The poison pen: Disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly spent 12 hours Tuesday writing his tell-all book on a legal pad and wearing a special “writer’s jacket” to get him in the correct frame of mind, according to his publicist, Glenn Selig.
Writer’s jacket or straight jacket? And, seriously, he spent 12 hours doing just one thing? He never did that when he was governor, unless it was pace around his home office and jabber at the wall, pretending he was president or maybe Secretary of Energy.
• • A Blago blackout? But the book’s publisher, Michael Viner, tells Sneed there will be no media appearances by Blago until the book is finished. “Well, that has yet to be determined,” Selig told Sneed. The tome is due to be published by Phoenix Books in October.
Great. At least we’re getting a respite from the insanity. And, hey, the book will be published just in time for Halloween. How fitting. I think I’ll scream. Also, he’ll probably still be on his book tour when the February primary comes around. That’ll be joyous fun for all Illinois Democrats.
• • The backshot: Viner, who once served as an advance man in Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, helped produce several hits by the late singer Sammy Davis Jr.; was once married to actress Deborah Raffin, and produced TV miniseries based on author Sidney Sheldon’s books.
The publisher may have had a fine career, but Blagojevich’s literary agent is Jarred Weisfeld of Objective Entertainment. Here’s the guy’s bio, via Larry, provided without comment except for the obligatory: “Oy.”
• • The foreshot: Viner, who hopes the book becomes a classroom text, tells
Wait a second. Back up there. He hopes the book becomes a classroom text? With all those stories about boozed up philandering politicians? So, it’s for colleges, then? He can write at that level? Do we want our children reading this drivel?
• • The foreshot: Viner, who hopes the book becomes a classroom text, tells Sneed: “the book is not a question of his guilt or innocence, but not being treated fairly. It’s much more a rainbow story than a black and white story. He [Blago] understands that part of his downfall was caused by him — but it does not justify the treatment he received.”
So, he won’t explain how he broke the law, he’ll just fill two hundred pages whining about how badly he was treated by that mean Madigan guy. I can’t wait.
And, by the way, what the heck is a rainbow story? I looked that up on the Google and couldn’t figure it out. I’m sorry, your annotator is stumped.
A buckshot? Although Viner tells Sneed he has not been contacted by hotshot Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel — rumors surfaced Ari may have been trying to put the “kibosh” on the book’s publication.
• • The upshot: A phone call to Emanuel’s Endeavor Agency netted a “no comment.”
The book ain’t even written yet and they’ve already cooked up their first cheap publicity stunt.
* Bloomberg has a very scary story about pension bond schemes, including an ill-advised Chicago Transit Authority deal that has crashed. This is a very long story, so make sure you read it all. Here are some excerpts…
With stock market losses this year, public pensions in the U.S. are now underfunded by more than $1 trillion.
That lack of funds explains why dozens of retirement plans in the U.S. have issued more than $50 billion in pension obligation bonds during the past 25 years — more than half of them since 1997 — public records show. […]
The CTA concluded it could borrow $1.9 billion, paying an interest rate of 6 percent to bondholders, and invest the proceeds to receive its expected rate of return of 8.75 percent. Such an annual return would add $52 million a year to bolster the fund.
The CTA chose to ignore not only Illinois’s auditor general but also its own actuarial firm, Detroit-based Gabriel Roeder Smith & Co. The company had determined there was just a 30 percent chance of earning 8.75 percent.
“We executed the best transaction we could, given the legislative and political restraints,” says CTA Chairman Brown, who is also co-head of municipal finance at Chicago-based Mesirow Financial Inc.
Since the bond sale, the authority has held the money as cash, earning 2 percent. And, with the credit crunch forcing municipal bond interest rates up to attract buyers, the CTA wasn’t able to sell bonds with a 6 percent return.
A team of underwriters, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley, sold the CTA bonds in August 2008, at a yield of 6.8 percent, so the fund had to pay bondholders more than it had expected.
“There is negative arbitrage,” Brown says. “It’s better than having dumped the money into the equity market.”
I’m afraid to even call the state pension funds to see how Blagojevich’s scheme is holding up.
Again, go read the whole thing. But let’s try not to get into some goofy debate about the stock market and the president and whatever, OK? This isn’t just about the current stock market conditions. The CTA was warned not to do this and they did it anyway. Let’s try to keep the talk as focused as possible.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune is one of the first newspaper editorial boards to actually propose or at least suggest some large-ish budget cutting ideas, even if they were cribbed from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago…
Reforming how Illinois does business may well require unpopular steps: moving Medicaid recipients into managed-care programs; outsourcing food, janitorial, technology and other internal services; slimming revenue sharing and grants to local governments.
But Illinois desperately needs to create the government it can afford to replace the government it has now. A new report from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago puts the state’s unfunded present and future obligations at $116 billion—almost $10,000 for every man, woman and child. The report says that total could be increasing by as much as $10 billion a year.
We hope Illinois lawmakers, from Gov. Pat Quinn on down, caught this comment from committee Chairman W. James Farrell: “We need someone to take action, and that action has to be reform [and] cut costs—what responsible people do when they can’t live within their means. You really can’t tax your way out of this problem. If you tax your way out of this, businesses would be leaving the state in droves.”
Think that’s an idle threat? Illinois has trailed the nation and the rest of the Midwest in job creation for years. Piling on taxes will put more people out of work.
Illinois still has not officially submitted a list of shovel-ready road and mass transit projects to the federal government for funding under the economic stimulus package, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday, warning that time is running out.
“The law requires us to get the money out the door very quickly,” LaHood said. But “we have not received a list from the state or from Chicago.”
State transportation officials vowed to get moving with the application process, but they expressed no concerns about possibly losing federal aid. […]
The deadlines vary depending on the different modes of transportation. But the stimulus legislation aimed at putting Americans to work requires Washington to distribute funding to the states for highway, bridge and transit projects by March 10, which is 21 days from the law’s enactment.
Illinois would not be eligible to receive any money until the General Assembly approves a special appropriation totaling $693 million to cover contracts for the first round of stimulus projects in the spring, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Once the money is spent, the federal government would reimburse the state.
* Now, on to some frivolity because I’m too depressed from reading all this gloom and doom. This could be pretty cool…
One thing is for sure, security will be tight if the Fenwick boys basketball team makes it to the Class 4A Farragut Regional Championship to face Whitney Young on Friday night (March 6, 7:30 p.m.). After all, the governor may be on hand, as well as His Airness.
But before the Friars can have the pleasure of playing in front of Gov. Pat Quinn, the brother of Fenwick head coach John Quinn, and Michael Jordan, the father of Marcus Jordan, who plays for Young, they’ll need to find a way to get past Farragut on its home court tonight (Wednesday, March 4, 8 p.m.). Even though the Admirals are having a bit of a down year - they’re 15-9 and seeded eighth in the Morton Sectional - a first-round win won’t be automatic for the Friars, who closed out the regular season last week with a 61-33 slashing of Northside Prep. Fenwick is 16-9 overall and was awarded the 10th-seed in the sectional.
“We’ve had an up and down season, but we’ve managed to stay on the positive end of things,” said Fenwick head coach John Quinn. “Our tendency to have a bad quarter in a game just can’t happen against the teams we could possibly face early in the playoffs.”
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column takes a look at a biennial GOP war…
Every two years, the Illinois Republican Party tears itself apart over a piece of legislation that supposedly would allow rank-and-file party members to have more say in party affairs. This year may be worse than usual, however.
Senate Bill 600, sponsored by Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora), would stop the practice of allowing Republican township, ward and precinct committeemen to elect state central committeemen. The bill would instead force the GOP to adopt the same rules as the Democrats and allow primary voters to elect the state central committee.
Most people don’t care about this, and I can understand if you’re with them. But since this tiny little change has been one of the most divisive issues in the Illinois GOP’s recent history, it’s worth a closer look.
