One week before a presidential primary election, Secretary of State Jesse White’s office sent a letter to the State Board of Elections acknowledging a third “programming error” that, left undetected, could have created confusion at polling places and could have denied valid voters from casting their ballots.
Instead, local election officials are scrambling to update their voter rolls with the names of more than a thousand valid voters who were denied their registration through the state’s new automatic voter registration program, which is facilitated at DMV sites and other state locations throughout the state.
In a letter to county clerks, the State Board of Elections said White’s office, “had identified a batch of records for REAL ID applicants which were erroneously categorized as having opted out of registration, due to a programming error. The records that were identified should have been categorized as valid AVR applications.” […]
According to a spokesman at the State Board of Elections, the error resulted in errant denials of 1,152 valid voter registrations in 87 of the state’s 108 election jurisdictions. However, in Sangamon County, where the state only counted 20 affected voters, the local clerk found 102.
“They also had an error in displaying the application date,” Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said. “We identified 19 that were wrongly categorized as ‘opted out’ and 83 that displayed the wrong application date.”
Thank goodness they caught this error, so all’s well that ends well. But, man, they really need to get their act together over there.
Secretary White is famous for giving people second chances. This is strike three.
Companies who do business with the state risk having their $50,000 or larger contracts automatically voided and be barred from bidding on state projects if a firm makes three or more campaign contributions to Illinois’ executive officers within a 36-month period.
But the specific language of Illinois’ procurement code does not prevent a company from getting around the statute — either by donating money from a company official’s personal account or having their spouse make the contribution rather than the business itself, Illinois’ Chief Procurement Officer for General Services Ellen Daley told members of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.
The commission has three weeks to deliver a report containing suggested changes to Illinois’ laws in response to the newest crisis of confidence in Illinois politics.
Daley told the commission that her effort to cancel a state contract because of what she determined were improper campaign contributions was thwarted. Daley said she relied on a clause of the Illinois’ procurement code to make the decision.
“Last year I relied on this clause and attempted to bar a vendor from having a state contract since affiliated persons and affiliated entities of the company had made prohibited political contributions,” Daley said. “However, the enforcement clause is specifically worded so that a business’ entity contracts are voidable only when the business entity violates the prohibition on making contributions.”
A bill that would give a state tax credit of up to $1,000 a year to foster families has bipartisan support in Illinois, but the cost of such a credit isn’t yet known.
State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, filed House Bill 5119 and members of both parties signed up in support.
State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainview, signed on to the bill and said such an incentive could help encourage more people to become foster parents.
“When you look at all the issues going on at the state level, we’ve heard about the deaths of people that are in state care, we need more good people doing this and so we need to incentivize good practice, good behavior,” Batinick said.
* Press release…
State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) advanced a bill that would help youth in foster care apply for college financial aid.
“The state needs to be proactive at helping foster kids build a strong future during their final years of care,” Peters said. “We need to do all we can to ensure that they have access to education or job training before they have to live on their own.”
Senator Peters’ measure requires the Department of Child and Family Services to assist all youth in their care with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during their final year of high school. The legislation is an initiative of the National Association of Social Workers.
In addition, Senator Peters pledges to support legislation that would make college more accessible to Illinois students.
“Education should lead people to prosperity, not inescapable debt to student loan sharks,” Peters said. “We should not be punishing people with fines and fees for wanting to expand their education and contribute more to society.”
Senate Bill 3718 awaits consideration before the Senate Human Services Committee.
As the number of local law enforcement agencies joining forces with video doorbell company Ring grows, two Illinois Democrats urged lawmakers to act to prevent what they called “warrantless searches.”
State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) and State Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) on Monday touted SB 3414 as a way to keep companies like Ring, which is owned by tech giant Amazon, and other smart device manufacturers in check and to preserve civil liberties. The legislation, mirrored in HB 5495, is also supported by the American Civil Liberties Union Illinois chapter.
The bill, dubbed the Protecting Household Privacy Act, would ensure law enforcement agencies don’t skirt the existing requirement that they get a search warrant signed by a judge in order to access audio or video recordings without the permission of the device’s owner. In addition, the measure would order any data obtained by law enforcement to be destroyed within 30 days, unless it was being used for an ongoing investigation or pending criminal trial.
Manufacturers of devices like the Ring Doorbell would have to disclose the law enforcement agencies with whom they have entered into agreements. The city of Chicago, for example, entered into an agreement with Ring in September. The best available data pegs the number of municipalities in Illinois that have entered into agreements with Ring in the dozens, according to an independent data project tallying such agreements.
* The governor is holding a press conference on the COVID-19 topic right now. Click here to watch it. This post will be updated.
*** UPDATE 1 *** IDPH director says the state response “may include cancelling large events.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Gov. Pritzker said he’s been in close communications with the mayor about St. Patrick’s Day and the mayor is talking with parade organizers. Pritzker said they may be making announcements tomorrow “about any decision that could be made.” Full text…
Pritzker was asked about Chicago's two planned St. Patrick's Day parades this weekend. It sure sounds like people should have contingency plans. pic.twitter.com/ADF4SqnZs0
*** UPDATE 3 *** Pritzker: “I am very frustrated with the federal government. We have not received enough tests.” Complained about how the federal government “passed up the opportunity that was already developed” overseas, where countries are testing. “We could have been using that weeks ago in the United States.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Kane County Health Department (KCHD), and the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) today announced the first Illinois residents outside of Chicago and Cook County to test positive at the IDPH laboratory for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The cases include a Kane County woman in her 60s and a McHenry County teen, neither of whom had a history of travel to an affected area and no connection to a known case of COVID-19. Public health officials are identifying and contacting all close contacts.
“As we anticipated, the number of cases in Illinois is increasing and now includes the first cases outside of Chicago and Cook County,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The State of Illinois continues to take action to reduce spread of COVID-19 in Illinois and we again want to encourage people to start thinking and preparing now in the event they are not able to go to work, if schools are closed, if public transportation is not available, and how else their lives will be disrupted by this outbreak.”
Currently, there are 19 individuals in Illinois who have tested positive for COVID-19. At least one case acquired the virus in the community, but probably more. As IDPH continues to conduct surveillance testing, additional cases will be identified, and we will have a better understanding about the amount of virus circulating in Illinois communities.
In addition to the cases in Kane and McHenry counties, new cases include individuals in:
Cook County:
• 70s – male
• 60s – female
• 40s – female
• 40s – male
Chicago:
• 40s – male
• 40s – male
Public health officials are still investigating the travel history of these individuals and any potential contact with a known COVID-19 case. These most recent cases are in isolation and are doing well.
…Adding… Press release…
The Health Care Council of Illinois and nursing homes throughout the state are working in close coordination with Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health to follow all coronavirus guidelines to protect the health and safety of skilled nursing facility residents and staff.
Since our residents are at heightened risk for complications because of their age and underlying health conditions, nursing homes in Illinois are always vigilant in protecting our residents from communicable diseases.
Following the IDPH recommendations, our nursing home employees are being monitored for potential symptoms prior to starting their shifts and encouraged to stay home if they are sick. We have put in place visitor restrictions, with few exceptions, and those allowed to entered will be screened. Finally, we are reinforcing already stringent standards of hand hygiene.
Our residents and staff our always our highest priority and we are steadfast in our commitment to their health and safety.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today urged Illinois residents to be on alert for possible email and social media scams tied to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Raoul’s office is cautioning Illinois residents about products that are marketed as cures or total preventatives to COVID-19. According to Raoul’s office, individuals should be cautious of any advice or claims being made that certain products can “cure” COVID-19 or prevent the contraction of COVID-19. Products such as chlorine dioxide, hydroxycholroquine, essential oils, silver, elderberry and garlic are being advertised as “cures” for COVID-19. Raoul urges Illinoisans to not purchase any product promoted online on social media or via email that is being touted as a cure to COVID-19.
Raoul also is urging people to be wary of emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other entities claiming to have information about COVID-19, or offering treatments or cures. According to the CDC, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it. Attorney General Raoul encourages Illinoisans to delete emails promoting treatments or cures and report the correspondence to the Attorney General’s office.
“According to the CDC, there is currently no known treatment for COVID-19. People should be aware that any email or website offering a ‘cure’ is a scam that should be avoided,” Raoul said. “I encourage Illinois residents to delete any email offer, and do not pay for any alleged COVID-19 ‘cure’ or ‘treatment.’ People should instead follow the guidance of expert agencies such as the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the World Health Organization, and report COVID-19 scams to the Attorney General’s office.” […]
Attorney General Raoul is also encouraging people to exercise caution when donating to charitable causes connected to the COVID-19 outbreak.
* The Question: Have you seen any of these scams online or had to talk a friend or family member out of falling for them? If so, tell us about it.
Attached is a summary of the results of a statewide poll CHANGE Illinois commissioned which found that an overwhelming 75 percent of voters support the creation of an independent commission to draw political maps.
The poll of 603 likely Illinois voters was conducted by Fako Research and Margin of Era Opinion Research.
The poll also found voters strongly agree — 74 percent — that Gov. J.B. Pritzker should work to help push for getting a question about the creation of such a commission on the November general election ballot.
Additionally, survey results show that in our current polarized political environment, a third of likely voters would have a more favorable view of the Governor if he were to actively engage in pushing for the question to be placed on the November ballot.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.99 percent.
CHANGE Illinois leads a coalition of 30 diverse organizations statewide that support the Fair Maps Amendment.
Please also find attached a collection of some of the governor’s actions and statements supporting an independent redistricting commission during his campaign and since taking office.
