Former Illinois House Rep. Edward Acevedo today was sentenced to serve six months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion in a case tied to the sprawling investigation of former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly brushed aside arguments from Acevedo’s lawyer that probation would be an adequate penalty. He also included restitution in his sentence, requiring Acevedo to pay more than $37,000 in taxes that would have been owed on income he failed to report to the Internal Revenue Service, mainly in 2017 and 2018.
“It just seems to me that there is a particular responsibility, as a person who makes laws, as a person who enforces laws … to comply to those laws,” Kennelly said. “And Mr. Acevedo didn’t do that.”
Before he was sentenced, Acevedo, 58, apologized in a brief statement to his family and his former constituents.
“It’s not the way I wanted to be, it’s not the way I brought my boys up to be,” Acevedo said, appearing before Kennelly via a video link. “I let them down, and I let my community down, and I’m sorry for that, your honor.”
Court records tie the Acevedo indictments to the cases against Madigan, members of his inner circle and ComEd. Edward Acevedo’s name appeared in a subpoena sent to Madigan’s office in July 2020, the same day prosecutors accused ComEd of a bribery scheme that sent $1.3 million to Madigan’s associates as it sought Madigan’s support for legislation in Springfield.
But filings in the case against Alex Acevedo have shed the most light on the Acevedo prosecutions. Alex Acevedo’s defense attorney, Ricardo Meza, wrote that all three Acevedos were served in 2019 with grand jury subpoenas that sought information about “work-related activities” as well as “Mr. Madigan and his associates.”
Then, during a February 2020 meeting with prosecutors, more than 75% of the questions asked of Alex Acevedo were related to Madigan, Meza wrote. He alleged that, when Alex Acevedo’s answers didn’t “align with what the government sought to hear,” an IRS agent began asking him about his tax returns.
“The only fishermen in this case are those men and women who have spent the last seven years of their lives and continue devoting endless amounts of time and resources to catch the now former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives,” Meza wrote.
More on Elise Malary here. And click here for background on the bill Rep. Morrison introduced years ago to stop a transgender high school student from using the female locker room. According to Rep. Cassidy, that former student now lives in her district.
Broadcast technicians employed by WTTW in Chicago have gone on strike after nearly a year of collective bargaining negotiations and concerns over protecting union jobs.
Local Union 1220 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers called the strike March 16. IBEW represents around two dozen workers at WTTW, including technicians, graphic artists and floor crew members.
Workers allege that station management has threatened their work jurisdiction in an attempt to hire nonunion labor. Over the last four years, the union has filed four grievances that advanced to arbitration. In all cases, arbitrators ruled in favor of the union.
“The last decision was awarded just days before collective bargaining began on May 7, 2021,” according to an IBEW statement. “The night after bargaining had begun, WTTW’s counsel gave intent to terminate the entire agreement, setting the tone going forward.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other politicians turned out in support Monday of striking workers at WTTW-Channel 11, calling on the station to negotiate a fair contract that preserves union jobs.
“There can be no question that Chicago is a union town,” Lightfoot told pickets outside WTTW’s studios, 5400 N. St. Louis Ave. “And as we’ve seen over and over again, there’s immense power in people coming together and working and making sure that workers’ rights are affirmed.”
The WTTW proposals under Micek are “directly attacking the jurisdiction” of the technicians and a prelude to phasing out the union, Rizzo said.
“That assertion is false,” Julia Maish, a WTTW spokeswoman, said in an email Monday. “WTTW President & CEO Sandra Cordova Micek has never said this and in fact she makes clear that she supports and respects the work of our IBEW Local 1220 union employees. The work we do in service of the public depends on the experience, skills, and work of every employee on our team, including IBEW members.”
The station said it was the union that chose to strike after receiving the company’s latest proposal March 16, and that WTTW stands ready to resume negotiations.
When the strike was called at 6 p.m. Wednesday, WTTW scrapped that evening’s planned live broadcast of “Chicago Tonight,” opting instead for a taped “best of” episode. But Thursday night, WTTW resumed production of the nightly 7 p.m. newscast, with executive producer Jay Smith and other management personnel handling the technical aspects of the live broadcast.
* From the CFL…
On Wednesday, March 16, members of IBEW Local 1220 called a strike against Window to the World (”WTTW”) Communications, the Chicagoland PBS affiliate. IBEW represents over two dozen technicians, graphic artists and floor crew members, responsible for various productions and shows on the channel, including the nightly local affairs program Chicago Tonight.
We understand that WTTW is inviting candidates to appear for a virtual filming, which will become part of their “2022 Primary Election Voter Guide.” However we trust that candidates, especially those seeking an endorsement from the Chicago Federation of Labor, will honor IBEW’s strike.
In Solidarity,
Andrea Kluger
Deputy Chief of Staff—Government Affairs
Chicago Federation of Labor
That’ll give some candidates heartburn, especially those with constituents who watch a lot of Public Television. As I’ve already told you, Ald. Pat Dowell’s congressional campaign won’t be participating in the station’s virtual voter guide.
* The Question: Should candidates refuse to participate in the WTTW voter guide project as long as the strike continues? Explain.
