* I was on Chicago Tonight last night to talk about yesterday’s events. Watch it here.
* And I’m profiled in this week’s edition of the Illinois Times…
Years ago, when I was new in town and causing trouble, Rich Miller phoned me, out of the blue, and invited me to lunch. As I recall, he gave me something like 15 minutes notice to show up at a downtown restaurant. I figured his real lunch appointment must have canceled and I was a last-minute sub, but so what? I wasn’t about to miss a bull session with a guy who has, for the past two decades, devoted heart and soul to covering Illinois politics.
Miller started his career in 1989 here, at Illinois Times, making $50 a week and living in a basement coal bin; he now makes a very comfortable living writing a syndicated column for about 150 papers (including IT), a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and churning out a thrice-weekly hot sheet called Capitol Fax, a subscription-based enterprise he launched in 1993. He also produces a juicy up-to-the-minute blog. Did I say he covers Illinois politics? He’s all over it.
Not surprisingly, lunch with Miller isn’t for the faint of heart. He’s a big, loud, hairy dude with a wardrobe of tie-dyed shirts and a vocabulary that could give Gov. Rod Blagojevich a run for his money on the bleepometer. “Do you mind if I smoke?” Miller asked me. “Because, if you do, you can just go sit way the [bleep] over there.”
So I wasn’t entirely unprepared when I called him the other day and asked if I could interview him for my column. His answer was the word “no” artfully arranged as the thematic motif in a fresco of profanity. I talked him into it anyway.
…Adding… Dusty also managed to get an explanation about that cartoon image I use of myself…
Former Illinois Times cartoonist Mike Cramer penned this portrait of Rich Miller sometime in the early 1990s. “He’s looking at the underside of the Capitol like a kid looks under a log searching for slugs and bugs,” says Cramer, who is now an attorney in the Chicago office of Ogletree Deakins. “I’ve seen Rich recently, and I think it’s still a fairly accurate likeness.”
When the morning’s arctic chill smacks the Carmex off your lips, when you’re gassing up the snowblower more often than the Chrysler and the dog would sooner burst than set a paw outside, it’s reasonable to question the geographic choices you’ve made.
Why live here? Why tolerate the worst winter in decades—not to mention this morning’s icy wind, a meteorological affront to all right-thinking people?
We posed the question, “Why do you live here?” to readers of the Chicago Tribune’s Web site on Wednesday, and they responded in droves, like bitter, blue barflies seeking a sympathetic ear.
Preliminary talks are under way that could lead to John Harris, the former chief of staff to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, cooperating in the federal corruption case against the governor that snared both last month, sources said Wednesday.
Harris has not yet reached a deal to help authorities, sources with knowledge of the situation said, but cooperation by the former insider would be a boon to federal investigators. Blagojevich and Harris were arrested Dec. 9 on charges they leveraged the governor’s powers in pay-to-play schemes and tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
John Harris — the highest-ranking employee under Gov. Blagojevich to be hit with federal corruption charges — has been providing information to federal prosecutors, the Sun-Times has learned.
Harris’ defense…
Ekl would not discuss details, but sources say that among the things Harris has discussed is how Blagojevich liked to talk big to his staff, but they didn’t always do what he asked them to.
…federal authorities are scrutinizing communications between the governor and Lucio Guerrero, his chief media spokesman. Sources said investigators seized paperwork while conducting a search warrant at the governor’s Thompson Center offices.
Not unexpected. George Ryan’s former spokesman testified at Ryan’s trial. The first thing I told Guerrero after he took the job was “Get a good lawyer.” And I’m not the only one who gave him that advice.
The government tapped cell phones belonging to Gov. Blagojevich’s brother and the governor’s chief of staff as part of its corruption probe, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
About 58 percent of Illinoisans believe Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged corrupt behavior is common among the state’s public officials, according to findings of a new statewide poll released Thursday by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. […]
According to the survey, 78 percent of residents say a ban on campaign contributions by corporations will make a difference, and 76 percent say a similar ban on labor union contributions would make a difference. Similar sentiment (74 percent) was expressed for setting limits on the amount of contributions that could be given by individuals.
* So far, Senate President John Cullerton rates an almost perfect “A+” for how he has handled things, so I agree wholeheartedly with the SJ-R today…
…something very profound in Illinois politics happened on Wednesday.
When Sen. John Cullerton succeeded Emil Jones Jr. as president of the state Senate, Illinois effectively witnessed the return of a bicameral legislature to state government. By providing political cover for Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Jones gave Blagojevich the power to put the state into the bind it now finds itself. Especially in the last two years, Jones’ complicity with Blagojevich fomented a paralysis in state government as Blagojevich and the Senate locked horns with the Illinois House and both sides refused to budge.
