Stunned homeowners are lining up at assessor’s offices across Cook County after opening up property-tax bills with whopping increases in recent days.
In a declining real estate market, many mistakenly thought their shrinking home values would lead to a smaller tax bite.
But north and northwest suburban homeowners, along with their counterparts in booming city neighborhoods, are in many cases facing double-digit increases—or worse. In the rest of the county, it’s not quite as bad.
“We have a lot of people who are confused because the current economic circumstances would lead them to believe that their assessment should go down,” said county Assessor James Houlihan. “Their actual tax liability has gone up.”
Fourteen companies statewide are laying off around 2,600 workers altogether, including hundreds from the Chicago suburbs, according to documents filed with the state.
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday moved to ease a credit crunch that’s endangering the economy. But an expert says Chicago may not benefit as much as other big cities.
The Federal Reserve said it would buy massive amounts of what’s known as commercial paper. That’s a form of short-term financing that investors provide large companies for day-to-day operations.
Abol Jalilvand, the dean of Loyola University’s business school, says Chicago has less to gain from the Fed’s move than places like New York or Los Angeles. He says that’s because Chicago has relatively few large companies.
Cook County sales dropped 11.94% in one month after the county instituted its new tax, new data released Tuesday shows, but just how much of that drop had to do with the tax is far from clear.
According to sales tax figures from the Illinois Department of Revenue, Cook County businesses reported $3.360 billion in sales in July, the first month the new 1.75% county sales tax took effect. Sales in June, when the county tax was 0.75%, were $3.816 billion.
However, a look at sales tax data from the last five years shows there has always been a drop from June to July, albeit never as large as this year. In 2004 the drop was 4.61%; in 2005, 7.57%; in 2006, 8.56%; in 2007, 6.67%.
* As you already know, Gov. Blagojevich repeatedly referenced a letter that Tony Rezko sent to his presiding judge. This is a representative quote…
“Tony Rezko sent a letter to a judge. In that letter, he expressly states neither Sen. Obama nor I did anything wrong.”
* That letter will make it impossible to rely solely on Rezko’s word, but it may not rule out Rezko as a witness against the governor. From the Sun-Times’ Eye on Rezko blog…
If Rezko does cut a deal with the feds, that letter — sent to a federal judge — will no doubt haunt him as a witness.
As we reported in an earlier story, it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.
Former prosecutor Zachary Fardon noted in a June 16th story Scott Fawell, former chief of staff to Gov. George Ryan, wrote a similar letter, saying he wouldn’t make up lies about Ryan.
Fawell was the star witness in Ryan’s trial.
“Do I think he could effectively be crossed on this letter? Yes,” Fardon said. “Does that mean they can’t call him or use him [as a witness]? No.”
One of the matters that prosecutors have been interested in learning is who paid for the renovation of Blagojevich’s Chicago home. Rezko’s now defunct Chicago Construction Services was the contractor on the project. One person familiar with the renovation contacted Monday afternoon, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of grand jury secrecy, said he was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors and asked about the project.
“They were looking for basic business dealings, who paid, how much, that sort of thing,” he said. He said the governor’s wife, Patti, paid the bill.
The retiring Jones (D-Chicago) was hailed as nothing short of a hero by those in attendance, from Gov. Rod Blagojevich to interim university president Frank Pogue, who praised Jones for always fighting for South Side interests.
Jones said he was inspired to use his influence to benefit the university by observing how legislators in Springfield banded together to pass projects for other state schools. He blasted news accounts that questioned his motives and said his actions were an attempt at “parity” and “fairness.”
“We learned a lot in Springfield, when they slice the pie,” Jones said of the budget process. “It’s nice to be in the room when you slice the pie. And [sometimes] I get criticized for making sure that a piece of that pie comes back home here, but that’s your job as a lawmaker. To look out for your district, to look out for the young people that attend these institutions.”
CSU isn’t in Jones’ district, but whatever. They named a building after him, so I guess that sorta counts.
“You win by showing the people of Illinois who Dick Durbin really is,” [Sauerberg] said. “He is a divisive, partisan politician who has spent 37 years on the government dole.”
* In that same interview, Sauerberg also revealed why he initially decided to run against Durbin…
Sauerberg said he first considered running after Durbin compared the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners to atrocities committed in Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and Cambodia.
“When he compared our troops to Nazis, that pretty much put me over the top,” he said.
Durbin profusely apologized for the remark, but Sauerberg was having nothing of it. His press releases throughout the summer have been some of the most vitriolic I’ve ever seen.
* Sauerberg was therefore furious with Durbin’s first TV ad of the season, which highlights the incumbent’s work on behalf of disabled military veterans…
* Here’s Sauerberg’s press release…
Today, Republican Senate nominee Steve Sauerberg, M.D., sharply criticized Senator Dick Durbin for a new television ad running as part of the Senator’s campaign for re-election. “Dick Durbin, who has been unwilling to stand up for our brave men and women in uniform in his role as a United States Senator, has stooped to shamelessly exploiting our troops for his own political gain,” said Sauerberg. “This is cynical election-year politics at its worst.”
“Time and time again Dick Durbin has failed to stand up for our troops. It’s incredible that Dick Durbin, the same man who compared our troops to Nazis on the floor of the U.S. Senate, pronounced the surge a failure before it began, and would not denounce the slandering of General Petraeus, would now attempt to use our troops as election-year gimmicks,” continued Sauerberg. “One slickly crafted campaign commercial cannot make up for a life-time of failing our men and women in uniform.”
* Yesterday, Durbin had a chance to confront Sauerberg about his attacks during a Chicago Tribune editorial meeting. After months and months of going on the offensive, Sauerberg backed off…
Republican U.S. Senate challenger Steve Sauerberg backtracked Tuesday from questioning Sen. Dick Durbin’s patriotism after the Democrat emotionally accused his rival of employing “the lowest form of politics.” […]
“I apologize if you’re upset with me and I understand, but the fact of the matter is, you shouldn’t say these things,” Sauerberg said. “People are hurt. They’re still hurt.” The Republican said every veteran he has spoken with holds Durbin “in great disdain.”
