Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Apr 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Pantagraph…
Former Illinois Rep. Dan Brady announced Monday he will be running for mayor of Bloomington in next year’s consolidated election.
Brady, who served as a Republican in the Illinois House of Representatives for more than 20 years, said in a news release his campaign for mayor will include plans to enhance public service and public safety, create affordable housing, lower taxes and supporting business and economic development with a new leadership style. […]
He recently lost a bid for Illinois Secretary of State against Alexi Giannoulias in 2022. […]
In response to Brady’s announcement Monday, Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe said, “I welcome his entry into the race.”
Bloomington’s consolidated primary election, if necessary, will be on Feb. 25, 2025. The consolidated election will be April 1.
* Tribune…
Whether Steve Balich regains his position as a Homer Township Republican precinct committeeperson could come down to a coin flip depending on the ruling of Will County Judge John Anderson.
At issue is one ballot that was not initialed by an election judge during the March 19 primary election.
The Will County clerk’s office certified results of the election earlier this month with Homer Glen resident Tami O’Brien beating Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich 115 votes to 114.
Balich, who is also the Republican Leader on the Will County Board, challenged those election results.
* Jake Sheridan…
* Press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined leaders from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program at Englewood STEM High School to announce the fifth year of CREATE grant funding. As part of the 75th street Corridor Improvement Project (CIP), the CREATE Program and its partners have donated over $600,000 since 2019 as part of their educational commitment to communities within the 75th street CIP corridor. This year’s grants will be dispersed among nine awardees including Chicago Public Schools, Leo High School, The Museum of Science and Industry, and the Chicago Public Library Foundation.
“The impact of CREATE goes beyond any economic indicators. It lies in the way it has connected and invested in our people – from workforce development to community improvement projects and of course, STEM education,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to this funding, students here in Englewood and across the 75th Street Corridor are gaining exposure to new career paths and learning the skills needed to thrive in the economy of tomorrow. At their core, these programs foster curiosity and creativity, helping students turn their ingenuity into innovation and action.”
Today’s announcement outlines awardees for the 2024-2025 school year, with grants totaling $200,000. $100,000 was direct funding from CREATE Program, with an additional $100,000 matched by Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Through partnership with Children First Fund (CFF): the Chicago Public Schools Foundation, the CREATE Program is providing CPS Schools and other educational institutions with creative programming, resources, and the establishment and improvement of STEM clubs (rocketry, cybersecurity, 3D printing, bridge building, and physics). The funding will also assist with makerspaces and internships available to Chicago Southside youth to encourage transportation and infrastructure education.
Grant funding will also positively impact the Chicago Public Library System’s ScienceConnections program, which fosters critical thinking skills and technology literacy among school-aged youth, and the annual STEAM-Powered Saturday event, which highlights year-round STEM programming across various library branches.
The CREATE Program also supports the ongoing success of programming at the Museum of Science and Industry, including their MSI Curiosity Kits and Summer Brain Games Kits, which encourage youth to engage with STEM concepts in their respective neighborhoods.
The 2024-2025 CREATE Program grant recipients are:
- Lillian R. Nicholson STEM Academy (CPS)
- Scott Joplin Elementary School (CPS)
- Asa Philip Randolph Elementary School (CPS)
- Martha Ruggles Elementary School (CPS)
- Englewood STEM High School (CPS)
- Simeon Career Academy (CPS)
- Leo High School
- Chicago Public Library
- Museum of Science and Industry
*** Statewide ***
* DPI | Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez Congratulates New DSCC 7th District Committeewoman Emma Mitts: Yesterday, the committee people of Illinois’s 7th Congressional District selected Alderwoman Emma Mitts as the new Democratic State Central Committeewoman after the passing of Committeewoman Karen Yarbrough. Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez shared the following to congratulate the newest DSCC Committeewoman: “Committeewoman Emma Mitts’s enthusiasm for the role–and for Democratic values–is palpable. Her decades of public service experience and commitment to “Unity In The Community” will bring invaluable input and energy as we gear up for critical elections up and down the ballot this November.
* SJ-R | Could a result in an Alabama election impact Illinois? One abortion-rights group says yes: This November, Planned Parenthood is backing a slate of abortion-rights Democrats running for the Illinois House and Senate. That list primarily consists of incumbents, but also 11 challengers to Republican-held House districts. Democrat victories in those districts would make House Minority Leader Tony McCombie’s job even harder, where she and 39 fellow Republicans in the 118-member chamber often lack the voting power to carry through on many of its major policy initiatives.
*** Chicago ***
* NBC Chicago | Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson not attending funeral for Officer Luis Huesca: The last-minute change comes after multiple sources told NBC Chicago Huesca’s family asked Johnson not to come. Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she and another state official were asked by Huesca’s “grief stricken mother” to tell Johnson “he was unwelcome at her son’s funeral.”
