* My annual City Club speech is Monday at noonish. You can click here to watch it live. The event has been sold out for months, but you can click here to bid on tickets through Friday night at 10 o’clock. Proceeds benefit Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.
Over four years, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown reported $72,000 in income from a side business as a motivational and religious speaker. Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot made nearly $1 million last year as a law firm partner and gave $52,000 to charity. And former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas recorded no taxable income in the year before Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed him to an administrative post at Chicago State University. […]
On Nov. 1, the Tribune requested four years of tax returns complete with all schedules and attachments for 16 declared candidates for mayor.
Lightfoot, Brown, Vallas, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza and state Rep. LaShawn Ford all provided full tax returns for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Law firm partner Gery Chico provided only the top sheets of his Form 1040 for those years without the attached schedules and statements, leaving unanswered what investments he might hold and what tax exemptions he claimed, among other things. […]
Joining Daley in not releasing their tax returns: McCarthy, Enyia, wealthy businessman Willie Wilson, tech entrepreneur Neal Sales-Griffin, activist Ja’Mal Green, Southwest Side attorney Jerry Joyce and attorney John Kozlar. The Tribune also requested tax returns from former Ald. Bob Fioretti, a late entrant to the race who so far has not complied. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has released his complete tax returns dating back to 2005.
Chicago Election Board hearing officer Barbara Goodman on Friday ruled three facets of Preckwinkle’s challenge to Mendoza’s nominating petitions can proceed, while agreeing with the Mendoza campaign to dismiss a fourth. […]
Goodman said the Preckwinkle campaign hadn’t established a pattern of fraud by some of those who collected Mendoza’s signatures, and so struck that argument from the challenge.
But she said evidence must be presented before she can rule on Preckwinkle’s allegations that more than 13,000 signatures the Mendoza campaign submitted do not match people registered at those addresses, as well as claims of duplicate signatures and other problems with the names. […]
[Mendoza campaign lawyer Tony Jacob] said Mendoza has been prevailing on the vast majority of the line-by-line signature arguments the campaigns are waging behind the scenes.
* This is small potatoes money-wise, but they need to pay more attention to this stuff over there…
Returning the $$$ now: @susanamendoza10 has now decided to return $1K from Rick Simon, who is mentioned in reports about the #AldBurkeRaid, 20 minutes ago Mendoza had no answer on the Simon $$, re-thought that awkward answer #ChiMayor19
* SEIU Local 1 has a long-running grudge against Simon, and the union is backing Toni Preckwinkle, so keep that in mind…
The following is a statement from SEIU Local 1 spokesman Nick Desideri in response to reports Susana Mendoza intends to return a campaign contribution from alleged mob associate and anti-worker United Maintenance head Richard Simon. Both Bill Daley and Gery Chico returned donations from Simon in 2013 and 2010 respectively:
“It speaks volumes about Susana Mendoza that she only returned alleged mob associate Richard Simon’s 2016 donation amid her mayoral run and serious federal scrutiny of her mentor Ed Burke.
“What is Mendoza’s relationship to Simon and Burke that it took her years and the pressure of a federal investigation to return this troubling donation from an alleged mob associate?”
Data from the Illinois Department of Revenue show that the wealthiest taxpayers, those earning more than $500,000, submitted about 58,000 returns and paid $3.2 billion in income taxes in 2015. Those earning between $100,000 and $500,000 totaled one million returns and paid $5.4 billion in taxes — the largest segment — while middle-income taxpayers turned in 1.3 million returns and paid $2.7 billion.
The task at hand, of course, is to figure out how to give the lower tiers a significant tax break, while still producing enough new revenue to un-hollow-out the government and do things like spend more money on education, lower property taxes, etc.
The negotiators will have far more detailed numbers than these, but I thought you might like to see them anyway.
* The 2018 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Democratic Illinois State Senator goes to Sen. Melinda Bush…
(H)er work on changing the sexual harassment culture in Springfield and work on gender equality doesn’t get enough credit. She is not afraid to vote for what’s right even after everyone else tells her some issues are too liberal for her district. She was also fearless and successful this past campaign cycle getting women elected to office up and down the ballot in Lake County. She is also one of the funniest people under the dome.
Andy Manar got a bunch of votes, so my hat’s off to him as well.
* The 2018 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Republican Illinois State Senator goes to Sen. Jason Barickman…
He is relatively young (at least for a Republican,) smart, thoughtful, and absolutely willing to buck his party for the right policy. He’s handling the legalized marijuana with a pragmatic and open-minded approach to help get a seat at the table and stop any outrageous parts of an eventual bill. He did it with gay marriage, and I suspect he’ll do it again. He represents two of the most conservative counties in the state (Ford & Iroquois) and hasn’t gotten as much of a hint of a primary challenger. He’s doing things right, and he’s the future of the GOP in our state.
Congratulations to both honorees.
* Let’s move along to today’s categories…
* Best Illinois US Representative
* Best elected statewide official
Remember to explain your nominations or they won’t count. And do your utmost to nominate in both categories. The statewide electeds category includes US Senate, by the way.
A bill restricting which state employees can join unions is on its way to Gov. Pat Quinn, who is expected to sign it. […]
State workers in middle management positions flooded to join labor unions after ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration froze their salaries, among other things. More than 96 percent of the state workforce is now unionized, the most of any state. Quinn and others said that cripples his ability to properly manage.
The bill removes about 1,900 people from unions, and another 1,600 job titles would be prohibited from joining unions in the future. [Emphasis added.]
This effort really got going when legislative liaisons were allowed to join a union.
