* Sen. Kirk Dillard questioned the ethics of two of his Republican gubernatorial primary opponents today. From a press release…
“Unfortunately, we have candidates in our own party who lack ethical judgment,” Dillard continued. “I’m proud to say that as Chairman of the Du Page County Republican Party, my central committee never found me guilty of ethics violations. My opponent Andy McKenna, the ‘insider,’ cannot say the same.”
The Illinois Republican Party announced Friday that McKenna, the former state GOP Chairman, inappropriately used party funds while he was Chairman. McKenna admitted to the allegation.
Dillard also questioned the ethical judgment of Jim Ryan. During Ryan’s previous, unsuccessful run for governor, he received campaign contributions from convicted influence peddler Stuart Levine, including more than $150,000 after the election. A New York Times article recently referred to Levine as ‘the convicted swindler and Blagojevich buddy who was a former aggressive Ryan fund-raiser.”
But Dillard also came under fire by Sen. Bill Brady, who claimed at today’s City Club event that Dillard was Jim Edgar’s chief of staff when the corrupt MSI contractor was hired.
Hmmm. I hadn’t thought of that one.
Brady said later that he was just pointing out electability problems with Dillard, and said the Democrats would most likely use the MSI issue in November if Dillard was nominated.
Brady also went after Jim Ryan’s ties to Stu Levine. More about Brady’s remarks from the AP…
State Sen. Bill Brady blasted McKenna for using state party resources when he ran the Illinois Republican Party to conduct a poll that questioned voters about McKenna’s potential as a statewide candidate.
And Dillard questioned Brady about a campaign contribution he’d received.
Afterward, Illinois GOP chairman Pat Brady said he isn’t concerned the GOP sniping would hurt the party’s chances in the fall.
I talked to Jim Ryan at a different event today in the south suburbs and I’ll have more for subscribers tomorrow about that conversation. He made some excellent points about his campaign and about his opponents.
* Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Schillerstrom has a new TV ad. It’s a modest buy, but I really like this spot. Have a look…
* Democrat US Senate candidate David Hoffman also has a new ad with a tiny buy. It’s mainly designed to provoke publicity, at least at the moment. Watch it…
Giannoulias is running two campaign ads that include the Consumer Reports logo and a quote from the magazine. But the watchdog publication tries to stay strictly neutral and doesn’t let businesses or politicians use its name.
On the Republican side, former Attorney General Jim Ryan received a total of $75,000 in recent days in $25,000 donations from the three men who head ATI Physical Therapy and operate a group of clinics that deal with orthopedic rehabilitation, including sports medicine. Among the schools where ATI is recognized as the “official sports medicine provider” is Benedictine University in Lisle, where Ryan taught after losing his 2002 bid for governor to Rod Blagojevich.
Speaking of sports, Ryan also reported a $5,000 donation from James Irsay, the owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Previously, Republican contender Andy McKenna, a former state GOP chairman, reported that his wife had loaned his campaign for governor $800,000.
Another Republican candidate, GOP consultant and commentator Dan Proft, reported a contribution of $20,000 from Richard Uihlein of Waukegan, the CEO of Uline, a packing and shipping supply company based in Waukegan.
* Illinois Review reports that Bill Brady went after JRyan and Kirk Dillard today at the City Club debate…
Former Attorney General Jim Ryan and State Senator Kirk Dillard were the targets of State Senator Bill Brady, who challenged their refusal to oppose an income tax increase, as well as Dillard’s participation in an Obama ad during the Iowa primary. Observers say Ryan appeared undisturbed by the verbal punches, and pointed the conversation elsewhere. Also on the panel was Dan Proft and Adam Andrzejewski.
While the candidates jabbed each other and missing candidate Andy McKenna, emcee Paul Green joined in the poking at McKenna when awarding the club’s traditional token of appreciation - a City Club coffee mug. When one rolled to the floor and broke, Green joked, “That one’s for Andy McKenna”.
* Related…
* Hurckes connection, clout dog House race: Officer Joseph Hurckes, brother of Oak Lawn Trustee Jerry Hurckes, is serving a 30-day unpaid suspension for using the LEADS system to download photographs to help Southwest Side state Rep. Michael Zalewski’s re-election campaign, two sources familiar with the investigation confirmed.
* Tension arises at 62nd House forum: Some visible tension occurred late in the forum when, as part of an answer to an unrelated question, Mitchell said Cole has favored charging in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants.
* I’m giving a speech this morning, so I’ll post more later, so let’s get to the setup…
Gov. Pat Quinn says his Democratic primary campaign is a referendum on raising taxes to solve the state’s budget crisis.
“If I prevail on Feb. 2 - I believe I will - I think that is a message,” Quinn told the Daily Herald editorial board Friday about his upfront push to raise taxes.
And if he beats Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes in the primary, Quinn argued lawmakers will feel safe to vote for a tax hike, and perhaps even make cuts in state pension benefits, by the end of March.
“My view is between Feb. 3 and the end of March, within the first quarter, we will deal with revenue and I think we will pass revenue,” Quinn said.
