Caption contest!
Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you already know, Gov. Pat Quinn attended yesterday’s court hearing over the challenge to his legislative salary veto. From the Trib…
Keep it clean, folks.
Funniest commenter wins a free Illinois State Fair beverage with yours truly.
* Yesterday’s winner was OneMan…
The winner of Governor Quinn’s I’ll appoint the person closest to me at 12:47 PM to run a state department contest celebrates her good fortune.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Kurt Erickson…
In agreeing to hire a former aide to Gov. Pat Quinn to lobby on its behalf, the town of Normal on Monday joined an estimated 140 other units of local government using tax money to try and gain a toehold in the Capitol.
According to a study by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, local governments and public agencies in Illinois spent more than $7.4 million on outside help in 2010 to try and heighten their profiles and gain better access to the policymakers in the Statehouse.
David Morrison, acting director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said he launched the study thinking that lobbyists for local governments were unneeded because local state lawmakers would be looking out for the communities in their districts.
But, he said, there are some factors that appear to make it a reasonable expense for some local governments.
For example, a city may be represented by two Republicans at a time when Democrats control state government.
“A city may think they need to hire someone in order to get face time with the people in charge,” Morrison said.
* The Question: Do you think hiring Statehouse lobbyists can benefit many local governments, or is it mostly a waste of taxpayer money? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
online surveys
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Excuses, excuses
Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yikes…
A month after reporting that Southern Illinois University had lost 257 computers in 2012, Auditor General Bill Holland found a similar situation within the state’s sprawling adult and youth prison systems.
In audits released Tuesday, Holland said 156 computers were deemed “lost” at the Illinois Department of Corrections, and another 84 were unaccounted for at the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
The loss of 240 more state-owned computers within the state’s penal systems is problematic, Holland said.
* The DoC was rather blasé about the whole thing…
According to a new audit,there’s a risk confidential information stored on the computers could be exposed.
But D.O.C. spokesman Tom Shaer says that’s not likely.
“We don’t believe that these computers are laying around somewhere compromising security.”
Shaer says per the audit’s recommendation, the department is working to track them down.
“We’ll show, we believe, that these computers are either still in inventory and possibly service. Or were properly wiped clean, no security risk with information, and were discarded or properly disposed of. We just didn’t complete the paperwork due to human error during a time when the department was short-staffed. And it still is short-staffed.”
Shaer’s “explanation” is what a citizen might call “typical stupid government.”
Meh, so we lost some computers. I’m sure there’s no problem. Don’t worry. Trust us, they’re around here someplace. We’ll find them, just as soon as we get more money to hire more people.
Good managers find a way to make do with less. Bad managers blame budget cuts for everything that goes wrong.
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The juvenile banana republicans strike again
Wednesday, Aug 7, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Another day, another ill-informed, adolescent temper tantrum over pension reform from the Chicago Tribune editorial board…
There’s a conference committee of House and Senate members working on a solution. If all the legislators on that committee were serious — we know some of them are — they would have crafted a bill by now to present to the public and the governor.
But they haven’t done so. Some members of the committee appear to be in no hurry, especially now that Quinn has taken away their paychecks. They’ll show him! They’ll … just … keep … stalling.
Most exasperating is the slow-walk on pension reform by the conference committee’s chairman, Sen. Kwame Raoul. Not that Raoul hasn’t been busy … sizing up a run for governor. Gov. Raoul — excuse us, Sen. Raoul — your handling of this conference committee isn’t building confidence in your case for a political promotion.
The state’s pension liability grows by $5 million every day. Debt is piling up, up, up.
The committee has to produce a substantial bill, one that comes close to the $187 billion in savings promised by the pension reform bill that passed the Illinois House but was crushed in the Senate.
What’s it going to take? We’ve even come to miss Squeezy the Pension Python, the cartoon character that Quinn created to try to prod the legislators to own up to the disaster they’ve created. Where’s Squeezy, trapped in a smoke-filled room in the Capitol? Lured to the beach for bikini gazing and Mai Tais? Maybe he joined the conference committee — a guarantee that he would never be seen again.