While we believe the Senate must remove Blagojevich from office for Illinois government to start its healing process, we also lament that Jones’ refusal to act as a check on Blagojevich’s power helped bring about the current situation.
It was genuinely reassuring to hear Cullerton directly address this crisis after assuming the Senate presidency. As the governor hotfooted it away from the Senate chamber after handing the gavel to Cullerton, the new president did not soft-pedal the work ahead.
“The demand for change is a mandate that we must address,” Cullerton told his colleagues.
And change we are getting. You’ll have to subscribe to Capitol Fax to read the list of changes I compiled this morning, but take it from me they’re quite sweeping so far. And it’s only just started.
Also, Cullerton just announced on the floor that his intention is to start every day “on time.” We’ll see how that one goes, but it got a loud round of applause from the members.
The new president of the Illinois Senate isn’t closing the door on a potential tax hike to help ease the state’s financial woes.
Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat who took the reins from retiring Senate President Emil Jones, said Wednesday that some kind of tax hike might be considered in the coming year.
“We have to have everything on the table and I’m not ruling out any tax increases,” Cullerton said. […]
“I will tell you the Republicans will not support a general tax increase, like an income tax,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont. “I don’t know that we’re going to go down that road.”
She didn’t, however, rule out support of some other, smaller targeted tax increase.
If you read Cullerton’s inaugural address, you’ll see, as I told you yesterday, that he doesn’t seem too enthused with the idea of cutting the budget…
In recent years, we have seen all the gimmicks and listened to all the quick-fix promises. But we know they won’t solve our problems.
If you think you can just cut waste out of state government, keep in mind that currently we have the lowest ratio of state employees to population in the nation by far. We have nearly the same number of state employees that we had in 1972. […]
And if you think we can cut healthcare costs - the largest expenditure of state government - then what do you say to those families who would no longer be eligible? Or, what do you say to the newly unemployed who have just lost their jobs?
That makes sense, but he never mentioned the word “pensions.” We’ll see what happens there.
* And if you read between the lines in Kadner’s latest column, you may see that Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn appears to agree with Cullerton’s logic…
There’s a fiscal crisis of state government, not just here, but throughout the nation. Ohio just announced it’s facing a $7 billion deficit. States all over the country are facing deficits because there’s not as much sales or income tax revenue coming in.
Kadner’s column is jammed with information, so I’m going to excerpt more than I should…
Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn says his top priority will be restoring the public’s faith in government once Gov. Rod Blagojevich is removed from office, and that means removing department heads who aren’t doing their jobs.
“There’s no question some of the people he (Blagojevich) brought in don’t measure up,” Quinn said during a telephone call from Springfield Thursday.
“I don’t think any person who is doing a good job and is honest has anything to fear. But those who don’t always live up to the standards of integrity or are not doing a topnotch job, they shouldn’t be there. Diligence and honesty is what the public requires.”
On Madigan…
Despite suggestions from some, including myself, that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) might not be anxious to work with him, Quinn said he believes legislative leaders are eager to break the political logjam that has stymied Illinois government during the past two years of the Blagojevich administration.
A source close to Madigan echoed that sentiment, saying the speaker actually is worried that people will believe all of the state’s problems have been solved once the governor is removed from office.
“Once Gov. Blagojevich is gone, we can’t keep blaming him for everything because that solves nothing,” a state lawmaker told me. “Madigan knows that. He’s ready to work with someone he can trust. But Quinn has to realize, once he’s the governor, that he has to work with other people. He has to be a political pragmatist, but his strength has always been as a political idealist.”
Quinn has many challenges ahead. Hopefully he learned his lesson from the special elections fiasco. First he was for it, then he was for an appointment (made by himself) then he favored a hybrid of a temporary appointment and a special election. He needs to learn to pick a lane and lead.
* Gov. Rod Blagojevich made some brief remarks to the Illinois Senate yesterday while he awaited Senate President John Cullerton to make his way to the podium. What stood out for me was when he said he hoped the Senate would “find the truth and sort things out” - a clear reference to his upcoming trial.
Here’s the video…
That reminded me of this quote from the governor last year…
“Let me tell you something, I know the truth of things and I have nothing to fear but the truth, OK?”
* Ed Genson is blowing more smoke. This time it’s about the Senate’s impeachment trial rules…
The governor’s lawyer, Edward Genson, says the rules are “rigged” in favor of impeachment, and it is certainly true they are stacked against the governor — as are the facts, of course.
Yeah, OK.
The Illinois Senate’s rules are almost identical to the US Senate’s rules for Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
Clinton was not convicted under those very same rules.
