Rumors are circulating that Andy McKenna may be looking to jump into the race for Governor. The former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party would join a crowded field.
I asked McKenna about those rumors last week and he said he would be helping other candidates…
Former Cicero Town President Betty Loren Maltese is out of prison and living in a halfway house in Las Vegas.
Loren Maltese was released from a federal prison in California yesterday after serving six-and-a-half years. She and other Cicero public officials were convicted of ripping off the town for millions of dollars in an insurance scam.
Loren Maltese will stay at the halfway house for several months. In an early 2008 interview , she said she would “never go back to Cicero.”
* Still think that federal campaign rules are the way to go? Really?
Over the past five years, Rep. Bobby L. Rush has spent more than a tenth of his campaign’s receipts on the church he founded, a tidy tithe totaling $152,777.
It’s an example of how the campaign finance system allows candidates and office-holders to redirect funds to institutions they care about.
Gov. Pat Quinn today announced he’ll order the troubled state-run Howe Developmental Center closed.
The Tinley Park center is home to about 250 developmentally disabled clients. Quinn’s predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, last year ordered the facility be shuttered after getting pressure from advocates for the disabled who blamed more than two dozen deaths at Howe on neglectful treatment there.
The center lost its federal certification in 2007 because it failed to meet basic standards, which meant Howe also lost all its federal funding.
* WTTW’s Chicago Tonight hosted a panel discussion about old and new media last night. I was invited, but couldn’t attend…
Part of the show was based on the Community Media Workshop’s latest study of Chicago and Illinois blogs. Several political blogs were included, big and small, except for this one. Not sure why.
* The latest Milton Bradley “controversy” was foreshadowed in a Sun-Times article back in April…
Milton Bradley says he’s aware of Wrigley Field’s reputation for fans who not only boo their own players, but also have a history of getting racial.
He also says he’s ready for it.
‘’I can be like that guy that you watch all the time for whatever reason,'’ he said, referring to his track record of angry outbursts and run-ins. ‘’But I really think I’ve outgrown it, a lot of the stuff that I did when I was younger.'’
An angry Milton Bradley lashed out at his treatment from Cubs fans Wednesday, suggesting he has been the victim of racial abuse at Wrigley Field.
But Bradley declined to give specifics, saying no one wanted to listen to him.
“America doesn’t believe in racism,” he said sarcastically before repeating the remark. […]
“All I’m saying is I just pray the game is nine innings, so I can be out there the least amount of time as possible and go home,” he said.
* So, are Cub fans racist? Or, to be more specific, are they more racist than other baseball fans? Former manager Dusty Baker had few kind words for them…
[Baker] didn’t want to revisit the racist hate mail and threats he said he received while managing the Cubs (2003-06) when asked about the Sun-Times story before his Cincinnati Reds’ game in Milwaukee. But he did say things are better for him in Cincinnati.
”Oh, yeah, Cincinnati has been great,” he told MLB.com. ”My family loves Cincinnati.”
That same article more than hinted that former manager Don Baylor felt the same way. Baker’s wife and son, by the way, claimed they stopped going to the ball park because of the hostile atmosphere.
“But if I make a big deal out of it, it’s not going to benefit me, so I’m not going to make a big deal of it.'’
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was more blunt about that goofy “Ozzie mows Wrigley Field” t-shirt…
“That’s kinda funny, but let’s be clear: the shirts are racist. They play on stereotypes - that Hispanics do yard work and other menial jobs - and they are targated only at members of that group. On the Pujols and Zambrano ones the man is wearing a sombrero, just so there’s no confusion. Hispanics wear big, funny hats and cut our grass… ha, ha, ha!”
On December 3rd 2003, the Chicago Cubs signed one of the top free agent relievers in the game — LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins was a failed closer who proved to be an ideal set-up man, posting ERAs of 2.13 and 1.86 in 2002 and 2003 for the Twins. He was also the first of a string of players to accuse Cub fans of racist tactics and behaviors. Hawkins told Bob Nightengale that he used to receive “boos, taunts, and racial mail and phone calls” when he was with the Cubs. The implication being fans hated him (obviously) because he’s black.
