Friday, Feb 15, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director John J. Kim has issued a Seal Order to the Sterigenics U.S., LLC, facility located at 7775 South Quincy Street, in Willowbrook, DuPage County, to prevent the commencement of any new sterilization cycles using ethylene oxide to prevent emissions which present an imminent and substantial endangerment to residents and off-site workers in the Willowbrook community.
The Seal Order restricts access to the ethylene oxide storage vessels so as to preclude introduction of ethylene oxide into a sterilization chamber. Only persons authorized, in writing, by the Director of the Illinois EPA may access the sealed vessels to conduct activities within the scope of their specified authorization.
Following ambient air sampling by U.S. EPA in the spring of 2018, one of the conclusions of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) noted “if measured and modeled data represent typical ethylene oxide ambient concentrations in ambient air, an elevated cancer risk exists for residents and off-site workers in the Willowbrook community surrounding the Sterigenics facility. These elevated cancer risks present a public health hazard to these populations.”
The ATSDR used the highest residential area and commercial air sampling results (2.1 micrograms per meter3 and 9.1 micrograms per meter3, respectively) to reach its conclusion. Since that time, ambient air sampling conducted by U.S. EPA and the Village of Willowbrook has consistently found outdoor ambient levels of ethylene oxide in commercial and residential areas as high or higher than the levels used by the ATSDR.
The Illinois EPA and Illinois Attorney General’s Office have been in numerous discussions with Sterigenics to discuss how to further reduce ethylene oxide emissions. Recent elevated sampling results, along with Sterigenics’ refusal to voluntarily suspend operations, have resulted in the issuance of the Seal Order.
The Seal Order will remain in effect until it is rescinded by Acting Director Kim.
The controversial Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook “will be shut down” Friday evening following new test results showing emissions of “the highest levels of [ethylene oxide] recorded in the area,” the mayor of the suburban Chicago town said.
“As a result of Willowbrook’s new testing, I have been notified by the Illinois EPA that Sterigenics will be shut down this evening,” Mayor Frank Trilla said in a statement.
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
Today’s Seal Order to the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook is welcome news. I appreciate the efforts of everyone who has worked together over the past year to finally bring safety and peace of mind back to our community. Sterigenics has failed our residents, and today’s action should put any other entity that threatens the health and safety of residents in Illinois on notice.
…Adding… Congressman Dan Lipinski…
After months of hard work calling on US and Illinois EPA to hold Sterigenics accountable and protect public health in the surrounding communities, the Illinois EPA has stepped in to stop the use of Ethylene Oxide at Sterigenics, effectively shutting it down. Five months ago I called on the EPA to shut Sterigenics down unless it could show it was not a public health threat. US EPA finally began conducting air tests in Willowbrook in November and the results have shown dangerously high levels of EtO, especially next to Sterigenics’ facilities. Based on these clear results, last week I led a bipartisan group of state and local officials, along with local residents, to the US EPA Region 5 headquarters to once again call for Stergenics to be shut down. I thank the Chicago Tribune for shining light on this issue including its editorial today calling on the EPA to heed my call to act. While the US EPA has continued to fail to act, I thank the Illinois EPA, Attorney General Raoul, and Governor Pritzker for acting today to protect the public. There is still work to be done to figure out long-term solutions, but Sterigenics needed to be shut down. The health, safety, and overall quality of life of the large population of people that live, work, and go to school near Sterigenics must always come first.
* More…
On Sterigenics seal order from IL EPA, Pritzker spokeswoman says gov's office worked with state EPA "because the U.S. EPA and the company have refused to take immediate action" on ethylene oxide emissions.
On behalf of our community, I want to thank the Illinois EPA, Governor Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Rauol and DuPage County State Bob Berlin for the issuance of a Seal Order from the IEPA, which has shut the Sterigenics facility down tonight. And I want to thank the residents for their tireless efforts throughout this entire process.
* Before I go, I’d like to wish the best of luck to my old pal Mike Riopell, who is leaving the Chicago Tribune for another opportunity. There aren’t many experienced, quality state political reporters/editors working in Illinois these days, so we’re all gonna miss him. He’s also just a really good guy.
* Gov. Pritzker named Jaime Martinez to this post just a couple of weeks ago. Rep. Chapa LaVia was named Assistant House Majority Leader about a month ago…
Governor JB Pritzker announced a new appointment to lead the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, nominating Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia to head the agency.
“The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs has faced numerous challenges, and it’s a priority for my administration to ensure that our veterans are treated with dignity and get the care and opportunities they deserve,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Representative Chapa LaVia is a steadfast advocate and effective change-maker, and I appreciate her willingness to continue to serve.”
“As a veteran, I’m honored to step up and serve all the men and women who have served our nation,” said Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia. “Illinois has much work to do to live up to our responsibilities to our veterans, and I am deeply committed to making Illinois the best state in the nation to be a veteran.”
Lieutenant Colonel (R) Jaime E. Martinez, the executive director of Illinois Joining Forces, asked the administration to remove his name from consideration to serve as the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I appreciate Jaime Martinez’s dedicated and honorable service to our nation and to Illinois over many years and know that he will remain a champion for veterans and their families,” said Gov. Pritzker.
“I have asked Governor Pritzker to remove me from consideration for director at this time and want to personally thank him for his confidence in my leadership abilities and experience,” said Colonel Martinez. “This decision has not been made in haste, for those who know me I have always strived to serve my country and my state without recourse and will continue to follow that mission. I applaud the Governor for his leadership and for prioritizing the quality of life and safety of all Veterans and their families in Illinois.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel want Amazon.com Inc. to take another look at Chicago.
In the wake of Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) ditching plans to open an 8-million square foot campus in Long Island City in the borough of Queens after pushback from some of New York’s elected officials, the pair wrote a letter to the company saying Illinois and Chicago would welcome the tech giant and the thousands of jobs it would bring.
“Chicago and the State of Illinois remain focused on supporting business growth and innovation, and we are more ready than ever to do great things with Amazon HQ2. You should take another look at Chicago. We will be happy to bring you back,” the pair wrote in a letter.