[Gov. Pat Quinn] approved a measure that allows the governor to deny collective bargaining rights for up to 3,580 managers and supervisors. […]
The law applies to “managerial or supervisory” positions under the governor and other statewide offices — such as the secretary of state and attorney general — that are not currently represented by a union or those who have gained representation since December 2008.
Supporters of the measure argue that state executives can’t effectively run the government with so few managers loyal only to them. They say that 97 percent of the state work force is backed by a union.
An Associated Press analysis in 2011 showed 10,000 state workers had joined unions from 2003 to 2011 — four times the number of the previous eight years. Including petitions pending at the time, it showed there were only 1,700 managers left among a payroll of 50,000. [Emphasis added.]
* Wednesday…
.@GovRauner tells reporters that many managers within state government are illegally unionized. “Unionization within state government in IL is at record levels…93%” This, six months after Rauner’s win in union-weakening SCOTUS case Janus v AFSCME. pic.twitter.com/hgsbGrxJG3
[After he signed the bill into law] Quinn’s administration then filed unit clarification petitions with the Illinois Labor Relations Board to reclassify employees as excluded from the ability to collectively bargain. Though the law allowed him to do so for 3,580 employees, Quinn through the board only ended up reclassifying 1,700. […]
The outgoing governor touted his efforts to remove mid-level managers and other state workers from unionization eligibility. This past summer Rauner’s administration filed dozens of bargaining unit clarification petitions with the labor relations board, totaling 2,500 individual positions the administration has gone after since 2016.
The administration claims that its investigation discovered that key positions like inspector general investigators and supervisory security personnel at state prisons and mental health facilities were filled by union officials, even though those positions are specifically barred from collective bargaining under the Illinois Labor Relations Act, and were clarified as being excluded in the 2011 tweak to the law.
But AFSCME claims the Rauner administration is going after employees in jobs that have every right to be unionized, and alleged the governor is seeking to strip more than 1,000 people of their rights to collectively bargain.
* The administration claims that its agencies have identified 5,000 employees who should be stripped of collective bargaining rights, including…
* Supervisors responsible for disciplining employees that refuse to do so adequately.
* OIG Investigators responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, abuse, financial exploitation or other malfeasance by union employees.
* Supervisors that run state prisons at night, and chiefs of security at mental health facilities.
* Administrative law judges and other attorneys who make binding decisions for management that impact important policy matters.
* Other staff that has access to the State’s confidential bargaining strategies.
Today, the Pritzker-Stratton Inaugural Committee announced the two anchor events of inauguration weekend in Springfield. They will both take place on Inauguration Day, Monday, January 14, 2019.
The ceremony to swear in Governor-elect JB Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton and the other statewide elected officials will begin at 11 a.m. at the Bank of Springfield Center. Doors open at 9 a.m. Those interested in attending the swearing-in ceremony can request up to two complimentary tickets on the inauguration website beginning December 28.
The governor and lieutenant governor will host their inauguration celebration at 7 p.m. at the Exposition Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Pre-sale tickets are on sale by invitation only with general sale tickets to be announced pending availability. Ticket sales will benefit Cabrini Green Legal Aid and the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation.
ABOUT CABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID
CGLA was established in 1973 to serve legal needs arising from the lack of opportunity, criminalization of poverty, and racial inequity experienced within the Cabrini Green community. Since then, CGLA has grown beyond a single neighborhood to become a citywide, countywide, and now recognized statewide leader in supporting low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal justice system. Our mission is to seek justice and mercy for those living in poverty by providing legal services that strengthen individual lives, families, and communities. We aim to proactively fill the void of legal representation, wraparound services, and advocacy for those affected by the criminal justice system.
ABOUT THE ILLINOIS FAIRGROUNDS FOUNDATION
Leaders in the agricultural community established the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks to promote, support, assist, and sustain the Springfield and Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation’s activities will emphasize capital improvements at these sites, with an emphasis on restoration of buildings and capital enhancement.
ABOUT THE JB INAUGURATION COMMITTEE
The JB Inauguration Committee is collecting and voluntarily reporting the name, address, employer, and occupation of donors that contribute more than $1,000. We will not accept anonymous contributions or contributions in cash. JB Inauguration Committee is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization.
All donations made to and ticket purchases made from the JB Inauguration Committee will be donated to Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic Inc. and Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation. Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic Inc. and Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation are 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations registered in the State of Illinois.
Contributions or gifts to the JB Inauguration Committee are not tax deductible.
“I will miss a lot of the people I have had the privilege to work with,” Rauner said. “I will not miss the stress. This has been the hardest job I’ve ever done by far.”
“What I’m gonna do is actually give time to reflect. Frankly, I’ve been so focused on governing and messaging in the moment I haven’t done as much reflecting and analysis of the last six years,” he added.
Rauner also spoke about what he learned about his political nemesis Mike Madigan.
“I learned that working with him directly won’t get the result, he responds through his caucus. Pressure through his caucus is the way to get the Speaker to move,” he said.
One way you can pressure the House Speaker is to line up all three legislative leaders against him via a “grand bargain” to break a two-year impasse and… oh, nevermind.
Illinois Governor-Elect JB Pritzker met with President Trump Thursday at the White House.
Trump welcomed governors-elect from both parties to the White House. Among the other governors were Florida Republican Ron DeSantis, Georgia Republican Brian Kemp, Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers and newly inaugurated Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican.
White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Doug Hoelscher had said they’d be discussing “shared priorities,” including workforce investment, prison reform and combating the opioid epidemic.
The visitors also met with Cabinet members as part of a broader White House outreach effort to local officials.
PRITZKER: Mr. President, I’m JB Pritzker, the governor-elect of Illinois, and I founded 1871, which is the- well named this year the world’s best business incubator, and as I’ve been speaking with your daughter, I’ve also been a national advocate for early childhood education.
