Today, in a letter to the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, Michael J. Madigan, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos formally withdrew from the effort to form the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel before it becomes a legal entity.
While Congresswoman Bustos passionately agrees with the mission of the Panel to advance women’s leadership in the Democratic Party and address sexual harassment in the workplace, she agreed with the other two co-panelists, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and State Rep. Carol Ammons, that this work can only be effective if it’s done independently of the Democratic Party of Illinois. During the past two months, the three panelists worked to identify a funding mechanism that complied with both State and Federal election law and ethics rules.
After thoroughly examining all legal options, it was determined that in order for the panel to form as an independent legal entity — entirely outside of the Democratic Party of Illinois — Congresswoman Bustos, as a federal officeholder, would have to withdraw and allow this to become a strictly state level effort.
“I am disappointed that I cannot help lead this important effort to eliminate sexual harassment and advance women in the Democratic Party of Illinois,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “While I wish I didn’t have to step away before taking this panel to the next level, this decision will allow Comptroller Mendoza and State Rep. Ammons to establish an independent, legal entity that can do the work that needs to be done. It is going to take all of us doing our part to stamp out sexual harassment, not just in political campaigns, but in all workplaces - and I’m proud to continue my efforts in Congress.
“I have total confidence that Comptroller Mendoza and State Rep. Ammons will do a thorough and complete job, and I wish them luck in this effort.”
The letter to Madigan is here. She claims she consulted with the US House’s Ethics Committee before making her decision.
In a gesture of political defiance that even some Republicans found hard to resist, the Illinois House today overwhelmingly approved a bill that, if upheld, would give the state’s taxpayers a workaround to new federal tax rules limiting the deduction for state and local taxes to $10,000 a year.
The measure passed 93-15, far more votes than the 60 needed and well above what would be required to overcome any veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner, who has not publicly stated a position on the measure.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where the same temptation to “protect Illinois taxpayers” may prove irresistible. But it could set up a legal showdown with the Internal Revenue Service, which some insiders believe would block any such provision, and a court battle.
Under terms of the measure sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, Illinoisans would receive a credit for contributions to a new charity set up to fund public schools statewide. The credit would be applied against an individual’s Illinois income-tax liability.
Since charitable contributions are not capped under the new federal tax passed at the request of President Donald Trump, the measure in theory would restore full deductibility for state and local taxes on federal returns, rather than limiting them to a combined maximum of $10,000.
Passenger cars towing trailers are getting hit with excessive tolls, state Rep. Marty Moylan says, and he has filed legislation to lower rates the Illinois tollway charges.
The issue hits home for the Des Plaines Democrat and some of his constituents who haul ATVs and snowmobiles when vacationing, as well as small businesses such as landscapers, he said. His legislation calls for reducing tolls for towed trailers and medium trucks.
“It’s ridiculous,” Moylan said. “This issue is very important to myself and residents that I have received numerous complaints from.” […]
Moylan owns a residence in Wisconsin and uses a trailer to haul snowmobiles or riding lawn mowers.
* And…
Rep. Scott Drury is now asking for a verification on a Dem bill he hasn’t even bothered to vote for. And he wonders why everyone hates him. #Twillpic.twitter.com/IUrYO3QTv3
Let’s actually pass a balanced budget with a progressive income tax - you can hear what a theme of this campaign is gonna be, right?
* From Will Allison at the Rauner campaign…
JB Pritzker just admitted that raising taxes will be the theme of his campaign. It’s a clear contrast with Bruce Rauner who knows that Illinoisans are already over taxed.
The Pritzker campaign responded with a link. Click here.
* Recently appointed state Rep. Bristow’s (D-Godfrey) ran her very first bill on the House floor today. So, in keeping with tradition, Rep. Breen was giving the sponsor a bit of a hard time in a mostly good-natured way and then she spoke without thinking. Oops…
“Does Monica Bristow honestly believe that she, Madigan, and her fellow Democrat colleagues deserve a pay raise? If anything, they deserve a pay cut after all the damage they’ve done to Illinois. Monica Bristow is the worst kind of politician - one who is in it for the money, not the middle class.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Moments ago on the floor of the Illinois House, 111th District Democratic State Rep. Monica Bristow made a stunning admission and said she hopes lawmakers get pay raises next year:
“Hopefully if this body [the Illinois House] and the Senate gets its act together, we will be able to have our revenue exceeding expenditures and we’ll all get raises.”
Bristow made the comments during floor debate on her bill, HB5760, which sets mileage reimbursement rates and prohibits cost-of-living adjustments for lawmakers.
House Republican Floor Leader Peter Breen countered, “I don’t know that you were supposed to go on record and say every member of the General Assembly should get a raise.”
Bristow then said “I do believe…,” before she was cut off and voting commenced on the bill.
Monica Bristow is the worst kind of politician - one who is in it for the money, not the middle class.
If you watch the video, Bristow was gamely parrying questions about her bill to kill off the automatic cost of living increase for legislators this year. It’s the sort of bill given to targeted members (her Democratic predecessor won by just 5 points in 2016) every year to help their reelection campaigns. And while she appeared to be just making a funny quip, that one’s probably gonna sting.
* By all accounts, Randy Hultgren’s Democratic opponent Lauren Underwood is a strong candidate. She scored 57 percent in a seven-way Democratic primary, defeating her closest competitor by a massive 44 points. The Johns Hopkins graduate also has an impressive life story to tell voters and the buzz on her is super strong.
Underwood even outraised Congressman Hultgren in the first quarter, $465K to $361K. Something is definitely happening there. And, as Tom Bowen points out on the Twitter machine, Gov. Rauner isn’t gonna be much help there this year.
* But, in 2016, Donald Trump won the 14th CD by 4 points, Mark Kirk won it by 8 and Leslie Munger won it by 20. Rauner won it by 33 in 2014, Mitt Romney won it by 10 in 2012.
In the 2010 Census, the district’s voting age population was 84 percent white, 9 percent Latino, 4 percent Asian and just 2.5 percent African-American. Underwood is an African-American.
I am NOT saying Underwood cannot win. Stranger things have happened in politics. And, hey, Jesse White won that district by 15 points in 2014, so a black Democrat can prevail. What I am saying is Charlie Cook has this contest as “lean Republican” for good reasons. The partisan split will be difficult to overcome even in a wave election and, frankly, the racial gap makes it all the more difficult.
I’m betting she’s gonna give him a heck of a run, though.
Make of this what you will, but U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton, is in line for only midlevel support so far from a top GOP PAC. And neighbor Randy Hultgren, R-Plano, isn’t getting anything at all.
