[Illinois Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich] says that the Illinois State Board of Elections is also taking a leading role in combatting foreign disinformation campaigns. He says the board is working with Facebook and Twitter to thwart false messaging. For instance, he says targeted Facebook messages falsely stated that voters could vote by text message, or that Democrats and Republicans could vote on different days, all to suppress the vote.
“If we catch misinformation about the election, about the time of the polls, or telling people they can vote by text, we can quickly alert Facebook and have that post taken down,” Dietrich says. “Where it gets harder is what we saw in 2016, where you have groups putting out messages on Facebook saying things like, ‘Don’t show up.’ Those are harder for us to police because then you’re getting into a First Amendment issue.”
But as we shall see the misinformation goes way beyond that, and these campaigns may or may not all be foreign influenced.
As the final votes trickled in during last week’s Kentucky gubernatorial election, a network of automated Twitter accounts suddenly sprang into action.
They spread misinformation about the election being rigged, according to the CEO of a company that tracks political misinformation on social media.
Gideon Blocq, the founder and CEO of VineSight, told The Courier Journal his company witnessed thousands of accounts with “bot-like” automated behavior spreading misinformation about the race, including a screenshot of a tweet by one account claiming to have destroyed ballots with votes for incumbent Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
“Immediately at the end of the counting of the votes, these stories started popping up in parallel, all about the election being rigged,” Blocq said.
One of the tweets spreading the furthest came from user @Overlordkraken1, which tweeted at 8:39 p.m. he had “just shredded a box of Republican mail in ballots,” adding “Bye bye Bevin.” The tweet listed the user’s location as Louisville, though it misspelled the word. […]
While the suspended account was likely a real person just “trolling” with the shredding tweet, Blocq said “thousands” of bot accounts spread the screenshot in parallel with other tweets alleging that the election was rigged, showing “this is not a small operation… it is not just one person doing this.”
BREAKING: Aldermen have been told by Mayor Lori Lightfoot's staff that the mayor's revised budget will include a $65M property tax hike — including $12M the city expects from taxes generated from new property.
I heard that there was noise made this morning by Ray Lopez and Ald. Rosa claiming that our new proposal has a $65 million property tax increase, which is not correct. The property tax increase was actually voted upon by the prior city council and this is just incrementing what they’ve already done. This budget does not contain anything anywhere close to that.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot today rolled out a “Plan B” package comprised mostly of spending cuts that will be implemented in the event the Illinois General Assembly does not pass her proposed $50 million hike in the real-estate transfer tax.
On the list: a hiring slowdown, cuts in health spending and Fire Department overtime and increased savings from low interest rates in city debt.
And in the middle of that, city Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett conceded that the year-to-year proposed hike in the city’s much-watched property tax actually will be $65 million, not the previously advertised $18 million. […]
Bennett said $33 million of that [increased property tax revenue in the budget] already had been approved by the City Council many months ago to pay for a capital works bond issue, so the money is not “new.” And the city always gets a property tax bump from new construction, in this case $15 million. Add that all up and you get roughly $65 million.
The Illinois Municipal League told its members Tuesday morning it may no longer be in support of a bill that would partially consolidate 649 downstate and suburban police and firefighter pension funds — a bill it helped to write — because of a provision inserted into the bill on Monday.
An amendment to SB 1300 filed Monday reflects an agreement made with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police late Friday, which should have sealed the deal on the bill — one Gov. JB Pritzker indicated was his number one priority for Veto Session.
But in a memo sent to its members Tuesday morning, the Illinois Municipal League said the amendment, filed by State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) would make it easier for police officers and firefighters to claim disability, which could add extra burdens to municipalities’ budgets if it were abused.
The amendment includes a provision that league officials said would change the longstanding practice of allowing municipalities to intervene if it believes a police officer or firefighter’s claim for permanent disability and pension payouts is invalid or deficient.
Instead, league officials said the new language introduced Monday would not allow for any review by the municipality, and the exclusive power to grant disability claims would lie with the local pension boards.
* From an IML press release…
SB 1300 has now strayed from solely addressing pension investment reforms and seriously jeopardizes IML’s ability to work in good faith with other involved entities. […]
At this critical point in the process, IML is actively seeking to correct the overreaches put forward in the new proposed legislation. If IML is unable to refocus the General Assembly on the primary issue of protecting taxpayer funds through the elimination of duplicative fund administration and burdensome, costly mandates, all of which would be addressed through common sense solutions involving consolidation, it is unknown how things will end this week or if a beneficial resolution will develop.
I’m told a lot of mayors are hopping mad about this. I’m also told to expect a response soon from the governor’s office, which negotiated the language with the coppers.
…Adding… Rep. Hoffman says he wasn’t in the meeting when the language was changed and said he’s trying to fix the problem today.
Democratic House hopeful Abe Matthew is dropping his primary bid to unseat Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., and endorsing Marie Newman on Tuesday.
That leaves Lipinski, from Western Springs, facing two rivals for the 3rd Congressional District seat: Newman, from LaGrange, and Rush Darwish, from Palos Hills, who runs a photo and video production company. […]
Matthew had been struggling in fundraising. In the third quarter, he reported raising $5,126 with $57,724 cash on hand compared to Lipinski, raising $177,741 with $693,088 cash on hand; Newman, raising $351,326 with $514,237 cash on hand; and Darwish, raising $272,779 with $318,113 cash on hand.
Yes, it does help Newman somewhat, but Matthew wasn’t going to be much of a factor anyway.
* From Darwish…
Our campaign is happy to have the field winnowed to the three candidates capable of spreading their message to the voters of the 3rd District. We have been and continue to be the only campaign focused on providing Medicare for all who want it while allowing a choice to keep private health insurance. From the beginning, this campaign has been about focusing on the people of the District, and not the special interests which benefit the politically connected and powerful. This campaign is not about them, it’s about us!
I’m the communications manager for a criminal justice reform organization focused on youth who receive extreme sentences. Tomorrow at 9 a.m. the Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee is holding a hearing about HB1615, which would amend Illinois’s felony-murder statutue. Illinois has one of the broadest laws in the country.
HB 1615 (Rep. Slaughter, with an identical Senate bill from Sen. Peters) would bring Illinois into line with the majority of states that have felony-murder statutues. In most states, you can only be charged with deaths you or your co-defendants cause, not deaths caused by third-parties. (You can still be charged with the underlying crimes.)
We have a press release about the hearing here. We have info about the law and the history of felony-murder laws here.
Proponents of pension consolidation argue that pooling investments will lead to larger returns. The Pritzker administration claims that during the next five years, the two consolidated pension funds could net additional investment returns between $820 million to $2.5 billion. That would be significant, as the 649 funds had a combined $11 billion in unfunded pension liabilities as of the 2017 fiscal year, according to a report published by the Commission for Government Forecasting and Accountability this summer.
The additional investment returns would be achieved by making riskier investments, as larger pools of money are able to absorb greater risk. Currently, the smallest of Illinois’ public safety pension funds have investment strategies as modest as certificate of deposit funds in a bank.
But greater risk comes with greater volatility. Though the laws that govern Illinois’ police and fire funds demand what’s known as “pension smoothing” — a way to spread out increases in actuarial demand for pension funding, in most cases in Illinois over five years — it won’t prevent extreme volatility from affecting individual municipalities’ budgets.
Amanda Kass, the associate director of the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told The Daily Line Monday that pension smoothing “won’t negate [investment volatility] completely.”
Kass said the big picture of higher investment returns is likely to come true, but it could have some unintended consequences.
“While [increased returns on investment] might be true in the aggregate if you’re looking at a 20-year time period, it comes at the expense of greater volatility,” Kass said.
Several bills were introduced during the first week of the veto session in Springfield to institute a statewide ban on flavored nicotine products, which many see as deliberate attempts to market to minors.
State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris), whose district includes La Salle County, filed legislations aimed at reducing underage individuals’ access to vapor products.
Senate Bill 2288 prohibits the sale of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and alternative nicotine products within 100 feet of a school. Retailers who violate this provision would be subject to penalties.
