Legal fees
Saturday, Jul 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Comments now open.]
With Gov. Blagojevich, it’s not the amount of money he’s raising, but how much his campaign committee is spending on legal fees…
Winston & Strawn LLP… $163,770.57… 1/23/2007… Expenditure… Friends of Blagojevich… Legal Fees
There’s nothing big after that late January payment. He does have a habit of backdating his payments, though, so there’s no way to be sure if this is all he was billed.
Total spent on legal fees by Friends of Blagojevich since the committee was created in 2000: $1,217,393.26.
To put this into a bit of perspective, the next highest amount spent on legal fees during this latest six-month reporting period was $10,267.78 by Larry Dominick’s Cicero Voters Alliance, which is about 6 percent of what the governor’s campaign spent.
And a bit more perspective: The governor’s campaign has spent $919,745.31 since July 1, 2006 on legal bills. All campaign committees registered with the State Board of Elections in all of Illinois (the total of which is currently 3,585, but was probably higher last year) during that same time period spent $1,667,220.91 on legal fees.
The governor’s share, therefore, of all money spent on legal fees by all 3,500+ state and local Illinois campaign committees is 55.2 percent. Yet, the governor’s total campaign expenditures for everything during that same year was only 8.6 percent of the total spent by all campaign committees on everything - $17,185,530.95 spent by Friends of Blagojevich out of $199,896,778.68 spent by all committees. The governor’s legal fees represented 5.4 percent of all the money he expended from July 1 of ‘06 to June 30 of ‘07. The average for all campaign committee expenditures during that same period was 0.8 percent for legal fees.
From the Tribune…
Doug Scofield, a spokesman for Blagojevich’s campaign, declined to release details on the scope of the legal work by Winston & Strawn except to say, “We use them for all our campaign legal work.”
[Comments now open.]
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READER COMMENTS CLOSED FOR THE WEEKEND
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Could session finally be over soon? Maybe, maybe not. I almost always bet not. We’ll see next week.
Take a break or head to Illinoize. Your choice. I’m taking a break. Talk to you Monday…
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This just in…
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 10:00 am - From the Politico…
STOKKE TO SUCCEED HASTERT? Robert D. Novak plans to report this weekend in his always-delicious tidbits column (which doesn’t run in The Washington Post, but is usually in Saturday’s New York Post):
“Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has indicated to a close former aide that it is likely he will not run for a 12th term from his northern Illinois district and may even resign from Congress before his present term concludes. That runs counter to widespread speculation on Capitol Hill that Hastert will continue in the House for another two years as a private member with no leadership responsibilities. Since last year’s Democratic takeover of Congress moved him out of the speaker’s office, he has enjoyed returning to his former specialty of energy issues as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“A footnote: If Hastert does not run, a leading candidate will be his chief of staff, Mike Stokke. Before going on Hastert’s staff, Stokke was an aide for both the Illinois state legislature and the governor’s office in Springfield.”
Stokke? That’s coming out of right field. But Novak’s sources for this stuff are usually pretty good.
* 10:04 am - Today’s leaders meeting is at noon.
* 10:13 am - Just 87 House members answered the roll call.
* 10:17 am - The House and Senate are adjourning for the weekend and won’t come back into session until Monday at 4 pm. [UPDATE: The House will be in at 4, the Senate at 2]
* 10:43 am - Just 25 Senators are on the floor.
* 12:17 pm - A three-page list of clergy from throughout Illinois just sent out “An Appeal to the Leaders of the Illinois General Assembly to Overcome Their Differences in Order to Address Pressing Issues.” But there’s zero mention of the governor and his own reluctance to overcome his differences with others, so it may be dismissed out of hand by many. Download the letter here.
* 1:49 pm - The leaders meeting is over. The gist was that they talked mostly about the capital spending program. No talk of how to fund it, but did talk about how to spend it and how much to spend.
* 2:45 pm - Isn’t this the governor’s usual schtick?
Top Democratic legislative leaders are planning to tout the benefits of a new electric rate relief package in a statewide flyaround.
An announcement today from House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office says the speaker will join Senate President Emil Jones and Attorney General Lisa Madigan on tour stops Monday that include Decatur.
The trio will meet with elected officials, community leaders and local residents to describe the details of a deal to provide about one billion dollars in relief over four years to customers hit hard by sharp increases this year.
I’d like to be on that plane, especially after all the harsh words that Jones has had for Lisa Madigan this year. Detente is such a weird thing.