“He seemed to be in a good mood and was welcoming to all of the governors,” Pritzker said. “We had a good conversation about the issues that were important to us.” […]
Since the election, Pritzker has said that he will work with members of both parties, Democrat and Republican, to bring more federal dollars to the state of Illinois, and that includes President Trump.
“I was glad to go to Washington to advocate for the people of Illinois,” he said. “We need to bring more federal dollars to Illinois, and I had the opportunity to advocate for infrastructure, and he expressed his desire to get a bill passed as well.”
Afterward, I caught up with Pritzker as he was leaving the White House and one of my first questions to him as we stood on a chilly Pennsylvania Avenue is why after all his Trump bashing he bothered to make the day trip.
The answer is that Pritzker, switching from campaigning to governing, has the luxury and necessity now to be practical and see how he can use his perch to get more federal dollars to Illinois. […]
“Well, I had an opportunity to express to both of them and to the president and the vice president how important it is that we pass an infrastructure bill for the states, and they agreed. And then I especially focused on the formula, which is very important to get an infrastructure bill that works for the states. We need to go back to an 80/20 formula,” Pritzker said, a reference to the state having to come up with a 20 percent match in order to collect the federal funds.
“…The other topic that we talked about and that I advocated for was help with the Asian Carp problem in the Great Lakes. As you can imagine, we have the governor of Michigan there, the governor of Wisconsin was there, the governor of Ohio was there. We’re all affected by this crisis.
“The president didn’t seem to know anything about it. But he was very interested in helping and said that he would speak with the Army Corps of Engineers and work with our states to make sure that we’re addressing the problem.”
Bruce Rauner, in his final month as governor, revealed in an exclusive interview that he tried to convince two men and two women to run in his place this election cycle.
“And I said I’ll step aside, I’ll give you huge financial resources, you run for governor, I’ll support you. You have as good or better chance to get elected than me. All four of them said no, too tough, too unlikely, too difficult,” said Governor Bruce Rauner.
Sources say former state senator Karen McConnaughey was one of them, when reached by phone she declined to comment. Sources also say Cubs part-owner Todd Ricketts was unsuccessfully recruited by Rauner. […]
“When President Trump won the White House, but lost Illinois by 16 points, I think 16 to 17 points, that changed the dynamic from good chance for reelection to very, very difficult chance for reelection,” Rauner said.
Sources said Rauner’s recruitment effort also included Todd Ricketts, a member of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs who is now finance chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Erika Harold, an Urbana attorney who at the time was the GOP nominee for attorney general. She ultimately lost to Democratic state Sen. Kwame Raoul. A source close to Harold said Rauner contacted her about replacing him on the ticket in August, mere months before the general election. […]
McConnaughay, who retired from the legislature in September, said Rauner’s effort to remove himself from the ticket was “indicative of how he governed” and how he repeatedly sought to avoid blame for failures.
“He tried to take himself out the same way he came in. He never learned the job,” McConnaughay said.
“He really came into office with this belief that he had some sort of mandate to strong-arm his agenda through. But he never understood the process. He didn’t try to understand the process. He didn’t think he needed to understand the process,” she said. “As a result, he demonstrated a lack of respect for the process.”
[Rep. Jeanne Ives] said she was not one of the four asked.
“It was obvious from the beginning that he was not serious about winning the race so he destroyed Republicans up and down the ticket by not bowing out politely and letting someone else take the lead,” Ives said.
She said there’s no doubt in her mind GOP leadership in Illinois knew about this and “let this go on.” She demanded top leadership step down.
“It’s really unfortunate for everybody involved in politics who now completely understand that [Rauner] essentially bought his race and then lied down to the Democrats and was never going to be the watchdog that we need in the face of Pritzker’s tax increase and increased spending that will drive Illinois to the brink of disaster,” Ives said. […]
“Politics is a very tough game,” Ives said. “If you’re heart’s not in it, it will show through and voters will know you’re not authentic and Rauner was not authentic and voters knew it.”
“I hope it’s a wake up call for all these other elected officials who sat on the sidelines while Rauner lied about who I am and what I stand for and they let him get away with it,” Ives said.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider
Neither myself nor the staff at the Illinois Republican Party had any knowledge of the discussions Governor Rauner had regarding his candidacy.
Karen McConnaughay said Rauner approached her in April about taking his place, but she quickly rebuffed his proposal.
“I was concerned in my conversations that he didn’t really understand that if he really did want to take his name off the ballot, that he couldn’t just pick a replacement,” she said. “He hadn’t sought any counsel about the process, so he couldn’t understand it.” […]
In the end, McConnaughay said the conversation mostly focused on the protocols of replacing him on the ballot and her trying to explain to him that it’s not something he gets to do in a vacuum.
“It was not the kind of conversation you could take seriously, because he had not contemplated the process of how any of that would work,” she said. “To replace a sitting person on the ballot is the work of the party, not a hand-picked choice. I was flattered that he thought of me, but there’s a whole process to this, and I told him to do careful consideration to all of that before you have conversations with people about replacing him on the ballot.”
“They knew that Rauner was not in for the fight,” said Ives, R-Wheaton. “There’s no doubt in my mind that they knew he asked others to run. [Schneider] can say what he wants to all day long, I do not believe him.”
McConnaughay said she didn’t know if GOP officials were aware Rauner wanted someone else to take over in the race against Pritzker.
