Illinois’ financial mess is hurting almost every entity in the state, and school districts have felt the pain in their budgets as much as any.
Transportation or special education reimbursements have not been paid this year, for example, and when the Illinois State Board of Education’s annual financial rankings came out in mid-April, some districts pointed right back at the state.
Meridian’s ranking dropped to “early warning,” with a score of 2.8 out of 4. Rankings are based on revenue to fund balance, expenditure to revenue ratio, and days cash on hand.
“The way I look at it, of course we’d like to have (a score) somewhere in the 3s, but we’ve been using some of our reserves because the state has underfunded us,” Meridian Superintendent Dan Brue said. “It’s ironic they come out with these rankings when our rankings go down because we’re not getting the money from the state like they promised us.” […]
State revenue accounts for about 35.5 percent of Meridian’s budget, Brue said, and the state owes the district more than $412,000.
* Mayor Emanuel reacted today to the governor’s latest plan to sell the Thompson Center. Click here for background. Click here for raw audio…
This is a political stunt. He could have signed the pension parity bill. He could’ve, 22 months ago he could’ve introduced a balanced budget that fully funded education. And he’s spending more time on the Thompson Center in the last three days than he has spent in the last 22 months on the entire budget and funding education.
There’s that pension bill again.
* Mayor Emanuel had earlier released a statement about how Gov. Rauner should focus on passing a budget, and here’s the governor’s response…
The mayor’s correct. We should have a balanced budget. We should’ve had a balanced budget 18 months ago. He should ask the speaker why he’s held that up.
* Rauner also asked reporters why Emanuel was throwing up “artificial roadblocks” on the project and then said…
It seems to be a tag-team effort between the mayor and the speaker to come up with delaying tactics… It’s being held up by the mayor and the speaker for political reasons. This should not be tolerated.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Friday that he was “not sure what today’s outburst was about.” The speaker’s staff has been meeting with staff from the mayor’s and governor’s offices “multiple times a week on trying to move this project along,” Brown said.
That the idea to sell the notoriously dilapidated office building, and the prime city block on which it sits, has become a sparring ground for the Republican governor and his Democratic adversaries is the latest sign of the deep political stalemate that’s overtaken Illinois.
Democrats agree with Rauner that the Thompson Center, which is used as office space for about 2,200 state employees, is a troubled building. Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton moved their offices and staffs to a nicer building across the street years ago.
“I don’t think there’s any disagreement by the speaker’s office or the staff that the state could do better than (the Thompson Center),” Brown said.
IL-06: Rep. Peter Roskam (R) - Chicago west suburbs: Wheaton, Palatine
Lean Republican. Roskam was first elected in the Democratic wave year of 2006 over current Sen. Tammy Duckworth, but hasn’t had a tough race since. Now, after Hillary Clinton carried this suburban Chicago seat by 7 points, there’s a deluge of Democratic interest. Local college trustee Amanda Howland, who took 41 percent last year, is running again, but most early buzz is about Iraq veteran and former Veterans Affairs official Maura Sullivan.
IL-13: Rep. Rodney Davis (R) - South central: Champaign, Decatur, Springfield
Likely Republican. Downstate Illinois has trended away from Democrats, and Davis appeared to have locked down this seat after taking 60 percent last year. But in a wave environment, this Democratic-drawn seat could still come into play. Democratic state Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana is in, but she comes from the liberal corner of the district. Democrats’ preferred candidate would be state Sen. Andy Manar, who comes from the rural southern end of the seat.
IL-14: Rep. Randy Hultgren (R) - Chicago north and west exurbs: Batavia, McHenry
Likely Republican. In 2012, Democrats drew this district to pack GOP voters, but these outer Chicago suburbs only voted for President Trump 48 percent to 45 percent. Hultgren’s voting record has been reliably conservative. It’s still a long-shot for Democrats, but there’s some local interest in Navy veteran and high school teacher Victor Swanson, who just announced. This seat would only come into play if there’s a big anti-GOP wave. [Emphasis added.]
