* The Illinois House Speaker contributed $100,001 today to Friends of Michael J. Madigan. Under state law, his personal committee can now accept unlimited contributions. Madigan did the same thing in 2018, but that was in the months leading up to the general election. Click here for the fresh A-1.
As we’ve already discussed, Madigan’s been spending a lot of money on legal fees this year. But this is also probably a good indication that he’s serious about expanding his partisan margin and protecting his members next year - in both the primary and general elections.
…Adding… In other campaign news…
Milestone: We just surpassed 500,000 voters registered since Illinois' Automatic Voter Registration law went into effect in July 2018.
Against a backdrop of sexual and workplace harassment in the state capital, one of Illinois’ most politically potent corporations is grappling with a #MeToo moment of its own.
According to internal documents obtained by Crain’s, Chicago-based Exelon determined that David Fein, the company’s senior vice president in charge of state government relations and its most visible executive in Springfield, violated its code of conduct in his interactions with several women at the company. The documents were prepared for separate human resources meetings in May, one with Fein and another with one woman who had complained about his behavior. Crain’s obtained the documents after they were inadvertently distributed electronically to multiple company employees. […]
Fein, 52, is Exelon’s primary senior-executive voice in Springfield and these days is arguing for legislation that would funnel more ratepayer money to Illinois nuclear plants that are struggling financially amid low wholesale power prices. The company has said in Securities & Exchange Commission filings that three power stations—Dresden in Morris, Byron near Rockford and Braidwood in Braceville—are at risk of early closure within the next four years if financial conditions don’t improve or the state doesn’t bail them out. […]
The document called this Fein’s “final warning” and informed him he could be fired for cause if he took a chance that any future overtures would be “welcome.”
Embattled Ald. Edward Burke is no longer a partner at the downtown law firm where he did property tax appeal work for a long list of influential businesses and where federal authorities allege he tried to strong-arm people into becoming clients in exchange for help at City Hall, records show.
According to paperwork the Klafter & Burke law firm filed with Secretary of State Jesse White’s office in April, Burke dissociated from his partnership in the firm. That leaves Burke’s daughter, Jennifer, and two others as partners in the firm, according to the documents. […]
It was unclear from the paperwork whether Burke retains a relationship with the firm or if he profited from dissociating himself from the partnership. […]
Klafter & Burke filed the paperwork less than two weeks after Lori Lightfoot won the mayoral election on a platform that prominently featured her hammering the alderman as a vestige of the bad old days of Chicago politics where connected insiders get rich and the public suffers because of it. Lightfoot has called on Burke to resign as alderman.
A former assistant director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs made “sexually-oriented comments” and used “inappropriate and highly offensive race-based language” while on the job, according to a recently released report from the Office of Executive Inspector General.
The investigation that led to those findings was underway in May 2018 when Harry Sawyer resigned from his post at the state VA. The inspector general found that Sawyer’s sexually inappropriate comments did not rise to the level of violating state ethics laws.
Sawyer, of Lombard, a Navy veteran and 36-year state employee, was briefly in line to head the Department of Veterans’ Affairs after then-Director Erica Jeffries turned in her resignation amid the fallout over the agency’s handling of a deadly outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease at a veterans home in Quincy in western Illinois.
Instead, Sawyer, who earned $98,543 annually as assistant director, resigned the same day Jeffries left office, May 18, 2018. He now collects an annual state pension of $58,358.64.
As we discussed yesterday, Director Jeffries knew of the probe into Sawyer when she announced he’d be taking over for her.
IDVA Assistant Director Sawyer retired this past summer after 33 years of service to our Illinois Veterans. He joined IDVA in 1982 as a VSO and worked over three decades assisting our Illinois Heroes and family members. As a young man, Harry enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Agerholm (DD 826), including a tour off the coast of Vietnam. Completing his enlistment in 1970, he received an honorable discharge and returned to Illinois where he worked as a florist until 1979, when he began assisting his fellow veterans as a service offi- cer with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sawyer is a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other organizations. Thank you, Harry, for your service and your leadership here at IDVA.
And the accompanying photograph of a retirement ceremony held for Sawyer after he was reportedly allowed to resign rather than be fired…
* I asked IDVA’s spokesperson these three questions at noon today…
1) Why did IDVA hold a retirement ceremony for Harry Sawyer after he quit instead of being forced to resign?
2) Why did IDVA then include a photo of that ceremony in its October, 2018 newsletter?
3) Why did IDVA general counsel/ethics officer Pennix and deputy general counsel Eddington attend that ceremony?
This is what they sent me a few minutes ago…
Harry Sawyer’s comments were completely inappropriate, violating both the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs handbook and the State of Illinois code of personal conduct. The IDVA is working with the new administration to ensure a safe and respectful work environment so that it can focus on its top priority: Providing our veteran heroes with the highest quality care and services.
More than two dozen strategists, analysts and campaign advisers who spoke to POLITICO said the hiring and pay trends they’re seeing this presidential cycle represent a sea change in an industry long dominated by men. No longer elbowed out of major decision-making, women more than ever are shaping messaging and strategy as well as steering policy and financial decisions of presidential campaigns.
Anne Caprara, who ran Hillary Clinton’s 2016 super PAC, Priorities USA, said for years it was common for female staffers to earn $10,000 or $20,000 less than men for doing the same work on different campaigns, or even within the same operation.
“On behalf of all the women who have worked on campaigns, it is about f***ing time that this has happened — and you can quote me on that,” Caprara said. “I really relish the day when this is not a story, when we’re not having these conversations of ‘are we paying men and women equal?’”
Caprara is, of course, Gov. Pritzker’s former campaign manager and current chief of staff.
What purpose does Michael J. Madigan serve for Illinois Democrats anymore?
Until recently, the speaker of the Illinois House was the state party’s problematic but predictably dogged counterpuncher to former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a ruthless enforcer of discipline on matters of policy and power if not principles, a deployer of patronage armies, an arbiter of who got what votes, money and, bottom line, permission to pursue any agenda of import in Springfield. To be frozen out by Madigan was to be frozen out—period—and generations of Democrats during his three-decade-plus hold on the legislative reins learned to live with the downsides of his omnipresence in exchange for the seemingly ineradicable grip on control that his speakership guaranteed the party.
All that power, remarkably concentrated in one man, could have been wielded for the larger good since Madigan became speaker in 1983—resolving, say, the pension crisis that threatens to swamp Illinois’ government and ultimately its economy, improving education and services for Illinois residents, or enacting taxation and regulatory reforms that would make the state more competitive with its neighbors as a place to live, work and invest. Instead, that firepower has seemingly been targeted toward one distinct purpose: the acquisition and maintenance of one man’s influence, that of Michael J. Madigan, the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in U.S. history.
Meanwhile, the state has suffered a slow decline, punctuated by the occasional body blow—governors sent to jail, corporate headquarters opportunities missed, one credit rating downgrade heaped atop another. Illinois now lands at No. 45 out of 50 states on U.S. News & World Report’s recent ranking of state-by-state economic growth and 50th on its measurement of fiscal stability. Illinois’ higher education system, its nonprofit social safety net and its infrastructure are only just recovering from the two-year-long budget stalemate between Madigan and his former nemesis, Rauner. And Illinois has lost population every year since 2014. Along the way, Madigan has become the most despised public official in the state, a persona so toxic as to be a public relations liability for every Democrat seeking office from dogcatcher on up.
* The Question: What purpose does Michael J. Madigan serve for Illinois Democrats anymore? Make sure to fully explain your answers, please.
* For whatever reason, a former Trump advisor running for Congress in the Chicago suburbs reached out to the New York Post to announce her campaign…
A conservative young Latina from Illinois is running for Congress as the anti-AOC.
Republican Catalina Lauf, 26, who is hoping to snag a Democratic-held seat outside Chicago, supports President Trump’s border wall, cites Ronald Reagan as an idol and hopes to be a counterweight to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional “Squad.”
If Lauf wins the seat, she would break the Bronx-Queens representative’s record as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
“I think it’s time that people step forward who want to unite the country and do it for the right reasons,” Lauf told The Post.
The self-described “lifelong conservative” on Tuesday announced she is running in the state’s 14th Congressional District west of the Windy City — and will be taking on incumbent Democrat Lauren Underwood.
Lauf is a former Trump administration adviser from Woodstock, Ill., who describes herself as “Latina by heart, American first” — born to an American father and Guatemalan mother. […]
Lauf accused the 32-year-old incumbent of not representing the mostly rural, traditionally Republican district that the Democrats narrowly won with 52.5% of the vote in the 2018 midterm election.