* WTTW | ‘He Was a Great Man’: Slain Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca Remembered, Celebrated During Funeral: “Luis left a great impression on not only everyone sitting here, especially his team, but he’s leaving an impression on the entire country,” Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said. Huesca’s family described him as a “kind soul,” who always wanted to protect the innocent.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago school board candidates gather virtually for first debate: The group that organized the candidate forum has been advocating since the start of the school year around restoring busing for roughly 5,500 general education students who lost transportation service at the start of this school year. Most of those students travel to magnet and selective enrollment schools. CPS stopped busing general education students as it worked to ensure students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Programs require transportation were getting it and that their ride times were not longer than an hour.
* Borderless | After Decades Of Disinvestment, Black And Latino Leaders Want ‘Profound Transformation’ Amid Migrant Crisis: “Unfortunately, Black and Brown people are taking the bait,” said the Rev. Kenneth Phelps, senior pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Woodlawn. “It’s not just a feud; we’re seeing it right before our very eyes. The tensions are real.” […] “We, too, were a little bit angry with how the city was handling things,” according to Phelps, who acknowledges the complexity of it all. “ But for us, [the migrants] were helpless. They were hungry, they were hurting, and they were human. So we decided to take another tack, as opposed to protesting their presence, we decided to welcome them and approached the city, you know, and said, ‘How can we help?’”
* Crain’s | Three Chicago-area bridges among most vulnerable in the U.S.: Bloomberg’s review of government inspection reports found 14 bridges in the entire country have significant deficiencies in each of three critical structural elements. Those bridges in Chicago are: the Lake Street bridge crossing the South Branch of the Chicago River, the Chicago Avenue bridge crossing the North Branch, and the Harlem Avenue bridge crossing the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal — just north of where the street crosses Interstate 55.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | ‘No Mow May’ is a little helpful, but native plants are better, experts say: Several suburbs will see hundreds of unwieldy lawns next month as homeowners partake in “No Mow” programs, which exempt residents from local mowing codes in the name of providing shelter and food for early spring pollinators. The hands-off lawn care practice, which originated in England, has been gaining traction across North America over the last five years, and suburban communities such as Westmont, Glenview, Lombard and Northbrook are gearing up for another year of “No Mow” programs, including “No Mow ’til Mother’s Day” and “Slow Mow May.”
*** Downstate ***
* Crain’s | Why Rockford, small Midwestern cities dominate list of hottest home markets: Rockford’s affordable housing market helped put it at the No. 1 slot on the list of the nation’s hottest housing markets of first-quarter 2024, compiled by Realtor.com and published first in the Wall Street Journal on April 25. The median listing price for Rockford homes was $235,000 in March, according to the report. In Schaumburg, it’s about $283,000, according to online real estate marketplace Redfin, and in Elgin, $335,000.
* Rockford Register Star | A new market analysis says Rockford is in need of new housing. Here’s why: Rockford’s loss of population but increased employment made it difficult for the 2024 Housing Needs Assessment and Market Study to nail down an estimate for the number of needed housing units. Usually increased employment means increased population. That hasn’t been the case in Rockford, authors said. They estimate the city needs to plan for an additional 3,000 to 9,000 units of housing over the next decade to keep pace with supply and demand.
*** Sports ***
* WBEZ | Candace Parker announces retirement after 16 seasons, three WNBA championships: “I’m retiring,” Parker continued. “I promised I’d never cheat the game and that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it. The competitor in me always wants one more, but it’s time. My heart and body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”
* Tribune | Arlington Heights still wants Chicago Bears to consider moving there: ‘I don’t think it’s anything close to a done deal’: “We offer the opportunity for the Bears to own their own stadium, which is a big difference between our opportunity and the proposal that they submitted” to the city of Chicago for the redo of the land immediately south of where their current Soldier Field home sits, said [Mayor Tom Hayes]. […] The Arlington Heights plan, Hayes said, would have allowed the Bears to “provide that game-day experience that they have told me from day one that they were looking to do with a new stadium – that’s really kind of the industry standard now” and to be landowners.
*** National ***
* NBC | Supreme Court rejects Elon Musk’s challenge to SEC agreement to vet his social media posts: The SEC cracked down on Musk after he posted tweets in 2018 saying he had secured funding to take Tesla private, which came as a shock to the market and initially sent the company’s shares surging. The agency said the tweets were “materially false and misleading” in violation of securities law. […] Now, Musk is saying that the limits on his speech are unconstitutional and says he was effectively coerced into agreeing to it. His lawyers say in court papers that the SEC has waged an “ongoing campaign” against Musk. […] The SEC responded in court papers that Musk had waived his right to bringing his argument when he signed off on the settlement.
