* Yesterday I wondered how John Laesch would respond to Dan Hynes’ endorsement of Laesch’s opponent Bill Foster in the 14th Congressional District. I didn’t have to wait long…
Laesch, who ran and lost to Hastert last year, said he’s not chasing endorsements in Springfield or Washington, D.C.
“There are very few leaders in those places that I admire,” he said.
Joe Serra, another Dem candidate, had the funniest reply, however…
Serra, of Geneva, said he doubted the endorsements would factor into voters’ decisions. “I don’t think the voters are paying attention,” he said. “People don’t pay attention to the primary.”
Good luck with that campaign strategy, poindexter.
* An award-winning national study gave the Illinois General Assembly a perfect score for legislative committee “autonomy.” They weren’t joking and it’s not April Fool’s Day. I checked.
* To my great surprise, The Lipinski Symposium wasn’t at all about how to get your slightly embarassing kid re-elected to Congress. Go figure.
* That Bill Beavers sure is one funny guy. Here he is speaking about a proposed $4 per line monthly tax on all phone lines in the county, including cell phones…
“They say it’s unconstitutional, but if we can get it passed we will let it go to court to see if it is constitutional. I think it is,” said William Beavers, the county commissioner sponsoring the new tax. […]
“A number of people do support it,” he said.
“A number” would be… oh… I’d guess around two: Beavers and Todd Stroger.
Still, though, nothing says “goofy” quite like Blagojevich.
A couple of weeks ago, Blagojevich announced he was using some of the money he vetoed from the budget to pay for free mammograms for Illinois women. The money really wasn’t coming from the vetoes, which I’ve already told you before, and there already is lots of money for mammograms in the state budget.
What I didn’t tell you before was that Blagojevich actually vetoed a $40,000 appropriation to a group called Sisters Embracing Life. The money was supposed to be used to provide breast exams for minority women.
Perfect.
* Former Chicago Ald. Ted Matlak spent years on the city council laying down for real estate developers. Now, he is one of them…
Former 32nd Ward Alderman Ted Matlak has landed in the real estate business.
“It’s somewhat of a natural fit,” said Matlak
Yep.
* And finally, Eunice Conn sums up just about everyone’s outrage when she asks…
Is it any wonder why so many conservatives are turned off by our Party leadership?
She’s referring to state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna’s “refusal” to meet with Mike Psak, a truck driver who is running for US Senate as a Republican. Make sure to read the comments, then take a look at Psak’s campaign video…
Despite the governor’s contention that a “do-over” on juvenile sex offender registration requirements “condones leniency toward sex offenders,” the General Assembly’s override of his veto instead struck a blow for fairness.
The override, 76 to 34 in the House and 41 to 8 in the Senate, axed the requirement that juvenile sex offenders must register as adults at 17 and made it possible for them to eventually ask a judge to remove their names from juvenile registries.
Those overrides were a wise acknowledgment of an over-reactionary law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2006. It actually read that a juvenile sex offender “upon attaining 17 years of age shall be considered as having committed the offense on or after the sex offender’s 17th birthday” — even if he was 12 or 13 at the time of his offense.
In Illinois, where no distinction is made between types of offenses or the age of offenders, that means a 13-year-old who touched a girl’s breast and then fled was equated with an adult rapist or child molester. That simply is not fair, especially since juveniles who took plea deals under one law might have rejected them under the terms of the later, harsher law.
Under state law, juvenile sex offenders still must register, but their names are withheld from all but law enforcement, schools and day-care organizations. Those registrations can run from a short time to life.
Go read the whole thing and then answer the question: Was this veto justified? Why or why not?
Springfield’s daily newspaper is offering a voluntary severance program to nearly half its staff. The State Journal-Register cites the need for flexibility as it adjusts to rapid changes in the newspaper industry.
The company says it sent letters at the end of last week to 149 full-time employees who are not in the union and have been with the newspaper for at least a year. It’s also negotiating with its collective bargaining units to be able to make the same offer to 47 union employees. […]
The newspaper has a work force of 345, including part-time employees.
* Billy Dennis has been closely following the SJ-R’s parent company GateHouse for some time now, and isn’t really surprised…
Just this morning, I left a comment at Rich Miller’s site about how I was worried that by not replacing workers who leave, GateHouse Media was making it harder to practice newspaper journalism at the Peoria Journal Star. […]
They wouldn’t be offering early retirement to people they plan to replace. So this means more beats won’t be covered (or will be covered poorly as workloads increase). It probably means earlier deadlines because fewer people will need more time to get their jobs done.
* And one of his commenters had this to say…
There are two really odd things about this buyout offer — or at least what we know about it:
1. The huge number of people involved. One wonders how many buyouts they are really willing to accept. I can’t believe it’s all 149. There appears to be a rather extensive (but not revealed) list of reserved positions. For example, if every copy editor or every photog quit, that would be a problem.
2. The short service that makes an employee eligible for the offer. None of the dozens of newspaper buyouts I have read about in the past year or so has been offered to employees with only one year of service.
It’s an odd one. One can only guess at how overstaffed the bean-counters think the place is.
* A while back, I posted this map of GateHouse’s papers in Illinois [click for a larger image]…
* Retired Army Colonel Jill Morgenthaler hasn’t even announced that she’ll run against freshman Republican Peter Roskam yet, but she’s already being attacked by a flier in the 6th Congressional District.
The flier, which was apparently sent to Democrats in the district, damns her with praise, claiming, among other things, that she was the Army’s “go-to” person during the notorious Abu Ghraib torture scandal.
Morgenthaler said this morning that she was indeed the Army’s spokesperson during the scandal and a quick search shows she was widely quoted in the media.
