* I will definitely be posting over the weekend, so check back. This amazing cover takes a half a minute or so to get going, but, man, is it ever so sweet. Get up and dance…
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face
But afraid, we may lay our home to waste
A recurring idea is for the state to tax retirement income, such as pensions and social security. This idea is widely unpopular, with 74 percent opposing and only 22 percent in favor.
Biss campaign manager Abby Witt released the following statement in response to JB Pritzker’s latest misleading attack ad.
“Daniel only wants to tax retirement income of billionaires like JB Pritzker, so it’s no wonder he’s in a panic. JB has never had to worry about saving for retirement, for his kids’ college tuition, or for rent each month. While Daniel Biss passed the landmark Secure Choice Savings Program that created retirement options for millions of fellow working Illinoisans, JB Pritzker was ripping toilets out of his house to avoid property taxes and forcing the rest of us to make up his personal savings.”
Biss has said on numerous occasions that he would only consider taxing retirement income of millionaires and billionaires to reduce the burden on the middle class, and only after the Illinois Constitution has been amended to allow for a progressive income tax.
The only voters who are gonna see that response are reading this blog post right now, unless Biss has the money to air a TV ad.
However, in a follow-up question in which only retirement income above $100,000 would be taxed, majorities are in favor. Combining the 22 percent who favored it in the first question with the 52 percent of the 745 initial opponents who would favor it with the exemption, 60 percent of the total sample favor taxing retirement income above $100,000.
* I guess the other big news here is that Mariotti has eight campaign staffers…
Today, the campaign staff of Illinois Attorney General candidate Renato Mariotti formed a staff union. When Mariotti heard his campaign staff was considering unionizing, he welcomed the idea. “I fully support unions,” Mariotti said. “In my Blueprint for Resistance, where I laid out how I would stop Donald Trump’s unconstitutional policies, I proposed a workaround for public sector unions after Janus. When I heard my staff wanted to unionize, I was happy to support them.”
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case, Janus v. AFSCME, which is expected to deliver a major blow to labor. The decision would allow union members to refuse to pay dues while still receiving benefits from union representation. Experts predict union funds would plummet.
Mariotti campaign staff, led by Mary Difino and Eric Coats, reached out to Campaign Workers Guild, a new national union that organizes campaign staff. Staff met with campaign leadership for an amicable negotiation session. Among other things,, staff receive pay until the end of the month, three paid sick days, and one-hour lunch breaks during their workdays per the contract.
“I’ve put out detailed policies for how I will support unions, combat wage theft, and support economic justice for all American workers as Attorney General,” Mariotti said. “I’m proud of my staff for unionizing and look forward to winning this campaign due to their hard work and dedication.”
Running on a platform of stopping Donald Trump as Attorney General and refusing to take special interest money, Mariotti’s campaign has surged in recent weeks.
Mariotti has emerged as a leader of the Resistance movement since Donald Trump’s election to the Presidency. In 2016, he joined Chicago law firm Thompson Coburn as a partner after over nine years of service as a federal prosecutor, where he prosecuted white-collar crime and fraud causes. He is known for the first prosecution and conviction of a high frequency trader under the Obama Administration.
And, yes, I know there’s only a week and a half until election day and Mariotti isn’t exactly the front-runner, but this is still an interesting little development and he may even get some coverage for it. Plus, the CBA is worth a read.
* Except for the fact that the ad-maker should have put the candidate’s name on-screen a whole lot more, this has become my favorite TV ad of the primary cycle.
Monticello Republican Randy Keith is vying to replace retiring GOP Rep. Bill Mitchell. He’s up against two candidates, one of them, Dan Caulkins, has benefited from $200,000 in spending by Dan Proft’s Liberty Principles PAC, which is why Chicago is mentioned at the beginning…
That’ll scare the fish!
I must’ve watched that ad 20 times already.
* The Question: What’s your favorite campaign TV ad of all time? Explain.
* Former Rauner administration chief counsel Dennis Murashko…
Today, the Office of the Executive Inspector General notified me that the Office has concluded the investigation into the false, malicious, and defamatory complaint against me. The case has been closed as unfounded.
That’s the technical term.
In layman’s terms, the complaint has always been a lie. It was filed anonymously. The OEIG has given me no indication who is behind the complaint, which is as it should be. But the complaint, at least a copy I was shown by the press, is dated July 19, 2017, merely a week following tumultuous staffing changes in the Governor’s Office. As has been reported, unnamed former staffers and their associates wrongly believed that I was responsible for the Governor’s decision to replace the Chief of Staff on July 10, 2017. I don’t think the timing of the complaint is coincidental.
I had learned about the complaint when a reporter contacted me in the late evening hours of August 24, 2017. That was after the Governor’s Office had already announced I would be leaving. Indeed, I had submitted my letter of resignation on August 23 but was asked to stay through August 31 and help with a smooth transition.
On August 25, however, I was abruptly escorted out of the Thompson Center, moments after I had advised the Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel about the August 24 phone call in which I learned about the alleged OEIG complaint. There was no explanation given for shutting off my access and escorting me out. As I recall, the Office of the Governor did not have a policy to immediately terminate, suspend, or put on leave a staff member, no matter how senior, who is the subject of an OEIG complaint.
Why staff members decided to have me escorted out a week ahead of the scheduled departure I don’t know. What I do know is, because of their actions, there’s been this false link between the OEIG complaint and my resignation.
I am glad I can finally clear things up and state unequivocally that my resignation had zero to do with that baseless complaint.
Why I resigned has been the subject of much speculation, some of it pointing to my August 21, 2017 memo outlining sensible guidelines for the interactions between the Governor’s official and political offices. Governor Rauner said publicly that he had urged me to create the memo. I will just say this: The memo was necessary, and to this day, I stand by it 100%. I provided the memo to the staff and then resigned. If I were to do it all over, I would do the same thing.
It is now time for me to move on. I look forward to building my new business. And while the brand of politics that has led to the above is definitely not for me, I still cannot help but be immensely grateful for the amazing opportunity to serve our State. I became better for it. And in the long run, the rest just doesn’t matter.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and a host of other GOP luminaries are slated speak at the Whiteside County Republicans annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday […]
The keynote speaker will be Erika Harold, attorney general candidate and Miss America 2003.
That should be interesting.
…Adding… I’m told Harold still plans to attend the event.
* Pritzker campaign…
According to a shocking new report, Republican Attorney General candidate Erika Harold said she’d rather see children adopted to “a heterosexual couple who were known child abusers” than a “loving gay couple.”
As the two share a stage tonight at Lincoln Day Dinner in Deer Grove, will Rauner speak out against these hateful remarks?
“Bruce Rauner hand-picked Erika Harold to run for attorney general and is contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to boost her candidacy, but does he stand by her blatant homophobia?” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh.
Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, who said during debate he once discriminated against those attracted to the same sex, said he’s changed.
“Evolution is part of what we do as a body,” he said.
* Former Gov. Pat Quinn…
Erika Harold’s reported views about the legitimate adoption rights of gay couples should alarm everyone in Illinois. Ms. Harold should know that there is never a situation when it is acceptable to knowingly put children in an unsafe home.
All children deserve loving parents who will protect them from harm. To expose foster youth to abusive placements is inexcusable and wrong.
As Governor, I stood for tolerance and fought hard to make marriage equality the law of Illinois. As Attorney General, I will speak out against bigotry whenever it surfaces. I will protect children from abusive situations and I will safeguard the rights of gay couples.
As Bruce Rauner’s handpicked candidate for Attorney General, Ms. Harold has the duty to protect children from abuse and combat bigotry of any kind.
