* This legislation was pushed hard by former Democratic state Rep. Jack Franks, who is now the McHenry County Board Chairman…
Today I veto House Bill 171 from the 100th General Assembly, which would codify the authority of certain county board chairmen to create standing committees and appoint members to standing committees subject to those boards’ approval.
We should not be codifying in state law carve-outs and special solutions that only apply to certain counties to account for local concerns. Passing state law on such specific question of local authority undermines local control and the ability to create rules as elected Board’s may deem appropriate.
This legislation, which stems from a disagreement about a change in McHenry County Board rules that stripped the Chairman of his historical authority to create and appoint members to committees, does just that. While the county governance model introduced by this legislation may represent good practice and a healthy balance of power between the local officials for McHenry County, it is not appropriately addressed by state legislation.
Instead, questions concerning the balance of power within local governments can be most appropriately reconsidered by local voters. Just as the citizens of a county can vote via referendum on whether their county adopts an executive form of government, so too should they be able to determine the appropriate power balance in question in this bill.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 171, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government,” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Leaving a dog inside your car in the summer could soon mean a broken window in Illinois.
Illinois is one of 24 states without a Good Samaritan law that allows people to rescue pets from hot cars. But that could change by the summer.
State Rep. David Olsen, R-Downers Grove, is pushing a plan to allow people to bust out a car window to rescue a hot dog from a hot car, and avoid any criminal liability.
Olsen said the idea is to let people help.
“If people act in good faith, in consultation with law enforcement,” Olsen said Wednesday. “This legislation is reasonable. It doesn’t allow for random acts of violence or criminal damage to property.”
Olsen said his legislation requires that people call the police before breaking a window, and then to wait with the dog at the car until police arrive.
“We’re looking to save animals and not make somebody liable for a lot of money, when they are just trying to be a Good Samaritan and help out,” Olsen said.
* The Question: Good idea or not? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Old news by now, but everybody seems to be weighing in, so let’s get to it…
Sen. Dick Durbin left the White House Thursday “sickened and heartbroken,” after hearing President Donald Trump refer to certain nations as “sh*thole countries,” Illinois’ senior senator told reporters Friday.
“I cannot imagine that in the history of [the Oval Office], that hallowed room, where the president of the United States goes to work every day, there has ever been a conversation quite like that. It was vile, it was hateful, it was racist,” Durbin told reporters after attending a breakfast in the city to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Durbin said Trump repeated the term “sh*thole” during a meeting that was, ostensibly, a discussion about a potentially bipartisan deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. Trump has since tweeted that he used “tough” language during the meeting but never used the derogatory language that has caused outrage across the globe.
I asked Sen. Durbin’s staff whether Durbin stood up to Trump at that meeting and took him to task for his remarks, but haven’t yet heard back.
* Gov. Rauner was asked today if he had anything to say about President Trump’s alleged comments…
Yeah, well, I’ll say this. That language has no place in our political conversation.
It ain’t the language, per se, it’s the sentiment behind the language. But, OK, at least he said something.
* From Sen. Kwame Raoul, the state’s most prominent Haitian-American…
As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the reported hateful comments spewed by the President remind us just how much further we have to go as a nation.
Today, I’m embracing the Kingian philosophy that darkness cannot drive out darkness and that only light can do that. That’s why today I’m using my light - as a citizen of this country, as the son of Haitian immigrants, as an elected official and a candidate for office - to call out the injustices committed on our watch.
I am revolted by Donald Trump’s vulgar dismissal and dehumanization of the people of Haiti, El Salvador and many African nations. Simply put, the President’s remarks are vile, racist and unbecoming of the office he holds. Donald J. Trump is unfit for the office of the Presidency of the United States. He should resign or Congress should do its job and proceed with the impeachment of the President.
My position isn’t simply about disagreements in policy, instead it’s about what type of country we want to be. Do we want to be a country with a corrupt racist at its helm or do we want to be a country which embraces King’s dream and those before us of to create a more perfect union? I choose the latter.
* JB Pritzker…
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Donald Trump is a racist and a xenophobe who has never had the dignity to be in the White House,” said JB Pritzker. “After unilaterally moving to end DACA and upend the lives of 800,000 young immigrants, including more than 41,000 in Illinois, Trump is resorting to offensive tactics to score a political win with his base. First, he insisted his senseless wall be part of an immigration deal and now Trump is spouting vile profanities about Haitian and African immigrants from the Oval Office. America deserves better, and when I’m governor, I’ll protect immigrant families and make Illinois a welcoming state for all.”
* Biss…
* Congressional candidate Chuy Garcia…
Donald Trump’s comments demonstrate his unfitness for the office. His ignorance, incompetence, and callousness make it difficult to distinguish him from a Klansman or a Nazi. As an immigrant and someone who has struggled to make our democracy inclusive of everyone, this is the most despicable comment I have heard from a President in my lifetime.
* AG candidate Jesse Ruiz…
In 2015, Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign by saying, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
Ever since that day, Trump has been displaying his racist attitudes like a badge of honor. It seems like the only words that can come out of Trump’s mouth are vile hate or lies. His despicable remarks about “sh*thole” countries are simply the latest in a long and ugly string of insults, epithets, and attacks. Instead of begging for forgiveness from the American public, he lies like a coward. He should resign or be removed from office.
We must not let Trump’s contemptible words distract us from his even more deplorable actions. Trump made this remark while talking with members of Congress about immigrants living here under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. The TPS program has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, but it is clear that the lives of people of color do not matter to Trump.
Today, members of Congress from both parties are denouncing Trump’s disgusting words. That’s important, but it’s even more important to make sure that Trump’s vile attitudes do not destroy the lives of law-abiding immigrants from countries that have suffered catastrophic events. I call on Congress to move immediately to pass the SECURE Act, to continue the protections of the TPS program and create pathway to legal permanent residency in America, and to pass a clean DREAM act, to fix DACA and protect the futures of 800,000 promising young immigrants.
I hope Trump is out of office by next January, when I take office as Illinois Attorney General. If not, I look forward to standing up to the White House, holding Trump accountable, and taking him to court to protect the rights of everyone.
* Congressional candidate Sol Flores…
Flores said, “I’m deeply saddened by the incredibly disrespectful and racist remarks. This President does not speak for me or my community. Our country is stronger because of the diverse groups of immigrants that come here. I know this. I’ve lived this. And unfortunately President Trump doesn’t see what I see.”
* US Rep. Bobby Rush…
“It is disgusting and infuriating that the President remarks about immigration from “sh*thole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries come on the 8th anniversary of the Haitian earthquake in which more than 200,000 people were killed.
“Is the President not aware that immigrants of all races, nationalities, and religions built this country?
“These comments not only highlight his pure ignorance, moral turpitude, and lack of judgment but his racism that has been a fixture of his career, campaign, and presidency.
“This is the same person who started his career being sued twice by the Department of Justice for racial discrimination because he would not rent apartments to African-Americans.
“This is the same person who launched the racist birther movement against the country’s first African-American President, casting doubt on Barack Obama’s birthplace.
“This is the same person who began his Presidential campaign calling Mexican immigrants rapists, murderers, and criminals.
“The President of the United States is racist.
“On the weekend where we should be honoring the spirit and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for racial equality, we have a President intent on dividing this country.
“Everyone should condemn the racist remarks made by the President, especially those who were present in the meeting. Their silence is deafening. I commend Senator Dick Durbin for giving truth power.
“We cannot continue to let this dangerous President erode this country’s reputation. We must stand up for our nation’s values because it is clear President Trump will not.”
* US Rep. Jan Schakowsky…
“Just when you thought Donald Trump could not get any more racist, he digs down to an even deeper low. These vile comments are unacceptable and unbecoming of the Presidency. It is time for my Republican colleagues to say so. Enough is enough. Silence is complicity.”
I have yet to receive any press release or see a social media post by an Illinois politician praising the president’s remarks. I’ll let you know if that happens.
“If true, the reported comments made by the President are disappointing and I urge him to reiterate his commitment to continuing America’s legacy as a welcoming country for those seeking a better life and those willing to play by the rules. Our country has opened its arms to legal immigrants from around the world and we should never disparage anyone from any country. Illinois’ 6th district has been a welcoming place for people from every nation, prioritizing missions and service to challenging regions across the globe to help make our world a better place. We must understand and appreciate that there are many people who wish for the opportunity to come to our country and live out the American Dream.”
Today, JB Pritzker was joined by State Senator Heather Steans and 48th Ward Democratic Committeewoman Carol Ronen at a press conference to lay out the importance of legalizing marijuana in Illinois and standing up to Donald Trump’s attacks on Illinois communities.
JB highlighted that no more studies are needed to show it’s time for Illinois to safely move forward with legalizing marijuana. He outlined how he would modernize drug laws and move Illinois towards a criminal justice system that gives all Illinoisans a chance to reach their full potential. JB also discussed the importance of regulating and taxing marijuana to generate much needed revenue for this state.
“Our state should legalize marijuana,” said JB Pritzker. “This is not a moment for a governor who stands with Trump. In the name of criminal justice reform, consumer safety, and increased state revenue, Illinois needs a governor who is ready to legalize marijuana in Illinois. There is an abundance of evidence that shows we can legalize marijuana in Illinois in a safe way. There is an abundance of evidence that shows the real benefits this would have on our state. Most importantly, it is a step forward in reforming our broken criminal justice system. Criminalizing marijuana hasn’t made our communities safer. What it’s done is disproportionately impact black and brown communities. The criminalization of cannabis never has been and never will be enforced fairly, and it’s time to bring that to an end.”
“With Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions attacking our communities, Illinois needs a governor who will do the right thing and stand up for legalized marijuana,” said Senator Heather Steans. “JB knows there have been enough studies on this. We know marijuana can be legalized in a safe way, and it’s time we do it. It will raise revenue for our state, and will help the communities devastated by the war on drugs. It’s time we elect a governor who will move our state forward on this issue, and JB is the leader to do it.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee)…
Currently alcohol is regulated as a legal product. To sell, serve, or produce alcohol requires a license. Federal, State, and Local laws control where liquor can be sold, require labeling, and who can purchase. It’s time for small amounts of Marijuana to fall under similar regulations.