“I only know what I know and I’m not interested in engaging in conspiracy theories, I’ll leave that to Representative Ives,” McConnaughay said.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Cook County Republican Chairman…
Sean Morrison condemns Bruce Rauner;
calls for emergency Illinois GOP Meeting
Chicago, IL – To learn yesterday that Bruce Rauner secretly tried to abdicate his candidacy - on several occasions - is an affront to everyone in the Illinois Republican Party and the entire State of Illinois. It is an egregious betrayal of trust that countless members of the Republican Party placed in him, and that 1.7 Million residents of Illinois had when they cast their vote for him in November.
I personally asked the Governor on two separate occasions before the Primary if he was committed to his re-election. Both times, to my face, he made clear that he was all in – not only for himself but for all Statewide candidates. We now know, by his own admission, that he deceived me and others.
Evidently, the deception didn’t end there. After the primary, Bruce explicitly promised a statewide absentee ballot and early voting program to boost Republican turnout. Was the program ever implemented? No. And his answer to questions about this program’s failure was nothing more than continued excuses.
It is abundantly clear now that Rauner’s lack of commitment to his own campaign for re-election brought about complete failure. But he didn’t just fail himself, he failed each and every Republican candidate across the state, and as a result, we lost in record numbers; many races we might have otherwise won had his commitments been kept.
It saddens me to have to say this, but this private surrender by Bruce Rauner shows a lack of loyalty, integrity, and character. Many good people across our state, including myself, stood with and supported Bruce Rauner over the last four years even in the midst of many horrible policy decisions made by the governor. But we remained loyal, steadfast and committed to the Governor and all Republican Party candidates – from the top to the bottom of the ticket.
Every person that committed their time, effort and money to re-elect the Governor, from the 75 year old retiree making phone calls to the 18 year old high schooler who walked door to door in the rain for the Governor and the entire Republican ticket is owed an apology.
As a Republican elected official and a member of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, this kind of betrayal and deception is totally unacceptable and has no place within our party. For this reason, I will call for an emergency meeting of the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee to address this deeply troubling matter and to immediately forge a plan forward to rebuild our party as one that will fight for the working families of Illinois and will challenge Illinois Democratic Party policies that have forced our state into economic peril.
This time there was no brown paper covering the entrance to the third floor finance committee office at Chicago’s City Hall, but federal agents returned to the office of Alderman Ed Burke on Thursday, sources tell NBC 5.
According to two sources, six to eight federal agents arrived at the alderman’s City Hall office at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon with a search and seizure warrant.
Just two weeks ago on Nov. 29, agents executed search warrants on both Burke’s 14th Ward office and his finance committee suite.
Like the previous search, there is still no official word on what agents were looking for when they searched the offices.
Former Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans is laying out a bill of particulars against Ald. Edward Burke (14th), alleging that he worked repeatedly behind the scenes to inappropriately pressure her and her staff on airport business. […]
• Burke personally intervened to make sure that the clout-heavy United Maintenance, which held janitorial contracts at O’Hare Airport, got paid promptly.
• Burke pushed to renew or extend a contract with Go Airport, which operates a shuttle service at O’Hare.
• Burke worked to help Clear Channel, the company that controls indoor advertising at O’Hare, when it was upset over a competitor’s actions at the airport.
• When dozens of leases for hangars and aviation support facilities were coming up for renewal, the City was obligated to offer them the same business terms. Those terms required City Council approval. However, Burke insisted that each lease be separately submitted to Council – which delayed and complicated the approvals.
Click here for some background on United Maintenance.
* I have a bunch of errands to run and I am badly in need of a haircut before my “Christmas with Rich Miller” City Club gig on Monday.
Speaking of which (you didn’t think I was gonna let you off the hook, did you?) the charity auction benefiting Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is still happening. You can bid on tickets to my annual City Club speech through Friday night, so click here. If you’ve already purchased tickets or you can’t make it and still want to contribute, you can also click here and then click that green “Donate” button in the upper right hand corner.
Anyway, be kind to each other and keep it Illinois-centric. Thanks.
First, we should take off our stove-pipe hats to Mary Lincoln’s intellect and her extraordinary education, which consisted of ten years of formal schooling when most Americans, like Abraham Lincoln himself, had very few educational opportunities. Let’s acknowledge the fact that Mary’s education, combined with her unique family circumstances in the peculiar context of Lexington, Kentucky, emboldened her nature. Let’s remember that her father and her sophisticated French female teacher gave Mary confidence and encouraged her to raise her own voice. It is true, indeed, that raising her voice often landed Mary “in trouble,” but doesn’t that tell us more about the gendered nature of nineteenth-century America than it does about Mary Lincoln? And do you really think Abraham Lincoln knew nothing of Mary’s confident voice when he married her in 1842? Do you really think the brilliant Mr. Lincoln knew nothing of Mary’s strong will and opinionated nature before he put the ring, engraved with “Love Is Eternal,” on her finger?
Let’s acknowledge the intellectual connection Mary shared with her husband. Let’s give Lincoln some credit for wanting a wife who was pretty and smart. Throughout their marriage, the couple shared a passion for partisan politics, a deep appreciation for literature, and love of music and the theater. Remember, too, Mary gave Abraham Lincoln four of his greatest joys: his sons. The Lincolns shared a love of their four boys and were, together, indulgent and thoroughly modern parents, who believed in the idea of childhood. The Lincoln marriage was not perfect, because both Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln struggled with their own very different emotional difficulties. Mary was high-strung and prone to wild mood swings; while Abraham was emotionally distant and depressive. But throughout their marriage, they were companions and shared common interests and beliefs. In the dark days of Civil War, Mary carved out periods of family time, which not only gave her boys some semblance of normalcy but were a refuge for her overburdened husband, as well. Lincoln needed Mary to force a little leisure upon him, and the brief periods of escape at Soldier’s Home or the theater brought some solace to his suffering soul.
