announced its demise…
Two Florida firms — the nonprofit Eckerd Connects and its for-profit partner, Mindshare Technology — mined electronic DCFS files and assigned a score of 1 to 100 to children who were the subject of an abuse allegation to the agency hotline. The algorithms rated the children’s risk of being killed or severely injured during the next two years, according to DCFS public statements.
But caseworkers were alarmed and overwhelmed by alerts as thousands of children were rated as needing urgent protection. More than 4,100 Illinois children were assigned a 90 percent or greater probability of death or injury, according to internal DCFS child-tracking data released to the Tribune under state public records laws.
And 369 youngsters, all under age 9, got a 100 percent chance of death or serious injury in the next two years, the Tribune found.
At the same time, high-profile child deaths kept cropping up with little warning from the predictive analytics software, DCFS officials told the Tribune.
One child who did not get a high-risk score was 17-month-old Semaj Crosby, who was found dead under a couch in her Joliet Township home in April following at least 10 DCFS abuse investigations and an ongoing “intact family” care plan.
Today, Secretary of State Jesse White announced his endorsement of Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.
“Assessor Berrios has been a dedicated public servant and tireless advocate for our families. As the first Latino elected office in Illinois, he has worked to build coalitions between our communities and helped elect more women and people of color into office. As Cook County Assessor, he has brought fairness and equity to the Assessor’s office by helping taxpayers file appeals and recover savings. I’m proud to call him a colleague and a friend,” said Secretary of State Jesse White.
As County Assessor, Berrios has been working to fix the broken system he inherited. He has made sure that every taxpayer has the ability to file an appeal easily and without an attorney making the process simpler and more transparent, which has resulted in a record number of appeals. Joseph Berrios has made the Assessor’s office user-friendly and has expanded community outreach seminars to help taxpayers file appeals and recover savings. He and his staff have held over 227 property tax appeal seminars throughout Cook County this year alone.
Born on Valentine’s Day, Berrios grew up as one of seven children in a public housing high-rise at Cabrini-Green. Berrios worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant, eventually becoming a waiter. He graduated from Lane Tech High School and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1982, Berrios became the first Latino member of the Illinois General Assembly. During his time at the Board of Review, Berrios developed a deep understanding of the importance of property tax fairness throughout Cook County.
A group of high-profile Illinois Democrats have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s case.
In an amicus brief filed Monday, the who’s who list of current and former Illinois Democratic congressional delegation members emphasized that they take “no position on Mr. Blagojevich’s innocence or guilt on any of the counts of conviction.”
Instead, they wrote that the nation’s highest court should hear his appeal to “distinguish the lawful solicitation and donation of campaign contributions from criminal violations of federal extortion, bribery, and fraud laws.” […]
The amicus brief filed Monday echoes many of the points argued by Blagojevich’s lawyers, who say the high court must settle questions over whether prosecutors in a case like Blagojevich’s must prove a public official made an “explicit promise or undertaking” in exchange for a campaign contribution.
The petitioners in Monday’s brief wrote that current laws create “confusion” over “the necessary, legitimate solicitation of campaign contributions, on the one hand, and unlawful extortion, bribery, and fraud, on the other.”
They said they are not taking a stand on the ex-governor’s guilt or innocence. What they are doing is asking the country’s highest court to clear the air around campaign finance law. […]
The amicus brief said blurry lines between legal and illegal fundraising leave politicians vulnerable.
“Although amici take no position on Mr. Blagojevich’s innocence or guilt on any of the counts of conviction, they submit that this court’s guidance is needed to distinguish the lawful solicitation and donation of campaign contributions from criminal violations of federal bribery, extortion and fraud laws,” the document said.
“This isn’t a plea for a pardon. This is, I think, a demand that the court clarify what constitutes a bribe, extortion and what constitutes doing something for a constituent or somebody that asks you to do something,” Gutierrez said.
“So long as the law is vague, and so long as there’s a split of opinion about what exactly it takes for there to be criminal action, a bribe, politicians of all kinds in all places will have criminal exposure,” said ABC 7 Political Analyst Gil Soffer. […]
The current and former lawmakers who signed the amici curiae brief are:
- U.S. Rep Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9th District)
- U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL 7th District)
- U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL 11th District)
- U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL 4th District)
- U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL 5th District)
- U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL 1st District)
- Former U.S. Attorney and Rep. Bob Barr
- Former U.S. Rep. William Lipinski
- Former U.S. Rep. David Phelps
- Former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard
- Former State Sen. Emil Jones
- Former State Sen. Carol Ronen
- Elmwood Park Village President and former State Rep. Skip Saviano
- Attorney and former DNC general counsel Joe Sandler
- Former FEC special Assistant General Counsel Lyn Utrecht
- Edward M. Smith, former vice president of Laborer’s International Union of North America, Midwest Region
- Nancy Shier, retired manager of Early Childhood Organization
- Attorney Harvey Silverglate
- Attorney [and Cook County Commissioner] Lawrence Suffredin
Lots of FoBs (Friends of Blagojevich) on that list.
“A correct determination of what words and actions are legal and what are not legal is absolutely critical,” [the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers wrote in a second brief]. “The various appellate courts are in disarray regarding whether, in a campaign finance prosecution, the government needs to prove that there was an explicit quid pro quo in trade for the donation as originally outlined in McCormick v. United States, or whether there need only be something implicitly understood as a ‘wink and a nudge.’”
In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Blagojevich argued that he was innocent under the standards of McCormick, which stated a campaign finance crime only occurs when a politician makes an explicit promise of an official act in exchange for a campaign contribution, something the former governor says that he never did.