The poll results have been shared with the Governor’s office. We have asked to meet with the Governor to persuade him to fulfill his previous pledges and statements and to help us actively advocate for votes on the Fair Maps Amendment.
The executive summary is here. And click here for collected Pritzker statements on the topic.
The poll was conducted over a month ago, February 4-6. Mobile phone users accounted for 67 percent of weighted respondents.
* Fako is the goods, so I give his results some credence. According to this poll, Pritzker could use the boost that would come from backing Fair Maps…
JB Pritzker
Substantive Recognition: 95%
Rated Positively: 39% (14% Very Positive)
Rated Neutral: 19%
Rated Negatively: 36% (25% Very Negative)
The Governor is universally known. His most favorable ratings arrive out of Chicago (58% Total Positive, 22% Very Positive) and Suburban Cook County (46%, 11%). Pritzker is rated more critically in Southern Illinois (54% Total Negative, 43% Very Negative) and Northern Illinois (47%, 34%).
The State’s Independent voters are net negative about Pritzker (29% Total Positive to 39% Total Negative), with Independent men being more critical of the Governor than Independent Women.
Donald Trump
Substantive Recognition: 99%
Rated Positively: 38% (29% Very Positive)
Rated Neutral: 5%
Rated Negatively: 56% (51% Very Negative)
Donald Trump is universally recognized . His ratings are significantly more positive in Southern (56% Total Positive) and Northern (52%) Illinois. His most negative ratings arrive from Chicago (83% Total Negative) and Suburban Cook County (64%).
Trump’s ratings diverge by gender, with men being more positive about him (46% Total Positive, 37% Very Positive) and women more negative about him (66% Total Negative, 60% Very Negative).
The State’s Independent voters are net negative on Trump (31% Total Positive to 57% Total Negative).
Whew, those southern Illinois numbers are bad for the governor.
The amendment plan recently introduced in the state Senate by Sen. Melissa Bush, D-Grayslake, has picked up 31 sponsors, enough to pass if it’s called for a vote. Identical language has been introduced in the House.
But Doubek conceded that the Senate’s new president, Don Harmon, has not promised to bring the matter up for a vote and has not yet agreed to meet with her group.
Harmon’s spokesman said the request is “under review.” […]
Doubek said she’s been seeking a meeting with the governor since last fall but has heard nothing. Pritzker “isn’t living up to his promises and pledges,” she said, a remark that may not help her secure that meeting.
Um, 31 is not 36, which is the actual number required to pass the Senate.
And Greg’s probably right about that meeting. As I wrote recently in Crain’s, the activists need to remember they’re trying to pass legislation, not agitating on a street corner.
“I am very concerned about many people who either have to self-isolate, or have become ill and who have to take lots of time off work. Fourteen days is a long time for many people who live paycheck-to-paycheck,” he said.
* Employee memo today from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which is overseeing the state’s COVID-19 response. Click the pic for a larger image…
That’s gonna do wonders for employee morale. /s
*** UPDATE *** Governor’s office responding to HR director’s email…
That email is not an appropriate, correct version of policies and it will be clarified for employees today.
I’m told the actual policies were outlined in a memo last week where employees who were experiencing symptoms or are quarantined can take advance sick time. “We’ve been working with the unions and various state agencies,” on setting up policies.
The plaintiff whose 2018 case led to a Supreme Court ruling that mandatory public union agency fees for nonmembers were unconstitutional is now asking the high court to force the union that represented him to return a portion of the money it collected before that decision.
In this most recent case, Janus v. AFSCME III, plaintiff Mark Janus is asking for the union to pay back fees it took from his paycheck before the landmark ruling in his 2018 case. He claims that the Supreme Court’s ruling should be retroactive, echoing other claims that have been made in federal court, including a sweeping class action that was filed in California last year. […]
“Mark Janus is just one of many public employees whose money was illegally taken by government unions,” said Patrick Hughes, Liberty Justice Center president and co-founder. Liberty Justice Center is the other group working on Janus’ case. […]
“The Supreme Court agreed that the union taking money from nonmembers was wrong but the union still has the money it illegally garnished from my paycheck,” Janus said in a press release through the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, one of the organizations handling his case. […]
“Until [the Janus decision] said otherwise, AFSCME had a legal right to receive and spend fair-share fees collected from nonmembers as long as it complied with state law … It did not demonstrate bad faith when it followed these rules,” the Seventh Circuit said in its opinion.
* Response…
AFSCME General Counsel Judith Rivlin: “Working people have won every single case thrown at them by these special interest groups, and if judges continue to weigh these cases on the facts and merits, the corporate interests behind them will continue to fail in their efforts to further rig the system in their favor.”
AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch: “Courts have repeatedly ruled in this and similar cases that in setting fees for representation provided to non-members, the unions involved acted in good faith based on a US Supreme Court ruling in place since 1977 and repeatedly affirmed in the ensuing decades. Mark Janus received wage increases, health insurance coverage, vacation time and other benefits that AFSCME negotiated during his tenure in state government. He never once failed to accept such improvements in his working conditions, nor did he ever object to paying the related fees—until he became the plaintiff in Bruce Rauner’s court case against AFSCME. This prolonged litigation is nothing but another political attack on working people, and on Janus’s part, a greedy grab for more.”
In a $30 billion deal, Aon is buying Willis Towers Watson, a rival in business insurance and risk consulting, but it raises one question in the mind of most Chicagoans: What will happen to the Willis Tower name now that we’ve gotten used to calling it that?
The deal between the two London-based companies was announced Monday. Executives said the combined operation will use the Aon name, not Willis.
As for the name on Chicago’s 110-story tower, Aon wouldn’t comment. A Willis Tower Watson spokesman did not reply to an email. An executive at Willis Tower — that’s the building, not the insurance company — wouldn’t comment, said a spokesman.
The former Sears Tower was rechristened in 2009 in a move that outraged some Chicagoans and even tenants of the building. The naming rights deal, arranged by what was then called Willis Group Holdings, reportedly expires in 2025.
Roeder goes on to speculate that tenant United Airlines might bid for naming rights.
* Victory Research (Rod McCulloch) poll of 1,000 likely voters in the Democratic primary for Illinois Supreme Court. Sun-Times…
Statistically tied for first place were Appellate Court Justice Sheldon “Shelly” Harris, with 15.2%, lawyer Daniel Epstein — whose campaign commissioned the poll —with 12.9% and Appellate Court Justice Jesse Reyes with 12.1%.
Harris and Epstein are white. If he is elected, Reyes would the first Hispanic justice on the state’s top court.
Appellate Court Justice Margaret Stanton McBride, who is also white, came next with 11.2%, followed by state Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville Jr., an African American jurist who was appointed to Freeman’s seat, with 9.5%. Both McBride and Neville were also within the margin of error for first place.
Just a few percentage points behind were the other two African American candidates —Appellate Court Justices Nathaniel Howse Jr. and Cynthia Cobbs, with 8.1% and 6.1%, respectively.
MoE of +/- 3.1 percent. No disclosure in the story if this was a robocall to landlines or if it included mobile phones. 25 percent were undecided.
Two polls conducted this past weekend show Illinois Democratic voters are all-in for Joe Biden and that if “undecided isn’t an option” for voters in the Cook County State’s Attorney race, they’d stick with incumbent Kim Foxx, who still falls short of a majority. […]
Ogden & Fry surveyed 466 voters for the state’s attorney poll, which has a margin of error of plus of 4.63 percent.
Primary candidates with multiple opponents don’t need a majority to win. Also, as with the other poll, there is no disclosure about whether this was conducted on ancient and increasingly rare landlines or whether it included mobile phone responses.
Boston’s historic and beloved St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the political breakfast that precedes it have both been canceled due to fears of spreading coronavirus at mass events.
“In collaboration with Congressman (Stephen) Lynch, Councilors (Michael) Flaherty and (Ed) Flynn, Senator (Nick) Collins, Representative (David) Biele, and David Falvey from the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is being canceled,” Mayor Martin Walsh announced in a statement Monday, just six days before the parade was due to step off on Sunday. “This decision is being made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we are doing what is needed to keep the residents of Boston safe and healthy.”
Both Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker — who is cutting short a Utah ski trip to return to the state — had resisted canceling events for weeks, and there was no word Monday on whether the Boston Marathon set for mid-April will go ahead. Several other major races worldwide have been scaled back or canceled.
The St. Pat’s decision came as the number of presumptive coronavirus cases in Massachusetts jumped to 41 cases on Monday, essentially doubling over Saturday night and then again Sunday night. The virus has sickened more than 100,000 worldwide and killed thousands prompting cancellations of the St. Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland’s two biggest cities of Dublin and Cork, according to reports.
Students will be asked not to return to Harvard University after spring break and instead continue classes remotely, according to an announcement Tuesday morning.
The decision was announced in an email this morning by Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow.
The coronavirus toll linked to a Biogen management meeting in Boston has now jumped to 32 people infected in Massachusetts — with an investment bank in New York City alerting hundreds more about the viral risk.
Cambridge-based Biogen confirmed Monday they have warned both Manhattan investment bank Cowen & Co. and Boston’s State Room venue about company managers who have COVID-19 who may have come in contact with others.
About 175 Biogen managers coming from all over the world — “Yes, from Italy,” a company spokesman confirmed — gathered for a major meeting of the biotech giant held at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel Feb. 26-27. Italy, at that time, was beginning to see the virus spread.
Chicago is also known for its conventions, its numerous institutions of higher learning and its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Even as Boston canceled its St. Patrick’s Day parade, Ireland announced festivities across the island would be halted to try to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus and Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation for Illinois because of the disease, Chicago officials said Monday they currently have no plans to call off the two major mid-March parades that draw massive crowds of revelers downtown and to the Southwest Side.
