* According to a search of Facebook’s ads, Richard Irvin’s campaign has been dark on that platform since May 27th. Irvin currently has $960,000 [UPDATE: It’s now $937K, down from $960K, but that was down by about half from $1.8 million] of ads on Chicago broadcast through next Monday, but has nothing on the air and nothing booked Downstate at the moment except for a little bit of cable. This explanation is kinda weird since he has so much Griffin money and Griffin said he was going “all in.” And if he stops talking to Downstate voters, he will lose even more of them to Bailey…
NEW: @IrvinBourne4IL will NOT air TV ads downstate for the next week, says 52% of electorate is in ChicagoTV markets. Irvin team points to —Pritzker/Dems/GOP challengers expected to spend $75M in the GOP Primary, that’s the most Dem spending ever in GOP primary ever.
I just didn’t buy that explanation, so, when pressed, the campaign told me they’re “reassessing” their ad strategy. Apparently, this darkness isn’t permanent. That would be a good thing because what they’ve been doing clearly isn’t working. They’ve been caught red-handed on their ridiculous claims that Darren Bailey is a Democrat. Crime is not polling as voters’ top interest.
“I’m willing to bet he’s up with all new creative and a more right wing brand to court the Bailey voters,” said one Dem operative, who I think could be correct.
But with 20 days until June 28th, and early voting happening now, it’s awful, awful darned late for a reboot. If that’s what is really going on.
*** UPDATE *** Here’s what I have been told since the post went up: Pritzker’s hard-hitting ads have put Irvin in the spot of either taking a hard right turn and risk killing his general election chances, or just say to heck with all this, be who he is on Chicago broadcast TV (because doing so Downstate would hurt him) and let the chips fall where they may. The Democrats would love him to lean hard to the right, but apparently, he isn’t gonna do it.
WTTW News today announced the launch of a comprehensive digital VOTER GUIDE in advance of the June 28, 2022 primary elections. Along with comprehensive digital resources, WTTW will produce and present a series of candidate forums and extensive, daily political coverage and analysis. The forums, which will feature candidates for federal, state, and county offices, will be part of WTTW’s flagship news and public affairs program Chicago Tonight. Viewers can watch on television at 7:00 pm each night (except June 9) and stream live and on-demand on wttw.com/news, Facebook, and YouTube.
Throughout the election season, Chicago and regional residents can rely on WTTW News and CHICAGO TONIGHT to gather facts, and present trusted information and analysis. WTTW News is committed to creating a forum for fair, balanced and commercial-free discussion from different perspectives.
“This election will have a significant impact on residents in our region, and as a leading public media organization in Chicago, it is our responsibility to ensure that voters have the information and resources they need to make informed choices when they head to the polls,” said Jay Smith, News Director for Chicago Tonight and WTTW News.
— Iris Martinez, clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and 33rd Ward Committeeperson, is endorsing Fernando “Sergio” Mojica for the 13th state House District. Mojica, a queer Afro-Latino who was formerly a Chicago Public Schools principal, is running to succeed Majority Leader Greg Harris.
— State Rep. Tim Butler, who’s running in the 95th Illinois House District, says he’s secured the endorsement “of every Republican official elected countywide in Sangamon County.” Republicans hold eight of the nine county offices.
— Protect Our Future PAC launched a new ad for Democrat Nikki Budzinski in IL-13. Protect Our Future is a new PAC funded mostly by a young cryptocurrency billionaire who spent $11 million on an Oregon congressional race for a Dem candidate who lost.
Today, Governor JB Pritzker met with leaders from the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois to discuss how his administration’s fourth balanced budget is helping first responders in every corner of the state. Alongside AFFI President Chuck Sullivan and area fire fighters, the governor reaffirmed his gratitude and commitment to Illinois first responders and their families.
“I’ve been proud to put Illinois on the side of first responders, not just in name but in action, by signing legislation that supports and invests in both active and retired first responders,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “So long as I am in office, Illinois will continue to champion the needs of fire fighters, paramedics, and all first responders whose life-saving work keeps our communities safe and healthy.”
“Since day one, Governor Pritzker has stood with fire fighters and paramedics across the state,” said AFFI President Chuck Sullivan. “His support of issues that affect our retirement security, worker injury protections and ability to collectively bargain has never wavered. His record speaks for itself, and it is reassuring to know that the Governor has our best interests at heart.”
Following the previous administration’s devastating budget impasse, Governor Pritzker has made historic investments to support first responders across Illinois. By putting pen to paper and signing meaningful legislation that funds fire departments from Chicago to Carbondale, Governor Pritzker has transformed Illinois into a state that respects and uplifts the tireless work of first responders. The Governor remains dedicated to putting public safety first, recognizing that it starts with those who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.
The Democratic Party of Illinois is making a strong pitch to the Democratic National Committee to become one of the first states to hold a presidential primary, highlighting in its bid, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, that Illinois, on a variety of fronts, is a “microcosm” of the nation.
DPI chair Rep. Robin Kelly submitted a bid to the DNC on Friday, the deadline, and if successful, the 2024 primary in Illinois will be in February. […]
The DNC has to be convinced a state can switch primary dates, and Illinois has that one nailed.
The Illinois primary date is set by the Illinois General Assembly and is usually in mid-March. This June primary is an exception — due to late 2020 census results needed for redistricting.
The bid contains letters from Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Senate President Don Harmon and Gov. J.B. Pritzker basically promising the Democratic supermajorities expected in both chambers will, as the bid said, “pass the requisite legislation.”
We favor Casten, who stands firm on his liberal convictions on issues like immigration, gun control, government spending and - his particular field of expertise as the former owner of an environmental company - climate change, but presses his case with calm persistence that leaves room for reasonable debate and discussion.
Newman is not necessarily lacking in that department, but her campaign so far - including a notably tasteless TV ad built around a defecating dog and questionable, sometimes downright incorrect claims about Casten’s record - seems shaped to highlight inflexibility and pugnacity, even in defense of a congressional ethics investigation of claims leading back to her 2020 campaign that she adamantly denies.
* CD3…
Today, Abby Pariser, a long time reproductive rights advocate and member of Jane - the abortion counseling service, an underground network of women in the early 1970s who helped over 11,000 women obtain illegal abortions prior to Roe vs Wade, endorsed Delia Ramirez in her candidacy for 3rd Congressional District. In 1972, Abby Pariser was one of seven Chicago women arrested and charged with abortion and conspirancy to committ abortion. Their story is featured in Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes documentary The Janes, which premieres on HBO Max on Wednesday, June 8th at 8 pm.
“As someone who knows first hand what it is like to live in a world where women are not allowed the freedom to make decisions over their own bodies, I know that women across the country will be greatly hurt if Roe vs Wade is overturned. Elections matter, voting matters and this is the time to support only those candidates who have shown total unwavering commitment to women’s reproductive rights”, stated activist Abby Pariser. “Delia’s opponent - Gil Villegas, has a record on abortion and reproductive rights that raises serious concerns over his ability to represent women at this crucial time. He has taken money from pro-life Republicans and he voted to give 5.5 million dollars in TIF dollars to religious clinics that prevent women access to abortions and contraceptives. Other aldermen stood up for reproductive rights and Gil did not”.
“I am proud to receive the endorsement of Abby Pariser, someone who exemplifies courage in a time when women were robbed of bodily autonomy. We enjoy the freedoms we have today because of women like Abby and we cannot reverse course on reproductive justice. I will fight to the end to make sure bodily autonomy remains for all those who seek abortions.”, said Representative Delia Ramirez.
*** UPDATE *** The First District Appellate Court has kicked Cook County Sheriff candidate Carmen Gercone off the ballot after she was reinstated by a lower court. Click here for the decision.
* More…
* Police were ‘coached’ to make Jan. 6 Capitol incursion look like a siege, candidate says: One of the Republicans running for Illinois’ 5th Congressional District seat claims police serving at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, incursion were coached “to make it appear that the Capitol was under siege.” Tommy Hanson of Chicago also claims he’s spoken with senators and congressmen who “knew it was not a harrowing event.”
Now the only way things are gonna change in Illinois is a political tidal wave. Only someone as arrogant and delusional as Pritzker would think he deserves to be reelected, reelected in November. Well, our next guest aims to send him packing. Joining me now is Richard Irvin, Mayor of Aurora, Illinois, and GOP gubernatorial candidate. Mayor, great to see you. Now back in March, there was something described as a Scared Straight incident in a House Democratic Caucus. A poll was floated showing Pritzker was facing big suburban headwinds and even trailing you. And the poll also showed that crime was driving his push for change. It’s only gotten worse since then. Does any of this surprise you?
Um, that “poll” was taken in the most conservative areas of the suburbs, including Republican-held districts. It was designed to scare House Democrats into working harder by essentially pulling a fast one on them.
The top item was not crime. The crime and violence issue was tied for 4th place with the price of gas and the cost of living, and 6th place if you look at those who were “extremely concerned,” similar to that Senate poll we talked about a while ago. The crime numbers were still very high, however. But, again, this poll was designed to frighten members, not to enlighten them about what’s actually going on in most of their districts.
Multibillionaire Democratic Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and his allies are spending tens of millions of dollars to stop a black Republican veteran from challenging the incumbent in November.
In the last five weeks alone, Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) have dropped more than $12 million on TV ads meant to sink Republican Richard Irvin, an Army veteran who became Aurora, Ill.’s first black mayor in 2017—and to elevate his Republican primary opponent, state lawmaker Darren Bailey. Those ads attack Irvin’s record as a defense attorney and call Bailey “too conservative for Illinois,” an attack intended to boost him in the June GOP primary. With digital ads factored in, Democrats are on pace to spend a total of $32 million on similar spots before the primary’s conclusion, ad spending data obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show.
The massive spending shows just how much Pritzker fears a general election fight against Irvin, who was raised by a single mother in Aurora’s housing projects. The DGA started its anti-Irvin assault in March, just days after a Tulchin Research poll showed Pritzker trailing the Republican mayor in the state’s all-important suburbs.
*facepalm*
…Adding… From comments…
The Drudge Report picked up the Washington Free Beacon story with the ridiculous headline, but that wasn’t over the top enough, apparently, and needed a photoshopped picture of Irvin with boxing gloves.
Today, Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress in the 15th District released a new ad titled “Coddle,” which highlights Mary Miller’s disturbing record, including her rhetoric that has encouraged illegal immigration and her allowing a convicted pedophile to serve as her personal driver and represent her at community events.
“Mary Miller and her DC allies are lying about Rodney Davis because they are trying to hide Miller’s disturbing record. Just like Joe Biden, Miller says it’s our responsibility to care of illegal immigrants. Miller even has a convicted pedophile working on her campaign, and she refuses to answer questions about it. Mary Miller isn’t who she says she is. She’s a fake conservative and can’t be trusted.” - Aaron DeGroot, Davis campaign spokesperson
Rodney: I’m Rodney Davis, and I approved this message.
Narrator: Fake conservative Mary Miller has DC insiders lying about Rodney Davis to hide her disturbing record.
Like Biden, Miller coddles criminal illegals and says it’s our responsibility to care for them.
Miller knowingly hired a convicted pedophile to be her driver, prowling our neighborhoods, putting our kids at risk.
Giving aid to criminals who illegally cross our border, embracing a convicted pedophile. Fake conservative Mary Miller can’t be trusted.
* Alexi Giannoulias fundraising appeal…
Dear Rich,
With less than three weeks before Election Day, we released our final television ad of the campaign today.
And, yes, the kids finally get their ice cream. […]
The ad — entitled “Double Scoop” — is the fourth of the series that features me teaching a group of kids the fundamentals of basketball and teamwork.
While our first two ads highlight my plans to modernize the office to cut down wait times and protect voter rights and expand registration opportunities, this one focuses on how I intend to curb political corruption by strengthening ethics laws.
As I say in the ad, “political corruption… it’s like ice cream. If you don’t act fast enough, it can get really messy.”
While fake conservative Mary Miller sided with DC liberals to defund our military and oppose pay increases for our troops, she was also getting rich at taxpayer expense. Miller’s family business pocketing $1 million in government bailouts, on top of her six-figure taxpayer-funded salary. Enriching herself with taxpayer money, abandoning our troops. Not Right. Not conservative. That’s the real Mary Miller. Illinois Values PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.
Slamming “naysayers,” “pessimists” and “carnival barkers” who always talk trash about the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker today laid out the business case for electing him to another four-year term in a speech to one of the state’s key business groups. […]
Lawmakers just passed the fourth balanced budget in a row under his leadership, paying off $17 billion in bills left behind by former Gov. Bruce Rauner and shortening the state’s bill payment cycle to just two weeks, he said. The state has restocked its rainy day fund with $1 billion, put another $1 billion toward old group health insurance debt and given taxpayers $1.8 billion in tax relief, he added. He cited these as reasons why, in his view, Wall Street rating agencies have given the state six credit upgrades after nine cuts in the Rauner years.
Illinois’ gross state product is now growing faster than it was before the pandemic, has the greatest growth in small business startups of any large state and gained people—not lost them—in the last decade, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Pritzker, a former venture capitalist who specialized In tech investments, said state progress in that field “gets my blood moving.” He noted, among other things, a new investment tax credit for data farms that has been successful, pulling in $8 billion in private investments, and other credits to incentivize electric vehicle producers and suppliers—a promising move but one which has not yet produced results.
Only at the end did the Democratic incumbent touch on a raging crime problem, especially in Chicago, that has business leaders concerned. “We continue to need to address our challenges,” he said.
* Irvin campaign…
– Last night Richard Irvin, Mayor of Aurora and gubernatorial candidate, discussed Illinois’ public safety crisis under J.B. Pritzker’s leadership with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.
“I’ve got two words for you that Pritzker disregards, and that’s ‘protect’ and ‘respect’,” said Irvin. “Protect our residents in the state of Illinois and our children, and respect our law enforcement try to keep us safe every day. He doesn’t do that…He wants to protect criminals more than he wants to protect the innocent victims of crimes. And he shows this disrespect and disdain for our police officers constantly.”
Irvin said Pritzker’s anti-police policies aren’t criminal justice reforms; they are making families across Illinois less safe and our state as a whole more dangerous–the three law enforcement officers that were shot in the line of duty this week in Chicago are just another ramification of this poor public policy that has emboldened criminals and sidelined law enforcement.
What we need is a permanent reduction in taxes. We should permanently roll back the JB Pritzker / Avery Bourne gas tax. But if we can’t do this, we should at a minimum eliminate the sales tax on motor fuel. Friends, here in Illinois, we tax tax. That’s wrong. It’s an insane way of doing business. And even if gas prices were lower as a matter of principle, we should not place a tax on a tax. The sales tax on motor fuel is even more infuriating now that gas prices are soaring. Instead of finding meaningful solutions to this problem, JB Pritzker chose campaign year theatrics over genuine relief. JB’s plan to suspend the expected gas tax increase on July 1 is temporary and it is an absolute insult to working families. To combat inflation, we must reduce state spending and lower taxes. I proposed to start this process through a zero-based budget because Illinois families deserve real meaningful and permanent solutions to the crushing inflation, high taxes and rising gas prices.