A bombshell new report today by NPR uncovered serious potential impropriety at the Republican Main Street Partnership (RMSP), a network of political organizations which was co-Chaired by Congressman Rodney Davis during the period in which significant concerns were raised about how millions of dollars of contributions were spent. According to one former GOP lawmaker quoted by NPR: “It just all smelled really bad.”
According to NPR’s report, lawmakers and GOP operatives have questioned the use of hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions by Sarah Chamberlain, the Executive Director of the groups co-led by Davis, and that there’s fear the organization may be “running afoul of campaign finance and tax laws.”
When contacted by NPR, Congressman Davis refused to answer questions, and quietly cut his ties to group, even though NPR reports that “before Election Day, sources said, there was a growing list of questions about Chamberlain’s leadership of RMSP,” meaning that these actions were happening under Davis’ watch.
Even worse? This network’s Super PAC spent $200,000 last year to prop up Rodney Davis’ re-election campaign, raising further questions about spending decisions at the organization, and Rodney’s role in them.
“Rodney Davis needs to come clean with the public about what he knew about potential violation of federal law at the shadowy political network that he helped oversee, and when he knew it” said DCCC spokesperson Mike Gwin. “We already knew that Rodney Davis is a career politician who feels more at home at high-dollar fundraisers in DC than listening to his constituents, but this report raises serious questions about what he’s been doing in the Washington swamp.”
* The comptroller stopped by the SIUC Daily Egyptian office today for about an hour. The DE’s Photography and Multimedia Editor Isabel Miller is standing next to Mendoza in this pic. Isse is my niece…
* The Illinois Municipal League has taken a very conservative approach to informing its members about the new cannabis legalization law. So, some legislators have taken it upon themselves to provide more information…
The offices of Representative Kelly Cassidy, Senator Heather Steans, Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Senator Toi Hutchinson are releasing a Local Government toolkit for the implementation of HB 1438, or the Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act. All offices have received requests for assistance and information from governments across the state on the steps they need to take before implementation in their jurisdictions. Within the Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act legislators took specific steps to allow local governments to determine whether and how they would allow cannabis businesses and dispensaries within their jurisdiction.
“We are giving local governments the control they have asked for and many have already started making decisions and voting on their ordinances,” said Senator Steans, D-Chicago.
While possession and private consumption will be legal throughout the state, some governments may decide to opt out, while others will seek to go even further than the state law does in terms of social equity and inclusion. This toolkit outlines various ways to go about that process.
“We believe this toolkit will be most useful to smaller local governments that may not have the staff and resources to look into the details of the new law,” said Rep. Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria.
While organizations such as the Illinois Municipal League have compiled recommendations as well, they are focused solely on how to ‘opt out’ rather than offering the full scope of possibilities. The toolkit discusses the wide variety of options available to local governments. They have the ability to establish zoning conditions for placement of cannabis businesses, impose additional taxes, add equity provisions such as fee waivers and loans, and allow social use spaces or ‘lounges’ for consumption.
“Think of everything in the bill as a floor, not a ceiling. This is just the beginning - there is still room for change. We are allowing local governments to work on their equity provisions as they see fit,” said Senator Hutchinson, D-Park Forest.
The toolkit also provides example city ordinances and links to corresponding parts of the law itself. Governments can use ordinances created by cities such as San Francisco, Denver, and Las Vegas to model their own implementation of the Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act. The intention is to leave as much as possible up to local governments, while providing them the tools necessary to implement legalization to best suit the needs of their communities.
It’s my opinion this state shouldn’t have legalized alcohol’s “leafy cousin” until it had answers for the questions being pondered by the Effingham County Board, et al, such as: What happens when an employee or applicant tests positive for it? What are the employers’ legal rights? What are the rights of the potential hire/employee? And there are other concerns. The fact remains that marijuana in recent times was considered a “gateway” drug. What happened to that theory? Did it just cease to be now that states are legalizing it?
The employer/employee questions can be answered with a quick Google search. For instance…
The Act provides employers with strong workplace protections, more than any other state that has legalized marijuana use.
And the theory about cannabis being a gateway drug is still being pushed by some folks. It’s not really a great argument, however. For one, legalization takes weed out of the hands of illegal drug dealers, who likely have other, more potent drugs available for customers. Legal dispensaries will not be selling heroin, cocaine or crack. Again, try the Google.
* Related…
* Weed-bill sponsors worry local governments will get greedy - If municipalities and counties charge the maximum tax of 6 percent, it could cut into legalized sales, legislators warn
.
* The high road: Cannabis will be legal in Illinois as of Jan. 1 and Beloit police are worried: “You’re talking Madison here,” said South Beloit Mayor Ted Rehl. “Like, ‘Oh, my god, Disneyland just moved closer.’” … But with the prospect of a 3% cut of tax revenue from cannabis sales, South Beloit is all in. In a cash-strapped community where property values have remained stagnant for the past decade, it’s a no-brainer for Rehl.
* Plano City Council to soon start recreational marijuana talks: Hausler said he does not know how the full City Council feels about recreational marijuana, but it seems like most are in favor of the city opting in and taxing those sales. He said he also has had discussions with law enforcement about their concerns, including how no one knows for sure how it will affect the city’s police department or calls for service.
* Bloomington Seeks To Lift Gambling Moratorium, Create Cannabis Plan: Carrillo got a lukewarm response from her colleagues to her request to establish a task force to examine how the city should foster a marijuana industry when its recreational use becomes legal next year. She noted the Town of Normal has already started its own discussion.
* In an informal 4-3 vote, the Highland Park City Council opted to take a “wait and see” approach to recreational cannabis businesses: Although the vote was informal, the opinion expressed by majority means it will be practically impossible for a business to open up in town on Jan. 1 when the first early approval licensees can begin selling recreational cannabis to adults in Illinois.
* The Auditor General’s report is here. It covered two fiscal years, ending June 30, 2018. Center Square…
An audit of Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services found significant deficiencies and noncompliance that a family justice advocate said shows the state agency is failing.
While the number of instances where the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services didn’t follow up on cases in a timely manner was small, Family Justice Resource Center Executive Director Michelle Weidner said each case involved the life of a child. […]
Nearly half the cases reviewed were not completed in a timely manner, the audit found. Nearly two-thirds of the cases didn’t have initial service plans in a timely manner as required, and 80 percent didn’t have integrated assessments completed.
The audit said failure to follow procedures, regulations and state law could result in inadequate care, unauthorized services or misuse of state funds. Findings of incomplete child welfare files were first reported in state audits more than 20 years ago. […]
While the percentage of cases of neglect and abuse that the agency failed to investigate within 24 hours was also a fraction of a percent (116 of 81,229, or 0.14 percent), the audit said failure to respond to such reports could result in further endangerment.
Weidner said people should not let small numbers downplay the significance.
“That fraction of a percent is represented by the cases that people don’t want to talk about,” Weidner said. “The cases like AJ Freund and Ja’hir Gibbons (both cases of DCFS-involved children who died this year) and the cases in which people are facing medically-based wrongful allegations and these cases matter. It matters to the people who are part of that small percentage.”
The detailed audit report by Sikich published by the Auditor General also found in fiscal 2017 three of 250 child death reviews were not conducted within the 90-day time frame as required by law.
“Failure to comply with the Act diminishes the effectiveness of the purposes for which the child death review teams serve and also is noncompliance with duties mandated by the Act,” the audit said.
The report found there was no documentation of a state central register created for 45 percent of the 60 examined hotline calls.
In other words, if someone calls the hotline about a child, it is supposed to be logged into a central registry – so that if someone calls about the child again, DCFS workers are aware and respond accordingly.
[Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert] said the lack of a prior report could impact the attention a child’s case receives.
The auditor general also found the DCFS has only half of the required number of bilingual caseworkers, which could also impact services.
Several other internal control violations were reported, including some related to untimeliness in the department in its requests for federal reimbursements, filing of accident reports, employee performance evaluations, and approval of contracts. Three findings were duplicated in a separate financial audit, also released Thursday.
In a management assertion letter in the report, child welfare leaders said they acted appropriately in the use of state funds, followed accounting and record-keeping procedures, and complied with applicable laws and regulations “other than what has been previously disclosed.”
Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza’s office today is releasing $14.7 million that has been held up for years for improvements at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
The airport’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility opened years ago. The state’s share of the cost was tied up by the state budget impasse that paralyzed Springfield for two years. The airport was paying up to $100,000 a month on interest payments to cover the state’s share while Springfield tried to get its act together.
“The people of the Rockford area have waited long enough for the money they were promised for the Chicago Rockford International Airport,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Keeping our transportation facilities competitive and modern is a priority, and so is keeping our promises.”
Former Gov. Bruce Rauner visited the airport in June 2018 and said the money was on the way. On Wednesday, the voucher arrived in the Comptroller’s office from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and it is being processed and issued today.
It is important to note that this funding is not part of the new $45 billion Build Illinois capital construction program; the $14.7 million is coming from old capital funds that were approved years ago.
The funding was frozen in 2015 by Quinn’s successor, former Gov. Bruce Rauner, amid a budget impasse with lawmakers. State Sen. Steve Stadelman included a $14.7 million appropriation for the airport grant in a budget bill approved by lawmakers last year.
“Our airport is major driver of economic development in the region,” Stadelman said in news release Thursday. “It is important the state honor its commitment, as the airport continues to expand operations and grow in prominence.”
The $14.7 million represents the state’s contribution to the airport’s $40 million maintenance, repair and overhaul center, which opened in 2016. The airport leases the twin-hangar facility to AAR Corp., a Wood Dale-based company that is a global leader in the aircraft maintenance and repair industry.
* Meanwhile, on a related note…
Legislation sponsored by State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) to ensure stable funding for County Cooperative Extension programs, such as 4-H, is now law. House Bill 2264 clarifies language in state statute to ensure funds intended to support extension programs cannot be withheld by the state. The bill was signed into law by the Governor last week.
When the bill passed unanimously in the House back in April, Weber said, “Speaking from my personal experience with our local extension, I can tell you how beneficial these programs are to our youth and our communities. House Bill 2264 is very simple, one word simple in fact, but this one word change will have a major impact on ensuring our extension programs have the stability and security they need to continue their good work.”
As Weber noted, HB 2264 simply changes one word in state law, but by changing this one word, it ensures uniformity between the County Cooperative Extension Law and the Civil Administrative Code. Due to vagueness in previous law, funds meant for the State Cooperative Extension Trust Fund, which helps fund extension programs, was not being regularly deposited. The new uniformity created through HB 2264 means the fund will no longer be shortchanged and stability will be guaranteed for local extension programs.
An Illinois State Police officer was shot while serving a search warrant near Washington Park.
Bommarito Automotive SkyFOX helicopter was over 1426 North 42nd Street and Caseyville Ave. Images show several police departments such as the Illinois State Police, East St. Louis Police and tactical units are on scene.
Illinois State Police confirm that an officer was shot serving a warrant at the home. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound. His condition is not known at this time.
A police source tells FOX 2 that there are three people under arrest. One person is still barricaded in the home.
No comments on this one. Just keep the troopers - all troopers - in your thoughts. And let’s all hope everything goes smoothly for the Executive Protection Unit at the Du Quoin State Fair.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The ISP has released a statement calling the trooper’s injuries “life-threatening”…
llinois State Police (ISP) officials announce an Illinois State Police Trooper has been shot during the execution of a search warrant in the 1400 block of North 42nd Street in East St. Louis in the early morning hours of Friday, August 23, 2019.
At 5:26 A.M., during the execution of the search warrant, there was an exchange of gunfire at the residence and the Trooper was struck. The ISP Trooper received life-threatening injuries and has been transported to a regional hospital. The Trooper is 33 years old and is a 10-year veteran of the ISP.
This is an open and ongoing investigation with an active scene. Additional information will be available at a later time.
An Illinois State Police trooper died from wounds suffered early Friday while executing a search warrant in East St. Louis.
Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, 33, of Waterloo, a 10-year veteran of the force, was wounded during an exchange of gunfire while serving the warrant at an East St. Louis home, said State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly. He later died at a hospital.
After the shooting, police surrounded the home and arrested three people. Police remained on the scene throughout the day, uncertain if another suspect was barricaded in the house, according to authorities. The three people arrested were not identified.
Police didn’t say if anyone else was shot, nor have they revealed the issues addressed in the search warrant.
* Gov. Pritzker…
Today the entire state mourns the loss of ISP South SWAT Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, a young man who dedicated 10 of his 33 years on this earth to protecting the people of Illinois. It is the most courageous among us who choose a life of risk so their communities can go about their lives in peace. The state of Illinois stands with Trooper Hopkins’ family and the entire Illinois State Police family as they grieve the loss of another heroic officer.
* This story is a perfect example of why governors have been extremely reluctant to use taxpayer dollars to maintain the Thompson Center and the executive mansion…
Days before lowering the boom on Chicago taxpayers to erase a $1 billion shortfall, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has signed off on a $220,000 remodeling of the mayor’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall. […]
In a statement issued in response to questions from the Sun-Times, the mayor’s office described the project as a “series of routine upgrades to the mayor’s office, the lobby and hallway into the mayor’s suite and the press briefing room” where news conferences are held.
Similar work has been going on all over City Hall for several years now “to replace outdated ceilings, lighting fixtures, old carpeting, etc.,” the mayor’s office said. […]
“This was one of the last locations needing to be done. Work also includes some minor flooring and counter replacement. This is a continuation of work … started in May in the Mayor’s Office, which consisted of painting, carpet replacement, and moving furniture in and out of the office.”
Could the timing have been better for “optics”? Yup. But this stuff costs money.
The numbers for this year’s Illinois State Fair continue to demonstrate a historically successful event. While records for both revenue and ticket sales were broken for the grandstand lineup, high marks from parking, attendance and vendors were also achieved.
Estimated attendance totals of nearly 509,000 are 37% higher than 2018’s projection of just over 370,000 making it the largest estimated total attendance since 2014. Despite a reduction in admissions for Sunday through Thursday, gate revenue was up over last year’s fair. More parking passes were sold this year than the previous 17 years that this information was recorded. This year’s fair also saw an increase of vendors over last year by nearly 50.
“This year’s fair took an already wonderful event to new heights, breaking records at the grandstand and bringing Illinoisans from all across the state together to celebrate everything that makes Illinois so special,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “From barns packed with all that our agriculture industry has to offer to entertainment for Illinoisans of all ages, I’m thrilled my first state fair as governor was such a success.”
“No matter the metric, this year’s fair was undoubtedly a success,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon. “Our goal was to bring families back to the fair during the week. I feel our decision to reduce admission during the week was rewarded by the attendance of the public. The weather was wonderful, our promotions were well received, our grandstand lineup was historic and I spoke with many vendors and concessionaires pleased with the crowds and their revenues. I’m excited to see what this means for our total revenues once those numbers are finalized.”
…Adding… Some commenters have asked about 2018 fair attendance. The drop was not weather-related…
The Illinois State Fair in Springfield saw 369,144 people walk or drive through its gates last month, an 8 percent drop compared to last year’s fair, state officials reported Friday.
Officials noted, however, that fairgoers this year appeared to spend more money than in 2017, according to an early look at vendors’ sales receipts.
This year’s attendance total was lower than the 401,648 who attended the 2017 fair but higher than the 347,855 who passed through the gates during the 2016 event that was plagued by flooding rains, extreme heat and power outages. The 2015 state fair, the first to be counted using a different formula, attracted 411,547.
Fair officials noted this year’s milder weather and limited rain helped the numbers.
…Adding… Historical data…
#ILStateFair attendance the past five years: 2015 - 411,547 2016 - 347,855 2017 - 401,648 2018 - 370,609 2019 - 508,901
Fair officials pulled out all the stops this year to get people back out and it looks like it paid off. Decent weather helped, too. #twillhttps://t.co/xR1hiTR0Eo
* I have some errands to run, so you’re on your own this afternoon. Instead of a question, let’s do an open thread. Keep it Illinois-centric and please be nice to each other. Thanks.
When former @ILVetsAffairs chief Erica Jeffries announced her resignation last April, Harry Sawyer was announced as interim director. But then he quit. I did a little math, which reveals the fact that Jeffries knew about Sawyer's harassment even as he was put up for a promotion. https://t.co/t3amuMKHmf
The report also details instances of Sawyer’s alleged use of racial slurs and racially insensitive language.
In August 2017, Sawyer allegedly had been upset with an employee’s job performance, which he described as being inadequate.
“All n—–s stick together,” Sawyer allegedly said, also referring to what he allegedly called a “‘sisterhood’ of African American women within IDVA protecting each other.”
