The same afternoon Jan Schakowsky was endorsing Forrest Claypool for Cook County Assesor, her campaign manager was at a fundraiser for her challenger, Joel Pollak, and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan in Skokie.
A witness dropped me an e-mail earlier today and said Schakowsky campaign manager Alex Armour showed up with a group at the luncheon. Pollak acknowledged the group’s presence and had this to say…
Meanwhile, state Sen. Toi Hutchinson’s campaign is up with some new TV spots.
In other campaign news, Andrew Breitbart is questioning how Alexi Giannoulias was not drafted into the Greek military. His post…
Under Greek law, all citizens must serve in the military once they turn 18. Much like in Israel, Greek citizens will perform a period of military service after high school.
Alexi Giannoulias was a college graduate when he came to Greece – an age meeting the requirement for military service. So how did he get around the requirement?
This topic is way out of my leagues. Maybe there’s something here, but I get the feeling there might be an exemption for dual citizens.
Also, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill Brady is taking some heat from teachers after he suggested they miss pay raises…
While questioned by reporters in recent weeks, Brady said his proposed cuts to the state budget would mean schools will see less money from the state.
“Local school districts could absorb that by maybe not offering the pay raises that they put in place,” Brady said Wednesday at a Springfield event.
“Let’s face it, the private sector’s gone without a pay raise, and in many cases pay cuts, over the last four years,” Brady said.
Illinois Federation of Teachers spokesman Dave Comerford said teachers already are dealing with threats of layoffs because the state is months behind in sending money to local schools.
Competitive salaries, Comerford said, are critical to keep teachers in the classroom instead of leaving the profession.
Governor Pat Quinn and Toni Preckwinkle, the Democratic candidate for Cook County Board President, picked up endorsements on Wednesday from the “Independent Voters of Illinois.”
Preckwinkle is heavily favored to win her race.
She’s not shy about telling voters that tough budget cuts are needed.
The same group has also endorsed Robin Kelly for state Treasurer over Republican Dan Rutherford.
Finally, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani is coming to Illinois to speak on Mark Kirk’s behalf this month…
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will keynote a fundraising luncheon for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady on Sept. 13, two days after the ninth anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks.
The event, at DoubleTree Hotel & Convention Center, will raise money for Brady’s campaign. The Republican state senator from Bloomington faces Gov. Pat Quinn on Nov. 2.
I have to run to class in the next few minutes and will be there most of the afternoon. In my absence, I thought you might want to discuss this…
Is the tea party the new Republican Party?
The grass-roots network of fed-up conservative-libertarian voters displayed its power in its biggest triumph of the election year: the toppling of Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska’s GOP primary. Political novice Joe Miller is the fifth tea party insurgent to win a GOP Senate nominating contest, an upset that few, if any, saw coming.
With the stunning outcome, the fledgling tea party coalition and voters who identify with its anti-tax, anti-spending sentiments proved that democracy is alive and well — within the Republican Party. Don’t like who is representing you? Rise up, fire them and choose someone new.
The tea party has taken hold in the Grand Old Party, unseating lawmakers, capturing nominations for open seats and forcing Republicans to recalibrate both their campaign strategy and issues agenda. Out is talk of delivering federal dollars back home; in is talk of fiscal discipline.
Have fun. Please don’t forget what I said yesterday about the banishment hammer….
…Adding…
I might be able to get to my e-mail in between classes today if you need to get a hold of me:
barton.lorimor@gmail.com twitter.com/bartonlorimor
I held off posting this yesterday hoping there would be more to post. But since that did not really happen, here’s the latest development in the state’s effort to privatize the lottery…
Odds are growing that a lucrative contract to manage the Illinois Lottery is heading toward a formal protest, adding more drama and further delay to the high-stakes bidding process that Gov. Pat Quinn is slated to decide on Sept. 15.
One of the biggest lottery firms in the world, Intralot S.A., is weighing a protest after it was eliminated on Aug. 9, barely a week after bids were submitted on July 30, for reasons that remain unknown.
“To date, no information has been provided to Intralot, and therefore the company does not understand how the second-largest lottery vendor/operator in the world, with operations in more than 50 countries and 11 US states, could have been eliminated that early in the process,” the firm said in a statement Tuesday.
Camelot runs the UK lottery and the web of organizations that makeup Northstar have consulting contracts throughout the U.S. and Europe. Illinois’ plan would be the first of its kind in the U.S.
As the Sept. 15 date draws nearer and the bidding process gains a higher profile in other media outlets, sources say Illinois gubernatorial candidate and Quinn opponent Bill Brady could be preparing to enter the fray and make a statement about the private management contract bid process. But Illinois Senate president John Cullerton, who helped mastermind the legislation that prompted bidding for a Lottery private management contract, is keeping his thoughts to himself, at least for now. “The Senate president is keeping track of what has taken place, but since this is an ongoing process, it would not be appropriate to comment,” said a Cullerton spokesman Tuesday.
Northstar and Camelot are to appear before lottery officials next week to make their case.
State authorities are investigating whether a city Department of Family and Support Services official tipped off a Chicago nursing home to a surprise inspection led by the state attorney general’s office that was designed to protect vulnerable residents at the facility, the Tribune has learned.
