Not a good look, Rep. Mussman
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Today, three high school students testified before an Illinois House committee in favor of a ban on flavored e-cigarettes. At one point in the hearing, Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) asked what the students themselves were doing to help stop vaping at schools. Were they putting up fliers? What actions were their student councils taking? And this is Mussman’s conclusion…
I guess I’m questioning whether you’re capable of being a partner with us in trying to save your peers.
Yikes.
* Glenbard North High School student Arsema Araya responded…
I would just like to say I spent my summer with [Rep.] Deb Conroy working against this, so I think that makes me pretty dedicated. But if that isn’t enough, we have all proven that we are willing to, for lack of a better word, go against our student body and show their wrongs. … I don’t think there’s any better solution, because you guys have had time to come up with one and I haven’t seen one to make this go away.
So you’ve had your time, and now we’ve had to skip our school day to come tell you what we’ve seen in our school because nothing has been done.
Whatever you think of her position on this topic, that was a solid retort to a totally uncalled-for attack.
* Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) then stuck up for Ms. Araya and the other testifying students…
I started working at a very young age. At 21, I became the [executive director] of a non-profit, and all that people asked me was my age and questioned my capacity based on my age. And we were sometimes the most knowledgeable people because we were the most directly impacted by the issues. So I want to personally thank you and tell you just how much I appreciate that you are here. … And sometimes we just don’t listen, so we need to hear you practically drop the mic, if you’re able to drop the mic. So thank you for that.
The microphones are attached to a bendable arm, so there is no possibility of a mic-drop moment. But that’s as close to one as I’ve seen in a while.
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Question of the day
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker supports a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and is urging residents to stop vaping while authorities investigate a series of serious respiratory illnesses linked to electronic cigarette products.
Pritzker’s office issued a statement Friday in which the governor said he supported legislation in the upcoming veto session to stop the sale of flavored vaping products in the state. Flavors such as cotton candy and mango, among thousands of others, have been blamed for huge spike in the number teenagers vaping.
“There is much more research needed to understand the short and long-term health effects of using e-cigarette products,” Pritzker said in the statement. “During this investigation into recent respiratory illnesses associated with vaping, I am urging Illinoisans to avoid using these products.”
The number of those impacted by a mysterious respiratory illness linked to vaping continues to grow. As of Friday, 69 cases of have been reported in Illinois, including one fatality, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Another 13 potential cases are still under investigation. It’s unclear whether e-cigarettes containing nicotine or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, are to blame.
* Press release…
The Smoke Free Alternatives Coalition of Illinois released the following statement in response to recent proposals to ban flavored e-cigarettes statewide.
“Banning flavored vapor products would greatly hinder adult smokers’ attempts to quit traditional cigarettes. Our customers have been clear: being able to choose flavored products are crucial in helping them quit for good, and studies have shown that flavored products are directly related to the reduced smoking rate amongst adults. Instead of passing legislation that would drive adults back to traditional cigarettes, we urge lawmakers to push for solutions that would prevent youth access to these products,” said Victoria Vasconcellos, President of the Smoke Free Alternatives Coalition of Illinois.
For the past three years, the vaping industry supported a licensure bill that focused on keeping vapor products out of the hands of minors. The proposal included strict penalties for sales to minors and required proper labeling and marketing of these products.
Flavored vaping products are one of the most effective smoking cessation tools on the market. Recent studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals have found that vapor products are nearly twice as effective at helping adults quit smoking than any other nicotine replacement methods, and that users of non-tobacco and non-menthol flavors are significantly more likely to have quit smoking.
In addition to making it more difficult for the nearly 1.5 million adult smokers in Illinois to quit traditional cigarettes, such a ban would have a meaningful adverse economic impact on an industry that contributes more than 7,000 jobs and has a total economic impact of $1.1 billion on the state economy.
* The Question: Should the state ban flavored e-cigarettes? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey service
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* Background is here. From a press release…
Last Friday at 5pm, the Illinois EPA released several decisions paving the way for Sterigenics to resume emitting cancer-causing ethylene oxide into southeast DuPage and southwest Cook Counties.