* 3:31 pm - Campaign finance disclosure reports are due today. The new law that moved the primary date also moved the disclosure filing deadline up to the 20th (from the 31st). So you can click here over the weekend to search for various candidates. The governor told me last week that he has raised almost no money, but that his big fundraiser would likely be in October some time.
By the way, the governor has a new campaign committee chairman. Lon Monk, his former chief of staff and now a lobbyist, is out as of today. Steve Witek, VP of A Finkl & Sons, is the new chair.
* 3:40 pm - Mayor Daley raised $3,780,899.81 in the first six months of this year (not including in-kinds), spent $4,640,781.83 and had $3,385,406.22 in the bank.
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Question of the day
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Which prominent Illinoisan would you most like to have dinner with? Why?
It doesn’t have to be a person you like. Perhaps you’d like to pick the brain of someone you don’t particularly care for.
Also, what questions would you ask?
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Smoke
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is kinda bogus…
Illinois Senate President Emil Jones said Thursday that Gov. Rod Blagojevich will have to accept a scaled-back version of his plan to give every Illinoisan access to health care.
The governor is already drafting a majorly scaled-back health insurance plan and Jones obviously knows it because he’s lobbying his members to support it. Whatever.
* More…
On Wednesday, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, broached the idea of an income tax increase, even though Blagojevich has said he will veto any increase in the income or state sales tax. On Thursday, Jones said he isn’t sure how the Senate would vote if the House approved an income tax hike.
“We haven’t done any real polling on that issue,” said Jones, who personally is for an income tax increase. “It would take (Republican) support to get that passed.”
But Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, said later, “I don’t think there’s any support (among Republicans) for an income tax increase.”
So, now Jones “personally is for” an income tax hike? First he put it back on the table, then he said the Senate would give it serious consideration if the House passed it and now he’s personally for it? I wonder if he said those actual words.
Also, it wouldn’t take 36 votes to pass an income tax hike if they put off the effective date to June 1 of next year. But it’s true that there are no Senate GOP votes for such a proposal, at least not yet (and probably never).
* Sneed…
Sneed hears powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan may be on the verge of pulling the legislative coup of the decade.
• • Translation: Word is Madigan has a deal to pass a budget acceptable to the House and Senate, and has mustered enough votes to pass a veto-proof package. […]
• • The stats: Word is the package includes no major expenditures for capital projects; modest growth for increased revenues; and some increases in social programs close to the Democratic Party.
• • The chat: Springfield observers tell Sneed Madigan has cut deals with erstwhile Blago supporter, Senate President Emil Jones. Stay tuned for Tuesday.
It ain’t there yet.
* More end of session stuff, compiled by Paul…
* Chicago Public Radio: Lots of inaction in Springfield
* $452,100 and we’re counting
* Eric Krol: Legislative endgame could be crying game for legislators
* Jones sees chance to help schools
* State may shut off electricity auctions
* Vote on rate relief package likely next week, says Jones
* Editorial: Use rebates to bolster sales of Illinois made vehicles
* State agencies may grind to a halt
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Bad press for the guv *** Updated x1 ***
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oops…
A group of students wanting more money for their schools learned Thursday that getting into Gov. Blagojevich’s office is no easy task when all they have to offer is cookies and doughnuts.
Seven students from Chicago and the suburbs, one as young as 8, were blocked from entering a public waiting area in Blagojevich’s office by a “rude” security guard with “attitude,” they said. […]
The students were hosting a “Billion Dollar Bake Sale” in a lobbying effort organized by the school funding reform group A+ Illinois. Near the end of the mock sale, the students hiked up the stairs to Blagojevich’s second-floor office brandishing pastries.
But when they reached the glass doors to the governor’s office suite, a security guard blocked them, the students said, even though professional lobbyists regularly are allowed in.
The governor’s office says they will invite the kids back.
* Meanwhile, there was more bad press…
A Missouri-based group representing journalists who cover the U.S. health-care industry criticized the Blagojevich administration this week for withholding information on people enrolled in Illinois’ Medicaid, All Kids and other public health-insurance programs.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services has refused to release county-by-county data to The State Journal-Register, claiming that anything other than total statewide enrollment totals would violate individual patients’ federally protected privacy rights.
The Association of Health Care Journalists said the department’s contention that county-level numbers would violate the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is “unfounded.”
“HIPAA was intended to prevent the release of personally identifying patient information, such as names, addresses or specific medical conditions,” the association wrote in a July 17 letter to department director Barry Maram. “The law was not intended to block the release of data that the public needs to assess the impact of public programs.”