According to Talking Points Memo, neither local district is among the 20 for which the Congressional Leadership Fund has reserved $38 million in TV time. At $1.8 million per district—the ones the group selected are in California, Minnesota, Texas and a few other states—that’s enough to buy some pretty good public exposure, even in Chicago’s expensive TV market. […]
A third Illinois Republican, downstater Mike Bost, is in line for full help, on tap to receive TV and digital ads on his behalf.
* Charlie Cook has that Bost race listed as a tossup and he could be right. According to that TPM story, the Congressional Leadership Fund has reserved $2 million in TV advertising spots for Congressman Bost. He’s probably gonna need it.
Donald Trump won the 12th CD by 15 points, but Tammy Duckworth won it by 9, which gives Democrats some hope. Leslie Munger, however, took it by 5. Barack Obama won it by 1.5 in 2012.
One could interpret this as a sign that the powers that be think Roskam is OK and doesn’t need help, that he has the ability to raise money on his own with $2 million already in the bank, or that there just are too many more endangered GOP seats elsewhere in the country. Democrats would argue this is a sign of overconfidence or that the party is writing him off. I’m not sure which is right.
A source close to Roskam had another take: GOP powers are not yet convinced the Democrat in the race, Sean Casten, is going to be a priority for the national Democratic Party, despite all the local chatter about unseating Roskam. So they’re holding their fire, at least for now.
One other potential explanation: Top Democrats are waiting for Casten, who spent a lot of his and his family’s money in the primary, to step up and self-fund for a while. And until that happens, the GOP will spread its green elsewhere.
Democrats would be absolute fools to believe the GOP is already writing off Roskam. Cook has this one as a tossup as well, albeit with a partisan index of R+2, which is less than Bost’s R+5.
Hillary Clinton won the 6th CD by 7 points, which excites Dems, but Mark Kirk won it by 6 and Leslie Munger won it by 21. The only other statewide Democrat besides Clinton to win the district was Jesse White, who took it by 17 in 2014. Obama lost it by 8 in 2012.
Casten narrowly defeated five women opponents and one male opponent in the primary. There was a palpable sense of relief among Republicans when Casten won because they were much more afraid of a female nominee. I could go on, but this race has already been covered to death by other outlets.
Before her mother went to prison, Olivia Weeks was a competent student but not an outstanding one — certainly not one on track for an Ivy League education.
Then her mother and only surviving parent, Tabitha Weeks, pleaded guilty in 2012 to aggravated DUI in the death of Craig Payne, 41, of Bonnie. She served five years at the Decatur Correctional Center and was paroled in January.
When her mother left, Olivia Weeks, then 12 years old, made a choice to excel. She determined that she would not let the “black cloud of judgment” following her around her hometown of West Frankfort keep her from succeeding — and she would not let her mother’s mistake wipe away all the good she had done in her life. […]
Soon, the senior at Frankfort Community High School will move on to a new challenge: Harvard University, where she’ll begin classes with a full-ride scholarship in August. […]
Olivia Weeks shared her story at the prison’s volunteer awards banquet, saying she wanted to thank those who made it possible for her to have a relationship with her mother through the reunification program offered at the minimum-security women’s prison.
Available to mothers who have children 17 or younger, the reunification program began in 2000 and allows children to spend time with mothers in a designated housing unit. They can talk, play games, work together on the child’s homework and even participate in counseling, Warden Shelith Hansbro said.
Illinois officials have re-opened a former youth detention site as a center to help offenders learn life skills after release.
The first 20 offenders were transferred Tuesday to the Murphysboro Life Skills Re-Entry Center in Southern Illinois.
Department of Corrections officials say there will be orientation before educational programs, classes for job readiness and cognitive behavior therapy begin.
Other assistance will include teaching skills such as managing a bank account, using the latest technology and scheduling doctor’s appointments.
Last year, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) spent $276 on books for its educational programming across 28 correctional facilities, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. In comparison, the state prison system spent roughly $750,000 each year on books in the early 2000s. In 2005, spending on books dropped to $264,000. In the last five years, IDOC spent a total of roughly $140,000 on reading materials. That figure represents a 96 percent decrease from what was spent on books between 2000 and 2005. […]
The steep drop-off in funding for books in state prisons could be costing the state more money in the long-run. Research indicates education programs reduce recidivism rates, and libraries play a role in that work, according to Lois Davis, co-author of a Rand Corporation meta-analysis of education programs in prisons.
“We showed that for every dollar a department of corrections invests in education programs, they can save up to five dollars in reincarceration costs,” she said.
After notching a decisive win last month in the Democratic primary election, Fritz Kaegi filed suit against a web designer with ties to outgoing Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios for registering a fake campaign website in his name. […]
Galvin’s sham site published photographs of Kaegi and his family, solicited contact information from visitors and reported on news from his campaign, according to the suit. The site also listed a 2017 copyright and attribution to “Friends of Fritz Kaegi” at the bottom of the page.
In addition, Galvin registered Facebook and Twitter pages with Kaegi’s name at some point last year, the suit claims.
CrowdPac, a fundraising website, is also named as a defendant in the suit. The website allegedly solicited contributions to support Kaegi’s campaign without the candidate’s consent or knowledge.
The suit alleges that Galvin and CrowdPac violated the Illinois Right to Publicity Act, which holds that a person or entity “may not use an individual’s identity for commercial purposes during the individual’s lifetime without having obtained previous written consent.”
* I’m not sure if this is a shenanigan yet, but here’s Natasha Korecki…
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign paid $100,000 to two companies tied to former Cambridge Analytica executive Matt Oczkowski for data-related work, campaign filings show.
Last week, we wrote about how Rauner’s campaign used one of Oczkowski’s firms, HuMn Behavior, for data-related work, paying the firm $5,000.
Expense filings made public Monday show Rauner’s campaign paid $95,000 to a different firm Oczkowski heads called Data Propria. The firm was just formed in February. Citizens for Rauner made the payment a month later, listing the services as “data modeling.”
While Oczkowski’s information shows him based in Chicago, the address included in state records for Data Propria links to San Antonio, Texas where CloudCommerce Inc. is located.
Connecting the dots: CloudCommerce Inc. bought Brad Parscale’s firm. Parscale was digital media director for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. (The Associated Press recently wrote a revealing piece about Cloud Commerce.)
“Bruce Rauner must have seen something he liked in Donald Trump’s shady campaign,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Voters deserve to know why Rauner’s paying someone whose former firm is under investigation by Robert Mueller, and why he wants to bring Donald Trump’s campaign tactics to Illinois.”
