* I spent some time in Beverly this week with lots of my Irish friends, so this one’s for them. Turn it up…
I sit in and dwell on faces past
Like memories seem to fade
No colour left but black and white
And soon will all turn grey
But may these shadows rise to walk again
With lessons truly learnt
When the blossom flowers in each our hearts
Shall beat a new found flame
* Americans for Prosperity has a new cable TV ad connecting ACORN, SEIU, Rod Blagojevich and Gov. Pat Quinn. It airs from October 22nd through the 28th on the Fox News cable channel in the Chicago metro region.
AFP admits this is a “small” buy, but claims they are working on raising money for future buys…
During weekdays, it will be airing 3-4 times per day, in the morning news (5AM-9AM), in other words, about once per hour.
On the 2 weekend days, the spot will be playing during prime time (for cable), 7PM-Midnight, 3 times per day.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The chairman of the St. Clair County Board just called to say that he and the Madison County board chairman requested this legislation two years ago out of concern that residents couldn’t afford the high cost of the flood insurance. That bill passed, but FEMA’s rules were such that they wanted Costello to pass another bill. So, I’ve rewritten parts of the story.
*** UPDATE 2 *** A statement from the developer in question…
“Congressman Costello’s legislation provides no benefit to the proposed University Town Center development. Plans for University Town Center as broadly discussed specify it will be constructed above the new base flood elevation of 434 feet. Given that University Town Center would be constructed above the base flood elevation contained in the new maps, suspending the flood insurance rate map update has no impact on University Town Center.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** After giving it further thought, the story about Congressman Costello linked below just isn’t up to standards, so I’ve rewritten it again to reflect that and deleted some excerpts from the Madison County Record story.
[ *** End of Updates *** ]
* Has Democratic Congressman Jerry Costello finally crossed the line? Highly improbable…
H.R. 3415: To suspend flood insurance rate map updates in geographic areas in which certain levees are being repaired.
The bill works to the advantage of John Costello, the Congressman’s son, because he belongs to a group planning a 900 acre mall along Bluff Road known as University Town Center.
As explained above, it doesn’t appear that the Costello bill and the mall are connected, so the Madison County Record probably owes the congressman an apology.
This is what I get for trying to be nice to those guys. Live and learn.
Illinois has the highest number of poorly rated black nursing homes nationwide, as rated by Nursing Home Compare, a Web site that maintains a federal database of Medicaid and Medicare-certified nursing homes.
The disparities are more acute in Chicago, where the lowest rating was given to nearly 60 percent of the 30 black nursing homes. In contrast, 11 percent of the city’s 45 white homes received the lowest rating. Thirty percent of the white homes received the highest rating, compared with none of the black homes.
Black nursing homes also averaged more violations than white homes, according to the Reporter, which focuses on issues of race and poverty. It also found residents at black facilities received less care from highly trained staff than their white counterparts. […]
“Many of these nursing homes have the same owners, yet there are disparities in the level of care. Clearly, there’s a problem here,” [said Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago)]
James Degorski and his accomplice Juan Luna killed seven innocent people in the 1993 Brown’s Chicken massacre.
Both men got lucky after they were convicted. They got life-without-parole sentences — Luna two years ago and Degorski earlier this week — when holdout Cook County jurors refused to vote for the death penalty.
Rodney Adkins, in contrast, killed one innocent person — Catherine McAvinchey, of Oak Park, whom he stabbed to death when she interrupted him as he was burglarizing her condominium in July 2003.
But Adkins did not get lucky after he was convicted. He got a death sentence from a Cook County judge in August, 2007. All eight crimes are unconscionable, of course. But so is the disparity in the sentences.
And concludes…
If it’s not for the worst of the worst but merely for the unluckiest of the worst, then the death penalty must go.
* The Question: Should the death penalty be abolished in Illinois? Explain.
* A poll taken by the Illinois Republican Party in April at then-Chairman Andy McKenna’s behest is creating a minor uproar…
The poll, obtained recently by the Daily Herald, has sparked anger from some Republicans who question why the former party steward’s name would be included when he was vetting other bidders, especially now that McKenna has indeed decided to run for governor.
