Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Jul 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From my old buddy Nick Dolce…
My grandfather passed away this week and it would mean a lot to us if you closed comments with Louis Prima’s “C’è la Luna,” especially if you send it out to all the small town mayors and city council folks who give their time and expect nothing back.
Thanks,
Nick
And away we go…
He’s got a cannoli in his hand
Comments Off  
|
Happy birthday, Mick!
Friday, Jul 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mick Jagger turns 70 today…
Paul McCartney turned 70 last year. So did Brian Wilson. Bob Dylan hit 70 two years ago. Grace Slick, Paul Simon, Jagger’s bandmate Charlie Watts — they’re all in their seventies.
Hey, BB King is pushing 90 and he’s still touring.
* But to put this into a little perspective, I’m 51. My father turns 70 next month. Mick Jagger is older than my father.
I’ve always known this, but now that the big seven-oh has hit, it kinda blows me away.
* I saw the Stones at the United Center in June. It wasn’t the greatest show I’d ever seen, and I saw more people using canes than at any other concert I’ve been to, but it did rock and I had fun and that’s all I cared about.
So, let the naysayers say what they say. Who needs ‘em anyway? Here’s hoping for many more years, for both my dad and Mick.
* From 1981 at the Checkerboard Lounge with the man who started it all…
17 Comments
|
Question of the day
Friday, Jul 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Apparently, Poshard wanted to wait until he had matters under control before stepping down…
SIU President Glenn Poshard will step down from his post next summer. The long-time administrator says it’s time for him to slow down, and he’s ready for the next chapter in his life.
Poshard says he wants to make sure there is a seamless transition as he moves out of the office, and hoped to give Trustees plenty of notice to find someone new. He says stability is important.
“We had had a succession of Presidents who had been here three, two years at a time. I’ve been here 7 ½ years, will be here 8 ½ years. I think we’ve stabilized that arena.”
Poshard also pointed to new stability on the Board of Trustees, after months of turmoil, as one thing that made his decision easier. He says Randal Thomas’ leadership as Chairman of the Board is a great asset.
Thomas passes credit back to Poshard, and thinks the transition to new leadership will be made easier because of how things have been organized.
I’m betting that Gov. Pat Quinn will try his best to make sure he has as much influence as possible on who the next SIU president is. Stay tuned. For now, though…
* The Question: Glenn Poshard’s legacy? Make sure to explain.
22 Comments
|
CTU demand falls on deaf ears
Friday, Jul 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago Teachers Union demanded this week that Gov. Pat Quinn veto DePaul arena financing bill, which was included in a much larger economic development proposal…
As part of its protest and march, the CTU says it will demand that Gov. Pat Quinn not support a bill authorizing financing for the construction of a 10,000-seat basketball arena for DePaul University. […]
[But Chicago Public Schools spokesperson Becky Carroll] said a $50 million TIF subsidy “is not going to solve our structural deficit.”
* Quinn sided with the city and signed the bill into law. The media’s focus, however, was on the 3rd airport language. AP…
After decades of dispute, the possibility of a third airport in the Chicago area finally materialized Thursday as Gov. Pat Quinn signed a wide-ranging bill that’ll put state transportation officials in charge of the hub and allow them to spend $71 million on land.
Hopeful talk of a south suburban airport has dominated this economically struggling area since the 1970s and spanned the careers of numerous politicians, including former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. But movement was stalled by fights over local control, revenue and environmental impact, as well as whether it was necessary, given the metropolitan area is already served by two major airports.
* Phil Kadner has an excellent and comprehensive take on the matter. Just a snippet here, so go read the whole thing…
It was Crete Mayor Michael Einhorn who brought a dose of reality to Gov. Pat Quinn’s South Suburban Airport bill-signing ceremony Thursday.
“It’s a fact-based process now,” said Einhorn, whose community is located near the proposed airport land.
Ads by Google
“I mean that private developers will now examine this idea, look at all the facts and determine if it’s worth investing their money,” Einhorn said.
“It’s not some politician’s dream. Can this airport plan make money? That’s what we’re going to find out.”
