In anticipation of a potential leadership change in the Lake County Democratic Party, today 101 precinct committeepeople candidates (nearly all unopposed in the March primary election) announce their commitment to support Lauren Beth Gash to lead the party. Lauren Beth Gash has now likely secured the weighted vote necessary to become the next Chair of the Lake County Democrats.
Each elected precinct committeeperson may vote for the Lake County Democratic Party Chair. Each committeeperson’s vote is weighted by the amount of votes cast in the Democratic primary election in their precinct.
The committeepeople candidates announcing their support for Gash hail from every one of Lake County’s 18 townships and include residents of the 6th, 10th and 14th Congressional Districts. These Democrats supporting Gash include significant representation of Lake County’s sizable African American, Latino and Asian communities.
Gash is now expected to be elected Chair of the Lake County Democrats during the County Convention, if a leadership change in the party does occur.
“It does not surprise me that Lauren has consolidated support from such a broad, diverse cross-section of Lake County Democrats so quickly,” said Fremont Township Democrats Chair Matt Lowry. “Under Lauren’s leadership, I am fully confident that our party will be united as we approach the critical 2020 elections.”
In addition, even more community leaders are adding their names to the list of Gash’s supporters for Lake County Democratic Chair.
“I will always be grateful for the work Lauren has done to welcome Lake County’s Muslim community into the Democratic Party’s coalition. She truly embodies the adage that ‘diversity is our strength; unity is our power’. Lauren has my strong endorsement to lead the party in the years ahead,” said Vaseem Iftekhar, founder of the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance, who also announced today his endorsement of Gash.
The current party chairman, Sen. Terry Link, has not yet said when or even if he will resign, although his resignation is expected sometime in the foreseeable future. As subscribers know, Sen. Melinda Bush has also expressed a strong interest in the position.
Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) filed an objection to the appointment for the replacement of disgraced former Rep. Luis Arroyo in the Illinois House’s 3rd District. Please find the objection attached.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s petition is misguided and further evidence of the partisan culture in Springfield that lacks solutions. While clouds of indictments and insider deals catch headlines, the real narrative here is that I am the most qualified candidate to represent the 3rd Legislative District and there was not one vote cast against my appointment. My appointment followed the law every step of the way, and I am confident that my qualifications as an attorney, community leader and experience in the public and private sectors will withstand any challenge. While this filing is disappointing, I remain focused on representing the interests of the hard working people of the district I am honored to represent.
“A clean break from the arrested legislator is required to re-establish the General Assembly’s trust with its constituents,” Durkin wrote in his letter challenging Delgado. “Had the votes of Mr. Arroyo not been part of the selection process, this appointment would not be called into question.”
In the letter, Durkin said that the appointment process that resulted in Delgado replacing Arroyo, who was hit with a federal bribery charge, “calls into question the integrity of the process and the House itself.
“The candidates who were vying to replace Rep. Arroyo and who were not chosen, were victims of a corrupt process,” Durkin wrote. […]
“The public’s distrust of its government to illegal actions of its officials hinders the ability of the government to provide the services it is constitutionally tasked with carrying out,” the letter reads. “Everything it does, even if legitimate and legal, will be viewed in a negative light should the individuals who are arrested for illegal activities have a part in the selection process.”
Despite his public statement before the selection, Madigan had been silent on the subject since. Spokesman Steve Brown said in an email Tuesday that Madigan will review Durkin’s petition “and take the appropriate action required by House rules.”
Delgado, an attorney and former Chicago Police Board member, pushed back against the idea that she was Arroyo’s choice for the position, noting that he circulated nominating petitions for another candidate.
“I wouldn’t have participated in the process if Arroyo had been involved in any way,” she said. “Part of the reason I even stepped up to do this is I didn’t want the district to go a whole year without being represented.”
Delgado said she met briefly with Madigan last week but did not discuss the possible qualifications challenge. “As far as my qualifications go, I think they stand for themselves,” she said.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I told subscribers about this earlier today, but here’s the Daily Line…
[Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville] told The Daily Line that upon reading news last week that Madigan was waiting for someone else to file a qualifications challenge to Delgado, she felt called to take action.
“Literally no one asked me to do this,” Stava-Murray said. “I did it myself and it was because if I’m a member and if I see wrongdoing, then it’s incumbent upon me to follow through and see that it’s investigated. I take ethics extremely seriously and it’s important that people can trust that their government representation is there for them and not because of a conflict of interest.”
Stava-Murray said she would be happy to work with Delgado if an investigation clears her of the cloud surrounding her appointment, and acknowledged serving her last week was “awkward,” as it was the first time the two had ever met.
Stava-Murray, who made headlines even before being sworn in as a legislator last year for vowing to vote “present” instead of voting for Madigan for House Speaker, said she served Delgado Wednesday morning as House members waited for Gov. JB Pritzker to make his State of the State address in front of the chamber.
* This is the first time a chamber has overridden a veto by Gov. JB Pritzker…
State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, released the following statement after the Illinois House overrode the governor’s veto of House Bill 3902 on Tuesday, which would protect local jobs and industries in the region and keep Illinois businesses competitive in the field of aviation repair:
“Today, the Illinois House sent a strong, bipartisan message that we value good-paying jobs in our state and will do what it takes to protect them. With major concerns about people and businesses leaving Illinois, it is our responsibility to protect industries and jobs, including the more than 3,400 jobs in aviation repair across our state.
“I came to Springfield to put local jobs, people and families over politics, even if it means standing up to a governor of my own party. While some party leaders may not have wanted me to do this, I overrode the veto of the governor because he chose to misrepresent this issue and play politics with legislation that directly impacted hundreds of local jobs in the Metro East that people depend on to support their families.” […]
Bristow sponsored House Bill 3902 which reinstates a tax credit that will allow aviation repair stations across the state to remain competitive and continue providing high paying jobs and economic growth in their communities. By overriding the governor’s veto of the bill, Illinois will once again join 36 other states with similar legislation and keep Illinois from losing businesses and jobs to neighboring states. The legislation will directly impact local businesses such as West Star Aviation in East Alton, which provides maintenance and repair services for private aircraft and employs more than 500 Metro East residents.
The billionaire governor probably couldn’t sign that bill without taking heat, even though it overwhelmingly passed both chambers with only one legislator voting against it (appointed Sen. Patrick Joyce).
The override passed 107-0 with two voting “Present,” suggesting that he didn’t work against it. The motion now moves to the Senate.
Rep. Bristow is a Tier One target and President Trump won her district by 16 points four years ago, which may help explain her rhetorical heat.
The Illinois Department of Revenue announced today it collected nearly $240 million through its tax amnesty program. Over $60 million of the funding collected through the program will go to local governments, with roughly $7.5 million going to the City of Chicago. Governor JB Pritzker proposed the amnesty program as part of last year’s budget, and the Office of Management and Budget estimated the program would recover $175 million in outstanding tax liabilities.
