Campaign notebook
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune takes a look at the Workers’ Rights Amendment…
The proposed Illinois amendment would guarantee not only the right to organize for the most common elements of collective bargaining, like wages, hours and working conditions, but also for “economic welfare and safety at work.”
It also would essentially ban so-called right-to-work laws or ordinances, which prohibit companies and unions from agreeing to require union membership as a condition of employment. Right-to-work laws disempower unions by allowing workers to avoid paying “fair share” fees to unions — money used for nonpolitical union costs for actions such as collective bargaining. […]
It was intentionally drafted to apply to all workers, Poulos said, adding it will cover “droves” of workers not yet protected by federal or state law, such as agricultural workers and independent contractors, and would also work as a backstop if the federal laws that protect many private workers were ever repealed by federal courts or legislators. […]
The amendment would make the state uniquely anti-business, said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Many nearby states that could be competing for business have right-to-work laws, he said.
“It’s a terrible message to send to the rest of the nation,” Maisch said.
* Proft on his PAC’s new book…
People Who Play By The Rules PAC has published a new book, The Governor You Do Not Know, written by former Chicago Sun-Times columnist and long-time moderate Democrat Dennis Byrne. The book has been mailed to voters across Illinois and is available to download for free at www.pritzkerbook.com. On Monday morning Byrne was interviewed by PBR PAC President Dan Proft and host of Dan & Amy on AM 560 Chicago’s Morning Answer. That full interview is also available at www.pritzkerbook.com.
About The Author: “I can’t remember exactly when I was no longer a committed and loyal Democrat. It started to happen, gradually, back when I wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. As a member of the paper’s editorial board, I had to argue and defend opinions and values that were basic to most Americans way back then. But the cracks had started to form.”
…
Some more excerpts: “To make a change means taking a risk. It means many of you will have to temporarily step outside of your old political comfort zone. To not make a change also entails risk. In fact, hoping things get better with the same people pursuing the same destructive policies…is actually the most hopeless choice of all.
…
“I hope you will travel along with me in this little book, all the way to the last chapter. It should not take you very long. You will find out many things not reported in the news media, which I hope will help you make an informed decision for your future—for you, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow citizens of Illinois.”
…
In The Governor You Do Not Know Byrne explains what the major changes in Illinois’ laws brought about by Pritzker and his “new” Democrats will mean to moderate Democrat and Independent voters who may have voted for the governor four years ago…and what lies ahead for us who live in Illinois if he wins again.
Dennis Byrne is a native Chicagoan and long-time journalist who was variously an op-ed columnist, editorial board member, science writer, transportation reporter, and urban affairs writer for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Daily News. He blogs at The Barbershop: Dennis Byre, Proprietor, and is also the author of the historical novel Madness: The War of 1812. He now lives in Florida with his wife, Barbara, and their extended family.
To book Byrne for interviews, contact Mike Koolidge at michael@koolidge.com.
* Just another day in the life of our Republican nominee for attorney general…
The gender fluid, all-inclusive, woke liberal agenda, etc., etc. is simultaneously rearing its head in every nation…
Posted by Thomas DeVore on Monday, September 26, 2022
* More…
* Workers’ Rights discussed at Citizens Club
* State Rep. Conroy and board member Hart face off Nov. 8 to be the new DuPage County Board chairman
* Pat Quinn wants ComEd to pay up
* Metal of Honor Recipient Allen Lynch Endorses Mark Curran for Illinois Supreme Court
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* Press release…
As part of his focus on expanding Illinois’ innovation economy, Governor JB Pritzker and the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute unveiled the design for the new headquarters in The 78, a vibrant new innovation district along the Chicago River.
Design renderings can be downloaded here.
In addition, CVS Health announced today that it will be an anchor employer for DPI’s new partnership with technology services firm Interapt. Over the next five years, the Chicago/Skills apprenticeship program will provide as many as 2,500 individuals with tuition-free technology training and paid apprenticeship opportunities, with a focus on diverse apprentices. CVS Health has committed to hiring more than 200 successful participants over the next three years.
“The State of Illinois is building a world-class innovation hub in the heart of Chicago on the site of an old railroad yard that has sat vacant for decades,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Already DPI has helped launch our state’s COVID-testing system, is searching for COVID-19 and other viruses in our wastewater, and is training hundreds of students for careers in tech – and has a plan to spread the opportunities equitably. This futuristic design from OMA/Jacobs matches our ambitions.”
“This new building is a testament to the innovation and forward-thinking ideas Illinois aims to foster across the state,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “The future headquarters will also show how much we can do to grow and progress when we invest in infrastructure that pushes us forward. That was the mission of Rebuild Illinois, and the funds coming from this plan continue to positively shape diverse communities throughout the state.”
Located on a one-acre site southwest of the Loop, the new DPI headquarters will provide more than 200,000 square feet of office, classroom, lab, and event space for DPI and its university and industry partners.
The State of Illinois is committing $500 million in capital funding to launch DPI and establish its Innovation Network at regional universities throughout the state. DPI is part of the University of Illinois System.
* Meanwhile, here’s the Tribune…
Construction has begun at the site of the former United Airlines headquarters in Mount Prospect, with recent demolition at the property clearing the way for the creation of a $2.5 billion data center campus expected to launch in 2024.
Officials with CloudHQ, a Washington, D.C.-based global data center provider that specializes in the design, development and operation of “hyperscale” data center facilities, said the 1.5 million-square-foot campus is expected to create 75 to 100 jobs for each of three planned buildings, including operations, maintenance and security positions.
The site, which is bordered by Dempster Street and Algonquin and Linneman roads, is anticipated to generate up to 3,000 construction jobs during construction of the three buildings.
* More…
* Illinois Racino Progress Varies At Hawthorne And Fairmount Tracks: Hawthorne running at quicker pace in transition toward new phase of operations
* Chicago hospitals commit to equitable care, but rising costs squeeze budgets and threaten progress
* John Rowe, who built Exelon into a national utility powerhouse, is dead at 77: One of Chicago’s most civically active corporate leaders, Rowe deftly navigated the choppy waters of the power business—and kept a major corporate headquarters in Chicago in the process.
* Governor Pritzker Announces Commitment of $2.6 Billion in Soybean and Corn Purchases by Taiwanese Government
* Southland officials seek Gov. Pritzker’s support to move forward with South Suburban Airport: House Bill 5810 seeks to amend existing legislation by changing one word in a 2013 public act that said the state “may” move forward with the airport. “Sometimes when the state doesn’t want to do anything you say may,” Davis said. “Instead of may, we’re saying shall.”
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* First, an update on the Burr Ridge Mayor, via Patch…
Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso earlier this month suggested the village had the power to determine which guests local hotels could accept under its village license.