“The alarming trend of teenagers using vapor products should scare any parent wanting to ensure the safety of their children,” Rezin said in a press statement. “While this bill alone won’t end this epidemic, the goal is to make it more difficult for children to get their hands on these products, reducing the likelihood of them getting hooked.”
* There’s also a retirement party for Michael tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 at Saputo’s…
Leader Durkin is recognizing retired House Member Michael McAuliffe with HR590: https://t.co/RNPF4yOKZo
* This is silly and I’ll explain why after you read the release. From Ald. Ariel Reboyras and Sen. Iris Martinez, who doesn’t live in the district…
REBOYRAS AND MARTINEZ STAND UP TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY MACHINE
Springfield – Ever since Luis Arroyo resigned his position as State Representative, the old-time Party Machine has advanced a plan to deprive our supermajority Latino district of a replacement of our choosing. Insiders are creating chaos and demanding that the law be violated in an effort to secure the appointment of David Feller, a non-Latino Cook County bureaucrat, to the position.
The scheme is being advanced by State Senator Martwick, who represents just a few Latinos, and by Party staff, who report directly to Chairwoman Preckwinkle. In furtherance of the strategy, even Speaker Madigan has threatened to defy the will of Latino voters and remove any candidate our supermajority Latino district selects to fill Arroyo’s seat.
This scheme is absolutely unethical, and the Speakers’ threat is against the law. We know these are strong allegations, but this corrupt program must be stopped.
Under State law, Party bylaws, and longstanding custom and practice, when an official leaves office before an election, committeepersons from the district fill the vacancy. In this case, voters from the 36th Ward will be represented by a proxy, not Arroyo. He will not be involved; he will not pick his replacement. Despite these safeguards, the Party Machine is demanding that votes from the 36th Ward should be rejected. This illegal distortion of the process is intended to skew the vote to result in appointment of the non-Latino insider, David Feller.
As leaders in the Latino community, we are standing up for the voters of the 3rd District, not Arroyo. We are committed to following the law and to giving our community a voice. We are conducting an open and transparent process to select a new State Representative. We are prepared to bring a federal case to protect Latinos in the 3rd District from any scheme that nullifies their votes.
Yes, Martwick is backing Feller. But as I told subscribers this morning, others are supporting Chicago public schools teacher Nydia Carranza. She’s also backed by the CTU.
Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Alexi Bladel of Rockford will complete her reign as queen without any restrictions after her dispute with the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs was settled this week, according to state Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, who advocated for Bladel.
“I am pleased to share that Alexi Bladel will be permitted to complete her reign as Miss Illinois County Fair Queen without any restrictions after a positive discussion with the members of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs (IAAF) over the past week. I would like to thank the IAAF for their determination to reach a solution to Alexi’s status that is acceptable to both sides,” Sosnowski said in a statement released Friday afternoon.
“I would also like to thank my colleagues, state Rep. Mike Marron, R-Fithian, and state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, for coming together in a bipartisan way to join me in advocating for Alexi. She will be permitted to participate in the January 2020 pageant to crown the next queen. We applaud Alexi’s commitment to serve our country as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
The U.S. flag flies once again at the veterans memorial on Western Boulevard at West 35th Street, thanks to the efforts of William McKinley American Legion Post 231 and Illinois 2nd District State Representative Theresa Mah. A Veterans Day ceremony on Monday, November 11, commemorated the service of U.S. armed forces members and raised the flag at the site, accompanied by the Pledge of Allegiance and a rifle salute.
The flag pole had been in disrepair for many years when American Legion Post members approached Mah last year about fixing it, she said. “No one was able to help them get it done,” Mah said.
An online search led Mah to the required flag pole part, which she then purchased. After checking with the Illinois Department of Transportation about access, “I enlisted the help of my friends from Operating Engineers Local 150, who brought a cherry picker truck,” she said.
After five years of planning, fundraising and hard work, officials gathered last week to officially dedicate the Shawnee Veterans Memorial Wall.
Charles Burdick described the years-long efforts that brought the wall to fruition as an “outstanding patriotic endeavor” by numerous people. The memorial was established to honor past, present and future veterans within the boundaries of Shawnee Unit School District 84. The school district is roughly 40 miles long, spanning from just north of Grand Tower on the northern edge to East Cape Girardeau on the southern end.
There are already hundreds of names on the memorial wall, with plans in place to update it with more annually.
On Friday, several hundred students, community members and public officials gathered in Wolf Lake for a Veterans Day ceremony that included the dedication of the wall located on the grounds of Shawnee High School. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and state Reps. Patrick Windhorst and Terri Bryant were among those in attendance.
* Press release…
Following a $230 million investment in the Illinois Veterans’ Home through the historic bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for teams interested in working on the project. Applications are due on December 11.
“I’m committed to ensuring that our nation’s heroes get the best care possible, and rebuilding the Quincy Veterans’ Home is a major step forward to ensure they’re being treated with dignity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As the work of rebuilding continues, I look forward to seeing the progress of this state-of-the-art facility and regularly updating the community.”
“The Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy is the oldest and largest in the state and currently provides housing for 315 veterans. We look forward to receiving proposals and taking the next step to make this project a reality,” says Capital Development Board Executive Director Jim Underwood.
“Our veterans’ homes are proud to provide the highest quality of care for Illinois veterans,” said IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia. “We are excited that this investment by Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly will enable us to set a new bar for what that quality of care looks like.”
On Nov. 11, veterans joined citizens and elected officials in the village’s annual Veteran’s Day ceremony. But this year’s commemoration relied on a group of determined Lake Forest High School students who organized the observance, not wanting to see a Lake Bluff ritual come to an end.
The 25-student Lake Bluff Veterans Day Ceremony Student Committee was led by its president, Lake Forest High School senior Mark Smirnov. He moved with his parents to Lake Bluff when he was 8 and said he wanted to do something for his adopted community.
“I’ve made a home here,” Smirnov said. “Although I wasn’t born here, Lake Bluff is my hometown. It is my senior year and I want to make it a memorable one as much as possible in my hometown.”
In years past, Lake Bluff American Legion Post 510 ran the event, but it merged with Lake Forest Post 264 last year due to declining membership. The Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day observances were left to the village with assistance provided by the Lake Bluff Historical Society, according to Village President Kathy O’Hara.
Iraq War veteran and Democratic Senator and Tammy Duckworth spent her Veterans Day across the border to be with veterans who have been deported to Mexico under the Trump administration.
Duckworth, who lost both of her legs in 2004 while serving in Iraq, said she had wanted to spend the day in Tijuana to honor the service of veterans who have been turned away from the U.S. despite serving for the country.
In a statement following her visit to The Bunker, a shelter for veterans who have been deported from the U.S., Duckworth said she was both “ashamed of and heartbroken by how our nation is treating the deported veterans I met with.”
“They are Americans all but on paper, many of whom enlisted after then-President George W. Bush signed an executive order fast-tracking citizenship for those willing to serve—but who, because of things like lost paperwork, fell through the cracks, never officially became citizens,” she said.
The national nature of the race in the 13th Congressional District was on display last week as U.S. Rep. RODNEY DAVIS, R-Taylorville, was among GOP House members across the country whose districts were targeted by ads featuring veterans saying President DONALD TRUMP must be held accountable.
“I took an oath, so I put our country first,” says KYLE BIBBY, a former Marine Corps infantry captain from New Jersey who served in Afghanistan, in the ad that’s been playing in the Springfield-Champaign-Decatur market.
He then shows a picture of Davis and says: “Now we need him to stop putting politics ahead of our country, and hold the president accountable for risking our national security and abusing his office to benefit himself. Tell Congressman Davis to keep his oath (and) put country over politics, because no one is above the law.”