“I was trying to make sure we got the facts out,” Morganthaler said, claiming that the scandal and the lack of leadership “led to a lot of good things being discounted.”
The flier also claims that Morgenthaler was a member of the Army’s Psychological Operations team in Qatar, but Col. Morgenthaler, who is Gov. Blagojevich’s deputy chief of staff for homeland security, said her involvement with Psy Ops was limited to a tour in California back in 1984 and likened her job to “advertising and marketing.”
Apparently, however, somebody is using Psy Ops against her now. Morgenthaler said this morning that, despite the claims made in the flier, she was not recruited by Congressman Rahm Emanuel. She has spoken with Emanuel, she said, but others, including fellow soldiers and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, who lost to Roskam last year, have been far more influential.
Morgenthaler is taking vacation time this week to mull the bid against Roskam, talking to various people and assessing the situation, including the possibility of a continued smear campaign against her.
Morgenthaler is also quoted in the flier complaining about the lack of coverage of the good things that the military was doing in Iraq, and the retired colonel said today that while she was there (she arrive in early 2004 and left in October of 2004) a constitution was formed and elections were held. “Things got positive.”
As for the future, she doesn’t want an immediate pull-out, but said, “We can’t stay the course either.” She thinks several important voices have been overlooked in a search for a solution, including the British and other regional leaders like the Queen of Jordan, whom Morgenthaler praised for her insight.
Morgenthaler currently doesn’t reside in the district (she was mapped out in 2002), but she and her husband live on the Des Plaines River and the flooding this summer has already prompted a search for a new house.
She promised to get back to me as soon as she makes a decision. Stay tuned.
“Mine is a strategy about elevating my name recognition and my overall qualifications for the candidacy and then going after fundraising after we’ve got that reputation and name recognition established,” McConoughey said Tuesday, adding the money he received was not solicited.
McConoughey. who wants to replace retiring Congressman Ray LaHood, got into the race just a month after state Rep. Aaron Schock, but raised just $3,000. He loaned himself the rest. Schock raised $375,000, including a loan to his campaign. John Morris raised about $218,000.
I’m not sure how you establish name recognition before you raise money to establish name recognition, but whatever.
* And, finally, the Daily Southtown urges GOP congressional hopeful Tim Baldermann to consider reprioritizing…
The Issue: Tim Baldermann insists he can run for Congress without shirking his duties as full-time police chief (and part-time mayor).
We say: If campaign proves to be too rigorous, Balderman will have to reassess his situation as chief and do what’s best for taxpayers.
Tim Baldermann wants to be congressman from Illinois’ 11th District. That’s the same Tim Baldermann who also is mayor of New Lenox. And it’s the same Tim Baldermann who also is police chief in Chicago Ridge.
If Baldermann wins the Republican primary in February and qualifies for the general election in November 2008, he will have spent more than 12 months as chief, mayor and candidate.
Compulsive gamblers are getting a new tool meant to help them avoid the temptation of buying Illinois lottery tickets.
Lottery officials launched a “self-exclusion” program Tuesday that lets problem gamblers place themselves on a list of people who aren’t allowed to collect major prizes. They can still buy tickets and collect prizes of up to $600, but the huge jackpots will be off limits.
“We’re trying to limit the incentives,'’ said lottery spokeswoman Katie Ridgway.
So, if a compulsive gambler buys a scratch-off ticket that nets him or her enough to buy five more tickets, that’s OK (and a fairly regular occurrence). But if miracle upon miracle happens and that same person somehow comes up with the winning $25 million Lotto number, there’s no prize.
I don’t get it.
According to the article, only seven people have signed up for a similar program in Iowa in the last two years. Understandable.
“There is absolutely no confidence among law enforcement agencies that a gambling casino currently being considered could be operated without infiltration by organized crime,” Jim Wagner, President of the Chicago Crime Commission, said during a news conference.
The proposal calls for a city-owed casino run by a five-member board, three appointed by the mayor and with a license, critics say, that could never be revoked even if mismanagement or corruption flourished.
Jay Stewart of the Better Government Association questioned how the city could manage a billion dollar casino, when it “can’t do a $40 million hired truck program.”
Tuesday, Mayor Daley made it sound as though all casino decisions were out of his hands.
“We don’t have any decision making there, the state regulates, the state basically okays all contracts,” Daley said.
But critics say, the proposal also allows no-bid contracts to manage the casino, contracts the state gaming board wouldn’t oversee.
Scoopsville? Sneed hears a super secret deal is afoot at City Hall, which could potentially cause an aldermanic revolt . . . and sigh of relief!
• • Translation: It’s hush hush, but Sneed is told Mayor Daley’s fiscal advisers are working on a deal to privatize the city’s parking meters, which could potentially reap 1 BILLION bucks for the cash-strapped city. […]
• • The backshot: “If the aldermen knew what was going on secretly — and that come June or July, there might be this $1 billion windfall, it would make it harder to push for the higher property tax, which would only net the city about $108 million,” a source said. […]
• • The shot in the arm: The sweetener to the deal is already on the books; a provision to raise the parking meter rates, which is clearly a carrot for whomever buys the meters. Sneed hears the city has already hired a law firm to do the legal work on selling the meters and retained an investment banking firm to do the financial advisory work.
• • The flipshot: “In fairness to Mayor Daley, these are not easy transactions, and even though it might be a good idea, the revenue may not be forthcoming in time to help the 2008 budget . . . hence the need for the property tax raise,” said a fiscal source. “It took two years to seal the Skyway sale. And they are still working on selling Midway airport. And the beauty of the property tax is the ability to use it as a federal income tax deduction.”