“You need to meet more veterans,” Durbin said, pointing out he recently received the endorsement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
That’s a sharp, spot-on retort by Durbin. The VFW isn’t in the habit of endorsing troop-hating, terrorist-loving commies.
* And then Sauerberg completely capitulated…
Sauerberg acknowledged that Durbin has “done a great job on some of these issues” dealing with veterans. And Sauerberg said a news release issued Monday by his campaign, criticizing Durbin for “shamelessly exploiting our troops for his own political gain” in a campaign TV ad was “a little bit too strong. I think I might take that one back a little bit.”
“I do applaud your efforts on behalf of the troops,” Sauerberg said. And after their editorial board session ended, Sauerberg shook Durbin’s hand and said, “I apologize for any offense.”
Candidates who don’t have the guts to back up their assaults when their opponents are in the same room deserve whatever ridicule results. In Sauerberg’s case, however, he manned up and apologized. We’ll see if his campaign follows suit.
*** UPDATE - 9:53 am *** The governor has quietly signed SB 790, the $220 million special funds sweep bill that will provide funding to keep parks, historic sites and social service programs open and running. The governor’s budget office had repeatedly signaled opposition to the sweeps bill, complaining that some of the sweeps just couldn’t be done.
Developing…
*** UPDATE - 9:55 am *** The appropriations bill, which would spend the money from the funds sweep bill, has apparently not yet been signed.
*** UPDATE - 10:52 am *** The SJ-R gets a quote from the administration…
“The governor did sign the funds sweep bill yesterday. However, there are some funds included in the bill that agencies have expressed concern over. At this point, we don’t know how much will actually be available, so it’s too soon to say how far this money will go,” [spokeswoman Kelley Quinn] said in the statement.
Quinn said the governor had not decided yet what action to take on Senate Bill 1103. That’s the measure lawmakers approved last month to restore spending so two-dozen state parks and historic sites wouldn’t have to close and hundreds of state workers wouldn’t be laid off.
Blagojevich now has until early December to decide what to do with that bill.
“At this point, we have to see how much money is available to spend,” Quinn said.
***************************
[Everything below was written before I - or anybody else, for that matter - realized that the sweeps bill was signed yesterday.]
* Several conservation groups want the governor to veto a bill that would keep state parks open. Sound strange? Well, it is, kinda, but they do have a point. The bill they want vetoed is the special funds sweep proposal, which skims a bit over $9 million from funds benefitng sportsman’s groups, like the Wildlife and Fish Fund, the Illinois Habitat Endowment Trust Fund and the Illinois Habitat Fund…
Members of Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, Delta Waterfowl, Illinois Audubon Society, among others, are urging Blagojevich to look for another way to fund the state parks, he said.
“It’s not fair to pit two similar groups against each other,” [Dave Grass, president of Winnebago County Pheasants Forever] said.
State park supporters and hunting and fishing supporters are all conservation organizations, said Tom Clay, executive director for the Illinois Audubon Society.
“Funding sources shouldn’t be coming from other dedicated groups,” he said.
They all support land and habitat conservation, he said — several supporters represent both camps.
That’s why he’s hoping Blagojevich vetoes the bill.
“You shouldn’t have to be using habitat money to keep the state parks open,” Clay said.
The problem is that the groups aren’t offering up any alternative. “Don’t cut me, cut the other guy,” ain’t gonna work. There’s a plan on the table that passed both chambers (after weeks of opportunity for public input) and almost nobody uttered a peep until the deed was done.
The bill also provides revenue sources to reverse severe cuts to mental health providers and social service agencies, including money for treatment of substance abuse.
It’s not just about the people facing layoffs because of the governor’s cuts - although that is certainly important.
The bill protects people who need services from these agencies.
Without the additional revenue, they may face longer waits for help or receive no help at all. And when the help needed involves mental health or substance abuse issues, a delay can have a significant negative impact.
* A Rockford Register-Star editorial lays out how payment delays and a big gubernatorial budget cut - which was partially restored with special funds money - is impacting local social service agencies…
The governor cut $55 million — 50 percent — from the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, which sends money on to local agencies such as Rosecrance, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, and PHASE/WAVE. The General Assembly voted to restore some of those cuts, but the approved legislation has yet to reach the governor.
Those cuts and the payment delays have been devastating to agencies such as Rosecrance.
“Without the restoration of funding and the timely payment for services already provided, these providers of essential service like Rosecrance will have no alternative but to discontinue a number of life-sustaining and life-changing services to people who are most in need of them,” said Susan Rice, Rosecrance public relations director.
Some group homes for developmentally disabled adults in Central Illinois are closing or are not reopening, partly because of the state’s budget crisis.
“It (the problem) is far greater than the public imagines,” said Dreux Lewandowski, executive director of Macon Resources, based in Decatur. “I haven’t seen it this bad since the ’90s.”
Marcfirst, the Bloomington-based agency, is closing two of its nine group homes — one home in Bloomington and one home in Normal, said CEO Rick Glass. Two residents have relocated outside McLean County, five residents will move into Marcfirst apartments, and three residents will be assimilated into the remaining group homes, Glass said. […]
The agency heads said group homes for the developmentally disabled — called CILAs (community integrated living arrangements) — have been underfunded in Illinois for several years. Funding has worsened recently with delays in state reimbursement payments and with a 2.5 percent rate cut for group homes, they said.
The Illinois Senate and House have voted to restore that cut but final action is up to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Tom Green, of the Illinois Department of Human Services, said late Tuesday that the governor’s office is reviewing the legislation.
agencies that have attempted to delay layoffs in hopes funding will be restored cannot deal with continued uncertainty. That’s especially true in these tough economic times when trying to borrow money can be costly - if a business is able to get a loan at all.
