Where’s the coverage?
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The 5th Congressional District primary election is three weeks from today, yet the paucity of media coverage is quite puzzling to me. I mean, we’re talking about a major open seat battle featuring all sorts of colorful characters and lots of Democratic and union and other infighting, yet there’s almost nothing for the average voter to read.
The Tribune did an online piece about Rep. Sara Feigenholtz missing the ethics committee vote last week, but I don’t think the story ever actually made it into the paper. The story I highlighted yesterday about Rep. John Fritchey slamming Rep. Feigenoltz was buried deep in the Sun-Times. The CS-T had a nice little feature on Mike Quigley this week, but there wasn’t much news in it. Fox Chicago ran a couple of stories a while back on Feigenholtz’s poll causing controversy. But there hasn’t been much else.
The best coverage by far has been online. Prairie State Blue has done a quite respectable job of putting things together, including an interesting piece by Bored Now today. Progress Illinois has a good roundup today and they’ve done some reportage as well. Gapers Block has a fun piece today about the candidates using Twitter.
Take all of those blogs, add it to this one and a relative tiny number of 5th District voters are getting any sort of information on a regular basis about this campaign.
It would be nice to see the Chicago media, which supposedly loves to cover politics, finally get engaged here. The clock is ticking.
* On to the news. As expected, SEIU endorsed Rep. Feigenholtz today. From a press release…
“Sara Feigenholtz will help President Barack Obama get this nation’s economy going again and that means creating jobs,” said SEIU Illinois Council President Thomas Balanoff. “Her get-things-done reputation means working families will have the right person, at the right time, fighting for their needs in Washington. She knows this recovery must begin in our neighborhoods,” he added.
* There was a bit of a dustup in comments yesterday between an SEIU official and others over just how many union members each side has in the district. The Illinois AFL-CIO has endorsed Rep. Fritchey.
The State Fed won’t release individual union membership totals by district, but they claim there are about 38,000 union members in the 5th CD, and about 24,000 of those are registered to vote. Both those numbers are probably understated because the AFL-CIO apparently has lower totals for SEIU than the union itself claims. Jerry Morrison of SEIU wrote on the blog yesterday that his union has 8,000 members in the district. He didn’t say how many of them were registered voters, however..
So, figure maybe about 40,000 or so union members overall, with SEIU having 8,000 of them. I sent Morrison an e-mail a bit ago asking for his registered voters total. I’ll pass his answer along if I hear back from him. Also, there are about 6,000 teachers union members in that district and almost all are registered voters.
I hope this clears up at least some of the confusion.
…Adding… Morrison just called and said he has 8,000 registered voters in the district.
* Meanwhile, another day, another whack on Feigenholtz. From a press release…
Mike Quigley’s campaign is calling today on state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz to return money that she collected at a downtown fundraiser last week— an event which she attended instead of voting on a bill to reform state government in the wake of the Blagojevich scandal.
Feigenholtz was the only member of the Illinois House to skip the vote last Thursday on SJR 1, a bill to create a new panel of lawmakers who will work with Gov. Pat Quinn “to restore integrity to State government.” Every other member of the state House voted on the bill.
Instead of carrying out her legislative duties in Springfield, the Chicago Tribune reported that Feigenholtz chose to attend a campaign fundraiser that same afternoon. (An invitation to the event shows that it was held at the offices of a downtown firm that lobbies the State of Illinois on behalf of its clients).
Today, the Quigley campaign urged Feigenholtz to give the money back. […]
Bowen added that, in addition to answering whether she will return the money raised at last Thursday’s fundraiser, Feigenholtz should also explain her decision to contribute $5,000 to Rod Blagojevich in June 2006, a contribution nearly a year after Blagojevich’s campaign, key fundraisers and administration had been identified in the media as targets of federal investigations.
Considering the lack of coverage, I’m not sure anyone else will ever see that creative slam.
* Other stuff…
* Fritchey Woos Bloggers in Illinois 5th CD Special Election
* Race to fill congressional seat draws wide attention
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you know by now, billions of federal construction dollars have been sitting idly in DC while Illinois politicians decide how to come up with the state matching money to capture those buckaroos.
There is no existing state money available for this. It will have to come from some new revenue source, whether that be motor fuel taxes, driver fees, income taxes, sales taxes, some other taxes or things like leasing assets or gaming expansion.
And, don’t forget that the feds will likely do another transportation bill in a year or so, and Illinois will have to come up with even more money.
* The Question: How would you come up with approximately $2 billion to capture the existing federal money, plus find even more money in a year or so?
And, please, don’t say “cut the budget.” The budget will have to be cut in order to help put it into balance. There’s just no way to cut the budget for that purpose and also come up with money for a capital program.
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* Sometimes, a bit of pointed meannes works. Kurt Erickson’s column from the other day…
Sure, it’s been less than three weeks since Roland Burris was sworn in as Illinois’ new senator, but shouldn’t he – or at least someone in his office – respond to questions about how he’s going about his new job?
It took an impolite e-mail to Jason Erkes, a Chicago-based political strategist who apparently works for Burris, to get a response.
I asked Erkes if Burris was a chicken, afraid to answer questions from Illinois-based reporters. Was he taking a page from the now-impeached governor who appointed him to the office amidst a great deal of controversy?
Amazingly, after weeks of silence from the Burris camp, it took less than five minutes for Erkes to respond.
Erkes was clearly concerned about how Burris’ image would be portrayed in the media. He explained that the rookie senator has been too busy to do interviews. He’s been going to senator school. He’s been doing ethics training, which, after the way he was appointed, is probably not a bad thing.
In short, Burris has been just too busy learning how to be a senator to explain himself.
* Kurt Erickson today in the Pantagraph…
Illinois’ new U.S. senator is planning to visit a troubled downstate veterans’ hospital in the coming weeks.