Only the We Are One negotiated pension plan could receive three-fifths votes in both chambers to give any pension reform bill an immediate effective date. Otherwise, we’re looking at July 1, 2014 for an effective date on a simple majority roll call But to hear the Tribune tell it, we’ll drown if something isn’t done right this very second!!!
These people write like they’re tweenie girls whose parents won’t buy them One Direction concert tickets.
Take. A. Breath.
* Also, if they’d bothered to actually check, they’d know that the conference committee is actually making lots of progress. What’s the holdup? Well, every tweak they make has to be sent off for actuarial analysis, and that takes time.
Again.
Take. A. Breath.
* And I seriously doubt that Sen. Raoul cares whether the Tribune thinks he’s gubernatorial material. Threatening the guy ain’t gonna work.
* Also, too, the Tribune has proved over and over again that it has zero concerns for the state Constitution. Perhaps their editorial board members have moved to another state. I dunno. But pension reform is made extremely difficult because of our Constitution. And the obvious separation of powers questions raised by the governor’s veto seem not to bother the Trib, either.
They just want those concert tickets, man, and they don’t care how it’s done. Missing Squeezy? C’mon. Grow up, already.
[And for my more partisan commenters, please note that the word “republicans” in the headline is not capitalized.]
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* RTA Chairman John Gates piled on against Frank Zuccarelli’s CTA appointment late yesterday in a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn…
Gates said Zuccarelli’s dual roles on the CTA board while serving as Thornton Township supervisor violate “the intent of Section 19” of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act.
Zuccarelli makes more than $100,000 a year in his role as Thornton Township Supervisor, according to a report by the Better Government Association.
Gates urged Quinn to withdraw Zucarrelli’s nomination.
The full letter is here. Make sure to read it.
* The governor’s office is refusing to back down…
Quinn’s office responded Tuesday night, saying that the state law in question wouldn’t prevent Zuccarelli from serving in both positions.
Zuccarelli has no transportation background, but his appointment could help Quinn. Thornton Township has a long history of turning out Democratic votes in Cook County.
Zuccarelli was appointed in early June. The political benefit at the time was obvious. He is a campaign powerhouse with thousands of African-American votes and Quinn desperately needed his support if Lisa Madigan decided to run.
So, Zucc got the nod.
And now… Oops.
The problem here is that Quinn loves to cover himself with a reformer’s coat. But when it comes to patronage, that coat covers something quite different. We’ve discussed this before.
…Adding… Best comment so far…
The idea that Gates — who put Madigan’s son in law on his payroll — would lecture anybody about “transparency” and “integrity” is the joke of the day.
Heh.
True.
* Meanwhile…
Kane County’s representative on the Regional Transportation Authority is stepping down amid concerns he can’t legally serve both on the transit agency and a state commission.
Nabi Fakroddin sits on the RTA board and the Illinois Human Rights Commission.
Advertisement
RTA Chairman John S. Gates Jr. wrote Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday saying that an internal review turned up the dual roles. “It is my belief that according to the law, it may not be permissible for (Fakroddin) to continue to serve on the RTA and Mr. Fakroddin agreed,” Gates wrote.
Quinn appoints members of the human rights commission.
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* From a press release…
“Before a friendly audience behind closed doors in March, Ty Fahner claimed credit for driving down the state’s bond rating–and thereby raising costs to all taxpayers. Now, under growing public scrutiny, he says that wasn’t true.
“Fahner’s delayed attempt to deny that those efforts took place results in more questions than answers. If there’s nothing to hide, why is he trying to backtrack now? Why would he mislead the public in the first place?
“Did members of the Civic Committee speak to the ratings agencies — as Fahner clearly stated initially? If so, what transpired? Did any Civic Committee members profit from these actions? How did the role of Fahner’s law firm as state bond counsel and the role of many Civic Committee members as bond underwriters impact their efforts to lobby to reduce the state’s rating?