When a team of law enforcement officials arrived at the Grasmere Place nursing home in Uptown for the surprise “Operation Guardian” sweep on July 22, facility administrator Celeste Jensen was waiting for them in the lobby. “What took you so long?” Jensen asked.
The move made Friday by the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority means the oversight panel can intercept city money that comes from state sources, including gambling fees from the Casino Queen, and deposit it in an account that the authority controls. The authority then could take over responsibility for paying some of the city’s bills.
On Monday, the Senate Democratic Victory Fund accused [Brian] Doherty of a “serious ethics violation.”
They circulated copies of Doherty’s flier invitation to a Sept. 10 fund-raiser/Shabbona Park Reunion at Schorsch Village Hall Rental, 6940 W. Belmont.
Supporters were asked to donate $35 per person to Citizens for Doherty and instructed to mail those checks to 6650 N. Northwest Hwy., which happens to be Doherty’s aldermanic office.
If they have a copy of those fliers, I don’t see how that wouldn’t stick.
*** UPDATE 1x (1:15 p.m.) ***
A PDF version of the flier in question is available. Click here to DOWNLOAD (for those of you on state computers right now) the file. It clearly says checks should be sent to “Alderman Doherty’s office” and lists an address that matches with what the Office of the City Clerk has on file for his ward office.
Looking at the building on Google Maps, it’s hard to say whether or not it has more than one office suite available. If it doesn’t, it looks like the Dems might have something here that could really stick. Stay tuned.
*** End update **
Doherty is running against John Mulroe, who took James DeLeo’s state Senate seat this spring upon his retirement. The Mulroe campaign sent out this PR…
Flash back to November of 1997 when Doherty is quoted in the Chicago Tribune saying, “You have to do the favor before the solicitation, not after the solicitation. You never solicit them until what they want is off the table.” Doherty did make sure to caution that you should “never accept cash.”
More recently, a Chicago Reader report from 2008 showed he failed to disclose where over $13,500 from his taxpayer funded account was spent.
There is a long history in Illinois of career politicians who game the system rather than fight to change it from within. Doherty has failed to stand up for meaningful reform and lead by example throughout his 19 year tenure on the city council. Mulroe believes that the state needs new voices and stronger leadership.
I have not seen anything from Doherty’s people, but will post it as soon as I do.
Democrats are also going after Bobby Schilling, who is challenging western Illinois Congressman Phil Hare…
Sangamon County Democratic Chairman Jim Moody has filed a complaint with the Federal ElectionCommission alleging illegal coordination between Veterans of the Constitution and Bobby Schilling’s Congressional campaign for the 17th District.
The complaint, filed last Friday, asks for an investigation into what Mr. Moody believes are violations of federal election law in Mr. Schilling’s campaign against Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island. […]
According to the complaint, Veterans for the Constitution allegedly failed to register and report as a political committee in a timely manner; failed to properly report their contributions and expenditures; may have made in-kind contributions that may of been accepted by Mr. Schilling, possibly in excess of the legal limit; failed to comply with disclaimer requirements; and violated the law by having its committee name and website include the name of a candidate.
We’ll see where this one goes. If only I had Rich’s sources….
*** UPDATE 2x (1:39 p.m.) ***
A PDF copy of the Moody complaint is available for DOWNLOAD (once again, probably not something you’d want on your state computer).
From what I have gathered, the Veteran’s group in question is behind a series of billboards going up in Hare’s district.
The Schilling campaign put out a press release denouncing the attacks and issuing his own on Hare…
This is not the first time that Rep. Hare has attacked or misrepresented veterans in his district. In a news story on WQAD, Rep. Hare attack the honor and credibility of Medal of Honor Recipient, John Baker by claiming that his endorsement of Bobby Schilling was just a political “stunt.” Click here to see the video
Rep. Hare also falsely accused Allie Lymenstull, a World War II U.S. Navy Combat Veteran of Quincy, of handing out “racist” literature. Rep. Hare sent out a release claiming that Mr. Lymenstull handed him a piece of paper which stated, “The White House is no longer white,” when if fact the paper said, “America’s White House? Not anymore.” Tim Schlittner, a spokesperson for Rep. Hare later admitted to the State Journal Register that they were incorrect in framing Mr. Lymenstull as a racist. Please click here to view a scanned copy of the flier and click here to read the state journal register article
Schilling also said, “For Rep. Hare to not worry about the Constitution is one thing, but to not worry about the rights of the men and women who fought to defend it is totally wrong.”
Several of you took the opportunity to post your thoughts on Chicago magazine’s piece on Joe Berrios, who’s running for Cook County Assessor. At the same time, the Chicago Reader had this to say about the same article in their blog…
It’s great to see more coverage of this race. Ben Joravsky has been pounding away at it for awhile now, not to mention Greg Hinz (having trouble locating his Crain’s writing on Berrios, but he’s quoted in the Chicago article), Jim Warren, the CNC, and the Trib editorial page. And it seems like Berrios has noticed, having recently tracked towards reform.
Since much of the criticism of Berrios is grounded in property taxes, could the attention spill over to Mike Madigan? If the Cook County assessor’s race is this big of a story, perhaps anything is possible.