After the Hawkins experiment failed, the Cubs went out and spent a lot of money on another former Twin, Jacque Jones who replaced the extremely white Jeremy Burnitz in right field. By 2006, he too claimed Cub fans were racist — and cited that Hawkins had warned him — while, at the same time, we learned that another Twin, Torii Hunter, had specifically said he would never accept a trade to the Cubs because he didn’t want to play in front of racist fans.
* I have refused to set foot in Cub Park for many years, so I cannot speak from experience here. I’ve been to a whole lot of White Sox games, however, and have yet to hear a racist taunt.
* The Question: Do you think Cub fans are more racist than other baseball fans? Explain.
* The problem with reform is that everybody has a different idea of what reform should be. And if they don’t get the reform they want, they claim that no “real” reform was achieved.
A good case in point is campaign contribution caps. From today’s Tribune editorial…
We’ve never favored contribution limits, because donors and candidates easily evade them.
Start by going back to the ideas from the reform commission. Apply the federal model that limits individuals to giving $2,400 per election, or a total of $4,800 for a primary and general election. Limit PACs and all other players too. Include real limits on the amounts that can be transferred from political committees to candidates.
And after the Sun-Times’ long laundry list of reform demands, they issue this familiar demand…
Anything less, and it won’t be much reform.
As did the Daily Herald…
Anything short of all that simply will be unacceptable.
So, according to the Sun-Times and the DH, if the Tribune’s advice on campaign caps is followed during the veto session, then reform efforts have been a total failure.
Sheesh.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn now has an excuse for why he gushed over the reform bill he just vetoed in testimony to committees in both legislative chambers…
In a follow-up interview, Quinn said he testified for the bill because he thought it was the only way to pass campaign limits.
“Probably the legislature would have gone home without doing anything,” Quinn said.
Sounds positively Blagojevichian. “Yes, I did it, but it’s their fault!”
* My Sun-Times column today takes a look ahead at Campaign 2010…
Think of the campaign for governor as a bloody three-ring circus.
In the ‘’Stage Left'’ ring are Democrats Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes.
Quinn has struggled to find his leadership chops since being elevated to the top job by Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment. Hynes has begun running an aggressive campaign against Quinn, labeling him an indecisive, ineffective flip-flopper.
Over on “Stage Right” are the Republican candidates.
The front-runner is state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a decent, experienced politician from DuPage County who is so decent that he cut a TV ad for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. That expression of bipartisan admiration for one of his former colleagues has prompted howls of derision from fellow candidates.
Sen. Matt Murphy, a freshman from the Northwest suburbs, made headlines last year when he led the charge for secession from Todd Stroger’s Cook County and, lately, he’s become Dillard’s harshest critic. Murphy has already aired a Downstate TV ad slamming Dillard for supporting a Stroger tax increase. The tax hike was for mass transit, but whatever. He made his point.
Sen. Bill Brady, who ran last time and impressed many with his presence and poise, has never been afraid of taking a whack at a primary opponent. He blasted Dillard for saying nice things about Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Ultraconservative campaign consultant Dan Proft reportedly has a huge stash of private money ready to use for attacks on his fellow GOP candidates. Proft loves the hatchet, and blood will certainly flow.
The other Republican candidates will also likely pile on whoever the front-runner appears to be at any given moment.
Any day now, though, the spotlight will begin shining on the center ring, and it won’t turn off until the campaign ends. The star of the center ring will be Rod Blagojevich — our former clown in chief.
Blagojevich’s new book is coming out next month. I can take a wild guess at what he will say:
‘’Springfield is bad. I was set up. House Speaker Mike Madigan is bad. I tried to give everybody health care. Senate President John Cullerton is bad. I was railroaded. Pat Quinn is bad. I did nothing wrong. Illinois news media is bad. I’m the good guy.'’