* The package also included an incentive for a huge fertilizer plant. As an added bonus, a young GOP state legislator previously known for not playing well with others finally learned how to play with others…
A Central Illinois Republican says a new law offering tax incentives to a company looking to build a fertilizer plant in either Tuscola or Iowa shows what can be accomplished when lawmakers work together.
State Rep. Adam Brown, R-Champaign, is a key supporter of trying to lure Cronus Chemical LLC to Douglas County.
In the end, a package of tax breaks for the Delaware-based startup company was combined with a number of Democrat-backed economic development initiatives, including the construction of a third Chicago-area airport. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the legislation on Thursday.
“It’s really a shining example of what we can do when we work across the aisle,” Brown said Thursday.
Cronus has said it is looking to build a $1.1 billion production facility in either Tuscola or in Mitchell County, Iowa. Illinois’ package is worth an estimated $14.5 million.
More…
A spokesman for the newly formed company said the signing of the law will start the clock ticking on a final decision.
“We expect to make a site selection within 30 days after that,” spokesman Dave Lundy said in an email.
Iowa officials have not revealed if they are offering Cronus a similar package. But state economic development officials indicated this week that they think the Mitchell County site is still an option for the company.
“We’ve not heard that we aren’t in the running,” said Tina Hoffman, spokeswoman for the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Iowa committed a $240 million fortune to attract a similar fertilizer plant to that state last year. The Chicago Tribune editorial board used that goofy over-payment to bash Illinois, even though Illinois withdrew from the bidding when Iowa overplayed its hand, and Gov. Terry Brandstandt poked his finger in our collective eye at the time. So an Illinois win on this plant would be sweet, and relatively cheap, considering.
* Also in the bill…
Amends the property tax code so farmland property taxes are based on the income potential for the individual piece of farmland, rather than on a statewide average productivity of all farmland.
Assists with the development of the Port of East St. Louis along the Mississippi River.
23 Comments
|
Nothing plus nothing means nothing
Friday, Jul 26, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago media tried to use a previously manufactured story to manufacture yet another story yesterday. It didn’t appear to work. An audio snippet from Gov. Pat Quinn’s Chicago press conference yesterday…
* Transcript…
REPORTER: You suggested the State Fair as a potential time for a special session but…
QUINN: [Laughs]
REPORTER: Suggested…
QUINN: I didn’t suggest it. You guys suggested it, I was…
REPORTER: You did, you said “maybe.” But, you know, members of the pension committee say that’s too early…
* As I’ve already told you, earlier this week Chicago reporters asked whether Quinn planned to call a special session during the Illinois State Fair…
QUINN: Well, that’s an opportunity when people come to Springfield. I encourage everyone to come to Springfield for our State Fair. It began in 1857, it’s the best State Fair in America. And if legislators would like to join the fun and also do an important job for the people of Illinois that would be an ideal time.
REPORTER: So is that a yes?
QUINN: It could be. [Loud laughter.]
Audio…
If you listen to the audio, it’s pretty clear that he was not serious about calling a special session. And his office has privately pushed back hard against these questions.
* But, yesterday, reporters attempted to use their original non-story to create a “conflict” story about pension reform conference committee members chafing at the idea of a State Fair special session.
There’s already enough actual conflict in this battle royale. I really see no need to create something else out of whole cloth. Time to give it a rest.
9 Comments
|
*** UPDATE *** Chicago Tonight’s report…
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* My Sun-Times column…
While watching White Sox players embarrass themselves yet again this week, my sad eyes turned to a private club behind home plate.
The slogan “You got a guy” was plastered all over the front of the club, which is run by a Chicago ticket broker.
This being Chicago, everybody wants “a guy” to handle things. It’s who you know, not what you know. That ticket broker sure knows his target audience well, I thought, as yet another Sox player committed yet another moronic error.
A Metra employee who couldn’t get a raise last year after his supervisor recommended a pay hike turned to his guy, who just happened to be Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. The rest is history.
Pretty much everybody who even glances at a newspaper has heard the Madigan/Metra story. But here’s a story you probably haven’t heard.
Former Illinois Attorney General Ty Fahner runs the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. The Civic Committee is made up of top execs from the area’s largest employers. These are definitely big guys. The biggest of the big.