Another case, Evans vs. United States, adopts the “wink and nod” standard, saying one or both of the parties only need to believe there is such an arrangement.
“This court needs to eliminate the confusion,” the Illinois Defense Lawyers wrote. “The political candidate seeking office is supposed to ask for money. The political candidate is also expected to take the money.”
Conversely, they wrote, “political donors, by definition, are supposed to give candidates money.”
Three years into his first term after promising to “shake up Springfield,” Rauner continues to allow the most powerful man in Illinois politics — yes, it’s House Speaker Michael Madigan and let’s not feign surprise — to mess with his psyche. At a news conference Monday, Rauner offered a quirky assertion that even though he is governor, he is not “in charge” of state government. Madigan is. Rauner also suggested Madigan “rigged” the Democratic primary field, presumably clearing the path for gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, who has picked up numerous endorsements from the Dems’ political elite — most of whom genuflect to you-know-whom. […]
With Madigan constantly in his sights, however, Rauner comes across as a perpetual victim. That posture only elevates the stature of Madigan, who is adept at getting under people’s skin. That’s what he does. Those people include former governors of both parties. Chicago mayors. Fellow Democrats statewide. Even his staunchest loyalists and, at times publicly, his daughter, who happens to be the attorney general.
Rather than partake in Madigan’s games, Rauner should be talking about his own record and what he would do with another four years. As a candidate in 2014, Rauner was John Wayne: “Mike Madigan has never negotiated with someone like me. He’s negotiated with career politicians who need money, who need favors, who owe special interest groups. I don’t owe anybody anything and I don’t need money and I don’t need a political career and I don’t need a job,” he said the month before he was elected. […]
Madigan shouldn’t be the focus of Rauner’s re-election campaign. Rauner should be the focus of Rauner’s campaign.
* Greg Hinz has a pair of poll results on Mayor Rahm Emanuel today. One was taken of Chicagoans in US Rep. Mike Quigley’s district which showed a 57 percent favorable rating and a 41 percent unfavorable rating. Emanuel’s job performance was a net positive, at 52-46. The sample for both polls was of likely Democratic primary voters for next March. So, it doesn’t include the smallish number of Chicagoans who take Republican ballots (about 11 percent last year) and those who may not vote in the mayoral race.
The other survey—actually, results of two polls of 584 likely [Chicago Democratic primary] voters conducted in late October and then late November—was conducted by a national firm that has done previous work in Illinois. The pollster involved asked questions about Emanuel as part of his survey for a statewide candidate and while neither will allow their names to be used, I spoke with the pollster directly.
In this survey, Emanuel citywide got a personal favorable rating of 50 percent positive and 40 percent negative. His rating from African-Americans was slightly better than among whites, 51/37 as opposed to 51/42, due mostly to a strong 56/32 rating from black women.
Emanuel’s rating on the North Side was 53 percent favorable to 38 percent unfavorable, fairly close to the results in Quigley’s district. The split was narrower on the South Side, 49 percent to 40 percent, and almost even on the West Side, 47 percent to 44 percent.
Those numbers collectively “look like the coalition that elected him last time,” said the pollster, asserting that Emanuel’s public efforts to get more state school aid for Chicago Public Schools, hire more police and help immigrants are having an impact. And overall, Emanuel’s numbers probably are stronger than they appear because the survey excludes Republicans, who likely would lean toward the mayor in a challenge from a progressive on the political left such as Garcia, the pollster said.
Take it for what you will.
…Adding… More results on Quigley from the Quigley campaign…
Very Fav 37% Somewhat Fav 34% Somewhat Unfav 7% Very Unfav 3% Name ID 81%
How would you rate the job Mike Quigley is doing in Congress?
Excellent 28% Good 41% Not so good 11% Poor 5%
If the Democratic primary election for Congress were held today, would you vote to re-elect Mike Quigley, or would you vote to replace him with another Democrat?
Definitely re-elect 35% Probably re-elect 26% Total re-elect 61% Probably replace 11% Definitely replace 7% Total replace 18% Undecided 21%
* I was waiting on her letter so I could post it, but yeah, this also happened today…
The Chief Procurement Officer just voided the $12.8 million no-bid consulting contract @GovRauner's administration gave out to McKinsey. HFS Director Norwood said the consultation was exempt from bidding process according to state law.
Illinois’s Chief Procurement Officer has just voided the multi-million dollar no-bid Medicaid consulting contract issued by the Rauner administration that was subject of our hearings last week. This Thursday we will be having hearings on the much larger $60+ billion dollar Medicaid MCO contracts.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Here’s the pertinent part of the letter. Click the pic for a much better image…
Seems pretty clear that the contract was not exempt.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the comptroller’s office…
As Comptroller Mendoza mentioned the last time she appeared before the Human Services Committee, our office has had these matters under review for some time and we are not surprised by the Chief Procurement Officer’s decision to void the contract. We will watch the committee’s hearings with great interest.
The cancellation of a no-bid consulting contract inked by the Rauner administration in violation of state procurement law raises other red flags about the state’s Medicaid managed care program, Senator Andy Manar said today.
“In my mind, all this does is raise more questions about the Rauner administration’s handling of the overall $60-plus billion managed care contract. I think taxpayers are owed some explanations,” said Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat and chairman of a Senate appropriations committee.
The state’s chief procurement officer on Tuesday voided the multi-million-dollar no-bid consulting contract between the Rauner administration and Chicago-based McKinsey & Co. The contract was for services related to the state’s Medicaid managed care program.
