* Center Square…
The Illinois State Board of Education could put more school districts across the state on probation just as the agency has put eight schools on notice for failure to comply with the state’s COVID-19 policies. […]
On Friday, ISBE listed eight schools on probation.
Seven were private schools: St. Johns Lutheran Parochial School in Coles County, St. James Lutheran schools in Adams County, Vandalia Christian Academy in Fayette County, Christian Liberty Academy and Valeo Academy in Cook County, Kankakee Trinity Academy in Kankakee County, and Visionway Christian School in Christian County.
Hutsonville Community Unit School District 1 in Crawford County is the only public school on probation.
“Due to the district’s continued failure to demonstrate compliance with the universal indoor masking requirements, the State Superintendent has determined that the recognition status of your district is hereby changed to On Probation, effective immediately,” said a letter ISBE sent to Hutsonville on Friday.
Hutsonville School Board President Chad Weaver told Illinois Radio Network they’ve had their mask-recommended policy in place all school year with few students wearing masks. He said COVID-19 cases have been on par with other districts. […]
In their letter to Hutsonville, ISBE said they can either appeal or submit a plan for corrective action by Nov. 30.
Weaver said the district requires masks on school buses, capturing federal dollars tied to such policies. And, they’re ready to make masks mandated if local conditions call for it. But, state dollars could be at stake for not complying with ISBE’s mandate.
“Basically the new set of rules that ISBE put out is at least a kangaroo court version of due process,” Weaver said.
Legal bills have been minimal, Weaver said, but some in the public have offered to cover the costs to keep masks optional.
Weaver said the quiet part out loud when he mentioned the school bus mask mandate connected to federal dollars. The district will only comply if it hits their budget. So be it.
Also, Hutsonville has been in court and in hot water almost constantly since the pandemic began.
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Some campaign stuff
Monday, Nov 22, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WGLT…
A Bloomington state senator is pushing back against former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s view that Illinois will not be a top-tier state next year for funding in Republican races for governor and U.S. Senate.
Christie made the remark in Chicago, during a speech at the Chicago Union Club. Christie was promoting his new book about how to get the Republican Party past former President Donald Trump.
State Sen. Barickman, R-Bloomington, said Christie should wait a bit on his conclusion that Illinois is not competitive in those statewide races.
“I don’t think the answer on that issue is fully yet known. Whether we are a top-tier state for funding largely depends on who the candidates are,” said Barickman. […]
“Suburban voters I think are not going to be overly motivated by social issues per se. I think they’re going to be driven by property taxes, crime, high quality schools. We can’t do it if our candidate is a non-starter with the suburban households where there are so many votes,” said Barickman.
* What Christie said…
As for Republican chances in Illinois in next year’s midterms, when Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth are seeking reelection, Christie likened the situation to a famed “Peanuts” cartoon.
“Sometimes Illinois is a little bit like Charlie Brown and the football and Lucy, and how you think you’re gonna get it and then you wind up on your back,” said Christie, who as head of the Republican Governors Association was actively involved in the election of one-term GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2014.
“I think there could be Republican gains here but it’s not a top-tier state in terms of where Republicans are targeting money,” he said, referring to lower-ballot races such as those for Congress. “If we’re spending money in Illinois in October of next year, we won the House and Senate already. That’s called piling on once you do that.”
Thoughts?
* Zero surprise here…
Democrat Nikki Budzinski of Springfield, a labor activist who worked in President Joe Biden’s administration until earlier this summer, has secured an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield in her run for U.S. Congress in the 13th District.
The announcement came Sunday at Durbin’s Springfield home. […]
Democrat David Palmer, 35, a Champaign resident who is a Country Financial Insurance broker and financial planner, lives in the 13th District.
Palmer, who is Black, said the new 13th District would include majority Black East St. Louis which would be a boost to his election chances.
Still waiting to see what Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) plans to do.
…Adding… A commenter claims Rep. Ammons announced her re-election campaign today. Checking.
…Adding More… Rep. Ammons got back to me just now to confirm that she’s running for reelection.
* Meanwhile, on to a press release…
Michael Rabbitt, business transformation leader at Argonne National Laboratory, and a community activist, who is seeking the appointment to replace retiring State Representative of the 15th House district in Illinois, John D’Amico, has received the endorsement of 39th Ward Neighbors United, an independent political organization that fights for racial, social, and economic justice in Chicago’s 39th ward. Rabbitt’s strong performance yesterday’s People’s Candidate Forum, coupled with this key endorsement, gives him momentum heading into Tuesday’s appointment meeting.
The ward with the most weighted vote is the 39th and Sen. Ram Villivalam is the committeeperson. Contrary to what you might have read elsewhere, Villivalam had nothing to do with the Neighbors United endorsement.
* Russ Stewart…
State law mandates the area committeepersons of the party of the resigned incumbent meet within 30 days to pick the replacement, which means in D’Amico’s case by Dec. 8. The selection is by weighted-vote, based on the turnout in the 2020 Democratic primary, which was 35,637. The apportionment is as follows 38.2 percent in the 39th Ward, 32.6 in Maine Township, 17.7 in Niles Township, 9 in the 41st Ward, and the rest scattered. Joe Cook, the 41st Ward committeeperson, has said he won’t seek the job. The choice will serve through the end of 2022 and have an edge in the June 28 primary.