…Adding… Press release…
Litesa Wallace, Democratic candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 17th district, on Wednesday announced that she will honor IBEW’s strike against WTTW Communications and will not participate in candidate interviews with the Chicago PBS affiliate while the strike is ongoing.
“As the daughter of two union members, I stand with organized labor,” Wallace said. “Although I believe that WTTW serves an important role in our democracy by offering candidates the opportunity to make their case directly to voters, I cannot in good conscience violate IBEW’s strike by participating in the 2022 Primary Election Voter Guide at this time. For the sake of all concerned, I hope this strike will be resolved quickly, and I look forward to participating in this important project in the future.”
Independent expenditure committees can raise and spend unlimited funds. However, contribution limits are already off in the Governor's race, so that's somewhat less relevant in this instance.https://t.co/qG2dCesRdu
That’s a good point about no contribution caps in the governor’s race. So what might actually be going on here?
* Let’s first go back to Monday and Jesse Sullivan’s appearance on WMAY radio…
We need an outsider, you know, someone who actually has experience in the areas that matter most and that’s really what I want to bring to this candidacy rather than tearing down others which is the old school way of doing politics. I want to do politics differently. A new type of politics which is really a positive-focused campaign
So, while Jesse Sullivan won’t be doing politics the “old school way,” his consultant apparently will be handling all the, um, non-positive-focused campaign duties when it comes to attacking Richard Irvin.
I love our state, I want to make it better for our neighbors. And so areas that matter most, you know, corruption, meaning somebody who’s rooted in a set of values, mine are rooted in my Christian faith. And I want to bring that person who’s actually going to do what they said they were going to do and be a person of their word, honesty and character.
* Early voting begins September 29. From Jon Seidel at the Sun-Times…
Three weeks after the indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, federal prosecutors told a judge they want to keep their Sept. 12 trial date in a related bribery case that involves Madigan co-defendant Michael McClain.
But in a surprise move during a status hearing Wednesday, McClain defense attorney Patrick Cotter told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber the defendants in that case would prefer to have it go forward as a bench trial — decided by the judge — rather than as a jury trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu told Leinenweber it was the first he’d been made aware of the defendants’ preference. Leinenweber set another hearing for April 26 to give the feds time to consider the request. All sides would have to agree to it, a requirement that makes bench trials rare in federal court.
The day a 22-count federal corruption indictment came down against former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, those controlling Illinois’ state government quickly reacted to the horrors of the racketeering and bribery allegations. […]
Despite all of those still-fresh superlatives of shock and outrage, the chances of Democrats pushing through a new round of post-Madigan indictment ethics reforms appear bleak at the moment, with less than three weeks left before the scheduled end of the Legislature’s spring calendar.
Irvin campaign…
“Even with one of the largest corruption investigations in our state’s history coming to light, J.B. Pritzker is silent on pushing for meaningful ethics reforms, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise given he funded Mike Madigan’s Criminal Enterprise to the tune of $10 million,” said Irvin for Illinois Spokesperson Eleni Demertzis.
…Adding… Natalie Edelstein at the Pritzker campaign…
“The governor passed comprehensive ethics reform last September and stands ready to work with the general assembly to do even more to restore the public’s trust in government, as he has frequently said. It is laughable that a mayor who has repeatedly doled out city contracts to his top campaign donors would try to throw stones when he lives in an ethical glass house.”
* A Democratic candidate fundraiser co-hosted by Mrs. Rauner…
Um.
…Adding… Dowell campaign…
Diana Rauner is a long-time supporter and a Democrat who as President of Start Early has done great work in the City Of Chicago. Pat Dowell has worked with her for years and has seen the positive impact Ms. Rauner has made in the community. Alderman Dowell has a long history of building coalitions to solve problems.
* Several people I know received a text poll earlier this week and it sure looked like US Rep. Mike Quigley is testing the waters for the 2023 mayor’s race. Click here, here, here, here, here, and here, here for just some of the screen shots.
* Pritzker campaign…
On the 12th anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, one of the most transformative pieces of health care legislation in American history, into law, Illinois Republicans have shown they’re more determined than ever to strip away critical health care protections from working families. The GOP candidates for governor would waste no time kicking Illinois families off of their insurance, rolling back protections for pre-existing conditions, and increasing the costs of health care if given the chance.
Extreme conservative Darren Bailey, who was an ardent supporter of the GOP’s 2017 tax scam that would have stripped ACA coverage from 13 million Americans, has proven that this field of GOP candidates will not stand up for working families. Meanwhile, Governor Pritzker knows health care is a right, not a privilege.
As Governor he has been fighting to expand access to care, improve the quality of care available, and make it more affordable. He reduced the Medicaid backlog left by the previous administration, providing health care to over 130,000 Illinoisans and enshrined reproductive rights in state law, protecting the freedom of choice from the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. From capping the price of insulin to strengthening critical access hospitals in rural communities, Governor Pritzker is committed to ensuring that everyone in Illinois can access quality care they can afford, whenever they need it.
Monday, Michelle Smith, a GOP candidate in the Illinois House 97th district was called upon to withdraw from the June 28th GOP primary ballot by her opponent Thomas McCullagh.
Smith told Illinois Review this week that she’s not reacting to her opponent’s challenge.