Due to your efforts, Sen. Morrison and Sen. Raoul have backed down. Yesterday, a Senate committee passed the House version of the bump stock ban - the version that actually bans bump stocks. Further, Senators Morrison and Raoul agreed to remove the previously inserted poison pill from the Senate version of the bump stock ban and run it as a separate bill. It’s a total victory.
Tough Measures Were Required
Make no mistake, this would not have happened without your phone calls and emails. Some questioned whether this Office should have called out Sen. Morrison like it did. The answer is yes. Senator Morrison betrayed those of us fighting for stronger gun laws. Only by calling her out, were we able to achieve the right result and defeat the NRA.
Playing by the NRA’s Rules
The NRA demands total loyalty. It’s time for those of us truly fighting to prevent gun violence to demand the same. We all know that trust takes a career to build but can be lost forever with one transgression. For whatever reason, Sen. Morrison initially chose the NRA over us. While we are glad we forced her to reverse course, she has unfortunately proven herself untrustworthy and unreliable in this critical battle.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you.
Volunteers with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will be rallying at the state capitol to urge lawmakers to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act.
Supporters of the bill said it will protect the public and help prevent gun violence by cracking down on illegal gun sales.
The bill would require background checks for gun store employees, require gun dealers to keep their businesses open for inspection by the state and law enforcement, require training for employees on responsible business practices and laws regarding the sale of firearms, video surveillance and alarm systems to be installed in stores, and for no new stores to operate within 500 feet of a school.
* Press release…
In this video, presented by the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition (ILGVP), former ATF special agent of 25 years and current Senior Policy Advisor at Giffords, David Chipman, explains the need for the Gun Dealer Licensing Act in Illinois.
The Gun Dealer Licensing Act would require criminal background checks for all gun shop employees. It would require training to help gun shop employees identify a buyer purchasing a gun for someone else, require basic store security measures to help prevent theft, and strengthen law enforcement’s ability to catch those responsible for illegal gun trafficking.
ILGVP conducted a bipartisan poll to gauge public opinion around this bill in key swing suburban cook, collar county and (a few) downstate districts. Support for this bill is widespread, with 71% of voters across these districts favoring the proposal.
Now, this very moment, insider sources are telling GunRights4Illinois that in the Illinois State Capital back room deals are being made. Deals where some Republicans, largely Chicago Suburban area Republicans, are making deals which will effect your gun rights. I’ve often said, “Decisions are made in the back rooms of our state house, the floor debates are just for show.” Essentially what is going on right now, some Chicago Suburban Republicans are horse trading your rights away, “If you vote for my bill, I shall vote for yours.” In the end you LOSE! […]
Sources are also telling GunRights4Illinois that part of the reason these suburban Republicans are so flexible is because Everytown is working a campaign of calls and emails to these politicians, to sway their votes towards the anti-gun, anti-freedom, side. If you think your call doesn’t matter, it does!
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Today, JB Pritzker joined calls to override Bruce Rauner’s reckless veto of the Gun Dealer Licensing Act and sign the gun violence prevention legislation on his desk.
“Gun violence is ripping apart our communities, destroying our families, and taking countless innocent lives, but our failed governor refuses to take action to fix this public health epidemic,” said JB Pritzker. “Instead of signing commonsense legislation into law, Bruce Rauner has talked out of both sides of his mouth, dragged his feet, and left Illinois’ families to pay the price. I was proud to march side by side with students demanding an end to gun violence, and I’m proud to support the rally in Springfield today. Illinoisans deserve a governor who will take charge to address gun violence in our communities and I will be that leader.”
* Related…
* Bill giving cities control over assault weapons rules passes Senate committee: “We’re not asking you to approve a statewide ban, we’re asking you to allow locally elected representatives to do their jobs and represent the unique interests of their communities,” said Nancy Rotering, the mayor of north suburban Highland Park and a former candidate for Illinois attorney general. “They may choose to ask the question, and they may choose not to. But at least allow them to exercise that constitutional right.”
* Chicago aldermen scale back ban on civilians wearing body armor: The proposed changes would allow journalists to wear body armor, such as bulletproof vests, while on the job. Actors also would be allowed to wear protection “solely as props” when making movies, TV shows or videos. In addition, the city would put a pause on the ban for about four months as the Illinois General Assembly considers statewide restrictions.
WHAT: Illinois Redistricting Collaborative Members holding a press conference on the Fair Maps Amendment legislation that would establish an independent commission to run the state’s redistricting process
WHO: Senators Julie Morrison & Laura Murphy, Rep. Ryan Spain, and select representatives from the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative including Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago, Better Government Association, CHANGE Illinois, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois PIRG, League of Women Voters Illinois, Small Business Advocacy Council, Union League Club of Chicago
WHERE: Blue Room (room 010), Illinois State Capitol Building, 401 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62706.
State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard) filed legislation this week to take politics out of Illinois’ legislative map-drawing process and instead ensure a transparent, objective, and fair process for adopting legislative maps. Breen’s proposal, drafted in cooperation with nationally recognized fair map expert, Rep. Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago), would invite everyone in Illinois to submit proposed maps, which would be ranked by how few towns and counties are split to form districts, and then by compactness of districts drawn. The House and Senate would then have the option of adopting one of the top three fairest maps, or else allowing the top-ranked map to go into law. If the General Assembly does not put fair maps on the ballot in 2018, Breen’s fair maps amendment is drafted to meet the legal requirements for a potential citizen-led ballot initiative in 2020.
“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for fair maps,” said Breen. “Our legislative districts should keep towns and counties together, and be as compact as possible. Gerrymandered maps are wrong because they allow politicians to unnaturally divide communities in favor of partisan interests. While there are other Illinois fair maps proposals, this proposal is the only one with specific, objective standards written into it, to guarantee the mapping process stays entirely transparent and fair.”
Breen’s HJRCA 46 would amend the Legislative Article of the Illinois Constitution to make the Legislative Redistricting Commission the primary driver of the mapping process, instead of the General Assembly. The commission would provide tools to the public to draw and submit maps and then apply the objective scoring rubric to submitted maps, presenting the top three to the General Assembly. HJRCA 46 retains and repurposes the current constitutional participants in the mapping process—the commission, General Assembly, and Secretary of State—in order to conform with Illinois court decisions about citizen-led fair map initiatives. The amendment also adds one member to the Illinois House, from 118 to 119, both to give the body an odd number of legislators and to meet the Illinois court requirement that any citizen-led change must include a “structural” change.
* Greg Hinz has a reminder for those of you who feel sorry for Rod Blagojevich…
It now has been a few years since the Blagojevich tempest first arose. So let me provide a little bit of a reminder of what he did that was clearly illegal, clearly unethical or just damned stupid.
Start with shaking down a children’s hospital executive for a campaign contribution in exchange for a state grant. That was one of the guilty counts.