To some, the poll and McKenna’s entrance into the race reflect the state of the Illinois GOP in recent years, often viewed as a ship adrift with too many lieutenants fighting over the wheel. And the Republican primary for governor has so far shaped up likewise: a pack of moderately known politicians struggling for attention and battling over a few key fundraisers and organizers.
The party poll was commissioned by McKenna as chairman in April and his own name is in it as a possible candidate for both governor and U.S. senator. Other Republican governor hopefuls are upset McKenna has gone from party leader to primary challenger.
“Only Andy McKenna can address the many conflicts surrounding his candidacy,” said Brad Hahn, spokesman for DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who also is running for governor. “We are anxious to hear his explanation.”
* Meawhile, Greg Hinz gets right to the point about Gov. Quinn’s formal reelection kickoff announcement…
The question — still unanswered — is whether Mr. Quinn really is up to the job.
* And opponents react to Gov. Pat Quinn’s campaign announcement…
Hynes said in a statement Quinn was more interested in “placing politics and platitudes above reality” by not focusing more on budget problems and solutions.
“Until you’re serious about addressing our budget mess, you’re not running for governor of Illinois, you’re running for governor of ‘Fantasy Island,’” Hynes said.
Pat Brady, chairman of the state Republican Party, questioned why voters would keep Quinn as governor with a budget crisis ongoing, ethics reform incomplete, a high unemployment rate and a push for higher taxes.
“The people of Illinois are fed up with the dysfunctional leadership of Pat Quinn and the mess that Illinois Democrats have created under single party rule. They must be held accountable,” Brady said in a statement.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating of 27 percent is also the lowest the Field Poll has recorded for the movie-star politician.
That’s just a few points above Gray Davis’ worst showing. Oof.
And editorial boards across the country are kicking up dust…
In neighboring New York, The New York Times editorial board this week levied even harsher criticism at the state legislature, assailing it as a “national embarrassment, a swamp of intrigue and corruption, a $131 billion monster controlled by a crowd of smug officials whose main concern is keeping their soft jobs.” Unless state lawmakers make major changes to the way Albany operates, the paper said — including improving budget transparency, reforming campaign finance laws and creating an independent ethics watchdog —“it will be up to the voters to get them out, all of them.”
The last time I recall newspaper editorial boards being this furious as one was in 1994.
* Fran Spielman looks at five city services that could be privatized, including…
WATER SYSTEM: This sounds intriguing, but it’s fraught with political danger. It’s one thing to privatize the Skyway and street parking, which play to more limited audiences. But everybody uses Lake Michigan water purified and pumped through Department of Water Management facilities. Does Daley really want to put that service in the hands of a private company that might cut corners to improve its bottom line? One City Hall observer called it “a gamble I wouldn’t take.” Another complication is the condition of the city’s water mains. Like the Midway deal, a private contractor likely would be required to offer jobs to city workers. Would they pay top dollar, only to inherit employees implicated in the Hired Truck and city hiring scandals?
SEWER SYSTEM: This would probably make more sense from a political standpoint. “To put it crudely, people are less sensitive to the quality of what’s going out than they are about the quality of what’s coming in,” Schmidt said. Chicagoans pay a sewer surcharge that amounts to 86 percent of a customer’s water bill. If sewer service alone is privatized, those fees tacked on to water bills would have to be separated.
I’m generally not a fan of selling off assets. Privatizing the management of the Lottery is somewhat different because we’re using the private sector’s expertise to make more money off the asset. And I’m somewhat OK with selling off an asset if the proceeds are used to pay down long-term debt, like the pension fund. But to just sell it off and then spend the cash - as Daley has been doing - is just not right.
* Most people hate the penny increase in the Cook County sales tax, but the county isn’t considering these sorts of schemes. It would be if they didn’t have that money. Believe it…
The sales tax paid in Cook County _ now at 10.25 percent in the city _ remains the biggest blockade to development and yet the [new Cook County] budget gives no consideration to reducing it, said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a nonpartisan government watchdog agency.
“This appears to be a status-quo budget that benefits from the sales tax,” he said, despite a push by state lawmakers and county residents to reduce the tax.
What few news outlets ever report is that the county’s portion of that sales tax is quite small.
