Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois State University is looking for a new president, and some are wondering if it’s a coincidence that Gov. Pat Quinn is now tinkering with ISU’s board of trustees…

Gov. Pat Quinn has taken steps to boot at least one Republican — and possibly a second — off the governing board at Illinois State University just weeks after triggering a political slugfest over Southern Illinois University trustees.

On Monday, the Democrat from Chicago nominated Barlett resident Bob Churney to replace Bloomington businessman Bob Dobski on the ISU board. The terms of Dobski and Joanne Maitland, the longest-serving trustee, officially ended in January.

Under a state law that took effect last year, their positions became vacant when Quinn took no action within 60 days of their term’s expiration. There was no indication Monday whether Maitland will be reappointed.

Joanne Maitland is former Sen. John Maitland’s wife. Not a good move by the governor. Quinn’s spokesman totally denies any ulterior motives, but…

State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, called the situation unfortunate and disappointing.

“I’m appalled at the fact he would do this and I’m appalled at how he’s done this,” said Brady, Quinn’s opponent in the 2010 gubernatorial battle. “It’s disappointing. I couldn’t thank Bob Dobski and Joanne Maitland more for their service to their ISU board.”

If he used half the energy he’s expended on university boards and applied it to something positive at the Statehouse, the governor might actually be able to get something done in the General Assembly.

* Meanwhile, the plaintiffs and the state have both asked the Illinois Supreme Court to hear a direct appeal of a county judge’s ruling on the constitutionality of cutting government health insurance benefits…

Illinois officials have agreed to ask the state Supreme Court to directly hear the appeal of cases challenging the state’s authority to begin charging retirees premiums for their state-subsidized health insurance.

If the Supreme Court agrees, it will lead to a quicker resolution of whether the state can begin charging the premiums.

Last month, Sangamon County Judge Steven Nardulli ruled that state-subsidized health insurance for retirees is not a pension benefit protected by the state Constitution. He dismissed four lawsuits that were filed seeking to stop the state from imposing insurance premiums on retirees.

Springfield attorneys Don Craven and John Myers, who filed one of the lawsuits, appealed the decision to the 4th District Appellate Court. However, they also filed a request to the Supreme Court to hear the appeal directly, bypassing the appellate court. Craven said Monday the case was likely going to end up with the Supreme Court at some point anyway.

Attorneys for the state agreed.

* And the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability projects state pension costs into the future…

The FY 14 certified contribution appropriation for the five retirement systems is a combined $6.8 billion. This is an increase of $965 million, or 16.4% compared to the current fiscal year. Under current law, estimated payments in fiscal years
2015 and 2016 are $7.0 billion and $7.2 billion, respectively. The FY 15 estimated payment is an increase of $200 million, or 3% over FY 14. The increase in FY 16 is an additional $204.7 million (3%).

The future amounts aren’t as huge as they have been, but that’s still a lot of cash.

* Roundup…

* Cahokia looking at teacher, athletics cuts: A southwestern Illinois school district is blaming cuts in state funding for its tentative plan to eliminate dozens of teaching jobs and go next school year without an athletics director, coaches or extracurricular activities.

* Editorial: A balancing act

* Editorial: Prisons becoming powder kegs

* State IOUs ripple through municipalities

* How Illinois’ gun manufacturers keep winning the regulations battle

* Gun Control Advocates Hold People’s Filibuster Against Concealed Carry

* New name emerges in Illinois Treasurer race: Carter describes himself as a “conservative media pundit and entrepreneur” who was raised in Chicago, went abroad and returned.

