A reporter pointed out that a lot of Republican legislators are grumbling these days about how Gov. Rauner has been “dictating how they vote.” He also noted that some Democrats are worried that having a billionaire leading their party may not be a good thing. “Will you pledge to allow Democrats to vote their conscience, vote their district?” Pritzker was asked.
“Of course,” Pritzker said.
The candidate referenced the old Will Rogers quote “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” And then said…
I believe that people ought to vote their conscience. Always. Always vote their conscience. I also believe we ought to elect progressive Democrats to the Legislature. But I also believe that we have a big tent in this party. That this party always has been about three really core issues: Jobs, healthcare, education. And we need to stick to that, we need to win this election based upon plans for making working families’ lives better.
Democrat Chris Kennedy isn’t saying directly whether he would support an assault weapons ban proposed by several Democratic lawmakers. In an interview for the WMAY News Feed, Kennedy was asked multiple times if he supported the ban on certain types of firearms.
He would only say that the issue of gun violence needs more study but federal regulations limit the ability to conduct such studies.
*** UPDATE *** Kennedy just called to say he fully supports an assault weapons ban and wasn’t trying to get around the topic.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Meanwhile, despite the delay, the Bustos endorsement did receive a lot of news coverage…
Illinois’ 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos endorsed Democratic candidate JB Pritzker in his run for Governor, Mon. His appearance at the AFL-CIO Labor Temple started 90 minutes later than scheduled, due to unfavorable flight conditions.
Dense fog enveloped Peoria Monday morning. A member of Pritzker’s campaign team says his plane circled the area for 30 minutes, then rerouted to Galesburg. Pritzker apologized for the delay and said the flight was “a lil’ dicey.”
About 20 people, mostly with labor union ties, stuck around to hear the endorsement from Rep. Bustos. The Congresswoman says JB Pritzker is taking a different approach, by focusing on downstate Illinois.
“This is a guy who’s going to be our next governor, who’s not going to have to understand how you get to Peoria, how you get to Pekin, how you get to Monmouth,” Bustos said. “He’s going to know the way, and that was a critical part of my decision making as to who I was going to endorse in this race.”
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, endorsed gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker when he opened his Quad-Cities campaign office — his eighth in the state — Monday afternoon.
Rep. Bustos said voters should vote for Mr. Pritzker for governor because he will represent working families across the entire state, not just in Chicago and Cook County.
“He understands that the state of Illinois has 102 counties, with 101 of them outside Cook County,” Rep. Bustos said. “When we elect our next governor, we want to make sure they know how to find a place like the Quad-Cities.”
* DGA…
On Friday, Governor Bruce Rauner’s habit of dodging questions relating to federal matters came under tough scrutiny from the Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson. Rauner was questioned why he had not spoken in “specifics” on matters like tax reform, mass shootings, and Obamacare. Rauner ended up saying that he, as the state’s highest elected executive, had “no obligation” to weigh in on federal matters:
Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson: “Don’t you owe the public and voters an obligation to say where you stand on these things? Where do you stand on eliminating the state and local tax deduction with Peter Roskam, your Republican colleague, and Republicans in Washington?
Governor Bruce Rauner: “I have no obligation to comment on every possible policy change in Washington DC. I never have and never will. So, I appreciate your advocacy on that.”
Rauner has been inexplicably silent on President Trump’s decision to end DACA, which puts at least 42,000 children and young adults at risk of deportation. Just a few years ago, candidate Bruce Rauner indeed felt an obligation to speak out in support of these children. This morning, Bruce Rauner attended the Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast and again refused to stand up for DACA beneficiaries.
“Watch out Illinois – Bruce Rauner does not have your back,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Illinois voters elected Rauner to be a leader but he admitted that felt no obligation to protect them against the bad ideas coming out of Washington. Instead, Rauner said he was focused on his political ambitions. This is just another example of Rauner’s failed leadership in action.”
* In other news, Jack Franks won’t run for AG…
Last November, McHenry County’s voters gave me the great honor of becoming the first popularly elected County Board chairman. I have been an outspoken advocate for government reform and tax cuts during my entire political career. Since voters elected me in 1998 to my first of nine terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, I have given my all to help those most in need while always putting the financial interests of the taxpayers first.
My experience as a lawyer, businessman and reform-minded lawmaker makes me uniquely qualified to be a candidate for the office of Illinois attorney general. I am grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support for this possibility, and I was very tempted to enter the race.
But something really special is beginning to happen in McHenry County. In a bipartisan manner, we are reducing the tax levy and bringing substantial reform and efficiency to government. The tax reductions are real but they are not complete. I have therefore decided to pass on the opportunity to run for attorney general in favor of fulfilling my commitment to the taxpayers of McHenry County to reduce their property taxes and reform county government.
Democrats can reduce taxes and reform government, and I am proving that in McHenry County. Working together with my Republican colleagues, we can make McHenry County the best run, most efficient and transparent county in the nation. This battle is too important to stop.