Like many,I would like to see fewer people using and addicted to recreational drugs like alcohol and Marijuana. I also recognize that current prohibition is not working. Just like alcohol, Marijuana is a moral issue not a legal one.
As a serious fiscal conservative, I must point out the disservice to taxpayers this prohibition is. According to the Criminal History Records Information (CHRI) the average misdemeanor arrest costs $892. Illinois taxpayers spend over $25 Million a year on these arrests alone. Most of these cases are dropped, plead out, or withheld judgment. I would like these taxpayers resources to redirected to reducing addiction, fighting serious crime, and even refunded back to the taxpayers.
Regulating and taxing Marijuana sales is not some panacea for increased tax revenue. Regulating, testing, and labeling for THC levels does prevent unknown or extremely potent strains, eliminating the argument about today’s street Marijuana being more powerful than decades ago.
Personally I think smoking or consuming Marijuana is foolish and want to see fewer people, especially young people use it. Even with prohibition, it’s reported that illegal Marijuana is commonly available. It’s time to find a solution that works.
I will continue to advance limited government and free market solutions to Illinois’ problems and legalizing small quantities of Marijuana is one of them.
Now, I know that there are lot of people who look at this race and they say that all the Democratic candidates for governor agree on the issues. Well this is one place where we do not agree.
I want to end the injustice by legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana. Chris Kennedy does not.
There are those, like Kennedy, who say this should wait. But the truth is, for far too long marijuana laws have led to discrimination and injustice. For far too long marijuana has been unregulated. And for far too long, our state has waited and watched and missed out on jobs and revenue that our economy so desperately needs.
After decades of studies, and of contemplation and of delay, the time to act is now.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Rep. Litesa Wallace…
JB Pritzker’s press conference on legalizing marijuana and criminal justice reform included no voices of those most affected by the racist and inconsistent application of current law. For decades we’ve had a war on drugs that has targeted black and brown communities. To have a press conference on the Northside of Chicago without any representation of those communities pays lip service to the issues JB is claiming to champion. Daniel and I will continue to fight to change the criminal justice system from a restorative lens.
Exactly three years ago today, Governor Bruce Rauner was inaugurated as Governor of Illinois and the state is worse off for it. Rauner spoke of an “opportunity to accomplish something historic,” to “fix busted budgets”, to “forge a new path” toward “a brighter future”, and make the state “a national leader in job growth and education quality.”
Illinois residents did not get that bright future. Instead, they suffered national humiliation as the state went two-years without a budget and had its credit rating nearly downgraded to junk bond status. They saw their Governor refuse to compromise, despite the toll his policies were doing on services and job creation. Crain’s Chicago wrote just one year into the two-year impasse, “by nearly every measure, the state is worse off since Rauner took office.” Illinois residents got everything but the turnaround they were promised.
Under Rauner’s failed leadership, Illinois suffered:
Slower Job Creation: Illinois is now growing jobs at a much slower rate than when Rauner came into office. Over the past 12 months, Illinois had one of the worst job growth rates in the nation and trailed its neighbors.
Accelerating Population Loss: Rauner’s not only failed to stem the population loss, it has gotten worse as more people are leaving the state.
Higher Debt: Two years without a budget tripled the state’s bill backlog, which topped off at $16 billion. Interest was due to cost the state nearly $1 billion a year.
Lower Credit Rating: Candidate Bruce Rauner used to attack his rival over lower credit ratings. As Governor, the rating dropped 8 more times and approached junk level.
Lost Services: Rauner forced the state to endure two years without a budget, devastating state services. Under Rauner, 1 million Illinoisans lost access to services.
It’s even gotten worse for Rauner. Illinois voters disapprove of the job he’s done at nearly double the rate they approve, making him the nation’s “most vulnerable incumbent.”
“Bruce Rauner’s legacy has been set – a failed governor who drove the state further backwards,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “His tenure will be defined by his refusal to compromise, his non-existent leadership, and the two-year budget impasse he said he exacerbated for political purposes. Under Rauner, Illinois continues to lose jobs and people, and debt continues to rise. Rauner claimed he could get it done three years ago, but he has only made things worse.”
Illinois is reviewing new guidance from the Trump administration that opens the door for states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, but there is no indication yet that it will follow the lead of neighboring states that are pursuing plans to tighten their rules.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office and the state’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services said the new policy and its implications are “under review,” but the Republican administration has not signaled whether it supports Medicaid work requirements. Local patient advocates said they hope Illinois does not join the 10 states that already have submitted proposals to make having a job a condition of Medicaid eligibility, for fear it would leave tens of thousands of people without health insurance. […]
More than 1.2 million non-disabled working-age adults receive Medicaid in Illinois, and most do work. Two-thirds of Illinois’ non-disabled and non-elderly Medicaid recipients hold a full-time or part-time job, and more than 80 percent are part of working families, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s analysis of 2016 Census data. Many others are caregivers or go to school. […]
Work requirements also are opposed by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, which advocates for more than 200 hospitals and nearly 50 health systems in the state. The group believes work requirements would limit access to care and leave hospitals picking up the tab for uninsured patients.
Thoughts on this?
* Related…
* Another Illinois Medicaid shake-up threatens hospitals: For years, nearly every Illinois hospital has paid into a pot of money that helps the state bring in more federal dollars. But the program, effectively a tax on hospitals, is dated and doesn’t reflect how much the health care industry has changed… The reality is that a lot has changed. Low-income Chicago neighborhoods that surround safety-net hospitals have emptied out, dwindling their patient base. The push toward outpatient care means fewer people need to be hospitalized. At the same time, the state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leading to crops of new patients who sought care elsewhere. The bottom line: The current assessment program doesn’t reflect where Medicaid patients seek treatment. “It’s a tough process to renegotiate,” said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who is among the state lawmakers working to redesign the program. “Every hospital in the state is affected. There will be winners and there will be losers.”
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) submitted today its brief on the merits of the corporate-backed Supreme Court Case, Janus v. AFSCME Council 31.
Enclosed you will find the merits brief that AFSCME submitted to the Supreme Court today, along with a summary of this brief. If facts, law, and precedent matter, all nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in favor of working people in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 – just as they did more than 40 years ago when they found the state and local governments’ system of ordering their labor relations to be constitutional.
Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 is nothing more than a politically-motivated assault on the freedom of working people to earn a better life and an attempt to further rig the rules in favor of billionaires and corporate interests. In these turbulent times, marked by division and attacks on fact and reason, we hope the Supreme Court will consider carefully the facts, precedent, decades of labor peace and stability, and the motivations behind those seeking to undo it.
Now more than ever in the modern era, Americans must be able to trust their governmental institutions. Just as millions of Americans who rely on public service workers to keep their water clean, care for their families in hospitals, and respond to their emergencies quickly and professionally, millions of public service workers now rely on nine Supreme Court justices to decide this case on its merits — not on the ideological animus of the billionaires and corporate interests who are funding this blatant effort to silence the voices of workers.
In Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977), this Court confirmed the constitutionality of “fair-share fees” to finance collective-bargaining activi- ties of unions obligated under state law to represent both union members and non-members. Abood should be reaffirmed.
Abood accords with the First Amendment’s original meaning, which afforded public employees no rights against curtailments of free speech in the workplace setting. Overturning Abood would thus mark a radical departure from the original understanding of the Constitution. Abood also aligns with more recent jurisprudence deferring to government management decisions by upholding public employers’ rights to limit employee speech as contrasted with citizen speech. This Court’s application of Abood to other non-employment contexts highlights its stature as foundational First Amendment precedent.
Nearly half the States have relied on Abood in their labor-relations systems. Currently, 22 States permit fair-share fees for public employees, two (Michigan and Wisconsin) permit agency fees for some public employees, and 26 States prohibit fair-share fees or public-sector collective bargaining completely. As this diversity of viewpoints reflects, the Framers’ design functions well when States are “laboratories of democracy.” State legislatures often debate these issues and periodically change their policies. Overruling Abood would remove this issue from the people and their elected representatives and override their policy judgments about managing public workforces.
Petitioner asks this Court to upend the collective-bargaining systems of many States – in a jurisdictionally flawed case without any record – based on numerous unsupported and inaccurate factual assertions. For example, petitioner claims all collective bargaining is inherently political and employees choose not to join unions because they object to the union’s collective-bargaining positions. Those assertions are false – and unsupported by an evidentiary record.
This Court’s jurisprudence should rest on evidence, not fiction, and arise out of cases over which the Court has subject-matter jurisdiction, which is lacking here. If the Court considers re-evaluating Abood necessary, it should await a case with a factual record that does not require overruling or ignoring a century-old jurisdictional rule.
* Illinois State Board of Education press release…
ISBE is committed to advocating for the best education system for Illinois to serve districts most in need. Last year the General Assembly passed landmark legislation that changed the way in which schools are funded in Illinois. While the State Board was working to implement PA 100-465 as passed by the General Assembly, it was discovered that the adequacy targets of 178 school districts would unfairly include local resources that those districts are not able to access – to the sum of $37.8 million. According to the sponsors of the initial legislation, this was not the intent of the legislature. To correct this large drafting error, the State Board requested the changes included in SB 444 (Manar/Davis) and requested that the Governor sign the bill that was approved by the General Assembly as soon as possible. On the last possible day, the Governor issued an amendatory veto to SB 444 which has caused a disruption for the agency as it continues preparations for tier funding distribution as quickly as possible. If PA 100-465 is not changed in accordance with SB 444, there will be further disruption and confusion for all 852 school districts.