Saturday, January 17, 2009:
*(12:00 noon) Governor to file his appearance and answer to article of impeachment.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) Governor to file motion to dismiss, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 14.
*(4:00 p.m.) House Prosecutor to file reply to Governor’s answer to article of impeachment.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) All parties to file requests, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 15.
Friday, January 23, 2009:
*(4:00 p.m.) House Prosecutor to file response to any motion to dismiss under Senate Impeachment Rule 14.
Saturday, January 24, 2009:
*(10:00 a.m.) All parties to file responses to requests, if any, under Senate Impeachment Rule 15.
The trial will begin on the 26th.
The only hope Genson has is if a court steps in and declares the procedure or our Constitution unconstitutional under the federal system. Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but it’s highly doubtful that a judge will stop this trial or throw out the results.
* Speaking of over the top, check out this op-ed in the Tribune today…
In the tragedy surrounding Gov. Rod Blagojevich, one person’s culpability has been entirely overlooked—U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald’s. He poisoned the water, resulting in a tsunami of national condemnation of the governor.
A former Justice Department official, Victoria Toensing, has written that “Mr. Fitzgerald violated the ethical requirement of the Justice Department guidelines that prior to a trial a ‘prosecutor shall refrain from making extrajudicial comments that pose a serious and imminent threat of heightening public condemnation of the accused.’ ” Fitzgerald’s inflammatory comments at his Dec. 9 news conference—where he stated that Blagojevich’s conduct was “appalling” and that he had gone on a “political corruption crime spree”—were entirely out of bounds. And Fitzgerald should never have permitted Robert Grant, special agent in charge of Chicago’s FBI office, to say to the media that “If [Illinois] isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor.”
We are reminded, similarly, that the Durham, N.C., Police Department posted a bulletin declaring Duke University lacrosse players “criminals,” and we need say no more about the extrajudicial and prejudicial comments by then-prosecutor Mike Nifong.
I think I was the first Illinois reporter to point out that Fitzgerald was over the line. But comparing his comments to Nifong’s misdeeds is a bit much.
* I took a quick look at some of your comments on Rep. Deborah Mell’s “No” vote on impeachment yesterday and thought many of them were unfair.
This is her brother-in-law, people. Cut her a bit of slack. Can you imagine what she might be going through?
Also, I highly doubt there will be any political problems in her district. Who’s gonna beat her in a primary? She’s Dick Mell’s daughter, for crying out loud.
On her first day as a state lawmaker, Rep. Deborah Mell found herself facing a highly personal vote: the impeachment of her brother-in-law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. […]
Asked whether Mell should have abstained because of her relationship to the governor, a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan said it’s up to individual lawmakers to decide how to vote.
She could’ve abstained, but members are not barred from voting on issues where they have a conflict of interest. But hitting the “yellow” button would’ve been the easy way out. Frankly, I appreciated her guts, even if I strongly disagree with her vote.
House Majority Leader Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), who led the impeachment panel, said she was “not surprised” by Mell’s vote and doesn’t think it “will have any impact on my continuing relationship with her.”
BFC is almost assuredly correct. The vote is over, the House is moving on. Mell will not be ostracized.
“Given my unique relationship to the governor, this is a vote to which I have given a great deal of consideration,” Mell said in the statement. “I have known the governor for more than 20 years and the charges in the impeachment were difficult to reconcile with the man and brother-in-law I know.”
“I could not in good conscience vote for his impeachment,” she wrote. “I regard him as innocent until proven guilty and many of my constitutents have expressed this view.
Again, I disagree with her vote and at least some of her stated reasoning, particularly that last paragraph. But, whatever.
Congratulations! On your very first day in your very first official act as a member of the General Assembly, you cast a vote that was simultaneously arrogant, ignorant, blind, cowardly and corrupt.
Sometimes it takes our lawmakers years to hit all those bases.
* Sorry for all the typos in yesterday’s impeachment live-blogging. I was blogging with my iPhone and that often leads to problems. I didn’t realize how many typos there were until early this morning. Oops.
* There’s been a problem for the past couple of days with our automated news feeds. New stories aren’t appearing, and it has frustrated me to no end. The company responsible for generating the feeds is working on it, and they promise to have it fixed soon. Sorry about that.
*** UPDATE *** The feeds are working again. Thanks for your patience.
* Senate appointment process deserves to be questioned … over and over
* Former workers at Republic Windows and Doors heartened by possible sale of Goose Island factory
A month after Republic Windows and Doors workers won a rare labor victory after a six-day sit-in at their shuttered Chicago plant, former workers held their breath Wednesday in hope of an even bigger achievement.