And this column doesn’t mention a very important fact until well into the piece…
No one seems to care much about the poor of the Southland. Cook County has announced plans to shut down inpatient care at Oak Forest Hospital, which it owns and operates.
That means sick people in the Southland without health insurance will have to travel to Stroger Hospital in Chicago or, more likely, end up in the already overcrowded emergency rooms at privately owned hospitals in the area.
The “county” isn’t shutting down the inpatient care. The much-praised and ballyhooed independent board overseeing the hospital system is doing the deed.
More than a year ago, though, a new panel of health professionals took control of the system. Lo and behold, the pros are doing what the pols never would: They’re cutting the featherbedded payroll — and they’re asking taxpayers for less money.
* It’s been a really rough week. My mom suggested that I write about it, so I did. Here’s my Sun-Times column…
My best friend in the world died last week.
Brian Patrick Michael Monahan was born on the Southwest Side and raised at 115th and Western. His house was the center of almost all neighborhood activity. His mother, Pat, was and still is the second mom to more people than I’ll ever know.
Brian’s dad, Frank, worked for a labor union and made enough money to give his family a relatively comfortable life. To say Frank was a dyed-in-the-wool, South Side Democrat would be the understatement of the decade.
“I think if Jesus Christ was running as a Republican, my dad would still vote Democrat,” Brian used to joke. It was an exaggeration, of course, but not by much.
Frank passed away several years ago, but the lessons he taught Brian never faded.
The only area where Brian and his dad really parted ways was his father’s desire for stability in life. Brian moved from job to job for as long as I knew him, and he never really had a “normal” gig. Brian had a strong desire to make a quiet difference in this world, and that’s what he did, day in and day out, but in his own way.
Long ago, Brian organized college students into a strong legislative force via the Illinois Student Association. Over the years, he registered thousands of voters and supervised the registration of tens of thousands more. Among other things, he was an organizer for a couple of different unions after moving to Kansas City, Mo.
He never once sought the limelight. He had no desire for fame or fortune. He didn’t yell and scream and try to draw attention to himself. Brian just wanted to do good the only way he knew how.
Brian was the type of person I admire the most. I think a lot of others feel the same way about people just like him. That was clear when Gov. Quinn threatened to shut down funding for private social service agencies last summer.
It wasn’t just that necessary services would’ve been eliminated that bothered so many of us. People who provided those services would have been out of jobs. These are the quiet heroes of our state. And those heroes, who take care of the less fortunate, the poor, the disabled, the sick and the elderly, were being used as pawns in a political game of chicken. Brian didn’t live in Illinois, but he never would have stood for that if he had — Democratic governor or no Democratic governor.
Brian was considering a move back to Illinois the week before he died unexpectedly at 46 last week. A job opening here had caught his eye and his family and friends were overjoyed. Even though we talked on the phone as often as we could and saw him whenever possible, we still missed him terribly and we wanted him back full time.
I also wanted Brian here because his state needed him now more than ever. The multiple crises facing Illinois are greater than at any time in our lives, so we desperately need all the good, strong people we can get.
It wasn’t to be.
Brian’s friends and family have been through a wrenching week of agony. My own heart feels as if it has been shattered into a million pieces. But everyone reading this and everyone who is not is the poorer for his death. The good he could have done here, no matter how unnoticed by the naked eye, would’ve surely helped us in these horribly dark days.
And if you’re feeling generous…
The Brian Monahan Children’s Trust Fund
c/o Pat Monahan
2800 W. 111th St.
Chicago, IL 60655
Former Chicago Tribune newsroom managers have created a venture that is making its debut in local editions of the New York Times.
The Chicago News Cooperative will provide two pages of local content, primarily political news, in the Friday and Sunday editions of the New York Times starting Nov. 20.
Chicago News Cooperative is being led by Jim O’Shea, former editor of the Los Angeles Times and former managing editor of the Chicago Tribune. Jim Warren, a former managing editor for features at the Tribune, will contribute a regular column.
But for the first time in its long history, the magazine, along with its sister publication Jet, could be up for sale. The Chicago-based, privately owned Johnson Publishing Co. has not denied recent news reports that it is shopping for a buyer for the magazines.
