It would remove the “birth date restriction” that has prohibited roughly 2,200 active and retired [Chicago] firefighters born after Jan. 1, 1966 from receiving a simple, 3% annual cost of living increase. Instead, they get half that amount — an annual increase of 1.5% that is not compounded.
On the eve of a committee hearing on the bill, Martwick noted that the “birth date restriction” has already been moved five times as a way of masking the true cost to a firefighters pension fund with roughly 25% of assets to meet its future liabilities.
“Remember, they have traditionally given that 3% simple COLA [Cost-of-living adjustments] to these firefighters. They’re going to get that. This just writes it into law. It’s really not adding cost. It’s making that cost transparent,” Martwick said.
Basically, the city has been agreeing to pay firefighters a pension higher than what the firefighters are legally entitled to. Since the state calculates the city’s pension contributions based in state law, the city doesn’t have to account for the difference, which artificially inflates the unfunded liability.
The city’s financial atrocities never cease to amaze me. I did not realize they were doing this. Unbelievable.
So, the city has three choices: 1) Only give retired firefighters a 1.5 percent annual increase and don’t ever increase it to 3 (which I’m not sure they can do for firefighters that already are receiving that 3 percent and doing so would invite a lawsuit); 2) Continue to give retired firefighters 3 percent increases, but pay into the system like they’re only getting 1.5 percent, thereby driving up the unfunded liability every month; 3) Continue giving retired firefighters 3 percent annual increases and pay into the pension fund accordingly.
The mayor’s office argued that the bill would add “anywhere from $18 million to $30 million” in added costs to a pension liability imposed on Chicago taxpayers that is already scheduled to rise by $1 billion by 2023.
The Illinois House today took a bold step toward ending corruption in Illinois by approving legislation State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) is sponsoring to ban red light cameras in non-home rule communities in Illinois.
House Bill 322 would prohibit non-home rule units of government from enacting or enforcing red light camera ordinances. McSweeney passed the same bill in the House in 2015 and it was killed by former Senator Martin Sandoval.
“I am fighting hard to end the corrupt Illinois red light camera program,” McSweeney said. “These cameras are not about safety. They are all about producing revenue and lining the pockets of political insiders. It is wrong; it is corrupt and it must stop.”
Rep. McSweeney has long been a proponent of banning red light cameras. He believes that red light cameras are more about revenue than improving safety. He said the bribery charges against former State Senator Martin Sandoval provide even more evidence of the need to ban red light cameras.
More than $1 billion in fines have been collected from red light cameras over the past 10 years and multiple people have been indicted for crimes connected to the red-light camera industry.
“When I passed this bill in 2015 in the House, Senator Sandoval helped kill it,” McSweeney said. “Of course, we did not know then what we do know now. This time, I’m hoping for a different result. This legislation is a significant step forward in ending the corrupt red-light camera scam in Illinois.”
The Illinois House approved House Bill 322 by a vote of 84-4. The bill moves to the Illinois Senate for further consideration.
Several members rose during debate to criticize the bill for not applying the ban to home rule jurisdictions. But, in the end, only Reps. Avery Bourne, Will Davis, Diane Pappas and Mark Walker voted “No.”
Voting “Present” were Reps. Jim Durkin, Mike Halpin, Thaddeus Jones (who has a primary opponent), Margo McDermed and Mike Zalewski.
An unusual number of members didn’t vote, including Reps. Tom Bennett, Terri Bryant, Kelly Burke, Anthony DeLuca, Fran Hurley, Stephanie Kifowit, Theresa Mah, Charles Meier, Debbie Meyers-Martin, Lindsey Parkhurst, Bob Rita, Andre Thapedi, Art Turner, Larry Walsh, Chris Welch, Jawaharial Williams and Patrick Windhorst.
An aide to Speaker Madigan just removed this old exercise bike from his apartment to make room for a new one from Walmart. This relic must be a piece of Springfield history. Can we get the Antique Roadshow to weigh in here? pic.twitter.com/wpAt5dmtA6
To be clear, the bike was removed from Madigan’s apartment. And Mark told me it was a Democratic Party staffer, so it wasn’t on state time. Maxwell lives in the same building as Madigan during session.
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Kidney Care Alliance (IKCA) urges the passage of Senate Bill 2501. IKCA is committed to protecting the needs of Illinois’ kidney patients, and we know SB 2501 would benefit them.
IKCA believes that, when crafting policy that impacts people’s health care, the well-being of patients should come first – before the interests of any industry group or business sector.
SB 2501 aims to amend the Illinois Insurance Code by providing that a Medicare supplement policyholder is entitled to an annual open enrollment period lasting 60 days or more, starting with the individual’s birthday, during which time that person may purchase any Medicare supplement policy that offers benefits equal to or lesser than those provided by the previous coverage. Importantly, it also holds that, during the open enrollment period, the issuer of a Medicare supplement policy cannot deny coverage based on an existing medical condition.
We’re focused on the 30,000-plus patients in Illinois who have serious kidney disease. But SB 2501 would help all Medicare beneficiaries in Illinois avoid having to turn to the state for assistance.
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Healthy Youth Act builds upon the current requirement that instruction be medically accurate, developmentally and age appropriate to include instruction that is also culturally and linguistically appropriate and adapted for students with disabilities and non-English speaking students for grades K-12.
It also removes outdated, stigmatizing language and updates the current 6-12 standards for health and sexual health education courses by including information on healthy relationships and decision making; STIs including HIV; puberty, growth, and adolescent development; gender identity, gender expression; and sexual orientation; personal safety; and pregnancy and reproduction.
* Appointed Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is in a four-way primary. This cable ad is running in the south suburban, Kankakee and Frankfort zones, I’m told…
He looks so much like his dad, former Sen. Jerry Joyce, who was my state Senator when I was a kid.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political arm has donated $57,800 to Margaret Croke’s campaign for the 12th District state House seat, and separately, he and his wife, M.K. Pritzker, have each donated $5,800 to Croke.
Sure, this ratchets up the contest between Croke, a leader in the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, who was appointed a few weeks ago by party bosses to fill the seat. But it also ramps up the tension between Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who’s endorsed Pizer and has put $2,500 toward his campaign.