* The Question: Should Andy Manar run against Rodney Davis, even though the district is ranked “Likely Republican”? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Illinois senators have overwhelmingly endorsed an automatic-voter registration plan two years in the making.
The measure would automatically register qualified voters when they visit Secretary of State’s offices and a handful of other state agencies unless they decide to opt out. It moves to the House after a 48-0 vote in the Senate on Friday. Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill is sponsoring the measure. He says it would streamline voter registration and bolster participation.
A previous version passed both chambers last fall but Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed it over concerns it didn’t do enough to prevent voter fraud. Manar says this version addresses nearly all of the governor’s concerns.
When 14-year-old Susan Tatelli goes out to eat with her family, they usually stick to a handful of tried-and-true places – not for lack of wanting to explore but because Tatelli, who has a peanut allergy, knows she’ll be safe at the usual spots.
“You really have to grill the restaurant staff, and a lot of times you have to ask to talk to the chef to make sure there wasn’t going to be any cross-contamination issues,” she said. “There weren’t a lot of places I ever went out to eat. We had a short list of restaurants we knew were good with my allergies.”
On one occasion Tatelli said her family was told not to eat in a restaurant because they couldn’t “accommodate” her allergies. “We just left,” she said.
Proposed legislation requiring restaurants to provide food allergen training could make the dining experience more palatable to people who have food allergies, like Tatelli.
The bill would require restaurants to have managers undergo accredited food allergen awareness and safety training within 30 days of being hired (recertification would be required every three years). Restaurants would also be required to have at least one manager who’s received that training on site at all times while the restaurant is open.
Illinois customers stubbornly hanging on to your old landline telephone service, AT&T has a new plan for you: Switch to a modern alternative or face disconnection.
With traditional landline service dwindling to less than 10 percent of Illinois households in its territory, AT&T is pushing legislation in Springfield that, pending Federal Communications Commission approval, would allow it to unplug the aging voice-only network and focus on the wireless and internet-based phone offerings that have supplanted it.
“We’re investing in a technology that consumers have said they don’t want anymore and wasting precious hundreds of millions of dollars that could be going to the new technologies that would do a better job of serving customers,” said Paul La Schiazza, AT&T Illinois president.
AT&T has 1.2 million traditional landline customers in the state — 474,000 residential and 725,000 business — and is losing about 5,000 each week, La Schiazza said.
Senate Democrats pushed through a measure Thursday that would prevent state and local police from making arrests due to a person’s citizenship status, an effort supporters say is designed to build trust between law enforcement and communities living in fear following the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump.
The bill would prohibit police from searching, arresting or detaining a person because of their immigration status absent a federal criminal warrant. It also would create so-called safe zones in state-funded schools, health care centers and secretary of state facilities, and block state and local law enforcement agencies from creating registries based on race, religion and national origin.
* Democrat Kelly Mazeski picked a good day to launch her congressional bid: The same day GOP Congressman Peter Roskam voted for the Trumpcare bill. She got a bunch of coverage…
* ABC 7: Dem. Kelly Mazeski challenging Roskam with healthcare focus: One of the challengers is a cancer survivor. “If you told me I would be standing here running for Congress, I wouldn’t believe it,” said Democrat Kelly Mazeski. But Mazeski is believing it now. The 57-year-old mother of two is determined to win the Democratic primary in the 6th Congressional District and take on incumbent Roskam. “This is personal for me in this race,” said Mazeski. “He is out of touch, been in this too long, he doesn’t know what it’s like for American’s to walk this walk.”
* NBC 5: Roskam’s Health Care Vote Has Democrats Lining Up To Oppose Him: The healthcare vote has Democrat Kelly Mazeski announcing she’s running for Congress in the west suburban district. To her it’s a personal mission “as a mother who has lost her medical insurance twice, survived breast cancer, and have a daughter with a very serious medical condition, I think it’s time the voters in the Illinois 6th hold Peter Roskam accountable for making Americans pay more to get less in health care.”
* Fox 32: Trump touts House health care bill, questions linger: Kelly Mazeski is a former chemist who plans to use roskam’s vote against obamacare against him. “I think it’s time we hold Peter Roskam accountable for voting to make Americans pay more for less coverage in health care,” Mazeski said.