In their letter, they suggested that Amazon should consider moving to Related Midwest’s proposed 62-acre development site called The 78, which is located in the South Loop just south of Roosevelt Road along the Chicago River. Amazon officials toured The 78 site in mid-August.
“We have also made substantial progress toward the launch of ‘The 78′ development, which has received strong support from the surrounding communities and received unanimous support from the Community Development Commission a 15-member board responsible for reviewing and approving Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding for private redevelopment projects. ‘The 78′ development and corresponding infrastructure support from the City is scheduled to receive final legislative approval in April and will break ground shortly thereafter,” the letter, which can be seen here, read.
* The Question: Do you agree with this move by the governor? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
The Democratic Party of Illinois today announced that Mary Morrissey has been named its new executive director.
Morrissey previously served as the Democratic Party’s chief operating officer, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization and helping to elect Democrats to office throughout Illinois in the 2018 general election.
“I am honored to be the new executive director of the Democratic Party in Illinois,” Morrissey said. “Illinois has so many passionate advocates who share the values of the Democratic Party, and I am committed to reaching out to them and people of all backgrounds and beliefs to make a better Illinois.”
Morrissey was unanimously recommended for the position by the four chairs of the search committee that was formed to name a new executive director, which includes all of the state central committeewomen representing the Democratic Party in Illinois. In their recommendation letter, the four committee chairs also recommended they work with the new executive director to help develop a structure and revised mission for the organization.
“I am very pleased that Mary Morrissey will be leading the effort in Illinois to support the policies of the Democratic Party to help improve peoples’ lives across our state,” said Karen Yarbrough, one of the four co-chairs of the executive director search committee. “Mary started at the Democratic Party of Illinois under challenging circumstances, kept operations running and led the party to a statewide sweep last November. She has the leadership we need to keep us moving forward.”
“As President of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association and a Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, I have worked with and seen the effort Mary Morrissey has done to increase collaboration between the state and local party organizations,” said Kristina Zahorik, State Central Committee member from the 14th Congressional District. “Our strong partnership between the two statewide organizations is incredibly important to better communicate and serve voters in communities across Illinois.”
“I am thrilled that Mary Morrissey will continue her work with the Democratic Party as executive director,” said Vivian Robinson, State Central Committee member from the 15th Congressional District. “Mary and I have worked closely together to enhance the reach of the Democratic Party in Southern Illinois, hosting candidate trainings and increasing visibility, and I look forward to working with her to recruit, train and support Democratic candidates and activists leading into the 2020 election.”
As chief operating officer of the Democratic Party, Morrissey increased the state party’s coordination and support for Democratic candidates running in local, legislative, statewide and Congressional campaigns throughout the state. Morrissey engaged and mobilized voters throughout the state against dangerous policies out of the White House, improved the Party’s communications and organized candidate trainings.
“Mary Morrissey brings a lifetime of work supporting and advocating for the principles and ideals of the Democratic Party,” said Michael J. Madigan, chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “This appointment reflects a continued commitment to creating a stronger and better culture in the Democratic Party throughout Illinois.”
Morrissey was also recommended for the post by Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, who served as interim executive director of the organization in the lead up to the 2018 election.
“After working closely with Mary last year to strengthen the Democratic Party of Illinois and elect candidates statewide, I am confident she is the best choice to serve as the party’s new executive director,” Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell said. “At the party and as a legislator, I witnessed firsthand Mary’s commitment to enacting the policies that reflect the values of the Democratic Party and look forward to seeing how she will continue advancing this important work as executive director.”
Prior to joining the Democratic Party of Illinois, Morrissey served for eight years as deputy chief of staff for policy and legislative affairs for former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. She led the attorney general’s legislative agenda in the General Assembly, including negotiating landmark laws to improve the response of Illinois law enforcement to sexual assault survivors.
Morrissey previously served as political director and campaign manager for former Attorney General Madigan’s 2010 successful re-election campaign. Morrissey also previously operated her own consulting firm developing advocacy campaigns for a variety of national and state organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, Cover the Uninsured Week, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Pharmacists Association. Morrissey began her career in the Legislative Staff Internship Program and Illinois House Democratic staff and is a veteran of many county, legislative and statewide campaigns.
She is top notch without a doubt. But she’s also a solidly loyal Madigan person, so it seems MJM is regaining full control of the party apparatus.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker pledged that he would be transparent about using his personal fortune to double the state salaries of his top aides in the governor’s office, but the billionaire has yet to release payroll records for those employees. […]
Pritzker said his office is living up to that pledge even though it has yet to release pay records from East Jackson Street LLC.
“We’ve been transparent and we’ve responded to all the [Freedom of Information Act] requests that we’ve received,” Pritzker said.
That was after the nearly three weeks it took for his office to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request from Illinois News Network seeking the private pay records. In response to that request, Pritzker’s office provided state pay records, but said it doesn’t have any documents related to payments from the limited liability company.
“The Governor’s Office does not possess documents relating to the amounts paid by East Jackson Street LLC,” General Counsel Steven Roets wrote. “In January, the Governor’s transition office publicly released the details of the non-taxpayer staff compensation by East Jackson Street LLC State employees.”
The response said state salaries for deputy governor, senior advisor, deputy chief of staff, first assistant to deputy governor and press staff would get an equal amount from the LLC. There were no documents similar to the ones the office provided for the taxpayer-funded salaries.
* From the document distributed to reporters when this pay bump was announced…
Reporting Requirements – Staff
• In the interest of transparency, staff who receive the additional compensation will be required to publicly report it in line with other public disclosures, such as the Statement of Economic Interests.
• Additional compensation will also be reported at the time of hire.
• Staff will be required to sign paperwork reaffirming that their fiduciary duties as employees are to the state of Illinois, and their first and only obligation is to serve the residents of Illinois.
Statements of Economic Interests won’t be filed until May.
Meanwhile, Ideas Illinois also was launched last week. It is an initiative of the Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity, which like Think Big is a 501c4 not-for-profit group. It will advocate for “a stronger Illinois business climate,” and will argue against a progressive income tax, which it calls a jobs tax.