Against long odds created by a staggering economy and a plunging housing market, a potential buyer for the factory had been found, one that promised to reopen the Goose Island plant and eventually offer new jobs to the more than 300 workers left unemployed by the plant’s abrupt closing.
The deal was not yet done, cautioned the union and Serious Materials, the California building materials company that has made the offer. But the potential outcome—a reopened factory in a time when millions are out of work—was far beyond what the workers could have imagined when they began their occupation of the factory last month.
Last spring, Cook County prosecutors began noticing that juvenile cases took two months to get to the Markham Courthouse. Typically, it took three weeks.
Today, as a result of a significant jump in juvenile cases, it takes four months. […]
Juvenile crime is down in Chicago, but the south suburbs have seen an explosion, law-enforcement officials said. In September, the Markham Courthouse had 218 juvenile cases. In comparison, all four other suburban Cook County courthouses—Bridgeview, Maywood, Skokie and Rolling Meadows—saw 8 to 21 cases.
An injunction prohibiting the demolition of more than 600 Bensenville buildings in the path of a new O’Hare International Airport runway is back in effect after an Illinois Appellate Court ordered a DuPage County judge to deal further with the question of environmental issues raised by the planned demolition.
Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is cutting cut more than $1 million from its $21 million annual budget, which means cuts in programs and elimination of staff positions.
* Expediter charged in Chicago City Hall bribery probe
Federal prosecutors have quietly brought charges against a City Hall permit “expediter” who became a government mole at the center of a wide-ranging bribery probe.
* Cook Forest Preserve District agrees to let hiring monitor watch for illegal patronage
• The guv’s office just claimed that the summons was delivered to and accepted by the guv’s legal staff
• After a delay and the appearnace of Cullerton’s chief counsel, the summons servers were escorted inside.
• 3:32 pm - Serveants at arms are being kept waiting outside the guv’s office.
• New members of SDen leadership: Harmon, Lightford, Schoenberg (assistant majority leaders). Munoz (caucus chair). Garrett, Silverstein (caucus whips).
• 3:12 pm - Justice Fitzgerald has directed that the governor be served a summons. The impeachment tribunal has finished for the day.
• Again, the atmosphere in the chamber is completely solumn. It’s a fascinating experience. The schedule is being adopted now, including a mandated respond by the governor by Jan. 20th - Obama’s inauguration day.
• The senate has been sworn in by Justice Fitzgerald.
• 2:59 pm - Ellis is finished and now the chief justice is being escorted into the senate. He will then be sworn in as the trial’s presiding officer. I have never heard such quiet in this chamber. Very solemn.
• 2:51 pm - The House has just transported the impeachment evidence and report to the Senate. House prosecutor David Ellis is reading the impeachment resolution to the Senate.
• 2:10 pm - Cullerton:Senate impeachment process will start today. Guv will be served a summons later today by the sergeant at arms.
• 1:50 pm - Roll call. Rep Mell voted No. 117-1 for impeachment.
• 1:40 pm - The House is now re-impeaching the governor. The impeachment committe was reestablished on a voice vote so no record of Rep Mell’s vote.
• Cullerton: no more politics of personality, no more passing bills that have no chance in the other chamber, I am not just the leader of my caucus but the president of the entire senate. Calls for a cooperative partnership “and that requires sacrifice.” Listed areas that can’t be cut including state employees, schools and healthcare. Said we must pay our bills and pay them on time.
From Mike: Madigan’s speech was mostly about the separation of powers and the need for impeachment.
• A reporter asked about the Cub acquisition of Milton Bradley. The guv said it would “balance the lineup.”. He also said it was great to be back in Springfield.
• Blagojevich congratulated Senators and said he hoped they could “find the truth” and “sort things out.”
• Nice touch. Cullerton voted for Radogno… And Radogno voted for Cullerton after saying “We’re off to a good start.”. Cullerton elected as was Madigan.
• Sen. Steans has shown once again why she is fast gaining respect here. She just openly and refreshingly addressed the upcoming impeachment trial and Emil Jones’ failures.
• Not positive abt this, but I don’t think anyone called to the podium has shaken the guv’s hand, including the priest. I stand corrected. I’m off to the side and didn’t see the brief handshakes. Thanks to commenters who are watching the video feed for correcting me.
• As expected, he’s behaving himself. And then there’s the irony of him introducing the chief justice (who will preside over his trial) and Quinn.
• No applause at all for the guv’s entrance. Total silence, in fact.
• Rep Deb Mell sneaked in thru a side entrance.
• Noonish - The guv is in the Senate ante room. He took no questions from reporters that I could see. Jim Thompson is here as is Pat Quinn (just in case he’s needed). Over 10 teevee cameras.