A top aide to Roland Burris said Monday that the senator hopes to tour the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marion during an upcoming break in congressional action.
No date for the visit was available Monday, but Burris’ acting chief of staff, Darrel Thompson, said the tour will be part of the Democrat’s role as a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. […]
Thompson said Burris isn’t going to Marion for publicity purposes. Rather, he said, “We’re going there to learn.”
At least Erickson got through to the chief of staff. Burris’ first Illinois press conference ought to be a hoot.
In fairness to Burris, however, I should note that Sen. Dick Durbin the other day offered up some pretty good reasons for the seeming confusion at Burris’ office, including the lack of staff, no posted e-mail address, nobody answering phones for a time, etc.
Senators usually pick staffers from people who worked on their campaigns, Durbin said, pointing out that Burris had no campaign. Senators also have three months between the election and their swearing in to make sure everything is in order. Burris had pretty much no time.
As far as the phone problem was concerned, Durbin said that the complaints arose during a period when conservative talk radio hosts were ginning people up to call their Senators against the stimulus bill. Burris, like almost everybody else, was swamped.
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Vive la différence
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Sneed…
What a difference an impeachment makes: Where once you could have thrown a bowling ball through a crowd and not hurt anyone at Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s fund-raisers, it would now knock a lot of people over. Hundreds stood in line to have their pix taken at Gov. Quinn’s fund-raiser Monday night at Fulton’s on the River, according to a Sneed source. “He never knew he had so many new friends,” the source added.
* From a reader…
-Hundreds lined up at Fulton’s on the River last night. It was jam packed. Plenty of drinks, not much food.
-Handful of politicos present including David Orr, Ald. Joe Moore, Art Berman, Billy Marovitz and a few others…
-Dennis Gannon and other big union types were all there.
-Every social service special interest was there.
-Many of the ciy’s big name lawyers were there, including Joe Powers.
-This was the biggest who’s who ever at any Quinn fundraiser.
* For Thursday…
On Thursday, Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, Gov. Pat Quinn will host an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.
“The Executive Mansion belongs to the people of Illinois,” Quinn said. “There is no better day to open up this beautiful house to the people than the day marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of our state’s greatest resident, Abraham Lincoln.”
* This is surely a different approach…
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has picked former assistant U.S. attorney Theodore Chung to be his new general counsel. Quinn says Chung’s commitment to reforming Illinois’ government made him the right choice for the job.
Chung says he doesn’t have any previous ties to the new governor. Chung says that’ll be an asset to the administration.
CHUNG: I don’t have a lot invested emotionally in this man [Quinn]. A lot in the office, it’s true of it. But, I don’t feel like there’s going to be kind of an inner conflict within myself, in terms of giving him the best possible legal advice, exercising the best possible judgement.
* But, now, let’s get to the meat of things. This profile of Quinn’s new chief of staff Jerry Stermer was penned by Bethany Jaeger…
Jerry Stermer of Elmhurst said [yesterday] that he accepted the chief of staff position because the administration would put “children first.” That’s rounding out Quinn’s agenda that, so far, has prioritized a capital construction program, a plan to chip away at the state’s $4 billion in unpaid bills, a yet-to-be announced education plan and an ethics reform package.
Stermer is the founder and 22-year president of Voices for Illinois Children, a privately funded group based in Chicago that advocates for health care and education. The group worked with former Gov. Jim Edgar in a failed attempt to change the state’s tax structure to fund public education, relying more on state income taxes and less on property taxes. The measure has been proposed numerous times in various forms since then, but Senate President John Cullerton, who now controls the flow of legislation in his chamber, is a proponent.
Stermer and Quinn acknowledged during a Chicago news conference this morning that taxes are on the table as part of a “rescue plan” for the state budget, but they also used the words “fairness strategy” to indicate tax breaks or deductions for low-income families. “We do want to have in Illinois a tax code that is fair to parents raising kids,” Quinn said. “I think I saw once that our state gives more tax breaks to those raising thoroughbred horses than it gives to parents raising children. We’re going to change that.”
Those three grafs give you a pretty darned good idea of where Quinn is going. Tax reform and tax hikes to fund education and social programs.
* Related…
* Scott Reeder: Illinois’ identity and the Land of Lincoln
* Quinn in position to push ‘reform’ agenda
* Gov. Pat Quinn appoints child activist as chief of staff
* Gov appoints chief of staff, general counsel
* Quinn says tollway needs review
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The Blagojevich clown show continues
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rod Blagojevich finds himself up against the full might of the US Attorney’s office without a lead criminal defense attorney…
After one top Blagojevich lawyer quit, there’s just one attorney officially representing him now — his longtime friend Sheldon Sorosky.
Sorosky was never going to be the lead lawyer. He’s more of an advisor.
* More…
With a massive indictment due in April, he’s looking for more. So Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, met with Chicago lawyers over the weekend about adding to their legal team. One possibility for team leader is defense lawyer Tom Breen, lawyers involved in the case say. He has vast experience in federal court and at the criminal courts at 26th and California. […]
Sam Adam Sr. and Sam Adam Jr. handled some of Blagojevich’s impeachment issues. But the father-son team hadn’t committed to the federal case as of Monday, said attorney Michael Ettinger. He represents Robert Blagojevich, the ex-governor’s brother, who oversaw the governor’s campaign fund. He has not been charged. “No decision’s been made yet,” Ettinger said.
* This is tellling…
Breen declined to comment Monday, but was said to be interested in taking the case if the Adamses drop out.
The Adamses were the ones who encouraged Blagojevich to boycott the Senate impeachment trial and go on national TV instead. They also boxed out Ed Genson, who is one of the most sought-after criminal defense attorneys in Chicago. The moves were viewed with horror by other members of the defense bar, so getting them out of the way will probably be a must-do no matter who Blagojevich brings in.