Loyalty and maybe some pride are guiding the state’s two top Democrats. Pritzker wants his employee — who also worked on his campaign — to succeed. And Lightfoot is doing what she can to help Pizer, who was a campaign donor.
Their political jousting raises questions about whether a mayor or governor should get involved in contested primaries at all. By backing neophyte candidates in a contested race, Pritzker and Lightfoot are taking a fair amount of political risk by putting their names on the line. After all, someone has to walk away the loser.
Pritzker campaign spokesman Quentin Fulks recently told Playbook: “The governor will not be making any contributions to anyone in the Illinois state legislature — House or Senate — during the session.” But supporting a challenger in a contested race is OK.
A loss may not mean so much this time, but lose a few races and one could be seen as a paper tiger.
* The Question: Should the governor and the mayor be involving themselves in legislative primaries? Please make sure to explain your answer.
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As Mike said, when it comes to the big issues facing our country, we’ve got to do something about it, not just demagogue about it.
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Though there is no immediate threat of contracting the [COVID-19] disease in the U.S. and all of the cases are contained, the Department of Homeland Security’s website offers a number of specific ways that people can prepare for a pandemic and what to do during one.
These proactive measures include:
* Stocking a two-week supply of water and food.
* Ensuring you have a continuous supply of regularly needed prescription drugs.
* Stocking up on nonprescription drugs and other health supplies. This includes pain relievers, cough and cold medicines and vitamins.
* Locating and storing copies of personal health records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other sources for personal reference.
* Having a plan with family members and other loved ones on how they will receive care if they get sick or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
During a pandemic, health officials urge practicing good hygiene to limit the spread of germs and prevent infection. This can be done by:
* Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
* When sick, keep your distance from others to keep germs from spreading.
* Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
* Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent infection.
* Getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, managing your stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutritious food.
I would also add avoiding shaking hands. That’s going to be tough for me.
Don’t go crazy and panic, but use your common sense.
A state lawmaker advanced a bill Tuesday that would lift a 1911 state prohibition of alcohol consumption on trains because, she said, the existing law is not enforced or obeyed.
“As most people probably don’t realize, … this bill was passed in 1911, pre-Prohibition,” Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, said during a House transportation committee hearing, “and it prohibits the drinking of alcohol on any train, train station; it also requires our engineers to make arrests.”
She said the 1911 law is not only not enforced, but public transit is generally viewed as an alternative to drunk driving.
“Isn’t there a bar car on the train?” asked Rep. Natalie Manley, a Joliet Democrat who was one of two lawmakers to vote against Costa Howard’s House Bill 3878 in committee.
“On some trains, yes there are,” the bill’s sponsor replied.
Fresh off of a legislative win capping the price of insulin in Illinois, State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) and State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) are working to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which would limit what Illinoisans would pay for certain medications.
Guzzardi originally introduced HB 3493 last spring as part of a six-bill package aimed at bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, tackling an issue typically reserved for federal lawmakers. But the bill failed to advance out of the House’s Prescription Drug Affordability Committee in March, as three Democratic lawmakers voted against the measure.
A new amendment to the bill addressed some of the concerns that stalled the bill last year, Guzzardi said, adding he hoped to see the bill pass out of committee in the coming weeks. However, a hearing on the bill set for Wednesday by the Prescription Drug Affordability Committee was cancelled.
The bill establishes a five-person board to oversee drug prices in Illinois and set the upper limit based on what most Illinoisans can afford to pay for prescription drugs. Using market data and research compiled by a 21-member Prescription Drug Affordability Stakeholder Council also created by the bill, the board would essentially provide drug companies with a figure representing the maximum amount they should sell their medications for in Illinois.
Cook County leaders vowed Tuesday to fight a proposed state law that would merge the independent police department for the county Forest Preserves District with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Sponsored by State Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates), HB2297 would eliminate the Forest Preserves District’s “authority to appoint and maintain a police force.”
Crespo said he filed the bill after a 2018 incident in which a woman wearing a shirt with the Puerto Rican flag on it was harassed by a man repeatedly asking her if she was a U.S. citizen. Video the woman shot on her phone shows a forest preserve police officer nearby ignoring her requests to intervene in the harassment. The officer resigned from the department without being disciplines.
Since then, the Cook County Inspector General issued a report finding an unnamed county commissioner had pressured a forest preserve officer to throw out a political ally’s $250 parking ticket issued for parking in a spot reserved for people with disabilities.
The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association held a press conference today with several legislators where they revealed a new policy by the Illinois Department of Corrections ordered by Governor Pritzker. The policy change prohibits local authorities from communicating with ICE officials when they release felons who are undocumented. ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement in response:
“Governor Pritzker has decided to prioritize the release of violent criminals onto the streets over the safety of our communities and families. His decision is appalling. This is the policy implication behind the Governor’s apparent belief that illegal immigrants who commit felonies should not be deported from this country. That is a misguided and radical belief espoused by presidential wannabes like Bernie Sanders.
Should any of these illegal immigrants and convicted felons commit another violent crime upon release, Governor Pritzker must explain why he put their freedom over the safety of the victims and all Illinoisans.”
In 2017, then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, signed into law the Trust Act, which prohibits state and local police in Illinois from arresting or detaining a person solely because of their immigration status, or based on a federal immigration detainer. Under the law, authorities are able to hold someone if a judge has issued a warrant.
* The main critic of the new policy is this sheriff…
“I’m here to sound the alarm that a recent policy change by the Illinois Department of Corrections is making our communities and neighborhoods less safe,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said Tuesday at a Capitol news conference with House and Senate Republicans.
Downey said his department contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to coordinate the pickup, transfer and detainment of people released from state prison but still subject to federal detainers due to immigration status.
Prior to the change, IDOC would transfer them to the Pontiac Correctional Center, where the Kankakee County Sherriff’s Department would pick them up an hold them at the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee County until their immigration case is reviewed and adjudicated.
But because of the policy change, which sheriffs said they learned of indirectly on Jan. 30, all such transfers at the request of ICE are no longer allowed, Downey said.
Two county jails in Illinois set a record for receiving $959,000 in federal revenue.