“I don’t take moral cues from someone who does fundraisers with Rod Blagojevich. Like many typical politicians, Mr. McCullagh believes voters aren’t smart enough to see through his lies,” Smith said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, he’s going to find out that childish political games won’t work and he has to actually earn their vote. These types of games are exactly what makes good people not run for office.”
Questions about U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s residency could knock him off the ballot this year.
In an objection filed Monday with the Illinois State Board of Elections, two Lake Forest residents claim Schneider doesn’t live at the Highland Park address he listed as his home on nominating petition sheets and a statement of candidacy. […]
Objectors Alan R. Palmer and Laura La Barbera also claim in their complaint that Highland Park hasn’t issued an occupancy certificate for the house, which is newly built. A city building department employee on Tuesday said a temporary certificate had been issued for the house, but she didn’t recall when. […]
The house at that address, however, doesn’t appear lived in. The driveway isn’t finished, there’s no grass where the front lawn should be, a large trash container sits on the driveway blocking the garage doors and construction debris is visible outside.
* OK, wanna really get into the weeds of petition requirements? Let’s start here…
• According to Section 7-10 (h) of the Illinois Election Code, nomination papers for the vacancy in the 2nd Supreme Court District “must contain the number of signatures equal to 0.4% of the number of votes cast in that district for the candidate for his or her political party for the office of Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected, but in no event less than 500 signatures.” Section 2A-1.1b(b) of the Illinois Election Code then reduced that requirement by one-third.
• 296,552 votes were cast in the five counties of the 2nd District for Governor JB Pritzker in 2018. By completing the formula outlined in the Illinois Election Code, you get 791 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.
• While the 2022 Candidate’s Guide from the State Board of Elections said only 394 signatures were needed, the guide also makes clear that it should not be taken as law or relied on for legal advice. The State Board of Elections miscalculated in this case.
o “Legal information contained in this guide is not binding and should not be construed as legal advice or sufficient argument in response to an objection to any candidate’s nominating papers. The State Board of Elections recommends that all prospective candidates consult with competent legal counsel when preparing their nomination papers.”
• Nancy Rotering only filed 669 petitions, significantly below the threshold needed.
• Judge Rochford submitted more than 1,700 signatures.
* Counter-point from an attorney who is not involved with this petition objection issue…
The statute requires signatures equal to at least 0.4% (.004) of the number of votes cast in that district for the candidate for their political party for the office of Governor at the last General Election at which a Governor was elected, but in no event less than 500 signatures. The judicial districts were redistricted in 2021 and there hasn’t been an election for Governor in “that district.” Even though you could technically determine the number of votes in the new districts since they encompass full counties, the plain text requires the number of signatures in “that district.” Since no Governor has been voted for in that district, the Board relied on the 500 signature minimum. Since the signature requirement was reduced by 1/3 for 2022, the number of required signatures is 334. That’s what the Board included in the candidate’s guide.
The Chicago United plan has a valuable supporter in retiring Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Two- thirds of voters (66%) say they approve of the job that White is doing as Secretary of State, to just 17% who disapprove of White’s job performance.
* Hope none of these House members needed to use their cars…
…Adding… I forgot to post this…
Pat Dowell, IL 1st CD Candidate Announces Support for Striking Workers at WTTW Channel 11 - Will Not Cross Picket Line for WTTW Election Guide
“I support the men and women of Local 1220 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who are on strike against WTTW Channel 11. Management of WTTW needs to return to the bargaining table and negatoate a fair contract.”
“Yesterday, WTTW reached out to me, asking me to participate in their 2022 Primary Election Voter Guide. While I appreciate every opportunity to communicate with voters, I have told WTTW that I will not participate in this project. Whether in person or online I will not cross a picket line at WTTW. I encourage other candidates not to be a part of the WTTW voter guide until the workers’ demands are met,” said Ald. Pat Dowell, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ 1st Congressional District.
*** UPDATE *** The Board of Elections spokesperson explained the ballot position lottery results: “Since there are eight GOP gubernatorial candidates, you throw out 9th alphabetical and move 8,7,5,3 up.” Here you go…
State Board Lottery for ballot position
Using last name in Alpha order - Ballot position
1st alpha …………… 1st
4th alpha …………… 2nd
2nd alpha …………… 3rd
6th alpha …………… 4th
9th alpha …………… 5th
8th alpha …………… 6th
7th alpha …………… 7th
5th alpha …………… 8th
3rd alpha …………… 9th
* I went over this with subscribers earlier today, but here’s DPI’s partisan take…
A shocking new letter obtained by the Chicago Tribune exposes Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s criticisms of the SAFE-T Act to be nothing more than campaign bluster and lies — a pattern for Ken Griffin’s handpicked candidate.
Irvin’s letter from the day the SAFE-T Act was signed not only praised the bill itself, but also lauded the work that went into getting the legislation across the finish line.
“It has been a pleasure working with you at the State level and I commend you for your leadership in connection with the passage of HB 3653,” Irvin wrote in a letter on Feb. 22, 2021.
When given the opportunity to provide feedback on the legislation, Irvin lauded the bill and its passage but did not mention any of the provisions he suddenly seems to find objectionable. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Irvin did an about-face as soon as Griffin started bankrolling his campaign for governor — he continues to get caught dodging or flip flopping on key issues. See highlights from the story below:
“Irvin’s letter threatens to undermine the key positioning he has taken in his bid for the GOP nomination in June and the right to take on Pritzker in the Nov. 8 general election. It also represents the latest dichotomy in positions taken by Irvin as Aurora mayor versus Irvin the Republican candidate for governor.