* You can bet the tongues will be wagging at the Hall about Sneed’s story today. Aldermen are desperate to avoid Daley’s tax hikes and are in full panic freakout mode, and Daley is talking about unspecified compromise…
One week after chiding recalcitrant aldermen — and calling newspaper editorials that blasted his $293 million tax package “an insult to me” — Daley struck a more conciliatory tone.
“It is very controversial. I understood that when I presented it. I could have ducked the other way. But I was willing to propose it and listen to the comments about. … I’m very optimistic. I think … we can work it out and compromise in a lot of different ways,” Daley said.
“This is going to be a whole process of listening to criticism, listening to praise, suggestions to improve it. It’s like a moon coming across. The state has been in such a controversy for the whole year and I’m being part of that. … Then, you have the county. But you live with that. I have a responsibility, which I will fulfill. But at the same time, you understand these are very challenging economic times. I’m not pulling things out of the hat.”
By talking compromise, the mayor is simply facing reality: There is no way he can get the 26 votes he needs to approve the largest property tax increase in Chicago history.
Residents of DuPage County can expect less effective law enforcement and cutbacks or longer waits for health and virtually all other services provided by the county if the proposed 2008 budget released Tuesday is adopted, officials said Tuesday.
It calls for the layoff of about 235 county employees, or about 10.6 percent of county government. Hardest hit are the agencies related to law enforcement, including the Sheriff’s Department, which loses 104 positions, the state’s attorney’s office, three, the Probation Department, 29, and the court clerk, 18.
The $376 million budget plan is about $52 million less than the 2007 plan, which had called for cutting about 40 jobs and trims of social programs, including the county’s Convalescent Center.
Officials whose functions would be affected by the proposed cuts expressed dismay. […]
The board must adopt a new budget before the 2008 fiscal year begins Dec. 1. Members could make some changes in the plan, but raising new revenue in any significant amount is unlikely unless the legislature passes and the governor signs a pending bill authorizing DuPage and other suburban counties to impose a sales tax on cigarettes of $1 per pack. Even that appears to be insufficient to roll back the cuts proposed by Schillerstrom because it would raise an estimated $25 million a year for the county when the cuts total $52 million.
* The last time Scott Reeder did a big investigation of the state’s school system, his series on teacher tenure prompted a major back and forth on this blog between himself and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
This time, Reeder takes a look at how difficult it is to fire teachers accused of misconduct, among other things. He doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Here are three stories that are posted so far at a special Small Newspaper Group website…
A seven-month national investigation conducted by Small Newspaper Group found that Illinois has one of the worst track records for removing errant teachers from the profession.
The investigation found:
* Among the 50 states, only Virginia revokes or suspends fewer teaching certificates than Illinois.
* No investigators are employed by the Illinois State Board of Education so reports of teacher misconduct are often not investigated or acted upon.
* The Department of Children and Family Services has found 323 cases providing credible evidence of abuse by teachers, but none have had their licenses suspended or revoked.
* Teachers hired before 2004 have not had to undergo a state-mandated national criminal background check.
* Physicians are 43 times more likely than the state’s teachers to have their license suspended or revoked. Lawyers are 25 times more likely than teacher to have their license suspended or revoked.
* None of the tenured teachers fired in the last decade have also lost their teaching certificate and certification officials are not notified when a school district disciplines an educator.
Unlike most states, Illinois has never employed investigators to examine allegations against educators.
* Out of 95,000 tenured teachers in Illinois an average of seven are fired each year, two for poor performance and five for misconduct.
* Eighty-four percent of Illinois’ school districts have never given any tenured teacher a bad job evaluation during an 11-year period.
* Over a five-year period school districts that retained attorneys and attempted to fire a tenured teacher spent an average $219,000 per case in legal fees alone. […]
Even so, school boards lose one-third of the cases heard by tenure hearing officers. But even if a hearing officer upholds the firing of teacher, they are free to seek employment in another school district.
In fact, none of the tenured teachers fired in the last decade have had subsequent action taken to revoke or suspend their teaching certificates.
That is not the way it works in some other states. For example, in Pennsylvania and New York, after a tenured teacher is fired the teacher licensing board automatically considers whether a teaching certificate should also be revoked.
Both the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers also expressed concern about the logistics and cost of fingerprinting 127,000 teachers.
“I think if someone has been serving honorably in a school district for 25 or 30 years or even longer the idea that they should take time out their day to be fingerprinted doesn’t make a lot sense from any perspective,'’ said Charlie McBarron, spokesman for IEA.
The compromise bill, which passed in 2004, only requires fingerprinting for teachers when they are first hired by a school district. That means most teachers hired before 2004 have not undergone a complete criminal background check and likely will not for the remainder of their careers.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart contends this approach is a mistake.
He noted that some teachers hired before 2004 may continue to be in the profession for 30 or more years.
The likely culprit is a higher standard. In 2007, 55 percent of students in a school, along with each subgroup — including racial and ethnic groups and special education students — had to perform at grade level. It was 47.5 percent last year.
By 2014, the No Child law expects all students to be at grade level. To get there, Illinois began with a modest goal in 2003 of 40 percent and increased it every other year. Starting in 2007, the target goes up every year.
One GOP strategist who asked not to be identified credited Sauerberg for genuinely wanting to make the daunting run against Durbin, a two-term senator who is the second-ranking member in the chamber’s Democratic leadership. Rallying around Sauerberg allows the party to move forward to focus on three open-seat congressional races in the state that had been held by Republicans, the strategist said.
Federal campaign finance reports show Durbin with more than $6.6 million in cash on hand after raising more than $800,000 in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. Sauerberg reported $170,137 in cash on hand after raising $65,750 in the previous quarter. Sauerberg had previously lent is campaign $250,000.