* The Question: Assuming Quinn wins the primary, do you believe the General Assembly will pass a tax hike before the end of March? Explain fully.
* Doug Finke doesn’t like the idea of legislators being involved in any investigation into Gov. Pat Quinn’s secret and botched early release program for violent prison inmates…
But an investigation during an election year? One that includes legislators? Oh, yeah, that will get to the bottom of things. No way that could degenerate into an endless round of political grandstanding.
He doesn’t propose an alternative, however. Just cynicism. And while I agree that there would be grandstanding (there was plenty of it during the Blagojevich impeachment, but Finke didn’t argue against that process), I also think a probe with subpoena powers would be more likely to get to the bottom of things than nothing at all.
Gov. Pat Quinn was quoted by the Associated Press last week as saying he’s answered all questions about his administration’s controversial, secret and completely botched early prison release program, so he’s done talking about it.
I beg to differ.
I called the Department of Corrections soon after I saw that quote and asked a few questions that I’ve never seen asked.
For instance, state Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican candidate for governor, claims that Corrections Director Michael Randle has said he had informed the governor about the so-called “Meritorious Good Time Push” program, which let attempted murderers and other violent types out of prison early - several of which were then re-arrested for violent crimes. Quinn, however, has said that he didn’t know about the program until he read about it in the newspapers. How does the director explain the discrepancy, I wanted to know.
I also asked whether the word from inside was true that Director Randle had made himself the department’s direct conduit to the governor. How often, on average, did the two men talk every week, I asked.
And, most importantly, if Quinn is telling the truth that he didn’t know about this disastrous and now suspended MGT Push plan, what reason can Randle provide for his failure to inform the governor?
Not one of those questions was answered. I received an e-mail pointing me to an audio file of the governor’s press conference during which he talked how things got so out of hand. But none of my answers were found in Quinn’s comments, except that the governor reiterated he did not know about MGT Push, and that it was a mistake and that he had killed the program.
Quinn did make some good points in his presentation. For instance, inmates released under the program, beginning in mid September, would’ve all been out of prison by this month anyway.
But the governor also spent much of his time laying the blame on the General Assembly for the debacle. Quinn claimed that the director’s hands were tied because state law required that some pretty nasty convicts must be eligible for early release. While partially true, this was an accelerated early release program, and the responsibility for that acceleration - and the crimes committed during the early release periods - must fall on the administration, and ultimately on Quinn himself.
We need more answers about this botched operation, regardless of what the governor says. Quinn has stonewalled tough questions while answering only those that he can spin - and he isn’t doing a very good job of that, either.
If Quinn and Director Randle won’t provide more answers, then the General Assembly must act by holding hearings with full subpoena powers.
Another Republican running for governor, state Sen. Kirk Dillard, is also pressing for an investigation. Dillard wants the entire Legislature to sit as a “Committee of the Whole” with full subpoena powers to get to the bottom of this mess.
“Governor Quinn and his administration continue to provide vastly different stories about these programs including who made the decision to authorize the early release, why violent criminals were included in the program, and why the MGT program was secretive,” Dillard was quoted as saying in a news release.
AFSCME, the union which represents prison workers, also wants a bipartisan probe in the form of a special joint task force, including legislators from both parties and both chambers, to answer urgent questions about the administration of the corrections department
Full hearings with subpoena powers are probably the last thing the Democrats who control the General Assembly want, particularly in an election year. But this botched program literally endangered the lives of Illinois citizens. At least one prisoner released early was subsequently arrested for shooting somebody - and that’s just what we know of. The whole program was concocted and conducted in secret, and details have been few and far between.
For six years, Illinois endured the Rod Blagojevich administration, which made a bad habit of keeping things secret, blaming the General Assembly for its own mistakes and wrecking almost everything it touched. This early release program and its aftermath look more than just vaguely familiar.
When Quinn took over after Blagojevich was impeached and ousted, he said he would be different, that he believed in accountability and transparency in government. Quinn’s behavior on this issue, however, is downright unacceptable.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn’s campaign tried to gin up some “stone-throwing in a glass house” coverage over the weekend. The Daily Herald fell for the bait…
llinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s opponent in the Democratic primary has criticized him for the early release of felons from state prisons.
Now the tables are turned, with Quinn calling Comptroller Dan Hynes a hypocrite for handing a part-time campaign consulting job to a felon who himself was released early.
“Maybe Hynes should clean up his own house before throwing more stones,” Quinn said in a statement released Sunday.
Quinn has been criticized for secretly releasing hundreds of violent inmates early, some of whom were then rearrested for violent crimes. That’s quite different than this, but it’s still a good gotcha game point and the DH went for it hook, line and sinker.
Gov. Quinn late Friday abruptly canceled a planned appearance at a weekend fund-raiser organized by north suburban lawyer and lobbyist Anthony Abboud, known as “Individual Q” in convicted political insider Tony Rezko’s federal indictment.