Although the program ended in mid-November, the department expects to verify tens of millions more towards unpaid liabilities. As of January 31, IDOR had verified $237,090,718.07 in qualified amnesty payments from 63,006 taxpayers. The department is continuing to process and certify tax amnesty payments over the next several months to ensure that the payments comply with the provisions of the program.
“The Tax Amnesty program proved to be successful, and we are pleased so many taxpayers took the opportunity to come into compliance and earn a clean slate with the state of Illinois,” said Acting IDOR Director David Harris. “Today’s announcement is further evidence that Governor Pritzker crafted a financially responsible balanced budget, and we’re pleased that a bipartisan majority agreed and moved forward with this fiscally responsible approach. Our mission at the department is to ensure all taxpayers are treated fairly. By encouraging taxpayers with liabilities to pay what they owe, we build trust in the system while raising revenues the state can use to invest in our future.”
The Illinois Tax Amnesty Program allowed qualified taxpayers to pay off any outstanding state tax liability and have corresponding penalties and interest forgiven. Eligible taxpayers would have incurred a tax liability after June 30, 2011 and before July 1, 2018. Taxpayers were required to fully pay their tax liability to participate in the program, submit original returns for any unfiled periods and amended returns for periods being adjusted. Payments for liabilities related to the business income tax, the sales tax, and the individual income tax accounted for over 90 percent of the receipts under the program.
Michael Carrigan, the former president of the Illinois AFL-CIO and Decatur city councilman, has been appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Carrigan’s natural curiosity, desire to be involved and trying new things, led to his climb up the ranks of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 146. He served as an officer, then split his time as the training coordinator for apprenticeship program and as an agent for the local, before becoming the local’s business manager in 1992.
“As an agent and business manager, I became more and more involved in going to Springfield and following the legislature and bills that affected labor and electrical industry,” Carrigan said. “That’s when I learned the in and outs of moving legislation.”
That led to Carrigan becoming secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO before being named its president in 2007. After 12 years, Carrigan retired from the union leadership post at the end of 2019.
* As most of you know by now, Carrigan’s successor at the AFL-CIO is Tim Drea. I went to college with Drea, and it occurred to me that Tim should be “honored” with a caption contest. Here you go…
Let me speak generally to the matter of Jack Franks. My interest and the interest of my office throughout has been the welfare and the privacy of the victim. And our investigation proceeded at all times at the wishes of the victim.
Early on, we notified Mr. Franks, that he should not go into the Capitol building, that he should not contact our employees. Later, we made sure that the Capitol Police knew that he should not come into the Capitol Building without an escort.
And then I was the one that called the Sangamon County State’s Attorney, advised the Sangamon County State’s Attorney that I wanted my attorney to come over and speak to him about a potential criminal event. That all happened. So my attorney and my human resources director met with the state’s attorney, the state’s attorney advised that we should work with the state police, which we did.
In terms of the matter of turning over the documents that’s a difference of opinion among lawyers. But throughout all of this, again, my interest is the welfare and the privacy of the victim.
* Madigan was then asked if Franks was such a danger that he had to be escorted by the police, why didn’t Madigan notify Franks’ constituents and colleagues about what was happening…
We are proceeding under the usual rules of these matters, which is, number one, to to protect the welfare and the privacy of the victim. And then at the appropriate time, we notified law enforcement. Once we notified law enforcement, the matter is in the hands of law enforcement.
And as I said earlier, I was the one who placed the ball at the Sangamon County State’s Attorney.
Well, again, this is a matter of a difference of opinion among lawyers, which I’m sure the lawyers will work through. So with all of that, thank you.
The GA isn’t totally exempt from FOIA. Several news organizations, you’ll recall, FOIA’d the Sandoval Statehouse search warrant from the Senate. But, yeah, it’s unusual to see MJM’s office respond to a FOIA so quickly, if at all. (Many thanks to Hannah Meisel for the audio recording.)
Federal prosecutors filed a charging document on Jan. 17 known as an information, which typically indicates that a defendant plans to plead guilty.
According to the criminal complaint, Arroyo began paying bribes in August to a state senator who has been cooperating with the feds since 2016. That senator has been a cooperating witness for the FBI even before it was revealed he had filed false income tax returns. The unnamed senator’s cooperation began again afterward, but the complaint says he has not been promised anything in exchange for working with the feds.
…Adding… And right after this, the judge adjourned…
Next status date for Arroyo is March 17. Arroyo does not have to attend.
Below is the statement of Nidia Carranza, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 3rd District, on former State Rep. Luis Arroyo’s arraignment today on bribery charges:
“It is long overdue that Luis Arroyo is brought to justice. When parents of my special needs students met with him to ask for more funding for special education, he turned on the TV to tune them out. He is a corrupt politician who underserved our community, and must be held accountable.
“But the 3rd District is not out of the woods yet. The same corrupt donors, politicians, and lobbyists who backed Arroyo have hand-picked his successor: a corporate lobbyist and People’s Gas executive who is price-gouging Chicagoans on their gas bills in the middle of winter. I denounced this rigged appointment process, but my opponent willingly accepted the tainted position and has stayed silent on the corruption and harm caused by her predecessor.
“It’s time to turn the page on corrupt insider deals. I’m running because the people of the 3rd District don’t need more pay-to-play lobbyists representing them in Springfield. They need a fighter who knows their struggles, who has a track record of fighting back, and who will work hard every day for working people.”
…Adding… Cameron has covered a lot more of these than I have, so I defer…
Disgraced ex-state rep Luis Arroyo leaves court with no comment after pleading NOT GUILTY to federal bribery charges in a criminal information, suggesting he’s co-operating with the feds. pic.twitter.com/280DRtLA49
Arroyo’s arraignment before U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger lasted roughly five minutes. Though he pleaded not guilty through his lawyer, Michael Gillespie, he also waived indictment by a grand jury that would find probable cause for the charge against him.
As the state grants more licenses this year, growers will continue scaling up. Operations such as 4Front Ventures will try to fill the maximum square footage allowed by the state, [Kris Krane, president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures] says.
Cultivation centers can grow up to 210,000 square feet of canopy space, or the amount of space dedicated to growing plants. In July, the state will award 40 licenses to “craft growers,” who can cultivate up to 5,000 square feet of canopy space.
“Grams per square foot of canopy space” is becoming the industry standard for measuring output, Krane said. 4Front Ventures has built out 14,000 square feet of its 94,000-square-foot facility near Chicago. Cultivators can produce 425 grams per square foot in 6,500 square feet of canopy space.
To meet demand, Krane said his company would need a 400,000 square-foot space.
“Nobody’s able to keep up with demand right now,” Krane said. “It’s just not possible.”
Dude is using just 15 percent of his available space and less than 7 percent of his legally allotted space and yet he’s talking pie in the sky plans about needing a space that’s more than four times as large as what he has now.