It has been a tortured and tumultuous year for Willowbrook and area residents who have been fighting to prohibit further emissions into their community. In fact, in the heat of the 2018 election season, nearly a year ago to the day, Christian Mitchell, now Deputy Governor, launched a tweet as he campaigned for then-Candidate Pritzker, criticizing Governor Bruce Rauner for allowing Sterigenics to continue “pouring cancer causing pollutants into the air.” Mr. Mitchell requested at that time that members of the community affected by Sterigenics join him outside the Thompson Center for a press conference denouncing the corporate polluter and then-Gov. Rauner’s failure to act.
Now as Deputy Governor, Christian Mitchell oversees the Illinois EPA. Yet, this past Friday, Sterigenics was granted a construction permit by the IEPA which puts them on a clear path to reopening.
Citizen groups have led the charge since learning about this toxic chemical and its links to the cancer clusters in their area. Citizens continue to fight and urge the administration to leave the politics out of this issue.
After legislation passed last session, dubbed the Matt Haller Act after a local young father who died from stomach cancer believed to be caused by Sterigenics, that legislation failed to protect the local citizens (evinced by the current posture of the permit and the recent settlement reached between Sterigenics and the AG and the DuPage County State’s Attorney). For months, the citizens of the affected areas have been battered around like a political ping pong ball. Between Gov. Pritzker, Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell and local representatives including House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and State Senator John Curran, there have been countless press releases, public statements, and even letters back and forth obtained through FOIA. These communities deserve better than the current climate.
Today, residents from Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties join together with environmental and social justice organizations and challenge Governor Pritzker to stand by his commitment to pass the strictest legislation on ethylene oxide. Their bill, HB3888, filed by Representative Rita Mayfield of Waukegan and supported by a broad bi-partisan coalition of legislators, calls for the phase out of emissions for sterilization plants and hospitals, and places caps on other forms of emissions in densely populated areas and near schools.
Additionally, HB3885, filed by Leader Durkin, provides home rule municipalities with the abillity to ban ethylene oxide within their boundaries. As has been quipped, if a town can ban smoking or adult entertainment venues, it only seems fair to give towns the ability to ban a substance that their constituents see as a killer.
“Protection from toxic, cancer causing emissions is a human right. It is a protection that every resident of Illinois deserves. We call upon our leadership in the administration to pass HB3888 and HB3885 and stand with us in declaring that the health and safety of all comes first,” said Gabriela Tejeda-Rios, a member of Stop Sterigenics.
The legislation is expected to be heard during Veto session this October. The community groups plan to be in Springfield during the process to ensure their voices are heard, even late on a Friday night.
As I told subscribers this morning, the tactic worked. Nobody covered the IEPA permit decision.
* Related…
* Suburban lawmakers back bill to limit use of cancer-causing gas
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* Mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot answered “Yes” to this Active Transportation Alliance question during the campaign…
The Metra Electric District line connects people to jobs and opportunity all along Chicago’s South Lakefront and into the South Suburbs. Currently, outside of rush hour Metra Electric trains run only once per hour south of 63rd Street, where many of the region’s most economically depressed are located. Do you support increasing the frequency of Metra Electric trains (every 15 minutes or less) on the full Metra Electric District line, with a discounted fare transfer to CTA buses?
* But now…
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle cemented a [three-year pilot] plan to lower fares and increase service on both the Metra Electric and Rock Island train lines at the center of a racial equity agenda presented to the City Club of Chicago earlier this week — saying the effort would help ensure South Side and south suburban residents have better access to transit. […]
Lightfoot’s not convinced. The fare reduction plan would have “a dramatic effect” on the Chicago Transit Authority, the mayor told reporters Wednesday.
“I’m not in favor of it based upon the analysis that we’ve done,” Lightfoot said. “I’ve spent some time talking with (CTA President) Dorval Carter about it, and it looks like it is essentially a transfer of CTA passengers to the Metra line.
* The Active Transportation Alliance is not happy…
Yesterday Active Trans spokesman Kyle Whitehead criticized Lightfoot’s position in a statement. “The region has come too far with this plan for it to fall apart at this stage,” he said. “Politics and inter-agency competition shouldn’t get in the way of delivering better transit service to the people of Chicago’s South Side and South Suburbs.”