GREG BAISE, former CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and co-founder of the prosperity coalition, is chairman of Ideas Illinois. JASON HEFFLEY of Springfield, who was campaign manager for Republican ERIKA HAROLD’s run for attorney general and worked in the administration of then-Gov. BRUCE RAUNER in roles including policy adviser for energy and environment, is executive director of the new group.
Just Wednesday, Ideas Illinois issued a news release, based on speculation that there may be a move for a temporary income-tax increase, that any lawmaker should release full personal tax returns before supporting such a plan. […]
Baise said that while the jobs coalition will continue to not disclose donors, it advocates for issues, not candidates — like many other nonprofit groups.
A comprehensive legislative package of Medicaid managed care reform bills strongly backed by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) and the hospital community has been introduced in the General Assembly to hold managed care organizations (MCOs) accountable to preserve and assure access to timely, quality healthcare for all Medicaid beneficiaries.
Since the introduction of mandatory managed care in Illinois in 2015, hospitals across the state have faced an overwhelming series of unnecessary administrative burdens, claim denials and long payment delays that jeopardize access to care for low-income and vulnerable communities in urban and rural areas of the state and that undermine the financial stability of hospitals, especially Safety Net and Critical Access Hospitals. Initial claim denial rates by MCOs are still unacceptably high – 26 percent – resulting in delayed payments to hospitals in the hundreds of millions of dollars for medically necessary services that were authorized and provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. Most of the denials are based on process and paperwork, not medical necessity.
* WBEZ looks at some higher education bills. Here are two of the seven…
SB 1167: This bill would create an adult vocational community college scholarship program starting in the 2020-2021 academic year. The scholarships would be for students over 30 years old who have been unemployed and are looking to earn a specific certificate or associate’s degree. The maximum scholarship would be $2,000 per year. Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, filed similar legislation in the House, HB 302.
SB 1342: This bill, filed by Rep. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, would create a state-run student loan refinancing program. College graduates who are Illinois residents can refinance their student loans with the state to receive the lowest possible interest rate. As long as the graduate remained a resident of Illinois, the lower interest rate would apply.
One Illinois lawmaker is again seeking a tax on each mile vehicle owners drive instead of a gas tax.
State Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, introduced House Bill 2864, which would create the per-mile road usage charge pilot program. Voluntary participants would pay a per-mile road usage charge is $0.021 per mile for metered use. This per-mile tax would replace the user’s 19-cent per gallon motor fuel tax. Illinois still applies its sales tax to motor fuel, something only a handful of other states do.
The plan has been introduced in previous years, but former Gov. Bruce Rauner had declared his opposition to it early on. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, however, has been warmer on the topic, saying on the campaign trail that it should be looked into as a way to pay for badly-needed infrastructure spending. […]
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, filed a similar proposal in 2016 that would have taxed drivers $0.0015 per mile using a metered device in passenger vehicles. The measure never progressed after opposition mounted.
…Adding… Forgot about this coverage of a subcommittee hearing…
A bill intended to rein in House Speaker Michael Madigan’s outsized role in state politics was rejected by Democrats in a House subcommittee Thursday.
The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Margo McDermed, R-Mokena, would have prohibited anyone who is the leader of a legislative chamber from serving simultaneously as a state party chairman.
Rivian Automotive on Friday announced an equity investment round of $700 million led by Amazon.
“This investment is an important milestone for Rivian and the shift to sustainable mobility,” RJ Scaringe, Rivian founder and CEO, said in a statement. “Beyond simply eliminating compromises that exist around performance, capability and efficiency, we are working to drive innovation across the entire customer experience.”
He added that “delivering on this vision requires the right partners, and we are excited to have Amazon with us on our journey to create products, technology and experiences that reset expectations of what is possible.”
The investment follows Rivian unveiling its all-electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV at the LA Auto Show in November. Both vehicles will be produced at the company’s 2.6-million-square-foot manufacturing plant in Normal — the former Mitsubishi auto plant.
Customer deliveries are expected to begin in late 2020.
The fact that GM was not included in Friday morning’s announcement does not mean the Detroit automaker won’t subsequently take a stake in Rivian. GM issued a terse release earlier this week that notably sidestepped the question, only stating that “We admire Rivian’s contribution to a future of zero-emissions and an all-electric future.”
Until recently, few expected to see a competitive, battery-powered electric pickup because of the hefty demands owners place on those vehicles. But views have begun to shift as Tesla prepares to bring a truck to market and as analysts and potential buyers have gotten a look at the R1T pickup that Rivian unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November – along with the R1S sport-utility vehicle.
Rivian plans to launch its R1T pickup truck and R1S sport utility in the U.S. in 2020, and begin introducing them overseas in 2021. The company has modeled both vehicles on what it calls a “skateboard” platform, which it says it flexible enough to accommodate several different vehicle body styles.
Both, at least initially, will feature 180 kilowatt-hour battery packs, almost twice the size of the largest pack currently offered by Tesla. That will be more than enough to deliver a range of 400 miles under optimal conditions, according to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.
* Part of the synopsis for Rep. Dave McSweeney’s (R-Barrington Hills) HB348…
Provides that the board of trustees of any township located in McHenry County may submit a proposition to dissolve the township to the township electors or township electors may petition for a referendum to dissolve a township.
* If you listened to some members of the McHenry County Board, you’d think he was the worst person in the world…
District 6 representative Jim Kearns also weighed in.
“Mr. McSweeney doesn’t give a [expletive] about McHenry County. I’m sorry, he doesn’t. … I have to be honest with you. I hate this with a passion. I hate this kind of government. This government that we have in Illinois has bankrupted every single citizen of this state. We are broke. And do we want to bring that to McHenry County with more poor legislation? No, we don’t. … Mr. McSweeney, I’m calling you out. It’s a bunch of garbage what you’ve been doing in Springfield,” Kearns said.
Um, the commissioner hates the sort of government that would allow voters to dissolve a township?
* We’re eventually gonna find out once and for all who’s right about this and who’s wrong…
During more than two hours of debate Thursday, Republicans, who have long criticized high costs on business in the form of workers’ compensation insurance and property taxes, complained the wage ramp would be another impediment to commerce. They argue it would cost jobs in a state where statistics show more than 60 percent of residents live within 40 miles of a state border.