Innumerable cable TV appearances will follow, and some moronic talking heads will scream that Blagojevich was given a raw deal.
Blagojevich’s book tour will probably last right up until the February primary. Hynes has slammed Quinn for not standing up to Blagojevich. Blagojevich has said he’s convinced that Quinn was part of an evil plot to kick him out of office. Blagojevich’s book tour will be a constant distraction for Quinn.
And you can bet that any Republican gubernatorial candidate who ever supported any of Blagojevich’s ideas will also be in for a beat-down during the tour of shame. Indeed, Murphy’s ad also tried to tie Dillard to Blagojevich.
Come June, when the winning nominees start to crank up their campaigns, the spotlight will shine even more intensely on our goofy center ring as Blagojevich’s criminal trial begins. God only knows what that man will say or do.
The trial will probably last until around Labor Day, setting the stage for the final run. Blagojevich will be on everyone’s minds, and the fall campaign will most likely revolve around his horrific legacy. The center ring will remain the center of attention.
The truth is Blagojevich was such an aberration that we probably don’t have to worry about ever electing anyone else like him again. He also had only a few true friends and allies. But those facts were long ago lost in the ether. We’re in for an excruciating and mostly pointless 14 months.
Illinois Comptroller and Democratic candidate for Governor Dan Hynes issued the following statement today in response to Governor Pat Quinn’s announcement that he would veto House Bill 7:
“Today’s strange scene, with Governor Quinn presiding over the demise and rhetorical piling on of his own “landmark” ethics legislation, was a clear reminder that our state deserves a governor who will lead with a clear vision, and won’t vacillate on important issues. It has been 211 days since Governor Quinn took office promising to clean up state government and 91 days since he called this bill ‘landmark’ reform. Today, we’re back to square one, and the real reforms necessary for our entire state to move forward and get back on track have not been made seven months after Rod Blagojevich left the scene.
Now that the process is starting over, I encourage the Governor and Legislature to work together to craft legislation that is as meaningful in practice as it is for public relations, and to finally bring about the reform we need in Illinois.”
[Bumped up so the live blogging is more visible. The governor’s Chicago press conference starts at noon and you can listen or watch by clicking here.]
* I told subscribers about this today, and the Tribune has now posted a story about how Gov. Quinn will veto HB 7, the campaign reform bill which has been whacked by just about everybody…
Gov. Pat Quinn today will veto the high-profile campaign finance bill that he once hailed as landmark, choosing to side with critics who say it is riddled with loopholes, an administration source confirmed.
“The governor made the decision to veto based on feedback from the community and legislative leaders and the belief that lawmakers can do better,” the source said. […]
Press aides for Madigan and Cullerton said they would attend Quinn’s announcement. Cullerton’s spokeswoman said he will attend the governor’s press conference to demonstrate he supports campaign finance reform and will continue to work on the issue despite the veto. […]
But it was unclear how Quinn’s change of heart will go over more broadly with fellow Democrats and whether it will spur lawmakers to pass a new version of fundraising restrictions when they meet in October for the fall veto session.
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno also supports the veto.
The governor’s press conference will be broadcast live today at noon. We’ll use this as a live blog. Click here to watch or listen. I’d suggest you just listen, since the video conked out during yesterday’s presser.
Thoughts?
*** 12:13 pm *** The hour of noon having arrived, the governor’s presser has begun.
* Speaker Madigan, President Cullerton, Leader Radogno, Dawn Clark Netsch (who’ll provide reformer cover) and others are at the presser.
* A large good government coalition has just issued a press release supporting the veto…
CHANGE Illinois! is pleased to support the Governor’s decision to veto HB7, the legislation intended to establish campaign contribution limits for Illinois’ public officials.
Our coalition has repeatedly called on the Governor to either veto or amendatorily veto this well intentioned but flawed piece of legislation. His action today indicates that he and the state’s legislative leaders do want to create a workable and effective system of contribution limits.