Fill up your own grow center first, my man. Then get nearer to the state max. And then maybe start talking about a need for larger options. Until that time, I don’t want to hear about it.
* I asked Joe Kienzler at the Illinois Department of Agriculture about some chatter I’d heard that growers may be deliberately not cultivating as much product as they could. Why would they do something like that? Perhaps to pressure the state into doing what Krane suggested above - and doing it before the state approves social equity applicants. Paranoia will destroy ya, so I’m not buying into that yet without some hard evidence. Here’s Kienzler’s response…
The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act allows cultivators licensed for adult use to expand from 100,000 square feet to 210,000 square feet. While most did expand in anticipation of legalization, on the whole cultivators did not expand to the full 210,000 square feet right away, in order to wait for the market to adjust to have the necessary capital to fund a full expansion.
Construction and expansion cost money. I get that. The growers should do what they can to reach the max as quickly as they can and not even mention their desire for more until they complete those basic steps. /rant
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
While chaos and uncertainty reign over Iowa, Mike’s continuing to focus on the issues that matter to the greatest number of Americans and matter to states that reflect America’s diversity.
Like building intergenerational wealth and closing the economic gap between white and black Americans.
Like tearing down decades of racist policies that prevent home ownership and access to capital to build small businesses that help communities thrive.
Like ending the gun violence, and the public health crisis that surrounds it, that disproportionately communities of color.
Like addressing deep inequities in environmental justice made worse by Trump’s EPA deregulation and improving access to clean water and air.
Like addressing disproportionate access to health care and ensuring that all families have an opportunity to flourish.
While Donald Trump spins his way through the State of the Union during black history month, Mike is barnstorming the nation visiting cities like Compton, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) launched the first annual “Makers Madness” contest, a bracket-style tournament in which voters will decide what product is the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
The competition is designed to highlight the many different products manufactured in Illinois, ranging from food products and furniture to automobiles and components for the aerospace industry. Statewide, manufacturing generates more than $304 billion in economic output, contributing 12 percent to the state’s Gross Domestic Product – the largest share of any industry in Illinois.
Nominations are now being accepted at www.makersmadnessil.com, where all voting will take place. Voting to narrow the field to the Top 16 products will begin on February 26. Weekly matchups will follow, culminating in an awards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion on April 1, when the Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be named.
“From combines and bulldozers to American flags and macaroni and cheese, Illinois manufacturers make some of the most iconic products in the nation. Manufacturers make the world a better place every single day by creating products that help feed the world, save lives, and explore planets beyond our own,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “This contest is designed to not only showcase the many amazing things made in Illinois but to also highlight the great careers available in manufacturing, ranging from product designers and robotics specialists to cyber security experts and human resources professionals.”
Manufacturers employ 592,200 women and men in Illinois at an average salary of $88,691, providing $52 billion in wages and benefits. However, the industry is facing a worker shortage and skills gap as 300,000 baby boomers are set to retire in the coming years. The IMA worked in partnership with the Governor and lawmakers last year to extend the Research & Development tax credit and establish a new apprenticeship tax credit, which will allow manufacturers to jump-start their efforts to build a pipeline of workers to help fill the next generation of manufacturing jobs.
* The Question: What is (or should be) the coolest thing made in Illinois?
Advocates continued to call for state officials to reverse the transition of 19,000 adopted children and former foster children to Medicaid managed care that took place Saturday.
The same change is set to take place in April for 17,000 current foster children.
Against this backdrop, a joint Senate panel will hear from foster and adoptive parents Tuesday morning in Springfield, as well as representatives from the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Health Care and Family Services.
The Senate Human Services Committee and the Special Committee on Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care is set for a 10:30 a.m. hearing on both this weekend’s transition and progress for the coming transition for foster kids on April 1. […]
Saturday’s transition follows criticism from the child welfare community last week after Pritzker’s State of the State address did not mention foster children or child welfare more broadly.
Kyle Hillman, the director of legislative affairs for the Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, told The Daily Line that he felt it was an extension of the “wait-and-see” approach he felt the Pritzker administration is taking on child welfare.
“I think it’s incredibly disappointing considering the amount of challenges that we’re currently having within the child welfare system, not to highlight that in the State of the State,” This is an opportunity to speak to the legislature on what their priorities need to be and I think we were incredibly disappointed that DCFS is not one of their priorities.”
* Hannah is covering the hearing…
An atty from the Cook County Public Guardian's office just testified that at least 2,500 children who are supposed to be signed up with a Medicaid managed care plan other than IlliniCare were “kicked out of the system due to a glitch" and have had no insurance since Saturday. https://t.co/fIxsCMGYxY
*** UPDATE *** OK, fine, but if the system is so good then why did that Sunday meeting even have to take place?…
A rep from the Department of Health Care and Family Services claims this was fixed on Sunday, with an emergency meeting with the CEOs of all the Medicaid managed care organizations, who committed to covering the 2,500 despite them not being fully enrolled.
* Some bizarrely false information was recently posted on the widely read Second City Cop blog…
Opening the State Constitution?
This is the first we’re hearing of this and it needs thorough researching and verification. Opening the State Constitution via a back door method which would end up screwing up all current and future pensioners:
When FOP Board Members like Donahue, continue to support their progressive political pets, like Senator Rob Martwick, they are supporting opening the Illinois Constitution. Opening the Illinois Constitution will allow these progressive politicians to change the state’s pension clause.
The FOP has continually claimed politicians like Martwick and Madigan are fighting to protect or pensions and that’s what makes them “qualified” to be recommended by our Union. Donahue has thrown 10’s of thousands of dollars of our dues, at Martwick and Madigan to “protect our pensions.”
The interesting part of this is, politicians like Martwick and Madigan have been pushing the Graduated Income Tax or also known as the Progressive Tax , since 2016. If the Graduated Income Tax passes, the Illinois State Constitution will be opened up so the wording can be amended to change the flat tax to a progressive tax. What Donahue isn’t telling the members is that while the Sate Constitution is open, to amend the tax clause, it will also be open to change the state’s pension clause. That piece of paper that states, “Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired,” is all that’s standing in the way of politicians, like Martwick, from completely gutting our pensions.
Once they get their Graduated Income Tax passed, they can use that as a back door to change our pension clause to diminish or impair our pensions. So Donahue is supporting a politician who is not interested in protecting our pensions, but is pushing to open a door for them to walk right in an take it.
So they can use the Graduated Income Tax as a crowbar to amend the Constitution to comply with the new passed law? If we’re understanding this, it would circumvent the Constitutional Convention vote that is required to be held every 20 years and endanger all pensions immediately.
That just couldn’t be more false. I don’t know how anyone could even remotely believe it. One amendment does not “open up the constitution” to further changes. If it did, the Tribune would be loving the governor’s proposal. Instead, it complains that the governor won’t also agree to a pension amendment.