* You can watch or listen to the Senate swearing-in here. The House feed is available here. WUIS radio will broadcast the Senate’s festivities, which will be presided over by the governor.
Three months ago, Mayor Daley moved to soften Chicago’s cell-phone-while-driving ban — by allowing offending motorists to hang onto their licenses and contest their tickets by mail or administrative hearing.
Now, a North Side alderman wants to get tougher.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) introduced an ordinance that would raise the fine for talking and driving without a hands-free device from $75 to $100.
Motorists whose cell phone conversations cause accidents would pay through the nose. The fine would go from $200 to $500.
* The question: Do you think these two proposals are reasonable? Explain.
* Dick Durbin is now trying to make nice. Roland Burris will be sworn in to the US Senate tomorrow and our senior Senator is throwing a party…
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the assistant majority leader who initially blocked the appointment, will hold a reception in Burris’ honor.
Vice President Dick Cheney will swear Burris in. Cheney is probably the only US politician who might be more unpopular than Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Emphasis on “might.”
Federal authorities used a video camera as part of their cache of tools to investigate Gov. Blagojevich in the final weeks of 2008 before his arrest, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
The camera, which likely was remote-controlled, was trained on the Friends of Blagojevich offices, 4147 N. Ravenswood, to help FBI agents identify individuals entering and leaving the campaign offices — and to identify who was talking on bugs agents covertly planted inside.
But this is interesting…
In addition, more phone lines and cell phones were tapped in the investigation than the government previously disclosed — including the cell phones of at least three members of the governor’s inner circle and two phones inside the campaign office — capturing dozens of individuals in the days when the governor was pondering a U.S. Senate pick and when horsetrading for the seat was rampant, sources said.
Three members of the inner circle were bugged, eh? Maybe even more folks will now line up to spill their guts to Fitzgerald.
•Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald, a Chicago Democrat, presides over the trial. Senators can overrule his procedural decisions with a majority vote, which is 30 votes in the 59-member Senate.
•The Senate can issue subpoenas, writs, and other legal orders, and if a witness refuses to testify he or she can be arrested and forced to testify.
•Evidence is admissible if it is “relevant, material and not redundant.” The Senate is not bound by normal rules of evidence used in Illinois or federal courts.
•Gov. Blagojevich is entitled to appear at the trial himself or be represented by lawyers. However, the trial will proceed even if the governor declines to participate.
•Senators and Senate staff “should” abstain from commenting on testimony and evidence before the trial ends.
•Both sides will have 30 minutes for opening statements. After the Senate hears the evidence, the House prosecutor can make a 60-minute closing argument. Blagojevich’s attorney will then have 90 minutes for a closing argument, followed by 30 minutes for rebuttal by the prosecutor.
Embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich signaled Tuesday that he will block an attempt by the Legislature to restore budget cuts he made last fall.
On the final day of the current General Assembly, the Illinois Senate approved legislation aimed at restoring millions of dollars to the state budget.
Included in the financial fix was money that could help the state avoid paying a nearly $10 million penalty to the federal government for taking money out of special wildlife funds to help pay for other state services.
But, the governor, who has been impeached and now awaits a trial in the Senate, said the cash-strapped state can’t afford the proposal.
Since the General Assembly which passed this bill is now adjourned sine die, if there’s a veto the new GA will have to pass another bill, which will get vetoed, and then overridden. That’ll take weeks, if not months, to work out.
The cost to light up may go up exponentially this year.
State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat, said Tuesday he’ll push to add $1 in taxes to a pack of cigarettes in the new legislative session that begins today.
The state tax is currently 98 cents per pack. Counties and some cities can and do tack on their own substantial taxes.
Smoking opponents said the increase is a public health issue.
* Meanwhile, a federally mandated change to our state’s new ethics law was sent to the governor yesterday…
Many lucrative road and bridge contracts would be excluded from the state’s new “pay-to-play” ban under legislation the Senate sent Tuesday to impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Senators begrudgingly voted 56-1 for the measure following a threat from the Bush administration that the new ethics law needed to be watered down or federal funding for Illinois would be in jeopardy.
The state’s new ethics law prohibits businesses that have or seek state contracts worth more than $50,000 from donating to the campaign funds of statewide officeholders who assign the contracts.
Federal transportation officials told Illinois the law restricts who is eligible to bid for the business, potentially making projects cost more. State officials said the restriction could impact projects going to bid this month if an exception isn’t carved out.
* Illinois state treasurer warns of dismal financial outlook: His office estimates the state will earn $130 million in interest for the budget year ending June 30. But that amount could drop to anywhere from $15 million to $86 million during the next budget year, based on the treasurer’s projections. That’s a far cry from the $431 million Illinois earned in interest at its high-water mark in 2001.
