* 2:11 pm - We’re beginning to see several challenges filed to nominating petitions today. You can watch them come in by clicking here. Post new challenges in comments if you’d like.
…Adding… You can watch the Cook County withdrawals and challenges come in by clicking here.
The petitions of Democratic lt. governor candidates Sen. Terry Link, Rep. Mike Boland and Tom Castillo have all been hit by the same person, who I believe is connected to LG candidate Scott Lee Cohen. A few legislative candidates have also been challenged so far. Keep in mind that a challenge doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody will be kicked off the ballot.
Democratic state Rep. Julie Hamos has personally filed a petition challenge against a Green Party candidate for the 10th Congressional District. This is no normal Greenie, as Hamos’ press release makes clear…
Richard Mayers, an admitted Nazi, filed for candidacy for Congress in the 10th District under the Green Party. Hamos will challenge signatures and other discrepancies on his petition.
It is clear that Mayers wants to bring his message of hate and intolerance to a significantly Jewish district. Julie Hamos is not going to let that happen.
Mayers has a history of anti-Semitic activity throughout the Chicago area. He is a member of the Creative Movement, a known hate group formerly known as the World Church of the Creator. Mayers is an associate of white supremacist Matthew Hale, founder of the World Church. Hale is currently serving a federal prison sentence for threatening a federal judge.
In 2005, Mayers attempted to organize a rally for white supremacists in Berwyn. Also that year, he was charged with destroying Holocaust-related materials at a public library in Riverside.
Hamos is the daughter of Auschwitz survivors.
* Also, a few candidates have withdrawn today, including state Rep. Annazette Collins, who bowed out of the 7th Congressional District race after incumbent Danny Davis decided to run for reelection. As expected, Ald. Ed Smith dropped out of the Collins House district contest. Collins also filed for reelection, and she’ll apparently stay in that race. Click here to watch the withdrawals and post new ones in comments if you’d like.
…Adding… There’s been some misconception in comments and elsewhere that Republican US Senate candidate Patrick Hughes withdrew. Even the Peoria paper made the mistake today…
Attorney Patrick Hughes already has withdrawn his bid for the Republican nomination in the crowded race.
That line has now been corrected online…
Attorney Patrick Hughes withdrew his bid for the Republican nomination in the crowded race on a technicality issue; however, he refiled his petitions for U.S. Senate.
This happens a lot. Candidates withdraw petitions then refile other petitions. But if you don’t know what you’re doing you can easily make the mistake of thinking that a candidate has withdrawn because it says so at the State Board of Elections website. Here’s the easy way to figure it out: Just search for “active” candidates by name if you have any doubts. Hughes is still listed as an active candidate.
*** UPDATE *** Uh-oh…
Northwest Side State Rep. Deb Mell may have screwed up her nominating petitions, with a real risk that she’ll be knocked off the February Democratic primary ballot.
A challenge filed Monday afternoon by an attorney for Joseph Laiacona, the only other remaining candidate in the 40th District race, contends that Ms. Mell is not registered to vote at her apparently new address. By law, all candidates are supposed to be registered at the address they use for their nominating petitions.
Ms. Mell — the sister-in-law of ousted Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the daughter of Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) — was not immediately available for comment. But the challenge was filed by Richard K. Means, one of the best election-law lawyers in the business.
“While Deborah L. Mell may reside at said address (on West Melrose Avenue), she was not on the day she swore to and signed” the official statement of candidacy that is filed with nominating petitions, the challenge states. “Because Deborah L. Mell is not a duly registered voter at the address from which she seeks to be a candidate, the nominating petitions are invalid in their entirety.”
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mike Lawrence vents about the lack of competitive legislative politics and state gridlock in general…
Three dozen of the 118 House members have no foe, and scores have only token opposition. On the Senate side, eight of the 21 seats on the ballot apparently are uncontested, and few races loom as truly competitive.
All of which would be less difficult to abide if the fortification of incumbents led to fortitude in policymaking. But the vast majority have ducked the hard decisions on taxes and spending essential to fiscal stability.
The absence of courage, the contempt for responsible governance, the lack of fiscal integrity, the surrender to political expediency and self-preservation severely test the resolve of those who have resisted term limits as a pseudo-solution that empowers unelected bureaucrats and legislative staff. Yet, we need to get past the frustration and redouble our efforts to force later primaries, a constituent-oriented method of drawing legislative districts and more accountability from rank-and-file lawmakers as well as their leaders.
* The Question: Do you support term limits for legislators and statewide officials? Explain thoroughly, please.
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Campaign 2010
Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Not too much shocks me these days, but I have to admit that this development did catch me off guard…
Dan Proft secured the endorsement of Schaumburg Township GOP precinct captains in his Republican primary bid for governor. The Chicago resident with suburban ties called Thursday night’s endorsement a “big win” for his campaign.