“Southland residents are better served by fast, frequent, and affordable Metra Electric service than buses that aren’t given any priority on city streets,” Whitehead added. “Leaders are working to reverse bus ridership declines with upgrades like bus lanes and traffic signal priority, but we’re a long way from system-wide improvement. This Metra Electric pilot can deliver benefits now.”
There are lots of reason why if, assuming the initiative results in more convenient, shorter, and more affordable transit trips for South Side and Southland residents, including many lower-income and working class people, it shouldn’t matter whether the CTA loses ridership. For example, as it stands many South Siders currently opt to ride buses to the Red Line to get downtown, rather that take much faster, more direct Metra trips, due to cost and schedule issues. That’s a major waste of their time, and it makes it more difficult for them to access job and education opportunities in other parts of the city.
And if the CTA loses lots of bus riders because of the shift, it’s a relatively simple matter to move buses around.
* Greg Hinz…
A similar test has worked well at New York’s Long Island Railway, says [Preckwinkle transportation chief John Yohan]. Even if people only go downtown to transfer to get to jobs elsewhere, “let’s give it a try. Fixing the public transit we have is the top priority for this region,” he says, and that means getting Metra and Pace and the CTA together. […]
Chicago is one region. Can we finally end the mayoral campaign?
* Related…
* Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to co-host Cook County Democratic Party fundraiser with board President Toni Preckwinkle
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Good reads
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back when I had interns, we’d have a general news roundup every morning. I don’t do that any longer, but here are a few stories that I’ve read but decided not to blog about for one reason or the other…
* In a highly unusual move, former Gov. Pat Quinn has been subpoenaed to testify about a commutation: Lawyers for 11 former police officers accused of violating Hood and Washington’s rights are seeking Quinn’s testimony at a deposition and documents related to his decision, a move they argue is essential to defending their clients against false claims.
* When the felony murder rule looms overhead, a plea deal isn’t always a lifeline: But after more than 11 years behind bars, Moore wants out. He has petitioned Gov. J.B. Pritzker for clemency, claiming that the fear of a felony murder conviction led him to plead to two crimes he did not commit.
* Bike tickets drop citywide — but most are still issued in majority black areas
* Prime lakefront real estate—that seems impossible to fill: Boat trailers, new-car fleets, urban farms, self-storage: These are just some of the ways this firm is trying to fill thousands of square feet of unused space in the garages beneath Millennium Park.
* There’s a new section of riverfront that’s beautiful — and hidden. Here’s how to find it: Before its construction, the vacant space along the water had been occupied by the tents of a homeless encampment.
* Will County’s warehousing boom comes at a price: Lower-wage distribution jobs fill the gap left by factory closures.
* Sterigenics, Vantage, Medline and more: Ethylene Oxide fight looms this fall. Here’s what you need to know.
* Lawmakers: SIU ‘test case’ for stricter presidential severance laws: “What governing boards are saying is … we have to give tenure otherwise they won’t come,” Finkelstein said. “That may be true. It’s certainly been the practice across the country, but is it good public policy? There are no other public executives in any state that get tenure. ”
* Enrollment Exodus: How Private Colleges and Universities Are Meeting Enrollment Challenges
* Google Claims ‘Quantum Supremacy,’ Marking a Major Milestone in Computing
See any other good stories lately?
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* The Hill looks at Congressman Dan Lipinski’s Democratic primary bid against progressive Marie Newman, among others…
Lipinski is no stranger to either primary challenges or opposition from sitting Democrats. In last year’s primary, two veteran Illinois Democrats — Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutiérrez — bucked their colleague to endorse Newman.
In what might be a sign of shifting political dynamics in a presidential cycle, however, Schakowsky has so far declined to pick a side in this year’s contest. And Rep. Jesús Garcia (D-Ill.), a liberal freshman who replaced the retired Gutiérrez, said he’s “not in a hurry” to jump into the race — and suggested he won’t do so.