The process of contracting with insurance companies to be part of the state’s Medicaid managed care system has been cloaked in secrecy while costs ballooned without explanation. Manar said he and other state senators will be looking for answers from the administration during a Senate hearing at 11 a.m. Friday in Chicago.
The hearing will be streamed live at www.ilga.gov.
* Today, Gov. Rauner brought up former Rep. Ken Dunkin’s Democratic primary defeat last year after Dunkin sided with Rauner on the AFSCME bill. The governor even bemoaned the fact that House Speaker Michael Madigan convinced President Obama to campaign against Dunkin (without mentioning that Dunkin had foolishly run ads which made it appear as if Obama supported him). Anyway, Rauner then turned his attention to Rep. Scott Drury, who is now running for attorney general…
One member of the General Assembly here recently, just one, voted Present, I think, or abstain in the last election for Speaker Madigan to be Speaker. One. You see he’s not running again for the House. What a coincidence. They made his life holy heck. And, basically, push him out. This is rule by fear. This is not democracy.
This is the example he uses? Seriously?
* Remember this statement from the chairman of the almost totally Rauner-funded Illinois Republican Party moments after Rauner’s tax hike veto was overridden?…
“I am extremely troubled by the decision of 10 Republicans to again stand with Mike Madigan. Republicans in Illinois fought Madigan’s machine in 2014 to elect Gov. Rauner and won. In 2016 we beat Madigan again and made historic gains in the House and the Senate. After all we have accomplished together, it is astonishing that these legislators would now turn their backs on taxpayers across the state. I am confident voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Mike Madigan over the people of Illinois.”
* And nine of the eleven retiring House Republicans on this list voted for the tax hike…
Now that the candidate filing window has closed, here’s the updated (final?) list of legislators choosing to leave the ILGA #twillpic.twitter.com/n7ZA6aBEjb
All but one of the 15 who initially voted for the tax hike and stuck around is facing a Republican primary opponent.
* From Rep. Chad Hays’ retirement announcement…
“Legislators who care deeply and have the courage of their convictions and the intestinal fortitude to do what is right regardless of consequences are increasingly silenced. I believe we are in serious jeopardy of independent thought being a relic in our public discourse.”
So, spare me, governor.
…Adding… Wordslinger in comments…
Let’s not forget McCann’s one meaningless vote bucking Rauner that earned him a well-funded primary opponent.
Yep. And it was gonna be two well-funded primary opponents in a row, but he also bailed.
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Scott Drury…
While Governor Rauner has admitted that Mike Madigan controls him, he incorrectly states that Madigan controls me. To the extent Madigan has unsuccessfully spent time trying to figure out how to thwart me, it merely shows that I am controlling him. As a federal prosecutor and a legislator, I have been working to clean up Illinois at all levels. As Attorney General, I will clean up our state once and for all – which includes putting a stop to no-bid contracts that harm taxpayers, ending the patronage that keeps the Machine in power and prosecuting politicians at every level of government engaged in the corrupt practice of “pay-to-play.”
* I planned to start this yesterday and then forgot. Oops. Our first two categories…
* Best Statehouse-area bartender
* Best Statehouse-area waiter/waitress
As always, keep in mind that this is about the intensity of the nominations, not the number of the nominations, so make sure to fully explain your votes. And, please, do your best to nominate in both categories. When lots of people focus on just one award, I figure it’s an organized conspiracy and discount those votes.
And if you want to see how good a businessman he is, go look up how he did with his New World Ventures, you can really see some truth about how good a businessman he is.
* The Pritzker campaign responded…
JB decided to cap new investments from a New World Ventures fund in the aftermath of the national collapse of the tech industry in the early 2000s. He refunded money that had been invested in the fund by those outside of his family and personally reached into his own pocket to pay them back. Since that time, JB Pritzker and New World Ventures, which is now called Pritzker Group Venture Capital, have invested in startup companies that have created thousands of jobs. JB is running on his record of getting big things done for Illinois families and communities, and unlike Bruce Rauner, he does not believe people should be treated like lines on an excel spreadsheet and when you are the governor of a state, you are actually in charge.
As mentioned above, New World Ventures was later renamed Pritzker Group Venture Capital. Click here for more info.