Income of about $1.4 billion a year for Illinois workers would be generated if paid parental leave became law — that’s according to a report out today from a pair of Illinois think tanks.
Paid-leave legislation was introduced last year, and state Rep. Mary Flowers, a Chicago Democrat, told NPR Illinois she would introduce a version of that again this legislative session.
The report’s lead author Jill Gigstad says, “Ultimately, paid parental leave is first and foremost about the health and well-being of newborn children, adopted children and their parents. But it also has a lot of economic impact as well – positive impacts.”
The study comes from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois’ Project for Middle Class Renewal.
Last fall State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield) introduced legislation (House Bill 3940) to ban so-called “sweepstakes” machines in Illinois. The legislation was filed in the wake of revelations regarding a former House Member’s advocacy for the machines. Even though sweepstakes machines look, operate, and are marketed almost exactly like legal video gaming machines, they operate outside the strict requirements of Illinois’ video gaming law.
A growing chorus of bipartisan legislators have been pressing the case for the legislation as the concerning realities of sweepstakes machines have continued to be exposed. On Friday, Butler, joined fellow State Representatives Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), Jaime Andrade (D-Chicago) and Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego) in sending a letter to House colleagues seeking to grow the number of cosponsors to ban the machines.
The letter states:
“In many instances these machines have been known to be located in businesses which have been denied a video gaming license. These machines have been located in communities which have banned the use of video gaming machines in their towns. Sweepstakes machines are even marketed as ‘slot-style games’ offering ‘jackpots’ to players… Yet, sweepstakes machines are unregulated, the owners are not subject to background checks, and the machines do not pay state or local taxes.”
“The argument that this is corollary to winning a Big Mac in a scratch-off at McDonald’s is completely bogus,” said Butler. “It is obvious to anyone that has seen one of these ‘sweepstakes’ machines that they are clearly setup as gambling machines designed to skirt the law. I find that very concerning because it puts consumers at risk. The 2012 video gaming law was setup with important consumer protections like requiring operator background checks, limits on the number of gaming terminals and guaranteed chances for players to win to ensure they are not being cheated.”
So far, HB 3940 has 27 sponsors in the House. Butler and his fellow chief sponsors hope that number will expand further, particularly in light of recent lobbying efforts in favor of sweepstakes machines despite the scandal surrounding the machines.
That last part is true. At least one sweepstakes lobbyist was at the Statehouse last week working members.
Elements of the industry tried to bribe their way in. If that isn’t a gigantic red flag, I do not know what is. Former Rep. Luis Arroyo is being arraigned today on that alleged bribery. He’s expected to plead guilty.
An Illinois lawmaker is proposing an additional 10 percent sales tax on what she calls “assault weapons” but an advocate says her novel definition of the term would mean nearly all firearms would be hit with the tax.
A firearm sale in Illinois already includes federal taxes, state sales taxes, and local taxes. Chicago’s assesses a $25 per gun fee that’s long-faced a legal challenge.
State Sen. Ann Gillespie’s Senate Bill 2468 would impose a 10 percent retail sales tax on what she calls “assault weapons” and their magazines, which she refers to as a “large capacity ammunition feeding device” that would hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
Her definition of a qualifying gun is anything that would accept one of those magazines, something Todd Vandermyde with the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois says would encompass the broad majority of guns sold.
“Every modern handgun that’s not a revolver or a Derringer comes into play,” he said, adding that the tax would nearly immediately face a court challenge upon passage.
So if McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks was so dangerous he had to effectively be banned from the Capitol, why weren’t other officials and Franks’ constituents told?
That’s the most prominent but by no means the only question in the wake of the remarkable news over the weekend that Franks, who was a Democratic state representative before getting the McHenry job, is the subject of a probe of sexual harassment and stalking being conducted by Illinois State Police. […]
Among those not in the know was House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, whose spokeswoman confirms that the House’s official opposition chief “had no idea” and is “as shocked as anybody else.”
When I asked Madigan spokesman Steve Brown why all of this was kept quiet, he replied, “The first thing we were trying to do is protect the privacy of the individual” as well as protect her physical safety. “I think the actions we took were the appropriate actions,” Brown said.
* An area Senator is also concerned about how the allegations were kept secret during the investigation…
As a representative of McHenry County, I am concerned that the lack of transparency from the Speaker's office has put at risk the safety of my constituents. The situation needs to be fully investigated. https://t.co/Sk9k36yVkl
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney said House Speaker Michael Madigan ignored a nondisclosure order contained in the search warrant served on Madigan’s office last week seeking information related to sexual harassment allegations involving a former state lawmaker. […]
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright on Monday requested the case be under seal moving forward. […]
In the filing, Wright said the warrant “contained an explicit order that the ‘issuance and execution of this Search Warrant shall not (in bold) be disclosed and that any such disclosure could impede the investigation being conducted and thereby interfere with enforcement of the law.’ ”
“The January 29 Order of nondisclosure was entered to preserve the integrity of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Illinois State Police … and to protect the rights of any suspects and victims,” the filing said.
“ISP Investigators state that they repeatedly instructed recipients of the Search Warrant that the January 29 Order prohibited disclosure,” Wright said in the filing. “Nevertheless, the recipients of the Search Warrant disclosed the Search Warrant on January 31, 2020, in response to a Freedom of Information Act … request received on that same date.”
“Despite the plain language of the Court’s January 29 Order, the recipients disclosed the Search Warrant although they were not otherwise required to make such disclosure,” the filing said. “Immediate public access is not presumed until after return is made to the Court and filed with the Circuit Clerk.”
Before knowing the extent of Iowa’s debacle, Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted that Illinois should be first to hold a Democratic primary. “If you’re looking for a state whose people represent the diversity of America, look no further than Illinois. It’s time for the most representative state in the country to be the first in the nation.” He linked to a 2016 NPR story that lists Illinois as “the perfect state” to host the first Democratic presidential contest.
We spoke to Anne Caprara, Pritzker’s chief of staff, late last night — given she knows something about waiting on Iowa. In 2016, Caprara worked for Priorities USA, Hillary Clinton’s super PAC. “I remember that that result went late into the night and it was a very close win by Hillary. So, I think there was a general sense coming out of Iowa that nothing had been decided,” she told Playbook.
And we can say the same today. Like her current boss, Caprara sees Illinois as being a better fit for the Democrats’ first foray into presidential primaries. “We are the most representative of the rest of the country. We have a rural population, urban population and representation of literally every ethnic group in the country and all sorts of business and manufacturing. It makes sense that Illinois should help decide who the Democratic nominee is.”
…Adding… Caskey had some pretty funny insights into this topic last night. A sample from his thread…
America you think Iowa has mess? This is just a stupid app crashing. Chicago will BRING IT. Republicans will love to scream about us. You get every race on the planet to court. At LEAST three people will get caught buying votes with beer. And we have legal weed!