* NYT | Florida Abortion Ban to Take Effect, Cutting Off Major Access Point: Between 2018 and 2023, about 60 percent of abortions in Florida happened after six weeks of pregnancy, according to state data. Clinics are scheduling ultrasounds earlier and ramping up other health care services to try to stay open. Funds are training volunteers to plan travel for patients to Illinois, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. (North Carolina is closer but its waiting period to get the procedure makes it a less feasible destination.)
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* Sun-Times…
State legislators are proposing legislation that would create a transit agency to oversee public transit across northeastern Illinois and provide an additional $1.5 billion in annual funding for public transportation.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, which would create the Metropolitan Mobility Authority to oversee all public transit operations and replace the Regional Transportation Authority.
They say the measure aims to avoid overlap and competition for money between the RTA, Chicago Transit Authority, Pace and Metra — which they said has led to a delay in integrated fares — and instead provide “coordinated” services. The metro area once had just the RTA and CTA, and Metra and Pace were created later. […]
RTA Chair Kirk Dillard said the agency was open to changes but adequate funding had to come along with that for the “chronically underfunded” system.
“We welcome discussion on reforms that strengthen coordination, efficiency, and accountability across the regional transit system,” Dillard said a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times. “But reforms must come with the necessary funding to upgrade service and maximize transit’s impact on the region’s economy, climate, and access to opportunity for all residents.”
* Tribune…
Some of the transit agencies have pushed back on the idea. [CTA President Dorval Carter], in a September letter to CMAP about the organization’s proposals, said focusing on how transit is governed instead of funding would be a “grave mistake” and a “near impossible task to practically accomplish” because providing service is complex.
“To attribute the region’s challenges to anything other than a funding shortage is to perpetuate a narrative that will — at best — serve as a distraction to the funding crisis we face, and — at worst — deepen the disparities of opportunity and access plaguing our region by claiming that it is governance and management issues that are the premier drivers of our challenges,” Carter wrote.
The way transit systems are funded, now, is “discriminatory,” Carter said in the letter, tying funding issues to race. The CTA historically has been underfunded under a 40-year-old deal reached by a downstate- and collar county-controlled Illinois General Assembly when Harold Washington was elected as the city’s first Black mayor, he said.
The deal was intended to ensure the CTA and the mayor’s influence “was always controlled ultimately by other entities,” Carter wrote. He cited the creation of a “suburban-controlled” RTA and a funding formula that sends 49% of the region’s transportation funding to the CTA, which provides 80% of transit trips.
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about this proposal at an unrelated event…
I have not read the bill, I’ve only read the reporting on the bill.
And obviously, there are changes that will have to take place as we move forward in thinking about the funding cliff and thinking about how better to operate the transit systems in the region. So you know, I like that there’s creativity coming out of the General Assembly.
I also think we need to make sure that we’re listening to other organizations, including the CTA, who ought to be coming forward with more about what changes need to take place.
So I’m pleased that there’s movement on this front but I you know, I don’t not endorsing any particular plan yet
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… Interesting point…
…Adding… Daily Herald…
“What we hope is included is a long-term fiscal solution that doesn’t disrupt progress and reflects the real-life service needs of our region,” Pace spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said.
“Pace’s current governance structure allows us to be nimble and responsive to local needs, and it is feared that a governance consolidation would negatively impact commuters.
“Changes must reflect the actual service needs of our region and address the real problem, which is a historic lack of investment in our transit system, especially in the suburbs,” she added
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* Tribune…
Logan women’s prison would be moved onto the same site as the men’s maximum security Stateville Correctional Center as part of a plan to rebuild both facilities, according to a proposal the Illinois Department of Corrections has submitted to a state commission.
The recommendations from IDOC come a little more than a month after Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a plan to rebuild Stateville and Logan prisons. The governor said the project would cost close to $1 billion, while offering few other details.
The proposal to move Logan from its longtime location in Lincoln, Ill., about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, to the Stateville property in Crest Hill, near Joliet, was included in a report IDOC provided to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability on Friday, part of a lengthy facilities closure process mandated by the state. […]
The IDOC recommendations sent Friday maintain that the Department does not expect any employees to lose their jobs in the process unless they voluntarily choose a layoff. More than 450 people are staffed at Logan Correctional Center and 939 are employed at Stateville, IDOC said.