* CBS 2: Potential Roskam Challenger Vows To Make Health Care The Issue: On the very day U.S. House Republicans voted to throw out Obamacare, a suburban Democrat is launching her campaign against one of Illinois’ most prominent members of Congress. Her own health care journey is at the very heart of her campaign, says CBS 2 Political Reporter Derrick Blakley. “I didn’t choose to get cancer. My daughter didn’t ask for a medical condition that was a huge burden on her life for several years. I can’t begin to tell you how personal this is for me,” Kelly Mazeski says. The 57-year-old survived breast cancer and had to find insurance for a daughter with pre-existing conditions. These are two keys to why she’s making health care the centerpiece of her campaign against Republican Congressman Peter Roskam.
I do not support any increases in income, sales or property taxes. I also do not support a graduated income tax as it would place an unfair burden on my district. Generally speaking, I do not support new taxes or tax increases of any kind. I do support a property tax freeze.
* Michael Hoffman, acting director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, writing in the Tribune…
Many have focused on the potential short-term financial windfall to the state, but the long-term benefits to the city of Chicago are even more striking. The state currently pays nothing in the way of property taxes for our space in the Thompson Center. That’s an entire city block currently devoid of value to the city’s coffers. If negotiated reasonably, the city would realize up to $45 million annually in property taxes. That’s $45 million a year — in perpetuity.
* Chicago’s budget director Alex Holt responds…
The Rauner administration’s argument that the city will collect $45M in property taxes from this land - “in perpetuity” - is inaccurate.
1) Only 20% of property tax revenues come to the city. So for the city to net $45M, the property’s total tax bill would have to be over $200M a year. That’s almost 10 times the annual property tax payments from the Willis Tower.
2) The city would see no additional property tax revenue, because the city’s property tax levy is a set figure. $45M in property taxes on this building wouldn’t mean $45M more for the city, it would mean that all other owners in Chicago would pay less. The city won’t see that money unless we increase our property levy.
* Today…
Gov to announce new bill that would give property taxes from sale of Thompson Center to CPS.
Suddenly he’s interested in funding CPS? That’s rich. This a fraction of the amount of funding the governor vetoed for our school children a few months ago. Don’t be fooled. The governor is using this as a shiny object to distract from his own failure to fund education fairly and his failure to propose a balanced budget the entire time he’s been in office.
Not to mention that the money wouldn’t even arrive for years because that new building isn’t gonna suddenly appear out of nowhere.
And not to mention that this bill is being handled by the two minority party leaders, meaning it may never see the light of day.
But, anyway, as I’ve said before this week, this Thompson Center fight likely has more to do with CPS than the CTA.
* OK, now on to another subtopic. From yesterday morning’s Tribune editorial about the Thompson Center sale…
So it was strange that Mayor Rahm Emanuel played obstructionist this week, raising the issue of the Chicago Transit Authority station in the building and implying the city had no intention of partnering up to redevelop it.
“We have one of the busiest ‘L’ stations in the entire network of 140-plus ‘L’ stations,” Emanuel said. “If you sell it and it has to come down, who builds it? Who takes the cost? I’m not going to stick that on Chicago taxpayers. The developer or the state has to do it.”
Rauner’s office responded with a question mark. While the CTA station in the building has been discussed as part of a broader redevelopment package, the issue has not loomed as a deal-breaker. Emanuel’s comments, a Rauner spokesman said, came “out of the blue.” [Emphasis added.]
Koch said the city would allow a new project there only if the state and developer agree to keep the station open and any new station would come at no expense to the city. Emanuel went public with that concern Tuesday, suggesting the state expected the city to cover the entire cost of a new station, which he said would “stick Chicago taxpayers with $100 million.”
Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said the administration has advocated for the state, city and developer sharing the costs of any new station, adding that it was too early to specify what percentage would be covered by each. [Emphasis added.]
So, I guess that issue of the city not paying didn’t really come out of the blue?