The group paying for the ad is Defend American Democracy, and its website indicates that households in the districts of 14 GOP House members are seeing the ads. The group says spending for the ad campaign nationwide is a seven-figure sum, so it’s at least $1 million. And, according to a news release, the people from the group will visit five House districts, with the 13th the only one in Illinois. […]
“This political ad makes it pretty clear that this impeachment has been about politics all along,” [Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps] said. “I don’t think it’s at all a coincidence that every Republican seat where this ad is running is rated a potential pickup by Democrats. Congressman Davis joined bipartisan opposition to this impeachment inquiry, which didn’t happen in either Clinton or Nixon impeachments, because there’s no proof of a crime and he’s focused on issues that can improve the lives of the people he represents, not playing politics.”
According to Comcast, the group has purchased about $24K in cable ads which started November 7th and will run through November 13th. I don’t have broadcast numbers, if any. I saw the ad on ESPN during the football game last night.
In the closing days of the spring legislative session, as it became apparent state lawmakers were going to approve a major gambling expansion, the leading proponent of so-called sweepstakes machines began desperately hiring lobbyists in a last-ditch effort to avoid getting left on the sidelines.
Among those who agreed to advocate for legalization of the gambling devices was Frank Bass, a Statehouse veteran who got his lobbying start nearly two decades earlier as a legislative liaison for Cook County government. […]
That’s a long windup to get to my main point, which is that Bass never registered to lobby on behalf of Collage or the sweepstakes folks.
Neither did former state Sen. Annazette Collins of Chicago, who sources tell me also was lobbying in support of the sweepstakes machines in those final days of May but has never officially disclosed it.
I wouldn’t have known anything about their involvement if I hadn’t been poking around.
A third end-of-session sweepstakes lobbyist, Frank McNeil, a former state official and Springfield alderman, did register for Collage, but not until Oct. 29 — after I started making calls.
First, we find out that a sweepstakes machine company owner and Luis Arroyo bribed a state Senator who was wearing a wire. And now this.
Legislators should be up in arms about this unsavory industry. We’ve known about problems with sweepstakes for a while now. Here’s a WBEZ story from last year…
A WBEZ investigation found some bars that were deemed unfit for video gambling have simply installed sweepstakes machines instead.
In Streator, a small city about 100 miles southwest of Chicago, you can gamble at sweepstakes machines in a tavern that was denied a license for video slot machines because state inspectors allegedly had uncovered multiple incidents of illegal sports gambling at that bar, records show. […]
The Illinois Gaming Board has maintained for years that sweepstakes machines are illegal. But efforts to crack down on them have encountered legal roadblocks in the past year.
The murky laws have allowed more and more businesses to offer the machines to their customers, officials said, even in some seemingly unlikely places.
On Chicago’s Northwest Side, the Bubbleland coin laundromat at Elston and Kimball has three sweepstakes machines in a corner near the entrance. One of those machines issued a receipt to a reporter who placed a bet and won. The laundromat attendant took the receipt, disappeared behind a door, and quickly returned with cash winnings.
House GOP Leader Jim Durkin and the House Democrats’ gaming point person Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) both filed bills to outlaw the machines. Both bills went nowhere. The Senate Dems’ gaming point person Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) also wanted the machines outlawed. Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) has a new bill to ban the machines. One of its hyphenated co-sponsors is Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago).
* Usually, I’m not in favor of banning stuff. Regulations are almost always preferable, in my mind, to outright bans. But this industry has gone out of its way to bring heat upon itself. And nobody should want to sit at the table with them to hash out a regulatory bill. So, I mean, how much more evidence do we need here?
Illinois lawmakers face a political test of wills this week when they are expected to be asked to vote for an otherwise popular bill that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to veto.
Should it be enacted, private jet maintenance companies in Illinois would be forgiven sales tax tabs from the last five years and would have an exemption extended to 2024. It passed nearly unanimously in the House in October, but faces an uncertain fate in the Senate now that Pritzker has pledged to veto it.
“This bill would forgive $50 million of taxes that are owed by people who are in this private jet industry,” he said last week. “I just don’t think it’s right, given the state of our finances in the state of Illinois.”
He was responding to a question regarding a WCIA Channel 3 report that labeled the companies as “luxury jet manufacturers” getting a tax break. Other than Chicago-based Boeing, Illinois is not home to any private jet manufacturers. The legislation would affect aviation facilities whose mechanics perform routine maintenance on smaller jets to meet government standards. […]
The issue arose when companies learned that an exemption was allowed to sunset along with many others in 2014. Industry representatives estimate the amount of owed tax revenue to be nearly $50 million and would require the companies to pay about $8 million annually over the next four years.
Many companies said they were unaware that the exemption had been allowed to expire. They didn’t charge their clients and facing tax bills that supporters say could put the local aviation companies at a disadvantage to other states that offer the same exemption.
Even Illinois’ own agencies were, as of March of this year, under the impression that the tax exemption was still in place. The Legislative Research Unit’s 2019 Tax Handbook said companies that offer “(m)aterials and components incorporated into or upon an aircraft as part of its modification, completion, repair, or maintenance” are completely exempt from Illinois’ occupational sales tax.
That quote from LRU’s handbook is correct. But nobody in their right mind would rely solely on LRU for their tax obligations. And LRU is the only agency listed, so it’s likely not “agencies.”
A monetary contribution to a political committee is deemed to have been received on the date the contribution was deposited in a bank, financial institution or other repository of funds for the committee.
In her final days as state senator, Toi Hutchinson collected $9,000 from special interests, though it’s unclear why.
Last weekend, Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, resigned after serving a decade as state senator for the 40th District, which includes Kankakee County. She now is working in the Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration coordinating the state’s efforts for the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Hutchinson announced her resignation about three weeks before she collected the campaign money, which is listed on the state Board of Elections website.
On Oct. 19, she received $5,000 from the Illinois Laborers Legislative Committee, $2,000 from the Illinois Bank Political Action Committee and $1,000 each from MillerCoors and Comcast, according to her report.
Under state law, candidates must report their donations of $1,000 or more within five business days.
* I checked in with former Sen. Hutchinson’s campaign treasurer…
The amount was about $9,800, and it was posted before Senator Hutchinson resigned. Most of the donations were from August and then remainders from her golf outing, which was on September 9. Because we aren’t in campaign mode we weren’t regularly checking the P.O. Box.
The plan is to settle accounts and close down shop. She is not taking any more donations and will spend down according to what’s allowable by state law.
The reporter apparently didn’t understand the law, so he didn’t call around to see when the contributions were actually made or received. He looked at the deposit dates (plus up to five business days) and wrongly assumed those were receipt dates, although he told me he checked in with the State Board of Elections and blamed them for giving him bad info. The Laborers told me they sent their check around the time of her September 9th golf outing in Olympia Fields.
* I reached out to the reporter over the weekend to give him a heads up and he deleted the “Under state law, candidates must report their donations of $1,000 or more within five business days” line from his story. But the rest of the piece is still wrong.
We can debate the merits of the law as it stands. Some committees are so small that requiring immediate disclosure would be way too onerous. Larger committees could and perhaps should have more stringent reporting requirements. But a simpler and still effective fix would be to require all campaigns to note the date on the checks in their online filings. Nobody can credibly complain that such a rule would be too much to deal with.
We all make mistakes, but, for now, the law is what it is and it’s up to people who do this for a living to know what it says.
The politically connected son of a onetime powerful lawmaker was tapped to fill out the remaining term of Toi Hutchison, the Olympia Fields state senator who was named “cannabis czar” to oversee the Jan. 1 rollout of legalized recreational marijuana in the state. Democratic party bosses tapped Patrick Joyce, 57, of Essex — the son of the late former state Sen. Jerome Joyce — who beat out three women competing for the job
The other candidates were Chicago Heights City Clerk Lori Wilcox, Momence’s Marta Perales and Monica Gordon, executive director of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.
At a public meeting at Kankakee Community College, all four candidates spoke before the committee and took questions. Then the committee members, including Kankakee County Democratic Chairman John Willard, deliberated in private for 40 minutes before announcing their choice.
During questioning, Perales and Gordon pledged to run in the Democratic primary in March regardless of who the committee picked. Wilcox said afterward she had not decided yet.