* Jackson Successor, Former Bear McMichael, Urlacher Brother On Ballot Today

* Illinois State University seeing fewer education students

* Community colleges see enrollment decline; LLCC up slightly

* Illinois fracking deal hits a snag

* SB 26 Medicaid expansion could cost taxpayers up to $16.0 billion more

* Paul La Schiazza: Broadband essential to Illinois consumers, businesses and jobs

* State IOUs ripple through municipalities

* IL cities, chasing revenue, go after online travel sites

51 Comments

Question of the day

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the synopsis to HB 2762…

Amends the School Code. Lowers the compulsory school age from 7 years to 6 years

From the ISBE’s fiscal impact note…

The exact cost of HB 2762 is impossible to determine. Additional students means the cost of General State Aid will increase. However, the Illinois State Board of Education is unsure of the exact number of students who will be impacted by lowering the compulsory attendance age from 7 to 6, nor does the ISBE know which districts will see an increase in the number of students as a result of this legislation or if those children will be low-income students, which increases the cost of the poverty claim for the district.

* The Question: Should the compulsory school age be lowered from 7 to 6? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

surveys

[Hat tip: IR.]

25 Comments

Today’s quote

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Dan Proft on Bruce Rauner’s contention that the governor should run Illinois like a business…

The job is not CEO. I agree actually with Bill Daley on this; it’s not a CEO job because you don’t get to fire the General Assembly.

Discuss.

27 Comments

Northwestern to hold Netsch memorial service

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a press release…

A memorial service for Dawn Clark Netsch, professor of law emerita, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13 in Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Ave., in Chicago. The service is open to the public. A reception will be held in the Atrium immediately following the service.

Donation info is here. Northwestern has set up a “guest book” here.

1 Comment

Same as it ever was, only more so

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel had some big shoes to fill when he took over for Mayor Richard M. Daley when he was inaugurated as mayor in May 2011. But according to a study released by the University of Illinois-Chicago, the City Council has been more compliant with Rahm in his first two years than they were with Richard J. Daley during his first two years in office and more than Richard M. Daley had in his final two years in office. Dick Simpson, a political science professor at UIC and a former alderman (44th ward, 1971-1979), headed the study which looked at “30 divided roll call votes since the current City Council began in May, 2011.” (Grain of salt #1: even just one alderman dissenting is enough to categorize a vote as a “divided roll call.”)

Per a press release on the study: “According to the study, 21 aldermen voted to support Mayor Emanuel’s position 100% of the time and 18 aldermen voted with him over 90% of the time. Only seven of the 30 issues drew six or more dissenting votes.” The study follows up that the issue with the most dissent was Mayor Emanuel’s proposal to put cameras in “Children Safety Zones” around schools. That vote had 33 vote in favor and 14 dissent (three voted absent).

The study continues: “The average level of support for Mayor Emanuel was 93% on all divided roll call votes, an increase from the overwhelming 88% Richard M. Daley enjoyed in his last term. It was also greater than the 83% achieved by Richard J. Daley in his first two years in office, 1955-56, or the 85% support the ‘Boss’ received in 1971-72. Emanuel even topped Mayor Edward J. Kelly’s 88% support earned in 1939-40.”

* From the study…

Aldermen claim that they voted more often with the mayor because Mayor Emanuel was more willing to compromise with them than Mayor Daley had been. When aldermen pushed back on cuts to staff and library service hours in the 2012 budget battles, the mayor agreed to reduce the cuts. Or when the rules for NATO Summit protests were too draconian and aldermen objected, the mayor made the rules less restrictive. So some aldermen argue that they vote with the mayor more often because they are able to work out compromises behind the scenes.

Yet, in two years since the mayor and the city council were sworn in, there have been only 30 divided roll call votes. The number remains at about the same level as under Mayor Daley at about two a month. Historically, the number of divided roll call votes has ranged between 50-100 a year and peaked at 387 divided votes during Mayor Eugene Sawyer’s two years in office during the chaos that which followed Council Wars from 1987 – 1989.

And a chart…

Discuss.

10 Comments

Today’s mailer

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My former intern Mike Murray is running for Schaumburg Township trustee. The Schaumburg Township Republican Organization sent out a mailer with Mike’s photo on a milk carton…

Well, yeah. He’s not a trustee, so of course he isn’t in the public records.