* OK, with that being said, on to the oppo. All emphasis was in the original document…
J.B Pritzker: Investment Genius
J.B. Pritzker Raised His First Outside Investment Funds In The Late 90s
J.B. Pritzker Launched His First Investment Fund – New World Ventures – In 1998 With $10.8 Million From Outside Investors. “Born with one of the most famous names in business, Jay Robert Pritzker is making a name for himself. Outside investors put up the majority of a $10.8-million high-tech investment fund raised last year by New World Venture Partners LLC, the successor to a private venture capital firm Mr. Pritzker launched in 1996 with a $6-million stake from the billionaire Chicago dynasty.” (Paul Merrion, “Venture Vanguard: Pritzker’s At Head Of Class Of Young Fund Teams,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 5/17/99)
In 1999, Pritzker Partnered With William Blair & Co. To Launch His Second Investment Fund – William Blair New World Ventures – With $100 Million From Outside Investors. “Two prominent Chicago financiers — J. B. Pritzker and William Blair & Co. — are teaming up to invest $100 million in the sizzling technology- startup arena. Mr. Pritzker’s New World Ventures has formed a partnership with William Blair Capital Partners LLC to invest in technology firms at their riskiest but potentially most lucrative stage — often before the companies have rung up any sales. The partners’ fund, William Blair New World Ventures, will target emerging Internet, software, telecommunications and networking companies with initial investments between $2 million and $4 million.” (Barbara Rose, “Blair, Pritzker Launch Tech Startup Fund,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 12/20/99)
By 2003, Both Of Pritzker’s Funds Had Suffered Catastrophic Losses
In 2003, New World Ventures Was Down 90 Percent, And William Blair New World Ventures Given Investors Half Their Money Back To Avoid Additional Losses. “Market bubbles don’t distinguish between new money and old money. Whether your name is Andrew ‘Flip’ Filipowski–a self-made software guru starting an Internet incubator–or J.B. Pritzker–a billionaire scion turned venture capitalist–the results of an investing mania can produce similar results… At Pritzker’s New World Ventures, which held limited partners meetings Tuesday, the Evanston firm’s wealthy private investors have been luckier. One of the firm’s funds is down an estimated 90 percent, according to a report from the meeting, while a second fund is giving investors half their money back rather than risking more losses.” (Barbara Rose, “Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
• Pritzker Had Raised $10.8 Million In 1998 For New World Ventures – By The End Of 2002 It Was Down To $1.8 Million. “New World’s first fund open to outside investors launched in late 1998: a modest $10.8 million pool with about 60 limited partners. Like Divine, New World was a pioneer: one of the area’s few firms to focus on start-ups with scant financial histories. But like Divine and some other early-stage venture funds, New World has sustained big losses. The first fund’s value at the end of 2002 was an estimated $1.8 million.” (Barbara Rose, “Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
• Pritzker Had Raised $80 Million For William Blair New World Ventures In 1999 – In 2003 He Released His Investors From $40 Million In Funding Commitments To Avoid More Losses. “For his second fund, Pritzker teamed up with an old-line Chicago name–an affiliate of regional brokerage William Blair & Co.–to raise about $80 million. Now, New World is releasing limited partners from about $40 million in funding commitments because of what Pritzker terms a severe market ‘downdraft.’” (Barbara Rose, “Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
Pritzker Claimed He Had Gotten A “Good Reaction” From His Investors; His Investors Disagreed
Pritzker Claimed He Had Gotten “A Good Reaction From The Vast Majority” Of His Investors. “I think we’ve gotten a good reaction from the vast majority” of investors about the givebacks, Pritzker said Tuesday.” (Barbara Rose, “Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
New World Ventures Investors Disagreed With Pritzker’s Characterization, With One Saying “People Are Very, Very Unhappy…They’ve Lost Almost All Their Money. “An investor in the first fund offered a different view. ‘People are very, very unhappy,’ he said. ‘They’ve lost almost all their money.’” (Barbara Rose, “Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
* Excerpt from a Rauner campaign press release this afternoon..
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner called out JB Pritzker’s spectacularly bad business record and questioned his taxes. When asked by reporters why JB Pritzker only reported $15 million in income despite his $3.4 billion net worth, Governor Rauner responded by saying “he has to be the worst investor on the planet.”
Here’s a history lesson: In 1998, JB Pritzker started New World Ventures. By 2003, that fund had lost 90% of its value.
In 1999, JB Pritzker started William Blair New World Ventures with $80 million in investments. By 2003, Pritzker returned only half that money ($40 million) to investors after the fund produced poor returns.
(“Divine Considering Chapter 11; Pritzker’s New World Ventures Gives Back Funds,” Chicago Tribune, 2/19/03)
House and Senate negotiators will be meeting to resolve differences in the Republican tax overhaul bills, and an outstanding item is whether a tax-free college savings account can be opened for a fetus.
Will this legislation about unborn children and 529 plans — named after a section of the IRS code — survive?
One needs a Social Security number to open up a college savings account. That’s ostensibly all that this is about, letting a fetus be eligible for a Social Security number.
It is really an anti-abortion related ploy in disguise.
* Press release…
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today condemned Congressional Republicans for quietly inserting language into tax reform legislation that would allow a fetus to receive a social security number, a long-time goal of anti-choice advocates who believe such an action can help overturn Roe v. Wade.
Frerichs also called upon Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to lobby Illinois’ Congressional delegation to eliminate this attempt to grant personhood to a fetus under the crass disguise that it makes it easier for families to save for college. Rauner has said that he is speaking with unnamed federal officials regarding the tax plan.
“Congressional Republicans hope the barking of a false tax cut will hide their attempts to undermine a woman’s right to choose,” Frerichs said. “Abortion is a deeply personal decision and treating it as a slight-of-hand parlor game diminishes women and disrespects their right to self-determination.”
The House tax plan, written exclusively by Republicans behind closed doors, includes language that would allow a 529 college savings plan to be opened for a fetus at any stage of development inside a woman’s womb. IRS rules currently require a 529 beneficiary to have a social security number. Therefore, if the in utero language stays in the proposal, Republicans will have created a path to grant personhood to the unborn.
“The Republican proposal to assign a social security number to an unborn fetus addresses a problem that does not exist,” Frerichs said.
Currently, an individual can open a 529 college savings account without immediately naming a beneficiary by using their own social security number. Later, the account owner can transfer it to a family member using the newly named beneficiary’s social security number. This has been allowable since its inception in 1997.
Among Frerichs’ duties as treasurer is to manage and serve as the sole trustee of Illinois’ two award‑winning 529 college savings programs. The Bright Start and Bright Directions investments have more than 450,000 beneficiaries with a value exceeding $10 billion. Each is considered among the best in the country, according to an independent analysis by Morningstar.
Bright Start and Bright Directions are investment programs and should not be confused with College Illinois!, a pre-paid college tuition program also under the 529 umbrella that is managed by Gov. Rauner.
Standing with Frerichs today was Terry Cosgrove of Personal PAC and Paula Thornton Greear of Planned Parenthood. Each called upon Gov. Rauner to use his influence with Illinois’ Congressional Republicans to strip the personhood language from the bill.