We hosted a community meeting on property taxes this evening in Harvey, which is one of the most overassessed communities in the state. pic.twitter.com/6qV7mzZpRZ
* See if you can spot the news item announced by JB Pritzker during the weekend gubernatorial forum…
Mary Ann: Do you believe it’s appropriate to disconnect the plumbing from what many people would consider a mansion, to receive a $230,000 tax break?
JB: Thank you for asking that question. Here is the truth of that. And that is, that we began a renovation project on a home, and we decided to stop that project, and at some point in the future after that, like 50,000 other people in Cook County every single day–like Chris Kennedy, like Gov. Rauner and others–asked for a reassessment of the property’s value. Not because of that, but just that it was a point in which, as you know, we have a very unfair assessment process. We need, and I’ve discovered how flawed it really is. That in fact is why we need to get rid of that system, make sure that we’ve got a formula that really works for assessing properties, and make sure that people are paying their fair share for their properties. That’s what happened in that situation.
Mary Ann: If there need to be a change in the assessment, does that also mean a change of the assessor? Where do you stand on Mr. Berrios?
JB: Yeah, well things have not been going that well recently, let’s all face it. And across the state, this is not just an issue in Cook County by the way. All across the state, we have got the problem of in poor communities, they are paying the very highest rates, the very highest rates, that is very unfair. I am in favor of more progressive taxes, less regressive taxes, and unfortunately, our property tax system is quite regressive in this state.
Mary Ann: So Mr. Kennedy, he brought your name up. You have received a tax break at Wolf Point, and you have apparently also received a tax break on your home, where do you stand?
Chris: Well what Mr. Pritzker did and what everybody else who has ever appealed taxes did, are two radically different things. We appealed our taxes, he had his house reclassified as uninhabitable. That’s a different thing. I’ve never even heard of it. I’ve been in real estate 30 years in Chicago, I never knew you could do that thing. [Laughter] I’m serious, that’s like a whole other game.
Mary Ann: But you also did receive a tax break…
Chris: Let me just finish. He did that, then he says he’s in the house next door and he appeals that tax, and he says “Look, I’m living next to an uninhabitable home.” [Laughter] Don’t put me in that bucket, I never did either of those things. [Applause]
I have the courage to stand here and tell you that Joe Berrios’ system is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and he should be taken out of office. [Applause]
JB: I need to respond to that, I’m sorry. I must say that millions of dollars of tax breaks at Wolf Point taken by Mr. Kennedy do qualify in fact as tax breaks. And to be clear, our property, by the way, is no longer on that roll. It was a temporary situation that we in fact were doing renovations to stop that, and are beginning to do those renovations again.
Mary Ann: But you do support Mr. Berrios?
JB: No, what I’m suggesting is I’m running for governor and I believe the people of Cook County ought to make the decision about who the assessor is of Cook County. I must say though things are not going well in terms of assessment of properties and people who are poor are paying the highest taxes.
Mary Ann: And Mr. Kennedy, could you clarify, you did receive a tax break at Wolf Point
Chris: That’s not true. When Wolf Point was a parking lot, it was assessed as a parking lot. When Wolf Point was a development site, it was assessed as a development site. When Wolf Point was an apartment building, it was assessed as an apartment building. All of those assessments were within the range of their peers. There’s no evidence that I got a break outside of what everyone else got. There’s no evidence that the taxes paid there were different than any other taxes paid by a similar building, development or lot anywhere else in the city. It’s just not true.
Did you spot it? He’s apparently no longer claiming that his next door mansion is uninhabitable.
Pritzker Still Claiming “Uninhabitable” Tax Break On $2.5 Million Mansion
At The October 8 Democratic Candidate Forum, JB Pritzker Told The Audience That He Is No Longer Claiming That His Second Mansion At 1431 N. Astor Street In Chicago Is Uninhabitable In Order To Claim A Massive Property Tax Break: PRITZKER: “To be clear, our property, by the way, is no longer on that roll. It was a temporary situation that we, in fact, were doing renovations. We stopped that, and are beginning to do those renovations again.” (Our Revolution Illinois Candidate Forum, 10/8/17, 55:18)
Pritzker’s Lawyers Applied To Have The Mansion Declared Uninhabitable Again This Year
According To The Cook County Assessor’s Database, Pritzker’s Lawyers Applied For And Received A Vacancy Reduction For The 2016 Tax Year On Pritzker’s 1431 N Astor Street Mansion. (Cook County Assessor, Accessed 10/9/17)… Pritzker’s 2016 Valuation Is Identical To The One That He Initially Received For The 2015 Tax Year. (Cook County Assessor, Accessed 10/9/17)
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Both of these reductions were already public knowledge. JB was referencing the status for the current year. Opposition research generally works better when the facts are correct.
* Pritzker, by the way, shot back at Sen. Daniel Biss for the latter’s repeated references to the former’s wealth…
Thank you for referring to me once again as wealthy. I want to be clear about something and that’s that no one here on stage wears any kind of halo. And Daniel, while I appreciate you calling that out, you’ve accepted PAC money, you’ve accepted money from special interests, you’ve accepted money from banking [Applause]. And I want to be clear though that I do not believe that they’re buying you in any way whatsoever. I believe that they believe in you and that’s why they wrote checks. I’m standing up here telling you exactly what it is that I believe in. The one thing you will know about me is that if you elect me, everything that I have told that I will do is exactly what I will do. There’s nobody calling me in the middle of the night telling me I can’t do it. There’s no special interests that will have funded me who will call me in the middle of the night and say ‘I’m sorry we’re not funding you for the next election.’
