* I sure hope this story gets picked up by the AP and other outlets, because this is just ridiculous…
Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle has issued a warning to state prison workers: If you talk to the media, you could be fired.
In a Jan. 13 memo to the agency’s 12,000 employees, Randle says all requests for information should be routed to a designated department spokesperson in order to best coordinate the prison system’s message.
“Employees are reminded that they are not to release information except to the extent required in the performance of their job duties,” Randle wrote.
Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith says the memo, obtained by the Lee Enterprises Springfield new bureau last week, does not amount to a gag order on employees.
Yeah. Not a gag order. Right. As the story notes, Quinn spoke out against a similar gag order at the Illinois State Police when he was lt. governor. At the time, the state police were in the midst of a blowup over then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s security detail.
* The Illinois State Rifle Association has a huge mailing list and can be a factor in close races, so its endorsements are always closely watched. Here are a few…
In the Republican primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF has endorsed the candidacy of Kirk Dillard. The board found this a very difficult decision in light of the fact that the crowded field of candidates included long-time friend Sen. Bill Brady and exciting newcomer, Adam Andrzejewski.
In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed a preference for candidate Pat Quinn over his opponent, Dan Hynes.
In the Republican primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Jason Plummer.
In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Art Turner.
Another big boost for Dillard. Conversely, being endorsed by ISRA might not be such a good thing for Gov. Quinn if the media picks this up and Dan Hynes uses it in targeted mail. Otherwise, it’s a plus for Quinn downstate. The full endorsement list is here.
That ISRA endorsement will also be golden for down-ballot candidates like lt. governor hopeful Jason Plummer, who has a new TV ad. Watch it…
* Speaking of endorsements, US Senate candidate David Hoffman finally got a big, institutional nod over the holiday weekend. The IEA is stepping up…
“We were very impressed by David Hoffman. His intelligence and commitment to public education make him our strong choice for the Democratic nomination,” said IEA President Ken Swanson.
“I was saddened to hear of the passing of Carlos Hernandez Gomez. Our paths first crossed when I was a State Senator. He was a throwback in the style of Chicago’s storied political reporters. He loved Chicago, and he relentlessly sought to tell its story with the commitment to truth and the insatiable curiosity that any good reporter has to have. I quickly learned that when you saw his sharp fedora in a crowd, hard questions were coming. But Carlos always played it straight. And I always enjoyed our interactions in Springfield, Chicago, or on the campaign trail. Carlos was a role model to many, and an integral part of the Chicago story he strived to tell. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Randi and his family.”
Earlier today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the chamber’s 2nd ranking Democrat, hailed Hernandez Gomez as a real professional whose “word’s good and they’re up on the news and they’re nice people to be with.”
“He’s the kind of person that’s a great credit to the profession and did a great job for people across Chicagoland and America to understand the real issues we face,” Durbin said.
Gov. Pat Quinn called Hernandez Gomez “a man of great humor and commitment and dedication. So, losing Carlos is a loss for everybody in Illinois and our country.”
“He was always not the first person to throw out a question, but not shy, either. And his questions were always pretty informed. He wasn’t looking for the short answer and the quick sound bite. He might say, ‘Given this fact and given this fact, what does this tell us?’”
Fitzgerald says he would often talk to Carlos in the hallways of the federal courthouse, adding that he valued Carlos’s input and impressions on what was going on in Chicago’s courtrooms.
* Dan Hynes…
“Christina and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carlos Hernandez Gomez. Carlos was a dogged reporter who covered the politics beat with a style and substance that belied his years, and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, Randi, his family and his many, many friends in this difficult time.”
Torey Malatia, General Manager: Carlos thought of Chicago as an unfinished process. He felt it was the job of you and me to see that it finished well. He loved the city’s achievements and lamented its failures. He reveled in its history and decried its corruption. He knew every current political alliance, those that made us stronger and those that shamed us.
As a journalist, he believed he was part of a tradition of road blocking the bad guys from completely having their way. He hoped to hone his craft to be remembered someday as a guardian of the common good –like Royko, or Fitzpatrick or the handful of other journalists from Chicago’s print history that he saw as the watchdogs, the truth tellers.
When Carlos worked at WBEZ, we would lunch frequently at Gene and Georgetti’s, one of his favorite restaurants and people-watching perches. One day, Carlos looked around and realized he knew every patron in the room. He whispered all their names to me and what they did–journalists, lobbyists, politicians, city officials, syndicate big shots. As we left, and he grabbed me with his customary warm bear hug, I thought, good Lord, this man was born to be a reporter.
* CLTV political reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez died tonight at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago after a tough bout with cancer.
A blood clot in his leg moved to his lung this morning. He then suffered a massive heart attack and was kept on life support until his entire family could be with him. Also with him throughout the day were several of his friends and journalism colleagues.
Carlos was one of a kind. A hard-hitting, sharp-tongued, take no prisoners reporter who often dressed like it was still the late 1950s - complete with snazzy fedora and skinny tie. Carlos put this on his Facebook page under “job description”…
Carlos was the best friend I ever had in journalism. We hung out at the Billy Goat when I lived in Chicago, and then after I moved to Springfield he occasionally stayed at my house when his employer wouldn’t spring for a hotel. I accidentally got him in trouble on his wedding day because the two of us went out way too late the night before to celebrate. Oops.
We had such great chemistry whenever we did “Chicago Tonight” together that we often discussed partnering on various projects. Last year, Carlos and I talked more about starting a new political media company, but we decided he needed to keep his corporate health insurance until he got past the cancer. At one point, we all thought he’d make it through. But it was not to be.