* Today…
Rauner says state could pay for a "shell" over CTA construction should Thompson Center be redeveloped.
Candace Wanzo, a high-ranking official in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, is under investigation by the office’s inspector general and has been placed on paid leave.
The nature of the investigation isn’t clear. Wanzo, an administrator in the office’s vehicles division, earned $87,238 last year.
Wanzo was hired in 1999 even though she pleaded guilty in 1991 to embezzling more than $230,000 from Southern Illinois University while she was employed by the university. Her sentence for the theft isn’t clear from online court records, but sentencing was delayed after her mother collapsed in court when a federal judge said that prosecutors’ recommendation for 15-month sentence sounded fair, according to a 1992 story published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The newspaper reported that Wanzo had testified that she spent the stolen money on cars, clothes, lingerie and vacations.
Henry Haupt, spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White, confirmed that Wanzo has been placed on administrative leave, but he provided no details on why she is on paid leave. […]
“Secretary White is troubled by these recent developments,” Haupt wrote. “She was put on administrative leave, and he applauds inspector general Jim Burns and the secretary of state’s inspector general’s office for their efforts in this matter and cannot comment further until the investigation is complete.”
According to the story, she was hired as a secretary in 1999.
Former Gov. Jim Edgar, speaking on the Southern Illinois Carbondale campus Thursday evening, said that House Speaker Michael Madigan is not the villain he’s often made out to be in the media and by his political opponents.
He should be “maligned a little bit” but the long serving speaker from Chicago has been “overly maligned,” Edgar said.
“He is not the problem,” said the former Republican governor who held Illinois’ highest office from 1991 to 1999, all but two years of which Madigan served as speaker. “He might be a little bit of the problem, but he is not the big problem.”
Edgar needs to spend more time in Springfield before he says that again. Speaker Madigan is no longer a very tough but fair negotiator like he was back in Edgar’s day. He never used to be such a staunch public employee union ally (the man fought Jim Thompson repeatedly to get some oversight of the governor’s AFSCME contract negotiations, and he passed Tier 2 and Tier 1 pension reform, for crying out loud). He was always a bigtime trial lawyer ally, but he also passed medical malpractice reform. Madigan is, in other words, a different person that he was back then.
Edgar went on to say that it’s a myth that Madigan is the most powerful person in Illinois government. “Even a weak governor has far more power than the speaker does,” Edgar said, altering his words mid-sentence. “Not weak — there is no weak governor. Illinois is a strong governor state. Even a somewhat incompetent governor has more power than Mike Madigan.”
As Edgar paused momentarily — and then settled on the word “incompetent” -— there was a brief yet boisterous eruption of applause and laughter among the crowd. Edgar provided this critique of the ongoing budget stalemate in response to a question from Jak Tichenor, the policy institute’s interim director, following Edgar’s prepared remarks.
The strongest governor can’t force the House Speaker to allow a bill to pass without the Speaker’s permission. But a good governor can, which is more to Edgar’s competency point.
The island, an American territory, is weighed down by $123 billion in bond and pension debt it cannot afford. Illinois, meanwhile, has about $130 billion in unfunded pension obligations alone, plus billions more in retiree health care and other liabilities. The circumstances are different, but no government can function properly — indefinitely — under ever-rising debt. Eventually something gives.
One of the different “circumstances” is that Puerto Rico’s population is just 29 percent of the Illinois Census number. So our debt would have to be much, much higher to match PR’s problem.
Another difference is that the vast majority of Illinois’ debt is tied up in long-term pension obligations, while, according to the Tribune editorial, 61 percent of PR’s outstanding debt is in bonds, which are likely much shorter term obligations.
And yet another difference is that Puerto Rico’s top income tax rate is vastly higher than ours: $8,430 on the first $61,500 (13.7 percent) plus 33 percent on any income over $61,500. They simply have much less room to raise their rates than we do at our current 3.75 percent.
…Adding… It has been duly noted in comments that PR residents don’t pay federal income taxes.
…Adding… As noted by a commenter, Illinois’ gross state product is about 7 times higher than Puerto Rico’s.