Kankakee County’s jails in May broke its previous 2013 record when it received $957,000 in outside inmate bed rental money, the Daily Journal reported.
Nearly all of the money comes from federal agencies. Kankakee County gets $80 daily for each inmate from the feds
* Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights…
ICIRR supports the new IDOC policy and any further efforts by Governor Pritzker’s administration to distance state and local governments in Illinois from federal immigration enforcement. IDOC and other law enforcement agencies are barred by the Illinois TRUST Act (which ICIRR led the campaign to pass) from holding any individual solely based on a warrant or detainer issued by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
To be clear, individuals are being released because they have done their time. Sheriffs Downey and Childress are claiming that: 1) state law should be violated, and 2 ) the time served that the criminal justice system deems appropriate is insufficient and there should be different standards depending on a person’s place of birth. It is highly problematic that these law enforcement agents don’t believe in actual enforcement of the law.
We are pleased that IDOC is complying with the TRUST Act, and urge all other law enforcement departments throughout the state to follow suit. We will continue to work with Governor Pritzker to ensure that our state is welcoming for all.
* PASO…
West Suburban Action Project applauds Governor Pritzker’s compliance with the TRUST Act, a law signed by former Governor Rauner that PASO advocated for and passed in 2017. Limiting local law enforcement collaboration with immigration agencies improves the safety and security of all Illinois residents. All law enforcement agencies are bound by and should comply with the TRUST Act that prohibits unlawful arrests. Local law enforcement may not comply with requests from immigration authorities to hold immigrants, unless immigration agencies comply with the Constitution and present lawful criminal warrants. Immigration enforcement agencies are appropriated billions of dollars each year and Illinois agencies should not bear the cost of enforcing federal immigration laws. Illinois residents released by the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) have served their sentences and should be able to reintegrate into their families and society to live full and dignified laws irrespective of immigration status. Communities of color should not be further penalized with immigration enforcement. PASO and our partner organizations will continue to work closely with the Governor to ensure that Illinois is the most welcoming state in the country.
* National Immigrant Justice Center…
NIJC applauds Governor J.B. Pritzker for recognizing that we are all safer when our leaders embrace policies that protect and support community wholeness and family unity. Ending cooperation between the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is in accordance with the Illinois TRUST Act, a law that NIJC advocated for when it was passed in 2017. Imposing the second punishment of deportation and exile on those who have already made their way through the criminal legal system disrupts family units and destabilizes communities, leaving us all less secure. We are pleased that our state is upholding the rule of law, and will continue to work to ensure Illinois is a welcoming state, free of the reckless and racially charged immigration enforcement practices that terrorize our communities.
Also, if you click here you can search for state inmates and get a projected discharge date. As the governor’s office notes, ICE could just use that search.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus released the following statement in response to the Republican attempts to misrepresent legislation preventing the extrajudicial detention of immigrants:
“While we have made tremendous progress to protect the civil rights of all Illinois residents, the Republican Party is falsely claiming that individuals that are a danger to the public are being released back into communities. This is a bigoted lie and they should be ashamed of themselves. Ultimately this comes down to the fact that local police departments are no longer able to benefit from their lucrative contracts with ICE to oppress immigrants. The Trust Act ensures that people are treated fairly in our criminal justice system, so that once they serve their time, they are released just like everyone else. That’s it.
“Every time people of color have achieved a step toward equity under the law, there are those who actively seek to undermine that progress through fearmongering and grossly distorting the truth. This sort of rhetoric has no place in Illinois and it must called out for what it is, inflaming racial tensions for the sake of political gain and preservation.
“We will continue to stand with those on the front line doing the work to protect our communities and do the work in the Legislature to advance laws that reflect our values of equality and justice for all.”
* If these awful ingrates expended just half this energy walking precincts or raising money then maybe their favored candidate might be more than an after-thought. But, no, they have to pull stunts like this for whatever stupid and dangerous reasons…
Bizarre. Watch these Bernie Bros stalk @BetsyforIL and then surround her car last night, while they shout, "Block her in!" They scream at her to debate a fringe far-left candidate who only has 2 donors from Illinois. pic.twitter.com/CAw9aKu56R
Smith’s campaign has not yet responded directly to requests for comment about the incident, but she posted a response to her campaign’s Facebook page.
“It was a non-violent protest,” Smith wrote, “and if Betsy can’t handle a few people demanding a conversation about the life or death issues facing many of is [sic] in this district, she should quit now because she will not be able to handle Davis and Trump.”
She also posted a rambling video to her Facebook page appearing to further condone the actions and tactics of her supporters.
“I can’t tell you how much it meant to me when I watched the video of what happened,” Smith said.
“Apparently, people are expecting me to make a statement,” she said launching into a series of attacks against what she perceived as slights from Londrigan’s campaign.
The guys in the video describe themselves as democratic socialists. They posted this Facebook Live video last night after staking out a public event. This is precisely the kind of aggressive bullying @PeteButtigieg and @EWarren chided @BernieSanders for during the last debate.
More response from the Londrigan campaign: "A few aggressive individuals are not going to deter her from continuing to have important conversations with the voters of the 13th district." 2/2
Today the Democratic Party of Illinois warned Illinois voters about a deceptive mailer being distributed by the Republican Party claiming to be Census questionnaires. State party leaders are urging people to beware of these fake Census mailers that serve to track voters, obtain private information and suppress Census participation.
An accurate Census count is critical for Illinois and fair representation in Congress of all our diverse communities. The mailer recently distributed by the GOP is not an official Census document and uses the Census as a tool for soliciting donations. In fact, this is a paid campaign mailer from the national Republican Party.
“Using the Census a guise to engage voters is extremely concerning and in reality will either scare people away from participating in a real Census questionnaire or collect data on voters the GOP wants to exclude from the November election,” Michael Madigan, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, said. “These are shady tactics from the GOP, and we encourage voters to keep an eye out for this phony Census mailer.”