Mary Chris Jaklevic, writing on behalf of the 1,000-member association’s board, called on Maram to release the data.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s press office…
The security guard who spoke with the students is new. We did not know about the students’ visit to our office until hours later after a reporter called. We are in the process of trying to contact the students to make arrangements for them to visit with the Governor.
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Fun stuff in Cook
Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
The prospect of this happening has to be prompting the city’s white leaders, particularly Mayor Daley, to encourage Dick Devine to change his mind and run for another term…
Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st), who was recently elected to a second term on the City Council, says he plans to run for Cook County state’s attorney next year.
Three-term State’s Atty. Richard Devine has not decided if he will seek another four years in office. Devine, 64, is expected to make his decision by the end of the month, a source close to him said. […]
Brookins said allegations of police brutality and criticisms that the state’s attorney’s office has not done enough to prosecute rogue police officers will be an issue in the campaign.
Brookins, who is African-American, said he expects to benefit from a higher turnout of black and liberal Democrats in the primary election as a result of the presidential candidacies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Brookins could be a real thorn in Daley’s side if he wins that race. Daley would then have to fight battles on three fronts, one with the US Attorney, another with the hiring monitor, and one with with the county.
Brookins is right that Obama on the ballot might help his campaign, and, once again, Obama would be in a sticky position with the Machine. He could support their guy (whether that be Devine or whoever else runs) or stand with Brookins.
Russ Stewart claimed in a recent column that Brookins will also have the support of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s organization. Brookins was forced into an aldermanic runoff earlier this year (targeted for defeat by the unions partly because of his vote for the Big Box ordinance), but he went on to win by a large margin.
The Tribune also reports today that failed Cook County Board President candidate Tony Peraica, a Republican, is also eyeing the state’s attorney race.
Somewhat related: Mayor attempting to undermine watchdog? - Daley pushing new agency with similar powers
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* 1:40 pm - Well, this e-mail from US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s press secretary is sure intriguing [emphasis added]…
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PLANNING PURPOSES: Please find attached the first of several federal grand jury indictments and accompanying press releases, each involving separate, unrelated public corruption investigations, that are expected to be issued by this office today. The other cases will be released later this afternoon (time uncertain, so please do not call to ask when), and they will be the subject of a single press conference tomorrow morning. Details about that will accompany the later releases. There will be no broadcast media availability on any of these matters until the press conference tomorrow. There are no court appearances today or tomorrow in connection with any of these matters. Thank you very much, Randall Samborn
The first indictment is of Aidan E. Monahan. You can find out some background here, or download the indictment here.
Please, no speculation in comments about who might be next. Since there is no press conference today, they may not even be bigwigs. Besides, you wouldn’t want to be banned, would you?
* 1:53 pm - Several union leaders have released a letter to Gov. Blagojevich asking him to support electronic gaming at horse racing tracks. View the letter here. The signatories include Tom Balanoff, the SEIU president and staunch Blagojevich ally. The governor had called the leaders into a meeting today, but no word yet on how this letter was orchestrated (the governor’s former chief of staff is now lobbying for the tracks).
* 2:47 pm - There will be no leaders meeting today. Also, rumors abound that there won’t be any session days this weekend. Most likely, there won’t be a Sunday, but Saturday is still up for debate.
And, yes, I’m still waiting around for those aforementioned indictments. Being pinned down in the office is a bummer, but not as big a bummer as it’s gonna be for whoever takes it in the throat today.
* 3:20 pm - Deanese Williams-Harris updates us on the mass transit funding situation.
* 3:23 pm - I posted on this before, but it was late on a Friday, so you may not have noticed. We have a new t-shirt and mousepad design over at our charity project store. Go check it out. All proceeds benefit Sojourn House.
* 4:26 pm - It’s not online yet, but I’m told that the Illinois Supreme Court has just ruled against Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s attempt to represent the governor’s office in its fight to block FOIA disclosure of federal subpoenas. Some background on the case is here.
* 4:38 pm - And as if on cue [UPDATE: AG Madigan’s office strongly denies the snarky implication that the new SG hiring was in any way related to the office’s win/loss record or the above case in particular]…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced that she has appointed Michael A. Scodro as Solicitor General in the Office of the Attorney General. He will succeed Gary S. Feinerman who has served as Solicitor General since May 2003.