* Press release…
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, an adult adopted person who chaired The Adoption Reform Committee in the Illinois House and championed scores of laws making adoption inclusive in Illinois, said:
“Illinois cannot risk electing an Attorney General who will allow her personal bigotry to reverse years of progress on adoption policies that reflect inclusion, equality and the best interest of the child standards that are codified in Illinois law.
“Whether Harold recalls what she said or not, I demand that she answer that same question now and to answer it publicly. “
Agreed on the need for Harold to speak publicly herself, not through a spokesperson.
The Kennedy family name still has sway in Hollywood, it seems.
Not only have comedian Larry David and diva Barbra Streisand donated to Chris Kennedy’s gubernatorial campaign fund, but now Dan Aykroyd has cut a “Blues Brothers”-themed ad for Kennedy.
“The Blues Brothers had to break many laws in order to pay the Cook County Property Assessor’s office $5,000 for Sister Mary Stigmata, to save their Catholic orphanage,” Aykroyd says in the ad, in which he is filmed working under the hood of a police squad car. “Thirty-eight years later, the Cook County Assessor is still ripping off Chicagoans. Dirty politicians have made a fortune by enforcing unfair tax assessments.
“Now you know I love Chicago, and I know that the only way that corruption will end is if Chris Kennedy is elected governor of Illinois on March 20. Please, end the racket!”
* ADDED: Actor Jesse Eisenberg to join Daniel Biss rally in Chicago on Saturday: How’s this for irony: Jesse Eisenberg, who has a penchant for playing ambitious, high-profile business tycoons, is suddenly campaigning against real-life billionaires J.B. Pritzker and Bruce Rauner in support of a “middle-class” governor candidate.
* Cosgrove is supporting Glen Ellyn Democrat Terra Costa Howard in the general…
Abortion-rights group Personal PAC plans to start dropping mailers critical of Republican state Rep. Peter Breen of Lombard, an early signal that Democrats could see the seat as a top target in November.
Breen is an attorney and leading abortion opponent who helped spearhead the lawsuit challenging Illinois new law expanding access to taxpayer-funded abortions. He is the House GOP floor leader at the Capitol.
Personal PAC President Terry Cosgrove said the group is spending money early to take on Breen because the House district he holds is a “moderate” one that went for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
State Representative Peter Breen is obsessed with ending access to reproductive health care for all women.
Just a few of the lowlights from the Breen record:
* Lied about and voted against HB 40. He filed a lawsuit to prevent HB 40 from being enacted. Breen then filed a bill (HB 4114) that would repeal HB 40, make abortion illegal with no exceptions for rape or incest, and make most forms of prescription birth control a murder weapon based on his narrow religious definition of “conception,” rather than a definition based on science.
* Voted against a bill to ensure access to prescription birth control (HB 5576).
* Has worked tirelessly to shut down and defund Planned Parenthood.
* Yesterday, 87 House Republicans and Democrats voted for an Equal Pay bill (HB 4163). But not Peter Breen, who stood up on the House floor and railed against the bill.
* Breen has endorsed the bigoted Trump loving anti-choice Jeanne Ives to be our next Governor.
Several months ago I was a guest, along with Breen, on Bill Cameron’s WLS radio talk show. I spent a ½ hour asking Breen at least ten times to tell the radio listeners that he wants to make abortion illegal in Illinois. Each time he refused to answer that simple question.
Peter Breen is afraid that the voters in his moderate DuPage county district will find out that he doesn’t represent them, but instead is following his own narrow agenda that threatens the health and safety of voters in Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Lisle, Wheaton and Downers Grove.
Former Illinois state Rep. Al Salvi sees the same path to victory for state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) in her Republican primary run against Gov. Bruce Rauner that he took in his upset win during his run for U.S. Senate more than two decades ago.
Salvi, who recently endorsed Ives, stunned the political world in 1996 when he rallied from a 14-point polling deficit to top then-Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra in the GOP primary. He eventually lost the general election to Sen. Dick Durbin.
That last sentence is the most important.
* Um, she’s linking to her own Wall St. Journal op-ed. So, she’s agreeing with… herself?…
Today, Biss for Illinois launched its latest television ad, Anything. The ad features Daniel meeting with voters and underscores his positive, progressive vision for taking our state back from the wealthy and well-connected.
“The billionaire class will say anything—spend anything—to hold onto power,” says Daniel in the ad. “The question is, will we, the people, let them? My name is Daniel Biss, and no matter how much they spend on dishonest attack ads, the truth is, your vote is more powerful than their money. We can make the make the millionaires pay their fair share. We can invest in good schools and healthcare for all. It’s time to level the playing field for the rest of us.”
A coalition of road builders, engineering firms and construction industry groups sued Cook County this week claiming officials illegally diverted about $250 million earmarked for roads, bridges and transit to a fund unrelated to transportation.
Shifting those dollars violates a constitutional amendment passed in 2016 that prohibits state and local governments from dipping into taxes and fees that were collected for transportation projects, the lawsuit stated. […]
“The county’s roads are deteriorating,” Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association CEO Michael Sturino wrote Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle in February before the lawsuit was filed Tuesday. “Nearly half of Cook County’s bridges are considered either structurally deficient, functionally obsolete or both.”
Yet the county deposited revenues from the gas tax and other transportation-related fees into the public safety fund that pays for the sheriff’s and state’s attorney’s office, among other expenses, the lawsuit said.
Transportation funds may be expended for the following: the costs of administering laws related to vehicles and transportation […]
The costs of administering laws related to vehicles and transportation shall be limited to direct program expenses related to the following: the enforcement of traffic, railroad, and motor carrier laws; the safety of highways, roads, streets, bridges, mass transit, intercity passenger rail, ports, or airports
So, the courts may have to decide if the county can only use that restricted cash to pay for direct costs or whether it can use a much more broad definition. Expect a fight all the way up to the Supremes on this one.
Maggie Wunderly is running for the obscure post of Illinois Democratic Party committeewoman for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District and says she was motivated to get into politics because of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. She says she was approached by intermediaries of Madigan in December with a simple proposition.
“If I pre-pledge my vote to Madigan, then he would not spend money against me in the race,” Wunderly says the intermediaries told her. She declined to name who they were, but says multiple people who knew Madigan but did not know each other reached out to her with the same message. “I decided not to do the deal, because I thought it was unethical to pledge my vote ahead of the election.”
In fact, she says the offer extended to 12 other candidates running for Democratic committeeman and committeewoman who had been endorsed by the pro-Sanders Our Revolution Illinois group. The message was: promise to re-elect Madigan as party chair, and he’ll stay out of your race. […]
“I didn’t take the deal,” [Alison Squires, committeewoman candidate in the 14th CD] said. “I said that I thought it was unethical and I wanted to not close doors.”
That’s standard operating procedure, but these Berniecrats ain’t SOP types.
* And so this stuff like this happens…
* Rauner campaign…
“The veil is being lifted on Mike Madigan’s corrupt machine. Whether it’s removing candidates from the ballot or demanding loyalty in elections, Madigan continues to prioritize preserving his own power over the people of Illinois. And JB Pritzker is just another pawn in Madigan’s game.” - Rauner Campaign Communications Director Will Allison
Mike Madigan is stooping to new lows to maintain his power and position as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. According to several candidates running for the Democrats’ State Central Committee, Madigan offered them a deal: vote for Madigan to be party chairman and he won’t actively work against their campaigns.
It’s clear that JB Pritzker took a similar deal from Madigan, especially now that Pritzker’s top two supporters, Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are making calls on behalf of ‘progressive’ Mike Madigan.
“Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker are bankrolling a Democrat accused of beating a woman and trespassing on her property. When Pritzker says ‘we believe you’ and Madigan says he will ‘personally’ intervene in harassment and abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. J.B. Pritzker will support Mike Madigan at all costs, regardless of how many women Madigan’s corruption hurts.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
First, it was Kevin Quinn. Then, it was Shaw Decremer. Now, it’s State Rep. Bob Rita.
Yesterday, on International Women’s Day, yet another brave woman stepped forward to tell her story of abuse at the hands of a close ally of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Bob Rita.
Rita’s accuser revealed that in 2002, her father, a former legislator, pleaded with Mike Madigan to personally intervene with Rita to keep her safe from his violent attacks. Madigan said he couldn’t get involved and kept the money flowing to Rita’s campaign. Now, Madigan says he can’t recall if such a meeting ever occurred. Rita went on to win his campaign and be a rubber stamp for Madigan’s agenda.
Fast forward to 2016.
J.B. Pritzker used an LLC to secretly funnel $5,400 in campaign cash to Bob Rita, Mike Madigan, and other Madigan-backed Democrats.
Now that domestic battery and criminal trespass allegations against Rita have resurfaced, does J.B. Pritzker still support Bob Rita’s candidacy for the Illinois House?
Additionally, does J.B. Pritzker believe Bob Rita’s accuser or does he believe Mike Madigan?
Whenever J.B. Pritzker says “we believe you” or Mike Madigan says he will “personally” intervene in harassment or abuse cases, they don’t really mean it. Madigan and Pritzker will do anything for power, no matter how many women get hurt.
OK, first of all, there were no direct contributions from any of Speaker Madigan’s committees to Rita’s campaign in either the 2002 primary or that year’s general election. However, the alleged crime happened after the primary and that’s a strong Democratic district, so Madigan didn’t really need to be involved in the fall. Rita ended up getting 80 percent of the vote after spending less than $25K.
Also, Rita was acquitted, despite the fact that his jury included 9 women and he was accused of beating up and threatening to rape a cop who was the daughter of a popular former state legislator.
* Even so, I think they have a point about Pritzker. From the above video link to a Pritzker ad…
“If I’m elected governor, when… women everywhere need me to say ‘we believe you,’ I will be in charge.”
The alleged victim here says the jury got it all wrong.
I’ve asked the Pritzker campaign for a response.
* Related…
* Domestic battery accusations resurface against State Rep. Bob Rita ahead of primary election: Liz Hogan, Rita’s former girlfriend, said the incidents happened in 2002 when she was attempting to break off their relationship. “He grabbed me by the back of my hair and pulled me down to the ground,” said Hogan. Rita went to trial in the case and was acquitted in 2003. But Hogan, emboldened in part by the #MeToo movement, believes it is now a different era.
* Michael Madigan wouldn’t intervene in domestic battery case involving Democratic candidate, woman says: Sixteen years after the alleged incident, Hogan is taking her case to the court of public opinion, bolstered by the #MeToo movement and the support of Rita’s primary challenger, Mary Carvlin, Carvlin joined Hogan at the news conference, where she called on Madigan and Rita to step down. “Voting for Bob Rita is voting for Speaker Michael Madigan,” Carvlin said. “This is a man whose organization has rampant sexual harassment and a history of protecting the abuser, not the abused.”
* Rep. Bob Rita’s Accuser Comes Forward: Hogan asked her father, retired State Rep. Andy McGann, for help. She says McGann went to talk to Madigan. “So he came back and he, almost with tears in his eyes, said Mike Madigan says he couldn’t do anything about it. He just threw his hands up in the air,” Hogan said. “Madigan should have acknowledged the problem, addressed it — someone should have talked to Bob Rita about it.”
* State Representative’s Former Girlfriend Says Madigan Knew of Abuse Allegations: Madigan’s spokesman says the speaker does not recall meeting Hogan’s father. Rita was acquitted in the trial, and in a written statement Rita said “The claims were false then and are false today. Since then I have been a champion for women’s issues in Springfield and in the district.” “That’s a straight up lie,” Hogan said in response. “It’s a lie.”
* Speaker Madigan denies inaction in years-old domestic dispute involving lawmaker: Hogan’s father died in 2008. McGann and the speaker were friends, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. Madigan sponsored a death resolution in McGann’s honor. “I remember him sitting there in the church, crying, in one of the pews,” Hogan said of the speaker at McGann’s funeral. She says she didn’t recall speaking to Madigan then.
* Woman says Madigan ignored abuse charge against House candidate in 2002: “The speaker has no memory of a meeting between him and McGann about Bob Rita,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. “This apparently happened after the incident, after Rita was charged. So I don’t even know what, if such a meeting happened, what was the expectation?”
DCFS hasn’t published child abuse and neglect numbers since July. It’s something, for the past 35-years, they’ve done monthly. […]
Groups like the ACLU, the Foster Care Alumni of America and the Association of Social Workers Illinois, all depend on the data to keep track of abuse cases and ensure DCFS is doing it’s job. The information on the “Executive Statistical Summary” reports calls collected on the child abuse hotline, detailing where abuse is happening in the state and what the circumstances might be.
DCFS blames the halt on technical issues. A spokesperson says they’re working with Department of Information Technology (DoIT) to replace outdated software.
Some advocate groups the timeline doesn’t add up.
“It’s generally infuriating that we’re not able to get this data this is really core data so we can identify where trends are in the state where abuse cases are happening whether or not the department is doing their job in investigating those abuse cases, and without this data we can’t advocate for those children or the social workers that are suppose to be doing this work,” says Kyle Hillman of the National Association of Social Workers Illinois.
#FacePalm.
Rauner: “On things that we can control, I would give us an A.”
He must be using one heckuva grading curve.
…Adding… From Kyle Hillman in comments…
Also in that news coverage was this:
The last report was issued a month after new director, Beverly Walker, took over. When asked when new data would become available a DCFS spokesperson responded, “We are determining whether there is a legal mandate to produce this particular report.”
Rather than figuring out how to get the data out to the public, they are trying to figure out if they can legally just stop and hide the report numbers.
…Adding… Andrea Durbin at the Illinois Collaboration on Youth in comments…
DCFS testified in a Senate hearing in the fall that calls to the hotline were up 12% in the last two years, after years of declines. Our neighboring states have seen their child welfare systems explode with children due in part to the opioid crisis. This is a bad time for the data to go dark.
* Pritzker campaign…
“Hiding child abuse and neglect statistics is a new low in Bruce Rauner’s cover up of his fatal mismanagement of state government,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Children are suffering while this failed governor tries to preserve his image instead of protecting the lives of our most vulnerable.”
* Related…
* Boy died after being returned to his mother despite warning. The judge now works for DCFS: Carrie Cross told the judge the next time she would see 3-year-old Elijah Campbell, he would be dead. She was right. “I loved that boy. We had a lot of love for him,” Cross said. Elijah died in 2014 — three years after St. Clair County Judge Laninya Cason terminated Cross’ guardianship and returned the boy to his biological mother, Mio Campbell.
* As we all know, Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold is a former Miss America. Mary Ann Ahern has three anonymous sources who say Harold was asked an unusual question at the 2000 Miss Illinois Pageant, which she did not win…
One of the questions to Harold that year was: If she, like her mother, was responsible to place a child in foster care and had to choose between a.) A loving gay couple or b.) A heterosexual couple who were known child abusers, which would she chose?
All three sources told NBC 5 she chose the child abusers.
NBC 5 has spoken to three people, who all played a role in that Miss Illinois pageant, with direct knowledge of the exchange. They were present when Harold responded to the question.
One of the pageant officials said: “I remember it because it was so shocking. She took some time to answer it. And that drew people in. It stopped the room.”