Joyce promised to build relationships with residents in the northern part of the 40th Senate District. His father, Jerry, a 17-year state senator, died in June.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is heading to Springfield on Tuesday in hopes of eking out a deal to make a proposed Chicago casino more attractive to potential developers by reducing the cut that would go to the city and state.
Lightfoot will arrive as the legislature reconvenes for its last three scheduled days this year. When legislators began the six-day fall session last month, they were facing two requests from City Hall: fix the casino tax structure and give Chicago permission to implement a graduated tax on high-price real estate transfers.
But spokeswoman Anel Ruiz said Monday that Lightfoot’s day trip to the Capitol “is primarily focused on the casino.” Negotiations with lawmakers continued over the weekend and “we’re moving forward, which is a good sign,” said Rep. Bob Rita, a Blue Island Democrat who is the House point person on gambling legislation.
The real estate transfer tax plan appears stalled for now. It has no legislative sponsor and faces pushback from a group of Chicago Democratic lawmakers who are demanding a large percentage of the revenues be directed to relieving homelessness in the city — an idea the mayor has so far rejected.
The mayor’s office did not provide further details about Lightfoot’s Springfield visit besides providing a statement touting the real estate transfer tax as a “progressive and fair revenue priority.” […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office on Monday also did not have information about the mayor’s visit and did not answer questions about whether they were given a heads up. […]
Lightfoot has previously denied claims that she has left Pritzker in the dark. But in June, the governor learned of the mayor’s plan to try to get the state to take over the city’s pension funds via the media. The governor promptly nixed that plan.
Procedurally, it’s not the end of the world if Lightfoot does not get her preferred casino plan and the real estate transfer tax passed this week. But it may be a bad look politically if she can’t produce either win, and it will once again spark talk of a much dreaded property tax hike for Chicagoans.
The city has two pension funds that are around 3-4 years from insolvency. She needs that casino money ASAP.
But a Springfield insider close to the gambling talks said there’s a perception among some legislators that Lightfoot’s office — while dealing with a teacher strike, a massive budget deficit and turnover at the top of the police department — hasn’t put in the necessary legwork to land a deal.
”You need the mayor’s office to be the shuttle diplomat between the Senate Dems, House Dems and governor’s office, and that doesn’t seem to be happening,” the insider said. “There seems to be a will but not a way.”
A mayoral source called that claim “nonsense.”
“Our staff and the mayor herself have been talking with Senate and House leadership and [the] Governor’s staff non-stop for weeks on this. Legislators have come in for briefings. The fifth floor is working the roll call aggressively,” the source said. “This narrative is absurd and willfully dishonest.”
I already addressed this topic with subscribers, so I’ll just leave it at that. Suffice it to say that I don’t believe the narrative is absurd or dishonest.
* Meanwhile, this claim by BGA President David Greising is inaccurate…
To make her 2020 Chicago budget plan work, Mayor Lori Lightfoot still needs Springfield’s help on at least two key elements—a new tax on home sales and changes to a bill that would enable Chicago to build a casino.
Casino revenue is not included in Lightfoot’s FY20 budget plan. I posted the rest of Greising’s column late Friday afternoon, wherein Lightfoot said she wasn’t supporting a constitutional amendment to reduce pension benefits because Gov. Pritzker opposed it. Her staff later walked that back, as they have done time and time again, after Pritzker’s office claimed that the mayor has told the governor she opposes a constitutional amendment.
* Related…
* Lightfoot heading to Springfield to push casino plan - A political deal on a Chicago gambling facility may be within reach, but the mayor’s separate bid to raise $50 million by boosting the real estate transfer tax appears stalled
Some of you may have been surprised when you didn’t find your Monday paper this morning. You aren’t alone. News-Gazette announced yesterday they will no longer be delivering on Mondays, but that’s not the only change.
We now know there were around 34 people laid off from the Champaign location. Sources say that breaks down as 19 in editorial, 12 in circulation, one in finance, one in digital services, and one weekly editor. In an article Sunday, the Executive Vice President of Champaign Multi Media Group Paul Barrett said taking away the Monday paper was to reduce cost and get the paper back on its footing.
Champaign Multi Media group bought the paper at the end of August. As part of that process, the paper also filed for bankruptcy. […]
A carrier from the News-Gazette location in Danville who was let go said everyone else at that location was too. That’s 15 people.
From what I’ve been told, they’ve closed the Danville bureau. Also, they’re down to just a tiny number of reporters overall.
A new day is dawning in the newspaper industry, and the new owners of News-Gazette Media — Champaign Multi Media Group — will bring fresh ideas, improved technology and a sharp focus to a great media market.
“Champaign-Urbana is the most exciting market in the state of Illinois. With a thriving business community, first-class university and an undercurrent of entrepreneurial success, Champaign-Urbana will benefit from strong, innovative media leadership,” said Paul Barrett, executive vice president and publisher of Champaign Multi Media Group. “We will leverage the largest commercial website in the state outside of Chicago for our advertisers, bringing our formula for success in other markets to this region.”
Bribery is a Class 2 felony in Illinois. It’s also a federal offense, punishable by up to ten years in prison. Neither of those laws stopped former Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) from allegedly attempting to bribe a state senator who turned out to be an FBI mole.
Arroyo’s alleged bribe was made on behalf of his lobbying client. As a registered lobbyist in the City of Chicago, Arroyo was required to disclose the name of his client and how much he was making every quarter and which city agency or agencies he was lobbying. Those disclosures didn’t stop him from allegedly making that bribe.
The reason I bring up these obvious points is I keep hearing Statehouse lobbyists make them while complaining that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others want to punish lobbyists for Arroyo’s sins. Pritzker and others have publicly floated a plan to force Statehouse lobbyists to disclose how much their clients pay them.
I’m also now hearing talk from the governor’s office about forcing lobbyists to disclose their actual lobbying activity. As mentioned above, Chicago already requires this. If the Illinois proposal winds up mirroring the city’s ordinance, lobbyists would have to report which agencies they lobbied (including the legislature) on specific bills. But they could be required to file much more detailed reports, like Cook County does.
Lobbyists are always handy scapegoats during ethics crises. They’re probably the only Illinois profession more unpopular than being in the state legislature. Deflection is the order of the day in times such as these.
Defensiveness by any targeted group is also to be expected when change is in the air. Right now, not-for-profit organizations that lobby Chicago agencies and the City Council don’t have to register with the city. That will change in January, and some lobbyists with small groups are furious. But not-for-profits have had to register at the state level for a very long time, and I don’t think I’ve heard one complaint.
It’s also no secret that the governor isn’t a big fan of the lobbying culture in Springfield. He didn’t rely on their money to get himself elected. His top staff members are proud of this independence, to the point of disdain for elements of the lobbying corps. Using the sweeping federal probe as an excuse to crack down on lobsters is no real surprise in this context.
Some lobbyists I’ve spoken with point to what they call the hypocrisy of the governor’s disclosure argument. Pritzker signed a bill into law this summer that barred employers from asking potential employees about their salary history. “We are declaring that one’s history should not dictate one’s future,” the governor said at the time.
By that logic, wouldn’t this new disclosure also harm women and people of color who lobby or are looking for clients, the lobbyists ask. I dunno. I mean, it’s not like the state no longer publishes its employees’ salaries online.
Another argument I’ve been hearing a lot is that lobbyists worry the shake-down artists in the General Assembly will use their newly required income disclosures to squeeze more campaign contributions from them. In response, just about every lobbyist I’ve talked to in recent days wants all Springfield fundraisers banned during session months.
Fundraisers are currently banned on session days. Session weeks typically run from Tuesday through Thursday. So, legislators get around the ban by routinely hosting fundraisers on Monday nights. House Speaker Michael Madigan holds the biggest such Monday evening fundraiser of the year out at Lake Springfield.
No less than eight fundraisers for 15 legislators, plus the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee, were scheduled for the Monday before the start of the fall veto session’s second week on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Lobbyists complain that they’re often handing legislators campaign checks the night before crucial committee hearings or floor votes. Some legislators do take offense at no-shows to their fundraisers, but contributing to campaigns also makes people queasy even if there is absolutely no quid pro quo arrangement.