The concept has always been vigorously opposed by the Republican establishment, partly because of who is pushing it. Lauzen is among a large handful of “insurgent conservatives,” whose most prominent member is ultraconservative activist Jack Roeser. The insurgents have sharply criticized the state party for its allegedly top-down insider ways and its refusal to allow them a seat at the table.
The “powers that be” have complete disdain for the Roeser/Lauzen types. The insiders view the insurgents as troublemakers who can’t win elections and instead blame party leaders for their own failures. They worry the bill would spark endless intraparty battles and divert precious financial resources away from their attempts to fight the Democrats. Plus, they simply don’t want to give up any power to “those people.”
The ultraconservative activists say they want elections because the insiders have locked them out of the system. They were enraged last year at the state GOP convention in Decatur, when delegates voted to pass a resolution in favor of retaining the status quo. The insurgents claim the vote was rigged.
Republican state legislators are put smack dab in the middle of this fight every time the bill is introduced. Two years ago, the bill was unanimously passed by the Senate, but House GOP leadership strong-armed the House Republican sponsor into giving up the bill, then sat on it until the session clock ran out. That, of course, infuriated the insurgents.
The state Senate’s new GOP leader has been put into an awkward position by the legislation. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) is a moderate Republican who was allied with the “insider” faction and was vigorously opposed by the insurgents. She hasn’t yet fully consolidated control over her caucus, and this legislation is not making her task any easier. Complicating matters further, Radogno has taken a strong stand in favor of calling a special election to fill Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat. That means opposing a bill to open up the party process to voters would appear hypocritical.
Radogno signed on as a co-sponsor of Lauzen’s bill, which surprised the heck out of party leaders. The bill was set for a committee vote last week, and legislators’ phones were ringing all day from very upset people on both sides of the issue.
Things got even weirder when Republican Sens. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) and Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) removed themselves as co-sponsors of the legislation. Brady is running for governor and Murphy is seriously considering a bid for Cook County Board president. Murphy was backed by Roeser the first time he ran, and both men are very conservative. But they apparently believed that winning support from party leaders was more important at this stage of the game.
The Democrats, of course, love this bill. With their own party facing one nightmare after another, anything they can do to weaken, divide and distract the GOP is viewed as a good thing.
Republican Party insiders completely freaked when they learned Rep. Paul Froehlich, a former conservative Republican who switched to the Democratic Party, had filed to sponsor the bill when it gets to the House. With a Democrat controlling the bill, the Republicans couldn’t slow-walk the legislation into oblivion again, so they figured that House Speaker Michael Madigan was behind the maneuver. The Republicans worry Madigan could use the bill to essentially blackmail GOP leaders to get in line when it comes time to vote on tax hikes, or anything else he chooses.
Last week’s vote was eventually delayed. But this fight is far from over. And if you still wonder why the Republicans would bother to wage a civil war over this issue, you’re not alone.
* The Tribune’s Dan Mihalopoulos does a very good job of looking at the numbers so we don’t have to…
Quigley won the most votes of any candidate in the 12-way race in the 47th, 43rd and 44th Wards, known as “lakefront liberal” bastions. He also enjoyed a plurality in the affluent 32nd Ward, where rival John Fritchey was elected the Democratic Party’s committeeman last year.
Quigley didn’t need to win every ward or even win a majority in any of them, given the size of the Democratic field. In the 10 wards with the highest vote totals Tuesday, Quigley won five and finished second in four.
Of those wards, Fritchey won only the 45th and 36th Wards, where he enjoyed the support of local Democratic bosses. But Fritchey finished far short of the vote totals that he needed there. He did best in the 36th Ward, run by his in-laws, the Banks family. Even there, however, he managed less than one-third of the vote.
Fritchey also won Ald. Dick Mell’s 33rd ward by just 110 votes over Quigley. Not nearly enough.
Vic Forys really cut into Fritchey, winning Leyden and Proviso Townships, where Fritchey was widely endorsed…
Forys also carried the 38th Ward, which includes the heavily Polish neighborhood of Portage Park, even though the ward Democratic organization supported Fritchey. And Forys won a quarter of the vote in the 36th Ward.
Ald. O’Connor won his own ward and 39. Rep. Feigenholtz won no wards.
Quigley won his own ward, the Wrigleyville-based 44th Ward. He also won Ald. Gene Schulter’s 47th Ward, even though Schulter endorsed Fritchey. Quigley won the far Northwest Side’s 41st Ward, even though Committeewoman Mary O’Connor endorsed O’Connor. Quigley won the 1st Ward, where Ald. Manny Flores endorsed Fritchey.
* Commenter “Mr. Know-it-All” had a good observation about Vic Forys, who shamed the pundits and finished ahead of Ald. Pat O’Connor…
Forys finished 4th because he tapped into a significant portion of the electorate and ran a very effective campaign aimed at them. But since he never targeted the rest of the 5th, he never really stood a chance. The Polish constituency is measurable but not a majority.
* I’ll have more about Quigley for subscribers, but this is what I wrote last week…
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley started the race way ahead in the polls, and he’s still at or near the top. That means he’ll do well with people who believe it’s their duty to vote in every election but are still vague about their final choice. He has a loyal cadre of workers, and his campaign believes they have identified more than enough supporters to win. They just have to get them to the polls.
* “LaborGuy,” who is with SEIU, had this bit of polling data in comments…
The first poll in the race has Quigley at 22%. Our tracking poll had him at 25% ten days ago and he won with 22%.
* Name ID alone wouldn’t win it, though. The reformer mantle was all important.
Quigley was the obvious, credible, poplulist, anti tax hike “change agent” in the race. And he and his staff bluntly tapped into a very real anger out there. Remember this ad? It had all the elements Quigley needed and the voters craved…
Quigley summed it up well after he declared victory. Quigley mentioned Blagojevich and Todd Stroger and all the rest, and then said…
“After all the recent embarrassments, this was first chance that the voters had to voice their desire for change and they spoke loud and clear.”
Yes, they did. Well, at least enough voters did to put a win on the board. And that’s all that matters in this ballgame.
“I know people around the governor,” said the man, who does know such people, “and they’re worried about him. They say he’s driving himself on expressways, talking on his cell phone, and they’re worried about his safety. My understanding is he’s driving a Taurus with over 200,000 miles on it.”
Several Chicago-area religious leaders are threatening to bring masses of people down to Springfield if politicians don’t stop calling for Senator Roland Burris to resign.
The Illinois attorney general today sued a defunct Chicago company run by a friend of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, alleging it fraudulently billed the state for more than $1.3 million in drug tests it never performed.
The owner of the company already faces criminal fraud charges that sprung from an internal state investigation that began after the Chicago Tribune wrote about the owner’s ties to Blagojevich.
The civil suit brought by Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleges that Anita K. Mahajan through her company K.K. Bio-Science Inc. knowingly billed the state from at least January 2004 until November 2006 for drug testing services it never performed for state child custody cases. The lawsuit seeks more than $3.9 million in damages and penalties.
Mahajan was involved in real-estate transactions that in 2006 netted Patti Blagojevich $113,000 in commissions. Mahajan’s husband, Amrish, was a major fundraiser for the impeached ex-governor in the Indian-American community.
A Frankfort auto advertising company created “false, inaccurate and misleading” radio ads tied to the recently enacted federal stimulus package, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in announcing a lawsuit against the company Tuesday.
The complaint alleges that Prime Market Targeting Inc. violated state consumer fraud statutes. The company said it would not comment on the lawsuit.
It turns out Obama did not actually nominate Duckworth on Feb. 3, but only indicated his intent to nominate the Iraq war veteran. The White House has still not sent Duckworth’s nomination to the U.S. Senate.
Hynes’ office has more than $2.8 billion of bills awaiting payment; another estimated $1.6 billion is still being processed by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. And by the end of June, the state has to pay back a $1.4 billion short-term loan it took out in December to ease a massive backlog of bills then.