The new Evidence-Based Funding formula creates a distribution system where each district’s state allocation is directly related to and dependent upon the needs of all 852 school districts. If the changes included in SB 444 are not enacted, 178 school districts will see a reduction in funding based on their inability to access local resources. The State Board is continuing to gather and clean data needed to distribute tier funding as we wait for the General Assembly to act on this amendatory veto. Time is of the essence to ensure that what districts receive from the state this year is equitable and fair.
“We believe it is unfair for critics to say that this amendatory veto will delay implementation of SB 1947,” she said via email. “The Illinois State Board of Education continues to work on the new funding formula, and tier funding is still several months from being sent out.”
Sounds to me like the ISBE isn’t exactly on board with that thinking.
*** UPDATE *** Biss campaign…
Today, Daniel Biss released the following statement after the Illinois State Board of Education criticized Bruce Rauner for his amendatory veto of SB 444, the bill to fix errors in SB 1947, and for creating disruption for the agency and all 852 school districts.
“After jeopardizing public school funding by vetoing SB1 and then diverting tax dollars to private schools through a last-minute voucher program, Rauner is only adding to the confusion now by refusing to fix major drafting errors in the bill. Our students and teachers are again left to wonder if their schools will receive funding—and if Rauner cares at all.”
* The eight Democratic attorney general candidates met with the Sun-Times editorial board yesterday. The whole thing is definitely worth a read…
And perceived frontrunner state Sen. Kwame Raoul, who on Thursday received the powerful endorsement of the AFL-CIO, took heat over a contribution from tobacco companies.
Raoul last year received 10 political contributions of $10,000 each from companies including Top Tubes, Republic Tobacco and Top Tobacco. Top is included in a national tobacco settlement enforced by Lisa Madigan that is still being negotiated in Illinois.
Sharon Fairley, who served as the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, argued people “toe the line” they are given, while saying the contributions “fly in the face of the campaign finance laws.”
Jesse Ruiz, former Chicago Board of Education head, chimed in that the matter is still pending with the attorney general’s office.
“It will be most likely still pending when I become attorney general or if you were to be attorney general. That’s an advance bribe,” Ruiz said.
Raoul shot back at the accusation: “Coming from somebody who just stepped off of Exelon’s board and took a contribution.”
“You took Exelon money,” Fairley told Raoul.
“I did, but I’m not pointing fingers,” Raoul said.
* This campaign will definitely get more heated as we go along. Former Gov. Pat Quinn took off after two of his opponents earlier this week and they both fired back…
Quinn noted that two of his opponents in the March Democratic primary, state Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago and former Chicago Board of Education President Jesse Ruiz, have accepted maximum campaign contributions of $11,100 each from Peoples Gas. Indeed, state disclosure records indicate that checks in that amount went to the candidates from the company on Dec. 29, as well an identical $11,100 to a third candidate, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering.
“I don’t think you can take on Peoples Gas if you’re on the payroll,” snapped Quinn. “You’ve got to have an attorney general who’s independent,” he added, clearly implying that some of his foes are not. […]
“I guess Gov. Quinn is hoping that his voters are either suffering from memory loss or stupid,” says a spokesman for Raoul, referring to $19,000 in campaign donations Quinn got from executives of Commonwealth Edison and its parent, Exelon, in 2009-10.
Said Ruiz in a statement, “Pat Quinn became something of an expert on ethical violations and cronyism during his troubled tenure as governor of Illinois. An investigation into the Illinois Department of Transportation found that Quinn’s office exerted pressure on lower-level state officials to ‘onboard low-level politically connected candidates,’ with ‘little regard for the actual hiring need or whether the politically connected candidates were qualified to perform the stated duties of the job.’ The Chicago Tribune reported that, during his unsuccessful 2014 bid for re-election, Quinn’s office ignored standard protocols in distributing grants from a $54 million anti-violence program.”
* There was even a dustup yesterday over an endorsement…
We are deeply disappointed by the decision of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action to exclude Jesse Ruiz from their Illinois Attorney General endorsement interview process.
As the only Latino candidate, Jesse Ruiz brings an important perspective to the office of Attorney General. Jesse is a strong and unwavering advocate for women’s reproductive health. As the chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, and as vice president of the Chicago Board of Education, he was instrumental in making sure that public school students had access to accurate, complete sexual health information and contraceptive care. As a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood, I am very proud to serve on Jesse Ruiz’s campaign.
As Planned Parenthood’s website notes: “All women have concerns when it comes to reproductive health, but for Latinas, the lack of access to quality health care has an impact that will be felt for generations…. Four in 10 Latinas will become pregnant before the age of 20, and Latina teens are 1 ½ times more likely than their white non-Latina peers to have a repeat teen birth.” In addition, Latinas are more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
In Illinois and across our nation, Planned Parenthood is doing important work to protect women’s health and assure equity in reproductive care for women in all communities. We hope that, in future, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action will be more inclusive in its political process, to ensure that all voices are heard and considered on this fundamental issue.
* Planned Parenthood’s response…
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) communicated to the Jesse Ruiz campaign yesterday that the PPIA Board of Directors is in the ongoing process of evaluating and interviewing candidates. This morning, prior to Mr. Ruiz’s statement, we reached out to his staff and offered two date and time options for the candidate to meet with the PPIA Board of Directors. Mr. Ruiz’s office has not responded. We look forward to working with his campaign to get a meeting scheduled. Candidate interviews are have not been completed, nor have decisions been made in any races.
* And the last word goes to the Ruiz campaign…
Jesse was not invited to participate in yesterday’s interviews with the Planned Parenthood Illinois Action board. In fact, he received a text yesterday from a board member asking why he wasn’t there.
Jesse received a text from a board member at 7:30 a.m. today, confirming that he had not been included in the candidate slate under consideration, and that the endorsement process took place yesterday. It was clear that they did not consider him a “viable candidate.”
After the board member notified us of their exclusionary decision, PPIA attempted to backtrack. But by then, as Jesse says, it was too little, too late.
This was an affront to the only Latino candidate in the race, and to the Latino community as a whole.
* Related…
* Candidate for Illinois attorney general robbed at gunpoint: Aaron Goldstein, 42, and several members of his campaign team were in the middle of taking publicity shots when the robbery happened, according to Goldstein’s campaign manager. The robbery took place about 3:25 p.m. in the 4600 block of North Albany Avenue in Albany Park, when three men in their early 20s approached them, according to a law-enforcement source. One of the men flashed a handgun and demanded the camera equipment and other personal belongings from the team, according to police.
Rauner Loses IEA Endorsement He Coveted to Pritzker
The IEA chose the big government Democrat over the big government Republican, despite Governor Rauner’s best efforts to cater to the IEA with Chicago Public School bailouts at the expense of suburban and downstate schools.
January 11, 2018 - The Illinois Education Association has announced it is endorsing Democrat J.B. Pritzker for governor. The 135,000 members of the IEA represent the state’s largest education employee’s organization.
“Republican teachers are reminded again that the union they are forced to fund is a far left-leaning activist group intent on growing government at all costs and bankrupting the state,” said State Representative Jeanne Ives, conservative reform Republican Candidate for Governor. “In his endeavor to betray all his promises of conservative reform, Governor Rauner attempted to woo the IEA with his ’state money for things, not students’ concept and massive CPS bailout on the backs of taxpayers. It must be disappointing that the IEA didn’t give him any consideration after all he did for them.”
But suggesting Rauner is trying to suck up to the IEA by helping CPS doesn’t track. That’s because the IEA doesn’t represent CPS teachers. A different education labor umbrella group does — the Illinois Federation of Teachers, which is affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union.
The new funding formula, which Rauner has touted as a major success, is currently in limbo after he issued an amendatory veto this week of a clean-up bill to allow more private schools to be considered for funds from a new private school tax-credit program.
At any rate, the IEA wasn’t going to give its endorsement to Rauner, who has made weakening union influence part of his long-standing agenda. Still, Ives referred to the union as “a far left-leaning activist group intent on growing government at all costs and bankrupting the state.”
The IEA has a traditionally more Republican-friendly history. In the 2014 Republican primary, the IEA and the IFT backed Kirk Dillard’s unsuccessful bid for governor over Rauner. In the past, the IEA also has backed GOP candidates for governor including Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan.
Today, Citizens for Rauner launched a new digital ad to complement the 60-second TV ad released on Wednesday.
Pritzker was caught on FBI wiretaps encouraging Blagojevich to engage in a quid pro quo with Mike Madigan, opening up a statewide position to which Pritzker could be appointed.
Wednesday’s ad is just part of a much longer tape containing conversations between Blagojevich and Pritzker. Those tapes and transcripts can be found at pritzkerblago.com.
The ad released today focuses on the core themes from the longer 60-second version: Pritzker hoping for a jumpstart to his political career by helping Blagojevich’s campaign bank account.
It’s time for Illinois to know the truth about JB Pritzker.
Today, the Democratic Governors Association called on Governor Bruce Rauner to rescind the endorsement from Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, following a KMOV report that Greitens was accused of blackmailing a mistress to keep his extramarital affair silent.
Rauner’s campaign has spent $1.3 million dollars on an ad featuring governors of neighboring states, including Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, that has been running pretty consistently since October. And Rauner’s been a big fan of Greitens, sending him a check for $100,000 just a year-and-a-half ago.
Rauner’s response? Well, the ad has been quietly taken off his YouTube account. (Don’t worry, it’s still available here.) And when Rauner’s team was asked if they would take down the ad, they simply said it had run its course anyway.
“Bruce Rauner must renounce the support of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens and promise to stop using him in ads,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Bruce Rauner proudly accepted Governor Greitens’ endorsement this year; now it’s time for him to rescind it. Governor Rauner cannot simply wish-away the $1.3 million he spent promoting Gov. Greitens in Illinois.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner-ally Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is under fire after KMOV published a shocking and disturbing report: “In a recording obtained by News 4, a woman says she had a sexual encounter with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and that he tried to blackmail her to keep the encounter quiet.”