Abboud had sent out an invitation to donors promising “an intimate gathering with Gov. Quinn” in Abboud’s Northbrook home Sunday night. […]
Quinn’s “Abboud-face” came after the Chicago Sun-Times raised questions late Friday about why the governor would consider raising campaign funds from someone tied so closely to Rezko, who was a main fund-raiser and advisor for impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. […]
But Rezko’s indictment disclosed that after being named by Blagojevich to the state Teachers’ Retirement System board, Abboud and another Blagojevich TRS appointee were told by Rezko to take direction from convicted influence peddler Stuart Levine, a fellow TRS board member and fund-raiser for Blagojevich.
Oops.
* The governor needs plenty of money to churn out his campaign ads, and, as expected, he’s getting bigtime help from SEIU…
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s campaign for election wasted little time after the New Year holiday in hitting the fundraising circuit, generating more than $140,000 in cash and services in three days last week, with nearly half coming from a politically powerful union, records show.
Records on file with the State Board of Elections show that of the $142,000 Quinn raised from Jan. 4 through Jan. 6, nearly half–$67,557—came from the Service Employees’ International Union.
* Related…
* Mark Brown …I guess there are two ways you can look at Quinn courting [Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr’s] endorsement this time. Either he’s a stand-up guy who sticks with his friends, or he’s so determined to carry the African-American vote in the primary that he’s willing to risk possible future embarrassment from his Jackson connection in exchange for the mileage he can gain from it now.
* Jackson endorsement of Quinn could help with black voters, draw attention to Blagojevich scandal
* Andy McKenna was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune. Read it here…
We’re attracted to several of the GOP candidates: As a group they comprehend that Illinois governance needs to be dismantled and reinvented. But this primary race has convinced us that businessman Andy McKenna has the best skills set — disciplined policy proposals, but also a level demeanor — to pull Illinoisans together.
We cannot endorse either of these candidates in the primary. Neither one has inspired confidence that he can make the difficult, unpopular decisions that must be made to resolve this state’s financial crisis.
We don’t see this as tantamount to an early endorsement of the Republican nominee in the general election. The Democrat who wins the primary will have nine months to make a better case for himself. We hope he proves our skepticism wrong.
But if he doesn’t, we think voters will have an easy choice.
Gov. Pat Quinn says violent offenders were released early from prison under a non-publicized, money-saving program because his corrections chief went rogue.
“I told him repeatedly” that he did not want violent criminals released early, Quinn told the Daily Herald editorial board Friday. “In carrying out that plan he didn’t follow my directives.”
If he repeatedly didn’t follow a direct order, then he should be fired. Plain and simple.
Quinn also blamed the General Assembly for his woes…
Overall, Quinn attempted to point the blame at lawmakers who refused to back his call for an income tax rate increase. The early release program was needed to save money as the state struggles under an $11 billion shortfall, Quinn said.
* This one’s kinda funny. Rep. Mike Boland is running in the Dem primary for lieutenant governor, but his congressman, Phil Hare, just endorsed Sen. Terry Link.
* That’s it for me. I’ll be back Monday with much more. Session cranks up for a few days next week, and we’ll have plenty of coverage for you.
This song came on the jukebox while I was in a bar in Macedonia years ago, and everything seemed to make sense. The song came on the jukebox the other night while I was in a bar on Miami Beach and brought back lots of memories…
* The following joint statement was release this afternoon by Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady and the McKenna for Governor campaign…
Over the last several weeks, questions have arisen regarding a poll commissioned by the Illinois Republican Party and paid for with State Party funds during the tenure of Andy McKenna as Chairman of the Party. The poll, taken last April, contained opinions of Illinois voters related to relevant issues and voter identification of a number of potential statewide Republican candidates. At his instruction, and at the urging of the Finance Committee, Mr. McKenna’s name appeared in the voter identification questions of the poll. The poll also included an analysis of his personal name identification with Illinois voters.
The State Central Committee of the Illinois Republican Party has concluded that Mr. McKenna should not have done so without prior Central Committee approval and disclosure. Mr. McKenna had no intent to violate the spirit or the intent of the Party’s by-laws and he sincerely apologizes for having done so.
…Adding… This was in the statement but buried beneath a bunch of extraneous stuff, so nobody saw it…
State Party Chairman Pat Brady, the Illinois Republican Party, and Mr. McKenna now consider this matter closed.
Tyrone Fahner, a McKenna friend who chaired the state GOP’s finance committee at the time, previously had told the Tribune that the party’s major campaign contributors decided to authorize the poll and it was Fahner’s idea to include McKenna’s name.
But the joint statement from the Illinois GOP and McKenna’s campaign said McKenna’s name was included in the poll “at his (McKenna’s) instruction, and at the urging of the Finance Committee.”
Some of McKenna’s rivals in the Republican primary election have accused him during the campaign of using party funds to weigh his bid for governor or one for Senate, which he never launched.
What’s more, they said, he met with some of them to sound them out about their potential strategies and donors, never disclosing he was considering his own bid.
Fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Schilerstrom’s press statement…
“Andy McKenna’s conduct is in line with Springfield culture today, but not with what our state requires for tomorrow. Andy presented himself as an honest broker in the Governor’s race before quitting as Chairman and becoming a candidate himself. He led the Illinois Republican Party Finance Committee in meeting with candidates, and then guided them to his own campaign. And now it is confirmed that at the same time he was purporting to lead Illinois Republicans, he was quietly tapping Party resources to lay the groundwork for his own bid, violating the very Code of Ethics he established.