The Illinois State Board of Elections [yesterday] notified 59 local election authorities that 774 former inmates of the Illinois Department of Corrections may have had their voter registrations erroneously canceled due to a data-matching error involving both agencies.
Matching based on information forwarded to the State Board of Elections incorrectly categorized the individuals as currently incarcerated when in fact they had completed their sentences and been discharged. The State Board of Elections has worked directly with the Illinois Department of Corrections to identify the affected individuals, whose records were among more than 126,000 shared between the two agencies between 2014 and 2019.
Under Illinois law, voting rights are suspended during an inmate’s period of incarceration but are restored upon release, though the individual must re-register to vote. This includes those who are released on parole, on mandatory supervised release and on condition of electronic monitoring.
The Board of Elections has provided each election authority with voter information on the affected individuals so that their registrations can be reviewed for reinstatement by the start of early voting on Feb. 6. It is possible that some of the cancellations are for reasons unrelated to this data error and known only to the local election authority.
The Board of Elections and Department of Corrections are committed to ensuring this does not happen again. Both agencies are currently revising their data sharing agreement and matching parameters to avoid this error in future data exchanges. Upon identifying the potential problem in November 2019, the Board ceased sharing IDOC matches with local election authorities and began the process of identifying individuals who may have been affected by the error. Because Illinois allows for voter registration on Election Day and the casting of provisional ballots for those whose registration status is in question, the affected registrants would have had the opportunity to re-register and/or cast provisional ballots at their polling places if they wished to vote in an election after the error occurred.
It’s just the latest voter registration-related headache for the state.
Late last month, Republicans and some Democrats called for an investigation into how 545 self-identified non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote as part of the Illinois’ automatic voter registration program. And last week, the Illinois secretary of state was told to stop allowing 16-year-olds to start the voter registration process.
Despite the series of gaffes, voters shouldn’t be concerned about the integrity of the state’s voter registration system, Dietrich said.
”The earlier issue with [automatic voter registration] has been fixed — we know that we’ve tested it we’re continuing to monitor it,” Dietrich said. “This is something that’s different, this had nothing to do with the voter registration process, it had to do with our mistake that may have led to these jurisdictions cancelling registrations who should not have had their registrations cancelled.”
Theresa Eagleson, Director
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Marc Smith, Director
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Re: MCO Train Wreck
Dear Directors Eagleson and Smith:
My staff spent the day dealing with a deluge of inquiries and problems due to Illinois’ decision to precipitously dump 19,000 children into the MCO plan on Saturday despite knowing perfectly well what a train wreck it is. A few of the issues include:
• An MCO insisting to two different sets of adoptive parents that the plan’s “member” is the child (the child of one family is 9 and the child of the other child is 2) and that the MCO can only deal directly with the member unless the member signs a power of attorney. The MCO offered to mail form powers of attorneys to the “members” to sign so that the adoptive parents could access medical care for their young children.
• A 14-year-old adopted girl needed seizure medicine and her pharmacy wouldn’t take her card and couldn’t tell her adoptive parents where to go or what to do.
• The two adopted children of a woman got sick over the weekend and she has been trying to take them to a doctor today but no one is taking her card and she’s been getting the runaround.
• Adoptive parents trying to buy feeding tubes and other critical medical supplies for their adopted children.
These are just a sampling of the calls we have received today. I don’t want to be dramatic, but Illinois is going to end up with a dead child over the decision to prematurely dump all of these children in the MCO plan before all of these problems have been worked out. I implore that former youth in care be extended until April, as Illinois has already done for current youth in care.
Following reports of his alleged involvement in criminal activity, SafeSpeed, LLC terminated Omar Maani’s ownership interest in and association with the company, Sunday, February 2. Omar Maani did not and will not receive any money from the company as part of this process. The company does not believe Omar Maani should profit in any way from his alleged criminal behavior.
Until the reporting of events related to the federal criminal investigation last week, SafeSpeed did not know about the payment of government funds totaling $70,000 by Mr. Maani to Senator Sandoval and had no knowledge of the government’s use of SafeSpeed to further its investigation. That conduct did not benefit SafeSpeed; in fact, the alleged criminality of Mr. Maani and Senator Sandoval has caused significant harm to SafeSpeed’s business and its reputation. Mr. Maani’s alleged criminal activity was done without the Company’s authority; his alleged criminal actions violate every trust the Company placed in him, and contradict and undercut the company’s important work with local municipalities to promote traffic safety and save lives.
While Mr. Maani held a minority ownership interest in SafeSpeed, he has not been active in the Company’s business’s management or operations for more than a year.
To be clear, Omar Maani’s alleged criminality does not reflect the values and integrity of SafeSpeed and its employees—the people who work hard at the company every day and are invested in its success and integrity.
SafeSpeed applauds the government for rooting out corruption. We stand resolute in our commitment to continue to serve Illinois municipalities with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to the law.
The politically connected red-light camera company at the center of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s brazen bribery scheme has been hit along with Sandoval and several suburban officials with a federal racketeering lawsuit.
The lawsuit targets SafeSpeed LLC as well as Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, his chief of staff Patrick Doherty, former Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci, Alsip Mayor John Ryan and Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez.
Other defendants include Oakbrook Terrace, former Chicago Deputy Aviation Commissioner Bill Helm, former Justice police chief Robert Gedville, Worth Township Supervisor John O’Sullivan, former state Rep. Michael Carberry, Summit Police Chief John Kosmowski and Bill Mundy, head of public works in Summit.
Finally, the lawsuit names SafeSpeed co-founders Nikki Zollar and Chris Lai, as well as SafeSpeed stakeholders Omar Maani and Khalid “Cliff” Maani.
This is the same plaintiff who is suing because he didn’t get a job at PACE allegedly because of Sandoval. The suit is here.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has announced that statewide adult-use cannabis sales in January totaled $39,247,840.83. Dispensaries across the state sold 972,045 items over the 31-day period. Sales to Illinois residents totaled $30,611,632.22, while sales to out-of-state residents totaled $8,636,208.61. A portion of every cannabis sale will be reinvested in communities harmed most by the failed war on drugs.
“The successful launch of the Illinois’ legal cannabis industry represents new opportunities for entrepreneurs and the very communities that have historically been harmed by the failed war on drugs,” said Toi Hutchinson, Senior Advisor for Cannabis Control to Gov. Pritzker. “The administration is dedicated to providing multiple points of entry into this new industry, from dispensary owners to transporters, to ensure legalization is equitable and accessible for all Illinoisans.”
Last month, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) released applications for cannabis infuser, craft grower and transporter licenses. The applications are available on the Department’s website here. IDOA will begin accepting completed applications on Friday, February 14 and all cannabis infuser, transporter and craft Grower applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. CST on Monday, March 16, 2020.