Claypool said the close relationship between Madigan, whose law firm practices property tax appeal cases, and Democrat Joseph Berrios, a member of the panel that hears those appeals, leads to poor government.[…]
Madigan wields an iron grip over legislation in Springfield and has sway over the success of lobbyists, such as Berrios. Berrios, in turn, has a say over the outcome of property tax appeals brought by Madigan’s firm.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said his boss does not vote on property tax issues that could pose a conflict. Brown also said there are “zero examples” of any property tax appeal in which Madigan did anything improper or provided special treatment for his clients.
We might see Steve in comments today. Stay tuned.
Likewise, the Tribune editorial board today gave somewhat of a thumbs up to the Democrats that have endorsed the Independent candidate, Forrest Claypool, instead of defaulting to their fellow party man…
Endorsing Claypool is a bold step. Berrios heads the county Democratic Party. His patron, Michael Madigan, heads the state Democratic Party. And his Web site boasts of an endorsement by Gov. Pat Quinn.[…]
Good for the Democrats who are going their own way. They won’t squander their reputations on Berrios just because … he’s a fellow Democrat.
btw - In case you missed it yesterday, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky from the North side endorsed Claypool yesterday afternoon. A portion of the press release is on yesterday’s discussion thread. (Hat tip to a commenter for the e-mail on that.)
My theory was that Stermer resigned because he needed a way out of an administration that looks to be heading to defeat in November to Bill Brady, the Republican candidate.[…]
However, further into my reporting, my theory—about Stermer wanting a way out—bit the dust.
Had he not fallen on his sword, this source told me, “the Brady camp would have been crying for his resignation, calling for investigations. Jerry did not want to wear the jacket for disrupting Quinn’s path to winning the election. He didn’t see a more pragmatic way.”
During a press conference to announce charges regarding the illegal importation of honey, reporters tried to get U.S. District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to talk about Rod Blagojevich’s retrial.
“The whole topic, put a big tent over it and I won’t touch it, sorry,” Fitzgerald said after reporters peppered him with questions at a news conference about honey importers.
On dropping charges against Robert Blagojevich last week?
No comment.
On the Wall Street Journal asking that he step down?
“Nope.”
On what his office has learned after hearing from jurors who have commented on the case?
“The office is aware there’s a trial that will be coming in January and therefore we will not be commenting,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald has been consistent in not going into great specifics about the Blagojevich case. He refrained himself when Blagojevich was arrested saying he has his own opinions but could not share them because his office cannot editorialize. And even after Blagojevich and his attorneys delivered a strong attack, Fitzgerald would not fire back.
In somewhat related news, Gov. Quinn was asked about former Gov. George Ryan’s recent appeal of the decision in his federal corruption case. The guv wasn’t moved by the Ryan defense team’s play…
Gov. Pat Quinn doesn’t back a bid by ex-Gov. George Ryan to have some of his corruption convictions thrown out.
Quinn said Wednesday Ryan should “do the time” because a jury has decided the case.[…]
Quinn said “if you do the crime, you gotta do the time.”
Even if Quinn felt the other way, it’s doubtful he could say so given the ongoing election.
Rep. Will Davis, a Homewood Democrat who is chairman of the General Assembly’s black caucus, said he is “disappointed” because he believed Randle had plans for strong prison reforms, including ideas to improve education and job training to reduce the number of people who go back to prison.
I’m sure just about everyone here knows the story behind Randle. But just in case, here it is:
Acting on Quinn’s general instructions to cut costs, Randle started a program last September that sped up the rate prisoners could earn good time credit. That lead to 1,745 inmates being let out an average of 36 days before the end of their sentence. Some convicts were released almost immediately, before corrections officials could assess their rehabilitation needs. And some of those released early went on to commit additional crimes.
A Quinn-appointed panel criticized the program as “ill-conceived” last month, finding that it traded protecting the public safety for $3.4 million in savings.
The governor said he had been unaware of the program but maintained that he would not fire Randle, though he acknowledged he had considered it. Quinn said he was standing by Randle because he was an experienced prisons administrator who helped bring about major reforms at the state’s troubled supermax prison.
“Clearly, mistakes were made,” Quinn said Aug. 13. “I take accountability for the mistakes, the director who made the mistakes takes responsibility for them.”
Quinn halted the program in December, but the issue became a flashpoint in the Democratic primary campaign.
Up until recent months, Quinn has said his confidence in Randle remained. But during his visit to Carbondale in July, Quinn would not address the issue…
“I’m here to talk about aviation,” Quinn said when asked if Randle still had his confidence.
*** Update 1x (5 p.m.) ***
This was buried in my e-mails today, and I doubt it matters much, but the guv did put out a brief statement regarding Randle’s resignation.
“I have accepted the resignation of Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle, effective September 17. I appreciate Director Randle’s dedicated service to the state of Illinois during these challenging times, and will name his replacement shortly.”
Hundreds of people lined the streets Wednesday afternoon to pay their respects to Lance Cpl. Robert “R.J.” Newton as the hearse carrying his coffin was escorted to an East Peoria funeral home by Patriot Guard Riders and police.[…]
Newton, 21, was serving with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment when he was killed Aug. 23. A 2007 graduate of East Peoria Community High School, he enlisted in the Marines after graduating and already had served one tour in Iraq.