Rauner is closely allied with Greitens, airing campaign commercials featuring the Missouri governor badmouthing Illinois and previously contributing $100,000 to his political campaign. After these disturbing allegations, will Bruce Rauner ask Eric Greitens to resign?
“Our failed governor is a close ally of Greitens, but Bruce Rauner has quietly pulled ads featuring him from TV, while remaining silent on the Missouri governor’s behavior,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Eric Greitens is accused of engaging in disgusting conduct that disqualifies him from holding public office, but will Bruce Rauner call for his resignation?”
* Ted Slowik has a petition challenge story that shouldn’t be missed. It’s about Mat Tomkowiak, who filed to run against Speaker Madigan for 3rd State Central Democratic Committeeman.
Tomkowiak only needed 100 valid signatures, but the Madigan people had whittled his total down to just 107 before bringing in a handwriting expert, 80-year-old Diane Marsh of Westchester…
Tomkowiak, who represented himself, challenged Marsh’s credentials, saying some of the professional organizations that certified her skills ceased to exist years ago. Hearing officer Bernadette Matthews, the state board’s assistant executive director, dismissed Tomkowiak’s line of questioning as “speculative” or “lacking foundation.”
Matthews also ruled that Tomkowiak could not submit 38 affidavits he obtained from people who swore that they had, in fact, signed his petitions. The deadline was Friday to submit evidence to be considered at the hearing, Matthews said.
Tomkowiak pleaded that submitting the affidavits prior to the hearing would have allowed the handwriting expert to know which signatures had supporting evidence of authenticity.
“Can you see how that is unfair to me?” he asked.
Matthews deemed the affidavits inadmissible.
“My job as hearing officer is not to rule on the motives or intent of the objectors,” Matthews said.
Across the table from Tomkowiak sat Michael Kasper, general counsel for Madigan’s Illinois Democratic Party. Kasper, wearing a dark suit and bow tie, is a highly skilled attorney who successfully argued the Illinois Supreme Court should strike down the 2016 ballot initiative known as the Illinois Independent Redistricting Map Amendment.
Go read the rest, but (spoiler alert!) it ended as expected today…
Mateusz Tomkowiak, challenger to Mike Madigan for State Central Committeeman 3rd District, has been removed by the State Board.https://t.co/EXRxlCA6XL
* I was determined to make this a normal workday, with a subscriber edition and a full day of blogging. Well, I’m not gonna make it. I need a nap. This bug has really got me. I’ll be back in a couple of hours or so.
In the meantime, if you click here you’ll see Chris Kennedy’s economic plan. Take some time to read it through and then let us know what you think of it. Greg Hinz did a quick write-up as well.
* Bernie writes about how Gov. Rauner can’t seem to get his story straight on the proposed Rivian Automotive plant…
Last month, Rauner brought up the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal when doing an interview on a southern Illinois radio station, telling the Carterville-based WJPF audience that he couldn’t find another auto company to buy the facility.
“No auto company wants to invest in Illinois because of (House Speaker MICHAEL) MADIGAN’s power, because of regulations and the taxes,” Rauner said in that interview.
He didn’t mention then that Rivian Automotive had purchased the plant, or that he himself had appeared there last March with its CEO.
Well, on Sunday, a Rauner campaign Twitter account had a post that said in part: “We brought Rivian Automotive and 1,500 new jobs to Normal.”
Sounds good, but the state isn’t quite there yet. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has promised $49 million in tax credits over 15 years if the company creates 1,000 new full-time jobs by the end of 2024. That state deal — granted by the Rauner administration — also initially calls for at least 35 new jobs by the end of 2018.
I still have trouble believing that this Rivian thing is really gonna happen.
More than two years after Legionnaire’s disease killed a dozen residents at a state-run veterans home in Quincy, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday said he would convene a task force to look at how to best overhaul the facility and prevent another outbreak. […]
The governor, however, provided little in the way of details about how he plans to achieve that, beyond laying out some broad ideas for the task force to explore. That includes the possibility of replacing pipes, exploring whether to change the water source from the nearby Mississippi River, and constructing a new building on campus to improve resident rooms.
Ouch.
Even so, the governor received the most positive media coverage since before his staff purges.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner emerged Wednesday from a weeklong stay at a military veterans home beset by a deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak and announced that the state would replace the plumbing at the sprawling, 130-year-old site.
He told reporters that cutting-edge water distribution would quickly advance his goal of “zero risk” of Legionnaires’ at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, where the disease has contributed to the deaths of 13 residents since 2015 and sickened dozens more veterans and staff members.
“The goal is, latest technology on material, latest technology on water flow,” Rauner said. “We do not want any places where any water could be standing for any period of time.”
Rauner, a Republican, also said he would assemble a group of experts to determine whether a state-of-the-art dorm should be built and whether a safer groundwater source was available for the home.
Gov. Bruce Rauner showered and drank the water at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy for the last week during his stay at the facility where 13 people have died of Legionnaires’ disease since 2015.
On Wednesday, Rauner held a press conference to talk about his stay at the veterans home where he ate and slept with residents. He also laid out his long-term plans for addressing water safety concerns.
“What I’ve determined being here and living here is, okay, let’s take it to the next level. Now let’s fundamentally change, replace and upgrade our water systems for this campus,” said Rauner, who toured the 200-acre campus and followed the water management team around during his stay.
The governor said they will be developing plans for a new plumbing system and work could begin in the coming weeks. He said he has secured a funding commitment from lawmakers, but will be looking to federal partners and philanthropists to contribute.
He slept in the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. He drank the water. He got schooled in “Connect Four.” And he walked to the public shower with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Breaking his public silence after spending a week at the troubled state-run home, Gov. Bruce Rauner also said he wants to replace and upgrade “water systems” there and is considering the possibility of a brand-new facility on the campus.
Since 2015, 13 veterans have died from a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. Now, after his weeklong stay at the troubled home, Gov. Bruce Rauner is vowing to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The governor has taken some heat for the response to the outbreak. Now, however, CBS 2 Political Reporter Derrick Blakley reports Rauner received nothing but love while promising change.
In fact, after seven days of visits, chats, card games, shared meals, and even the same medical tests as the residents, Rauner was treated like a conquering hero.
* Meanwhile, you don’t usually see state government press releases issued on a Sunday, but IDPH did just that on January 7th…
A water pipe in the building that houses the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Chicago Laboratory at 2121 W. Taylor St. in Chicago burst Sunday morning, damaging several areas of the laboratory and pieces of equipment. IDPH has notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Illinois Central Management Services. Emergency clean-up crews are on site.
The IDPH Chicago laboratory performs testing for environmental hazards, arboviruses, pathogens, newborn screening, novel diseases and potential biological threat agents. Examples include Zika virus, Ebola, Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, influenza, measles, tuberculosis, meningitis, rabies, cystic fibrosis, plague, environmental lead, and more./blockquote>
OK, so that release seems quite responsible. All sorts of bad things could’ve happened (Ebola!), so the public should most definitely have been made aware of the potential hazards as soon as possible.
But if IDPH could immediately notify the public about the flooding of its testing lab, why do its top officials still insist that waiting 6 days to tell residents and their families about an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was perfectly fine?
…Adding… Press release…
Irked by three years of inaction from Gov. Bruce Rauner, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) filed legislation this week to begin fixing infrastructure problems at the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy.
“Governor Rauner has had three years to come up with a long-term solution to protect these heroes of our nation, and during that time, 13 people have died from the spread of Legionnaire’s disease,” Cullerton said. “My hope is this time the governor will realize the severity of inaction and do his job to provide our veterans the service and care they deserve, not more bureaucratic red tape and band aids.”
Cullerton aimed to kick start progress at the facility by filing Senate Bill 2308, which would authorize infrastructure improvements at Illinois’ flagship veterans home. The improvements would include updates to the water systems or new construction to prevent the spread of Legionella bacteria.
A veteran himself, Cullerton serves as the Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and is leading the way to a legislative fix to the spread of Legionnaire’s disease at any Illinois veterans home.
State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills), the chief sponsor of the bill in the House, is working on building a bipartisan coalition to ensure speedy passage in that chamber once the bill clears the Senate.
During the Veterans Affairs Committee hearing this week, Gov. Rauner’s agency directors made their first request for additional funding to begin construction and renovations at the veterans facility despite the three-year outbreak and 13 deaths at the facility.
“If we in the general assembly knew additional funds were needed to improve living conditions and eliminate risk factors for Legionella at this facility, it would have been approved in a heartbeat,” Cullerton said. “Sadly, we are once again waiting on the governor for answers and results.”
On Wednesday, the governor punctuated a weeklong, well-publicized stay at the Quincy facility with a theatrical press conference calling for funding to either fix water piping systems throughout the complex or build a whole new facility.
“The Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy is a home for our heroes. Not a hotel for the governor to check in and out of,” Cullerton said. “Now that he’s had his picture taken, I would hope the governor’s office will submit legislative language within the next week to begin discussions on how to prevent the death of even one more United States Veteran.”
While Cullerton is committed to fixing the problems with the infrastructure at the facility, he said he was impressed by the care and the staff at the facility during a recent tour.
“The care and service residents receive there is exceptional,” he said. “The staff comes to work every day and gives our veterans and their loved ones their very best. Still, our heroes shouldn’t have to wait three years for the governor’s “world-class” work.”
Cullerton is hoping to have some answers from the governor’s office within the next week.
“At the end of the day, 13 brave heroes have died on the governor’s watch,” Cullerton said. “We cannot afford to lose another warrior to a preventable disease. Let’s get to work and give our veterans the service and care they deserve.”
In a major upset, the Central Committee of the Chicago Republican Party voted 17 to 3 with 2 abstentions to back conservative challenger Jeanne Ives over incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner. The vote took place Wednesday evening at a general meeting of the city’s Republican ward committeemen.
Ives spoke to the group for nearly an hour before the vote. Governor Rauner had been invited to speak, but declined to do so. Rauner has avoided large gatherings of Republicans since signing a bill to create taxpayer-funded abortions earlier in the year.