* Wow…
The problem worsened right after Genson announced that he would withdraw. Adam was approached by a television crew and asked why Genson had dropped out.
Adam pointed to his head and said: “Cuckoo.'’
Adam said afterward he was only joking and imitating Mayor Richard M. Daley, who had said earlier that Blagojevich was “cuckoo.'’ But Genson wasn’t laughing.
“We want Sam in the case,'’ Ettinger said. “He is involved. But we don’t know at this point the extent of his commitment.'’
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The circular firing squad
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Comparing the Illinois House Republican Leader to the Vichy leader who surrendered France to the Nazis is a bit much, especially considering the lack of evidence for the charge. This press release was handed out at the Statehouse press room yesterday…
The Illinois Alliance for Growth announced today that it was awarding a Philippe Pétain Award for Collaboration to House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego).
The award comes for comments signaling the surrender of the loyal opposition in the General Assembly just as a $9 billion “corruption and mis-rule” bill is being presented to the tax paying public.
Leader Cross’ comments came in an Associated Press story in today’s Bloomington Pantagraph. In the story, Cross signaled surrender to Democrats intent on hiking taxes to pay for their six years of mis-rule and corruption. Many of these policies have contributed to the state’s struggling economy and have left the state largely bankrupt.
Cross’ remarks also opened a rift in the Illinois Republican Party by distancing Republican lawmakers from the anti-tax pro-economic growth positions of rank and file Republicans as well as the state party.
According to the story Cross said, “I don’t think Republicans should be going into this legislative session with their Republican hats on,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, who hosted Quinn at one of his usually private caucus meetings.”
The story went on to report that “Republican lawmakers” were on board with the surrender:
“Republican lawmakers say now is not the time to assign blame as the state wallows in billions of dollars of debt. Instead, they should [be] cooperative with Democrats.”
“With respect to Republicans and Leader Cross now is the time hold people accountable and not let them off the hook,” said Illinois Alliance for Growth President Greg Blankenship. “With higher taxes being openly discussed in Springfield, it is time for the opposition to promote its alternatives not collaborate. The Marshal Pétain Award for Collaboration is a fitting metaphor for these positions.”
So, on the basis of a single quote and the political analysis of a reporter, Cross is called a surrender monkey.
* Cross gave this response to my intern Mike Murray…
“I have never heard of the ‘Illinois Alliance for Growth’, but I do not agree with their view that I have signaled surrender to the Democrats’ intent on hiking taxes to pay for their six years of corruption and financial mismanagement.
“The Democrats, led by Gov Blagojevich, got us into the financial crisis that was highlighted by Comptroller Hynes last week. Facing a $9 billion dollar budget deficit, I have committed to working with Governor Quinn in order to create a solution that will clean up the mess left by the Democrats and put Illinois back on the right track.
“However, this absolutely does not mean that I have committed, caved, or surrendered to the Democrats and their desire for a tax increase. I am currently working with various think tanks, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, to create my own legislation which would require 3/5 of the House to approve any tax increases.”
* Look, the partisan rhetoric emanating from the state GOP and others these days serves a useful purpose. Voters ought to be reminded that the Democrats have been running every branch of state government for the past six years, and not so well, as is plainly seen.
But legislators have an obligation to their districts and to the state at large. Pure partisanship and rejection of all ideas from the other side based on rigid ideology is not exactly good legislating.
You’d think the Right would want Republican legislators at the bargaining table to prevent an all-Democratic “solution” to the very real problems Illinois faces.
Thoughts?
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Cue the chickens
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated column looks at the budget problem…
The chickens are coming home to roost.
In fact, more chickens are on their way than we’ve ever seen before.
And they’re mad.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent years ignoring and exacerbating the state’s structural budget deficit. What that means is he did a lot of one-time budget fixes with one-time revenue sources to stem the tide of red ink, while at the same time expanding state spending exponentially.
You can get away with that as long as other revenues are growing enough to help patch the rest of the budget holes, but state revenues have tanked along with the national economy, and we’re in big trouble. Hence, that ginormous flock of angry chickens heading our way.
Comptroller Dan Hynes predicted last week that next fiscal year’s budget deficit could be as high as $9 billion. Considering that the budget is about $60 billion, and the money the state actually controls in the budget is about half that amount, we’re looking at a problem unseen since the Great Depression. The fiscal year, by the way, begins July 1.
Hynes’ estimate is based on a $4.3 billion deficit in the current fiscal year and a relatively flat growth in state revenues in the coming fiscal year.
Flat revenue growth may be overly optimistic. The legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability’s latest report, headlined, “The patient has taken a turn for the worse,” suggests expected state revenues could be $1.6 billion lower in the current fiscal year than they were last fiscal year. And things aren’t exactly looking up for next year, either.
Hynes’ deficit projection also relies on no spending growth for the rest of state government. Every dollar of growth adds to the deficit. But expecting flat growth is probably not realistic, as recessions traditionally provoke and even require more government spending, not less.
There are two areas of hope.
First, the federal stimulus plan could bring $3 billion into state coffers next fiscal year, lowering Hynes’ projected deficit to $6 billion. But as I write this, the stimulus package has hit rough waters in the U.S. Senate. While a deal still looks likely, nobody really knows yet what the states will get out of the final package.
Hynes also reported that if state revenues for July and August match last year’s take from the same period, then the current year’s deficit would be lowered to around $2 billion. Still, Hynes reported last week, “Without a major infusion of cash from borrowing or another source, the state will be virtually insolvent.”
There are some very difficult choices ahead.