The right response for Illinois is to look at the ruin of Puerto Rico and take its fate as a dire warning: This state has an unsustainable debt load. Eventually it will overwhelm government and taxpayers. No plan to reform the economy to spur growth and create more taxpayers. A $12 billion backlog of unpaid bills. Only gridlock and infighting as the debt load grows. But it is not too late for Illinois to change its ways.
You won’t get any argument from me that we need some economic reforms in this state. But that’s more of a long-term issue. Our debt load is currently “unsustainable” because the politicians in charge won’t find the money to pay for it via revenues and budget cuts. What’s happening right now is a completely man-made crisis.
* Scream all you want about it, but Illinois can’t just walk away from that debt. It has to be paid unless Congress steps in. And that’s something that even the Tribune doesn’t like…
It’s a theoretical solution no one should wish for because of the pain and chaos it would create. If bankruptcy protection became an option, bondholders would charge punishing interest rates, or quit buying Illinois bonds, because of the increased risk that the state couldn’t make its interest payments.
Norb Andy’s Tabarin is closed indefinitely and the building is for lease a little less than a year after the landmark downtown restaurant reopened following a major renovation.
Owner David Ridenour said Thursday that dining traffic had not met expectations, though he said the bar and live music shows did well. Ridenour said he also has had trouble staffing the restaurant in recent weeks, including loss of the chef.
The restaurant and bar at 518 E. Capitol Ave. closed and then reopened briefly before the latest shutdown.
“It’s closed indefinitely. I don’t see it reopening temporarily,” said Ridenhour.
* The Question: Your favorite Norb Andy’s memory from back in the day?
By definition, fake news ignores the facts. It disregards and/or distorts the truth to deliver a message that is far removed from reality.
I would argue that much of the news coming out of the Illinois Statehouse is fake.
I say “news” but I mean more than that. Much of the conversation surrounding the budget impasse is fake.
News media, lawmakers, public employee unions, gossip peddlers … all are culpable to some extent.
Illinois is on the brink of fiscal insolvency yet the conversation still focuses on the need for Democrats and Republicans to compromise so a budget – any budget – can be passed.
But passing a budget and saving Illinois aren’t the same thing. In fact, passing a bad budget will only worsen the state’s outlook.
Illinois needs massive structural reforms: to pensions, to workers’ compensation, to overly burdensome regulations that have stifled economic growth, to lopsided rules and regulations that overwhelmingly favor state-worker unions to the detriment of taxpayers.
Short of these absolutely necessary reforms, bankruptcy might be the only option.
But no one is talking about that.
Nobody is talking about the bankruptcy option because it’s not allowed under federal law. So, pardon me if we don’t constantly talk about something that can’t currently happen and isn’t under Statehouse control.
* But, yeah, passing a budget will only make things worse. Yep…
Center for Tax & Budget Accountability finding: Illinois spent significantly less on higher ed in 2016 than in 2000 under Gov Ryan. #SenRfrm
Today, House Republicans will vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the American Health Care Act. This dangerous plan would be a disaster for millions of Americans across the country and here in Illinois.
JB Pritzker released the following statement in response:
“It’s unbelievable that Republicans, who are supposed to represent our families, will vote to take away health care from nearly 24 million Americans today,” said JB Pritzker. “This is exactly what we don’t need, tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires on the backs of Illinois’ working families and those with preexisting conditions. It’s time for Bruce Rauner to break his silence and stand up for the more than one million Illinoisans who will lose their health care. As governor, I will stand up against the Trump-Rauner agenda and fight for all Illinoisans to have access to health care.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office has said nothing for months about the Washington debate, but insiders say the governor remains concerned about big cuts in Medicaid spending included in the Ryan bill.
* And I’m kinda surprised that nobody has picked up on this Illinois Working Together press release yet…
President Donald Trump’s proposed replacement of the Affordable Care Act would save Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner millions of dollars each year by eliminating a tax provision that funds health insurance for working people under Obamacare.