“Ultimately, which story should the public believe? Every Illinoisan deserves to know what really happened. We urge elected officials and the news media to demand answers to these lingering questions, uncover what occurred, and examine whether formal consequences are warranted.”
Investigation needed or no?
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* This may be a politically dumb move in a Democratic primary, but give him props for saying what he believes…
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Bill Daley is calling on Gov. Pat Quinn to withdraw his appointment of a powerful south suburban Democratic leader to the Chicago Transit Authority board.
“The only transportation experience Frank Zuccarelli has is walking people to the polling place,” Mr. Daley told me, responding to my story this morning about how, thanks to Mr. Quinn, Mr. Zuccarelli will be able to benefit from a double-dip loophole in state law.
“It’s the same old Springfield game. It’s been like this for 12 years, first under (convicted ex-Gov. Rod) Blagojevich and now under Quinn,” Mr. Daley said in a phone interview. “Here we have a transportation crisis, he just appointed a blue-ribbon panel to review transit, and he goes and does this sort of thing.” […]
Mr. Daley said he is not worried Mr. Zuccarelli heads a large and influential political organization, serving as Democratic committeeman in Thornton.
“I’ll worry about the election next March,” Mr. Daley said. “Someone needs to worry about the transportation system and the credibility of government.”
Yikes.
Background here.
* Bruce Rauner also responded…
“I’d call this is a blatant insult to every taxpayer, but it’s clear Pat Quinn and the Democratic machine don’t care about the taxpayers at all,” Mr. Rauner says in a statement. “In fact, there is now a pattern of Pat Quinn handing out taxpayer-funded salaries and benefits to key cogs in the Democratic machine. This is exactly why voters are eager for a governor who can’t be intimidated or influenced by the special interests and political machines that try to control politics in Illinois.”
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley is featuring a White House photo of the day Osama bin Laden was killed and touting his “key role” in the operation as an example of leadership in his campaign for governor of Illinois.
On his campaign website, a link just above “donate today” reads: “This is what leadership looks like.” When users click, it brings full screen the official White House photo of the Situation Room on May 1, 2011, where President Barack Obama’s national security team is getting an update on the mission to kill bin Laden.
The caption on Daley’s website reads: “As President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Bill played a key role in the operation that captured Osama bin Laden.” […]
In the bio section of his site, Daley highlights his stint in the Obama administration from January 2011-January 2012, saying Daley “was involved in all aspects and issues faced by the president and the administration, both domestic and foreign.”
* The iconic photo…
* The Question: Will Bill Daley’s involvement with the killing of Osama bin Laden be significantly persuasive in the Democratic gubernatorial primary race? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
online survey
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Quinn the reformer
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn has railed at politics eroding public confidence in the Chicago area’s mass transit agencies. Yesterday, he proposed a blue-ribbon panel to propose ways to clean things up.
But check out this fascinating twist from his recent appointment of Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Frank Zuccarelli to the CTA’s board…
Brad O’Halloran recently resigned as chairman of the Metra board, at least in part because of reports that he’d violated state law by accepting compensation both as a Metra board member and as an Orland Park village trustee.
But Mr. Zuccarelli is different. At least, so says Mr. Quinn’s office.
The state law establishing the CTA says that “no member” of the CTA board “shall hold any other office or employment under the federal, state or any county or municipal government except an honorary office without compensation or an office in the National Guard.”
But Grant Klinzman, a spokesman for Mr. Quinn, cites a different provision of law, which says: “‘Municipal’ or ‘municipality’ does not include a township, town when used as the equivalent of a township, incorporated town that has superseded a civil township . . . or any other similar governmental district.”
“The statute prohibits anyone who is paid by a municipality, county or state government (not a township),” Mr. Kinzman said in a statement. “Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli is an elected leader and strong advocate of a region that is quickly growing . . . (and) will be made significantly more accessible to public transportation by the proposed Red Line extension.”
