This development is long overdue…
Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi is retiring, Mayor Richard Daley announced today.
The mayor’s chief of staff, Ron Huberman, a former police official, will take over the transit agency. […]
Kruesi has taken the brunt of rising public dissatisfaction with deteriorating CTA service. He has been a longtime political confidant of Daley, who appointed Kruesi as his transit czar 10 years ago to turn around the troubled transit agency.
There was no way the CTA was gonna get more money from Springfield as long as the inept, arrogant Kruesi was around. He spent big bucks to turn a few train stops into gleaming Taj Mahals, while ignoring serious infrastructure problems that have maddened commuters over the past several years.
Kruesi is the same guy that came close to screwing up Daley’s O’Hare expansion push at the Statehouse. I never could understand why Daley kept him on. Perhaps some of you could enlighten me.
Goodbye, Frank. Good riddance.
*** UPDATE *** Oy…
At Thursday’s news conference, Mr. Huberman said he had hands-on transportation experience because he drove a school bus for three years while in college
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Question of the day
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
This is really a fascinating debate because it has no simple answer…
Proposals lawmakers have considered included such actions as forcing sex offenders to vote early, closing schools to students on Election Day and requiring sex offenders vote via absentee ballot.
At issue are the voting habits of the offenders. So long as they’re not incarcerated, sex offenders can cast a ballot much like anyone else.
Normally, sex offenders must stay away from parks, schools, libraries and other places where children congregate. But those rules do not apply on Election Day, since schools statewide often serve as polling places. […]
Of the 1,835 registered sex offenders in the Daily Herald coverage area, fewer than a quarter were registered to vote and only 143 voted last November. The 28 sex offenders who voted in person at a school represent just 1.5 percent of the sex offender population.
Question: How should the state deal with sex offenders whose precinct polling places are in schools?
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Bo bends House to her will *** Updated x1 ***
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
A couple of years ago, faded sexpot Bo Derek came to town to lobby the Illinois Senate to pass a bill banning horse slaughtering. The bill zoomed out of the chamber as star-struck members drooled all over the occasional actress.
But when it got to the House, the bill was voted down, mainly on its merits.
This time, Derek came to Springfield and lobbied the House, with predictable results…
The Illinois House voted Wednesday to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, answering a two-year lobbying push by actress and animal-rights activist Bo Derek. […]
“This bill is more about celebrity, headlines and being fashionable than it is about the nuts-and-bolts issue about what the bill should address,” said Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville).
Backers of the measure said slaughtering horses for consumption overseas is inhumane, particularly given that state law recognizes horses as a “companion animal” like dogs or cats.
After the vote, legislators flocked to a reception held in Derek’s honor. I was in the building for another party, but did manage to sneak a peak. Count me as not impressed.
*** UPDATE *** I should have mentioned this before but I forgot. Bo also spent some time in Gov. Blagojevich’s office yesterday. The governor, impressed with her presence, picked up the phone and called several legislators to ask them to vote for the anti slaughtering bill.
I know I sounded a bit cynical above, but her presence was truly magical. When was the last time the governor ever did that?
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* The Tribune has a good story today on why Ald. Dorothy Tillman lost. A few highlights…
While she acknowledged the much-discussed opposition from unions, the alderman best known for her civil rights credentials and her array of hats put more emphasis on the ways in which her core constituency had been whittled away, saying the people who replaced them did not understand her legacy. […]
A remapping in 2001 brought Hispanic voters from the Back of the Yards and whites in the trendy South Loop into Tillman’s 3rd Ward. […]
“Tillman has been a figure in the community, but unfortunately a lot of times we look at the figure and not whether the issues are being addressed,” said Moore, a writer. “I’m of the generation and mind-set of getting and wanting more.” […]
McCain said when she opened last July, she went to Tillman’s office several times to introduce herself and express concerns about drug activity near her business. But she could never reach Tillman.
It would’ve been nice, however, if the Trib had written a story like this before the election. Too often in Chicago aldermanic elections (and legislative races and county board contests), voters are left to fend for themselves, without any help from the media.
* Memo to candidates: If you can’t take the heat of an intense campaign, don’t run. And, for crying out loud, don’t file lawsuits after the fact over goofy stuff like this…
Unsuccessful Springfield Ward 8 aldermanic candidate George Petrilli has sued his opponent, Kris Theilen, former state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and the Sangamon County Republican Central Committee over campaign literature distributed by the Theilen campaign.