“Now McKenna says he is an ‘outsider’ and ‘quiet cure’ for what ails the state, and he is investing his dollars to make sure we believe it. But he cannot buy enough time on television to change the fact that McKenna himself is in desperate need of a ‘hair’ cut.”
Schillerstrom also provides a quote from the state central committee’s code of ethics which was passed while McKenna was chairman…
“The spirit and intent of the Code is to ensure that those who serve as State Central Committee members do so for the sole benefit of the Republican Party and the general public, without any suggestion of service to promote their private interests.”
When Gov. Pat Quinn halted a secret early prison release program last week, he acknowledged that 56 of the freed inmates were already back behind bars - 48 of them for violating rules of their parole.
What he didn’t say was that those broken rules included at least 17 allegations of violent crimes, including attempted murder, armed robbery and domestic battery, according to Associated Press interviews and reviews of both public and internal Corrections Department documents.
One offender who’s back after he was released under the program known as “MGT Push” allegedly shot his victim in the leg. Victims of nine others who earned return trips to the penitentiary contend they were battered.
Seven parolees are back in lockup for crimes involving guns or other weapons.
Illinois, the second-lowest rated U.S. state, paid more than some comparably ranked U.S. companies when it sold $3.47 billion of taxable bonds to finance its annual contribution to a public employee pension fund.
The state, downgraded last month by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service, paid as much as 4.421 percent yesterday on the bonds, which mature in one to five years. The top rate was 182 basis points, or 1.82 percentage points, higher than the yield on five-year U.S. Treasuries, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Corporate securities rated A that mature in three to five years traded 154 basis points over Treasuries yesterday, indexes from Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch & Co. show.
“They certainly did have to pay a premium to get this deal done,” said Matt Buscone, a portfolio manager at Boston’s Breckinridge Capital Advisors Inc., a money manager overseeing $11 billion in assets, which bought Illinois debt maturing in two years. Municipal bonds “are subject to a lot of bad headline risk these days” with deteriorating state and local budgets, he said. “Headline risk” refers to the potential effect of bad news on investment values.
Because the state of Illinois isn’t paying its bills, Community Workshop & Training Center cut its hours.
“We have to close early now,” Executive Director Gail Leiby said Wednesday.
CWTC provides services to the developmentally disabled, with an operating budget of about $9 million a year. Missing $1.8 million over the last six months represents almost 40 percent of its funding. As a result, a not-for-profit that tries to operate as a business has tightened its belt in all sorts of ways.
“We have not received a payment since July 1. That’s for services already rendered, of course,” Leiby said. “. . .We’ve cinched it so tight we can barely breathe.”
* The wife of Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna, Mary McKenna, has just contributed $800,000 to her husband’s campaign. That cash is helping to fund a $500,000 per week TV ad buy that’ll last through the rest of the primary race. Rate McKenna’s latest…
Script…
MALE VO:
Illinois: overspent, nearly broke.
Yet, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard won’t rule out tax hikes.
Governor Quinn is pushing a 50% tax increase!
Only Andy McKenna can fix this mess with no tax increase.
Andy VO:
This is Andy McKenna. I’m a businessman. We need
to make smart choices,
cut spending and not raise taxes.
* Yesterday, I told you that ultra-conservative radio host Sandy Rios had endorsed GOP state Sen. Kirk Dillard for governor on the same day that she penned a vicious screed questioning Congressman Mark Kirk’s sexuality. Sen. Kirk’s campaign refused to respond when I first called yesterday, but the candidate issued a statement last night…
“I believe the most important issues in this campaign remain balancing our state budget, bringing jobs back to Illinois, and cleaning up corruption in Springfield. My goal is to unite the Republican Party and the voters of Illinois around these important issues and make Illinois work again. I am very grateful for the support from across the party including moderates and conservatives alike. I appreciate the support of Sandy Rios however. I disagree with the recent article published in Town Hall News.”
He is a resolute Republican, committed to limited government and conservative on most social issues.
But he is a pragmatist as well, an essential quality for any Republican wishing to be effective in this Democratic-leaning state. He is cut from the same cloth as several of Illinois’ most successful governors — Richard Ogilvie, Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar. Dillard was, in fact, Gov. Edgar’s chief of staff.
The Chicago Sun-Times endorses Sen. Kirk Dillard for governor in the Feb. 2 Republican primary. No other candidate comes close to matching his experience in the executive and legislative branches of state government, his knowledge of the back doors of power in Springfield, and his proven ability to build cross-party coalitions without abandoning core Republican values.
Dillard has correctly identified the greatest challenge facing Illinois’ next governor — the mountain of debt and unfunded pension obligations undermining our state’s economic competitiveness. His solution is, in part, to freeze all hiring and non-emergency spending, impose zero-based budgeting, reduce Medicaid fraud and trim pension benefits for new employees.
Many of these ideas, frankly, strike us as general and vague. Cut Medicaid fraud? Sure. But how?