I call on the House and the Senate leaders to bring the lawmakers back to Springfield to address the record high gas price in Illinois immediately. Today. I’m ready to go back to work so that Illinoisans can afford to go to work.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
Sen. Bailey also said “I have tried to reach out to Speaker Welch and to no avail.” Welch’s spokesperson said she checked with Speaker Welch and his staff and all said they hadn’t heard from Bailey.
Anyway, I’ve asked the four leaders and the governor’s office for comment. I’ll let you know what they say. In the meantime, what’s your reaction?
…Adding… Jaclyn Driscoll…
The Office of the Speaker doesn’t comment on Republican primary fodder. But as Senator Bailey knows, we’ve taken steps to freeze the gas tax and continue to explore additional options for relief for families dealing with the effects of global instability.
…Adding… House GOP Leader Jim Durkin…
This spring my caucus introduced several measures that would have provided relief from inflation and lowered gas prices for Illinois families - the Democrats refused to call them for a vote. If the speaker calls us back in session, we will be there.
…Adding… Ellie Leonard with the SGOPs…
Leader McConchie and the Senate Republican Caucus introduced and supported a measure during the spring session that would cap the sales tax on gas, preventing the state from receiving a windfall of cash and taking advantage of consumers in a time of crisis. That proposal, offering about $1 billion in relief, was ignored and instead, Democrats and the Governor are delaying the automatic two cent Motor Fuel Tax increase to trick Illinoisans ahead of the election that they are providing “relief.” Senate Republicans were ready four months ago to provide real relief to consumers and would return to Springfield in a heartbeat to do the same.
…Adding… Jordan Abudayyeh at Gov. Pritzker’s office…
As the nation grapples with high gas prices, providing meaningful relief to working families remains the Governor’s top priority. That’s why the Governor worked to enact Illinois Family Relief Plan, which suspends the gas tax increase, the grocery tax, and doubles property tax relief.
Background:
• The gas tax funds road improvements, which were ignored for more than a decade resulting in poor road conditions that cost consumers hundreds of dollars a year in repairs. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported through this work.
• With regard to the Illinois Family Relief Plan, 97 percent of Illinois tax filers will receive hundreds of dollars in property tax and income tax rebates in 2022 because of the $1 billion in tax relief Governor Pritzker signed into law in April as part of the FY23 balanced budget.
• Consumers will see relief from:
o A one year grocery tax suspension – saving consumers $400 million
o Six month motor fuel tax freeze – saving consumers $70 million
o A one-time, $520 million property tax rebate – 5% of property taxes paid, up to $300 per household
o Permanent expansion of the earned income tax credit from 18 to 20 percent of the federal credit while expanding the number of households covered – putting $100 million per year back into the pockets of working families who need it most.
o Direct rebate checks to working families
* $50 per individual
* $100 per dependent, up to three children per family
…Adding… John Patterson with the SDems…
The outrageous price gouging perpetrated on the motoring public needs to end. Nothing in Illinois caused prices of $5 or more a gallon. Washington needs to act. While we examine what else could be done here, I hope the senator and his allies will join the millions of Americans across this great country in calling on Washington to stand up to foreign oil interests, get to work and finally do something to address this national gas price problem.
A new survey released this week suggests Illinoisans are more moderate on the issue of abortion than the current Democratic-controlled General Assembly, but it is unclear whether that will cost Democrats votes in November.
The poll by the Chicago-based firm Ogden & Fry – which is owned by a Republican candidate for Cook County Board – found that 40 percent of those responding describe themselves as “pro-choice with some restrictions,” including limits on late-term abortions, while nearly 25 percent describe themselves as “pro-life with exceptions” for things like rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother.
That puts nearly two-thirds of those surveyed somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, with only 21.5 percent describing themselves as 100-percent “pro-choice” and 14 percent identifying as 100-percent “pro-life.”
First, there is a world of difference between being pro-choice with some exceptions and pro-life with a few limited exceptions.
* I passed on that poll result because of the wording…
Abortion is one of the most divisive topics of the day. How do you consider yourself?
100% Pro-Life
Pro Life with exceptions (rape, incest, life of mother, etc.)
Pro Choice with some restrictions e.g. partial-birth abortions, late term abortions, etc.
100% Pro Choice (legal until the moment of birth including partial-birth abortions)
“100% Pro-Life” is not defined, but all other stances are. Also, using “etc.” in a poll question is a bit odd. And, “until the moment of birth”? Yeah, not loaded at all. There was also this question…
Are you more or less likely to support a candidate who believes an elective abortion should be legal until the moment of birth?
I’m not sure what that actually means, but 51.9 percent said they’d be less likely. That’s usually not enough to move actual numbers in campaigns, however. You normally need a much higher result than that to see an impact on real life votes.
* There are some other significant poll results, though. Back to the article…
Perhaps more importantly, 78 percent of those surveyed said they believe parents should be notified before their minor child receives an abortion, including 35 percent who supported a judicial bypass in situations where parental notification is not possible or not in the child’s best interest.
Even among self-identified Democrats, 61.6 percent said they support some level of parental notification requirement.
Repealing PNA has never polled well, but there might be a political way to manage it. For example, I told subscribers recently about a mailer attacking Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside) for voting against repealing PNA…
When the Illinois legislature took steps to protect access to abortion care for all people in Illinois, Mike Zalewski voted with every Republican in Springfield to block younger women from freely accessing reproductive care. His vote protected outdated parental notification requirements – even when a person is raped or the victim of incest – putting the health and safety of young women at great risk.
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton to up to 18 months in prison in his $248,000 embezzlement case involving the Teamsters labor union, which cost him his seat in Springfield.
In doing so, the feds revealed that former Chicago Teamsters boss John T. Coli claimed Cullerton had been hired for what turned out to be a do-nothing Teamsters job as a favor to an unnamed senator, identified in a court memo only as “Senator A.”
“[Cullerton,] who was a state senator at the time of his illegal conduct, clearly realized that he would be able to get away with pocketing this money without doing any work simply because he was an elected official,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote. […]
But Bhachu wrote Tuesday that Cullerton went on to land “another do-nothing job” as a salesman for a video gaming company in 2017. There, Bhachu said Cullerton’s salary doubled from $1,000 a week to $2,000 a week, in what the company owner called a mistake.
Dealing a crucial blow to Chicago Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and his legal team, a federal judge Monday rejected hundreds of pages of defense motions in the once-powerful politician’s criminal case, finally clearing the way for a potential trial.
U.S. District Judge Robert Dow wrote that the combined motions from Burke, political aide Peter Andrews and developer Charles Cui “would have this court dismiss almost every charge of the indictment against all defendants.”
But the judge concluded that the motions “largely go to the strength of the evidence” and should be considered by a fact-finder — like a jury.
“It is a fact-finder’s role to assess whether the government has proven the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, not this court’s at the pleadings stage,” Dow wrote.
* And, hey, while we’re at it, here’s another one from Jon Seidel…
Federal prosecutors say former Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson should go to prison for two years for cheating on his taxes and lying to federal regulators.
But Thompson asked a federal judge to give him probation instead.
The two sides made their recommendations Monday ahead of Thompson’s sentencing before U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama, which is set for July 6.
“[Thompson’s] criminal conduct was repetitive and willful,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Petersen wrote in a court memo. “The defendant’s dishonesty was not a single lapse of judgment, but rather, involved years of deceit. He simply thought he could get away with paying less than what he owed. The sentence imposed must show otherwise.”
Chris Gair, Thompson’s lawyer, wrote in his own memo that Thompson has “suffered tremendous public humiliation as a result of his conviction” in February.
A couple accused of paying more than $281,000 in kickbacks to Bloomingdale Township’s disgraced former highway commissioner pointed the finger right back at him Friday, calling Robert Czernek a liar who can’t be trusted as their federal fraud trial got underway.
Debra Fazio and Mario Giannini were charged along with Czernek back in August 2020 and accused of an eight-year scheme in which Bloomingdale Township improperly paid more than $700,000 to Bulldog Earth Movers, an excavation company owned by Fazio.
On Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee kicked off opening statements in the trial of Fazio and Giannini. He told jurors “greed” led the couple “to seek out easy money.”
Giannini’s attorney countered the case was really about “trust” — and whether jurors could believe Czernek, who is now the feds’ key witness in the trial.
Twelve Illinois residents are among nearly two dozen people who face federal charges for an alleged $26 million insurance-fraud scheme that lasted nearly a decade.
Prosecutors say the defendants filed false applications to get life insurance policies and then tricked carriers into paying death benefits by lying about the identities of deceased people.
The feds say the defendants would pay premiums on the policies for two years, until the period for contestability expired. Claims for death benefits would then be submitted using false death certificates. The defendants are also accused of lying to law enforcement, first responders, medical personnel, funeral home staff and cemetery employees.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of at least $26 million in alleged ill-gotten gains, as well as nine luxury vehicles, eight Rolex watches and properties in Orland Park, Bridgeview and Burbank.
Those charged from the Chicago area include James Mills, Juley Ely, Ginger Ely and Joe Rouga of Oak Lawn; Frank Costello of Hoffman Estates; Mary Bacco of Bridgeview; Steve Montega, Niko Ristick and Ricky Blanca of Orland Park; Mark Blanca and Diana Lumas of Burbank; and Joe John of Arlington Heights.
Governor Pritzker: “Margaret Croke has devoted her career to fighting for women, working families, and the LGBTQ+ community. She has been an invaluable asset to the General Assembly, leading the way on reproductive rights, economic opportunity, and public safety. I know that Margaret will continue to be a force for change and never stop fighting for Illinois and the 5th District. I am delighted to endorse Margaret for the State Central Committee.”
Margaret Croke: “I’m proud to have Governor Pritzker’s support in my campaign for the Democratic Committeewoman of the 5th District. Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, we have made Illinois the most pro-choice state in the country, passed balanced budgets to put our state back on a path to fiscal sustainability, and implemented commonsense reforms to help keep Illinoisans safe. I look forward to fighting to make Illinois the best place it can be for all who call it home as a member of the Democratic Party of Illinois.”
Croke is up against two other candidates, incumbent Nancy Shepherdson and MWRD Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos. Shepherdson has been endorsed by DPI Chair Robin Kelly.
Rep. Croke said she plans to use the money to mail to women primary voters. Croke had $59K in the bank at the end of the first quarter and has raised $77,000 since then, including the Pritzker check.
* Background is here and here if you need it. First District Appellate Court, with Justice Mikva delivering the opinion…
This appeal requires us to interpret subsection (h) of section 7-10 of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7-10(h) (West 2020)). That subsection sets the minimum number of signatures petitioners, Susan F. Hutchinson, Mark Curran, and Nancy Rodkin Rotering (candidates), were required to submit to appear on the ballots for their respective parties in the upcoming June 28, 2022, General Primary Election. Candidates are seeking their respective parties’ nomination for the Second Judicial District’s seat on the Illinois Supreme Court. Respondents, Alan Spellberg, Cacilia Masover, and Nancy Waites (objectors), objected to the candidates’ nomination papers on the basis that they contained too few signatures. A hearing officer recommended that the candidates’ names appear on the primary ballots. The Illinois State Board of Elections (Board) rejected the hearing officer’s recommendation, found that the candidates had not submitted enough signatures, and ordered their names not to appear on the ballots. On judicial review, the circuit court of Cook County reversed the Board’s decision. Objectors have filed an appeal to this court. For the following reasons, we agree with the circuit court that the Board’s decision rests on an incorrect interpretation of section 7-10(h). We find that the candidates have submitted sufficient signatures and that their names should appear on the primary ballots. We therefore reverse the decision of the Board and affirm the circuit court. […]
The candidates each submitted enough signatures to appear on the ballots seeking their respective parties’ nomination for a seat on our supreme court. The circuit court’s judgment reversing the Board’s decision and ordering the candidates’ names to appear on the ballots is affirmed.
After a third police officer was shot in less than a week, the trend of heightened violence and brazen disregard for police shows just how empowered criminals really are in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois. Yesterday’s shooting comes just days after another officer was shot in the same neighborhood and a U.S. Marshal and his K-9 dog were shot while serving an arrest warrant.
The ever-prompt Gary Rabine sent out a release last night in response…
Three police officers have been shot in the same week in one of the most dangerous periods in history for law enforcement. The only person in this gubernatorial race who has actively represented an individual who attacked a police officer is Fake-GOP-Candidate, Richard Irvin. This is in addition to his decade and a half long career representing sexual predators and wife beaters. Richard Irvin has no idea how to deal with the crime problem in this state because for too long he has been part of the problem. It’s time we fully support law enforcement, hold criminals accountable, and get rid of horrible prosecutors like Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx.
Yikes.
From a Democratic oppo book…
ALEXANDER NUNEZ
Nunez “Kicked” Police Officer On The Face And Shoulder. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Ofc. Shettles in that he kicked OFC Shettles on the left shoulder and left side of the face, knowing said victim to be a peace officer, while performing his official duties.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 1, 7/5/16]
Nunez Punched Victim In The Face. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Moenkemier, Michal J, a family or household member of the defendant, in that said defendant punch Michael in the face with a closed fist.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 3, 7/5/16]
Tom DeVore, an attorney who is running for Illinois Attorney General’s Office, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a married 27 year old woman, while legally representing her during COVID-19 mask mandates and business shut-downs. According to police reports and body camera footage that we have obtained, DeVore, who is 52 years old, is being accused by the family of a 27 year old woman of manipulating her and telling her that she would receive a big settlement from the state in order to have her “doing things.” Although both individuals are consenting adults, the Illinois Supreme Court has a rule that prohibits such conduct and has even said that it could result in disciplinary proceedings against any attorney involved in such conduct.
According to a recent incident report, there was a disturbance between DeVore and his girlfriend, Riley N. Craig, age 27, that required police response while they were staying at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Downtown, Springfield on April 20, 2022.
Just your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill attorney general candidate.
The first topic addressed was the prison situation. Irvin is familiar with what has been taking place but isn’t happy with it.
“I know they’ve been closing down a couple of wings, which to me suggests eventually they’re going to try to close the whole prison,” Irvin told The Leader. “To do that without talking to the community and recognizing how valuable those jobs are to the community, I think is wrong.
“This governor has done that — done executive orders and made decisions without including the other leaders. As next governor, I’ll definitely give everybody a seat at the table and make sure we talk about things before we make decisions and insure that when jobs are getting taken away from a community, which they should never be, that I’m going to talk to people first before it happens.
“As governor, I’ll make sure that we don’t take away jobs, that we actually bring jobs to the city.”
At issue is organizers' request to ban police from wearing their uniforms while marching; organizers then came up with a "soft uniform," but Irvin and police said no. Irvin, who is running on law enforcement endorsements, said he wouldn't attend and pulled the city's float.
When it became apparent that Aurora Pride organization would have difficulty recruiting the remaining required officers willing to take additional shifts, APD and the City met with organizers of the Pride Parade and began working closely with them to mitigate the issue. APD introduced Aurora Pride to other police departments and organizations which could provide sworn law enforcement personnel.
On Monday, June 6th, Aurora Pride informed APD that after reaching out to neighboring jurisdictions and state law enforcement agencies, they were unable to fill the additional sworn law enforcement slots needed for the overall safety of the parade.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara is demanding that three of his union’s strongest City Council supporters choose between their loyalties to his group and their allegiance to the firefighters union.