That pageant official said: “It said a lot about her, she spoke about reading the Bible daily and said her beliefs could not subject a child to the gay lifestyle.” […]
The interview was not part of the pageant presentation seen by the public. It lasted about 10 minutes, however the points from that interview were important in the overall judging. It may have been recorded for the contestants to watch later as a way to improve their performance, however no recorded copy of the Harold interview has yet surfaced.
* From Harold’s campaign, which is absolutely livid…
Voters should first know that NBC Chicago has chosen to air an unverified story from anonymous sources twelve days before an election about an alleged event that supposedly occurred nearly two decades ago when Erika was 20 years old. Erika does not recall the alleged exchange, but Erika certainly supports same-sex adoption and foster care placement.
* Ashley Hatfield, the executive director of the Miss Illinois Scholarship Organization…
It is troubling that people claiming to be former pageant officials are anonymously attacking former contestants. No one associated with the Miss Illinois Organization is making these claims, and it is not representative of the organization. All current and future contestants should compete without the fear of being anonymously attacked by pageant officials. Erika was an outstanding Miss Illinois and Miss America, and we are proud of her work with our organization.
Look, I love me some Mary Ann. But even if Harold did say it, she was 20 years old. I doubt I now believe even half the things I believed at that age.
But there’s no sense in ignoring the harsh reality that whatever the truth is here, this story will almost undoubtedly wind up as a very ugly TV ad during the fall campaign.
It’s quite the life we’ve chosen.
* On to the react in the order it was received…
Republican Attorney General candidate Gary Grasso released the following statement today:
“As a father to 6 children, I am sickened by the idea of placing any child in danger, especially in the home of known child abusers,” said Grasso. “Above all else, we must protect our children so they have the opportunity to thrive without the fear of an abusive parent or guardian. Child abuse is a disgusting and heinous crime and, if true, I am appalled by my opponent’s statement.”
* NASW IL…
Like most who read the Mary Ann Ahern report, we are stunned to learn an Attorney General candidate held this offensive view. While we realize the question was hypothetical, it is vital to state that the hypothetical behavior would be highly unethical for a person holding a social work license and would likely result in loss of license and their employment.
We sincerely hope, Ms. Harold’s views have evolved since this question was posed to her. Our next AG needs to be an advocate for the LGBTQ community and defend the supportive same-sex foster parents who are critical to our safety net. Further, they need to be the champion of the children in our foster system, a portion of which are gay youth in care.
There is no place in our government for the view that it would be better to expose foster youth to abusive placements because of personal opinions rooted in hatred. Instead of dismissing criticism, we encourage Ms. Harold to reach out to one of our over 20,000 licensed social workers in Illinois and explore why she held/holds these views.
Kyle Hillman
Director, Legislative Affairs
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter
* DGA…
Another one of Governor Bruce Rauner’s political allies is in hot water, and Rauner’s dodging the tough questions. NBC Chicago reported in a disturbing story that Governor Bruce Rauner’s hand-picked Attorney General candidate, Erika Harold, reportedly told Miss Illinois judges she would rather have a foster child grow up in an abusive household than live with a same-sex couple. One person recounted that Harold’s answer was so shocking, it lost her the pageant.
Rauner’s operation has been completely behind Harold from the beginning. He claimed he “personally recruited” Harold and recently donated $350,000 to help her close out the primary. The Illinois Republican Party, largely funded by Rauner, has officially backed her candidacy. Harold has such close ties to Rauner, she was even heckled for trying to claim independence from the Governor.
Yet, Rauner’s camp did not respond to NBC’s request for comment last night. Does Rauner stand by his Attorney General candidate?
“Bruce Rauner personally recruited Erika Harold and bankrolled her campaign, and now must address her hateful and harmful comments,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Governor Rauner needs to tell the people of Illinois if he still supports Erika Harold’s candidacy, and why.”
* ICOY…
Illinois Collaboration on Youth’s Statement on Erika Harold’s Alleged Views on Abused and Neglected Children
An issue has surfaced around statements that Erika Harold allegedly made years ago that she does not recall making. While she says her views have now changed, we want to make a clear statement that should apply to every public official, including Erika Harold if she should be elected:
There is never a situation when it is acceptable to knowingly put children into a dangerous or unsafe home. Children and youth who have been abused or neglected deserve to have their elected officials be their fiercest advocates, protecting their safety and well-being.
When children enter the child welfare system, the State of Illinois assumes the responsibility of parent for them for as long as they are under the custody of the State. As the association representing child welfare providers who serve more than 80% of the abused or neglected children in DCFS’ care, as well as community-based youth providers who work to keep young people safe and out of the child welfare system, we expect that all of our elected officials will place the utmost importance on their role as temporary parent for our children.
* Pritzker…
I’m proud to know many wonderful LGBT parents. They deserve better than this from a candidate for any office in this state. I would hope @BruceRauner would disavow these horrible comments. https://t.co/RtUIjDkoPg
Again, even if this is true, she was 20 years old at the time. Her alleged (by people who won’t appear on camera or allow their names to be used) belief was repugnant, but she says she no longer feels that way.
People can change. They can evolve as they learn.
*** UPDATE *** From a 2014 book called “Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain,” by author Kate Shindle…
Shortly thereafter, [Miss America Organization interim CEO George Bauer] encountered another big headache: some serious difficulties with “his” first Miss America, Erika Harold (2003). Harold had competed several times before winning the Miss Illinois title. Her ultraconservative views had proven to be a bit too extreme for some judges; one year, she had failed to make the top ten after her answer to a question about same-sex adoption in her private interview: under pressure, Harold reportedly stated that she would choose to place a child in an abusive heterosexual home rather than with a loving gay couple. Unfortunately for her, one of her judges had recently adopted a child with his longtime partner. Another told friends that because of that single answer, he had dropped her interview score from a 10 to 2. Although judges are trained not to score contestants directly on their personal or political values, they are instructed to evaluate the young woman’s ability to state her opinions in a diplomatic and appropriate manner. Like everyone, pageant contestants say plenty of things that they think better of later. But if a winner publicly flubbed an answer as badly as Harold did privately, the fallout would be disastrous.
* Scott Kennedy’s extremely handy dandy website pinged me yesterday about a $43,000 independent expenditure by the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association. It looked like radio ads on behalf of JB Pritzker. I reached out to the IDCCA and they sent it over.
* And that got me to thinking about how much Pritzker was spreading around. His campaign has contributed almost $618,000 to other campaign committees, with the largest being a whopping $200,000 to the St. Clair County Democrats last month.
Most, but not all, of the rest appears to be “street money” to ward, township and county Democratic organizations. The scale of this is pretty amazing. For instance, Pritzker’s campaign gave $15K to the 37th Ward Organization and $10K to Democratic organizations in the 8th Ward, Lyons Township, 34th Ward and a few others (some are repeats). $5K each was given to 26 committees (some repeats). And 28 other contributions were made of less than $5K. Click here for the full list.
You can cover a whole lot of precincts with money like that.
* By contrast, Chris Kennedy’s campaign has made $9,550 in contributions to other committees, but $5K of that went to Personal PAC (although Pritzker got the endorsement and kicked in far more).
And Sen. Daniel Biss’ campaign has given other committees just $4,000 since the beginning of last year. And half of that went to Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, who now backs Pritzker.
Chris Kennedy on Friday accused billionaire rival J.B. Pritzker of trying to buy forgiveness for insulting comments he made about black politicians in a wiretapped conversation with Rod Blagojevich — with $159,000 in contributions to Cook County Democratic ward bosses, many of them African-American. […]
“Since J.B. Pritzker started his apology tour for those comments about African American leadership, he’s s given $374,000 to political organizations across the state, more than $159,000 of which went to committeemen in the Cook County Democratic Party,” Kennedy said.