So, in the end, does it really make sense to veto the fund transfer bill and worsen an already horrible situation over money that wasn’t being spent in the first place? These conservation groups need to reconsider their decision.
* Related…
* Efforts to stop budget cuts back in hands of governor
* State sends letters to parks detailing what will happen if they close
A downstate Illinois electricity cooperative today will announce plans to offer power statewide, with an eye toward signing up Ameren Corp.’s Illinois customers infuriated by rate hikes.
* Millions of Dollars in Stimulus Checks Go Unclaimed
After a month-long hiatus, testimony resumed Tuesday at an administrative hearing meant to resolve whether the Illinois Department of Natural Resources made a mistake when it granted a permit for a strip-mining project near Banner in Fulton County
His voice quaking with emotion, Chicago Schools CEO Arne Duncan refused Tuesday to accept an anti-gun violence award, saying “I don’t feel I’ve earned it'’ with student deaths on track to double this school year.
Duncan left the Abraham Lincoln Award from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence on a sidetable, but walked away from the lecturn at the Ritz Carlton to a standing ovation from an obviously moved audience.
More than a third of the Chicago Police positions at the city’s two major airports are vacant, but officials say cops are helping to fill the gap by working overtime.
* DuPage deputies, prosecutors could score big raises
DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba and State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett are pleading for double-digit percentage raises for deputies and assistant prosecutors.
Last school year, Simeon High School senior Bruce Zayas was captain of the volleyball team, a rising star recruited from Mount Carmel, and looking at a volleyball scholarship.
But a paddling by his coach last April for missing serves during a game — a “whupping” that left welts on the 17-year-old — changed that.
DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said the county was prepared to house the makeshift center for as long as it took for all the flood victims from Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Lake, Kane, LaSalle and Will counties to receive help. More than 700 people had registered for assistance after the center’s opening was announced last weekend. DuPage officials estimate the flooding cost the county roughly $10.5 million in personnel costs and infrastructure damage.
The district wants approval to issue $185 million in bonds to acquire land, restore habitats and improve public access throughout a system that has grown to nearly 27,000 acres.
“Typically on the last day of voter registration maybe we see 1,000 voter registrations. Based on morning traffic, we’re projecting 12,000 today,” said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Last-minute registration in Cook County suburbs also increased. On Tuesday, the Cook County clerk’s office handled 13,000 voter registration forms downtown, pushing the total over 40,000 since Oct. 1. That’s already more registrations than before the 2004 election and Tuesday “was the busiest day yet,” spokeswoman Courtney Greve said
Young voters are expected to have a hefty turnout this Nov. 4, several analysts have predicted. But Generation Y — those born after 1979 — is still somewhat of a political wildcard
* Renovated Morse Theatre reborn as live music venue
There’s a new player on the Chicago concert stage. The Morse Theatre, 1328 W. Morse, reopens Thursday as a resplendent music hall, restaurant and broadcast studio.
This year’s Lollapalooza rock ‘n’ roll festival was music to the ears of Chicago Park District officials who will accept a $1.6 million check today.
The district’s take for this summer’s Grant Park festival is about $400,000 more than last year’s revenues.
* University of Chicago physicist Yoichiro Nambu wins Nobel Prize
Nambu, 87, was woken up early Tuesday with news that he had received the Nobel Prize for physics in recognition of work from the 1960s that many peers described as decades ahead of its time. He took half of the $1.4 million award, with the rest going to Japanese researchers Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa for their work in predicting a third family of the subatomic particles called quarks.
* Berwyn alderman in court over incident with Wal-Mart guard
Ald. Michael Phelan, 39, appeared in local ordinance court in Forest Park last week to face charges of disorderly conduct in connection with an incident in which he was detained by Wal-Mart security guards for allegedly refusing to show his store receipt.
* Give the governor credit for even appearing in public in a week like this…
Governor Rod Blagojevich is calling on Tony Rezko to tell the truth, the day after federal prosecutors indicated that the convicted fundraiser might be cooperating with them.
Appearing at a ceremony Tuesday, Blagojevich wouldn’t say whether he was worried about his future now that his friend and fundraiser may be talking to authorities.
Blagojevich said Rezko’s decision to seek a sentencing delay “speaks for itself.”
“It is what it is, it speaks for itself,” Blagojevich said. “Let me just say again what I’ve said before, Tony Rezko is a friend of mine, my heart goes out to him and to his family and he like everybody else should tell the truth. And I would point out he sent a letter, Tony Rezko sent a letter to a federal judge where he expressly said that neither Sen. Obama nor I did anything wrong and now we’ve got to respect the process as we’ve been consistently doing and just let it all unfold…”
The governor went on to repeat several times his answer about the letter Rezko sent to a federal judge before being convicted on political corruption charges earlier this year. In the letter, Rezko said he was never involved in any wrongdoing with either Blagojevich or Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and wouldn’t make up stories about them in an attempt to benefit himself.
Also today, the governor dismissed as “much ado about nothing” revelations that federal investigators have interviewed and subpoenaed contractors involved in a $90,000 renovation of Blagojevich’s home by a Rezko-owned company. Agents have focused on who paid for that 2003 work, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.
While insisting that he and his wife, Patti, paid for the work themselves, the governor today repeated that he would not release contractor invoices, cancelled personal checks or any other documents that might support his claim.
“The canceled checks are where they belong. They’re at the bank. If you feel like you want to go get them, then run ahead and get them,” the governor said.
And while the governor expressed sympathy toward Rezko and his family, as he has done in the past, Blagojevich said he has not communicated with Rezko since his conviction.
“I don’t think he’s in a place where he can take a phone call,” the governor said.
* I was thinking yesterday that the White Sox have some clear deficiencies in their lineup that simply must be addressed during the off-season. We’ve got a center-fielder who only plays six innings, a third baseman with a mysterious injury that never heals, a replacement third baseman who swings out of his shoes on every pitch, and a rapidly aging DH, to mention just a few. There’s room for improvement.