There is such a large field of candidates — 19 by one count — that it’s almost a team roster. On the list are power hitters like Quigley and Feigenholtz and promising rookies like Oberman.
But to truly appreciate the quest for Rahmbo’s coveted seat, we must begin, in classic Chicago style, at the Zam Zam Banquet Hall on the Northwest Side. That’s where, on Saturday, 19 Democratic ward and township committeemen arranged themselves, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Abdon Pallasch, at a two-tiered head table, like a wedding where the bridesmaids wear ruffled peach chiffon.
Faced with stiff opposition to borrowing $700 million through bonds for the 2009 budget year after a $380 million increase last year in the sales tax, the Cook County Board took baby steps Tuesday to paring back their borrowing tab.
The Illinois House on Monday approved a supplemental spending bill that will help build a coal-gasification plant near Taylorville and keep Illinois from getting into trouble with Washington.
The House OK’d Senate Bill 2513 on a 113-0 vote. It now goes to the Senate, which must also approve it. Impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich would have to sign it for it to take effect.
The bill puts more than $9 million back into restricted state accounts that are used for various wildlife programs. State lawmakers last year opted to raid those funds to help balance the budget. However, federal officials said those funds use federal as well as state dollars and that the state is not allowed to divert the money for other uses. Federal officials said the state would have to pay a $17 million penalty if the money wasn’t restored.
In a move with far-reaching effects on people without health insurance, two large Illinois hospital systems have agreed to settle lawsuits alleging they overcharged tens of thousands of uninsured patients and provided inadequate financial assistance.
As part of the agreements, Resurrection Health Care and Advocate Health Care are offering to recalculate patients’ bills and give refunds to needy patients eligible for free or discounted medical care.
Resurrection also will extend a discount of 25 percent to anyone who is uninsured, regardless of income—a move thought to be unprecedented in Illinois.
Resurrection owns eight hospitals in the Chicago area and is the state’s largest chain of Catholic medical centers. A Cook County circuit judge approved its settlement Monday.
The past few days have been tough for Chicago parents, teachers and students who are learning that their schools will be closed down, phased out, or re-staffed. CPS will announce its official list of school closures in the coming days. But a tentative list of schools was leaked late last week. Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary was one of 25 schools named.
Alleged school misconduct doesn’t get much more serious than this.
• • Three high school girls are taken into a washroom by an off-duty Chicago cop, told to drop their pants, squat and cough — in a vain search for a cigarette lighter.
• • Student grades are changed, including Fs to Ds.
• • Dozens of student absences disappear from report cards.
These charges were leveled against a Chicago public charter school, according to a story by Rosalind Rossi in last week’s Sun-Times. Ultimately, two administrators and the police officer, who was acting as a school security guard, were disciplined and left the school.
But it took far too long for Chicago Public Schools officials to investigate the allegations, raised by a teacher at Aspira Early College Charter High School.
There is no excuse for the delay, especially given the gravity of the charges.
Without a single word of debate, aldermen voted Tuesday to use new property tax revenue for Chicago’s 2016 Olympics bid and guaranteed the city would cover additional police patrols, street cleaning and other services for the Summer Games.
Before the vote, Ald. Edward Burke (14th) expressed surprise that none of his council colleagues wished to add their input on the topic.
“Like the good old Peggy Lee song, Is that all there is?” Burke said.
The measure commits the city to using an unspecified amount of tax-increment financing dollars to subsidize infrastructure improvements at the Near South Side site of what would be the Olympic Village.
18th District congressman Aaron Schock has been appointed to the transportation committee and the republican whip team, something unusual for a freshman.
The transportation committee has jurisdiction over the nation’s highways, bridges, and aviation systems.
The committee is expected to play a critical role as President-elect Barack Obama roles out his national stimulus plan and Schock says he’s ready to use his assignment to help people in the heart of Illinois.
* 2:46 pm - House Speaker Michael Madigan just informed the chamber that the House will vote again on impeachment tomorrow, which would mean that the planned session will last “much longer” than previously anticipated. The voting will take place at the University of Illinois/Springfield after the scheduled swearing-in ceremony for the new General Assembly. The impeachment committee will also be re-established tomorrow.
By the way, David Ellis has been appointed the House’s prosecutor during the Senate trial. More here.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich won’t make a grand, drawn-out entrance Wednesday to swear in the new Illinois Senate.
Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman for outgoing Senate President Emil Jones, confirmed today that the governor will enter the Senate through the president’s anteroom, which is right behind the president’s lectern.