Michael Rabbitt of Wildwood was in the race before D’Amico quit. He works for Argonne Laboratories as a manager. He is an advocate of police reform and affordable housing. He models himself after Will Guzzardi, Lindsay LaPointe and John Arena, and is waging a door-to-door campaign. He will be the leftmost candidate.
Others in the contest, who will likely seek selection, are Dan Cotter, an attorney from Edgebrook and former LSC president and CBA past president, Casey Smagala of Albany Park, a 2019 39th Ward aldermanic candidate who is close to Villivalam, Mike Kelly of Mayfair, a firefighter who is the football coach at St. Edward’s parish school, Liam Kelly, who ran for subcircuit judge in the 2020 primary, and whose brother Eamon is Evanston Township committeeperson, and Dean Alonistiotis, who works for MWRD commissioner Kim Du Buclet.
Mike Kelly is close to former Rep. D’Amico.
…Adding… Candidate list courtesy of the 39th Ward…
-Dr. Christina Brophy (Triton College; Professor of History & Humanities)
-Daniel Cotter (Howard & Howard PLLC; Attorney)
-Vince Fattore (Lexington Group; Chief Information Officer)
-Judy Kehoe (AAIA/A.C.E.S., Inc.; Contracting Specialist)
-Michael J. Kelly (Chicago Fire Department; Firefighter/EMT)
-John Melaniphy III (Village of Niles; Director of Economic Development)
-Michael Rabbitt (Argonne National Laboratory; Business Leader)
* Related…
* Illinois Comptroller visits Arcola mayor
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 22, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
An Illinois youth gambling prevention program is rolling out a holiday campaign to prevent the gifting of Illinois lottery tickets to children.
Focus Youth Gambling Prevention, a program of the Springfield-based Illinois Association for Behavioral Health, has allied with community organizations from across Illinois to raise awareness about the risks associated with giving lottery products as gifts to minors, especially during the holiday season.
The Illinois group’s initiative, organized by the National Council on Problem Gambling, the International Center for Youth Gambling Problems, and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University under the “Gift Responsibly Campaign” banner, is being funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates Focus Youth Gambling Prevention’s commitment to corporate social responsibility through the Gift Responsibly Campaign, which raises awareness about the risks associated with giving lottery products as gifts to minors during the holiday season — or any time of the year,“ said Sarah Martin, Focus Youth Gambling Prevention’s Prevention Program Coordinator. “Research linking early exposure to gambling to future problem gambling and other risky behaviors is why ‘Focus’ is involved in the campaign.”
Lotteries are a ticket to later-in-life gambling problems, expert says.
“We are very appreciative of the efforts of ‘Focus’ to educate adults and youth about the potential consequences associated with underage lottery play,” said National Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Keith Whyte. “The evidence clearly shows that exposure to gambling as a youth increases the probability of gambling problems later in life. Regardless of what time of year it is, adults should find gift options for children other than lottery tickets.”
Starting on December 1, Focus will launch its campaign that offers guidance and alternative ways to gift to children this holiday season without the need to give Illinois lottery tickets. This will include providing information on the gift responsibly campaign, discouraging adults from gifting lottery tickets to kids, and offering suggestions for other gifts.
“Our message is a simple one: lottery tickets are appropriate gifts only for adults,” said Martin.
* The Question: Have you ever given a lottery ticket to a kid? Or, did you ever receive a lottery ticket as a present when you were a kid?
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* From Illinois’ Recyclable Metal Purchase Registration Law…
It is a violation of this Act for any person to sell or attempt to sell, or for any recyclable metal dealer to purchase or attempt to purchase, any of the following: […]
4) any catalytic converter not attached to a motor vehicle at the time of the transaction unless the seller is licensed as an automotive parts recycler or scrap processor.
(b) This Section shall not apply when the seller produces written documentation reasonably demonstrating that the seller is the owner of the recyclable metal material or is authorized to sell the material on behalf of the owner. The recyclable metal dealer shall copy any such documentation and maintain it along with the purchase record required by Section 3 of this Act.
* Check out the required documentation…
1. The name and address of the recyclable metal dealer;
2. The date and place of each purchase;
3. The name and address of the person or persons from whom the recyclable metal was purchased, which shall be verified from a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification. The recyclable metal dealer shall make and record a photocopy or electronic scan of the driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification. If the person delivering the recyclable metal does not have a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification, the recyclable metal dealer shall not complete the transaction;
4. The motor vehicle license number and state of issuance of the motor vehicle license number of the vehicle or conveyance on which the recyclable metal was delivered to the recyclable metal dealer;
5. A description of the recyclable metal purchased, including the weight and whether it consists of bars, cable, ingots, rods, tubing, wire, wire scraps, clamps, connectors, other appurtenances, or some combination thereof;
6. Photographs or video, or both, of the seller and of the materials as presented on the scale; and
7. A declaration signed and dated by the person or persons from whom the recyclable metal was purchased which states the following:
“I, the undersigned, affirm under penalty of law that the property that is subject to this transaction is not to the best of my knowledge stolen property.”.