* And Kennedy kinda mansplained Mary Ann Ahern…
Mary Ann: Mr. Kennedy where are you on the LaSalle street tax?
Kennedy: Well I’d point out that most of the trading is done on Wacker Drive and not LaSalle Street. Let’s just start there.
Mary Ann: Wherever it’s done, should we have a tax?
Kennedy: Well it matters if you are going to regulate it, you oughta know what you’re talking about. [Audible gasps from crowd]
Mary Ann: We’ll let Mr. Pritzker respond to that then.
Kennedy: I would say this. You know, I’d like to promise everybody rainbows and swing sets in their back yard and they’re not going to have to pay for any of it. The idea that we’re going to go after LaSalle Street and somehow tax all of them, is just a fallacy. They’ll move that money around faster than we can regulate it. Fact is you could order from Amazon Prime they know, they know the router in your apartment or your office, they know your address, and then they’re delivering it to your address. If you live in Cook County you don’t have to pay Cook County taxes. We can’t friggin’ find a way to tax Amazon we’re never going to tax the mercantile board.
So, he corrects the moderator about LaSalle Street and then uses the exact same LaSalle Street name in his own response.
I got some clarification on how much sales tax Amazon is supposed to collect in Cook County, which was the example Kennedy cited. It’s complicated.
The company clearly is supposed to collect the 6.25 percent state sales tax everywhere in Illinois. But local sales taxes are different. If the product involved in a transaction was stored in a warehouse in Cook County and shipped to a county resident, the tax is supposed to be collected. But if it was shipped from out of state, no. If it was stored in Kankakee, a Cook County resident would not have to pay, but some in Kankakee would.
That’s the word from Laurence Msall over at the Civic Federation.
So, bottom line: It looks like Kennedy is partially right, in some cases. But misleading, at least as he phrased it.
* Parts of the Democratic gubernatorial forum over the weekend were tough to watch. We’re going to discuss other aspects, but let’s start with this one…
The question that seemed to draw the most heated response launched a back and forth between Biss and Pritzker. Ahern asked about candidates’ relationships with Michael Madigan, speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. […]
Biss said Madigan is too powerful.
Pritzker said Madigan has just become a GOP “talking point.”
When asked if Madigan supports him, Pritzker added that he is an independent who won’t be influenced, and called Biss out for voting for the speaker. Biss then responded that Pritzker should be more honest about the speaker’s support.
* ILGOP…
Democrat Audience Laughs At Pritzker’s Claim of ‘Independence’ from Madigan
As Pritzker tries to distance himself from Madigan, the Democrat audience responds with laughter and groans
“On Sunday, the Democrats running for governor were abundantly clear: Mike Madigan is for J.B. Pritzker. It makes sense, since Pritzker and Madigan both share a history of corrupt deal-making and gaming the system for their own personal gain. Pritzker’s attempts to distance himself from Madigan were literally laughable - so laughable that an audience of Democrats and progressives wren’t buying the malarkey he was peddling.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
On Sunday, the Democratic candidates for governor held a forum at the Chicago Teacher’s Union headquarters, and though they may disagree on exactly how high they will raise taxes, they all came together on one topic: Mike Madigan’s support for J.B. Pritzker.
When asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan, Pritzker repeatedly dodged the question, fumbling over his inability to change the subject. His discomfort was so plain that after being challenged on the issue by moderator Mary Ann Ahern, Pritzker’s non-answers were met with laughter from the crowd of Democrat activists. […]
The Democrats may not always agree on how big government should be, but they all came together on one topic: J.B. Pritzker is Mike Madigan’s candidate for governor.
Biss definitely took it to the guy. But here’s Pritzker’s retort…
I do need to respond to that. Senator Biss, you ran Mike Madigan’s PAC last year. You ran his Super PAC, millions of dollars. C’mon, there is no halo here, we all are Democrats, we don’t get to choose who the Speaker is. He is the Speaker of the House, There’s nothing that any of us can do about it except to support leadership term limits which I do.
* Chris Kennedy’s response…
Mary Ann Ahern: Mr. Kennedy, what’s your relationship like with Speaker Madigan?
Kennedy: I think we should give [Madigan] a choice. I think he should have the choice between being a property tax appeals lawyer or a state Representative. I don’t think we have to accept the current situation. I don’t think it has to be like this in Illinois. He’s a property tax appeals lawyer, he’s appealing the property taxes to Joe Berrios. One is head of the state Democratic Party, one is head of the Cook County Democratic Party. The scale of this thing is incredible. The Sears Tower sells for a billion, two hundred million dollars. It gets a billion dollar mortgage on it. They’re recorded at Cook County. They’re reported in the Tribune and Crain’s. The assessor says “oh no,” he has alternative facts, it’s only worth $579 million. We need to prevent our elected officials from having outside jobs that are adverse to the interests of the body they were elected to serve.