Or repeatedly lying to federal agents. That was another, the same type of offense alleged against various associates of President Donald Trump. […]
Or the Tribune story about how 75 percent of those who contributed at least $25,000 to the then-governor’s campaign war chest received something of value from his government: an appointment, a contract, a favorable policy decision, whatever. […]
As U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel said in sentencing Blagojevich to 14 years, the ex-governor “wasn’t marched along this (corruption) path by his staff. He marched them.”
Also, don’t forget that Blagojevich’s first trial ended with a hung jury on all but one count. Charges were then dismissed against his brother Rob. The former governor could’ve tried to cut a deal, but he defiantly refused to even consider it. So there he sits.
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Did you know that health plans are changing Illinois families’ benefits while consumers are locked into their plans for the year? People in Illinois, especially those living with chronic conditions, carefully shop for a health plan which covers the treatments they need at prices they can afford. But health plans aren’t delivering the benefits they have marketed and sold to Illinois consumers.
House Bill 4146 Fixes the Health Plan Bait-and-Switch
House Bill 4146 would simply prevent insurers from making unfair – and potentially unsafe – benefit changes while Illinoisans are locked into the plan. The legislation, however, would still allow insurers to utilize generics, add treatments to their formularies and also remove them for safety reasons.
Insurers need to deliver on the policies they sell. The Illinois Legislature should support HB 4146 to make health coverage fair.
* It wasn’t all that long ago that Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle looked washed up to some folks…
“She’s gone from someone thinking she could be mayor to someone who’s got to wonder if she could get re-elected,” a longtime Democratic Party wise man told me Friday.
“If you’re a Democrat running for the state legislature, you don’t want her anywhere near you. The Republicans will use her against the Democrats. She’s toxic. The voters are angry. They’re fed-up. And you know why,” the wise man said.
It’s a shell of the mighty make-or-break political organization it once was, but the Cook County Democratic Party could still be ready to make history.
Chicago’s ultimate insiders club is preparing to usher in a new era on Wednesday, an era that could see the longtime bastion of white men choosing its first African-American, and first woman, chairman.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is expected to take over the county’s top political spot from Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, who’s held the seat since he was unanimously elected in 2007.
Preckwinkle also is viewed as comfortable with two sometimes-divergent camps within the county Democratic Party: old-school politicians who have seen their strength slip as the power of patronage politics wanes, and self-styled progressives who rely more on issues than political troops to win elections.
The progressives’ growing strength — and the split with regulars — played out last month, when a slate of three candidates backed by County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia defeated candidates backed by establishment Democrats.
“I would say the party needs to move in a more progressive direction and embrace progressive causes and candidates, and I think Toni Preckwinkle is committed to doing just that,” said state Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat expected to be re-elected as suburban vice chairman.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat J.B. Pritzker spent a combined $105.2 million to win their respective party nominations — the equivalent of more than $100 per vote cast in last month’s primaries, new campaign finance records show.
Pritzker, a billionaire Hyatt hotel heir and philanthropist, led the way by spending a record $68.3 million to win the crowded Democratic primary at a cost of $119.04 per vote. Pritzker collected more than 573,000 votes, or 45.2 percent of the ballots cast, and won by nearly 20 percentage points based on unofficial vote totals. Pritzker is self-financing his campaign.
Rauner, a wealthy private equity investor seeking a second term, spent nearly $37 million in eking out a narrow 2.8 percentage-point win over state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton. Rauner got around 361,300 votes — 51.4 percent — at a cost of $102.33 per vote. In contrast, Ives spent nearly $4.3 million in getting more than 341,000 votes at a cost of $12.55 per vote.
Gov. Bruce Rauner is some 4,600 miles from the state capital on a “jobs mission” to Germany and Poland, but in between meetings about economic growth and sips of Polish beer, the governor is keeping tabs on budget negotiations — and Democratic rival J.B. Pritzker.
Speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times via telephone from Stein, Germany, on Tuesday, Rauner said his budget director Hans Zigmund is in discussion with appointed budgeteers while he’s away. And the Republican governor said he’s getting updates about budgetary issues.
“I’m keeping in close touch on all of that and our administration on issues that have come along,” Rauner said. “And I’m very pleased to see that the Senate Republicans took a strong stand against this concept of putting in a graduated income tax, a vote against that to express solidarity. A graduated income tax will be a job killer for Illinois and it will be devastating to the middle class. So I plan to see that there’s more resistance to that. I am strongly against that.” […]
It was the governor’s first trip to Poland. His favorite drink there? Polish beer.
“I never had Polish beer before but it was outstanding,” Rauner said.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is scheduled to appear on a Monday panel in Chicago presented by Axios, a Virginia-based news site founded by former top names at Politico. […]
What’s a bit more unusual is who’s sponsoring the event. It’s Koch Industries, the business empire of Charles and David Koch, brothers best known for using their wealth to pour tens of millions of dollars into conservative causes and candidates, often kicking up controversy in the process. The Koch brothers long have drawn the ire of national Democrats for their outsize influence in conservative politics, with progressives often accusing the brothers of trying to buy elections. […]
Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said the mayor is “looking forward to a thoughtful conversation with a nationally respected, nonpartisan news organization about topics that matter to our city.”
“I didn’t know and can’t help who sponsors the event, but if long-standing and widely differing views was a nonstarter, we wouldn’t have held similar events with the Chicago Tribune either,” he added.
Ald. Ed Burke said Monday he’s not worried about losing the seat he’s held since 1969 to a progressive Democrat in next year’s city election, but the 74-year-old City Hall power broker also stopped short of saying he’d run for an unprecedented 13th full term.
The 14th Ward alderman’s comments are the first he’s made publicly since his brother, 27-year state Rep. Dan Burke, lost in last month’s Democratic primary to Aaron Ortiz, a 26-year-old high school counselor backed by Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. […]
Garcia has hinted he may put up another progressive against Burke in the February 2019 city election. Burke has run virtually unopposed since 1971, and if he’s worried about a challenge to his longtime reign, he did not show it at City Hall on Monday.
Democratic Congressional nominee Jesus “Chuy” Garcia on Tuesday accused Ald. Edward Burke (14th) of “disrespecting” the residents of his predominantly Hispanic ward by doing property tax reduction work for the riverfront tower that bears the name of President Donald Trump.
One day after Burke declared his brother’s humiliating defeat would not alter his plan to seek re-election, Garcia made the case for ending the 49-year-reign of the City Council’s most powerful and longest-serving alderman.