* From the IDOC report to COGFA…
IDOC is considering moving Logan from its present location in Lincoln, IL. Specifically, as the Department’s planning has progressed, the current preferred plan for Logan is to build on available ground at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois. A move to Crest Hill would permit a more regionalized approach for the women’s facilities by providing a northern facility to pair with the already centrally located facility in Decatur. […]
As of April 15, 2024, the Department’s individual in custody population at Logan is 1081. There are only 1541 female individuals in custody within the entire Department. The Department has deemed Logan necessary to close due to its crumbling infrastructure, outdated design, and significant need for capital investment. Specifically, there are approximately $116 million of capital projects that are required for Logan to remain open and operational long-term. IDOC intends to continue to house the individuals in custody at Logan until the rebuild is complete as long as it is safe to do so. However, in the event the conditions of Logan continue to deteriorate, or a part of its critical infrastructure fails, IDOC may need to relocate all individuals in custody at Logan prior to the completion of the rebuild. […]
Logan Correctional Center serves a multifaceted population consisting of reception and classification, protective custody, general population and mental health units. Nearly 1,000 of Logan’s current housing unit beds were built more than 90 years ago for a mental health population. Most of the buildings at Logan, including most of its housing units were built nearly a century ago for patient wards in a mental health institution. These units do not meet the ideal standards of modern correctional practices, are not supportive of a rehabilitative environment and complicate the overall delivery of required services. Additionally, the facility is fueled by a coal-fired plant that dates back to 1930.
* Also this…
Ability of the current and potential communities to provide the infrastructure to support functions and employees.
Since 2010, Logan County has seen a population decline of 2,715 (1%). The county is 90% white, 8% American Indian/Native American, and 1% Asian. Additionally, approximately 20% of residents aged 25 or older hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Since 2010, Will County, where the Department is seriously considering building the new Logan facility, has experienced significant population growth, with an increase of over 20,000 residents, bringing the total population to approximately 700,000. This demographic expansion includes a diverse population, with 13% identifying as African American and 20% as Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, over 35% of residents aged 25 or older hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
These demographic factors are essential as they ensure a robust talent pool from which to recruit and fill positions, particularly in specialized fields such as medical and social work. Additionally, Will County’s proximity to other collar counties and Cook County enhances access to a broad network of providers and vendors, further supporting the facility’s operational needs and the rebuild process.
* Costs…
The Department estimates that it could take up to approximately $7 million to complete the transition for Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers. Please see below:
o Relocation of Individuals in Custody - $76,200
o Staff Redeployment - $603,800
o Legal Costs - $402,500
o Operational Adjustments at Receiving Facilities - $5,750,000
o Grand Total - $6,832,500
These expenses, once incurred, would be paid from the Department’s operating budget, which is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund
IDOC’s Stateville Correctional Center report is here.
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker was asked about this at an unrelated event…
This is still being worked out. There will be hearings, as you know, this is part of the process. But you have to understand that we have to make changes. This has to happen. Changes have to take place because these prisons have not been upgraded or renovated in many, many years. Many of them are very, very old. and particularly we’re talking about Stateville and Logan.
And so, you know, we’re going to be careful about it, especially because we want to protect not only the corrections officers, but the people who reside in or serving their sentences. And unfortunately, over many years, the state has neglected to do anything about the conditions in these prisons. We’re stepping up and actually making a proposal and then putting the money forward to do the right thing. And I think that should be commended. And I also think that in protecting the people who work there, that’s something that I deeply care about. And we’re going to do that in all of the processes that are lending themselves right now. So I think this is the right way to go. We’re doing it the right way.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
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* Background is here if you need it. As expected, Sen. Napoleon Harris’ voting record on abortion and, especially, marriage equality came back to haunt him when Democratic Party leaders met last week to choose a candidate for Cook County Clerk. A.D. Quig has a very comprehensive story in the Tribune, so you should read it all, but here’s the state angle…
“Let me be clear: I believe in a woman’s autonomy of her body and her right to choose,” Harris said. “To (the) LGTB community, I am not homophobic. However, I am a man that believes in autonomy to do what you want to do. Love who you want to love, and you will have my support as well, as long as we have mutual respect for each other. This election is bigger than a quote, is bigger than someone saying what you are and what you believe in.” […]
The office does not intersect with abortion access, but it is a key party plank. The clerk’s office does issue marriage, birth and death certificates, as well as changes to gender on vital records. Both groups [Equality Illinois and Personal PAC] urged party members not to support Harris because he did not vote on several bills, including the Reproductive Health Act, the Marriage Equality Act and Birth Certificate Modernization Act, which would have allowed transgender people to access the documents that match their gender identity. […]
Harris said the Marriage Equality Act was his first vote after being sworn into the General Assembly in 2013 and he was “unsure of which way to vote because my district was kind of half and half, it was split. But more importantly, it was an opportunity for me to learn.”