Years ago, when the session fundraiser ban was passed with the Monday night loophole, several large organizations announced they would boycott those fundraisers in protest. But visibly standing up to the culture can have consequences for individuals.
An honest debate should take place about the merits of Chicago’s lobbying disclosure ordinance. Have any city lobbyists been harmed by disclosing their fees or their activities? If so, they should come forward and be heard.
Whatever the case, this is a beginning, not an end. Plenty of other ideas also need to be addressed.
* Background is here if you need it. From House Speaker Michael Madigan…
Today, I wrote to the Democratic committee members responsible for filling the vacancy in the 3rd Representative District, and asked them to conduct their process without the participation of the 36th Ward. Any process that includes the participation of the 36th Ward – whether by direct vote or by proxy – would call the legitimacy of the appointment into question, and the qualifications of their candidate would be challenged by the full Illinois House of Representatives.
As Speaker of the House, I am asking the committeemen responsible for filling the vacancy in the 3rd Representative District to do so without the participation of the 36th Ward. Any involvement by the 36th Ward – whether a direct vote or a vote by proxy – would cause the candidate’s qualifications to be challenged by the full Illinois House of Representatives.
…Adding… From a House Dem operative…
The Illinois constitution leaves it to each house if there’s a question of qualifications. Article X of the House rules dictates the process. Basically the challenge would be whether the vacancy in office was properly filled. That would lead to a hearing at which questions such as “did any person making an appointment receive anything in exchange for the appointment.”
(a) Qualifications challenges may be brought only by a registered voter of the representative district of the representative challenged or by a member of the House.
(b) Qualifications challenges must be brought within 90 days after the day the challenged member takes his or her oath of office as a member of the House, or within 90 days after the day the petitioner first learns of the information on which the challenge is based, whichever occurs later.
(c) A qualifications challenge shall be brought by filing a petition of qualifications challenge with the Clerk, and by serving a copy of the petition on the respondent member of the House. The petition must be accompanied by proof of personal service upon the respondent member and must be verified by affidavit swearing to the truth of the allegations or based upon information and belief. A petition of qualifications challenge shall set forth the grounds on which the respondent member is alleged to be constitutionally unqualified, or on which his or her appointment to the House is claimed to be legally improper, the qualifications of the petitioner to bring the challenge, and a prayer for relief. […]
In conducting inquiries, investigations, and recounts in election contests and qualifications challenges, the committee has the power to send for and compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, ballots, documents, and records by subpoena signed by the Chairperson of the committee as provided by law and subject to Rule 4(c)(9). In conducting proceedings in election contests and qualifications challenges, the Chairperson of the committee and the Chairperson of any subcommittee may administer oaths to witnesses, as provided by law, and for this purpose a subcommittee is deemed to be a committee of the House.
But even if the challenge fails, the House could still vote to expel the member.
…Adding… Governor’s office…
Rep. Arroyo’s effort to influence the choice of his successor is unacceptable, given the charges against him. Any engagement by the current 36th Ward committeeman would taint a successor, and I call on the House of Representatives not to seat the person who is selected if the 36th Ward committeeman participates. The people of Illinois deserve and demand a higher standard of ethics, and I intend to pursue comprehensive ethics reform in Springfield.
*** UPDATE *** This is mainly bluster…
Dear Speaker Madigan:
Today I received your correspondence directing the 3rd Representative District (“District”) Committeepersons to deprive the voters of the 36th Ward a voice in the selection of a new legislator to replace Luis Arroyo in the House of Representatives (“House”). Like all Committeepersons of the District, I agree that Luis Arroyo should not select his own replacement in the House. I strongly disagree with you that the process for filling the vacancy should be done without the consideration, acknowledgment, and accounting of the voters of the 36th Ward.
The District is a supermajority Latino district. I am appalled that you as the Chair of the Illinois Democratic Party and a representative of a supermajority Latino district would suggest an illegal and discriminatory effort to disenfranchise Latino voters.
Any plan, scheme, or effort to exclude the voters of the largest portion of the District runs afoul of the federal Voting Rights Act. If you move forward with a qualification challenge under Article X of the Rules of the House, voters of the District will have no choice but to seek redress in federal court.
As the second-highest weighted vote in the District, I will be forced to sue you officially and personally for intentional discrimination against Latinos.
Sincerely,
Ariel Reboyras
Committeeperson, 30th Ward
I highly doubt anyone would have standing to sue over the enforcement of a House rule, but whatevs. The committeepersons could refuse to show up for Arroyo’s meeting, but Reboyras has said he fully intends to participate.
Cook County Democratic Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle on Monday said the party’s executive committee “is not in a position” to take any other action against Arroyo, except to formally ask him to resign as a committeeman. The party doesn’t have legal means to force him out unless he is convicted of a felony.
Preckwinkle also implored the other committeemen and committeewomen in the 3rd District to “lead by example” and pick his replacement without him.
She also had a tip for Arroyo: “I would suggest Arroyo do the right thing and not call into question the selection process,” Preckwinkle said in a statement.
Translation: “Luis, you’re gonna ruin it for the rest of us.”
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge President Chris Southwood and Illinois FOP Labor Council Executive Director Shawn Roselieb issued the following joint statement today about the negotiations regarding the proposed consolidation of downstate Illinois police and fire pension systems:
“After extensive talks with legislative leaders and Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Office, state lawmakers have indicated they will amend legislation to consolidate police pension funds, and the amendments will address our major concerns with the initial legislation. We agree in principle with these proposed amendments but want to make sure they make it into the final language of the bill.
“The revised legislation would give active and retired municipal police officers a majority on the board that will control the consolidated investments. The revised bill would allow pension funds to provide the best rate of investment return for police officers. The amended legislation would also make badly needed corrections to the unfair and flawed tiered system of pension benefits.
“We are also happy that the proposed amendments keep the local pension boards in place to efficiently administer benefits.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois Member Update…
The Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois, along with other police groups and stakeholders, has been meeting throughout this week with legislative leaders and members of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s staff to discuss the proposed consolidation of downstate Illinois police and fire pension systems. We expressed our opposition to the initial legislation and its potential impact on police officers’ retirement security. Thanks in large part to our members calls and letters to the editor, we have been successful in convincing legislators to amend the bill (originally agreed to by the AFFI) to address several major concerns. We have agreed in principle with these proposed amendments and will ensure they make it into the final language of the bill.
The revised legislation gives active and retired municipal police officers a majority on the board that controls the consolidated investments. The bill includes provisions that keep police pension monies in a separate fund WHICH CANNOT BE ACCESSED, SWEPT, or USED AS COLLATERAL by the state. It also provides that this new board is limited to investment decisions, NOT decisions about benefits. The revised bill also removes outdated and damaging restrictions on pension investments so that police officer funds can be invested more appropriately under the guidance of the new police majority board.
The amended legislation also makes crucially needed corrections to the unfair and flawed tiered system of pension benefits. Finally, the proposed amendments ensure that the local pension boards remain in place to administer benefits and that their decisions will not be subject to interference by third parties
We are cautiously reviewing proposed language to protect our members’ interests as much as possible.
We will update members regarding ongoing developments as they occur.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The governor’s office has distributed a fact sheet on the compromise legislation. Click here to read it.
…Adding… Governor’s office…
Governor Pritzker is determined to address the decades of failure that have created Illinois’ pension challenges, and consolidating 650 downstate and suburban police and fire pensions will be an important step forward in alleviating the growing burden of local property taxes and produce significantly better returns for first responders. The administration is pleased that support continues to grow and appreciates the backing from police organizations, who have joined with firefighters and municipal representatives in supporting this commonsense reform.
When Lightfoot called for pension reforms during the interview, I noted that she herself has stopped short of putting a constitutional amendment on the table. Instead of restating her opposition to the idea, she turned attention to Pritzker.