A lawyer by trade, Grasso has not publicly cited the village’s legal authority. […]
Patch could find no provisions in the village code in which the mayor or Village Board could require a hotel to reject certain groups of paying customers. In this case, the state paid for the lodging. […]
Grasso did not cite any specific legal authority in which the village could compel the hotel to reject migrants or lodgers who were there as the result of “politically charged events.”
* NBC5…
As of Sept. 24, Chicago has accepted 1,177 asylum-seekers who have arrived from Texas on buses sent by Abbott since the first bus arrived in the city on Aug. 31. […]
According to city officials, many children and infants are among those seeking refuge in the United States, many of whom traveled through several countries en route to Texas.
“Illinois is a welcoming state. We are committed to assisting each family and individual, providing human services with respect and dignity. We expect more arrivals to be welcomed and the City will continue to provide daily updates on those arrivals,” city spokesperson Joseph Dutra said.
Dutra added that upon arrival, migrants are provided immediate shelter and support with in-depth case management and connections to city and community-based services and agencies.
* Evanston Round Table…
Earlier this month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Services held conversations with Evanston leaders about housing some of the more than 1,000 refugees that have been bused to Illinois, according to City Manager Luke Stowe.
At the moment, Evanston’s shelters are full and most hotels are booked with Northwestern football games and other events coming up this fall, Stowe said. So no arrangements have yet been set.
But Illinois officials, including Pritzker, expect more migrants to arrive in the coming days and weeks, and the state is looking for Chicago and surrounding suburbs to help provide food, clothing and shelter until these people have a chance to get on their feet and find more permanent housing.
“We’ve had multiple discussions with the Governor’s office and IDHS in September about whether Evanston could help house migrants,” Stowe told the RoundTable. “One of the challenges is that the request is typically for 60 to 90 days of housing, which is difficult for our hotel partners due to Northwestern events and demand for hotel rooms. We are not currently housing any migrants, but we expect future requests and are preparing for it.”
* WCBU…
The City of Peoria is preparing for the potential arrival of asylum seekers in the coming weeks. [..]
“At that point, we started putting our thinking caps on,” [Mayor Rita Ali] said. “We scheduled an emergency meeting for this week with, really, many of the same public and private agencies that responded to COVID and had an emergency response plan and really a system for dealing with that here.”
Latin American language speakers will be needed to serve as cultural connections. The migrants also will need access to shelter, food and health care. Peoria does not have an official welcoming center, and Ali said some private shelters are already full. […]
She said the city was told a bus of migrants sent to Peoria would most likely transport around 50 people. The city would hopefully receive advance notice of at least three hours, the mayor said.
* WMBD…
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said while the city is not necessarily inviting buses of migrants, the potential for their arrival is certainly present. City leaders and other key community stakeholders are developing a game plan if migrants are brought to the area.
“They often get off the bus needing medical attention, I know that’s not the way you should treat human beings,” Ali said.
While plans for migrants to be sent to Central Illinois are not imminent, Peoria leaders are getting ready in case that changes.
“We want to be prepared, we don’t want to be blindsided by that,” Ali said.
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Groups warn against the spread of extremism
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Awake Illinois website…
These folks are quite something…
"Please know you are not alone, and not only are you not alone, you have an entire tribe standing by you."
Good things ahead! #AwakeIllinois
Posted by Awake Illinois on Friday, September 23, 2022
* Anyway, the school board candidate training was met by a protest…
Saturday morning parents from an array of suburban school districts along with representatives of state and local advocacy organizations, including Equality Illinois, ADL Midwest, Illinois Families for Public Schools, and more, gathered out front of the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Des Plaines to share their stories of how extremism is seeping into the public sphere—whether it be at school board meetings, public libraries, bakeries that support LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
Inside the Marriott, a school board candidate training took place sponsored by the anti-equity, anti-equality groups Moms for Liberty and Awake Illinois. Posing as concerned parent groups, these organizations have made calls to action against LGBTQ+ friendly events, harassed school board members and school staff, mounted opposition to a diverse and rich history curriculum that reflects all students, called for book bans, and more.
Opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and support for civil rights protections for transgender and non-gender conforming youth in public schools has emerged around Illinois in recent years. Then in the summer of 2021, parents and others virulently opposing covid mitigation measures in schools began organizing to disrupt school boards and harass and threaten board members. They then pivoted to attacks on “Critical Race Theory”, a term erroneously used to characterize schools teaching accurate and honest history that addresses racial injustice in the US. In 2022, the focus of their attacks has been to spread transphobia and homophobia via book bans and attempts to exclude and eliminate protections and support for LGBTQ+ students. “We are here today in solidarity with parents, with teachers, with youth and our partners to call out the hate and intimidation and to tell LGBTQ+ Illinoisans, and particularly youth, that you belong, that you matter, that you are beautiful, that you are exactly who you are meant to be, and that we are grateful that you are in the world,“ said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Deputy Director of Equality Illinois. “LGBTQ+ people deserve the same rights, same treatment and respect as our straight and cisgender allies. We are here because we will not let these hate groups control our narratives, our families or our ability to see ourselves reflected in our schools and our libraries,” added Ruiz-Velasco.
Parent of four, Asafonie Obed of District 204 (Indian Prairie) contacted after the event, said, “I encountered the founder of Awake Illinois, a fellow-parent at my children’s school, when she told me to start a charter school if I wanted diversity, equity and inclusion practices and a social justice framework at District 204. I was flabbergasted. And then I helped organize our community so she would not have a seat at the important school board table, where policies impacting my children are made.” (You can see Obed’s video of her story here. She was unable to attend in person due to family illness.)
In Downers Grove, students and parents defeated an attempt to ban Gender Queer. School board meetings were attended by members of the Proud Boys hate group, there to intimidate the students who were speaking out for the basic right to see themselves reflected in books in the school library. Downers Grove parent Kylie Spahn said, “It’s not always an easy battle, but it is winnable if you are organized. Due to being outspoken, I was attacked verbally at meetings, and my employer was called by someone a number of times who claimed I was a groomer and shouldn’t be around kids.”
In District 200, Wheaton parent Shannon Limjuco has witnessed how these anti-equality groups have reacted to pushback over the last year, saying “They continually model the worst bullying behavior possible for all of our children. I’ve seen them target and harass in person and online, school board members, administrators, teachers, and even parents who speak out against them.“ The message shared by all the parents was that organizing has worked thus far, and that it is more important than ever to stay focused on these races and vote in them next spring. Some coalition groups will be doing their own school board trainings to ensure Illinois schools are inclusive, child-centered and welcoming to all families and students.
More here and here.