One option, albeit distasteful, would be to leave the Medicaid payment cycle where it is, which would be hotly opposed by nonprofit service providers of all stripes. They’re already struggling mightily to make ends meet, and some are actually going out of business while they wait for state checks that never seem to come. The deficit could be lopped further, perhaps about $1 billion, if the political heat could be sustained, which it probably can’t.
The state’s mandated pension payment will rise by $1.2 billion next fiscal year, which may get a closer look by legislators. Five hundred million dollars of that payment will be required to make up for investment shortfalls by the pension funds, according to Hynes. The rest is a mandated increase in order to eventually reach “full funding” of the systems.
So, if the General Assembly decides to shaft Medicaid providers and short the pension funds, and if revenues bounce back in late summer and the stimulus passes Congress intact and legislators completely rein in spending for next fiscal year, the budget deficit could be pared to a bit over $2 billion.
It might be possible to bond future proceeds from the recent sale of the 10th state casino license, which would lower the deficit a bit more. Huge state employee layoffs, giant cuts to schools and universities, significantly reduced services for the poor and everyone else would be required to balance the rest of the budget without a tax increase, if the General Assembly could somehow defy logic and muster up the insane courage required to do all that.
That’s a whole lot of “ifs.”
Cue the chickens.
* Related…
* Fox Chicago Sunday : Dan Hynes, Illinois comptroller talks about the report he issued this week, indicating Illinois is facing a $900 billion budget deficit.
* Doug Finke: No tax hikes? No chance
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Morning Shorts
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Study Finds Inequities at Clinics Serving Minorities
Health clinics with a large percentage of minority patients tend to be more chaotic, have less equipment and more stressed-out doctors. That’s according to new research from the medical school at Loyola University.
* Illinois’ health insurance option of last resort
* Latino clergy standing up to Daley - They want Hispanics to get bigger slice of City Hall pie
Strangely enough, De Jesus says he has no complaint with the mayor himself, whom he calls his “good friend.”
“My quarrel is with the people under him,” said De Jesus, who says the mayor phoned him in advance about the news conference and agreed to meet with the clergy group at a date to be determined. No food, of course.
De Jesus said he’s not sure these unnamed underlings are carrying out the mayor’s wishes.
“I can’t believe every demotion comes before the mayor,” he said.
He might be surprised.
* Effort to trim Cook County’s proposed $3 billion budget stalls
A proposal to cut $84.4 million from Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s 2009 budget proposal failed to win approval Monday, leaving commissioners at loggerheads just 19 days before the Feb. 28 deadline to approve the spending plan.
The proposed cuts, backed by Republicans and Finance Committee Chairman John Daley (D-Chicago), would have gone a long way toward balancing the proposed $3 billion budget, which is out of whack because most commissioners don’t support Stroger’s plan to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for operating expenses.
Daley, typically a Stroger supporter, said he will abstain from voting on the borrowing plan because of business and family conflicts involving companies involved in Stroger’s proposed bond deal. When it was suggested Monday that the companies could be changed, Daley announced he would vote no in that case.
* EPA: Oil spill probe to begin after cleanup
* UC hospital plans layoffs
The University of Chicago Medical Center says the tough economy is forcing it to eliminate 450 jobs. And hundreds are to be cut through attrition.
It’s all part of a $100 million cost-cutting plan recently announced by the South Side hospital.
* Elgin spending $100K to go green
Elgin leaders on Wednesday are expected to sign off on a $100,000 deal for a consultant to review ways to make the city more sustainable.
* O’Hare remains worst for on-time departures
* It’s back to Illinois 53’s future
After years of relative calm, a decades-old debate is about to erupt again in Lake County over whether Illinois Highway 53 should be extended roughly 15 miles through the heart of the county.
* Sen. Durbin Recommends Callahan
* Illinois investigates defense costs in death penalty case
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office said Monday it is investigating whether the state was overbilled for defense costs in the Jason Smith death penalty trial in St. Clair County.
* 30 months in prison for state government theft
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Stimulus, schmimulus
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is somewhat misleading…
Illinois could stand to gain a big piece of the stimulus pie - if Congress passes the approximately $800 billion spending package.
Illinois US Senator Dick Durbin says some money for school construction projects and discretionary spending has been cut back, but there are still plenty of dollars that could go to his home state.
DURBIN: If the state faces a $9 billion deficit as Comptroller (Dan) Hynes has indicated, I’m hoping that the stimulus package will infuse some $3 billion into the state, at a time to give the legislature and governor some relief, and I hope that over the next year or two, they can use that relief to put our state back on sound footing.
Durbin says Illinois stands to get around $2.5 billion for Medicaid with another $1 billion tagged for education programs.
First, the federal money will be doled out over two years.
Second, as I told subscribers this morning, the really big hit to the Illinois budget will come from a reported Senate elimination of a $25 billion US House-approved program that would’ve given states significant flexibility to deal directly with their own budget deficits, which are pretty darned high right now…
Illinois is hardly alone in its budget shortfall. Nationally, states are expecting an average shortfall equal to 17 percent of their operating budgets, but in Illinois it is 28 percent, said Elizabeth McNichol, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.
Get that? 28 percent of our operating budget. Yeehaw.
The education money mentioned by Durbin is essentially a pass-through that goes straight to school districts. It’ll help take pressure off state budgeteers, but it won’t directly patch holes.
* Here’s another explanation of what the Senate “moderate” deal cut out of the original House plan…
The original House-Senate “State Fiscal Stabilization Fund” was set at $79 billion over two years. After a small rakeoff for territories and administration, it was divided roughly into $39 billion to the states (with a pass-through to school districts for unused funds) to restore prior state education cuts; a $15 billion “state incentives grant” program keyed to progress towards state education goals (presumably those set by No Child Left Behind); and then a $25 billion fund that could literally go to any state function, including education. This last flexible fund is basically general revenue sharing, though unlike the old Nixon-era program, it all goes to the states.