At a stormy meeting last week, Catanzara insisted that the three council members, all former firefighters — Nick Sposato (38th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and Jim Gardiner (45th) — pledge their support to Erin Jones, a Chicago Police Department detective challenging incumbent state Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago). […]
Napolitano added that he doesn’t support Martwick — he just didn’t like how Catanzara handled the situation.
Last night, Napolitano endorsed Martwick’s opponent. Click here.
* Raja…
The Daily Herald’s editorial board wrote, “In his three terms in Congress, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill, a legislator who can lead on tough issues while still working collaboratively across the aisle. He’s an accessible, hardworking left-of-center politician who has earned a positive ranking in the Bipartisan Index calculated by the nonprofit Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.”
The Editorial Board continued, “At a time of growing partisan and extremist rancor in the House, Krishnamoorthi has found ways to work effectively with colleagues of both parties to address the dangers of vaping, build workforces and address stock trading by members of Congress. He’s helped protect the nation from COVID-19 and advance technical education. He is an able and likable problem solver who gets things done — someone with the experience to understand how to work effectively when his party controls the House and when it does not. Why would Democrats in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District want to lose those skills?”
They concluded, “We have endorsed Krishnamoorthi in previous elections and we have been happy with his performance. We strongly endorse him in the June 28 Democratic primary.”
* CD1…
Democratic candidate for Congress Karin Norington-Reaves today announced the endorsement of the Teamsters Joint Council 25, who represent more than 100,000 members in Illinois and Northwest Indiana with 25 local union affiliates.
“As the daughter of a sheet metal worker and granddaughter of both a carpenter and ironworker, I will always stand with the working men and women of this district,” said Norington-Reaves. “As the head of workforce development for Chicago and Cook County, I helped more than 100,000 people find a quality job, many of them union jobs. Unions are the gateway to a strong, stable economic future for so many families. I am proud to have The Teamsters’ support for my campaign, and will be a champion for them in Congress.”
“Karin has 30 years of experience in community development, advocacy, and job creation,” said Terrence J. Hancock, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “We have seen Karin’s work in our communities, adding to our membership ranks, and helping working men and women find family-sustaining careers. We know Karin will stand with us every step of the way as our next Congresswoman and continue to support policies and programs that create good-paying jobs, support working families, and spur economic growth in the 1st District. We are proud to stand with her.”
* More…
* Republican attorney general candidate: ‘Where they do not enforce the law, we will enforce it’: David Shestokas, an Orland Park attorney and former assistant Cook County state’s attorney, said during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board that he would assign attorneys from the attorney general’s office to monitor “people like Kim Foxx in Cook County and Eric Rinehart in Lake County and other prosecutors around the state who fail to enforce the law.”
Conservative Congresswoman Mary Miller released a new television advertisement today titled “Red Flag Rodney Davis,” which contrasts Miller’s record of support for the Second Amendment with RINO Rodney Davis’ record supporting federal gun confiscation for years.
“I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and a perfect A rating from the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America,” said Miller, who is a member of the House Second Amendment Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus. “My opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, was rated lower because he supported gun confiscation for years and even bragged about working with Nancy Pelosi to try and get his gun control legislation passed by the House. As a Constitutional conservative and defender of the Second Amendment, I will always oppose the Biden-Pelosi gun confiscation agenda.”
Mary Miller received a perfect “A” rating from the National Rifle Association for her record of support for the Second Amendment, after also receiving an “A” rating from Gun Owners of America.
Miller’s opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, was rated lower because he has been the key Republican sponsor of red-flag gun confiscation for the past three years. In 2019, RINO Rodney Davis said he was trying to work with Nancy Pelosi to pass a red-flag gun confiscation bill to “take some Americans’ guns away.” See for yourself below:
Voiceover: RINO Rodney Davis claims to be a conservative, but he votes like a liberal. Rodney Davis sided with Joe Biden voting for red flag gun confiscation that allows the government to seize your guns.
Davis: That’s why the Red Flag Law is so important and should be put on the court.
Voiceover: That’s why President Trump endorsed Mary Miller for Congress. Mary is A-rated by the NRA. Unlike Rodney Davis, Trump is with Miller because RINO Rodney Davis can’t be trusted.
Miller (No relation): I am Mary Miller and I approve this message.
* Meanwhile, from Rodney Davis…
Mary Miller is using the Biden Basement Strategy to avoid scrutiny of her campaign, her record in Congress, and her personal financial history, and local reporters are starting to speak out about it.
“For someone who says they’re a ‘fighter,’ Mary Miller sure is afraid to face local reporters and answer questions about her record. You can’t stand up for your values and advocate for your constituents when you’re afraid of scrutiny. It’s time for Miller to stop using the Biden Basement Strategy and start answering questions. Voters deserve to know why a child sex predator is working on her campaign, why her business is incorporated in Delaware, why she’s been chronically fined for not paying taxes, if she’ll move into the 15th District, and so much more. If Miller refuses to answer questions, she isn’t fit to serve.” - Davis campaign spokesperson Aaron DeGroot
From the release…
Ive been asking @RepMaryMiller’s campaign folks plus a bevy of GOP officials/sources for more than a week about when her next campaign event is going to be.
“I understand it’s hard for Americans to understand the truth during election season,” Rep. Mary Miller says before she obfuscates her voting record on military funding. She routinely ignores local reporters who show up to cover her at public events. https://t.co/D6GfizBeVk
Democrat JB Pritzker’s successful 2018 run for governor involved hitting his Republican rival, then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, over and over for the “fatal mismanagement” of multiple Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks that were tied to 13 deaths at the state-run Quincy Veterans’ Home.
Another gubernatorial election is here, and Republicans are using that same political strategy against Pritzker, accusing him of “criminal negligence” for three dozen COVID-19 deaths at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home two years ago.
The political attack worked once, contributing to a nearly 16-percentage-point drubbing Pritzker inflicted on Rauner. Illinois GOP leaders are hoping it will work again, this time in their candidates’ favor.
In both instances, the horrible death tolls at LaSalle and Quincy were shocking, and families suffered. Both tragedies unfolded in state-run facilities for veterans, with poor decision-making by state officials in charge of the homes. Audits bore that out, and litigation arose in both cases.
Republicans are seizing on those similarities to poke at the governor’s leadership and highlight what the GOP regards as hypocrisy by Pritzker. But Democrats point out that some of the facts surrounding the two deadly catastrophes are vastly different.
Pritzker has tried to make that case. Likewise, the son of one victim in Quincy sees important distinctions. And a nationally-known public health expert with no partisan interest in Illinois’ gubernatorial election this fall said comparing Quincy to LaSalle is an act of medical ignorance.
“Not even going to the politics, but I think it’s just sloppy thinking overall because you can’t compare an environmental pathogen that is not spread person-to-person to a pandemic pathogen that is spread efficiently from person to person,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security who was extensively quoted by WBEZ after the Quincy Legionnaires’ outbreaks.
Over the last month, reports of major problems at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) show that the current administration is not capable of providing the appropriate care for Illinois’ most endangered youth. The agency’s downward spiral continues under Pritzker’s lead, with a new report finding that DCFS is placing innocent vulnerable kids in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center — and keeping them there despite a judge ordering them to be released.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, who is in charge of legal representation for the county’s abused and neglected kids, told WBEZ that “it’s a huge civil rights violation. It’s unimaginably cruel…and it’s exploding.”
These children being held in jail are in addition to the 343 foster children who were trapped in psychiatric hospitals after doctors cleared them for release, according to last month’s damning report by the BGA that outlined a variety of horrific departmental failure and abuse.
Just a few days ago, state child welfare workers were removed from their duties following the death of an 8-year-old girl who was murdered by her mother just hours after a long-overdue visit from DCFS staff.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert believes DCFS’ violations may have caused Amaria’s death, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.
Despite the ongoing crisis for kids in the state’s care, J.B. Pritzker continues to defend his leadership of the agency, including his chosen agency director Marc Smith, who has already been held in contempt of court 11 times since January of this year.
“Under Pritzker, we’ve seen the worst mismanagement of this critical state agency that has continuously mistreated our state’s most vulnerable children,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Illinois needs a leader who will right the wrongs at these agencies providing care to those who rely on them, and that leader is Richard Irvin.”
I pointed out to the Irvin campaign that the candidate has called for the firing of the director, but has proposed no actual reforms. I was told this…
We’ve called for Smith to be fired because he’s obviously not able to do the job. Beyond that we’d have to get into office to assess the needs of the agency and what needs to be done. It’s very obviously a troubled agency and has been for some time.
* I asked DCFS for its full response to the WBEZ report…
Below are the questions and what I provided to WBEZ. This is from Bill McCaffrey…
As a statement, you can attribute to me:
“DCFS does everything possible to ensure that its youth in care receive the proper care and support. In cases when a child become the responsibility of DCFS after they are ready to be released, we take immediate action to place youth in appropriate settings and continue our efforts until youth are placed. There are a variety of factors that can influence when a youth is released from the justice system. In some cases, the judge has ordered the youth to be placed into a secure facility, which means placement out of state. In other cases, the youth’s family is not willing to accept the youth after release, which means DCFS is tasked with finding foster parents or a residential facility that is willing to accept the youth and has the ability to provide the proper supports.”
Q. What are the barriers preventing the state from placing youth who are supposed to be released from the JTDC?
A. There are a variety of factors that can influence when a youth is released from the JTDC. In some cases, the judge has ordered the youth to be placed into a secure facility, which means placement out of state. In other cases, the youth’s family is not willing to accept the youth after release, which means DCFS is tasked with finding foster parents or a residential facility that is willing to accept the youth and has the ability to provide the proper supports.
Q. What changes need to be made to ensure no wards are left in jail unnecessarily?
A. DCFS is adding beds, developing new programs for youth in care and providing funding to our private partners to both expand their facilities and increase their salaries to attract and retain workers. From 2019 to 2021, we added 90 beds. This year, we have already added 37. And we have 74 beds in development right now that will be available for our youth.
Q. Is the state reimbursing the county for the cost of care when youth are left in the JTDC?
A. No
Q. What is the impact on young people to be left in jail awaiting placement?
A. Youth receive educational, medical and therapeutic services while at the JTDC. In addition, the Department offers Mentorship services for youth that will transition to a placement within Cook County.
Q. Is DCFS planning to make any changes to end the practice of leaving kids in the JTDC awaiting placement?
A. DCFS is working with partners at Northwestern University to review data and analyze trends on RUR youth, as well as trends on our incarcerated and detained youth and their needs. DCFS has weekly meetings to discuss case planning, resources and barriers, as well options for additional services that can be provided to prepare youth for their future placement. (Mentorship is currently available for youth being placed within Cook County.)
Invitations by Lightfoot staffers to donors and supporters, obtained by the Tribune, have made clear Tuesday’s event in River North is her campaign launch.
The mayor currently faces five challengers, all of whom have raised questions about high crime and criticized her leadership as being unnecessarily divisive. So far, her opponents include South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, son of a former mayor; former Chicago Public School CEO Paul Vallas; Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner; Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez; and businessman Willie Wilson.
During more than three years in office, Lightfoot has faced spikes in crime, has not run as transparent an administration as promised and engaged in constant fights with unions representing teachers and police — all while struggling to forge good relationships with politicians or leaders in the city’s business community.
* The most puzzling game in politics is predicting which side of her face the mayor will be talking out of on any given day. For instance…
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot escalated her ongoing feud with the Cook County criminal courts system on Monday when she said judges shouldn’t allow people charged with violent crimes out on bail because they are guilty if they have been charged.
“We shouldn’t be locking up nonviolent individuals just because they can’t afford to pay bail. But, given the exacting standards that the state’s attorney has for charging a case, which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, when those charges are brought, these people are guilty,” Lightfoot said. “Of course they’re entitled to a presumption of innocence. Of course they’re entitled to their day in court. But residents in our community are also entitled to safety from dangerous people, so we need to keep pressing the criminal courts to lock up violent dangerous people and not put them out on bail or electronic monitoring back into the very same communities where brave souls are mustering the courage to come forward and say, ‘this is the person who is responsible.’ ”
Letting people who have been charged with violent crimes out on bond “undermines the legitimacy of the criminal courts,” she said.
But…
Over 1 in 4 murder trials ends in a not guilty in Cook County. Over 1 in 3 robbery trials.
But homicides are up all over the country, not just liberal cities. In fact, the pandemic-era murder rate has increased far more in red states that supported Donald Trump in 2020 than blue states that voted for Joe Biden. Crime has also increased in cities that are home to traditional “tough on crime” prosecutors, including Oakland, directly across the bay from San Francisco.
According to John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University, the dramatic rise in homicide rates between 2019 and 2020 was essentially uniform in 69 large jurisdictions, regardless of whether they were home to progressive prosecutors. “It’s really an attempt by opponents of reform to leverage the increase in crime and the fear that has generated, and to blame the wrong thing,” says Nicholas Turner, president of the Vera Institute of Justice, a progressive nonprofit that works to combat mass incarceration.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of her re-election campaign for the office of Mayor of Chicago.
“I don’t look or sound like any other mayor we’ve ever had before, and I’ve had to fight to get a seat at the table. And, like so many in our city, I’ve had to fight to have my voice heard,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “That’s why I’ll never back down from fighting every day to turn your voice into action.”
“When we got knocked down by COVID, we came together as a City and we got right back up. Because that’s who we are – and that’s how we’ve been able to make so much progress, despite all that’s been thrown at us.
“Of course there are tough challenges ahead. We have a lot of work to do, because change just doesn’t happen overnight. But together, we will make our city safer, fairer, and more equitable for all. Now, let’s get back to work.”
Since assuming office following her historic election in 2019, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities. She has led the city through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic with tough, fair leadership – all while keeping her campaign promises. Mayor Lightfoot has:
Increased Chicago’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Expanded funding for community-based violence prevention and implemented measures to combat gang violence.
Championed the creation of a new civilian police oversight body, advancing Chicago on a path toward police reform.
Forged an equitable and inclusive vaccine distribution program and made unprecedented investments in public health, with a particular focus on the communities most devastated by the virus.
Passed transformative, unprecedented budgets, including historic investments in affordable housing, youth programs, mental health and environmental justice.
…Adding… Rep. Buckner…
Candidate for Mayor Kam Buckner today released the following statement in response to Lori Lightfoot’s re-election announcement:
“Mayor Lightfoot has proven to be utterly ill-equipped to lead Chicago. Carjackings and violence are at record highs, economic disinvestment is drying up our neighborhoods, our schools are under-resourced, our police department is over-extended and under-staffed. Instead of a public safety plan, she’s raised bridges, put up barricades and demanded curfews. Yesterday, three years too late, she announced a single piecemeal public safety measure, which is once again not part of any strategic vision for making Chicagoans safer.
“When Chicago votes for a new Mayor, they’re picking a new direction for our city. I’m a skilled negotiator who’s brought people together to get things done and passed groundbreaking, comprehensive laws around clean energy, banning ghost guns, and public safety and justice.