* Brady to chair Illinois campaign for Fred Thompson
* Smoking on beaches, playgrounds likely to be banned by city parks; more here
It seems as if Daley, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Gov. Rod Blagojevich are in a race to see who can raise your taxes the highest.
The city’s “corruption tax” is something I tried to calculate when I was exploring a run for mayor in 2006. While an exact figure is impossible to pinpoint, I conservatively estimated that the tax exceeded $1.5 billion in recent years — including $300 million for the do-nothing hired truckers; $500 million for illegal hiring under the Shakman decree; well over $100 million in fraudulent “minority” contracts to white-owned businessmen; and at least $25 million in legal fees and settlements for police torture cases. And that’s just scratching the surface.
* Stroger open to outside control of health system
* Cook Co. taxes could quickly add up for local families
And then Cook County voters may finally rise up in righteous indignation and vote against Stroger and all the political hacks who have demonstrated their complete disdain and contempt for taxpaying citizens.
It was the poorest of the poor who helped put Stroger in office.
They felt he was getting bad press. Many called it racism.
Since that time, Stroger has not only cut services that benefit some of the neediest folks in Cook County, but he has continued to pad the county payroll with friends and relatives.
In the other ear are politicians and hangers-on urging him to think twice about giving up control of 7,000 jobs and millions of dollars in contracts at a hospital system long seen as ground zero of the county patronage dumping ground.
On Tuesday, Stroger offered only tepid support — and a request for more time — for a proposal that would take control of the $745 million-a-year health system away from Stroger and the 17-member board.
After drawing fire in 2003 for using chartered airplanes to travel to and from meetings, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees has curbed private flights and cut back on travel expenses.
But some trustees have taken up the expensive habit of being chauffeured to and from university-related events.
* The News Gazette looked at chauffeured limo costs for a few different meetings. Here’s just one of them, from March 13 of this year…
The university paid Premier Limo $3,767 to chauffeur four separate trustees in four separate cars from the Chicago area to Urbana, where the meeting was held in the Illini Union, and back again. Trustee Robert Sperling’s bill: $1,002. Trustee Niranjan Shah’s bill: $942. Trustee James Montgomery’s bill: $940. Trustee Frances Carroll’s bill: $882.
Another $3,200 or so was spent on driving the trustees around campus, including to and from the Illini Union to the President’s House on Florida Avenue. That amount was paid to the Urbana campus’ motor pool for the use of the cars and the drivers’ time.
* All told, the trustees have racked up over $14,000 in limo expenses this year alone. Here’s the university’s response…
“There is no big spending or excessive spending by the board of trustees when it comes to travel,” UI spokesman Tom Hardy said. “What you have is a handful of trustees who for personal or professional reasons a car service represents a safe, efficient mode of transportation to carry out their volunteer, uncompensated role as trustees, as policymakers and stewards of the University of Illinois.”
Trustees are not being driven around in limos, Shah said. They’re four-door sedans, such as Lincoln Town Cars.
[Board secretary Michele Thompson] said she has ridden Amtrak between Chicago and Champaign, but the trains are not always on time. Trains also do not leave Chicago early enough to deliver trustees to meetings in Urbana that start at about 9 a.m.
Try Greyhound, Ms. Thompson. They have a bus leaving every morning at 6:15, arriving at 9:10. Perhaps the board of trustees can push back the meeting starts by a few minutes.
We adhere to the strictest attention to privacy, promptness, quality, courtesy and above all luxury.
[Emphasis added]
And how does the company describe what the university claims are just “four-door sedans”?
Luxury Sedans
Photos from the site…
…And another addition… Gov. Blagojevich made a big deal out of the chartered flights when he first took office…
He also cited several examples of “wasteful spending” that showed “an utter lack of accountability,” such as… a trustee’s chartered flight from Chicago to Urbana that could pay a full year’s tuition at the University of Illinois.
The chauffered limos are now on his watch. We’ll have to wait and see how he justifies this.
Today, Steve Sauerberg, M.D., announced the endorsements of the Chairman of the State Republican Party and the President of the Republican County Chairmen’s Association. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Andy McKenna and Randy Pollard,” said Sauerberg. “A unified Republican Party can and will help to return Illinois values to Washington by replacing ultra-liberal Dick Durbin next November.” […]
The President of the Republican County Chairmen’s Association, Randy Pollard, echoed McKenna’s praise for Sauerberg. “Steve has put together a tremendous campaign - successfully recruiting supporters and building a motivated volunteer base,” said Pollard. “Steve’s campaign is both an opportunity to unite the Republican Party and an opportunity to send a Senator to Washington who is committed to representing all Illinoisans.”
Question: What’s the over/under on Sauerberg’s final vote percentage next November?
* An investigation of a “major fundraiser” for Gov. Rod Blagojevich who was also a member of the governor’s transition team came up empty. But the investigation came under investigation…
A state Medicaid fraud probe into a major fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich was fraught with complaints from career investigators that they were hindered by political interference during their three-year case, a Tribune investigation has found.
The first investigator on the case reported that he got a call from his boss, the state’s top pharmacy regulator, asking him to do a favor for the fundraiser, a Joliet drugstore owner who helped get the regulator his job.
In the months that followed, other investigators complained that a proposed audit was scaled back, that an investigative subpoena was stalled and that they suspected the pharmacist was forewarned of their strategies, according to the former senior assistant attorney general who oversaw the Medicaid probe.