A copy of the recorded information shall be kept in an electronic record-keeping system by the recyclable metal dealer. Purchase records shall be retained for a period of 3 years. Photographs shall be retained for a period of 3 months and video recordings shall be retained for a period of one month. The electronic record-keeping system shall be made available for inspection by any law enforcement official or the representatives of common carriers and persons, firms, corporations or municipal corporations engaged in either the generation, transmission or distribution of electric energy or engaged in telephone, telegraph or other communications, at any time.
Whew, that’s a lot.
* Penalties…
Sec. 8. Penalty. Any recyclable metal dealer or other person who knowingly fails to comply with this Act is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense, and a Class 4 felony for the second or subsequent offense. Each day that any recyclable metal dealer so fails to comply shall constitute a separate offense.
Sec. 9. Injunctions. The Illinois Attorney General or the State’s Attorney for the county in which the recyclable metal dealer is located may initiate an appropriate action in the circuit court of the county in which a recyclable metal dealer is located to prevent the unlawful operation of a recyclable metal dealer, or to restrain, correct, or abate a violation of this Act, or to prevent any illegal act or conduct by the recyclable metal dealer.
* So, keep all that in mind when reading this Kankakee Daily Journal editorial…
A catalytic converter is a device that looks like a small muffler within the exhaust system. It’s designed to convert the engine’s hazardous exhaust into less harmful gases.
To accomplish this, manufacturers use platinum, palladium and rhodium. The value of these precious metals has skyrocketed in recent years. On Nov. 18, the prices for these metals were listed as $1,049, $2,080 and $13,300, respectively. That’s per troy ounce. (It takes 1.09 regular ounces to make a troy ounce, which is the measurement standard for many precious metals.)
In 2017, the value of rhodium was $779.23 per troy ounce.
With gold in their eyes and power tools in their hands, thieves make quick work of removing catalytic converters from the underbelly of gas-powered vehicles. That’s Part 1 of the problem. Part 2 is how easily they can turn these car parts into cold, hard cash with no questions asked.
The converters are very easy to steal and the task can take less than two minutes. Selling them isn’t as easy, because no matter what the Daily Journal claims, you can’t take them to just any metal recycling center. You have to know somebody, or know somebody who does.
The illicit buyers are either transporting the stolen goods out of state or are processing the valuable materials themselves or in a regional location and then reselling those materials on the legit market. And if that’s the case, permanently marking your catalytic converter likely won’t deter theft.
* A small sampling of recent headlines from a quick Google News search…
* Police: Multiple catalytic converter thefts reported in Near North Side
* Car Burglaries, Catalytic Converter Thefts Surge In Wheaton
* Peoria auto shop sees uptick in catalytic converter theft
* 8 Catalytic Converters Stolen In 1 Night in Oak Lawn
* Catalytic Converter Crooks Hit Mount Greenwood
* Lakeview shooting: Licensed carrier kills would-be catalytic converter thief in shootout, CPD says
* It’s also a national issue…
(F)or example, in California. As CBS 2’s Jim Williams reported, State Farm Insurance said its customers’ claims for catalytic converter thefts jumped 175% between June of 2020 and June of 2021. Cities like Miami, Phildelphia, Denver and Pittsburgh report seeing the same trend.
The state could try regulating the sale of rhodium, but I doubt that’ll work, either.
The feds need to jump in here now, but so do the automakers. This is beyond ridiculous.
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* The DuPage County Democratic Central Committee has been paying this person $500 a month for the past three years. It was definitely not money well spent…
After Sunday’s Christmas parade horror in Waukesha, Wisconsin, an Illinois Democrat appeared to portray the tragedy as a form of payback for Friday’s acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha.
“It was probably just self-defense,” read one of a series of mocking social media posts from Mary Lemanski, who is listed as the social media director for the Democratic Party in DuPage County, Illinois.
Lemanski also describes herself as an acting student with the famed Second City comedy group.
“Living in Wisconsin, he probably felt threatened,” read another post attributed to Lemanski, referring to the SUV driver in the Waukesha case.
* After the pushback began…
The DuPage Democrat then offered onlookers her own perspective on the Sunday attack.
‘I’m sad,’ Lemanski shared later that night. ‘I’m sad anytime anyone dies.’
‘I just believe in Karma and this came around quick on the citizens of Wisconsin.’
Then, in another, more judgmental, message directed to the citizens of the state that saw both of the contentious attacks, the staffer proclaimed, ‘You reap what you sow, Wisconsin.’
Her tweets are now deleted, but you can see them all at the links above.
* Facebook…
The DuPage Democrats deleted that post, and rightly so. She shouldn’t have been using the official site to announce her resignation.
* Twitter…
* So much has been written about the Rittenhouse case nationally and in Illinois, but I’ve avoided it because it was a Wisconsin court case. Various Illinois pols reacted after the verdict, but I’m ignoring them, too. Do yourself a favor and read Mark Brown…
Many people are going to have trouble accepting the Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty verdict, but I think there would be fewer of them if they’d watched the trial, beginning to end, as a jury does.