“As the son of a CPS teacher and law enforcement officer who grew up on the South Side and as State Representative for a district that spans South Chicago to the Gold Coast, I know our people and our communities. And I know we can only thrive if we have a Mayor with a plan.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues to take heat from political opponents about crime in Illinois and Chicago.
Republican candidate Jesse Sullivan, who faces five others in the GOP primary for governor, called for emergency federal involvement in the crisis by opening an investigation into the activities of Chicago’s more than 50 known street gangs under the USA PATRIOT Act, the post-9/11 law that facilitates investigations into domestic terrorism.
“Last October, you acted on a letter from the National Association of School Boards calling for an investigation into the activities of lawfully-assembled parents, concerned over strenuous COVID restrictions and the discovery that schools across America were integrating Critical Race Theory (“CRT”) into their curriculum,” Sullivan said in a letter to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. “To the best of my knowledge, those protests resulted in zero fatalities.”
Sullivan then noted in Chicago alone, there have been more than 250 lost lives this year. He urged prompt deployment of the National Guard after three police officers were shot in less than a week.
“Somehow, 28 months in [to the COVID-19 pandemic], J.B. Pritzker is still signing monthly COVID disaster proclamations, but he is unwilling or unable to act on an even more pressing crisis – the senseless violence ravaging the streets of Chicago,” Sullivan said. “It’s time for Governor Pritzker to immediately declare a state of emergency and bring out the National Guard to help our undermanned and outgunned police department.”
Pritzker was asked about that Monday and said he has never failed to do what’s been asked of him.
“I will tell you that I have never once hesitated when asked by local law enforcement or by local mayors to provide help from the National Guard. I have never ever hesitated to do that, and I’ve done that several times,” Pritzker said.
* More from yesterday…
Q: Some of the Republican candidates have asked for the National Guard to be called out to combat recent violence involving law enforcement. And so what do you say to that?
A: Well, I think you know that I have called up the National Guard whenever local mayors that I’ve spoken to have wanted that done, have needed that done in their local communities. And I’ll continue to make the National Guard available whenever it is necessary.
* And from Pritzker’s second appearance yesterday…
Q: It has been a wild weekend, we have had another police officer shot at… Your Republican opponents are saying it’s your fault, that you have not been tough enough on crime, and you have not been standing with the police.
A: Let me start by offering my sympathies and my solidarity with officers and with their families. They are heroes. They really are. They do amazing work on the streets of Chicago and our police all across the state of Illinois. And I support that work with everything that I am working on. I want to remind you that we’ve made major investments in support of police. In particular in building back our Illinois State Police, which provides so many officers to backup Chicago Police Department, as well as police departments all over our state, was, as you know, devastated and decimated under the prior administration. We’ve been adding back hundreds of officers. And they’re doing terrific work. They were out when there was looting in 2020. They were called upon, we even brought in the National Guard to support local police. We continue to do that whenever we’re asked to. Maybe most importantly, we’ve been addressing the underlying causes of crime, fighting poverty, making sure we’re providing health care for communities most in need. And that also is an enormous support for our local law enforcement. So you know, for people who talk, that’s easy, we’re actually doing things and the people that stand with me that are in Springfield have voted to help our local police.
* He was also asked about Sullivan’s other point…
Q: COVID extension on emergency orders? Why sign that? What’s that all about?
A: You’re talking about our disaster declaration. Yeah, well, let me remind all of you that, like a flood, you know, floods don’t have a time limitation to them. They end whenever they end. So in Illinois, COVID-19 is like a massive flood that has taken place. It has been going on for a couple of years now. People getting the disease are needing to treat it, are needing to use the executive orders of the office of governor in order to help people get through this terrible time. Ianybody who’s paid attention, and I think the people who have been complaining about this have not been, can see that the disaster declarations and the executive orders have been ramping down over many months now. And so as we ramp them down, we’re also providing the supports that people need beyond the executive orders. But we’re in a different situation now than we were months and months ago. And we’re going to continue to provide support. We’re still in COVID-19, we still have a pandemic, there is still a federal disaster that’s been declared. And so we’re going to keep providing the services that people need and ramping down because we can see that there are fewer and fewer people who are needing hospitalizations when we get surges. Thank God
* Pritzker was asked about his COVID game plan earlier in the day as well…
Q: As you know well, hospitalizations are going up for COVID. As cases going up, you know, what’s your game plan for going ahead, any thought about masking?
A: So I want to remind you that at the height of Omicron, really at the height of COVID-19, we had about 7400 people in the hospital. Today, we have around 1600 people in the hospital. What I watch most closely around COVID, to determine whether we need to take state action is the situation in our hospitals, and whether we’re keeping people safe and healthy. As you know, one of the big differences between a year ago and several months ago and now is we have widespread availability of treatments, of therapeutics. So if people do get sick from COVID, we have for example that is available, widely available, you can have your doctor prescribe it to you, and specifically within the first five days of feeling symptoms. Very importantly, we’re trying to keep people safe and healthy and remind them that if you haven’t been vaccinated, now’s a great time to go do it. If you haven’t received your booster, now is the perfect time to go do that. I’m somebody who’s of an age over 50. So I’ve had a second booster. And I encourage anybody over 50 to go get that booster. But that is one of the reasons why even though you’ve seen case numbers go up, you have not seen hospitalizations go up commensurate with that.
There is also federal relief available for states with emergency orders, including SNAP benefits. Without a state order, those federal benefits go away.
…Adding… The governor’s office pointed to this example…
Beginning April 2021, all eligible SNAP households are eligible to receive a minimum EA [emergency allotment] of $95. … EA will continue as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency is in effect. When the public health emergency ends, EA will only be available for one additional month.
* A 150 official told me last night that, depending on how well the companies have planned for this strike, “projects will shut down pretty quickly over the next week or so. Most projects in need of aggregate will try to do other things on the project to wait out the strike, but there’s only so much that can be done without aggregate.” Official 150 statement…
This morning, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 commenced a strike against three major material producers at facilities across Northern Illinois in protest of unfair labor practices committed against its members.
In recent days, Local 150 filed federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the three companies – Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials, and Lafarge Holcim – for bad faith bargaining and violations of employees’ federally protected rights. These companies began busing in replacement workers yesterday at several locations, despite having negotiations scheduled today and tomorrow.
The companies produce aggregate materials including sand, gravel and crushed stone that are essential to the production of asphalt, concrete, and many other construction materials. Collectively, they operate approximately 35 quarries and facilities across Northern Illinois that employ approximately 300 Local 150 members, who were classified as “essential workers” throughout the pandemic. These workers operate heavy equipment that is critical to the routine operation of these facilities.
Local 150 President-Business Manager James M. Sweeney issued the following statement:
“The companies’ aggressive encroachment against their employees’ rights has damaged decades of goodwill and cooperation in our industry. They have disregarded these workers’ health and safety and appear unwilling to negotiate in good faith.
These workers take pride in the tireless work they have done to keep critical construction work going throughout the pandemic, and despite their efforts, their employers have taken unilateral steps to treat them more like adversaries than partners.
As we prepared for this week’s negotiations, we received reports that several companies began importing replacement workers from across the country. We remain willing to negotiate in good faith with the companies and have offered several dates to work toward a fair and equitable resolution, but these workers demand to have their rights, their health and their safety protected at work.
These men and women are highly skilled professionals who cannot simply be replaced and who will not be treated as commodities by multinational corporations more concerned with continuing to generate record profits rather than protecting the safety of the very workers who are the bedrock of their success.”
The companies are using non-union employees/management to load at the quarries. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ve asked the governor’s office for a statement.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the companies…
Hello Rich,
Please see below for a statement from the Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association, comprised of Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials and Lafarge:
“We are proud of our strong relationship with Local 150, evidenced by 55 years without a work stoppage. We value our employees and provide them with competitive wages, comprehensive benefits and a safe work environment. We remain committed to moving forward with a new contract and urge cooperation from our Local 150 partners.” - Spokesperson for Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association
The union says about 300 members are on strike.
…Adding… Geneva sped up a project because of the strike…
Due to a pending strike by construction material suppliers, the City of Geneva has adjusted the work schedule for the Third Street sanitary sewer system repair project. […]
The City accelerated the schedule to make sure the roadway would be fully repaired in a timely fashion well ahead of the Swedish Days festival later this month.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
The Governor urges the companies involved to return to the bargaining table ready to negotiate in good faith with workers who deserve fair wages and safe working conditions. Illinoisans deserve the work of restoring their roads during this important season to continue uninterrupted.
Gov. JB Pritzker just gave $55,000 to outgoing state Sen. Melinda Bush, who’s running for the state Democratic Central Committee. The donation is jaw-dropping since Bush is facing Lauren Beth Gash, the incumbent member of the Democratic Central Committee in the 10th District.
Gash is also a former state rep who served at a time when she was the sole Democrat from Lake County serving in the General Assembly. She made it her mission to change that and the county has since transformed from red to blue.
Gash also voted to elect Congresswoman Robin Kelly as party chair over Pritzker’s preferred candidate. Kelly won but she’s now up for reelection among members of the Dem central committee.
Still, Gash was unfazed by Pritzker’s maneuver. “The reason so many community leaders and grassroots volunteers from the 10th District are supporting me is because they’ve worked side by side with me to turn the 10th Congressional District from red to deep blue at all levels of government,” she told Playbook. “People in the district know me well and they know I know how to win for Democrats.”
As y’all know already, Sen. Bush is also pushing Mary Edly-Allen for her former Senate seat. MEA is up against Rep. Sam Yingling in the primary. Yingling howled when Pritzker endorsed MEA. Late yesterday afternoon, MEA’s campaign reported a $55,000 contribution from Gov. Pritzker’s campaign.
According to Rep. Yingling’s campaign website, Lauren Beth Gash has endorsed Yingling’s Senate bid. As noted above, Bush and LBG are running against each other for state central committee. No love lost there between those two. Bush at one point talked about running against Gash for Lake County Democratic Party Chair, but didn’t pull the trigger. For a whole lot of reasons (many of them having to do with Statehouse politics), Pritzker has now come down firmly on Bush’s side.
* Sen. Bush is also backing Laura Faver Dias for Yingling’s current House seat. From an LFD press release…
“I am proud to endorse Laura Faver Dias for State House of Representatives in Illinois’ 62nd District,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “Her experience as an educator and small business owner has made her a fierce fighter for students, parents, and immigrant families. She has proven herself to be an effective leader and will deliver major progress for families in the 62nd District and across our state.”
“It is really special to be endorsed by our state’s governor. Governor Pritzker is an impressive leader who has managed to take meaningful action on a wide range of issues—from climate change to reproductive rights—all while ensuring Illinois stayed steady during both an economic and public health crisis,” said Democratic candidate for State Representative Laura Faver Dias. “My campaign is proving that people are ready for a fresh perspective and an authentic community leader. Through door-knocking, meaningful conversations, and a focus on real issues that impact everyday folks, a powerful coalition has been built.”
Laura Faver Dias has also been endorsed by State Senator Melinda Bush, Service Employees Illinois Union (SEIU), Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC, Lake County Federation of Teachers, Vote Mama, National Association of Social Workers PAC, Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC), Brady PAC, Giffords PAC, Citizen Action, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers District 1, Teamsters Joint Council 25, Stand for Children, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois National Organization of Women, Indo American Democratic Organization, and Illinois Education Association (IEA).
Just after 8 this morning, LFD reported a $55,000 contribution from Gov. Pritzker’s campaign fund. LFD is up against two fellow Democrats, Terry Wilke and Thomas Maillard. Neither has raised much money.
Maillard is also running for reelection to the state central committee. His opponent is Hal Sloan. Sen. Bush is backing Sloan. I’m told to expect another $55K from Pritzker to Sloan very soon.
* This is the story of the consistent and strong efforts of regular people who pressured their governments and, eventually, with the assistance of elected officials and lots of news media reports, turned multiple tragedies into literally a lifesaving moment. Let’s start the post with this piece from last August…
She’s not alone. Halle Quezada witnessed a 13-year-old girl drown at a Rogers Park beach in 2018. She says people on the shore searched frantically for anything that would float.
“It was just chaos in those moments, and there was absolutely nothing available to help,” said Quezada, who knows the girl’s family.
Quezada launched a petition and started publicly advocating for changes. Among other things, she wants water rescue flotation devices, like the life preservers already posted at harbors and near the river; restored lifeguard hours; and numbered beaches and break walls so people can easily provide their location to 911 if they call about a swimmer in distress. […]
“When we do put up certain measures, you are increasing your risk of liability by representing that those areas … have been determined to be swimmable or usable areas,” said the Park District’s Timothy M. King. “From a legal standpoint, the best thing to do right now is nothing, because that’s the only way to not take on that increased risk of liability.” […]
“Our argument is not about liability. What it really is, is about making sure that people are … observing the rules to not swim where they’re not supposed to swim and at times they’re not supposed to swim,” said board president Avis LaVelle. “If we put these rings where we tell people not to swim that’s winking at us telling people not to swim there.” […]
“I’m not encouraging people to go into the water, but this is something that is needed,” Leon said. “If there would have been a life ring a water rescue station near where my father ended up drowning, no doubt in my mind (he would have survived).” […]
“If we can’t compel park districts to protect their kids (from) a leading cause of death for their age group, then we’ll look to compel them to protect our kids because they have to by law,” Quezada said.
During a vigil Tuesday evening to honor Miguel Cisneros, the 19-year-old who drowned Aug. 22 after jumping into Lake Michigan off Pratt Pier, community members renewed their call for the city to install lifesaving devices along the lakefront.
“Signs are OK, but they do not save lives,” said Maria Diaz, Cisneros’ mother. “They cannot be tossed at people to be rescued. I’m asking for them to put life rings or some sort of flotation device all along the lakefront. I want to carry on Miguel’s legacy (of) being a good samaritan, helping other people, and if this could avoid another loss then … his death will not be in vain.” […]
At the Park District’s monthly board of commissioners meeting Wednesday, the agency responded to those calls with a multi-pronged plan focused on reinforcing messaging surrounding “not safe to swim” locations. […]
Halle Quezada, who has become a driving force behind the movement to provide life rings on the lakefront after witnessing a drowning in 2018, was not appeased by the district’s plan, which she called “doing the least to control bad PR.”
The emphasis on “not safe to swim” locations amounts to victim blaming, said Quezada, who spoke during the board meeting’s public comment portion.
As neighbors pitched in to fund and install their own life rings at Pratt Pier, the park district repeatedly took them down, telling Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) it was because they “couldn’t vouch” for them and they could become a liability.
On Friday, Chicago Park District CEO Mike Kelly was asked at a press conference if he regretted that move.
“No,” said Kelly. “I don’t regret it. I think I made the right decision then, and I think I’m making the right decision now.” […]
Kelly made clear on Friday his reluctance to bring life rings to areas where swimming isn’t sanctioned– places like Pratt Pier.
“We’re in the life safety business, and teach-kids-to-swim business,” he said, opposing “anything that gives a semblance of comfort to going in that water where it says do not swim.”
Benjamin recoiled when he heard Kelly’s words.
“In the last 12 months alone, there have been 9 drowning incidents in Chicago along the lake, where life rings could have saved a life,” he said. “These are human lives.”