“He’s taken pay-to-play politics and amplified the system from pay-to-play to fund-to-forgive and fee-to-forget. He’s buying off the leadership.”
The always outspoken Austin was furious when told of Kennedy’s charge.
“I’ve sat quiet long enough. And I’m not gonna sit and die and let Chris Kennedy slander me. The hell with Chris Kennedy. I’m more than insulted by this so and so. Nobody can buy Carrie. Nobody! J.B. didn’t give me a dime when I endorsed him. Not one dime,” Austin said, her voice rising.”
That would be just a few days after Rauner used his amendatory veto powers to rewrite the education funding reform bill. Mrs. Rauner sent the e-mail from her personal account to private e-mail accounts of Mark Harris at ColdSpark Media, Gov. Rauner’s chief of staff Kristina Rasmussen, Rauner’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Communications Diana Sroka Rickert and the ILGOP’s Kayleen Carlson…
Reframing Bruce thru the ed fight
If, as Mark says the polling reveals that voters want someone to stand up to Madigan yet view Bruce as unwilling to compromise, let’s use this fight and it’s inevitable conclusion to demonstrate how Bruce has raised hard and important issues for the state, worked collaboratively to try to address them, and compromised repeatedly, only to have Madigan run down the clock, walk away and do a power play. As this is unfolding in real time we need to use this to rewrite the narrative of the past two and a half years. Bruce takes on real state challenges that the Ds never did during their reign, convenes bipartisan working groups, negotiates in good faith, Ds run down the clock until there’s a crisis and then pull out of negotiations and run their own agenda, which is to do nothing and protect the status quo.
The ECW’s angle is to show Mrs. Rauner’s influence on Gov. Rauner and his struggle to get an education funding reform deal.
* But I’m more interested in the logic she was using. The “voters want someone to stand up to Madigan yet view Bruce as unwilling to compromise.”
Ten days after Mrs. Rauner sent that e-mail, the Senate overrode Gov. Rauner’s AV. The next day, the governor said this…
“Any element of my amendatory veto, I’m open to changing. Let’s compromise. Let’s find a solution. Let’s do it together. Let’s do what’s fair for our kids, especially our low-income kids, so they’re all treated the same.”
But even if the negotiations among the four legislative leaders do produce some progress, some folks are still doubtful that Gov. Rauner can bring himself to sign the bill, or that his new staff can get him to stick to his word. […]
So, there’s naturally some informed doubt that the governor will be able to bring himself to sign something as big and important as an education funding reform bill. The governor publicly denied last week that the First Lady has become more involved in his administration, but by all accounts she most certainly has and she now may be the only hope of keeping him on track.
* As you’ll recall, they did eventually work out a deal. But then the very next day Gov. Rauner said this…
“The bad news is, Speaker Madigan’s caucus took the bill and inserted a bunch of bad things in it,” Rauner said. “We’re trying to get out as many of those as we can. They’re trying to divert a lot of the money that should be coming to southern Illinois and central Illinois and divert it to the broken financial condition of Chicago. So, we’ve been battling that and it’s not been easy.” […]
“It’s not fair but it’s going to end up being a compromise,” Rauner said. “It’s not where we’d like it to be and what I’ll try to do is fix the problems with it in subsequent legislation.”
He eventually signed the bill. If it took Mrs. Rauner getting heavily involved and formulating a strategy, so be it. Somebody had to do it. And we’re likely better off for it.
There are some areas in which a majority of voters would support increased revenue, starting with the so-called “millionaire’s tax,” which would impose an extra 3 percent levy on income over $1 million, favored by three-quarters [76 percent, 21 oppose, with 57 percent strongly in favor] of respondents in the sample. Nearly as many [72 percent in favor, 24 percent oppose, with 47 percent strongly in favor] would favor a constitutional amendment to allow a graduated income tax, with higher rates for higher earners and lower rates for lower earners.
A slight plurality (49 percent favor, 46 percent oppose) would favor legalized gambling in Illinois to raise state revenues [23 percent strongly favor and 28 percent strongly oppose].
Less popular were a sales tax on services [39 percent favor, 58 percent oppose, with 36 percent strongly opposed] and a tax on gasoline to fund highway, road, and bridge improvements [42 percent favor, 57 percent oppose, with 41 percent strongly opposed).
A recurring idea is for the state to tax retirement income, such as pensions and social security. This idea is widely unpopular, with 74 percent opposing and only 22 percent in favor. However, in a follow-up question in which only retirement income above $100,000 would be taxed, majorities are in favor. Combining the 22 percent who favored it in the first question with the 52 percent of the 745 initial opponents who would favor it with the exemption, 60 percent of the total sample favor taxing retirement income above $100,000.
The state of Illinois has a budget deficit of over 1.5 billion dollars. I’m going to read three statements that people have made about how to fix the deficit, and ask you which one comes closest to your views. If you haven’t though much about this issue just tell me that.
* Illinois’ public programs and services have already been reduced significantly. We can only fix the problem by taking in more revenue, such as a tax increase.
* The state takes in plenty of money to pay for public services, but wastes it on unnecessary programs. We can fix the problem by cutting waste and inefficiency in government.
* Illinois’ budget problem is so large it can only be solved by a combination of budget cuts and revenue increases.
* Haven’t though much about it.
More revenues 10%
Cuts to waste and inefficiencies 51%
Both cuts and revenues 28%
Haven’t thought much 6%
Other/Don’t know (not read) 5%
Since 85 percent of the state’s budget is made up of K-12 education, higher education, and health and human services, which one of these areas should be cut to make up the difference?
K-12 6%
Higher education 29%
Health and human services 17%
All of the above (not read) 3%
None of the above (not read) 32%
Other/Don’t know 13%
“This year, as in years past, our poll shows the people of Illinois support spending cuts in the abstract, but are reluctant to endorse specific spending cuts. This underscores one of the essential reasons for our state’s seemingly intractable budget problems. The people of Illinois seem to be saying, ‘Please cut spending, but we have no idea of where to actually cut spending- and stay clear of the programs that we like’” said John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Institute. […]
From 2011 to 2015, the percentage of voters believing that cuts were the answer to the problem dropped more than 15 percentage points, from 58 percent to 42 percent. That number has since flattened, and jumped to 51 percent favoring cuts in the latest poll.
“This is a perplexing phenomenon in Illinois public opinion,” said Charlie Leonard, an Institute visiting professor and one of the directors of the poll. “After more than a decade of cuts to public budgets, people can’t let go of the idea that there is $1.5 billion in waste to cut. We have written about this extensively before, but the persistent belief in cutting ‘waste,’ coupled with the inability to agree on solutions, means we’ll probably still be writing about it in the future.”
The House speaker is calling in the big guns to help him hold on to his leadership of the state Democratic Party.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin — one of the most popular and powerful Democrats in the state — has recorded robo-calls in support of Madigan holding his party post as state central committeeman. And U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is planning to soon follow suit. […]
“This is Sen. Dick Durbin. We need progressive leaders to fight against Trump’s extreme healthcare cuts. That’s why we need to support Michael Madigan and Silvana Tabares for Democratic state central commitee,” Durbin says in the call. “Madigan and Tabares will stand up to Trump and fight for all of us. A vote for Mike Madigan and Silvana Tabares is a vote to resist the Trump agenda.”
* I was working on getting a copy of the audio because I’d also heard about the calls (he’s doing these in other districts, too). They actually start: “This message is sponsored by Friends of Michael J. Madigan.”