“Jeanne impressed everyone with her determination to hit the state’s problems head-on. She also showed a command of policy details,” said Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party.
“It’s almost unheard of for a regular Republican organization to fail to endorse an incumbent governor,” said Cleveland. “The people in the room felt that Rauner had betrayed them.”
The vote kicks off a season of endorsement sessions by county and township Republican organizations in the run-up to the March primary. So far, two suburban organizations have announced endorsements, both for Ives.
The decision by the Chicago Republican Party to back Ives is significant because of the sheer number of votes produced by the City of Chicago. Republicans in the city produce 5% of the Republican primary vote, and 7.5% of the Republican vote in a general election. The number of Republican votes in the city is larger than the number produced by any county except Cook and DuPage. Primary voters often look to local party organizations for guidance on candidate selection.
* From Rep. Ives…
“I am proud to have won the confidence of the Chicago GOP. They are warriors for transparency and small government reforms in a city run almost exclusively by the Chicago Machine. Their bold advocacy will be critical to stoking the revolt, so that we can deliver the conservative reforms Illinoisans were promised in 2014, before Governor Rauner’s wholesale betrayal of the GOP. “
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
COOK COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN CALLS OUT ILLEGITIMATE ACTIONS BY CHICAGO GOP CLUB LEADER
Chicago, IL – It has come to the attention of Cook County Republican Central Committee Chairman Sean M. Morrison that the Chicago Republican Party led by Mr. Chris Cleveland recently held a meeting of its club. Mr. Cleveland’s expressed intent for this meeting was to usurp the statutory authority of the Cook County Republican Party and its Chairman by illegitimately claiming the authority to appoint individuals to the position of Ward Committeeman.
Chairman Morrison believes that it’s imperative to publicly clarify that the Chicago Republican Party is a private club and holds no statutory authority within the Cook County Republican Central Committee. Thus, Mr. Cleveland has no authority to make any appointments to the position of Ward Committeeman and to indicate otherwise is pure deception.
“I recognize that Mr. Cleveland plays a very prominent role as Campaign Chair for the Jeanne Ives campaign for governor and he has a right to support the candidate of his choice. But, that does not mean that he can manipulate the use and influence of his role as Chairman of the Chicago Republican Club to mislead individuals into the belief that he can appoint them to the position of Ward Committeeman. His sole intent was to manufacture some sort of perceived endorsement for his candidate Jeanne Ives,” said Chairman Morrison.
Mr. Cleveland’s actions are nothing more than a blatant exploitation of his club and its By-Laws and are eerily reminiscent of the actions taken by former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz when she helped rig the DNC support and primary election in favor of Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders. Mr. Cleveland’s unilateral actions are an attempt to de-legitimize the vote and influence of every single Republican Committeeman in Cook County.
Deputy Chairman Aaron Del Mar added, “Mr. Cleveland’s deceitful actions have raised grave concern from numerous legitimate Republican Committeemen throughout Cook County. These actions appear to indicate a level of desperation on behalf of the Jeanne Ives campaign for governor. I’m hopeful Jeanne Ives had no previous knowledge of this rigged endorsement stunt and I call on her to publicly disavow Chris Cleveland and the devious actions he took on behalf of her campaign. I would also hope that this is not an indication on how she would govern, if elected.”
* Mayor Emanuel’s people have been talking up this Chris Kennedy angle most of the week…
The mayor also said the heir to the iconic Massachusetts political family had asked for Emanuel’s endorsement.
Kennedy on Wednesday denied it.
“I did not. No,” Kennedy told reporters. “I didn’t do that, and frankly, I’m not sure his endorsement would be helpful with the voters.” […]
“Yes, he did ask,” Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said later. “Chris knows the truth.”
* A source close to the mayor sent me this quote for publication…
“Sure, he didn’t ask for the Mayor’s support. Just like he didn’t ask Mike Madigan and John Cullerton for support. Just like he didn’t seek organized labor’s support. Just like didn’t ask for Toni Preckwinkle’s or Dick Durbin’s support. It’s one thing to try to rewrite history and cast yourself as an outsider. It’s another thing when that history was just last year.”
* So, there should be little doubt who was circulating this video yesterday…
It looks like Chris Kennedy may have stepped on his own foot with accusations that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is behind a “strategic gentrification plan” to push blacks out of Chicago.
On Wednesday, while the gubernatorial Democratic candidate was unveiling an economic plan that he claimed would help stem the “mass exodus” of minorities from the city, a YouTube video of Kennedy praising Emanuel’s leadership in 2014 was making the rounds.
The video shows Kennedy, framed by shots of cranes and renderings of a luxury high-rise tower, comparing Emanuel to Joe Kennedy.
“He saw something in Chicago that he thought was extraordinary … It had stable and powerful political leadership, and it had a confident group of business leaders … Those factors were at work 60 years ago, and now with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s leadership, they are still true in Chicago today,” Kennedy said at the time.
To me, this is much ado about very little. It’s just politics. I meet with you about a possible endorsement, you go with someone else, I attack you. Such is life. The difference being that the Chicago media always works itself into a frenzy whenever any politician attacks the mayor. And not just this mayor, either.
Interestingly enough, usually in a planned development like Wolf Point Tower, a certain number of units have to be set aside for affordable housing. But with the help of a zoning lawyer, the Wolf Point project was able to avoid that requirement.
“It is nearly impossible when a building is 70 stories tall to create affordable housing because the construction cost itself is probably three times more expensive,” Kennedy told me, adding that the zoning for the land was put in place in 1973 when he was in grade school. […]
“Our new residents eat in restaurants and engage in neighborhood activities which provide entry level jobs to low skilled workers at a living wage,” he said.
Who knew that Chris Kennedy was a big fan of trickle down economics?
In response to our new TV ad featuring JB Pritzker encouraging Blago to engage in a quid pro quo, the Pritzker campaign issued a puzzling response.
Here’s a quick reality check:
Pritzker Claim: “JB was never accused of wrongdoing”
Reality Check: Just because Pritzker was lucky enough to avoid an indictment that doesn’t mean what he did was aboveboard or morally right. Pritzker encouraging Blago to pull off a quid pro quo so he could personally benefit should set off alarms for anyone concerned about corruption.
–
Pritzker Claim: The tapes are “selectively edited”
Reality Check: Nope. Just as the ad states, the audio was completely unedited. However, due to the laws of physics, we weren’t able to squeeze 11 minutes of phone conversations into a single 60-second TV spot. So if the Pritzker campaign would like to listen to the whole thing, we’ve got it posted here: www.pritzkerblago.com
–
Pritzker Claim: These are “nine-year-old tapes”
Reality Check: Surely JB Pritzker, as a lawyer, is aware that voters don’t have a statute of limitations. While this conversation happened in 2008, no one even knew about it until last May. Essentially claiming “but it was a long time ago” is a weak defense for an episode that demonstrates the nature of J.B. Pritzker’s character.
Some good points, although “lucky enough to avoid an indictment” is a bit much. There is zero evidence that Pritzker was even a minor target back then. The government never released the audio and neither did the judge, which probably says something. We only know about this because the Tribune published the audio, which had been sealed by a federal judge.
Ok, so, but, what if, and I’m telling ya this could happen, because I know how Madigan is, he says ‘I’ll give ya health care, I’ll give ya a capital bill, OK. We’ll work with you to balance the budget the way you want to do it and I’ll raise taxes on people…and you make Lisa the senator, OK?’
Speaker Madigan wouldn’t even consent to be in the same room as Rod Blagojevich by that point. Madigan refused to approve a capital bill because he believed Rod and his pals would steal every dime. But he’s gonna give away the store so his daughter could be appointed to a Senate seat she didn’t want?
The man was beyond delusional.
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner is getting desperate. With no accomplishments to run on and growing turmoil surrounding the Quincy Veterans’ Home, this failed governor is desperate to distract from his failed record and inability to lead. Here are five of Desperate Rauner’s countless crises that he would like voters to ignore:
1. LEGIONNAIRES CRISIS TAKES 13 LIVES: Rauner’s fatal mismanagement of the Legionnaires crisis in Quincy led to 13 deaths and 11 families suing the state for negligence. After seeing the “beginning of an epidemic,” the Rauner administration waited six days to notify the public and residents’ families of an outbreak in 2015. Two more outbreaks occurred each year afterwards, but Rauner’s agency heads continue to defend their failed response. Rauner still refuses to take responsibility.
2. DAMAGE DONE FROM HIS BUDGET CRISIS: At social service agencies and medical providers across the state, services were cut, hours were reduced, staff were let go, and some were forced to close altogether. State bonds were downgraded to one notch above junk status while the bill backlog tripled to historic highs. After 736-days, Republicans and Democrats came together to end Rauner’s historic crisis.
3. SCHOOL FUNDING JEOPARDIZED: Rauner vetoed the first bipartisan school funding formula, then claimed credit for passing the historic legislation, only to amendatory veto a trailer bill that now puts the entire formula at risk.
4. MEDICAID DEAL COSTS SKYROCKETED: Rauner’s MCO scheme violated procurement law, skyrocketed in cost overnight, and has been shrouded in secrecy from day one. This historically massive deal could jeopardize Medicaid in Illinois as dangerously low reimbursement rates threaten to upend the entire system.
5. SECRET SCANDALS: Former communications chief Diana Rickert is suing Rauner for the public release of emails from First Lady Diana Rauner and top administration officials regarding a state agency and HB 40. Former General Counsel Dennis Murashko also abruptly resigned after penning an ethics memo on the separation of Rauner’s political and government operations.
“After spending three years lurching from crisis to crisis, Bruce Rauner is desperate to distract from his failed record as governor,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “With his fatal mismanagement of the Legionnaires crisis, damage done to working families across the state, brewing scandals, and new school funding turmoil, this Desperate Rauner can’t run on his record so he’s running scared from the truth.”