* Doesn’t look like many people attended, but a couple of dozen candidates is nothing to sneeze at…
* Meanwhile, the organizer of a protest against UpRising Bakery handed out this flier on Saturday…
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Question of the day
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico, July 26…
A group of Republican state legislators who support former President Donald Trump have called on the Illinois GOP to censure Congressman Adam Kinzinger for “incendiary language, wild exaggeration and personal opinions” during the House select committee’s hearings investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
But GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, who’s backed by Trump, and Illinois Republican Party President Don Tracy are ignoring the request, signaling a division within the party as the General Election approaches in November.
Political pivot: Bailey and Tracy issued statements worded the same way that address party kumbaya, not Kinzinger. “The Illinois GOP is focused on uniting the party to defeat Gov. [JB] Pritzker in November and make Illinois a safe and affordable place for people to live. That’s what Republicans are rallying around. That is our priority.”
The message being: Bailey and party leaders are working together after a bitter primary and in spite of their historically divergent political views within the Republican Party. Bailey’s far-right-leaning politics holds sway Downstate but not so much in Chicago.
* Politico, August 17…
Darren Bailey has made a major pivot. His team told reporter Mark Maxwell that “Mike Pence followed the constitutional process” and “Joe Biden is the duly elected president.”
Jan. 6 connection: Bailey made his comments in response to a former campaign aide being charged in the attack on the Capitol, according to KSDK’s Maxwell.
‘Definitive’ pivot: “Those comments may represent the most definitive statement from Bailey’s campaign to date about the outcome of the 2020 election and could be another sign Republicans fear litigating the last election might interfere with their designs to win a statewide race in 2022 in a state where Joe Biden won handily,” reports Maxwell.
Don’t go thinking Bailey is woke. On Tuesday, the GOP candidate for governor stood with members of Awake Illinois, an anti-mask, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Critical Race Theory organization, protesting at the state Capitol. Bailey stressed the importance of fighting for “these freedoms that are being taken away from us,” report Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella.
* Politico today…
Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey won the endorsement of Donald Trump in the GOP primary, but he’s all but ignored the former president as he heads into November’s General election.
The big pivot: Bailey has “largely avoided answering reporter questions about the former president,” Mark Guarino writes in The Washington Post. There’s a reason, of course. Bailey knows that Chicago and its collar counties lean more to the left than Trump and his acolytes.
The Republican state senator who once pushed Illinois to secede from Chicago, has also pulled back from his anti-abortion claims, acknowledging he can do little to change the state’s laws supporting abortion rights.
The question is whether Bailey’s pivot away from far-right rhetoric is enough to help down-ballot Republicans. State GOP leaders aren’t so sure. They set out on the election season hoping to gain seats in the General Assembly but concede it will still be an uphill climb.
* The Question: How would you rate the success of these multiple “pivot” attempts? Explain.
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* This is big, and particularly timely considering the recent Daily Herald scandal…
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation today announced investments in Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, Injustice Watch, and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. These investments complement the Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
Together, these commitments to strengthening and scaling impactful reporting in Chicago and Illinois are intended to increase government transparency, enhance accountability of decision-makers to their constituents, and ensure public investments are creating and supporting opportunities for all, especially Chicago’s South and West Side residents.
McCormick Foundation grants to Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch will support more robust investigative reporting on persistent challenges disinvested communities face and the promising efforts many are leading, in Chicago and elsewhere, to create thriving communities. Springfield-made decisions, from education spending to public safety policy, play a pivotal role in Chicago’s communities, but the attrition in statehouse reporting means these political transactions often go unexamined and remain outside the public eye. The grant to Capitol News Illinois will help a promising three year-old outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.
To ensure these funds drive long-term change, the grants include support for both editorial and business operations at Block Club Chicago, Capitol News Illinois, and Injustice Watch to help these outlets implement sustainability plans that will see them augment and diversify their revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Medill, which is already supporting several local news outlets, will be able to expand its support for local media with the new grant from McCormick and provide a range of business analytics, market research, and expert advice to help outlets sustainably scale and serve the Chicago region’s residents.
“Chicago is fortunate to have one of the most dynamic and innovative networks of nonprofit news organizations in the country,” said Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation’s President and CEO. “All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives. The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
Block Club Chicago will receive $1.6M over three years to build a six-person investigative team and deepen its coverage of Chicago’s South and West Sides. Launched in 2018, the nonprofit newsroom delivers daily nonpartisan coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Its more than a dozen reporters embedded in neighborhoods across the city provide residents continual insights on economic, political, and social developments in their communities. The new investigative team will complement Block Club’s existing daily news team and be positioned to act on tips and pursue longer-lead, high impact stories to improve government transparency and accountability.
“When reporters are embedded in the communities they cover, they’re able to report with context, respect and deep knowledge instead of parachuting in. Block Club’s reporters have proved time and again that our ground-level approach builds trust with readers, leads to news that is more responsive to the community’s needs and offers a more accurate portrayal of our neighborhoods,” said Stephanie Lulay, Executive Editor and Co-founder of Block Club Chicago. “Thanks to the incredible support of the McCormick Foundation, we’re excited to give Chicago neighborhoods the dedicated investigative coverage they deserve.”
Injustice Watch will receive $1.5M over three years to grow its editorial capacity and expand its audience and revenue building efforts. The outlet is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that focuses on issues of equity and justice in the courts, especially in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The outlet’s public service journalism is bringing needed awareness and transparency to court proceedings and judicial elections, while engaging community members in the process. The outlet’s three-year strategic growth plan will add investigative reporters and editors, alongside an audience and fundraising team to increase in-person and digital engagement and grow the outlet’s readership and supporter base.
“The McCormick Foundation’s grant to Injustice Watch will enable the organization to amplify its impact,” said Juliet Sorensen, executive director of Injustice Watch. “Our research-driven, human-centered approach to systemic issues will reach more community members and inform and engage them in the process. We are honored by this investment in our future.”
Capitol News Illinois will receive $2M over three years to expand its editorial capacity and add more investigative and Chicago-based reporting. Importantly, the outlet will also hire its first full-time fundraising position and start to build a team to diversify its revenue. It will also add broadcast journalists to their reporting team in 2023 in a partnership with the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Capitol News Illinois (CNI) is a nonprofit news service that covers state government daily for newspapers statewide. Launched in 2019, its stories have been published more than 70,000 times in 460 daily and nondaily newspapers statewide. Since its launch, the news service has added a daily newsletter and a podcast and last year launched a partnership with Illinois Public Radio stations.
“Our news service has had a big impact in its first 3-plus years in the state’s print media because of the initial investments made by the McCormick Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation,” said Jeff Rogers, director of the IPF, which operates Capitol News Illinois. Rogers is also editor of Capitol News Illinois.