“The governor has been very clear that he does not favor a constitutional amendment,” Lightfoot said. […]
“So, we have to re-engage [on pension reform]. And whatever it takes to reignite that conversation, I’m all for.”
This sounded like Lightfoot would even consider a change to the constitution, I noted.
“I’m very clear that the governor is opposed to a constitutional amendment. I think that makes it very difficult if not impossible,” she said.
Yeah, it’s all the governor’s fault. Right, mayor. We had a governor for four years who supported a constitutional amendment on pensions, but he couldn’t get it done because he blamed Speaker Madigan.
Also, by the way, there’s this thing called a veto session coming up in a few days and the mayor will need the governor and pro-labor House and Senate Democrats to fully engage to help her city’s agenda. Is this really the way to do that?
…Adding… Governor’s office…
The governor has been very clear that we must protect the pensions promised to retirees while working to overcome the decades of failure that have put our pension systems at the forefront of Illinois’ fiscal challenges. In his first ten months in office, the governor has already introduced and implemented realistic and effective measures to reduce state and municipal pension liabilities, including expanding the voluntary pension buyout program, proposing legislation to consolidate the 650 police and firefighter pension funds and solve the Tier 2 pension underfunding, dedicating fair tax proceeds to bend the pension curve, and examining the viability of asset transfers to reduce unfunded liabilities.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the governor’s comms director…
The mayor has conveyed to the governor that she opposes a pension amendment.
Mayor Lightfoot does this a lot. She’ll hint that she wants a constitutional amendment when she’s talking to somebody like Greising, but she’ll tell others that she’s opposed.
Pick a lane, mayor.
*** UPDATE 12 *** Mayor Lightfoot’s office…
As the Mayor has said many times before, she firmly believes pensions are a promise and remains opposed to any constitutional amendment. The Mayor fully supports the Governor’s position on this issue and appreciates his work to lead efforts toward statewide pension reform, which she has made clear must include Chicago. The Mayor’s description of the political landscape on this issue should not be misconstrued as anything to the contrary.
Except her view of the political landscape is also wrong. Even if the governor favored a constitutional amendment with every bone in his body, it wouldn’t pass the General Assembly. The previous governor proved that. What she did here is use a gullible pundit to shift blame.
* Steve Daniels asks how credible Exelon’s threat is to close four of its six nuclear power plants if it doesn’t get a ratepayer bailout…
The four plants operated by Illinois’ largest power generator together have the capacity to generate nearly 8,900 megawatts, enough to serve 7.8 million customers. It’s fair to say those four facilities produce the majority of electrons keeping lights on in the Chicago area. Mothballing them sounds like a nightmare scenario, right?
But the company can’t just close plants without alternatives in place. Exelon would have to submit a plan to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator overseeing a multistate region that includes northern Illinois, to ensure replacement power is available. If not, Exelon would need to keep one or more plants open on year-to-year contracts negotiated by PJM until reliability was ensured. […]
The cost to Exelon of retiring plants that otherwise would operate for another 25 years or more could be substantial. In Illinois, thanks to the 1997 state law that deregulated power generation, ratepayers bear no responsibility for financing the eventual radioactive decommissioning and restoration of those sites. The funds Exelon has set aside to handle that multibillion-dollar job for two of those facilities, the Byron and Braidwood stations, are woefully low. Judging by what Exelon told investors in 2016—the last time it came close to shuttering plants in Illinois—it could be on the hook to furnish more than $1 billion to assure federal regulators there will be enough money for the job.
In addition, reactors at one of the four plants—Dresden in Morris—already are scheduled to close in 2029 and 2031, respectively, when their federal licenses expire. Dresden currently is obligated to run until at least June 2021. Subsidizing the plant with ratepayer cash would appear to buy workers and the Grundy County community that benefits economically from the nuke no more than about eight years.
(The) House should just make clear that anyone appointed with Arroyo’s votes will be subject of an immediate disciplinary proceeding with the intent to expel them as quickly as possible. No individual with the community’s best interest at heart would accept such a tainted appointment. No currently serving GA members should want the individual they forced to resign to have a say in choosing his successor.
* The Question: Should the House expel whoever is appointed to former Rep. Luis Arroyo’s seat as long as Arroyo is part of the process? Please make sure to explain your vote. Thanks.
*** UPDATE *** From House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Only in Illinois is there such political corruption that an indicted politician can pick his own replacement. I call on the Democrat Party to fix this insult to our state, and work with us to bring ethics reforms to Illinois. Any appointment made with Arroyo’s participation is improper and should not be recognized by the House of Representatives.
Proposed legislation in both the Illinois House and Senate would make daylight saving time the year-round standard in Illinois.
Both proposals would eliminate the twice-a-year time changes between daylight saving time and standard time. Sponsors of both bills said they hope to see the measures taken up during next week’s veto session in Springfield.
In the House, state Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, filed House Bill 3837 earlier this year. His proposal would eliminate the time change in Illinois. He said the need for daylight saving time changes have become outdated and obsolete. […]
A similar bill introduced in the Illinois Senate also calls for the elimination of the time changes. State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is a sponsor of Senate Bill 533. On social media this week, Manar said he has received a lot of support for the bill.
Manar introduced his proposal on May 3rd. He has four co-sponsors, three of whom are Republicans. It unanimously cleared a Senate committee on May 23rd. Skillicorn introduced his bill four days later, on May 7th. He has no co-sponsors and it hasn’t moved.
If a school resource officer wants to question a student about a criminal act, they first have to notify the student’s parents. That’s according to a new law implemented at the beginning of this school year.
But State Representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego), says at least one district has already created a workaround.
“The resource officer’s dog, a K-9 unit, was walking through the parking lot and alerted on a student’s car. The student got questioned with the resource officer present. They looked at the car, there was nothing there,” Kifowit says. “And the parent was never notified of this questioning until the student came home upset.”
The district claimed it followed the law because the assistant principal was the one asking the questions, as the police officer stood nearby. Kifowit , who sponsored the original bill, calls that a “loophole.”
“Because it’s still an intimidating figure,” she says. “Whether the resource officer is doing the questioning or not, the fact that you have two adults in a room — one a resource officer, one an administrator — and a child, without the parent knowing, I think is fundamentally wrong.”
Despite pressure from activists around the state, Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday the General Assembly will wait until next year to pass a comprehensive clean energy bill.
The Herald-News asked Pritzker about the Clean Energy Jobs Act while he was in Plainfield to talk about new infrastructure projects. With only a few days left during the fall session in Springfield, Pritzker said the legislature would take up the bill during the next session in January.
The bill aims to put Illinois on the path to 100% renewable energy by 2050 through investing in clean energy industries and heavily reducing gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles on the road.
“We’re going to have to do a lot of work, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “But I felt like because there’s so much work, there’s so many hearings required for us to get where we need to be … it’s going to take us a little while in the new session.”
* From an email sent to Democratic committeepersons this afternoon…
November 8, 2019
Honorable Democratic Committeeman representing the voters of the Illinois House of Representatives - 3rd District (“3rd District”), Article IV, Section 2(d) of the 1970 Illinois Constitution and Section 25-6(a) of the Illinois Election Code state that a vacancy in the office of state representative shall be filled by appointment within 30 days after the occurrence of the vacancy. Also, Article III, Section 4(j) of the By- Laws of the Cook County Democratic Party provides that the Chair of such committee is the committeeman with the greatest number of weighted votes in the 3rd District.
As the democratic committeeman with the greatest number of weighted votes in the 3rd District and the recognized Chair of the 3rd Representative District Committee, I am calling a meeting of the democratic committeeman for the purpose of filing the vacancy created by my retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives.
The meeting of the 3rd Representative District Committee will be held on Friday, November 15 at 5 PM at the Alliance of Polish Clubs, located at 5835 W. Diversey in Chicago, Illinois.
Please know that I placed a legal notice in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, The Chicago Tribune Company’s Spanish language newspaper, HOY, and in digital format via Block Club Chicago’s website informing the community at large of this meeting and inviting any and all potential candidates to submit their credentials for consideration by the committeeman authorized to choose my replacement. At the end of the candidate presentation process we will retire to executive session for discussion and then take a vote to decide who shall be my replacement.