Illinois ranked No. 5 with an estimated 525,000 illegal immigrants in 2009, more than the approximately 475,000 in the state in 2008. The Pew analysts cautioned that their figures were based on a range of estimates, meaning that it is safer to say the Illinois illegal immigrant population was stable rather than to say it actually increased.
Nationwide, the total number of illegal immigrants has declined by about 1 million since 2007, to 11.1 million in 2009, representing about 4 percent of the U.S. population.
U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Ill., a Springfield resident, came out on top in two categories.
He is listed as the top “workhorse” in the Senate, with CHRISTOPHER DODD, D-Conn., coming in second. Republicans TOM COBURN of Oklahoma and CHUCK GRASSLEY of Iowa tied for third.[…]
He probably wouldn’t put it on his tombstone, but U.S. Sen. ROLAND BURRIS, D-Ill., came in first in the “clueless” category. There was a three-way tie for second — SCOTT BROWN, R-Mass.; JIM BUNNING, R-Ky.; and AL FRANKEN, D-Minn.
“Half the votes for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s pick to replace BARACK OBAMA came from staffers in his own party,” the magazine said.
Burris was also third among senators in the “most likely to star in a scandal” category.[…]
On the House side, U.S. Rep. AARON SCHOCK, R-Peoria, who represents part of the Springfield area, was listed in four good categories and one interesting one. He’s third in the “rising star” list, behind Reps. PAUL RYAN, R-Wis., and DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, D-Fla. He’s the top male “hottie,” followed by Reps. MARTIN HEINRICH, D-N.M., and by Ryan and JEFF FLAKE, R-Ariz., who tied for third.
A two-year hiring slowdown has left the Chicago Police Department more than 2,311 officers-a-day short of its authorized strength counting vacancies, medical leave and limited duty.
The changes, effective Jan. 1, would merge the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Department of Culture Affairs. The Departments of Community Development and Zoning will also join forces. So will the Department of General Services and Graphics.
Daley acknowledged that jobs would be eliminated, but he refused to say how many. With retirements, he hopes to minimize the number of layoffs.
The mayor said he is also exploring the possibility of putting city inspectors now disbursed in several city departments under one roof to streamline a bureaucracy that’s inefficient and costly to developers.
David Kennedy — the New York professor behind a nearly 15-year-old law enforcement strategy of warning gang leaders to put their guns down or else — said he expects Chicago will see a dramatic decrease in killings after launching a pilot program here.
It has been done in about 60 jurisdictions across the country, including Cincinnati, where murders are down about 40 percent since 2007, Kennedy said.[…]
The idea was first tried in 1996 in Boston, where homicides fell nearly 30 percent in the program’s first six months.
At 10 a.m. today, a group of black men will gather in front of the Columbus Park Refectory on the West Side to denounce Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis’ threats to crack down on gang leaders.
These are not the usual suspects.
They aren’t ministers leading a march. Nor are they activists and politicians rallying constituents around a cause.
They are men who are affiliated with some of the city’s most notorious street gangs. They are Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, Kings, Stones, Hustlers, Souls and Cobras.
James Reynolds Jr.’s nomination by Mayor Richard Daley to the CHA was approved without dissent by the City Council Housing Committee. It now goes to the full City Council for consideration next week. Reynolds would replace Martin Nesbitt, a close Obama friend and adviser, atop the CHA board. Reynolds said Daley knows he will actively seek to improve public housing conditions in Chicago.
Mayor Richard Daley and other officials on Wednesday toured Eric Solorio Academy High School, and Daley reminded everyone who picked up the more than $100 million price tag.
DALEY: Remember, this is all city money. Not state or federal government. This is taxpayers in the city of Chicago. They’re paying for modern schools across Chicago.
It might be taxpayer money, but the school will be managed by a private company. Schools chief Ron Huberman says the Academy of Urban School Leadership, or AUSL, will run the school and act as a sort of teaching laboratory.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s administration acknowledged Wednesday that 25 checks worth more than $6.7 million were paid out before receiving the required board approval.
The board moved to ratify the transactions retroactively at its scheduled meeting Wednesday, but Democratic Chicago Commissioner John Daley, head of the finance committee, said, “I’m very concerned that this is a true violation of the board’s intent.”
* Ch. 2’s Bill Kurtis & Walter Jacobson back, but a bit rusty
If it works it’ll be wonderful — a weekly special edition stuffed with premium content, tentatively called Five Star. From what I hear — not that anyone at the Tribune is doing much talking — the idea is to publish on Sunday and offer it to Tribune subscribers for $5, which is $1 less than the cost of the Sunday New York Times.
As part of the process to qualify for aid, applicants must explain what kind of unreimbursed, disaster-related damage occurred at their home or business from July 22 through Aug. 20. Applicants also can state expenses or loss of income due to flooding.
Caterpillar says the Campo Largo facility will produce backhoes and small-wheel loaders used in construction. It is expected to begin production during 2011, and it will employ as many as 1,000 people at full capacity.
Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone is concerned about the size of the bill from the attorney hired as special counsel to the local electoral board hearing her challenge to the petition for her recall.
But Village President Elliott Hartstein defended the $11,000 bill from attorney Richard Martens at Monday’s village board meeting.
Among Stone’s concerns are the more than $5,000 Martens billed the village for work done even before she objected to a small fraction of the signatures on the petition filed by citizen David Wells.
Stone is up for recall in the November election. More than 2,000 signatures, double the number required, were collected by Wells. In a special hearing, nearly 90 signatures challenged by Stone were stricken.
After intense debate, Freeport’s City Council votes to drop its appeal of a referendum issue that will be on the November ballot. It asks residents if they want the city to hire a City Manager to run the city under the direction of the council and mayor.
A city attorney said the referendum sets the city up for a lawsuit if it passes. In her legal opinion it takes the authority to make laws and ordinances away from the city council. A judge already disagreed with the city though, and said the voters should be able to make that decision.
Administrators presented the proposed 2011 budget Tuesday during a County Board Finance Committee meeting. The budget proposal closes what was a projected $3 million budget gap earlier this year. Administrators propose cutting spending for personnel, supplies and services, and predict healthier revenues for certain taxes and fees.
Within the past month, the Pontiac Elementary District 429 school board and the LeRoy City Council were each told by the public access counselor in the attorney general’s office that they violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
State Rep. Sandy Cole has shut down her longtime legislative office in Grayslake, claiming the state is behind on rent payments.
“My old landlord wants someone who will sign a one-year lease and pay monthly, (on) the first of the month,” the Grayslake Republican said in an explanatory e-mail. “He is just a small business guy who owns one building that he has built out himself.”
Now that she’s out of the office at 137 Center St. - space she’s rented since being elected to the legislature in 2006 - Cole said she’ll be working from home for about a week. A new legislative office is being set up at 34121 N. Route 45 in Grayslake, Cole said.
I’m sure there are some state legislators out in Comment land that can tell a similar story.
I spoke to Cole this afternoon. She said she has already moved into the new location. The phone number has not changed.
Gen. Wesley Clark (retired) is campaigning for Giannoulias and using his well-recognized experience in the military to knock Mark Kirk for the embellishments of his…
“[The exagerations] are a factor in this race,” Clark said, standing in front of two electric cars at a Chargepoint electric vehicle charging station at the front of the Millenium Park parking garage.
And even though he has a four-star general on his campaign trail, Giannoulias still came out with proposed spending cuts in national defense…
The Democrat says investment in education is the way to a more secure economy and country
GIANNOULIAS: We can still have the best security in the world without wasting money and breaking our budgets.
Cutting defense spending is part of the budget plan the state Treasurer outlined on his campaign Web site. Among his proposals, the young Democrat supports giving the President line-item veto powers, treating “all income equally” (which to me means a flat income tax rate), placing additional restrictions on health insurance companies and implementing recommendations made by the Payment advisory Board.
As Greg Hinz said in his blog yesterday about the proposal, the proposal seems to mix “Democratic populism and a smattering of Tea Party fiscal conservatism.”
The Giannoulias camp also used the same Web page carrying the proposal to attack Kirk for helping “George W. Bush turn a historic budget surplus and flourishing economy into record-breaking debt and a devastating recession.”
While many believe the midterm elections for Congress could be a referendum on the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama, Giannoulias is trying to keep the focus on a series of Kirk tax-cut and budget votes supporting the prior administration of Republican George W. Bush.
“It is a simple truth that under the previous administration, even when times were good and we were experiencing strong business growth, the national debt more than doubled,” Giannoulias said in his appearance before the Rotary Club of Chicago. “More was added to the national debt under those eight years than in all the previous administrations in the history of this country. That’s from President George Washington to Bill Clinton combined. And my opponent voted for every one of those debt-doubling budgets.”
“Taking fiscal advice from the guy whose bank collapsed and cost the FDIC $394 million is akin to taking advice from Rod Blagojevich on ethics. As the state teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, the people of Illinois don’t need a lecture on fiscal restraint by the state’s treasurer.”
Just today, Kirk challenged Giannoulias to name five times he would not have voted along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. I’ve put in a call to Giannoulias’ people to see if they intend to respond.
Meanwhile, Dick Durbin said yesterday the Giannoulias campaign would not be able to match the $3.4 million promised to Kirk by the National Republican Senatorial Committee…
“The amount of money being spent by the Republican side (this campaign cycle) is overwhelming,” Mr. Durbin said, with the Rs lately out-walleting the Ds “five or six to one.”
For instance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has promised to drop $75 million this year nationally, nearly four times what it spent in 2008, Mr. Durbin said. And all that spending “is just beginning.”
It is far from certain that the GOP will get its money’s worth, Mr. Durbin quickly added. After a certain point, “voters think it’s just too much.”
Giannoulias is expected to need upwards of $4 million to maintain a statewide TV ad campaign in the final month of the race. But much of that money won’t be coming from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.).
[While in Peoria,] Kirk spoke about the importance of opening new markets to expand American exports, lowering taxes and promoting policies that support Illinois.