“People vote with the dollars, and they vote with the feet,” said Rep. Randy Frese, a Republican from Paloma is west-central Illinois. “Our region may see economic growth, but the growth will be on the other side of the border, which doesn’t benefit Illinois.”
Guzzardi has repeatedly cited research showing no damaging economic effects where the minimum wage has increased. He said the only way to predict what will happen with an 82 percent wage hike in six years is to look at historical data.
“Raising the minimum wage has no net effect on employment, it doesn’t drive jobs out of the state,” Guzzardi said. “All it does is put money in people’s pockets who need it.”
* There are good arguments and bad arguments against the minimum wage bill. This one is not so good…
[Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville] even commented on the tax credits that are included in the bill for small businesses to help them adjust to the higher wage.
“Tax breaks only help if there is income — not when there is zero profit made,” Meier said.
The tax credits are based on the withholding amount. Employers keep 25 percent of the tax paid on the additional income. That works out to be a small amount of money and the percentage drops every year, but it’s not dependent upon profits.
“If we were to get a 5 percent raise annually, it would take 12 years to get to $15 an hour, and a 3 percent raise would take 20 years. It shows the five-year spread is not long enough.”
Another way of looking at this is it’s been nine years since the minimum wage was last increased in Illinois. The final step to $15 an hour happens in January of 2025. So, that’s 15 years to raise wages by $6.75 an hour, or about 45 cents per year.
* Here’s a strange argument made yesterday by Rep. CD Davidsmeyer…
Wait what did he just say? If someone is making 15.00/hour and we raise other people’s pay to 15.00/hour you are moving the first person out of middle class and moving them to lower class? #ilsb1#twillpic.twitter.com/hSjq6RS7zo
Karen Conn owns several businesses in central Illinois and told a House committee Wednesday the increase will be just one added cost on top of others that she’s worried about not being able to afford.
“But it will also be with my product vendors, my insurance companies, my taxes, my utilities, and my insurance rates will continue in the coming years,” Conn said.
The increased income becomes part of the entire business and consumer cost stream.
But she also said during a hearing this week that people could rent a nice two-bedroom apartment in downtown Springfield for $500 a month. Legislators who live downtown during session had a nice chuckle at that one.
* IRMA…
“On behalf of the retail community, we are disappointed that a readily achievable compromise was not adopted on such an important matter. We thank the many employers who bravely came forward to share their concerns about the specific impacts of this legislation as they asked lawmakers to appreciate the economic diversity of our state,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “Still, we are hopeful that the failure to embrace genuine and achievable compromise on this legislation is not an indication of further things to come.”
Rob is always an optimist. I wonder how he’s gonna feel in four years.
A new Tulchin Research poll conducted February 6-10, 2019 finds Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle continues to lead a crowded field of candidates for Mayor of Chicago. Preckwinkle is well positioned to make the runoff election, as she currently runs ten points ahead of her closest challenger, and she leads both Bill Daley and Susana Mendoza in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. […]
Toni Preckwinkle currently runs first among the field of mayoral candidates, attracting support from 21 percent of voters. Clustered together and statistically tied for second place are Willie Wilson (11%), Bill Daley (10%), Susana Mendoza (10%), Lori Lightfoot (9%), and Amara Enyia (8%) and 13 percent of voters remain undecided.
The largest number of undecideds are black voters (24 percent) and Hispanic voters (22 percent). The margin of error is plus-or-minus 4 percent. […]
Crime and drugs were listed by 21 percent of voters [as an issue important in determining their vote]; economy and jobs were listed by 19 percent; public corruption was listed by 11 percent, as was schools; and high taxes came in at 10 percent. […]
Nearly six out of 10 voters said the city is on the wrong track, again with more women than men disenchanted.
* Meanwhile, from last night…
The union and fund are not supporting any of the other 13 candidates in the race, just making clear that they support "anybody but Daley." The engineers backed Gery Chico in 2011 and Rahm Emanuel in 2015.
* So, despite the following article being labeled as a “scoop” this morning, it’s not. However, it does have some good info…
The attack ad focuses on Daley’s career as a banker. A voice says: “As president of SBC, Daley took a million-dollar bonus and then laid off 5,000 workers. Then as the chairman of a Wall Street bank, Daley took more than $15 million—the same year his bank admitted to illegally overcharging thousands of active duty troops and driving military families into foreclosure, forcing them out of their homes. Bill Daley—a Wall Street banker who got rich off working people.”
Fight Back Fund is connected to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150—they share the same address and James Sweeney, the head of Local 150, is an officer with the PAC. The ad buy was made through Left Hook Communications, a left-leaning political strategy firm.
During the 2018 midterms, Fight Back played a huge role in funding conservative former state Sen. Sam McCann’s campaign for governor. McCann ultimately pulled votes away from Republican incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner. Before that, the same independent expenditure PAC spent big money to oppose attorney general candidates Pat Quinn and Scott Drury (both Democrats) and Erika Harold (a Republican).
Other trade unions are helping fund the PAC, according to a source familiar with the organization. It appears Local 150 isn’t supporting any one candidate for mayor, but it knows which one it doesn’t want to win—that would be Daley.
Pritzker announced Monday that he was forming a task force to study the possibility of transferring state assets to the pension system, but Hynes’ speech Thursday offered a more detailed glimpse into what the administration is, and isn’t, considering.
When asked by an audience member what kinds of assets they were considering to sell, Hynes jokingly said, “Don’t say tollway; don’t say tollway; don’t say tollway.”
“I joke about the tollway, but like that’s what everyone’s going to think,” Hynes said, according to a video of the event that was posted online. “And you have the Lottery. Any kind of cash-generating asset is a logical place to think of. But it’s not that simple. Those are actually complex because there are bonds attached to it. There are stakeholders.”
More likely, he said, the administration would look at some of its office buildings and other real estate.