The city’s official parade is set to kick off at noon Saturday. The South Side Irish Parade takes place on Sunday along Western Avenue in the Far Southwest Side Beverly neighborhood. Each can draw crowds well into the hundreds of thousands if the weather’s nice. […]
“While there are currently no plans to cancel St. Patrick’s Day activities or other large events planned at this time, the City of Chicago is actively monitoring conditions and will recommend additional strategies as needed to prevent the spread of the virus,” Stratton said in a statement. “We continue to refine our citywide COVID-19 response plan in consultation with partners at the CDC, IDPH, CDPH as well as the parade organizers to ensure an operational plan is in place to protect the health and safety of our residents and visitors.”
Asked whether there’s talk of halting the South Side parade, Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, responded: “Absolutely not! The 42nd annual South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off on Sunday March 15th at 12 p.m. #WashYourHands.”
The Department of Public Health shall investigate the causes of dangerously contagious or infectious diseases, especially when existing in epidemic form, and take means to restrict and suppress the same, and whenever such disease becomes, or threatens to become epidemic, in any locality and the local board of health or local authorities neglect or refuse to enforce efficient measures for its restriction or suppression or to act with sufficient promptness or efficiency, or whenever the local board of health or local authorities neglect or refuse to promptly enforce efficient measures for the restriction or suppression of dangerously contagious or infectious diseases, the Department of Public Health may enforce such measures as it deems necessary to protect the public health, and all necessary expenses so incurred shall be paid by the locality for which services are rendered.
I didn’t realize until last night that Illinois had such strong epidemic laws. IDPH could shut down the parades if Mayor Lightfoot refuses to pull their permits.
When the influenza epidemic of 1918 infected a quarter of the U.S. population, killing tens of millions of people, seemingly small choices made the difference between life and death.
As the disease was spreading, Wilmer Krusen, Philadelphia’s health commissioner, allowed a huge parade to take place on September 28th; some 200,000 people marched. In the following days and weeks, the bodies piled up in the city’s morgues. By the end of the season, 12,000 residents had died.
In St. Louis, a public health commissioner named Max Starkloff decided to shut the city down. Ignoring the objections of influential businessmen, he closed the city’s schools, bars, cinemas, and sporting events. Thanks to his bold and unpopular actions, the per capita fatality rate in St. Louis was half that of Philadelphia. (In total roughly 1,700 people died from influenza in St Louis.)
In the coming days, thousands of people across the country will face the choice between becoming a Wilmer Krusen or a Max Starkloff.
Your thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Hmm…
NEW: After teleconference with city and parade organizers this morning,sources say: #SouthsideIrishParade: “Parade is still on as of now. Will make a decision by Friday if things get worse.” (Not 💯 if that’s the case for downtown parade, but likely)
Will County early voting sites and Election Day polling places are being stocked with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to protect election judges and voters as the number of reported coronavirus cases in the state continues to increase. […]
DuPage County continues to face a critical shortage of Republican election judges.
Last week officials said they were short 160 Republican election judges; that number has since grown to 300, said Adam Johnson, chief deputy county clerk.
“We have lost additional judges,” Johnson said.
Will County claims they aren’t having the same problems, but this is definitely something to watch as election day nears. Election judges are often retirees. And older people are in more danger if they catch this virus.
I have never voted by mail, but this could be the first time for me. It’s not that I’m frightened to go out or anything, but it will take some stress off the system if more people vote absentee.
* American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the National Immigrant Justice Center…
Today’s lawsuit filed by four county sheriffs seeking to strike down the Illinois Trust Act is a thinly-veiled attempt to justify ongoing violations of the law. Courts across the United States, including the Seventh Circuit and local federal district court, have held that ICE detainers are voluntary, such that laws like the TRUST Act create no conflict with federal law.
Under the TRUST Act, Illinois simply requires that Federal immigration officials provide a judicial warrant, like would be expected for any other arrest, before local law enforcement are permitted to honor an immigration detainer. That policy was established in Illinois by an elected legislature and Republican Governor Rauner. Indeed, Governor Rauner publicly cited to the binding case law on detainers for why he decided to sign the TRUST Act. Nothing about the TRUST Act is unconstitutional. It simply doesn’t comport with the way in which these four sheriffs want to conduct their work.
Law enforcement in Illinois cannot pick and choose which laws they follow and which they do not. We encourage the Illinois Attorney General to vigorously oppose this lawsuit.
The state law was indeed passed to conform with a federal court ruling.
* The lawsuit was filed by sheriffs from McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Kankakee counties. The heart of the suit…
In August of 2017, Illinois enacted a statute styled as the “Illinois Trust Act” that purports to restrict the ability of Illinois law enforcement officers to respond to the immigration detainers properly issued by federal immigration officers.
The Trust Act purports to bar any law enforcement agency or official from detaining “any individual solely on the basis of any immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant or otherwise comply with an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant.” 5 ILCS 805/15.
The Trust Act also provides that no law enforcement officer may “stop, arrest, search, detain, or continue to detain a person solely based on an individual’s citizenship or immigration status.”
By this plain language, the Trust Act prevents Illinois law enforcement officers from complying with a federal immigration detainer.
If carried out, the Trust Act would prohibit Illinois law enforcement officers from carrying out the requirements of an “immigration detainer.” 5 ILCS 805/15.
That restriction places the Trust Act in direct conflict with the federal detainer rules.
The Trust Act is in direct conflict with federal laws requiring cooperation between
federal and state law enforcement officials.
The sheriffs stated in a news release that the Trust Act has exposed them and their offices to litigation over the years, as three of the four have been sued for alleged violations of the Act.
* The governor said a disaster proclamation is “our version of a state of emergency.”
This is a breaking story so this post will be updated. Watch the governor’s press conference live by clicking here.
The governor said the declaration would allow the state to tap additional federal resources and “reduces red tape across state government.”
“To be clear, this declaration will build on an already robust response that has been developed over many months,” the governor said.
“I know that this is a difficult time for people as we try to understand and respond to something this new,” he said. “I want people to understand this is going to effect your daily life,” but he said government at all levels are working on the problem. He pledged a daily press conference where information would be conveyed “honestly.”
He asked people not to hoard supplies, particularly medical supplies. He recommended that people check up on seniors and others who could be vulnerable.
“Look for helpers. There are always people who are helping,” he said, quoting Mr. Rogers.
Notably absent from the press conference is Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Her public health director is present, however. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin are at the event.
Building on the state’s robust and coordinated response to COVID-19, Governor JB Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation today to unlock additional federal resources and help the state prepare for the potential of further spread. Issuing a disaster proclamation is the method of declaring a state of emergency in the state of Illinois, which 13 states across the United States have entered into.
“As we’ve said from the beginning, the state of Illinois will use every tool at our disposal to respond to this virus, and this is the next step in that commitment,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We stand ready to put the full weight of state government in preparation for a full-fledged response when needed and will continue to update the public regularly, responsibly and honestly as the situation evolves.”
The proclamation formalizes emergency procedures already underway across state government by activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), physically bringing together decision-makers from every state agency and the state’s highly qualified mutual aid network to deploy resources as necessary during this public health threat.
State and local partners benefit from a disaster proclamation in the following ways:
Allows federal reimbursement for state response costs
Allows use of State Disaster Relief Fund, covering direct state costs and reimbursements to Illinois National Guard and mutual aid groups
Allows use of the state’s mutual aid network, groups of public safety response professionals — including hundreds of health care providers and management professionals, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and disaster response professionals — that are available to deploy to areas of shortage
Authorizes the Governor to activate Illinois National Guard reservists, some of whom may be doctors and nurses
Allows expedited procurement should it be necessary
Authorizes additional executive authorities to protect public health and safety
Since January, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Emergency Management Agency have been working with their local counterparts across the state to prepare for additional cases as expected.
Also Monday, IDPH and the Chicago Department of Public Health announced four new COVID-19 cases in Illinois, bringing the total to 11. (See attached medical information.) All four cases are in good condition. The first two cases in the state announced last month have recovered without known transmission to additional individuals. The remaining patients are in isolation either at home or in a hospital. As with every case, our federal, state, county and hospital-level public health officials are working to actively identify any individuals who came into contact with the patients.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
IDPH is currently operating three testing labs statewide – in Chicago, Springfield and Carbondale. These state labs meet current need, and commercial testing expansion is anticipated this week.
In addition, a sample of patients who present with flu-like symptoms are being tested at 15 hospitals statewide: seven hospitals in Cook County, three hospitals in other areas of northern Illinois, three hospitals in Central Illinois and two hospitals in Southern Illinois to monitor for the presence of the virus in our communities.
Gov. Pritzker has been in communication with the CEOs of the largest insurance companies in Illinois. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna have announced they will waive the costs for COVID-19 testing. Medicaid and Medicare are also covering testing costs.
PREVENTION FOR THE PUBLIC
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, public health officials urge the general public to take the same precautions as during flu season — with renewed vigilance:
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Cover your cough or sneeze
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Clean often touched surfaces frequently
Maintain social distance (3 feet) between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing
Avoid visiting long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, especially if you’re sick
Stay home if you do not feel well
Plan a safe visit to the doctor if you experience any symptoms
Vulnerable populations – including people 60 years and older or those with certain health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and weakened immune systems – are recommended to avoid large gatherings.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has a statewide COVID-19 hotline and website to answer any questions from the public or to report a suspected case: call 1-800-889-3931 or visit IDPH.illinois.gov.