* Retiring GOP state Rep. Chad Hays spoke at a recent event and gave what he called “the most unvarnished presentation of my career.” He talked about several things, including last summer’s bipartisan budget deal…
“The fact of the matter is that had we not done something, the income tax rate would have been much higher than it is now, the unpaid bills would have been around toward $25 billion, headed toward $30 billion. Let that wash over you for a minute. We only had $15 billion of unpaid bills. If it gets to $25 or even $30 billion, the entire general revenue budget is only $36 billion. We could have been facing a situation at the end of this fiscal year where the unpaid bills in this state were as high as the general revenue taken in by the state. Can you imagine such a thing?” […]
Hays again disputed the claim advanced by some Republicans that the GOP lawmakers who broke ranks and worked with Democrats on the tax and budget issue overturned work being done by other Republicans.
“From my perspective, I hung in there a long, long, long, long time, and we were no closer to a budget the first of July last year than on the day the governor took office. We were not. Anyone who tells you that wasn’t there. And if they were there, they weren’t in a room where the negotiation was actually happening. And I’ve told those people that to their face. They know it.
“From the minority, any candidate who tells you that we’re just going to go over there and we’re going to tell them [in the majority party] how it’s done and we’re going to crack them in the back of the head with a 2 by 4 because if we hit them hard enough, they’re going to come around to our way of thinking, that sounds great. But the likelihood of that happening with the head count the way it is in the General Assembly (a 67-51 Democratic advantage in the House; 37-22 Democrats in the Senate) is nonexistent. This notion that we’re going to go over there and hit a 3-run home run and we’re going to drive everybody in (while in the minority) is fool’s gold.
“Let me tell you how it really happens in the minority, using a baseball analogy. You beat out an infield hit, you steal second and you bunt the guy to third and you score on a wild pitch. And you plant your flag in the ground and you take the progress you made and you live to fight another day. That’s reality.”
A campaign ad for Gov. Bruce Rauner featuring embattled Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens will no longer be airing in Illinois, a spokesperson for Rauner said Thursday.
“It was pulled to run the Blago ad and won’t be running anymore,” said spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski.
News of the ad being pulled follows a bombshell news report as Greitens on Wednesday night acknowledged that he’s been “unfaithful” in his marriage. Greitens denied allegations that he blackmailed the woman he had an extramarital affair with to stay quiet.
The Republican governor and his wife released a statement after the St. Louis television station KMOV reported that he had a sexual relationship with his former hairdresser in 2015. The station’s report, released late Wednesday after Greitens gave his State of the State address, said the woman’s ex-husband alleged Greitens photographed her nude and threatened to publicize the images if she spoke about the affair.
KMOV, leaning on the recorded conversations, reported that Greitens invited the woman to his house and “scared her” by blindfolding her, photographing her and telling her not to talk about it.
The ex-husband described Greitens’ taking nude pictures of the woman as “blackmail,” and he and his attorney, Al Watkins, said they had been in contact with law enforcement recently, KMOV reported.
The woman told her ex-husband on the recording that Greitens apologized afterward and said he had deleted the photograph, KMOV reported.
The ex-husband’s attorney, Watkins, released a statement after they were asked about KMOV’s report.
“When a person in a position of power decides to belly up to the bar, it is always wise to belly all the way up,” Watkins said in an email. Asked for clarification, he continued: “I am strongly suggesting a fully forthcoming acknowledgment of his actions is a far more prudent course to pursue than a statement crafted to minimize his role and the ensuing devastation which inured to the detriment of innocents.”
Today, Personal PAC endorsed JB Pritzker for governor. For nearly 30 years, Personal PAC has fought to protect and advance reproductive rights for women in Illinois. With the endorsement, Personal PAC joins Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, the Illinois AFL-CIO, and over 30 individual unions in support of JB Pritzker.
“With Donald Trump trying to dismantle women’s rights in Washington, and with Bruce Rauner failing to stand up to him in Springfield, we are in the fight of our lives to defend women’s rights in Illinois,” said JB Pritzker. “I am so proud to stand with an organization on the frontlines of that fight. The women and men at Personal PAC are fierce and unwavering advocates for women’s health and the right to choose. When HB 40 came before Bruce Rauner’s desk, we stood together and demanded that Bruce Rauner sign it into law. Together, we will keep fighting for women’s rights in every corner of this state. Personal PAC knows how to win and that’s exactly what we’re going to do in this election.”
“Personal PAC is proud to join U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos, Mike Quigley and Luis Gutierrez, Secretary of State Jesse White, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Treasurer Mike Frerichs, HB 40 Sponsors Senator Heather Steans and Representative Sara Feigenholtz, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, Chicago Treasurer Kurt Summers, Illinois AFL-CIO, Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), Illinois Education Association (IEA), Illinois Democratic County Chair’s Association and many others throughout Illinois in uniting behind JB Pritzker as the strongest pro-choice candidate in the Democratic primary and November general election,” said Personal PAC Board Chair Melissa Widen. “JB understands that reproductive rights are under attack in Illinois and across the country, and he has demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting pro-choice candidates, organizations and legislation. JB was a strong advocate for HB 40 and his campaign led a coordinated effort to pressure Gov. Rauner to sign the bill. Illinois needs a real pro-choice Governor who can be counted on to protect women and families at every turn.”
“It has become extremely clear to Personal PAC and most people in the State of Illinois that Bruce Rauner simply can’t be trusted to tell the truth,” said Personal PAC President & CEO Terry Cosgrove. “While Governor Rauner eventually did the right thing by signing HB 40, he took every conceivable position on the bill in the space of months, told different people different things at the same time, caused pro-choice advocates to spend countless hours and dollars getting him to keep his original written promise until he finally signed the bill. There is not a single pro-choice advocate in Illinois who can say with any certainty that if Gov. Rauner were re-elected, he would oppose the efforts to repeal HB 40. He sadly cannot be trusted to keep his word from one day to the next. On the other hand, Personal PAC has every confidence that JB Pritzker’s unwavering commitment to reproductive justice over several decades will ensure that Pritzker will be a pro-choice Governor that Illinois will be proud of every single day.”
* This probably didn’t help Rauner’s case, either…
Facing a primary challenge amid Republican unrest over his expansion of taxpayer-funded abortions, Gov. Bruce Rauner is offering a new answer to why abortion opponents should support him: Look at what his wallet has done.
“I am the strongest supporter of candidates for office who are pro-life. Nobody has worked harder to elect pro-life Republicans than I have and I remind everybody of that. I have fought hard,” Rauner said Friday on WJPF-AM 1340 in Herrin when asked what he was telling angry social conservatives.
“I supported Bill Brady when he ran. I’m supporting Erika Harold,” the governor said of the unsuccessful 2010 GOP candidate for governor and current Republican contender for attorney general, respectively. “I’m supporting legislators who are pro-life. I am a strong ally and strong supporter for pro-life candidates.”
November 6th 2008
The FBI wiretap of JB Pritzker & Rod Blagojevich.
UNEDITED
Blagojevich: Ok, so, but, what if, and I’m telling ya this could happen, because I know how Madigan is, he says ‘I’ll give ya health care, I’ll give ya a capital bill, OK. We’ll work with you to balance the budget the way you want to do it and I’ll raise taxes on people…and you make Lisa the senator, OK?’
Pritzker: Hmm, hmm.
Blagojevich: That puts me in a moral dilemma…because of all of the prospective candidates, what, dealing with her, suing us to f****** support Bush kicking 35,000 poor people off of health care…
Pritzker: Yeah, I know.
Blagojevich: You know, all that bulls***.
Pritzker: You know what? You should do it. You should do it. I’d take that in a heartbeat.
Blagojevich: Morally repugnant. I probably have to do it.
Pritzker: Yeah, I’d do it. I’d do it.
Blagojevich: OK, and then there’s an AG I can appoint, J.B.
Pritzker: You’re doing the right thing for the people.
Blagojevich: Are you a lawyer?
Pritzker: Yeah.
Blagojevich: There’s an AG that I appoint.
Pritzker: Oooh, that’s interesting…
Blagojevich: You see what I’m saying?
Pritzker: Oh, there ya go.
Blagojevich: I mean, don’t rule that one out.
Pritzker: OK.
Blagojevich: I mean, I’m not promising. I’m just saying these are all scenarios.
JB Pritzker
A corrupt deal for Illinois
Listen to the full FBI tape at pritzkerblago.com
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today, the JB Pritzker for Governor campaign released two new ads in response to Bruce Rauner’s desperate attempt to distract from his failed record as governor.
With Rauner facing statewide backlash for his fatal mismanagement of the Legionnaires crisis at the Quincy Veterans’ Homes that took the lives of 13 Veterans and spouses, Rauner has decided to play politics in the Democratic primary instead of defending his record. JB is ready to take Illinois down a different path with real plans to clean up Rauner’s damage and get Illinois back on track.
“When a governor doesn’t take charge, people die, and 13 veterans and spouses have now lost their lives because Bruce Rauner failed to lead,” said JB Pritzker. “It is no surprise this governor would rather attack me than run on his failed record. I’m running on real plans to get Illinois back on track by creating jobs, investing in quality education, and expanding healthcare across our state. It’s time to stop the political games, focus on beating Bruce Rauner, and get our heroes and families across the state the leadership we need.”
Illinois public health officials delayed informing the public for nearly a week about a deadly 2015 Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a state veterans’ home in Quincy despite knowing the facility was facing “the beginning of an epidemic,” according to internal emails from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office obtained by WBEZ. […]
One of the nation’s top infectious disease experts said it’s “mind boggling” that the state would wait six days to notify the public about the initial outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home.
“I think it’s really inexcusable,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. “It takes you six days from seeing an epidemic to tell people that you’re seeing an epidemic? That’s six days that you’ve allowed that disease to spread in a manner that probably wouldn’t have happened if you would have known earlier because people would have been taking action. People would have been asking questions.
“If you know there is an epidemic, you need to tell people immediately,” Adalja said.