“Communities in the Second Congressional District have a lot at stake in the upcoming Census count and we can bet the GOP would like to scare or intimidate them from participating in this critical count,” Democratic State Central Committee member Al Riley said. “We are asking voters to be on the lookout for questionable mailers and alert the state party if you feel you’ve received anything deceptive.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a real Census questionnaire will never ask for:
* A full Social Security number
* Bank or credit card numbers
* Donations or money of any kind
Other tips for spotting a fake Census document include:
* Be sure to check any web addresses for a .gov extension and an https prefix. The site you use should have both of these things and the official U.S. Census Bureau website is https://www.census.gov.
* Any mail you receive should have a return address of Jeffersonville, Indiana – if it doesn’t, it’s not from the Census Bureau.
* If someone comes to your house, they should have a valid U.S. Census ID badge. If they don’t, they aren’t from the Census Bureau.
More information about spotting scam Census questionnaires can be found here. If you think a communication you received is a Census scam, please inform the Census Bureau at 800-354-7271 for English or 800-833-5625 for Spanish. When in doubt, you can also reach the Democratic Party of Illinois at 312-578-1554.
* This may be an overreaction, particularly with all the stuff that Madigan has pulled over the years. Click the pic for a larger image…
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) told me he filed a bill earlier this month after he received a complaint from a constituent about the above mailer…
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits a false personation if he or she knowingly and falsely represents himself or herself to be a census worker employed by the federal or State government, or their regional intermediary, grantee, subgrantee, or temporary volunteer for the purpose of effectuating identity theft or in furtherance of the commission of a felony. Provides that a violation of false personation of a census worker is a Class 4 felony. Clarifies that the offense applies to both false personation accomplished in person or by any means of communication. Effective immediately.
A mailer circulating in Montana labeled “2019 congressional district census” notifies voters “you have been selected to represent voters in Bozeman, Montana,” with an enclosed letter that reads, “President Trump has requested that a Census of every Congressional district be conducted immediately.”
But the form, one of many sent to residents in at least four counties across the state, is not for the official U.S. census.
It is instead a survey, commissioned by the Republican Party, as written at the top of the form, to solicit donations for President Trump’s re-election campaign. […]
The so-called “imitation census” is putting state officials on edge about potentially confusing Montana’s more than 711,000 registered voters and by possibly dampening participation in the actual census in 2020, which comes after a tumultuous year for the U.S. Census Bureau.
Two Illinois sheriffs said Tuesday that some violent felons who had faced deportation are instead being released into local communities after their prison terms end as a result of a policy change by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.
Sheriffs Mike Downey of Kankakee County and Tony Childress of Livingston County told reporters at the state Capitol that they were not given a reason for the policy switch, which they called reckless.
They said Corrections officials announced they were canceling a process under which criminals living in the country illegally were transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center. That’s where Kankakee County sheriff’s deputies picked them up and detained them under contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The sheriffs said they don’t have a number of how many inmates who would have faced deportation were released. Of 223 immigrants transferred from Pontiac to ICE detention in 2019, Downey said 11 were convicted of murder or attempted murder, 37 of predatory criminal sexual assault or abuse, including crimes involving children, and 33 were convicted of a crime involving a weapon.
So, they’re being released like everyone else, except they’re now avoiding deportation.
* As you might expect, the reaction has been thunderous…
State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) says Illinois communities are unnecessarily at risk thanks to radical policies at the Illinois Department of Corrections that allows convicted felons to be released.
In 2019, there were 223 immigrants who were transferred to the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee. These individuals had all served time at an IDOC facility and all were felons. They were transferred to the Jerome Combs Detention Center at the request of ICE. Then, beginning in 2020, the notifications for these transfers stopped.
“What is essentially happening here is the Illinois Department of Corrections is releasing people directly into the community and ignoring ICE transfer requests,” Skillicorn said. “These are all felons and many of them are very dangerous people. Our communities are at risk because our own state government refuses to follow federal law. People’s lives are at stake so that Governor JB Pritzker can smile at the TV cameras and talk about how ‘compassionate’ he is. Gov. Pritzker is putting Illinois families at risk and it is wrong.”
Skillicorn said there is no warning about when the prison releases are taking place.
“There is no warning or a heads up to local enforcement about these releases; they are simply just released into the communities where they have been serving time,” Skillicorn said. “People in Illinois communities are at risk and they do not even know it.”
The Kankakee County Sheriff Office reviewed the transfers completed in 2019 and found that the individuals requested by ICE and transferred to the Kankakee correctional facility had been convicted of committing the following crimes in Illinois:
· 36 individuals were found guilty of sexual offenses against minors, including crimes against individuals as young as 5 years old;
· 11 individuals were found guilty of murder, attempted murder or intent to kill or injure;
· 19 individuals were found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault;
· 33 individuals were found guilty of a criminal offense involving a weapon;
· 50 individuals were found guilty of drug offenses involving a substance other than cannabis;
· 55 individuals were found guilty of felony-level traffic offenses including aggravated DUI, having a fourth DUI or a DUI resulting in death.
“I am calling on the Governor and the Illinois Department of Corrections to end this dangerous policy and to work with local enforcement officials,” Skillicorn said. “Dangerous criminals whether they are citizens or illegal immigrants need to be behind bars – not roaming the streets. It is time to put the safety of our citizens and our communities first.”
* More…
State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) issued the following statement in response to a change in Illinois Department of Corrections policy regarding undocumented convicted felons.
“Overnight – and without fanfare – there was a radical policy shift allowing undocumented convicted felons with active detainer warrants to be released from prison directly into the community without notification. Sheriff Mike Downey brought this to my attention and I am appalled there are no answers why. I want to be clear; this is not a policy for simple status offenses. This is not a policy for those deserving amnesty. These are serious dangerous criminal offenders – rapists, murderers, child molesters, and sexual predators. Last year, 223 undocumented convicted felons with active detainer warrants were safely transferred upon release from Illinois prisons. Under this radical new policy, these convicted felons with active detainer warrants are now simply released onto the streets and into our neighborhoods without notice.
I urge a statewide review of this policy and ask the governor to reverse this policy. The policy is dangerous to our children, our elderly, and all residents of Illinois.”