Democratic candidates in the 3rd Congressional District took on issues including the future of powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan during a candidate forum Friday night, with challenger Marie Newman saying it’s time for Madigan to step down as state party chairman while Rep. Dan Lipinski said that move is up to party members. […]
Newman was unequivocal when asked about Madigan, the party chair whose name has been connected with ongoing federal investigations that have rocked Illinois. “I think it’s time for him to go,” she said.
Lipinski, of Western Springs, was less direct when asked for his view of Madigan’s future. “As long as the members of the party want him, yes, he should still be head of the party,” he said.
Lipinski and his father, William, who preceded him in Congress, are longtime cogs in Madigan’s political organization. Madigan’s 13th Ward is part of the congressional district and his ward organization is urging a vote for Lipinski. It was support from city wards that helped carry Lipinski past Newman in 2018.
* Democrat who voted against the ACA now defends it in primary campaign…
This weekend, Men4Choice Advocacy placed five billboards up around Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District calling out anti-abortion Congressman Dan Lipinski, who recently called for the complete reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Congressman Lipinski doesn’t stand for women, women’s rights, or reproductive healthcare. His radical views are deeply out of step with the district, and the vast majority of Americans. Most importantly, these views and his efforts fail to serve the best interests of the people of his district.
There is no decision more impactful on any family’s life than whether or not to have children. By intentionally and actively seeking to force his narrow opinion onto the people of the district, and the country as a whole, he is actively robbing them of the freedom to control their own lives. He is trying to take away the freedom to decide what is best for each individual family in his district in pursuit of his personal beliefs. This is the exact opposite of what a public servant and representative should do.
Men4Choice exists for one reason - to support those most impacted in the fight for reproductive freedom. And, at the core of our work, is the need for male allies to hold men like Dan Lipinski accountable.
The people of the 3rd District of Illinois deserve so much better, and we hope that as people drive around the district leading up to election day they are reminded that Dan Lipinski doesn’t support them or their family.
The billboard…
* Related…
* Pro-Life Group Launches Campaign to Reelect Democrat Dan Lipinski: Major pro-life group the Susan B. Anthony List has just announced that it will launch a five-figure campaign to support Representative Dan Lipinski, a pro-life Democrat facing a serious primary challenge in Illinois’ third congressional district, which spans most of Chicago’s southern suburbs.
* Lipinski, Newman Rematch in Illinois’ 3rd District Democratic Primary, Joined by 2 Others: “Over $2 million is being spent against me on the abortion issue,” Lipinski told reporters after a candidate forum on Friday, adding that while he didn’t think abortion was the most important issue to the district overall, he believed it to be the focus of his challengers’ campaigns.
And then Neil Bluhm, who’s the chairman of Rush Street Gaming, let’s just say he had a clothing gaffe, when the belt came off and the pants came down and he was giving a speech. … And then he said, ‘Well, the stock market’s down today and so are my pants.’ And then he pulled them back up and belted them back up.
Panayotovich, who is the son of former Rep. Sam Panayotovich, said Bluhm’s pants didn’t quite fall down to his knees.
* The Question: What’s the most most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you in public?
* Rep. Mike Zalewski, who chairs the House Revenue Committee, talked to Capitol News Illinois about the property tax taskforce’s inability to come to an agreement on solutions to one of the state’s biggest problems and the way forward…
“There were some things that I saw out of that Republican press conference that aren’t bad. Use-it-or-lose-it isn’t a bad idea,” he said, referring to a proposal by Republican Rep. Dan Ugaste, of Geneva, to cap the amount of money school districts can hold in reserve.
Zalewski said one other Republican-backed proposal he could support is expanding certain property tax exemptions for seniors and other homeowners that limit how much of their property value is subject to taxation.
One he said he would not favor, though, is imposing a property tax “freeze” on local governments. […]
Zalewski said he is also interested in proposals to make school districts more efficient, including the possibility of consolidating elementary and high school districts into “unit” districts. That could be hard to sell in many communities, including his hometown of Riverside, he added.
“I live in Riverside School District 96, elementary, and Riverside School District 208, high school,” he said. “And and I will say anecdotally, people complain about the property taxes around my neck of the woods. But I also think they really want good schools. People moved to Riverside for the nature of the schools. So that’s the conundrum we face right now.”
* He also talked about Republican complaints that their property tax reform bills aren’t advancing out of the House Rules Committee…
When it comes to bills not being heard. You know, I would simply say that we’re getting into a little bit of a habit, with some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, demanding bills get called that haven’t necessarily been requested from Rules. So I can’t, I can’t look at bills that aren’t out of Rules and aren’t even being requested out of Rules. … On property taxes specifically, we tend to hide behind process, you know, ‘My bills haven’t been called in committee, my bills are not getting a vote on the floor.’ You got to move beyond process. I think there’s enough bipartisan desire on this to get something done or get a few things done. And so, you know, let’s move past process complaints and let’s start talking about something.
The first is evidence-based funding, which we did a couple years ago and the idea is to flow as much money as you possibly can into schools from the state. As a result of the money coming from the state, they’re less desirous of going to the voters or going to the max levy in their tax cap laws. And so you have the effect of stabilizing property taxes.
The second is using existing tools at our disposal, so you’re talking about the homestead exemption the senior exemption, the owner occupied exemption. Expanding those tools. […]
I think the third option is probably a little more draconian than people would prefer, but going back to the freeze idea that was bandied about a few years ago. I don’t like that idea, I think it was proven to be not great. […]
Use it or lose it isn’t a bad idea. … Now if they’re sitting on reserves for capital reasons or they’re sitting on reserves for a specific purpose. That’s one thing but if they’re squirreling money and still going to the max every year that strikes me and it probably strikes some of my Republican colleagues as challenging. […]
I don’t have any aversion to looking to school districts and seeing if there’s efficiencies within them to consolidate. I don’t know how appropriately the Association of Illinois School Boards will feel about that. They tend to tell us that they’re each and every one of them does a really nice job.
Proposed legislation in the Illinois Legislature would help bring a natural gas pipeline to Pembroke Township.
Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 3696, which has been assigned to the Energy and Public Utilities committee.
The bill would allow for the extension of natural gas utility services in designated low-income areas, such as Pembroke. A companion bill is being introduced in the House by Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood.
Local officials, including those from Hopkins Park and Pembroke, are working with the Rainbow PUSH coalition and Nicor Gas to advance the extension of the pipeline since late last year.
A new bill making its way through Springfield would make it tougher for high schools to keep their Native American mascots.
We support the bill in concept, even as its particulars are being worked out.
Not all such mascots are necessarily objectionable, though that’s a judgment better made by Native Americans, not this editorial page. But most of us can readily see why a war-dancing man in a full-feathered headdress and buckskins, or a team name like the “Redskins,” or a grinning “Chief Wahoo” is deeply insulting.
In the 21st century, schools should know better than to promote such stereotypes, and many or most do. But old ideas can die hard and sometimes need a push. A student-led petition drive to scrap the Native American mascot of a Rockford-area high school prompted Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, to introduce a bill to provide that push.
Five-year-old Lily Parlier might just be the youngest lobbyist in the Capitol.
Soon, thanks to her, hospitals will test for spinal muscular atrophy when babies are born. It’s a rare genetic disease that she lives with, but since she wasn’t tested early on, her mom had to wait 11 months before she was diagnosed.
“The prognosis is so much better,” Tracy Parlier said. The interventions will be so much less. They will live, I don’t want to say normal lives, they will still be affected. But the kids that won’t be able to sit up or talk… they are walking or talking.
Those first few months are crucial, and could drastically change a child’s quality of life if treatment starts quickly. That’s why Lily and her mom teamed up with their local lawmaker to fight for the new tests. That passed in 2018, and after a couple years of waiting, representative Dan Swanson announced encouraging news on the house floor on rare disease day at the Capitol.
* More bills…
* Sponsors of vaccine mandate proposals at Illinois statehouse face opposition: State Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, said he and others throughout the state have concerns about the vaccine bills. “When you start interfering with the parents’ right to raise their child as they see fit, you know, I’ve got a big problem with that,” he said.
A lot of people believe that had the governor proposed a pension amendment and progressive tax, he would have had a better chance of getting both done.
Maybe a lot of people he knows believes that nonsense, but I’ve yet to see anyone point to the 71 House members and 36 Senators who would vote to put that onto the ballot. And union fury would be such that it could take down both the pension amendment and the governor’s graduated income tax.
* Meanwhile, Illinois’ National Republican Committeeman Richard Porter has another idea…
Section 11 of Article V of the Illinois Constitution provides, “The Governor, by Executive Order, may reassign functions among or reorganize executive agencies which are directly responsible to him. If such a reassignment or reorganization would contravene a statute, the Executive Order shall be delivered to the General Assembly….” Upon delivery of the Executive Order that changes a statute, the Illinois Constitution empowers the legislature to veto the law the governor changes in his Executive Order. “An Executive Order not so disapproved shall become effective by its terms but not less than 60 calendar days after its delivery to the General Assembly.”
In connection with a reorganization, the Illinois Constitution empowers the governor to contravene laws, so long as the legislature does not act to veto that action. This is the reverse of “regular” law making, but when reorganizing, the governor of Illinois has the extraordinary power to effectively rewrite laws pertaining to that reorganization. (Later in the 1970s, Illinois passed a law that purports to limit laws the governor can contravene with this power, but the plain words of the Constitution are not amended by a mere statute.)