It’s the same reason state Rep. Dan Burke lost to Aaron Ortiz, a 26-year-old Garcia-backed political newcomer in a race dominated by Edward Burke’s property tax reduction work for Trump International Hotel and Tower. […]
“Donald Trump began his campaign for the presidency attacking the Mexican-American community. The overwhelming number of residents of the 14th Ward are of Mexican-American heritage. It is highly disrespectful to put that aside and simply respond to self interest,” Garcia said. “It shows that he’s out of touch with the community and that the community’s concern was nowhere on his radar screen.”
Retiring Ald. Mike Zalewski (23rd) advised Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday to cut a deal with Jesus “Chuy” Garcia to install Garcia’s protégé, Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd), as chairman of the City Council’s Aviation Committee in exchange for Garcia’s endorsement of Emanuel’s 2019 re-election bid.
“The fact that Chuy is now going to go to Congress is obviously something that is probably gonna stop him from running for mayor [again]. If the mayor and the congressman-elect can get together, it’s gonna help both of them,” Zalewski said Tuesday. […]
“That would be uncharacteristic of why I endorse people running for office. I’m not a quid-pro-quo type of politician. Never have been. I am a progressive, movement-centered politician. That’s how I make my decisions,” Garcia said. […]
Also on Tuesday, Zalewski recommended that Emanuel appoint veteran State Rep. Silvana Tabares (D-Chicago) of Garfield Ridge to become the new 23rd Ward alderman.
Rep. Tabares’ replacement could be an interesting reveal on some of this.
Illinois lawmakers are moving ahead with legislation that would harshen penalties for texting and driving. The bill will allow law enforcement to issue a moving violation on a first offense. That carries a fine of $75 for the first violation. Current law only allows a ticket to be issued on the second or subsequent stops.
State Representative John D’Amico, a Democrat from Chicago, also sponsored the original ban on texting and driving four years ago. He said everyone knows now that texting and driving is illegal.
“They don’t need to have a warning on their first stop,” said D’Amico. “They can get a ticket. Bottom line is, we want to try to continue to make the roads in Illinois as safe as possible.”
An area lawmaker says a bill that enhances the penalty for attacks on DCFS workers should have the chance to be reconsidered in Springfield.
Pam Knight, a DCFS worker from Dixon , was brutally beaten on the job last September. She later died.
State Rep. Tony McCombie of Savanna says she and Knight’s family will be in Springfield on Tuesday, with hopes of convincing certain committee members of advancing the bill in Knight’s honor.
The bill would boost the penalty for a physical attack on a DCFS worker on the job, and make it punishable by four to 15 years in prison.
* Related, with a bit of snarkiness intended on two of the links…
* Press Release: Neo-Nazi Resolution Stalled in Tennessee House Revived – in Illinois House
* Letter: The ERA would take away rights from women: Hundreds of good state laws would be overturned — such as sex segregated prisons, women’s shelters, and legal accommodations for pregnant women. ERA would mandate taxpayer-paid abortions and equal representation of women in military combat and selective service. Passing ERA would take away plenty of rights that women enjoy; but nothing in ERA would ever give women a pay raise or stop any sexual harassers. ERA would not be “symbolic,” but would cause real harm to real women by mandating that men and women are interchangeable in every circumstance. I am proud to continue the fight against this destructive amendment that my mother, Phyllis Schlafly, led.
* From the governor’s Twitter page: “Great first meeting here in Germany with Vetter Pharma. Got an update on their state-of-the-art facility in Des Plaines which will employ over 300 people”…
Today, Assistant Majority Leader Sara Feigenholtz joined child advocates to address alarming child abuse trends and to demand accountability from the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS.)
“I filed HR986 last week because the Department has been hiding child abuse data since July, 2017,” said Feigenholtz. “DCFS took a step in the right direction this morning by reversing itself and releasing data, but it took 9 months of advocacy from former Youth in Care to get that done. DCFS should be ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of the children of Illinois—not withholding vital information that advocates have used for decades to identify child abuse trends and protect children and families.”
For nine months, DCFS ignored advocates’ requests for a complete set of child abuse data, questioning their legal obligation to report the data, and suggesting that the computer systems they have used to compile the reports for over three decades are suddenly incapable or producing the reports. This morning’s data release shows that is not the case.
“The data released shows an increase in the number of children being re-abused—that number has skyrocketed by 50% since 2015,” said James McIntyre, President, Foster Care Alumni of America Illinois Chapter. “We also see a spike in opioid related calls. Services for people addicted to opioids have been cut over the last three years, and we worry that is the reason for the spike of caseloads related to opioid use.”
The alarming information contained in the released data makes it clear that more transparency is necessary to prevent child abuse in Illinois.
“This is a matter of being able to advocate for abused and vulnerable children,” said Kyle Hillman, a spokesperson for the National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter. “Without this data, social workers in the field haven’t had the supports they need. It was a total failure for this department to hide the data, and it was unconscionable for them to withhold it for as long as they did.”
“The Department continues to drag its feet on requests to release information related to the safety and well-being of our children, and that’s wrong,” concluded Feigenholtz. “DCFS is failing children and families across Illinois. They should step up and do the right thing all the time—not just when they are called out publicly for hiding information.”
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
JB Pritzker released the following statement in response to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services releasing monthly child abuse data:
“It is shameful that during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Bruce Rauner had to be talked into releasing critical child abuse information while his Department of Children and Family Services continues to fail vulnerable children,” said JB Pritzker. “Understanding child abuse trends is vital to preventing child abuse in the future. I am relieved we will again have access to data, but real damage was done because this failed governor was hiding important information from the public. We should be able to count on DCFS to fight for vulnerable children, not fight against transparency.”
*** UPDATE *** From DCFS…
Director Walker is committed to the families and children of Illinois who need the critical services offered by DCFS. During her 9 months at the Department, she has made significant structural changes aimed at protecting our clients, improving operations, and building a stable foundation at this agency. As Director Walker mentioned in the hearing, data reporting at DCFS is severely hampered by outdated technology. The old report required transporting data in pieces from one system to another, then manually entering data and putting pieces together. The new reports have information drawn directly from SACWIS (Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System). They are titled: Child Protective Services Report and Hotline Call and Intake Volume Report The new data reports can be found here, https://www2.illinois.gov/dcfs/aboutus/newsandreports/reports/Pages/default.aspx
Illinois GOP Chairman Timothy Schneider was just 22, fresh out of University of Illinois and helping his father run their family’s Elgin area golf course when he was introduced to the power of politics.
Alcohol sales before noon had long been banned in unincorporated Cook County, and Schneider was trying to get the Cook County board’s permission to sell a bloody mary to “early bird” golfers so inclined.
“They simply play golf somewhere else,” Schneider pleaded in a 1979 public hearing, as reported then by the Chicago Tribune.