Harris said he did not “personally” support the birth certificate modernization act, but as clerk, he would not “neglect or deny anyone the ability to get the documentation that they need.” […]
“But given the opportunity to show, rather than speak to, your support for folks who need these documents to be safe, you chose not to,” [Rep. Kelly Cassidy, one of the legislature’s strongest proponents of abortion and LGBTQ rights and the committeeperson for the 49th Ward] said. “What I’ve seen is a person who has chosen not to stand up … for my marriage and my community when given the opportunity to do so.”
Harris said, “I apologize that I can’t be with you or haven’t been with you 100% of the time, but I respect your rights, and if you can’t accept that I accept you, how can we accept each other? … I’m as real as it gets, no one can push something on me and then expect me to just shove it down my throat and then I can’t be me … we’re a party of a big tent.”
Shove it down his throat?
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DuPage County State’s Attorney deflects blame
Monday, Apr 29, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
A man released from jail earlier this month on misdemeanor domestic battery charges shot and killed his wife Friday night in Villa Park, authorities said. […]
Prosecutors did not seek to detain Elguezabal pretrial. He was accused of pulling Julie Elguezabal’s hair, and punching her several times in the face, neck and back, according to court records.
“In the aftermath of this horrific incident, I intend to meet with all stakeholders to enhance protections for victims of domestic battery and improve the manner and timeliness in which information is provided to prosecutors, while still meeting the requirements of the SAFE-T-Act,” Berlin said. […]
Berlin said sometimes prosecutors have limited information when they have to make the decision to pursue detention.
“Perhaps a legislative fix or internal remedy could improve this outcome. Perhaps both,” Berlin said.
Guy punches his spouse “several times” in the face, neck and back and the state’s attorney just lets him go then tries to pin blame on a state law, which specifically gave his office extra time to deal with the accused.
* From the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence…
What happened to Julie Elguezabal is a horrific tragedy and could have been avoided. Survivors of domestic violence deserve safety, but far too often our systems fail to prevent abusive partners from harming survivors further after they have taken the brave step to seek help that will allow them to leave dangerous situations.
Prosecutors and judges must better listen to the needs and perspectives of domestic violence survivors, many of whom are experiencing extraordinary trauma. To understand what is truly happening and what survivors need, we need prosecutors and victim witness staff to consult with victims directly to ensure their safety concerns are met before prosecutors make decisions about detention petitions or conditions of release.
Our organizations support the Pretrial Fairness Act because we know this law gives courts better tools to serve victims than the old money bond system.
Unlike the old system, the Pretrial Fairness Act now:
● Prohibits people who may be a danger to others from simply paying their way out of jail.
● Ensures that domestic battery is eligible for pretrial detention.
● Prevents law enforcement from releasing someone accused of misdemeanor domestic battery without seeing a judge.
● Gives survivors the right to timely notification before any initial appearance or detention hearing, whereas survivors were not previously required to be notified of bond hearings.
● Permits survivors to participate in a risk assessment interview, something they were previously prohibited from doing.
● Offers survivors the ability to request protective orders for domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking at every court date.
● Allows prosecutors to request a 24-hour delay in a detention hearing for misdemeanor domestic violence cases and a 48-hour delay for felony cases, giving them time to consult with victims directly about what would make them feel safe.
The legislature must also take additional steps to better address the safety of domestic violence survivors as it relates to firearm involved cases. While people accused of domestic violence are currently required by law to surrender their firearms, that law is rarely enforced. Right now, common practice in Illinois allows people accused of domestic violence to maintain access to guns, as in this case, where Ms. Elguezabal’s apparent assailant had turned in his FOID card but no firearms were relinquished. Karina’s Bill is legislation currently pending in the Illinois General Assembly that would permit judges to issue search warrants along with orders of protection so that officers can search homes and immediately remove guns from people accused of domestic violence.
Finally, the legal system cannot be our only tool to address domestic violence—it will always be an imperfect response used primarily after someone has already been harmed. A report released by The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, shows that in 2022 only 6% of all domestic violence survivors working with providers reported that they contacted police and filed a report about an incident of domestic violence. Policymakers must increase the resources available to victims of domestic violence so that they can leave dangerous situations. Illinois and local governments have not adequately invested in direct economic support of survivors or funding for housing that allows people to leave unsafe housing situations. Current underfunding of resources for domestic violence survivors contributes to their inability to leave dangerous situations. If policymakers are serious about keeping survivors safe, more money must be allocated to support survivors directly.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
More sports team stadium drama could be on the horizon as the Chicago White Sox are said, as of this writing, to be preparing to announce a significant private investment in a new South Loop ballpark.
The ballclub has already demanded a share of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority’s bonding authority, which the Chicago Bears claimed for itself in its entirety this past week for its own stadium plan (to the tune of $900 million).
The city’s women’s soccer team, the Red Stars, is also hoping for a new stadium and will likely want a piece of that ISFA bonding authority — a fact both Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch pointed to last week.