Melissa Hahn of the Illinois Radio Network is live-Tweeting, as is Todd Feurer. Now, on to the live-blogging…
* Quinn admits he testified on behalf of the bill he’s about to veto, but says he said at the time that it was “not a perfect bill.”
* The governor said he believes the October veto session will be “noteworthy” for all it accomplishes. He wants a new reform bill during that session. We’ll see.
* He’s just announced he’s vetoing the bill.
* Speaker Madigan takes the podium: “I agree with the decision they have made… for the governor to veto the bill so we can go back to ground zero.” Won’t comment on specifics.
* President Cullerton: “We have asked the governor to veto the bill.” … “We engaged in lengthy discussion, it’s a very complicated issue… making some progress but we have not reached a final agreement yet… Timing of the bill having to be vetoed or signed [veto is the best way to go].”
* Leader Tom Cross: “We accept your offer to work with all the people involved… and pledge to work with you to have a real bill.”
* Leader Radogno: “I want to applaud the governor for taking this action… There was tremendous pressure on the governor to go ahead and enact a bill… [that could have] made it worse.” … “Very imperative that all parties be at the table.”
* Cindi Canary: “Very pleased and very proud to be up here today… I commend them for their willingness to return to the table… [Spring session] accomplished quite a lot.”
* AARP: “The governor and legislative leaders have recognized that HB 7 is not real reform.”
* Questions from reporters.
Quinn really needs to start answering questions from reporters, rather than just filibustering absolutely everything. Seriously, would it hurt too much to just answer one or two questions rather than droning on and on and on about nothing every single time?
Quinn on his reform commission, which is now actually defunct: “They’ll be involved in the process.” No commission members appear to be present at the presser.
Madigan won’t take reporters’ questions: “I’ve finished with my comments, thank you.” MJM said he had relied on Sens. Cullerton and Harmon to negotiate the bill and wants them to comment.
Cullerton: “I don’t think we should negotiate here the improvements.” … “The bill that passed did have campaign limits… and he praised that at the time. … We want to make sure there are no loopholes that are unintended. There are constitutional issues that are very tricky. … If the governor signed the bill and then we did a trailer bill, that might have sent the wrong message. That’s why we asked [Quinn to veto in total]. … The federal government has been used as a model by many people, but the federal laws have their own deficiencies… Sometimes you can look at the federal model and sometimes you can’t. … When I came to the Tribune editorial board… we hoped we could get an agreement by today. … I didn’t say there were any flaws, I said there are ways we could improve it.”
Quinn: “If you had said a year ago that this agenda would be enacted into law within a year, most people would not have believed you. By the end of October we’re going to have an even fuller of agenda of ethics reform. … Collaboration, cooperation, working together as a team, that moves Illinois forward.”
Quinn: “I’d rather make it better than to not do it right.”
Quinn: “I know from my travels across Illinois that people are very happy with my leadership. It’s steady leadership that’s getting things done.”
Cullerton: “We asked him, the sponsors, asked him to veto this bill. … He’s not flip-flopping, he’s doing what we’ve asked.”
Canary: “We often slam our elected officials for not having a backbone, for not listening to us, for flip-flopping. [Quinn and others] should be commended. … They’re doing something very brave today. … spent over two years on the pay to play bill… it can be frustrating, but people of good will can make a difference. … I would respectfully request that people withhold some of this judgment until October.”
Cross: “If you’re gonna do this in a bipartisan way, include everybody. … It needs to be done right and it needs to include everybody.” Cross also said today’s bipartisanship does not mean that an income tax hike is closer to reality. “No” was his answer.
End of questions. Nobody asked Quinn about his recent amendatory vetoes on the topic of ethics. Strange. Then again, he didn’t issue a press release, so most Chicago types wouldn’t know those AV’s existed.
