* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Cook County’s penny-per-ounce sugary drink tax is one final step away from being repealed.
Despite threats from County Board President Toni Preckwinkle that a repeal would leave the county without enough money to pay for basic services, the County Board’s Finance Committee, which is made up of all 17 board members, voted overwhelmingly – 15-1 – Tuesday to recommend eliminating the tax, with one member absent. Commissioner Larry Suffredin was the sole vote to keep the tax. The full County Board is expected to formalize the repeal with a vote during its meeting Wednesday. […]
Some commissioners pushed back against all the dire warnings.
“The sky is not falling,” Commissioner Richard Boykin said, adding that there are places in the county budget that can be reasonably cut, including not filling hundreds of vacant positions that have been budgeted for. […]
Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski said Tuesday that taxpayers have made it clear they can’t take more tax hikes.
“People are tired of it,” he said. “They are literally being taxed out of their shoes. … We’re really going to need to retool the way we think.”
That includes addressing what he called Cadillac pension and other benefit plans that workers in the private sector don’t receive.
All commissioners sit on that committee, so tomorrow’s final repeal vote will be similar. The tax will be eliminated December 1st.
“This is great news for consumers and retailers throughout Cook County. Since its inception, this tax was poorly devised, placed an enormous operational and financial burden on retailers and saddled consumers with the responsibility to pick up the tab. We thank Commissioners Morrison and Boykin for leading the charge for repeal and all of the County Board members that have signed on to the repeal,” said Rob Karr, president & CEO, IRMA.
…Adding… From Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle…
Today the board exercised its collective will and set in motion a repeal of the sweetened beverage tax we approved last year. As I outlined last week, it is up to the commissioners to choose our direction on revenue, and I respect their authority to do so. Now, together, we must chart a new course toward the eighth consecutive balanced budget of my tenure as board president.
While I am disappointed in today’s outcome, I am grateful to the dedicated public health advocates at the American Heart Association and the Illinois Public Health Institute who have supported us every step of the way. And I am thankful for the talented professionals at the Cook County Health and Hospitals System who are committed to promoting better health outcomes for residents across the County, especially in our vulnerable communities.
As I noted last month, the difficult fight for this revenue has focused me on what matters most: doing the hard work necessary to build a healthier, safer and more efficient Cook County.
A reporter pointed out that a lot of Republican legislators are grumbling these days about how Gov. Rauner has been “dictating how they vote.” He also noted that some Democrats are worried that having a billionaire leading their party may not be a good thing. “Will you pledge to allow Democrats to vote their conscience, vote their district?” Pritzker was asked.
“Of course,” Pritzker said.
The candidate referenced the old Will Rogers quote “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” And then said…
I believe that people ought to vote their conscience. Always. Always vote their conscience. I also believe we ought to elect progressive Democrats to the Legislature. But I also believe that we have a big tent in this party. That this party always has been about three really core issues: Jobs, healthcare, education. And we need to stick to that, we need to win this election based upon plans for making working families’ lives better.
Democrat Chris Kennedy isn’t saying directly whether he would support an assault weapons ban proposed by several Democratic lawmakers. In an interview for the WMAY News Feed, Kennedy was asked multiple times if he supported the ban on certain types of firearms.
He would only say that the issue of gun violence needs more study but federal regulations limit the ability to conduct such studies.
*** UPDATE *** Kennedy just called to say he fully supports an assault weapons ban and wasn’t trying to get around the topic.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Meanwhile, despite the delay, the Bustos endorsement did receive a lot of news coverage…
Illinois’ 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos endorsed Democratic candidate JB Pritzker in his run for Governor, Mon. His appearance at the AFL-CIO Labor Temple started 90 minutes later than scheduled, due to unfavorable flight conditions.
Dense fog enveloped Peoria Monday morning. A member of Pritzker’s campaign team says his plane circled the area for 30 minutes, then rerouted to Galesburg. Pritzker apologized for the delay and said the flight was “a lil’ dicey.”
About 20 people, mostly with labor union ties, stuck around to hear the endorsement from Rep. Bustos. The Congresswoman says JB Pritzker is taking a different approach, by focusing on downstate Illinois.
“This is a guy who’s going to be our next governor, who’s not going to have to understand how you get to Peoria, how you get to Pekin, how you get to Monmouth,” Bustos said. “He’s going to know the way, and that was a critical part of my decision making as to who I was going to endorse in this race.”
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, endorsed gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker when he opened his Quad-Cities campaign office — his eighth in the state — Monday afternoon.
Rep. Bustos said voters should vote for Mr. Pritzker for governor because he will represent working families across the entire state, not just in Chicago and Cook County.
“He understands that the state of Illinois has 102 counties, with 101 of them outside Cook County,” Rep. Bustos said. “When we elect our next governor, we want to make sure they know how to find a place like the Quad-Cities.”
* DGA…
On Friday, Governor Bruce Rauner’s habit of dodging questions relating to federal matters came under tough scrutiny from the Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson. Rauner was questioned why he had not spoken in “specifics” on matters like tax reform, mass shootings, and Obamacare. Rauner ended up saying that he, as the state’s highest elected executive, had “no obligation” to weigh in on federal matters:
Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson: “Don’t you owe the public and voters an obligation to say where you stand on these things? Where do you stand on eliminating the state and local tax deduction with Peter Roskam, your Republican colleague, and Republicans in Washington?
Governor Bruce Rauner: “I have no obligation to comment on every possible policy change in Washington DC. I never have and never will. So, I appreciate your advocacy on that.”
Rauner has been inexplicably silent on President Trump’s decision to end DACA, which puts at least 42,000 children and young adults at risk of deportation. Just a few years ago, candidate Bruce Rauner indeed felt an obligation to speak out in support of these children. This morning, Bruce Rauner attended the Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast and again refused to stand up for DACA beneficiaries.
“Watch out Illinois – Bruce Rauner does not have your back,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Illinois voters elected Rauner to be a leader but he admitted that felt no obligation to protect them against the bad ideas coming out of Washington. Instead, Rauner said he was focused on his political ambitions. This is just another example of Rauner’s failed leadership in action.”
* In other news, Jack Franks won’t run for AG…
Last November, McHenry County’s voters gave me the great honor of becoming the first popularly elected County Board chairman. I have been an outspoken advocate for government reform and tax cuts during my entire political career. Since voters elected me in 1998 to my first of nine terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, I have given my all to help those most in need while always putting the financial interests of the taxpayers first.
My experience as a lawyer, businessman and reform-minded lawmaker makes me uniquely qualified to be a candidate for the office of Illinois attorney general. I am grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support for this possibility, and I was very tempted to enter the race.
But something really special is beginning to happen in McHenry County. In a bipartisan manner, we are reducing the tax levy and bringing substantial reform and efficiency to government. The tax reductions are real but they are not complete. I have therefore decided to pass on the opportunity to run for attorney general in favor of fulfilling my commitment to the taxpayers of McHenry County to reduce their property taxes and reform county government.
Democrats can reduce taxes and reform government, and I am proving that in McHenry County. Working together with my Republican colleagues, we can make McHenry County the best run, most efficient and transparent county in the nation. This battle is too important to stop.
We hosted a community meeting on property taxes this evening in Harvey, which is one of the most overassessed communities in the state. pic.twitter.com/6qV7mzZpRZ
* A different sort of gerrymandering. From the Chicago Reporter…
In Illinois, about 90 percent of the prison population of 50,000 is incarcerated outside of Cook County, even though Cook County accounts for three out of every five prisoners. This spatial mismatch is a consequence of political decisions about prison growth. All of the state’s prisons built after 1941 are located at least 100 miles from Chicago, and the average distance between Chicago and a state prison is more than 200 miles.
This is the spatial story of Chicago and Illinois. And this story is a racial one as well. While seven out of 10 incarcerated by the state identify as black or Latinx, about 95 percent of the prison population is located in counties that are overwhelmingly white. Of the 10 counties with the highest percentage of prison residents, for example, eight of them had general populations that were at least 85 percent white.
When lawmakers use census counts like these to draw electoral districts without regard for prison gerrymandering, the effects are clear. White votes in downstate Illinois are inflated at the disproportionate expense of folks of color in the Chicago area.
These political decisions don’t just punish individual voters convicted of crime. They punish whole communities, even those innocent of any wrongdoing. Crime victims who disproportionately reside in urban areas are more likely to have their collective political power deflated from diminished voting blocs as a result of prison gerrymandering — adding not only insult to injury but injury to injury.