Mike Kelly resigned the following month for different direct reasons, but the same overall attitude.
State legislators are considering a new bill that would require life-saving equipment at all public access points along Lake Michigan following an outcry last summer over safety measures at Rogers Park beaches. […]
Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Rogers Park) helped lead the effort to install life rings at city beaches and is the main sponsor of the state legislative proposal. Requiring safety devices at public access points along the entirety of the state’s Lake Michigan shoreline can help prevent future drownings, she said.
“That this bill is needed is a tragedy, but it also represents what happens when a community comes together to solve a problem,” Cassidy said in a statement.
Water safety advocates scored a major victory in the last month with the successful advancement of the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act.
The bill passed unanimously through the Illinois State House on March 2, and passed through the House Human Services Committee on March 30. It now goes to the desk of Governor Pritzker to be signed into law.
The bill comes after a decade-long grassroots community campaign for lakefront water safety — an issue exasperated by the drowning death of 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros at Pratt Pier last summer.
State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-14), head sponsor of the bill, said, “Fundamentally, this is about preventing tragedies like Miguel’s death. Raising awareness of the power of Lake Michigan and helping people understand the risks and ways to stay safe is top of mind.”
According to the Great Lakes Rescue Project, there have been 1,044 drowning deaths on the Great Lakes since 2010 — roughly half of which were on Lake Michigan. And citywide, Roger’s Park holds the highest rate of drowning deaths of any neighborhood, a title it has held since 2010.
Life rings will be required at all Lake Michigan access points in the state after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law that some Far North Side neighbors and officials have been seeking for years.
Pritzker on Thursday signed the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act, which mandates that private and government-owned piers, beaches and drop-off points along Lake Michigan have life saving equipment such as life rings.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Rogers Park) after the drowning death of 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros last summer near Farwell Pier.
Neighbors installed life rings at the pier following Cisneros and at least two other drowning deaths at the location, but those rings were removed by the Chicago Park District. The incident led to a new wave of advocacy for life rings along the lakefront, helping to change park district policy and now state law.
Of the Great Lakes, experts say Lake Michigan has the highest rate of drownings. But just days after Governor JB Pritzker signed a new law mandating lifesaving rings be installed on all piers and drop-off points along Lake Michigan, a life was saved at North Avenue Beach.
“A person on the lakefront saw someone struggling in the water. They stayed dry. They grabbed a life ring,” said Dave Benhamin, co-founder and executive director of Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. “They threw it in. They helped pull the person out. They saved a life. they put the life ring back. And then everyone went on with their day.”
John Edward Porter, former US Representative for Illinois!”10th Congressional District, died the evening of Friday, June 3, after a recent hospitalization. He turned 87 this past Wednesday and passed peacefully in the presence of family members.
Congressman Porter, who represented Illinois!”10th District in the US House of Representatives from 1980-2000, previously served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1973-1979. In the US House, he was one of the prestigious #cardinals” of the Appropriations Committee, serving as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education.
Born on June 1, 1935, in Evanston, Illinois, Mr. Porter attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with a B.A. degree from Northwestern University, subsequently earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Michigan. A military veteran, he served in the US Army Reserve from 1958-1964.
He was a nationally prominent legislator known in particular for his tireless advocacy of biomedical research; the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, named in his honor, was dedicated in March 2014. That same year, he was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the
Academy!s highest honor.
Mr. Porter is survived by his spouse, Amy, children and stepchildren John, David, Annie, Robyn, Donna, McKay and Michelle, and 14 grandchildren. Services will be held later this month in Virginia and the family is planning services in Illinois sometime later this summer.
His former chief of staff and protégé Mark Kirk described the Evanston native as someone who was “complete class” and respectful to everybody.
“The whole rough-and-tumble of classless politics was anathema to his character,” said Kirk, who succeeded Porter in the U.S. House before being elected U.S. Senator in 2010. “He was representing the best-educated district in the country. The district wanted an independent leader, and he was that independent leader.”
Porter represented Illinois’ 10th District in Congress from 1980 to 2001, establishing a record as a fiscal conservative who supported human rights efforts across the globe and efforts to protect the environment at home. He also was a strong advocate for scientific and biomedical research.
“His main legacy is in doubling funding for the National Institutes of Health and funding the unlocking of the human genome,” said Kirk, who first served in Porter’s office as an intern before rising to its chief of staff. “These days, when we talk about human genomic therapy, that all came from John Porter’s work.”
It was through Porter that funding for the National Institutes of Health doubled within five years, helping to lay the groundwork for the mapping of the human genome project as well as in increased research for cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. […]
In March 2014, the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health was named in his honor. Also that year, he was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the academy’s highest honor.
Porter founded and co-chaired the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, a voluntary association which at the time had more than 250 members of Congress working to identify, monitor and end human rights violations worldwide. He co-authored landmark legislation creating Radio Free Asia to broadcast into China and he was chairman of the Global Legislators Organized for a Balanced Environment, known as GLOBE USA.
Porter supported the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Wilderness Protection Act, the National Park Protection Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He also voted for the Endangered Species Act and against the inhumane use of animals in product testing and the use of leghold traps. He sought to tie U.S. foreign lending to developing nations to their efforts to protect tropical rainforests and wetlands.
[Illinois Supreme Court candidate Nancy Rotering], in an interview, concedes that she never has been in court as a litigator and that her last employment as an attorney at law came a quarter century ago, when she left as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery to focus on raising a sick child. However, she adds, she’s been a practicing attorney for 30 years who used her skills to, for instance, help draft the Highland Park ordinance banning the possession of assault weapons that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Both Kim and another candidate, former Cook County prosecutor David Shestokas, say they would ramp up the attorney general’s role in fighting violent crime. Kim says he would ensure resource-strained counties get the help they need to prosecute violent crimes, and would “use the bully pulpit to go after state’s attorneys” seen as lax in prosecuting violent criminals. Shestokas wants to go one step further. He would set up an attorney general hotline for police officials to call when those officials feel their local state’s attorney isn’t aggressive enough in prosecuting serious crimes. We understand Shestokas’ passion, but we think collaboration between the attorney general’s office and local prosecutors is the better way to go.
We’re also troubled by Shestokas’ role in “Lawyers for Trump” during the 2020 presidential election. Shestokas says he spent five weeks in Pennsylvania as part of Trump’s legal team scouring for evidence of election fraud. “We don’t know what the correct result was,” Shestokas told us. “I don’t know who won.”
* The Tribune takes a quick look at why Marie Newman and Sean Casten were drawn into the same district…
One Democrat who worked on the Illinois congressional maps following both the 2010 and 2020 censuses said there was a confluence of competing political factors that set the stage for officials to put together the map as it is.
For one thing, first-termer Newman “lacked the political clout” to stop herself from getting mapped out of her 3rd District seat, said the Democrat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. And her defeat of Lipinski made it easier for lawmakers to de-anchor the 3rd from the Lipinski family’s political stronghold around Midway Airport, the Democratic insider said.
“With Dan Lipinski gone, it opened up the mapmaking to create a new Latino influence district, as well as protecting existing Black South Side districts and the Latino majority district of … Garcia,” the Democrat said. […]
The 6th District now includes Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood and areas near Midway, and southwest suburban towns including Orland Park and Alsip. It also sweeps through the west suburbs, taking in all or parts of Burr Ridge, Darien, Elmhurst, Hickory Hills, Oakbrook Terrace, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Western Springs, Willowbrook and Worth, and extends north to Villa Park and west to Downers Grove.
* Because… Madigan…
* CD13…
Today, the Nikki Budzinski for Congress campaign is launching its first TV and radio ads of the election. The TV ad, titled “Rebuild,” is in Budzinski’s own voice and focuses on the core economic issues voters in the district are facing. The radio ads, recorded by State Senator Chris Belt and Urbana City Councilwoman Chaundra Bishop, will run in the Metro East and Urbana-Champaign markets respectively.
Budzinski tells voters about her history of fighting for working people in the labor movement, her track record on issues like helping lead the effort to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour, and her focus on tackling inflation to rebuild the middle class.
Budzinski is the first candidate in IL13 of either party to go up on broadcast television. The six-figure media buy will run heavily in the Champaign-Decatur-Springfield market in the lead-up to the June 28th primary. The ad can be viewed here.
* More…
* Karin Norington-Reaves Endorsed by Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson: Today, Democratic candidate for Congress, Karin Norington-Reaves, received the endorsement of Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson. Mayor Denson witnessed Norington-Reaves’ leadership as the CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, creating over 100,000 good-paying jobs and providing critical resources to working adults. Her track record of uplifting Chicagoland communities solidified the Mayor’s endorsement and support of her campaign. * Jeff Regnier for Congress: 4 weeks out from a very important election and it was discovered that one of my opponents possessed a criminal record of sexual assaults against women. He was convicted and was a registered sex offender.
* Newman campaign email mischaracterizes group backing rival Casten: When asked about the inaccurate labeling of the Democratic Majority for Israel as conservative, Uniejewski said the group supports moderate and conservative Democrats. But the email didn’t make that distinction.
* 11th District GOP candidates divided on humans’ climate impact: Three Republican candidates in Illinois’ 11th Congressional District believe the global climate is changing and that humanity contributes to the problem — but two others expressed doubts. … Heeg refused to return a candidate questionnaire or be interviewed; Lauf and Tanner Miller didn’t participate in the interview.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart today urged lawmakers to finally close a loophole that allows thousands of individuals with revoked gun permits to still buy ammunition.
“A gun is only dangerous if it is loaded. Right now, there are thousands of individuals in Cook County who can walk into a gun shop and buy ammunition even if their gun permit is revoked for being a felon or they are facing a domestic violence charge. That makes no sense,” Sheriff Dart said. “Lawmakers must close this loophole and help make gun regulations work in Illinois.”
In Cook County, 32,492 Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) cards have been revoked. But nearly 60% of them, or 19,238, have not turned in their cards as required under the law. Even more, 24,421 have failed to transfer their weapons to police or a legal gun owner as required.
FOID cards are revoked under the law for incredibly serious reasons. For example, of those who have not turned in their card in Cook County, 6,168 had a felony indictment, 4,318 had an order of protection against them, 4,108 had a mental health concern, and 153 were considered a fugitive from justice.
Before selling a firearm in Illinois, gun dealers are required by law to check the validity of a buyer’s FOID card and run a background check. Yet, they are not required by law to do the same when selling ammunition. That means someone with a revoked FOID could buy ammunition simply by presenting the card, even though it is invalid.
Sheriff Dart and state Rep. La Shawn Ford introduced legislation (HB5380) earlier this year to require ammunition sales meet the same level of scrutiny as gun sales.
“This loophole must be closed. We can’t have people charged with serious crimes or deemed a danger to others allowed to easily buy deadly bullets,” said state Rep. Ford. “This is not really debatable. It is common sense.”
State Sen. Jacqueline Collins is supporting the bill in the state Senate.
“It is scary to think about the thousands of people who have had their gun permits revoked, yet who can still buy ammunition at any gun dealer in Illinois,” said state Sen. Collins. “This is outrageous, and we must fix this.”
* The Question: Should ammunition sales meet the same FOID scrutiny as gun sales? Make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
* I saw this expressway sign the other day and asked former Senate President John Cullerton how he came up with the design. He said it’s a copy of a Parky Cullerton billboard from 1957 which “won a number of awards”…
Officials at the Chicago Board of Elections say 73 precincts throughout the city won’t be operating for the June 28 primary, and officials are clamoring to locate new polling sites for the November General Election.
The precinct vacuum affects 120,000 registered voters across the city, including voters from nine precincts in the 42nd Ward, generally considered a high-voting area. The city has more than 2,000 precincts spread across 50 wards.
A circuit court ruling Friday allows the Elections Board to contact residents in the 73 precincts to inform them about their voting options, including using their Ward Early Vote sites open on Election Day and voting by mail.
Why precincts are closed: Since the pandemic, numerous buildings and restaurants have decided not to serve as polling sites. They don’t want the hassle. “Our polling places division has seen a wave of new opt-outs from traditional precinct polling places during the Covid pandemic over the last two years,” Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever told Playbook. […]
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough says suburban voting districts aren’t having a problem. Some locations backed out “but we were able to replace them,” she told Playbook.
They’re just realizing this three weeks out? Just ridiculous, but par for the course. Can you imagine if an elections board in the South had pulled this nonsense so close to the election?
Proft said on his show this morning that the same pollster had Irvin up by 6 points a few weeks ago. Fabrizio, Lee and Associates is Donald Trump’s pollster.
On May 24th, 8:07 pm. Officers are called to this Aurora marijuana store where police reports say a drunk woman has punched and kicked a security guard. The woman threatens ‘I’m going to call my boyfriend. He’s the mayor of Aurora.’ Minutes later, Richard Irvin arrives. And the official police report says Irvin assured his girlfriend that quote, ‘The charges would be taken care of.’ Richard Irvin, the more we learn the worse it gets.
You know it’s aimed at Republican primary voters because they use the phrase “marijuana store.” /s
But text messages written by Irvin in 2018 during the middle of the Trump presidency, and obtained by WTTW News, appear to show Irvin has very strong feelings about Trump, and they are not positive. The messages offer some insight into aspects of Irvin’s political beliefs his campaign has been reticent to address.
“And I hate Trump too!” Irvin wrote. “He’s an idiot!!!”
Shortly after, Irvin added, “and a bigoted racist.” […]
Irvin then clarifies his position on Trump once again: “And although I don’t hate Trump the man, I do hate what he stands for.”
Well, Jim Niedelman reminded Irvin about the texts and asked “Are you afraid of the consequences that could come with taking a stand against Donald Trump?” Irvin’s response…
Listen, I don’t remember sending those texts since 2018 or 2019. What I can say is, that I disagree with certain parts of that administration. However, you know, I think everybody can agree and I agree wholeheartedly that that administration has done great things for Americans and for America. You know, reducing taxes, making sure we had economic development when he created opportunity zones and employed economic development in areas that need it most. And supporting our men and women of law enforcement.
We’ve used all those tools in the city of Aurora. You know, I have used all those tools in the city of Aurora as mayor, to effectively to help push our city forward. And that’s exactly what JB Pritzker is scared of. He’s scared of someone who’s actually effectively got great results.
And if you compare us, about comparing records, if you compare my record of success to JB Pritzker’s record of failure, there’s nothing to say about it. We have the answer of who the next Governor of the state should be. Which is why he’s spending so much money in a Republican primary to make sure that me as a candidate doesn’t doesn’t face him in the general because he knows that I’ll beat him, and he knows that we’ll change how government works in the state of Illinois and will get us back on track to take our state back.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* From a candidates’ forum in McHenry County featuring Darren Bailey and Gary Rabine and a surrogate for Paul Schimpf…
Irvin seemed to receive the most criticism from the other candidates. Bailey reiterated recent barbs directed at Irvin, calling him a “corrupt Democrat.” Solomon said any of the Republican candidates, minus Irvin, would make a good governor.
The candidates’ thoughts on immigration was discussed seemingly more than any other topic, covering almost half of the entire forum. Candidates expressed an interest in allowing counties to continue to detain immigrants in partnership with the Immigration Customs Enforcement agency, and also ending sanctuary cities.