On the other hand, grand plans are a dime a dozen — every candidate has one. Far more valuable is the political skill to carry out that plan — and here Dillard stands apart.
* GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft is up on cable with a small buy. Watch it…
* Republican comptroller candidate Jim Dodge has a new Internet video that pokes fun at rival Judy Baar Topinka and uses video footage to skewer the other candidate in the race. Take a look…
By the way, that drunken video footage was first posted to YouTube by William Kelly himself, so it’s fair game.
* Related…
* McKenna says Ryan considers taxpayer protection a “special interest”
* 10th Congressional District election: GOP state Rep. Elizabeth Coulson wins endorsement from former U.S. Rep. John Porter
* Bob Dold Criticizes President Obama for Stepping On Illinois Primary With Rescheduled State of the Union: Dold said the decision to hold it on February 2nd is not only intended for political gain, but it tramples the Illinois Primary Election.
* Village president takes on incumbent in 25th Senate
* My Sun-Times column today takes the broad view while looking at this botched early release program…
I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that our last few Illinois governors have been hit with a stupid stick.
I don’t know why this is happening, but it’s become a pattern and I’m seriously worried for this state.
One of the nice things about the democratic process is that politicians usually don’t do things that would cause them to lose their jobs. That attitude has its downsides, of course. If too many politicians become too overly cautious then nothing gets done — like what’s going on now in the U.S. Senate.
But here in Illinois we’ve seen some blatantly reckless stupidity that just boggles the mind. George Ryan’s crimes, Rod Blagojevich’s arrest, and now the Pat Quinn administration’s breathtakingly moronic early release program for violent prisoners.
For all his faults, I have always thought that George Ryan was a pretty darned good governor. He got things done. There was little to no gridlock on the big issues. But he stupidly believed that he could behave like politicians did 30 years ago and not suffer the consequences. He had no sense of self-preservation and he is now sitting in a federal prison cell. Ryan’s stupidity still infuriates me to this day.
Rod Blagojevich was a horrible governor. Gridlock didn’t just prevail, it thrived. Chaos became normality. I was happy when he finally got busted and ousted for his unbelievably stupid alleged schemes to shake down the president-elect over the choice of a U.S. senator and strong-arm the rest of the establishment for cash and personal favors. I was enraged, however, at the damage his arrest did to this state’s already poor reputation. Once again, we had an amazingly stupid politician who didn’t have the mental capacity to realize what he was doing to himself and to his state.
And now, for the life of me, I can’t figure out how Gov. Quinn could be so stupid about this botched early release program for violent inmates. As you certainly know by now, the Department of Corrections secretly let out hundreds of dangerously violent inmates — including notorious gang leader Michael Rodriguez, who had been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder — before their scheduled release dates.
This is not only a horrible policy, but also incredibly stupid politics. Releasing violent people from prison early for no good reason endangers lives and rewards people who don’t deserve any sort of reward.
Politically, well, it’s pretty obvious what sort of damage can be done with this issue in an election year.
Well, not quite.
It may be obvious to anyone with half a brain that this is a potentially fatal blunder, but it apparently wasn’t at all obvious to the Department of Corrections. Quinn says he was kept in the dark about the program, which is not what he said when the story first broke.
Let’s take the governor at his word — his second word, not his first — and believe that he didn’t know anything about the program. That still makes him a horribly inept manager. And Quinn’s shutting down the program and admitting it was a bad idea just won’t suffice. Heads must roll. When somebody makes a mistake this bad, a limp slap on the wrist and a halfhearted apology (all the while blaming the Legislature for forcing him to do what he didn’t have to do) is nowhere near good enough.
If Dan Hynes or the Republicans succeed in using this issue to defeat Gov. Quinn, I sincerely hope our next governor doesn’t catch the “stupid disease.” I just don’t think we can take much more of this bizarre behavior. I know I can’t.
The only thing missing in the most notable television ad in the Illinois governor’s race is Englebert Humperdink singing, “Release Me.”
His verse, “Please release me, let me go” would be vividly apt for Dan Hynes, the mild-mannered Illinois comptroller. Mr. Hynes, the Democratic challenger, issued a broadside at Gov. Patrick J. Quinn that included photos of ominous-looking souls (all Caucasians, in a tidy example of Democratic Party political correctness) let go in an early release program that freed some violent offenders who soon returned to prison after alleged crimes and parole violations.
* In another Democratic race, comptroller candidate Rep. David Miller is up with a new radio ad. Listen by clicking here.
I’ll have more for subscribers about this race on Monday, but Miller is going up on TV in the last 10 days of the campaign.
* Rep. Mike Boland takes a whack at a fellow lite guv candidate. From a press release…
Representative Mike Boland, Democratic candidate for Illinois Lieutenant Governor , called on Terry Link to return donations from Midwest Generation, which has been a frequent target of community groups and EPA lawsuits. The company’s six aging coal-fired power plants, including the Waukegan Station in Link’s Senate district, are some of the worst contributors to air pollution in the Chicago area. Midwest Generation and its parent company are a top career donor to Link, giving his campaigns over $30,000.