*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…
“As Donald Trump continues to advance policies that tear apart families and terrorize children, the Pritzker administration is committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect immigrant families in Illinois. The governor’s office is working closely with the Department of Corrections to review current policies, build on the progress made under the bipartisan Illinois Trust Act that was signed into law in 2017, and ensure the protection of immigrant families and all Illinois communities. As this work moves forward, the Department of Corrections will pause the majority of its interactions with ICE. The governor has made it abundantly clear that Illinois will be a firewall against the president’s attacks on immigrant communities.”
Background:
Under the bipartisan Trust Act, the Illinois Department of Corrections is prohibited from detaining an individual solely on the basis of an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant.
The Trust Act does not impact the length of an individual’s lawful sentence. Those who are incarcerated serve their sentence and then are released.
* From an editorial entitled “Governor holds education funds hostage” about the governor’s budget proposal to only spend $200 million of the $350 million increase in education funding unless his graduated income tax proposal is approved by voters in November…
The need-based funding formula was a big accomplishment for the state in 2017 — a true bipartisan piece of legislation signed by GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner. It sought to fix decades of spotty fund distribution.
Pritzker’s curve ball means school districts will have to craft budget plans before a September deadline without fully understanding how much money will be coming after the November vote. Schools typically have few options in those situations, including cutting staff, eliminating programs or hiking property taxes.
Pritzker has repeatedly said he wants to address skyrocketing property taxes, one driver in the state losing population as people flee. This approach does the precise opposite.
Where you fall on the progressive tax question doesn’t matter. What does matter is that our education leaders are facing yet another budgetary hoop introduced by the state.
There has to be a better way.
* The Question: Do you agree or disagree with Gov. Pritzker’s budget decision? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
In a 90-minute hearing, attorneys for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission took a three-member panel that will decide the status of Blagojevich’s license through his worst hits as governor, including his convictions for attempting to sell a U.S. Senate seat, shaking down the CEO of a children’s hospital for campaign cash and lying to the FBI.
“As governor, (Blagojevich) had the responsibility to do what was right for the people of Illinois,” ARDC attorney Christopher Heredia said. “Instead, he only did what was right by himself. […]
Blagojevich’s longtime attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, said the ex-governor was in a “damned if he did, damned if he didn’t” situation in defending his law license, knowing that if he showed up to defend himself he would have been accused of lying all over again.
Sorosky also trotted out familiar lines in his argument, blaming the media for overemphasizing the FBI recordings that captured Blagojevich’s schemes, and saying the governor’s campaign fundraising and political horsetrading were well within legal bounds.
He would have accurately been accused of lying all over again. Fixed it for you, Sheldon. And a federal jury, a federal appellate court and the US Supreme Court all believed his actions were well outside legal bounds.
The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission issued no ruling Tuesday.
Blagojevich, 63, wasn’t at the hearing in Chicago, leading Christopher Heredia to complain about the former governor’s “dismissive attitude” toward the proceedings.
This is all a formality. He’s losing his license and he knows it.
Pet owners in Illinois that live in public housing often have to choose between keeping their pet and staying in a place they can afford. A proposed Illinois measure aims to prevent that situation from ever happening.
State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is sponsoring a bill requiring landlords in charge of affordable housing units to allow pets. At an event in Springfield announcing the measure, she explained everyone should be able to enjoy the benefits of having a pet in their home.
“They influence social, emotional, and cognitive development in children and they promote an active lifestyle,” Holmes said. “They provide emotional support, improved moods, and contribute to overall morale of their owners, including the elderly and disabled.”
Landlords and property owners who receive tax subsidies for low-income housing would be required to allow tenants to keep common pets, which include domesticated cats and dogs, regardless of size, weight, or breed.
Cook County property owners would get an extra four months to pay delinquent taxes before their land is put up for sale under a state bill championed by county Treasurer Maria Pappas.
The bill (SB3356), sponsored by State Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) and State Sen. Laura Murphy(D-Des Plaines), would delay the county’s annual tax sale until September, 13 months after second-installment property taxes are due. The existing law requires the county to auction off delinquent properties by May, giving taxpayers a nine-month window to make late payments. […]
Pappas expects to put up approximately 57,000 delinquent properties at this year’s tax sale scheduled for May 8, which owe approximately $188 million in unpaid taxes — a more than 50 percent increase as compared with last year, Pappas said.
“This is about the most vulnerable people in Cook County, and the numbers are getting worse,” Pappas said. “Something is seriously wrong. People need an extra four months to pay.” […]
The proposed bill gives the treasurer’s office a full year after the second installment due date to ask a judge for permission to sell delinquent tax certificates, after which Pappas has 35 days to hold the sale.
A proposal before the Illinois General Assembly would overturn half a century of resistance to granny flats, coach houses and other “accessory dwelling units,” paving the way for these lower-cost housing types to flourish in towns all over Illinois.
“We want to create more options for people to create affordable housing in their communities,” said state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, who on Feb. 11 introduced HB 4869. The bill would prohibit any unit of local government from banning second living units on a residential property.
Advocates for accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, which went out of favor in the years after World War II, say that bringing them back would put new, affordably priced housing stock where people want it—in established neighborhoods with good schools, transportation and shopping—rather than out at the fringes of the suburbs.
Gabel’s proposed legislation “is a huge step forward,” said Steve Vance, director of urban planning for MAP Strategies, a Chicago code and permit management firm. Vance, a longtime proponent of allowing ADUs, said that enabling them on a statewide level would show that “the need for lower-cost, smaller-size housing is everywhere.”
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would put mental health on a par with physical health in the state’s public schools.
Senate Bill 2473 would give students five days of excused absences per school year for mental health issues. Students would be able to make up any missed school work.
Steve Murray, director of counseling at Notre Dame Prep in Niles, said the bill was a step in the right direction.
He said the bill was a good start toward recognizing the extent to which children can suffer from issues like anxiety and depression.
“This is a recognition that these are on a par with the flu or a cold,” Murray said. “They need to be treated as real illnesses and treated as impediments to kids being successful in school.”
California, Nebraska and Illinois are the only U.S. states that can currently test for coronavirus, the Association of Public Health Laboratories told Reuters. The CDC last week said some of the testing kits sent to U.S. states and at least 30 countries produced “inconclusive” results due to a flawed component, and the CDC planned to send replacement materials to make the kits work. The CDC has increased testing capacity until new testing kits become available, said Scott Becker, the executive director of APHL, which represents public health laboratories in the United States.