Madigan is not popular with rank and file members of his own party, so putting his name up front isn’t the best idea I’ve ever heard. Give Madigan credit for not forming some “dark money” PAC to help these candidates, but I can see this backfiring with more than a few voters.
…Adding… The Madigan folks say that federal law requires the “paid for” language at the beginning of a robocall if a federally elected official is involved. Interesting.
Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan also did a recent robocall for Madigan-backed candidates, but the “paid for by Friends of Michael J. Madigan” disclaimer was at the end.
As we’ve discussed, Madigan is also doing mail in several districts. Some negative, some positive. Our Revolution Illinois, a Bernie Sanders affiliated group, is running a slate of candidates against Madigan’s people. The group doesn’t have the money on its own to support them, however.
But, man, we’re in truly weird times when Madigan has to go to these lengths to make sure he retains a firm hold on the state party.
As she tries to score an upset over seven-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski in the March 20 primary, challenger Marie Newman is selling herself to voters as a onetime ad agency partner, marketing executive, author and anti-bullying advocate.
Absent from her resume: Less than four years ago, Newman and husband James went into business with a convicted felon who spent time in federal prison for his role in a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme.
The Newmans joined with James Garofalo to invest in and run three suburban breakfast cafes and Luigi’s House, a popular Aurora restaurant once owned by restaurant magnate Dick Portillo. The venture began in September 2014. By April 2015, the two sides had parted ways, documents show.
Marie Newman said she and her husband didn’t know about Garofalo’s criminal conviction, and started taking steps to end their involvement after they found out. Asked this week what voters should make of her failure to adequately vet Garofalo’s background, Newman said that “things will go wrong” in business or any organization.
“What speaks to your character is when you immediately fix it. And my husband and I immediately fixed our error,” she said. “I think it speaks very clearly that I’m very transparent, and that when I see that I’ve made a mistake or an error I’m very accountable and I own it, and then I fix it immediately and I move on, and I don’t make that mistake again.”
* Coincidentally or not, this anti-Newman mailer ostensibly from “Illinois Restaurant Enforcement” started hitting the boxes today. Click the pics for larger images…
* Notice the United for Progress website at the bottom? Go to the website and this is all you’ll find…
United for Progress, Inc. supports bold progressive leadership in government. We fight for a more just, equal and inclusive America and believe our country needs more leaders willing to take on powerful interests that prevent working families from getting their fair shot at the American dream.
United for Progress, Inc., created in 2017 — with mega donations from three Chicago area contributors — reported last week spending $37,767 on direct mail designed to re-elect Lipinski.
According to FEC records, that was $20,237 to oppose Newman and $17,530 to support Lipinski.
FEC records show the 2017 mega donors to “United for Progress” include $200,000 from White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf; $100,000 from Craig Duchossois, the chairman and chief executive officer of The Duchossois Group, and $100,000 from Jim Frank, the CEO and president of Wheels.
* Every governor does it, and they probably shouldn’t…
Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza joined State Senator Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, State Representative Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, State Representative David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, and State Representative Greg Harris, D-Chicago, Thursday to introduce the “Truth in Hiring” Act to bring all “offshored” employees of the Governor’s office back into the Governor’s budget.
For too long, Illinois governors – Democratic and Republican – have engaged in the deceptive practice of “offshoring.” The expression comes from the practice of rich people hiding their assets in offshore accounts, in tax havens like the Cayman Islands or Panama, to avoid paying taxes on them.
Illinois governors “offshore” their employees’ salaries to other agencies — for example, paying an education advisor $250,000 from the Department of Human Services; or a deputy chief of staff $140,000 from the Illinois State Police’s budget — to mask the true size of the Governor’s budget.
The most recent payroll shows only 44 of Governor Rauner’s staffers are actually paid from the Governor’s budget. MOST of his staff – 58 people – are hidden in other agency payrolls. If the Governor were honestly reporting all the people working in his office, he would have to disclose his office budget is more than $10 million, instead of the $4.9 million that is budgeted for the current fiscal year.
“That’s more than $5 million being secretly taken away from agencies that need it, like the Department of Children and Family Services that investigates child abuse; or the Department of Aging that cares for Illinois’ seniors,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “This ill-advised practice is silently siphoning money from health care, environmental protection, juvenile justice, economic development and public safety.”
The Truth in Hiring Act, (HB5121; SB3233) simply says that if an employee works in the Governor’s office, they will be paid from the Governor’s payroll. Their salary will be counted in the Governor’s budget. Their salary will not be pulled from agencies that are supposed to protect the most vulnerable or put state troopers on the highways.
“Offshoring is wrong. It was wrong when Governor Quinn did it. It was wrong when Governor Blagojevich did it. It was wrong when Governor Ryan did it. And it’s still wrong when Governor Rauner does it,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “This deceptive practice needs to stop.”
“Every time a governor shifts a new, unexpected six-figure salary onto a state agency’s plate, dollars that had been prioritized for important purposes – economic development, senior services and child protection, to name a few – are being diverted to a paycheck instead,” Senator Manar said. “Governors should understand the importance of being transparent about their expenses. Taxpayers who foot the bill for government, and frankly the lawmakers who determine the appropriations for state agencies, deserve that accountability.”
“This practice subverts the appropriations process. It takes money away from state agencies that protect children, the environment and public safety,” Representative Mitchell said. “This governor, and any future governors, should present the true cost of their staff in their office’s budget and make the case for why they need that level of funding.”
To be clear, this initiative is not intended to criticize employees who have found themselves offshored. In many cases they accepted jobs with the governor’s office not knowing their salaries would be offshored to other agencies.
This initiative follows Comptroller Mendoza’s Debt Transparency Act, which passed last year with unanimous or near-unanimous overrides. The state is already seeing the benefits of that reform as legislators on both sides of the aisle have more up-to-date numbers to craft a budget with and regular citizens have a clearer picture of the state’s finances.
* Accompanying graphic…
Hopefully, the governor won’t fight this idea like he did with the comptroller’s last initiative. She thumped him but good in that Debt Transparency Act battle.
*** UPDATE *** Governor’s office…
Rich,
We’re open to a conversation about changing bookkeeping practices. But, let’s be clear: all state agencies that operate under Governor Rauner are part of the administration and carry out the necessary functions of state government. Unlike previous administrations, we have been transparent and publicly reported employees that work in our office - reflecting that number in our headcount. All salaries are publicly reported. The Rauner administration is spending less on total agency-wide payroll than the previous administration.
Rachel Bold
Press Secretary
Office of Governor Bruce Rauner
* On Monday July 17, 2017, a week to the day after Gov. Rauner fired his chief of staff Richard Goldberg, Diana Rickert formally began her job as the governor’s new Deputy Chief of Staff of Communications after six years at the Illinois Policy Institute.
It was a chaotic day. Lots of people resigned, including the governor’s body man after some nasty stuff was found in his Twitter feed. The governor demanded that the General Assembly send him the education funding reform bill so he could veto it. Weird times.
* Tuesday dawned with a poll that had Rauner’s disapproval rating at 49 percent and an approval rating of 40 percent. The Sun-Times published a memorable story that morning…
Fear is the operative emotion in the governor’s office, which has essentially been taken over by a conservative think tank, according to remaining staffers. The resignations on the administration’s policy, digital and communications team, were a way to protest the new ideology, sources said. […]
While many are still scratching their heads over the takeover, a source with close knowledge of the governor’s administration said the uproar was sparked by Rauner’s and his wife’s “unhealthy obsession with media and messaging” and discussions the couple had at “North Shore cocktail parties.”