McHenry County in particular had one such contract with ICE, until a state law required the county to release its detainees and cancel the agreement.
Bailey, Rabine and Solomon all expressed support in building a wall at the country’s southern border.
You can thank Pleasantdale Middle School fifth graders for making sure Illinois had an official state rock. And you can also thank them for making sure coal was not chosen for said state rock.
Yes, coal was in the running, according to now sixth grader Matej Naunov.
“One of our main reasons as to why coal was dropped was because you get coal on Christmas when you’re not good,” he said matter-of-factly.
Pleasantdale teacher Jennifer Lauermann’s former students sat in the school’s music room recently, remembering their advocacy efforts to get a bill on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk designating a state rock, a goal they achieved as a group during the pandemic. The youths are now waiting for Pritzker’s signature to make dolostone as the official rock of the state of Illinois.
* Today…
— Governor JB Pritzker today joined legislators, students, and teachers at the Morton Arboretum to designate Dolostone as the official rock of the State of Illinois.
House Bill 4261 began as an initiative led by a group of elementary school students from Pleasantdale Middle School in Burr Ridge and Maplebrook Elementary School in Naperville. After the students discovered that Illinois did not have a state rock, they created a ballot and had students across the state vote for a winner. The chosen rock was Dolostone.
Dolostone, a form of limestone, forms the majority of Illinois’s bedrock, establishing a foundation for the state’s other natural terrain. Its name comes from its original discovery in the Dolomite Alps
Illinois recognizes several other official symbols of the state, including; state bird- the Northern Red Cardinal, state flower- the violet, state tree- the white oak, and state fish- the bluegill. More officially designated state flora and fauna can be found on the Illinois DNR website.
“Seeing young people use their voices and the democratic process to make change in our state is truly inspiring,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These young leaders have a bright future of organizing and civic engagement that I am excited to watch. They could not have picked a better rock to represent the strength and stability of Illinois.”
“Students developed and drove this legislation,” said State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Bloomingdale). “It was not only a fantastic learning experience for them, but an opportunity to show others of any age that they have power in Springfield. I encourage Illinoisans to learn more about Dolostone.”
“With today’s bill signing, we’re not only establishing an official state rock with a long history of economic and geological significance to Illinois, we’re building the foundation for a new generation of lifelong learners who are civically engaged and ready to contribute to their communities,” said State Representative Yang Rohr, (D-Naperville).
Dolomite, also known as “dolostone” and “dolomite rock,” is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. Dolomite is found in sedimentary basins worldwide. It is thought to form by the postdepositional alteration of lime mud and limestone by magnesium-rich groundwater.
Dolomite and limestone are very similar rocks. They share the same color ranges of white-to-gray and white-to-light brown (although other colors such as red, green, and black are possible). They are approximately the same hardness, and they are both soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid. They are both crushed and cut for use as construction materials and used for their ability to neutralize acids.
After a third police officer was shot in less than a week, the trend of heightened violence and brazen disregard for police shows just how empowered criminals really are in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois. Yesterday’s shooting comes just days after another officer was shot in the same neighborhood and a U.S. Marshal and his K-9 dog were shot while serving an arrest warrant.
During a press conference Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown noted a 500 percent increase in offenders shooting at Chicago police officers over the last two-and-a-half years.
A total of five people were killed and 28 people, including the police officer, a two-year-old and a six-year-old, were wounded by shootings across Chicago this weekend. These alarming statistics come after the most violent Memorial Day weekend in the last five years rocked Chicago: nine people were killed and 42 others wounded in the city.
“Criminals are emboldened to the point that they fear no consequences for their actions, even if it comes to shooting police officers,” said Eleni Demertzis, Irvin for Illinois spokesperson. “Unlike the current governor’s weak leadership, Richard Irvin has stood up for and stood with our police, and that is why he has earned their overwhelming support. Our men and women who wear the badge are critical in getting us out of this public safety crisis in Illinois, and Irvin is the best choice to lead them in this dangerous and difficult pursuit.”
The state’s political world may have been shocked, but I doubt many in that world were surprised at the level of vitriol in Rep. Sam Yingling’s, D-Grayslake, press release last week that claimed he’d been “attacked” by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Pritzker’s “offense” was endorsing Yingling’s Democratic primary opponent Mary Edly-Allen in the race to replace retiring state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake.
Edly-Allen is a former Democratic state representative and is also backed by Bush. She had a pretty good couple of weeks leading up to the Pritzker endorsement. Edly-Allen had by then reported raising about $266,000 just since the middle of May, including $25,000 reported last week from the Illinois Pipe Trades PAC. Yingling started the second quarter with more money (his $109,000 compared to her $11,000) but has struggled ever since, reporting just $38,000 in contributions to date.
Pritzker has yet to give any legislator more than $5,000 in campaign contributions during the primary, but Edly-Allen clearly has the funds to get the word out about his support. And while there is no polling that I could lay my hands on in that district about Pritzker, he’s generally polling very well among Democrats. So, the nod will likely help.
I privately thought going into this Senate contest that Yingling had a decent edge, but if Edly-Allen is working like she did when she first won a House race in 2018, along with all this money and numerous important endorsements, well, I may have been very wrong.
And then Yingling let loose on the governor. “As a gay man, I am used to being bullied,” Yingling was quoted as saying in his press release after Pritzker announced his decision. “But, I did not expect to be attacked on the first day of PRIDE month by a fellow Democrat.”
The press release issued by the governor’s campaign did not contain a single reference to Yingling. It was all about Edly-Allen’s positive traits.
I’m told the governor made his decision to endorse Edly-Allen the week earlier, but there was reportedly some Senate Democratic involvement in the decision to hand the story to a suburban newspaper over the Memorial Day weekend. The short-staffed and possibly disinterested paper didn’t run it.
So, the announcement was pushed out the door Tuesday evening in a wide blast. No thought was apparently given to the fact that the following day would be the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
The reason most in the political world probably won’t be surprised by his reaction is that Yingling, plain and simple, does not work well with others.
Since January 2021, for instance, Yingling has introduced 183 bills and not a single one of them has made it to the governor’s desk. Just four have passed the House. The Senate, where Yingling is trying to land, has taken up none of them. The four bills never even made it out of the Assignments Committee.
Yingling has sent out four mailers that I could find. Three of them were negative.
One mailer paired Edly-Allen with former House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Yingling also mentioned the Madigan connection in his press release. Madigan did not originally back Yingling for the House, but he sent plenty of foot soldiers to the district to keep him there. Madigan’s committees also directly gave Yingling $1.75 million over the years, and Madigan’s allies in the House and organized labor gave him millions more.
Yingling did not join colleagues to call for Madigan’s ouster until after the November 2020 election was over and his Republican opponent was vanquished with the help of about $300,000 in contributions from Madigan’s Democratic Majority PAC and the Democratic Party of Illinois.
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But using Madigan as a cudgel against a primary opponent after taking help like that, while Yingling is clearly demonstrating he is having a difficult time raising money on his own without backing from a party caucus, is a bit much.
Pritzker’s campaign had no comment about Yingling’s remarks. Coincidentally or not, the governor appeared the following day with two prominent LGBTQ+ state legislators, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, “to tour LGBTQ+ owned businesses in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood and kick off PRIDE Month.” He was not asked by reporters about Yingling’s statement.
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois announced the creation of Organize Illinois 2022, a coordinated campaign to elect Democrats up and down the ballot this November. Organize Illinois 2022 is chaired by Secretary of State Jesse White and will support the candidacies of Democratic federal, state, and local nominees by engaging voters around the issues that matter most in the upcoming midterm elections.
“Illinois Democrats are fighting to lower costs, get our state’s fiscal house in order, defend reproductive freedom, combat the gun violence epidemic, protect the environment, expand access to the ballot box, and more—and Republicans only want to drag us backwards,” said Organize Illinois 2022 Chair and Secretary of State Jesse White. “The upcoming midterm elections are absolutely crucial to ensuring our state continues on the right track, and Organize Illinois 2022 is ready to support our Democratic nominees as we get voters to the polls this November. This coordinated campaign will benefit all Democratic nominees by efficiently using shared resources, data, and messaging to ensure Illinois remains a beacon for our shared values. We’ve all seen just how extreme Illinois Republicans have become. Illinois Democrats can and will fight back with a united front at every level.”
Organize Illinois 2022 will be housed within the Democratic Party of Illinois. The effort has been endorsed by the DPI, Gov. JB Pritzker, Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Democrats for the Illinois House, Senate President Don Harmon and the Illinois Senate Democrats, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Treasurer Michael Frerichs, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The program is also expected to support our Secretary of State and Congressional Democratic nominees, once the primary election has concluded.
The Organize Illinois 2022 coordinated campaign allows Democratic nominees to strategically collaborate on voter communications to efficiently campaign across the state. The coordinated campaign is expected to focus on voter engagement strategies to target and turn out voters in support of Democratic candidates up and down the ticket.
Under Madigan, the state party became a largely insular institution in which its primary goal was to elect House Democrats who would support him staying on as speaker. Other Democratic candidates, meanwhile, were often left to fend for themselves for any campaign coordination. The party’s most valuable asset under Madigan was its bulk-rate postage meter, which non-House candidates had to pay to use for lower-cost campaign mailings.
But since Madigan left, the party has sought to reorganize itself and create a structure more in line with other state Democratic organizations. That work started under the party’s new chair, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson, who took over in March of last year. […]
The program is notable not only for being launched in advance of the primary, but also for being signed off on by all of the major Democrats as a state party operation under Kelly.
Pritzker, the billionaire entrepreneur and an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is expected to fund the operation under Kelly, though last year she was not his choice for state Democratic chair. Pritzker has given indications he may not support Kelly for a full term as party chair when the Democratic State Central Committee meets after the primary.
Rich- Last night, during the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum between Raja Krishnamoorthi and Junaid Ahmed, Raja asked Junaid to please stop promoting hate speech against him and our office. Per our last convo, please see the attached document which includes a link to the recent protest and some supporting information to contextualize Pieter Friedrich and to show that, unfortunately, we know that Junaid has been intimately involved in promoting this sort of rhetoric.
Importantly, Secretary of State Jesse White and Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. have issued statements.
* From the document…
Ahmed Promotes Violent Hate Speech Against Congressman Raja
• At a recent protest (on 5/21/22) outside Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s District Office, Pieter Friedrich led a group of Junaid’s campaign staff and supporters in chanting “Nazi’s out, Raja must go” and “death to Krishnamoorthi.” The video can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q6uXSsRC3t02IEpLJjnRpQvzMAMZgJXE/view
• Instead of condemning the speech, Junaid repeatedly promoted the protest on social media (before, during, and after), its leader, Pieter Friedrich, and the hate speech used at the protest
Pieter Friedrich
• Pieter Friedrich is a highly controversial lifelong provocateur who spent much of his life as an anti-gay, anti-abortion advocate. He opposed gay marriage and said that gay rights and homosexuality should be illegal by default. (“08/25/2003: “Why I Hate Democracy”,” Pieter Friedrich, Deus Ego, 8/25/2013)
o Specifically, he said: “as for ‘gay’ rights and abortion, those should never have become issues in the first place. The people and the representatives should be restrained by unchangeable laws from even messing with issues like those. Those things ought to be illegal by default.” (Ibid)
Statement from Secretary of State Jesse White
6/2/2022
“I know Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi to be an outstanding Member of Congress and leader in our state. I was deeply disturbed that anti-gay and anti-abortion activist Pieter Friedrich used violent, extremist, and racist language toward Congressman Raja, and that his opponent, Junaid Ahmed, promoted Friedrich’s activities,” said IL Secretary of State Jesse White. “As an African-American who grew up in the Jim Crow era, I know what it’s like to have your motives unfairly questioned based on the color of your skin or where you were born. This form of stereotyping people of color and minorities, along with Friedrich’s vile rhetoric, have no place in the Democratic Party or in our broader political system, period. This is the Trump playbook, and we are much better than this.”
Statement from Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.
6/3/2022
“The days of people like Friedrich making threats against non-white people, especially because of the color of their skin, their religious affiliation, or their country of origin must remain behind us. To put it bluntly: saying ‘Nazis out, Raja must go’ and ‘Death to Krishnamoorthi’ is racist, bigoted, incendiary rhetoric that does not belong in our political or civic discourse. I condemn Pieter Friedrich and others who engage in bigoted extremist rhetoric, and I condemn Junaid Ahmed’s actions in continuing to promote Pieter Friedrich, this event, and sharing this hate speech publicly and on social media. In the strongest possible terms I urge all candidates for elected office to use your platform to unite us, not divide us, and to refrain from using hate as a means to scoring cheap political points.”
I’ve asked the Junaid Ahmed campaign for a response.
* Some of these are just a bit dated. This one’s from today, though…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed two pieces of legislation that allow for the expanded use of expressway cameras, empowering law enforcement agencies to investigate criminal activities along expressways and State highways.
“There is nothing more important than keeping Illinoisans safe—in our schools, in our parks, and on our expressways,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The tragic incidences of gun violence on our highways requires aggressive and intentional action. By signing this bill, law enforcement agencies will have the tools to respond to criminal activity in a timely and efficient manner—ensuring the safety and security of our residents, while holding perpetrators accountable.”
“Automated license plate readers play a growing, critical role in ISP investigations and arrests in the Chicagoland area,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP now routinely uses this technology to track down expressway shootings and carjacking suspects, so the expansion of this technology across Illinois expands our ability to protect our interstates and bring violent criminals to justice.”
House Bill 4481 increases the number of cameras along expressways and State highways in the counties of Boone, Bureau, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Macon, Madison, McHenry, Morgan, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, St. Clair, Will, and Winnebago. The state’s FY23 budget included $20 million to expand the technology. This legislation is effective immediately. […]
House Bill 260 allows for the use of expressway cameras along Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive. This gives law enforcement agencies the ability to use images from expressway cameras to investigate vehicular hijacking and other criminal activities, detect highway conditions and facilitate highway safety and incident management services. This legislation is effective immediately.
* Sen. Ellman…
Legislation sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) to make naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, more accessible was signed into law Thursday.
“Opioids are permeating our communities, and people are dying at record rates. By making naloxone more accessible, we can prevent more deaths as we work to address the root of addiction,” Ellman said. “Naloxone saves lives. You can’t put a price on that.”
House Bill 4408 prohibits insurers and Medicaid from charging a copay for naloxone, an opioid suppressant. Naloxone can be lifesaving for people overdosing on opioids, but can often cost up to $140 for two doses.
According to the CDC, more than 100,000 people in the United States died from an opioid overdose in 2020 – and in one out of three cases, a bystander was present who could have saved the person’s life if naloxone had been accessible.
“Naloxone is a safe and effective medication that saves lives. Many of our communities continue to struggle in the midst of the opioid epidemic. It is important that we take steps to meet our friends, neighbors, and family members where they are at,” said State Representative Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park), House sponsor of the bill. “By eliminating the insurance copay on this essential drug, the General Assembly is doing just that.”
The legislation goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
* Sen. Simmons…
To better inform and raise awareness for health issues that particularly effect men, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) led a measure to create the division of men’s health within the Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Health Promotion.