But it occurred to me this week that Cub fans and many respected analysts firmly believed all year that the Northsiders had close to the perfect team, with an “A-List” manager and a corporate parent finally willing to shell out the big bucks for talent. Yet, they got steam-rolled in the playoffs. What are they now, 0 for their last nine post-season games? Oof.
So, my question is: How can that unmentionable team from the North possibly trade or deal its way into success next year, if the dream lineup proved so awful in this year’s post season?
Snark is encouraged, of course, but I’d also like you to think of some “real” answers. Thanks.
[The governor has spoken on the issue at hand. Go here to comment. This one’s now closed.]
* As I write this (shortly after 10 o’clock) the governor is preparing to make a public appearance at Chicago State University…
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich will attend the dedication and help cut the ribbon at the unveiling ceremony of the new Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University.
* You gotta figure that reporters are going to swarm all over him about this latest development…
In the first official sign that Antoin “Tony” Rezko and his lawyers are talking with federal prosecutors about his cooperation in corruption probes, the judge in his federal fraud case has been asked to delay his sentencing this month.
In a motion filed late Monday by prosecutors, the two sides ask that the Oct. 28 sentencing date for the former fundraiser and adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich be delayed indefinitely.
“The parties agree that the [sentencing date], as well as dates related to sentencing filings, should be stricken while the parties engage in discussions that could affect their sentencing postures,” says the motion written by Assistant U.S. Atty. Reid Schar.
The motion seeks a hearing to discuss the status of the case in December. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve, who presided over Rezko’s trial this year, was expected to hear the motion Wednesday.
The delay is good news for Barack Obama, since the original October 28th sentencing date would’ve ginned up a bunch of unflattering press coverage right before the election. With everything I’ve heard so far about who is being contacted and the subject matters being probed, Obama’s connection has been nil. So that’s probably more good news for him.
Several criminal-defense lawyers, who spoke to the Sun-Times only on the condition they not be named, said prosecutors have asked to interview or reinterview their clients about allegations that Blagojevich’s campaign took contributions in exchange for state contracts or appointments. One lawyer said prosecutors told him they sought the interview in response to new information provided by Rezko.
Not good.
* More reform and renewal…
* Will County official says FBI investigation was a dirty political trick - County executive Larry Walsh says county auditor Stephen Weber used his position to further an FBI inquiry
* My syndicated newspaper column continues the series on the constitutional convention…
It’s no secret that Gov. Rod Blagojevich is probably the most unpopular Illinois governor in living memory.
The entrenched politicians and special interest groups who oppose a state constitutional convention are rightly worried that the public’s mistrust, even hatred, of this governor will skew November’s vote. Every twenty years, voters are given the right to call a constitutional convention, and the next opportunity is this November 4th. Opponents fret that Illinoisans may decide to make the constitutional convention vote a referendum on Rod Blagojevich. If that happens, they say, then illogic and emotion will prevail and terrible consequences could follow.
Ridiculous.
The truth is that Rod Blagojevich is a walking, talking poster child for a constitutional convention.
Blagojevich’s disastrous, harmful and years-long fight to the death with his political nemesis House Speaker Michael Madigan has featured numerous and often dangerous attempts to exploit the constitution’s needlessly vague language.
For instance, the courts have gone back and forth on gubernatorial veto powers, and Blagojevich has seized his opportunities. The governor believes he can use his amendatory veto power to drastically write totally new legislation and send it back to the House and Senate for approval. Others say his amendatory veto authority is limited to only minor corrections to whatever passes both legislative chambers.
Trouble is, the constitution’s language is so terribly vague that nobody really knows who is right.
This may seem too “insiderish” to you, but the governor has used those amendatory vetoes to act as if he is a legislature unto himself by creating gigantic and complicated new laws. Most of the constitution’s drafters who are still alive will tell you that they never meant this to happen, but they should also admit that they did a very poor job of wording the provision.
Nothing in the Illinois constitution specifically gives the governor any authority to create what are known as administrative rules. In the past, the General Assembly would pass legislation, but it would also allow state agencies to come up with the details needed to implement the new laws. Many years ago, the legislature created an oversight committee to make sure the governor’s rulemaking stayed within reason, and Blagojevich even signed a law a few years back to give the legislature more power to stop his rules.
Since then, however, Blagojevich has used administrative rules to create completely new programs out of nothing. When the special legislative committee tried to stop him, he said it had no authority to do so, thereby ignoring the law that he, himself had signed.
Blagojevich essentially believes that he has almost dictatorial powers to create new taxpayer-funded programs without the General Assembly’s approval. Speaker Madigan retaliated by demanding that almost all bills had to include language forbidding the governor from creating new rules. The fight has basically halted all major legislation this year. A court recently shot Blagojevich’s argument down, but he still won’t admit defeat.
The constitution allows the governor to call special sessions of the General Assembly, but Blagojevich insisted that he had the authority to call special sessions at any time he wanted. That case went to court as well. The governor’s lawyers then demanded that House Speaker Madigan be sanctioned if he did not call special sessions at the exact times demanded by the governor and also guarantee that enough legislators were present to conduct business. The sanctions and quorum arguments were dropped, but the governor can now call special sessions at 3 o’clock in the morning if he sees fit, even though nothing in the constitution gives him that specific right.
I could go on for days, but I’m running out of room. The point is that Blagojevich has done us all a favor by attempting to exploit these and many, many other constitutional loopholes. We now know where they are and how to close them. And we also know that if we don’t do something about this, then Blagojevich or the next governor who decides he’s a dictator can’t be stopped.
So, if you believe as I do that Gov. Blagojevich has abused his constitutional powers, you should vote “Yes” on a constitutional convention.
Always remember that you’ll have the right to vote for convention delegates, and then you’ll vote up or down on any and all constitutional changes. It’s not nearly as scary as the other side wants you to think.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.
[If you would like to be removed from this list, please respond to this e-mail and type “Remove” in the subject line.]
* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times editorial board takes the opposite approach to myself and the Chicago Tribune…
The dangerous wild card in all this, however, is not so much what a convention might fail to do, but what it might do. Once the Constitution is thrown open, anything goes. A woman’s right to choose an abortion could be curtailed. Same-sex marriage could be permitted or prohibited. Home rule authority, crucial to ability of cities such as Chicago to manage their finances, could be substantially weakened.
Do we honestly fear the Constitution would be so completely overhauled? Not really. Without a shared agenda among the state’s power brokers — as there was in 1970 — our best guess is nothing would be changed.
* Related…
* Proponents could appeal judge’s ruling on con-con ballot: We’ll learn more Tuesday.
* Yesterday’s poll results that showed Democrat Dan Seals in the hunt against Republican Congressman Mark Kirk drew one of the most unusually harsh responses from a pollster that I’ve ever seen. The poll, by the respected firm Research 2000, was slammed by Kirk’s pollster for its sponsor, partisan Democratic blog DailyKos, and for its methodology.
The ultra left-wing Web site Daily Kos commissioned a poll by Research 2000, which was conducted in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District from 9/30-10/1. The survey was flawed on three levels. First, the survey over-sampled voters age 18-29 while under-sampling voters 60+. Second, the survey over-sampled Democrats and Independents while under-sampling Republicans. Third, the survey was intentionally conducted on the Jewish High Holy Day of Rosh HaShanah that would exclude observant Jewish Democratic voters who lean more toward Kirk than average Democrats.
* I contacted Research 2000’s president, Del Ali, yesterday. Ali seemed shocked at the McLaughlin’s allegations, and wouldn’t respond to some of the harsher language in the McLaughlin press release, which included this particularly nasty passage from Kirk’s pollster…
It’s no surprise that DailyKos, which has come under attack by Democrats like Harold Ford Jr. and Lanny Davis for anti-Israel and anti-Semitic content, chose to conduct its poll on the Jewish High Holy Day of Rosh HaShanah. The 10th District is almost 20 percent Jewish – one of the larger Jewish districts in the nation. In addition to being disrespectful, the poll excluded observant Jewish voters who tend to vote for Mark Kirk more than average Democrats. In our last survey, Kirk did 25 percent better among Jewish voters than a typical Republican.
* It seemed obvious to me that the Kirk campaign was trying to stir up a hornet’s nest, so I temporarily ignored the McLaughlin response while I figured out how to touch this delicate topic.
On the merits, however, Ali staunchly defended his likely voter screens, charged that McLaughlin had “way undersampled” young voters in McLaughlin’s brushfire poll of just 300 respondents and claimed that too many pollsters today were using outdated polling models designed in the early 1980s.
The timing of the poll was mentioned in our post announcing the poll, but unlike the hyperventilating Kirk campaign, we argue that the timing depressed Democratic-leaning voters that would support Seals, rather than Kirk. While Kirk may have some Jewish support, that community is still Democratic leaning and will deliver a majority of its support to the Democrat this November. Arguing that excluding some Jewish voters is actually an anti-semitic ploy to depress Kirk’s numbers is laughable. And desperate.
But let’s thank the Kirk campaign for 1) betraying their insecurities. No campaign goes nuclear on a poll they consider to be an outlier; and 2) giving the poll higher visibility. These things have a habit of falling through the media cracks. Thanks to their outsized freakout, they’ve created the sort of conflict that will ensure a higher profile for the results.
In Illinois’ 10th district, marketing consultant Dan Seals (D) led Rep. Mark Kirk (R) 52 percent to 44 percent. [emphasis added]
* More bad news for Kirk from the RollCall poll and a possible explanation for Seals’ apparent surge…
In the SurveyUSA poll, Obama led McCain in the district 62 percent to 36 percent — a margin that’s 20 points greater than Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) margin over Bush in the 2004 White House election.
* And in perhaps the greatest blow to Kirk’s overheated argument, RollCall’s pollster, SurveyUSA, used the same partisan makeup that was used by Kos’ pollster…
Kirk’s pollster also took issue with the partisan makeup of the Research 2000 poll — which was similar to the partisan makeup of the SurveyUSA poll conducted for Roll Call. Kirk’s own polls have shown him with a substantial lead over Seals.
So, to summarize, the anti-Semitic argument used by the Kirk campaign was backwards. SurveyUSA polled after the Jewish holiday and came up with much stronger numbers for Dan Seals. RollCall’s pollster also used a similar partisan breakdown used by Kos’ pollster, which undercuts the Kirk claim that the Kos poll was inherently flawed and out of whack.
* NEW: Farmers going to or from fields fear becoming road-kill
The inevitable tension on rural roadways has forced many farmers—especially in the collar counties—to rearrange their harvesting schedule around rush hour. Instead of heading to their fields at sunrise, some are getting started after 9 a.m., or even in the middle of the night to avoid encounters with commuters.
University of Illinois at Chicago economist John McDonald has studied the Chicago area for decades. He says most local industries, whether construction or banking, health care or hospitality, will recover.
McDONALD: Those are sectors that are cyclical and will come back. What is truly damaging for the Chicago metropolitan area, based on what has been the case in previous recessions, we lose our manufacturing base, and it does not come back.
* NEW: Ford to cut nearly 800 jobs at its Chicago factory
Ford will cut 792 jobs at its Southeast Side assembly plant when it drops to one shift early next month, according to a filing with the state.
Separately, two suppliers to Ford told state officials they’ll pare 168 jobs from their payrolls.
Previously, Ford said 600 part-time positions would be eliminated when it cuts one shift at the factory, 12600 S. Torrence Ave. The automaker also had said the move would result in a loss of full-time jobs but hadn’t been more specific.
Republican Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg accused incumbent Dick Durbin of turning a blind eye to Democratic dysfunction in Springfield and also called for keeping American troops in Iraq as the two candidates met Monday in their first debate.