“As mayor, Irvin hailed Pritzker’s leadership on COVID-19 mitigation efforts and pushed for uniform endorsement of them across municipal lines while he also backed masking requirements for local businesses. But as a candidate for governor, Irvin said he opposes coronavirus mandates and supports more local control of pandemic restrictions…”
“In seeking reelection last year as Aurora’s first Black mayor, Irvin said in a candidate questionnaire that he supported ‘Black Lives Matter strongly and passionately.’ But in his campaign announcement, on TV commercials and in the Newsmax interview, Irvin has repeatedly said, ‘all lives matter’ — a phrase associated with conservatives supporting police and attacking the Black Lives Matter movement that grew out of incidents of police violence…”
“Irvin’s campaign comments about the criminal justice package are in sharp contrast to those in his letter to Sims where he stated, ‘I commend you for your leadership in connection with the passage” of the measure.’”
But on the day Pritzker signed the package’s initial and overarching piece into law on Feb. 22 of last year, Irvin sent one of the bill’s Democratic sponsors a letter commending state Sen. Elgie Sims Jr. of Chicago on his leadership in its passage, lauding the measure’s goals and saying he thought his police department had already met or exceeded the new law’s requirements.
He also suggested to Sims some minor changes to make the new law better.
It has been a pleasure working with you at the State level and I commend you for your leadership in connection with the passage of HB 3653. After reviewing the bill, I am proud to note that our police department already meets, and I believe exceeds, a number of the new requirements. Specifically, our overall training program (including new recruits), our policies regarding use of force and equipping our officers with body cameras, which we committed to doing back in June as a complement to our dash cam program. It has been my experience that having well-trained officers working hand in hand with community members is the only way to create a safe community, and I strongly support the bill’s goal to help move other departments in that direction as well.
That narrow praise was an infinity from broad, laudatory applause.
* What Irvin’s letter to the Senate sponsor showed me was that Irvin is a savvy guy. He heaped praise on the Senator probably because he wanted his city’s lobbyist (a Black woman) into the talks on a trailer bill. She was, indeed, invited into those talks and wound up being one of the only municipal lobsters who worked on the bill with the sponsors to make a few changes that Irvin and others wanted. I mean, that’s how you get things done.
“Making suggestions for changes to a bill does not indicate support,” an Irvin campaign person said on background. “Several groups asked for revisions and changes as well, and that does not constitute an endorsement of the bill.”
* With all that being said, I do have a bone to pick with Mayor Irvin. The gubernatorial candidate has repeatedly railed at the new law’s provision that allows for anonymous complaints against police officers, even though police regularly and actively seek anonymous crime tips from the public. For example…
(T)hey can go make an anonymous complaint against a police officer without any repercussion, ruining a police officers life, which makes it hard for us to recruit good people that want to be the police.
Aurora has been at the forefront of increasing civilian involvement in reporting potential police misconduct. We recently created and adopted a comprehensive ordinance establishing a Civilian Review Board (CRB), which provides residents a venue to bring their concerns to the attention of the CRB without having to identify themselves. We support the removal of the affidavit requirement because it will encourage individuals to come forward who may not otherwise do so. However, we are concerned that the amendment to Section 3.8(b) in its current form may inadvertently hamper management’s ability to appropriately discipline police officers, and may not provide adequate due process to the officer. To that end, I would like to propose the following clarifying language to Sec. 3.8(b). The proposed language is underlined:
He said himself that the change he wanted to make was designed in part to make it easier to discipline police officers, while still protecting due process. Irvin’s proposed language is underlined…
It shall not be a requirement for a person filing a complaint against a sworn police officer to have the complaint supported by a sworn affidavit or any other legal documentation, unless the employer reasonably determines that the person filing the complaint may be a witness in a subsequent disciplinary proceeding against a sworn peace officer.
* Earlier this month, Lynn Sweet reported on a poll conducted in CD3 from Feb. 28 through March 3…
66% said they were undecided; 19% said they were for [state Rep. Delia] Ramirez; 11% for [Ald. Gil] Villegas and 1% for Chehade.
That poll was conducted by Celinda Lake’s firm for the Working Families Party.
* Rep. Delia Ramirez has a newer poll out which shows even better results than the previous survey. From the memo…
Delia Ramirez leads the Congressional race by 15-point margin and grows her support as voters learn more about her. Currently, Ramirez is leading the field with 25% of the vote in the four-way race and maintains her double-digit lead in a head-to- head matchup with Gilbert Villegas (28% Ramirez / 12% Villegas / 60% undecided.
Ramirez starts with a higher favorability rating than Alderman Villegas because more people who know her like her. Ramirez (28% name ID) and Villegas (27% name ID) are known to a similar share of the electorate. But almost everyone who knows Delia likes her (24% favorable / 4% unfavorable), while many people who know Villegas dislike him (16% favorable / 11% unfavorable).