It bothers me deeply that Rittenhouse killed two people with a gun a 17-year-old shouldn’t have had in a fight he shouldn’t have been anywhere near.
But, as I wrote before the jury began its 26-plus hours of deliberations, it’s the correct verdict based on all of the evidence and the law.
It really was self-defense. Rittenhouse wasn’t the aggressor in the chain of events that led to the shootings. […]
I certainly pray people won’t be emboldened by this verdict to show up with their guns every time there is a protest over a matter of public dispute. But I fear some will.
Despite what people are saying, Rittenhouse’s acquittal should not be seen a victory for white supremacists (though I’m sure that crowd is celebrating) any more than a guilty verdict would have been a victory for antifa.
On the other hand, if those redneck clowns in Georgia get away with the shotgun lynching of Ahmaud Arbery, now, that would be a victory for white supremacists.
Take a very deep breath or three before commenting, please. There are plenty of other websites that encourage you to spew anything that comes to mind. This ain’t one of them. Also, remember that you’re often being manipulated…
…Adding… Press release…
“The Democratic Party of DuPage County immediately severed all ties with Mary Lemanski once became aware of her callous and reprehensible posts. She does not speak for us and we unequivocally reject her statements about the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Waukesha. We as a party denounce violence of any kind. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this heinous act, which shocked and saddened us all.”
- Democratic Party of DuPage County Chair Ken Mejia-Beal
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* Ted Slowik…
South suburban economic development boosters met Thursday with state officials for the first time in three years to discuss the proposed South Suburban Airport near Peotone, an official said Friday.
State lawmakers who represent the region likely prompted the meeting by sending a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, said Rick Bryant, an aide to U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson. […]
The congressional aide said he informed state officials that Amazon and others are using the Rockford airport as a cargo hub but eyeing an airport in Gary, Indiana, because it is closer to Chicago-area distribution centers, Bryant said. […]
Gary’s airport is landlocked and cannot expand beyond a single runway, Bryant said. Amazon and others would prefer a site with multiple runways that is not already congested with commercial air traffic, he said.
“In the long term we have a better site,” Bryant said. “In the short term Gary has the upper hand.”
* That letter was quite something…
As representatives of the Chicago Southland, we are disappointed by your Administration’s steadfast opposition to a proposed South Suburban Airport, which is potentially one of the largest commercial developments to locate in Illinois in decades.
We know this because your Administration:
1) Hired consultants to find alternative uses for the selected airport site;
2) Eliminated Phase I Engineering for a proposed airport interchange from IDOT’s five-year plan (rendering a budgeted $162 million line-item for constructing that interchange essentially meaningless);
3) Refused meeting with private developers interested in financing the project;
4) Refused meeting with regional leadership to discuss next steps;
5) Sat idly as UPS expanded its Rockford air cargo hub across the state line to Gary Airport; and
6) Sat idly as Amazon built new air cargo hubs in many Midwestern states - but not Illinois.
For thirty-five years, Illinois governor after Illinois governor, FAA administrator after FAA administrator, aviation/economic impact study after aviation/economic impact study have concluded that Metro Chicago needs a third major airport to handle future capacity demands. Studies also conclude the ideal location for that airport is the FAA-approved site near Monee.
The Southland is blessed with the nation’s busiest network of road and rail infrastructure. A new airport would be essential to an innovative, world-class, multi-modal, mega e-commerce cluster. As longtime Southland residents, we’ve witnessed our region overlooked. We will no longer stand idly by for any Governor who does not make improving the economic quality of life in our region a top priority.
Thus, we write to respectfully ask your Administration to immediately:
1) Begin Phase I Engineering on the proposed airport interchange on I-57 at mile marker 332;
2) Complete land acquisition with funds already appropriated by the General Assembly;
3) Refresh the Environment Impact Study;
4) Complete the final airport “master plan” and seek a Record of Decision from the FAA.
Finally, there is great private-sector interest in the airport, thus, we urge the State to draft a master development agreement and solicit bids from private companies willing to finance, construct, maintain and operate the airport on State-owned land.
The Southland, with our extraordinary transportation assets, has the potential to be a model 21st Century e-commerce hub that could be the envy of the nation. But that will only happen if the State defines its role and demonstrates its commitment to lead a public-private partnership.
We thank you for your time and remain eager to work with your Administration on this ambitious, overdue, innovative investment in Illinois’ near- and long-term future.
The letter was signed by Sen. Michael Hastings and Reps. Will Davis and Kelly Burke.
Gov. Pritzker has focused quite a lot of attention on the Rockford airport. And south suburban types are upset at his lack of focus on their region on numerous other issues as well, including things like the Illiana Expressway and water issues within the inner ring suburbs like Dixmoor.
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Today’s must-read
Monday, Nov 22, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Will Lee has perhaps the best out-migration story I’ve ever read in today’s Tribune. The anecdotes are interesting and relevant and so is the data…
Illinois in general saw some of the largest losses of Black residents during the last decade of any state except New York. As Chicago’s Hispanic and white populations have increased in the last decade, the city’s Black population dropped by 84,738 since 2010, the second highest decline after Detroit. […]
The outward trend is hardly a single phenomenon as the Midwest’s Black population has fallen by more than 130,000 people in the last 10 years, according to the Brookings Institution’s analysis.