In 2015, Gov. Rauner paid $6.6 million in the Net Investment Income Tax, a provision created by the Affordable Care Act that applies only to the wealthiest individuals and is a critically important source of funding for the ACA’s health insurance premium subsidies. See here for Gov. Rauner’s 2015 tax return; Net Investment Income Tax is listed on line 62.
The American Health Care Act — TrumpCare — would eliminate the Net Investment Income Tax, simultaneously gutting ACA funding and funneling money to rich individuals like Rauner.
Gov. Rauner also paid $1.8 million in the Net Investment Income Tax in 2014 and $1.9 million in 2013, running his three-year savings to $10.3 million. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, repealing the Net Investment Income Tax would cost the U.S. Treasury $158 billion over 10 years.
If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, 1.2 million Illinoisans would lose health coverage according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. To date, Rauner has refused to take a position on the Trump-GOP effort to repeal the ACA.
“After supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential campaign, Gov. Bruce Rauner now stands to save millions if Trump guts health coverage while slashing taxes for the rich,” said Jake Lewis, Campaign Director for Illinois Working Together. “The people of Illinois deserve to know where Gov. Rauner stands: Will he defend the 1.2 million Illinoisans who will lose care if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, or would he rather pocket millions of dollars while hard-working people lose their health care?”
*** UPDATE *** The governor says he’s “concerned”…
Governor Bruce Rauner has released the following statement regarding the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the American Healthcare Act:
“The bill that passed in the U.S. House today continues to be of deep concern to our administration. Recent changes did not address fundamental concerns about the bill’s impact on the 650,000 individuals that are part of our Medicaid expansion population, nor have those changes eased the concerns of the 350,000 people in the individual market who are dealing with skyrocketing premiums and fewer choices. We will continue to voice our concerns as the law moves to the Senate.
“The Affordable Care Act is a seriously flawed law that should be changed. Difficult as the task has proven, we are hopeful that our federal lawmakers will continue to work hard to get this right for the people of Illinois and our nation.”
Just six months ago, workers at PECO Pallet in Hegewisch brought out the giant inflatable rat to draw attention to their frustrations in negotiating their first union contract with an ownership group led by billionaire venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker.
On Wednesday, a group of 14 other unions made an exceptionally early leap into the 2018 governor’s race by endorsing the very same Pritzker for the Democratic nomination, lauding him for his commitment to working people.
These are not necessarily conflicting facts, but they do highlight the complications of an ultra-wealthy businessman trying to launch a political career on the Democratic side of the ledger.
For Pritzker, who is trying to build early momentum in the multi-candidate Democratic field with a likely goal of convincing opponent Chris Kennedy to back out, the union support is key to knocking down criticism that he’s just another rich guy.
But it’s just as plain that it’s Pritzker’s vast wealth — and his stated willingness to invest it toward vanquishing Gov. Bruce Rauner and in support of other Democrats — that makes his candidacy so attractive to party leaders working behind the scenes to help launch his campaign.
You really should read the whole thing. The union pickets came down after Pritzker personally intervened, but it’s chock full of other interesting stuff.
Illinois Senate Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration inappropriately spent money to move records from a closed prison to new warehouse space.
Sen. Andy Manar is a Bunker Hill Democrat. He questioned Corrections Department Director John Baldwin during an appropriations committee hearing Wednesday.
Manar says Department of Human Services records had been stored in at least one building on the campus of the former Dwight Correctional Center in Livingston County. But he says those records were moved to a Springfield warehouse the state recently leased for $2.4 million amid a two-year budget stalemate. […]
Manar says he was told the Dwight building needed extensive roof repairs. But there is other vacant state space.
“What was occurring at the Dwight facility that would cause these documents to have to be moved out of a state-owned facility to another facility that is leased to a private vendor?” Manar asked.
“I have no idea at all,” Baldwin replied. “I have not heard of that.”
Manar then asked Baldwin if he was aware the documents had been stored at Dwight.