Ramirez is polling even with her favorability rating, while Villegas is polling below his faves. It’s still early yet. Just look at all those undecideds. Obviously, money is gonna be key for both Ramirez and Villegas. Click here to see the memo and the messaging which the pollster claims boosts her numbers much higher.
* Also, Lynn Sweet told us that the earlier poll had Bernie Sanders with a 74 percent favorable rating. The Ramirez poll has Sanders’ faves at 82 percent. And when asked about the most important issue that Congress should make a top priority, the economy was first at 15 percent and “climate” was second at 14 percent. Crime was sixth at 9 percent.
This tends to show again that the district’s Democrats may not be as conservative as portrayed by some. I suppose we’ll see.
By the way, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s fave/unfave was 36/58 in the Ramirez poll, which is right about where she was in the Celinda Lake poll. Ald. Villegas was Mayor Lightfoot’s floor leader for a time.
These findings are based on the results of a multi-modal telephone and text-to-web survey conducted by Impact Research from March 14-17, 2022 among N=400 likely 2022 Democratic primary voters in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and 75% of all interviews were conducted over cell phone. These results are subject to a margin of sampling error of +4.9 percentage points.
The Illinois Senate on Tuesday took the rare step of rejecting one of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nominees to a state agency, in this case the Prisoner Review Board.
The Democratic-controlled Senate’s 22-19 vote fell short of the 30 votes needed to confirm Jeffrey Mears’ nomination to the board, which has duties that include deciding whether prisoners should be released early on parole.
All 18 Senate Republicans voted against Mears’ confirmation as did one Democrat, Patrick Joyce of Essex. But 18 Democrats sat out the vote. […]
State Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat who voted Tuesday in favor of Mears’ appointment, said he intends next week to vote against the nominations of Oreal James and Eleanor Wilson to the board. The two were appointed by Pritzker and voted last year to grant parole for Hurst and Veal [two men accused of killing police officers more than 50 years ago].
“I’m, personally, of the belief that individuals who kill police officers should serve a life sentence without any possibility of parole,” Cunningham, whose district is inhabited by a lot of Chicago police officers, said Tuesday after the Senate adjourned.
Cunningham is not just any state Senator, he’s the Senate President Pro Tempore. And Ms. Wilson is not just any ordinary PRB member. She’s the godmother to former President Barack Obama’s kids.
Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh in an email blamed Republicans for the denial Tuesday and touted Mears’ resume.
“Republicans have set out on a mission to dismantle a constitutional function of government, just like the previous governor,” she said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that highly qualified nominees fill these roles, especially because we must fulfill our constitutional obligations for justice and cannot jeopardize key public safety functions of the board like revoking parole for those who violate the terms of their release.”
The statement was referring to the approximately 4,500 parole revocation hearings held by the PRB each year at locations around the state about 15 to 20 times per month. Three board members must be present at each hearing to render a decision on whether to terminate an offender’s parole, otherwise the offender would be released and deemed not in violation of parole.
Pritzker had sent a letter to Executive Appointments Chair Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, and Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, on March 15 urging them to act on appointments to address the potential of not having enough board members for the revocation hearings.
…Adding… Ellie Leonard with the Senate Republicans…
In regard to Jordan’s statement about Rauner…all of his appointees (12) to PRB were confirmed in a timely manner without any “no” votes. Only one member has been confirmed the entire time Pritzker has been in office. That was Lisa Daniels on 5/31/19 and she was a Rauner appointee. Therefore, Rauner has more confirmed PRB members during Pritzker’s term in office than Pritzker himself. Not a great statistic for someone who wants to blame Republicans and Rauner for the issues within PRB. 🙃
* This normally might not be much of a story. But with Gov. Pritzker trying to freeze the Motor Fuel Tax rate over labor’s opposition, Pritzker’s past opposition to putting this amendment on the ballot in 2020, plus the governor’s backing of some state central committee candidates that could be hostile to the Democratic Party of Illinois’ new chair Robin Kelly, and her attempt at a rebuild after Chairman Madigan’s exit, you can read more into it. Press release…
Last night, the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Illinois voted unanimously to endorse the Workers’ Rights Amendment ballot initiative, which will appear before voters this November. The Workers’ Rights Amendment will protect Illinois workers’ pathway to the middle class, ensuring that working people have access to stable family-sustaining jobs as well as safe and secure workplaces.
“The Democratic Party is the party of working people and we are proud to join labor and worker advocates in supporting the Workers’ Rights Amendment,” said Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Rep. Robin Kelly. “This amendment means enshrining worker protections into the Illinois Constitution, protecting workers from potential attacks on their livelihoods by anti-worker Republican legislators who have driven down wages, benefits, and workplace protections in other states. Passing the Workers’ Rights Amendment is a top priority for the Democratic Party of Illinois this November.”
“The Workers’ Rights Amendment means stronger protections for working people at a time when they need it most,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President and Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights Co-Chair Tim Drea. “All workers will benefit from these protections, ensuring that Illinois will never join the race to the bottom on wages and workplace safety protections. We applaud the Democratic Party of Illinois for joining us in this important fight, and we look forward to communicating with all voters about the importance of voting yes on the Workers’ Rights Amendment this fall.”