The Schaumburg Township Republicans have obviously moved far to the right of where they were back in the “good ol’ days” of that organization. Interesting development, to say the least.
* ABC7’s Charles Thomas took a look at petition checkers over the weekend…
Petition checkers at Chicago Election Board might be working overtime this weekend as campaign workers look for reasons to knock candidates off the ballot for races in the 2010 election.
The [checkers are] reviewing petitions, hoping to find reasons to challenge signatures gathered by opposing candidates.
Petition checkers are the secret soldiers of so many political armies. Dozens of people–most of whom would not reveal their names– were using every available computer terminal on three different floors Friday at the Chicago Board of Elections.
When asked what he was looking for, one checker told ABC7 Chicago, “I’d rather not go into the discussion. I’m just following my instructions.”
* Sneed…
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kirk Dillard politely chided primary opponent Andy McKenna on his “new hair expertise” prior to the GOP gubernatorial candidates debate at the Hilton Chicago Thursday. “I’m amazed he didn’t show up in the ‘Blago wig’ he uses in his commercials,” quipped Dillard.
• $$$$: Dillard and McKenna have heavyweights helping fill their campaign coffers: Dillard has business titans Fred Krehbiel and Ron Gidwitz; McKenna has Craig Duchossois and his wealthy father, Andy McKenna Sr.
* The SJ-R looks at the campaign finance reform bill…
SCENARIO: Donations are coming in quickly to candidates in the final weeks before the election. Candidate A receives more than 20 donations worth $1,000 or more apiece, and another 10 worth between $500 and $1,000. How would those be disclosed?
Reform advocates did make some disclosure concessions.
Right now, in the 30 days leading up to elections, candidates have to disclose any donations they receive of $500 or more within two days of getting those donations. The new law would bump that threshold up to $1,000 or more.
Why? Morrison said it was a calculated move. They traded the higher threshold for year-round reporting in hopes of getting faster information about large donations, which raise more questions about influence peddling.
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column covers much of the same ground that we talked about here all last week…
“Tea party fever” is to the Republican Party what the H1N1 virus is to the general populace. It’s spreading fast and it’s potentially dangerous.
Establishment Republican politicians all over the country are becoming more freaked out by the angry, anti-tax, anti-illegal immigration, anti-Obama, anti-whatever tea party protestors and are mimicking their rhetoric. Even in Illinois, where top GOP politicians mostly took a pass on the harsher aspects of the “Reagan Revolution” rhetoric of the past 30 years - not wanting to alienate the general electorate - the trend is becoming obvious.
At a recent Republican gubernatorial forum sponsored by a tea party group, the normally staid and ever-mainstream conservative state Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) actually called President Barack Obama a “socialist.” Dillard, you may recall, appeared in a TV ad for Obama during the presidential campaign. Dillard revealed last week that he knew Obama was a socialist all along because Obama’s health care proposals in the Illinois Senate were so far to the left. That one left me scratching my head. Why would Dillard knowingly push an obvious commie for president of the United States?
During that same tea party debate, and at another forum two days later, state Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) vowed to stop the federal government from dragging Illinoisans into any federal health care reform plans no matter what. Brady also said the tragic shooting at Fort Hood last week might have been prevented with concealed carry laws, even though the military base is in Texas, a state which allows concealed carry. The very next day, another lone gunman shot up an office building in Florida, killing one and injuring several others. Florida also allows trained citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Also at the tea party debate, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who is the only pro-choice candidate in an otherwise staunchly pro-life group of candidates, denied that humans have anything to do with global warming. The other candidates agreed.
Former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna, who hobnobs with more insiders than just about anybody, continued to insist last week beyond all available evidence that he is a true political “outsider.”
Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan declared that if elected he would roll back the minimum wage by 75 cents per hour.
And then there was Republican Congressman and current U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk practically begging for kind words from the far right’s darling, Sarah Palin. Kirk had said some nice things about Palin when she was first named as John McCain’s running mate last year, then flip-flopped and said harsh things, but there he was last week once again cozying up to her.
The politics of this aren’t too hard to figure out, particularly for the gubernatorial candidates. The GOP’s right wing is angry and energized and will vote in comparatively large numbers in the February primary. Alienate them and off the island you go.
Even so, the candidates all need to take a deep breath and try to realize how silly they’ll look to general election voters if they keep this up and do manage to win that primary race. They’re so fearful of being attacked from the right that they’re in danger of making themselves unelectable when the rest of the voting public enters the picture.