* Harish M. Bhatt is the pharmacist in question…
As a member of the governor’s transition team, Bhatt said, he put forth the names of Indian-American professionals suggested from within that community to fill state posts. Two of those he recommended became members of the state’s Board of Pharmacy, and another became the director of drug compliance for IDFPR, the state’s top pharmacy regulator.
* That regulator recommended by Bhatt is apparently Yashwant Amin, who the Tribune claims “took over the top regulator’s job in September 2003 with the responsibility of overseeing the agency’s staff of seven pharmacy auditors.”
A month after Amin was appointed…
“[Veteran auditor James F. Thorns] stated that on Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 Thorns received a phone call from Amin, Thorns’ boss,” State Police Special Agent Mario Mollo wrote in an investigative report obtained by the Tribune. “Amin told Thorns that he had a ‘good friend’ and Amin wanted to know what Thorns could do to help his friend.
“Thorns asked Amin what friend he was alluding to and Amin told Thorns his friend’s name was Harrish [sic] Bhatt. Amin told Thorns that he talked to Bhatt after Thorns’ visit to Basinger’s Pharmacy on Friday, Sept. 5, 2003.”
* Amin flatly denies that statement by Thoms, who died in 2006. This is the response from the Blagojevich administration…
“It sounds to me like all you have is some unsubstantiated allegation from a dead guy,” [IDFPR spokeswoman Susan Hofer] said.
Actually, no. As the Tribune article notes, some people who are still very much alive are not happy about the way that whole thing went down.
* Related…
* The Association of Indian Pharmacists in America recently held their 14th annual banquet at the Holiday Inn Express in Elmhurst. This event was attended by well-known celebrities, including Gov. Rod Blagojevich and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, along with over 600 members and invited guests., according to an organization press release.
“AIPhA has made significant gains in the political arena, having earned newfound respect and co-operation with a plethora of state representatives,” the release added. “Through its efforts, AIPhA has brought government officials to the table and has opened dialogues never before possible. Even now, AIPhA is preparing itself to work with the state on many issues including measures to: increase access to pharmaceutical care to every citizen of Illinois; enact legislation that will properly monitor and control Pharmacy Benefits Managers’ irregular and incoherent policies that have financially crippled the state and pharmacies alike.”
* “The Association of Indian Pharmacists in America (AIPHA) supports Illinois Covered as the most comprehensive plan proposed to date to provide health insurance to all Illinoisans, and the Gross Receipts Tax proposal to provide the funding necessary to successfully implement the program,” said Harish Bhatt, Executive Director of the AIPHA.
* Three days of lavish festivities will ring in the 57th Indian independence day on Aug. 15 in Chicago with the Indian American community inviting Bollywood stars Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit as Grand Marshals.
Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) president Raghu Nayak said the two stars will join Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. […]
Harish Bhatt, parade chairman, said this year the FIA expected 40 floats showcasing India’s traditions, culture, costumes, religions, languages, music, dance and cuisine.
* New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann is Congressman Jerry Weller’s choice to replace him in DC. Baldermann had a couple of harsh words for his likely Democratic opponent yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson…
Baldermann also picked on Halvorsen’s part in the state’s budget mess.
“The last thing we need is that kind of dysfunction brought to Washington,” Baldermann said.
* But Weller could be a liability for Baldermann, as this excerpt hints…
Weller was supposed to appear at Monday’s breakfast with Baldermann, but cancelled because a family-related issue, said McLean County Republican Party Chairman John Parrott.
Weller’s retirement announcement came amid questions surrounding land investments in Nicaragua and the finances of his wife, a South American politician.
Homer Glen Mayor Jim Daley said his decision to withdraw his name from the pool of candidates interested in the 11th Congressional District seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller all came down to timing.
Also Monday, a 30-year-old Chicago Republican announced he will vie for Weller’s seat.
Jimmy Lee, who served on the White House Initiative on Asian and Pacific Islanders, has not previously held public office, but worked on Republican Jim Ryan’s 2002 campaign for governor and has served as an advisor to Dupage County Board President Bob Schillerstrom and former state Treasurer Judy Barr Topinka.
He said he is in the process of moving into the district, which stretches from Chicago’s south suburbs to Bloomington-Normal.
* As expected, state Rep. Aaron Schock has a big money lead in the GOP primary to replace Congressman Ray LaHood…
State Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has netted $375,913 since filing candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in mid-August. John Morris, who for the last 10 years has overseen private fundraising as vice president for development for WTVP-TV, Channel 47, has raised about $218,210, according to federal campaign disclosure reports filed Monday.
Heartland Partnership CEO Jim McConoughey has roughly $55,000 in cash on hand, a spokesman said. The actual amount he raised wasn’t yet posted by early Monday evening.
Schock spent about $74,674, leaving him with more than $301,000 in cash on hand, while Morris spent about $20,500 and has about $197,350 in cash
Dick Versace just got into the race, so he doesn’t have to file his disclosure report until January.
* It appears that Schock had several of his contributors send in the maximum amount for both the primary and general elections. 41 of his 193 contributors sent in $4600, so over $94,000 of that cash can’t be spent until after the February primary. Even so, Schock still raised more for the primary than Morris and he has a big leg up on the general.
Kirk [raised more than $525,000 and] had more than $1.5 million in his campaign kitty at the end of the reporting period, reports showed.
Seals, who nearly upset Kirk a year ago in his maiden political campaign, focusing on the war in Iraq, raised an estimated $300,000 during the third quarter, giving him close to $500,000. Footlik, an adviser on Jewish affairs under President Bill Clinton, raised nearly $200,000, bringing his contributions to around $480,000.