“We are excited about the significant next steps our news service will be able to take with this investment from McCormick. We look forward to greatly expanding our funding base and business operations, extending our audience into TV and radio, and growing our reporting team in the next 3 years. We’re also looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Medill will receive $2.4M over three years to launch the Medill Local News Accelerator, a program to spur innovation and improve long-term sustainability of independent Chicago news organizations. The Accelerator will grow audience engagement; spur revenue growth through digital subscriptions, memberships, sponsorships and other diversified income streams; and create strategies for long-term self-sustainability of Chicago news organizations. Additionally, Northwestern will launch a new, immersive media leadership training program. Faculty experts from Medill and the Kellogg School of Management, along with media thought leaders outside the university, will provide in-depth training for Chicago media leaders to help give them the tools they need to better manage their news outlets for long-term sustainability.
“We are honored that the McCormick Foundation has chosen to invest in our efforts to help bolster outlets in the Chicago media ecosystem,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “We look forward to partnering with a wide swath of local news organizations to help them chart paths that will lead to their long-term viability and the continued production of robust journalism for our communities.”
* And from Capitol News Illinois…
Capitol News Illinois will significantly expand its operations as it enters the fifth year of operations in 2023 because of a significant grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The McCormick Foundation has announced a three-year, $2 million investment in Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit news organization that provides daily coverage of state government and is operated by the Illinois Press Foundation.
The CNI grant is one of four being announced by the McCormick Foundation, which is also investing in Block Club Chicago, Injustice Watch and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. The four grants total $7.5 million over three years. The grants complement the McCormick Foundation’s investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, formed with the Better Government Association and announced in 2021.
The McCormick Foundation has granted Capitol News Illinois $700,000 over its first four years of operations. McCormick said the increased investment in CNI will “help a promising outlet scale to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield.”
Jeff Rogers, the executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation and editor of Capitol News Illinois, said the McCormick investment will be used to expand the news service’s print reporting operations, launch a broadcast news operation in 2023, and hire a development director that will be tasked with growing and diversifying revenue streams to support continued editorial growth and impact.
Other Capitol News Illinois initiatives planned in the coming months and years with the McCormick investment include adding print reporters outside of the Springfield area; continuing to grow the broadcast newsroom; and hiring a photographer/videographer, a web/digital developer, an events coordinator, and a college internships coordinator. News literacy and civics initiatives are also planned, as is an expanded effort to provide analytical reporting and commentary.
“Capitol News Illinois’ mission has always been to connect as many people as possible to state government in Illinois,” Rogers said. “We have been very successful in doing that through the more than 460 newspapers in Illinois that have published CNI stories since 2019. This investment in Capitol News Illinois from the McCormick Foundation will allow us to expand our audience significantly through broadcast reporting and through significantly expanded print offerings.”
Capitol News Illinois stories have been published more than 75,000 times in Illinois newspapers with a combined circulation of about 2 million.
“Equally important is the investment in CNI’s business operations which will yield more funding for our newsrooms in the coming years that will enable us to continue to grow our news service,” Rogers said.
Capitol News Illinois operates solely on grants and donations. It does not charge a subscription for access to its coverage or a fee to publish its stories. The McCormick Foundation and Illinois Press Foundation have been the major donors to CNI during its nearly four years of operation.
Rogers also said CNI is “looking forward to being a part of a collaborative investigative journalism powerhouse McCormick is fostering with these grants.”
Timothy P. Knight, the McCormick Foundation president and CEO, shared that sentiment.
“All of these organizations have a history of collaborating closely with others, and several of these organizations currently collaborate with each other on a range of editorial, promotional, and operational initiatives,” Knight said. “The simultaneous investment in each of these organizations, together with our investment in the Illinois Solutions Partnership, is intended to promote and strengthen collaboration and recognize the strong, complementary skills each of these organizations brings to Chicago and Illinois media.”
In recent weeks, Capitol News Illinois has also received financial commitments from the Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Southern Illinois Editorial Association that will also aid in the news service’s expansion efforts. More details on those investments will be made soon.
Rogers said searches for a development director, an additional print reporter, and broadcast reporters are underway. He can be reached at jrogers@capitolnewsillinois.com.
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Today’s quotable
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sen. Darren Bailey on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria“…
I live four hours south of Chicago. I’m a farmer in Southern Illinois. And my wife Cindy and I have recently moved into the inner city of Chicago.
We are there every day, walking up and down the streets, in and out of businesses.
That is the first time I’ve ever heard the Magnificent Mile described as the “inner city of Chicago.”
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Daily Herald the big loser
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Far-right activist Dan Proft has proved time and time again that he is very effective at calling attention to himself and getting under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s skin in the worst way.
Proft’s newspapers have, for instance, published several articles with photos of Pritzker’s daughter. Sometimes the stories were wrong, like when a false claim was made that Pritzker’s daughter was sitting outdoors at a Chicago restaurant with several friends in violation of the 10-person rule during the pandemic.
“It wasn’t her,” Pritzker told reporters back in November 2020, when COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations were rising sharply. “But the picture falsely identifying her started making the rounds on social media, helped along by the trolls who permeate these social media platforms these days. My office put out a statement making clear this wasn’t my daughter. But that didn’t stop Republican elected officials, a network of propaganda publications in the state and some radio shock jocks from telling people that the picture was of my daughter, despite knowing that this was a lie.”
“Put yourself in the shoes of a high school girl who is being weaponized against her father by his political opponents. Weaponized with lies,” Pritzker said. Even so, the photo and the story are still online.
The papers, owned by parent company Local Government Information Services (LGIS), have run articles showing the young woman partying in the Bahamas outdoors, riding on a horse outdoors and having fun with friends outdoors at Lollapalooza.
Proft also co-hosts a morning radio show with Amy Jacobson, who spoke at a public rally against the governor’s pandemic mitigations and regularly showed up to Pritzker’s press conferences to ask loaded questions, to the point where she was eventually banned from the pressers, although the ban was lifted not long after.
Proft’s exact affiliation with LGIS is not clear. The print version is being mailed unsolicited on a regular basis to large numbers of registered voters. The latest edition features a front-page claim that Pritzker and his transgender aunt (a wealthy Republican who supported Bruce Rauner) are in league to eliminate the “myth” of gender, a claim that has been circulated by far-right websites for months.
The papers have also been accused of publishing incendiary, racist stories about accused criminals who would soon be released into suburban communities. Pritzker himself addressed that edition, calling it “messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant.” The paper also printed wildly false claims by a state’s attorney who warned that the reforms in the now-notorious SAFE-T Act would bring the “end of days.”