“The state of Illinois in 2000 had 80,000 employees. Today, we have 60,000 employees,” Hynes said. “So not only does that contribute to the whole unfunded problem because we have fewer people paying into the pension system, but from a capacity and utilization of our properties standpoint, it begs the question: What are we doing with this excess space? Has it been looked at? Have we consolidated office space? Have we sold buildings of the state that we don’t need? And that’s what we’re going to be looking at.”
* As Hynes said, it would take quite a while to sell the Tollway, but there is a history to look back on…
At the time [2006], it was estimated privatization of the tollway could generate as much as $24 billion for the state. Such a figure, even at the 2006 estimate, represents nearly 18 percent of the state’s current unfunded pension liability of about $134 billion.
The estimate, provided by Credit Suisse, said the lease or sale value would depend on such issues as raising toll rates. The finance firm said the state could raise $23.8 billion if it leased the tollway for 75 years, increased tolls by 50 percent every 20 years, and also hiked tolls 3 percent in all other years of the lease. […]
Privatization of the tollway system also could carry political ramifications. Much of the tollway is located in suburbs that have leaned Republican until recently, as well as in more rural GOP areas. When Blagojevich introduced the issue, Republican leaders warned him of the potential backlash from suburban drivers who might have little protection from seeing tolls boosted by a private operator.
Additionally, the 2008 privatization of Chicago’s parking meters by Daley for $1.15 billion, which the mayor rapidly spent down as parking rates escalated, has created negative public attitudes toward the leasing or selling of major public assets in the region.
Makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly possess an assault weapon 300 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, except possession of weapons registered with the Department of State Police in the time provided. Provides exemptions and penalties.
Even if lawmakers pass a bill that bans assault weapons in Illinois, a state’s attorney in southern Illinois says he won’t enforce it.
Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti said state Sen. Julie Morrison’s bill to ban common firearms would turn law-abiding citizens in his county into felons.
“I can start naming people off on my hand and thinking of how many of these people have these types of weapons,” he said. “They’re going to be felons now?”
After reading the proposed law, the Johnston City Democrat attended a town hall and announced that he would use his discretion as an elected state’s attorney should the bill become law. He said he wouldn’t prosecute anyone with an otherwise clean record under the terms of Morrison’s bill. Prosecutors have wide latitude when it comes to bringing criminal charges. […]
Zanotti said he’s spoken with other state’s attorneys that plan to announce similar positions on the enforcing of the proposed ban.
He would, of course, be taking the risk that a formerly law-abiding gun owner in his county suddenly snaps and becomes a mass shooter.
Chicago’s pension crisis — its four funds’ average funding ratio is only 26 percent — is one reason this editorial board endorses former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley for mayor. He is the only leading candidate who supports loosening the Illinois Constitution’s overly rigorous pension clause. Amending that clause would allow the legislature to protect benefits already earned but modify benefits going forward. The next mayor, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and future legislatures need to take drastic steps to stabilize state and local pension systems, and protect rank-and-file taxpayers.
(U)nlike other candidates in the race, Daley is willing to push for the toughest path toward a cure for what ails Chicago: Taking a hard look not only at the need to boost revenue but the need to attack the cost side of the equation, and the greatest drivers of those costs are the employee pensions that are enriched each year with a built-in cost-of-living increase, even in an era when inflation has been tame. Cracking the pension cost problem would, of course, require a constitutional amendment, something Daley advocates and would likely press on if and when Gov. J.B. Pritzker makes a similar move for his progressive income tax proposal in Springfield.
As mayor, Daley would give the Tribune, Crain’s the Illinois Policy Institute and others the ammunition to claim a constitutional amendment is possible - even though it ignores the harsh political reality that Illinois isn’t Arizona. The unions aren’t coming to the table here the way they did there. Not to mention that Arizona’s judicial system hasn’t yet reviewed the state’s pension benefit reductions.
* I’ve been stumped on a question today, so I came up with this: How about you use the comments to send a Valentine’s Day greeting to your favorite prominent Illinoisan?
* On the same day this week, Bill Daley was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune editorial board and received a $1 million campaign check from former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s top contributor Ken Griffin, Illinois’ wealthiest resident.
Those folks ain’t exactly friendly to a progressive state income tax. Just the opposite. Daley supported a progressive income tax during his aborted 2013 campaign for governor, so I wondered whether his new pals had changed his mind and what that could mean if he wins the mayoral race. Public opposition by Chicago’s mayor could greatly complicate Gov. Pritzker’s push to get the question on the ballot and approved by voters, after all.
So, I reached out to Daley’s campaign and received this back…
I support a progressive state income tax, and I am committed to making sure Chicago gets its fair share. Given the size of our budget issues, and the need for reforms, Chicago and state need to consider every option for new revenue, and we need to do it without increasing the burden on those least able to pay.
* This story popped late Monday and then I forgot about it after the Lincoln holiday. So, I’m a couple days late…
Businesses that gave tens of thousands of dollars last year to Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s political fund allegedly are “front companies” in an ongoing, multimillion-dollar “sham” involving profits from a state program, according to a pending federal civil lawsuit.
Investors in a Chicago firm called Vendor Assistance Program LLC filed the suit last year in Philadelphia. They claim their partners in VAP hid money in shell companies in Florida and Puerto Rico to avoid giving them their fair share of profits from a highly lucrative arrangement with the state of Illinois.
VAP was started in 2010 by Brian Hynes, a politically connected lawyer who’s now a central figure in a widening City Hall corruption scandal. Hynes is a longtime supporter of embattled Ald. Danny Solis (25th Ward) and co-founded VAP with Solis’ sister Patti Solis Doyle. As Illinois’ fiscal woes have deepened, the company has profited from a state initiative to speed payments to government vendors who are owed money.
Last month, WBEZ reported that Mendoza — who is running for Chicago mayor in the Feb. 26 election — gave away nearly $74,000 in campaign contributions from Solis-controlled political funds and another $67,650 that she got last year from five companies set up by VAP investors, including Hynes. […]
[The lawsuit] claims three of the five VAP-linked firms that gave to Mendoza are accused of being part of the “sham” to divert profits from former partners in Pennsylvania. […]
But in an interview with WBEZ on Friday, Hynes said it was “absurd” to suggest that he and his partners in VAP had set up front companies.