Fahner and his group have been pushing a public employee pension reform plan for years because the state can’t afford to meet its obligations. But initially, Fahner and his cohorts met a wall of stiff, bipartisan resistance.
Fahner was asked during a previously ignored speech why he didn’t take a more radical approach. What about trying to knock down the state’s credit rating into junk bond territory and drive the state’s borrowing costs up so high that public pressure would finally be felt, a questioner suggested.
It turns out Fahner was way ahead of the questioner.
“Me and some of the people that make up the Civic Committee,” Fahner said “did meet with and call — in one case in person — and a couple of calls to Moody’s and Fitch and Standard & Poors, and say ‘How in the hell can you guys do this? You are an enabler to let the state continue. You keep threatening more and more and more.’”
In other words, they asked their guys to tank our bond rating like you or I might call a ticket broker.
Did it work? Well, the state’s bond ratings have been falling even though Illinois approved the same sort of pension reform three years ago that won California plaudits last year and a bond upgrade this year. California is far better managed than Illinois, and our state does deserve most of the fiscal criticism it has received. But a bunch of rich and powerful people putting their thumb on the scale against their own state seems more than a little repugnant to me.
Fahner said they stopped pressuring the ratings agencies around January of this year. They didn’t “want to be the straw that broke the camel’s back,” on the state losing its investment grade status, he said in the March speech at the Union League Club. So, at least they had sense enough to back off before they helped push us over one of the worst cliffs imaginable.
Whatever happened, this was way beyond calling a guy to get a sweet seat for a Sox game, or a pay raise. Even if Fahner and his buddies played only a small role, downgrades have cost taxpayers millions of dollars in increased interest payments and have so far not led to a pension reform solution.
The White Sox may have to destroy this awful team in order to rebuild it. But a state ain’t a ball club full of millionaire players. When the state is hurt, we all get hurt, no matter the goal. And bragging about it is even worse.
WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” did a segment on this issue yesterday, and I’ll post that as soon as the video is available.
* Related…
* $110,000 man: Madigan crony was collecting city pension when he sought Metra raise
* Legislative ethics panel to investigate Madigan’s Metra patronage request - House speaker sought inquiry
109 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Comments Off
|
* From a press release…
Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka made the following statement Thursday after a legal review of the Governor’s Amendatory Veto of legislative salaries:
“After the Governor used his Amendatory Veto to remove the budget line items for lawmaker salaries, I asked my staff to conduct a legal review and determine the appropriate course of action. That review included discussions with the Governor’s legal staff, Legislative legal staffs and the Attorney General’s Office. While there is conflicting opinion on this matter, I believe the case of AFSCME vs. Netsch provides the most pertinent guidance. In that case, the court ruled that the Comptroller could not pay state employees without an appropriation.
“This situation is different in that it involves two, co-equal branches of government, and that distinction may well be considered by the Court down the line. But at this point in time, the Attorney General has advised that these payments cannot be made without an appropriation or court order.
“It is my deep hope that this matter is resolved expeditiously either by legislative action or court intervention. Given the serious precedent that is being created, I look forward to receiving additional guidance from the judicial branch.
“By way of Editorial comment, let me be clear: this is no way to run government. Threats, blackmail and inertia may be good theater, but it makes us look ridiculous and takes away from our ability to get things done. It is time for leaders to lead.” [Emphasis added]
It’s almost certain that the General Assembly will have to take this one to court, and that means somebody’s gonna have to actually file a hugely unpopular lawsuit.
…Adding… Raw audio of JBT’s presser…
*** UPDATE *** From Gov. Pat Quinn…
“Today Comptroller Topinka properly recognized and adhered to my line-item veto of appropriations for legislative salaries.
“By doing so, she followed the express provisions of the Illinois Constitution.
“Legislators should not be paid until they enact comprehensive pension reform.
“In addition, I’ve also asked the comptroller to withhold my own paycheck until this important reform is achieved.
“Pension reform is the most urgent priority facing the state of Illinois.
“Nobody should be paid until the job gets done for taxpayers.”
68 Comments
|
* From a Bill Daley press release…
In the wake of a growing scandal at Metra and the apparent inability of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to effectively oversee public transit in the six-county area around Chicago, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Daley called for sweeping changes of the public transit structure in Illinois, essentially eliminating the RTA as we know it and investing the savings to hold down fare increases and restore service cuts for Metra, Pace and CTA riders without raising a dime in new taxes.