* 12:57 pm - Quinn has just vetoed the bill. Thanked everyone for coming. End. The mic is still hot, so maybe we’ll hear something interesting. [Spoke too soon. Mic is now off.]
* Gov. Pat Quinn’s refusal to fire the last two U of I trustees yesterday prompted a furious response from the perpetually furious Chicago Tribune editorial board. Today’s edit is entitled: Quinn caves…
Gov. Pat Quinn offered a fine rationale Wednesday for firing James Montgomery and Frances Carroll, University of Illinois trustees who refuse to resign in the wake of a serious scandal at the school. Then Quinn caved. He said he’s leaving Montgomery and Carroll on the U. of I. board. With that, Quinn again proved that the people of Illinois cannot rely on him for decisive leadership. Seven months into his tenure, he is the incredible shrinking governor.
Quinn gave an excruciatingly repetitive explanation Wednesday — he does that when he’s anxious — for not dumping the two trustees. It was as if he tried to convince himself there’s justification for his inaction. There isn’t. […]
The governor allegedly is a bold populist. Time and again, though, he won’t stand firm if doing so would offend someone powerful: […]
Comptroller Dan Hynes, who is a Democratic opponent against Quinn in the February primary election, sent a statement through his campaign that said Quinn mishandled the situation from the beginning. “Yesterday, Gov. Quinn said he would act on the University of Illinois trustees issue with ‘certainty and with dispatch.’ Today he did neither. Unfortunately there is little that is certain about the ultimate resolution of a scandal first revealed last May, and acting with dispatch would have resolved this matter well before the students returned to class.”
Hynes did not say whether he would have forced the resignation of the remaining two trustees. A call to his campaign was not immediately returned.
UPDATED: I just missed the Hynes’ campaign returning my call last night. Spokesman Matt McGrath said that Hynes’ criticism is not about the handling of individual board members, but it is about how Quinn handled the case from the beginning without immediately determining his legal powers to clear the board or not. He said Hynes would have been more immediate in determining those legal powers and would have set a deadline and established a clear plan to meet that deadline.
But still no word on whether Hynes would try to fire the trustees or not.
* Meanwhile, Senate President John Cullerton’s vow to advance the “fumigation bill” to the Senate floor in the wake of Quinn’s refusal to act prompted this response from the governor’s office…
A spokesman for Quinn, who supported the measure in the spring, said the governor hasn’t decided if that [fumigation bill] route should be taken in this case.
“While the governor is aware that this is an option, he has not taken a position on this possibility,” Quinn spokesman Bob Reed said.
Um, OK.
House GOP Leader Tom Cross told Springfield radio host Jim Leach that he believes the fumigation bill will make it to the governor’s desk. From Leach’s Twitter page…
Tom Cross says fumigation bill could hurt innocent people, but says it was not a mistake to vote for it; thinks it will pass Senate
Let me be clear: I don’t oppose gambling. I go to casinos occasionally. I always have a grand time losing money. At least the drinks are cheap.
But video gambling in restaurants, bars and gas stations shoves it into the mainstream.
Just ask Eileen, a woman I interviewed who used to live in Champaign County.
She discovered $30,000 in credit card cash withdrawals after the death of her husband 10 years ago. A rule-following, Bible-reading truck driver, he got addicted to a video gambling at a local tavern. The owner illegally paid out from behind the bar and the cops did nothing to stop it.
If you’re going to oppose legalizing video gaming because somebody lost a whole bunch of money, then you should probably oppose already legalized casino gaming as well, because the same thing, and more, happens at those joints. Casinos, unlike your neighborhood tap, are scientifically designed to separate the customers from their cash.
Plus, video gaming won’t be in every gas station. We’re talking about big truck stops along interstates, many of which already look like mini casinos with dozens of poker machines that aren’t supposed to pay out, but do.
* Mark Brown takes a look at the situation in Chicago…
I oppose legalized video gambling on the grounds it’s just a sucker tax that will drain more money from those who can least afford it, although I’m finding it hard to get too far up on my high horse while we’re unable to police the illegal devices already found in many bars.