* And Bean’s numbers…
In the northwest suburban 8th District, two-termer Bean of Barrington had about $1 million in her fund after raising about $377,000. […]
Bean’s leading Republican opponent, Long Grove businessman Steven Greenberg, has raised about $180,000 since he announced his campaign in July. Republicans Kirk Morris of Gurnee, the father of a Marine killed in Iraq, and Ken Arnold, a health benefits consultant from Gurnee, did not file.
* Lipinski race…
Chicago’s 3rd District race witnessed a rarity: a challenger raising more than the incumbent in a primary. Mark Pera, a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, raised $100,000 for the third quarter. Lipinski raised $76,000. The second-term incumbent still leads in cash on hand, $321,000 to $180,000.
That cash on hand is probably the more important number, however, and Little Lip has a clear lead. Still, Pera showed he can rake in cash, so we’ll see.
* Hastert’s seat…
In the far west suburban 14th District, Oberweis and Lauzen are virtually tied in the amount of cash on hand. Lauzen had $528,000 left as of Sept. 30 after spending only $17,000, while Oberweis had $178,000 left and announced he added another $325,000 Monday. Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns raised about $68,000 and had $51,000 left.
On the Democratic side, retired physicist Bill Foster raised the most at nearly $209,000, and added $200,000 of his money. Geneva attorney Jotham Stein collected $61,600 to push his total to $105,000, but he had less than $34,000 left. John Laesch, who lost to Hastert in November, raised $45,000 and had about $20,000 left.
* From the Bill Foster campaign…
In unitemized contributions, we were the clear winners in all of this. That’s the measuring stick of grassroots support since those are the low dollar donors. In fact, we outraised our primary opponents combined and the GOP field combined.
DEM
Foster: 38710.98
Laesch: 19254.87
Stein: 11837.27
*** UPDATE *** Dan Hynes endorses Foster. From a press release…
Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes announced today his endorsement of scientist and businessman Bill Foster for Congress in the Democratic primary election.
“Bill Foster is the type of voice we need in Washington to bring real change to families here in Illinois,” said Hynes. “His background as a scientist and a businessman gives him the ability to take a fresh look at the challenges our country faces. I’m proud to give him my support.”
It should be interesting to see how second-time candidate John Laesch responds. Laesch was known for his goofy rantings last year and he hasn’t disappointed this year, either. When Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias endorsed Foster, Laesch had this to say…
“Laesch shrugged off Giannoulias’ endorsement, calling him “just a wealthy guy who bought himself an office.”
“I don’t think it’s a big endorsement of any kind,” he said.”
Ald. George Cardenas (12th) said he got an e-mail from an angry constituent who warned him to “get your hands out of my pocket, you stooge.”
Why would anyone admit that? I almost spit out my coffee when I read Cardenas’ quote.
* More from the story…
“If this budget would pass right now with all these taxes, I suspect that probably half of the people who voted for it would not be in this Council next time around because this one has eyes. It’s going to walk all over the place,” said Ald. Ed Smith (28th), former chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus. […]
Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) was so desperate for a way out of raising property taxes, he proposed raiding the long-term reserve fund created to shore up the city’s bond rating after the $1.83 billion deal that privatized the Chicago Skyway.
When Johnson warned that the fund was for “major emergencies like catastrophes,” Mell said, “If you talk to some of the people I’ve been talking to — to them, this is a catastrophe.”
After being grilled by aldermen, [Budget Director Bennett Johnson III] told reporters “we are going to try our best to build consensus” on the best way to balance next year’s budget. He said employee layoffs are an option “if people want to cut services.”
But to wipe out the proposed property-tax increase by cutting payroll would mean 2,160 job cuts, one in five workers who have duties not related to public safety, he said.
“If we want to be like Detroit, Toronto, San Antonio, Jacksonville, all these places where they are cutting services, it is a downward spiral that’s hard to get out of,” Johnson said.
Ah, the ol’ “Detroit card.” I wondered when that one was gonna be played.
* Meanwhile, over at the county, the budget deficit will be smaller than first projected, “just” $230 million, but lots of tax hikes are on the table…
Stroger told commissioners what to expect in a series of meetings Monday. They say going to the store, filling up at the gas pump, parking downtown, talking on the phone or even warming up your furnace could cost more in order to help cover the county’s costs.
Under the proposed budget, property taxes would be hiked to pay for the Forest Preserve District. To pay for county government, Stroger is considering doubling the county gas tax to 12 cents a gallon, doubling the downtown parking tax to about $40 for monthly users and possibly renewing a push for an increased sales tax, just weeks after commissioners shot down a 2 percentage point hike.
Already on the table are hikes to utility and phone bills. “Everything’s on the table,”Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-10th) said.
Adding a wrinkle to the budget debate is a critical presentation today from the health community concluding that the county hospital system has been so mismanaged, control should be put in the hands of an independent, medical panel.
The Institute of Medicine of Chicago, meanwhile, is circulating a petition in the local health-care community asking the county to shift control of the system immediately to an independent board charged with reversing what the institute calls a “precipitous decline” in services
It’s not as if there’s ever been a ban on prayer in schools. Students can pray all day. And, just as with the moment of silence, they can even pray in their heads. I do it all the time, especially as deadline approaches. I’ve gotten so accustomed to this, my lips don’t even move. That’s OK. God can hear.
“He was a true champion of working men and women - a great guy who never forgot where he came from,” Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday.
Mr. Fitzgerald, 57, a longtime resident of Chicago’s Beverly community, died Saturday in his home in the Little Village neighborhood after a brief illness, according to sister Maureen Kelly, of Evergreen Park.
A year ago, for health reasons, he stepped down as business manager and financial secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134. In that role for 11 years, Mr. Fitzgerald raised more than $625,000 in political contributions - only one measure of his influence.