The suit claims they defamed Petrilli when they referred to him in the literature as a “video stalker.” […]
Petrilli once videotaped a Peoria appearance by Topinka, the 2006 Republican candidate for governor, for the campaign of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Petrilli has claimed he did the taping only as a favor to a roommate who worked for Blagojevich.
The taping was the basis for the “video stalker” characterization, which was contained in a letter from Topinka to Ward 8 voters in which Topinka endorsed Theilen.
Look… nobody likes to be called a “video stalker.” And I’m not gonna defend the attack, which was obviously over the top. But them’s the breaks. Get over yourself.
* Perhaps the AP should refrain from political analysis. Get a load of this lede…
Sheila Simon never wanted her famous surname to influence whether people voted for her as mayor of the southern Illinois town of Carbondale.
Please.
And check this one out…
Cole insisted that, despite being the incumbent, he went into the race as an underdog because of the Simon name and her support from political heavyweights, including Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who taped a television campaign spot for Simon.
Once again, no mention that Cole had bigtime monetary and staff backing from the Illinois GOP, House Republican Leader Tom Cross, and even Denny Hastert.
* More campaign reports, compiled by “C” (aka Paul Richardson)…
* Mark Brown: Campaign Managers earn props
* Cook Co. Clerk David Orr: ‘Voting went well’
* Rep. Jackson: ‘The bullies have left the Council”
* Labor a big winner, vows to stick around
* John Kass: Garbage the next thing Daley trashes
* Despite final count, controversy in city races
* Tribune Editorial: Meet the nine new City Council faces
* Tillman ousted after 23 years in office
* Chandler is officially the 8th alderman to be voted out
* Country Club Hills mayor denies remark had racial tones
* Voters decide various mayoral races, bond issues
* Phil Kadner: Harvey Mayor Kellogg can claim victory with 12% support
* Voters have say in school funding in suburban communities
* Voter turnout numbers vary across city and suburbs
* One vote turns a dry village into a wet one
* Bernard Schoenberg: On Davlin win and other Springfield election news
*** UPDATE *** Aldertrack has the transcript from yesterday’s Chicago Tonight interview of the newly elected aldermen. Check it out.
Carol Marin: Let’s talk about the mayor. Has anybody heard from the mayor today to congratulate you on your victory?
Guests: No
Scott Waguespack: I heard from the Mayor’s Office.
Carol Marin: The Mayor’s Office, and what did they say?
Scott Waguespack: Just to set up a meeting to talk about how services work in the city, so that we know a little bit better how we’re going to have to work together to get things done in the ward.
Carol Marin: Any of the rest of you heard from the Mayor’s Office?
Pat Dowell: I haven’t heard directly from the mayor, but I did speak to a representative from his intergovernmental affairs office and the same meeting that Scott’s talking about I will be organizing a meeting for the ward.
Carol Marin: Ms. Dixon?
Sharon Denise Dixon: No, I have not.
Bob Fioretti: Same thing.
Carol Marin: You have not?
Bob Fioretti: No, we have heard.
Carol Marin: You have?
Bob Fioretti: Yes.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Dave Fako’s polling firm looks like it has had a pretty darned good year so far.
*** UPDATE 3 *** This morning’s Eight Forty-Eight program includes a roundtable of journalists discussing the Chicago elections…
[audio:848_20070418.mp3]
[The speculation by one panelist that Ald. Joe Moore could be the leader of the city council’s independent bloc made me laugh out loud.]
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The Mayor
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
It’s amazing when you think that Rosemont has been incorporated since 1955 and has had the same mayor ever since. That man, Don Stephens, died yesterday. Whatever you may think of him, there’s no denying that he was a giant of a man in his town, in Cook County and in Illinois. He was a builder. He was a visionary. He may or may not have been a lot of other things, but his legacy is his town, and what a town it is.
* The Tribune has the most extensive obit today…
Donald E. Stephens, whose half-century as mayor of Rosemont saw the village rise from a humble sliver of swampland near O’Hare International Airport to a nationally known convention center and hotel haven, died Wednesday evening. He was 79.
Although Stephens was famous for luring hotels, conventions, high-rise office buildings and restaurants to Rosemont, it was the business he failed to get — a casino — that darkened his reputation amid allegations he had “mob ties.” Stephens, his family and associates were fond of scoffing at the allegations. […]
First elected in 1956, the red-haired, barrel-chested, blunt-spoken Stephens became the state’s longest-serving mayor and among its best connected and most controversial leaders. […]
Stephens once described himself as “probably the most investigated S.O.B. in the world.”