That’s $5.8 billion owed on state contracts for services already rendered.
The thing that might rescue health care in Illinois isn’t the money in the stimulus package. It’s the strings attached to the money.
Illinois has been a bit of a deadbeat. The state has piles of unpaid bills—including $2 billion just for Medicaid reimbursements. Now this massive backlog, which has dogged the state for years, could be virtually zeroed out by summer. That’s thanks to the federal stimulus package. But a little-noticed technicality could mean that some people who provide healthcare might not get the benefits.
Tinley Park leaders are bound for Washington, D.C., today, armed with a 12-page packet detailing about $200 million in projects they hope federal dollars will cover.
Catholic leaders want Illinois taxpayers to pay an estimated $70 million more next year to subsidize private schools.
The current credit is worth $500 and cost Illinois taxpayers $71.8 million in 2007. Nearly half of the credit went to families earning more than $100,000 annually, according to figures provided by the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Doubling the credit to $1,000 could cost taxpayers an estimated $140 million
Regardless of the record of decision, FutureGen is eligible for the $1 billion in grants included in the stimulus package for fossil fuel research. The money could be given to one project or split up over several. Chu could hand it out as he sees fit, or several projects may be given the opportunity to compete for the money. According to a timeline on the federal stimulus Web site, agencies must start reporting on these competitive grants by May 20. Even if FutureGen got all the funding, it would not be enough to cover the plant’s estimated $1.8 billion dollar price tag.
The Daley administration on Tuesday abruptly canceled 11 public relations contracts with a $55 million pricetag to drive home the point that taxpayers cannot afford to augment the highly controlled message coming out of City Hall.
“We get it. We absolutely get it. We understand that it would seem absurd at a time like this to be using taxpayer funds for this kind of non-essential service,” said mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard.
Essential support came from a college program that provides tuition assistance and other help to low-income women who have gone through divorce, single parenthood or unemployment. Many participants have been victims of domestic abuse.
In existence nearly 40 years, the program is now financially threatened, officials say. Last fall, the state eliminated support for such initiatives at 10 community colleges, including nearly $60,000 a year that had been the primary funding of the Harper women’s program. A $500,000 donation from John Canning, chairman of investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners, and his wife, Rita, kept it afloat, but Harper officials say more money is needed for it to survive.
Chicago raked in $7 million and wiped 135,000 unpaid parking and red-light tickets off the books during a 10-week amnesty that sets the stage for a booting blitz.
Sometime in April, the threshold for applying the wheel-locking Denver boot will drop from three unpaid tickets to two older than one year. When the amnesty opened, 170,000 motorists fell into that category.
* Chicago police officer pleads guilty in towing probe
The independent board overseeing Cook County’s huge health system, including Stroger Hospital, recently named a new chief, William Foley, to run its nearly $1 billion operation.
He’s a proven turnaround artist for financially ailing hospitals, here in Illinois and in California.
Park districts and communities throughout the south and southwest suburbs are expanding hours, adding machines, making renovations and offering classes (like aerobics and yoga), all to offer their residents an alternative to private gyms.
* 9:26 pm - I’m done. The AP has finally called it for Quigley. A bit late, but better late than never. I’m moving the automated news feed to the top for your reading pleasure…
* 9:12 pm - Fox Chicago is reporting that Rep. Feigenholtz has now called Quigley to concede. Rep. Fritchey called earlier.
* 8:59 pm - Lynn Sweet just posted the Quigley team list. I thought I’d share…
Campaign manager : Thomas C. Bowen
Press Secretary: Billy Weinberg
Media consultant: Saul Shorr
Pollster: Anzalone Liszt
Direct mail consultant: Pete Giangreco
Finance director: Kelly Dietrich
Campaign treasurer: Ronald G. Hayden
Top members of finance committee include: Bill Brandt and Henry Feinberg
Pulido, Rosanna GOP 808 25%
Hanson, Tom GOP 701 22%
Anderson, David GOP 595 18%
Bedell, Gregory GOP 501 16%
Kay, Daniel GOP 315 10%
Stewart, Jon GOP 305 9%
Greens…
Reichel, Mathew Grn 142 34%
Gordils, Deb Grn 133 32%
Fredrickson, Mark Grn 62 15%
Augustson, Alan Grn 53 13%
Ribeiro, Simon Grn 25 6%
* 8:49 pm -Rep. John Fritchey has called Mike Quigley to concede. He is expected to speak soon.
* 8:45 pm - Rahm Emanuel has reportedly called Quigley’s campaign headquarters, where the Capitol Fax Blog is on full-time. This is from the Quigley HQ…
According to estimates provided by the FEC for all the major candidates and the independent expenditures on behalf of Representative Feigenholtz and opthamalogist Paul Bryar, the total spending for all of Commissioner Quigley’s opponents was approximately $3,000,000. Quigley’s campaign spent approximately $550,000.
$3,000,000 - $550,000
5-1 spending.
As of 8:36 pm, the race has not been officially called, but the lead Commissioner Quigley holds right now is virtually insurmountable.
* 8:42 pm - The city has ward and precinct totals up now. Click here to see them. [hat tip to a commenter]
Mike Quigley 9,526 23.06%
John A. Fritchey 7,274 17.61%
Sara Feigenholtz 6,774 16.40%
Patrick J. O’Connor 5,233 12.67%
Victor A. Forys 4,313 10.44%
Cook…
Mike Quigley (DEM) 429 13.08%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 186 5.67%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 813 24.78%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 526 16.03%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 663 20.21%
* 8:32 pm - Full Democratic results so far from the AP…
Quigley, Mike Dem 9,797 22%
Fritchey, John Dem 7,689 17%
Feigenholtz, Sara Dem 7,478 17%
O’Connor, Patrick Dem 5,367 12%
Forys, Victor Dem 4,966 11%
Wheelan, Charles Dem 2,912 7%
Geoghegan, Tom Dem 2,619 6%
Bryar, Paul Dem 891 2%
Donatelli, Jan Dem 697 2%
Annunzio, Frank Dem 607 1%
Capparelli, Cary Dem 565 1%
Monteagudo, Carlos Dem 401 1%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 424 13.07%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 186 5.73%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 799 24.62%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 522 16.09%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 661 20.37%
Mike the intern has done city/county totals for the Republicans and the Greens.
Here’s the GOPs…
Rosanna Pulido (REP) 784
Tom Hanson (REP) 689
David J Anderson (REP) 583
Gregory A. Bedell (REP) 494
Daniel S. Kay (Karkusiewicz) (REP) 311
Jon Stewart (REP) 299
You’d think a name like “Jon Stewart” would count for something.
Greens…
Matt Reichel (GRN) 134
Deb Leticia Gordils (GRN) 124
Mark Arnold Fredrickson (GRN) 56
Alan Augustson (GRN) 51
Simon Ribeiro (GRN) 24
Mike Quigley (DEM) 424 13.07%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 186 5.73%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 799 24.62%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 522 16.09%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 661 20.37%
“I’m in shock,” Quigley said. Poking fun at his reputation for wearing a scowl, Quigley added, “With the results so far, for a guy that doesn’t smile much, I’m smiling now
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 788 24.77%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 515 16.19%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 649 20.40%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 411 12.92%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 180 5.66%
* And in case you care. From the city…
REP - Rep. In Congress, 5th 364 of 486 precincts counted 74.90%
Gregory A. Bedell 368 16.34%
Rosanna Pulido 563 25.00%
Tom Hanson 465 20.65%
Jon Stewart 217 9.64%
David J Anderson 438 19.45% Daniel S. Kay (Karkusiewicz) 201 8.93%
GRN - Rep. In Congress, 5th 364 of 486 precincts counted 74.90%
Alan Augustson 44 12.32%
Mark Arnold Fredrickson 52 14.57%
Deb Leticia Gordils 114 31.93%
Matt Reichel 124 34.73%
Simon Ribeiro 23 6.44%
* 7:54 pm - This thing sure looks over to me. What say you?