The results of the voting process will then be reduced to writing and it is intended that the appropriate documents will then be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Illinois Secretary of State on the next business day which will be Monday, November 18, 2019.
Luis A. Arroyo,
Chair of the 3rd Representative District Committee Cook County Committeeman, 36th Ward
…Adding… More…
Former/indicted Rep. Luis Arroyo will take the lead in choosing his IL House replacement. Writes to Cook County Democratic Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle: "Please be advised that I am the democratic committeeman with the highest weighted vote total within the 3rd district." pic.twitter.com/mUd9LOkLW3
Ahead of veto sesssion, Civic Fed out with report reiterating longstanding support for police/fire pen fund consolidation BUT on proposed Tier 2 fix too "little information has been made available about long-term cost of proposed solution or the urgency of implementing changes."
The Tier 2 fix is what convinced the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois to sign on to the plan. So, any changes to that could imperil the whole thing.
As indicated by the discussion above, determining when or if Tier 2 benefits will violate IRS rules is not simple. The analysis must consider the pension multiplier as well as the growth in the pensionable salary cap. Supporters of Senate Bill 616 have not as yet shown whether the proposed changes are needed to satisfy legal requirements and, if they are needed, whether they must be implemented immediately.
To the extent that growth in the pensionable salary cap is an issue, it remains to be seen whether Senate Bill 616 solves the problem. The legislation proposes that the salary cap grow by 3% or the inflation rate, whichever is less. This is clearly a faster rate than the current formula of the lesser of 3% of one-half of the inflation rate, but it does not match the national average wage index used to calculate growth in the Social Security wage base. The difference might be accounted for by the proposed change in the calculation of final average salary, which lowers the required multiplier under IRS rules.
Up to now, neither the Governor’s task force nor supporters of Senate Bill 616 have publicly provided actuarial reviews showing the cost of the Tier 2 changes for the affected police and fire funds. In the task force report, the cost is estimated at $70 million to $95 million over five years, or $14 million to $19 million per year, but there is no supporting documentation for the estimate.
The task force also noted that these estimated costs are minor compared to increases in investment returns projected to be earned by the consolidated funds compared with the 649 existing police and fire funds. The task force estimated that the consolidated funds could generate an additional $820 million to $2.5 billion in investment returns over five years, or $164 million to $500 million per year.
However, it should be noted that these increased returns are not guaranteed. Any increase in actual returns will be partly due to the consolidated funds’ ability to invest in riskier investments. State law restricts the securities that the existing police and fire funds are allowed to hold. In addition, because the assumed rate of return is used as the discount rate for pension liabilities, an increase in the expected return rate by the consolidated funds would also reduce statutorily required annual pension contributions. Senate Bill 616 requires that contribution changes due to changes in actuarial assumptions be phased in over three years.
Since Tier 2 applies to nearly all pension funds across the State, there could be a move to simply apply the same changes to all funds statewide, also without first determining whether the changes are the minimum necessary so as not to impose additional fiscal hardship on already struggling governments.
In recent years, the State has frequently rushed to enact pension changes without actuarial evaluation and public disclosure of their financial impact. The latest example involved pension buyouts, which were budgeted to reduce General Funds contributions by more than $400 million in FY2019 but ended up saving about $13 million that year. The original savings estimate was based largely on a different buyout plan; the enacted plan surfaced in the last days of the spring 2018 legislative session and was not vetted by pension actuaries before being approved by lawmakers.
The Civic Federation urges the Governor’s Office and sponsors of Senate Bill 616 to demonstrate the need for the specific Tier 2 enhancements in the legislation. In addition, they must ensure that the financial impact of any proposed Tier 2 changes is fully evaluated by pension actuaries and publicly disclosed before any action is taken by the General Assembly.
I’m hearing there could be an announcement this afternoon about the consolidation bill. Stay tuned.
People talk about the exodus from Illinois and they’ve blamed it on a lot of things, because we’ve lost population. Oh, by the way, Illinois lost population in 94 out of the last 95 years, so it’s not like it’s a new thing that we have a slight out-trickle of people leaving the state.
Data show that net out-migration in Illinois is not a new phenomenon –it has been occurring since at least the 1920s as part of a national trend that has seen a movement of population from the Northeast and the Midwest to the West and South.
The state saw declines in its overall population in just 15 of the last 95 years for which the federal government has released estimates, which contradicts part of the governor’s claim on its face.
His office said he was only referencing domestic migration — the number of people moving to and from Illinois within the United States — and estimates compiled by migration experts suggest he’s on more solid ground there.
But domestic migration is just one metric of population change, something Pritzker’s muddled remark about the state’s decline obscures. We rate his claim Half True.
In reaction to this alarming news, Alliance for the Great Lakes President & CEO Joel Brammeier released the following statement:
“This discovery is yet another sign that we are teetering on the edge of a nightmare scenario. The time for delay is over. We need Governor Pritzker to show leadership and take swift action to sign the letter of agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that would allow them to move forward with fortifying Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet, a critical choke-point for invasive Asian Carp about 50 miles downstream of Chicago. It’s our best chance to stop these aggressive fish from creeping closer to the Great Lakes and crashing our regional economy.”
The administration takes the threat Asian Carp poses seriously and is working with surrounding states to ensure plans to prevent the invasive species are cost effective for every state involved.
I was also told that the new infrastructure program includes $2.5 million for pre-construction, engineering, and design work for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project.
OK, but the price tag is $778 million, up from an earlier estimate of $275 million.
“I would like to discuss how we can lower the cost of this plan and still effectively address the threat of Asian carp,” Pritzker said. “I will not sign a Project Partnership Agreement without a cost control strategy and additional cost sharing among the states.”
* The Tribune has a new story up about ComEd and Exelon lobbyists and their connections to Speaker Madigan and others. It’s pretty similar to the WBEZ story from earlier this week. But this paragraph has its most succinct explanation yet for what the feds appear to be after…
As part of the investigation, authorities are scrutinizing certain ComEd executives and have zeroed in on payments through the company’s vast network of consultants to some individuals who seemed to have done little actual work, the source said. The payments were aimed at currying favor with certain lawmakers while circumventing lobbying disclosure rules, the source added.
That last bit about “currying favor” with lawmakers is new. Click here for a previous version.
The practice of embedding clout-heavy contractors and hires on the company’s payroll offers a way to gain legislative favors outside of public scrutiny. It’s a small investment with potential to pay huge gains if the utility runs the legislative table in Springfield, as it has in years past.
Both outlets are basically saying the same thing here.
ComEd ended its Springfield lobbying contract with Elgin-based Stratagem Consulting Group on Oct. 3, WBEZ has learned. The firm is co-owned by 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas, Jr., who is Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s floor leader, trusted with guiding major legislative initiatives through the City Council. […]
Villegas said he profited from its deal with ComEd and all of the firm’s clients.
But on Friday, he also told WBEZ that he did not do any work for ComEd personally under that deal. Villegas was not a registered lobbyist for the company in Springfield. Stratagem’s lobbyists for ComEd were Villegas’ business partner, Elgin City Council member Baldemar Lopez, and another man.
Until last week, Villegas was the most prominent member of disgraced former Rep. Luis Arroyo’s political organization.
Let’s make this clear: I do not know if Ald. Villegas is under federal suspicion, nor do I know if his firm’s ComEd contract is being looked at. But he shared profits from ComEd even though he didn’t register as a ComEd lobbyist and was super-close to then-Rep. Arroyo. That’s all I’m saying. Period.
SIU refers black students to Student Rights and Responsibilities twice as often as white students for drug-related offenses, mostly for the reported odor of cannabis.
The Daily Egyptian filed a Freedom of Information Act request for data on how many students were referred to SRR for drug-related offenses from 2017-2019. The information showed more than twice as many black students were referred than white students.