“We know that men are less likely to go see a doctor or other healthcare professional when they are not feeling right,” Simmons said. “They may end up missing their body’s signs of sickness and eventually progress to disease – especially if they are not educated on signs to lookout for.”
Life expectancy of men remains more than five years less than women, and men lead in nine of the top ten causes of death in the United States. Simmons’ measure would raise awareness of health issues particular to men that are not currently or adequately addressed by IPDH, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, smoking cessation, heart disease, and mental health.
“This law will raise awareness of health issues millions of men suffer from each day,” Simmons said. “I am proud to help usher in a new era of communication and prevention for men across the state.”
House Bill 4589 was signed into law last week and takes effect next January.
* Sen. Bush…
A career-long advocate for the fight against the ongoing opioid epidemic, State Senator Melinda Bush fought during the spring legislative session to make opioid overdose reversal drugs more accessible and provide people with more education surrounding the consequences of opioids.
“We all know someone who has a friend or family member that struggles with addiction — and the thought of that person losing their battle with opioids when lifesaving medication is available is devastating,” said Bush (D-Grayslake). “We must put an end to the red tape and hurdles people have to go through to receive naloxone so we can tackle the crisis head on.”
Bush’s law – House Bill 4408 – prohibits insurers and Medicaid from charging a copay for naloxone – an opioid suppressant. Naloxone can be lifesaving for people overdosing on opioids, but can often be inaccessible with a cost of up to $140 for two doses.
“It’s simple: naloxone saves lives,” Bush said. “The more accessible naloxone is, the better.”
Senate Bill 2535 – also championed by Bush and signed into law Thursday – requires pharmacists to inform the patient that opioids are addictive and offer to give the patient naloxone – a common opioid reversal medication.
More than 75,000 people died from an opioid overdose in 2020 – and in one out of three cases, a bystander was present who could have saved the person’s life, had naloxone been accessible.
Since first entering the General Assembly, Bush has been a steadfast advocate on fighting the ongoing opioid crisis. In 2015, she championed legislation to make naloxone more accessible and affordable to law enforcement agencies. Both measures signed Thursday are another step toward saving lives from the deadly effects of opioids.
“The opioid epidemic is a serious and complicated issue that only continues to get worse,” Bush said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the opioid crisis, especially amongst vulnerable populations. We must tackle this crisis head on.”
House Bill 4408 and Senate Bill 2535 were both signed into law Thursday.
* Sen. Peters…
A measure to help medical professionals get more tests into the hands of individuals who battle opioid addiction was signed into law thanks to the efforts of State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).
“This reform will help save lives,” Peters said. “We still have a long way to go, but removing penalties organizations face when they have access to test strips is a responsible way to address the opioid crisis and to create real public safety for all instead of continuing the misguided policies of the past.”
The new law is designed to expand on the Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Act of 2019. This measure will increase the number of persons and professions in the medical community who would not be penalized for possessing a limited residual amount of a controlled substance as part of the drug testing process.
Additionally, the supplies will be required to be stored at a medical office with limited access and would be available to designated workers such as an advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant.
“We need to ensure that all communities in our state are protected and that they know what is going into their body,” Peters said. “I’m glad that we are taking this important step to make sure that people will not be left to the wolves of the fentanyl overdose crisis.”
The measure was signed into law on Thursday and takes effect immediately.
* Gov. Pritzker…
Governor JB Pritzker signed HB4165 into law today, marking the creation of the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act. The act, introduced by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago), is a crucial step towards addressing recent drownings in Lake Michigan and preventing future accidents by requiring public rescue equipment on all piers or drop-off points on the lake. The act also lays out new guidelines for reporting drowning events and establishing water safety guidelines.
“The stories of recent drownings on Lake Michigan are both tragic and preventable,” said Governor Pritzker. “This law will protect countless families from experiencing those same terrible losses and ensure a safer Lake Michigan for the thousands of Illinoisans who enjoy it every year.”
The act requires both private and government-owned piers and drop-off points to be outfitted with public rescue equipment such as flotation devices. Beyond requiring easily accessible flotation devices, the act also requires local governments to post warnings in high-incident areas and standardizes reporting of drowning incidents to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act was proposed following the death of 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros, who drowned in Lake Michigan in August of 2021. Cisneros’ family and activists in Rogers Park advocated for increased water safety measures after the tragic accident and several other incidents in the neighborhood in recent years.
2020 was one of the deadliest summers on Lake Michigan in years with 56 drowning deaths recorded, prompting legislators and community groups to advocate for laws like the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act. The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a water safety advocacy group, cites Lake Michigan as the Great Lake with the highest rate of drownings. Drownings often happen quickly and with little noise. Public safety officials recommend using wearable flotation devices, closely monitoring children at play, and assessing weather conditions carefully before swimming.
“Governor Pritzker’s partnership advancing thoughtful and impactful legislation remains a hallmark of his administration,” said State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). “Today’s signing of this community-driven problem-solving initiative continues to illustrate his belief in empowering our communities to seek solutions that work. I’m grateful all to the advocates, especially the Cisneros family, who turned their grief into action and brought us to this day.”
“We have had too many tragic and, in many cases, preventable deaths on Lake Michigan,” said State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago). “Simple rescue equipment like lifesavers are an effective way to help people get to safety in case they fall or find themselves struggling in the water.”
“The passage of this law is an example of how democracy should work,” said 49th Ward Alderman Maria Hadden. “Thank you to the community leaders who implored us to do more to prevent further tragedies at our lakefront. Having this new standard for saving is the right thing to do to save lives.”
“This is great progress toward a safer Lake Michigan shoreline, with so many more life rings becoming available,” said Jamie Racklyeft, Executive Director, Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium. “This successful bill can now serve as a template for other Great Lakes states, counties, communities, and parks interested in ways to keep their residents and visitors safer around the water.
“In 2018 on a Chicago beach we frantically searched for something that could float while helplessly watching a child fatally submerge and witnessing several would-be-rescuers turn into victims needing rescuing themselves,” said Halle Quezada Rasmussen, Founder of Collective Resource Compost. “This weekend, I stood in front of a life ring at that same spot and whispered to the 13-year girl we lost, ‘this is for you.’ Of course, it is too late for her and I will never stop wishing this could bring her back, but her legacy will live in this law, ensuring that when the unthinkable unfolds, we will have a fighting chance at survival. I am so grateful to everyone who made this progress possible—if we can reduce preventable deaths, we should and now, we are.”
* SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley…
We are pleased to commend our legislative leaders, Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Ann Gillespie and Rep. Anna Moeller for the passage and signing of the Illinois Nursing Home Rate Reform bill into law.
Today, as a result of the outspoken voices of our members, allies, and supporters, including former nursing home worker and SEIU Healthcare member, Rep. Lakesia Collins, we are now able to address the nursing home industry’s failure to invest public funds into the most critical component of our care industry, our health care staff. This law will ensure that nursing home funding has a path through to those that provide direct care and crucial services to our most vulnerable populations.
As a union of over 90,000 members with over 12,000 being nursing home workers in hundreds of facilities throughout the state, it is imperative we uplift the necessity of investing in a care economy that supports safe staffing and retention as well as livable wages so that the workforce remains viable and most importantly sustainable. This law will establish a culture of accountability that will benefit skilled workers such as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) who provide the majority of direct care to residents and have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long.
We look forward to the life changing impact this groundbreaking law will have on the quality of life for direct care providers and nursing home residents throughout Illinois for generations to come.
* Sen. Fine…
Universities will no longer be able to withhold transcripts from students who have not yet paid off their tuition balance, thanks to a new law led by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview).
“As a former professor, I have witnessed firsthand the immense sacrifices, including taking on debt, students undertake to earn their degree and pursue a fulfilling career,” Fine said. “The practice of withholding transcripts can make it harder for students to find the necessary employment to pay off their debts. This law will ensure students have access to the documents they have earned through hard work, regardless of outstanding debt.”
Under Fine’s legislation, universities will be prohibited from withholding unofficial transcripts as a means of debt collection. Employers will be able to request official transcripts of those students seeking employment. Fine’s legislation will also require colleges and universities to institute a hardship policy, which will help students who have to drop out of a school due to an illness or significant financial burden the ability to re-enroll at a later date. Lastly, SB 3032 ensures debt collection agencies cannot use a past due debt with a college or university against a student’s credit rating.
“Students often go into debt with the expectation that their degree will give them the opportunity to get a well-paying job, which will help them pay off their loans,” Fine said. “Withholding transcripts, a practice that disproportionately impacts low-income or minority populations, creates additional barriers to financial independence. This law will give a pathway for students to pursue a career with the degree they earned while working to repay their debts.”
Senate Bill 3032 was signed into law May 27, 2022. It will go into effect immediately.
* Sen. Simmons…
Youth in Illinois will now begin to receive specialized education on mental health resources after a measure championed by State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) becomes law.
“This measure addresses a critical gap in the support systems that we need to offer our youth to be able to remain emotionally well,” Simmons said. “Our youth have been so resilient during these past few years, but many of the broader issues amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic have put a severe strain on the mental health of our young people. It’s imperative that we prioritize the mental health and well-being of our young people and center the experiences they are voicing and actually living through.”
Senate Bill 4028 will ensure that the curricula for elementary and secondary schools would be required to include how and where to find mental health resources in the state. The measure helps make students aware of mental health services that are available to them and helps erase the broader stigma behind mental health.
The measure was in part inspired by two of Simmons’ Youth People’s Legislative Councils, where Simmons discussed with young people themselves the issues that are salient to them such as violence and access to mental health as part of his mission to empower young people to become more involved in policy making.
“The struggle to find adequate resources for mental health is an issue that I hear time and time again when I meet with young people in the district I represent,” Simmons said. “I am pleased that we will begin to deliver practical resources to support our youth directly in our schools.”
Senate Bill 4028 was signed into law and takes immediately.
* Sen. Fine…
–An initiative led by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), will protect pollinators like bees and butterflies by setting guidelines on the spraying of certain pesticides.
“Pollinators are essential to the health of our environment and our agriculture,” Fine said. “This law guarantees that they are not unnecessarily killed by pesticides targeting mosquitos, allowing them to continue to play their vital role in our ecosystem.”
The legislation restricts when commercial pesticides, also known as “mosquitocides,” can be applied to surfaces where mosquitoes feed, such as plant leaves, turf or mulch. As many other insects often feed on these areas, pollinators can be unintended victims of pesticides during colder seasons when the mosquito population is lower. This law intends to limit the harm to pollinators at the hands of these pesticides.
“Pollinators are a key element of the circle of life. When our young constituent, Scarlett Harper, brought this problem to my attention I knew I had to do something,” said Rep. Gabel. “This bill protects bees and butterflies by ensuring that yard workers are educated about the best and worst times to spray for mosquitos and limiting the time for spraying. Thank you to Scarlett for her organizing and to Senator Fine for helping to shepherd this bill through the process.”
In the event of a public health emergency, like a virus transmitted through mosquito bites, the law allows for pesticides to be sprayed to stop such an emergency. Until then, this law prohibits spraying pesticides from October 16th through April 14th every year. This legislation will also require additional notification for when mosquitocide is sprayed in residential areas and would also prevent it from being sprayed on windy days, preventing pesticide drift. Fine is hopeful that this initiative will set an example for more environmental stewardship in lawmaking.
House Bill 3118 was signed into law May 27, 2022. It will take effect Jan. 1, 2023.
* Sen. Collins…
State Senator Jacqueline Collins sponsored a new law addressing the collateral consequences of cannabis use criminalization.
“People looking to correct their criminal record should not be stopped from meaningfully participating in society because of a positive drug test for cannabis,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “We have to stop treating its use as grounds for dismissal with respect to jobs and petition-filing.”
Individuals seeking to expunge or seal a felony conviction were previously required to take and pass a drug test to show the absence of illegal substance, including cannabis. House Bill 4392 will now allow petitioners to continue the filing process despite a positive test for cannabis. The new law was signed Friday.
Expungement and sealing are ways of allowing individuals to hide or clear their record, expanding their access to job opportunities and certain spaces. Before the signing of Collins’ law, despite cannabis’ legality in Illinois, a positive test would affect petitioners’ filing outcome prior to case consideration.
“People deserve second chances, and it is important that we afford this opportunity to those whose circumstances may have led them to crime,” Collins said. “This legislation is especially meaningful for our communities of color, who face disproportionate disparities in the criminal justice system.”
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
* Finally, a press release from a state Representative…
Children with autism spectrum disorder on Medicaid in Illinois will soon have access to a life-changing form of therapy.
Two years ago, Representative Conroy was responsible for the Illinois General Assembly’s decision to appropriate funds to cover Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy under Medicaid. But because ABA therapists and technicians were not licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the money set aside to help children who have autism on Medicaid sat in state coffers unused.
ABA therapy can be extremely helpful for children with autism. To make Medicaid-covered ABA therapy a reality, Representative Conroy passed House Bill 4769 to update Illinois’ licensure practices and accommodate the analysts who engage in this important work.
The bill successfully passed both the Illinois House and the Illinois Senate and was signed by Governor Pritzker on May 27th, 2022. This legislation requires the IDFPR to license the behavior analysts, assistant behavior analysts, and behavior technicians that perform this life-changing therapy. As a result, ABA therapy will finally be covered under Medicaid. The legislation went into effect immediately after being signed by the governor.
This essential initiative is the result of over four years of work. Proponents of the new law include Autism Speaks, Mid-State Special Education, and the Illinois Autism Insurance Coalition, among others.
Representative Conroy is committed to promoting a high quality of life for everyone with autism. Those interested in learning more about this legislation are encouraged to contact Representative Conroy’s Villa Park office by calling 630-415-3520 or emailing RepDebConroy@gmail.com.
* Gov. JB Pritzker contributed $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Illinois earlier today. I’ve asked both DPI and the governor’s campaign for a response, but haven’t yet heard back. Pritzker is currently backing candidates who are expected to vote for a new DPI chair and he refused to be pinned down on whether he supported the current chair earlier this week, so that’s why this is noteworthy.
…Adding… “The party is supportive of all Democrats and we’re going to do what we need to do to win and that includes supporting the governor,” said DPI spokesperson Jake Lewis.
…Adding… “The governor is proud to support Democrats up and down the ticket and will continue to work with pro-choice, pro-worker candidates at every level of government to defend against Republican extremism,” said Natalie Edelstein of the Pritzker campaign.
We’ve got to focus on making sure we support our men and women who wear that badge who keep us safe every day. Matter of fact, I’m endorsed by the FOP, state FOP here in the state…
In response, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police issued a press release early this afternoon…
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge, a fraternal organization that proudly represents more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers, has made no endorsement in the primary races for Illinois Governor. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge has made no such endorsement in the Governor’s race in past primary elections and has continued that non-endorsement practice for the June 28 Illinois primary election.
“Other FOP organizations in Illinois may have made such endorsements this year, but not the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge,” said Illinois FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “We encourage any gubernatorial candidate who has received an endorsement to clearly specify the organization in order to avoid confusion among the voters of Illinois, including our members.”
Irvin was endorsed by the FOP Labor Council, which is a different group.