On paper, at least, the Republicans have a good chance of winning next year. Disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich goes on trial in the summer. Both Democratic candidates for governor - Comptroller Dan Hynes and Gov. Pat Quinn - are fighting over who has the “better” tax increase. Every Democratic U.S. Senate candidate has flaws that the GOP can easily exploit.
Also, last week’s national off-year results showed horrific turnout among Democrats and African-Americans in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections. The African-American vote was almost 30 percent lower in Virginia compared with four years ago.
But if the Republicans aren’t careful, they’re going to spout one too many far-right talking points and demonstrate to Illinois general election voters that they can’t be trusted. I know they gotta do what they gotta do to get past the primary, but they need to keep their eyes on the big prize.
* Related…
* GOP gov candidates court Will County
* Governor lauds troops at art exhibit
* A Battle over Unity brewing in Oak Lawn
* Governor candidates split on health care
* Hamos up with pro-public option ad
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Davis drops out of county race
Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As I told subscribers this morning, Congressman Danny Davis has decided to run for reelection. Davis had filed for both county board president and congress. The AP talked to Davis…
Davis tells The Associated Press that he decided to seek re-election because he and three other black candidates running in the Cook County race would have competed for the same base of voters. He says he’ll give further details at a news conference later in the morning.
More…
“I always said that if there were four candidates coming from the same political base, that it mitigated against one of those individuals being successful,” Davis told The Associated Press.
He said he may endorse another candidate, but he had not made up his mind.
That endorsement could be important. The field might be further winnowed if Todd Stroger’s petitions are as bad as rumored. We’ll just have to wait and see.
* Related…
* Quinn sets stage for sales tax rollback
* Governor signs Cook County veto bill
* Now it’s time to scale back that tax
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* This isn’t the first time that David Hoffman’s campaign has made this claim. It’s apparently false. Oops…
Former Chicago city inspector general David Hoffman today proposed reforms of the financial industry, including creation of a consumer watchdog agency and curbs on interest rates. But he misfired when he used that message to take a shot at a Feb. 2 rival for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. […]
“Mr. Giannoulias made a campaign promise that he would not accept corporate PAC money. But he’s a banker and apparently made an exception to take PAC money from the banking industry. That is something I won’t do,” Hoffman said in a statement.
Hoffman’s campaign cited the Federal Election Commission Web site which shows that Giannoulias’ Senate campaign in June got a $500 donation from the Community Bankers of Illinois federal PAC.
Trouble is, the Giannoulias campaign returned the check…
“David is flat-out wrong. As a candidate for U.S. Senate, Alexi Giannoulias has never accepted any campaign contributions from the Community Bankers Association,” Giannoulias spokeswoman Kati Phillips said in a statement. “He owes the public an explanation as to why he would make this irresponsible accusation, and he owes Alexi an apology.”
*** UPDATE *** The Hoffman campaign has apologized, which is something you almost never see…
“It was an honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless,” Powell wrote. “For that, we apologize to the Giannoulias campaign. We believe there should be a vigorous debate in this campaign, but it should always be based on an honest discussion of the facts and an accurate airing of our differences.”
At the same time, Powell said Giannoulias should agree to five debates.
“Just as you deserve our apology, the citizens of Illinois deserve a full and robust debate on the major issues in this campaign,” Powell wrote.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* Meanwhile, Giannoulias contines to rack up the endorsements…
llinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is set to receive the endorsement today of Illinois’ highest-ranking Hispanic elected official, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate. […]
Gutierrez, who is Puerto Rican, endorsed Giannoulias even though another candidate in the race, former city of Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, has a Puerto Rican grandmother.
Giannoulias has the endorsement of 10 Hispanic state legislators and Chicago aldermen. This makes four congressional endorsements for Giannoulias. Rival Cheryle Jackson has two.
* If this is what Cheryle Jackson’s campaign is gonna be like, then she’s in for a very rough little trip…
She used to be known as Cheryle Jackson. That’s the name she used as a spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich and as president of the Chicago Urban League. But after she launched her Senate campaign, she decided to use the name Cheryle Robinson Jackson.
She uses her maiden name on her Web site and press releases — but not on the ballot. There, she’ll be listed simply as Cheryle Jackson.
That’s a really stupid mistake. I’m guessing that Jackson changed the name she uses after her petitions went out.
* The DCCC goes off-message on GOP US Senate candidate Mark Kirk…
DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen said during a C-SPAN interview Sunday that Kirk is a “moderate,” contradicting his own organizations efforts to paint him as the opposite and undermining attempts by Senate Democratic opponents to do the same.
The US Senate Democrats have actually been all over the place, sending reporters links from conservative media attacking Kirk as a liberal and blasting Kirk as Bush lapdog. But they rarely if ever use the “moderate” moniker.