* Some Unlikely Allies Push for More Cash for Department of Juvenile Justice: Watchdogs and department of juvenile justice administrators and union representatives all told legislators at a hearing yesterday that the department has been chronically under funded. Kurt Friedenauer runs DJJ. He told legislators that the buildings where the kids sleep at one prison are falling apart.
Friday, Jan 8, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2008, Americans went online in record numbers for voting information. eVoter.com is making social media easier for candidates and voters. Gone are the days of trying to figure out how to make Facebook, Twitter, and online organizing work in your advantage. eVoter does the hard work for you. Campaigns, candidates, and voters get the social media tools and election knowledge they want, right away and in ONE location.
Candidates can:
• Create a high visible profile, at a very low cost
• Fundraise
• List endorsements
• Post press releases
• Promote YouTube and other online videos
• Take advantage of high search engine results
• Recruit and manage volunteers
• Send direct messages to voters
• And more!
Voters can:
• Search for polling places
• Create sample ballots and slating cards
• Look up candidates and the issues that matter
• Volunteer, donate, and connect directly with campaigns
Be heard and get empowered at the website where candidates and voters connect: www.eVoter.com.
* Talk about your bad timing. Last night, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard announced he had been endorsed by ultra-conservative radio talk show host Sandy Rios. From a press release…
“I’m so honored to have your endorsement,” Dillard told Rios. He called Rios a strong voice in the conservative community. “Her support is a huge boost to my candidacy for governor.”
Rios is a prominent Christian radio host, television commentator, and political writer. Her talk radio program, The Sandy Rios Show, airs for two hours each weekday afternoon in Chicago.
Sometime yesterday, Rios penned a horrific piece of scurrilous nonsense for Townhall.com entitled: Do We Have a Right to Know If Candidates Are Gay? As you might expect, it’s a truly nasty swipe at Congressman Mark Kirk. I don’t recommend that you read it unless you have a strong stomach.
I called Dillard’s campaign for comment, and they eventually said they wouldn’t have anything to say. Congressman Kirk probably won’t be too happy to hear that.
* Meanwhile, the AP leads with the gay angle in a new story on Mark Kirk…
Republican Mark Kirk is responding to ads from a fringe candidate in the U.S. Senate race by flatly stating that he’s not gay.
“All the major leaders” of the Taliban opposition in Southern Afghanistan are former Guantanamo prisoners who have been released, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said Thursday.
“We have been presented with no information that suggests that any of the detainees transferred by this administration have returned to the fight. The President created the Guantanamo Review Task Force to conduct the thorough work that had not been done before: to review the relevant information about each detainee, including the threat they pose, to determine whether they should be prosecuted, detained, or transferred. Decisions about detainees are made on an individual basis only after all of that information is considered by an interagency group that includes the Defense Department, law enforcement, and the intelligence community.”
You can listen to Kirk’s entire speech by clicking here, courtesy of the Union League Club, of which I am a proud member.
A manhunt is under way for three federal prisoners who bolted from a detention center near the southern Illinois town of Ullin.
The U.S. Marshals Service isn’t saying how the three men on Wednesday managed to make their way out of the Tri-County Detention Center in Pulaski County.
*** UPDATE *** Andy McKenna saw the same thing I did. From a press release…
“Today’s escape of prisoners in southern Illinois is a stark reminder of the dangers Illinoisans could face if Governor Quinn allows GITMO detainees into northwest Illinois.
“This plan, much like Governor Quinn’s early prisoner release program, is another ill-conceived, hastily arranged Blagojevich-style scheme that could put our families in jeopardy.
“I call on President Obama and Governor Quinn to seriously rethink this dangerous plan.”
* And Paul Green rates Kirk’s chances as “excellent” in a USA Today story…
Illinois.Republican Rep. Mark Kirk has an “excellent chance” of winning the Senate seat that once belonged to Obama, says Paul Green, a political science professor at Chicago’s Roosevelt University. Kirk has won two tough races in a congressional district that Obama carried with 61% of the vote last year. There are five Democratic candidates vying for the party’s nomination in a primary Feb. 2.
* Candidates can disclose voluntarily: Three Republican candidates for lieutenant governor are letting the sun shine on their campaign contributions. Other candidates should do the same.
* Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Kirk Dillard wants a legislative probe, with full subpoena powers, into the botched early prisoner release plan. From a press release…
State Senator Kirk Dillard today issued a letter to Senate and House Leaders urging for immediate action against Governor Quinn surrounding the second early release program and calling for a special session of the Committee of the Whole with full subpoena authority to gather the facts and repercussions.
“Quinn’s program raises additional troubling questions about how the administration is managing our state prisons and working in concert with prosecutors and victims,” Dillard begins in his letter to General Assembly leaders. “Governor Quinn and his administration continue to provide vastly different stories about these programs including who made the decision to authorize the early release, why violent criminals were included in the program, and why the MGT program was secretive. Far too many questions remain unanswered about these discretionary early release programs which could continue to have dramatic repercussions on our criminal justice system,” the letter states.