There’s a simple solution to the problem of prison gerrymandering: Count inmates as residents of their home communities, not their prison cells. But this methodological flaw is unlikely to be corrected prior to the 2020 Census. And no other federal action can be expected at the current political moment. Therefore, the onus is on state and local governments to make change.
* Democratic Rep. La Shawn Ford and Republican Reps. Dan Brady and Christine Winger are sponsoring a bill to stop this…
Creates the No Representation Without Population Act. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall collect and maintain an electronic record of the legal residence, outside of any correctional facility, and other demographic data for each person entering its custody after January 1, 2017. Provides for the minimum records that the Department shall maintain. Requires the Department to provide certain information to the Secretary of State after the decennial census. Requires the Secretary of State to request similar information from agencies that operate federal incarceration facilities. Requires the Secretary of State to prepare redistricting data to reflect the incarcerated persons at their residential address, rather than the address of the facility in which the person is incarcerated. Provides that for persons form whom a legal residence is unknown or not in the State, and for all persons reported in the census as residing in a federal correctional facility for whom a report was not provided, the Secretary of State to allocate the person to a State unit not tied to a specific determined geographic location, as other residents with unknown addresses are allocated. Requires the data collected to only be used as a basis for determining Legislative and Representative Districts. Prohibits the use of the data for the distribution of State or federal aid. Contains severability provisions. Effective immediately.
* The Question: Should prisoners be counted as residents of the legislative districts where they lived before incarceration or where their prisons are? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
But the Reader’s Ben Joravsky has surveyed the rest of the godawful field and found a reformer: Andrea Raila, a former aide to Pat Quinn when he was on the property tax review board in the 1980s. Raila now runs a tax-appeal consulting business.
“The woman’s a true tax geek,” Joravsky writes.
* And…
NGP software fails another Illinois campaign committee, Lisa Madigan filed A-1 on paper due to software problem.https://t.co/ZnucLT5bx4
Last April, Rauner publicly promised he would veto a bill that would force taxpayers to pay for abortions through all nine months of pregnancy. He lied. He signed the bill with a shrug of his shoulders, stating “I have always been pro-choice and I always will be.” […]
The cost of this law could approach $20 million. In a state with presumptive eligibility for pregnant women to receive Medicaid, there is also a real possibility that Illinois taxpayers will pay for abortions of women from surrounding states who falsely claim to be residents. The state has had enormous problems in the past with high numbers of ineligible folks on Medicaid.
In all this drama, the families of Illinois are forgotten and left to pick up the tab. Already on the hook for the highest property taxes in the nation, many families face unemployment as businesses bleed into more friendly states. Other families are trying to keep their heads above water, having seen needed social services reduced or eliminated over the past three years. So, as pundits and pols rant and rave in the papers and on social media, too many families quietly pack up and leave. Even those who are doing well look at state politics and wonder why they would entrust their family’s future to these “leaders.”
Here is what Illinois families should know: While the concentrated power in Springfield seems daunting, the people have the collective numbers, resources, and values to end Illinois’ rigged political culture. Illinoisans deserve bold leaders, and in 2018, they can pick those leaders willing to fight for them to own a home in a safe community, to have access to quality schools, to be able to count on basic services when they are in need, and to have the opportunity to build their lives and pursue happiness.
The estimated annual cost for abortion services resulting from House Bill 40 is approximately $1.8 million, which would be 100% GRF funded. There may be other budgetary impacts that are not quantifiable.
Some supporters of HB40 fear the harsh conservative backlash — a steady drumbeat of disapproval against Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signature on the bill expanding public funding of abortion in Illinois — has eclipsed any talk of what they view as a victory for low-income women.
“I feel like the conversation around this is all focused on politics instead of on the women,” Lori Chaiten, ACLU’s Director of the Reproductive Rights Project told POLITICO. “This was a huge step forward for women and communities in Illinois. It is getting drowned out by the negative statements and the politics in this state.”
Opponents will quickly point out that it wasn’t just Rauner’s signature that was the problem — it was that he had promised abortion opponents in his party that he would veto the bill. Rauner said he came to the decision after meeting with groups of women across the state who told him they didn’t have access to abortion because of finances.
“Unfortunately, I do believe we’ve become incredibly polarized, not just in Illinois but across the country,” Chaiten said. “I do think it’s really important to stop for a minute. I think this is what the governor did. He stopped and listened to the experiences of the women of this state and to women who needed access to health care. It was a brave and bold move on his part.”
Bruce Rauner said his signing of a controversial abortion bill was consistent with his pro-choice principles and that he had never presented himself as anything but pro-choice.
We looked through numerous campaign appearance videos, ads and news stories and found no evidence that Rauner ever tried to hide or downplay his pro-choice beliefs. In fact, his campaign touted the Rauners’ support of abortion rights groups to rebut the charge that he was not pro-choice.
Rauner sought anti-abortion voters by assuring them that, as governor, he had no social agenda and that “the right for a woman to choose is the national law and… that ain’t gonna change in Illinois.” Politically, it proved to be a smart strategy that helped gain him election in 2014. By 2017, however, it became impossible to continue finessing the issue.
In picking a side, Rauner declared that he has been consistent in declaring his pro-choice beliefs. We rate that statement True.
* Related…
* Kadner: Too busy spurning Rauner, GOP fails to make Dems pay for taxes: If Republicans have a difficult time uniting behind Rauner, I can’t see how they will run effective campaigns for countywide office or ever mount a serious challenge to Michael Madigan’s control of the Illinois House.
* Anti-abortion groups dump Rauner for 2018: Meanwhile, Rep. Jeanne Ives, a DuPage County Republican, told me in a phone interview that she’s “much closer” to deciding whether to run after getting expressions of support from “all over the state.”
* Knox County Right to Life leaders say Rauner’s re-election chances are now dim: “We’re going to lose the election. I don’t think Rauner can win, and I think if Rauner wins – what have we won? We’ve basically got a Democrat in Republican clothing.” He added, “So I don’t see the Republican party or Pro-Lifers losing by running another candidate.”
Former federal prosecutor and criminal justice reform expert Sharon Fairley announced her candidacy for Attorney General of Illinois on Tuesday, launching her campaign in the March 2018 Democratic primary.
Fairley is seeking the position after incumbent Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced last month she would not run again for the seat, which she has held since 2003.
Fairley spent eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois under the leadership of former U.S. Attorneys Patrick Fitzgerald and Zach Fardon. Most recently, she served as Chief Administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, an agency which she designed and built from the ground up in the aftermath of the release of video of the death of Laquan McDonald in 2015. Prior to her work at COPA, Fairley served as First Deputy and General Counsel to the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General.
“My experience–as a former federal prosecutor, and as a leader in criminal justice reform here in the City of Chicago–will allow me to provide that leadership as we work for progressive change in our justice system and in our communities,” said Fairley at a press conference announcing her campaign launch on Tuesday.
Fairley said, as Attorney General, she’d focus on combating the unconstitutional attacks on civil rights, voting rights, immigrant communities and religious freedoms, among other areas.
“Here in Illinois, our Attorney General must stand up against corruption and oppose the eroding of consumer protection and government accountability,” she added.
Fairley earned her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and holds an MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Fairley, who grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, lives in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge community on the Southwest Side. She is the mother of two adult children.
If elected, Fairley would be the first African American woman to hold the Attorney General’s seat in Illinois history.
* See if you can spot the news item announced by JB Pritzker during the weekend gubernatorial forum…
Mary Ann: Do you believe it’s appropriate to disconnect the plumbing from what many people would consider a mansion, to receive a $230,000 tax break?
JB: Thank you for asking that question. Here is the truth of that. And that is, that we began a renovation project on a home, and we decided to stop that project, and at some point in the future after that, like 50,000 other people in Cook County every single day–like Chris Kennedy, like Gov. Rauner and others–asked for a reassessment of the property’s value. Not because of that, but just that it was a point in which, as you know, we have a very unfair assessment process. We need, and I’ve discovered how flawed it really is. That in fact is why we need to get rid of that system, make sure that we’ve got a formula that really works for assessing properties, and make sure that people are paying their fair share for their properties. That’s what happened in that situation.