Four decades later, Cook County business owners make such pleas for mercy to Schneider, who is seeking his fourth term as a commissioner this November.
He, however, no longer has to be concerned with the fanciful whims of recreational golfers.
Four years after winning a seat on the Cook County board, county taxpayers bought his family’s golf course for $5.75 million.
Proft, of course, is supporting some state party central committee candidates in an effort to oust Schneider as chairman. There’s more, so go read it.
State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) works for a hospital, and used to lobby for one.
So when considering a bill in Springfeld last week that would have allowed Illinois surgeons to set up their own independent facilities, effectively competing with hospitals like his employer, Demmer was emphatically opposed.
That’s just like the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, which prefers that doctors be required to get permission from one of its members before performing a surgery somewhere else. The group officially opposes legislation sponsored by State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) to eliminate that requirement, House Bill 4831.
Thoracic surgeon Raymond Dieter, of Glen Ellyn, who has founded such facilities– called Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers (ASTCs)– as well as hospitals over his 60 year career, said at an April 10 House Human Services Committee hearing that such regulations added needless costs and time to health care services.
Demmer and Proft are on opposite sides in the state party brawl. There is no disclosure of this in either of the stories.
Declaring Effingham County a sanctuary for gun owners, the county board on Monday directed its employees not to enforce any new Illinois law that would “unconstitutionally restrict the Second Amendment.”
The action is largely symbolic, according to Effingham County State’s Attorney Bryan Kibler. He said the resolution, adopted by an 8-1 vote, will not control the decision making in the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Dave Mahon agreed that it was a county board decision and would not control his office.
Mahon said that if such a potentially unconstitutional law were to be passed by the state, he would consult with the state’s attorney and the legal counsel of the Illinois Sheriff’s Association before deciding what actions to take. […]
The resolution also opposed a number of bills currently active at the General Assembly, including one vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner that would have required additional registration for gun shops.
A prominent Chicago-area hospital and the Archbishop of Chicago called on Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to pass tougher gun laws in the state.
Loyola Medicine officials said they’re treating hundreds of gunshot wounds every year, and that needs to change. They called gun violence a “public health issue. […]
Loyola saw 283 gunshot victims in fiscal year 2017 - a number that doubled from two years before. Cichon said that’s why he and dozens of medical staff members joined Cardinal Blase Cupich Tuesday morning to try to do something about it. […]
Cupich said the answer is Senate Bill 1657, which would require criminal background checks for all gun shop employees. The bill would also require training to help gun shop employees identify a buyer purchasing a gun for someone else.
* The Civic Federation is hosting a conference on pensions today. Greg Hinz wrote a preview yesterday and here’s part of it…
Under a long-term plan approved when Jim Edgar was governor—he’s among the speakers at [today’s] conference—spending on pensions was to slowly ramp up, starting in 1995, so that funding would hit the 90 percent level by 2045. According to retirement system reports combined and passed on to me by former state CFO John Filan, unfunded liabilities were expected to rise from just under $20 billion in 1995 to $70 billion in 2034, before then dropping sharply in the next few years:
Reality has been far different than those original circa-1995 forecasts. The actual 2016 unfunded liability of $123.8 billion is two and a half times the predicted $50 billion under the Edgar ramp. And with another 17 years to go before the ramp is scheduled to peak, the spread between prediction and reality is only going to grow—a lot.
Why the bad projections? There are lots of reasons, but Filan puts a number on two of the largest: Assuming a return on investments of an overly peppy 8.5 percent a year—the retirement systems since generally have ratcheted that expectation down to 7 percent—has driven up unfunded liability $35 billion, according to Filan. And another $35 billion came when lawmakers failed to follow the ramp and instead spent money that should have gone toward pensions for other, more popular items. One instance of that came during Filan’s tenure, when the state issued $10 billion in pension-obligation bonds but used those proceeds to replace normal pension contributions, which were spent on other items.
The Illinois Appellate Court on Monday lifted a temporary restraining order that had kept south suburban Harvey from receiving $1.4 million in tax revenue as it fights its police pension board over millions in back payments.
A Cook County Circuit Court judge had blocked the cash-strapped city from collecting the money last week, a move that forced officials to lay off dozens of police officers and firefighters.
Harvey will now have access to the funds — which were collected by the state, mostly through sales taxes — as the pension board’s lawsuit continues. The suburb is saddled with $5 million to $7 million in pension debt.
Prior to Monday’s appellate court decision to grant the TRO, State Sen. Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey, said he was considering introducing a measure amending the state law that requires the Illinois comptroller’s office to seize a municipality’s tax revenues when a community is delinquent funding pensions.
“We need to explore options that keep Harvey on track to fund police and fire pensions without putting them in a complete financial crisis,” Harris said in a statement. “The citizens of Harvey should not be penalized or subjected to this type of situation due to missed pension payments.” […]
“What Harvey is experiencing is a contagion that has spread throughout the state,” said [Rep. Jeanne Ives], who asserted that allowing municipalities to declare bankruptcy in the face of mounting financial pressures was “the only way out.” […]
“We can say that pensions are the problem, if we know that the money is being managed correctly,” [Alderman Chris Clark, a critic of Mayor Eric Kellogg’s administration] said. “But you cannot say that pensions are the problem when there is rampant — not just mild — but rampant mismanagement. And that’s basically what this is.”
Until such time as the State of Illinois legislature provides specific authority to units of local government to petition for municipal bankruptcy, no such petition will be permitted.
* In the interim, there are two mechanisms in state law that might benefit Harvey…
The Fiscally Distressed City Law allows the Governor to create an authority comprised of five directors to provide a secure financial basis for and to furnish assistance to a financially distressed city according to the guidelines outlined in the statute. The Local Government Financial Planning and Supervision Act allows the Governor to create a commission comprised of 11 members, primarily charged with developing a detailed financial plan and other recommendations to ensure proper financial accounting procedures, budgeting and taxing practices to assure the fiscal integrity of the unit of local government. The state can also provide loans and state bonding authority to assist the municipalities.
The Local Government Financial Planning and Supervision Act only applies to municipalities with populations under 25,000 and Harvey just barely qualifies.
Out of 632 police and fire funds, I identified 71 (or 11%) in which actual contributions were 50% or less than what the Department of Insurance said the total contributions should have been during that time. Those funds are located in 54 municipalities, the majority of which (49 funds) are in Cook County or DuPage County. Among the group of 71 funds, the average amount that was contributed between 2003 and 2010 was only about 39% of what DOI said should have been paid. And 24% of the funds received no money from their respective municipality at least once between 2003 and 2010. As a group, these 71 funds are also in worse financial shape than most police and fire pension funds. While the average funded ratio for all funds in 2016 was 60% the average for these 71 is just 47%.