The Atlanta, Dallas and Houston metro areas have gained the most Black residents between 2010 and 2020. […]
“We’ve never recovered from losing manufacturing jobs from the ‘70s on and … the manufacturing jobs disappearing was replaced by the era of mass incarceration where we sent people to prison for many offenses … many of them drug,” said Daniel Cooper, the planning council’s director of research. […]
The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area had the eighth highest gain of Black residents during the past 10 years, with more than 72,000 new arrivals. In addition to Chicago, Phoenix has gained a number of people from Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Many believe the new arrivals from blue states helped tip the 2020 presidential election for President Joe Biden.
If nothing else, Illinois Democrats need to look at this very real issue as a significant threat to their political dominance. In 2010, Gov. Pat Quinn defeated Republican Bill Brady by 31,834 votes. Would that have happened today?
Go read the whole thing.
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Dems forge ahead on remap case
Monday, Nov 22, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Some Illinois House Democrats got a bit of a shock during a private caucus meeting held not long after the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund filed its proposed redistricting plan with a federal three-judge panel the other day.
MALDEF is claiming the legislature’s district remap plan unconstitutionally discriminates against Latinos and has filed suit. The group distributed a copy of its counter-proposal, and there was all sorts of bad news for incumbent Democrats.
The MALDEF proposal doesn’t take into account where members live, where their kids go to school, where their parents go to church. Its sole purpose is to maximize Latino representation in the two legislative chambers.
So, you wind up with a situation where Chicago Democratic Reps. Theresa Mah and Edgar Gonzales are drawn by MALDEF into the same district. Mah, an Asian-American, currently represents a Latino district with strong influence from Asian-American precincts. And that pairing is just one example.
The Republicans’ proposed remap is even worse for Democrats. The Republican proposal uses the redrawing of Latino districts to create ripple effects on more than a couple of dozen other districts, which allows them to make room for new Republican districts.
That’s basically the whole point of this exercise for the GOP: Use alleged Voting Rights Act violations as an opportunity to find ways to create new winnable districts for Republican candidates.
The Republican remap plan submitted to the federal panel also reportedly pairs Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman with fellow Democratic Rep. LaToya Greenwood in the Metro East. Democrats had dispersed Black voters among three different districts to make them all winnable by Democrats. That would make the non-East St. Louis district more winnable for the GOP.
The East St. Louis NAACP has also filed suit, and its map proposal takes Black residents away from Rep. Hoffman and Rep. Katie Stuart and creates a majority-Black district centered in East St. Louis. That would also mean bad electoral news for Hoffman and Stuart.
House Democrats were reminded during a private caucus meeting last week that MALDEF and the other plaintiffs still have to prove the new redistricting law the Democrats passed is unconstitutional before the plaintiffs can even claim that their proposals would remedy the situation.
There was no talk of Democratic leaders trying to negotiate a compromise. Instead, they’re confident their proposal will withstand judicial scrutiny. In the meantime, calm was urged.
“If that’s their position, they’re going to lose,” predicted one longtime Democratic participant in remap efforts. “What they ought to do is somewhat modify the MALDEF and Republican maps to do some damage control overall for themselves.”
MALDEF won a landmark remap case in Illinois that ended up creating two Latino Senate districts in 1981. Then-House Speaker Michael Madigan learned his lesson from that loss during his first-ever remap attempt and never poked the MALDEF bear again.
Fast forward 40 years. We have new legislative leaders, and MALDEF is making the same sorts of legal arguments it made in 1981, which is why some argue the Democrats need to work out a compromise that could save some districts here and there.
But why was there no legislative compromise when the maps were being drawn with groups like the Latino Policy Forum, which has been arguing forcefully for months that the remap plan is unconstitutional?
The simple answer is the Democrats firmly believe they have a winning legal strategy, and their prime objective was to help Democrats and attract Democratic votes to the remap bill, which meant catering to the remap demands and desires of individual Democratic members - making sure, for example, that their kids’ schools and their parents’ churches are in their new districts.
One way the leaders in both chambers were able to prevent outside influence was to warn their members that if they talked to an outsider about the remap process, they’d get hit with a subpoena.
From my own experience trying to pry loose information on the remap, I can tell you the warnings worked amazingly well. I and others I know all heard back the same basic thing: “I can’t talk to you, or I’ll get subpoenaed. And I don’t want to be dragged into this lawsuit.” The Latino groups simply didn’t know what was going down.
Members were also informed that, while many of the newly created Latino-“influenced” districts did not have adequate population to elect a Latino candidate, ongoing population shifts and the aging of people who are now too young to vote would combine to create majority Latino districts in the next three to five years or so.
That argument, I’m told, will be vigorously contested by MALDEF and others in court.