Mary Ann: If there need to be a change in the assessment, does that also mean a change of the assessor? Where do you stand on Mr. Berrios?
JB: Yeah, well things have not been going that well recently, let’s all face it. And across the state, this is not just an issue in Cook County by the way. All across the state, we have got the problem of in poor communities, they are paying the very highest rates, the very highest rates, that is very unfair. I am in favor of more progressive taxes, less regressive taxes, and unfortunately, our property tax system is quite regressive in this state.
Mary Ann: So Mr. Kennedy, he brought your name up. You have received a tax break at Wolf Point, and you have apparently also received a tax break on your home, where do you stand?
Chris: Well what Mr. Pritzker did and what everybody else who has ever appealed taxes did, are two radically different things. We appealed our taxes, he had his house reclassified as uninhabitable. That’s a different thing. I’ve never even heard of it. I’ve been in real estate 30 years in Chicago, I never knew you could do that thing. [Laughter] I’m serious, that’s like a whole other game.
Mary Ann: But you also did receive a tax break…
Chris: Let me just finish. He did that, then he says he’s in the house next door and he appeals that tax, and he says “Look, I’m living next to an uninhabitable home.” [Laughter] Don’t put me in that bucket, I never did either of those things. [Applause]
I have the courage to stand here and tell you that Joe Berrios’ system is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and he should be taken out of office. [Applause]
JB: I need to respond to that, I’m sorry. I must say that millions of dollars of tax breaks at Wolf Point taken by Mr. Kennedy do qualify in fact as tax breaks. And to be clear, our property, by the way, is no longer on that roll. It was a temporary situation that we in fact were doing renovations to stop that, and are beginning to do those renovations again.
Mary Ann: But you do support Mr. Berrios?
JB: No, what I’m suggesting is I’m running for governor and I believe the people of Cook County ought to make the decision about who the assessor is of Cook County. I must say though things are not going well in terms of assessment of properties and people who are poor are paying the highest taxes.
Mary Ann: And Mr. Kennedy, could you clarify, you did receive a tax break at Wolf Point
Chris: That’s not true. When Wolf Point was a parking lot, it was assessed as a parking lot. When Wolf Point was a development site, it was assessed as a development site. When Wolf Point was an apartment building, it was assessed as an apartment building. All of those assessments were within the range of their peers. There’s no evidence that I got a break outside of what everyone else got. There’s no evidence that the taxes paid there were different than any other taxes paid by a similar building, development or lot anywhere else in the city. It’s just not true.
Did you spot it? He’s apparently no longer claiming that his next door mansion is uninhabitable.
Pritzker Still Claiming “Uninhabitable” Tax Break On $2.5 Million Mansion
At The October 8 Democratic Candidate Forum, JB Pritzker Told The Audience That He Is No Longer Claiming That His Second Mansion At 1431 N. Astor Street In Chicago Is Uninhabitable In Order To Claim A Massive Property Tax Break: PRITZKER: “To be clear, our property, by the way, is no longer on that roll. It was a temporary situation that we, in fact, were doing renovations. We stopped that, and are beginning to do those renovations again.” (Our Revolution Illinois Candidate Forum, 10/8/17, 55:18)
Pritzker’s Lawyers Applied To Have The Mansion Declared Uninhabitable Again This Year
According To The Cook County Assessor’s Database, Pritzker’s Lawyers Applied For And Received A Vacancy Reduction For The 2016 Tax Year On Pritzker’s 1431 N Astor Street Mansion. (Cook County Assessor, Accessed 10/9/17)… Pritzker’s 2016 Valuation Is Identical To The One That He Initially Received For The 2015 Tax Year. (Cook County Assessor, Accessed 10/9/17)
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Both of these reductions were already public knowledge. JB was referencing the status for the current year. Opposition research generally works better when the facts are correct.
* Pritzker, by the way, shot back at Sen. Daniel Biss for the latter’s repeated references to the former’s wealth…
Thank you for referring to me once again as wealthy. I want to be clear about something and that’s that no one here on stage wears any kind of halo. And Daniel, while I appreciate you calling that out, you’ve accepted PAC money, you’ve accepted money from special interests, you’ve accepted money from banking [Applause]. And I want to be clear though that I do not believe that they’re buying you in any way whatsoever. I believe that they believe in you and that’s why they wrote checks. I’m standing up here telling you exactly what it is that I believe in. The one thing you will know about me is that if you elect me, everything that I have told that I will do is exactly what I will do. There’s nobody calling me in the middle of the night telling me I can’t do it. There’s no special interests that will have funded me who will call me in the middle of the night and say ‘I’m sorry we’re not funding you for the next election.’
* And Kennedy kinda mansplained Mary Ann Ahern…
Mary Ann: Mr. Kennedy where are you on the LaSalle street tax?
Kennedy: Well I’d point out that most of the trading is done on Wacker Drive and not LaSalle Street. Let’s just start there.
Mary Ann: Wherever it’s done, should we have a tax?
Kennedy: Well it matters if you are going to regulate it, you oughta know what you’re talking about. [Audible gasps from crowd]
Mary Ann: We’ll let Mr. Pritzker respond to that then.
Kennedy: I would say this. You know, I’d like to promise everybody rainbows and swing sets in their back yard and they’re not going to have to pay for any of it. The idea that we’re going to go after LaSalle Street and somehow tax all of them, is just a fallacy. They’ll move that money around faster than we can regulate it. Fact is you could order from Amazon Prime they know, they know the router in your apartment or your office, they know your address, and then they’re delivering it to your address. If you live in Cook County you don’t have to pay Cook County taxes. We can’t friggin’ find a way to tax Amazon we’re never going to tax the mercantile board.
So, he corrects the moderator about LaSalle Street and then uses the exact same LaSalle Street name in his own response.
I got some clarification on how much sales tax Amazon is supposed to collect in Cook County, which was the example Kennedy cited. It’s complicated.
The company clearly is supposed to collect the 6.25 percent state sales tax everywhere in Illinois. But local sales taxes are different. If the product involved in a transaction was stored in a warehouse in Cook County and shipped to a county resident, the tax is supposed to be collected. But if it was shipped from out of state, no. If it was stored in Kankakee, a Cook County resident would not have to pay, but some in Kankakee would.
That’s the word from Laurence Msall over at the Civic Federation.
So, bottom line: It looks like Kennedy is partially right, in some cases. But misleading, at least as he phrased it.
* If you click the link on this tweet, you’ll see that 77 percent of the money Ameya Pawar raised during the third quarter came from one person: The wealthy father of Pawar’s campaign manager…
A week ahead of deadline: Ameya Pawar for Governor 09/30/17 Raised: $335,980.33 Spent: $260,625.45 CoH: $304,788.56https://t.co/EFOj0qvm3b
That’s not a ding on his campaign manager at all. Sam Hobert won our 2016 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best campaign staffer - Senate Democrats. It just is what it is.
Pawar reported a ton of small contributions. But, outside of that one $250,00 contribution, he only raised $85,980.
* Meanwhile, Pawar had a couple of awkward moments during the Democratic candidate forum over the weekend…
During police brutality discussion, protester shouts @Ameya_Pawar_IL down, calling him "just another one of Rahm Emanuel's puppets."
AHERN: As a progressive candidate, why are you not a member of the Progressive Caucus for the Chicago City Council?
PAWAR: Love that question. So, I think I’ve been able to get a lot done on City Council, work on progressive issues. Truthfully, I know what my faults are. I tend to work alone. I don’t always build coalitions. But I think that’s always been able to afford me the ability to actually pass legislation. I think there has been a lot of personality conflicts between me and the Progressive Caucus and I own that. Some of it’s started by me, and some things that are internal. I don’t think that makes sense to air that. I respect them. And I’ll tell you one thing. I worked on the task force to pass $13 minimum wage and I led the effort on paid sick leave but they were also the ones leading out there and organizing around it. So, I think we’ve all played our roles, I’m proud of the work that I’ve done and I’m proud of my record. There have been some personality issues that came up. And I don’t think it makes sense to air that in a public setting, other than to say I respect them. I think they respect me. I’ll leave it at that.
AHERN: How do you work, then, with the state? If you are someone who likes to work alone, how will you expand that role from being a city council member to the head of Illinois?