“As the pandemic has impacted working people, we need to make sure workers have the pay, resources, benefits, and protections they deserve,” said Chicago Federation of Labor President and Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights Co-Chair Bob Reiter. “The Workers’ Rights Amendment is a significant step toward ensuring Illinois workers will always have the freedom to join together to fight for better pay, safety at work, and access to the training they need. The labor movement welcomes the support of the Democratic Party of Illinois, and together we will pass this amendment in November.”
The Workers’ Rights Amendment would prevent Illinois from ever passing a state law or local ordinance “that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment and workplace safety.” This amendment would ensure that workers across the state have the freedom to collectively bargain so their voices are more powerful.
* Letters: Illinois Policy Institute knocks Madigan and unions, but it isn’t a sincere advocate for working class: So what of this amendment? Is it the “radical rewriting of the state constitution” that IPI claims? The amendment, which would protect workers’ rights to better pay, benefits and working conditions through union organizing, uses much of the same wording that is already in the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRA is federal law, has been on the books for 87 years and has survived many court challenges. It’s is hardly “radical” at this point in time.
* I gave my first speech since pre-COVID times today and I’ve spent the past half an hour looking for stuff to ask you about and I’m finding a whole bunch of nothing. So…
* The Question: What would you like to see the General Assembly do before the April adjournment? Explain.
* For decades, business and labor have sat down to negotiate how to solve any issues related to the state’s unemployment insurance program. The resulting compromises were then taken to the leadership in both parties and bills would be passed on a bipartisan basis because the leaders all give their word to stick to the deal. But negotiations apparently aren’t going well and a deadline is looming, so this letter from the House GOP Leader appears to break from the past in a major way…
Governor Pritzker,
Before the pandemic, our state’s unemployment insurance trust fund had a positive balance of more than $2.2 billion. The historic surge of unemployment benefit applications that began with the stay-at-home order quickly drained that balance and has now put the trust fund over $4.5 billion in debt—a debt that continues to grow as interest charges accrue daily. On top of the legitimate unemployment claims, Illinois also experienced a historic level of fraud—the total dollar amount of which your administration still refuses to estimate or release. These claims worsened the fund’s financial condition through no fault of employers or workers.
More than a year ago, my colleagues and I called attention to this debt and warned of the consequences of inaction, specifically that failing to pay off the debt would require a massive tax increase on businesses and a reduction in unemployment benefits for Illinois workers.
Unlike many of the other structural problems Illinois faces, this one-time COVID-related debt also came with a one-time COVID-related solution: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Many other states faced the same challenge we do, and they responsibly used these federal relief dollars to pay off their unemployment insurance debt and avoid tax increases or benefit reductions.
Unfortunately, the current fiscal year budget passed by Democrats in the House and Senate did not dedicate a single dime to paying off this pandemic-era debt. When the budget came to your desk, you used your amendatory veto authority to make changes to certain enactment dates in the poorly drafted and hastily enacted budget. You had an opportunity to address the unemployment insurance trust fund debt at this point in time, but you instead chose to ignore the problem, just like you ignored the roughly $1.5 billion in ARPA “pet project” spending that was added in by democrat legislators in the final hours of the spring legislative session.
While Illinois cannot recover the $40 million paid in interest due to ignoring this problem so far, it’s not too late to stem the bleeding now. Of the more than $11.5 billion in CARES and ARPA funding the State of Illinois has received from the federal government, it appears that nearly $6.94 billion has not yet been spent. That means we still have sufficient funding to eliminate the unemployment insurance debt entirely and still have almost $2.5 billion remaining to pay for real COVID-related costs.
This problem could have been solved a year ago, and we could have avoided tens of millions of dollars in interest charges. But instead, Springfield is doing what it so often does: playing a game of brinkmanship with an April 1 federal deadline looming.
Let’s not raise taxes on Illinois businesses as they fight to emerge from the pandemic. Let’s not cut benefits for Illinois workers who may soon need the protection that unemployment insurance offers. Instead, let’s use the federal funds we have available to solve this problem once and for all.
Sincerely,
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin
Deputy Republican Leader Tom Demmer
I asked for their breakdown of available ARPA money…
Notice that the chart says “spent” appropriations. According to the governor’s office, another $3 billion or so has already been appropriated by the legislature and is awaiting approval from the US Treasury. This unspent money is mainly capital projects, but there are also several one-time items like violence prevention programs.
What’s actually left, the governor’s office says, is $3.5 billion.
Bottom line is the Republicans don’t want to vote for any election-year employer tax hikes at all even if unions agree to benefit cuts. The agreed bill process may be on its last legs.
…Adding… Similar or coordinated message from the Richard Irvin campaign earlier today…
While JB Pritzker continues to push his election year gimmicks, his failure to lead will result in higher taxes and lower wages across Illinois as the gaping hole in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund continues to grow. Pritzker has thus far refused to use federal ARPA funds to replenish the shortfall and create a reserve balance in this crucial social safety net program. His lack of action results in $2 million in interest charges a week.
Instead of using the federal funds to fill this hole, Pritzker chose to pledge them towards one-time election year gimmicks of fake tax relief. If Pritzker continues to withhold the federal bailout funds, employers could see their unemployment taxes go up and employees could see their benefits cut.