“We didn’t make decisions to make one guy’s distribution be less than it should be,” Hynes said.
Just keep in mind that anyone can sue anyone for pretty much anything - and say pretty much anything in their suits. Lots of sizzle in this story, so we’ll eventually see if there’s any real meat.
Also, while there is a new law requiring some transparency for the vendor payment program, the companies themselves are often troublingly opaque.
Let me offer some ideas and solutions to dig out of our mess.
First, when the fair tax becomes law, we will create a new revenue source dedicated specifically to pensions. The state will commit to using $200 million a year directly to pensions, over and above our legally required payments. This will not only help pay down the unfunded liability but will likely also lower the cost of our debt.
Second, we must infuse cash and assets into the system now to improve the health of the funds. We will be evaluating some of the assets that are owned by the State – they could be worth tens of billions of dollars – for potential transfer into the pension funds. I am pleased that experts like Jackie Avitia-Guzman and Jamie Star have signed on to help with these evaluations. These assets could be used in a way that is far more financially responsible for the state, to increase assets in the pension systems to offset liabilities and reduce the unfunded liability overall.
Third, let’s listen to experts and exercise good financial management. We can lower the cost of our pension debt and inject cash immediately into the system by issuing a small-scale pension bond of about $2 billion. The bond proceeds would be used for no purpose other than to be deposited directly into the funds — and would be used only for paying down our more expensive pension liabilities. No skimming off the top to pay this year’s pension payment. No using bond proceeds to pay for operating costs.
This protects taxpayers from the way these bonds were misused in the past, and it brings our pension funds closer to a healthy level. We would look to move forward with this bond only if the calculation makes sense for taxpayers — and if the interest rates are lower for the bond than what we are currently paying for the pension debt. It’s simply good financial management.
Fourth, the optional pension buyout programs passed in last year’s budget were short term in nature — which limits their effectiveness at reducing our future pension liabilities. We intend to extend these programs to provide certainty to retiring employees who may choose the option to receive more retirement income upfront. By doing so, we can expand the savings to the state overall. This is a responsible way to reduce liabilities without going back on the state’s promised retirement benefits.
Finally, during last year’s campaign Governor Pritzker proposed smoothing and flattening payments into the pension system in the context of contributing more cash and assets to the system. We propose a modest extension of our pension amortization schedule by seven years. We will still reach the target goal of 90% funding, but we will do so without massively crowding out investments our state needs to grow its economy. After almost a quarter century of losing ground, a seven-year extension is reasonable in the context of currently contributing billions more to our pensions systems.
Collectively, these five actions will expand our tax revenue base, invest in priorities that will grow our economy, and we’ll be able to put our pensions on a sustainable path that keeps our promises to retirees.
Now, no discussion of pensions would be complete without recognition that we have a pension crisis brewing among our local and county governments. We must explore smart ways to consolidate those pension funds. The state is home to 671 separate public pension funds. This results in a fractured system that often duplicates functions across funds, limits the smaller funds to a narrow range of lower return investments, and impedes their ability to negotiate lower fees.
Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes suggested the key to the plan is to extend the period of time the state has to reach full funding of its pension plays by seven years, to 2052. “Full funding” currently is defined has having 90 percent of the assets needed to pay promised benefits. […]
Hynes told me the deferral will buy the state time to examine asset sales and other matters—and give Pritzker some a bit of leeway in dealing with a projected deficit of $3.2 billion in the new fiscal 2020 budget he’s set to unveil next week, on Feb. 20. Specifically, extending the full-payment ramp to 2020 will reduce the amount the state has to contribute next year by about $800 million. The state “still will have to contribute $8 billion,” Hynes noted. But by deferring the payment owed, the state will run up increased interest costs on debt it legally will have to pay, Hynes conceded, declining to give a cost figure. […]
Hynes specifically refused to take a possible sale of the Illinois Tollway off the table. “That’s the kind of issue” that a new commission Pritzker appointed last week is considering, and “I don’t want to prejudge anything,” Hynes said.
….Adding… Senate President Cullerton’s spokesperson on the pension bond…
It’s an interesting concept. The Senate President looks forward to learning more about the idea and its specific safeguards.
Thursday, Feb 14, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local government, the highest total of any state in the nation. These often-duplicative layers of government are one of the driving forces behind Illinoisans’ punishing property taxes.
Thankfully, the Citizens Empowerment Act (House Bill 307) would allow local voters to eliminate governments they deem unnecessary – reducing their property tax burdens through more efficient services.
The Illinois Municipal League released a letter this week urging legislators to push back on a one-size-fits-all statewide approach. The organization is pushing for a wage increase that takes into account the “significant economic differences” communities face.
“We ask you, as a legislator representing our cities, towns and villages, to recognize that while $15 per hour may be acceptable for some communities, it has a different and varying impact among regions throughout the state,” the letter reads.
IML Executive Director Brad Cole said municipalities big and small will feel the effect of a $15 minimum wage hike. He said beyond the impact on city budgets and employment, collective bargaining negotiations between cities and employees also could lead to higher wages.
The IML also states the increase would have a negative impact of employers and employees because of the differing economic states of the state’s region.
“An increase to $15 per hour, even over a long period of time, could have a negative impact on many employers and employees in our communities because the dynamics in major metropolitan areas simply do not exist everywhere and cannot be relied on to blunt this added cost.”
Funny how nobody is harping that the amounts the state pays to municipalities isn’t adjusted for region.
When the money flows to them, the small towns want financial parity with the big cities. When it’s minimum wage it has to be adjusted because things are less expensive in rural areas.
Yep. And they get even more bank for the buck on the 55/45 Downstate vs. Chicagoland spending split on IDOT projects.
The research shows the south region receives $2.81 in state funds for every $1 generated. The central Illinois region of 50 counties receives $1.87 back for every $1.00 sent to Springfield. All of the downstate regions receive more from the state budget than they pay in taxes. By comparison, Cook County receives 90 cents for every $1, and the suburban counties only 53 cents for every $1 generated.