On another occasion in late 2017 or early 2018, Sawyer allegedly referred to an employee with the N-word while he berated her for not being able to fill out a travel reimbursement voucher for Sawyer “in a correct and timely manner.”
Man, the storm that would’ve hit Rauner if that guy had been appointed director. Whew. They dodged a big bullet over there.
Recently, Illinois Democrat State Senator Martin Sandoval, an outspoken critic of President Trump, was caught hosting an event where pictures were taken of a staged assassination of President Trump.
We can not and will not let this dangerous act stand. We must send the message to all Democrats that this despicable act will not be tolerated. We must defeat Sandoval next November!
Take a look at the photos that were shared on social media…
We hope you are as appalled as we are. Please help the Illinois Republican Party continue to demand Senator Sandoval’s resignation and ultimately, his defeat next November.
Will you help us stand against horrific acts like this? Will you help us send a message and defeat Sandoval?
While the secret service is aware and looking into the possible threat, we can’t only rely on that to hold Sandoval accountable for promoting violence against the President. Donate NOW to help us defeat Sandoval in next year’s election!
Your help is appreciated,
Team ILGOP
I’m thinking they’re not going to use even one thin dime of that cash to fund an opponent against Sandoval, unless they decide to back a Democratic primary candidate. JB Pritzker won the district by 53 percentage points, Hillary Clinton won it by 52 points.
*** UPDATE *** It gets even better. A sharp-eyed commenter pointed out that Sandoval is in the midst of a four-year term and isn’t even up for reelection next year. Hilarious.
The recent trip to Venezuela by a group calling itself a Chicago Teachers Union delegation has upset some union members and expats who question the point of the tour and take issue with the group’s praise of the country’s disputed government.
The four travelers, who crowdfunded the July trip under the banner of the CTU, met with Venezuelan government officials and educators, visited a commune and were featured in local media. […]
And though the four travelers regularly called themselves a “CTU delegation” online, the union representing close to 25,000 people has sought to distance itself from the trip, stating the CTU did not endorse, sponsor or fund the trip.
Asked on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” last week about “some controversy” surrounding the excursion, union President Jesse Sharkey said: “Members go all kinds of places in the summer. This was neither an official trip nor something that was funded by the union. This is a group of people who are members of the CTU who decided to go to Venezuela.”
Much of the criticism has come from a few educators in the “Members First” CTU caucus, which lost the CTU election in May that saw Sharkey regain his position as president. Members First is generally more centrally aligned politically than the current progressive CTU leadership and urges the union’s focus to remain on rank-and-file members rather than national or international political issues.
This spring, the Chicago Teachers Union Executive Board and House of Delegates each unanimously passed a resolution condemning Donald Trump and U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Resources that never seemed to find their way to our classrooms are being used to intervene in the democratic processes of other countries instead.
This blog represents the members delegation of the Chicago Teacher’s Union that are currently in Venezuela to learn from educators and activists on the ground. The rest of this week, we will be reporting on what we learn and see while we are here. We are being aided by Dozthor Zurlent (Educator) and Miguel Ángel Nuñez (Facilitator) from the Education Ministry of Venezuela.
One of those posts [retweeted by the CTU] was from teacher Sarah Chambers, a member of the CTU executive board on the trip, who wrote, “While staying in #Venezuela, we didn’t see a single homeless person. USA is the richest country in the world; yet, there are homeless people everywhere. Over 17k CPS students are homeless… This is why @CTULocal1 is fighting for fair housing #CTUAgainstVezIntervention.”
The teachers’ delegation met with leaders from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Communes, Ministry of Education, Adult Education Teachers, and students, as well as on-the-ground activists.
One important meeting was when the delegation sat down with Vladimir Castillo, the Venezuelan Director of International Affairs. They learned that Chavez started to talk about socialism in 2005, at the World Social Forum in Brazil, and that a few years after 2007 and 2008, community councils emerged as a result.
Yesterday, we had the amazing opportunity to meet with Jacobo Torres de León, the president of the Central of Bolivarian Socialist Workers. In his compelling interview, he spoke about his journey alongside President Maduro, his union brother and now Venezuelan President, and how they worked together to improve the rights of workers and unions.
Sharkey says with 25,000 members, the CTU is a diverse union, and its members are proud – they represent the union in many different activities – and he has no interest in policing what everyone says.
But more than that, he says right now, members should focus on being unified while they negotiate this critical contract.
“I would say to the people for and against Venezuela: please stop, it’s not where we need to be going right now,” Sharkey said.
“I have no interest in policing what they’re going to say. I don’t have the ability even if I wanted to do that.”
Meh. Whatever you think of Venezuela, you’d think a union could at the least publicly chastise a group that misrepresented itself on a foreign mission.
* Whenever you toy publicly with running for higher office you can raise your local public profile, but you also run the risk of prompting people in your district to start thinking seriously about running for your vacant district. Rep. Allen Skillicorn (East Dundee) did just that by teasing a congressional bid against US Rep. Lauren Underwood.
Skillicorn only fueled speculation about a possible “up or out” scenario when he didn’t raise a single dime in the second quarter and reported having only about $13K in his campaign bank account on June 30th.
He recently said he’ll announce his reelection next month at a fundraiser and then loaned his campaign $45,000 a couple of days ago.
McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield of Crystal Lake has announced she will run for the Illinois 66th House District seat in the 2020 primary election.
Schofield, who also serves on the executive board of directors for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), said residents of the 66th District deserve better representation than they have received over the last three years.
“The people of the 66th District have had three years of failed leadership by Allen Skillicorn and it’s time for a change,” said Schofield. “While other House Republicans have been able to get bills signed into law that directly benefit their constituents, our current Representative has burnt bridges and become completely ineffective. He’s done nothing to build relationships that provide a foundation for personal legislative success. As a result, during his three years in office he still has not written even one bill* that he’s been able to carry through the entire legislative process. The people of the 66th District deserve a representative who is committed to working collaboratively to deliver real, sustainable results for McHenry and Kane Counties.”
Schofield said Skillicorn’s recent suggestion that he may run for Congress instead of the Illinois House is a clear indicator that the people of the 66th House District may no longer be his top priority. “He won’t say which office he’s running for in 2020,” Schofield said. “While he wallows in a state of indecision, I stand committed to serving the people of the 66th District where reforms have the greatest financial impact— at the state level. High property taxes and pension debt are the biggest issue here, and those problems are solved at the state level, not in Congress.”
Schofield said she decided to run for the 66th District seat after being approached by several community leaders who felt new state-level leadership was in order. “Successful legislators build relationships, establish trust, and respect their colleagues- even when their opinions on issues clash,” Schofield said. “We don’t have that in the 66th District. Instead, we have an individual who refuses to work with local municipalities on their issues, and rails against not just Democrats, but also members from his own caucus. We don’t need an obstructionist who believes the key to success is widening the political divide. That strategy does nothing to bring taxpayer dollars back to McHenry and Kane Counties.”
Schofield said she will leverage her reputation as a consensus-builder to bring change and reform to Illinois. “Consensus on key issues in Springfield is possible when we find common ground and work together on solutions,” Schofield added. “Only then can we make real progress in addressing the state’s financial problems, improve the jobs climate, and solve the pension crisis. Most importantly, since Republicans work from a position of super-minority, only when we work together will we be able to provide real and sustaining property tax relief for Illinoisans.”
Prior to being elected to the McHenry County Board in 2012, Schofield served on the Crystal Lake City Council from 2009-2012 and on the Crystal Lake Planning & Zoning Committee for ten years, from 1999-2009. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in General Engineering with an Environmental Quality Specialization from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Skillicorn…
Perennial candidate Carolyn Schofield is once again announcing her intention to run for State Representative in the 66th District. Voters in the Republican Party will be given a clear choice between a committed conservative who is resolutely opposed to tax increases and a candidate in Schofield who has never met a tax increase she didn’t like.
She once told Kane County GOP Executive Vice Chairman Jeff Meyer that the reason she supported so many property tax increases over the years was because the voters were not paying attention. Public servants should always be on guard for the taxpayers whether they are paying attention or not because protecting taxpayers’ hard-earned money is the right thing to do.
In her announcement she says the key to solving the state’s financial problems is “consensus.” It was “consensus” that gave us a 32 percent income tax increase in 2017. It was “consensus” that doubled the gas tax this year. It was “consensus” that created the pension crisis as both Democrats and Republicans in the Springfield establishment refused to act responsibility in terms of managing the state’s pension obligations. “Consensus” is a fancy way of voicing support for the failed policies that are bankrupting our state. The Illinois General Assembly already has a bunch of tax hikers. We don’t need more. My record on taxes speaks for itself. I have and will continue to stand up for taxpayers.