PAWAR: I mean by working alone is I’ve always been able to cobble together the votes to pass things like an independent budget office or paid sick leave. I got here on my own. I knocked on doors, I knocked on doors with my wife. I have volunteers that help me. I’ve never been a part of any club and no establishment figure has ever helped me. The party’s never given me a dime and I’ve never asked them for a dime. I got here on my own grit and sh – sweat equity – Now I own my weaknesses, I always have. But I’ve been diplomatic. I’ve always worked hard. And I’ve outworked people and that’s how I’ll work as governor.
Her “summer”? She was on staff for six weeks. And she wasn’t fired? Yeah, OK…
A day after crafting a controversial statement citing Gov. Bruce Rauner’s position as a “white male,” the governor’s new communications staff has been ousted — with more exits on the way.
The staffers — hired in July after a staff purge and series of protest resignations — were asked to resign; one was asked to stay but chose to resign.
A lot of people have asked why I took the role, considering I have spent the bulk of my career railing against the government.
It came down to this: If I declined the job, I’d watch Illinois’ problems go unfixed and wonder if I could have made a difference. Or, I could enter the nucleus of state government and attempt to change the system from within.
The experience was eye-opening, but after six weeks I decided to leave the position. It was a dysfunctional workplace in a flailing administration. The bad I saw far outweighed any good I could do.
But perhaps worst of all is that I learned early on that there would be no fixing the system from within, especially from my role; this is a state government that has been broken for decades. It is designed to reject improvement in every form, at every level.
It’s always somebody else’s fault. Always. The only real surprise is that the word “Madigan” doesn’t appear anywhere in the piece.
…Adding… An affiliate of the Illinois Policy Institute…
News that will surprise *literally nobody* - Diana Rickert is now a Vice President at the Liberty Justice Center, according to her Linkedin pic.twitter.com/gSF8gGrL0a
* Parts of the Democratic gubernatorial forum over the weekend were tough to watch. We’re going to discuss other aspects, but let’s start with this one…
The question that seemed to draw the most heated response launched a back and forth between Biss and Pritzker. Ahern asked about candidates’ relationships with Michael Madigan, speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. […]
Biss said Madigan is too powerful.
Pritzker said Madigan has just become a GOP “talking point.”
When asked if Madigan supports him, Pritzker added that he is an independent who won’t be influenced, and called Biss out for voting for the speaker. Biss then responded that Pritzker should be more honest about the speaker’s support.
* ILGOP…
Democrat Audience Laughs At Pritzker’s Claim of ‘Independence’ from Madigan
As Pritzker tries to distance himself from Madigan, the Democrat audience responds with laughter and groans
“On Sunday, the Democrats running for governor were abundantly clear: Mike Madigan is for J.B. Pritzker. It makes sense, since Pritzker and Madigan both share a history of corrupt deal-making and gaming the system for their own personal gain. Pritzker’s attempts to distance himself from Madigan were literally laughable - so laughable that an audience of Democrats and progressives wren’t buying the malarkey he was peddling.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
On Sunday, the Democratic candidates for governor held a forum at the Chicago Teacher’s Union headquarters, and though they may disagree on exactly how high they will raise taxes, they all came together on one topic: Mike Madigan’s support for J.B. Pritzker.
When asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan, Pritzker repeatedly dodged the question, fumbling over his inability to change the subject. His discomfort was so plain that after being challenged on the issue by moderator Mary Ann Ahern, Pritzker’s non-answers were met with laughter from the crowd of Democrat activists. […]
The Democrats may not always agree on how big government should be, but they all came together on one topic: J.B. Pritzker is Mike Madigan’s candidate for governor.
Biss definitely took it to the guy. But here’s Pritzker’s retort…
I do need to respond to that. Senator Biss, you ran Mike Madigan’s PAC last year. You ran his Super PAC, millions of dollars. C’mon, there is no halo here, we all are Democrats, we don’t get to choose who the Speaker is. He is the Speaker of the House, There’s nothing that any of us can do about it except to support leadership term limits which I do.
* Chris Kennedy’s response…
Mary Ann Ahern: Mr. Kennedy, what’s your relationship like with Speaker Madigan?
Kennedy: I think we should give [Madigan] a choice. I think he should have the choice between being a property tax appeals lawyer or a state Representative. I don’t think we have to accept the current situation. I don’t think it has to be like this in Illinois. He’s a property tax appeals lawyer, he’s appealing the property taxes to Joe Berrios. One is head of the state Democratic Party, one is head of the Cook County Democratic Party. The scale of this thing is incredible. The Sears Tower sells for a billion, two hundred million dollars. It gets a billion dollar mortgage on it. They’re recorded at Cook County. They’re reported in the Tribune and Crain’s. The assessor says “oh no,” he has alternative facts, it’s only worth $579 million. We need to prevent our elected officials from having outside jobs that are adverse to the interests of the body they were elected to serve.
Illinois is chasing a moving target as it tries to dig out of the nation’s worst budget crisis, and a review obtained by The Associated Press shows $7.5 billion worth of unpaid bills — as much as half the total — hadn’t been sent to the official who writes the checks by the end of June.
Although many of those IOUs have since been paid, a similar amount in unprocessed bills has replaced them in the last three months, Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office said Monday. That’s in addition to $9 billion worth of checks that are at the office but being delayed because the state lacks the money to pay them.
The mound of past-due bills tripled over the two years Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly were locked in a budget stalemate, which ended in July when lawmakers hiked income taxes over Rauner’s vetoes.
In some cases, agencies were waiting to send their receipts to Mendoza because lawmakers haven’t approved the spending. For example, the Department of Corrections had $471 million in unpaid bills on hand as of June 30 largely for that reason.
Wait. What?
* The comptroller sent a letter to legislators this morning. From that letter…
• What amount of bills held at the agencies lack appropriation authority?
Agencies cannot send the Comptroller vouchers to pay for expenditures that lack an appropriation. If services are being rendered without a sufficient appropriation, then those bills sit at the agency until an appropriation is ultimately made. All the while, these unappropriated expenditures may accrue late payment interest penalties, and the vendors providing those services suffer as they await payment. As evidenced by the report, the information disclosed does not reveal any status relative to appropriation authority or if sufficient authority even exists.
A breakdown of appropriated versus unappropriated liabilities gives lawmakers, the public and the Comptroller an idea of what can actually be paid and where appropriations are not covering the services being delivered.
* From Rep. Dave McSweeney…
As of June 30th, Governor Rauner’s Administration has been holding about $7.5 billion of bills at state agencies, which is making our fiscal problems worse as late payment interest penalties continue to accrue. Also, it appears that the Rauner Administration is holding bills for Fiscal Year 17 that have not been appropriated. For example, a significant portion of the Department of Corrections $471,821,889 liability appears to be unappropriated.
The Rauner Administration needs to immediately provide the General Assembly with a full accounting of unappropriated Fiscal Year 17 bills, which appear to be substantial. With approximately $16 billion of unpaid bills, Governor Rauner’s fiscal record is abysmal.
We need more transparency in state Government. As a strong fiscal conservative, I will be voting to override Governor Rauner’s veto of Comptroller Mendoza’s HB 3649. HB 3649 is a common sense bill that will require monthly reporting of all bills being held by state agencies. I’m also a recently added Chief Co-Sponsor of that legislation.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, despite buckets of campaign cash, may be in for a primary fight in his 2018 re-election battle for governor.
Suburban Republican lawmaker Jeanne Ives (Wheaton) is considering getting in the race, citing her frustration with the governor’s signing of HB40, a law that will increase access to abortion for state Medicaid recipients and would continue to make abortion legal in Illinois should the U.S. Supreme Court choose to overturn it.
“Our team is having important conversations around the state about challenging the unprincipled and morally bankrupt politicians who have failed to deliver reforms demanded by taxpayers, businesses and ordinary citizens that have played by the rules and yet, find themselves ignored by both parties,” Ives said.
Rauner is facing a revolt from the grassroots of his party, with several Republican lawmakers saying they can’t support him for re-election and are actively looking for an alternative. Former ally John Tillman, head of the libertarian think tank The Illinois Policy Institute, referred to him as “Benedict Rauner” for allegedly “going back on his word” and signing HB40.
Ives would appear to be at a significant financial disadvantage, but could level the playing field if she garners the support of political operatives like Dan Proft and uber-funder Dick Uihlein.
“Certainly, the party’s fractured, but when I talk to my colleagues, they’re not supporting Rauner, not passing his petitions,” Ives says. “We actually seem to be uniting against the signing of this bill.”