Carlos’ wife, Randi Belisomo Hernandez, is also a CLTV reporter and one heckuva woman. Randi has been forced to endure so much pain since they discovered the cancer. I can’t imagine what must be going through her mind now.
I’ll post arrangement information when I know more.
Carlos was a leader as a reporter, and more importantly, as a person.
Life can come up short on humanity. But Carlos exuded far more than his share.
The press corps is not known for warm embraces, especially for their own kind.
Carlos, however, would joke and gab with the alphas just as often as the runts. His friendships spanned the social ladder and connected every rung.
Without Carlos, the storied Chicago press corps is less.
Yet, for having known him, been inspired by him, been thrown into fits of laughter and pushed to keep fighting by him - we are all better people than before.
Carlos Hernandez Gomez, political reporter for CLTV, stood out among Chicago reporters not only because of his old-school fedora, but also because of his encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago politics.
He didn’t need notes to tell his audience who was backing whom in a campaign, why a specific endorsement was so important — or why two politicians couldn’t stand each other.
Off camera, he was the life of the party, a friendly, down-to-earth storyteller who would do spot-on renditions of politicians’ speaking styles — often at their request. […]
“Carlos was more than a great reporter and a great friend to hundreds of people. He had a great heart,” said Sun-Times investigative reporter Steve Warmbir, who was best man at Mr. Hernandez’s wedding.
“In a business filled with cynics, he was one of the kindest and most decent people you would ever want to meet.”
* Sen. Kirk Dillard’s campaign claims a recent poll has their guy with a big lead…
The Dillard campaign paid for an automated poll of 2,153 likely Republican primary voters on Wednesday, results of which showed Dillard leading with 22.4 percent support.
Andy McKenna had 13.5 percent, former Attorney General Jim Ryan 10.3 percent, state Sen. Bill Brady 8.3 percent, Dan Proft about 6 percent, Adam Andrzejewski 5.6 percent and Bob Schillerstrom 2.1 percent. Nearly 32 percent of those polled were undecided.
But Tom Cross isn’t buying it…
Illinois House Minority Leader TOM CROSS, R-Oswego, who has endorsed McKenna, said fresh results from a poll of 500 people in the Kane and Kendall County areas on Wednesday put McKenna at 23 percent, Ryan at 14 percent, Dillard at 10 percent, Proft at 7 percent, Andrzejewski at 6 percent, Brady at 4 percent and Schillerstrom at 2 percent.
“That’s the take we have on reality,” Cross said.
Bill Brady’s campaign says both polls are phony. From a press release…
Occasionally, a journalist will fail to ask the right questions and publish what amounts to campaign propaganda, as columnist Bernie Schoenburg did today. Schoenburg also uncritically published a claim by an Andy McKenna surrogate that unsurprisingly claims that McKenna is doing well in two counties representing 6.8 percent of the state vote. Were the full results released? No. Did McKenna release any statewide numbers. No. Another phony poll.
I did see the background material on the Dillard poll, and they make a decent case that Dillard - and McKenna - are both spiking upwards.
…Roeser has contributed $250,000 to Dillard, with more potentially on the way. In the past two governor primaries, Roeser backed candidates with $450,000 apiece — businessman Jim Oberweis and former state Sen. Pat O’Malley — in unsuccessful bids for the GOP nomination.
Asked if Dillard could expect similar financial support, Roeser said, “I will support him considerably, as will other men of conscience.”
Dillard’s courting of Roeser’s money is partly driven by his troubles in raising campaign contributions, sources familiar with his governor bid acknowledged. But the move also could run counter to Dillard’s attempt to build the image of a pragmatic conservative unafraid to work with Democrats to get things done.
Should Dillard win the Republican governor nomination, he could be sharing the top of the ticket with U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, the party’s front-runner for Senate. Roeser, Dillard’s new patron, has been a longtime critic of Kirk, promoting a “Kick Mark Kirk to the Curb” effort over the five-term North Shore congressman’s socially moderate positions on abortion and other issues. Roeser also has worked to enlist disaffected “tea party” support for his favored candidate in the Senate race, Hinsdale businessman Patrick Hughes.
Oddly, not mentioned in the story is Roeser’s long-running war against the Illinois Education Association, which, you already know, endorsed Dillard on Friday. For instance, here’s Roeser rapping the IEA over its opposition to pension reform…
The IEA particularly is a villain making the education of our children unfairly expensive.
The IEA is apparently not happy with the Roeser cash.
Illinois Review caught up with Dillard and asked him about the IEA endorsement. Watch…
When asked whether he sought the IEA’s endorsement, Dillard said he “filled out their forms.” But it’s been known for some time that he’s been seeking the group’s nod. Dillard said in a Tribune “debate” back in early December that he had told the “educators” the previous weekend he wouldn’t rule out a tax hike…
At about the 11:10 mark…
Moderator Question - Senator, you’re still leaving a tax increase on the table as a possibility?
Dillard Response – Every option Bruce. You know, I told the educators just this weekend, everything needs to be on the table…
IEA President Ken Swanson talks about the Dillard endorsement. Have a look…
Sen. Bill Brady said in a press release that the Dillard nod meant taxes would go up if his colleague is elected…
Illinois voters should expect their taxes will be raised if my opponent Kirk Dillard is elected Governor.
The Illinois Education Association’s endorsement of Senator Dillard this weekend highlights the fact that he hasn’t completely ruled out a tax increase as the reason why he received the backing of the teachers’ union. IEA says Dillard is “interested in finding reductions and efficiencies that make sense, but if and when that’s not enough, he can pragmatically reach out to the other leaders and work out a (revenue) solution that’s good for the state.”
* CLTV political reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez died tonight at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago after a tough bout with cancer.