“This insensitive maneuver is a needless attack on women that not only would threaten reproductive freedom, but also could call into question the legality of commonly used birth controls,” Cosgrove said.
“The only purpose for this language can be to advance a relentless agenda to undermine access to safe, legal abortion by furthering notions of “personhood” through the tax code and other legislative vehicles,” Thornton Greear said. “In fact, this benefit for pregnant, and even non-pregnant, people already exists; they are simply changing the language of a benefit to build a foundation toward their goal of banning abortion. And we aren’t having it.”
* Yesterday, Gov. Rauner said this about House Speaker Michael Madigan, among other things…
He controls, he’s rigged his primary. He has rigged his Democratic primary. He has rigged it, ladies and gentlemen. If you guys won’t report it, shame on you. He has rigged the system, he controls it. It’s a Mafia protection racket. And until he’s gone, we aren’t going to fix Illinois and we aren’t going to have a good future.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown called the governor’s “mafia” comparison “incoherent.”
“I don’t know how that could be rigged if you got many, many candidates running,” Brown said. “It would seem to be incoherent.”
And asked about the speaker being “in charge,” Brown questioned state contracts and Rauner’s role in them, including controversy over the state renting out a Springfield warehouse to store records from the Department of Human Services and a consulting contract the Rauner administration doled out regarding the state’s Medicaid overhaul.
“If he’s not in charge, we got to find out who gave out the kinky contract to the guys who lease the Barney’s furniture warehouse. And who gave out the kinky contract to McKinsey to do God knows what,” Brown said. “If he didn’t do it, there’s someone handing out and spending a lot of money. It’s kind of crazy.”
Um, OK. Maybe it’s not “rigged,” but somebody is most certainly putting his apple-peeling finger on the scale, if not his whole body.
Among the nation’s billionaires, one of the most sought-after pieces of real estate right now is a quiet storefront in Sioux Falls, S.D.
A branch of Chicago’s Pritzker family rents space here, down the hall from the Minnesota clan that controls the Radisson hotel chain. Other rooms are held by Miami and Hong Kong money.
Most days, the small offices of this former five-and-dime are shut. But even empty, they provide their owners with an important asset: a South Dakota address for their trust funds.
In the past four years, the amount of money administered by South Dakota trust companies such as these has tripled to $121 billion — almost all of it from out of state. The families needn’t move to South Dakota, deposit their money at a local bank, or even touch down in the private jet. Little more than renting an address in Sioux Falls is required to take advantage of South Dakota’s tax-friendly trust laws.
States such as South Dakota are “creating laws that are conducive to a massive exploitation of a federal tax loophole,” said Edward McCaffery, a law professor at the University of Southern California. “We have a tax haven in our midst.”
South Dakota’s sudden popularity illustrates how the wealthiest Americans are embracing ever more creative ways to reduce taxes legally. Executives at South Dakota Trust Co., one of the state’s biggest, estimate that one-quarter of their business comes from special vehicles known as dynasty trusts that are designed to avoid the federal estate tax. Creation of such trusts has surged in recent years as changes in federal law have enabled more money to be placed in them.
While the super-rich use various tools to escape the levy, the advantage of dynasty trusts is that they shield a family’s wealth forever. That defies the spirit of the estate tax, enacted almost 100 years ago to discourage the perpetuation of dynastic wealth. […]
In 2010, the Pritzker family, whose members include Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, revealed in a securities filing that one branch had moved $360 million of Hyatt Hotels stock to trusts overseen by a native South Dakotan named Thomas Muenster. Muenster, whose sister married [JB] Pritzker, maintains an office in the Kresge building. […]
Jay Robert [JB] Pritzker, his sister Penny Pritzker and his brother-in-law Muenster didn’t respond to messages seeking comment
By the way, Thomas Muenster, the brother-in-law, was also involved with that hugely controversial and successful attempt to lower JB Pritzker’s property tax bill in part by removing the toilets from an empty mansion…
Pritzker’s name isn’t mentioned in the documents the assessor’s office released for the mansions. Both are owned by a limited liability company managed by Thomas Muenster, whose sister is Pritzker’s wife. But the Pritzker campaign acknowledges that the LLC is owned by a trust for Pritzker. Muenster and the law firm Schmidt Salzman & Moran filed the appeals with Berrios.
In the 1990s, most states limited the duration of family trusts to the lifetime of a living heir, plus 21 years; South Dakota, in contrast, had no limits at all. That made it possible, in theory, for a wealthy benefactor to create a trust that could benefit not only her kids, but her great-great-great-great-grandkids.
Since then, more states have removed their duration limits, but the Mount Rushmore State has stayed ahead of the competition. South Dakota laws go the extra mile to shield trust assets from creditors and spouses, and let families control their own trust investments, rather than hiring trustees. What’s more, the state levies no income tax on investments.
Trusts in the state became particularly popular toward the end of 2012, when wealthier families feared that Congress might make more of their assets subject to estate tax (a fear that wasn’t realized). According to regulatory filings, wealthy folks who have taken advantage of prairie generosity in recent years include the Pritzker family, who moved $360 million worth of Hyatt Hotels Corp. stock to the state in 2010
Most recently, McDowell and his crew persuaded the state legislature to pass laws that make it harder for the former spouses of wealthy people and their children to access assets hidden in South Dakota. That’s just the gravy, however, on laws that attract everyone from the billionaire Pritzker family to the heirs to the Wrigley fortune: They exempt dynastic trusts from federal inheritance taxes and income taxes, allowing generations of heirs to collect money tax-free. South Dakota was one of the first states to make such a law, but now almost a dozen others are following it in a race to the bottom.