* Related…
* Appeals court: Comptroller can’t embargo over $1M from cash-strapped Harvey at pension fund’s request
A report by the National Governor’s Association showed enrollment in bachelor’s level teacher programs in Illinois declined from 24,206 to 14,685 between 2000 and 2015, and those completing the programs dropped by an equal percentage.
No one looks forward to Tax Day, but in overtaxed Illinois, it is an especially grim day - a reminder that residents in the state pay some of the highest taxes in the nation.
And if Democrat gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker gets his way, next year’s Tax Day will be even worse. Pritzker has staked his campaign on an “immediate increase” in the income tax that would hit every single Illinoisan.
But Pritzker has refused to give any specifics and say exactly how high he would hike taxes. Reporters keep asking Pritzker what his tax hike rate would be, and Pritzker keeps dodging. At the same time, Pritzker reportedly stashes cash in offshore accounts to potentially dodge federal taxes while taking massive tax breaks on his Chicago mansion by claiming it as “uninhabitable.”
J.B. Pritzker wants to hike taxes on Illinois families but refuses to pay his own. It’s time for J.B. Pritzker to end the hypocrisy, stop dodging, and tell us exactly what his proposed tax hike rate would be.
…Adding… Media advisory…
Illinois Senate Republicans will hold a press conference to discuss SR 1590.
States the belief that the Illinois Constitution should not be amended to permit a graduated income tax.
…Adding… Rauner campaign…
Over the last three weeks leading up to tax day, the Rauner campaign has exposed JB Pritzker’s Ploy of being a tax cheat pushing tax hikes. Check out the full collection at www.PritzkerPloy.com.
Today, on tax day 2018, Rauner campaign communications director Will Allison released the following statement:
“This tax day, Illinoisans are paying 32% more in state income taxes. If JB Pritzker has his way, everyone will be paying even higher taxes next year. At the same time, Pritzker is hiding his money in the Bahamas and using insider connections to dodge property taxes. There can be no doubt that JB Pritzker is a tax cheat pushing tax hikes. The choice is clear: Governor Rauner will fight for lower taxes while JB Pritzker will raise taxes on Illinois families while dodging his own.”
- Rauner Campaign Communications Director Will Allison
Bruce Rauner’s FY19 budget proposal attempts to “balance” the budget on the backs of working people. With the General Assembly continuing to hold budget hearings this week, the Pritzker campaign is highlighting the different communities that would be hurt by this failed governor’s unbalanced budget.
After leading a three-year attack on higher education that forced universities to junk bond status, slashed spending on MAP grants, and drove college students from the state, Rauner’s proposed FY19 budget continues his same failed policies. His new budget would continue funding higher education at a 10% cut from FY15 while increasing universities’ costs by an estimated $206 million through a pension and health insurance cost shift scheme.
“Our state’s colleges and universities educate the workforce of tomorrow, but our failed governor is slashing their funding and decimating the tools students need to thrive,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Bruce Rauner is leading an all-out assault on higher education and leveraging our future while students and educators pay the price.”
Last week while addressing the annual Innovations in Construction, Asphalt and Transportation conference, [Gov. Bruce Rauner] uncorked one of the old classics, telling folks there (many of whom worked for or with the Illinois Department of Transportation) that the state doesn’t even have computers in a lot of departments.
We get that the state can sometimes be behind the times on its technology, but not having any computers seems … unusual.
As we’ve said, he’s offered up similar versions of this tale before, never with any specific example — like naming the department or agency and its union and bringing public pressure to bear.
So, we asked him Tuesday after his remarks which ones he was talking about.
His answer? “Haha. So, because it’s a negotiation with some of the unions, I don’t want to get into too much publicly. I’ll be walking through that list at the right time, but not right now.”
(Political columnist and blogger Rich Miller has noted several times that such a laugh at the beginning is a Rauner “tell” before a statement that may not exactly be accurate.)
But, as Rauner related it, the employees said [digitization] wasn’t possible. Why? Because — wait for it now — the unions won’t allow it. Specifically, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. […]
“The governor used this as an example of state government that can be streamlined and made more efficient to save money, which could then go to the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “The project the governor mentioned is in the works, so it would be premature to provide additional details because they are in the early stages of development.”
An AFSCME spokesperson said at the time that there was no such union work rule.
“Come on, guys, I heard they invented computers a couple years ago,” Rauner recalled saying. “We could actually digitize this. And they said, ‘Oh, you’d have to get permission from AFSCME.’ … I said, ‘C’mon.’” […]
I asked the Rauner administration this week if the stories were about the same visit, and if they would identify the agency. Rauner spokeswoman RACHEL BOLD did not specifically answer — instead saying the governor’s streamlining efforts “go far beyond any single agency,” and she mentioned three agencies, including the Department of Public Health, where she said “84 percent of plumbing professionals are now renewing their license online.”
Lindall was skeptical then and remains so. “Bruce Rauner lies regularly and repeats lies even when he’s been caught,” Lindall said. “I can’t imagine what he was talking about, then or now, and highly doubt it ever happened. In any event, nothing in the union contract prevents the state from purchasing computers, and it does so routinely without our knowledge or approval.”
Environmental advocates on Monday told a state panel that a Rauner administration plan to change pollution rate limits for Illinois coal power plants would create health risks.
Behind the push is Dynegy Inc., which operates eight plants in central and southern Illinois. Officials with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency say changing state regulations would help keep the financially challenged coal plants running. Agency Director Alec Messina has said new state pollution standards could actually have environmental benefits and would still be tougher than those imposed by the federal government.
Opponents contend the changes would allow Houston-based Dynegy to ramp up energy production at its older and dirtier plants for the sake of increasing its bottom line.
* Dynegy Illinois Inc (NYSE:DYN) Q4 2017 Sentiment Report: Ratings analysis reveals 57% of Dynegy Inc’s analysts are positive. Out of 7 Wall Street analysts rating Dynegy Inc, 4 give it “Buy”, 0 “Sell” rating, while 3 recommend “Hold”.
* Keep those downstate coal plants open? Buyer may have other ideas: Another issue undermining Dynegy’s case for looser environmental restrictions is that its downstate Illinois operations remain profitable on a cash-flow basis. Company executives have told the Illinois Pollution Control Board that downstate Illinois is posting operating losses. That’s true on paper, but it’s only because Dynegy has written down the value of its plants to the tune of nearly $900 million in the past two years. Those are noncash write-downs. Leave those out, and downstate has produced free cash flow of more than $100 million in each of the past two years, according to Securities & Exchange Commission filings. … The new rules would instead set a hard ceiling on the fleet’s total emissions for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in a year. The cap would be well above what those plants have emitted annually in recent years. Additionally, the ceiling wouldn’t account for the closure of any plants, so the operator conceivably could comply just by closing some plants.