It’s unclear who is funding the papers, but Proft also heads the People Who Play by the Rules PAC, an independent expenditure committee backing Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign and funded solely by far-right billionaire Dick Uihlein.
Last week, a Shaw Local newspaper story about the Proft papers noted in passing that LGIS was using Paddock Publications’ postage permit. According to a recent Illinois Press Association news release, Paddock’s Schaumburg printing facility is owned by the Daily Herald Media Group.
Many journalists and others were stunned by the revelation. Proft’s papers have been accused of deliberately spreading disinformation and amplifying racism and homophobia. The Illinois Press Association has tried its best to point out that LGIS is not a member and the company’s papers are not actually news. That a respected publisher was printing and mailing those papers came as a shock, particularly since the Daily Herald has taken an active role in the Illinois Press Association.
Pritzker then goosed the story into overdrive by backing out of a debate hosted in part by the Daily Herald. Hours later, Paddock Publications announced that it had dropped its printing and mailing contract with LGIS, claiming it wanted no part in the fight between Pritzker and Proft, but denying that it did anything wrong. In a bitter response, Proft claimed that he was a “longstanding client” of the Daily Herald, so you gotta wonder how long the Daily Herald has been doing this.
The big loser in all this is the Daily Herald, which lost an incalculable amount of respect for its integrity that it may never regain because of its active participation in a tsunami of viral disinformation during dangerous times. Pritzker prevailed and was able to keep the focus off other important campaign issues. And Proft got attention for himself and his radio show and a platform to say things like calling Pritzker a “bedwetting, spoiled brat.”
* Crain’s editorial…
“Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation . . . and the Daily Herald’s editorial mission to be unbiased and fair,” the letter states, without addressing the still-unanswered question of whether LGIS mailed these materials on Paddock’s dime. “The perception for some has become that the Daily Herald favors one party over another and by printing for LGIS, it’s somehow promoting its message. That is not true.”
Actually, producing and apparently providing postage for this stuff is pretty much the definition of promoting this message. And, to be clear, the look would be just as bad if Paddock had printed and lent its postal permit to sham newspapers that amounted to unlabeled ads for Pritzker or Lightfoot.
We’re not talking about slick pamphlets, brochures or posters here—the kind of material that voters are accustomed to finding in their mailboxes, stuck into their doorjambs or pressed into their hands as they run for the train during campaign season. We’re talking about deceptively designed mailers that are clearly meant to simulate newspapers—printed and evidently distributed by a company that, however inconveniently in this case, happens to be in the news business.
* Related…
* Pritzker, Bailey gubernatorial forum on after controversy
* ‘Deceptive’ Chicago City Wire Hitting Mailboxes Looks Like A Newspaper. But It’s Really A Conservative Campaign Mailer: While media law experts said that the publications were protected by the free speech provision of the First Amendment, they agreed that they were essentially political mailers, intentionally disguised as newspapers. “I don’t call them newspapers for a very good reason,” said Don Craven, president of the Springfield-based Illinois Press Association. “They’re not.”
*** UPDATE *** Money will always find a way around impediments, but that doesn’t mean the Daily Herald had to sully itself…
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Live coverage
Monday, Sep 26, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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* From Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine’s open letter to constituents…
The greatest jailbreak in Madison County history will occur on January 1, 2023. On that date, approximately half of our present jail population must be released under the terms of the new SAFE-T Act, and cash bail will be eliminated throughout Illinois. That translates to well over 100 criminal defendants walking free in Madison County alone without paying a dime as they await trial for alleged crimes including aggravated DUI, aggravated battery, failure to register as a sex offender, burglary, and aggravated fleeing and eluding from a police officer.
* The governor responded today. Excerpt…
States Attorney Haine,
I was disappointed to read your letter and watch your television interview defending a criminal justice status quo where accused murderers, domestic batterers, rapists, and other dangerous criminals can buy their way out of jail pending trial if they have enough money.
Unfortunately, you made clear in the KDSK interview that your real concern is not about the serious offenses you falsely claim are non-detainable, but to ensure that low level defendants face punishment before they are found guilty. Your approach – seeking to deter possible future crimes by punishing individuals accused of less serious offenses before they have the opportunity to defend themselves in court – is contrary to the foundation of our justice system and based on outdated research that has been debunked.
You also scoff at the notion that the cash bail system contributes to a criminal justice system that disproportionately punishes Black and Brown citizens, saying to KDSK that “there is no truth to the idea that cash bail has a racially disparate impact.” Contrary to your claim, the bipartisan, independent US Commission on Civil Rights, established by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower, recently published a report casting light on “stark racial and gender disparities [in the administration of cash bail],” and noting higher pre-trial detention rates and financial conditions of release imposed on Black and Latinx individuals.
In your response to KDSK reporter Mark Maxwell, you admitted that you have seen instances where a defendant accused of a serious crime “[got out of jail], going on to intimidate a witness, going on to harm someone, going on to commit a repeat offense, while they’re out on bail that they paid.” Conversely, the aforementioned report by the bipartisan US Commission on Civil Rights found that 60% of defendants were in jail pre-trial simply because they couldn’t afford bail. That is the broken system that you are defending through fearmongering and unvarnished mistruths.
The SAFE-T Act ensures that those charged with domestic abuse, murder, rape, and other serious crimes cannot buy their way out of prison – as they can right now – because it bases detention on risk rather than wealth. That’s why domestic violence advocacy organizations support ending cash bail , including the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, who referred to it as reform that prioritizes the safety of survivors.
Furthermore, I was disheartened by your conclusion that you are powerless to keep dangerous people in prison beginning January 1. Your conclusion is not based on the law. Moreover, if your comments are intended to signal that you will refuse to take available steps to seek detention for individuals who present a danger to the community, that would be a dereliction of duty.
Your letter claims that certain offenses become non-detainable under the SAFE-T Act. But your reading of the law has been debunked by multiple non-partisan fact checkers, including the Associated Press, Snopes, and Politifact. Nevertheless, in the interest of justice and safety, I will explain the fallacy in your reading of the law, including your false assertion to Mark Maxwell that prosecutors will have to meet an “unbelievably high standard” to show that a defendant presents a risk of fleeing and must be detained. […]
I trust that your office will use all of the tools available under the law on January 1, and file motions to detain defendants you consider to be dangerous to the citizens of Madison County.
Sincerely,
Governor JB Pritzker
Links and footnotes are in the full original document.
...Adding… Today…
A Granite City man was indicted on firearm charges by Madison County officials on Thursday.
Detchauz Wray, 31, of Granite City, was indicted on charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony; and aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony.
According to court documents, on Sept. 4 Wray fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, intentionally causing injury to another person.