Mike Quigley 8,809 23.22%
John A. Fritchey 6,653 17.53%
Sara Feigenholtz 6,207 16.36%
Patrick J. O’Connor 4,721 12.44%
Victor A. Forys 4,055 10.69%
County… Precincts Counted: 68 of 92 (73.91%)
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 727 23.84%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 510 16.73%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 634 20.79%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 397 13.02%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 171 5.61%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 642 23.13%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 479 17.26%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 577 20.79%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 360 12.97%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 156 5.62%
* 7:33 pm - More city numbers. 327 of 486 precincts counted 37,393 votes, 67.28%
Mike Quigley 8,076 23.18%
John A. Fritchey 6,101 17.51%
Sara Feigenholtz 5,555 15.94%
Patrick J. O’Connor 4,449 12.77%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 317 12.57%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 137 5.43%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 538 21.33%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 585 23.20%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 434 17.21%
* 7:27 pm - More from the city. 289 of 486 precincts counted 59.47%…
Mike Quigley 7,213 23.50%
John A. Fritchey 5,293 17.24%
Sara Feigenholtz 4,828 15.73%
Patrick J. O’Connor 4,028 13.12%
Victor A. Forys 3,159 10.29%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 228 13.34%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 98 5.73%
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 392 22.94%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 300 17.55%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 368 21.53%
City turnout: 18,684. Top tier so far with 164 of 486 precincts counted (33.74%)…
Mike Quigley 4,164 23.98%
John A. Fritchey 2,863 16.49%
Sara Feigenholtz 2,662 15.33%
Patrick J. O’Connor 2,278 13.12%
Victor A. Forys 1,773 10.21%
County Precincts Counted: 20 of 92 (21.74%)…
Sara Feigenholtz (DEM) 143 20.28%
John A. Fritchey (DEM) 138 19.57%
Victor A. Forys (DEM) 134 19.01%
Mike Quigley (DEM) 116 16.45%
Patrick J. O’Connor (DEM) 48 6.81%
* Click below for results. I’ll be updating as we go along. Hopefully, this won’t take forever…
* The Sun-Times will post live reports here [new link]. The Tribune will have some reports here. But the Tribbies apparently have a taste for the obvious. This was posted a few minutes ago…
If early word is any indication, it’ll be a low turnout election.
A person commits distracted driving when he or she operates a motor vehicle while (i) engaging in text messaging, (ii) reading a newspaper, book, magazine, or map, (iii) engaged in an act of personal grooming, and the operation of the motor vehicle is in violation of a law or ordinance governing the movement of vehicles.
[Emphasis added]
The cops can’t pull you over specifically for any of these acts. It has to be an add-on situation. So, if you’re speeding or weaving you can get hit with this extra pop, but it won’t add a moving violation to your record.
Just curious what you think about the bill, particularly the highlighted selection above. Perhaps you could also suggest additional distracted driving provisions.
*** UPDATE - 1:53 pm *** The bill has now been pulled from consideration so that it can be “improved,” according to the sponsor.
* There isn’t much to report about the race at the moment. I’m hearing Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico has flipped and is now with Rep. Sara Feigehnoltz, which is kinda funny, considering this recent story.
*** UPDATE 1 - 1:39 pm *** The Quigley campaign is filing a complaint with the Cook County Clerk alleging that Mayor Serpico’s people are using city cars to electioneer for Rep. Feigenholtz, and that they’re allegedly electioneering too close to the polls. More in a bit.
…Adding… A Quigley campaign lawyer just said the campaign had heard “multiple reports” of these alleged violations.
“We have had over 4,000 ballots returned to us from overseas voters,” Neal said. “Many of them are military personnel.
Um, not quite. Not even close. According to the city’s Board of Elections, the actual total of overseas ballots returned was 190. In total, there were 5,060 absentee and early voting ballots filed, including 4,698 Democratic, 310 Republican and 52 Green.
*** UPDATE 3 - 2:55 pm *** I’m hearing that lots of Polish-Americans are showing up to the polls. Anecdotally, I’m told that quite a few are asking not for Democratic or Republican ballots, but for the “Forys ballot.” Then again, those wards reportedly aren’t doing all that much better with turnout. So, we’ll see.
*** UPDATE 4 - 3:23 pm *** Lakefront turnout is horrible, from all accounts I’m getting. We’ll see if there’s any sort of after-work bump. Here are a couple of totals so far: 47th Ward at 2 o’clock: 3,648 Dem ballots. 36th Ward at 2 o’clock: 2,655 Dem ballots.
Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen says calls to the board’s Polish hotline are much higher than calls to any other hotline this morning.
A few candidates have focused efforts in Polish areas, but Vic Forys has made the Polish vote his entire campaign. Keep in mind, however, that’s it’s extremely difficult to change the actual structure of a voting population.
* Pete Giangreco, who is with the Quigley campaign, predicted in comments earlier today on a previous thread that he believes “turnout is headed to about 46,000.” That’s at the upper end of predictions I heard last week. “LaborGuy,” who is working for the Feigenholtz effort (and whose identity is known to me) is predicting 42,000 to 46,000 for turnout. The Fritchey campaign thinks 46K is way too high. If memory serves, there are about 35,000 or so D-3 voters in the district (people who have voted in the last three Dem primaries), which gives you a good idea about the baseline turnout there. The Cook County Clerk’s office says turnout’s been “really slow” from anecdotal information they’re getting.
52 votes per precinct = 30,000 voters
61 votes per precinct = 35,000 voters
69 votes per precinct = 40,000 voters
78 votes per precinct = 45,000 voters
86 votes per precinct = 50,000 voters
I have access to a tracker system from one of the campaigns, but the 10 am results are spotty. The highest precinct showed 53 votes, most others were far below that.
* What are you hearing out there?
* Today’s previous 5th CD post (97 comments - which is almost a higher turnout than the actual campaign) is now closed. Here’s the news roundup…
* Here’s just one more example of why Rod Blagojevich’s word can never be trusted at any time on any subject. On his last day in office, Rod Blagojevich suggested to the New York Times that his lieutenant governor had abused his office by traveling all over the world on the taxpayers’ dime…
“We should have been more selfish, not selfless,” [Blagojevich] said. “It sounds probably perverse for me to say that based on what some people are saying about me. But it’s true. My family, we didn’t take advantage of all these things that people do.
“My successor has done a whole bunch as the lieutenant governor — taken all kinds of trips all over the world and trade missions — like he’s got anything to do with anything as lieutenant governor.”
It was journalistic incompetence to print that quote without challenge, but the AP has now taken a look at Blagojevich’s claim…
It’s true. Quinn was overseas 10 times in six years as lieutenant governor. But he billed the state for just two of those treks.
In fact, an Associated Press review of the Democrat’s travel records shows Quinn has never accepted the $32 daily meal allowance for traveling state workers and often pays his own lodging, too — even when he’s on state business.
“I try to be thrifty for the public,'’ Quinn told the AP in a telephone interview.
Through November, records show Quinn had been reimbursed about $17,800 for travel in six years, an average of $250 a month.
$250 a month is pretty light, if you ask me. And that total taxpayer bill is minute in comparison to what Blagojevich charged the state.
* The fact that you can’t believe a word that Blagojevich says also causes me to somewhat doubt these stories…
Blagojevich’s publicity agent announced Monday that the impeached governor will receive an undisclosed “six-figure” sum to pen a book about the “dark side of politics.”
Show me the contract.
And if he does write it, we all know it’ll be fiction.
In & Out: Embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris may have decided to tough it out, but Sneed is told Fred Lebed, Burris’ former business partner, has now severed his relationship with the Burris campaign.
• • Oil & water: “Fred just quit as Burris’ campaign treasurer –mainly because he is not a big fan (which is putting it mildly) of Burris’ new press flack, Delmarie Cobb,” said a source.