Let’s acknowledge Mary Lincoln’s own suffering and give her some credit for living through it. During most of her adult life, she suffered migraine headaches and a difficult delivery of her fourth son left her with an injury that plagued her. She also definitely suffered some degree of mental illness, which no doubt would have been much alleviated had she lived in a time of modern medicine instead of a time when so-called doctors dismissed women’s health issues as hysteria. Yet despite her ill physical and emotional health, Mary got up out of bed almost every day of her life, and she put on pretty dresses, and she raised her boys (often all by herself), and she found joy in books, at White House receptions, while shopping and visiting the theater, and through her husband’s politics.
Mary Lincoln also suffered terrible emotional blows. She buried her four-year-old toddler Eddy in Springfield in 1850, and she buried Willie, her beloved 11-year-old boy, in Washington in 1862. She lost family members to the Confederacy and had a public, front-row seat for the horrors of the war, witnessing the physical and emotional damage on soldiers she visited in Washington. In 1865, Mary Lincoln was sitting next to her husband when an assassin put a bullet in his head; people removed her from her husband’s deathbed, where he died without her, because she was wailing at the loss of him; and people criticized her for lingering too long afterwards in grief in the White House. In 1871 just as she was finding her way through life as the widow of a martyred president, she buried her third son Tad, a blossoming eighteen-year-old man in whom she found joy and so much comfort.
I buried a child myself, and let me tell you, if I had to bury a second one there would be no breath left in my body. Losing three children and witnessing her husband’s violent murder, along with the post-traumatic stress of it all, was not the end of her suffering, either. Mary Lincoln then had to endure fears of financial disaster as a widow in nineteenth-century America, fears exacerbated by her emotional instability, emotional instability that was not her fault! She also faced public ridicule for visiting spiritualists, which was in fashion at the time and brought her some comfort. She had to listen to snipes for visiting health spas, even as mainstream physicians failed to offer her relief. She was also unfairly judged for shopping with her own money and for selling her own dresses; and then her last surviving son Robert had her incarcerated in a mental asylum, an injustice that cut her off from her grandchildren.
“The Governor, at the beginning of each annual session of the General Assembly and at the close of his term of office, shall report to the General Assembly on the condition of the State and recommend such measures as he deems desirable,” the Illinois Constitution says.
Rauner vows to do just that.
“Governors haven’t done it for, I don’t know how long, a long time,” Rauner said. “But we’re going to be issuing a report of our term; initiatives, activities, services, accomplishments, incompletes.”
“I will not be issuing many executive orders that could undermine the efforts of the new administration,” Rauner said. “I will not be rushing to make appointments to fill positions with cronies as was done with prior administrations. That’s just not proper policy.”
Quinn issued several EOs on his way out.
* Meanwhile, the very capable Jennifer Hammer has left her job as director of the Department of Insurance. There was some confusion at the end, however. From an internal staff memo…
Dear Staff,
Yesterday, Director Hammer announced her departure and nomination of CJ Metcalf to replace her as Acting Director. However, in coordination with the governor’s office, it has been decided that I will fill the acting director role. I look forward to partnering with CJ and the rest of the staff to continue to implement DOI’s mission and vision. My goal is to create a seamless transition to the next administration. Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication.
Very respectfully,
Karin Zosel
Chief Operating Officer
Illinois Department of Insurance
* The 2018 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Democratic Illinois State Representative is a tie. Rep. Kelly Cassidy…
She has been able to find a way to take on leadership within her caucus and still get things done in a real way, even when members of her caucus weren’t willing to stand with her. She’s smart, passionate, and a bulldog when she wants to get something done. She represents her district well, with an amazing ability to blend leftwing policy priorities with pragmatism, and bringing people on board from all over the political spectrum. She’s everything that we should want in every one of our legislators.
On her way out the door, Rep. Currie gets the nod on the Dem side. If I’m to highlight one facet of her career, it would be her tireless persistence in finally ending Illinois’ hopelessly corrupt and unjust death penalty system.
Honorable mention goes to Rep. Christian Mitchell, who is leaving soon to be JB Pritzker’s deputy governor.
* The 2018 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Republican Illinois State Representative goes to Rep. Dave McSweeney…
(H)e has been able to effectively pass legislation across the aisle when most of the Caucus has been ineffective. He dealt with sexual harassment payoffs and township government, even when his party objected to it. he continuously called out the Governor for his mistakes even if it meant he could have had retribution against him. While he won’t make friends in talks about taxes he continuously gets Democrats to sign on and help pass his bills.
C.D. is another example of, when you got it, you do not need to carry any airs. He is quiet, observant, effective, and salt of the earth.
Congrats to everyone. You earned it.
* OK, let’s move along to today’s categories…
* Best Illinois State Senator - Republican
* Best Illinois State Senator - Democrat
Please explain your nominations or your votes won’t count. Also, do your best to nominate in both categories. But, as always, I will understand if you only deal with one party or the other and don’t have enough info to nominate both.
* As subscribers have known for weeks, floor votes to fund a capital bill have been put off until after lame duck session…
Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday didn’t dismiss the possibility of a gas tax hike to help pay for rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, but he also cautioned that a major construction program won’t come quickly when his administration begins Jan. 14.
Pritzker also said a capital program and money to pay for it isn’t something the lame-duck legislature should pursue when it returns to Springfield on Jan. 7.
“I think it’s unnecessary to do it before I take office. We’re going to work hard on it all together to make it happen and I want to make sure that we’re focused on it immediately upon taking office,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
Still, Pritzker said it “might take a little time” to put together a comprehensive statewide bill to build and replace roads, bridges, water systems and mass transit, along with “the various sources that might fund it.”