* Daily Herald…
Donald E. Stephens, who transformed a patch of garbage dumps and mob hangouts into a suburban entertainment and convention capital over the last half-century, has died. […]
Stephens famously started Rosemont from scratch in 1956 by targeting unattractive land where he lived near what’s now O’Hare International Airport. He bought a hotel from Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana in 1962, maintaining until the twilight of his life that the deal was meant to purge unsavory types from his fledgling town.
“That’s followed me for almost 40 years,” Stephens said in 2001 of the hotel deal. “Am I glad (he) didn’t have leprosy, because you people would be calling me a leper.” […]
Stephens built his own house from a kit, which included two-by-fours, siding and a rough floor. He also dug his own septic system and his carpenter stepfather installed the insulation and wiring. Stephens served in the National Guard, becoming lieutenant in the Army Reserve.
Stephens became president of the homeowners association in 1954. Residents asked Des Plaines, Park Ridge and Schiller Park to annex the land, but they turned them down. And in the following year, residents held a referendum and decided to incorporate.
* More…
* Sun-Times
* AP
* NBC5 Chicago
* CBS2 Chicago
* WBBM
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* NEW Compilation of GRT stories:
* Governor’s tax plan gets hearing, sort of
* Tax plan is setting off a storm
* Businesses object loudly to governor’s tax plan
* Springfield is battleground in fight over Governor’s tax plan
* Businesses protest plan to raise taxes
* Opponents of GRT rally at statehouse
* Blagojevich ducks question on state plane usage
* State senators wary of immigration driving bill
* Illinois lawmakers say state could benefit from new coal industry
* State set to name new Superintendent
* Michael Sneed: Stroger fires CIO… Springfield Celebrity
* State steps in to address flood of water company complaints
The Illinois Commerce Commission on Wednesday ordered the utility company to review and correct several billing, metering and fire hydrant problems. The state agency also announced it would review the price Illinois American charges for water, but spokeswoman Beth Bosch would not say if prices ultimately would fall.
* McQueary: Write in candidates, Paul Vallas
* Measure to arm prosecutors/judges fails in Illinois House
* How U.S Supreme Court abortion ruling could affect Illinois
In Illinois, a similar late-term prohibition on certain abortion procedures passed and was signed into law by former Gov. Jim Edgar in 1997. But it was knocked down by a federal appeals court in 2000.
* Study: TIFs too tempting for public officials to resist
* Syverson sponsors bill to speed up new Rockford tax revenue
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
CAN-TV is sending a group down to Springfield this week to lobby against a proposal that would allow AT&T to get into the cable business.
And that got me to thinking, do you believe that cable companies and phone companies which seek to provide cable-like services ought to be forced to fund community access programming and provide spaces on their service for the channels?
Bonus questions: Do you watch community access TV, and if so, do you have a favorite program?
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Contradictory argument?
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m not sure who I was talking to about this yesterday, but he or she made a pretty good point.
On the one hand, business opponents say that the governor’s proposed gross receipts tax will kill them off…
“To take another percent and a half or .8 percent off our gross receipts would just kill us,” Lamp said. “I think Illinois would lose a lot of business because of it.”
On the other hand, business says that the GRT would simply be passed along to the consumers in the form of higher prices…
“So it’s a cost that will compound that the consumer is going to end up paying for because the businesses don’t have that pool of funds built into their business model to be able to pay for a tax like that.”
On its face, this seems like a contradictory argument. Will it drive them out of business or will they just pass the added costs onto consumers? And it’s true that reporters ought to be pressing people a lot more on their answers, particularly when somebody like Chamber honcho Doug Whitley gives both scenarios at the same event…
“This will raise the price for goods and services in the state that all people pay for,” said Whitley, adding that firms with a profit margin of 2 percent or less could be put out of business if taxes rose by an average of 2 percent.
But it’s not as contradictory as it looks. Businesses don’t just sell goods and services to end-user consumers, but to other businesses, who then sell down the chain. They probably can’t eat all the costs, so some will be passed along, causing other businesses’ costs to rise, which then are partially eaten and partially passed along.
I’m still not convinced that, in the end, this will be the huge business-killer that some are making it out to be, but the seemingly contradictory logic does make some sense, even if the opponents aren’t being completely clear and truthful.