Bail was set at $150,000.
Emphasis added.
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Campaign notebook
Friday, Sep 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ABC7 Chicago…
Vickie Ponciano feels like breaking her television every time she sees a video clip of her nephew’s murder being used in a Republican ad campaign that seeks to pin violence in Chicago on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the city’s Democrats.
“Every time I see that freaking commercial I just start cursing in front of my kids. And I don’t know how to control it,” Ponciano said Thursday while standing alongside the Rev. Michael Pfleger during a rally at 875 N. Michigan Ave., the building formerly known as the Hancock Center.
Her nephew, Gyovanni Arzuaga, and his wife, Yasmin Perez, were killed following Puerto Rican Day festivities last summer and video of the incident went viral.
“I don’t need to see my nephew getting murdered every day on TV. The pain starts all over again,” said Ponciano, who called for the ad to be pulled. “Stop using our pain and suffering for votes.”
Fox 32
“Stop running and condoning comments and commercials that continue racist stereotyping of the Black and brown communities. We are divided enough in Chicago. There’s enough racism in Chicago. We don’t need you to stereotype Black and brown folk with the violence in Chicago running your commercials,” said Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church.
The Bailey campaign released the following statement in response:
“We have no communication with or control over this pac, but Pritzker and his pal Lightfoot have control over the skyrocketing crime in Chicago, but sadly they don’t care about the more than 500 people murdered this year in Chicago or the fact they’re creating new victims everyday with their soft-on-crime policies. Pritzker has turned his back on law enforcement and left these communities behind. Darren Bailey’s focus is making Illinois safe and affordable for everyone.”
Sun-Times…
The St. Sabina Church pastor criticized the ads as playing off racist stereotypes of Black and Latino communities.
Proft didn’t return messages Thursday.
The ad is intended to criticize the SAFE-T Act, a criminal justice reform package that Pritzker signed into law in an attempt to address longstanding public safety issues and police distrust. Panned by Republicans for its provision to end cash bail, it goes into effect next year.
* Politico…
Also Thursday, WGN and NBC news stations pulled a political ad by the conservative People Who Play By The Rules PAC, which also is run by Proft.
The ad featured Beverly Miles, a little-known candidate in the Democratic primary for governor, claiming Pritzker fired her from a government job.
Pritzker’s legal team wrote the stations saying the ad was “false and defamatory” and demanded the stations remove it “immediately.” Failing to do “is actionable under Illinois defamation law,” according to a letter from the Elias Law Group.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Demmer would prefer not to talk about Bailey. There’s been no endorsement either way, although in a news conference earlier this year, Demmer said he believed Bailey would make a good governor.
“We’ve tried to build a plan that’s very focused on issues of taxes and spending of dollars and cents,” Demmer said. “And so, you know, trying to cut through some of the rest of the clutter that comes out there, just by having a very straightforward message.”
Democratic Party of Illinois pounced…
After endorsing far-right extremist Darren Bailey, Tom Demmer, GOP candidate for State Treasurer, is now flip-flopping on his support — trying desperately to rewrite history to score cheap political points.
Demmer endorsed Bailey earlier in the race, saying he thinks Bailey would make a good governor. Even after Bailey’s horrific comparison of abortion to the Holocaust, Demmer stood by his support of the far-right extremist, saying: “We have this choice between reelecting Pritzker, or making a change going in a new direction. I think we need to go [in] a new direction.”
That “new direction? Darren Bailey, who besides his Holocaust/abortion comparison is best known for his opposition to abortion without exception, his comments encouraging Illinoisans to “move on” from the Highland Park mass shooting, and his record of campaigning with insurrectionists.
Now, Tom Demmer’s trying desperately to walk back his endorsement of the far-right extremist — and hoping voters don’t notice. In an interview with Crain’s, Demmer dodged: “Demmer would prefer not to talk about Bailey. There’s been no endorsement either way, although in a news conference earlier this year, Demmer said he believed Bailey would make a good governor.”
Does Tom Demmer want to take Illinois in a “new direction” with Darren Bailey or not? Voters know the truth — and they’ll remember it at the ballot box in November.
* Patch…
A number of Elmhurst politicians, including the local state representative, are not taking part in candidates forums on Sunday, a local group says.
The League of Women Voters of Elmhurst aimed to hold forums for state representative, state senator, DuPage County Board and DuPage County Forest Preserve board. […]
According to the league, Mazzochi, who is vying for the District 45 seat, did not respond to its invitation. Her Democratic opponent, Jenn Ladisch Douglass, who agreed to take part, has been invited to make a two-minute statement. Mazzochi’s campaign did not return Patch’s message for comment.
Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton, an Elmhurst Democrat running in District 23, said she would take part in the forum, according to the league.
However, the league said her Republican opponent, Dennis Reboletti of Elmhurst, failed to respond to the invitation. Glowiak-Hilton will be given two minutes to speak, the league said.
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Caption contest!
Friday, Sep 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dan Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC is now sending books to voters. The author is fellow Florida resident Dennis Byrne…
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* As we discussed earlier this week, Rep. Mark Batinick has a pension funding proposal. Here’s Crain’s…
Batinick would dedicate a chunk toward property tax relief. Specifically, in any year in which required pension spending drops below 25% of total general funds spending, an amount equal to a quarter of the drop would automatically be used to reduce property taxes. […]
Batinick’s proposal drew a mixed reaction from Laurence Msall, head of the watchdog Civic Federation.
“What happens if the state’s pension contribution increases to above 25% of the budget?” if, for instance, stock market returns go down as they are this year, Msall asked. “We see some significant potential positives in the proposal, but also have questions about whether it will work as indicated if the state economy slows or slips into recession in the coming years.”
* I asked Rep. Batinick to respond to Msall…
I very much appreciate the Civic Federation and specifically Laurence Msall for taking the time to review my proposal. A couple of important points. I’ve been working on this and thinking about scenarios for at least 6 months. The Civic Federation and others have had less than a day to digest the proposal. While the plan is a simple concept, implementation is more complicated. I understand the questions and thoughts many have had and have had those same questions. I’ve had the time to think them through. I recall much blowback when I first introduced the pension buyout proposal years ago. This summer Governor Pritzker signed an extension of the program because it is working well.
Laurence Msall’s concern is what happens if the state’s pension contribution needs to go back to 25%. It is a legitimate concern although an unlikely scenario. But my plan would actually help that situation. By designating 25% of the budget to go towards pensions first with the remainder going to property tax relief you are creating a buffer zone. If we don’t create that buffer zone, future politicians will not make the tough choices to keep spending in check. The savings opened up in the budget will be spent on new or expanded programs. Under Msall’s scenario something would have to be cut from the General Revenue Fund. Under my scenario the property tax relief would simply be less than expected or delayed.