That’s probably the more reasonable approach. More from Brown’s column…
But my understanding is [Chicago] aldermen have been advised that, while there may be some ambiguity in the legal issues, the most practical way to resolve them is to go ahead and amend the ordinances so nobody comes back later and tries to use the courts to shut anybody down.
The city’s Automatic Amusement Device ordinance says such devices are illegal if they “maintain a count of payoffs,” and defines payoff as “the giving of money or other thing of value in exchange for a player’s accumulated points or free games or replays.” A separate ordinance bars individuals from possessing gambling devices. Video poker per se is not illegal in Chicago, only the use of such machines to gamble.
The mayor has previously stated his intent to enact extra unspecified safeguards before the video gambling law takes effect, which in retrospect strikes me as a way to make the other vote more politically palatable.
It’ll make the vote more palatable, but the change will also probably further limit where the games can go and which people can have them.
* Anyway, I just spent several days in South Dakota, which has legalized video gaming. The bars don’t look much different than taverns here, except for the occasional cowboy hat and Native American patrons. Most have video gaming, just like here. The difference is, the machines are legal there. Also, lots of bars and other establishments have big “Casino” signs out front, which is pretty odd, especially since their parking lots often look empty and they only have a small handful of machines. They’re hardly “casinos.”
I began talking to Harley, an employee of a different bar, when I was sitting in “The Oasis” in Rapid City, which is somewhat of a dive bar on Main Street. Harley agreed to be interviewed and gave a surprisingly balanced, fair overview of what legalized gaming has done to his town. Take a look…
* Video gambling ban could come to October vote - The Park Ridge City Council will revisit a proposed ban on video gambling at a Committee of the Whole meeting Sept. 28
* Many of us had heard this about former Chicago Inspector General, and now US Senate candidate, David Hoffman for the last few months…
Sources said Hoffman had considered a run for Illinois attorney general, but dropped those plans after powerful incumbent Lisa Madigan announced that she would seek another term in that post.
It’s doubtful that any of his opponents will bring it up, but one can’t help but wonder if Hoffman went out of his office’s normal jurisdiction to blast the mayor’s parking meter deal for political ends.
He has receceived almost universally positive media coverage in Chicago, but this is from a June Tribune story, after Hoffman announced his probe of the parking meter deal…
Hoffman, once a press aide to U.S. Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.), has shown himself to be unafraid of the limelight. He has focused more on public relations than his predecessor. […]
He increased his profile further with appearances in Springfield as a member of Gov. Pat Quinn’s reform commission.
“He must have triple-shot espresso in his veins,” said state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston).Hoffman always was more willing than other prosecutors to place himself in the public eye, say former colleagues.
“David was not only excellent—he had a good sense that he was excellent,” said Ron Safer, another ex-prosecutor. “He never doubted his ability to effect change, even though he was trying to slay some dragons.”
Back to the politics of today. From the Sun-Times…
Chicago’s Democratic Ward committeemen, whose patronage workers Hoffman has investigated, are not likely to flock to his candidacy.
Voters most energized about corruption in local government may be voting in the Republican, as opposed to the Democratic primary.
That first graf is true, of course. But it isn’t easy for precinct captains to influence votes in US Senate races. Voters like to think they’re making up their own minds in campaigns like that.
I’m not so sure about that second graf. What do you think?
A lawyer from Northbrook is considering entering a race that one of his Republican counterparts says is “unwinnable.”
Steve Kim, 38, said Tuesday he is making plans to take on two-term Attorney General Lisa Madigan in the 2010 election.
Kim, a Korean-American who has served as a Northfield Township trustee, is expected to make a formal announcement in the coming days.
“I’m seriously considering it,” said Kim. “I’m still talking to people about it.”
Good luck with that.