What does this mean? In connection with his (admirable!) planning to consolidate and eliminate executive agency functions, the governor could provide that any personnel offered jobs in his newly created or consolidated agencies or boards are not offered further participation in the existing Tier 1 pension plan. Instead, the employees of the new agencies could be offered participation in an adjusted version of Tier 1 (for example, eliminate post retirement COLAs), Tier 2 or into a newly created 401(k) plan established for that new agency.
Putting a condition such as this on job offers might contravene existing state laws and regulations that currently provide for carry over participation in Tier 1 — but, so long as the governor can convince the legislature not to veto this incremental pension reform, the governor can reduce the state’s pension exposure by a massive amount. He can do this himself — with a stroke of his pen.
“So long as the governor can convince the legislature not to veto this incremental pension reform.” Ha! Not only would they kill that idea, they’d probably impeach him.
Adams County Clerk Chuck Venvertloh said the county is scrambling to find a new polling place for the 2,700 voters. He hopes to have the new location by a 3:30 p.m. press conference. #twillhttps://t.co/xYwhOZNFaK
A Missouri woman who recently tested positive for coronavirus took an Amtrak train from Chicago to St. Louis after returning from a study abroad trip to Italy, officials confirmed in a statement Sunday evening.
The 20-year-old woman, who is from St. Louis County, flew into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on March 3 on a return trip from Italy, where she was studying, according to officials.
After staying the night in Chicago with a friend, the woman then got onto an Amtrak train bound for St. Louis on March 4.
According to St. Louis public radio, the woman called the St. Louis County coronavirus hotline on March 6 to report that she was experiencing a high fever and a cough. She then tested positive for coronavirus, making hers the first case of the virus in the St. Louis area.
A test analyzed by the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said. It could take up to five days for the CDC to confirm the case.
Five days? What’s going to happen when the CDC is flooded with confirmation requests?
Two Catholic schools in suburban St. Louis have temporarily closed and some students at a third school have been told to stay home after the father of the first person in Missouri to become ill with the coronavirus attended a school dance with another child.
Amtrak also is cleaning a train the woman took to Missouri from Chicago.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said at a news conference Sunday that the patient’s family was told on Thursday to self-quarantine at their home in Ladue but didn’t follow health department instructions.
The American College of Cardiology has called off its upcoming conference at McCormick Place due to coronavirus concerns, adding to a run of cancellations at the Near South Side convention center because of the outbreak.
The Washington, D.C.-based association was set to host more than 29,000 visitors at its March 28-30 Scientific Session & Expo, which would have accounted for nearly 41,000 hotel room nights, according to the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, the agency that owns and operates the convention center. That makes it the second-biggest McCormick Place event to cancel so far because of the virus.
The concept of social distancing has been around for centuries, but its usefulness was bolstered after a landmark study in 2007, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, comparing how 43 different American cities fared during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.
The researchers found that acting early with steps like quarantining the sick, closing schools and canceling public gatherings was associated with fewer deaths. Imposing several measures at once also helped. One of the slow responders, Philadelphia, suffered twice the death rate of St. Louis, where officials moved quickly.
“Social distancing and quarantine is an ancient practice that has been tried and tested through the ages and has survived because it works,” said Osman Dar, a global health-systems expert at Chatham House, a U.K. think tank. “In the face of an unknown virus or illness it is the most effective means of interrupting and slowing transmission.”
Implemented too late, however, social distancing might be ineffective. A wave of school closures across Michigan in response to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic did little to dampen the spread of the disease, according to a 2015 study by researchers at the Universities of Michigan and North Carolina. The likely explanation, said the authors, was that most schools closed as a result of high absenteeism, suggesting they acted only after a significant number of staff and students had fallen ill.
Another challenge: There is no clear consensus on the right moment to start with social distancing. “Hitting that sweet spot is very, very hard,” said Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, who led the 43-city study and was involved in the school-district research. “You’re getting your information a step or two behind the microbe’s spread. Early is better but you do risk being too early and costing a great deal of money.”
While it is widely accepted by global health experts that social distancing, when implemented early enough, limits death from serious infectious diseases, it is less clear whether it brings down the overall caseload. Still, simply spreading the cases out over a longer period—known by epidemiologists as “flattening the curve”—is valuable because it prevents a surge of patients from overwhelming clinics and hospitals.
As the U.S. battles to limit the spread of the contagious new coronavirus, the number of health care workers ordered to self-quarantine because of potential exposure to an infected patient is rising at a rapid pace. In Vacaville, Calif., alone, one case — the first documented instance of community transmission in the U.S. — left more than 200 hospital workers under quarantine and unable to work for weeks.
* More…
* San Francisco Bans Non-Essential Public Gatherings At City Facilities For 2 Weeks: The City and County of San Francisco has banned “non-essential group events” at any city-owned facilities for the next two weeks because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus, according to an order Saturday signed by the county’s top health officer.
* At least 8 US states have declared a state of emergency: Authorities have confirmed at least 21 deaths in three states; 18 in Washington, two in Florida and one in California. Those states were among the first to issue emergency declarations. Since then, Kentucky, New York, Maryland, Utah and Oregon have declared states of emergency, respectively.
* Coronavirus case at CPAC brings outbreak closer to Trump, threatening to upend his routine amid reelection bid
* Cuomo battles with Trump administration as more schools cancel classes: “C.D.C., wake up, let the states test, let private labs test, let’s increase as quickly as possible our testing capacity so we can identify the positive people,” Mr. Cuomo said. President Trump fired back on Twitter overnight, saying that his administration had been consistent in its public statements while attacking the governor of New York and his brother. “There are no mixed messages, only political weaponization by people like you and your brother, Fredo!” Mr. Trump wrote. The president was referring to Fredo Corleone, the most ineffectual of the fictional brothers in the movie “The Godfather” in his response to Mr. Cuomo and his brother, Chris Cuomo, an anchor on CNN.
* 7th case of coronavirus in Illinois is Chicago man in his 60s, appears unrelated to other cases, health officials announce: Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s public health commissioner, said an investigation is ongoing, but this coronavirus case is not linked to travel and has no connection to the high school case reported Friday. This “may be” the first case of coronavirus spreading in the community, Arwady said. “We have been preparing for this potential person-to-person spread,” she said.
Monday, Mar 9, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
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It’s been fun everyone, but we’re going to spare you all the corny jokes we had come up with for the week because today is definitely the beginning of some less than amusing times that we’re not going to be able to navigate effectively with humor.
We’ll leave you with one final request: Subscribe to your local journalistic enterprise.
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They don’t do things perfectly, but they don’t deserve the situations we as a society have created for them. A technology community that has ravaged journalistic careers, a political community that overwhelms and obfuscates the truth for their own benefit, and a business community that has failed to step up to create the opportunities for a vital, constitutionally enshrined industry to thrive.
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Subscribe to somebody - even this here political blog/newsletter - to push back against this today.
Illinois State Representatives Mark Batinick, Tom Demmer, Jeff Keicher, Dan Ugaste, Steve Reick, and Grant Wehrli released the following statement related to congressional candidate and State Senator Jim Oberweis’ alleged scheme to circumvent federal election laws:
“As state legislators who represent portions of Illinois’ 14th congressional district, we have chosen to remain neutral in the Republican congressional nomination, but the latest allegations surrounding the questionable fundraising practices by Senator Jim Oberweis are too concerning to ignore. The evidence released by the Rezin campaign appears well documented and corroborated by a State’s Attorney. The improper transfer of campaign funds between Jim Oberweis’ state and federal campaign accounts deserve more of an explanation by the Oberweis campaign. Too much is at stake with this congressional seat playing a crucial role in which party controls the U.S. House next year. We are publicly calling on Jim Oberweis to issue a complete and thorough response addressing each of the points raised by the Rezin campaign and the State’s Attorney.”
A copy of the most recent state and federal reports filed by Oberweis’ state Senate and congressional campaign show a few instances of overlap.
Oberweis’ state fund wrote a $1,000 check to David Rickert’s bid for Kane County Board chairman on Dec. 10, and Oberweis’ congressional fund got a check for $100 from Rickert on Jan. 15.
In October, DuPage County Board member Robert Larsen of Wheaton wrote a $500 check to Oberweis’ congressional campaign, and Larsen got a $500 check from Oberweis’ state Senate fund in November.
Rob Russell, a candidate for Kane County coroner, got $1,000 from Oberweis’ state fund in October and Russell gave $120 to Oberweis’ congressional fund in January.
*** UPDATE *** From candidate Oberweis…
At the request of a friend in Kendall County, I reached out to Karen Donnelly to talk about helping out her campaign because I was told she was a good conservative candidate and needed some fundraising help. The very day we talked – I mailed her a check.
At no point was there any quid pro quo that Donnelly would contribute to my campaign. I have donated to Republican candidates my entire adult life and the donation to Donnelly was no exception. Certainly, I hoped that at some point she might attend one of my events or contribute to my campaign, but that was never a requirement or a condition for her to receive my contribution. I would not be a good candidate if I did not ask others to help our campaign. It is a shame that something that was done as a favor to help a fellow Republican win has been so greatly distorted. Our campaign has not received any contribution from Donnelly nor was there an expectation then or now that she would contribute though at one point, she did indicate she would consider doing so.
Our campaign continues to gain traction because we are focused on the issues that voters care about – border security, healthcare and taxes. After the primary election, I am looking forward to working with all the Republican elected officials and Republican voters in this district to defeat Lauren Underwood and her political mentor Nancy Pelosi.
Joseph Palumbo went to federal prison two decades ago for fraud involving his family’s century-old construction business, which at the time had a hand in building virtually every major expressway in Chicago.