That’s part of the reason, anyway. Lebed is definitely no Cobb fan. Cobb, of course, has been pushing the race issue hard to defend her new client.
This departure is big news. Fred Lebed has been with Burris since before the beginning, and that’s a heckuva long time ago.
* I got an e-mail from this guy yesterday. He thought he might have a scoop….
Both Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo report that Burris has put up a campaign website, with most of the pages empty, but featuring a biography and, of course, an online donation button. The website does say that it is paid for by Burris for Senate. Nevertheless, given how simplistic the site is, I’m still half-thinking it’s a hoax… There is a contact phone number, so I called it. […]
The woman that answered, in the way that people answer a phone at a law firm when they rattle off the name of the firm, “Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan.” I asked if this was Roland Burris’ campaign office. She said no. I asked if any Roland Burris staff was there (making no distinction between campaign staff and law firm staff). She again said no. So, not only is the number on the alleged campaign website wrong, but the number that Burris’ old law firm lists on YellowPages.com forwards to this larger law firm, Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, at the same address in the same office suite. […]
So, I wonder, is that really a Roland Burris campaign website? If it’s a hoax, it’s understandable why there is a bad phone number - whoever concocted the website just grabbed the old number off of Burris’ old law firm without checking it…
I told him that this was most likely incompetence and not a hoax.
A spokesperson for Burris said Monday that the Web site supportburris.com was launched soon after the Democrat was seated in the Senate.
Always look for the most likely explanation. “Incompetence” is Burris’ claim to fame.
* Speaking of which, 2008 GOP Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg won’t try again…
SAUERBERG: My desire to interrupt the world of professional politics has been relatively unsuccessful.
Sauerberg still hasn’t recooped all the money he loaned his campaign. He’s now returned to his full-time job as a physician in the western suburbs. He sounds tired by just the suggestion of another run at the Senate.
* Illinois treasurer launches Burris challenge: The Illinois Republican Party, seeking to link virtually every Illinois Democrat with the disgraced Blagojevich, accuses Giannoulias of having lent money to convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko in Giannoulias’s capacity as a bank officer, as well as to other figures who have recently been embroiled in legal trouble.
* My buddy and former Sun-Times editor Steve Huntley is a conservative. Today, he takes the traditionally conservative viewpoint on legalizing marijuana, meaning, it should be legalized…
Its budget meltdown has California taking a look at legalizing marijuana as a means to revive its depleted treasury. But common sense, not economic need, should persuade Americans it’s past time for a sober look at our mad “reefer madness” laws.
The Golden State legislator pushing the idea, Tom Ammiano of — plug in the appropriate joke — San Francisco, says licensing and taxing legal marijuana production and sales would earn California $1.3 billion a year. His bill would legalize marijuana possession and use for adults 21 or older, license commercial farming of it and tax it at $50 an ounce.
A big problem: California can’t do this on its own. The federal prohibition law would have to be changed for Sacramento to impose and collect the licensing fees and taxes. Given all the controversial financial and social engineering bills on its plate, Congress likely isn’t eager to take on this contentious issue. A recent CBS News/New York Times poll found only 41 percent of Americans favor legalization. That’s an improvement over the 34 percent in a 2002 CNN/Time poll, but still 52 percent are against it.
It would be best if Washington could leave this matter in the hands of states. Thirteen states have to some extent decriminalized marijuana. Massachusetts is the latest. Its voters last month eliminated criminal penalties for possession of small amounts.
* A couple of researchers at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia have put together a freedom index for states. The website is down at the moment, but Steve Chapman sums up one appalling bullet point…
[Illinois] arrest rates for “victimless” crimes like marijuana possession that are so high as to be “almost unfathomable.”
llinois’ prison population has more than doubled in the last 25 years. That’s according to a study released today by the Washington DC based Pew Center on the States.
One out of every 133 Illinoisans is behind bars, and 1 in 38 is under some sort correctional supervision, according to Pew. That accounts for people incarcerated, on probation or on parole. Those numbers are a bit lower than the national average.
The day may not be far off when Americans conclude, as they did with Prohibition in the 1930s, that violence associated with the marijuana ban is worse than the drug’s social ills. Some will raise the slippery slope argument that legalization opens the way to decriminalizing hard drugs like heroin and cocaine. Maybe we would have that discussion if legal marijuana works out, but saying yeah to one doesn’t mean saying yes to the other.
Marijuana prohibition no longer makes sense, if it ever did. For the record, my recreational chemical of choice is alcohol. After the sun sets, I like to enjoy a glass of wine or scotch. Why shouldn’t my neighbor, if so inclined, be able to relax with a joint?
If you talk to legislators off the record, you’d be surprised at how many will tell you that marijuana laws are stupid and counter-productive. But they won’t vote for them out of intense political fear. It’s just a sad, mad situation.
* And on another front, thank goodness this crazy idea is being dumped…
A Will County judge should throw out criminal charges against five people who allegedly were smoking cigarettes in public last year, a Peoria lawyer says.
The reason? Recent changes to the state’s smoking ban that attorney Daniel O’Day contends makes a smoking violation a civil, not criminal, offense.
O’Day will argue in court March 24 that legislation signed Feb. 4 by Gov. Pat Quinn clarifies a once-murky section of the state law that forbids smoking in most public places.
In the past, if someone was ticketed for smoking in Will County, there were two courses of action - pay a fine or go to court. Now if someone gets a ticket and wants to fight the fine, the Illinois Department of Public Health will hold an administrative hearing.
A “flash index” of the state’s corporate, personal and sales tax receipts was at 96.3 last month compared to 97 in January, but J. Fred Giertz said the state has avoided the worst of the national recession.
Any figure below 100 on the index indicates the state’s economy is shrinking
“So far, Illinois seems to have been affected less severely by the recession compared to the rest of the country,” said Giertz. “During 2008, Illinois’ unemployment rate rose 1.6 percentage points to 7.2 percent, while the rate for the whole country rose 2.3 percentage points, ending the year at 7.2 percent.”
Alderman Richard Mell… said, “People will not want to move into this neighborhood; people will not want to invest in this neighborhood. If they drive down the street and see 5 or 6 buildings like this, they’re going to look for somewhere else to live.”
An explosion of failed mortgage loans in moderate-income and middle-class Chicago communities last year helped drive new foreclosure filings to nearly 20,000 here, a report released Monday by the nonprofit National Training and Information Center found.
The report also revealed that 75 percent of the mortgage loans were adjustable-rate or other high-risk loan products.
New foreclosure filings numbered 19,943 in 2008, nearly double the 10,673 filings reported in 2006. Eighty-six percent of the mortgages were made within the last three years.
Tomorrow, Canadian National Railway (CN) will begin increasing train traffic along the EJ&E Rail Line, which stretches 198 miles throughout the Chicagoland area.
President Barack Obama has declared nine southern Illinois counties as disaster areas after a severe winter storm in late January.
The declaration makes federal funding available to state and local governments and some nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis. The money can be used for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the storm from Jan. 26-28.
The Daley administration has signed another $5 million public relations contract — bringing the citywide total to 11 firms and $55 million — to augment the highly controlled message coming out of City Hall.
Mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard insisted last fall that not a penny would be paid to outside spin doctors until Chicago’s budget crisis is over.
A clout-heavy company with two generations of ties to the Daley family has been chosen to build the third and final runway in Phase One of Mayor Daley’s massive O’Hare Airport expansion project.
A loyal campaign worker in the powerful Hispanic Democratic Organization had been rewarded with a city job, so when a call came to cut the grass at the home of Chicago Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, he allegedly did as he was told.
In a six-page letter to commissioners, Julia Nowicki said it will be at least 18 more months before the federal courts find that monitoring is no longer needed.
Commissioners, Nowicki added, “can nudge” Stroger to take steps to eliminate the widely held perception that patronage continues to hobble county government.