Today Independent candidate for Assessor Forrest Claypool was endorsed by Congresswoman Janice Schakowky of the 9th Congressional District. Schakowsky becomes the third Democratic member of Congress from Illinois to back Claypool’s bid.[…]
Schakowsky was joined by several other elected officials who broke ranks to support Claypool’s Independent bid including Assessor Jim Houlihan, Commissioner Larry Suffredin, Senator Jeff Schoenberg, Senator Heather Steans, Alderman Robert Fioretti, Alderman Joe Moore, Alderman Gene Schulter, Alderwoman Mary Ann Smith, Representative Robyn Gabel, Representative Harry Osterman, Committeeman Michele Smith, the 43rd Ward Democrats, and former Senator Carol Ronen.
Happy Labor Day, Mr. Claypool.
End update.
A few of you e-mailed me this morning about Chicago magazine’s article on Cook County Assessor candidate Joe Berrios.
Because I am a born and raised downstate Illinois boy and am not as versed in Cook County politics as I should be, I am probably not the best person to talk about the article. Plus, Rich really went into the magazine not long ago for the way it spread out its content on Mark Kirk and his ex-wife for two days as you may remember. Those thoughts in mind, let’s turn this post into a discussion thread. Read the article. Tell us what you think. Let’s have the Big Dog share his wisdom, if he so chooses, next week.
p.s. - Please keep your comments professional. I may be the intern, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use the infamous Capitol Fax banishment hammer of death…
Bill Brady has long talked about creating a tax incentive for job creation, but reporters got something new out of the Bloomington Republican yesterday…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady gave some details on Tuesday about his plan to create more jobs and acknowledged that parts of his plan would add as much as $1 billion to the state’s $13 billion budget deficit.
Brady, who also announced a two-year $3,750 tax credit for each new job created by a business, pledged to make cuts to offset the lost revenues from eliminating the sales tax on gasoline, cutting fees and eliminating a gap between the state and federal estate taxes.
“I’ll have to cut $1 billion for those tax cuts until they replenish themselves,” Brady told reporters while visiting Prime Panels, a business on Springfield’s north end. “By bringing jobs back and creating a fabric and an environment for that, revenues will grow once again.”
Brady had previously proposed a $2,100 credit, but Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn criticized that because it was lower than a $2,500 small-business tax credit he had already signed into law.
Brady has said his plan is better because it includes businesses of all sizes.
During a stop in Springfield, Quinn attacked Brady for decreasing state revenue while the state’s fiscal status remains less than good (I need to find a new way to say, “We’re broke,”). This time he latched onto Brady’s proposal to do-away with the gasoline tax…
“How’s he going to pay for education, health care public safety and helping our veterans?” Quinn told reporters.
Quinn, a Democrat, rebuked the Bloomington Republican’s reluctance to release specific state budget plans until after the election.
While we’re on the Brady thread, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be in Illinois in the coming weeks stomping on Brady’s behalf…
It appears as though Huckabee’s travel this month is aimed at the perception within the political chattering class that his appeal is generally limited to the south and to social conservatives. The more Huckabee can show his effectiveness as a surrogate in races across the country, the easier it is for him to make the case that he could be the party’s standard-bearer against President Obama in 2012.
Something seems just a little odd to me with this announcement…
Gov. Pat Quinn has proclaimed Sept. 13 through Sept. 17 as Chamber of Commerce Week throughout Illinois.[…]
In his proclamation, the governor declared “chambers of commerce have contributed to the civic and economic life in Illinois for 172 years, since the Galena Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1838. Chambers of commerce encourage the growth of existing industries, services and commercial firms and encourage new businesses and individuals to locate in Illinois.”
Maybe it’s nothing, but it comes across as Quinn trying to pick at Brady’s base. Brady is the candidate touting business and jobs. It’s what earned him the Illinois Chamber of Commerce’s nod. I guess we’ll see where this goes.
Attorneys for the governor, a Republican, cited the court’s June decision in the case of former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey K. Skilling, which narrowed a fraud statute involving so-called deprivation of honest services because it was unconstitutionally vague.[…]
Arguing that Ryan poses no risk of flight, his lawyers asked the judge to grant bail while she considers the underlying request on the convictions. He has been in federal prison since November 2007 and is currently at a facility in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The “honest services” card was also used in Conrad Black’s case. Maybe it has legs?
The Supreme Court’s decision earlier this summer to narrow the scope of a federal law often used by prosecutors to target fraud has led to a string of dropped charges and new trials in “honest services” cases that will likely keep area white-collar practices busy.
The court in Skilling v. United States ruled that a provision in a 1988 federal wiretap statute that criminalizes any scheme to “deprive another of the intangible right of honest services” was unconstitutionally vague. Rather than strike down the law, the justices redefined it as applying to cases involving bribes and kickbacks and sent the three honest-services appeals it considered back to lower courts. Now, others convicted of honest-services fraud and those still awaiting trial are asking courts to reconsider their cases.
“You’re going to see a flurry of people trying to reopen their cases,” said Amy R. Sabrin, a partner in Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s Washington office.