The state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund currently has a deficit of over $4 billion – plus interest. That number would just cover the deficit; much more will be needed to replenish the fund’s reserves. Even worse, a recent news investigation found the Department of Employment Security knowingly gave money to scammers and the Pritzker Administration refuses to disclose how much the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund has lost due to fraud.
“JB Pritzker has never seen a tax increase he didn’t like, so it’s no surprise he’s angling to pull the wool over the eyes of Illinoisans once again,” said Irvin for Illinois spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “This is his failure that taxpayers are now on the hook for, something that could have and should have been prevented.”
According to IRMA, state law has ‘speed bumps’ written into it that are expected to trigger $500 million in tax increases for employers and $500 million in benefit cuts for employees. Despite lawmakers pushing for Pritzker to use federal funds to replenish the debt, he has continued to stall as an April 1st federal deadline looms. Without action, higher taxes on employers and reduced benefits for workers are inevitable.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
At a time when working families across the state need assistance, we need to be honest about what Richard Irvin is objecting to in the governor’s budget proposal: tax relief for Illinoisans. Ken Griffin’s hold on Irvin remains so tight that even Bruce Rauner would blush at his rejection of policies that would help working families. Voters can see this candidacy and these embarrassing objections for exactly what they are and no amount of spin from Irvin’s team of Rauner rejects can change the truth.
…Adding… Jordan Abudayyeh…
Following the established agreed bill process, that for years has resulted in compromise, there have been 13 formal meetings and countless discussions since January 11th between business and labor along with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Earlier this year, Rep. Demmer asked the Governor’s Office what it means to have a seat at the grown-ups table. We would tell the Representative it means not abandoning a bipartisan and sincere effort to follow a decades long agreed bill process in favor of scoring cheap political points at a critical moment in the negotiations. The Pritzker administration will continue to convene all parties and negotiate in good faith for a compromise that is fair to both businesses and workers.
There was a scared-straight incident in a private House Democratic Caucus meeting the other day.
A poll was floated showing Gov. JB Pritzker facing suburban headwinds — even trailing Republican governor candidates Richard Irvin and Darren Bailey.
Problem is there was no explanation about which suburb was polled. A source familiar with the data tells Playbook that the burb wasn’t Cook County but conservative and swing-district areas where House Dems are trying to gain traction. That didn’t prevent the gulp some lawmakers had.
The poll, which was first reported by Capitol Fax blog, was conducted by Tulchin Research — the same group that has polled for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and New York Mayor Eric Adams. The poll also addressed issues of concern — the top item being crime, surprising anyone.
Others familiar with the poll say House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was trying to light a fire under Democrats to get them on the campaign trail by showing that no contest can be taken for granted. He asked his caucus to keep the numbers private, which didn’t go so well. (Hey, they were scared.) A House Democrats spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The poll’s data created such a kerfuffle that a separate, unrelated survey was made public to show folks that Pritzker is doing just fine in the northern suburbs.
In that poll conducted by Personal PAC, respondents from Lake, Kendall, Kane, DeKalb, McHenry counties were asked a range of questions, including whether they approved of President Joe Biden — 47 percent said yes and 45 percent said no; and whether they approved of Pritzker — 48 percent said yes and 42 percent said no. It’s polling that might offer Dems some momentary relief. Though don’t count on it.
The top item was not crime. The crime and violence issue was tied for 4th place with the price of gas and the cost of living, and 6th place if you look at those who were “extremely concerned,” similar to that Senate poll we talked about a while ago. The crime numbers were still very high, however. But, again, this poll was designed to frighten members, not to enlighten them about what’s actually going on in most of their districts.
I also went over Personal PAC’s poll with subscribers yesterday. The poll was sent to me not long after I started poking around over the weekend. It’s worth a read.
* Clare Spaulding at the Tribune has a comprehensive story about the ongoing disaster that is DCFS. I chose to focus on these excerpts, but the whole thing is worth a read for context…
“DCFS is in the worst shape it’s been in 30 years,” said Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, whose office legally represents more than 7,000 children involved in the child welfare system. “At some point, everybody involved in child welfare — judges, providers, lawyers — has to say, ‘Enough is enough. Drastic times call for drastic measures.’” […]
It was during that time that one of Rauner’s appointed DCFS directors, George Sheldon, set out to reform the system by moving children out of residential treatment centers and instead prioritizing specialized foster care, an idea most advocates support, said Golbert, the Cook County public guardian. But success would require a “robust system of community-based services,” Golbert said — something that didn’t exist when Sheldon dissolved contracts with residential centers, and still doesn’t exist today.
“A lot of the problems we’re seeing today really go back to that horrible decision to get rid of 500 beds before we had beds to replace them,” Golbert said. “DCFS already had a shortage of beds, and then it got 500 beds worse.” […]
Children being kept in psychiatric hospitals beyond what was medically necessary was part of the impetus for the consent decree. By the end of the 1990s, instances of this did still happen, but they were “pretty unusual,” Golbert said.
Now, it’s “widespread and common again,” Golbert said, noting there were 356 children under DCFS care kept beyond medical necessity in the 2021 fiscal year. The department is “on track for another very sad record this year,” Golbert said.
I am honored to receive the endorsement of Lt. General Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor, decorated war hero and patriot. General Flynn recognizes that we need to elect a principled, life-long conservative who has the experience to fix the mess in Illinois created by Mike Madigan and JB Pritzker. His statement in support of my campaign is below.