Social equity applicants will receive additional points on their application and are eligible to receive technical assistance, grants, low-interest loans and fee reductions and waivers. In the coming weeks, IDOA will be partnering with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide information workshops across the state to answer questions and assist interested applicants. Additional information about the timing and location of workshops will be available in the coming days.
I decided Saturday to drop by the Joliet dispensary on a fact-finding mission on my way home from a funeral and the line was about an hour long, the place was way under-staffed and the product selection was minimal. Still, it’s finally legal and pretty much everyone in that line was just happy to be there.
Monday, Feb 3, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Yesterday was Groundhogs Day. While Punxsutawney Phil could not find his shadow - let’s make sure President Trump does, and send him back to Mar-a-Lago permanently in November.
Trump is a pathological liar who lies about everything: his fake hair, his obesity, and his spray-on tan.
Mike is focused on the issues: gun safety, health care and the environment.
While Trump tried to distract America on cable news, Mike was in El Paso, Denver, Phoenix and Los Angeles releasing plans on immigration, tax reform and housing.
The most glaring omission in the governor’s address, however, was the state’s overwhelming pension underfunding crisis—an exclusion that had pundits straining to find new ways to describe the avoidance of uncomfortable conversations without invoking the proverbial elephant or gorilla in the room. To be fair, Pritzker did nod to passage of a bill last year to allow police and fire pensions outside Chicago to consolidate statewide, but the savings that will result will be nowhere near enough to fill the shortfall in the state’s public employee pensions.
What the governor apparently would rather not discuss is the need for real, structural tax reform to put the state on a path toward actuarially sound financial terrain. Pols at the Capitol and in Chicago’s City Hall want us to believe budget salvation lies in sin taxes on gambling and pot. But an agreement between the Lightfoot administration and Springfield on the best way to divvy up casino revenue and licenses has been elusive, to put it charitably. Meanwhile, the legalization of the marijuana market, with its high taxes and low supply, seems to have done more to drive pot buyers into the arms of black market purveyors than to raise a meaningful and reliable revenue stream. And yet, even if these two new taxing opportunities had been rolled out to perfection, they wouldn’t come close to being enough to fill the pension hole, which widened $3.8 billion to reach $137.3 billion at the end of fiscal 2019.
What Illinois needs even more than an intelligently functioning marijuana market and an amicable arrangement on casino revenue is a constitutional amendment allowing the state to undo the automatic cost-of-living hikes built into public pensioners’ plans—the ones that exceed the actual cost of living and are causing our debt to spiral ever upward.
The graduated income tax proposal that forms the basis of so many of Pritzker’s plans requires a constitutional amendment—creating an opening to push through a pension fix at the same time. Pritzker won’t walk through that door, no doubt because the unions that helped him win office wouldn’t like it much. But the responsibility Pritzker won was to represent the interests of all Illinoisans, not just those who carry a union card.
The governor is not a dictator. He cannot simply command legislators to do his bidding. We had three populist governors in a row who tried that route and they all failed to one extent or another.
Cutting off their paychecks didn’t work (both times it was tried), holding up a state budget for two years didn’t work, saying members were spending state money like “drunken sailors” didn’t work, threatening to finance primary opponents didn’t work (both times). He has pro-union Democratic super-majorities in both chambers and a sizable chunk of the Republican caucuses wouldn’t go anywhere near a constitutional amendment. And there is some doubt whether it could even pass muster with the voters if it got that far.
By all means, keep pounding on the guy if you want. It’s a free country. Just recognize that there’s only so much a governor can do. Even this one.
As corruption scandals worm through the establishment Democratic Party, Gov. J.B. Pritzker finds himself with new and unexpected leverage. He can push for meaningful ethics reform in Illinois government by removing the barricades his own party’s leaders erected in the past. Those Democrats are wounded. He is not.
So will he lead on real reform?
“Restoring the public’s trust is of paramount importance,” Pritzker said during last week’s State of the State address while his two chamber leaders — House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon — stood at the dais behind him. “Let’s not let the well-connected and well-protected work the system while the interests of ordinary citizens are forgotten. There is too much that needs to be accomplished to lift up all the people of Illinois.”
That effort starts with drawing a fair map of legislative districts after this year’s federal census. It could happen through constitutional change.
Pritzker said as a candidate for governor he supported amending the Illinois Constitution to take the process out of the hands of lawmakers: “We should amend the constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps.” More recently, he said he would not sign into law an unfair map.
He issued the veto pledge around the same time, but whatevs. And fair maps could also happen with a state law: 60-30-1 is a lot easier than 71-36.
Another hot topic that must have been cut from the final draft of Pritzker’s speech: remap reform, a subject that must be aired out as lawmakers prepare to redraw legislative and congressional districts after this year’s national census. Will the governor demand fair maps that give all Illinoisans a say in the state’s business no matter where they live? He missed an opportunity to call on the General Assembly to make it so.
The fairest map imaginable will not elect Republican legislators in hardcore Democratic areas nor will it elect Democrats in overwhelmingly Republican turf (2018 saw a major, if perhaps temporary, shift in voters’ party orientation, not in the maps).
What a fair map would do is make sure that legislators aren’t choosing their voters. Legislators may have large, extended family in certain parts of their districts and they may want those folks in their redrawn districts. They may have represented one area of the district as a mayor or township supervisor or whatever, or they may have a business in a town or are active in a local church or school district and they’ll want those folks who know them well in their new districts. Or they might see an up and comer and want that person mapped out of their districts. Right now, incumbents draw the maps, so they have an unfair advantage over any potential challenger (primary or general) who does not draw those maps. A fair map system would level that particular playing field.
Probably above all else, legislators also want their residences to remain within their districts. A blindly drawn map wouldn’t necessarily take that into account.
One definition of a politically “fair” map is one that results in a balance of power in the state legislature and the U.S. congressional delegation that reflects the partisan divide in that state. If roughly 55% of voters in any state are Democrats, then roughly 55% of the seats should be won by Democratic candidates, for example.
Easier said than done. Mapmakers have to take into account civil rights laws that guarantee majority-minority districts, and they often strive to keep natural communities of interest together. Even those with the purest of motives can end up drawing crazily shaped districts that may or may not seem “fair” to certain constituencies or governors.
But if it could be done in Illinois to be fair to Republicans, should it? Those who study the issue of gerrymandering estimate that, nationwide, the current political maps give the Republican Party at least 20 more seats in Congress than their actual voting strength ought to give them. Research published in 2017 showed North Carolina had three more Republican seats in Congress than it should if the state delegation mirrored the electorate. Republicans in Michigan had two more seats than they deserved.
Meanwhile, Illinois had one more Democratic seat than a “fair” map would yield.
The Democrats have since picked up two more congressional seats, but those were won in districts that were considered pretty darned Republican when they were drawn.
In other words, yes, we are most definitely gerrymandered here. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Democrats have given themselves an egregious partisan advantage. As Senate President Don Harmon recently noted, “Gov. Rauner won 35 or so Senate [districts]” in 2014. There are several seats the Republicans could very well be expected to pick up this year if they weren’t facing such strong DC headwinds. This is politics. Them’s the breaks.