That will mean Blagojevich will avoid taking a long walk from the main chamber entrance down the center aisle to the lectern. […]
She noted that Blagojevich has come in for the official swearing-in ceremony before through the anteroom, although he traditionally enters the House chamber through the main door for his budget and state of the state speeches.
* 3:13 pm - The Senate has approved a supplemental appropriations bill that will restore funding to some constitutional officers’ budgets and various conservation programs. The House passed the bill yesterday. Gov. Blagojevich has previously vetoed out the appropriations, so it’s not clear what he’ll do this time around. The full text of the amended SB1132 can be found at this link.
* Preckwinkle has been quietly doing the groundwork for this bid over the past several days, checking in with various top politicos and getting things in order…
In an interview at City Hall, Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4th) confirmed buzz that she intends to run and will kick her campaign into high gear shortly after returning from Mr. Obama’s inauguration next week. […]
“I like Todd Stroger as a person, but I think this is not the job for him,” the alderman said, showing no signs of backing off despite what insiders say is pressure from Mr. Stroger not to run. “The kindest thing you can say is, he’s inept.” […]
The political question is how Ms. Preckwinkle would do if another Stroger foe, County Commissioner Forrest Claypool, runs again, this time in the February 2010 Democratic primary. Mr. Claypool has said he’ll decide this summer.
While Ms. Preckwinkle and Mr. Stroger presumably would split the black vote, she and Mr. Claypool both have an appeal to lakefront liberals and other progressive groups. Ms. Preckwinkle noted that she’s already started talking to groups like the Metropolitan Planning Council and Metropolis 2020 about making Cook County government into a regional leader.
* Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) on the upcoming Senate impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich…
“We’re going to give the governor an honest and fair trial as called for by the Constitution. We’re going to be fair and open-minded.
“But that noise you hear in the back, that hammering? This is like Texas justice with the guy sitting in the cell saying ‘What’s all that racket?’ and you hear all that hammering in the back. Well, that’s the gallows being prepared… So, it’s obvious what’s going to happen to the governor.”
For whatever reason, lots of people have predicted that African-American Senators would vote with Blagojevich. That’s not going to happen en masse. I’m not sure whether it’s racism or just laziness of thought, but to confidently predict that Sen. Hendon [and all black Senators] will be a “No” vote on removal doesn’t comport with reality.
* The month since Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest has been somewhat of a blur to me, and perhaps others as well. What is the single event of the past several weeks that sticks out in your mind the most? Why?
* Dick Durbin has been the heart of this Burris problem all along…
The day Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on charges of allegedly trying to sell an appointment to the Senate for personal gain, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called for a special election to fill the seat. […]
The next day, he backed off calls for a special election and penned a letter to the governor saying any future appointee would be rejected.
When Blagojevich defiantly appointed Roland Burris on Dec. 30, Durbin then said the former statewide officeholder wouldn’t be seated. […]
And over the ensuing weeks, the flip flops have only continued.
He pushed the special election before considering the impact on his own party. He brashly baited the governor by declaring the Senate would never seat anyone the governor appointed - never apparently taking into consideration that the governor is far more brash than Durbin is. Once Blagojevich appointed Burris, Durbin tried to make Secretary of State Jesse White the fall-guy by pointing to White’s refusal to sign the appointment proclamation instead of taking the heat himself. And then he even backed off that when White signed a separate piece of paper.
Go back to November when Durbin said he wanted to see George Ryan’s sentence commuted and you’ll see that the senior Senator from Illinois has been on a roll. And not a good roll, either.
Durbin needs to keep his mouth shut for a while. He needs to realize that he’s done more damage to his party and to his state’s reputation than anyone except Rod Blagojevich and, perhaps, Roland Burris.
If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid actually thought his fellow Democrat would take the hint and refrain from appointing anyone, he’s been spending too much time in the genteel legislative culture of Washington.
The problem with that logic is Durbin has been the one calling the (wrong) shots. Reid’s misktake was that he listened to his top deputy’s strategy for dealing with a problem in his home state. Reid now looks weak, and Durbin has undoubtedly lost a lot of respect for his abilities.
* Years ago, when George Ryan was still governor and under constant siege by the media and the US Attorney’s office, I ran into Ryan at a Greektown restaurant. Ryan sat at my table for a bit and chatted with my ever-polite guests, even though none of them voted for him and all of them thought he was an embarrassment to the state. Other restaurant patrons approached Ryan while he sat with us and asked for photos and autographs.
As to signs that Mr. Blagojevich has overwhelmingly lost support in this state of more than 12 million, and that, in the words of the lieutenant governor, “nobody will get within 10 feet of him,” Mr. Guerrero looked to other indicators. He said that the governor had received 400 letters of support since his arrest on Dec. 9, and that there were perhaps less tangible glimmers of hope, too, like thumbs-up signs from passers-by at places like Starbucks.