* State EPA suffering from lack of staff: If the trend continues, they fear people will pay the price. One issue coming to a head at the EPA emissions standards, right now gas and coal company, Dynegy, which was recently bought by larger company, Vistra, out of Texas, is battling environmentalists over emission changes. The agency and Vistra say their proposal will strengthen environmental projections with stricter standards. But, others say the changes will allow for more pollution and puts public health at risk. The board held its third public hearing Monday. A decision will likely be made by June.
* Guest View: Our families can’t afford clean air rollbacks: Dynegy, Illinois’ largest producer of coal-fired electricity, now wants to weaken these common-sense standards so it can make more money. For the past year, the company has been working with the Illinois EPA to rewrite the limits, and the proposed changes would allow Dynegy’s fleet to pollute nearly double the sulfur dioxide and nearly 80 percent more nitrogen oxide than the company emitted in 2016.
* Spotlight: Dynegy’s perspective: New pollution controls make sense for Illinois: This change is needed. Since the rules were adopted more than a decade ago, the downstate generation profile has changed significantly due to reduced power prices, unit retirements and other factors. Today, under the current rules, we’re often forced to operate plants in a manner that loses money and creates more emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions. Contrary to what environmental group opponents say, the new rule would result in lower allowable emissions from the combined group of plants, with a hard cap on sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions that would be significantly below what the plants are currently allowed to emit. In some cases, plant-specific SO2 and NOx limits would be introduced. And national air quality standards that protect public health and the environment would continue to be in effect.
* Illinois’ only national scenic river named one of the most threatened waterways in US: Orange- and purple-hued muck often can be seen leaching from the banks of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River as it meanders past a shuttered Dynegy coal plant near Oakwood, about 25 miles east of Urbana. The pollution problems led the nonprofit group American Rivers to list the stream as one of America’s most endangered rivers, adding another voice to local and national efforts intended to pressure Dynegy’s new owners to clean up the site.
* Scott Kennedy makes my life so much easier with these tweets. Take notice of the cash on hand, although it’s a sure bet that Gov. Rauner will weigh in heavily for Erika Harold and perhaps others. Nobody knows yet what JB Pritzker plans to do to help these statewide nominees…
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner spent over four times more than state Rep. Jeanne Ives in the months before his narrow primary victory on March 20.
The first-term governor spent about $17.7 million in the first quarter, according to campaign records filed late Monday. That’s compared with about $4.3 million spent by Ives, who lost by just three percentage points.
And Democrat J.B. Pritzker spent nearly double what Rauner did, reporting $34 million in expenses this year, far more than state Sen. Daniel Biss’ $5.8 million and Kenilworth businessman Chris Kennedy’s $3.9 million.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner dished out more than $63 million, and Democratic J.B. Pritzker spent $68 million, from Dec. 2016 until the end of March, according to expenditures filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
That’s $176 per vote for Rauner, and $119 for Pritzker.
Adding in the money shelled out by Rauner’s and Pritzker’s primary rivals, and the spending tops $150 million.
It’s more proof that the Illinois governor’s race is already living up to expectations that it will break a record $280 million spent in California’s 2010 gubernatorial race — and candidates have already raised more than those candidates did during that cycle.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it will not hear former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s appeal, marking the end of a decadelong legal road and virtually guaranteeing he will remain in prison until 2024 barring a presidential pardon or commutation.
A Monday statement from Patti Blagojevich says she understands “the judiciary” is “no longer an option” for winning her 61-year-old husband’s release. […]
With legal avenues closed, Blagojevich’s wife says they’ll have to put their “faith elsewhere and find another way.”
Following the Supreme Court decision, Mrs. Blagojevich early Monday declined interview requests. A spokesperson for a public relations firm retained by the Blagojevich family asked that news organizations “respect her privacy.” Then on Monday night, she showed up live on a Fox News national show to lobby President Trump, a regular Fox viewer, for her husband’s freedom.
Patti Blagojevich took to Fox News — the president’s favorite TV channel — on Monday night to express her disappointment in the ruling.
But she sidestepped the chance to make a direct appeal to Trump when host Tucker Carlson asked her to make her “pitch” for a presidential pardon.
“We were so disappointed today that the Supreme did not decide to take up our case and end this very dangerous conflict in we have now in the law,” Patti Blagojevich said.
“This is dangerous because it allows the FBI and power-hungry, overzealous prosecutors like [former Chicago U.S. Attorney] Patrick Fitzgerald to go after anyone that they don’t like. just because that person might be unpopular or controversial.”
In some ways, this couldn’t be better timing for the Blagojeviches to tap into Trump’s fury with the FBI and federal prosecutors. Patti Blagojevich’s words on FOX came on the same day Trump attorney Michael Cohen appeared in court and just as former FBI Director James Comey embarks on a media blitz blasting Trump as morally corrupt. Trump knows the former governor, having had Blagojevich as a guest on “Celebrity Apprentice” before the 2010 federal trial.
While on FOX, Mrs. Blagojevich took great care to make clear that the U.S. Attorney in her husband’s case, Patrick Fitzgerald, was the same person who prosecuted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. Fitzgerald was appointed special prosecutor in the leak case that resulted in Libby’s conviction. Trump pardoned Libby on Friday. “This is so dangerous because it allows the FBI and power-hungry, overzealous prosecutors like Patrick Fitzgerald who prosecuted both my husband and Scooter Libby to go after anyone that they don’t like just because they’re unpopular or controversial,” Mrs. Blagojevich said. As a side note, Patti Blagojevich also gave an interview to Larry Yellen at the local FOX32 station. Yellen said his interview took place before she appeared on Carlson’s show.
If the president wishes to help Blagojevich, he has two options for clemency.
“[Trump] can pardon [Blagojevich], which means the case is over, he gets out of jail. It doesn’t mean he’s innocent, but the case is over. Or he could commute the sentence,” CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said.
By commuting the sentence, Trump could allow Blagojevich to go free sooner than his scheduled 2024 release date.
Blagojevich is no stranger to Trump. While awaiting his corruption trial, Blagojevich was a contestant on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice reality show.
Pardoning Libby was Trump’s way of emphasizing his disdain for the current Russian-collusion investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. It also was his way, we suspect, of signaling to former aides and allies targeted by Mueller, such as his attorney Michael Cohen, that he’s ready to bail them out if they refuse to flip.
Trump is utterly transactional. He gives only to get.
And we can’t see what Blagojevich has got to trade.