* Meanwhile, the answer is “No”…
Incoming Gov. JB Pritzker doesn't like outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pension proposal. Head-scratching here: Didn't these seemingly chummy Dems hash this out before the big announcement? https://t.co/XIynPZyvIq
Illinois governors don’t have a role in that [constitutional amendment] process, but Pritzker made it clear that he wouldn’t expend any political capital on a constitutional amendment.
“My commitment is to pay the pensions that are owed to people,” Pritzker said. “I just don’t see the likelihood of anybody getting a constitutional amendment passed to change that provision in our constitution. And it’s not something that I’m out promoting.”
Emanuel said he’d push for the Chicago casino before his term ends in May, but negotiations on the long-shot bid will be in the hands of lawmakers in Springfield. The prospect of a Chicago casino has been floated numerous times in the past, only to be sunk by competing demands in other betting industries.
A spokeswoman for J.B. Pritzker said the governor-elect has supported the expansion of gaming to help pay for a capital bill, but the actual details haven’t been directly discussed.
* Meanwhile, WSIL TV talked to a business owner about Pritzker’s vow to eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour with some sort of tax relief to small businesses…
17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro is one of those small businesses that could feel the impact of hiking up wages.
Amy Mills is co-owner of the restaurant. She says Pritzker’s plan would devastate her business.
“Our menu prices would have to rise so high that I don’t think our locals would be able to eat out very often,” Mills said. “To me, raising the minimum wage really is penalizing the mom and pops.”
During his stop in Springfield on Monday, Pritzker reminded everyone the increase would happen over several years.
“I feel like in this area would be so difficult to even raise the hourly wage in increments because we still will be raising prices to keep up,” Mills said.
Deenna Moss placed a customer’s purchases into plastic bags.
“You can’t live on $8.25 an hour,” Moss said.
Moss is compensated with Illinois’ minimum wage for her work as a cashier at Dollar General in La Salle.
Moss, a proponent of raising the minimum wage, said she has to live with her 31-year-old daughter to make ends meet. […]
Melissa Carter, who makes $9 an hour, said she needs three roommates just to survive. She has two kids at home. Carter works as the manager at Little Caesars Pizza in Peru.
“It’s frustrating,” she said about the pay. Carter has college credits, but said she wasn’t able to afford to finish the degree.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today was hit with a federal class action lawsuit for locking youth in psychiatric hospitals “long past the time that their treatment required them to be confined… Upon being medically cleared for discharge, instead of going to an appropriate facility, the Defendants forced the children to remain in locked psychiatric wards, causing immense harm.”
While locked up, the children received no formal education, were largely kept indoors, and had little if any opportunity to interact with family members and friends. The prolonged confinement is detrimental to kids’ mental health, making them feel like they have been abandoned while subjecting them to dangerous and frightening conditions.
“The first rule of health care is ‘do no harm,’ yet the State of Illinois and its child welfare agency have made a mockery of that precept,” said Charles Golbert, acting Cook County Public Guardian and leader of the class action suit. “The harm to these youth that DCFS is committing by locking them up long after they’ve completed their courses of treatment is incalculable. It’s an abject moral and human rights failure.”
Today’s suit charges not only that state officials have known of the problem for decades, but have actively worsened it by repeatedly cutting budgets for appropriate treatment facilities and foster homes. Tragically, this practice not only violates vulnerable children’s rights, it also costs Illinois millions of dollars – every month DCFS is wasting over $125,000 to lock children in psychiatric wards where they are not supposed to be.
Since the 1980s, Golbert and every one of his predecessors at the Cook County Public Guardian’s office have complained to DCFS and in federal court about children being locked in psychiatric wards long after they should have been discharged. Although the federal court entered a consent decree 27 years ago requiring DCFS to not hospitalize children longer than medically necessary, DCFS’s unconstitutional practice remains and has actually become much more prevalent.
DCFS would not comment on the lawsuit but said finding placements for children is challenging. Some residential treatment centers and foster homes won’t accept children in psychiatric hospitals with serious mental or behavioral health conditions, said Neil Skene, special assistant to Walker.
The agency is working to build additional services and reduce the need for hospitalization, Skene said, but the problem is part of a larger issue related to rebuilding the state’s mental health system.
“The availability of community resources and facilities to handle complex behavioral and physical health needs of children and teenagers is a serious need in Illinois,” Skene said. “This is a decades-long problem in Illinois that has now fallen to the current leadership of DCFS. We are at the deep end of a challenge within the healthcare system.”
The number of children being held beyond what is considered medically necessary has increased in recent years. In 2017, 301 psychiatric hospital admissions of children in DCFS care went beyond medical necessity, a sharp rise from 88 in 2014, according to DCFS figures.
Also Thursday, an Uptown psychiatric hospital that is struggling to survive amid complaints that young patients face unsafe conditions will ask a federal judge to intervene in its battle with the federal government over funding.
Chicago Lakeshore Hospital will ask U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman to grant it a temporary restraining order to stop Saturday’s cutoff date for the facility to continue billing Medicare and Medicaid for new patients.
With the vast majority of patients receiving federal benefits, hospital officials argued in Wednesday’s court filing that they would be forced to close and the area’s access to critical mental health services will be diminished.
DCFS stopped admitting children in its care to Chicago Lakeshore several weeks ago amid an increased number of calls to the state’s child abuse hotline this year. The final DCFS teen was transferred out of the hospital Nov. 30.
* Not shocking, really. But if this trend does hold up, a whole lot of political pundits are gonna be eating crow…
That's a strikingly high %. Very typical number in this line of work is clearing 1/3 of challenges (BTW, Preckwinkle needs about 78% of their challenges to be sustained to win). If this is correct and holds whole way through, the Preckwinkle team made stuff up. Shocking if true. https://t.co/VbdcCqZhvP
It seems like everybody reported that the standard for turning in signatures is three times the amount needed. That was news to me because the standard I’ve always been told is twice the number of signatures needed. Mendoza turned in twice the minimum.