The South Dakotans cite around a hundred jobs created by the trust industry, and figure that’s enough. But the state is also a net taker from the federal government, which supplies almost half its budget, even as its trusts drain perhaps billions of dollars from federal coffers and hundreds of millions from states where the beneficiaries of these trusts actually live.
Andy Holmes relocated from Kansas City last year to help his firm, the Great Plains Trust Company, increase its presence in South Dakota after clients, including celebrities and famous athletes, asked about the state’s benefits.
Great Plains worked with SDTC to learn the ropes, but last year leased a windowless office in a brick and glass building for its two employees. Down the hall is Maroon Trust, which manages the money of Chicago’s Pritzker family. Elsewhere on the floor is a roofing company. They share a receptionist.
Mr Holmes estimates that 90 per cent of the registered trusts in the state “are what I call shell companies where you basically have a PO box or an office and somebody will come here twice a year to have board meetings and meet regulatory requirements.”
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker campaign…
JB does not have any dynasty trusts; all of the trusts for his benefit have a rule against perpetuities so the “massive exploitation of a federal tax loophole” that is referenced in the article does not apply to JB.
Mary Ann Ahern: You don’t have any off-shore accounts?
Rauner: I do not.
Ahern: That was reported in your first term.
Rauner: Yes, so, so Mary Ann, here’s the spin. This is, this spin is amazing. So, I have assets, I’ve worked hard, I’ve made all my money. I didn’t inherit money. Um, and, uh, uh, I worked hard for teachers and made teachers a lot of money for their retirement. I worked for police officers, made a lot of money for their retirement, and I made a lot of money. I’m proud of it. I’ve never apologized for it.
I have investments that I do not control. For example, investments in, in banks and insurance companies, etc. They manage some money. And what’s got reported, which is true, some of them, for their accounts, where I’m a tiny piece, I have no voice, I have no control over decision-making, they have investments in some operation in Bahamas, or somewhere. Tiny for me, tiny for them, I don’t control it, I don’t have a voice in it. That’s what got reported and spun.
Um, the candidate Pritzker, inherited over $3 billion. And he and his family has chosen, chosen, on a massive scale to hide hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of their money off-shore in accounts outside of the United States.
That is fundamentally wrong. That is gonna come out and it is outrageous.
Ahern: [Over cross-talk, made a point about how Pritzker made $15 million last year]
Rauner: Exactly. So get this. Mary Ann, great question [laughter]. Great question. So, you inherit, you inherit $3 billion. And if you want to see how good a businessman he is, go look up how he did with his New World Ventures, you can really see some truth about how good a businessman he is.
But, inherits $3 billion and he’s still got $3 billion years later, mostly. And, but he only reports $16 million of income. How do you do that? I mean, you, you have to be one of the worst investors on the planet to only generate $16 million of income on $3 billion of assets.
How do you do that? By hiding from taxes and tax avoidance. That’s how you do that.
* Pritzker campaign…
In response to the Worst Republican Governor in America’s comments at this morning’s press conference, Pritzker campaign manager Anne Caprara released the following statement:
“We’re not going to get in the way of the Bruce Rauner implosion tour.”
Nope. Not good enough. Not by a long shot.
It’s time JB Pritzker answered questions about his assets. Gov. Rauner made some very valid points today. The Democratic billionaire needs to stop hiding behind snarky statements and release the names of his trust funds. Period.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner’s accusations are false and he is lying about JB Pritzker. In addition to releasing his personal tax returns, the total taxes paid by trusts benefitting JB, charitable contributions made personally and by his foundation, JB also filed a detailed Statement of Economic Interest that lists personal investments and assets as well as those held by trusts benefitting him. JB and trusts benefitting him have paid a combined $25 million in state taxes and $136 million in federal taxes over the last three years.
There are some trusts that were established by JB’s family a couple generations ago. JB did not set them up, has never received a personal disbursement from them, and he has directed that any disbursements from these trusts be given to charity. Those are facts, and Bruce Rauner’s attempt to distract from his disastrous campaign can’t change them.
ADDED: In regard to the offshore question, there are some trusts that were established by JB’s family a couple generations ago. JB did not set them up, has never received a personal disbursement from them, and he has directed that any disbursements from these trusts be given to charity. Those are facts, and Bruce Rauner’s attempt to distract from his disastrous campaign can’t change them.
They also claim that Pritzker inherited a bit over a billion dollars, not the three billion claimed by Rauner.
…Adding… From another campaign…
That “bit over a billion” is a red herring. That number is from before Hyatt got taken public and a lot of family owned [assets] got sold.
*** UPDATE 2 *** RGA…
Illinois Democrat candidate for governor and billionaire heir to the Hyatt fortune J.B. Pritzker is being called out for refusing to answer questions over reports that he is hiding his income sources from voter scrutiny in offshore accounts.
The multi-billionaire only reported $15 million in state taxable income this year, leading to questions over Pritzker’s use of offshore trusts to shield his income from taxation.
Illinois’ top political blog, Capitol Fax, slammed Pritzker’s campaign this afternoon for refusing to answer questions about his assets, including his refusal to list the names of the offshore trust he benefits from. “The Democratic billionaire needs to stop hiding behind snarky statements and release the names of his trust funds. Period.”
Pritzker’s primary opponent Chris Kennedy has already listed the names of the trusts he benefits from. Previous reports have detailed the Pritzker family’s “legendary use of hundreds of offshore trusts to protect its wealth from taxes and the prying eyes of the Internal Revenue Service.”