“No,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin acknowledged the department has a number of vacant buildings on its hands, but told Manar he could not vouch for them being suitable for storing paper documents.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Department of Corrections…
Hey Rich,
I just wanted to clarify that CMS assumed full financial obligation for the facility in Dwight in 2014 and entered into an agreement with DHS on the DOCs behalf. The agreements between the agencies gave DHS access to several buildings on the grounds so they could store their files. Neither CMS nor DHS were required to notify the Department or the Director about when or why they moved the documents.
Nicole
* And this is from the Department of Human Services…
Hi Rich –
I saw your post about the DHS records being moved. The attached memo details some of the issues at the Dwight facility and illustrates the need for a new location. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Once again, our committee is left with more questions than when we started. The governor is more than halfway through his term and it’s as if no one knows who’s running what within the Rauner administration.
We’ve asked very simple, straightforward questions now to three different agency directors and the governor’s chief of staff. We have yet to receive a simple, straightforward answer back about why millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent to move and house old state paperwork in a former furniture store when Illinois has several empty buildings available at no cost.
These records were kept at the now vacant state women’s prison in Dwight. If there were maintenance concerns at that site, we would like to know the cost of remedying them because it’s hard to believe it would cost more than the $2.4 million that taxpayers will pay to lease the former furniture store.
Keep in mind, we are in a budget crisis and we are talking about the Rauner administration spending millions to find new homes for old paperwork. We have simple questions we would like answered: Who in the administration is directing this and why is it such a priority?
Bruce Rauner promised management expertise from a proven businessman. Given the mismanagement and confusion we’re witnessing, clearly the taxpayers are not getting what was promised.
“Madigan’s spokesman confirmed yesterday what we already knew - Democrat candidates for governor are doing Madigan’s bidding by supporting his tax hike, no reform agenda. Illinois can’t afford to return to the days where governors worked for the Chicago Machine, not Illinois families and taxpayers.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
In a rare moment of honesty, Madigan Spokesman Steve Brown admitted that the the Democrat candidates running for governor - J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, Daniel Biss, and Ameya Pawar - support Speaker Madigan’s tax hike, no reform agenda to balance Illinois’ budget.
In his interview with the Chicago Tribune, Brown said, “It appears, as near as I can tell, that every one of the candidates pretty much supports (Madigan’s) idea that you need a balanced approach to the state budget… We’ll let the candidates go out and prove themselves.”
And what is Madigan’s “balanced” approach to the state budget?
At the end of 2015, Madigan said income taxes should be hiked by at least 33%.
Additionally, Madigan refuses to consider any reforms to state government as part of a bipartisan budget deal.
Just last month, Madigan’s spokesman telegraphed Madigan’s true sentiments of the Senate’s efforts to pass a balanced budget with job-creating reforms by saying the grand bargain is “a group of bad ideas.”
As expected, the Democrat candidates for governor have been working overtime to “prove” themselves to Speaker Madigan. Watch Madigan’s tax hike puppets betray taxpayers HERE.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown and Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher said there was no involvement by the speaker.
“The speaker’s not taking a position in the Democratic primary,” Brown said. “It appears, as near as I can tell, that every one of the candidates pretty much supports (Madigan’s) idea that you need a balanced approach to the state budget, which is really the No. 1 issue in the state of Illinois. We’ll let the candidates go out and prove themselves.”
Um, a “balanced approach to the state budget” actually means cuts and new revenues. Gov. Rauner says the same thing all the time. So is he in Madigan’s pocket, too?
For the small business owners, the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers and change-agents. There’s no 9-5. Work doesn’t stop and they don’t stop, because they know there’s always more to be done, more to achieve.
Bruce Rauner knows that drive. He made his name leading one of Illinois’ most respected businesses.
But his first job was cooking burgers. His second? Parking cars. In college, he worked in the dining hall to earn extra money.
When he moved back to Chicago to work at a data company, he spent nine months sleeping on a camping mattress, because he didn’t have any furniture.
But this self-made businessman would go on to earn an MBA from Harvard, joining an investment start-up and building a reputation as a business pioneer.
That same spirit now drives his push for real reform in our state, because across Illinois more than one million small businesses are led by creative, driven innovative people from every walk of life. And they need a governor who’s fighting for them.