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Question of the day
Friday, Nov 19, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Another reminder that Ken Griffin has money to burn comes to us from Bloomberg…
Citadel Founder Ken Griffin bought a first printing of the U.S. Constitution which sold for a record-setting $43.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction, the auction house announced Friday. […]
Griffin said he will loan the document to Billionaire Alice Walton’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
The artifact carried a presale estimate of $15 million to $20 million and belonged to collector Dorothy Goldman. Her late husband, S. Howard Goldman, had purchased it for $165,000 in 1988.
* The Question: Your most recent major purchase?
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* May 8, 2020…
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau has called for his community to reopen faster than is outlined as part of Governor JB Pritzker’s plan.
He says it just can’t wait.
“The governor’s plan would not allow restaurants to reopen until at least June 26. Frankly, most of our small, family-owned restaurants will not survive that long,” Mayor Pekau said.
Mayor Pekau posted video on social media Thursday. The village said that it may lose $2.7 million this year in sales tax revenue because of COVID-19 restrictions, so it has laid out its own plan to reopen businesses at a faster pace.
* More from that video…
Pekau said Pritzker’s plan is based off “weird science” and has used an “asinine display of logic” in his guidance to restart the state after COVID-19’s peak.
The video is here.
* May 18 of last year…
Trustees in Orland Park could vote Monday to seek legal action against the state if businesses and “civic life” aren’t reopened in Illinois by June 1.
* Not long after he posted that video…
Less than one week after Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau used taxpayer monies to file a vague and unclear lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker demanding that COVID-19 restrictions be eased, the coronavirus struck close to home.
According to sources, an employee in the Village Manager’s Office at Orland Park Village Hall has tested positive for Coronavirus.
Although this is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 at Orland Park’s Village Hall – other government agencies have reported cases – Pekau’s high profile publicity, his demand restrictions be eased, and his taxpayer-funded lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker’s coronavirus plan has made Orland Park the symbol of a growing movement of people who believe the virus is more of a myth than a threat.
* And then a judge dismissed efforts by the village to obtain a TRO in August…
A federal lawsuit filed by the Village of Orland Park against Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been denied by the U.S. District Court of Northern District of Illinois.
The lawsuit – which was filed in June by the Village, an Orland Park restaurant and two Orland Park residents – claimed the governor’s executive orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic violated the U.S. Constitution, Illinois Constitution and the Public Health Act.
However, in an opinion filed on Aug. 1, Judge Andrea R. Wood denied the Village’s motion, stating the “plaintiffs have a negligible likelihood of success on the merits of those claims.” Wood also wrote that the “plaintiffs have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of any of their federal claims based on traditional constitutional analyses.”
* But Mayor Pekau persisted. He finally had to face reality in October of last year…
The federal lawsuit filed by the Village of Orland Park against Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been dropped, records show.
After months of discussion and investigations, the dismissal of the case on Tuesday did not give an explanation as to why the village decided to voluntarily drop the lawsuit. Mayor Keith Pekau, reached by phone Friday morning, said “it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“It was pretty clear that [the judge] was going to say that we don’t have standing in a federal court and take it back to a state court, which obviously costs a ton of money… when it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re open,” Pekau said, adding that from August to now, the village has spent “almost no money” on the case.
Also…
Trustee Dan Calandriello, who was opposed from the start to the litigation, said the consensus during Monday’s closed-door session was drop the matter.
“The feeling was it was time to finish this thing,” he said.
Calandriello, who is an attorney, said he believes the total legal bill for Orland Park will be about $70,000 and was critical of the expense at a time when municipal revenues have been affected due to the pandemic.
“At the end of the day this was not productive,” he said.
* Sept. 8 of this year…
The Village Board of Orland Park voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve a resolution that opposes Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate and any vaccine mandate against COVID-19. […]
Pekau went on to state that Illinois has been under a state of emergency for 600 days, during which time the governor had issued 97 executive orders. “These are the actions of a dictator,” the mayor said.
* Ted Slowik in the Daily Southtown around the same time…
I think it’s rather sad how some elected officials keep making the pandemic about politics rather than public health.
Leaders in Orland Park, for example, seemed incapable of discussing mask and vaccine mandates last week without criticizing Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“We’re ruling by fiat, and by one man, we’re not ruling by legislative action,” Mayor Keith Pekau said during a rambling, 25-minute diatribe at the Sept. 7 Village Board meeting. […]
Pekau refused to answer [WGN-AM’s Steve Bertrand’s] question about whether the mayor was vaccinated. […]
Pekau is hardly the only warrior for the aggrieved who seems like an opportunist using the pandemic to gain attention and score political points.
* Yesterday…
Mayor Keith Pekau is running for Congress in the 6th Congressional District, according to federal documents filed Monday.
The Orland Park mayor had not formally announced his candidacy as of Thursday afternoon, but registered Pekau For Congress as a committee under the Federal Election Commission Monday afternoon.
Currently, the 6th District is represented by Democratic incumbent Congressman Sean Casten. … Democrat Marie Newman [has announced she will run] against Casten in a primary contest. Pekau has registered to run as a Republican.
* Related…
* Illinois suffers highest COVID-19 caseload in two months, spikes in hospitalizations, positivity, deaths: ‘We are in a surge’
*** UPDATE *** Media advisory…
WHO: Mayor Keith Pekau
Special Guests: Jeanne Ives and Other Local Leaders
WHAT: Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau has fought career politicians and the radical left to help his hometown put “people over politics.” Now, he’ll take that fight to the halls of Congress. Pekau will formally announce his campaign for the 6th Congressional District at a local small business.