Unions are a crucial component to all this, but a high-level official with Local 150 of the Operating Engineers Union said while his organization supports the Bears’ massive domed stadium plan, the NFL team’s desire to use up all of ISFA’s bonding authority and freeze the other teams out just isn’t realistic. “I think until there’s a bigger, more global deal that comes together, I just don’t think it’s real,” he said of the Bears plan.
The White Sox want to capture all the state sales tax revenue from the new South Loop site, which is probably a no-go. Unlike the Bears, with their $1.5 billion capital funding proposal, the Sox won’t be asking for any direct state cash.
The spring legislative session is scheduled to adjourn May 24, and the Bears want a deal done by then. But judging by the comments of state leaders this past week, if these plans are going to have even a remote chance of passage, the teams will have to drastically scale back their state asks and show some tangible benefits for state taxpayers.
The governor repeatedly threw cold water on the Bears proposal, dismissing ideas like the Bears snagging the revenue from events at the publicly owned stadium as “probably non-starters.” Pritzker also flat-out refused to repurpose state revenues for a stadium. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Welch have also expressed skepticism, with Welch doing so pretty forcefully.
Some pro-Bears types have grumbled privately that while Pritzker seems to be enjoying bashing the Bears’ plan, he is all about using state money to help fund projects like Gotion’s electric vehicle battery plant in Kankakee County.
Pritzker’s top spokesperson responded the governor has “supported economic development across this state, but there has to be a benefit for the taxpayers.”
“Forty years of bond payments is not what Gotion or Rivian are getting,” she said, referring to the Bears proposal to refinance the Illinois Sports Facility Authority’s debt over 40 years. The Bears plan, she noted, “is going to cost taxpayers billions of dollars, not hundreds of millions in one-time money.”
And $125 million from the state’s deal closing fund has already been released to Gotion for its plant, she said, “with clawback provisions, obviously, if they don’t live up to their promises.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson told NBC Sports Chicago he “needed to make sure that the Bears organization and my administration were on the same page” before the stadium proposal moved to the state level.
Indeed, a big chunk of the Bears’ $1.5 billion capital funding proposal just announced was negotiated with the mayor’s office.
“City officials said Johnson’s office won’t ask the City Council to chip in for the infrastructure upgrades,” the Sun-Times reported.
So, the mayor negotiated a $1.5 billion package funded entirely by other government entities, mainly the state, without including any other government entities in those negotiations or making sure there was enough available cash to fund the wish list (there isn’t).
The funding would come in three phases. The Bears made it clear the team needs $325 million in Phase One to open the stadium’s doors, with much (not all) of the other two phases paying for various amenities, like new parkland, a skating rink, a museum, a hotel, etc. Those second and third phases were downplayed by the team.
“We would be excited if all three phases happened,” said Karen Murphy, the Bears’ executive vice president of stadium development, according to the Sun-Times. “We need Phase One to happen for our project specifically.”
Bears CEO Kevin Warren also seemed to back away, telling Crain’s Chicago Business: “We can start to dispute whether the amount was too much or the infrastructure costs are too much or what is the appropriate amount of the bonds.”
That sound you hear may be some of the mayor’s negotiations being thrown out the window.
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Open thread
Monday, Apr 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Apr 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: New legislation would create statewide transit agency, provide additional $1.5 billion for transit. Sun-Times…
State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago) have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, which would create the Metropolitan Mobility Authority to oversee all public transit operations and replace the Regional Transportation Authority. They say the measure aims to avoid overlap and competition for funds between the RTA, CTA, Pace and Metra — which they said has led to a delay in integrated fares — and instead provide “coordinated” services. The metro area once had just the RTA and CTA, and Metra and Pace were created later. […]
The new office would consist of 18 voting directors — the governor would choose three, the mayor of Chicago president of the Cook County Board would select five each and the chief executives of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties will each get one. A chair would then be chosen by the 18 directors, but not be someone from that body. […]
A companion bill would also set aside $1.5 billion every year from state funds for operational costs for the transit agencies, though Delgado said it wouldn’t come without “restructuring transit governance to put safety, frequency and reliability for riders first.”
* Related stories…
* Jason Meisner…
Gov. Pritzker will announce IDOT Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) grant awards at noon. Click here to watch.
*** Isabel’s top picks ***
* Tribune | 86% of Great Lakes litter is plastic, a 20-year study shows. And the plastic is ‘just getting smaller and smaller.’: Using data from more than 14,000 beach cleanups over 20 years, a new report from the nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes found that 86% of litter entering the Great Lakes in a given year is either partially or fully composed of plastic. Previous estimates and computer simulations indicated that 22 million pounds of plastic debris entered the lakes annually, at that time making up 80% of shoreline litter.