Teachers will see an increase to their minimum salary under a new law sponsored by State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
“We’re facing a severe teacher shortage in Illinois and increasing their salaries is just one way we can attract and retain qualified teachers in this state,” Manar said. “We need to start taking this problem seriously and this legislation is a good step toward solving it.”
House Bill 2078 will increase the minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 over a four year period.
Illinois had not updated its minimum teacher salary since 1980. Since that time, state statute has mandated that that Illinois school districts pay teachers with a bachelor’s degree a minimum of only $10,000.
“This is a long-needed change and I’m glad to see that both sides of the aisle came forward to support this legislation,” Manar said. “We’re showing that we value teachers in Illinois and that’s going to go a long way toward attracting qualified teachers in Illinois and convincing young people to consider a career in education.”
Under the measure, the state would update the minimum mandated salary for teachers annually over four years, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. After that, subject to review by the General Assembly, it would be increased according to the Consumer Price Index. The phase-in would look like this under the proposal:
· $32,076 for the 2020-2021 school year;
· $34,576 for the 2021-2022 school year;
· $37,076 for the 2022-2023 school year; and
· $40,000 for the 2023-2024 school year;
A coalition of mayors from mostly African American south suburbs are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reconsider a key portion of the state’s new gambling law, which they say gives the house edge to owners of a combination horse racetrack-casino over majority-black towns vying for a separate casino license nearby.
Not only would the two new full-blown gambling dens compete with one another for customers in a saturated suburban market, but the law also potentially allows the racino owners to block a traditional casino from setting up shop in the first place. That “11th hour” provision to the gaming bill only benefits “a wealthy, white track owner,” according to Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin.
”While this proposed law appears to allow two casinos (one with a track), in fact, we all know that this will never happen, and the favored track owner will have the only gaming property in South Cook County,” Chalmers-Currin wrote in a June 11 letter to Pritzker publicly released Wednesday. “I speak for the many minorities that suspect this is all a ruse and special legislation to benefit the private racino operator to the disadvantage of the African American community and its leaders.” […]
The bill also authorized another casino located in one of the following townships: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich, Thornton or Worth.
One hangup: that casino can’t be located within 35 miles of the track — effectively ruling out any of those townships — unless the track operator “has given written consent” for the casino to open there, the law says.
(230 ILCS 5/) Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. […]
(230 ILCS 5/19.5)
Sec. 19.5. Standardbred racetrack in Cook County.
Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, in addition to organization licenses issued by the [Illinois Racing Board] on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Board shall issue an organization license limited to standardbred racing to a racetrack located in one of the following townships of Cook County: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Orland, Rich, Thornton, or Worth. This additional organization license shall not be issued within a 35-mile radius of another organization license issued by the Board on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, unless the person having operating control of such racetrack has given written consent to the organization licensee applicant
Horse-racing advocates on Thursday shot down the incorrect claim of a south suburban mayor who said owners of a soon-to-be-licensed racino can block a standalone casino from breaking ground nearby.
But Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin says there are still flaws in the expansion, which, as written, gives substantial leeway to one of the state’s most powerful horse-racing families. […]
The Matteson mayor acknowledged the misreading, saying she and other south suburban leaders have since “gotten some clarification on that” from state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, an architect of the casino expansion.
* Bernie asked House Republican Leader Jim Durkin about the Eastern Bloc’s proposal to kick Chicago out of Illinois…
“They’ve got interesting ideas, and I will say that if it works back in their district, good for them,” Durkin told reporters on the Illinois State Fair’s Republican Day last week. “But we know that’s not a possibility.”
Asked if the idea could damage the state, Durkin said: “If (there) was ever a chance that it could happen, it would be, but this is just political rhetoric by some members. I don’t put much stock into it and nor does anybody else.”
Asked if the lawmakers are playing a game, Durkin said: “I think they’re playing the game of re-election in an arena where it sounds good.”
“It is a vehicle to express a very real frustration with a lack of respect for our values and our way of life,” Halbrook said. “People in rural counties are tired of these far-left policies being forced on those of us who simply have a different point of view. Maybe, a formal separation won’t happen, although it has happened four times in U.S. history, but this movement is gaining momentum. The separation issue is rural America telling folks in Chicago how much they disapprove of the policies they have forced on this state. And the fact that their views are being ignored and dismissed as political rhetoric is only going to serve to fan the flames because it is another example of how rural Illinoisans are again overlooked.”
He said those who think it’s a bad idea should look for ways to show they care about concerns of rural residents, “instead of dismissing what is for many a serious idea and a serious effort to separate from Chicago.”
It is neither a serious idea nor a serious effort. Durkin nailed it.
* Would you rather read a post about former Illinois US Rep. Joe Walsh talking about running for president, or would you rather I post some videos of musician Joe Walsh’s tunes? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
A day after an explosive report revealed years of bullying under the reign of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s chief of staff, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday dodged questions about whether he’s still confident in the speaker’s leadership.
Now that a report of a toxic workplace at the Capitol is out, Gov. JB Pritzker’s glad the culture of harassment, intimidation, and bullying is now known to all.
But, he says, it doesn’t end here.
“I think we need to hold everybody accountable, and that means we need to address the culture,” Pritzker said Wednesday in Chicago after a bill-signing ceremony. “The only way to do that — you can’t just do one-time training; you can’t just announce that this is a problem. You have to be persistent and consistent about addressing it. People need to be reminded, and new people are coming to Springfield all the time.”
“The culture of sexual harassment exists in Springfield on both sides of the aisle,” the rookie Democratic governor said Wednesday at an unrelated event in Chicago. “It has been pervasive for a long time. I think anybody that’s worked in Springfield has talked about it and knows about it. And it is a very positive thing that these things have come to light.”
The report from Maggie Hickey, a former federal prosecutor and state executive inspector general under Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, pointed the blame for many of the problems within the speaker’s office at his longtime chief of staff, Tim Mapes.
Mapes, who also was House clerk and executive director of the Madigan-led state Democratic Party, was ousted from his positions last summer after a staffer publicly accused him of fostering “a culture of sexism, harassment and bullying that creates an extremely difficult working environment.”
Pritzker says the report detailed “a special kind of harassment and intimidation from Tim Mapes.” But when asked if putting Mapes in positions of power reflects poorly on the speaker’s judgment, Pritzker answered it depended on what Madigan knew.
Pritzker on Wednesday refused multiple times to single out Madigan himself.
“The culture of sexual harassment exists in Springfield on both sides of the aisle,” Pritzker said. “I am counting on the speaker and the Senate president and the minority leader of the House and the minority leader of the Senate to carry out functions that will safeguard women, anybody that could be sexually harassed or attacked.”
Pritzker was asked again if Madigan had dropped the ball, presiding over a workplace culture where abuse was rampant.
“I think it’s clear on both sides of the aisle. I think everybody in Springfield, we’ve let this culture go on too long,” he said.
[House Republican Leader Jim Durkin] said Republicans have had their share of problems, but said under his leadership, employees should feel safe to come forward with complaints. He said when there have been complaints, officials have acted swiftly.
“We didn’t need an extensive investigation for us to make decisions and to take action. We will continue to do that in those situations when you get into harassment of employees, but also conduct that’s unbecoming of members,” Durkin said.
Durkin said Madigan’s future depends on House Democrats.
“I’m not going to get involved with the House Democrats and how they manage their operations,” Durkin said. “I have nothing further to say on that.”
Illinois on Wednesday became the second state to prohibit landlords from evicting tenants solely because they’re living in the U.S. illegally.
The measure Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law also prohibits landlords from reporting or threatening to report tenants’ immigration status to authorities in order to intimidate them, or as retaliation for exercising their rights as tenants, or to force them to move out. The legislation was modeled after a similar law in California. […]
Supporters said the new Illinois law was necessary because some landlords use the threat of notifying immigration authorities to keep tenants from reporting unsafe living conditions or other problems. State Sen. Cristina Castro, an Elgin Democrat and chief sponsor of the legislation, said this type of behavior was previously legal under state law. […]
Previous Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed an earlier version of the legislation last August, citing concerns that it conflicted with federal law. The new version was approved this spring with a smattering of GOP support and without formal opposition from real estate groups, which opposed the earlier attempt.