Eugene Mullins, Stroger’s spokesman, said “perception is not reality,” and a lawyer for Stroger issued a 12-page letter outlining his steps to prevent patronage.
State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons said Monday that Peoria mayoral candidate General Parker has until Wednesday to withdraw from the race before his office decides how it will proceed.
* If you’re in the district, tell us what’s going on. I’m hearing turnout is unbelievably light (5 votes per precinct in much of the district as of 7:30 or so).
…Adding… Please tell us if you’re seeing polling workers in your precinct or at the polling place and who they were with. I’m hearing that troops are invisible for some of the candidates. Also, keep in mind that over 4,000 people have already early voted.
You are in an elevator with a candidate running for the 5th district. You are going from maybe the 50th floor to the lobby. You have about 30 seconds to hear why this person should represent you. That is the scenario behind our latest project on Eight Forty-Eight, which gave each candidate the opportunity to tell us why they should get your vote. The only parameters were to keep it short. Some were on topic, some were off topic, some were over-rehearsed, some were under-rehearsed.
A small asteroid buzzed by Earth Monday, though only real astronomy geeks in the Pacific would have noticed.
The rock, estimated to be no more than 200 feet wide, zoomed past our planet at an altitude of 40,000 miles at 1:44 p.m. universal time — or 8:44 EST.
Dubbed 2009 DD45, it was discovered only on Friday by Australian astronomers. […]
Had 2009 DD45 hit the Earth, it would have exploded on or near the surface with the force of a large nuclear blast — not very reassuring when you consider humanity had only about three days’ notice.
According to the Australian news Web site Crikey, the asteroid is likely to be drawn in by Earth’s gravity, meaning it may return for many more near misses in the future.
It doesn’t make our state’s political situation any less stupid or exasperating, of course, but it sure makes you think about things.
* Then again, stuff like this happens and I almost wish the doomsday meteor would strike…
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich today signed a six figure book deal with one of the largest independent book publishers in the U.S., the PR firm representing Blagojevich announced today.
Blagojevich, who vehemently denies he tried to sell President Obama’s senate seat, will write about the discussions, the considerations and the factors involved in picking Obama’s successor to the U.S. Senate. Blagojevich maintains he was hijacked from office because of politics. In the book, he will write about his journey that led up to the twice-elected governor and former congressman being ousted from office. He also plans on exposing the dark side of politics that he witnessed in both the state and national level.
Phoenix Books is run by maverick publisher Michael Viner whose titles include books from celebrities like mega-rock star and businessman Gene Simmons and talk show host Larry King. Phoenix also has a large selection of popular fiction and intriguing mystery books. […]
Selig says the governor will tell the American public the truth about what happened. He does not intend to pull any punches and will reveal information and provide insights that will at times be embarrassing to himself as well as to others.
“There were some people in high places who didn’t want the governor to write this book and worked to try to squash a book deal,” says Selig.
Words fail me.
…Adding… From the above press release…
“The governor chose to go with a large independent company because he wanted to tell his story without any restrictions over content that might’ve come with a major publishing house,” says Glenn Selig, Blagojevich’s publicist and founder of The Publicity Agency.
Hours before the formal announcement of Blagojevich’s book deal, one of his chief legislative critics announced a move to bar him from cashing in on the deal if the impeached ex-governor winds up being convicted of federal charges.
“Corrupt Illinois politicians, for example Rod Blagojevich, are looking to cash in by telling their stories after the fact,” Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) said. “They should not be allowed to benefit from their actions in any way, most of all financially.”
Franks’ bill would cover any book or movie deals that detail a crime for which the elected official was convicted, and any profits derived from the deal would have to be turned over to the state of Illinois.
* The past few days have not been kind to Rep. John Fritchey.
For instance, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union allegedly fired a worker for passing around an unflattering letter about Fritchey, whom the union has endorsed…
She passed the letter to her co-worker on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, she said Union President Ron Powell called her into his office.
“He shoved this in my face and said, ‘Explain this!’” she said. Sobczyk said she told Powell she was concerned about some stories she read about Fritchey and that she thought Forys was a better candidate.
“Then I just stopped talking and said, ‘I’m fired, right?’” she said. “He said, ‘Yes you’re fired.’ I couldn’t believe it. I got nothing but good reviews there.” Sobczyk came to the United States from Poland as a child herself like Forys but that is not why she is supporting him, she said.
Sobczyk is supporting Victor Forys in the campaign. But Fritchey puts on a clinic about how not to respond to this sort of story…
“This sounds like a different version of a candidate throwing a brick through their own window and then calling the press conference,” Fritchey said. “I’ve spent my legislative career fighting for the rights of working men and women. Obviously, I would never condone anything that would hurt anyone’s ability to exercise their free speech.”
A little empathy would’ve been appropriate instead of the overt defensiveness.
* The Service Employees sent out a mailer over the weekend blasting Fritchey for being a “lobbyist” for the payday loan industry. Click the pics for a better view…
This flier is very loosely based on the fact that Fritchey represented a pawn shop in a zoning case.
* Carol Marin goes after Fritchey at the bottom of her latest column…
Fifth Congressional District candidate John Fritchey sent a note of apology.
Fritchey quoted me in a campaign mailer but misspelled my last name in the attribution.
No problem, John.
The problem was the selective use of my words regarding your opponent, Mike Quigley, about whom I have written a lot.
Yes, I did say in March of 2007 that Quigley was being viewed as “the Benedict Arnold of county politics, the turncoat who keeps turning, reform one day, un-reform the next.”
But that’s far from the whole story. The criticism of Quigley at the time was that despite his long history of reform as a commissioner on the Cook County Board, he had tried to find common ground with its hopeless president, Todd Stroger, exacting promises of more transparency in return. It didn’t work out the couple of times Quigley tried, and he quickly went back to being the ferocious voice of opposition.
Milan Petrovic, who was listed as Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s top campaign fundraiser at a political corruption trial last year, recently gave $2,400 to the congressional fund of state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), according to federal campaign finance reports filed today.
Fritchey also reported receiving another $2,400 from Petrovic’s wife, Anne.
Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, who employs a former Blagojevich deputy chief of staff, fired off this press release today…
“In the final hours before voters go to the polls, John Fritchey has accepted the maximum contribution from Rod Blagojevich’s top campaign donor – despite the fact that Mr. Fritchey has based his whole campaign on his supposed opposition to the former governor.
“To the best I am aware of, Milan has not been accused of doing anything improper,” Fritchey said today. “Had he been, I would not have taken the contributions.”
* A Medill reporter recently penned a story which got absolutely no attention, but could’ve harmed Fritchey and Feigenholtz…
In trying to beef up their congressional campaign funds, the campaigns of state Reps. John Fritchey and Sara Feigenholtz violated federal campaign finance law when they transferred money from their state- to their federal-level campaigns.
* Rep. Feigenholtz was running robocalls late last week slamming Mike Quigley for supporting Todd Stroger. The calls tracked closely with Feigenholtz’s TV ad which slams Quigley on the same Stroger issue. The Tribune editorial board stepped in over the weekend to defend their endorsed candidate against the Feigenholtz attacks…
Let’s bring it down to this. If you’re a Democrat and you want a candidate with solid Democratic values, you can almost throw a dart at the ballot. Almost all of them qualify.
If you’re a Democrat and you want a candidate who fights every day against the corruption and ineptitude that plagues state and local government, you have one candidate: Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley.
* Progress Illinois takes issue with the fact that the Democratic candidates have been defined as almost identical on the, um, issues…
Let’s take the issue of taxes. Fritchey is in favor of preserving the estate tax; Feigenholtz, Fritchey, and Quigley all want to let the Bush tax cuts expire; Quigley adds that will not vote for any tax increase during a recession; Wheelan supports phasing out payroll, income, and corporate taxes in favor of a carbon tax; and Geoghegan wants marginal tax rates raised to 1950s levels. […]
What about Social Security? This is a crucial issue for all voters in the district—particularly the elderly—and deserves scrutiny. Wheelan has said he is open to reducing benefits for future retirees; Feigenholtz and Fritchey would consider lifting or adjusting the cap on payroll taxes; Quigley wants to leave it alone for the time being, noting that Medicare is in greater trouble; and Geoghegan wants to increase benefits and turn into a more robust public pension program.