* WCBU | Pritzker administration official defends grocery tax cut as report projects modest relief for families: In an interview with WCBU, Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said the grocery tax is “clearly a regressive tax,” and noted that Illinois is one of only 13 states that tax groceries on the state level. Manar said Pritzker wants to open a “public discussion with the General Assembly” regarding government funding approaches. “The governor has said the state should not be in the business of taxing groceries, especially when the state doesn’t spend the money that is generated from the tax,” said Manar. “So if it’s a local decision to spend the money and [decide] how it’s spent, then it should be a local decision as to whether or not it should be taxed.”
*** Statewide ***
* Capitol News Illinois | Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans: The report argues that noncitizens are employed at a slightly higher rate than the adult population as a whole in Illinois, so providing that group with health coverage promotes a healthier and more productive labor force. It also argues that medical coverage reduces financial strain and medical debt for a group that would otherwise be uninsured and that covering noncitizen adults results in improved developmental outcomes for their children.
* WMBD | Pritzker announces $30 million for Illinois downtowns: Eligible Illinois cities and towns can now apply for the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital (RDMS, $20 million) and Research in Illinois To Spur Economic Recovery (RISE $10, million). RDMS grant money will go towards “construction, repair and modernization of public infrastructure and amenities to boost jobs, improve quality of life and stimulate economic activity for communities that have experienced disinvestment.” To be eligible, the projects must be in a commercial center or downtown area.
* Tim Drea-Pat.Devaney | Workers Memorial Day is a reminder: On March 27, Jay was senselessly murdered, the victim of a horrendous attack while on his mail route in which he was stabbed and run over by a vehicle – one of four victims of a 22-year-old man now behind bars and facing charges. But his colleagues refuse to let that day define his career and life. Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers #245 came together in early April to honor Jay Larson, driving his postal route in his honor and watching as blue balloons rose from mailboxes and candles burned at a memorial for his legacy. They noted he served Rockford residents and businesses for 25 years, never took a sick day, and always pitched in to help others – on his route, and with others’ routes.
* Tribune | 6 months after Illinois ended cash bail, jail populations are down as courts settle into new patterns: Overall, though, new routines have taken hold, with the law mostly “working as intended” in Cook County, according to a recent report from the Civic Federation and League of Women Voters in Cook County. Since implementation of the reforms in September, the Cook County prosecutor’s office sought detention in about 18% of cases, with judges granting such petitions about 60% of the time, according to data from the chief judge’s office.
* Sun-Times | Solitary confinement in Illinois prisons violates human rights, Chicago lawyers group says: “Prisons exist to punish and rehabilitate people — not to torture and destroy them,” says the report from the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which found that hundreds of people are kept in solitary confinement at any one time across the state.
* AP | Ex-Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis fined $43,475 for campaign finance violations: The violations occurred during the 2021-22 election cycle. Federal campaign finance law prohibits contributions of more than $2,900 per cycle from an individual or single-candidate political committee and $5,000 per election from a multicandidate committee. Excess contributions must be refunded or redesignated within 60 days. In a negotiated settlement with Davis’ committee and Datwyler, the FEC found that one contribution of $3,625 and general election contributions of $479,784 were not properly redistributed within 60 days, resulting in the fine. Davis was not eligible for the larger amount because he was not on the 2022 general election ballot.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Slow work authorizations frustrate new migrants and industry leaders alike: Chicago businesses cheered in September when President Joe Biden extended temporary protected status to Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the United States on or before July 31, buoying hopes that it would provide a legal pathway for new arrivals to work and fill vacant jobs. But months later, migrants who arrived before the end of July are struggling to get work permits, while those who came after that cutoff date will not be eligible. That means even as more buses pull up to Chicago, the people looking for work will likely have fewer legal options without federal intervention.
* Sun-Times | Hundreds gather for visitation of Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca: Law enforcement officers from Romeoville police, Illinois State Police, Indiana State Police and other agencies were among those who lined up outside Blake-Lamb Funeral Home for the visitation service. The line stretched outside and around the building for hours. A massive American flag hung from the ladder of a Chicago Fire Department truck in front of the funeral home. Motorists passing underneath the billowing flag honked their horns in support of the solemn ceremony.
* Sun-Times | After long journey, 15 migrant couples marry in group ceremony in Chicago: The nuptials marked a new stage in the lives of the 30 newly arrived asylum-seekers after a long and tiring journey from South America. Some couples said they had postponed their wedding because getting married in Venezuela is expensive and the paperwork is cumbersome. Formalizing their commitment through marriage has important legal, health and immigration benefits, but the couples who got married Friday said they wanted to solidify their relationship through the church. They prepared for several months, taking classes and getting counseling. More than 150 people witnessed the life-changing moment.