J.B. Pritzker’s refusal to answer questions about his offshore trusts shows he may have something to hide.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Biss campaign…
Today, Daniel Biss’ campaign released the following statement in response to Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker’s astonishing attacks on each others’ financial interests and tax returns.
“Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker are two sides of the same shiny gold coin,” said Biss spokesperson Tom Elliott. “Both billionaires lacking government experience. Both have private trusts they don’t control, and can’t disclose, and aren’t willing to report how much they’ve made from them. Both use their business acumen as reasons they should be governor, yet neither have released their full tax returns.
“If we’ve learned anything from the failures of Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump, it’s that success in business doesn’t equate to success in government, and that a candidate who isn’t being fully transparent with their financial interests can’t be trusted to have our best interests in mind.
“While Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker attack each other in an astonishing battle of the billionaires, everyday Illinoisans are struggling to make ends meet. That’s why we need Daniel Biss, the only middle-class candidate with a record of getting things done, who we can trust to make government work for us, not the uber wealthy and the political elite.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** G…
At a press conference today, Bruce Rauner claimed that in his career in business he “worked hard” for teachers and police officers and “made a lot of money for their retirement.”
But the truth is Bruce Rauner tried to strip those same teachers and police officers of their hard-earned retirement money. In 2015, Bruce Rauner proposed massive cuts to benefits for police officers, public-school teachers, and firefighters with “little or no input from organized labor.”
“Bruce Rauner has never ‘worked hard’ for teachers and police officers and is only interested in their benefits when it lines his own pockets,” said Pritzker Communications Director Galia Slayen. “This is a failed governor who has worked to cut benefits and undermine working families to advance his special interest agenda.”
* Related…
* Fact Check: Do Pritzker and Kennedy Have a Tax Transparency Gap?: There is no law in Illinois requiring gubernatorial candidates or governors to release any tax information whatsoever, and Biss is clearly engaging in some campaign hyperbole when he refers to a Rauner standard and a Romney standard. That said, we find the essence of his statements to be True.
Reporter: Governor, do you want to revisit the notion that you’re not in charge? I know there might have been some push-back in the last 24 hours after you indicated that yesterday. It was kind of a strong thing to say. In hindsight, do you want to take another look at that and revise what you said?
Gov. Rauner: Hmm. No. Not really. I think, um, everyone in this state knows what I’m talking about. We’ve had one person in power. One person in charge of the vast amounts of the government for 35 years. And it’s the reason we’re in such big trouble. And I think most people in the state understand that. And, uh, there’s too much concentration of power in one individual. Um, and, uh, the Speaker has been in that position for 35 years. […]
Reporter: You ran on a platform of taking on the Speaker and reducing his power. If you have been unable to do that successfully, and are not in charge now, what is the argument for having four more years if the Speaker isn’t going anywhere?
Gov. Rauner: Ah, but the point is I believe he will be going somewhere. Into, uh, into retirement. And that’s what we’re working on. And this is, people around the state want this, and Democrats want this almost as much as Republicans when you talk with people around the state. And what I’m gratified to see is there is a strong movement from Democrats as well as Republicans to not have one person be Speaker for an extended period. […]
Reporter: So, are you saying that you envision a scenario where you get elected to a second term… and the Speaker is not the Speaker any more?
Gov. Rauner: I think there’s a very, very high probability of that and it would be a wonderful step for the state.
State Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, who lost his position with Democratic leadership after having been publicly accused of sexual harassment, faces four primary challengers in the 8th District. His accuser, victim rights advocate Denise Rotheimer of Ingleside, is one of three Republicans hoping to win the Republican nomination for the 62nd House district; Democratic state Rep. Sam Yingling of Grayslake is the only member of his party to have filed.
* From yesterday…
Today, Caroline McAteer-Fournier announces that she will file over 2,800 signatures to be on the March 20 primary election ballot in Illinois’ 8th State Senate District.
Caroline announced her campaign after allegations of sexual harassment against State Senator Ira Silverstein emerged.
In just three weeks, Caroline was able to collect almost triple the number of necessary signatures to get on the ballot.
“I am energized and determined after the outpouring of support I have received in the past few days. If we want to change the culture in Springfield, then we need to elect more women.”
Caroline McAteer-Fournier is building a grassroots campaign that will bring a fresh voice in Springfield. Caroline was endorsed last week by Alison Leipsiger, who was also passing petitions for the IL 8th State Senate District.
* Also yesterday…
Today, Democratic Candidate for State Senate, Ram Villivalam (IL-8) announced the endorsement of U.S. Congresswoman Brad Schneider.
“I proudly and enthusiastically endorse Ram Villivalam for State Senate. Ram has long been a key contributor to my success as a Representative,” said Congressman Schneider. “As my Outreach Director, Ram demonstrated his ability to learn the key-issues and bring proven results to the community. As your State Senator, I know Ram will not only be an outstanding legislator but use those same skills to create a positive impact for hard working middle-class families in our community and throughout Illinois. Ram Villivalam will be an effective advocate for the 8th District and its range of diverse neighborhoods and I wholeheartedly endorse Ram for State Senate.”
“I am honored to have earned the endorsement of U.S. Congressman Schneider,” said Ram Villivalam. “Congressman Schneider has led efforts to protect the Affordable Care Act against Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans, protect and expand the rights of people in the LGBT community, ensure there is a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and advocate for sensible gun violence prevention measures. If elected, I look forward to continuing the work we have collaborated on.”
Last Monday, Ram filed 2,700 petition signatures, more than 2.5 times the amount needed and which was collected by more than 50 grassroots volunteers to become an official candidate for State Senate in the 8th District of Illinois. Having banked more than $50,000 in donations in the first week of his campaign, Ram also announced the endorsements of U.S Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, State Senator Laura Murphy, State Representative Theresa Mah, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Josina Morita, the Illinois State Association of Letter Carriers, and UFCW Local 881.