“We are exploring a range of options to support our core media business,” spokeswoman Wendy E. Parks said in a written statement. “However, we are not in discussions with Time Inc. and Viacom.” Parks, and others at Johnson, declined to be interviewed for this story.
* The Sun-Times followed up on a poll story I wrote for subscribers this morning…
“The Mighty Quinn” played as Gov. Pat Quinn finished his speech announcing he was running for governor Thursday morning at the hotel where he launched many citizen initiatives.
But then he left the stage trying to avoid questions from reporters about polls showing his support a bit less than “mighty.” Quinn’s nine months as governor — after 33 years as a political activist, gadfly and sometimes-second-level elected official — have sometimes reinforced his image as a populist but other times left him vulnerable to charges that he’s now protecting the status quo.
A new Rasmusson poll finds 53 percent of Illinois voters disapprove of Quinn’s job performance while 45 percent approve.
The significance of the poll is it’s the first time a Rasmussen survey has ever shown more voters disapproving of Quinn’s job performance than approving.
In a generic ballot match-up for the 2010 Governor election in Illinois, a Democratic candidate holds a 43% to 37% edge over a Republican.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds that another 20% of voters there are not sure which party’s candidate they would choose.
The plurality of voters not affiliated with either party (43%) are not sure which candidate they would choose at this time. Thirty-six percent (36%) would pick the Republican while 21% would vote for the Democrat.
He spoke before a phalanx of cameras about his plans for rebuilding Illinois, although he never mentioned his unpopular push for a state income tax increase as a method to fund his initiatives.
Quinn explained that his lack of mentioning a tax increase was because “there’s only a certain amount of things you can talk about in the course of 10 minutes,” even though his address to supporters was about twice as long.
Ken Valdiserri, who serves as president of Ditka’s Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund charity, said the endorsement could have been forgiven as a mixup, but that the finance committee situation is another matter.
“He never agreed to do it,” Valdiserri said. “Mike doesn’t have time to be on a finance committee of any politician. He doesn’t have time to be speaking and helping candidates when he’s in the middle of his busiest season,” which includes serving as an NFL analyst on ESPN.
And then a few minutes ago the Hughes campaign sent out this press release…
The campaign of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Hughes has issued the following official statement with approval of the Mike Ditka organization:
“As of October 22nd, Mike Ditka is endorsing Patrick Hughes for U.S. Senate. This statement is being issued jointly by Mike Ditka’s organization and the U.S. Senate campaign of Patrick Hughes. We have no further comment on anything that has been discussed or reported in any media.”
Due to Coach Ditka’s numerous business and personal commitments, he will not be serving on Patrick Hughes’ finance committee.
According to newly installed state Budget Director David Vaught, Gov. Pat Quinn recently brought up the idea with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and others at the White House. The governor got a good enough reception that “he intends to extend” his efforts, Mr. Vaught said.
A federally guaranteed bond issue could be an enormous help to Illinois in dealing with a huge fiscal 2011 budget hole that Dan Long, executive director of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the Legislature’s fiscal research arm, now pegs at $11 billion to $12 billion.
Mr. Vaught said a federal guarantee would cut the interest rate on such a bond to “in the 3% to 4% range” from “5% to 6%.” That would make it much more profitable — and less risky — for the state, which would invest the funds in higher-yielding stocks and bonds.
Since any profits could be booked up front, at least in part, the state would be able to avoid making hundreds of millions and perhaps billions in annual contributions to worker pensions that it otherwise would have to come up with in the next few years.
* This is what passes for wisdom at the Pantagraph…
The argument for ousting statewide office-holders through term limits is not as compelling as the case for legislative term limits. All voters have the opportunity to vote against re-election of a statewide office-holder, which is not the case for individual lawmakers.
Term limits on Illinois lawmakers is an idea whose time has come.
One painful lesson we learned over and over when Rod Blagojevich was around was that the Illinois governor has too much constitutional power. Yet, the Pantagraph would weaken the General Assembly further without touching the governor’s authority.