The amendment killed the flexible fund entirely; cut the “state incentive grant” fund in half (to $7.5 billion); and then left the remaining $31 billion in the fund distributed to offset state education cuts. So in the state fiscal stabilization section alone, the $40 billion cut everybody’s talking about involves $25 billion in flexible money and $15 billion in education funding.
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This just in…
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 11:49 am - From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn announced two major appointments to the governor’s staff by naming Jerome Stermer as Chief of Staff and Theodore T. Chung as General Counsel. Stermer was President of Voices for Illinois Children and Chung was a partner in the Chicago office of Perkins Coie LLP.
“I am very pleased these two experienced and honorable professionals are joining my Administration,” said Governor Quinn. “I look forward to working with them in behalf of the people of Illinois.”
Jerome Stermer, 65, is a highly-regarded manager and community leader. As president of Voices for Illinois Children since 1987, Stermer built that organization into a leading child advocacy group that promotes public investment in children’s education, health care and early development. Stermer also has an extensive background in state government including positions as assistant to the director at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and executive director of the Legislative Advisory Committee on Public Aid.
Theodore Chung, 42, is a partner in Perkins Coie’s litigation practice. Prior to joining Perkins in 2007, Chung was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago and a First Assistant Corporation Counsel to the City of Chicago. He also served has General Counsel to the recently-formed Illinois Reform Commission.
Governor Quinn added that other key personnel decisions will be announced within the near future.
…Adding… Both of these appointments give us quite a bit of insight into how Quinn intends to govern. Appointing a person who ran a social services advocacy group as chief of staff during an extreme budget crisis tells us a lot, as does appointing a former Assistant US Attorney as chief counsel.
In other words, he appears to be moving to the left budget-wise. Here’s part of Stermer’s farewell letter to Voices for Illinois Children…
As you well know, this is a critical time in our state’s history. We’re facing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, and the needs of children and families are becoming more pressing even as I write to you. Our new governor is confronted with many challenges, only one of them being to restore the public’s faith in our state government. Your dedication and commitment to children and families is needed now more than ever as we seek to engage all citizens in our efforts. As we’ve done together through the years, we must continue to push for progress in early learning and childcare, public education, healthcare, and all the issues so important to Illinois families.
…And Quinn’s appointment of Chung may signal that he’s more concerned with ethics issues than running day to day operations.
We’ll see.
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5th District roundup
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is one of the biggest problems for Rep. Feigenholtz and Commissioner Mike Quigley in the 5th CD special election race… …
Feigenholtz sported a well-known cadre of supporters, including endorsements from Equality Illinois Political Director Rick Garcia and Art Johnston, a popular co-founder of the gay rights group. Feigenholtz is going head-to-head for the GLBT vote with Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley.
One key endorsement is off the table. Ald. Tom “Sticky Buns” Tunney (44th) is taking a pass. Chicago’s first and only openly gay alderman and Ann Sather’s proprietor is a longtime friend and ally of both, so he is not endorsing, though he will do fund-raising for both.
They’re going to split that 44th Ward and gay-friendly vote. They both need to get outside their base, and they are trying. Whether they succeed will determine if they have a chance in the March primary. Quigley has the name, Feigenholtz has the money. Rep. John Fritchey has the troop advantage.
North Side and openly gay state Rep. Greg Harris is backing a strange bedfellow: 40th Ward Ald. Patrick O’Connor, Mayor Daley’s unofficial City Council floor leader and longtime Northwest Side pol. O’Connor launched his Council career in the 1980s as a member of the infamous “Vrdolyak 29,” the white ethnic bloc that stymied the city’s first black mayor at every turn.
That probably won’t dilute the Feigenholtz/Quigley base all that much, but it won’t help, either.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune will not give Rep. Fritchey a break. He gets the Illinois AFL-CIO endorsement while Feigenholtz is scoring the SEIU nod, so the Tribune hed reads thusly: “Unions divided in race to replace Emanuel.” There’s no analysis at all about how many union members are in the district (the unions backing Fritchey have far more in-district members than SEIU, for instance), or the relative strength that each union has (SEIU has a ton of bodies it can deploy at will, many of them experienced with precinct work, but the Chicago teachers and AFSCME are no slouches, either).
However, the real point is this: If a candidate is having trouble with the biggest newsaper in town, one should always keep an eye on that candidate because the trouble often spreads to other media outlets.
Feigenholtz, by the way, will be endorsed by UNITE/HERE this week. The union hasn’t been a gigantic player in ward politics, but it is with SEIU in the Change to Win splinter group and so will play a role in the campaign.
…CLARIFICATION… Local 1 of UNITE/HERE, which is the hotel/restaurant arm, endorsed Rep. Fritchey. As noted in Morning Shorts today, UNITE/HERE is pretty divided these days.
Fritchey won the endorsement of IVI/IPO over the weekend. That’s usually a great addition to a campaign mailer, but not so much as far as troops are concerned.
From PSB…
John has recently been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, IFT, AFSCME, the Jewish Political Alliance of Illinois, the American Muslim Task Force and the Illinois Committee for Honest Government, to name a few.”
Also, Tom Geoghegan is being endorsed by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committe. That will be good for a check and a press pop, but maybe not much else. We’ll see.
* Also via PSB, is a Sun-Times story that we missed several days ago…
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz is positioning herself as a progressive Democrat in the race to succeed Rahm Emanuel in Congress representing the North Side of Chicago and some of the west suburbs.
But one of her opponents is making sure voters know Feigenholtz’s name appears on two “clout lists” — lists of people who allegedly secured jobs for friends from then-Secretary of State George Ryan in the 1990s and from then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration.
State Rep. John Fritchey, a rival in the 5th Congressional District race, has been highlighting that connection in calls to voters.