* 5:19 pm - Wow…
A former Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), who allegedly received approximately $50,000 in illegal kickbacks, and two lobbyists accused of paying him the kickbacks while representing vendors that had multi-million-dollar contracts with the state prison agency, were indicted today on federal charges. The defendants, Donald N. Snyder, Jr., who was IDOC director from 1999 until early 2003, and lobbyists John J. Robinson, a former Undersheriff of Cook County, and Larry E. Sims were charged in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. […]
Regarding the payments by Sims to Snyder, the indictment alleges that in late 1999 or early 2000, Snyder and Sims discussed the compensation that Sims received from Vendor B, and Sims agreed to pay Snyder a portion of the monthly fee that Sims received from that client. Beginning in early 2000 and continuing until approximately the end of 2002, Sims gave cash to Snyder each month, totaling approximately $30,000, after Sims received his monthly fee from Vendor B.
Regarding the payments by Robinson to Snyder, the indictment alleges that in late 1999 or early 2000, Snyder agreed to accept cash derived from the consulting or lobbying fees that Robinson earned from their representation of one or more vendors doing business with IDOC. From early 2000 until December 2002, Robinson allegedly paid kickbacks to Snyder totaling approximately $20,000, which amounted to about one-fourth of the monthly fees that Robinson’s company, JPN, received from Vendor A. Robinson paid Snyder periodically when they met at various corrections-related meetings or events, the indictment alleges.
The indictment is here.
* 5:26 pm -We’ve also got a superseding indictment in the Vrdolyak case. Download it here.
* 5:31 pm - And another one…
The former chief and six other former and current officers and employees of the Melrose Park Police Department operated the department as an illegal racketeering enterprise for at least a decade between 1996 and 2006, according to a federal grand jury indictment returned today, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The indictment alleges that the former chief, Vito R. Scavo, and other defendants defrauded west suburban Melrose Park and its citizens by using police department personnel and property to operate several private security guard companies and provide personal services to Scavo; extorted village businesses into using security guard services provided by companies that Scavo and others controlled; and that Scavo committed individual and corporate tax fraud and improperly compensated police department employees who performed personal chores for him with compensatory time off that they had not earned. Scavo, who was village police chief from 1995 until he resigned in September 2006, was charged with racketeering conspiracy along with Deputy Police Chief Gary Montino and Michael “Mickey” Caliendo, former civilian supervisor of part-time police officers.
As part of the alleged conspiracy, Scavo and two other defendants, Guy Ric Cervone, a former police lieutenant recently promoted to commander, and German Cepeda, a former police department janitor and current code enforcement inspector for the village, allegedly obstructed a grand jury investigation of their conduct and tampered with potential grand jury witnesses.
That indictment is here.
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Tobacco messaging
Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
We’ve had quite a few debates on the rumored buck a pack tax increase on cigarettes. It’s all been pretty lively, so maybe some new info from RJ Reynolds will stir it up again.
According to this handout, which will likely be distributed to legislators soon (if it hasn’t already), in 2005 Illinois smokers paid $643.7 million in excise taxes, $166.6 million in sales taxes and $269 million in tobacco settlement payments for a total of $1.079 billion.
That works out to an average of $444 per Illinois smoker in 2005 for excise and sales taxes and another $147 for the settlement payments, for a total of $591.
IL smokers’ median household income, according to the tobacco giant, is $39,786, while non-smokers’ median income is $50,265. About a third of smokers had household incomes under $25,000.
The botttom of the page has this slogan: “Cigarettes don’t pay taxes - Illinois smokers do!”
I’m wondering if you think this is an effective message.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
First, the setup…
As lawmakers negotiated with utilities over a way to lower power bills, the companies lined some lawmakers’ campaign pockets with donations, new reports show.
Final campaign finance statements for the first half of the year aren’t due until the end of the day Friday. But early reports show that electric companies gave thousands of dollars to key lawmakers at the same time they were trying to come to an agreement behind closed doors.
For example, state Sen. James Clayborne, the Belleville Democrat who played a key role in initiating talks, made $17,500 from generators and utilities from Jan. 1, when electric rates rose, until the end of the reporting period June 30.
“It’s clear that campaign giving is part of the strategy of the electric companies,” said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. […]
All lawmakers’ reports won’t be filed until the weekend, but utility records show ComEd gave state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, and state Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, $300 each. Both have been outspoken critics of the rate increases.
Question: In your opinion, do political reporters, in general, make too big a deal out of campaign contributions? Or is the problem so bad that all contributions need to be examined with a skeptical eye? Explain.