The state’s decision not to notify the public immediately did not display even minimal standards of caution, he said.
Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries testified that officials waited to notify the public because they needed time “to ensure that before information was released that we knew what we were talking about.” In the meantime, she said, staff was instructed to check residents’ vital signs more frequently and residents were told informally that there was the risk of an infectious disease on the campus. Jeffries said the goal was to not “incite hysteria or panic.”
Lawmakers questioned that reasoning, saying relatives of the residents didn’t get information that might have led them to remove their loved ones from the home.
“I reject the idea that you had to choose between improving the care and taking initial remedial measures and issuing a press release,” said Rep. Michael Halpin, D-Rock Island. “I don’t know that the press release was necessary, but informing the residents and the powers of attorney and their family members that there was a specific issue is important.”
* Gov. Rauner today during his Quincy press conference…
Our team did exactly what they should have done, exactly when they should have done it.
* Related…
* Rauner emerges from Quincy veterans home with plan for zero legionnaires cases: One step Rauner said he’ll take is putting together a new task force in the coming days. The task force will be made up of veterans advocates, lawmakers, healthcare professionals and members of his administration. Rauner also recommended a new facility on the Quincy campus and laid out a way to pay for it. “I also want to work with philanthropists and businesses that would be willing to donate both financial resources as well as technical capability,” Rauner said.
* Rauner vows not to close Quincy veterans home after Legionnaires’ outbreak: “I came here because I wanted to make a judgement for myself. I didn’t want to just rely on other people. I didn’t want to hear testimony or various opinions,” he said. “I wanted to come for myself to see first hand the nature, the fundamental service at this facility. And let me be crystal clear, I do NOT support closing this facility.”
In the often loud and frequently inane blah-blah-blah that is radio, Milt Rosenberg was for nearly half a century an oasis of intelligent conversation and learned curiosity.
Ever mindful of the intelligence of his listeners, Rosenberg was a late-night radio fixture who interviewed an astonishing array of guests from all walks of life — among the eclectic hundreds were Henry Kissinger, Carl Sagan, Jimmy Carter, Norman Mailer, Bob Feller, Bill Murray, Jane Byrne and Barack Obama — and actively engaged with listeners on his late night “Extension 720” program on WGN-AM 720.
The late John Callaway of WTTW-Ch. 11, no slouch himself at the interviewing game, once said, “When Milt Rosenberg formulates a question with a premise in which he refers in two different languages to four different books, I say to myself, ‘That’s smart. That’s big-time smart.’ ”
Milton J. Rosenberg died of pneumonia and its complications Tuesday. He had entered the hospital in Chicago on New Year’s Day. He was 92. His death was announced by his friend Joe Morris.
“He was a polymath, a perceptive analyst, and a keen questioner,” Morris told friends in an email Wednesday. “These traits, combined with a prodigious memory born of wide reading and experience, made him an outstanding interlocutor of political leaders, business executives, academics, journalists, artists, and others in the long parade of guests whom he welcomed to his studios and to the extraordinary conversations that he then held for the benefit of millions of Americans listening to his program each night in their homes and cars across the nation as streamed by clear-channel radio at 50,000 watts. For four decades his show was the mandatory first stop on the book tour of every author of a serious work of fiction or non-fiction.
“His career was also described by the arc of a moral conversion, carried out in public via his nightly broadcasts, from the ‘soft mindless leftism of an East Coast academic’ to an embrace of free market economics, traditional social values, and an appreciation of the United States as the world’s best hope for the defense of freedom and human decency in global affairs,” Morris wrote.
Born in New York and educated at Brooklyn College and the University of Wisconsin, Rosenberg earned a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Michigan. He taught at Yale University, the Ohio State University, Dartmouth College, and the Naval War College before joining the University of Chicago, where he served as director of the doctoral program in social and organizational psychology. He later became professor emeritus.
The late, great Paul Green got me on Milt’s show once and it was an experience I will never forget. What a giant.
"I'm not goin' away! All right!" - Former Gov Pat Quinn when asked if it isn't time for him to let the next generation to run for attorney general. @wlsam890pic.twitter.com/IOKhRzhY53
* Dusty Rhodes has a good explanation of Gov. Rauner’s amendatory veto of a school funding reform trailer bill this week…
The trailer had received bipartisan support: unanimous in the House; 42-11 in the Senate. But Rauner’s veto letter says it doesn’t go far enough in providing school choice, and he wants to lower the standards to include private schools that haven’t yet received “recognition” from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Such “recognition” entails a thorough examination of a school, starting with a 17-page form that requires documentation of curriculum, anti-discrimination policies, teacher qualifications, staff background checks and other safety protocols — all confirmed by teams of ISBE investigators through multiple site visits.
Rauner wants to include private schools that are merely “registered” with ISBE, which is a more casual process. Registration means a school official completes a five-page form providing “assurances” regarding curriculum, safety, and other standards, but does not include a site visit. Schools lobbying for this change include Urban Prairie Waldorf School, Village Leadership Academy, and the nationally renowned Hales Franciscan High School — all located in Chicago. […]
State Sen. Andy Manar, the Bunker Hill Democrat who sponsored both the original school funding reform and the trailer bill, says that, if this concept had come up earlier in the process, this wrinkle might have been ironed out.
“I get it,” he said. “I mean, I understand the discrepancy here, but this is what happens when there isn’t a single public hearing about an idea like tax credits for private schools.”
* But there is support for Gov. Rauner’s AV among Democrats…
A West Side Democrat is urging fellow legislators to make the changes Gov. Bruce Rauner is seeking in a tax scholarship program for private schools, arguing that under the bill passed by the General Assembly “a lot of African-American schools are being cut out.” […]
Eventually a spokeswoman provided names of schools from the Illinois State Board of Education showing about 250 schools that weren’t recognized by the board in time to accept scholarships in the fall.
Eighteen of them were Roman Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago that didn’t get recognized in time because of a clerical error, and it’s uncertain when they will be eligible, said archdiocesan spokeswoman Anne Maselli.
“We are unsure at this point if those 18 schools will be able to participate in the tax credit scholarship program,” she said.
The archdiocese’s remaining 196 schools are already eligible for the program.
Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said he has been fighting since last year to allow more time to let schools be recognized… “Hales Franciscan is a school that clearly should be on the list because they educate African-American males, and it’s a historic school. And that school is not part of the process. They can’t receive the donations,” Ford said “This law was supposed to be taking care of the families that need the scholarships most, and we find that a lot of African-American schools are being cut out. All of those schools were at the table so they were blindsided by the fact that they were not recognized and that they had to be in order to receive the benefits.”
Illinois Democrat gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker revealed yesterday once more how out-of-touch and unprepared he is for the political spotlight, arguing that an effort by Governor Bruce Rauner to give students in need more school options constitutes “political games.”
The State Journal-Register explains that Governor Rauner issued an amendatory veto on legislation this week in an attempt to fix issues in school funding legislation that “prevents three dozen private schools from participating in a new scholarship program.” Rauner’s plan is expected to provide $100 million in scholarships this year.
“Making this adjustment to this bill will maximize the number of schools eligible to participate, and therefore the number of students who may benefit,” Rauner said. “Inclusivity was the spirit of this legislation to begin with, and we simply must ensure that we follow through with the appropriate language to get the job done.”
But for billionaire Hyatt heir J.B. Pritzker, helping students trapped in failing schools is somehow objectionable. Pritzker is calling Rauner’s efforts to help students an example of “political games.”
Here’s the truth - J.B. Pritzker is the one playing political games by refusing to support better outcomes for students. It’s more evidence that Pritzker is not ready for primetime.
* But…
Gov’s veto says private schools CAN get funding WITHOUT:
1. a single ISBE sight visit to verify a functioning school actually exists
2. verifying that students who receive funding actually attend class
Burr Ridge Village Board members are threatening to sue state Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs for allegedly slandering the village with his political advertisements.
Durkin, the Illinois House Republican leader, is running for re-election in the 82nd House District and Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub, also a Republican, has filed to run against him in the primary. The district includes all or portions of Burr Ridge, La Grange and Western Springs.
Board member Albert Paveza said a group called Citizens for Durkin has been mailing out numerous fliers alleging the village has run unbalanced budges while driving up property taxes. The advertisements also allege the village raised fees to pay for a Chicago bailout.
Paveza said he consulted with the village’s attorney, and the attorney agreed Durkin’s political ads may have crossed a line.
* Thing are really heating up on the ad front in that race. Straub is backed by Dan Proft and Proft is mostly funded by Richard Uihlein, who was a big player in the Roy Moore Senate race last month. Keep that in mind when watching this new Durkin spot…
* And the pro-Straub folks have a new spot whacking Durkin over alleged mob ties…
One of the problems with this particular line of attack is that Henry Vicenik, the man testifying that Durkin tried to set up a meeting about opening a strip club, is now in prison.
An Illinois State Board of Elections hearing examiner has recommended state Rep. Scott Drury be knocked from the Democratic ballot for Illinois attorney general because he filed an incorrect statement of economic interest — a charge the north suburban lawmaker plans to fight.
The recommendation is the first step in the petition challenge. While calls and emails to the board were not returned on Tuesday, Drury’s campaign early Wednesday produced another recommendation by the board’s general counsel, which “does not concur” with the initial recommendation. That recommendation says the statement Drury filed is sufficient since it “relates to the State of Illinois,” not just the district he represents.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Chicago, where the board will hear both recommendations.
According to the initial hearing examiner’s recommendation, Drury filed a statement of economic interest, required to run for office, but submitted a statement from April 2017 that he submitted to the Secretary of State for his role as state representative.
Drury’s attorneys claim his statement is accurate because it was filed within a year, which is required. And they argue that even if he had filed one for the attorney general post, it would have been identical to the one submitted.
The good news for Drury: The board’s general counsel says he should stay on the ballot, according to board documents. “The statement of economic interest that the candidate has on file as a state representative relates to the state of Illinois, not only the representative district that he represents,” it reads.