Feigenholtz noted that Fritchey doesn’t mention that many elected officials in Illinois — including Emanuel, who is now President Obama’s White House chief of staff — also found their names on the list for acts as small as writing a letter of recommendation for people who got state jobs. That’s what Feigenholtz said landed her on both clout lists.
Add that to her missing the House ethics vote last week, toss in some expected controversy over her past campaign contributions and the nasty poll which stirred up a bit of ire and you can see a pattern develop, as least as far as campaigns are concerned. Nobody would ever actually come out and say that Feigenholtz is corrupt. They’ll just imply it.
Feigenholtz, however, can retaliate with misleading stuff like this, so it may all end up as a wash.
* Related…
* 5th CD Contact Database v 2.1
* IL-5: Endorsements And Non-Endorsements
* Fritchey Endorsed by IVI-IPO
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Question of the day
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Has your impression of the national media been permanently altered since Rod Blagojevich’s arrest? Explain.
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* Legislators of all stripes are so thrilled to finally have a governor who isn’t a schizoid criminal that even the Republicans are gushing about Gov. Quinn…
Two local state lawmakers say they’re already seeing progress with Illinois’ new governor, Pat Quinn. At a Republican breakfast [last week] in Washington [IL], State Senator Dan Rutherford and Representative Keith Sommer say the state is facing some serious problems.
Senator Dan Rutherford says Governor Pat Quinn is already making progress that’s benefiting central Illinois. […]
Senator Rutherford also gives Quinn an A+ for digging out what some called a problem for the Department of Natural Resources.
Both Republicans say the newly seated Democratic governor is helping steer the state the right way.
Sommer said, “It’s a whole different atmosphere, now people connect with the governor.”
* But it’s a different story with Republicans who never had to deal with Rod Blagojevich on a daily basis…
New Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn may not get much of a honeymoon. Republican Party officials peppered Quinn with criticisms the moment he was sworn in, and they promise to keep up the pressure as the 2010 election approaches.
The state’s top Republican, Andy McKenna, demanded immediately after Quinn took the oath of office that the new governor apologize for his relationship with scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich. McKenna’s office also published a booklet detailing alleged hypocrisy in the Democratic party.
Quinn’s critics insist Blagojevich’s departure won’t change the direction of Illinois politics unless they pressure his replacement.
“Just because we put a new horse in the race doesn’t mean, to me, that we’ve got a new jockey,” said Richard Stubblefield, Jefferson County Republican Chairman.
That’s actually not a bad strategy. Let the GOP legislators praise Quinn (they will anyway because, as I noted at the top, everybody at the Statehouse is just pleased as punch right now that Blagojevich is gone) and have the other Repubs whack him.
* Quinn will announce his new chief of staff today at 11, and it can’t come soon enough. Things have fallen through the cracks for a very long time…
Illinois hospitals and state government are poised to collect about $1 billion a year through a complicated maneuver involving the federal government, but the money hasn’t begun flowing because of the ex-governor’s legal troubles and the state’s cash crunch. […]
The first step in the assessment program, however, requires the state to come up with some cash - about $1 billion as of Friday. That hasn’t happened. […]
Annie Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, said payments to the hospitals should start by March 14. The law that authorizes the assessment plan gives the state 100 days to begin making payments, once the federal government approves the plan. The 100-day mark is March 14.
“The department is currently working with the governor’s budget office to identify resources available to begin making those payments,” Thompson said.
Quinn spent much of last week on a media market tour of Illinois. But now it’s time to get to work. Here’s another reason he needs to stay on top of things…
When the tollway board picked a new chief Friday to run the multibillion-dollar highway system that rings the suburbs, Gov. Pat Quinn knew nothing about it.
He read about it in the paper - and said he was “disturbed.”
“We are not going to take it quietly,” Quinn told the Daily Herald Sunday. “You can tell them, ‘I’m on my way.’”
Quinn should’ve had a chief of staff in place right away, or at least nearly right away. It’s the most important job in the administration and it can’t go unfilled for long.
* Related…
* Quinn says death penalty moratorium stays
* Gov. Quinn would continue moratorium on executions
* Quinn to host open house for bicentennial
* Schoenburg: Walker hired Quinn, Burris in ’ 70s
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Hit from all sides
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times looks at one aspect of the federal Blagojevich investigation…
As part of their “pay-to-play” probe of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, federal investigators are examining state bid proposals and other records from 18 heavyweight engineering and construction companies that made hefty political contributions and got big contracts from the state and from City Hall, records show.
In all, the companies have made more than $3.6 million in campaign contributions since the mid-1990s, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis shows.
More than a third of that — about $1.3 million — went to Blagojevich, whose administration gave 11 of the companies $656 million in contracts since 2004.
Mayor Daley took $64,800 from the companies before he put a self-imposed ban on accepting campaign cash from city contractors in the wake of the Hired Truck scandal. Since 2004, 11 of the companies have gotten $183 million in city deals.
Notice the gigantic difference in money contributed to the two men. One of the companies was represented by John Wyma, the former Blagojevich insider who’s looking for an immunity deal. Another was represented by Lon Monk, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff. Both of those guys were bigtime Blagojevich fundraisers. The Blagojevich campaign guys were all about the money, and it shows in that above discrepancy.
* And Carol Marin speculates about the recent Chris Kelly federal indictment for bigtime alleged wrongdoing on an O’Hare Airport contract…
O’Hare has been a golden goose of possibilities for well-connected businesses and politicians. In the last year, Mayor Daley’s own Inspector General David Hoffman has, according to published reports, been probing contracts and political connections out at O’Hare.
And now we learn the feds have in their clutches former Daley aide and Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris, who — guess what? — did two tours of duty for the mayor out at O’Hare. Harris was arrested on Dec. 9. The Kelly indictment spans airport work from 1998-2006.