Are the legislative leaders too powerful? Of course. But they got that power through political muscle, not the Constitution. Because they have so few powers enumerated to them, they’ve had to build their own power base with politics. That’s one reason why they are so reluctant to give up their political powers via campaign finance reform (although they are also undoubtedly loathe to cede their grand fiefdoms to the whims of a bunch of reformers and Republicans). Take away their political leverage and the governor’s constitutional powers will only be enhanced.
The same is essentially true of the Chicago mayor. Legally, the city has a “weak mayor” form of government, so the only way mayors have been able to truly govern effectively is if they had a powerful political organization. Witness Jane Byrne’s flip-flop after she defeated the Machine for a prime example, and Harold Washington’s losses to the Machine until he elected more sympathetic aldermen.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s a fact.
What we have to decide here is what sort of government we really want, rather than just picking and choosing reforms cafeteria-style. That’s why I supported the Constitutional Convention last year. We need a thorough debate on this. Top-down.
Instead, we get endless rants from mindless editorial boards and publicity hungry politicians.
* Gov. Pat Quinn officially kicks off his campaign for governor today. Dan Hynes’ campaign issued a press release this morning claiming that “the gulf between what Pat Quinn says and what he does is wider than the Mississippi River.” The Hynes campaign then provided a few examples of why “history shows you simply can’t trust what Pat Quinn says.” Go take a look, but here’s the lead item…
“You don’t want to raise taxes on ordinary people in a recession.” – Pat Quinn in 2001. [State Journal-Register, 10/8/01]
Pat Quinn proposed raising taxes on ordinary, middle class Illinoisans during the worst recession since the Great Depression.
Expect that quote to be used in a TV campaign - if not by Hynes then certainly by the Republicans if Quinn wins the primary.
* The Tribune, by the way, asked Mayor Daley if he was endorsing anyone for governor in the Democratic primary. Daley was at the editorial board meeting to talk about the city budget. Here’s his response…
“I don’t know yet. I don’t know. I’m just here for the budget.”
* Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Brady, a top Republican gubernatorial candidate, was on the South Side yesterday touting his jobs tour…
[Sen. Brady] spoke as he stood at 83rd and Stewart on the site where Wal-Mart wants to build a store but has been blocked by the Chicago City Council.
Brady introduced legislation in May that would allow the store, and other non-union big-box retailers, to get around the pro-union City Council. Brady’s bill would need a “super-majority” in the Illinois Legislature to overrule Chicago’s home-rule powers. And it’s unclear Brady, even as governor, would be able to persuade pro-union legislators to back such a bill.
Brady also said he’s proposing: a 10 percent tax credit, up to $2,100, for businesses that create new jobs in Illinois; cutting $300 million in business taxes and fees the state currently charges; and lowering the gas tax.
Senator Brady believes the long-term solution to the state’s fiscal imbalance is bringing back the 700,000 jobs Illinois has lost in recent years, which would ultimately result in a $3 billion annual infusion of tax revenues to the state treasury. In the short term, Senator Brady, as Governor, would order a top-to-bottom prioritization of state spending to curtail programs that are outdated or underperforming.
Dreamlike.
* Related…
* Health plans coping with state payment delays: Health Alliance Medical Plans will continue to pay medical bills for state workers, retirees and their dependents, even though Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration will stop paying the state’s share of monthly premiums for 3 1/2 months.
* State finance authority lays off six: The laid-off employees include four who worked in Chicago and one each in Springfield and Mount Vernon. The authority has offices in Chicago, Peoria, Mount Vernon and Springfield.
* Republican US Senate candidate Patrick Hughes has been caught in what could easily be portrayed as a lie. Earlier this month, Hughes sent out a press release touting an endorsement by former Bears coach Mike Ditka. Hughes also claimed that Ditka had agreed to serve on his campaign finance committee.
Well, the Team America blog got in touch with Ditka’s people and the coach provided this flat-out denial…
“I never publicly officially endorsed him and certainly did not agree to serve on his finance committee.”
Oops.
The Ditka press release appears to have been scrubbed from Hughes’ website.
Hughes has been positioned as the most likely longshot primary opponent of GOP Congressman Mark Kirk. This Ditka thing, however, shows that Hughes just ain’t ready for prime time.