The business groups have every right to make this regionalization argument. The IML, however, could eventually see its own logic thrown back in its face.
“We’ll call [the minimum wage bill] on the floor [Thursday] sometime after 1:30 in the afternoon, and my expectation is the bill will pass,” House Speaker Mike Madigan said. “My expectation is that there will be no Republicans in the House voting for the bill.”
Republicans, on the other hand, said the fast-tracked advancement of the measure puts an end to a short-lived era of good feeling between the parties at the Capitol.
“This is a change of attitude since last month,” Republican House Leader Jim Durkin said. “There was all these platitudes and statements that were made about how we were going to work together and solve these problems. That is not the case today. Republicans have been shut out in negotiating in the House, and we have had no voice with the administration.”
Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday — the day after his comfortable win over GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner — that he is laying groundwork for bipartisan action when he takes office.
Pritzker told The State Journal-Register that on Election Night, he spoke with Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington and House GOP Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs “to say that I look forward to working with them to solve the big problems, the big challenges we’ve got in the state, and I hope they’d be open-minded in working with me, and they both agreed that they would be.”
Pritzker also named Republican former Gov. Jim Edgar as one of the co-chairs of his transition team.
Pritzker has dispatched invites to Senate President John Cullerton; House Speaker Michael Madigan; House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady — and their wives Pam, Shirley, Celeste and Nancy — to wine and dine at Pritzker’s Astor Street mansion.
One Pritzker confidant said the incoming governor envisions a return to what was once known as the “agreed-bill” process, in which all of the various stakeholders on an issue, such as labor and management, agree to sit down together to work to resolve a problem and that no legislation would move forward without such an agreement.
Such a process, still used regarding the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, allows lawmakers to implement an agreement that is approved by all sides.
“Illinois has really only worked well when everyone works together on bipartisan solutions to the problems. It’s never really worked well, Illinois has never really prospered, with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach,” [Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association] said. “We are confident in the early stages that he’s going to take that approach, and only time will tell.”
But the more politically active and Republican-allied Illinois Chamber of Commerce already is girding for the Democratic domination. A recent internet seminar promoted by the group warned that “the Pritzker administration is going to be aggressively pro-labor when it comes to creating new workplace laws and greater regulation that this state has (believe it or not) yet to experience.”
Another plan would let the incoming governor replace the Tollway board now chaired by former Republican DuPage County chairman and candidate for governor Bob Schillerstrom amid controversies over contracts and spending on expensive banquet tickets.
Republicans voted for both proposals, and a spokesman for House GOP leader Jim Durkin said he will support both “as a gesture of good faith moving forward,” helping clear the way for their likely approval in the coming days.
Illinois lawmakers unanimously approved of legislation that would gradually send more state income tax revenue to local cities and towns even though it would happen at the cost of the state’s woefully unbalanced budget.
Illinois collects personal and corporate income taxes and then sends just over six percent of that to local municipalities, totaling around $1.3 billion in personal and corporate income tax annually.
If signed into law, Rep. Anthony DeLuca’s bill would see the Local Government Distribution Fund increase from 6.06 percent to 8.5 percent in 2020, 9 percent in 2021, 9.5 percent in 2022, and remain at 10 percent after February 2023. The percentage of corporate income tax, which is a higher percent but accounts for less of the total distribution, would scale up to 10 percent as well. […]
Rep Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, is concerned about the strain that sending hundreds of millions of dollars out of an already-unbalanced budget would affect the state.
“I understand that there’s this kind of balancing act but how do you deal with, potentially over six years, being a billion dollar-pressure to the state budget,” he said.
Wow. Unanimous vote on a very controversial topic. That certainly sounds newsworthy as heck.
Strengthened by unprecedented political support, Illinois House legislators are uniting in a new Progressive Caucus to provide a better direction for the state.
Leaders and members of the new Progressive Caucus in the House today used a Statehouse news conference to discuss its platform of principles and legislative agenda for the 2019 session:
Minimum wage: Working families shouldn’t have to work hard and live in poverty. Increasing the minimum wage from $8.25 to $15 an hour around Illinois, phased in over several years with tax credits and with other protections for small businesses, will help lift up Illinois families and improve our economy. This legislation already has cleared the Senate and will get a vote in the Illinois House today.
Adult use of cannabis: Legalizing marijuana use by adults, with tight regulations and sensible taxation, will reverse a trend of senseless incarceration for minor drug users and create economic benefits for Illinois.
Small donor match: The influence of big-dollar donors and candidates in Illinois politics must be curbed. Creating a donor-matching system where tax dollars can help support political candidates who raise campaign funds in small amounts and level the playing field.
Progressive Caucus members also plan to lead and weigh in on a number of other initiatives, including the push for a constitutional amendment to create a progressive income tax where wealthier Illinoisans pay their fair share to fund critical state programs and services, such as education, health care and social services.
Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, a co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, outlined the caucus’ statement of principles and vision for going forward.
“It’s a new day in Illinois, and we’re excited to lead on this bold agenda,” Guzzardi said. “By enacting these policies, and by organizing around our shared vision, we’ll be able to move our state forward and pass legislation that will transform the lives of the people of this state. I’m excited to be a part of this Caucus, and to stand together with so many of my colleagues in this work.”
The Progressive Caucus members are: Co-Chairs Reps. Guzzardi, Theresa Mah, and Carol Ammons; Treasurer Rep. Celina Villanueva; Secretary Rep. Delia Ramirez; and member Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Sara Feigenholtz, Robyn Gabel, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Greg Harris, Rob Martwick, Joyce Mason, Aaron Ortiz, Lamont Robinson, Anne Stava-Murray, and Maurice West.
His movement attracted national attention, especially in 1986, when two LaRouche followers, Mark Fairchild and Janice Hart, unexpectedly won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and secretary of state, respectively, in Illinois.
Adlai E. Stevenson III, the Democratic candidate for governor of Illinois that year, was appalled. He denounced the LaRouche group as “neo-Nazis” and refused to run with Mr. Fairchild and Ms. Hart, organizing a third-party bid instead. He, as well as the LaRouche supporters, lost to James R. Thompson, the Republican incumbent.