Where was John Harris during some of those years? In 1999, the mayor named him first deputy commissioner of aviation overseeing the “future of O’Hare,” the project manager for “design, financing and construction.”
A cooperating witness, imagine what Harris has been able to share with the government.
Imagine what Kelly could tell them, assuming he doesn’t stay on that hot tin roof much longer.
Yep.
* Related…
* Blago blitz ‘like watching a train wreck’
* Experts say Blago book deal unlikely
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* This WaPo story comes out of Washington, DC, so it was most likely planted by somebody who is trying to recruit Lisa Madigan to run for US Senate…
The removal of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his subsequent replacement by now-Gov. Pat Quinn is still sorting itself out, but a real possibility exists that Quinn will face a serious primary challenge in 2010.
State Attorney General Lisa Madigan is clearly interested in being governor but, of late, there have been some reports that she may see a Senate race as the better (and easier) next step for her. Quinn has a chance to cast himself as the anti-Blagojevich to a public more than ready to move on. If he does, it’s possible he dodges a serious primary. If he stumbles, the sharks will be circling.
So far, Lisa Madigan seems pretty intent on running for governor. But like I said at the top, there is a DC recruitment drive.
Later in the piece, we get the state’s US Senate race…
[Appointed US Sen. Roland Burris] continues to play coy about whether he will run for a full term in 2010 but even if he does he seems likely to face a primary challenge from at least one major Democratic candidate with state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias most regularly mentioned. If Burris decides against a run, this could be a knock-down drag out fight with Madigan, if she wants to be in the Senate, the immediate favorite in an open seat scenario.
Again, don’t believe that Madigan stuff just yet and consider the source. She didn’t enjoy the legislative process all that much in the Illinois Senate, so the US Senate has never been a major goal.
Giannoulias was in DC again last week to meet with potential campaign staff, fundraisers, etc. He also met with US Sen. Dick Durbin, who said yesterday that Giannoulias would be a “formidable” candidate if he runs. Giannoulias is clearly gearing up for a Senate bid.
* AG Madigan even tweaked Gov. Quinn a bit the other day…
Rod Blagojevich’s removal from the governor’s office signals a new direction for how open records issues are handled in state government.
But will it be more cooperation or antagonism? Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants new Gov. Pat Quinn to set a tone of openness right away.
Madigan sent Quinn a letter on his first day in office, urging him to issue an executive order making open records access a priority. He should appoint special staffers to oversee records’ requests and review scores of denials by the Blagojevich administration to see if violations occurred, Madigan said.
* And pretty much anybody who is anybody in statewide Democratic politics was in DuPage County last night for a President’s Day dinner…
But Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan tried to sound a hopeful note Sunday night, saying that while the ouster of the two-term Democratic governor involved “some of the most stressful, difficult times” in her career, she and other Democrats need to look forward.
“Look at the history of the good elected officials from the state of Illinois,” she said, citing Abraham Lincoln, Paul Simon and President Barack Obama. “There is no need to be ashamed.”
Yes, there is a need to be ashamed, but I can see part of her point.
* Meanwhile, ProPublica and the Tribune take a closer look at the guy who loaned and contributed $1.57 million to Roland Burris’s 2002 gubernatorial bid. Burris still owes Joseph Stroud $1.2 million from that race…
Shortly after the 2002 campaign ended, Burris phoned prosecutors and local police about criminal charges Stroud wanted filed against a former employee who had sued him, claiming wrongful termination, records show.
The businessman made it clear he had called on Burris, then a private citizen, because of Burris’ political résumé. “There is an appropriate person to go to who was formerly a state attorney general here in Illinois, I believe, to properly secure prosecution of a crime,” he testified in the ex-employee’s lawsuit.
Burris testified that Stroud’s contributions bought him no special access and he denied an allegation in the suit that Stroud had offered Burris $20,000 if the former employee were charged with eavesdropping because of tape recordings she made.
The owner of a local television station, WJYS-Ch. 62, Stroud denied making the offer. Burris, he testified, “received compensation enough. This was after I believe that I contributed a million-plus to his campaign.”
No charges were ever filed and Stroud also testified that he contributed so much money to Burris because it was in the best interests of the African-American community.
* And speaking of debt, this seems excessive…
Before he was even sworn in, newly minted Senator Roland Burris had already filed paperwork allowing him to start fund-raising for the 2010 election. But he says that’s doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to run for the office when his term expires.
BURRIS: No that means I am in debt. I have legal bills, to the tune of $400,000
Burris said he had to pay for his staff out of his pocket while battling to be seated in the Senate, after his controversial appointment by then-Governor Rod Blagojevich.
BURRIS: I have to try to recoup those funds, because I am not a wealthy person.
Burris’ own law firm represented him during the appointment ordeal and they still hit him for 400 large?
* Burris really ought to answer questions about this…
Faced with pressure from state regulators and a multimillion-dollar deficit in a funeral trust fund, the Illinois Funeral Directors Association two years ago turned to Roland Burris for help.
Burris, appointed last month to the U.S. Senate from Illinois, met at least once in 2007 with state officials who had determined the IFDA’s pre-need funeral trust fund, set up to provide funerals for nearly 50,000 people in Illinois, had a $39 million shortfall as of the end of 2005.
Reached mid-afternoon Friday, Darrel Thompson, Burris’ chief of staff, said the senator was too busy with official duties to answer questions.
Just how effective Burris was as an IFDA lobbyist isn’t clear.
* Related…
* Burris too busy learning about new job to discuss new job
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Morning Shorts
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Oil spill at CAT facility hits Des Plaines river
A holding tank broke open Sunday spilling about 65,000 gallons of oil sludge at a Caterpillar facility in Joliet.