If it seems to you that more legislators are announcing their retirements than in the past, you’re right, at least about the House.
With the recent retirement announcement by Rep. David Harris (R-Arlington Heights), a total of 24 House members have either resigned or announced that they weren’t running for reelection.
That compares to 16 state representatives who retired or resigned during the 99th General Assembly, a two-year period which ended this past January.
Seventeen House members retired or resigned during the 98th General Assembly. Sixteen retired or resigned during the 97th, and 17 resigned during the 96th. Members who lost reelection races and those who died aren’t included in these figures.
So, that’s an average of 16.5 retirements/resignations every two years. And we’re already at 24 after only nine months of the 100th General Assembly.
Now, there are some caveats here. Two House members (Juliana Stratton and Litesa Wallace) are leaving to run for lieutenant governor, but that’s unusual because they’re really just beginning their legislative service. Another, Scott Drury, is running for attorney general, but he’s clearly dissatisfied with the House.
Even so, statewide bids by House members are pretty rare, mainly because their two-year terms requires giving up their seats. If House members do run statewide, it’s usually because they’re nearing the end of their careers.
So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the Statehouse’s toxic atmosphere and the political exhaustion it has caused are the main reasons why we’ve seen so many House retirements.
But that hasn’t necessarily been the case in the Senate, which has so far seen 7 retirements/resignations since January. Nine Senators retired or resigned during the 99th General Assembly. Then again, just one retired during the 98th. And 12 retired or resigned during the 97th, while 6 did so during the 96th GA. Unlike the House, the Senate’s retirement rate has been all over the place.
The House has twice as many members as the Senate, but more than three times as many House members have resigned or retired so far. What gives? Senators have longer, staggered terms, so that may be part of it.
The one Senator we know for sure who quit because of the dysfunction was also the most high-profile resignation of the year: Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno. Leader Radogno sparred with the governor’s campaign apparatus during the 2016 campaign season and then was repeatedly undercut by the governor and his team during her ultimately unsuccessful “grand bargain” negotiations with the Senate Democrats.
Just one Senate Republican, Dale Righter, voted for the income tax hike, and he is in the middle of a four-year term. But 15 House Republicans voted for that bill, although some didn’t vote for the veto override. All of those Republicans were immediately denounced as essentially being Speaker Michael Madigan-supporting traitors by the Illinois Republican Party. Gov. Bruce Rauner has since said that support for the education funding reform bill would cause him to forget the tax hike vote, but the damage was already done. The blowback from the folks back home was horrific.
Nine of the eleven House Republicans who’ve so far said they’re not running again voted for the income tax hike.
Rauner has been focused like a laser on defeating as many of Speaker Madigan’s House Democrats as possible. But he’s also said publicly that he doesn’t really care if the Senate Democrats retain their majority as long as he can topple Madigan.
Twelve House Democrats have so far either quit or announced they aren’t running again. Several of those faced tough general election races next year if they ran again. Others said they’d just had enough of the war and wanted the heck out.
Now, I’m an agnostic when it comes to term limits. I can see the good and the bad either way. Fresh ideas and a clean slate would be welcomed in this state. But some fresh ideas can also be stupid ideas. And term limits on legislators make governors more powerful — and that may not be a good thing when you look at Illinois’ history of gubernatorial elections.
But this sort of turnover (on top of any electoral losses next year) means that a higher percentage of House members will be newbies. So, remaining legislators with more experience (along with lobbyists and staff) will gain even more influence and power, unless those who are elected next year take much more independent stances — and that doesn’t seem all that likely to me.
* The list…
GOP State Rep. David Harris the latest to announce retirement
* Walker to run for his former House seat: Former Democratic state Rep. Mark Walker of Arlington Heights said Monday he plans to make a bid for his old House seat that’s being vacated by Republican David Harris. The Wheeling Township Democratic committeeman says he knows the difficulty of finding candidates interested in the role, given ongoing gridlock in Springfield.
Pro-Life/ Pro-Family Forces Meet…Will Oppose Rauner in Primary and General Election
The following Bill of Particulars was unanimously endorsed today by representatives of 20 statewide pro-life and pro-family organizations at a meeting in Chicago.
Bill of Particulars
Whereas the 2016 platforms of both the national and Illinois Republican parties clearly state their opposition to taxpayer-funded abortion.
Whereas the Republican members of the Illinois House and Senate have expressed their united opposition to taxpayer-funded abortion as expressed in House Bill 40.
Whereas the duly-elected Governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, after making several public promises to veto House Bill 40, shockingly, caved to pressure from radical abortion extremists and signed this dastardly legislation into law on September 27, 2017.
Whereas every Republican member of the Illinois Congressional Delegate called upon Rauner to veto HB 40
Therefore, we the assembled leaders of 20 pro-life, pro-family statewide organizations in Illinois state the following:
We hereby express a vote of “no confidence” in Governor Bruce Rauner.
We hereby state that Governor Bruce Rauner, were he to seek re-election for the office of Governor, will not have our support in either a Republican primary or in the General Election of 2018.
We state that we will support a candidate or candidates for governor who are publically committed to the repeal of House Bill 40 in 2018 Republican primary and, if required, in the 2018 general election.
We further state that we will support only candidates for public office who are publically committed to the repeal of House Bill 40.
We encourage the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, other Christian churches, Jewish people, and other people of Faith throughout Illinois to demand of their local public officials a public commitment to support the repeal of House Bill 40.
We ask people of Faith throughout Illinois to join us in prayer for the souls of the many innocent victims of abortion including the unborn, the women victimized, and their families who will suffer as a result of the pen of Governor Bruce Rauner.
* I asked Paul Caprio for a list of groups…
Rich,
Here are 13 of the groups that were involved. There were some in other groups that endorsed the Bill of Particulars, but preferred not to have their names mentioned publically. Hope this is helpful.
Illinois Family Institute
Illinois Family Action
Family-Pac
Illinois Citizens for Ethics (Catholic Pro-life Pac)
Lake County Right to Life Pac
Lake County Republican Assembly
West Suburban Patriots
Illinois Right to Life
Walsh Forum
One Nation Under God Foundation
Christian Emergency League
Illinois Citizens for Life
Catholic Citizens of Illinois
Today, the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association (IDCCA) and its 102 members met to vote on an endorsement in the Democratic Primary for Governor. With an unprecedented show of support, the IDCCA voted to endorse JB Pritzker for Governor representing nearly 70% of the County Chairmen.
IDCCA President Doug House released the following statement in reaction:
“At the start of the primary campaign I asked the candidates to travel to each of the Counties and meet with our members and the voters. To beat a candidate like Bruce Rauner, Democrats needed to be inspired by their vision for Illinois and their plan to win. I have been impressed with JB Pritzker and his strong, progressive message. JB is connecting with voters who share our core beliefs throughout Illinois and they believe that he can fix the mess that Bruce Rauner has created.”
“Each of the candidates submitted credentials to be considered for endorsement. The County Chairs of the IDCCA have voted, and I wholeheartedly agree, that JB Pritzker is the best candidate to beat Bruce Rauner. We are proud to support him for Governor.”
“The IDCCA is made up of volunteer, grassroots organizers who are committed to getting Democrats elected up and down the ballot. While Bruce Rauner, Donald Trump and Republicans are continuing to hurt our country, County Democratic Parties will be knocking on doors and talking with our neighbors about a positive way forward for our communities. With JB at the top of the ticket, 2018 will be a strong year for Democrats in every county in Illinois.
“We are proud to stand with the next Governor of Illinois and we are ready to get to work,” said IDCCA President Doug House.
* ILGOP…
“The IDCCA has done it again. Their endorsement of Pritzker today is the latest chapter in a years-long pattern of bending to Madigan’s will. The IDCCA has long been an instrument to support Madigan’s vulnerable House members, and now they’re being used by Madigan to coronate Pritzker with the Democratic nomination for governor.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
…Adding… Biss campaign…
In a video shared with supporters this morning, Daniel Biss unveiled “Rewriting the Rules,” a set of policy proposals designed to restore power to the people of Illinois.
“With a billionaire businessman in the White House, another in the Governor’s Mansion, and two more of the super rich running for governor, it’s time for us to ask some serious questions about what kind of democracy we want to have,” said Daniel Biss. “Do we want to have elections, or do we want auctions?