In 2017, 86 black students were referred to SRR compared to 43 white students. In 2018, the numbers were 77 black students to 29 white students. As of Oct. 20, 2019, the numbers were 40 black students to 22 white students. […]
When students are referred to SRR, they have to appear in a hearing and are then found responsible or not responsible, and given a status or educational sanction based on the results.
These sanctions range from a written assignment to expulsion from the university.
Daniel Vega, vice president of student affairs of the Undergraduate Student Government, said it is highly unfair and discriminatory that black students are being reprimanded for this behavior compared to the small percentage of white students who are being reprimanded.
Keep in mind that just 13.4 percent of SIUC students are black. And every study I’ve ever seen shows that white people and black people consume cannabis at about the same rate. And if you read the whole story, it sure looks like white folks are tattling on black students.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Good on the students. The administration, however, should take this more seriously…
Students at the University of Illinois Springfield held an anti-racism rally Thursday evening after an image of university employees surfaced online that students said is racist.
The image was of two university employees in Halloween costumes. One employee was dressed in a Border Patrol costume, while the other was dressed as a caricature of a Mexican man. […]
“Any behavior on the part of a member of our university community that makes others feel unsafe or unwelcome at UIS is concerning to me,” said UIS Chancellor Susan Koch in a statement.
She also said the matter is being reviewed, and the school diversity’s training will be expanded.
Diversity training is a good thing, but I seriously doubt it would’ve stopped this behavior…
I mean, Luis Arroyo had to take ethics training when he was in the House.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally complained to the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services about the agency’s practices about a year before the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund of Crystal Lake.
In a May 24, 2018, letter to Carole Ruzicks, the senior director of operations for DCFS’ northern region, Kenneally cited three cases in which DCFS workers were uncooperative or remiss in their handling of investigations. From cases where workers refused to show up to hearings because they “would be washing their hair” to a separate instance involving an infant’s heroin overdose, Kenneally’s frustrations with the agency seemed to have come to a head.
Problems at the McHenry County office of the Department of Children and Family Services “have gotten worse over the last several months, not better” even after the death of 4-year-old AJ Freund, according to the McHenry County state’s attorney.
In a letter obtained by The Daily Line Thursday afternoon, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally wrote that the DCFS office in Woodstock, the town where Freund’s body was found buried in April after his parents allegedly beat him to death, has not improved in the wake of Freund’s death.
Kenneally is leading the proscecution of JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr., who have been charged with murder.
“The root of the problems…remain the same — a lack of accountability for inadequate performance,” Kenneally wrote in an Oct. 22 letter addressed to lawmakers. “To illustrate this point consider the fact that six months later, DCFS has yet to determine, one way or the other, whether any corrective or disciplinary action is warranted for its response to the December, 2018 complaint involving AJ Freund.” […]
“We have an agency that’s more hung up on process than its mission,” [Rep. Steve Reick. R-Woodstock] told The Daily Line on Thursday. “We have an agency that is more interested or more concerned about making sure that check marks are put into boxes on forms, which may lead to one conclusion or another, but as long as it leads to the conclusion that they did what they were supposed to according to own procedures and protocols, what happens to the kid really doesn’t matter.”
Illinois’ child welfare agency is investigating why two teenagers in its custody were handcuffed and shackled at their feet while being driven from one youth shelter to another living arrangement, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The youths, 15 and 17, were driven in separate trips on Oct. 1 by a private contractor, according to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Both were restrained for about 30 miles as they were moved from a shelter in Chicago to a new placement in Palatine.
“The use of restraints in this case was totally unacceptable and against department policy,” spokesman Jassen Strokosch said in a statement. “DCFS is investigating the incident and putting additional policies and procedures in place immediately to ensure youth are never restrained during transport unless it is clinically necessary.” […]
“This is not a penal system,” [Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert] said. “The foster care system is different from a penal system. It’s not intended to punish children. Handcuffs and shackles are for adult criminals from whom the public needs to be protected.” […]
State law prohibits minors from being “subjected to mechanical restraints” in any facility licensed by DCFS.
* This is a good idea, and not just because of Heidner. These are regulated entities and they ought to seek approval from the Gaming Board before they sell out…
The Illinois Gaming Board on Thursday moved to block video gambling operators from selling their companies without state approval in what regulators billed as an “emergency” step they hope will stop any business under investigation from turning a profit before facing disciplinary action.
The unanimous vote followed a Tribune story last month that revealed one of the state’s largest video gambling operators, Rick Heidner, is in business with a convicted illegal sports bookmaker as well as a banker accused by the FBI of involving organized crime figures in a failed Rosemont casino deal. […]
Currently, video gambling operators are permitted to sell their businesses and report the transaction to the Gaming Board as much as three weeks later, legal counsel Dan Gerber told board members. Under the new rule, such sales have to be approved by the Gaming Board before going forward.
Gerber told board members that the “after-the-fact disclosures” undermine the integrity of state oversight.
The video gaming terminal magnate linked to the investigation of State Sen. Marty Sandoval’s (D-Chicago) has long operated as a landlord for suburban House members. […]
Heidner owns the property at 15 W. Weathersfield Way in Schaumburg, where State Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) has set up her district office since being sworn into the House in 2010.
Mussman’s predecessor, State Rep. Paul Froehlich (D-Schaumburg), also used that space as his district office after he was appointed to the House as a Republican in 2003, and continued using the space after defecting to the Democratic party in 2007. […]
Mussman told The Daily Line last week that she did know know Heidner, and said he “was not influential in my choice” of district office. Asked whether the recent revelations surrounding Heidner made her rethink renting her district office from Heidner Property Management, Mussman said she would “need to think about that at renewal time.”
While some of those tweaks already have some Democratic support, others will be complete non-starters for the majority party.
State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), for example, said on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight Wednesday that statements of economic interest lawmakers currently file do not show much, and predicted lawmakers would work across the aisle to address a ban on lawmaker-lobbyists.
“We have a statement of economic interests out there that barely makes sense, it’s hard to follow, doesn’t cover what it’s supposed to cover,” Williams said. “Why are legislators also acting as lobbyists? I think that’s something we’ll see bipartisan support on.”
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) said last week that he hoped to convene 36th Ward Democrats to appoint him as committeeperson so that he could take the lead in filling the legislative vacancy. The alderman said at the time that he believed Arroyo would step down from the political post. The two officials have been close allies since 2015.
But the committeeperson appointment would need to be verified by the executive committee, whose members have since said that they do not plan to meet until next April. Under state law, the legislative vacancy must be filled by Dec. 1.
Villegas reversed course on Thursday, saying he wants no part in the process to select Arroyo’s successor in the state house. Villegas, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s floor leader, added that he will work with whomever is chosen, and he will continue gathering signatures to run for committeeperson in March.
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Before his offices were raided by the FBI last spring, lobbyist and Chicago public affairs impresario Jay Doherty was paid more than $3.1 million by Commonwealth Edison — vastly more than he had previously disclosed, federal records show.
Doherty is among dozens of clout-heavy contractors the utility employed to build a dominant political influencing machine, powered by ratepayer dollars from its more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois. […]
Up until now, it’s been difficult to know which outside people and firms ComEd hires because the private sector company is not subject to open-records laws that apply to taxpayer-funded agencies.
But a WBEZ analysis of federal regulatory filings found dozens of companies and individuals who’ve been on ComEd’s payroll and are connected to political A-listers like House Speaker Michael Madigan and indicted Chicago Ald. Ed Burke.
Highlights include a big ComEd contract to Power Washing Pros., which is run by a longtime ally of Sen. Martin Sandoval. Industrial Fence is another ComEd contractor. Sandoval and former Rep. Luis Arroyo both publicly scolded the Tollway after the company was passed over for a contract. The Statehouse lobbying firm co-owned by Ald. Gil Villegas, Mayor Lightfoot’s city council floor leader who wants to replace Arroyo as 36th Ward Democratic Committeeman, represents Primera Engineers, another ComEd contractor. And, of course, Ald. Ed Burke’s former law firm represented ComEd in property tax matters. Again, go read the whole thing.