* Speaking of Mark Kirk, RollCall takes a look at staff hires for the two top Democrats hoping to replace him in Congress, Dan Seals and Julie Hamos…
Seals has tapped the Strategy Group to do his mail and Adelstein Liston to do the media for his third try to win the 10th district seat. Meanwhile, campaign manager Patrick Mogge is also running the show for Seals for a third time.
But Seals has also brought a few new faces to the table, including polling firm Anzalone Liszt Research and research firm Link Strategies. Also new to the campaign are Finance Director Mimi Rodman, Field Director Erik Smith, Political Director Barb Cornew and Treasurer Harry Pascal. […]
Campaign manager Julie Sweet most recently managed author Tom Geoghegan’s (D) long-shot special election bid in the 5th district, which was won by now-Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.). Field Director Russell Griffin served in the same capacity for Rep. Donna Edwards’ (D-Md.) triumphant primary bid over then-Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.). Political Director Eric Danko is a former campaign aide for Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), while Finance Director Kari Lundstad-Vogt most recently served as a job bank coordinator at EMILY’s List.
They are joined by Press Secretary Christopher Lackner, who most recently worked with Sweet on Geoghegan’s special election bid. Hamos has also signed up Will Robinson and Tierney Hunt of the New Media Firm to do her media, Diane Feldman and Melissa Diemand of the Feldman Group to do her polling, Lloyd Betourney of the Public Response Group to do her direct mail and Brett Di Resta of the Maccabee Group to do her media.
U.S. District Judge John F. Grady ruled that ads offering “adult services” aren’t explicitly offering sex, and Craigslist is an “intermediary,” and is not “culpable for aiding and abetting” customers who “misuse their services to commit unlawful acts.”
“Sheriff Dart may continue to use Craigslist’s Web site to identify and pursue individuals who post allegedly unlawful content,” Grady wrote in his ruling. “But he cannot sue Craigslist for their conduct.”
Can you imagine explaining the city’s parking monopoly to a newcomer to Chicago in 2020: how the city sold all its parking meters and blew the whole bonanza in three years?
He’s not only siphoning $370 million in parking meter money and $50 million from the Chicago Skyway lease to fund day-to-day operations and hold the line on taxes, fines and fees in 2010.
He’s using $35 million of that money to provide property tax relief — by doling out $200 grants to homeowners hardest hit by the phase out of the seven percent cap on property tax assessments.
After introducing his $6.14 billion budget and delivering his budget address to the City Council today, Daley defended his decision to risk the city’s bond rating by raiding reserves he once called untouchable.
“It’s called rainy day funds. It’s called economic sadness. That’s what you have and that’s what it was prepared for. . . . Leasing public assets for a rainy, rainy day. And this is a flood day and a flood year,” Daley told the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board, using the same language he once used to declare those funds off-limits.
That would leave roughly $864 million in mid- and long-term reserves from the combined, $3 billion take from those transactions, which gave private operators the right to pocket Skyway tolls for 99 years (ending in 2104) and parking-meter fees for 75 years (through 2084).
* City plans to curb recycling program, pick up blue carts every third week
Chicago’s citywide switch to curbside recycling would hit the brakes in some neighborhoods, while pickups would be less frequent in others, under cuts tied to Mayor Daley’s 2010 budget.
The mayor’s proposed budget includes no money to continue the citywide switch to blue-cart recycling that was supposed to be completed by 2011 for all 600,000 households that get city garbage pickup.
Also, some of the 240,000 households that have blue carts will see pickups every third week instead of every other week.
After listening to Mayor Daley describe his plan to raid city reserves, the City Council was abuzz with talk about the “next big revenue source” to finance city government.
If there had been a roll call, it would have been close to unanimous: The pot of gold lies in casino gambling.
The Chicago Transit Board on Wednesday approved a three-year vending machine contract to keep Coca-Cola on its properties. The CTA estimates it will earn more than $1.4 million over the next five years under the terms of the contract, which gives the agency a 50 percent revenue split.
The CTA, which is trying to cope with a $300 million deficit for 2010, is losing some help at the top.[…]
Mooney explained in an e-mail that as CTA pensions are structured, he has maximized his earnings “and there is no financial reason in terms of pension for me to stay.”