The two debated for only about 25 minutes during the PBS program “Chicago Tonight.” Still, the faceoff offered Sauerberg a rare moment in the spotlight to challenge Durbin and let voters know the Senate seat is up for grabs next month.
Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Steve Sauerberg clashed over the nation’s health care crisis Monday, with the Democratic incumbent accusing the family practice physician of proposing an end to government-backed insurance for the poor and elderly in favor of a program using tax credits to purchase private insurance.
Sauerberg criticized Durbin’s support for what the challenger contended was a pork-laden $800 billion government bailout of financial firms, saying it should have been “a wonderful opportunity to do some free-market type changes” that included cuts in corporate taxes and a moratorium on capital gains taxes.
The University of Illinois said Monday that it would allow employees to display political bumper stickers, wear political buttons and attend political rallies on campus, reversing an earlier interpretation of state ethics law that has drawn sharp criticism. “We, the leadership of the University of Illinois, will preserve, protect and defend the constitutionally guaranteed rights of every member of our university community,” university President Joseph White said in a public advisory. Certain activities barred under the earlier interpretation, he wrote, “conflict, or appear to conflict, with fundamental freedoms.”
* Cook Co. health ‘billion-dollar budget’ remains a mystery
Three days after the Cook County Health and Hospitals System publicly debated and passed a “billion-dollar budget,” it continued Monday to refuse to present the document to the public.
The failure to produce the document also comes three days after Cook County Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings promised a reporter the document would be produced Monday.
A loan modification program that’s part of an $8.7 billion national settlement about deceptive mortgage practices will help tens of thousands of borrowers stay in their homes and could be a national model, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Monday.
On Monday, Madigan’s office discussed details of the settlement negotiated with Bank of America to settle a predatory lending lawsuit against Countrywide Financial, which Bank of America acquired during the summer
More than 10,800 Illinois families with home loans from troubled Countrywide Financial are about to get some relief.
The nation’s No. 1 subprime mortgage lender settled a massive fraud suit Monday by agreeing to cut some loan rates to as low as 2.5 percent. Altogether, the settlement means loan relief of about $185 million for Countrywide customers in Illinois, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced.
* Aldermen want to give divorcing homeowners a break
* After disbanding scandal-plagued Special Operations Section, Chicago police to start special gang unit
Specialized units designed to fight gangs have been a double-edged sword for decades in the Chicago Police Department. Officers assigned to such units develop a high-level of expertise and intelligence in dealing with gangs and tend to make a lot of arrests and take violent drug dealers off the streets. Department leaders said they were key to a 25 percent drop in homicides in 2004
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s $2.5 billion plan to privatize Midway Airport got stuck on the tarmac Monday, amid a barrage of questions from aldermen. They sought answers on a range of issues, from police protection to parking and shopping costs to whether the city was getting top dollar during the credit crunch.
Aldermen had so many concerns about the historic 99-year lease that Ald. Edward Burke (14th), chairman of the city council’s finance committee, was forced to postpone a vote. The committee will reconvene today to further debate the proposal.
* Mayor’s airport lease deal discussed but no vote today
The administration provided more details about the plan today.
Of the amount that the private operators would pay, $1.15 billion would pay off Midway debt; $225 million would go toward a new fund for police and fire service at the airport; and $126 million would pay for ongoing projects, including a program to sound-proof nearby homes.
On Sunday, the teacher’s union voted 267 to 11 in favor of sending the district a 10-day notice of intent to strike. The notice does not guarantee a strike will actually occur, but paves the way for a walkout if negotiations tank this week.
Across U46, more than 100 central office administrators, principals, assistant principals, deans and department heads are taking on 10 male students this year in grades four through 12 as part of the district’s new plan called the “10 Boys Initiative.” It’s based on a similar program created by Ingrid Carney, former deputy superintendent of Boston Public Schools, in 2007.
* Des Plaines still dealing with fallout from flood
* Electronic DuPage court call to smooth paper trail
In an effort to further modernize Illinois’ second-largest judicial system, authorities unveiled a new electronic court call that eventually will make the paper dockets that hang outside courtrooms obsolete.
* But you can put lipstick on Mike Quigley’s chief of staff …
Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley’s chief of staff Kimberly Walz once was a beauty queen — Miss Freeport, Ill. — and now she’s a finalist in Sephora.com’s Posie Gal Contest.
The next gubernatorial election is still two years away, but Attorney General Lisa Madigan acknowledges she’s “thinking about” a run for the state’s top job.
Madigan didn’t offer any other hints Monday about a plan to challenge her fellow Democrat, Governor Rod Blagojevich, should he seek re-election.
Madigan says her immediate election goal is to get Democrat Barack Obama elected president in November.
* 2:17 pm - The governor’s quasi-dictatorial decision - blocked so far by two different courts - to start up a taxpayer funded program without legislative approval has resulted in severe consequences….
Illinois pharmacists must help pay for a health care program the Blagojevich administration bungled.
A notice from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and obtained by The Associated Press tells pharmacies a court order precludes it from reimbursing prescriptions filled under the FamilyCare program Governor Rod Blagojevich expanded.
Illinois Pharmacists Association director Michael Patton says the druggists are out the money they spent for the medication, expecting to be reimbursed under FamilyCare. He says no one can tell him how much money pharmacists are losing.
* 4:10 pm - Buried in this puff piece about Attorney General Madigan are these somewhat surprisingly nice words by Ed Murnane, of all people…
Fears that Madigan would be a trial-happy opponent of tort reform groups have so far proven unfounded, said Ed Murnane, president of the Illinois Civil Justice League.
“She’s been a pleasant surprise to those of us who were concerned that she would be very closely aligned and sympathetic to plaintiffs’ lawyers,” said Murnane, who serves on the board of directors of the American Tort Reform Association.
Murnane noted that while Madigan would not be considered an ally of the tort reform movement, “She has not been the ogre some thought she was going to be.”
He said “problem attorneys general” are known for taking their consumer protection duties and responsibilities too far.