Kind of a lame attack if you ask me. I mean, sheesh, the local GOP should’ve just called me if they wanted some opposition research.

Just kidding.

Mostly.

Also, they have his name as Mike Murray and Mike Murphy. Proofread much?

Good luck, Mike.

37 Comments

Sullivan react

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The comments on GOP state Rep. Ed Sullivan’s Facebook page have been overwhelmingly positive since he announced he was voting for the gay marriage bill. But, there’s always one goofball in the bunch…

Notice that Mr. Badenorst “liked” his own comment. I don’t get why people do that.

* This comment below WGN’s story is just plain stupid…

Hyperpartisans make me ill. The guy is with you. Get over yourself.

Also, keep in mind that the entire nation is being moved to support gay rights as more gay people have come out of the closet. So, that commenter’s “logic” (which some national Democratic pundit types have also been using) isn’t just an indictment of Republicans, it’s an indictment of the majority of Americans.

Sore winners are the worst.

* From a press release…

With the Illinois state Legislature set to return from recess, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today reiterated its pledge to spend $250,000 defeating Republican legislators who vote in support of same-sex ‘marriage’ in Illinois, just like NOM successfully did in New York.

“Any Republican in Illinois who betrays the cause of marriage will be casting a career-ending vote and will be held accountable to their constituents,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “We will spend whatever it takes—hundreds of thousands of dollars if necessary—to remove them from office, just as we did three of the four turncoat Republican state Senators in New York who were responsible for gay ‘marriage’ passing there. We will not hesitate to support pro-family Democrats to replace them, as our record in New York proves.”

In New York, same-sex marriage narrowly passed the state senate after four Republicans and two Democrats changed their votes in response to promises of campaign cash from gay marriage activists. NOM targeted all seven for defeat, and was successful in removing five of them, replacing them in 2012 with pro-family Senators. As numerous media have reported, including the New York Times, three of the four Republicans were removed from office despite promises by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and gay-rights advocates to do everything in their power to protect them against political retribution. (”Costly Toll for Republicans Who Voted for Gay Marriage”).

In addition to supporting challengers to the four Republicans, NOM also supported pro-family Democrats, helping to re-elect Senator Ruben Diaz and electing a pro-marriage Democrat to unseat Senator Shirley Huntley in the Democratic primary. “Marriage is not a partisan issue,” Brown said. “We will stand with pro-family legislators regardless of party affiliation when they stand up for true marriage.”

I’ve asked NOM for a specific react to Rep. Sullivan’s announcement. Stay tuned.

* Coverage roundup…

* VIDEO: Illinois Republican lawmaker supports gay marriage

* Illinois House GOP leader in favor of gay marriage

* Two suburban Republicans back same-sex marriage

* GOP Rep. Ed Sullivan declares support for gay marriage

* Ed Sullivan Jr., Second Republican Rep, Publicly Backs Marriage Equality Bill

* Quinn: ‘Very Close’ to Votes to Pass Gay Marriage

31 Comments

National pundits say Quinn likely reelected

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* National prognosticators are saying that Gov. Pat Quinn is favored to win reelection. From the New York Times’ FiveThirtyEight blog…

Although Mr. Quinn is the second most unpopular governor up for re-election in 2014, he is a Democrat in deep blue Illinois. If he runs, he is still considered a favorite to win re-election: the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and The Rothenberg Political Report rate the Illinois governor’s race, respectively, as leaning Democratic, likely Democratic and likely Democratic.

Despite Quinn’s terrible approval ratings, this is still a Democratic-leaning state. And 2014 doesn’t yet appear to be shaping up to be as horrible of a year for that party as 2010 was. So, those ratings are understandable.

Notice, however, that this is about a Democrat vs. a Republican. If Quinn is challenged in the primary, then all bets are off.

* The list…

23 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a Statehouse roundup

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

*** LIVE *** SESSION COVERAGE

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Blackberry users click here…

7 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Tuesday, Apr 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller

Comments Off

« NEWER POSTS