WHEN: Monday, November 22 at 10:00am
Press can arrive at 9:30am to set-up.
WHERE: Alexander Equipment Co., 4728 Yender Ave, Lisle, IL 60532
WHY: Keith Pekau is the common sense, local leader 6th District residents need in Washington to take on the extreme politicians. His record of results stands in stark contrast to the failed far-left politics of Marie Newman, Sean Casten, and Nancy Pelosi.
EXTRA: Pekau’s public Campaign Kick-Off Event is that evening (November 22nd) at 5:30pm at Fox’s Pizza & Irish Pub in Orland Park.
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* Press release yesterday…
Today, the Illinois Supreme Court allows Deerfield’s 2018 assault weapons ban ordinance to stand. The case challenged Deerfield’s authority to adopt the ordinance but did not challenge the validity or constitutionality of the ordinance. The Supreme Court’s ruling accepted Deerfield’s arguments concerning home rule authority and statutory interpretation.
Rep. Bob Morgan said, “Today is a tremendous day for Deerfield. The Illinois Supreme Court decision affirms that local municipalities have the ability to control the weapons in their communities. This makes Deerfield safer and is a win for the community.”
Following the shooting at Marjory Stone Douglas High School, Deerfield’s leadership team listened to residents, especially high school students who called for the assault weapons ban. Deerfield Mayor Daniel C. Shaprio said, “I continue to believe that these weapons have no place in our community.”
* It’s a bit more complicated than that. From the Supreme Court…
In this case, one Justice of this court has recused himself, and the remaining members of the court are divided so that it is not possible to secure the constitutionally required concurrence of four judges for a decision (see Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, § 3). Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed. The effect of this dismissal is the same as an affirmance by an equally divided court of the decision under review but is of no precedential value.
Justice Michael Burke took no part in the decision.
* The Illinois Municipal League summed up the issue last year…
The Illinois Appellate Court for the Second District (Appellate Court) reversed a portion of the circuit court’s injunction prohibiting the enforcement of a Village of Deerfield (Village) ordinance regulating firearms. The Appellate Court held that the provisions of the ordinance regulating assault weapons were a valid exercise of the Village’s home rule authority, but that to the extent the ordinance provisions restricting high capacity magazines regulated handgun ammunition, the injunction was affirmed. Easterday, et al., v. The Village of Deerfield, 2020 IL App (2nd) 190879 (December 4, 2020).
* Deerfield Review…
As a result of the deadlocked Supreme Court, the decision of the Illinois Appellate Court, which ruled the weapon ban was legal, remains in effect as the final word. […]
One of the central arguments in the case was whether Deerfield’s 2018 restrictions should be considered an amended law or a new law.
When the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation in 2013 allowing state residents to carry concealed firearms, the law included a provision that allowed home rule municipalities like Deerfield to regulate assault weapons within a 10-day window or lose the opportunity to do so.
Acting within the 10 day time limit, the Deerfield Village Board of Trustees enacted an ordinance regulating the storage and transportation of the specified list of guns but did not prohibit ownership or possession of the guns.
Then in 2018, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Deerfield officials moved to amend their ordinance to ban certain firearms.
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* Politico…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch rose so quickly to the top of the General Assembly that he found himself learning on the job and seeking out mentors as he tried to guide his caucus through a historic legislative year.
Welch spoke to former House Speaker Michael Madigan on three different occasions during the legislative session, and he turned to another veteran politician for insight, too: Willie Brown, who served as speaker of the California Assembly for 15 years. He and Welch are part of a very small club of Black legislators to serve as speaker. Brown says just six in the nation’s history.
Welch first sought out Brown when he was trying to rally votes to become Illinois speaker in January. “He gave me some advice and encouragement and said when you get this done come out and we’ll talk,” Welch told Playbook Thursday.
Earlier this week, Welch took him up on the offer and met Brown at his San Francisco office. “An opportunity to sit down with Willie Brown in his town? I couldn’t turn that down,” he told Playbook.
Welch had also talked to Brown by phone during the legislative session “to run a few scenarios by him for his advice.” The subject each time was related to member management issues. “It’s the hardest part of the job,” Welch says.
Brown definitely knows member management. When his chamber lost the majority in the 1994 Republican landslide, he eventually convinced two Republicans to side with Democrats.
There was a time here when the Illinois House was divided 60-58 and I joked back then that I was praying every night for the Democrats to lose one seat just to see what Madigan would do in case of a tie. Could he do what Brown did? Alas, we never got the chance to see.
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Lots of land mines in this post
Friday, Nov 19, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mike Miletich…
The Illinois State Board of Education hopes to approve a new rule that would further cement Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive order mandating that Illinois teachers, staff and school contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19 or go through weekly testing to be inside schools. […]
Under the proposal, teachers and other staff could still be exempt from getting the vaccine if they have a medical issue or strongly held religious beliefs. However, the proposed rule could allow schools to require unvaccinated staff to get tested twice per week if there is a COVID-19 outbreak. Schools could also bar staff from entering buildings if they have any COVID-19 symptoms. […]
Not all ISBE board members were happy with proposal. ISBE member Roger Eddy, a former state lawmaker and head of the Illinois Association of School Boards, said the board shouldn’t use rule-making to overrule the subject of multiple court cases.