Related…
* Former Gov. George Ryan Asks Court to Invalidate Conviction on Basis of ‘Honest Services’ Decision
* Report: Blago bro treats legal crew to victory meal
The Lake County News-Sun launched into a bill Gov. Quinn took his AV powers to that would give plaintiffs in foreclosure cases the ability to chose private companies to handle legal proceedings instead of local governments.
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, noting that his office will receive almost $2 million in revenue from the foreclosure sales this year, alerted the Illinois Sheriffs Association to the bill, and that group is now lobbying against it.
Meanwhile, Lake County officials are preparing to work with the county’s legislative delegation in an attempt to kill the foreclosure changes in the Legislature’s fall veto session.
“We’re very concerned about it,” County Administrator Barry Burton said Monday.
Burton said that under the current system, foreclosure sales, which occur after a judge has decided a property is to be foreclosed, take place at the Sheriff’s Office.
There are certain things government does better than private enterprise. Turning raw recruits into military men and women, is one. Another is dealing with foreclosures. Gov. Pat Quinn has snatched the way Lake County and most of the state’s other 102 counties, handle foreclosures, and returned the process to the private sector. That will cost Lake County nearly $2 million in annual revenue. We don’t expect the governor’s red-ink budget to make up the difference.
Meanwhile, the Daily Herald brought-up the state’s struggling pension system in an editorial today. Though they reignited the torch on Quinn for changing his mind on furlough days, the piece takes a turn…
Without finding a way to reduce pension costs, Illinois has little hope of getting state finances under control.
If you think the $13 billion Illinois deficit is stunning, take a look at this billion-with-a-b number: $80 billion, the amount Illinois owes its pension funds for benefits promised to future retirees.
It’s time to bring state retirement benefits down to earth. Changes enacted in April for future employees are a good start, but won’t bring substantial savings until those employees retire decades from now. Among those changes: higher retirement ages, caps on salary amounts eligible for benefits, less generous cost-of-living increases.
While Chicago’s one-month price gain was greater than that measured in many of the 20 cities in the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, national economic trends are likely to temper future home price appreciation, economists said.
* Hewitt salary survey shows Chicago workers could see pay bump 2.8%
That projected average raise was determined by a recent survey from compensation consultancy Hewitt Associates Inc. The same companies gave average 2.6% raises this year, according to Hewitt.
That’s more than the national average of 2.4% — but less than what domestic companies across the nation had planned to give, the Lincolnshire-based Hewitt said. It’s a sign that U.S. employers are still keeping a tight grip on compensation because they may believe the economy has yet to turn around.
* Daley defends Weis: ‘We’ll negotiate with anyone to have peace’
“If you can save one life, you’ll sit down with anyone. If it saves your child’s life, you would want me to sit down.”
Under questioning, Daley made it a point to say that Weis did not ask his permission before summoning gang leaders to the Garfield Park Conservatory for what they thought was a routine parole meeting.
“He doesn’t have to. This is not grammar school, “ the mayor said.
Daley wasn’t the only one rising to Weis’ defense. So were African-American aldermen whose wards have turned into killing fields.
Anthony Carter, 18, was hanging out near his home shortly after midnight in the 4000 block of West Jackson in Garfield Park. He was talking with a group of people shortly after midnight when a gunman emerged from a vacant lot and opened fire, shooting Carter multiple times, Harrison District police said.
Carter’s family said they did not know why he was shot. They said the young man was not involved with gangs. Police said there was no evidence of drugs being involved, but that the motive remained under investigation.
[Darrell] McKinney, who was about to start his sophomore year at Orr Academy High School, was fatally shot at the Humboldt Park party Saturday night. He was the unintended target of gunfire.
The shooting happened when Gresham District tactical officers were conducting a search warrant for weapons for a known gang member about 12:20 a.m. in the 7700 block of South Hoyne Avenue, Supt. Jody Weis said at a news conference outside Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Patrick McKenzie is the second police officer to score a merit promotion after a stint as the superintendent’s driver. The first was Floyd Goldsmith, who spent three months driving Weis around town.
“This is a demonstration of how merit promotions are not what they should be. We have politics playing a role in the performance of promotions. There are so many flaws in that system, it has to be re-made,” said Ald. Willie Cochran (20th) a former Chicago Police officer.
The Chicago-based exchange said in a news release that it plans to charge $1,000 for a permit that allows holders to submit orders to the new exchange, called C2, and $5,000 for a permit that allows holders to both stream quotes and submit orders.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday filed and settled charges against John Lee Neuman of Naperville, a member of the CBOT from May 1993 until February 2008.
The policing costs are contained in an internal document prepared by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
It shows that as many as 293 police officers a day provided security for Taste of Chicago 2009 at a daily cost of up to $111,572. Similar costs were incurred for nine days: June 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 and July 1, 2, 4 and 5 for a grand total of $873,533.
That was nothing compared to the cost of policing the July 3rd fireworks extravaganza that typically drew more than 1.2 million people to Grant Park before it bit the dust.
District 162 Supt. Blondean Davis told me it was simply good fortune that created a job opening for Martin.
The district’s kindergarten enrollment had dropped to about 60 this fall from 144 the previous school year, which caused Davis to cut Martin’s position. But after the news conference, there was suddenly a surge to an enrollment of 90, creating the need for a new kindergarten teacher, Davis said.