“I do not think that Lisa Madigan has gone overboard, at least not yet,” Murnane said. “She is probably to some extent trying to keep some of her powder dry because she is widely assumed to be keeping a pretty close eye on the governor’s office.”
* Long set-ups usually result in fewer responses, but we’re gonna try anyway. The Tribune has a very well-written, balanced piece on the state’s new “Citizens Participation Act,” which a pro-life group claims was misused against it. The whole thing started over the nasty fight about a Planned Parenthood center in Aurora. The right-to-life groups were doing their best to stop it and Planned Parenthood retaliated with some harsh words…
Scheidler sued Steve Trombley, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, alleging libel for saying to the Aurora City Council, and in an ad in a local newspaper, that the [Pro-Life Action League] has “a well-documented history of violence.”
* Planned Parenthood’s response to the suit…
“Illinois’ Citizen Participation Act . . . specifically protects the constitutional right to engage in the very type of speech that is at issue here,” Planned Parenthood said in a court filing.
Acts in furtherance of the constitutional rights to petition, speech, association, and participation in government are immune from liability, regardless of intent or purpose, except when not genuinely aimed at procuring favorable government action, result, or outcome.
It argues for dismissal on a variety of familiar grounds: because the allegedly defamatory statements were true, because they can be given an innocent construction, because they didn’t even refer to the individual plaintiffs.
But leading the list is the assertion that the Citizen Participation Act gives Planned Parenthood “absolute immunity against plaintiffs’ claims.” That’s because the organization was campaigning for local political support, and the CAP — to quote it — provides that “acts in furtherance of the constitutional rights to petition, speech, association, and participation in government . . . are immune from liability, regardless of intent or purpose” [emphasis added]
* Even the sponsor is a bit surprised that the law was used this way…
Illinois State Sen. John Cullerton called himself a Planned Parenthood supporter but acknowledged its use of the act was not what he had in mind when he pushed for it to become law. Still it is the judge’s decision as to “whether or not that law is appropriate to the facts,” he said.
* A bit more background…
[David Ardia, director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard Law School] said anti-SLAPP laws got their start in the 1970s as environmentalists spoke out against big developers. “If we didn’t have them, we would have significantly reduced public speech on many, many important public issues,” Ardia said.
* Question: Does the state law go too far, or is it necessary to stop lawsuits which can chill free speech? Explain fully, please.
* The Tribune points out the glaring loophole in Illinois “revolving door” prohibition. The prohbition doesn’t work because waivers are too easy to get…
Last week, tollway chief Brian McPartlin announced that he was leaving to become a vice president of McDonough Associates, an engineering and architectural firm that has received more than $30 million in tollway contracts while McPartlin was in charge. He’s asking the state ethics commission for a waiver of the one-year rule, and he’ll almost certainly get it.
Per tollway rules, McPartlin played no role in the McDonough contracts, an agency spokeswoman says. And that’s likely good enough to satisfy the toothless law. Since 2005, 14 applications for waivers have been filed; only one was denied.
In seven of those cases, the ethics commission determined the applicant wasn’t substantially involved in a contract or regulatory decision that directly affected a prospective employer. That’s a pretty squishy requirement, especially when applied to agency chiefs, who are running the show regardless of who makes the day-to-day decisions. Does your boss need to be in the room to influence your decision-making? Probably not. Does that mean he’s not a player? Ha. […]
Granting waivers to employees who can demonstrate they have no conflict of interest sounds fair, in principle. But the law’s wording is so loose that it applies to only the most egregious conflicts, which is not to say that McPartlin’s situation is among them. But if Illinois is serious about stopping the revolving door, it needs to be more realistic about what constitutes a conflict of interest, and less generous about granting waivers. A prohibition doesn’t mean much if you can get a waiver simply by asking for one. [emphasis added]
Exactly.
* Speaking of ethics, the AP takes a nuanced approach to Barack Obama’s claims that he shepherded an earlier ethics bill through the GA…
“When I was in Illinois, I passed the toughest ethics reform in 25 years there, despite the opposition of Democrats and Republicans,” the Democratic presidential candidate told a New Hampshire audience last month.
In fact, Obama was part of an ensemble that negotiated the legislation and built support for it. And the ethics bill passed by lopsided margins of 52-4 in the Senate and 102-3 in the House, although its riskier moments came earlier during those behind-the-scene negotiations that Obama was heavily involved in.
As always with ethics bills, the behind-the-scenes negotiations are the most important part.
* The sticking point on this particular bill was the state’s practice of allowing politicians to convert all of their campaign funds to personal use. The old bulls, who controlled the process, made it clear that they wouldn’t move any bill that contained that language. So, they were essentially bought off with a “grandfather clause” that allowed the old-timers to keep their cash…
The grandfather clause allowed Illinois politicians to continue making personal use of a combined $15 million, an Associated Press analysis showed. Obama was eligible to convert just $14,000 to personal use and chose not to do so.
Obama’s campaign says the loophole was vital to the bill’s success. “Making the law apply retroactively was a poison pill that … would have killed the bill,” said spokesman Justin DeJong.
That’s true. Many old-timers didn’t see a need for an ethics bill at all, let alone one stripped “their money” from their pocketbooks.
Still, critics are right that the bill wasn’t exactly the be-all-end-all that Obama proclaims.
* Research 2000 is a decent polling outfit, but because the Democratic-biased Daily Kos site has commissioned polls from the firm, its surveys are getting short shrift. I wouldn’t be too sure about the detractors’ arguments. The polls look pretty legit to me, although there is room for argument about their “likely voter” screens. Nobody really knows yet who is going to vote and in what numbers.
Research 2000’s latest DK poll is of the Mark Kirk/Dan Seals congressional race. The methodology…
A total of 400 likely voters in the Tenth Congressional District were interviewed by telephone between September 30 and October 1, 2008.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the district. Quotas were assigned to reflect the voter registration of distribution by district.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 5% percentage points.