“I serve with him on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and at least three subcommittees,” Garcia said of Lipinski, “so I really haven’t given that much thought.” […]
“I know Marie and like Marie, but there’s also something to the fact that [Lipinski’s] a current member and that mutual respect,” Rep. Robin Kelly, another progressive Illinois Democrat, told The Hill. “I don’t agree with all of his stances, but you know how you respect the office, like we say about the president?”
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Looking on the bright side
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Elena Ferrarin at the Daily Herald…
Discussions about whether to allow recreational marijuana sales in the suburbs have ramped up in the last two weeks, and more suburbs are leaning in favor after early negativity this summer.
Elburn has voted to allow marijuana sales, and village boards in South Elgin, Pingree Grove and East Dundee plan to do the same after they decide on zoning regulations.
Arlington Heights, Elgin, Buffalo Grove, Lake in the Hills, St. Charles, Bartlett, Lombard, North Aurora, Island Lake and Wauconda have leaned toward “yes” to sales in their discussions so far. […]
There’s also the question of whether to allow marijuana “lounges,” or places where people can consume marijuana on premises. Elgin and South Elgin don’t want lounges, but East Dundee is OK with them.
* As subscribers already know, a veto session trailer bill will likely be narrow and technical in nature…
[Sen. Heather Steans, Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell and Sen. Jason Barickman] were in general agreement that “the law is the law,” and any other language involved in a trailer bill would be mostly technical in nature. For Mitchell, that means “not relitigating” issues already decided in the initial passage of the bill.
The deputy governor added industry concerns regarding advanced licenses for some existing medicinal marijuana dispensaries were clearly addressed in existing legislation. Mitchell also said concerns raised by municipalities regarding the enforcement of home-grown marijuana plants, which medicinal patients are legally allowed to possess, were also unlikely to be addressed in a trailer bill.
“What we have said to everyone is that the trailer bill for veto is going to be highly technical stuff that needs to change in order to ensure a smooth roll into January 1, (2020). It is not a forum to relitigate issues on which folks lost out negotiations,” he said.
* Bruce Rushton recently visited his father in Tacoma, Washington and filed this report…
The surest sign that pot is here to stay came when I spotted a flier at my father’s house advertising a medical marijuana tour that included lunch and a 10 percent discount for ladies. My father will be 86 on Sunday.
Instantly, I suspected dope pushers at the local senior center, and, sure enough, I was right. It turns out that the Tacoma parks department, which purports to care about old people, organizes annual tours of pot shops aimed at folks like my dad, who could just as easily could be your grandfather.
When she isn’t taking seniors to pot parlors, Bonnie Elliser, Fifty And Better recreation specialist for Metro Parks Tacoma, told me that she sets up bingo games as well as classes on jewelry making and painting and how to negotiate Medicare. The annual marijuana tour, she says, was a case of being asked by seniors she sees on a regular basis. “They didn’t want to go on their own,” Elliser tells me. “They just felt uncomfortable. There are a few that do have medical marijuana cards. The majority just want to get rid of their aches and pains.” Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked for my dad, who remains a poster child for proper Oxycodone use.
* Make that money…
The historic hub of black culture on the south side of Chicago called Bronzeville bears the marks of disinvestment, white flight and redlining common to many of the city’s black-majority neighborhoods.
Along the expansive South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, lines of greystones alternate in and out of disrepair, and many of the district’s blocks that were once home to vibrant institutions — earning it the name “Black Metropolis” — are now mottled with overgrown, vacant lots. A census tract within the area is one of the poorest in the city.
But for Seke Ballard and Seun Adedeji, the area is ripe for reinvestment because — not in spite — of it being disadvantaged.
In late June, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law legalizing the recreational use of cannabis that lowers the barrier of entry to the industry for places like Bronzeville and its residents who have been disproportionately harmed by past cannabis laws and poverty. It takes effect Jan. 1.
* More money…
Come Jan. 1, it will be legal to purchase and possess recreational marijuana in Illinois. And as the new year gets closer, several Chicago cannabis startups are beginning to imagine what the future holds for them under the new law. […]
Chicago startup Fyllo recently raised $16 million to grow its business, which helps cannabis companies deliver ad campaigns that are compliant with state and federal regulations.