Now another firm connected to Palumbo is at the center of federal bribery charges filed this week as part of a sprawling political corruption probe, the Chicago Tribune has learned.
According to the indictment, political operative William Helm paid off then-Democratic state Sen. Martin Sandoval in 2018 in exchange for his help advancing a development in East Dundee on behalf of an unidentified construction firm referred to only as Company A.
The company was seeking approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation for a traffic signal and road construction as part of the project and hired Helm, a former IDOT manager, as a consultant, the charges alleged.
Helm then paid at least $5,000 in bribes over five months to Sandoval, who at the time was chairman of the influential Senate Transportation Committee, to help win IDOT approval for Company A, the charges stated.
While the two-page indictment does not name the company, sources told the Chicago Tribune it is controlled by Palumbo. Business and land records show Palumbo controls two firms involved in the development. Palumbo Management LLC, oversees the development while the other, PAL LLC, owns the land.
The Democratic primary opponent of Rep. Thaddeus Jones (D-Calumet City) recently ripped into the incumbent for his position on a bill last year to create a new state board that would have the power to cap some prescription drug prices.
“Thaddeus Jones voted against lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” the DeAndre Tillman mailer proclaims. “All the while pocketing thousands of dollars.” The claim is printed just above an image of two shaking hands, a bunch of hundred-dollar bills and several blister-packs of pharmaceuticals.
The mailer was referring to Rep. Will Guzzardi’s (D-Chicago) House Bill 3493, which failed to advance out of committee last year on a vote of 8-8. The pharmaceutical industry lobbied hard against the bill and a handful of Democrats on Guzzardi’s own committee turned on the chairman’s legislation.
Pharma insiders have said ever since House Speaker Michael Madigan appointed members to the chamber’s House Prescription Drug Affordability and Accessibility Committee last year that Madigan had helped the industry stack the panel’s membership against its own chairman.
Ironically enough, Rep. Jones is a co-sponsor of Guzzardi’s bill. But he wasn’t in committee last Wednesday when the committee took up the bill again, with similar results as last year. Numerous sources on both sides say that Rep. Jones refused to allow himself to be replaced on the committee with a substitute. The bill stalled for lack of enough votes to move it to the floor. It needed 10 votes and received 8.
“Being a leader means you show up to work every day,” Jones’ challenger Tillman said via press release after the bill failed to advance from committee the second time. “As your next State Representative, you may not always like my opinion. But I promise, I will never duck the tough votes, and I will never hide in a broom closet when I could be talking to concerned constituents.”
Proponents of the legislation point to a January poll of 1,000 Illinoisans which found that high percentages of people are worried about the affordability of prescription drugs, including 52 percent of folks with employer-based health insurance and 73 percent of those on Medicaid. According to the poll, 28 percent of respondents said they had not filled a prescription, cut the pills in half or skipped doses because of cost concerns. And 86 percent supported the creation of a government board to “examine the evidence and establish acceptable costs for the drug.”
The pharmaceutical industry has pulled out all stops against Guzzardi’s bill, and its lobbyists have so far managed to stop it in its tracks. Some claim that Guzzardi has refused to listen to their concerns, even though the sponsor filed a clarifying amendment last month. A couple of Democrats said in committee last week that they likely couldn’t vote for the bill on the floor in its current form.
In other words, despite all the machinations against his bill, Rep. Guzzardi appears to have some work to do. Jones didn’t respond to my request for comment, but the day after I told my newsletter subscribers about his no-show, Rep. Jones emailed my bookkeeper to inform her that he would not be renewing his Capitol Fax newsletter subscription, which was set to expire next month. “When capitol fax stops being a paid whore for personal pac and anyone who pays you money, I will reconsider,” he wrote.
Personal PAC is a pro-choice group that is spending big money against Rep. Jones because he didn’t vote for the Reproductive Health Act last year. Personal PAC is, like Jones, a newsletter subscriber.
However, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which hotly opposed Guzzardi’s bill and presumably approved of Jones taking a walk on the roll call, is currently an advertiser on my website, CapitolFax.com. Personal PAC is not an advertiser.
Rep. Jones reported spending $170,000 during the second half of 2019, with a lot of that going to campaign workers. He ended the year with a little over $7,000 in the bank, but has raised about $78K so far this year. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation has paid for a staffer and some mail in the past month.
Most of Tillman’s $77K raised this year has come from Personal PAC’s in-kind contributions. The group has so far reported spending almost $49K, including a mailer.
But Rep. Jones has the support of Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli’s vaunted “Z-Team,” which has a ton of experienced and capable precinct workers. That support generally translates into victory.
* Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) just told me that four nursing homes in her 49th Ward (where she is the Democratic committeeperson) have backed out of serving as polling places for next month’s primary over concerns about COVID-19. The Chicago Elections Board called her today to ask her for alternative site suggestions, Cassidy said.
This reluctance could easily spread to other sorts of facilities, including senior centers and schools. Hold on to your hats.
I’ve asked the Chicago Elections Board for comment. I’ll let you know.
*** UPDATE *** Chicago Elections Board…
Hi Rich,
In response to calls the Chicago Election Board has received from nursing homes, the Board will not be using any nursing homes that were previously designated to serve as Election Day polling places.
We are preparing mailings and emails to voters in the affected precincts to encourage use of Early Voting and Vote By Mail.
Replacement Election Day polling places for the affected precincts are not yet determined. We will be providing more information in the coming week.
Regards,
Jim
*** UPDATE 4 *** Jim Allen at the Chicago Elections Board…
There are no other categories of polling places that are affected.
Allen also told me the board met with the CPS CEO yesterday and two officials from Chicago Archdiocese, as well as the Park District and the Chicago Public Library.
“Right now, our biggest fear is fear itself,” Allen said.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Jim Allen at the Chicago Elections Board…
Hi Rich,
Am writing to update the information provided late Friday.
The Chicago Election Board has modified the pre-Election Day nursing-home voting program, so that is entirely Vote By Mail.
We will not necessarily be changing all Election Day precincts that are in building complexes that include nursing-home components. There are locations with nursing home components in one building, but senior living in other areas, where the residents may want to continue to vote in a polling place in that building instead of going elsewhere to vote. Thus, Election Day precinct polling places are being evaluated individually and changed as needed.
Chicago voters may check their polling place information at chicagoelections.gov/info
Nursing homes are a perfect-storm environment for the coronavirus, pairing residents at greater risk of serious illness with facilities that may be ill-equipped to prevent the spread of infection within their walls and beyond.
Seventy-five percent of U.S. nursing homes have been cited for failing to properly monitor and control infections in the last three years — a higher proportion than previously known, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal inspection data. Those citations have been as mild as a paperwork problem, and as serious as a nursing home not telling state officials about an outbreak as unmonitored workers spread disease to patients.
Oregon, situated between the California and Washington hot spots, can test only about 40 people a day. Texas has 16 positive cases, according to media reports, but the health department’s website still lists only three cases. The Texas Tribune has reported that the state can test approximately 30 people a day.
Other states can test even fewer. Hawaii can test fewer than 20 people a day, though it could double that number in an emergency, an official told us. Iowa has supplies to test about 500 patients a day. Arkansas, though not near a current known outbreak, is able to test only four or five patients a day.
On the East Coast, testing capacity varies significantly. New York State has 22 positive cases, including several cases of community transmission in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It can test 100 to 200 people a day. Neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut have not shared any information about how many tests they have run, or about their daily testing capacity.
Pennsylvania can test only about a dozen people a day, and Delaware can test about 50 people, our survey found. An official in Massachusetts, where two of 20 tests have come back positive, said that she did not know the Bay State’s daily capacity, but that its health department “currently [has] an adequate supply of test kits.”
I’ve asked the governor’s office how many people can be tested every day in Illinois and am still waiting for a response. I will update if they get back to me.
*** UPDATE *** Uh-oh…
From AIPAC. "We have confirmed that at least two Policy Conference attendees from New York have tested positive for the Coronavirus." Numerous Congressional staff and lawmakers attended the conference
* Fifth Coronavirus Patient in Illinois Speaks Out From Hospital Bed: “I’m feeling a lot better,” he said in a phone interview with NBC 5’s Christian Farr. “I feel safe. I don’t want anybody to be alarmed or be too worried because obviously, it’s hard when you see case number five on the news, you don’t really know what that means.”
* Health officials urge commmon sense regarding the coronavirus: “Of course, a virus absolutely is scary, but there’s a very simple way to take care of it. In the U.S., as I understand it, the people who passed away from it just ignored the symptoms, and by the time they checked it out, it was too late.
* First Responders Are ‘Trying To Stay Ahead’ Of Coronavirus: Around the country EMS departments are preparing. One concern they share is a looming shortage of masks. State EMS directors are worried agencies could run out “in the next couple weeks,” says Leslee Stein-Spencer, a program advisor at the National Association of State EMS Officials. The shortage will have significant consequences, Stein-Spencer says. When workers get sick, it gets harder to keep ambulance services running. “If it comes to that point, you would look at alternate staffing measures, and you would look at, you know, triaging,” she says. “The sickest patients would come to the hospital and the others would not get an ambulance.”
S&P Global Ratings considers the Illinois governor’s fiscal 2021 budget proposal a step toward improving structural balance, building liquidity, and addressing pension liabilities, although it is a very small step. The proposed $42 billion fiscal 2021 budget calls for recurring revenues to fund recurring expenditures, assuming voters pass a graduated income tax constitutional-amendment ballot initiative in November, and the budget includes measures to attain balance if the vote fails. The largest step taken is toward attaining current-year structural stability without budget gimmicks or the use of one-time revenues, while applying reasonable economic assumptions. However, we do not consider the budget balanced, because the pension funding is statutorily set and is not at a level supported by a third-party actuary. In addition, the annual pension funding proposed still does not meet our static funding calculation.