Either way, those are both just recommendations. Drury’s fate is up to a vote of the elections board, which meets Thursday. If the board votes to kick him off the ballot, the former federal prosecutor could head to court to get back on. You can read about the case on p. 394 of this document.
My son Dajae was just 14 years old. He was coming home from a party, walking with a group of friends. They were where they were supposed to be doing what they were supposed to do. Dajae and his friends stumbled upon a person who started shooting at a group of kids. He had no idea who they were.
We’re in a club that shouldn’t exist, mothers who have lost their child due to gun violence. We should not be losing our kids in this way.
I’m supporting JB Pritzker for governor. JB’s criminal justice plan calls gun violence exactly what it is: an epidemic. I think he’s addressing a lot of the factors that contribute to criminality and gun violence. He has a plan. JB can make a difference because he cares, he understands, and he cares.
Kennedy is playing a dangerous game. He is playing the race card unfairly, knowing that’s the quickest way to get a headline in Chicago. But playing the race card — in this case without the goods — also is the quickest way to destroy a reputation, divide us against each other, and set back whatever progress in racial fairness our city has made. […]
As Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell wrote last week, there is no doubt that Chicago has seen an exodus of working-class and poor black people. The city’s African-American population has dropped by more than 250,000 people since 2000, which is to say since 11 years before Emanuel first was elected mayor.
But, as Mitchell also wrote, to blame Emanuel for the exodus is to feed “age-old conspiracy theories” instead of “coming up with fresh ideas that would benefit the black community.”
WBEZ’s South Side reporter Natalie Moore said Kennedy wasn’t wrong in describing disinvestment in African-American neighborhoods, but said the candidate misused the term.
“We see many challenges in black South and West Side neighborhoods,” Moore said. “I don’t dispute his evidence is there about the challenges that those neighborhoods are facing but we are not seeing a replacement of people in those neighborhoods. We’re seeing population decline.”
Merriam-Webster defines “gentrification” as the “process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.”
As the root of the word suggests, gentrification is linked to socioeconomic class rather than race, although those factors can coincide.
Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios is facing $41,000 in fines for failing to return campaign contributions from property tax appeals lawyers whose donations exceeded legal limits, according to a pair of new rulings by the county ethics board.
The rulings raise the level of scrutiny on campaign contributions given by appeals lawyers to Berrios, who doubles as chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party and depends heavily on their donations in raising political funds. The action also ignites another high-profile showdown with the county Board of Ethics, with which he previously clashed over nepotism issues. […]
In rulings released late Monday, the ethics board listed 30 examples of property tax attorneys or firms whose donations to Berrios’ main political fund in late 2016 or early 2017 exceeded the $750 limit. It fined Berrios and the Committee to Elect Joseph Berrios Cook County Assessor $1,000 for each violation, for a total of $30,000. The $1,000 fine per violation is the maximum allowed.
An additional $11,000 in fines were imposed on Berrios and his 31st Ward Democratic Organization, the source of his main power base.
…Adding… Berrios campaign…
Every contribution received by the Assessor’s campaign complies with State Law. Attempts by the county ordinance to limit the rights of contributors are invalid. Assessor Berrios is not personally wealthy so he must rely on campaign contributions from supporters. Wall Street Republican Fritz Kaegi broke the contribution caps in late September in an attempt to buy the Assessor’s office.
According to Illinois State Law, the maximum an individual can contribute to a candidate is $5,600. No contribution to Assessor Berrios’ campaign exceeded that amount. In addition, Fritz Kaegi broke the contribution caps so all campaigns for the Assessor’s office are considered exempt from any campaign caps.
We intend to supply further evidence that there was no violation of the election law by accepting any contributions. We believe we will prevail in the upcoming motion for reconsideration. The Assessor believes the fines are improper and expects the order will be ultimately vacated by the ethics board or the court.
Assessor Berrios believes in a fair playing field for all candidates, who are seeking office, not just the wealthy 1%.
Biss admitted he and others passed a flawed law in 2013 intended to reduce pension debt. The law was struck down in 2015 by the Illinois Supreme Court, which said raising the retirement age for younger employees, capping the salary eligible for a pension and limiting cost-of-living increases violated the state Constitution.
“The state’s got awful budget problems, and state pension debt is an awful part of it,” said Biss, a co-sponsor of the 2013 legislation. “I do think there was kind of an obsessive hysteria about it a few years ago that led a lot of people in the legislature, myself included, to act irresponsibly. That bill was unconstitutional.”
Biss says consolidating pension systems is one way to cut costs. Illinois “has 628 different pension systems,” Biss said. “For almost every community in the Daily Herald area there are two pension systems, one for police officers and one for firefighters … that are served by the same investment and legal consultants. We’ve built a system whose investment returns cannot be what they should be and that allow politically connected consultants to reach their hands into 628 different pockets and come out with taxpayer dollars.”
He also advocates allowing buyouts for pension plan participants.
State Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston stopped in for an Editorial Board interview the other day to make his case for governor, and we will have more to say about that at a later time.
For now, though, we can’t resist sharing our fascination with his perspective on House Speaker Michael Madigan, the most powerful Democrat in Illinois.
His criticism of Madigan is at once sharp but also arms length. Such a curious combination. […]
Biss says that Rauner has shown that nuclear confrontation with Madigan is ineffective. If elected governor, he says, he will have to find a way to work with the Speaker.
With that in mind, Biss is careful about his rhetoric. His opposition to Madigan, he says, is not personal; it’s with the system.
In response to a question, he bluntly criticized Michael Madigan, the powerful longtime speaker of the Illinois House of Representative, who also serves as the chairman of the state Democratic Party.
“Mike Madigan’s been there too long,” said Biss. “Mike Madigan is too powerful and that power has not been good for the state of Illinois.”
Madigan has been speaker of the House for all but two years since 1983.
“I think the problem with Speaker Madigan is that longevity,” Biss said. “He doesn’t really care about public policy; he’s interested in holding onto political power.” […]
“We are drifting toward plutocracy and that’s a problem,” Biss said. “It’s not what the state needs and it’s not what people want. People can weigh in on that in March.”
The Illinois Education Association (IEA) Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly to recommend Democrat J.B. Pritzker for governor. The vote came after a Pritzker recommendation from the IEA IPACE executive committee.
“All the candidates we met with were impressive and thoughtful. Our membership did not come to this decision lightly,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said. “It was Pritzker’s strong commitment to funding K-12 education, his promise to invest in higher education, his pledge to protect collective bargaining rights and his willingness to enact a progressive income tax that matched our goals for public education in Illinois.”
IEA members also sited Pritzker’s electability as a reason for the recommendation, pointing out the Pritzker campaign structure, his high name recognition and a comprehensive state-wide campaign strategy.
“I am so proud to receive the endorsement of the Illinois Education Association and the over 135,000 educators and education support professionals they represent,” said Pritzker. “Every child in Illinois deserves a quality education, no matter their zip code and as governor I will partner with the IEA to make that a reality in our state. Our educators will have a seat at the table as we fight to fully fund public schools and ensure equitable school funding in Illinois. With the IEA on our team, I’m confident we can continue to grow our statewide, grassroots movement, defeat Bruce Rauner, and get public education in Illinois back on track so every child has the tools they need to reach their full potential.”
The IPACE Executive Committee went through an exhaustive process of seeking a gubernatorial recommendation that began in November 2017. All candidates, both Democrat and Republican, were given the opportunity to complete questionnaires. State Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston; Regional Office of Education Superintendent Bob Daiber, businessman Chris Kennedy and Pritzker all completed the questionnaires and were interviewed by the full IPACE executive committee along with nearly 40 observers, representing IEA members from all parts of the state. Additionally, the candidates were given the opportunity to share their campaign strategies and polling with IEA leadership. Republicans, Gov. Bruce Rauner and state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, did not return the gubernatorial questionnaire and as a result were not interviewed.
Additionally, IPACE conducted a poll of IEA members in early January to gauge the mood of IEA members in regard to the upcoming election. The poll involved 600 members and sought input about all of the candidates, both Democrat and Republican.
A communications staffer ousted by Gov. Bruce Rauner is accusing the governor’s office of stonewalling on requests for public information, including emails to and from first lady Diana Rauner regarding an abortion bill the governor angered conservatives by signing.
Diana Rickert — a former staffer of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute — filed the lawsuit on Jan. 5 in Cook County Circuit Court. […]
Rickert claims she filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to the governor’s office in September and October 2017, including requests for emails sent to former chief of staff Kristina Rasmussen from state employees in the Department of Innovation and Technology, and others sent to Rasmussen “regarding internet browsing history for state employees.” […]
Rickert also asked for emails to and from Diana Rauner from June 1, 2017 that include the following terms: “abortion, HB40, reproductive rights, Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood, Terry Cosgrove.” The request included a personal email address, a state email address and one from her role with the Ounce of Prevention
Additionally, Rickert asked for emails to and from Rauner’s policy chief Michael Lucci since Aug. 25 that also included the same abortion-related search items.
Some of her requests are pretty specific, like all e-mails sent to Kristina Rasmussen on Sept. 20, 21 and 22 last year. She apparently knows what she’s looking for.
Rickert now works at the Liberty Justice Center and is being represented by attorneys from the organization, which is affiliated with the Illinois Policy Institute.
Jacob Huebert, the center’s director of litigation, said the lawsuit is part of the group’s “mission to protect citizens’ rights” and is aimed at requiring Rauner’s office to “comply with the law.”
A Rauner spokeswoman said the suit is “under review.”
Rickert also is seeking emails from former chief of staff Kristina Rasmussen to the state’s information technology agency as well as information about the web browsing history of state employees. The two previously worked together at the institute.
* Pritzker campaign…
“A former member of the ‘Best Team in America’ is now suing Bruce Rauner for trying hide information from the public,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This transparency averse governor can’t even figure out how to lead his own staff, let alone our state.”