By the way, Caterpillar announced that the GRT won’t run it out of the state, so that argument can be kissed goodbye. Still…
Tim Elder, director of corporate public affairs for Caterpillar Inc., said that as a $41 billion business, it wasn’t likely Caterpillar would be driven out of the state, but he expressed concern about smaller suppliers.
* More tax and spend updates, compiled by Paul…
* Dueling reports praise, criticize governor’s healthcare plan
* Businesses rally to oppose GRT
* Business wary of Blago tax plan
* Dillard challenges Blagojevich’s proposal
* Cindy Richards: It’s time to act on education, health insurance
*** UPDATE *** A new press release from the realtors uses the “It’s gonna hurt consumers” argument, so therefore assumes everyone in every step of the building/selling process will be subjected to the GRT and will also pass along the full amount of the tax…
A study released today by the Illinois Association of REALTORS(R) (IAR) shows that the accumulated or “pyramid” effect of the Gross Receipts Tax proposed by Governor Blagojevich would add $8,853 to the cost of an average new home in the nine- county metropolitan Chicago region. […]
The first phase of the study, conducted for IAR by RCF Economic & Financial Consulting, Inc. of Chicago, calculated the pyramid effect of five stages of construction and marketing of a new home in Illinois based on a 1.95 percent GRT on services and a .85 percent tax on construction contracts and materials, as proposed in the Governor’s budget. The stages are: wholesaler, subcontractor, general contractor, developer, and finally consumer. RCF calculated an overall 2.84 percent increase in the cost of a new home as a result of this layering on of new taxes at different steps in the homebuilding and selling process.
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* No question, Mayor Daley did not have a great day yesterday, but a closer look reveals that most of the incumbent losses weren’t really his fault.
African-American incumbents Madeline Haithcock (2nd), Dorothy Tillman (3rd) and Shirley Coleman (16th) were just terrible aldermen who ignored their constituents and failed to change with the times. Daley supported all three, but they were mostly left to fend for themselves (with help from members of the old-time black Machine) while Hizzoner tried to save white incumbents Ted Matlak and Bernie Stone. Matlak lost a narrow race and Stone, who scored close to 50 percent in February, held on to win.
Stone was always in danger, but his relatively strong showing in the first round, despite running an awful campaign, solid support among Jewish voters and fresh talent brought in after February at the Daley Machine’s behest pretty much made him the frontrunner all along.
Matlak was another story. This one is a huge loss for Daley, despite the fact that Matlak is a clueless hack who didn’t fit his ward. It’s tough to beat anybody with a goof like Matlak, but Daley and the entire white political Machine dumped almost everything it had into this race. They should have pulled out a close win, but came up short. Good riddance.
There’s been a lot of complaining and moaning about union money, but, frankly, how else were these candidates going to raise money and put together an organization to topple those deeply entrenched, if flawed, incumbents? This is Chicago, after all. It’s not easy going up against an alderman - any alderman - without bigtime help. The unions made their point in a big way, and the rest of the go-along-get-along city council will now have to take notice.
Also, Lisa Madigan should’ve stayed out of that Matlak race. You can’t claim to be a reformer if you support somebody like him. And Barack Obama got his first taste of local defeat by backing Tillman. The Machine isn’t always right, Barack. Please learn a lesson here.
* I was having dinner last night with a Republican operative who almost fainted when I told him that Sheila Simon was getting stomped by Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole. Nobody ever thought he’d win, or at least not by that much. Kudos to Cole and the Republicans for putting together a solid general election run (Cole tried it mostly on his own in the primary and failed miserably). And shame on the local media for almost completely ignoring all the outside GOP help (money and staff) that Cole received during the general while making a big deal out of the bigtime Democrats who endorsed Simon.
* Aldertrack has several videos posted from election day. Go check them out.