To be successful, the consultants concluded, a Chicago casino would have to be located downtown, where tourists would be likely to visit it. And even then, they said, given the “onerous” tax burden the legislature had stipulated, it was unlikely to be profitable enough to get financed.
But they had a suggestion: drop the city’s one-third revenue share, and a downtown casino could be in the hefty 20-plus percent range of annual profit that’s typical of the industry.
So here’s where we stand now: locked into private ownership, but without a feasible neighborhood location and minus the city’s one-third slice of the anticipated revenue pie. In other words, suckered into giving up the exact selling points that made the deal seem worth doing. And what are the long-term effects? Bigger profits and a prime location for the private casino owner, while the city gets some low-paying jobs likely to be offset by the social costs of a hugely expanded predatory industry.
Lightfoot, who has personal and former business connections to people in the gambling industry, says the city will go back to the legislature this fall to “fine-tune” the law (even though the expansion has already cost her all her Springfield leverage). The Illinois Gaming Board has 90 days from the time it received the study to come up with recommendations for those changes, and Union Gaming Analytics has suggested one: If the law were changed, the city could, in fact, be the casino owner, trading its one-third tax on adjusted gross revenue for any possible profits; financing the casino development with municipal bonds (thereby transferring all the risk to the public); and hiring a professional gaming company to run the operation.
For instance, the chief Senate sponsor of the casino bill, Lake County Democrat Terry Link, argues that if Chicago thinks the taxes are too high to finance a casino it can take less or offer its own inducements, maybe free land or a big tax increment financing grant.
“There’s ways they have to help developers without going to the General Assembly,” Link told me. And there’s good reason to think that the consultant’s report overstated the risk that high taxes could kill any Chicago casino, Link added. “I don’t think there’s a shortage of developers willing to go in there.”
One idea I’ve heard discussed is to cut that special [33 percent] Chicago tax. Slashing it by, say, half could increase that 3 percent operating margin to around 20 percent, making the casino financially viable, one government insider told me. […]
Revenues from the Chicago casino now are targeted to pay debt service on the governor’s vaunted new $45 billion capital program. With other revenues sources from legal sports gaming and cannabis a little shaky and possibly running short of what was projected, Pritzker will have reason to compromise, says one insider. “He’s already spent the money” on the capital program, says that source. And even if the state has to cut its taxes a bit on the Chicago casino, “He’ll still be able to tell people that the state is getting more money overall than it would have otherwise.” […]
Another wrinkle: The deadline in the law for new casinos authorized in other portions of the state to apply for state licenses is Oct. 15. But it’s possible not all of the locations will be ready by then. Which means that the legislature may have to reopen the gambling bill in its November veto session.
After settling for a deal she said she knew was bad in the first round of casino negotiations, Lightfoot will be under a brighter spotlight and be working with less leverage as she tries to revamp the agreement to Chicago’s advantage during the the legislature’s two-week veto session this fall. […]
Aside from lowering the city’s 33.3% share of the revenue, any changes to make a Chicago casino more financially feasible likely could mean creating a unique set of rules. Other casino towns get only 5% and in some cases have to split that with nearby localities.
In addition to city’s share, the Chicago casino operator also would have to pay a $250,000 application fee upfront, a $15 million “reconciliation” fee when the license is issued and up to $120 million in gambling position fees — which cost $30,000 each. The casino is authorized to have up to 4,000 gambling positions — such as slot machines and blackjack tables — with some slot machines possibly going to O’Hare International and Midway airports.
After three years, the casino would have to pay a fee equal to 75% of its post-payout revenue from its most lucrative 12-month period, minus the fees paid upfront per gaming position.
* Related…
* ‘Not a done deal’: Waukegan residents push back against casino while supporters push for proposal backed by business that fueled local elections: Like several opponents, Verratti raised concerns about the level of spending tied to Bond and Tap Room Gaming in the recent aldermanic elections and pointed to the ongoing campaign promoting a North Point Casino proposal backed by Bond and Warner Gaming. Of the nearly $400,000 donated to aldermanic candidates across Waukegan’s nine wards since December 2018, 85% came from four organizations tied to Bond or the video gambling industry, according to a News-Sun analysis of state-mandated campaign disclosure forms. Of the six candidates that received money from these groups, four won.
Today, the Midwest Region of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) celebrates Governor Pritzker’s approval of House Bill 252, which closes a loophole in Illinois law that left tens of thousands of workers unprotected against employment discrimination.
Previously, the provisions of the Illinois Human Rights Act addressing discrimination in employment only applied to employers with 15 or more workers, with limited exceptions. The new law brings the State of Illinois in line with 17 other states and territories that prohibit discrimination at all workplaces, including fellow Midwestern states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Similar legislation was passed by the General Assembly in 2018, but was vetoed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on a number of factors, such as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and more, but that protection was limited. It is an embarrassment that, until now, countless Illinoisans who have been discriminated against at work had no way to seek justice, simply because of how many coworkers they have,” said Anna Koeppel, LiUNA Midwest Region Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs. “We thank the Governor and the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Will Guzzardi and Sen. Cristina Castro, for once again standing with working people and righting this wrong. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and appropriately at work.”
A new law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker legalizes syringe exchange programs in Illinois, opening the door to an increase in operations aiming to serve a community at risk of overdoses and infection from unsafe supplies.
Currently, there are six syringe exchange programs in the state, with half located in Chicago, according to the North American Syringe Exchange Network.
“We need to be providing ways to reduce harm and making sure we’re supporting people who are dealing with substance use issues,” said Illinois Sen. Melinda Bush, who sponsored the legislation. “These syringe exchange programs continue to address the (opioid crisis) and help provide reductions in overdose deaths.”
Syringe exchange programs typically provide free needles to people who use injectable drugs, but also offer disposal services for used syringes, overdose prevention training, kits with opioid-reversing medication and referrals for additional services.
* Press release…
Making critical reforms to improve the lives of justice-involved Illinoisans, Governor JB Pritzker signed a package of legislation today expanding voting rights, civic engagement and educational and rehabilitation programming in Illinois’ criminal justice system.
“It’s a new day in Illinois – one where we not only recognize the sanctity of the vote but commit to doing everything we can to invite everyone who is eligible to fully participate. In Illinois, we understand that every vote matters and every vote counts,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois will continue to stand strong, even as our country takes a dangerous turn toward deeper disenfranchisement of minority communities. Especially as the Voting Rights Act remains gutted, especially as jurisdictions across the nation purge voter rolls and restrict registrations in college towns and communities of color, here in Illinois, we’ll do our best to live up to the ideals of our democracy.”
“These policies are an example of what’s possible when we come together in the name of restorative and transformative justice,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “I thank Governor Pritzker for signing these bills into law and working alongside the JEO to create a justice system that better reflects our values.”
Senate Bill 2090
Senate Bill 2090 expands voter access and education efforts in jails across the state. The new law takes the following steps to allow individuals to exercise their right to vote:
Directs county jails and local election officials to establish a process that allows detainees awaiting trial to cast their ballots during elections
Establishes a temporary polling place at the Cook County Department of Corrections
Directs the Illinois Department of Corrections and county jails to provide a voter registration application and detailed information about their voting rights, including notification that their voting rights have been restored, to any person in custody eligible to vote for those being released
Clarifies that for in-person voting, non-partisan poll watchers are limited to one per division within the jail, instead of one per precinct and requires in-person voting to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
SB 2090 takes effect immediately.
“Every citizen who is eligible to vote must be provided with the opportunity to cast their ballot,” said Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago). “Thousands of eligible voters who are detained before trial are systematically denied that right. Coupled with a justice system that disproportionately jails people of color, there is a clear effort to suppress the vote in communities of color across the country. This measure addresses that systematic voter suppression and shows that we value civic participation in Illinois.”
“I commend Governor Pritzker and our Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for fighting for access to the ballot box,” said Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside). “Today, we help guarantee the right to vote in Illinois for another underrepresented group. Through Senate Bill 2090, we help ensure that those being held in county jails – those not yet convicted of a crime – are given the opportunity to cast a ballot.”
I’ll post the full release on the live coverage post.
Under this proposed income tax structure, marginal rates will vary from a low of 4.75 percent to a high of 7.99 percent. It is designed to raise around $3.6 billion in new revenue to address some of Illinois’ significant fiscal shortcomings — all while reducing the income tax burden for an estimated 97 percent of Illinois taxpayers. Increasing taxes on just the wealthiest 3 percent while cutting taxes for everyone else would in fact better align state income tax burden with ability to pay. That’s because since 1979, 108 percent of all inflation-adjusted growth in income in our state — or more than all of it — has gone to the wealthiest 10 percent of earners. Which means the bottom 90 percent of Illinois workers are taking home less today than they did four decades ago.