Working for you and our future. Bruce Rauner.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE 1 *** The ILGOP press release puts the video into context…
More than one million small businesses in Illinois are hurting from decades of tax-hikes, burdensome regulations, and corrupt politics in Springfield.
As Governor Rauner cuts the red tape and fights for change to help small businesses, Democratic candidates for Governor shockingly had nothing to say this small business week.
That’s right, J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, Daniel Biss and Ameya Pawar refused to even acknowledge small business week and the challenges that half of Illinois’ workforce faces.
But Governor Rauner is speaking out.
This week, Rauner toured small businesses across Illinois – pushing for real reform to help small businesses grow. See coverage of the Governor’s tour below.
And this morning, Rauner released a new digital ad highlighting the role small businesses play in Illinois, and how his business background and reform plan is paving the way to deliver change for struggling small businesses.
So, the governor officially declared “Small Business Week,” embarked on an official tour of the state to celebrate it, and then his state party whacks Democratic candidates for not following suit.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Ameya Pawar campaign…
Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner ran as a populist but governs as a plutocrat. Bruce Rauner claims he’s fighting for working families but under his leadership,130,000 low-income college students aren’t receiving tuition grants, 47,000 children aren’t receiving affordable child care that allows their parents to go to work, and 80,000 people have lost access to mental health services in Illinois.
Like Donald Trump, Bruce Rauner was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and this video is just another attempt to draw a veil over a life of privilege. Governor Rauner, you might have been “successful” in business, but spare us the theatre, the costume, and the phony accent. Do your job and pass a budget.
* Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis…
Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner visited the Small Business Development Center at Lincoln Land Community College. According to Crain’s Chicago, nearly a quarter of small business centers at Illinois colleges have closed because of the Rauner budget crisis. Colleges with shuttered small business centers include Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, Illinois State University, and Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.
When Governors State University was forced to close its Illinois Small Business Development Center and Illinois SBDC International Trade Center, school officials noted that “the centers have helped more than 6,000 clients create 4,650 new jobs with 190 new business starts and 150 business expansions.”
Other universities have made extensive cuts to their small business centers. Southern Illinois University’s Small Business Center, which was on the brink of closing due to the budget crisis, has cut its staff from 11 to two.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for Gov. Rauner to tout his failed political agenda at a college small business center while the Rauner budget crisis has shuttered similar centers across Illinois. By holding the budget hostage, Gov. Rauner has forced nearly a quarter of college small business centers to close and others to severely cut programming. To actually help small businesses in Illinois grow, Rauner should put people before politics, drop his failed political agenda, and pass a budget.”
Nursing home workers have reached a tentative agreement with nursing home owners for a three-year contract, averting the largest nursing home strike in history.
Through this contract, the owners and management teams at the 103 nursing homes of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities recognize 10,000 SEIU Healthcare Illinois members as skilled, dedicated, and irreplaceable employees who provide quality care.
Nursing home workers won important improvements, including:
Significant wage increases. This means nursing home workers will be able to provide for their families while taking care of others.
Staffing provisions to help reduce turnover and increase the quality of care for residents.
The union had planned another rally early this morning and most of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates were expected to attend.
We’re left to presume that Emanuel’s remarks had more to do with his sour relationship with Rauner and “Don’t give the governor a win,” the unofficial motto of Illinois Democrats.
Rauner vetoed an Emanuel-backed, much-needed pension package in March that would have eased the city’s financial crunch, and he hasn’t stormed to rescue Chicago Public Schools from its need for pension relief.
Tit for tat. Rauner needs Emanuel to get the Thompson Center deal done; Emanuel throws up a roadblock. Politics and revenge play into what could be a partnership benefiting all taxpayers.
Here’s an idea: Get city and state lawyers in a room — or better yet, Emanuel and Rauner — and you could have a deal in an afternoon. That would be the mature solution. Instead, petulance all around.
Getting them into a room together for an afternoon would be a good idea. No doubt. People should act like grownups.
But there are far too many other issues out there to be resolved first, and neither man has direct control over all of them.