Other Chicago cannabis startups whose business is likely to grow once recreational marijuana is legalized in Illinois include CannaFundr, an online investment marketplace for companies in the weed industry, and Leaf Trade, a B2B SaaS enterprise software startup for cannabis companies.
“[Legalizing recreational marijuana] is going to be great for not only the individuals, but the small businesses,” said Gavin of CannaTrac. “These [companies] are going to have the ability to do stuff that they couldn’t before. They’ve been waiting a really long time to make money.”
* Related…
* Free marijuana conviction expungement clinic, job fair happening Sunday
* At Issue: Growing Demand For Drug-Case Expungements
* As marijuana legalization nears, those who left crime behind hope to clear their records: The governor’s office estimated that roughly 700,000 criminal cases could be cleared, making it easier for those people to get jobs and housing. Any cases associated with a violent crime would not be eligible.
* Pittsfield council approves 3% cannabis tax: “Whether we allow it to be sold here or not, somebody is going to allow it, and somebody is going to be selling it,” [Pittsfield Mayor John Hayden] said. “It is still going to end up here. We might as well benefit from the sale of it.”
* Chicago’s 11 Weed Dispensaries Wouldn’t Need New Permit To Sell Recreational Pot Jan. 1 Under Mayor’s Plan
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* Mark Maxwell…
Sarah Frey, a family pumpkin farmer whose distribution deal with Walmart propelled her company to nationwide fame and impressed the likes of academic experts at Harvard Business School, is quietly growing support in the early stages of a 2020 primary contest to replace outgoing U.S. Representative John Shimkus in the 15th Congressional District.
Republicans in Washington, D.C., are “looking for a woman in that seat,” according to two sources close to the party’s effort to recruit candidates for the open seat. The focus on recruiting a female candidate could help the Illinois GOP address a gender deficit on Capitol Hill. All five Republicans currently serving in Illinois’ Congressional delegation are men.
The push to recruit a female could also be interpreted as an early snub to State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville), who has not yet officially announced a campaign, but immediately started seeking support from state party officials after Rep. Shimkus announced he would not seek re-election.
From a 2015 Huffington Post profile…
Sarah was raised on a small, 100-acre farm in southern Illinois, where at age eight, she and her mother would buy watermelons from local farmers and then go store-to-store, making deliveries to local grocers during the summer. At age 16, Sarah bought a truck and took over the distribution, and it wasn’t long before she grew the client list from 12 stores to more than 150. In fact, she purchased the family business when she was 18 years old. […]
Tsamma (pronounced Sah-Mah), is the first and only bottled watermelon juice produced in the U.S. Sarah created Tsamma after noticing a gap in the variety of flavored juice and sports drinks offered to consumers. Seizing the opportunity to fill a market void, Sarah launched Tsamma in June 2014 and within two months secured product distribution to more than 1,500 stores nationwide.
According to the New York Times, she also grows more pumpkins than anyone else in the country. Sen. Plummer could have his work cut out for him if they both decide to run.
* Meanwhile, Cal Skinner reports on a new poll from the Evelyn Sanguinetti congressional campaign…
The first [push question] had to do with Sanguinett’s Hispanic background and her being the first such Lieutenent Governor in the United States.
The second claimed that Sanguinetti “spent ten years fighting Mike Madigan,” while (apparently because of contributions from the same union source) Jeanne Ives “is Mike Madigan’s favorite Republican.”
Bruce Rauner, you will recall, used that exact same attack on Ives during the 2018 primary.
* Speaking of Ives…
Jeanne Ives, Republican Candidate for Congress (IL-6), has been endorsed by the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund.
The SBA List, which is nearly a million members strong, supports candidates committed to defending life at all stages and to promotion laws that save lives.