Experts are increasingly concerned that the small number of U.S. cases thus far may be a reflection of limited testing, not of the virus’ spread. While South Korea has run more than 35,000 coronavirus tests, the U.S. has tested only 426 people for the virus, not including people who returned on evacuation flights.
“For the moment, we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or deaths,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general. “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely it has.”
[U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar] said the U.S. currently has a stockpile of 30 million surgical masks, but HHS estimates suggest the country needs 300 million masks.
Up to 95 percent of surgical masks are made outside the continental United States, in places like China and Mexico, according to a 2014 briefing released by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the outbreak has grown, Chinese authorities have increased manufacturing lines domestically, slashed their exports and put their own orders first. As China consumes more of the protective gear it is producing, the rest of the world is fighting over what is left.
U.S. health officials and industry executives are planning how to supply enough masks to critical personnel. That plan relies on a complicated supply chain already strained by U.S.-China trade tensions and in which even the most basic information is closely held. Proprietary information makes it difficult for the health-care industry — and the U.S. government — to know how much inventory manufacturers have at any given time.
The CDC outlined what schools and businesses will likely need to do if the COVID-19 virus becomes an epidemic outbreak in the U.S. Schools should consider dividing students into smaller groups or close and use “internet-based tele-schooling,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a conference call. “For adults, businesses can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase teleworking options,” Messonnier said. She said local communities and cities may need to “modify, postpone or cancel mass gatherings.” Hospitals may need to triage patients differently, add more tele-health services and delay elective surgery, she said. “We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare for the expectation that this is going to be bad,” she said.
Needless to say, you can’t just snap your fingers and immediately set up “internet-based tele-schooling.”
The Trump administration is requesting $1.25 billion in new funding and wants to transfer $535 million more from an Ebola preparedness account that’s been a top priority of Democrats. It anticipates shifting money from other HHS accounts and other agencies to complete the $2.5 billion response plan.
Democrats said Trump’s attempt to tap existing Ebola prevention funding was dead on arrival.
The Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch is exacting in his diction, even for an epidemiologist. Twice in our conversation he started to say something, then paused and said, “Actually, let me start again.” So it’s striking when one of the points he wanted to get exactly right was this: “I think the likely outcome is that it will ultimately not be containable.” […]
Lipsitch predicts that, within the coming year, some 40 to 70 percent of people around the world will be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. But, he clarifies emphatically, this does not mean that all will have severe illnesses. “It’s likely that many will have mild disease, or may be asymptomatic,” he said. As with influenza, which is often life-threatening to people with chronic health conditions and of older age, most cases pass without medical care. (Overall, around 14 percent of people with influenza have no symptoms.)
Lipsitch is far from alone in his belief that this virus will continue to spread widely. The emerging consensus among epidemiologists is that the most likely outcome of this outbreak is a new seasonal disease—a fifth “endemic” coronavirus. With the other four, people are not known to develop long-lasting immunity. If this one follows suit, and if the disease continues to be as severe as it is now, “cold and flu season” could become “cold and flu and COVID-19 season.”
…Adding… Press release…
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to do more to address the coronavirus epidemic following the President’s minimal and long overdue coronavirus funding request. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called out President Trump’s continued years-long efforts to cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—two federal health agencies that our nation relies upon to respond and prepare for public health challenges. In his fiscal Year 2021 proposed budget, President Trump advocated for cutting the CDC’s budget by nine percent and the NIH’s budget by seven percent.
“When you look at the efforts that are being made here in the United States and around the world, we can and should do more. I support [Senator Schumer’s] request for a dramatic increase in funding for this purpose now before it spreads across the United States,” Durbin said.
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
If we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base, it will be a fatal error.
We know that Bernie is less popular than Trump.
We know that a Bernie nomination puts the Dems control of the House at risk.
And we know that Bernie will sink Democrats in frontline districts like Sean Casten and Lauren Underwood right here in Illinois.
For the Democratic party to succeed and defeat Donald Trump it will take a candidate that can unite a broad and diverse coalition, and who can win crucial swing states that will ultimately decide the election in November with our House majority intact.
That person is Mike Bloomberg.
Other Democrats are devolving into divisive rhetoric, with destructiveconsequences. They have proven that they cannot unite the party, they cannot expand the map, and they cannot beat Trump.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker indicated last week Illinois sportsbooks will be open for business by “March Madness,” the upcoming annual NCAA basketball tourney. The governor last year signed a massive gambling package, legalizing sports betting at retail locations and across digital platforms.
The Illinois Gaming Board issued the first three operating wire room permits earlier this month to the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which has a bid in for a Waukegan gaming venue, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin and the Argosy Casino in the downstate Mississippi River town of Alton. Online sports betting license applicants need to wait 18 months after legal sports betting is underway to apply for the three gaming licenses, pegged at $20 million each, offered in Illinois.
Like the Super Bowl, the college basketball tournament draws heavy betting action from Illinoisans who think they can beat the oddsmakers. For you Illini fans, Illinois has a 77.8 percent chance of making the Big Dance, according to one sports ranking.
The Illinois Gaming Board moved the Land of Lincoln another step closer to entering the sports wagering market late Thursday afternoon when it released Phase 2 of its sports wagering rules. […]
The bill prohibits wagering on games involving in-state schools, which could be disappointing for some locals given that there are 13 Division I teams spread across eight conferences — and high-major programs Illinois and DePaul are vying for spots in the 68-team field.
The new provision allows for futures betting on events such as the NCAA tournament, covering “the final outcome of a series or combination of sports events such as a tournament or season outcome which includes both Illinois and non-Illinois collegiate teams or individuals” but also extending the prohibition on such wagers being placed on Illinois teams.
This rule is consistent with New Jersey’s prohibition on such wagers. Indiana and Iowa have no such provision regarding their college teams.