Several others have commented that the local school districts would just continue to spend the money and no relief would reach taxpayers. Any proposal needs to include language that requires the levy to be reset dollar for dollar. Simply put they won’t have the opportunity to do that.
There certainly will be ideas others will have to improve the plan. As always I welcome the collaboration. But since I have been involved in politics people have talked about fixing our high property taxes. It’s a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most. If the Civic Federation anyone else has a better idea I’m all ears.
Thoughts?
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* Background is here. From the Illinois Constitution…
SECTION 11. COMPENSATION AND ALLOWANCES
A member shall receive a salary and allowances as provided by law, but changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.
So, when the General Assembly voted to forgo scheduled cost of living pay increases after they were sworn into a new term, that clearly violated the constitution.
* But the Illinois Supreme Court completely sidestepped that question when it struck down a lawsuit filed by two former legislators who had voted to cut their pay. Here’s Capitol News Illinois…
But in a 6-0 decision, the court declined to rule on the constitutionality aspect, saying the former lawmakers undercut their own case by voting in favor of the measures, touting them to the public and waiting too long to file their claims.
“We conclude that under the facts here, where plaintiffs, former legislators, agreed to, acquiesced in, and voted for the Salary Reduction Laws, plaintiffs cannot now be allowed to challenge the reductions in their salaries during their previous terms in office,” Justice P. Scott Neville wrote for the court. […]
During oral arguments, Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, representing Mendoza, did not challenge the finding that the legislative acts were unconstitutional, but argued that the former senators had effectively waived their right to any relief by voting in favor of the pay reduction bills.
It also argued that the former lawmakers waited an unreasonable length of time before filing their claims and that their claims should be barred by the statute of limitations, which is generally five years.
And the Supremes agreed.
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* Center Square…
A consensus is forming that there needs to be clarifications to the SAFE-T Act set to take effect in Illinois in the new year, but whether any changes will be substantive is still up in the air. […]
During a Springfield City Council meeting this week, city officials heard from lobbyist Art Turner about expectations that lawmakers will return in the fall session as early as the week after the Nov. 8 election to address various issues.
“It’s a lot around implementation, there’s just no real clarity around that and all parties on both sides are able to agree to that point,” Turner said. “I believe that that will be one of the top priorities for the veto session in November or scheduled early December. Then, we’re going to have to work really fast to bring our local clerks and courts and counties up to speed on the adjustments that I anticipate to be made behind it.” […]
State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, who advocates for the law, acknowledged some changes are needed to clarify its implementation. But, he said all parties need to come together in good faith.
“The Democrats are working every day with advocates, with law enforcement to make sure that if there needs to be tweaks, we will tweak them before January,” Ford said. “But we will not roll back the entire SAFE-T Act.”
Former Rep. Art Turner was a major proponent of criminal justice reforms when he was in the House.
* Meanwhile, click here for the background if you need it. From Sen. Don Dewitte…
Rich,
I read your column on the blog [yesterday]. Needless to say, I’m disappointed in your characterization of my intentions regarding my petition effort. Had you called, I would have gladly referred you back to, and explained in detail, my press release from 2 weeks ago that spelled out my intentions with this petition effort. I’m guessing you chose not to refer back to it for more accurate background, or just never read it to begin with.
My only response at this point would be the following;
1. When given the opportunity, I ALWAYS negotiate in good faith. I challenge you to find anyone in the Capitol (except perhaps Sen. Peters who thinks we’re all a lynch mob) who would suggest otherwise.
2. The comment made to Alice Fabbre at the Daily Herald, was made responding to her reference to a current House bill that calls for a complete repeal of the entire SafeT Act.
My repeal petition is an effort to continue discussions on the problematic aspect of its implementation, based on input received from Police Chiefs, States Attorneys, and the Judiciary, with only Police Chiefs and Sheriffs asked to provide input during the Act’s creation, but were never seriously or responsibly included in negotiations with the Act’s authors.
[Pleasant personal aside redacted.]
Thanks,
Don DeWitte
I stand by the post.
* Didn’t Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow tell us that eliminating cash bail would bring the “end of days”? From the AP…
More than two dozen people have been charged in Illinois with fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief money, with authorities alleging that some of them were behind bars when they used their relief money to post bond and free themselves from jail.
Joliet Police Chief William Evans said Wednesday that 25 people were part of the alleged fraud scheme to get Paycheck Protection Program checks while not operating actual businesses.
Fifteen of the defendants had been arrested by Wednesday, and arrest warrants were pending for 10 other people. They all face charges including wire fraud, theft and loan fraud, officials said.
Evans said each fraudulently obtained loan was for between $19,000 and $20,000, with the fraud costing taxpayers upwards of $500,000.
Investigators found that some of the defendants were inmates at the Will County Jail in Joliet, a Chicago suburb, when they applied for and received loans through the pandemic program, and then used the money to bond out of jail on their felony cases.
* From a Fox News interview with retired Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy…
“Anybody can just make a complaint against an officer. The department or the investigating body does not have to tell the officer who it is, which hinders their ability to respond to the complaint accurately and honestly. It has a bad effect on morale.”
The police routinely and actively solicit and encourage anonymous tips, including paying cash rewards. I mean, have they never heard of Crimestoppers?
* More…
* Truth Test: Will ending cash bail in Illinois cause a rise in crime?: The Illinois GOP added that in New York “as a direct result of the new bail law, 20.1% of ‘felony arraignments’ were rearrested in 2021, with 16.1% failing to appear at arraignment.”’ However, [Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonpartisan, pro-bail reform group in New York City] said the Illinois GOP statement is “inaccurate” and lacks context. She sees it as an attempt to score “cheap points” by “fear-mongering.” “They (the Illinois GOP) didn’t actually name what the appearance rates and rearrest rates were before bail reform, and they didn’t name from what period or how they are picking that data,” Rahman said. “Failing to appear at arraignments is not a measure anyone tracks in NYS (New York state) courts. Arraignment is the first court appearance following an arrest.”
* State’s Attorneys Representing 3 Illinois Counties File Lawsuits Against SAFE-T Act: [ McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally’s] lawsuit also alleges that the SAFE-T Act undermines a constitutional amendment that requires judges to consider a victims’ safety and wellbeing when setting bail. [Sen. Elgie Sims], however, said the SAFE-T Act will make a “marked” difference for victims as some victims’ rights groups have attested to. For example, by ensuring that someone convicted of domestic violence isn’t released just because they’ve got the cash to get out of jail. Sims says these lawsuits are a waste of taxpayer money.