Zuccarelli is also the local township Democratic committeeman and his township has the highest Democratic turnout in suburban Cook County. Zuccarelli was looking for another second job after Toni Preckwinkle let him go from a part-time county post, so the Quinn appointment was seen at the time as a way to help lock in the Z-Team’s support for the governor next spring. Now, it could backfire on Quinn.
Oops.
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz updates…
State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, a longtime critic of how public transit operates here, is ripping the double-dip, and says he’ll try to make it illegal.
“The governor is basing his decision on a technicality, to help a political operative,” said Mr. Franks in a phone call. Before making “a political move,” Mr. Franks acerbically added, “I’m sure the governor did a nationwide search to find the best candidate.”
Mr. Franks says a pending bill of his would close the “township loophole” for a variety of posts. But he now intends to submit separate legislation aimed specifically at those who hold both transit agency and township-paying jobs.
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Kirk Dillard also has words for Mr. Quinn, telling him to withdraw the Zuccarelli appointment.
“This is hypocrisy beyond belief,” Mr. Dillard told me. “Gov. Quinn’s appointment of a political insider may technically be legal, but it sure is a total violation of the spirit of the law” — particularly at a time when the mess at Metra has shaken public confidence in public transit generally, he added. “At a time when one in 10 Illinoisans is out of work, (Mr Zuccarelli) is on multiple payrolls.”
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ALEC to be met with Chicago protests
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The American Legislative Exchange Council is meeting in Chicago this week to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and opposition groups are gearing up. From a Common Cause and Center for Media and Democracy press release…
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is running a secretive, multi-million dollar slush fund that finances lavish trips for state legislators and has misled the Internal Revenue Service about the fund’s activity, two government watchdog groups charged today.
Common Cause and the Center for Media and Democracy said the “scholarship fund” scheme also raises serious questions about ALEC’s compliance with state gift and disclosure laws, and the ethics of lawmakers who accept ALEC’s travel payments.
The watchdogs said that by funneling money through ALEC, that group’s corporate sponsors are able to take a federal tax deduction for the cost of wining, dining and housing lawmakers and their families at resorts and events like ALEC’s 40th anniversary meeting this week at Chicago’s posh Palmer House Hilton (August 7-9). Meanwhile, ALEC conceals the sources of the funds from the public and hides the amount of spending from the IRS by claiming that it only holds the funds in “trust,” while writing lawmakers’ checks to cover their trips.
Common Cause and CMD laid out details of the fund’s operation in an IRS tax whistleblower complaint and letter to the IRS Commissioner.
The groups have built their case based on documents obtained through open records requests, and are taking a number of actions this week to urge a crackdown on the ALEC
The IRS tax whistleblower complaint is here. The letter to the IRS Commissioner is here. An investigative report, Buying Influence, is here.
* A protest is planned for Thursday. From a Center for Media and Democracy press release…
According to ALEC, up to 2,000 state legislators and lobbyists are expected to be meeting behind closed doors inside the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago. Although ALEC’s leaders have told the press its meetings are open to the public, reporters have been blocked from meetings where corporations and politicians vote as equals, bounced from other meetings, denied credentials, and even threatened with arrest.
In its latest move to shield its activities from pubic scrutiny, ALEC has begun stamping legislation and materials it gives to lawmakers as exempt from state open records laws. It has also resorted to using a drop box service Box.com in an attempt to evade legislators’ open records obligations. CMD is litigating this issue in Wisconsin in a suit against ALEC’s National Treasurer. Read more here.
Outside the ALEC conference, protests are planned for noon on August 8, led by the Chicago Federation of Labor.
* For background, this is from a December, 2012 Bloomberg report…
ALEC this week released its 2013 state legislative priorities and proposed legislation to accomplish them, including ending traditional pensions for newly hired public employees, repealing requirements that utilities buy electricity from environmentally friendly sources, using taxpayer dollars for religious schools, and limiting lawsuits by consumers injured by faulty products.