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Shutdown rumors persist, inflamed
Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* State employees are apparently getting more worried about the very real possibility of a government shutdown next month. Tom Cross fanned those flames of fear yesterday…
While a state government shutdown is undesirable, it might be the “slap on the side of the head” needed to work out a new budget, House Republican Leader Tom Cross said Wednesday.
The state’s fiscal year began July 1, but lawmakers and Gov. Rod Blagojevich have failed so far to negotiate a new spending plan.
A temporary, one-month budget was enacted to cover July and head off a government shutdown. Whether legislators would be willing to approve another temporary budget for August is uncertain.
“No one wants a shutdown. That’s not good, though that may be the slap on the side of the head that gets people … to get this done,” Cross said. “I don’t think anybody wants it, but we’re getting closer by the day.”
* At the bottom of a story about the impact of a shutdown on the Illinois State Fair were these explanatory tidbits…
If Blagojevich and lawmakers reach the end of July without an agreement, they could implement another one-month budget for August. But several lawmakers are threatening to oppose another stopgap budget to force a deal on a budget for the whole year.
“I think it will be much more difficult to pass a one-month budget as we get to the end of this month,” said Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare. “We could be here (at the Capitol) forever, then.”
Blagojevich has not said whether he would accept another stopgap budget, though he indicated in early July that the overtime session was going according to his plan.
By the way, some of the political types who do the grunt work at the fair for the various constitutional officers and the state parties are quietly hoping that the shutdown kills off the fair this year. It’s a lot of thankless work.
Any thoughts on the possibility of a shutdown?
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Madigan, Jones and the income tax
Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you’re a non-subscriber and were wondering about all those password-protected posts yesterday, here’s a bit of what was going on…
…House Speaker Michael Madigan announced on Chicago talk radio and to the Statehouse press Wednesday that the best way for Gov. Rod Blagojevich to get new revenue is to consider that the majority of House Democrats support some kind of an income tax increase. […]
“[HB] 750 had the regressive sales tax, which I strongly oppose,” [Senate President Emil Jones] said after a budget meeting in the governor’s Statehouse office. “But I’m open to the income tax, as well.” … When asked whether he could change the governor’s mind on an income tax increase, Jones said, “The governor was opposed to gaming, and I persuaded him to back off his opposition to gaming. And so if the House passes the income tax as the speaker indicated on WVON, he should go ahead and pass the legislation, and we would give it a strong consideration in the Senate.”
Madigan even made a point to tell the press that he had dinner with Jones Tuesday night in Springfield. “The most significant thing for me coming out of the meeting was that Sen. Jones strongly indicated that he was willing to work with me to finalize the budget for the next fiscal year,” Madigan said. He also said gaming was not in the budget that he was preparing.
But Jones said he wouldn’t accept a budget without gaming expansion unless Madigan came up with an alternative revenue source to fund Jones’ desired $1.5 billion increase in education funding. Jones said other revenue ideas still on the table include the closure of some corporate tax breaks and an alternative minimum tax, which would apply to businesses that make a lot of money but that don’t pay a lot of state taxes. The way to come up with a compromise on alternative revenue ideas, Jones said, was up to the speaker. “Now it’s up to [Madigan] to provide the quality leadership to get additional dollars we need for education — quality leadership.”
* This isn’t all that Madigan’s original statement was about, but it was the most obvious…
Madigan’s backing of an income tax hike generated buzz throughout the Capitol, but it later appeared he simply was adhering to the governor’s demand for ideas –not necessarily ideas that have any prayer of passing. Madigan (D-Chicago) said it would not be part of a House budget that may be voted on later this month.
I’ll have complete audio for subscribers, but what are your thoughts on this?
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Eric Krol has a must-read story today about a prominent DuPage County Republican who might be engaging in some quid pro quo with the Chicago Democrats…
One of the most powerful Republicans in DuPage County is using his Democratic ties to enrich his private law practice on bond deals while awarding allies of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Gov. Rod Blagojevich taxpayer-funded lobbying contracts.
DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom is drawing fire from some county officials who question the intersection of public and private interests.
“I think that it’s extremely disappointing. It generates a perception that Bob’s support for these matters of important public policy have been determined perhaps by less than just good government terms,” said Brien Sheahan, a DuPage County board member from Elmhurst. “That perception is very damaging.”
DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett said he found the situation “troublesome.”
Read the whole thing then come back here to discuss. [The original link was changed at the DH website, but it’s updated now.]
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