“The wealthy and well-connected have built a system that keeps them in charge while the rest of us fall further and further behind. From the way we fund our campaigns to how the district maps get drawn to the basic way you get on the ballot, the system is designed to push us out. Insiders will tell us it’s too complicated and that we should let them make all the decisions. Really, it’s quite simple: the system is rigged against us and it’s time to rewrite the rules.”
“Rewriting the Rules” includes the following policy proposals:
Grassroots selection of the party chair: If we want a Democratic Party that’s accountable to Democratic voters, we can’t rely on a closed door coronation. To bring in new faces and new ideas, we need a new process for electing party leaders that starts with local activists.
Small donor matching: With a system of public financing through matching small donations, grassroots candidates can run for office based on their ideas, not their bank accounts.
Ballot access: Measures to expand access to the ballot will create more competitive elections and ensure that political machines can’t limit third party access or throw ordinary people off the ballot based on technicalities.
Fair maps: Illinois needs an independent redistricting commission to draw fair maps while protecting the voting rights and representation of diverse communities in the General Assembly—because voters should pick their elected officials, not the other way around.
Ranked-choice voting: Implementing ranked-choice voting will give voters more opportunities to select independent and third party candidates who share their values and ensure that the candidate who gets elected is the candidate with the most support.
Term limits for leadership: Rather than allowing the Senate President, Speaker of the House, and minority party leaders to consolidate power over years and even decades, we must implement term limits to encourage the flow of new ideas and restore power to rank-and-file legislators.
More on “Rewriting the Rules” can be found at DanielBiss.com/Rewriting-The-Rules.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Today, the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association (IDCCA) endorsed JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton for governor and lieutenant governor after 70 percent of chairs across the state voted for them. The IDCCA is made up of the elected Democratic party chairs from all 102 counties in Illinois.
“Juliana and I are humbled to receive the endorsement of the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association as we build our statewide, grassroots campaign,” said JB Pritzker. “We need to elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2018, and no one knows that more than the 102 Democratic chairs of the IDCCA. I’m so excited to partner with local leaders to beat Bruce Rauner and get fellow Democrats elected in towns, cities, and counties across the state.”
“JB Pritzker and Juliana Stratton are building a campaign that’s ready to take on Bruce Rauner, and we’re going to need that kind of leadership and commitment to win in 2018,” said IDCCA President Doug House. “JB has the background and the vision to get big things done for the people of Illinois. He’s spent his life fighting for what’s right, and he has real plans for our state’s future. We need a strong leader with an unwavering commitment to turn our state around after Bruce Rauner has spent the last few years damaging it, and I know that JB Pritzker is the best choice for the job.”
“I’m going back into the private sector to lead a new initiative that will leverage one of his other greatest victories, that of the Janus v. AFSCME fair share case that was just picked up by the United States Supreme Court,” Rasmussen said during the call. “So whether we are inside of government or outside of government there’s so much opportunity for us to change policy and change lives for the better. ”
Rasmussen said she had “two key responsibilities” during her tenure: to “refresh the staff” and to deal with the school funding crisis. […]
Heaton said he knows that there can be “anxiety and uncertainty that comes with change.”
“I just want to encourage everybody to take a deep breath. I’m not coming in with some kind of vision that I need to bring in my own separate, new group of people,” Heaton said.
I have the same source material, but since I was out of the office and Tina got it, too, you can just click here and read the rest of her story. Saves me some work.
* I have a doctor’s appointment (nothing life-threatening) and will be back later this afternoon. Discuss any breaking news or whatever, as long as it’s Illinois-centric. And please do your utmost to be kind to each other. Thanks!
* Back in the days when smart phones didn’t exist and texting was fairly rare, AOL Instant Messenger was all the rage. The company eventually developed a small mobile device which could send AIMs to other AOL users. Several campaigns used the very edgy technology.
But after 20 years, it’s shutting down. From a message I received this morning…
Hi there! We wanted to let you know that AIM will be going away on December 15, 2017. Until then, you can continue to use AIM normally, but as of December 15, AIM will be discontinued and you will no longer have access. Thank you for being an AIM user - we loved working on this product for you.
Only a handful of people I know still use it, but I still get occasional messages from folks on the system.
A political friend was at one time the most prodigious AIM user I’ve ever known. I walked into her office one day and mentioned I had been trying over and over to send instant messages to her and wasn’t getting a response. She looked and said she had 200 active AIM conversations on her desktop computer and, apparently, that was the company’s limit. It had happened before, she said, which is why she knew.
* The Question: What are the various ways you electronically communicate with others? Explain if necessary.
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced today that Rodger Heaton will become his chief of staff effective Monday, Oct. 9. Heaton, a former U.S. Attorney and most recently the director of Public Safety and chairman of the Statewide Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform, succeeds Kristina Rasmussen, who will remain on staff until Friday, Oct. 13, to help ensure a smooth transition.
Heaton has served as public safety director and the governor’s Homeland Security adviser since January 2015. In these roles, he has worked extensively with members from all three branches of Illinois state government and is familiar with the workings of the Office of the Governor and the priorities that the governor has established.
“I’m excited to promote Rodger to be our team leader,” Rauner said. “His combination of legal, legislative and policy experience will help us build on the significant improvements that Kristina accomplished in a very compressed and challenging time.”
Heaton has had a 30-year career in law, litigation, law enforcement and policy. From 2005 to 2009, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, the chief federal law enforcement official for 46 counties. He also served on the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, a body that advises the Attorney General on all policy matters related to the justice system.
The governor lauded the work of outgoing Chief of Staff Kristina Rasmussen, who is leaving the administration to pursue other interests.
“I brought Kristina on last summer because of her reputation as a foremost policy leader and organizational innovator,” the governor said. “I asked her to reinvigorate our staff and advance our goals in improving education, growing jobs, and protecting taxpayers … and she delivered on all fronts.
“Kristina built and organized a team that is enhancing our executive operations, making them more focused, more effective and better prepared to win a growth agenda for Illinois,” Rauner said. “I know she will be a great success in any endeavor she chooses in the future.”
* I asked all the Democratic gubernatorial candidates and Gov. Rauner’s campaign this question the other day…
What specific legislation would you propose to lessen the risk of a mass shooting in Illinois?
Their deadline was noon today. The Rauner campaign did not respond. The answers in the order they were received:
* Tio Hardiman…
“As Governor, I would make sure that we enforce all of the Gun Laws on the books in Illinois to the highest level because having strict gun laws without enforcement is like turning your back on the law abiding citizens of Illinois. Additionally, I would work with members of the Illinois General Assembly and Members of Congress/Senate on Banning Assault Weapons period. This is necessary to help the state of Illinois remain safe from incidents like what just took place in Las Vegas.”
* Bob Daiber…
“The effort to stop mass shootings in Illinois begins with passing and signing into law SB1657 “The Gun Dealer Licensing Act.” This legislation gets to the root of the problem as to whom sells weapons and the process by which individuals can obtain rapid-fire devices. I support a ban on such weapons for further sale to the general public. To address the long-term issue of manufacturing assault weapons, we must enforce restrictive patents on the development of any such weapons so they may not be marketed beyond the initial intent. As a state, we must also address this issue by reinstating mental health services to serve citizens who have a diagnosis that may present a risk to society. “
* Chris Kennedy…
We have the ability to limit illegal, unlawful use of guns, without violating responsible gun owners’ second amendment rights. We should immediately take steps to:
* Pass the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act, which would mandate state licensing for all Illinois firearms dealers who are currently only required to be licensed at the federal level. This would reduce a major source of illegal guns from entering our communities.
* Crack down on the gun train problem by putting the railroads on notice. Guns that are being shipped across the country sit in unprotected rail yards, making it possible for thieves to steal and resell illegal weapons throughout the state.
* Pass a Lethal Violence Order of Protection (LVOP) to empower immediate family members who are concerned about a loved one hurting themselves or others.
* Create a gun tracing program like they have in New York City so we can trace the ownership of all guns that were used in a crime and cooperate with other states that are creating similar programs so that our data collection and reporting techniques are compatible.
* Ban anyone on the terrorist watch list from receiving a FOID card in Illinois and call on President Trump to share the terrorist watch list with the state police immediately, or to explain why he refuses to do so.
* Pass an assault weapons ban in the state.
* Implement universal background checks to determine whether the prospective buyer has been convicted of a felony.