So, we’ll see. I think Mendoza will survive, but like everyone else who’s been commenting on this, I haven’t examined her sheets myself.
* Meanwhile…
Bill Daley just reported raising another $250,000, extending his fundraising lead in the race to become Chicago's next mayor. He's now raised $2.95 million.
* Kristi Dunn Kucera has served as spokesperson for Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia. She sent this e-mail to reporters today…
As of December 12, 2018, I no longer represent Mayoral Candidate Amara Enyia as Communications Director. In light of several unknown and troubling factors that I was not privy to during the campaign, I am unable to effectively continue in this role. I wish her the best in her endeavor.
The specifics of the factors Kucera references weren’t immediately known. Kucera was still listed Wednesday as the media contact on Enyia’s website.
Sources within the Enyia campaign said this shakeup comes as the campaign heads to the next level. With more financing and more momentum comes the hiring of more experienced political staff.
* McCarthy points lots of fingers on crime wave—but not at himself: In a wide-ranging and occasionally rambling speech in which he seemed to blame just about everyone else but himself for the city’s woes, McCarthy, who was fired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel after the Laquan McDonald shooting, depicted himself as a truth teller in a city that, to paraphrase the old saying, don’t want nobody nobody sent.
* Mayoral contenders have more to say on anti-crime plans: I also heard from a supporter of Lori Lightfoot plugging her plan to put police rookies on the day shift rather than dangerous overnight hours so they get a better opportunity to know the neighborhood they’re patrolling. … I also heard from a supporter of Lori Lightfoot plugging her plan to put police rookies on the day shift rather than dangerous overnight hours so they get a better opportunity to know the neighborhood they’re patrolling.
However, conspicuously absent from the committee are any dedicated pedestrian and bike advocacy organizations. ([Metropolitan Planning Council] does frequently voice support for better walking and biking conditions, but it has a broader mission of “shaping a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous greater Chicago region.”)
According to a source, the Active Transportation Alliance — the region’s leading walking, biking, and transit advocacy organization – directly asked Pritzker’s organization to be included in the committee, and was recommended by others to the governor-elect. Two Active Trans reps served on Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s transition team in 2011. Moreover, current Active Trans director Ron Burke served as associate director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from 2003-2008, so he has plenty of state government experience. […]
However, a couple of possibilities come to mind. Organized labor was a key source of support for Pritzker’s campaign, and there are plenty of entities that benefit from road-building projects represented on the committee. After current governor Bruce Rauner proposed widening multiple Chicagoland expressways to create more capacity for driving, Active Trans called for a moratorium on expressway expansion. That likely irritated some figures in the road-building lobby.
Active Trans has also been pushing for $50 million a year in state transportation funds to be earmarked for walking and biking projects, with a focus on improving conditions in lower-income communities. 27 Chicago CEOs sent a letter to Rauner and Pritzker asking them to commit to making the state Bike Walk Fund a reality, and multiple Chicago community organizations have voiced support for the idea.
While $50 million would only represent about 2 percent of the Illinois transportation budget, very little state money is currently used for walking and biking infrastructure. So it’s likely some labor, construction, and highway engineering folks would be loathe to see any funds diverted from road building.
* I reached out to the Pritzker transition team…
The Restoring Illinois’ Infrastructure committee represents a wide range of interests and is considering every mode of transportation, including biker and pedestrian concerns. There are a number of critical voices and stakeholders on this subject matter and while all could not be included on this committee, we are soliciting feedback from the public and other organizations on the transition website. As JB transitions into office, he will continue bringing stakeholders to the table to shape his policy agenda and improve the lives of Illinoisans.
* And there’s this…
As a member of Governor-elect @JBPritzker Infrastructure Transition Comm, I am strongly raising bike/ped concerns, tapping expertise of partners & our passionate biker/walker Director of Transportation @awennink Lots of support on the committee! https://t.co/wdelYa0cge
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday floated a port district site on the Far Southeast Side as the possible location for a Chicago casino, if state lawmakers finally grant the city the long-sought gambling palace.
In a meeting with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Emanuel noted his “love-hate” relationship with the idea of a casino but said if the city finally builds one it should be away from the Loop and McCormick Place. Instead, he said it should bring economic development to an area of the city that needs it, before floating an Illinois International Port District site near Pullman as “an example.”
The land, just off the 111th Street exit on the Bishop Ford Freeway, currently is home to the Harborside International golf course with some harbor operations and terminals nearby on Lake Calumet. The port district that owns the land is a joint city-state entity.
“If you go down to the port authority where the golf course is, there’s enough land there for both a hotel and a casino,” Emanuel said. “That would be a big boon economically to the Southeast Side of the city.”
That area really does need some investments, but when have casinos ever helped a neighborhood to thrive? They suck people inside and do everything they can to keep them there until the customers have no money. Hey, I’m not anti-gambling. It’s a free country. But let’s not kid ourselves here.
Remember when East St. Louis lost its city hall in a lawsuit? The Casino Queen was supposed to help revitalize the town. It did pump money into the local government and has provided some jobs, but the casino didn’t do much for economic development otherwise. Alton is no different. Same with Atlantic City.
So, color me skeptical.
If a goodly chunk of the revenues from the casino is dedicated to local reinvestment, then maybe. Perhaps they can use some cash to build a high-end golf/gambling resort or something. Aurora’s Paramount Theater is one example of a casino helping an area.
But Emanuel wants casino revenues directed to the city’s pension funds. I don’t think that simply plopping down a casino will do much for the region. We’ll see.