* Here’s a roundup of coverage, compiled by my intern Paul…
* Beaver’s seeks to curb union’s political donations
* Taxpayers eager for open space, less so for schools
* Few equipment problems in elections
* Four aldermen lose in biggest incumbent ouster since 1991
* Chicago Public Radio: Rocky night for incumbents
* Union candidates surprise Daley-backed trio
* Unions score key victories in city council
* Mary Mitchell: Third ward race split black vote
* Tillman’s council run nearing end
* Stone: ‘I proved age is no barrier‘
* Mark Brown: Stone sees win in tale of the tapes
* Oak Brook President trails in 6-way race
* Incumbents carry the day in most suburban mayoral races
* Harvey Mayor Kellogg cruises to reelection
* McQueary: No stumble too great to trip Kellogg
* Anti-immigration slate leads in Carpentersvlle
* Mayor Davlin wins, hopes second term will be more harmonious
* Summary of Springfield aldermanic races
* Simon fails to oust Carbondale mayor
*** UPDATE *** Here are some links to local blog election roundups and analysis…
* IlliniPundit (Also check out “A Republican Renaissance in Champaign“)
* DJWinfo
* Proviso Probe
* OpenLine
* Peoria Pundits
* Respublica
Apologies to any I missed. If there are others, put them in the comments section. Thanks.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Turnout was down in almost every ward, up neglibly in two wards and up significantly in one ward. Higher turnout was supposed to hurt Bernie Stone in the 50th, but it obviously didn’t…
Ward… APRIL….. FEBRUARY… % CHANGE
2………. 9297……… 11,395…………. -18.4
3………. 8372……….. 8247………….. +1.5
15……… 4652……….. 6690…………. -30.5
16……… 5114……….. 6340………….. -19.3
18……… 8977………. 13,482………… -33.4
21……. 10,576……… 14,437………… -26.7
24……… 6010……….. 8734………… -31.2
32……… 8243……….. 8284…………. -0.5
35……… 6560……….. 6736…………. -2.6
43……… 8156……….. 9460………… -13.8
49……… 7595……….. 7591………….. +0.05
50……. 11,292…….. 10,603…………. +6.5
*** UPDATE 3 *** From a press release…
While the April 17 Consolidated Election is officially nonpartisan, there were six members of the Illinois Green Party on the ballot this Tuesday, three of which were elected:
ELECTED: ROBERT BRAAM was elected as Trustee of the Manhattan Public Library District, receiving 107 votes as a write-in.
ELECTED: KRIS CAMPBELL won reelection to the Poplar Grove Village Trustee. With 340 votes (20%), she was second in a six-way race for three seats.
ELECTED: CAROL LARSON earned 3,370 votes (53.74%) and was the top vote-getter for three seats on the Oak Lawn-Hometown School Board. Larson is an educator and is a pursing a Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
endorsement of the Pantagraph. […]
Larson and Braam join Campbell, Dale Bowen (Winnebago Public Library Trustee), Jim Long (Kirby Park School Board) and Jon Murray (Mt. Morris Village Trustee) on the list of Illinois Green Party elected officials.
*** UPDATE 4 *** From the Sun-Times…
One of the state’s most expensive school district board races, fueled by a proposed book ban in the district last May, ended Tuesday with apparent victory for three incumbents who opposed the ban.
The contest pitted the incumbents against three newcomers for three seats on the board of High School District 214, a high-achieving, six high school district based in Arlington Heights.
The incumbents raised a record-setting $67,000. A mere $500 per candidate is the norm in the district. Vonnegut, who died last week, wrote Slaughterhouse-Five, one of nine books a board member proposed dropping from classroom use last year.
Two of the challengers, Dennis Konczyk and Ken Frizane, joined forces and won big-name support from conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly and Jim Oberweis, a former Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidate.
But it wasn’t enough. Incumbents Bill Dussling, Alva Kreutzer and Robert Zimmanck were the top three vote-getters, with 97 percent of the precincts in.
*** UPDATE 5 *** The petty side of Mayor Daley…
Mayor Richard Daley today would not credit labor unions for the loss of some of his incumbent allies in aldermanic runoff elections, saying local issues were among a combination of factors that resulted in their defeats.
“I think the people spoke,” Daley said. “A lot of other issues come into play. If you think one person gets all the glory, you are greatly mistaken.”
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Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Illinois lawmakers joke about sex changes during debate
* Blagojevich’s job chief, Joe Cini, quits
* Editorial: Honest hire or just another political favor
* Phil Luciano: Chicago should pay for its own Olympics party
* NY enlists IL and others in invesitgation of student loans
* Sweet deals for Daley campaign supporter
An influential black minister who has provided pivotal campaign support for Mayor Daley is a 30 percent managing partner in a pair of lucrative O’Hare Airport concessions awarded by City Hall.
* Local citites get aid to pay for July cleanup
* Two Illinois soldiers killed in Iraq
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