* Study the gun violence epidemic. If the federal government won’t reinstate research from the CDC to study this public health crisis, then we need to do it right here in Illinois, where we have sophisticated public universities like the University of Illinois-Chicago to take the lead.
* Sen. Daniel Biss…
“We are in desperate need of common sense measures to prevent gun violence and mass shootings, and we can’t wait for the federal government to take action. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring the Gun Dealers Licensing Act, and introducing a Senate companion to the newly-filed HB4107 to ban bump stocks, high capacity magazines, and assault weapons. These are all important steps we can take today to better protect our communities.
“But crucially, we also must expand access to mental health care, and de-stigmatize those with mental health issues. To do that we must fight for Medicare for All, and for a sustainable budget that fully funds our state’s social service providers.”
* Ald. Ameya Pawar…
As Governor, Ald. Pawar would:
-Sign SB 1675, the Gun Dealers Licensing Act which would:
1. Require background checks on all gun dealer employees
2. Require video surveillance on the outside of gun shops, and
3. Train employees to help identify straw purchasers.
-Propose a ban on the sale of bump stock.
-Propose a ban on the sale of automatic weapons.
-Propose a ban on the sale of high capacity magazines.
And as Ald. Pawar wrote in a 2013 Tribune Op-Ed (link here) he would propose a gun liability law to prevent straw purchases because if we can insure guns we can ensure we can save lives.
A gun liability law would include:
1. Tying a firearm owners identification card to proof of gun liability insurance.
2. Requiring gun sellers and dealers to verify proof of insurance prior to any gun transaction.
3. Requiring every purchased gun be listed on an insurance policy.
We also must attack the root of the problem and recognize that mass shootings and gun violence are a result of a lack of economic opportunity and ready access to mental health services. As Governor, Ald. Pawar would invest in communities by passing a New Deal era capital bill and invest in mental health services destroyed under Governor Rauner.
* JB Pritzker…
The mass shooting in Las Vegas was the worst in U.S. history and this is the third time in ten years we’ve said that. Enough is enough. Gun violence is a public health epidemic, destroying families and communities, and taking the lives of 675 people in Chicago last year alone. We can’t just send hopes and prayers, we have to take action.
There are several measures we can take to address gun violence. First, I support a ban on assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and bump stocks to make it harder for people to do so much harm, so quickly. Second, I believe we need to put in place universal background checks, pass a gun dealer licensing bill, and close the gun show loophole. Third, we need to work with neighboring states to stop guns from flowing across our borders. Finally, I support lethal violence protection orders so that families can step in to protect loved ones from harming themselves and others.
These are steps we can take to help keep our families and communities safe, but they are only part of the equation. Social service funding and mental health services in Illinois have been decimated by Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis. As governor, I will work to restore funding for these services and create economic opportunity across our state so that we can bring opportunity and hope back to every community in Illinois.
Having recently gained the national spotlight, Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon confirmed his interest Thursday in a statewide run to become the next Illinois attorney general.
But his final decision will hinge on his ability to do justice to the heavy workload on his docket.
McMahon, a Republican, became state’s attorney in 2010, but it was just this past summer that his name came onto the national media scene for his appointment as a special prosecutor in the Laquan McDonald murder case. McMahon is still knee-deep in that prosecution.
He’s also juggling several pending lawsuits in Kane County, including a potential $60 million judgment involving a drug-treatment center application rejected by the county board.
* I asked the Republican Attorneys General Association for comment. RAGA has been backing Erika Harold’s bid and RAGA spokesman Zack Roday sent me this…
“We’re incredibly excited about the momentum Erika Harold is already showing and the wide range of support she is gathering from Republicans and Democrats alike – all across the state.”
You’ll recall that Peter Roskam was the only Republican Congressman to not endorse Erika Harold this week. He told the Tribune he was waiting to see what McMahon did.
Van Dyke was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm—one count, apparently, for each bullet he fired at McDonald. Van Dyke had previously been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and misconduct in office. Special prosecutor Joseph McMahon filed the new indictment—which included the original charges—to replace the first one. […]
(E)ven if jurors find Van Dyke not guilty of murder and not guilty of the battery charges attached to the first few bullets, they could still potentially convict him on battery charges for the later bullets. The prosecutor’s strategy seems tailored to counter the special consideration a police office usually receives in shooting cases: “He’s covering his bases. Doing what a good prosecutor would do.” […]
Milan won’t speculate on how a jury might rule, but he agrees that if the prosecutor’s strategy succeeds, it could easily spread to police shooting cases in other places.
Rasmussen's departure will be announced today. Her exit was delayed by the search for her replacement, solidified over HB40 signing. https://t.co/hMHQmDf1lg
I started hearing it on Wednesday night and by last night I was getting flooded with texts and calls.
Heaton is a former US Attorney for Central Illinois. He’s been the governor’s top public safety guy. He’s also in the Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Intern Hall of Fame, which I didn’t know until a little bit ago.
* But I didn’t mention this one, partly because Patty wouldn’t even come close to confirming it…
Source also says Patty Schuh to be named new Comms chief for @GovRauner#twill
I still think it’s likely happening in the near future, however. She would definitely be an improvement.
* We may know more about Rasmussen/Heaton when this staff meeting gets underway, or maybe not. I’m hearing some don’t believe it will be announced that soon…
There's now a 1 p.m. all-staff call for Rauner staff, seemingly to discuss new chief of staff, other changes. #twill
…Adding… The Sun-Times needs to restore their old stories. This is from a blog post I did in 2006…
* You gotta wonder what the heck Rodger Heaton was thinking when he made these dinner reservations. From Mark Brown:
If I were a gossip columnist, I could give you the entire substance of today’s column in just a sentence, then let the insiders make of it what they will.
It would read something like this:
Seen breaking bread recently in the Grill Room of Springfield’s Sangamo Club were Rodger Heaton, the new U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois, and his dinner companions, Republican power brokers William Cellini and Robert Kjellander. […]
But from the outside looking in, this seems exactly the kind of too-friendly relationship between federal prosecutors and Illinois political figures that caused former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald to insist on going outside the state for his U.S. attorney selections
In a Nod to Madigan, Longtime Madigan Front Group Expected to Endorse Pritzker
IL Dem County Chairs Assoc. has funneled campaign cash to Madigan’s allies and vulnerable House Democrats for years
“ILDCCA President Doug House is taking orders from Madigan - that’s why tomorrow’s expected endorsement of J.B. Pritzker comes as no surprise. For years, Madigan has used the ILDCCA to funnel campaign cash to his allies and vulnerable House Democrats. Now, Madigan is using the ILDCCA to bestow Pritzker with the Democratic nomination for governor.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Tomorrow, the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association will be conducting a vote to endorse a gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming Democratic primary. In a nod to Speaker Mike Madigan, the ILDCCA is expected to endorse J.B. Pritzker, Madigan’s candidate for governor.
ILDCCA President and Madigan front man Doug House has already stated he will be casting his endorsement vote for J.B. Pritzker. House’s endorsement comes as no surprise - he’s already urged his fellow Democrats to “play nice” and not upset Madigan, as Madigan continues to steer support to Pritzker.
House and his predecessors have long done Madigan’s bidding and used the ILDCCA to funnel campaign cash to Madigan’s allies and vulnerable House Democrats.
After taking big campaign checks from special interest groups associated with Madigan and allies of Madigan in the General Assembly, the ILDCCA turned around and funneled that campaign cash to former House Democrats and Madigan-enablers like Kate Cloonen, John Bradley, and Mike Smiddy.
It’s clear the ILDCCA is one of many Madigan front groups.
Now, Madigan is using the ILDCCA to bestow Pritzker with the Democratic nomination for governor. The fact that Madigan will do anything to ensure Pritzker wins the nomination should worry Illinois voters, particularly Democrats.
I count 19 mentions of the word “Madigan” in that release. And it’s 21 if you include the subject line of the e-mail.
*** UPDATE *** From the ILDCCA…
Rich,
I wanted to respond to the ILGOP press release that you posted on the blog. This is the typical ILGOP response to everything. Blame someone eles for their constant failures. This response is also hysterical given the ILGOP has been bought and paid for by Bruce Rauner.
The IDCCA is made up of 102 independent County Chairs who will meet tomorrow and decide for themselves who will be the best candidate to defeat Bruce Rauner.