That’s pretty standard stuff and the usual universe for congressional polling.
* And here’s the matchup, with Kirk’s September polling (just 300 respondents) in parentheses…
Kirk 44 (51)
Seals 38 (29)
* The head-to-head toplines….
* Kos’ conclusion…
To win, Seals must further erode Kirk’s support among Independents and even Democrats (currently at 12 percent), while getting his name ID up with his district’s electorate (29 percent don’t know him, including 32 percent of Independents).
* Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidate Aaron Schock appears to be back in the good graces of the Peoria paper. Check out this lede…
Aaron Schock is young, smart, handsome, rich and lucky.
The columnist goes on to show how Schock profited from flipping properties to public entitites and prominent local institutions like Bradley University. But, in the end, Schock gets a pass.
* I never believed for a second that the Chicago Tribune would endorse a “Yes” vote on the constitutional convention referendum. I figured their huffing and puffing over the ballot language shenanigans would give them political cover to oppose the referendum itself.
Decide right now that you’ll vote yes Nov. 4 on what could be the most important ballot measure you’ve ever encountered. Then relax as the establishment foes of a constitutional convention do their best Halloween act to scare the bejabbers out of you and every other citizen of Illinois.
And when their goblins fly at you, heads spinning, with their best “Bwaa-Haa-Haa!” about the dangers of a con-con, don’t flinch. They’ll screech that convention delegates—your fellow citizens—could try to raise tax formulas, or repeal individual rights, or steer planet Earth into the sun. Answer the bloodcurdling spirits with the mantra they cannot refute: Before our constitution actually would change—We . . . have . . . the . . . final . . . say. All of us. In another referendum. We have to vote proposed revisions up or down.
Wait, it gets better…
Vote yes because if this referendum proposal fails, you do have a guarantee: The sweet-smiling panderers who run this mismanaged state will give you 20 more years of what you have now.
You cannot challenge the interests that own too much of Illinois if you don’t climb into the ring with them.
Big finish…
Let the scaremongers tell you that democracy is dangerous for Illinois. Keep murmuring, We . . . have . . . the . . . final . . . say. Then vote yes on the con-con referendum proposal.
The Tribune muckety-mucks pal around with some of the big business types who staunchly oppose the referendum, and who also happen to advertise in their newspaper/radio/TV stations. That editorial took guts. Good for them.
* Meanwhile, Kurt Erickson, who has been a Statehouse reporter for years, comes as close as one can get to endorsing a “Yes” vote…
The last time the question was on the ballot was in 1988, when the call to revisit our government’s rule book was defeated by nearly 2 million votes.
Since then, we’ve watched the disparity between wealthy and poor areas of the state continue to grow when it comes to educating our children.
We’ve seen a governor go to jail. We’ve seen another governor become the focus of federal prosecutors as he’s presided over a government that is deeply insolvent.
We’ve watched the state’s legislative leaders amass grand powers to control what gets voted on - or doesn’t - in the House and Senate.
We’ve seen them disappear behind closed doors to negotiate out-of-balance budgets that are then sprung upon the rank-and-file lawmakers at the last minute, take it or leave it.
We’ve watched competitive races for the Legislature become few and far between because of the way legislative leaders have gerrymandered district maps to assure they keep their power intact.
Those types of issues could be addressed by a constitutional convention.
* Erickson is now the third Statehouse columnist to write favorably about a “Yes” vote. Scott Reeder endorsed it late last month. And then there’s me. That should tell you something. None of us have any skin in this game. We are honestly advising readers from first-hand experience and practically begging them to listen to our pleas.
* Related…
* Judge orders rewrite of Nov. 4 referendum question
Federal investigators are zeroing in on whether Tony Rezko paid for all or part of a $90,000 rehab of Gov. Blagojevich’s Northwest Side bungalow as the corruption probe of the state’s first family accelerates.
Since Rezko’s felony conviction in June, the FBI has been investigating how the former top Blagojevich fund-raiser billed the governor and his wife for the work, who paid for it and whether Rezko ever arranged for cash to be passed in envelopes to the Blagojeviches, several sources familiar with the probe told the Chicago Sun-Times.
A grand jury has issued at least one subpoena related to the project, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Agents also have inquired about the governor’s wife’s real estate dealings with Rezko and whether Rezko might have disguised payments for the work through sham billings at a large housing development he was building. […]
The questions about the Blagojevich house are part of a joint investigation by the FBI, IRS and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Other aspects include whether the governor’s administration traded state posts or contracts for campaign cash and Patti Blagojevich’s real estate dealings.
How weird if the Gov (and his wife) end up imprisoned over home improvements when they could have lived on the Taxpayer’s dime in a mansion in Springfield.
* Related…
* Contractors dealt directly with gov’s wife, who ‘definitely knew what she wanted’
The 1,080 layoffs are projected by the Daley administration to save $98 million. They represent the biggest purge in Daley’s nearly 20-year tenure as mayor.
Izard, the Chicagoan who won the most recent season of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” is the latest famous face appearing on campaign materials for Tony Peraica, the Republican Cook County Board member running for state’s attorney.
“Our community would be further divided,” she said. “Children from the village of Sugar Grove would go to three different elementary schools. Our goal is to regain our sense of community.”
“Houses aren’t selling at the prices sellers are looking for, but they are still selling them for a profit,” said Naperville-based Coldwell Banker agent Gail Niermeyer.
Charged Friday with forging a name on a liquor license, Island Lake Mayor Thomas Hyde is the third current or former public official in the rural Lake County hamlet to be arrested since last year and accused of crimes related to their official duties.
heard at the National Archives that over sixty new books on Lincoln will be published during the bicentennial. I believe it, too; seems like everybody wants to get a new Lincoln title into print sometime soon.
* Sorry for your troubles, Cub fans, but us Sox fans still see some life in our team. I’d like to humbly suggest this theme song for today’sgame. Turn it all the way up…