“I think that allowing the courts, as one of the three branches of government, to weigh in on this would be a far more prudent way to proceed at this time,” Eddy said.
There was a time when Republicans opposed activist judges dictating policy rather than trying to get the policy right to begin with.
I mean, seriously, since when do members of a state board vote to abdicate their authority to slightly change some rules to the whims of judges?
* Let’s move along to this from last month…
The National School Boards Association has apologized to its members for its letter last month to President Joe Biden in which the group sought federal help in countering threats, harassment, and violence targeting school officials and said that some of the actions could be classified as “domestic terrorism” or hate crimes.
In a Friday letter to NSBA members, the group stated that while the safety of its members and schools in general was its top priority, “There was no justification for some of the language included in the letter. We should have had a better process in place to allow for consultation on a communication of this significance.”
Lots of Facebookers were sure up in arms about that.
* So, I was a bit surprised that the state’s Republican congressional delegation minus Adam Kinzinger waited until late yesterday afternoon to issue this press release…
Today, Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) led a letter with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation urging the Illinois School Boards Association to withdraw from the National School Boards Association.
On September 29, 2021, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) sent a letter to the Biden Administration asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to treat concerned parents, advocating for their children peacefully, as “domestic terrorists.”
“Parents should never be treated as domestic terrorists for showing up at school board meetings to advocate for their kids,” Miller said. “Many school boards across the country are trying to force racist Critical Race Theory, a perverted sexual education curriculum, and transgender policies that are harmful to teenage girls. We must empower the role of parents in their children’s education, and we hope that the Illinois School Boards Association will withdraw from the National School Boards Association.”
The Illinois School Boards Association (ISBA) plans to meet today and discuss their continued involvement with the National School Boards Association (NSBA).
“The FBI is still “tagging” parents they deem threatening at school board meetings,” Miller said. “I believe that Illinois parents and families should play a central role in their children’s education, not the federal government.”
Not over the top at all. Also, it’s the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). The full letter, which has the name right, is here. The press release was sent after the IASB meeting ended, by the way.
* I reached out early this morning to IASB Executive Director Thomas Bertrand for comment. His reply…
Hi Rich,
Thanks for your email.
On 10/20/21 I sent a message to IASB members that stated that IASB is currently not a dues paying member of NSBA. Last year the IASB Board of Directors suspended membership in NSBA (for this year) because of concerns that have persisted over time with the national organization. The IASB Board affirmed that decision yesterday at its regularly scheduled board meeting.
So, the letter was not only too late, it was unnecessary. Click here for the press release issued by the IASB.
* From that October letter…
The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) supports school board members in their civic duty to represent their community and provide quality educational opportunities for all students of the district. The letter to President Biden was sent without the knowledge or input from the state associations that NSBA represents. While the letter drew attention to reports of physical and verbal threats made at some publicly held school board meetings, including isolated incidents here in Illinois, the incendiary language used in it detracted from that message.
This is not the first disagreement that IASB has had with NSBA. Prior to this incident the IASB Board of Directors was evaluating its relationship with NSBA. IASB previously expressed concerns to NSBA about problems related to governance, transparency, and financial oversight. IASB suspended payment of dues to NSBA for 2021-2022, and sought to address these concerns through changes to the governance structure of the national association.
* And, in other news, here’s an op-ed by Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich)…
In other words, the indoctrination is being implemented implicitly rather than explicitly and thanks to the actions of the Illinois State Legislature, it is only going to get worse. Illinois has embraced Culturally Responsive Teaching Standards, which encourages teachers to embrace woke ideology. Additionally, the Governor has signed Senate Bill 818, which requires schools to implement the National Sex Education Standards beginning in kindergarten. Students as young as 8 years old will now have curriculum that teaches them about masturbation and other sexually explicit material.
Add to this the willingness of the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Education Association to not only go along with the Governor’s overreaching school mask mandates but to encourage these mandates, and the wokeism in our schools is inescapable.
He sure likes that word “woke.” All-purpose.
If you want to know what’s really going on with Culturally Responsive Teaching Standards, click here for a reasoned, factual piece. And SB818 does not require all schools to do anything and parents can opt their kids out.
Some people just gotta be angry all the time. I don’t get it.
...Adding… Might as well throw this one on the pile…
(The Center Square) – As a group of schools continues to get court protection against punishment from the Illinois State Board of Education, another Illinois district is gearing up for a legal fight to make masks optional. […]
In Vandalia, School Board Vice President Joe Schall said the board was unanimous this week in returning to mask optional policies starting Dec. 6. […]
“Our budget is $100,000 for our tort, so we’re going to set up a trust,” Schall said. “There will be more details to follow, but if you feel necessary, if you feel compelled to donate to the cause as our legal bills may go over our budget, you are more than welcome to do that.”
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