“Quinn is the only one accountable for this consequential error in judgment,” Dillard added. “His ‘word’ that he was left in the dark regarding a highly sensitive issue like early release is nothing short of deceit. Trying to place blame on Director of Prisons, Michael Randle is unacceptable and unprofessional,” Dillard said. “On issues such as public safety or homeland security the buck stops with the Governor. With all the people of Illinois have faced from the Blagojevich/Quinn Administrations, they not only deserve answers but also peace of mind,” said Dillard.
“I know that Illinois Legislators share the common goal of safety for each and every citizen of Illinois. We must work together to increase transparency, fully evaluate the programs, and explore all possible remediation measures,” Dillard wrote.
Dillard is a member of the Senate Criminal Law Judiciary committee, which oversees the Corrections Department, and a former co-chair of the panel.
There are some Democrats pushing quietly behind the scenes for a legislative probe, but Speaker Madigan just got back from vacation today, so nothing’s been decided - or even really discussed at the highest levels. But don’t hold your breath.
*** UPDATE *** From AFSCME…
In a letter sent today to Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 called for the immediate creation of “a special joint task force, including legislators from both parties and both chambers, to answer urgent questions about the administration of the corrections department.”
AFSCME is the state’s largest union of public-service workers. Its members include some 11,000 frontline employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“Recent events and news reports reveal a system spiraling out of control. Yet Governor Pat Quinn’s most substantive action has been to create new appointees answerable solely to him,” AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer wrote. “This response is wholly inadequate on its face.”
Bayer added: “[W]e are alarmed by the premature release of nearly 2,000 inmates through two IDOC initiatives—one conducted in secret—that have put violent and repeat offenders back in Illinois communities, despite pledges to the contrary. News reports indicate that many of these individuals have already committed new crimes. … Now, more than two weeks after the secret program was revealed, we still know almost nothing about how it was conceived, designed, approved or implemented. The public deserves a full accounting of who in IDOC management or the governor’s office authorized or was aware of the MGT Push program.”
Further, Bayer pointed out, “for years AFSCME has raised concerns about reckless budget cuts, mismanagement and neglect that have left state prisons severely short of staff”. Yet it appears that the premature-release programs were intended to “justify the governor’s threatened layoff of more than 1,000 prison employees.”
Bayer emphasized that “state prisons are increasingly dangerous” due to lack of staff, noting recent “disturbing outbreaks of violence” by prison inmates against employees at the Pinckneyville, Hill, Dixon, Pontiac, Illinois River, Logan and other facilities.
“These crises cannot be allowed to fester. Past patterns of cuts, mismanagement and neglect must not be repeated,” Bayer concluded. “The legislature has both the power to oversee the operation of state prisons, and the responsibility to serve as a co-equal check on the executive branch. In that capacity, I urge you to appoint a special joint task force to seek answers to these mushrooming scandals for the benefit of the people of Illinois.”
* I’m waiting on some return calls before I post a few things, so let’s just go right to the question. This photo is from a recent charity event at the Goodman Theater. Pictured are Congresscritters Mike Quigley and Jan Schakowsky and Sen. Dick Durbin…
Team America has confirmed with the Beth Coulson for Congress campaign that former Congressman John Porter is going to endorse State Rep. Beth Coulson in her bid for the GOP nomination to succeed Congressman Mark Kirk in the Tenth Congressional District. As most of you know, Porter was a popular and highly-regarded congressman who was noted for his political acumen and influence, as well as his ethics and attention to serving his district for many years.
The press release just arrived in my in-box…
“Beth is the best fit for the 10th district and I know her to be a dedicated leader” Porter said. “She is a strong fiscal conservative at a time when Washington, DC, needs legislators who will restrain runaway federal spending.”
Porter’s highly sought-after endorsement by 10th Congressional District GOP candidates comes on the heels of former-Gov. Jim Edgar announcing last month that he, too, is backing Coulson.
“Beth Coulson has demonstrated herself as a thoughtful legislator with the ability to master complex public policy issues and translate them into common sense solutions,” Porter said. “In particular, because of her professional background as a medical school professor, Beth would provide invaluable and much-needed insight into ongoing health care policy issues.” […]
Porter’s endorsement follows the endorsement of the majority of Illinois Congressional Republicans including Reps. Judy Biggert, Timothy Johnson, Aaron Schock and John Shimkus and Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly including leaders State Rep. Tom Cross and State Sen. Chris Radogno. Coulson has also received the backing of numerous local elected officials and civic leaders in the 10th District.
There wasn’t any of that on display Tuesday night, but then all of the speakers seemed to be preaching to the choir.
In fact, this crowd was beyond polite.
When someone asked people to give up their seats for older men and women in the audience who were standing, I saw one fellow with a cane get up and offer his chair to a younger person. I saw another senior citizen, who could barely balance himself, give up his seat to a woman and lean against a wall.
Every person I spoke with was so bursting with enthusiasm for the cause that I had trouble taking notes.
One man told me he’s tired of writing letters to politicians in Washington only to get form letters back saying, “Thank you for writing. Now I’m going to vote the way I want to.”
Several of the members told me they spend a lot of time on the Internet researching political issues and e-mailing friends.