“The RTA spends over $33 million per year and does not provide a single ride for anyone in Illinois. It has morphed into a bureaucratic Frankenstein that must be completely rethought, and in many ways, eliminated,” said Daley.
Daley offered four principles that he will use to reorganize transit policy:
Eliminate redundant operations by getting rid of RTA operations already performed by other government agencies and invest as much as $33 million in savings to hold down fares and restore service cuts
Retain RTA’s strong bond rating by keeping its tax and bonding functions independent so the State of Illinois’ bad credit rating downgraded multiple times under Governor Quinn does not raise borrowing costs for public transit
Make Metra board more accountable to the Governor
Create a single fare card for all three service agencies and increase ease of integration for riders
Daley questioned the need for the existence of the RTA as currently structured. “The RTA claims to be the agency that makes Metra, Pace and CTA all work together, yet we still don’t have a single fare card you can use on all three systems. They spend $33 million per year and no one can tell me what they actually accomplish,” said Daley.
While Metra, Pace and CTA have all had to cut staff, reduce service or raise fares, RTA payroll has grown steadily.
* Suburban Republican reaction was expectedly suspicious…
But state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, who is seeking the Republican nomination, says the solution to what ails Metra is not to abolish the RTA but to strengthen its powers over both Metra and the CTA. With Democrats completely running Springfield and now perhaps moving in on the RTA, “I hope this is not a plot to grab more money for the CTA (from the suburbs) while Metra is in chaos,” Mr. Dillard said in a phone interview. […]
Abolishing the RTA has won the support of some civic groups, such as Metropolis Strategies. But others have pointed out that eliminating the RTA has been a long-time wish for the CTA and Chicago City Hall.
Mr. Dillard clearly alluded to the latter in his interview.
“The RTA, while imperfect, still somewhat guarantees the funding equity between the CTA and the suburbs,” he said. If its oversight of Metra has been inadequate, the solution is to give it “more power for the RTA, CTA and Pace, and not only in spending but hiring . . . The CTA clearly needs oversight.”
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** RTA ]RTA Chairman John Gates appears to side with Dillard via press release…
We hope that the Clifford matter can be the catalyst for something the RTA has long supported: greater authority to provide more extensive oversight of the service boards (CTA, Metra and Pace) and the authority to enforce compliance with RTA oversight.
I hope to have the support of all elected officials from the six county region, especially those who have appointing authority to the RTA board, in our efforts to remedy those statutory deficiencies so that we can ensure the Northeastern Illinois region area has an efficient, well-managed and world-class transit system.
27 Comments
|
Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* According to a friend of mine, this t-shirt is popping up in New York City, where Christine Quinn is running for mayor…
Let’s repurpose it for our own use.
* The Question: Agree or disagree: Anybody but Pat Quinn? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
survey services
78 Comments
|
AFSCME spokesman explains why a probe is needed
Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The story about members of the Civic Committee apparently trying to jaw down the state’s bond rating is picking up a little traction. Illinois Radio Network…
Anders Lindall of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees believes those business leaders were attempting to force Illinois into making steeper cuts on state workers’ pensions.
“These powerful CEOs and lobbyists are going behind closed doors to try and drive down the state’s credit rating,” said Lindall, “and drive up the state’s borrowing costs.”
Lindall says an investigation is warranted in case any members of the committee stood to profit from higher interest yields that would result from a lowered bond rating for the state.
“They may very well themselves own Illinois bonds,” Lindall said. “If that’s the case, then by pushing to drive down the state’s credit rating and drive up costs to taxpayers, they’re funneling more money into their own pockets.”
I just don’t know if this is a legal scandal. It’s not like these guys did this to pad their pockets off profits from the bonds, if they even had any. Maybe there was some incidental overlap, but was that their intent? Highly doubtful.
Their intent was to punish Illinois taxpayers in order to force pension reform. That may not be a crime, but it’s still unconscionable.
39 Comments
|
Will Quinn’s veto actually delay reform?
Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s more than just possible that Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of legislative salaries actually slowed down the pension reform process. Legislators don’t like to be pushed around by a governor, and they appear to be in no rush to finish up talks…
“I think we’re well into mid-August before we’d be in a position to present something to the General Assembly,” said Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington. “It’s not going as fast as we’d like. I imagine most of the members of the committee would say it’s not going as fast as they’d like.”
“I think we’re still making steady progress, but we’re not ready to unveil a plan,” said Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. “To be perfectly honest with you, that week of the [State Fair] isn’t totally (out of the question). I don’t think this process is going to be driven by any deadline the governor chooses to make up off the top of his head. The concept of shooting for mid-August isn’t the craziest thing in the world.”
After holding a series of public hearings, committee members have been meeting privately in working groups to go over details of a reform plan. Those groups met last Friday and again on Monday. In addition, members have been speaking with each other outside the confines of meetings either of the committee as a whole or as working groups. […]
Nekritz said “it feels like weeks left” before the committee will agree on a plan. […]
“I’m not doing pension reform on that basis [of no pay for lawmakers],” Nekritz said. “We want to do this on a schedule that works for getting pension reform done, not somebody else’s schedule.”
No way do they want the finished product to look like a win for Pat Quinn. Subscribers know more about what’s going on with the legal process.
33 Comments
|
Behind the derisive laughter
Thursday, Jul 25, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* State and national media have been getting a kick out of kicking Ald. Joe Moore this week…
In a case of only-in-Chicago political timing, the White House announced Monday it would honor Ald. Joe Moore as a “pioneer for political reform,” the same day the veteran City Council member revealed he has spoken to FBI agents about allegations he improperly paid two aides he fired.
The accusations involving the ex-employees surfaced in a report from Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan, one of several cases of alleged aldermanic wrongdoing the council’s watchdog highlighted.
* The award ceremony was hastily canceled…
In a report released Monday, Khan said Moore fired a woman in 2009 after she complained about political work being done in his ward office in violation of city laws. The report says Moore paid the woman $8,709 — the equivalent of 3 1/2 months’ salary — and told her not to speak to anyone about political activities in the ward office.
The report also states that Moore, who has long been considered a progressive voice on the council, fired his chief of staff in 2007 and paid him $13,497 more than he should have based on the number of unused sick days the chief of staff could have accumulated.
Khan indicated that his office forwarded the information to the FBI and the Cook County state’s attorney. Moore said he spoke to FBI agents in May and they told him he was not a “target” in their investigation.
* The political work allegation is pretty weak. The fired woman fed the e-mail which she claims got her fired to NBC 5…
“I was like, ‘Joe, I was watching your back,’” Sullivan said, insisting she was shocked when she was fired after raising the allegations. To prove her point, the former aldermanic employee provided an email she said she sent to Moore at the time, warning him of the political work she saw taking place.
“I just helped our intern with a constituent issue,” she wrote Moore in November of 2009. “And found our volunteer at the front desk putting mailing labels on a big flyer for Toni Preckwinkle.”
“This really concerns me,” she continued. “I fear that one day we’ll have a reporter at that front door, and THEN what? … You don’t need a scandal over something so completely avoidable!”
Again, pretty weak sauce. Not within the boundaries of the law, of course, but a single unpaid volunteer affixing mailing labels for another candidate isn’t really prison-time stuff.
* But here’s Moore’s problem. Local law doesn’t allow for severance pay…
The Legislative Inspector General’s office declared there was no provision in the city codes for employees to be paid severance.
“[Sullivan] continued to get full time salary and full time benefits,” said Kelly Tarrant, Khan’s chief of staff. “That’s ghost payrolling.”
The report found that a former chief of staff in Moore’s office had also benefitted from similar largesse two years before Sullivan. Khan demanded that Moore repay the city more than $22,000.
“Heck no,” said Moore, asking why the inspector general’s office never allowed him to provide his version of the episode.
Moore claims the fired woman was “toxic” to the office environment. Maybe so, but he should’ve checked the law before he paid her off because people have gone to prison for ghost payrolling. And, obviously, it’s never a good thing when the FBI comes calling.
9 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
 
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS |
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax |
Advertise Here |
Mobile Version |
Contact Rich Miller
|