Donald Trump’s legislative agenda threatens to wreak havoc on the lives of Illinois families. Trump is actively working to dismantle health care in the United States, potentially stripping millions of families of their coverage and targeting those who need it most. He is waging war on science in his refusal to acknowledge climate change and his rejection of the policies that will preserve our future. Trump’s attacks on public education, immigrant families, and people of color are tearing communities apart, and undermining the principles that make this country strong. Every day, Trump is exploiting divisions and peddling hate.
Illinois will be deeply impacted by this administration’s devastating agenda, and Governor Bruce Rauner is asleep at the wheel. Rauner is silent in the face of Trump’s attacks and refuses to put in place policies that will protect Illinois families. Worse, Rauner is actively working to force a special interest agenda on Illinois that will amplify Donald Trump’s destruction. After a 736-day budget crisis, with a state economy in turmoil, and with public school funding at risk, Illinois simply can’t afford Trump’s agenda or more of Rauner’s failed leadership.
My parents raised me with a commitment to social justice. I’ve spent my life fighting for Illinois families and bringing people together to solve big problems for this state. Those values are under attack and I am ready to fight every day to make sure Illinois is a firewall against Donald Trump’s destructive agenda and hateful rhetoric. We will protect and expand health care for all of our families, invest in education, defend our environment, stand with our immigrant families, and fight for civil rights. I’m running for governor because the values that I care about are under siege by Donald Trump and Bruce Rauner and I am ready to stand with passionate Illinoisans and resist.
After Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership, there is so much work to do and this my plan to resist Trump as Illinois’ next governor.
JB Pritzker will attend a meeting Thursday with other governors-elect at the White House Thursday. The White House says both Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump will meet with the new governors elected this past November.
During the past two years, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner kept his distance from President Trump, rarely attending White House events.
“JB was invited to the White House and will be taking this opportunity to advocate for Illinois. As JB said on the campaign trail, he will work with Democrats and Republicans to bring more federal dollars back to the state and fight for policies that benefit working families,” Pritzker transition press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh told the Sun-Times. Pritzker, who will be inaugurated Jan. 14 in Springfield, tied Republican Bruce Rauner to Trump, not particularly popular in Illinois. Pritzker used Chicago’s Trump Tower as a backdrop for Rauner-Trump trashing, in commercials and in a speech.
Quentin Fulks, who was the deputy campaign manager, will be accompanying Pritzker on the day trip.
This is Pritzker’s first visit to Washington since his election in November. On the weekend of Nov. 17, Pritzker traveled to Colorado Springs for the National Governors Association new governor conference.
Despite the attacks, it’s not unusual for newly elected leaders to meet. Soon after Trump was elected president, Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with him at the president’s namesake Manhattan tower. Since then, the mayor’s administration has sued Trump’s multiple times over immigration and other issues.
* From Sen. Paul Schimpf’s (R-Waterloo) Facebook page…
I’ve had a lot of questions about the satanic sculpture at the Capitol. Here’s a letter I delivered to the Secretary of State’s office today asking for the display to be removed:
Dear Secretary White,
I am writing to express my disappointment in your approval of a Satanic statue in the Illinois Capitol Rotunda.
As an attorney who evaluated the legality of religious displays in the United States Marine Corps, I appreciate the complexities associated with balancing the First Amendment with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. In this situation, I believe you received poor legal advice recommending approval of the Satanic display.
The Satanic display should not have been approved. It does not celebrate or recognize the observance of a religious holiday. Instead, the display seeks to provoke and antagonize members of the Christian and Jewish faiths. As such, you would have been well within your discretion to deny that display request.
I respectfully request that you reconsider your decision and order the removal of the Satanic statue.
Sincerely,
Paul Schimpf
Senator, 58th Legislative District
The State of Illinois is required by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to allow temporary, public displays in the state capitol so long as these displays are not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Because the first floor of the Capitol Rotunda is a public place, state officials cannot legally censor the content of speech or displays. The United States Supreme Court has held that public officials may legally impose reasonable time, place and manner restrictions regarding displays and speeches, but no regulation can be based on the content of the speech.
Dave Druker, spokesman for the secretary of state, said the Chicago-based Satanic group had the right, just like religious organizations, to put up its display in the rotunda.
“Under the Constitution, the First Amendment, people have a right to express their feelings, their thoughts,” Druker said. “This recognizes that.”
[Lux Armiger, chairperson of the Satanic Temple’s Chicago chapter] says celebrating holidays is not at all a requirement for displays in the rotunda. “No such specification exists,” Armiger told Patch. “These displays are permitted by the Constitution, not because they are recognizing a holiday, but because the space is a public forum.”
This is “something someone with a law degree like Sen. Schimpf should understand. If he does not, Southern Illinois University School of Law should consider rescinding his degree,” Armiger added.
Permitting one group, and not another, to use the forum would be “government-imposed viewpoint discrimination,” he said.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder and national spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, had a simple response to Schimpf’s letter: “No. In fact you aren’t within your rights to deny a religious organization access to a forum for religious expression based simply on your assumptions regarding their intentions.”
State Rep. Terri Bryant has introduced a resolution in the Illinois House condemning the decision by the Illinois Secretary of State to allow The Satanic Temple-Chicago to place a statue in the Statehouse rotunda along with displays that celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.
Bryant, a Republican from Murphysboro, said in a news release that hundreds of constituents have called her office to complain about the statue, which is called “Knowledge is the Greatest Gift” and depicts the forearm of a young woman holding an apple.
Bryant said in the release her resolution would send a message that the House “as a body, reject and condemn the decision to allow this disgusting display at our Capitol.”