The other candidates are here. Zehra Quadri placed a distant third to Silverstein’s wife in the 2015 50th Ward aldermanic race.
* Also yesterday, from Denise Rotheimer’s Facebook page…
What an accomplishment! I just filed my petitions to be on the ballot. Remember to vote March 20, 2018. Also I am meeting with Eric Zorn tomorrow and am glad we were able to put aside our differences and move forward on a clean slate. Time for some coffee for the long drive home.
Rotheimer has yet to file any campaign finance disclosures. Also, publicly mixing her case with her campaign is either going to turn out to be a brilliant political move or not. We’ll see.
* Related…
* Don’t Rush New Sexual Harassment Policies, Some Women Lawmakers Warn: [Rep. Kelly Cassidy] herself, never knew who to report violations to. “That speaks to the culture of the building, that it never occurred to me to figure that out. Those complaints are the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner says the Republican attempt to overhaul the federal tax code “has a ways to go,” but it might not have as far to go as he thinks.
“I think they’re not there,” Rauner said during a question-and-answer session with reporters Monday. “I think there’s a lot of wood to chop on the tax policy reform, and I hope they get it done in a good way.”
The governor, however, was a few days behind on his news. Over a packed weekend welcoming Illinois National Guard troops home from Puerto Rico, riding his Harley in a Toys for Tots motorcycle run and attending the Illinois Bicentennial bash at Navy Pier, Rauner might have missed that Republican senators had voted for a sweeping tax bill early Saturday morning.
“First of all, the Senate hasn’t passed anything,” Rauner said on Monday when asked to explain what he thought Congress needed to do to get the tax code right. “And what the Senate is talking about is very different than what the House is working on. They have a long, long way to go.”
Indeed, distance remains between the House and Senate tax bills. But Senate Republicans’ approval of their own version was a big step forward and a sign they are willing to approve a tax overhaul even if it adds to the deficit.
Weird.
*** UPDATE *** DGA…
Governor Bruce Rauner has completely abdicated his responsibilities towards Illinois families on federal matters. From health care to tax reform, Rauner has either been complicity silent or openly supportive of President Trump’s policies. Last week, Rauner expressed support for Congress’ tax bill overhaul while acknowledging it did not help the middle-class. Rauner also would not elaborate on what he would change in the bill as he did not like to “negotiate through the media.”
Well, Rauner now has the perfect someone to negotiate with. Last night, the U.S. House Speaker’s office announced that Illinois Republican Congressmen Peter Roskam and John Shimkus named to the “committee to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate tax overhaul bills.” Roskam and Shimkus are two of only nine Republican House members on the committee, giving them, and Rauner, a great deal of influence in the final bill.
Will Rauner keep shirking from his responsibilities? Or will he call up his fellow Illinois Republicans?
“Illinois taxpayers need a fighter but Bruce Rauner won’t answer the call,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Many Illinois middle-class households will see their taxes rise to pay for cuts for the wealthy and Bruce Rauner has cheered Congress on. Time and again, Rauner has failed the people of Illinois and refused to protect them from President Trump’s policies, including this middle-class tax hike. Rauner’s failure to show leadership is exactly why he’s was named the worst governor by his own party.”
…He refused to divulge the tax returns for those trusts (which really would be “complex”) because, his campaign claimed, other members of his extended family also benefit from those trusts. OK, fine. But how about divulging the names of his trusts? Tracking down these trusts is a difficult business because they’re shrouded in such secrecy. Names would help.
When a politician refuses to divulge something, particularly after criticizing others for not doing so, you gotta wonder what that person is hiding.
The Pritzker family all but invented off-shore trusts. “No family in the U.S. can copy the Pritzkers in using offshore entities to gain tax advantages,” claimed Forbes magazine back in 2003.
In an attempt to pry Pritzker’s information loose, I reached out to Chris Kennedy’s gubernatorial campaign and asked if they would release the names of the trust funds Kennedy benefits from. They did.
…JB Pritzker’s sister Penny, who served as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Commerce, is mentioned in the so-called “Paradise Papers,” a massive ongoing research project into the uber-wealthy and mega-corporations conducted by journalists all over the world. Ms. Pritzker transferred shares from two Bermuda companies to a company owned by trusts that benefit her children after she was confirmed for the Cabinet post. Her family’s myriad offshore trusts were a big issue during her confirmation hearing.
Alas, Kennedy’s decision to reveal his trust funds’ names did not move the Pritzker campaign one iota closer to disclosing the names of Pritzker’s trusts.
Final media stop last night at WTIM Taylorsville. While our Governor says he's not in charge. I am ready to lead the charge. #twill#ilgovpic.twitter.com/ocIaqm7xFz
“Our governorship is a very strong position,” Ives said Monday afternoon. “We have one of the strongest governorship positions because you can veto in several different ways, you run the executive branch, you have access to all sorts of… you have a bully pulpit to get policy through.
“While Mike Madigan runs the Illinois House,” Ives said, “the truth is there were a number of bills that were signed by Governor Rauner that he did not have to sign.”
Still, Ives acknowledged her own role in Springfield has largely been to play spoiler.
“My best work is actually getting traction on killing legislation that is bad, not necessarily passing legislation bad [sic], which is what my role is as a member of both first the super minority (2013-2016) and then the minority (2017-present).
After five years in office, Ives has seen just five of her 134 bills become law, according to the Illinois General Assembly records.