* Democrat Cary Capparelli continues to pile up conservative endorsements. From a press release…
The Illinois Federation for Right to Life Political Action Committee has followed four other major organizations in singling out Cary Capparelli for endorsement. The Illinois Federation Right to Life PAC is endorsing Cary Capparelli in his quest to fill the Illinois 5th Congressional District seat, vacated by Rahm Emanuel.
Cary has added significant momentum to his campaign by uniting the Pro-Family movement – an initiative particularly noteworthy for a first-time candidate
A traditional Democrat, Cary’s other endorsements are from:
• National Right to Life PAC;
• Illinois Citizens for Life Federal PAC, one of the largest pro-life PACs in Illinois;
• National Taxpayers United Illinois, the group that has saved Illinois citizens more than $74 billion in income, property, sales and other taxes – both at the state and local levels;
• Family-Pac Federal, a bi-partisan group that has endorsed Republicans and Democrats who are or have been committed to upholding family values.
* Related…
* Free-for-all: The problem is, there’s no way for the media to effectively cover or for the voters to seriously consider the merits of 23 candidates
* 12:01 pm - Did the governor just cave on Burris? From the AP…
Gov. Pat Quinn says it’s time to move on from the flap over embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris and focus on the economy.
Quinn wants a special election for the Senate position, but said Monday he doesn’t think that can happen unless and until Burris quits. […]
Quinn met Monday with black elected officials on Chicago’s West Side, including U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.
Quinn says most of the meeting was about economic recovery.
Yeah, but the most important part of that meeting with Davis was surely about Sen. Burris. As I told you earlier today, Quinn seemed to be getting nervous about all the pushback from African-American leaders about his Burris position.
Gov. Pat Quinn said [on Jan. 26th] that if embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris doesn’t step down within the next two weeks, he wants lawmakers to send him a bill to set up a special election that could effectively remove Burris from office.
Quinn, appearing on “The Steve Cochran Show” on WGN-AM (720), said he spoke to the top two Democrats in the General Assembly [on Jan. 26th] about the possibility of moving ahead with the legislation, which would take advantage of a clause contained in the U.S. Constitution’s 17th Amendment.
Quinn’s actions follow a legal opinion issued [on Jan. 25th] by Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan who said she believed the state could enact a special-election law that would effectively force Burris from office. Under the Constitution, a governor’s appointments to fill Senate vacancies should be considered temporary until an election is held, she said.
The governor really needs to start thinking things through on this Senate crud. First, he was for a special election, then he was for an appointment, then he was for a Burris resignation and a new appointment followed by a special election, then he was for a special election regardless of what Burris decided to do. Now, he wants to drop the whole thing?
My head hurts.
…Adding… I forgot to mention today that the Tribune editorial page continues to bang the drum ever louder on the special election issue.
…Adding More… As with the post below, I am totally uninterested in angry drive-by comments on race. Put some thought into your comments or you’ll be swiftly deleted.
*** 12:53 pm *** Sen. Durbin was asked about Burris at a presser today in Chicago, and [from the way the story is written] appeared to back off as well…
Sen. Dick Durbin sounds resigned to fellow Illinois Democrat Roland Burris remaining in the Senate for the next two years.
Durbin has called for Burris’ resignation, but says he’ll still work with the embattled senator. Durbin says Burris has a vote in the Senate like everyone else and it’s an important vote. […]
Durbin says the economy should now be the most important issue at hand.
…Adding… The Durbin office sent over an audio clip from last week which shows that Durbin said pretty much the same thing to DC reporters then as he told Chicago reporters today. So, today’s alleged “news” is not really news, they say. I’m willing to give them that point.
*** 2:49 pm *** The prodigal son is welcomed back with open arms…
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Ald. Ed Smith (28th) said they were happy with the outcome of the meeting with Quinn, saying it’s time to get past politics and down to work.
“In the final analysis, we’ve got to put this issue behind us,” said Smith. “Roland Burris isn’t going any place, and we can talk about this until whenever, but Roland isn’t going any place. We may as well forget about this and deal with those issues that have to be dealt with.”
* Should the General Assembly pass a bill which would schedule a special election for the US Senate even if Sen. Roland Burris refuses to resign from office?
Please explain fully, and stick to the specific question at hand. Thanks.
* Having a new governor is a big relief to many Illinoisans…
What a difference a few months - and an impeachment - can make.
When Gov. Pat Quinn walked into a Rolling Meadows ballroom Saturday night for a fundraiser benefiting military troops, veterans and their families, he was greeted by loud applause, ecstatic cheers and even a few Marine Corps oorahs.
The accolades continued when he was honored at the fourth annual Hearts of Valor Ball for his ongoing efforts to help the state’s military personnel.
Gov. Pat Quinn is wasting no time fulfilling his pledge to make the Illinois Governor’s Mansion both a working facility and a showplace, in a departure for Rod Blagojevich’s dislike of all things Springfield, including actually living there or just spending time at the executive residence.
“After six years with an absent resident, it’s once again ‘the people’s house,’ as its new occupant calls it,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
My man-on-the-street poll of Southland residents assured me I am, indeed, a mutant species. Not even your basic long-haired hippy libbies will tolerate another tax hike if elected officials entertain one this spring.
“The crap never ends,” one poll respondent told me. “No one will be happy until we’re all living on the streets. The country’s on a fast track to a depression; then Cook County raises property taxes on our homes that are depreciating by the minute, and now our geniuses in Springfield want to raise the income tax. So in answer to your questions, no, I would not support an income tax hike, and I would vote anyone out of office I could for supporting it.”
“(A tax hike) is too easy of a fix for a government proven to squander resources through mismanagement and gross negligence,” another said.
“Taxes in Chicago/Cook County are already ridiculously (bleeping) high without this additional income tax,” one friend said. “Even though I disagree with many of the party’s social and ethical points, I’ll be voting Republican for every major office in Illinois for the next 25 years.”
* This message is getting lost in the background noise…
“We’ll have more cost cutting to come — don’t worry about that,” [Quinn] said. But he declined to specify what cuts he would make.
Quinn repeatedly declined to answer questions during a Thursday news conference on whether he will support a tax increase, saying he will discuss the matter during his Wednesday, March 18, budget address.
Yes, I know we need to be patient and wait for the budget address, but he probably ought to spend the next couple of weeks announcing budget cuts and reforms and avoid stepping on his own message. If he screws up this rollout, his plans may explode in his face.
* Related…
* Rod’s dash for cash : Even with a four-year federal investigation bearing down on him, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s fund-raising operation was in full swing in the months before his arrest late last year on corruption charges.
Roland Burris, the Democrtic front-runner in the Illinois gubernatorial race, spent Wednesday fending off allegations that he had made race an issue in the primary campaign.
Burris, the only black candidate in the Democratic field of four, issued a cryptic response to reports that he told an African-American community group that his opponents are “non-qualified white boys.”
The allegations stem from a videotape of Burris that aired on a cable-TV community access channel and the local ABC affiliate in Chicago. Both stations dubbed out the words “white boys.”
* Burris kinda-sorta denied he said that way back then, but he’s going full tilt on the race card these days. As I told you last week, he’s hired a PR person who is playing up the race issue in a big way. And her strategy memo is now being played out in real time. First, it was the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus…
In Chicago, members of the City Council’s Black Caucus held a news conference Thursday to defend Burris, the nation’s only black senator, and his son. Alderman Freddrenna Lyle said white politicians have not been similarly targeted for accusations of wrongdoing.