The spill contaminated a three mile area around the Des Plaines River, but officials said it will not have any effect on human health.
The US Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and Joliet officials placed a floating wall to keep the oil from spreading, and they are working to get it cleaned up.
* 65,000 gallons of oil sludge spills at Caterpillar facility near Joliet
* State firms to cut nearly 4,000 jobs: report
* Hundreds May Lose Jobs at U of C Hospitals
* Aurora revenue from casino hits 5-year low
* Economic problems put pressure on suburban mayoral candidates
* Chicago Tribune to cut jobs, freeze pay
* CN ready to move freights but needs limit numbers
* Daley: Economy Won’t Affect Olympic Bid
* Chicago stimulus package
Back when Wal-Mart first proposed opening stores in Chicago in 2004, the nation’s unemployment rate was 5.6 percent and the City Council thought it could afford the luxury of turning the company away. Big labor was at war with Wal-Mart because the company doesn’t have union workers. So Chicago politicians said Wal-Mart jobs weren’t good enough for Chicagoans. One store was allowed to open, but the company’s bid for more was spurned.
Now unemployment is at 7.6 percent, the economy is in desperate shape, companies are shedding workers. Nearly 600,000 Americans lost their jobs last month.
And here comes word that Wal-Mart still wants to put Chicagoans to work. The company is renewing its Chicago push. John Bisio, Wal-Mart’s Illinois director of public affairs and governmental relations, told us Friday that it is looking at “roughly a dozen potential locations” in the city.
* The President’s Mayor
* Tribune poll: Support for Chicago Olympics tempered by opposition to using taxes for Games
* Caterpillar chairman named to Obama’s economic advisory team
* Two Unions in Marriage Now Face Divorce Talks
With great fanfare in 2004, Unite — formerly called the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees — merged with Here, the larger Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. But now Mr. Raynor and many of his supporters think the merger should be undone.
“This union has irreconcilable differences,” Mr. Raynor said. “The union should have a divorce.”
* Illinois will appeal ruling that allows Ryan to keep part of his pension
* AG pushes for open records reform
* You need to fight for public information
* When vacancies occur, voters should be allowed to pick
* Primary should be moved
* PJStar View: Next election shouldn’t always be around the corner
After all, nominating petitions will be starting to circulate as the summer draws to a close. Already prospective candidates for statewide office are publicly mulling over which office they intend to seek in the February primary - in 2010, not the one coming up in a couple weeks.
Welcome to the perpetual campaign.
Unless, of course, Gov. Pat Quinn or one of several legislators with competing proposals gets his way and rallies enough support to push back the Illinois primary to sometime when the temperatures are above freezing. Quinn is keen on September. Several others appear to favor August. Peoria Sen. Dale Risinger has a measure that would land the primary on the first Tuesday in June.
* Call one, call them all
* Twitter Congress: IL Legislators
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* From Mclatchy, we have the list of apparently agreed Senate cuts to the House-passed [and subsequent Senate add-ons] federal stimulus bill…
Here’re the cuts, according to Sen. Leahy’s office. Based on this list, the governors who’ve been the strongest supporters of the stimulus bill, because it offered them some relief in a terrible budget year, will cry the loudest. Schools, environmental programs and broadband expansion projects also take a hit.
Billion dollar cuts
$40 billion State Fiscal Stabilization
$16 billion School Construction
$7.5 billion of State Incentive Grants
$5.8 billion Health Prevention Activity
$4.5 billion GSA
$3.5 billion Higher Ed Construction (Eliminated)
$3.5 billion Federal Bldgs Greening
$2.25 Neighborhood Stabilization (Eliminate)
$2 billion broadband
$2 billion HIT Grants
$1.25 billion project based rental
$1 billion Head Start/Early Start
$1.2 billion in Retrofiting Project 8 Housing
$1 billion Energy Loan Guarantees
Million dollar cuts
$100 million FSA modernization
$50 million CSERES Research
$65 million Watershed Rehab
$30 million SD Salaries
$100 Distance Learning
$98 million School Nutrition
$50 million aquaculture
$100 million NIST
$100 million NOAA
$100 million Law Enforcement Wireless
$50 million Detention Trustee
$25 million Marshalls Construction
$100 million FBI Construction
$300 million Federal Prisons
$300 million BYRNE Formula [State and Local Law Enforcement]
$140 million BYRNE Competitive [State and Local Law Enforcement]
$10 million State and Local Law Enforcement
$50 million NASA
$50 million Aeronautics
$50 million Exploration
$50 million Cross Agency Support
$200 million NSF
$100 million Science
$300 million Fed Hybrid Vehicles
$50 million from DHS
$200 million TSA
$122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use
$25 million Fish and Wildlife
$55 million Historic Preservation
$20 million working capital fund
$200 million Superfund
$165 million Forest Svc Capital Improvement
$90 million State & Private Wildlife Fire Management
$75 million Smithsonian
$600 million Title I (No Child Left Behind)
* Associated Press on the reduced money for states…
Changes included cutbacks in projects that likely would give the economy a quick lift, like $40 billion in aid to state governments for education and other programs. […]
Among the most difficult cuts… was the elimination of $40 billion in aid to states, money that economists say is an efficient way to pump up the economy by preventing layoffs, cuts in services or tax increases. [Emphasis added]
That’s exactly right.
* US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell apparently doesn’t understand what he’s saying…
“And, we know for sure that the big spending programs of the New Deal did not work. In 1940, unemployment was still 15%. And, it’s widely agreed among economists, that what got us out of the doldrums that we were in during the Depression was the beginning of World War II.
The “beginning of World War II” brought massive spending increases, the likes of which were unseen during the Great Depression. So, if that’s McConnell’s model, then this ought to be a far larger bill.
* Related…
* Ray LaHood, speaking from Peoria, talks about infrastructure
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