* Related…
* Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar says his lavish spending from campaign fund isn’t ‘pay to play’ politics: He is the boss of Bolingbrook, Roger Claar, who has brought a big-city style of money, power and influence to serving as mayor of a mid-size suburb. The high life is not funded by Claar’s $129,000 salary. Instead, the money comes from his campaign — flush with cash from donors, many of whom have gotten millions in village contracts… Nearly half of his donations came from companies and individuals who have done business with Bolingbrook. Those contributors received more than $300 million in village work — nearly 60 percent of the money that Bolingbrook spent on vendors over the last decade, the Tribune analysis shows.
* Elgin resident Mark Vargas is running for the Republican nomination for the 14th Congressional seat held by Democrat Bill Foster of Batavia.
In a filing Wednesday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the bondholders said the transaction was responsible for rendering the company insolvent or with unreasonably small capital.
* Subsidized-housing voucher program: Park Forest draws crowd seeking help with housing costs
When the administration reopened the clinics, city officials said they would look for ways to keep the clinics open for the long term, but since then the state budget crisis slashed annual funding to $4.2 million from $8.4 million, Hadac said.
As a result, only four of the 40 employees laid off at the four clinics earlier this year have been rehired, Hadac said. The city did plan to hire back “three dozen” of those workers, he said.
A city Public Health Department spokesman said Wednesday the city is looking at shutting five of the 12 mental-health clinics, while blaming the cuts on state budget woes. But a state Human Services Department spokeswoman said the cut was almost entirely the result of city billing errors, not the state budget crisis.
The clinics provide therapy, medication and activities for people with mental illness who can’t get access to city not-for-profit centers that are at maximum capacity, activists said. Four targeted clinics are South Side facilities that closed this year but reopened temporarily with skeleton staffs after advocates staged a sit-in.
Chicago’s $4.8 billion operating budget for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games provides “adequate protection” for taxpayers, but the $1.1 billion Olympic Village exposes the city to “ongoing real estate risks” that must be insured and closely managed, the Civic Federation has concluded.
* Chicago has reasonably solid plan for 2016 Olympics, auditor says
The watchdog group cautioned that the review was not a thorough financial audit and that time constraints limited the depth of the analysis. But the federation nonetheless said if Chicago 2016 sticks to its plan to buy additional insurance, the extra coverage would create “an effective safety net” to protect taxpayers in the event of problems such as cancellation of the Games, natural disasters or “loss of development financing.”
The report also said it was critical for the City Council to use its oversight powers to monitor the city’s Olympic plans. But that appears to miss the political reality of City Hall, where aldermen routinely have followed Daley’s lead and rarely challenge his major plans.
* If you’re in the Chicago TV market, make sure to tune into Chicago Tonight this evening. One of the guests is former George Ryan chief of staff Scott Fawell. This will be Fawell’s first TV interview since he left prison. Actually it may be his first interview since his indictment. Not totally sure.
I talked to Carol Marin earlier and she said they hope to have video of the interview up relatively fast, so if you miss it, click here later.
If you watch, tell us what happened in comments.
…Adding… Andrea Coutresis, Fawell’s girlfriend whom Fawell kept out of a long sentence by flipping on Ryan, will also be on tonight’s show.
But Fawell also is well aware of the public perception that surrounds the deaths of the six children of Scott and Janet Willis, who were killed in a crash that involved a truck driver with an Illinois CDL on Nov. 8, 1994.
It later became known that a bribe was paid to “fix” the driver’s exam of the driver whose truck was involved. A federal investigation later revealed that license selling was common under Ryan, with some of the money being used so Secretary of State employees could contribute to Ryan’s campaigns.
“People on the street, they believe George Ryan and I are somehow responsible for that tragic accident,” Fawell said. “Is it the result of corruption? . . . I don’t want to split hairs, but I think it’s more the result of petty graft because people taking money for licenses in the Secretary of State’s office has unfortunately happened for years.
“It’s a tragedy, and certainly I’m sorry it ever happened,” Fawell added. “Do I feel any responsibility? . . . No I really don’t.”