The $1.4 billion budgeted to be received from the graduated income tax will be held back, and will only be distributed to the budgeted line items beginning Jan. 1, 2021, should the measure be passed. Should the graduated income tax measure not pass in November, the state would alter the budget by withholding $1.4 billion in proposed budgetary reserves (see details below).
Proposing a budget with this level of revenue uncertainty raises credit risks, but the passage of the graduated income tax is the administration’s primary goal. The new tax structure, if approved, would net about $3.6 billion in additional annual general fund revenues, enabling the state to address its lingering structural imbalance to some extent. We would view the successful passage of the proposed constitutional amendment as a further step toward fiscal progress, absent large expenditure reductions, since the full $3.6 billion would be incorporated into the fiscal 2022 budget. However, even with this additional money, the state will only make partial progress toward reducing the approximately $7 billion outstanding bill backlog as of Dec. 31, 2019. The bill backlog peaked at $16.7 billion in fiscal 2018 and has been reduced by almost $1 billion over the past year. However, since the backlog totals over 16% of the proposed budget’s general fund, these obligations greatly limit Illinois’ budget options.
Even with this outstanding backlog, the administration expects to request a $50 million deposit into the rainy day fund in fiscal 2020 and then another $50 million in fiscal 2021; the second is contingent on the passage of the graduated income tax amendment. We have cited the lack of reserves as a limiting credit factor in the past, and so while still a very small potential offset to revenue declines, these actions are mildly positive. The last notable step toward fiscal stability is a $100 million deposit in fiscal 2021 to improve the state’s pension position. Although this is a move in the right direction, the amount is still not meaningfully above the statutory (not actuarially recommended) level being funded and keeps the target funded ratio at 90% by 2045, considerably slower than that of higher-rated peers.
Another positive is that the state’s fiscal 2020 year-to-date revenues and expenditures are projected to result in a current-year operating surplus at fiscal year-end (June 30). While we anticipate stability in the near term, we do not expect the current or proposed budgets will materially improve the state’s credit profile, as the overall liquidity position and funding of pension and other post-employment benefit obligations remain below those of higher-rated peers, and the bill backlog remains significant.
“I’ve never said that we would solve all the problems in one year’s budget,” Pritzker said. “But I have said that it’s important that we are consistent and persistent at addressing the challenges that we have in the state.”
S&P also noted that there has been no word from a task force Pritzker created more than a year ago to recommend state assets that could be sold or transferred to infuse cash into the five statewide pension systems.
Pritzker said the group is still working on crafting legislation that would allow those transfers to take place.
“It isn’t the case today that you could just take an asset and move it into the five pension systems,” he said.
* I’ve been watching Lakesia Collins’ fundraising with amazement. She’s running in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Art Turner (D-Chicago). After ending last year with $105K in the bank, Collins has raised $188K since January 1. Tina Sfondeles and Lauren FitzPatrick took a look at how some of that money wound up in Collins’ account…
• On Nov. 20, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana gave $5,000 to Josina Morita, a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner who’s not facing reelection until 2022. On Dec. 13, Morita gave $5,000 to Collins. SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana has an ownership stake in the Sun-Times.
• On Jan. 28, the union gave $25,000 to Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), whose term runs out in 2023. On Feb. 7, Taylor gave $25,000 to Collins.
• On Feb. 1, the union gave $20,000 to Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), who then gave Collins the same amount on Feb. 22.
• On Dec. 18, the union gave $15,000 to [Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson], who then gave the same amount to Collins on Jan. 23.
SEIU Healthcare contributed $33,000 to Collins’ campaign. What they did above is only illegal if you can prove that SEIU Healthcare, where Collins is an employee, intended those contributions to others to wind up in Collins’ account in order to get around the state’s contribution caps. I mean, it looks that way, but proof is another matter. And then you have to convince a majority of the State Board of Elections to concur, and the board is evenly divided along partisan lines, so lots of stuff never gets resolved. And therein lies the rub.
* The Question: Should the State Board of Elections have an odd number of members to avoid partisan tie votes? Make sure to explain how that additional member would be chosen.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is scheduled to announce her presidential endorsement at a 1:30 p.m. press conference today, and it looks like U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will join her in endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden.
A Lightfoot press advisory says only that the mayor and Durbin, D-Ill., will endorse a candidate for president. But it also says they’ll be joined by U.S. Reps. including Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley and Bill Foster, all of which are with Biden.
* The CTU is not amused, but the union itself has taken a pass on an endorsement so far…
January 2020: “I’m certainly not endorsing somebody that has never bothered to reach out. So the other person that I haven’t heard from directly is Biden,” Lightfoot said.
We need a leader who will use his power and influence to heal the divides and bring us together. That’s why I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President.
As I have said from my first day as a candidate for this office, equity and inclusion must be our north star. Unfortunately, for the last three years we have seen these values completely trampled. Our Department of Justice is in a state of crisis, with fealty to the president more important to some than fairness or the rule of law.
By contrast, Joe Biden has a plan to strengthen our criminal justice system by reducing incarceration rates and rooting out racial and gender-based disparities.
I know President Biden will make Chicago a partner, not an adversary.
Joe is committed to rebuilding our middle class and expanding access to affordable health care, and I know he shares our vision for a stronger country where poverty is eradicated.
I believe that he can build a coalition – from small towns like Massillon, Ohio, where I grew up, to big cities like Chicago – that will unite people who want a better path forward. I believe he can win.
While our primary continues, I hope we’ll all be focused on the ultimate goal - victory in November. Because as Senator Sanders himself has said, “Donald Trump is the most dangerous President in American history.” And in the end, our party is united in understanding that threat.
I urge Democrats everywhere to join Joe Biden’s campaign and sign up at joebiden.com. I urge Independents and even Republicans to support Joe Biden for President. This election is about the future of our country and we don’t have a moment to waste.
Thank you,
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
…Adding… IEA…
Today Jill Biden, Ph.D., wife of Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden (D), talked with education leaders from across the state at the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Representative Assembly (RA). The IEA RA is the largest gathering of teachers, higher education faculty and support staff, education support staff, student educators and retired educators in the state.
“Public education matters. The primary in Illinois is a little more than a week away, and our educators are serious about voting for candidates who support public education,” IEA President Kathi Griffin said. “Our vote is our voice.”
More than 1200 educators are wearing red today in support of #RedforEd day at the IEA RA. #RedforEd is a grassroots movement that is inspiring large groups of educators to wear red in support of their students, schools and public education. All the democratic presidential candidates were invited to speak or send a surrogate to the IEA RA. After Biden addressed members during the official IEA RA, she, along with Griffin, visited with small groups of educators from across the state.
“There is nothing more important to our Democracy or the future of our nation than giving our children the kind of quality schools they deserve,” Biden said. “Educators, we are on the frontlines every day. We know what our kids need to grow, to be creative and inspired, to become the best versions of themselves.”
“Nearly everything that happens in our schools and on our college campuses is determined by a decision made outside of it,” Griffin said. “Our advocacy for our students can’t end with our work in the classroom. We need to make sure all our elected officials from school boards to the White House are people who support, value and advocate for the needs of public educators and our students.”
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and President of Rainbow PUSH Politician will join supporters at St. John AME Cathedral of Grace in Aurora, IL today at 3:00pm to denounce the racist and insensitive campaign tactics of appointed State Representative Barbara Hernandez, (D-83rd). Ms. Hernandez’s campaign has sent out multiple pieces of literature darkening the face of her Democratic Primary opponent, Juan Thomas, and other mailers photo-shopping a MAGA Hat (Make America Great Again) on his head.
“I am truly saddened and disappointed that Ms. Hernandez would allow her campaign to be run by people who would use racist and insensitive tactics to try to create an image of me that distorts my image and lies about my background. What is even more troubling is that Ms. Hernandez has not taken any responsibility for these actions and even went so far as to accuse me of darkening my own face in a recent Facebook post,” said Thomas. In support of Thomas, Rev. Jackson said, “We must win on a fair playing field. We must win with grace and lose and maintain your dignity. We must all be against racial, religious, gender bias or demeaning images.”
“The 83rd District, which includes Aurora and North Aurora, is a very diverse community of Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and whites. Aurora deserves leadership at every level that will work to bring our community together and not play into historical fears of the “scary black man” or fall prey to color-ism,” Thomas continued.
“I wish my opponent and I could debate our ideas for how we will work to improve the quality of life for all of the residents of the 83rd District. Our children are watching and they deserve better than this,” Thomas stated.
I want to address a false accusation that my opponent posted about me on social media.
Mr. Thomas used Photoshop to darken this entire campaign mailer and create a fake narrative to distract from his own record and the right-wing Republicans behind his campaign.
People in our community face real racism on a daily basis and these lies are an insult to their experiences. If Mr. Thomas is willing to lie about something as serious as this, what else will he lie about?
As the daughter of immigrants, I have spent my life standing up for minorities in the face of adversity. I will continue to be a strong voice for minority communities and work to lift us up, not tear us down.
Friday, Mar 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
To highlight the needs of those suffering from kidney failure, organizations from across the state have come together to create the Illinois Kidney Care Alliance (IKCA), a coalition of health advocates and professionals, community and patient groups, providers, and businesses. IKCA is focused on raising awareness of the needs of people who suffer from kidney failure.
IKCA is proud to count U.S. Renal Care among its inaugural members. As providers, U.S. Renal Care partners with nephrologists to provide quality service to patients who are living with chronic and acute renal disease.