The crowd was white, middle class and suburban. And for whatever reason, they feel their country is being taken away from them.
* Republican Cook County Board candidate Mark Thompson has a new Internet ad. At least I think it’s just an Internet ad. I hope he doesn’t put this on TV. Watch if you dare…
Sometimes, it’s better just to do nothing rather than put out stuff like that. Yeesh.
One year ago, the state of Illinois hit one of the lowest points in its 191-year history.
Then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich had been led away in handcuffs, charged with trying to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat. His Springfield colleagues moved to excise the poison, swiftly impeaching him.
Into that void walked the anti-Blagojevich, Patrick J. Quinn.
Where Blagojevich is underhanded, Gov. Quinn is an open book. Where Blagojevich is flashy, Quinn is rumpled and real. And, most important, where Blagojevich is dishonest and manipulative, Quinn has proven himself over a long career to be a man you can trust.
As Illinois’ accidental governor, Quinn has had a bumpy ride. But nearly a year after landing the job, his integrity, passion and commitment to fight for the little guy are still what Illinois needs.
The paper even glossed over the early prisoner release debacle, pretty much ignoring much of their own publication’s coverage.
Anyway, there’s lots of great fodder in there for a Quinn TV ad. It was pretty darned solid.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he’s already addressed all questions about his administration’s role in a secret early release program from Illinois prisons.
He won’t explain exactly when he learned the program included violent offenders or why he has made contradictory statements about whether he knew of the program in advance.
…Quinn refused to give a clear timeline about when he met with corrections chief Michael Randle about the program. Instead, Quinn said he talked with Randle about the general policy of early release “on several occasions” following his May appointment.
Quinn has blamed Randle for the program but did not fire him.
The governor said he thought early release would involve only low-level offenders who were nearing the end of their prison terms. He said he learned of the “MGT Push” program only after reading the AP story. That contradicted his statement weeks earlier that he knew about the program and that it had been well-publicized.
When asked if he thought he had changed his story, Quinn said softly, “No, I don’t.”
This is not gonna die until we get some more answers. Period. The AP’s John O’Connor, who broke the MGT Push story, is about as dogged as a reported can get. He never lets go. Just ask the State Board of Education about O’Connor’s years-long jihad. It was quite an amazing sight to behold, I’m tellin’ ya.
An Elgin man sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated battery to a pregnant person, criminal trespass and knowingly damaging property was released on parole in October after serving only 15 days of his sentence.
It was uncomfortable for Kane County prosecutors to cut a deal with Michael Rodriguez. After all, he was charged with participating in the Halloween 1990 murder of rival Aurora gang leader Albert “Psycho” Gonzalez.
Rodriguez admitted to firing at Gonzalez, although ballistics proved he was a poor shot. The fatal bullets were fired by Rodriguez’s fellow gang members.
But prosecutors needed Rodriguez’s testimony. So he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and got 5½ years in prison.
Now, less than three years after he was arrested, Rodriguez is back on the street.
A Will County man sentenced to prison on a drug charge was freed early under a controversial state program that Gov. Pat Quinn called a “mistake” and discontinued last week, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis found.
Charles Robinette, 40, had been sentenced to 12 months in prison. He served just 12 days, the analysis found.
This was not the first time Robinette was eligible for early release from prison.
On Oct. 5, 1995, Robinette, then 26, of Wilmington robbed a liquor store in Rockdale. The owner of Bait and Beer was stabbed and beaten with a hammer.
Robinette received a 20-year prison sentence for attempted murder.
And then there are the related angles. For instance…
A watchdog group says the state’s prison system for juveniles is hobbled by management problems and needs a major overhaul in order to better serve troubled youth.
After a two-year study, the John Howard Association of Illinois found shortfalls in staffing, deteriorating buildings and a lack of follow-up after juveniles are released from facilities.
“While the department has made progress, it needs to do more if Illinois is to offer troubled youth an opportunity for meaningful change in their lives,” the report said.
The group’s criticism of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice comes as Gov. Pat Quinn has been under fire for a secret early-release program for adult prisoners in which more than 1,700 inmates were let go after serving little time behind bars.
This is a policy and political disaster. There’s just no other way to put it.
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Chicago Sun-Times and its sister papers are providing its readers with an online Election Resource Center powered by eVoter.com.
More voters than ever will be looking for you on eVoter.com. Can they find you?
Make your campaign efforts count by making your presence on eVoter.com, the unbiased, non-partisan source for ballot information in Illinois.
eVoter.com is a comprehensive voter resource site where voters, candidates, and endorsing organizations make a direct connection. Voters can surf past social media clutter with a stop at eVoter to get sample ballots, polling locations, absentee ballots, view personalized candidate profiles, and follow announced endorsements. Meanwhile, candidates and organizations can create personalized profiles that are cost-effective, highly visible and eye-catching.
In 2008, more than half of all voters used the Internet to help them choose their candidates. When undecided voters come looking for information about you and your issues, will you be there?
Visit eVoter.com. It won’t take any longer than a single fund-raising call or knocking on a voter’s door, and can help you reach thousands of voters with the click of a mouse.