* That evening, First Lady Diana Rauner sent an e-mail to her chief of staff Emily Bashedo and her public relations advisor Anne Kavanaugh. “Emily, please forward this to Diana [Rickert] as I don’t yet have her new email,” the e-mail began. It was forwarded about twelve minutes later, according to a document published by the Edgar County Watchdogs…
Thanks for a great conversation today. I’m excited for the opportunity to change the narrative and get Bruce out far more right away. I wanted to follow up on our conversation re Sneed and bring Anne’s good thinking into the mix.
As we discussed, Emily is a great off the record spokesperson for the “silent majority” who weren’t part of the frat boys cabal. She’s been there since the beginning and has been on the receiving end, especially the last year or so. I think she can speak to a genuine sigh of relief that some of the arrogance and closed thinking that excluded so many great contributors has been swept out and a more open, respectful and inclusive atmosphere can emerge. I’d also like to push back on the idea that the IPI folks have done a takeover that will move the governor to the right - rather, they’re aligning with him. And that they’re professional and pragmatic and understand the difference between governing and advocacy.
Finally, I’d really like to push back on the idea that I’m somehow behind this- honestly that complaint reveals the ambivalence about (or maybe pure dislike of) a First Lady with policy and messaging expertise and influence who is not controllable. I know they dismissed me as a “liberal democrat” and resented my feedback on their performance. And it’s part of the closed thinking culture to resent anyone who comes in with differing viewpoints and ideas.
Would like to discuss next steps to get this going asap so we can squelch these stories. Thanks.
So, she was relieved when the frat boys were pushed out and she was excited about the “professional and pragmatic” Illinois Policy Institute folks who understood the difference “between governing and advocacy.”
Um, OK.
Just sayin’, but the governor would probably love to have the same poll numbers now that he had back then.
By the way, I’m not sure which Sneed column Mrs. Rauner was referring to, but the two most recent at the time can be read here and here. They were both brutal.
Rickert, you may recall, sued to get several e-mails, some involving Mrs. Rauner. Rickert prevailed.
* Maureen McKinney has a long and very good story about Speaker Madigan’s #MeToo problems. She talked to people who you don’t normally see interviewed, including the Sun-Times’ Mark Brown…
“I think it could take him down. This is where it could happen,” he says. “He has a certain way of responding to crises which are sort of taken from the old Richard J. Daley playbook, where you move in and you cut off the wound and you name a committee or a panel to investigate how things could do better and basically you just try to wait for things to blow over. And normally they do, but (because of) this #MeToo movement, these sexual harassment complaints, and … the idea that somehow, he did not handle them forthrightly,” the once inconceivable could happen.
The #MeToo movement “just goes beyond kind of some of the conventional political issues that can create turmoil and friction within a political party, and frankly it’s bigger than a political party. It’s bigger than politics.” […]
Pearson says he doesn’t foresee Madigan leaving the speaker spot. “Even among the members who don’t like the way that this whole issue of sexual harassment has been handled in the political operation, I think even among them you’re not really hearing them say that he ought to step down as speaker. I think they’re very carefully trying to bifurcate the two, and then refer only to the political apparatus, and not the speakership.”
But some believe he’s been around too long and it’s time for some new blood, Pearson says. “That having been said, there’s a comfort level among those members, among the rank-and-file of having Mike Madigan as speaker.”
“It ain’t gonna happen,'’ says Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown, clarifying that his boss has no plans to give up his positions of speaker and party chair.
* Related…
* Illinois House takes up ban on sex-harassment payouts: The AP’s FOIA request in December sought documents that detailed any complaints in the past decade against lawmakers, who those legislators were, any that were settled with monetary payments and the amount of the settlements, and any additional information. The Senate said it had no records in response to the request. The FOIA officer for the House said the AP would have to identify individual cases, noting that the FOIA does not require public officials to “interpret” documents to determine whether they’re applicable to a request. The officer added that the chamber had no documents about “any records of payments made to resolve or settle” misconduct allegations. The House representative cited a FOIA exemption for requests that are “unduly burdensome” on a public body in responding to a request for correspondence and other documents related to allegations of misconduct.
* Women say #metoo will be heard at polling place, too: Degnen, running in the 12th District, said she’s seeing a “chilling effect with physical interaction,” since the movement began. She’s now asked, “can I hug you?” “Even when I was the deputy director of the Medical Cannabis Pilot program and I would go out on an inspection, people would just come up after the inspection and feel like they could hug me. And I would say I’m here on a professional capacity, a handshake will do,” Degnen said. “I will say that definitely since the #metoo movement, I’d say there’s a chilling effect on any kind of physical interaction.”
* Rep. Jeanne Ives’ recent TV ad (click here) includes a quote from West Point’s cadet code: “I will not lie, cheat or steal.” The West Point name is carefully avoided by the narrator, but…
The United States Military Academy logo, other licensed logos, the academy colors and typefaces make up the foundation of our visual identity. The academy’s name, wordmark and logo are trademarks and property of the Department of Army, for exclusive use and licensing rights of the United States Military Academy at West Point. These elements may only be used by authorized units of West Point or through the CLC.
Even if the black and white version of the logo is OK, the academy’s name is clearly visible in the Ives ad.
Ives’ campaign did not respond despite repeated requests. West Point’s PR folks haven’t called back despite four calls since yesterday (I couldn’t even get to a live human voice on the other end). I’ll let you know if anyone ever responds.
* Related…
* Win or Lose in GOP Primary for Governor, Jeanne Ives Helps Push Illinois to the Right - Top donors, operatives abandon Rauner and put their money with conservative crusader
* Two years ago, the Illinois Chamber’s independent expenditure PAC spent $960,000 to help Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. Dunkin lost, of course.
On March 1st, the Chamber reactivated that IE PAC. Two days ago, the Chamber disclosed depositing $165,000 in the account.
Guess what? Check out this screenshot of an online ad that a buddy of mine forwarded me today…
* I talked to the Chamber’s President/CEO Todd Maisch this morning and he wouldn’t say how much of that $160K was going to Dunkin or how much more money will be added to the IE committee.
Politician Kwame Raoul keeps insisting (insisting) that the hundred thousand dollars he took from Big Tobacco won’t play a role in how he handles the state tobacco lawsuit if he’s elected Attorney General. (Pay to play).
Kwame Raoul keeps insisting that the campaign cash he’s raked in from big utilities won’t affect his oversight of utility company rate hikes. (Pay to play).
And Kwame Raoul keeps insisting (insisting) that the thousands in campaign cash he pocketed from the red light camera operators won’t play any role when it comes to protecting citizens from red light camera abuse. (Pay to play).
With all that campaign cash (pay to play)(pay to play), do you think Kwame Raoul is going to stand up for you……. or them?
You don’t fight the big utilities and the red light camera operators when you’re on their payroll.
With all those conflicts of interest Kwame Raoul can’t be trusted to be on our side as Attorney General.
We need a fighter for us, like Pat Quinn (Pat Quinn).
The Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association is endorsing state Sen. Kwame Raoul’s attorney general bid.
The group said it was an attempt to head off former Gov. Pat Quinn’s candidacy in the race.
“It is time for fresh faces in the leadership positions of Illinois and to move beyond the same-old-same-old so we can grow as a party,” said Nancy Mitchell, chair of the White County Democratic Party.
The group represents Democratic organizations from Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White and Williamson Counties.
* Also from the press release…
3½ years ago former Gov. Pat Quinn failed to carry one southern Illinois county. Meanwhile, Raoul has extensively traveled the state and picked up support from organized labor, elected officials and voters along the way. His campaign enjoys the support of elected officials downstaters trust like Secretary Jesse White, state senators Dave Koehler and Andy Manar along with state representative Jay Hoffman.
*** UPDATE *** From Ron Holmes at the Raoul campaign…
Pat Quinn having to pay black actors just to say something nice about him on black radio is the definition of pay to play.