The way school funding works in Illinois, school districts get reimbursed from the state for every pupil enrolled, so Davis now had money to rehire a teacher. Davis said she was happy to rehire a “remarkably talented” teacher in Martin.
As for Shannon Lewis, Supt. Robin Lewis said several teachers who were expected to return this year suddenly decided they weren’t coming back. So she was able to rehire her daughter.
* Evanston won’t press condo owner for $635 tax bill
* More mosquitoes with West Nile found in Aurora, Montgomery
Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay placed the burden of balancing the 2011 budget squarely on the shoulders of board members Tuesday night.
The charge came during what was supposed to be the county board’s last of three special committee of the whole meetings, each set up to dissect elected officials’ budget proposals for the coming fiscal year.
The goal of the meetings is to make it easier for the board to pass a balanced county budget in October.
The bad news is the same as it has been — reduced revenue and late tax payments from the state are conspiring to put the county in a deficit that could be almost $2 million by the end of the 2011 budget year.
But there’s also good news — the projected deficit stands at $1.8 million to $1.9 million — less than the $2.6 million projected just a few months ago.
* Illinois Clean Coal Project Sputters, Gets Back on Track
“The Alliance is pleased that DOE and Sen. Durbin have been able to preserve the $1 billion in funding for advancing clean coal technologies and the associated jobs,” said Steve Winberg, chairman of the FutureGen Alliance, a coalition of energy companies. “We look forward to working with them and our new partners in making FutureGen 2.0 a success.”
Today’s question is inspired by the latest push by a coalition at the University of Hawaii to win the Obama Presidential Library…
A Hawaii delegation is to leave Sunday for Washington to meet with the head of the presidential library division of the National Archives. The group will also travel to Little Rock, Ark., to meet with the director of the Clinton Presidential Center and the Clinton Foundation.
Question: If Illinois is chosen to be home of the Obama Library, what would be the most appropriate location? Please be more specific than “Chicago” or “Springfield.”
Illinois will have to spend at least $500 million more in interest, according to a report released by the Civic Federation earlier this week.
Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the state’s bond rating in June to A1 shortly after the Legislature broke for the summer. It has been said that their inability to pass the pension borrowing bill, which passed the House but could not make it out of the Senate, was one of the driving forces behind the downgrade.
It shouldn’t be earth shattering news. I seem to recall the Civic Federation, as well as other budget think-tanks, talking about the state’s bond rating this spring during the Senate Appropriation II Committee meetings.
Since September 2009, the state has borrowed $9.6 billion, which is the second-largest borrowing spree in state history. The most borrowed during any 12-month period in Illinois history came under ousted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who signed off on a $10 billion borrowing plan in 2003 to shore up the state’s underfunded retirement systems […]
Because of the way the $9.6 billion is spread over three decades, the state won’t pay all $551.3 million in one year. But $72.9 million will have to be paid in 2011, while $301.2 million of the overall amount will have to be paid over the next five years, the group said.
So as if the budget crisis was not enough of an issue for candidates this year, imagine what it will be in the next 2014 election if things stay the way they are.
Had Illinois maintained its prior AA bond rating, the state would have paid only about $2.7 billion in interest charges over the life of the $9.6 billion in bonds it sold in the year ended July 1, the Civic Federation said. […]
While Illinois’ interest costs are lower today than they were when the state had an AA rating in 2008, that’s only because the recession has driven down the cost of credit for everyone, the federation said. The state still is paying a half-billion dollars more than it likely would have had it kept its rating.
John Sinsheimer, Illinois’ director of capital markets, said the state’s costs remain attractive because interest rates are at historically low levels and because the federal government will pay 35 percent of the state’s interest on Build America Bonds, the taxable bonds the state is using to fund its capital program.
The costs of borrowing should be weighed against the benefits of the projects that are being funded, he said, adding that more than half the long-term debt issued in the last year will pay for improvements to schools, bridges and transportation systems.
Meanwhile, the Civic Federation also reported this week that the state is receiving timely payments from the federal government through the Build America Bonds program. However…
However, some payments have been withheld by the Internal Revenue Service to offset payroll taxes owed to the federal government by some BAB issuers. Although none of its BAB payments have been withheld yet, Illinois could face similar action if the state has trouble repaying $2.2 billion it has borrowed from the federal government to fund unemployment benefits. The State is depending on hundreds of millions in BAB subsidies to support debt service payments on $3.2 billion in capital bonds sold in the past year.
…Adding…The Tribune editorial board wrote about the federation’s report yesterday…
What would 551,300,000 dollar bills look like? Well, if we have our math straight, they would stack 37.4 miles high, give or take more raises for Gov. Pat Quinn’s staff. And that stack would weigh 607.5 tons. By contrast, the 177-member legislature tips the scale at only about 20 tons — if you don’t count the crushing weight of the Blagojevich scandal on all his Statehouse enablers.
As Rich told you all last week, he is taking a much needed vacation until Labor Day. Unfortunately for you, that means the interns are in charge.
:)
Because I am supposed to be a student again, I’m going to get most of the posts going in the morning before class. If you would like to get in touch with me, please feel free to hit me up via e-mail: barton.lorimor@gmail.com