There was a small protest at the Palmer House yesterday and a handful of people were arrested. The big event is Thursday. Fred Klonsky has video.
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Fahner: “I misspoke”
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an e-mail I received yesterday from Civic Committee President Ty Fahner…
Regarding my comments at the Union League Club in March, I misspoke.
First, while I may have said so, I didn’t call the ratings agencies, nor did any of our Civic Committee staff. My response to the questions was very confusing and inarticulate. If you notice, at the end of my answer, I close by saying it wouldn’t be the responsible thing for me to have done so with our members being the state’s largest employers. But I did say it.
He misspoke? That’s a pretty long story for a simple misspeak. Here’s the complete Fahner quote…
“The Civic Committee, not me, but me and some of the people that make up the Civic Committee, some of the same names I mentioned before, did meet with and call, in one case it was in person, a couple of calls to Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s, and say, ‘How in the hell can you guys do this? You’re an enabler to let the state continue. You keep threatening more and more and more.’
“And I think now we’ve backed off, because we don’t want to be the straw that breaks the back, But if you watch what happened over the last few years, it’s been steadily down. Before that, it’s been the blind eye, and that’s a whole different topic, as you know, about how the rating agencies act and don’t act. That’s more in your field and stuff. It has been irresponsible. We have told them that we thought they were being irresponsible, but we stopped that a couple months ago. I do know that we suggested that they talk to the governor, the governor’s staff to see if he could give them comfort on where the state was going, and I think that’s one of the reasons why we’re really close now. I hope we’re close.”
“Inarticulate,” maybe, but not really confusing. He said what he said, and it was pretty darned detailed.
* Anyway, Fahner told me nobody from staff spoke with the ratings agencies, so I followed up with a question about whether any Civic Committee members had meetings and here’s his e-mailed response…
Rich, to be clear, I am not aware of anyone connected with the civic committee that contacted the rating agencies to urge Illinois be downgraded or for any other reason.
So, he made the story up out of whole cloth? And this guy is running the most powerful business group in Illinois?
* Back to Fahner’s original e-mail…
Finally, if there’s any good news in this, it’s that even a cynical political columnist like you now cares about pension reform, something we’ve been screaming about for a while now. We appreciate that. Stay on it. Illinois is in critical condition and we need everybody’s hands on deck.
Whatever.
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* Sun-Times…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office confirmed Monday it will have a direct role in the legal dispute over Gov. Pat Quinn’s move to cut legislative salaries despite the fact her father, House Speaker Michael Madigan, is a plaintiff in the case.
The three-term attorney general will represent Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka in the case that pits her and Quinn against the House speaker and Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), who sued the governor and comptroller.
“There’s not a conflict of interest because of the familial relationship,” said Natalie Bauer, a spokeswoman for the attorney general. Cullerton and Speaker Madigan “filed in their official capacity as the legislative leaders, so there is no conflict.”
The case is scheduled for its first hearing Tuesday before Cook County Associate Judge Neil Cohen, who is being asked to grant a preliminary injunction that would set aside Quinn’s line-item veto and authorize Topinka to resume paying legislators, who missed their first paychecks last week.
The motion for a preliminary injunction is here. The governor’s general counsel was served with the papers as well.
*** UPDATE *** From the Twitters…
Keep an eye on our live feed for more updates.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Twitters…
That means two paychecks will be missed and likely no pension reform until after Sept. 18th unless they can somehow convince the judge to issue an order beforehand.
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Caption contest!
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a recent bill signing event…
Now, y’all know that I really don’t like violent imagery in comments, so make sure you don’t get weird on me today. Take it easy. Thanks.
Funniest commenter wins a beverage with yours truly at the Illinois State Fair.
* Yesterday’s winner was Arthur Andersen…
“Forget Chicago, just gimme that countryside”
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