The SBA List described Ives as “a bold pro-life leader who will fight to protect unborn children in Congress,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Illinois recently passed one of the most extreme abortion laws in the country – legalizing abortion up to the moment of birth, allowing non- doctors to perform abortions, and even repealing the state’s ban on gruesome partial-birth abortions. As a state legislator, Jeanne worked hard to oppose laws forcing taxpayers to fun abortion. Illinois citizens deserve a passionate pro-life advocate like Jeanne will stand up to the extreme abortion lobby in Washington.”
* Related…
* Trump’s takeover of GOP forces many House Republicans to head for the exits: Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), another retiring member, declined to say whether he had any problems with Trump. “The president is the de facto head of the party by definition, but the party for me is less government, individual responsibility, lower taxes, more personal freedoms and liberties,” he said. “People come and go. Personalities are personalities,” he added.
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Sen. McGuire won’t run again
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Sen. Pat McGuire (D-Joliet)…
Good morning.
I will not run for re-election in 2020. I will serve out my current term which ends in January 2021.
Representing the people of District 43 is an honor. We have accomplished a lot, and I look forward to accomplishing more in the next 15 months.
Sincerely,
Pat McGuire
McGuire took office in 2012 and now chairs the Senate Higher Education Committee. On a personal note, Pat knows more about music than just about anyone I know.
McGuire becomes the second Democratic Will County state Senator to forgo a reelection bid. Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant is giving up her seat to run for Will County Executive.
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* Shelly Palmer…
AI is empowering each candidate to present themselves as if that candidate were speaking to us one-on-one. This has always been possible in small groups or at political rallies. But no politician in history has had the ability to speak to every individual voter one-on-one. Human politicians still can’t, but their AI-generated political avatars can. And frighteningly, these AI-generated political avatars know more about our real hopes and dreams than any human candidate ever could. […]
Whenever you interact with an app (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google) or website or any other online data aggregator (Nest, Alexa, Waze, your smartphone), you are creating two sets of data. The first set of data is the data required to enable the technology you are using to work. This might include the location of your device, if you’re using Waze or your smartphone. Or the current temperature of your home, if you’re using a Nest thermostat. Or what you are interested in at the moment, if you are using Facebook, Amazon, Google, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
But you also create a second set of data. Sometimes referred to as “surplus data,” these data are not specifically required to achieve your immediate objective – for example, your location when you tap a like button, or the time of day you are usually in your home when you adjust your thermostat, or the kinds of images that get your attention when you stop scrolling on a social network.
Surplus data are collected with the explicit purpose of improving the engineering of bespoke online environments and messaging that you will find irresistible. Said differently, these are the data used by algorithms to feed your social media addiction. […]
To customize messaging for multi-issue voters, behavioral data are fed into algorithms designed to score those behaviors and then predict what attributes should be crafted into the customized persona of the particular candidate. You can call it “pandering at scale.” While this technology is table stakes in best practices digital advertising, dynamic apps, and websites, it is relatively new for politicians. They may be late to the game, but they are now using the schooling they received in 2016, and we’re about to get an up close and personal view of the unintended consequences of the lessons learned.
Go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* New Illinois Law for AI in Job Interviews: The Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, House Bill 2557, requires companies to notify the applicant when the system is being used, explain how the AI works, get permission from the applicant, limit distribution of the video to people involved with the process and to destroy the video after 30 days.
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Here we go again
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* August 21 Sun-Times story…
A coalition of mayors from mostly African American south suburbs are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reconsider a key portion of the state’s new gambling law, which they say gives the house edge to owners of a combination horse racetrack-casino over majority-black towns vying for a separate casino license nearby.
Not only would the two new full-blown gambling dens compete with one another for customers in a saturated suburban market, but the law also potentially allows the racino owners to block a traditional casino from setting up shop in the first place. That “11th hour” provision to the gaming bill only benefits “a wealthy, white track owner,” according to Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin.
First of all, the south suburbs isn’t currently saturated with casinos. The south suburbs have been trying for years to get a casino, now they’re getting two and possibly a third in the form of a racino.
And as I told you then, this criticism was based on a misreading of the new state law. The statute only allows current track owners to veto the location of a new racino, not the south suburban casinos. The Matteson mayor even acknowledged her mistake to the Sun-Times in a follow-up article…
The Matteson mayor acknowledged the misreading, saying she and other south suburban leaders have since “gotten some clarification on that” from state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, an architect of the casino expansion.