In Illinois, more than 30,000 people suffer from kidney failure and over 100,000 Americans await a kidney transplant. IKCA’s goal is to protect the most vulnerable – those currently on life-sustaining dialysis and their families. For more information, please visit our website.
A pair of controversial new campaign ads from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis has enraged immigrant rights advocates, who contend the message decrying illegal immigration is racist and relies on misleading data. […]
“Illegal aliens are coming here to take American workers’ jobs, drive down wages and take advantage of government benefits such as free health care, and you pay,” Oberweis says in one of the spots. “How many? Ten thousand illegal aliens a day. Enough to fill Soldier Field every single week.”
When asked about the ad, Oberweis said: “It was a mistake. I wish that I hadn’t (done the ad), yes…it was poorly done.” But he believes he can get past it.
Democratic presidential debate moderator: Raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.
Oberweis 2020: Unbelievable. They all support using your tax dollars to give you illegal aliens free healthcare. I predicted this could happen.
Oberweis 2004: Aliens are coming here but make advantage of government benefits but your free health care. You pay.
Oberweis 2020: I was right on this issue then, and I’m right now. Send me to Congress and I’ll stand with President Trump to make sure our tax dollars are used to help Americans, not illegal aliens. I’m Jim oberweis, and I approve this message.
* Meanwhile, Ogden & Fry has a new poll of 535 likely voters which shows the race is tighter than some believed. This pollster uses robocalls and only polls people who’ve already voted in GOP primaries, so keep that in mind. Click the pic for full results…
Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski is resigning from office later this month, he said in a letter dated Friday.
Tobolski’s resignation letter addressed to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle did not give a reason for his pending departure. His resignation takes effect March 31.
FBI agents raided the village headquarters of suburban McCook, where he is mayor, on Sept. 26. The raid came on the same day as federal law enforcement authorities descended on the Village Hall in nearby Lyons and two days after raids on the offices and home of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes both towns.
Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, said he was “surprised” by the decision and “as a human being, I feel for him and his family.”
“As a colleague I wish him well and I hope he’ll be able to use the time to address whatever issues he’s struggling with,” Morrison said. “I wish him well in addressing them. In light of the reported stories, it’s probably for the best for his constituents in the 16th District.”
Friday, Mar 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Across Illinois, communities are struggling to stay above water. Meanwhile, clean energy jobs in our state are growing faster than the rest of our economy. The question now is, who will benefit?
Hundreds of low-income and people of color are already in good-paying jobs because the state is funding training programs that make sure everyone shares in the new clean energy economy. The popularity of these programs and the demand for clean energy jobs continues to grow.
This spring, Gov. Pritzker and the General Assembly can choose to double down on equity in our energy economy by passing transformative legislation that will create good jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in communities of color and communities too often left behind.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act is the only comprehensive, equitable energy bill that puts Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy, lowers electricity costs, and reduces transportation pollution.
We need to take bold action on climate and create economic opportunities in communities that need them the most.
It’s time to pass CEJA now! Visit ilcleanjobs.org to learn more.
Friday, Mar 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In addition to supporting the state’s economy with more than 246,000 jobs across Illinois, biopharmaceutical innovators support policies to help ensure Illinoisans can afford and access their medicines. Our companies are committed to being part of the solution and support commonsense measures to lower what patients are paying at the pharmacy counter. We also want to serve as a resource for people who may be struggling by providing resources they can use now while legislators work toward addressing growing health care costs.
PhRMA’s Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT) is a free online platform that connects eligible patients and caregivers with information about 900+ public and private assistance programs designed to help them afford their medicines. Visit mat.org to see what help might be available.
Friday, Mar 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Mike Bloomberg has always valued philanthropy. So, Cap Fax commenters, for your awareness and consideration, here are some charities we care deeply about:
* Woke up with an eye stye and I’ve been miserable ever since. Trying to read and write with one eye closed is no fun, either. So, I’m giving up and going back to bed. You’re on your own for a couple two/tree hours. Be nice to each other and please keep the discussion Illinois-centric. Thanks.
Rep. Yoni Pizer on Thursday released his first television ad ahead of the March 17 Democratic primary election. The ad, “Light,” which features Mayor Lightfoot, one of Pizer’s early endorsers, will appear on targeted local cable television channels through the election.
The script for “Light” is as follows:
Mayor Lightfoot: “I’m Mayor Lightfoot, and I’m here to tell you why I’m supporting my friend, Yoni Pizer, for State Rep. Whether it’s on equality issues, the environment, or making sure our government stands for ethics, Yoni is on the right side of all these issues.
And plus, he’s a really nice guy.
Rep. Pizer: Thank you Mayor, and I’m grateful for your support. I look forward to bringing the light to Springfield, fighting for meaningful ethics reform, protecting the right to choose, and promoting clean energy legislation.
In addition to the endorsement of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Rep. Pizer has been endorsed by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congressman Mike Quigley, Senator Sara Feigenholtz, Alderman Tom Tunney, Alderman Michele Smith, Personal PAC, Equality Illinois, and others.
In addition to serving as Congressman Quigley’s community liaison and running two small businesses, Rep. Pizer has been a grassroots organizer for Democratic candidates for several decades. Rep. Pizer lives with his husband, Brad Lippitz, in East Lakeview, where they have raised their two sons. Rep. Pizer is the first openly gay representative of Illinois’ 12th District, which includes the neighborhoods of the Gold Coast, Near North, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and Buena Park.
William Helm, the former deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation and a Chicago political insider, was facing federal charges Thursday claiming that he bribed former state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
An indictment handed down on Thursday accuses Helm and his consulting company of offering the bribes in exchange for state approval for a development project in East Dundee.
A two-page indictment Thursday said Helm and his consulting company were hired by “Construction Company A” to try to get the Illinois Department of Transportation to approve roadwork that Company A wanted to do in East Dundee.
Helm allegedly bribed Martin Sandoval, then chairman of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee, to push IDOT to give Company A the approval it wanted.
According to the indictment, Helm was retained in 2018 by a construction company that was seeking IDOT approval for a signalization and road construction project in East Dundee.
At the time, Sandoval was the head of the influential Senate Transportation Committee.
The indictment alleged Helm paid bribes of at least $5,000 to Sandoval between July and November 2018 in exchange for the senator’s influence in helping the project gain IDOT approval.
The company was referred to in the indictment only as Company A. Helm’s consulting company also was not identified, but records show he owns WAH Consulting LLC, which has a principal address in Schaumburg.
Helm could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening. But his name has previously surfaced in search warrants relating to the feds’ ongoing investigations, records show. One was used when the FBI searched Sandoval’s Springfield offices in September. Another came a short time later, when the feds hit the tiny southwest suburb of McCook and the offices of its mayor, Jeff Tobolski, who is also a Cook County commissioner.
A source said Helm and Tobolski “are very close, political allies.” Helm is also a longtime friend of Tobolski’s top county aide, Patrick Doherty.
The feds charged Doherty last month with three bribery counts related to his work as a paid consultant for the red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC. His indictment alleges he conspired in 2017 with another sales agent and someone with an interest in SafeSpeed to pay off a relative of an Oak Lawn trustee to support the installation of cameras. […]
Helm also worked as a paid sales representative for SafeSpeed while on the city payroll, the Chicago Sun-Times has reported. The company paid him a commission on red-light tickets written in Matteson and Glendale Heights, records show.
SafeSpeed has officially denied any involvement, of course.
Helm isn’t well known, like some of the politicians he works for. But for decades, he’s been a old-school Chicago operator who has marshaled “volunteers” — often city employees — to circulate petitions and get out the vote for politicians. He also has used his contacts with bar and restaurant owners to hold fundraisers for campaigns, sources say.
He has gotten one plum government job after another, despite a history of disciplinary actions taken against him. In his latest job, at O’Hare, he got into trouble after being accused of allowing one of his workers to bring his wedding party onto the airfield for photos — without security clearance. In August, Helm abruptly resigned from that post, which paid him more than $125,000 a year.
Helm, 55, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, has deep ties to politicians as well as business owners who need friends in government — some of who’ve drawn the interest of the FBI and the IRS. […]
Helm is a longtime friend of Rick Heidner, a video-gaming magnate who was named in search warrants as part of the investigation. Heidner hasn’t been charged with any crime and says he’s done nothing wrong.
Helm is part of former Ald. Patrick O’Connor’s North Side political operation, but O’Connor said recently he doesn’t know what’s going on with Helm, only that he stopped working for the city in recent months. […]
Helm — who formerly worked at the Illinois Department of Transportation and resigned after being accused of having 41 hours of personal conversations on his phone during work hours — wouldn’t say whether federal agents have approached him.
When drivers get red-light camera tickets in Matteson, a portion of their fines has been going to a recently retired deputy Chicago city aviation commissioner who’s at the center of a political corruption investigation, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
Bill Helm — a $125,000-a-year deputy aviation commissioner overseeing airfield maintenance at O’Hare Airport until he quit in August — also was a paid sales representative for SafeSpeed, LLC, while on the city payroll, the records show.
SafeSpeed paid Helm, who’d held the city aviation post since 2014, a commission on red-light tickets written in Matteson and also Glendale Heights, the records show. Glendale Heights ended its affiliation with the red-light camera operator in 2018, officials said. […]
Helm didn’t disclose the outside work to City Hall, as required for any “secondary employment,” a spokesman said. Nor did he inform the Chicago Board of Ethics of outside income.
Matteson and Glendale Heights officials told the Sun-Times they knew nothing about nothing.