Some voters said they had voted for Mr. Fairchild and Ms. Hart because they had been endorsed by Mr. LaRouche’s National Democratic Policy Committee, which they thought was affiliated with the mainstream Democratic Party..
That’s not how I remember it. Most people had no idea what the National Democratic Policy Committee was because it spent no money. The two LaRouche candidates had “safe” last names compared to the “etnik” names of the party’s slated candidates, who didn’t campaign all that much. The media barely covered the LaRouche candidates at all and there was some legit resentment about Democratic secretary of state candidate Aurelia Pucinski because of her father Ald. Roman Pucinski’s involvement with the city council’s fight against Mayor Harold Washington.
Hart upset Aurelia Pucinski in the Democratic primary for secretary of state, and Fairchild beat state Sen. George Sangmeister to become the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.
Hart was the more vocal of the two, but Fairchild posed the bigger political problem, since he was instantly paired with the party’s gubernatorial nominee, Adlai Stevenson III. Back then, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor ran separately in the primary, but as a ticket in the general election.
The 1986 election was supposed to be a grudge match of sorts for Stevenson. Four years earlier, he lost to Republican Gov. Jim Thompson by a mere 5,074 votes — one of the closest statewide elections in Illinois history.
But in 1986, he suddenly found himself hobbled to Fairchild and Hart and facing certain defeat — and months of disavowing their beliefs. Instead, Stevenson bolted the ticket and created the new Solidarity Party for a one-time political run. That meant there would be no Democratic candidate for governor on the ballot, leaving the party doomed.
Thompson won the race for governor, pulling in 52.7 percent of the vote to Stevenson’s 40 percent. The Democratic slate with no candidate for governor garnered 6.6 percent.
LaRouche’s candidates spent much of that election traveling through Europe touting their guy’s conspiracy theories.
Another day, another discussion about changing the way Illinois draws its legislative districts. All nineteen Illinois Senate Republicans are on hand for this.
“The ultimate authority in Illinois is the party in power, and it’s time to change that system. We stand here united to join our Democratic colleague Sen. (Julie) Morrison (D-Deerfield),” Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) told a statehouse news conference, “to support Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4, which takes the politicians out of drawing their own destinies and their own maps.” […]
In an e-mailed statement, the spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan reminds us that, in general, compliance with the Voting Rights Act has scuttled previous efforts, adding it’s unlikely Madigan has studied Morrison’s proposal yet.
As placeholders that wait in limbo until something substantive is amended onto them, shell bills exist to get around rules that establish a deliberative and transparent process for making new laws. They’re not just used for minor or parochial matters. Shell bills are the vehicles that have allowed quick passage of income tax hikes and state budgets, sometimes within a single day.
That flies in the face of good government and the Illinois Constitution, which requires “a bill shall be read by title on three different days in each house.”
The process is designed to invite airing of various viewpoints and to ensure interested parties see a proposal before it gets a final vote. It’s often said the wheels of government turn slowly, and in this case that’s how it should be. Passing a bill in a few days or even weeks, in a manner that allows for democratic debate, seems fast enough to us in all but dire emergencies.
Shell bills get around all that by going most of the way through the process with content that is sparse and laughably minute, like a series of bills introduced by Madigan Dec. 10 that appropriate $2 from the General Revenue Fund to each of several state agencies.
Later, lawmakers can amend the bill to make it something new and big and get it passed in a matter of hours, in some cases. It’s obviously unethical, and not made any more palatable by the fact Illinois is not alone in this particular charade.
* This hearing was canceled…
From: xxx xxxxx
Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 2:08 PM
Subject: House Bill 330 to be called on Thursday, February 24
IHSA Member School Administrators,
The IHSA has received word that the Illinois Elementary & Secondary Education Committee will call House Bill 330 tomorrow morning (Thursday, February 14, 2019).
This bill was filed by State Representative Thaddeus Jones and would prevent schools from being members of the IHSA, instead requiring them to participate in the newly created High School Interscholastic Association Commission, which would be governed by five appointees via the Governor, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and Minority Leader of the Senate.
Despite numerous attempts, we have been unable to get a meeting or discussion with Representative Jones on the bill in order to get a better understanding of his issue or issues with the IHSA.
We received a brief explanation from someone associated with Representative Jones that said the bill was filed in response to “an email that was sent to the IHSA office, but never replied to.” A search by our IT department has been unable to identify said email or its contents.
Thursday, Feb 14, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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A college student running to oust the prominent alderman of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s home ward sued the Chicago Teachers Union for defamation this week, adding another layer of intrigue and a second lawsuit to the campaign.
DePaul University student David Krupa sued the union and one of its members in Cook County court — while also naming Madigan, 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and the influential 13th Ward Democratic Organization as potential defendants in one of Chicago’s latest cases of hardball politics.
Krupa and Quinn’s bitter battle over a city Democratic stronghold has already landed in federal court over alleged campaign violations. This week’s fight is over a Feb. 1 letter printed on CTU letterhead and addressed to 13th Ward residents from teacher Jeanine Muir.
Muir’s letter accused Krupa of unspecified “cyberstalking and cyberbullying” and urged residents to not vote for the 19-year-old candidate in the Feb. 26 election. Krupa on Wednesday described those allegations as “a completely fabricated lie.”
CTU spokeswoman Chris Geovanis said Muir reported the situation with Krupa to the school district and was merely looking to protect her students.
“She was satisfied the conduct was terminated,” Geovanis said. […]
Krupa’s suit also names Quinn’s wife, Beth, as an employee at Hale, something the alderman scoffed at.
“Naming my wife, who has served the children of Chicago as a dedicated speech pathologist for decades and has no involvement in my campaign, in a baseless lawsuit is a new low for Tony Peraica, the Republican Party and its latest pawn, David Krupa,” Ald. Quinn said in a statement.
“Suing two public school teachers is a new low,” Madigan echoed in his own statement. “Certainly they don’t have the Republican backing to defend themselves like David Krupa does. These outrageous lawsuits are a disservice to the residents of the 13th Ward who are trying to focus on the issues that matter most to them.”