*** The Bears ***
* Tribune | True public cost of Bears stadium would be billions more over time: In addition to the $900 million in borrowing, the Bears want the state’s stadium agency, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, to refinance about $430 million in existing debt for previous projects and take out about $160 million more to set up as a so-called liquidity fund to cushion the city of Chicago from future shortfalls in revenue from a 2% city hotel tax that’s supposed to cover the cost of the borrowing. Counting interest and other long-term costs, the proposed new borrowing would tally up to at least $4.8 billion over four decades, said Frank Bilecki, ISFA’s CEO.
* Tribune | The next item on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s progressive agenda: A new Bears stadium. Will his coalition embrace it?: State Rep. Kelly Cassidy said she’s a “no” as long as there is a single penny of public money obligated to the project. “This is so far from a progressive priority as to be laughable,” Cassidy said. “There is not a case to be made to me that would ever compel me to give a billionaire more money. … This thing is dead in the water.”
* Sun-Times | Bears stadium costs? Add another $1.2 billion: Add to that the $1 billion already paid to revamp Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, and the overall cost to taxpayers is $6.9 billion, says Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. The higher costs were gleaned from figures provided by the Bears during their initial meeting with the stadium authority and in follow-up conversations with the team, Bilecki said.
* Chicago Defender | Bears QB Caleb Williams: Criticism of Nails, Fashion Reflect Fan Homophobia: If you’re of a certain age, you were probably conceived by the soundtrack by male musicians who made “out of the box” fashion choices that are considered effeminate. Even when Williams said that he paints his nails in tribute to his mother, who owned a nail salon, it wasn’t enough for the folks who’ve made up their minds about him.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township residents gather to organize against Tiffany Henyard: Mary Avent, chairperson of Advisory Committee to the People’s Trustees of Dolton, a group she formed earlier this year to unify residents of the 17 township communities, urged residents to come together to oppose Henyard. She said she hopes enough public pressure will force state and local elected leaders to investigate the township’s finances and get to the bottom of why, Avent says, taxes go up but basic public services get slashed.
* Fox Chicago | Mayor Tiffany Henyard under further FBI scrutiny as subpoenas served at Thornton Township Hall: FOX 32 has learned that FBI agents served subpoenas on Friday at the Thornton Township Hall in South Holland, where Henyard also works as township supervisor. We do not know yet what the FBI is asking for in those subpoenas.
* Fox Chicago | Law firm drops representation of Dolton, Mayor Henyard amid financial strain and FBI probe: The Del Galdo Law Group said it is not being paid, so it will stop appearing in federal and state court and defending Dolton and Henyard in the 22 different lawsuits. In a letter to Henyard and trustees, the law firm said the village is facing millions of dollars in judgments from earlier cases and could potentially be on the hook for millions more in the current lawsuits. The firm also added that the village is quickly approaching the point of becoming uninsurable.
* Sun-Times | Cook County Democratic leaders pick Monica Gordon to run for county clerk: ‘I have some big shoes to fill’: The Cook County Democratic Party on Friday tapped Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon as the party’s candidate to run in the November general election this fall for Cook County clerk. Gordon hopes to finish the rest of the term of the late Karen Yarbrough. Yarbrough had more than two years left in office when she died this month.
* Daily Herald | Illinois public schools see another year of enrollment declines: Enrollment at Illinois public schools this year dropped by nearly 10,000 students from the previous year. That includes 1,787 fewer students at 104 suburban public school districts in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, according to fall enrollment figures released by the Illinois State Board of Education last week.
* Daily Southtown | Landmarks: Palos Preserves get overdue attention in ‘biggest project ever’ in Cook County: The assemblage of politicians and Forest Preserves staff wore light jackets on a sunny April 25 for the official launch of a $10 million restoration project in the Palos Preserves. The effort to remove invasive shrubs and improve and repair trails will impact almost 1,100 acres, mostly west of Wolf Road. Work began last winter in Red Gate Woods, and the Forest Preserves people wanted to show off early results. At one point on a short hike, Troy Showerman, a resource project manager, pointed out how the older trees uniformly leaned to the east, where undappled sunlight once beamed down on a formerly deforested hilltop.
* Daily Herald | Man on release in domestic charge kills wife, self in Villa Park, authorities say: State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said, in a news release, that information in a DuPage County Domestic Violence Report his office received before Elguezabal’s First Appearance Court hearing indicated he did not have access to a gun. Elguezabal surrendered the FOID, as required, April 17. Prosecutors did not seek to detain Elguezabal pretrial. He was accused of pulling Julie Elguezabal’s hair, and punching her several times in the face, neck and back, according to court records.
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Monday, Apr 29, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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