While the ILGOP continues to become unhinged in the midst of their own civil war, at least they could come up with something better than the same old response.
If you need anything else, please let me know. Thanks
Dan Kovats
Executive Director
Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association
* Republican Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison says he’s filing a new ordinance to repeal the county’s pop tax and has more than enough votes to override a veto from Board President Toni Preckwinkle if they all stand firm.
Morrison’s original ordinance would’ve repealed the tax immediately, which would be next Tuesday. The new ordinance would allow the tax to expire at the end of the fiscal year, which would be December 1st.
Commissioner Morrison says he has 12 co-sponsors on the measure, with perhaps more soon because some commissioners couldn’t sign on before he filed it. It takes 11 votes to override a veto. Commissioner John Daley is a co-sponsor, Morrison said. Daley said yesterday that he had switched positions and now wanted to repeal the tax.
So, that could be the end of the much-hated pop tax.
…Adding… The Tribune has the names of the other flippers…
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Preckwinkle’s floor leader; Stanley Moore; and Dennis Deer. All are Chicago Democrats. Garcia and Moore voted for the tax last November. Deer was recently appointed and this will be his first major vote. All are expected to seek reelection next year.
…Adding… From a Chris Kennedy fundraising e-mail yesterday that I didn’t see…
Food can be medicine and it can also be poison. In a food swamp, almost all the food is poison. Discouraging unhealthy foods is important but so is an investment in healthcare and access to healthy foods.
That’s not what we’re doing with this soda tax in Cook County. What we’re actually doing is hurting working families in Illinois.
It’s time to stop with these regressive taxes that hurt our working families. Chip in $5 to our campaign so that we can make sure that we reform to our tax code to help our working families, not hurt them.
Cook Country thinks it can clean up its finances with a patchwork of regressive fixes like a soda tax. Illinois needs a wholesale reform of our tax code, starting with ending our reliance on a broken property tax system to fund local schools.
Saying we’re helping kids when we’re simply imposing another tax on their families, is playing pretend.
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s news service is staying focused on HB40…
With the fall veto session weeks away, Gov. Bruce Rauner says he hopes the Republican caucus “stays strong,” allowing his vetoes to withstand attempts by Democrats to override. Angry over Rauner’s signing of a controversial abortion bill, a retiring GOP lawmaker responded to Rauner’s hopes, saying, “We’re all free agents now.” […]
Retiring state Rep. Barb Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, said Rauner’s signing of a bill expanding public funds to pay for abortions after pledging a veto was enough for her and many others to write off the freshman governor completely.
“Quite frankly, it makes us all free agents in regards to what happens in the veto session,” she said. “This veto session is going to be very different than what he probably could have expected had he stayed with us when we asked him to.”
Wheeler thinks Republicans should take little stock in Rauner’s wishes in respect to the coming veto overrides.
“They should represent their district, not taking into consideration what the will or want is of the governor,” she said.
“They should represent their district.” That is always good advice, and it would’ve been great advice starting in January of 2015.
Subscribers know a bit more about what to expect in the upcoming veto session. But you gotta figure that the governor’s veto of the comptroller’s Debt Transparency Act will be overridden. The roll call was one vote shy, but some people were absent and some may flip to “Yes” after HB40. The legislation had strong support from editorial boards across the state and, in what I think may have been an overlooked turning point for the governor, those edit boards lashed out at Rauner in August after he vetoed it.
While Cook County commissioners and Board President Toni Preckwinkle battle over the controversial sweetened beverage tax, city taxpayers may be seeing some relief on that front.
In an interview for “Chicago Tonight,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel refused to take sides on the county tax debate, but indicated he would take action at the city level.
“I’m going to focus on my budget, and in my budget, there’s going to be some tax reduction in that area,” Emanuel said.
The mayor will release the city’s 2018 budget on Wednesday, Oct. 18. He was not specific about how much taxes would be reduced, or which tax would go down. Not including alcoholic drinks, there are three retail beverage oriented taxes: a 9 percent syrup tax paid by the distributor, a 3 percent soda tax paid by the consumer, and a 5 cent bottled water tax.
* However, one of the mayor’s spokesmen said to me this morning that reducing the city’s beverage taxes (some of which I didn’t even know existed) was “Not what [the mayor] meant and not happening.”
“We’re looking at tax relief,” the spokesman said, “but not the specific area of taxes on sugary/sweetened beverages.” It was, the spokesman said, a “reasonable misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding all the same.”
Aurora may get a Small Business Development Center to help fledgling businesses succeed, according to Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
He told an audience in the Arthur N. Bonifas Conference Center next to Alarm Detection Systems that there is money in the current budget proposal for a small business center in Aurora. While that budget is still in flux — he said the current projected $1.7 billion deficit is too much and must be cut — he said officials are looking for an Aurora location for the facility.
The SBDC, as it is called, would help small businesses develop a network of relationships, assisting them to find resources they might need to be succeed, Rauner said.
“The key to sustaining successful business is being in a network,” Rauner said. “You need a network of relationships.”
Springfield’s fiscal mess continues to rack up victims: small-business development centers on college campuses around the state, which are shutting their doors or retrenching because of funding shortfalls.
About a quarter have closed, the latest at Governors State University in south suburban University Park, which is going the way of abandoned locations at Joliet Junior College, Illinois State University in Normal and Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.
For three decades, the centers have been a free resource for fledgling entrepreneurs starting companies or trying to keep them going. Juicy Luzy Sangria owner Luz Cavazos is opening a 1,500-square-foot plant in Oak Lawn with $20,000 from small-business lender Accion and said it wouldn’t have happened had Governors State’s SBDC not helped draft a business plan.
Once numbering 36 statewide, the centers typically serve a few hundred clients each and cost in the neighborhood of $200,000 annually to operate. They’re jointly funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and matching state funds; some directors said schools chip in an amount equal to three-quarters of the state match through employee salaries and in-kind contributions.
…Adding… I missed this DGA press release yesterday…
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner visits Aurora to speak to announce the opening of a new Small Business Development Center, but perhaps he should explain why the previous center closed under his watch. Or why the state’s economy lags under his failed leadership.
Illinois Small Business Development Centers were hit hard in the two-year budget impasse. Crain’s Chicago estimated that a quarter of all SBDC’s on college campuses closed in Illinois including one located on Waubonsee Community College campus. The Aurora Beacon-News reported that the center closed in 2016 due to the budget impasse, and had served 400 businesses the year before.
WCC is about 20 minutes from Aurora.
* Pritzker campaign today…
Yesterday, Bruce Rauner announced an expansion of the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity’s Small Business Development Center Network (SBDCs) – the same program he’s decimated as governor.
Under Rauner’s failed leadership and manufactured crisis SBDCs in Illinois were decimated, forcing almost one quarter to close and slashing the number of jobs created and retained by them.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and Bruce Rauner destroyed many of the small business development centers needed to help them grow and thrive,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “With jobs leaving this state and businesses shutting their doors, Bruce Rauner’s damage is done.”
…Adding… Heh…
Getting press for opening offices that you closed is kinda like using quotes about other people in your TV ads. https://t.co/NyBMPkmhrN
Biss for Illinois announced today that, for the second quarter in a row, Daniel Biss has raised more than JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy, both of whom have written personal checks to their own campaigns to reach their quarterly totals.
The campaign raised over $825,000 in the third quarter and now sits with more than $2.6 million cash on hand. Donations came from more than 2,650 donors representing over 270 cities and towns across Illinois. Seventy-five percent of these donations were for under $100, and ninety-six percent came from in-state.
Biss Campaign Manager Abby Witt issued the following statement in response to third quarter fundraising results:
“JB Pritzker is spending over $120,000 of his own money every day. That’s more than Daniel and his wife’s combined income in an entire year. Chris Kennedy has written his campaign two checks, totaling $500,000. That’s more than Daniel’s house is worth.
“There’s a reason a math teacher and state legislator can out-raise ultra-wealthy political insiders: Illinoisans are tired of the rich and powerful holding the reigns of power in this state. Instead of resigning themselves to a broken system, voters are taking politics into their own hands by electing a middle-class governor they can trust to fight for them.”
Yes, he did raise more money than Kennedy. Again.
But Sen. Biss’ fundraising pace has slowed since the second quarter, when he raised just over a million bucks. That’s not a good sign. The lieutenant governor debacle may have hurt him. It didn’t kill him off, but it surely didn’t help.