“We don’t want the seat to be denied Roland under circumstances not applied to someone else,” Lyle said.
“I would just suggest to those people who seek to run in the wards of the city of Chicago where there are people of color living that they should tone it down because some of us are taking notes,” said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th). “Those people will run at their peril.”
The ministers also said Burris, the only black U.S. senator, is being held to a different standard than the 99 white senators.
“He hasn’t done anything that’s indictable,” said Rep. Bobby Rush, who added that many politicians calling for Burris to resign have “stalking horses” ready for test-runs for his seat.
Now, there’s a campaign slogan for you. “He hasn’t done anything that’s indictable.” Yeah. Stick with that.
From the pulpit, Burris touted to his overwhelmingly African-American audience the recent Senate approval of a voting representative for the District of Columbia, with its 600,000 residents, “the majority of them African-American … without a full voice in their government.” And he said he was proud of a bill he co-sponsored to honor the slaves who built the U.S. Capitol.
Thanking the church for its support, he said: “I will never, ever let you down. I will serve you with honesty and integrity. That’s all I know, and that’s what God gave me.”
Rush chastised the media and fellow politicians for “making something out of nothing.” He also suggested for Gov. Pat Quinn to work “night and day to get the state in order,” instead of calling for Burris’ resignation. “The state constitution worked for [Quinn]. Let it work for Roland,” Rush said.
* Gov. Quinn has always enjoyed significant support in the black community, but he now appears worried…
Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday called “unfortunate” a suggestion by a group of African-American aldermen that black voters may withhold support for politicians critical of beleaguered U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, saying he feared the return of a racial divide in the Democratic Party. […]
Quinn said he feared the controversy surrounding Burris would echo the “Council Wars” of the 1980s, when race divided the city’s Democrats.
Gov. Pat Quinn is defending himself - in the face of criticism from African American aldermen who say he’s trying to dictate to the black community by pushing Senator Roland Burris to resign.
First came the comments of African American aldermen, including Ed Smith of the 28th ward.
“Pat Quinn who we’ve known for years, all at once he decides that he’s going to dictate to us what should go on in our community.”
Governor Quinn has responded to that.
“Well, I’m not dictating to anyone. I think we have to do what is good for the people of Illinois. I think there should be a special election where the voters of Illinois hear all the candidates. If Roland Burris wants to run for a special election, that would be a way to let the people decide.”
* Some ground rules for comments on this matter: Hysterical, drive-by comments simply condemning the obvious are not welcome. Put some thought into what you write, please. I have zero interest in reading the same exasperated stuff over and over.
* Sen. Dick Durbin addresses racial issues in seating of Sen. Roland Burris
Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, 32, opens his exploratory bid for Senator today hoping his close association with President Obama, generational appeal, record and early start locks him in as a front-runner in what today is a very undefined field.
Giannoulias, I am told, is running no matter the election scenario or the other contenders. Last week, William Daley, the former Commerce Secretary and mayoral brother, floated his name in order to head off Giannoulias securing early endorsements. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is also mulling a run, with her chances of getting in more likely in a special election.
Though a special election is being called for by some to force embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) from office, lawmakers may have second thoughts because of the cost. The regular primary and general election is in 2010 and nominating petitions are due later this year for the February primary.
Giannoulias is figuring the primary could cost $5 million and a general election at least $15 million. After a series of interviews to discuss his bid today–there is no splashy kick off–Giannoulias heads to Florida to prospect for labor support at the annual AFL-CIO Winter meeting in Miami. His initial campaign focus will be on fund-raising.
Jordan Kaplan, who directed the Obama fund-raising effort in Illinois, is assisting Giannoulias on the money front. “The goal is to get out early and start raising money,” I am told. Giannoulias’ has the wealth to self-fund a portion of his campaign. Eric Adelstein is Giannoulias’ media consultant and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner his pollsters.
* The Daily Herald looks at a possible Mark Kirk vs. Alexi Giannoulias matchup…
Kirk has been blasting Blagojevich for years. He could paint any Democrat as part of the Blagojevich problem.
And even better for him if the opponent is Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, whose family bank used to make loans to Blago insider and convicted felon Tony Rezko.
Commercial: “When convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko needed cash to do his deals, he turned to Giannoulias. Don’t turn over your Senate to him too.”
But Obama will be a huge factor in this home state election. Giannoulias and him are basketball buddies.
Kirk voted against Obama’s stimulus plan twice and all the tax cuts and construction jobs it included.
That vote my jive with suburban Republicans, but voting against Obama may not jive with voters in the popular president’s home state.
* Sen. Bill Brady is also out on the statewide circuit today…
As state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington prepared to enter the 2010 Republican race for governor, he discounted Sunday the effects of scandal on Democrats at the ballot box and instead contended a policy of tax hikes and overspending would lead to a GOP rejuvenation. […]
With a projected deficit of at least $9 billion facing the state by the end of June 2010, there is increasing talk of a tax increases. But Brady maintained the state’s true operating deficit was about half that amount and that it could be resolved by policies of tougher fiscal management, lower taxes and incentives to stimulate job growth.
I offered a long critique of that last sentence to subscribers today. You can hear all of Brady’s interview at this link.
* Paul Harvey was a big part of my life growing up in rural Iroquois County. Everybody listened to him. The kids talked about his programs at school. My parents would often debate his latest commentaries, with my mom usually on the left and my dad on the right. I loved the man’s voice when I was young, and didn’t really care so much about what he was saying, but how he was saying it. Harvey had his own, distinct style, and I just couldn’t get enough of his program.
I haven’t listened to him much since those long ago days when I was mesmerized by the radio and wanted so fervently to be a part of what Harvey and others were doing. But a little part of my own life died this past weekend with Paul Harvey…
“This is Paul Harvey.” That clarion Midwestern voice was its own time machine; it carried listeners back to radio days of yore, when a distinctive vocal performance was as important as good looks are in TV news today. The opinions Harvey expressed were old-fashioned as well: politically and socially conservative, the musings of a grandpa who’s seen it all — or, as he put it, “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” It is hardly an exaggeration to say that, when Harvey died at 90, on Saturday, at his winter home in Phoenix, he took the whole history of radio with him.
Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.
At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.
* “The Rest of the Story” was always a favorite of my friends at school…
His five-minute “The Rest of the Story” broadcasts featured historical vignettes with surprise endings like the story of the 13-year-old boy who receives a cash gift from Franklin Roosevelt and turns out to be Fidel Castro. Or the one about the famous trial lawyer who never finished law school (Clarence Darrow). He’d end each broadcast with his signature: “Paul Harvey. [long pause] Good day!”
Harvey was the one of the last dinosaurs of a dead era. Yes, he was corny and conservative and old-fashioned and unapologetically beholden to his sponsors, but the man had tons of personality.
He was also fair-minded. As Richard Corliss of Time points out in his tribute to Harvey, “The rosy sentimentalist was also a fretful conservative; he backed Joe McCarthy’s search for imaginary Communists in the State Department. But sometimes he just got fed up, reversing himself on the Vietnam war, telling Richard Nixon, ‘Mr. President, I love you, but you’re wrong.’ ”
In the early 1990s, I wrote a liberal piece about U.S. military policy–and Harvey responded with a note thanking me for the column and saying he agreed with some of the points I’d made. Virtually everyone who met him would walk away talking about his class and grace.
I certainly disagreed with many of Harvey’s opinions. I sometimes cringed at his commentaries. But as someone who kicked around the radio business for many years, I stand in awe of his accomplishments as a broadcaster, and I have nothing but great admiration for the way he conducted himself as a gentleman.
“My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news,” said the couple’s only child, Paul Harvey Jr., who like his parents is in the Radio Hall of Fame. “So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents, and today millions have lost a friend.”
With talks set to kick off this week on a new contract covering nearly 15,000 janitors who clean commercial buildings in the Loop and suburbs, workers rallied downtown Sunday to seek better pay and benefits.