Rod Blagojevich is a notorious celebrity. Of course he’s receiving “fan” mail and the occasional thumbs-up. George Ryan got that all the time.
In fact, Ryan was convinced that the support and friendliness he experienced almost wherever he went meant that the public opinion polls which showed his job approval rating in the low 20s were flat-out wrong.
Some lawmakers had predicted Blagojevich might try to play games with the senators [during Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony], such as refusing to seat the new Senate and thereby stalling his impeachment trial.
But Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said Monday there’s “no chance” the governor would refuse to seat the Senate.
The governor has claimed two things: 1) He did nothing wrong; and 2) He expects to receive much fairer treatment in the Senate. By abdicating his Constitutional responsibilities Wednesday, he would disprove the first item and endanger the second.
I think Blagojevich will exceed expectations and behave himself. Then again, he is Rod Blagojevich.
Senators will be “cordial,” according to GateHouse…
“I’ll be cordial; that’s my plan, that’s the statesman-like thing to do,” said Larry Bomke, R-Springfield. “I suspect all other senators will be cordial. Not necessarily friendly, but cordial.” […]
At most Senate inaugurations, governors are greeted with strong, standing ovations as they are escorted by a group of senators from both parties down the center aisle on the way up to the podium, shaking hands with legislators as they go.
But this time, incoming Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she’s had few takers for the escort role and thinks Blagojevich may instead come in more quietly through a back entrance. Applause will be muted, she predicted.
Embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich has at least one friend left in Illinois. […]
State lawmakers who impeached him last week have long said that policy was irresponsible, but the group, National Taxpayers United of Illinois, said Blagojevich has been “a friend to taxpayers.”
“(Blagojevich) has done some goofy things, but oh well,” said James Tobin, the group’s president. “At least he’s kept his promise” and not raised the income tax, he said.
Tobin hearts Blagojevich. You can’t make this stuff up.
* And speaking of Blagojevich friends, Senate President Emil Jones urged the Senate to proceed with caution in its upcoming impeachment trial…
“Maybe all the evidence may point in one direction, but it may be the wrong person,” Jones said. “We don’t have all the facts.'’
The wrong person? Does Jones mean somebody else is on those surveillance tapes and Rod Blagojevich was framed? Please.
Jones said he had no apologies for often siding with a governor who has been impeached and is charged with federal corruption. ‘’Through it all, I have few regrets,'’ Jones said.
And that’s his biggest problem. He has no regrets for blowing chance after chance to better the state. Instead, he opted for political payback and family gain.
Recruiting skilled financiers, top-notch agency directors and public policy experts, may be more than a bit problematic for a new governor, whose term ends in fewer than two years.
So it’s likely legislative leaders will step into the void and use their staff to draft state budgets, form comprehensive public policies and do the heavy lifting on issues like raising taxes and cutting spending.
That may well be Blagojevich’s most lasting legacy: less respect, reduced power and fewer duties for the office he leaves behind.
State Reps. John Fritchey and Sara Feigenholtz were among four Chicago Democrats who formally joined the race Monday to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress.
Dozens of local politicians have expressed interest in the opening created when President-elect Barack Obama chose Emanuel as his White House chief of staff.
Monday was the first day of the weeklong filing period for the March 3 special primary in the 5th Congressional District.
The others who filed Monday were University of Chicago lecturer Charles Wheelan and Justin Oberman, son of former Ald. Marty Oberman (43rd).
Chicago taxpayers have no legal recourse to recoup a $10 million subsidy awarded to Republic Windows & Doors because a requirement that the company create 549 jobs and retain them for eight years has expired, Corporation Counsel Mara Georges told aldermen Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of the privatization of Midway Airport has been delayed because the new operator still is negotiating some financial agreements.
The FAA had expected to sign off on the $2.5-billion transaction by now, but the consortium led by Vancouver-based YVR Airport Services Ltd., told the federal agency it was still working on some financial agreements. That work isn’t expected to be complete until April, the consortium said.
Under legislation Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law Monday, the state will provide $18 million for studies that would lay the groundwork for the plant, proposed for a site near Downstate Taylorville.
The plant, to be built by Tenaska Inc. and MDL Holding Co. about 25 miles southeast of Springfield, would be the nation’s first large-scale test of technology that captures heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Half of its emissions would either be injected deep underground or piped to oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico.
The latest discovery of financial abuse in Cook County comes from the highway department, where employees are accumulating so many overtime compensation hours that they can take months off at a crack and are getting paid doubletime on days in which they are sick or on vacation.