* Jersey County files suit over cash bail change: “We have been working on diplomatic solutions with key legislators to try and fix some of the most dangerous aspects of this act,” he said. “Lawmakers need to understand we prefer to work together on a legislative fix.”
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* WGEM…
Illinois state lawmakers continue to discuss the best strategies to address rising gun violence across the state. The House Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force heard more ideas from gun control advocates and supporters of the Second Amendment Thursday. […]
Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) told the task force that it is also important to think about gun violence caused by people who are licensed. Ford said he was disappointed that several people told lawmakers Thursday that FOID holders and a right to carry don’t commit crimes.
“I wouldn’t say that,” NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde interjected. “I would say that they’re on the lower end of the percentages where that occurs.” […]
“I think that’s our goal and it should be all our goals to make sure that we protect people and protect our communities,” Ford said. “Hopefully, we can continue to have these dialogues and conversations about ways to do that and not have a stonewall against finding common ground.”
* Meanwhile, here’s the Daily Herald…
In the wake of this summer’s mass shooting in downtown Highland Park, Democratic state Rep. Martin Moylan of Des Plaines and his Republican challenger, Michael M. Lupo of Park Ridge, shared differing views on what the state might be able to do to curb gun violence, including whether a ban on assault weapons should be a part of a solution. […]
Lupo said Illinois and Chicago already have some of the nation’s strictest gun laws. But stepped-up scrutiny of the validity status of firearm owners’ ID cards could be one way to make improvements, he added. […]
“As far as the mass shootings, I believe we need to come up with a comprehensive plan,” he said. “Maybe with a committee or a council in Springfield — bipartisan with some mental health experts as well. And to be honest with you, I wouldn’t be opposed to temporarily halting the sale of high-powered and high-capacity rifles while that’s getting done. … It’s something that we need to take seriously and we need to take the mental health aspects seriously as well.”
Moylan said he supports the proposed statewide ban on assault weapons.
“That’s a first step,” he said. “But there’s more than just the ban on weapons. Individuals like this person (in Highland Park) will find some type of device to inflict harm on as many people as possible. So besides the ban on assault rifles, we have to get back to the mental health issue.”
* The Center Square…
Republican lawmakers who say they are fed up with Democratic efforts to lessen the penalties for drug dealers in Illinois have introduced new legislation.
Last April, the House narrowly passed a measure that lowered the criminal penalties for what they call low-level possession of drugs like fentanyl and heroin. Misdemeanors under the bill include possession of less than five grams of cocaine, less than five pills of most scheduled III substances such as Xanax and Valium, and less than 40 pills of oxycodone and similar painkillers. […]
Republicans have introduced legislation designed to allow state attorneys to prosecute fentanyl dealers. […]
The measure also provides that, “in addition to any other penalties imposed for the manufacture or delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, not less than 6 years and not more than 30 years shall be imposed for any amount of carfentanil in excess of 150 milligrams that is stored or transmitted as a powder, blotter paper, tablet, patch, or spray if the product fails to include a warning label and an accompanying rescue level of naloxone.”
* WAND…
The Illinois State Police is awarding $1 million in grants to 32 local law enforcement agencies across Illinois.
The grant money will be used to conduct firearm enforcement efforts to help keep guns out of the hand of people who pose a significant threat to themselves or others.
“While the Illinois State Police has had great success in reducing expressway shootings in the Chicago area compared to this time last year, we continue to face a gun violence epidemic in this country and we need every possible resource at our disposal to combat it,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These grants to local law enforcement agencies can help prevent a potential tragedy in our communities and I want to thank agencies across the state who have signed up to help with enforcement efforts.”
In July, ISP offered grants to law enforcement agencies to conduct enforcement operations for individuals whose Firearm Owner Identification Card have been revoked or suspended as a result of being prohibited by state or federal law.
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* Press release…
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) released the following statement on Governor JB Pritzker’s hypocrisy on ethics reform and the price that is being paid by his inaction:
“The Governor’s recent comments on ethics reform are nothing more than an attempt to paper over his poor record on public corruption as he seeks re-election. The truth of the matter is, he has sat silently by as Democratic legislators failed to even discuss, let alone allow a vote on many anti-corruption measures that have been filed in the General Assembly this legislative session. The hypocrisy is rich. If he really believes that work needs to be done on new ethics legislation, where has he been?”
Senate Republicans have proposed several measures to address the systemic corruption issue within the Democratic Party, yet the Senate Ethics Committee did not meet a single time this year. Additionally, not a single piece of ethics legislation was heard in the entire General Assembly this session.
“The Governor wants to talk big on integrity and ethics within our government, but his record has shown little desire to put action where his mouth is. His silence and failure to lead on this issue continues to enable the corruption in his own party that is so toxic to us all.”
Following a watered-down ethics package that passed in 2021, and after Democrats promised “their work wasn’t done,” Senate Republicans reintroduced their preferred measures in Senate Bill 3636, Senate Bill 3030, and SJRCA 16 this spring legislative session, only to be met with silence and inaction.
Senate Bill 3636 would:
• Prohibit a General Assembly member, their spouse, or any immediate family member from lobbying as long as the individual is a member of the General Assembly.
• Prohibits a legislator during their term of office from negotiating employment with a lobbying firm (such as a job after their term of office), if that firm lobbies the General Assembly.
• Strengthens the revolving door for General Assembly members to prohibit them from lobbying for 12 months after leaving office (currently 6 months with a major loophole allowing GA members to lobby a day after their term ends).
• Limit a lobbyist’s political activity so that anyone who is a lobbyist cannot be an officer for a candidate’s political committee or be a candidate supported by a political action committee.
• Expand the authority of a statewide grand jury to investigate and indict offenses involving the corruption of a public official, to include theft, fraud, extortion, or a violation of the official misconduct and public contracts articles of the criminal code of 2012.
• Expand Illinois’ R.I.C.O. law to include bribery, official misconduct, solicitation of misconduct, and legislative misconduct.
Senate Bill 3030 would:
• Give the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) the ability to issue subpoenas without prior consent of the Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC).
• Require Legislative Ethics Commission meetings to be open to the public and meetings must be publicly posted.
SJRCA 16 would:
• Amend the Illinois Constitution to allow voters to recall more elected officials, including members of the General Assembly and local government officials.
“There is a high societal cost to corruption when people don’t have faith in their government. That cost is a weakening of democracy, where no longer are elected officials looking out for the public’s best interests, but their own instead.”
In the last several years, four members of the Senate Democratic Caucus have been indicted and/or convicted on federal corruption charges.
That prohibition against negotiating employment with a lobbying firm is needed. Your thoughts?
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Open thread
Friday, Sep 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Happy Friday! What’s on your mind today?
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Live coverage
Friday, Sep 23, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
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