The futures of a planned casino in Terre Haute and one under construction in Gary remain up in the air as the Indiana Gaming Commission looks into allegations that a former Indianapolis gambling company and one of its officers were involved in a federal campaign finance scheme. […]
At issue is Spectacle Entertainment Group’s ownership in the gambling operations in Gary and its application for the planned Terre Haute casino. Spectacle is owned in part by former executives of Centaur Gaming, which in 2018 sold its racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville to Caesars Entertainment.
A federal plea deal that became public Jan. 23 alleged that Centaur was involved in funneling thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to an Indiana congressional candidate in 2015.
Court documents didn’t name Centaur, but the Indiana Gaming Commission confirmed it’s the company involved. The plea deal also implicated the vice president and general counsel for the company, which was John Keeler.
Keeler and former Centaur Chairman and CEO Rod Ratcliff now operate Spectacle Entertainment, which is constructing the $300 million land-based casino in Gary and is the only applicant for the Terre Haute casino license.
But, you know, if Indiana would just get rid of Speaker Madigan and reform its redistricting process, this stuff wouldn’t ever happen.
Snark aside, Indiana’s troubles are good news for the Danville casino and the south suburban casino and the Chicago casino (if it ever gets off the ground).
* And now to video gaming with Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line…
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) raked in $95,000 in campaign contributions from six major players in Illinois’ video gaming industry, including operators, a gaming parlor chain and the umbrella association that protects video gaming interests, according to reports filed this month with the Illinois State Board of Elections. […]
“One of the downsides of becoming senate president in the middle of a General Assembly and seven weeks before a primary election is I have to raise money to defend caucus members in tough primary fights,” Harmon said.
The gaming-related contributions reported by Harmon are:
$25,000 from Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC, the state’s largest video-gaming terminal operator, based in Burr Ridge. [by far the largest single donation to an Illinois politician the company has made]
$10,000 from Fair Share Gaming, LLC, a video-gaming terminal operator based in Tinley Park. [by far the largest contribution ever from the company]
$5,000 Illinois Gaming Systems, LLC, a Naperville-based video gaming terminal operator.
$25,000 from J&J Ventures, Inc., an Effingham-based firm that operates video gaming terminals along the Illinois-Missouri border. [That contribution was the largest in J&J’s history]
$5,000 from Lucy’s Place LLC, an Elmwood Park-based chain of video gaming cafés with 25 locations in Illinois.
$25,000 from the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association PAC, the political action committee representing video gaming interests in Illinois.
Harmon said the contributions went to his campaign committee because he is in the process of setting up a new campaign fund for Senate Democrats, called ISDF. The fund was created last week, according to campaign records, and Harmon said he expects the fund to officially replace the Illinois Democratic Victory PAC in the coming weeks. […]
The timing of the donations comes as the industry presses lawmakers to ban a major competitor to video gaming terminals: sweepstakes machines.
Harmon has not yet said where he stands on banning those sweepstakes machines.
* Speaking of sweepstakes, we recently discussed a bipartisan fact-finding mission by Reps. Kelly Cassidy and Tim Butler that looked into those games. Bernie did a story about it…
Butler put $30 into the [sweepstakes] machine and took a loss, getting $16 from the bartender. Cassidy was a winner, getting $13 for her $10 investment.
Butler said he had been told by an industry representative that cash for sweepstakes winnings aren’t condoned, and there’s a way to go online to get merchandise. But the experience in the bar confirmed for Butler that there’s not that much difference between unregulated sweepstakes machines and video terminals that can only operate with state Gaming Board approval, and involving background checks and payment of taxes.
“If you want to participate in gaming like this, you need to go through the process that we’ve set up,” Butler said.
* Related…
* Citadel Advisors, Others Break From Hedge Fund Pack, Short Sports Betting Stocks: Currently, rosy projections range from $5 billion to $8 billion in earnings for US sports betting companies several years out — not large numbers — and an executive from MGM recently acknowledged that the company’s sports wagering operations may not be profitable until 2025.
Depositions ordered in a discrimination case lodged against JB Pritzker’s 2018 campaign for governor will be limited per the request of Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, according to a four-page order filed last week in the case by a federal judge.
Pritzker will not have to sit for a deposition, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled, agreeing with the governor’s argument that he as an individual had already been dismissed from the case, and that he did not have “unique personal knowledge” of the dispute in the lawsuit.
Stratton’s interview will be limited to three hours “and to questions only related to the defamation issue,” according to the order. Stratton was sued for defamation as part of the suit brought in the waning weeks of the 2018 campaign by Maxwell Little and nine other campaign workers who alleged racial discrimination in the campaign environment.
* Looks like the plaintiffs over-reached. From the order…
The factors that govern whether a high-level official should be deposed show that Governor Pritzker should not be required to sit for an oral deposition. The record strongly suggests that Pritzker – who is no longer a party to this case – does not have unique personal knowledge of the events that plaintiffs allege. The campaign employed approximately 200 individuals across 34 offices in Illinois. The campaign’s manager Quentin Fulks states in his declaration that an email address was created to which employees could send their employment- related concerns. The address forwarded these emails to “certain” campaign employees whom Fulks does not identify but not to Pritzker or Stratton. Pritzker and Stratton also lacked daily supervisory responsibilities; instead, five non-senior campaign employees supervised the campaign’s field organizers.
Plaintiffs have made no showing of why Pritzker should be deposed given these facts. Plaintiffs claim that plaintiff Eric Chaney “attempted” to talk to Pritzker about his employment complaints at an unidentified point in the campaign but Pritzker “immediately walked off.” Pritzker’s responsiveness, however, is not relevant to the apex analysis; rather, the issue is whether he had unique knowledge of the matter in question. Plaintiffs’ claim that Pritzker “walked off” instead of listening to Chaney’s complaint suggests that he does not.
Plaintiffs have also provided an unauthenticated news article reporting that unnamed campaign staff members voiced some discrimination complaints to Pritzker and Stratton when the candidates reached out at some point to African-American campaign workers. However, not only does this article fail to identify the persons involved, the content of their communication, or the length or conditions under which the communication took place, it actually undermines plaintiffs’ argument through its incorporation of denials by both Pritzker and Stratton that anyone ever voiced to them concerns regarding racism and harassment.