In the biggest Chicago-area Democratic primary, embattled Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., enters the final weeks of the 3rd Congressional District campaign with more cash-on-hand than chief rivals Marie Newman and Rush Darwish.
And in the major Republican primary in the Chicago region, the willingness of state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, to self-finance his bid — he’s put in $1 million so far — puts him ahead of his key competitors in the seven-way contest for the 14th Congressional District seat held by freshman Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill.
His main competition, state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, and Ted Gradel, a Naperville businessman, also made substantial loans to their bids. They each outraised Oberweis in the last quarter of 2019.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., is the Illinois House fundraising champion, and he faces only nominal primary opposition and no Republican opponent. He has stockpiled a stunning $6,895,927 in campaign cash — more than twice than Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., who ranks second with $3,330,558 cash on hand.
For the three-month period ending Sept. 30, Lipinski reported donations of $176,741, expenses of $191,690 and a balance of $693,088. Newman reported donations of $345,640, expenses of $183,278 and a balance of $514,237. Darwish reported receipts of $210,779, expenses of $83,943 and a balance of $318,113.
13th District: Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigen out-raised incumbent GOP Rep. Rodney Davis in Q4 2019. Londrigan took in $531,090 and is holding $1.14 million heading into a Dem primary against little-known Stefanie Smith. Davis raised $360,937 and has $1.1 million cash on hand. […]
14th District: Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood raised $878,087 in Q4 and has $1.7 million in the bank. There are three leading GOP candidates in the money race: state Sen. Jim Oberweis raised $726,209 and has $1.1 million COH; Ted Gradel raised $269,650 and has $649,126 COH; and state Sen. Sue Rezin raised $217,074 and has $329,389 COH. Four other GOP candidates lag behind, each holding under $40,000.
6th District: Dem. Rep. Sean Casten has $1.9 million COH after raising $639,054 in Q4 2019. He’s awaiting the outcome of the GOP primary between Jeanne Ives and Jay Kinzler. Ives raised $267,997 in Q4 and has $313,366 COH. Kinzler raised $150,903 and has $145,534 COH.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Press release…
With just 43 days before the Illinois primary, conservative Darren Duncan has shown himself to be the clear frontrunner in the race to replace incumbent Congressman John Shimkus.
As Federal Election Commission fundraising reports were filed Friday, Duncan showed immense strength, even though he had a three month delay on Mary Miller raising money and putting together an operation. Duncan closed the end of the year with over $200,000 cash on hand, while Miller’s campaign showed about $100,000.
Miller has tried to portray herself as a fundraising juggernaut in the initial months of her campaign, but it appears much of her rhetoric was inflated. Of Miller’s roughly $100,000 cash on hand, almost $60,000 of it, more than half, is earmarked for the General Election. That means she can’t touch it without the risk of having to pay it back if she loses the primary.
None of Darren Duncan’s Q4 contributions were earmarked for November, meaning every dollar in his campaign account is accessible before March 17.
Duncan has amassed tens of thousands of views on his first web ad, “He’ll Help Trump,” and will be on the air beginning Tuesday.
Since entering the race, Duncan has put together a district-wide operation and has positioned himself as the conservative candidate who will help Donald Trump pass a conservative agenda in Washington.
A seventh-generation farmer, Duncan was endorsed by former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway and the Rural America Counts PAC, chaired by Arkansas Republican Congressman Rick Crawford. He’ll be rolling out high profile local endorsements in the coming days.
The clock is ticking to March 17 and Darren Duncan has shown himself to be the frontrunner for Congress.
Pritzker said “over the past year, Illinois has reduced its unemployment rate more than all of the top 20 most populated states in the nation — and more than our Midwestern peers.”
Federal data back that up. However, the differences between those states’ reductions are minimal, and Illinois’ unemployment rate remains higher than 12 of the states included in that comparison.
The U of I Flash Index began the new year with a slight decline in January, falling to 105.4 from its 105.6 reading in December.
The index remains in the narrow range it has occupied the last 18 months. “This reflects the now-familiar story of both the national and Illinois economies continued growth at a moderate, steady rate,” said University of Illinois economist J. Fred Giertz, who compiles the monthly index for the Institute of Government and Public Affairs. An index reading above 100 denotes growth.
The recently-released fourth-quarter GDP growth rate shows a return to the near 2 percent level that has seems to be the new norm with 2.1 percent, 2.1 percent, and 2.0 percent registered respectively for the last three quarters. “On a positive note, this is actually good news compared with recession fears raised mid-year in 2019,” Giertz said.
The Illinois employment rate fell to 3.7 percent, the lowest in more than 50 years and only two-tenths of a percentage point above the national level.
Two components of the index, the corporate and individual income tax receipts, declined. Sales tax receipts increased slightly compared with the same month last year after adjusting for inflation. The lower corporate receipts may be a response to strong revenues over the last quarter of 2019.
State Representatives Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) issued the following statement today upon the announcement that the Ferrara Candy Company will move into a new 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center in the ChicagoWest Business Center near Interstate 88 by the end of 2020:
“Today’s announcement from Ferrara brings a significant investment of 1,000 new jobs that will boost our local economy in the DeKalb region, with 500 new jobs in the first phase alone. We have both said that creating jobs is one of our top priorities. As part of the bipartisan state budget and capital bill approved by the General Assembly last year, we were able to enact pro-business reforms that will lay the groundwork for thousands of new jobs for years to come. Specifically, these reforms included the creation of the Blue Collar Jobs Act to attract large-scale construction; reinstatement of the Manufacturer’s Purchase Credit to encourage further investments in manufacturing in Illinois; and elimination of the Franchise Tax. Passage of these pro-business reforms made it possible for DeKalb to land Ferrara to the ChicagoWest Business Center, and the capital bill secured the funding necessary to prepare the site for such a large investment.
The third-party audit certified by Auditor General Frank Mautino found the [State Board of Elections] had not adequately protected confidential or personal information “most susceptible to attack.”
“The lack of adequate cybersecurity programs and practices could result in unidentified risk and vulnerabilities and ultimately lead to the Board’s volumes of personal information being susceptible to cyber-attacks and unauthorized disclosure,” according to the audit.
The audit’s finding comes after Russian intelligence officers tried to hack into Illinois’ voter registration database in the run up to the 2016 presidential election.
The hackers accessed at least 76,000 voters’ data, but were unable to change voter information data, according to Illinois officials. An indictment obtained by former special counsel Robert Mueller alleged that two officers of the Kremlin’s Main Intelligence Directorate stole voter data from Illinois.
The Elections Board lacks “an adequately documented and tested disaster recovery plan” according to the audit.
McHenry and Nunda Township Road District officials have named Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in a lawsuit challenging a decision to afford voters to right to eliminate townships.