Voters shouldn’t be surprised though. They know Pat Quinn’s failed tenure as Governor was plagued by scandal and now Illinois is a broken mess thanks to Quinn. Pat talks a big game on campaign finance but in the interest of disclosure let’s take a look at his record on “big tobacco, big utilities, and red-light camera operators.”
Some of his contributions from “Big Tobacco”…
Taxpayers for Quinn Altria Client Services 11/23/2009 $10,000
Taxpayers for Quinn National Tobacco Company, L.P. 6/29/2013 $10,500
Taxpayers for Quinn VMR Products, LLC 6/29/2013 $5,000
Some of his contributions from “big utilities”…
Taxpayers for Quinn BlueStar Energy Services 01/18/2010 $1,000
Taxpayers for Quinn BlueStar Energy Services 06/25/2010 $1,000
Taxpayers for Quinn Walls, Charles (ComEd VP of Customer Revenue Assurance) 08/19/2010 $500
Taxpayers for Quinn NextEra Energy Resources, L.L.C. 01/05/2011 $2,500
And those red-light camera operators?
Quinn received $4,000 in contributions from lobbyist Alfred G. Ronan, whose firm, Ronan Potts LLC, had reportedly retained red-light camera vendor RedSpeed Illinois as a client. In 2009, Ronan was described as, “Red Speed’s chief lobbyist in Springfield.” The Chicago Tribune also ran a piece specifically about lobbyist involvement in pushing red-light camera laws around the state, and it reported that Ronan had lobbied for RedSpeed since 2007. The piece also noted that Ronan lobbied for passage of the 2006 state law that opened the suburban traffic camera market to RedSpeed while working for another client.
Taxpayers for Quinn Ronan, Alfred G. 06/25/2013 $500
Taxpayers for Quinn Ronan, Alfred G. 06/26/2013 $1,500
Taxpayers for Quinn Ronan, Alfred G. 11/03/2014 $1,000
Taxpayers for Quinn Ronan, Alfred G. 12/23/2014 $1,000
In February 2012, Quinn SIGNED THE BILL that allowed Chicago to retrofit red-light cameras with speed sensors at intersections near schools and parks.
“Quinn signs Emanuel speed camera bill into law,” Monique Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 2/6/2012.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a measure into law today that allows Mayor Rahm Emanuel to start using red light cameras to fine speeding drivers as much as $100 for violations.
“I think that you’ve got to understand that if you save even one life, you are saving the whole world,” Quinn said at a morning event at a Chicago school. “I mean, what do you say to a parent that’s been there from the day their son or daughter was born, and they’re killed by a speeding motorist next to their school, or their park?”
Bottom line: Pat Quinn will say or pay someone anything to get elected. He can’t be trusted.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Sharon Fairley…
In the final months of the Democratic primary for Illinois attorney general, the majority of candidates have put their ethics on hold to accept tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from corporations, utility companies, tax attorneys, and alleged domestic abusers.
Scott Drury - who at a recent forum attacked Speaker Madigan on the issue of sexual harassment and misconduct - was not above taking a $10,000 contribution just two days ago from businessman Blair Hull, who was arrested for abusing his ex-wife.
Pat Quinn, who has repeatedly criticized the broken Cook County property tax assessment system on the campaign trail, pocketed a check for $200,000 on March 1, 2018 from a property tax appeal attorney.
Kwame Raoul’s many questionable campaign contributions are well documented. He has taken money from tobacco billionaires, political leaders, utility companies and red light camera operators. He continues to stand with Senate President John Cullerton, one of his biggest funders and a staunch supporter of disgraced state Senator Ira Silverstein.
Jesse Ruiz and Nancy Rotering have taken tens of thousands of dollars from big utilities as well. Rotering often brags about how she stood up to ComEd as mayor of Highland Park, but she also has no problem taking a check for $11,100 from them.
“We need an independent, experienced and qualified attorney general who is accountable only to the voters of Illinois,” said Sharon Fairley. “I’m not taking money from utility companies, corporations and other donors with conflicts in the office. You wouldn’t hire an attorney who receives thousands of dollars from someone who is suing you. You shouldn’t vote for one either.”
Fifteen years ago, a jury acquitted state Rep. Robert Rita after a woman he had dated accused him of barging into her house in Evergreen Park, pulling her to the floor and threatening to rape her.
Now the case is resurfacing as the Democratic state lawmaker from south suburban Blue Island runs for re-election in a new political climate shaped by a sexual harassment scandal in Springfield as well as the nationwide #MeToo movement.
Emboldened by a belief that her story carries more resonance today, Rita’s former girlfriend is speaking out and siding with a female challenger, Mary Carvlin, in the March 20 primary. Carvlin also has raised the issue in her campaign, calling a news conference to highlight the case and questioning Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan’s continued support for Rita.
“It’s almost like a second chance,” Liz Hogan, Rita’s accuser, told the Tribune.
Rita, who was found not guilty in 2003 on misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and criminal trespass, declined requests for a Tribune interview, though his representatives dismiss the issue as an old charge that ended in acquittal.
* Media advisory from Lorna Brett…
LIZ HOGAN ON HER ABUSER REP BOB RITA & MORE ABOUT SPEAKER MICHEAL MADIGAN’S ROLE
Time’s Up Bob…and Mike
WHAT: Liz Hogan has much more to say about Mike Madigan’s role in protecting her abuser Bob Rita. Hogan to endorse Mary Carvlin.
WHEN: 1:30 PM
WHERE: [Redacted]
WHO: Liz Hogan / Mary Carvlin, candidate for State Representative 28th District
WHY: Men like Bob Rita, Kevin Quinn, Shaw Decreamer, Ira Silverstein can’t keep getting protected / advanced by kingmaker like Mike Madigan.
Carvlin is challenging Rep. Rita in the Democratic primary.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Liz Hogan, the woman who brought domestic battery charges against then candidate for state representative Bob Rita, came forward today after over a decade of silence. Miller endorsed Mary Carvlin for State Representative of the 28th District and spoke about Speaker Madigan’s support of abusers.
Hogan called candidate Mary Carvlin after reading a Chicago Tribune column detailing the events that left her battered by Rita. The two met for a three-hour breakfast.
“I had not thought about Bob Rita and what happened for years. It was too painful,” said Liz Hogan. “When I read that column it all came back to me. I felt I needed to tell my story so I called Mary and we had a three-hour breakfast. It felt good to get it all off my chest,” said Hogan.
Hogan was a Cook County sheriff when she dated Rita. Her father Andy McGann was a state representative for ten years and loyal to Speaker Madigan. McGann went to Madigan when his daughter began having troubles with Rita and asked for his help to protect his daughter. Madigan allegedly said he would not get involved. Madigan attended McGann’s funeral with his wife a few years later.
Carvlin wants to be a fresh voice in Springfield and if elected pledges not to vote for Michael J. Madigan for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Carvlin, a longtime Blue Island resident and veteran Spanish teacher, is running against incumbent Bob Rita. “Voting for Bob Rita is voting for Speaker Michael Madigan. This is a man whose organization has rampant sexual harassment and history of protecting the abuser not the abused.”
“Time’s up for State Representative Bob Rita and Speaker Michael Madigan. They need to step down,” said Mary Carvlin.
Lorna Brett, Hogan’s pro bono advisor and women’s activist said, “It seems Speaker Madigan has finally found religion when it comes to who he sides with in matters of abuse — the abuser or the victim. It’s too little, too late and he should step down as Speaker and as leader of the Democratic Party of Illinois. And, the Democratic women in leadership need to step up and demand this. It’s enough.”
Thursday, Mar 8, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
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