Martire told me his group “ran an inflation adjusted analysis of the data published by the Economic Policy Institute in its Unequal States of America report for 2018” to arrive at that number.
* ProPublica Illinois has published a follow-up report to its story about how some upper-income parents have given up guardianship of their children to allow them to qualify for need-based college financial aid programs, including state MAP grants…
[A parent from a wealthy community in southwestern Lake County] said she and her husband both work, earning more than $200,000 a year, to support their two teenage sons. The family is among those who have allowed their guardianship petition to lapse following the reports about the tactic.
“Why should the kids of people who work hard and are busy every day and have no time to see their kids, why are their kids being punished?” the Lake County mother asked. “They will have to take huge loans and not be able to pay.”
Both of her sons want to become doctors. The guardianship strategy may have helped them avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, she said. That now seems inevitable.
“I don’t want to be discouraging them, but I’m looking at this and thinking, ‘I have to support them all of their life?’” she said.
She worries her sons will get “stuck doing something they don’t like,” perhaps attending community college and working in fast food if they can’t afford to become doctors.
Two years after an initial elections complaint, an Appellate Court ruled Monday former state Rep. Frank Mautino’s campaign committee further violated election codes.
The ruling stated the committee’s expenses at a bank and at a Spring Valley gas station for gas and repairs of personal vehicles were violations.
Election code states gas and repairs of personal vehicles should be reimbursed through mileage reporting, and should not exceed fair market value. Between 1999 and 2015, the campaign committee reported $225,109.19 in expenditures to a Spring Valley gas station for gas and vehicle repairs.
“Now it’s clear to any candidate in Illinois the way to handle vehicle expenses is through mileage, you can’t just fill up people’s gas tanks,” said Jeffrey Schwab, an attorney at the Liberty Justice Center, representing Streator resident David Cooke, who brought forward the appeal.
The appellate court said the Board of Elections must now consider further fines. The now-defunct committee was fined $5,000 in May 2017 by the Illinois Board of Elections for failing to produce records. The fine has not been paid, as the committee has disbanded.
Justice James Knecht wrote that evidence clearly established the committee made expenditures to a third party for gas and repairs in violation of the code.
“The board’s decision to the contrary is clearly erroneous,” Knecht wrote. “The record is not clear as to the reasoning of the four members who voted against finding a violation.” […]
Last year, Fourth District judges remanded the complaint for the board to issue rulings on Cooke’s claims.
They directed the board to amend its reconsideration order to show Mautino’s committee violated code on accounting and reporting. […]
Four Republicans [on the State Board of Elections] voted to find violations and four Democrats voted against it.
[David Cooke of Streator, who filed the complaint against Mautino] appealed again and prevailed again.
As a final matter, we recognize some members of the Board who voted against finding violations of section 9-8.10(a)(9) suggested they did so because they concluded any violation was not “knowingly” committed. On appeal, Cooke contends the evidence established the Committee committed knowing violations and the Board’s decision to the contrary is clearly erroneous. Neither the Committee nor the Board addresses Cooke’s argument. We need not address Cooke’s argument. Section 9-8.10(b) provides: “The Board may levy a fine on any person who knowingly makes expenditures in violation of [section 9-8.10] ***.” 10 ILCS 5/9- 8.10(b) (West 2014). The Board, quoting section 9-8.10(b), asserts, “If a section 9-8.10 violation is found, section 9-8.10(b) states that the Board ‘may levy a fine on any person who knowingly’ made improper expenditures.” The Board’s assertion supposes the determination of whether a person knowingly made expenditures in violation of section 9-8.10 is a determination concerning the imposition of fines that is made only after a determination of whether a violation occurred. The Committee does not address the Board’s interpretation of section 9-8.10(b). Absent any argument to the contrary, we agree with the Board’s interpretation. Having now concluded the evidence established violations of section 9-8.10(a)(2) and (a)(9), the Board on remand can address whether the violations were knowingly committed in considering the matter of fines under section 9-8.10(b).
* WBEZ has a story about a tap water study done on the city’s South Side by Virginia Tech researchers…
But the tests also showed another disturbing trend: Lead levels in many homes got higher as the water ran for up to three minutes.
In fact, the study found that after three minutes of running water, Chicago has more lead on average than Flint, Mich., during its 2015 water crisis. […]
“(T)the Chicago Department of Water Management continues to advise residents with lead service lines or fixtures to flush their water for five minutes every time their water has been stagnant for six hours or more,” Water Department spokeswoman Megan Vidis wrote in an email to WBEZ.
About 80% of Chicago homes — mostly those built before 1987— have lead service lines connected to their homes. Researchers suspect the reason lead levels rise after running the water for around three minutes is because that is when the water that has been sitting in lead service lines reaches the tap.
In response to the findings, Vidis noted the city of Chicago consistently meets “U.S. EPA standards for drinking water of 15 parts per billion.” […]
[Marc Edwards, who led the U.S. Water Study Research Team doing the tests for the study] said this low bar is unacceptable, in part because his study and others indicate that the first liter out of the tap is often much lower in lead than the water that follows.
“Everyone knows the Lead and Copper rule is not sufficiently protective and this is just a loophole — some even call it the Chicago loophole,” Edwards said. “The first [liter] draw seems low whereas the normal water people drink tends to be higher. Maybe this loophole will be closed when the new Lead and Copper rules are announced.”
Aside from causing brain damage, lead exposure has been connected to increased violent behavior.
The eruption of the #MeToo movement and companion allegations of sexual harassment in the Illinois Capitol provoked a novel idea: Maybe official Springfield should think about policing legislative misconduct.
In subsequent fits and starts, House Speaker Michael Madigan has acknowledged misbehavior in his statehouse and political realms, and has vowed to fix a sorry culture of harassment and bullying. Essentially: You can trust me. […]
Madigan responded to Hickey’s report with more platitudes: He takes responsibility for not doing enough, he’s already taken steps to improve the culture, he’s “ready to work with the other legislative caucuses to ensure that everyone has a safe workplace.”
Who knows, maybe more attempts at damage control will placate members of Madigan’s caucus, who’ll have to own Hickey’s findings throughout the 2020 campaign cycle.
Madigan’s a big boy. He should take his medicine.
But I wonder why no other legislative leader has publicly launched his own probe into any potential problems in their respective shops. Same goes for the Illinois Republican Party. Where are their admissions of shortcomings? Where are their promises to do better?
These were hardly isolated incidents.
* Related…
* March, 2018: Legislative Leaders Say They Won’t Join Madigan in Releasing List of Misconduct Allegations
…Adding… From Leader Durkin’s spokesperson Eleni Demertzis…
Hi Rich,
When the #MeToo movement unraveled under the dome, Leader Jim Durkin proactively brought in an outside firm to review, assess and evaluate our office procedures, protocols and work environment. Several employees were randomly selected to be interviewed from offices in Springfield and Chicago, and the entirety of the review lasted approximately two months.
The firm, Alvarez and Marsal, ultimately expanded the harassment section of the House Republican Staff Personnel Rules and Regulations Handbook to include a more comprehensive document for employees to turn to if they are subject to harassment. We have a zero tolerance policy of harassment of any kind.
Leader Durkin also introduced a bill to create the Illinois Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Helpline to give people across Illinois more resources to get help. The helpline went live in June 2018 and the number is 877-236-7703.
Thanks,
E
…Adding… Rep. McSweeney begs to differ…
There should be a full independent review of the operations of @jimdurkin82’s official House operation. We need to make sure there is full transparency. Durkin also needs to join me in demanding immediate release of the buried Porter report about legislator misconduct. #twillpic.twitter.com/1ztGCl2mdx
Provides that a student must be expelled for a period of not less than one year if he or she brings to school, a school-sponsored activity or event, or an activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship to school a pneumatic gun, spring gun, paint ball gun, or B-B gun, irrespective of the type or size of projectile that can be fired or the gun’s muzzle velocity
The bill was sponsored by Republicans Chapin Rose in the Senate and Dan Caulkins in the House. We discussed it back in March. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and only one person voted “No” in the House (Democrat Delia Ramirez).