* Irvin, by the way, has a new version of his “focus group” TV ads. Click here to watch a bunch of white folks talking about how the “brave” Irvin has the “core inner strength” to utter the phrase “All lives matter.”
Jonathan Jackson, a frontrunner in the crowded House Democratic primary to replace Rep. Bobby Rush, failed to file a required financial disclosure report though all his leading rivals followed the law.
“That’s an oversight and a mistake that I did not file,” Jackson told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday.
Asked how he did not know he had to file a personal financial disclosure document, Jackson said, “I was not informed by the people that I’m working with.”
From fellow CD1 candidate and state Senator Jacqui Collins…
I’m disappointed Mr. Jackson failed to file his financial disclosure report – something fundamental to running a campaign and required by law. Transparency and ethics are vital components of our democracy. As someone who has served in the General Assembly and fought for ethics reform, I understand how desperately it’s needed. If Jonathan Jackson can’t show us a commitment to ethics now, how can voters trust him in Congress?
Pritzker was asked at a news conference about Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s decision to withdraw from that city’s Pride Parade after organizers decided uniformed police officers may not take part. Irvin is running in the Republican gubernatorial primary in hopes of going on to challenge Pritzker.
“I don’t think we need to be making choices one way or the other. I stand up for our police – for our LGBTQ police officers – and for the LGBTQ community more broadly,” Pritzker said. “I think that’s what we ought to be doing.”
* Jesse Sullivan again pledged last night to cut the state budget by $10 billion. How?…
By doing pension reform, by actually consolidating more units of government than any state in the nation, more per capita government workers than any state in the nation. We need a hiring freeze and we need a corruption and patronage audit that I will do from my office. And we are going to lower the taxes on the people of Illinois look more like Texas and Florida, not New York and California and Mr. Bailey, how
He’d have to basically eliminate all state pension payments to meet that goal. Also, Illinois has one of the lowest per capita rates of state government workers. C’mon, man.
…Adding… More from the debate via the DGA…
In last night’s #ILGov GOP debate, one thing was clear: The other Republicans in the field are fed up with Richard Irvin’s corruption and lies.
The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action is endorsing Richard Irvin in his bid to head the Republican ticket for governor. In a statement, AFP Action senior adviser Jason Heffley cited Irvin’s “exemplary record” as mayor of Aurora. “We need a governor like Richard Irvin who has the experience and courage to pass balanced budgets while cutting taxes.”
— Billionaire Dick Uihlein just gave another $3 million to Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign for governor.
Heffley was a member of the Rauner administration and ran Erika Harold’s 2014 campaign, and Bailey got that money two days ago.
* More…
* Tribune endorses Alexi Giannoulias and Dan Brady for secretary of state: But even if his ambitions might eventually land elsewhere, Giannoulias has the edge here. He has a thick binder of achievements as state treasurer, useful experience for the office he now seeks. And he’s clearly thought through the technological challenges of the potential new job, suggesting the creation of a phone app where Illinoisans could digitally manage their driver’s license, vehicle title and yearly registration chores. He also argued that the long lines at the DMV could be done away with if a digital appointment service was put in place and he rightly pointed out that the private sector (not to mention several other states) already has put in place much of the technology Illinois needs.
* Sen. Darren Bailey made a Facebook video outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora today to announce that his galaxy brain had finally figured out why Richard Irvin won’t clearly answer questions about abortion…
The mayor of Aurora, a governor candidate on the Republican ticket refused to answer the abortion question. And then it dawned on me because you’ve seen me here before, you know my passion for life. And I am standing right now in this city of Aurora. And you can see what’s behind me, a Planned Parenthood facility. That’s why Mayor Irvin won’t answer the question because he’s proud of this facility. And as a matter of fact, you can go on his site, you can go on the city of Aurora site and you can see how proud he is of this facility. He helped get it here. He supports it. That’s why he refuses to answer the question.
* Um, Irvin wasn’t even on the city council when the project was approved, and he protested in front of the building. From September 5 of 2007…
Pro-life advocates are calling on the city of Aurora to launch an official investigation into the application process for the construction of a multi-floor building, revealed to be a new abortion facility.
The pro-life advocates discovered that Planned Parenthood had concealed its ownership of the new building, set to open soon in the Chicago suburb. Planned Parenthood officials admitted they concealed ownership to avoid opposition to the construction, reported WorldNetDaily.com.
About 1,200 pro-life advocates assembled over the Aug. 27-28 weekend to protest the structure that had initially been described in the permit application as an office building. The project was proposed to the city by Gemini Office Development.
Alderman Richard Irvin was among the protesters. He was not on the board when the project was approved, but says he is concerned that the building was brought into the city under false pretenses. The municipality could sue Planned Parenthood for being deceptive, he said.
An Oak Park and River Forest High School administrator had just finished a presentation last week about student assessment when school board member Ralph Martire nervously seized upon a phrase that had popped up several times.
“Equitable grading practices — people are going to hear that and not understand it,” he said. “We are going to get some very uninformed comments about this.”
He was right. Within days a website called West Cook News used the presentation as the basis for a story that claimed the school was creating a race-based grading system that would require teachers “to account for the skin color or ethnicity of its students.”
Nothing in the presentation suggested such a policy, and school officials say the story is false. But the account, magnified by influencers and conservative media, still rocketed around the internet, leading to volleys of insulting comments and what the school called “unnecessary confusion.”
The story also spilled over into Illinois politics. Darren Bailey, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, told West Cook News the supposed grading policy was “the latest example of ‘woke’ ideology polluting our schools” and promised to stamp it out if he wins election.
“As Governor, I will put a ban on destructive, “woke” policies that create inequalities and unfairness in our classrooms. Any school district attempting to infect wokeness into the grading policies will be ineligible for state funding.”
Candidate for IL Attorney General Thomas DeVore has filed a defamation suit against David Shestokas (also running for Attorney General), Bobby Pitton (running for US Senate), and 2 other parties. It alleges that the mother of DeVore’s girlfriend (Craig) colluded with Shestokas, Shestokas’ sister, and Pitton in the defamation effort.
In the civil lawsuit filed May 16th, they are alleged to be behind a circulated substack post that accused DeVore of domestic battery among other activities, all of which DeVore says are false and caused harm to his reputation.
The petition was posted to Bobby Pitton’s campaign site and may be downloaded below. The civil lawsuit requests that all parties preserve electronic records for discovery.
DeVore, an Awake IL Warrior, is seeking damages in excess of $50k. We support him getting every dime in damages along with a Republican primary victory for Attorney General.
* He’s also suing Julie Craig, the mother of his girlfriend…
NOW COMES the Plaintiff, THOMAS DEVORE, by and through his attorneys, Polinske & Associates, P.C., and Brian L. Polinske, and in support of his Complaint for Defamation Per Se against Defendant, Julie Craig, and against the Respondents in Discovery, David Shestokas, Jill Shestokas, and Bobby Piton […]
Defendant Craig created a defamatory article alleging the Plaintiff had committed criminal offense(s) such as (Domestic Battery, Obstruction of Justice, Sexual Predator). At no time has the Plaintiff committed a Domestic Battery or any other offense alleged by Craig.
There has never been any investigation against Plaintiff for Domestic Battery, or any other criminal offense proclaimed by Craig. There has never been any complaint made against Plaintiff for Domestic Battery, or any other criminal offense proclaimed by Craig.
Defendant Craig’s post also proclaims the Plaintiff is under investigation by the Attorney Regulation and Disciplinary Commission for, inter alia, complaints against him by current or former clients. There are no complaints pending against Plaintiff with the Attorney Regulation and Disciplinacy Commission made against him by any current or fonner clients. Her claims therefore alleged that the Plaintiff is unfit to practice as an attorney.
Defendant Craig’s post also proclaims that the Plaintiff was intoxicated in public (above the legal limit) on or about April 20, 2020. At no relevant time was the Plaintiff intoxicated.
The publication is attached hereto and labelled Plaintiffs Exhibit 1. Defendant Craig has continually expressed public animus towards the Plaintiff on multiple occasions due to her disagreement with the fact that her daughter is dating the Plaintiff. Plaintiff’s Exhibit 1 was sent by Defendant Craig to Respondent Shestokas.
Upon information and belief, Respondent Shestokas and Defendant Craig acted in concert in the production and dissemination of Exhibit 1 in an effort to harm Plaintiff to the personal satisfaction of Craig and to the political benefit of Shestokas. Respondent Shestokas then circulated a copy of the defamatory publication to other members of the general public.
Further Respondent Shestokas caused his staff, Respondent Jill Shestokas, to circulate the defamatory publication to the general public. Respondent Shestokas then, in concert with Respondent Piton caused the defamatory publication to be published to the general public via a fictitiously named Substack account under the name “Roger Casteel, Writer.”
Upon information and belief, Respondent Shestokas, who is also is a candidate running for the elected public office of Illinois Attorney General, has with actual malice caused to be disseminated false information to cause hann to the reputation of Plaintiff in order to further his own political ambitions.
And, yes, the exhibit is at the link.
I saw that story back in April and reached out to DeVore’s girlfriend on Facebook. Here’s her response…
None of it’s true. Thank you.
Tom wasn’t drunk and he never touched me. It’s completely false. Have a nice day.
Inaccurate *
The allegation she made at the time was that DeVore smashed her phone. Video is here and here.
* While we’re on the topic of attorney general candidate DeVore…
The key is this. The PREP Act basically provides liability protection up to the point that it becomes obvious to the person or organization giving the shot that they are killing or harming people. Once you cross that line, you become criminally liable.
So if the CDC says the vaccines are safe, and everyone you give it to dies, and you keep giving it anyway, you are criminally liable. Then your fate is up to the jury.
The PREP Act was never intended as a license to kill.
In addition, there is something known as “jury nullification” where a jury can invalidate an unjust law. This is typically used to exonerate someone, but it can also be used in the reverse direction to convict someone as noted in the Wikipedia article: “It may also happen that a jury convicts a defendant even if no law was broken.”
So once a pharmacy chain in their area/state is put on notice by a district attorney or attorney general or their local Sheriff that the vaccines are killing people and that if they persist in giving the shots and someone is seriously injured or dies, they could be criminally prosecuted, what do you think most pharmacy chains will do?
* Remember that Daily Herald editorial board endorsement of Steve Kim?…
His opponents — David Shestokas of Orland Park and Thomas DeVore of downstate Greenville — are talented attorneys and skilled critics of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s authority to mandate COVID-19 restrictions
Corrupt politicians have ruined Illinois and put special interests over people. But I’ve spent my life fighting special interests abd putting the people of Illinois first, I’m Dan Brady, and I’m running for Secretary of State to make government work for you. As Secretary of State, I want to put you first by modernizing your office, reducing wait times and supporting law enforcement. By partnering with the brightest innovators and technology experts, we can make the Secretary of State’s office work for you. Vote Dan Brady, Republican on June 28th.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin defended himself Thursday evening against primary rivals he said were “threatened” by his frontrunner status — while chief adversary Darren Bailey grinned broadly as he alternately lobbed attacks and tried to paint himself as a friendly farmer who “is actually going to tell the truth.”
“You should not become governor,” Bailey told Irvin, who responded by saying he wouldn’t be “lectured” by the downstate state senator. […]
Sullivan — who called himself the outsider candidate — was the first to go after Irvin, claiming the Aurora mayor stood alongside Pritzker in supporting lockdowns and mandates during the pandemic.
Bailey frequently interrupted Irvin and the others as they spoke. At one point, during a question about mandates, Bailey turned to Irvin and told him he shouldn’t be elected governor because he’s a “Democrat” and a “corrupt Democrat.”
“I won’t be lectured by someone like Darren Bailey who had a mask mandate on his own farm,” Irvin shot back. […]
“If you want a farmer to lead the state, Darren’s your guy. If this is a beauty contest … Jesse wins by a landslide. If you want a Democrat to lead the Republican Party, Richard is your guy,” [Gary Rabine] said.
“There’s nobody else running up here that’s freed up rapists as well as wife beaters,” Rabine said of Irvin’s tough-on-crime imagery. “I can’t see how you’re going to govern the state that way.”
But Irvin largely refused to engage his rival’s attacks.
“My opponents here on the stage are attacking me and I understand and I get it,” he said. “They’re threatened by the fact that I’m violating their political aspirations and I’m hurting their political aspirations.” […]
Sullivan criticized Irvin for once again refusing to go further and say if he thought the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permitted abortion without extensive government regulation should be overturned.
“I think conservatives around the state need to take this opportunity to hear from Richard Irvin. Do you support the overturning of Roe vs. Wade? Do you support taxpayer funded abortions? This is a clear conservative value that people deserve to hear from you on.”
“I’m not interested in defeating you just because you’re a Democrat,” state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, said as he turned toward Irvin. “I’m interested in defeating you because you’re a corrupt Democrat.” […]
As he has before on abortion, Irvin never explicitly said whether he’d take steps to ban the procedure in Illinois or if he would allow certain exemptions like rape and incest. The only on-topic response he made to the question was a vow to reimpose parental notification for minors seeking abortions, a requirement that Pritzker abolished and that took effect this week.
“Did you answer the question yet?” Rabine interjected during a meandering response Irvin delivered on abortion.
“Richard Irvin, the great imposter,” Bailey scowled moments later after noting his own litany of anti-abortion endorsements. […]
“We must offer…mental health solutions and help these people to be able to get help and to be able to function in life,” Bailey said, laying out his abstract plan to target potentially unhinged gunmen before they strike. “I think that’s the only solution we have.”
Without offering specifics of his own, Irvin cited the need to make sure “we keep these guns out of the hands of criminals and keep these guns out of the hands of people with mental illnesses.”
Moderator Alan Krashesky asked about requiring masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases rise.
Bailey, who sued the state in 2020 over masking, said, “I’m the only person here who actually did something.” […]
Irvin, seen by some political experts as the front-runner in the race, deflected jabs about taxes and crime in Aurora.
“My opponents here on the stage are attacking me, and I understand and I get it,” he said. “They’re threatened by the fact that … I’m hurting their political aspirations.”
Bailey got some heat for claiming he defeated Pritzker. Both Rabine and Schimpf noted that the case had been tossed.
More later.
…Adding… Oops. I forgot about the Mike Miletich story…
Candidates were also asked if they were able to work across the aisle with Democrats to get their policies passed in Springfield. Bailey claimed he has worked in a bipartisan manner as a state lawmaker and even believes some Democrats are afraid to defy Pritzker.
“There are many Democrats that think like we do around this circle,” Bailey said. “But unfortunately, they feel hindered that they won’t get re-elected if they subscribe to these policies of freedom, and lower taxes, and safe streets. When I have that pulpit and when I’m able to express that message, I think that we’ll have many come along.”
Irvin emphasized that he was elected as a Republican mayor in a Democratic stronghold. He said that there has been bipartisan work with Democrats on the Aurora city council and lawmakers in Springfield to bring resources back to his community. But he quickly contradicted that statement by focusing on having GOP control in Springfield.
“I’m going to use our resources, I’m going to use our infrastructure. I’m going to use our ground game, not just to help myself and my running mate, Rep. Avery Bourne, but to help every Republican up and down the ballot to make sure that we get rid of that supermajority that the Democrats have,” Irvin said.