“Today, I proudly endorse and pledge my full support to Gary Rabine for Governor of Illinois. Our nation needs more leaders like Gary to step forward and serve. Gary is a self-made business success story. A man of principle, integrity and passion for public service. He believes that the power of government is derived from the citizens and that individual freedoms are sacrosanct. Gary’s contributions to the conservative movement are unequaled by any other candidate this election cycle - he does not just talk conservative, he takes action.
For example, Gary filed the lawsuit against Biden’s unconstitutional employer vaccine mandate. He refused to fire any of his employees over their personal decision to receive or not receive a Covid vaccine. Gary pursued the case and fought all the way to the United States Supreme Court and won. That ruling was one of most significant victories for personal freedom in decades and created a ripple effect easing overreaching government mandates nationwide. Gary helped protect over 80 million American workers and will always put the citizens of Illinois and America first.
Gary Rabine is a good and decent man, a family man and a man of faith. And in Illinois, it must start there. With good people willing to take on difficult battles and willing to bear personal risk to serve and protect the freedoms that we as citizens hold so dear.”
After leaving the military, in October 2014 he established Flynn Intel Group, which provided intelligence services for businesses and governments, including in Turkey. In December 2015, Flynn was paid $45,000 to deliver a Moscow speech at the ten-year anniversary celebration of RT, a state-controlled Russian international television network, where he sat next to Russian president Vladimir Putin at his banquet table.
In February 2016, Flynn became a national security advisor to Trump for his 2016 presidential campaign. In March 2017, Flynn retroactively registered as a foreign agent, acknowledging that in 2016 he had conducted paid lobbying work that may have benefited Turkey’s government. On January 22, 2017, Flynn was sworn in as the National Security Advisor. On February 13, 2017, he resigned after information surfaced that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about the nature and content of his communications with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn’s tenure as the National Security Advisor is the shortest in the history of the position.
In December 2017, Flynn formalized a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to plead guilty to a felony count of “willfully and knowingly” making false statements to the FBI about the Kislyak communications, and agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s investigation. In June 2019, Flynn dismissed his attorneys and retained Sidney Powell, who on the same day wrote to attorney general Bill Barr seeking his assistance in exonerating Flynn. Powell had discussed the case on Fox News and spoken to President Trump about it on several occasions. Two weeks before his scheduled sentencing, in January 2020 Flynn moved to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming government vindictiveness and breach of the plea agreement. At Barr’s direction, the Justice Department filed a court motion to drop all charges against Flynn on May 7, 2020. Presiding federal judge Emmet Sullivan ruled the matter to be placed on hold to solicit amicus curiae briefs from third parties. Powell then asked the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to compel Sullivan to drop the case, but her request was denied. On November 25, 2020, Flynn was issued a presidential pardon by Trump. On December 8, 2020, Judge Sullivan dismissed the criminal case against Flynn, stating he probably would have denied the Justice Department motion to drop the case.
On July 4, 2020, Flynn pledged an oath to the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, and as Trump sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in which he was defeated, Flynn suggested the president should suspend the Constitution, silence the press, and hold a new election under military authority. Flynn later met with Trump and their attorney Powell in the Oval Office to discuss the president’s options. Trump denied reports that Flynn’s martial law idea had been discussed. On January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently banned Flynn, Powell and others who promoted QAnon.
* A little history from the Illinois Policy Institute…
As of right now, 78 House races have contested primaries and/or general elections: 65 incumbents have challengers and 13 open-seat House districts have more than one candidate. That means 66 percent of districts have contested races and 34 percent are uncontested. The contested number will undoubtedly decrease after petition challenges are heard, but may go back up if local committeepersons and county parties eventually fill empty slots with appointed candidates, which Republicans may actually do because 2022 is shaping up to be a good year for them.
So, there is some progress. But acknowledging even a little progress means setting aside or down-playing the well-established talking points about how low candidate activity is just another symptom of Illinois’ serious problems.
* Tina Sfondeles left the Sun-Times for more challenges and better money in DC. But she loves Chicago, so she came back home and the Sun-Times eventually made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Tina is more than a respected colleague and one heckuva reporter, she’s also a friend and I just could not be happier for her and for the Sun-Times and its readers. Here’s Robert Feder…
It’s back to the Sun-Times for Tina Sfondeles as chief political reporter following a whirlwind of reporting jobs in Washington, D.C., and public relations work in Chicago. Sfondeles will rejoin the paper Monday, according to interim editor in chief Steve Warmbir. “With her excellent sourcing on local, state and national levels, she will only add to the Sun-Times tradition of political coverage that’s second to none,” Warmbir wrote in an email to staff. “She’s a phenomenal addition to our great roster of first-rate political journalists here at the Sun-Times and our new colleagues at WBEZ.” In her first run at the Sun-Times, Sfondeles rose from preps sports writer and wire reporter to chief political reporter. She resigned in 2020 to join the Washington-based political team of Business Insider, and she later covered the White House for Politico. Since January she’s been vice president of public and media relations for Mac Strategies Group, a strategic communications and government relations firm.
Tina told me yesterday she won’t be covering Springfield this session to avoid any potential conflicts due to her brief stint at Mac’s shop.