* Opinion: Did Poshard’s dog eat this bibliography?
Congress boosted the amount families in Illinois could earn to up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level — $61,950 for a family of four. In Illinois, SCHIP is used to partially pay for the state’s All Kids health insurance program.
It’s bad enough that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones won’t let senators vote on whether to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s budget vetoes. But his selfish, self-centered reason for the obstructionism is downright sickening.
Jones isn’t claiming his decision is in the public’s best interest, or even that he is protecting some pet programs. No, this is all about vengeance.
He claims his fellow legislative leaders stabbed him in the back earlier in the year, and he wants retribution. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be dictated to by anyone in this chamber, anyone (in the governor’s office) or anyone in the other chamber,” Jones told one reporter.
Right, but it’s OK for Jones to dictate to everyone else?
… That leaves us with Jones not allowing a veto override vote, and Madigan not allowing a vote on the bills needed to implement the already-passed budget. While over in the executive office, Blagojevich is railing about calling yet another special session in December. Stupid, unnecessary gridlock foisted on us by people who have lost sight of what public service really means.
If this were a third-grade playground, it would be expected. But this is about billions of our tax dollars not going to care for school kids, the disabled and old, sick people. In a word - shameful.
…For instance, it’s no secret that Republican state Sen. Bill Brady, of Bloomington, wants to run for governor in 2010. He ran for governor last year and lost the GOP primary, and ever since he’s attempted to set himself up as a top Republican critic of Blagojevich.
Brady is a popular, well-liked legislator, but he has had his goofy moments this year.
During debate on the state budget bill last summer, Brady said he hoped the governor would veto the bill. Then, a few minutes later, Brady voted for the very bill that he said he wanted Blagojevich to kill.
But that’s not all. After Blagojevich actually did veto part of the budget bill, Brady began agitating to have the General Assembly override those vetoes.
Now, it’s not as simple and clear-cut as it looks. The governor’s vetoes were blatantly political and, in many cases, harmful and hypocritical. But Brady has jumped around more on this thing than an espresso-chugging frog.
…The conflict is between our three top Democrats. In Illinois, that’s the same as a fracture between three brothers. Brothers who happen to be princes of the kingdom. Yes, there are entitlement issues. They’re the elected leaders of our state government.
To sum up the gloomy news: the Legislature opts for the plan that makes homeowners pay more taxes. And Daley takes that as a green light to go after even more.
Ironically, it’s being argued that Canary’s bill isn’t sweeping enough. Ironic, because Senate President Jones is pitching that argument. Jones’ spokeswoman told me Friday by phone that there is a far superior ethics bill in play, HB824. One that would prohibit “pay-to-play” contracting but would also install safeguards about who gets lucrative pension and bond business and more.
Great. Let’s pass that one.
Ah, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? Even though HB824 has genuine reform-minded legislators such as state Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston) behind it, and is filled with good ideas, it appears to have less of prayer than HB1. It’s not even in final written form yet, and has fewer Senate sponsors.
In the end, it may be the same old story. Just as we are about to embark on a $25 billion capital improvement program, where “pay to play” still poisons the process, we have no ethics bill.
Canary calls it the Goldilocks scenario: “This one’s too big, this one’s too little . . . everybody gets to go home and say they put their name on something . . . and we get nothing.”
Blagojevich is “flash, splash, showbiz,” while Madigan is “stealth, quiet … and very effective,” says Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson of Greenville, who has worked with both men in tense private meetings they’ve had this year trying to agree on something, anything.
The fact that both Democrats have turned to Republican Watson, of all people, as a kind of political go-between says it all about their relationship.
“The differences, personality-wise … it is the problem, and the (reason) nothing’s been done,” Watson said last week. “It’s just ingrained personality problems they have between themselves.”
Col. Jill Morgenthaler, most recently Illinois’ Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor, has entered the 6th Congressional District race as a Democratic challenger to first-term Republican Congressman Peter Roskam. Jill has over 30 years of military, government and private business experience, much of it focused on emergency preparedness, communications and business development.
Tammy Duckworth, an Army Major and injured Iraq War veteran, decided against a rematch with Roskam. Duckworth lost by about 5,000 votes in the ‘06 general election, in a race that cost millions. No word yet on whether Morgenthaler will receive similar support from the DC Democrats, who seem to be concentrating much more intently on the Jerry Weller seat.
Between the elder Lipinski’s consulting business, Blue Chip Consulting, which rents space at the Archer Avenue congressional headquarters of Dan Lipinski, and the 23rd Ward political operation, Dan Lipinski has placed his governmental duties precariously close to lobbyists and political entities. Not smart.
When Dan Lipinski won an assignment to the House Transportation Committee, he insisted he would avoid any conflicts of interest. His father represents United Airlines and many other transportation giants.
“He won’t lobby me,” Lipinski said.
Dan Lipinski’s own disclosure forms, however, show he paid Blue Chip $5,500 in consulting fees since 2005 - a contradiction of his previous position, which was dubious from the start. Who would know if, for example, over cheeseburgers and milkshakes, the two Lipinskis discussed transportation issues? Like many questionable loose ends that remain unanswered - how, for example, voting records show Dan Lipinski casting ballots in person, in Chicago, at times when he was living out of state - the All-American Eagle account creates yet another shadow on Dan Lipinski’s credentials.
I’ve met and talked with Dan Lipinski on numerous occasions. He’s a hardworking, sincere guy.
But he’s got this monkey on his back - the slicker, older Lipinski - who thinks he’s helping his son by clearing the underbrush from Dan’s path.
He’s not helping. He’s making his kid look weak and unprincipled.