Pritzker signed a law in August allowing McHenry County voters to dissolve the area’s 17 townships through referendum. The new law is an initiative to reduce property taxes in McHenry County by reducing levels of government. If a township is dissolved, its operations, property and employees would be transferred to the county government. The option to eliminate both McHenry and Nunda Townships will appear on the March ballot, but the townships road districts’ officials have questioned whether the law is constitutional. […]
McHenry Township Highway Commissioner James Condon agreed that the law’s specificity to McHenry County means that it is “special legislation,” and therefore in violation of the Illinois constitution.
“It’s our understanding that the constitution doesn’t allow you to write a law that is specific to one group when that same law can be applied to all groups, in other words, to the whole state,” Condon said. “And the law they wrote, they apply only to McHenry County. So they’re singling McHenry County out.”
State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced the bill, which was signed into law in August. Reached by phone Friday, McSweeney wasn’t concerned about the road districts’ amended lawsuit, calling it “a complete waste of time.”
The General Assembly shall pass no special or local law when a general law is or can be made applicable. Whether a general law is or can be made applicable shall be a matter for judicial determination.
This is a standard pilot project, so I’m figuring it’ll be fine with the courts. We shall see.
Mary Miller, Candidate for Congress in the 15th District, will debut her first television spot to coincide with the Super Bowl.
The ad highlights Miller’s support for President Donald Trump, religious freedom and the recent Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR endorsement.
The ad will debut in conjunction with the Super Bowl and will also run during the State of the Union Address.
Miller (no relation that I know of) is embroiled in a four-way GOP primary race to replace retiring GOP US Rep. John Shimkus. President Trump won this district by 45.5 percentage points in 2016. She is married to Rep. Chris Miller, an Eastern Bloc member. I do not know how much money she has behind this spot.
I’m Mary Miller. My husband and I run a grain and cattle farm. But the crop I’m most proud of are our seven children, who grew up to be strong, Trump-loving Christian conservatives.
Today, Democrats are turning freedom of religion into freedom from religion, degrading our Christian values and our way of life. That’s why I’m running for Congress.
I’ll put an end to godless socialism, defend the unborn and support President Trump’s America First agenda.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, was elected to the Senate’s top job on Jan. 19. The election was preceded by two months of constant intrigue, horse-trading, betrayal and plenty of angry finger-pointing.
Along the way, egos were bruised, friendships and alliances were torn, and careers were damaged.
Harmon’s predecessor, John Cullerton, was the Senate president for 11 years before he abruptly announced his retirement in November. Michael Madigan became the Illinois House Speaker in 1983 and, except for two years after the 1994 national Republican landslide, he’s ruled his chamber ever since. He’s served with five different Senate presidents and is the longest-serving legislative leader in American history.
Madigan has chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois for 22 years after he took command from his former protege and chief of staff, Gary LaPaille. Madigan has been the Democratic committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward since 1969. He is, by many measures, the most successful politician in state history.
Madigan takes care of his House members similarly to how he would treat a family member, maybe better. Everything they need, from jobs to sports tickets to getting their relatives out of trouble, is done for them. He routinely raises more than $30 million every campaign cycle to keep his members in office and defeat Republican incumbents.
He has, in other words, made himself irreplaceable to his members.
But after watching the Senate Democrats slug it out among themselves, I started wondering what replacing Speaker Madigan might look like.
“It’s hard for me to swallow how [people] make so much off of you. Right? And I gotta do the work.”
That’s from the July 31, 2018 federal surveillance of now-former state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) complaining, according to media reports, to one of the founders of the red-light camera company SafeSpeed. Sandoval was bemoaning how he was killing and passing bills on the company’s behalf while watching other people make bank off the red-light cam industry.
This was, apparently, not new behavior for Sandoval. “I usually say, ‘What’s reasonable? You tell me,” Sandoval told the SafeSpeed official when discussing what his bribe would be. He was obviously practiced at shaking people down and ended up demanding $5,000 a month.
His plea deal claims he took $70,000 from the SafeSpeed official (the money was supplied by the government). Overall, though, Sandoval “accepted over $250,000 in bribes as part of criminal activity that involved more than five participants.”
Well, at least we now know how Sandoval could afford the expensive suits he always wore.
The feds may have had Sandoval under surveillance since at least August 16, 2017, when they apparently recorded a phone conversation with the SafeSpeed official about the company’s annual $10,000 campaign contribution.
The feds raided Sandoval’s Statehouse office two years later, in late September of 2019. They seized $3,000 in cash that day and another $18K a few weeks later.
Sandoval has agreed to cooperate in full, meaning all those folks he shook down, or who eagerly ponied up cash to get something done or who profited with him on villainous schemes probably haven’t been sleeping well.
He was the longtime chairman of the Transportation Committee, so it’s assumed Sandoval will be giving up road-building industry types. His federal search warrant mentioned several other types of companies and individuals, including video gaming and sweepstakes businesses.
His plea agreement notes that Sandoval “also engaged in corrupt activities with other public officials.” So, we can expect him to roll over on whoever those folks may be. I assume we can start with some of the local officials whose offices were raided right around the same time as Sandoval’s was searched.
Sandoval was a brazenly greedy bully who specialized in intimidating people who needed something from their government.
His annual golf fundraiser, which was a must-attend for anyone who needed something from him, had grown to lavish excess. And last August, the event wound up attracting unfavorable national news coverage when photos emerged of a server “shooting” someone wearing a Donald Trump mask with a tequila gun. It’s probably no surprise that some of the people who helped Sandoval run that gaudy fundraiser are also under federal scrutiny.
But maybe Sandoval can finally do some good for his state (and himself, by reducing his prison sentence) by helping weed out the people who prefer to take the short-cut of illegal cash rather than doing the real work usually required to get things done.
Also, here’s a little bit of unsolicited advice: If you’re a legislator or a local government official and you’re starting to become envious of the people around you who are making a lot of money, please quit your job right away. Go be a lobbyist or something. Or stop hanging out with rich people.
I’ve seen this happen over and over again and it never ends well. Save yourself the trouble and get out now. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to better one’s financial situation. But if you can’t do it honestly then you’re heading for disaster. You will be caught. Heck, you may already be caught and don’t even know it, like Sandoval was for two years.
Just go away.
And the leaders have to stop enabling these people. It was no big surprise when Sandoval was busted. Yet, Senate President John Cullerton routinely assigned red-light camera regulation bills to Sandoval’s committee knowing exactly what he would do with them, and also put Sandoval in charge of the massive infrastructure bill last year.
And House Speaker Michael Madigan created a new appropriations committee especially for now-former Rep. Luis Arroyo to oversee the capital plan’s formation. That’s like giving a gas can to a pyromaniac. Arroyo (D-Chicago) was arrested last year for bribery.
Yes, the people of their districts elected them, but the leaders do not have to continually enable their worst clowns.