Of course, to be fair, Kirk has been all over the map as well.
* Related…
* Hughes: “I’m the Real Republican in the U-S Senate Race”
* Press release: Kirk defies Pelosi’s claim her bill “puts you and your doctor in charge”
* Chicago Minutemen Project endorses Zadek for U.S. Senate
* Healthy Competition or Civil War?
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Morning Shorts
Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Top cop ‘nervous’ about likely retirement surge
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said Friday he is “extremely nervous” that a wave of police retirements next year — after an arbitrator rules on the new police contract — will stretch a burgeoning manpower shortage beyond levels he considers safe.
Roughly 1,000 officers are eligible to retire now that Mayor Daley has promised to extend premium health benefits to officers who call it quits at 55. But many are waiting until the contract is settled in hopes that a raise will lock in a higher rate of retirement pay.
The Police Department has 600 sworn vacancies and is 2,000 officers short of authorized strength.
After hiring only 46 police officers this year, Daley’s 2010 budget uses federal stimulus funds to add just 86 officers, 30 of them for the CTA.
* Some Chicago aldermen say they’re frustrated at the continued lack of diversity in the top ranks of the police department.
* Speeding tickets get tossed, but no LIDAR letup
* Speeding tickets: Use of laser guns in Chicago to catch speeders is questioned
* DUI case might lead judge to rule on LIDAR
A Skokie lawyer’s challenge of a speeding ticket that also led to his client being charged with DUI may finally provide the test case that will restore some sanity to how accused speeders are treated in Chicago’s Traffic Court.[…]
Livas has asked a Traffic Court judge to hold what in legal circles is known as a “Frye hearing” — during which the burden will be on prosecutors to prove that LIDAR technology is scientifically proven to be reliable.
Cheering him on — but only to a point — are both the Cook County state’s attorney and Chicago corporation counsel’s offices, which have been seeking exactly such a test case for the local court to establish the presumed validity of LIDAR speed calculations.
* It’s our money
The city’s 160 tax increment financing districts, or TIFs, have generated more than half a billion dollars in property taxes in each of the last two years — money that’s off-limits when it comes to balancing the budget. The average taxpayer isn’t particularly sympathetic to the legal explanation for that, especially in hard times. Our property taxes are going into a mayoral slush fund while the city can’t afford to pick up the trash?
* Lawsuit over contracts could hurt watchdog
It ranks among the strangest-sounding lawsuits ever. The City of Chicago is suing the City of Chicago to reveal what advice the City of Chicago gave to city employees over a questionable city contract.[…]
The inspector general hasn’t publicly identified the contract it’s investigating, but the Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that it involved former city employee and Cook County Commissioner Charles Bowen, who was awarded a $100,000 no-bid contract to recruit and retain minority police officers.
* Prosecutors seek Northwestern journalism students’ grades
Cook County prosecutors have outraged the university and the journalism community by issuing subpoenas to professor David Protess seeking his students’ grades, his syllabus and their private e-mails. Prosecutors claim since the team was made up of students, they may have been under pressure to prove the case to get a good grade.
It’s a first for Protess and his investigative reporting students, who have helped free 11 innocent men from prison, including death row, since 1996. Their work also is credited with prompting then-Gov. George Ryan to empty the state’s death row in 2003, re-igniting a national debate on the death penalty.
* School board chief asks kids: ‘How can I help?’
Rides bus with Fenger students to show safety is a big concern
* Fourth teen charged in Fenger beating
With the arrest of a 14-year-old, Chicago Police say they now have charged the four “main offenders who struck the critical blows” that killed Fenger High School honors student Derrion Albert, but they’re still looking for three others.
* Ex-state health official indicted for misconduct
* Bus driver charged with lying about beating by cop
* You’re next, Ike
After traffic-snarling projects on other interstates, I-290 resurfacing to begin in April
* Track work to slow L next weekend
* Ads target sexual harassment on CTA
* 51,000 in city vaccinated in a week
Chicago Department of Public Health officials say they’ve vaccinated almost 51,000 people against the swine flu in seven days.
* Flu having an impact in central Illinois
And the Illinois Department of Public Health reported eight new flu deaths Friday, bringing the total deaths since April to 36.
* School districts’ salary gaps don’t always affect test scores
Teachers’ pay determined by many factors including experience and cost of living, but rarely based on student performance
* Illinois Math and Science Academy named Intel’s top school nationally for science excellence
* Fed money to target foreclosed Southland homes
* Laid-off workers tapping 401(k) funds to survive
* New Chicago Numbers Get New Area Code
* Want to make your e-mail disappear?
Software in the works erases sensitive data from Internet after a specified time — so it doesn’t last forever
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