William Lipinski is painting a target on his son’s back, forcing him to answer questions about the questionable payments to staff members; the consulting fees to Blue Chip; and the fundamental fact that a fund supposedly established for kids really is a piggy bank for the Lipinskis’ political activities.
* And we have two updates in the race to replace retiring Congressman Ray LaHood. First, the Peoria paper…
Jim McConoughey, one of three GOP candidates for the 18th Congressional seat, will launch television and radio ads today. And he’s sparing no expense.
He hired an out-of-state crew to film the production and hitting Quincy, Springfield and Peoria television media markets with 30-second spots in most of the 20-county district. He’s also going to have comprehensive coverage on AM radio stations to reach different demographics. […]
Direct mailings are expected to come out in the next two weeks introducing McConoughey and explaining what experience he brings to the table.
As I told you lsat week, McConoughey claims he’ll be in the hunt if he can just get his name and story out to voters. Those early ads will certainly help.
The Peoria column also included the obligatory plug for the local favorite…
Candidate Aaron Schock already sent out mailings the past week or so to reach his core constituency. It’s slick and compelling information.
* Next up, Billy Dennis writes about the third GOP candidate in the LaHood race…
Sources inside the John Morris congressional campaign say the former Peoria city Councilman raised more than $200,000 in contributions during September and August. The 3rd quarter financial reports are due Monday, and will cover campaign donations made from July 1, to Sept. 30.
Morris officially announced in early August, when his campaign took it’s first contribution, the source said, adding that they were pleased with the pace of contributions. Most of the donations came from individuals who live within and are able to vote inside the district. The implication is that there’s a belief that when reports from primary foes are released, they will show large donations from outside the district.
Months after he formed an exploratory committee, state Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, announced his plans to run for Congress.
Lauzen made his official announcement Wednesday morning to a crowd of supporters and others assembled at Garfield Park in Aurora. He will seek the 14th Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Plano. Hastert, the former House speaker, who will not seek re-election in 2008.
“So fasten your seat belts, I’m running for Congress,” Lauzen said to the cheers of the crowd.
The announcement kicked off a three-day, eight-county tour with 26 stops throughout the district.
* That’s quite the grueling schedule. One thing about Lauzen is he’ll outwork just about anybody. One more brief bit…
Lauzen said, so far, more than 3,000 people have volunteered to participate in his campaign.
* Here’s a Video News Service clip that I’ve already posted at my YouTube page…
A former aide to President George W. Bush said Friday she will not run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller’s seat in Congress.
Meg Murer, 38, had considered making a run for the 11th Congressional District seat being vacated by Weller, a Morris Republican.
Murer said she wasn’t ready to return to Washington, D.C., after being away from the White House for a year. Murer had served as chief of the president’s correspondence division, overseeing an office that answers mail sent to the president.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency accuses Attorney General Lisa Madigan of unfairly changing how about $4 million in settlements and fines are allocated.
Madigan wants all of that money to help her office cover legal costs of pursuing polluters, IEPA spokeswoman Jill Watson told The Associated Press on Saturday. That would appear to be a change from earlier practices that made much of the money available for environmental education and grant programs.
The IEPA accuses Madigan of trying to offset $2.5 million in budget cuts ordered by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And agency officials say the new split is “more in the self-interest of the attorney general than in the interest of the Illinois EPA.”
With its budget deficit growing, the CTA moved Friday to eliminate more than half of its bus routes by early January, threatening to strand tens of thousands of daily commuters and worsen gridlock across the Chicago area.
The new plan, while living up to its label as a “doomsday” budget, would also sharply boost fares and employee layoffs beyond those already set to take effect next month — if the legislature does not approve new funding soon to fill a projected $158 million deficit for 2008.
Neil Codell, superintendent of Niles Township High School District 219, said in a prepared statement that legislators “have moved to new heights of buffoonery and uselessness” by not tackling what he considered to be more important issues.
The 4,800 students in his district, he said, already reflect daily through journal writing and class discussions. He noted that both his schools offer a place where students can pray or observe a holiday.
“If I’ve drawn ire here it’s because we are really fed up with their antics which is to avoid dealing with central, pertinent issues that all schools need to deal with which is school funding reform,” Codell said. “No wonder we’re down at the bottom of all the states in school funding because this is what they spend their time on.”
* Burt Constable: God, sleep, teen fantasies can fill students’ moment of silence
Much of that could change, though, under a controversial bill introduced in the General Assembly this year. Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-Elmwood Park) sponsored a bill to let lottery players create online accounts to buy tickets. Winnings would be directly deposited into those accounts […]
All unclaimed lottery prizes now go into a fund for Illinois public schools.
One school advocacy group opposes Saviano’s bill, saying the lottery is a regressive way to raise money. “We don’t see anything that is intended to be an expansion of lottery sales as a real benefit for schools,” said Clare Fauke, spokeswoman for A+ Illinois.
Legislators recently overrode Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s August veto of a bill allowing judges to decide whether juveniles who committed sex crimes can be removed from the state’s sex offender registry if they are no longer a danger to the public.
* Sweeny: SIU President has served the state with honor; more here
The early primary next year also could spell trouble for local political candidates, particularly challengers attempting to unseat incumbents. It means they may need to raise money and garner attention over the holidays and in January - when folks are short on cash and not much concerned about politics.
“The ground troops are going to be less effective,” said Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland. “People won’t even open their doors. If somebody is knocking on your door in January and you’re not expecting a visitor, they just don’t open up.”He argued primary campaigns will become more reliant on paid media to convey message, and that in turn makes campaigns more expensive - and therefore more dependent on fundraising. Incumbents, who already enjoy name recognition and possible fully stocked campaign funds, could gain an advantage.