* And then the Matteson mayor and others held a press conference over the weekend to repeat their initially false claims…
A group of south suburban mayors claims the recently passed gaming bill has a bias against their communities.
Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin said south suburbs are being short-changed in their effort to build a casino. […]
Chalmers-Currin said the gaming bill gives the horse racing industry full control of where any future casino will be located.
“This proposed law appears to allow two casinos, but we know this will never happen and the favored track owner will have the only gaming property in Cook County.”
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Get the money, mayor
Monday, Sep 23, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Whatever else you may believe, you have to commend Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for trying to live up to her campaign promise of making sure that new economic development isn’t concentrated in the city’s downtown business district.
Her city casino proposal didn’t include a downtown location because she said she wanted the development benefits to target an outlying area. Her adult-use cannabis plan also forbids retail sales downtown, for partially the same reason: Let the neighborhoods benefit.
No Chicago mayor since perhaps Harold Washington has made such a public priority out of spreading the wealth into the city’s neighborhoods.
The problem is not the mayor’s stated intent. The problem is how these moves are being perceived by state legislators at a crucial time in the city’s history.
The Chicago casino legislation was supposed to help the city make its pension payments. The cannabis bill was seen, partially, as a potential boon for the city’s cash-strapped budget.
Both of those industries are consumer-driven, and both have great potential for attracting tourism and commuter dollars. It’s a generally accepted fact that the more money the city can extract out of fun-seeking visitors, the better.
So at a time when the mayor is asking the state for help filling its nearly billion-dollar budget hole, it’s probably not a good idea to look like it’s leaving money on the table.
I don’t think anyone would dispute that a downtown casino would rake in more money than one in a neighborhood — any neighborhood. And convincing tourists to leave the area near their hotels for the still-uncommon opportunity to purchase and consume legal cannabis products won’t be nearly as successful if the shopping experience is more inconvenient.
Not to mention that a casino would be of dubious economic value to a neighborhood except for its proximity to any employees who might live nearby. Gamblers don’t usually leave until they’ve spent their money, which means they won’t be spending money outside. A casino could have the opposite effect of the mayor’s intent.
And walling off downtown to cannabis sales is a good idea only if the mayor’s real intent is to wait until the social equity participants are eventually allowed to open their shops later next year and then give them the first crack at the lucrative downtown tourism market. But it’s impossible to tell for sure if that’s what’s happening, and Lightfoot probably couldn’t admit it even if it was her intent because she’d be inviting lawsuits.
To most eyes, though, it just looks like she’s once again passing up an opportunity to snatch up tourist dollars.
It’s not that legislators don’t necessarily want to help Chicago with its budget mess (although many, if not most, don’t want to help at all), it’s that they’ve already handed the city some potentially lucrative life rafts and many of them are sitting unused. It’s human nature to be skeptical of someone asking for help when the person hasn’t taken full advantage of the assistance already given.
”I really like her, but I feel like she needs to start taking more of what’s offered,” one suburban Democratic state senator told me last week.
”We shouldn’t,” said one prominent House Democrat when I asked him if the state should help the city when it isn’t apparently maximizing the existing help that’s been offered.
”The casino has to be somewhere where tourists can easily go,” insisted one top House Republican. “I completely do not understand anybody thinking otherwise.”
I’m told the mayor has a meeting with the House’s gaming point person, Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island), in early October to talk about her veto session agenda. Among other things, she wants a lower tax rate on a casino, which is seen by some as yet another example of the city turning up its nose at revenue opportunities.
That may not be a fair assessment because the tax rate set by lawmakers is astoundingly high and a consultant hired by the state did say the rate would make it nearly impossible for an operator to earn a profit. But there’s little doubt that her stance feeds into the broader perception that the city is looking too many gift horses in the mouth.
Lightfoot’s people say she has not totally ruled out a downtown location. She should make that position better known.
Some of the criticisms may not be fair, and some may not even be accurate. But they’re impossible to escape. And you don’t want to give legislators easy excuses to vote against you.
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