* Background is here if you need it. The House Qualifications Challenge Committee met today for the first time for about ten minutes. The committee was created after two members, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) challenged the qualifications of Rep. Eva Dina Delgado (D-Chicago), who was appointed to fill former Rep. Luis Arroyo’s seat with proxy votes from Arroyo’s 36th Ward organization.
Chairman Chris Welch read part of the rules during the hearing, which mirror those from the last such challenge…
Respondent [Delgado] shall have ten days from today’s hearing to respond. Petitioners [Durkin and Stava-Murray] then have seven days to respond and then respondent will be given seven days to respond.
* Here’s the schedule…
Respondent: Friday, March 6th.
Petitioners’ responses: Friday, March 13th.
Respondent’s replies: Friday, March 20.
Hearing: Tuesday, March 25th.
Both her defense and the petitioners’ responses will be released before the March 17th primary. But the hearing won’t happen until well after the primary.
* Rep. Delgado’s statement…
Rep. Delgado & her attorney didn’t take questions after the meeting but issued this statement, calling the challenges to her appointment “purely political.” pic.twitter.com/bcfQjuRvxq
I’m gonna work hard to get elected, go to Washington, and have his back. I’m gonna help him pass a conservative agenda that’s good for all of America.
Here’s what we’re gonna do: We’re gonna protect the God-given rights to bear arms in the 2nd Amendment. We’re gonna protect the sanctity of life, and we’re gonna work to strengthen and secure the southern border.
I will never be for sale to the highest bidder. Never. You can’t buy me and you can’t buy my vote.
My name is Darren Duncan and you better believe I approve this message.
The “supervolunteer” turned spokesman is now on his eighth campaign, managing communications for Rep. Yoni Pizer, who is running for a permanent seat in the Illinois House in a race that has pitted some Illinois Democrats against each other. […]
“I don’t remember the last time I got home before 8 p.m. the past three years,” the 18-year-old says. This primary will be the first election he votes in, and could fall after an all-nighter. He sometimes works on campaign to-dos until midnight, and homework until 2 a.m. “I don’t know why I did this to myself. I can’t really stop it.”
His first campaign was helping Mark Tendam in his losing 2017 bid for Evanston mayor, followed by Ald. Ameya Pawar’s gubernatorial run, then Daniel Biss. He interned in state Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s legislative office, then on state Rep. Bob Morgan’s campaign, for 46th Ward aldermanic candidate Marianne LaLonde, “then I got roped into this long-shot candidate named Lori Lightfoot’s race,” where he helped manage peer-to-peer texting. He also worked on Paras Parekh’s Lake County board race.
Stone works around his school’s block schedule—ten minutes here, an hour there during lunch and prep—and can often be spotted between classes catching up on news, Beacon’s Dean of Students Siobhan Allen says.
I’ve been working with Stone via email and I had no idea he was 18. He’s good at what he does.
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Credit Union League is the primary trade association for Illinois credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives that focus on their members and the communities they serve. Credit unions function like other financial institutions in many ways: they offer checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, as well as personal, home, and auto loans, free ATMs, and more. However, credit unions exist as member-owned cooperative institutions. This means that when you join a credit union, you are more than just a member - you’re an owner, and your voice matters. Interested in finding the credit union that’s right for you? Visit ASmarterChoice.org to discover all the advantages that membership holds.
Freshman Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood said Monday that she thinks the influence of the party’s presidential contenders on her chances for reelection in the traditionally Republican 14th Congressional District would be “neutral at best or really difficult at worst.”
Appearing before about 150 people at the City Club of Chicago, Underwood was asked if she shared concerns among some Democratic moderates that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could hurt down-ballot Democrats who won in 2018 or are in swing districts, should he win the nomination.
“Some people are neutral and some people are not and no one in my opinion that’s running on the Democratic ticket is helpful to me in my race,” Underwood replied, drawing murmurs from the crowd.
Underwood defeated three-term GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren in 2018 in an exurban district that has long backed conservative Republicans. She noted that she defeated Hultgren by 5 percentage points while J.B. Pritzker lost to Bruce Rauner in the district by 8 percentage points — though Pritzker defeated Rauner statewide by 16 percentage points.
Political consultant Jim Terman, who posed the question, told Playbook that Underwood’s answer “caught folks by surprise…but when you think about it, it made sense.” […]
Underwood’s response explains the reality of being a Democrat in a swing district, says senior adviser Ronnie Cho. “Her re-election has more to do with her than anybody else. She knows her re-election is contingent on her campaign, policies and record,” Cho told Playbook.
And if there’s any question about Underwood’s dedication to Democratic infrastructure, Cho points to the political action committee Underwood just started to help down-ballot candidates. Farm Team PAC is focused on electing Democratic candidates within IL-14.
Only two statewide Democratic candidates won Underwood’s district in 2018: Secretary of State Jesse White (who won 14 of 16 districts) and Comptroller Susana Mendoza (who won all but four districts). No statewide Dems won the district in the 2016 and 2012 presidential cycles, and only White won it in 2014.
By the way, as I told subscribers yesterday, Underwood’s Farm Team PAC had just $992.69 in the bank at the end of 2019 and hasn’t reported any contributions since then. It was created about 13 months ago.
…Adding… With thanks to a commenter, here’s a story about an Indivisible Evanston gathering for Underwood last week...
Underwood also emphasized her role as a bipartisan congresswoman who can appeal to a variety of voters. She said many Trump supporters voted for her in 2018, and hopes to continue that trend. […]
Underwood stressed to Evanston residents that they might have to speak cautiously when helping her campaign in the district. She said they should speak on shared values as opposed to a “lack of empathy for our neighbors.”
Additionally, Underwood instructed those helping the campaign to maintain “awareness and discipline” when knocking on the doors of District 14 voters, who are generally not as liberal as many Evanston residents.
“Speaker Pelosi has a lot of sayings, but one of the things that she always tells us is that the things you can say in San Francisco you can’t say Michigan, but what you can say in Michigan, you can say San Francisco; you’re San Francisco, I’m Michigan,” Underwood said.
She also said potential GOP opponent Jim Oberweis has “very well-established bigoted and racist views.”