Today I veto Senate Bill 2124 from the 101st General Assembly, which would have amended the Illinois School Code. My administration appreciates the hard work of the sponsors of the legislation in the Senate and the House. While this legislation was well intended, the School Code already equips school boards, superintendents, and administrators with the tools necessary to discipline students who bring inappropriate, potentially harmful objects to school.
The School Code authorizes school boards to expel students who bring weapons to school. It also authorizes school boards to establish policies to discipline students who engage in gross disobedience and misconduct. These policies provide authority for school districts to discipline a student who brings a pneumatic gun, spring gun, paint ball gun, or B-B gun to a school or school activity, and to tailor the punishment to the circumstances of the incident. My office is prepared to work with the bill sponsors in order to address any ongoing concerns surrounding student safety.
Our state must do everything possible to prepare students for academic success, career advancement, and civic life. Too many students are derailed during their academic careers and entangled in the school-to-prison pipeline. State law should be crafted to ensure that students are not disproportionately disciplined in a manner that affects the long-term trajectory of their success in school and life. The School Code reflects this philosophy by recommending that school officials consider forms of non-exclusionary discipline prior to using out-of-school suspensions or expulsions.
*** UPDATE *** Sen. Chapin Rose…
The governor’s office called me Friday regarding their anticipated veto of this school safety legislation. We subsequently had a good conversation with them and the Mt. Zion school district about the very real problem that exists and has occurred in their district that the current law does not adequately address. The most important thing is that school boards need flexibility to address school safety issues in these circumstances, flexibility they do not have under current law. This point was reinforced in our conversation with the governor’s staff by the Mt. Zion superintendent. This is not a hypothetical issue, this was based on a real incident. During my conversation with the governor’s office, they agreed to work with me and with the Mt. Zion School District, between now and the upcoming fall veto session, to address the very real concerns and needs that inspired this bill. I appreciate this willingness and look forward to continuing to develop this idea.
I can’t see how mandated expulsion is about “flexibility,” but whatevs.
The expulsion requirement under this subdivision may be modified by the superintendent, and the superintendent’s determination may be modified by the board on a case-by-case basis.
Three days after completing the roughly $2 billion purchase of rival Dynegy Inc., power producer Vistra Energy Corp. got another reminder of the struggles facing the Illinois coal plants it added to its fleet.
The region’s grid operator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), announced clearing prices for its annual capacity auction yesterday afternoon. And the results will only fuel speculation that the company will close one or more of its Illinois plants. […]
Vistra is in the midst of an operational review of power plants to identify potential efficiencies. But, [Vistra’s CEO Curt Morgan] noted, the Illinois fleet is “challenged.”
“We’re likely going to have to retire some facilities there,” he said, adding that such a decision could come as early as this year.
Coal is becoming a less competitive energy source with cheaper options like natural gas and other renewables on the market, Vistra Energy CEO Curtis Morgan told CNBC’s on Monday.
“I don’t believe [coal] is going to have a renaissance,” Morgan said in an exclusive “Mad Money ” interview. “I think it’s on its way out.”
Vistra Energy announced Wednesday it is closing its coal burning power plants in Canton, Havana, Hennepin and Coffeen.
The company said in a statement it will retire the four power plants in order to meet new revisions to the Multi-Pollutant Standard Rule introduced by the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
About 300 people will lose their jobs in the closures. The company is working to provide services for those workers.
Vistra said it was closing the four power plants to save the other four plants it operates in Illinois. The company’s emissions in Illinois will be driven down 57 to 61 percent by the closures, getting it under the new cap, the company said. […]
State Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria), who represents the area where Canton’s Duck Creek Power Station is based, pinned the blame for the closures on former Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Future Jobs Energy Act he signed into law in 2016.
* But as noted in the first story in this post, it’s not all about the environmental regulations. From a Vistra press release…
Vistra Energy (NYSE: VST) and its subsidiaries today announced the four power plants that will retire in order to meet the requirements of the recently approved revisions to the Multi-Pollutant Standard rule imposed by the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB). Without this rule change, the company’s entire downstate fleet was at risk of near imminent retirement. […]
“Even though today’s retirement announcements were inevitable due to the changing regulatory environment and unfavorable economic conditions in the MISO market, they are nonetheless difficult to make,” said Curt Morgan, Vistra’s president and chief executive officer.
Irving-based Vistra Energy will soon be the electricity provider for an industry-leading percentage of customers in competitive U.S. markets with a $475 million purchase of Dallas-based Ambit Energy.
Vistra announced the cash deal Tuesday and said its share in Texas alone will grow to one of every three residential consumers. Nationally, Vistra will have 26% of customers in competitive markets.
…Adding… From comments…
Let’s not ignore the fact that this is exactly what they asked for.
They worked hand in hand with Rauner’s EPA to rewrite pollution rules that allow them to shut down their cleaner-burning plants and use their dirtier plants more.
JB’s EPA made some slight changes to the rule, but in effect, Vistra got EXACTLY what they wanted.
Now they are blaming the Governor for shutting down the plants?
That’s fresh.
…Adding… Sen. Andy Manar…
Closing down the cleanest coal-fired power plant in the world makes zero sense. Today, Vistra, the Illinois EPA and Pollution Control Board together failed the environment.
Shame on the Pollution Control Board for not doing its homework and allowing this to happen. If power plants are to be closed, the worst polluters should close first.
In addition, the economic loss related to this closure cannot be fully realized today. Hard-working, middle-class families have had their lives turned completely upside down. Our singular goal in the coming days and weeks should be to help these families through the economic crisis that Vistra set into motion today.
I remain puzzled as to why an out-of-state power company would purchase power plants solely for the purpose of shutting them down. From all outward appearances, Vistra is using Illinois’ Multi-Pollutant Standard Rule (MPS) as an excuse to set into motion something they always intended to do.
If that rule was truly intended to reduce emissions, this move stands in stark contrast to that goal.
…Adding… Sen. Dave Koehler…
I am incredibly saddened by the announcement that Duck Creek will close. The hardships that the workers at this plant will endure cannot be understated. They are not statistics or lines on a balance sheet. They are human beings, and I stand committed to working with the governor’s administration in Springfield to bring much needed economic support to both their families and the rest of the Fulton County community.
The fact is the current business market for coal-based energy is simply no longer sustainable. As we transition to an energy economy that focuses on limiting emissions, we must be proactive in helping those communities that this will adversely effect.
…Adding… Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin…
“Vistra’s announcement today is exactly what the company and Dynegy have stated it has wanted to do over the last couple years in pursuing revisions to Illinois’ Multi-Pollutant Standard: secure greater ‘flexibility’ in meeting less stringent, state pollution limits, so that the company can retire less polluting plants and continue running dirty plants.
“This aging fleet has changed corporate hands three times in the last several years and instead of responsibly investing in modern pollution controls and long-term plans for our Illinois’ workforce, Texas energy corporations have routinely sought delays from state regulators in reducing pollution and have chosen to abruptly shutter units it knew were risky investments upon purchase. While these companies repeatedly claimed financial hardship it has simultaneously brokered expensive deals and lucrative mergers for Houston shareholders.
“We are concerned about the workers and communities impacted by these announcements. It is increasingly urgent that the State of Illinois put plans and programs in place that provide job opportunities and new economic development for those impacted, and that they are prioritized for all the benefits the clean energy economy can deliver. The Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB2132/B3624) will provide a framework for that transition, and we urge the General Assembly to consider and approve it in their fall veto session.”
…Adding… IL Clean Jobs Coalition…
Long before JB Pritzker was elected governor, Vistra CEO Curtis Morgan went on CNBC on April 16, 2018 and promised higher stock dividends and said coal ‘is on its way out.’ The year before, in 2017, the company’s Dynegy division asked the Rauner administration for the rule that made it easier and more profitable for the company to close the four plants they announced today. Because Texas-based Vistra puts its shareholders first and intends to cut and run on local Illinois communities, we must act to protect the people who will lose their jobs and communities that will lose the property tax revenues that fund their local schools, police and fire services. The Clean Energy Jobs Act is the only legislation designed to help these struggling communities, not out of state polluting companies, by creating new jobs, replacing tax revenue and supporting workers affected by plant closures.
Sherri Garrett, long-time staffer in Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan’s office, who spoke out in in June 2018 about multiple instances of harassment and bullying, as well as improper handling of harassment claims by former Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes, gave the following statement in response to the report on workplace culture in the Speaker’s Office released today, which prominently featured her story:
“Today has been difficult for me reliving the events that led me to make my harassment complaint and the ordeal of the complaint process. I am not a public person, but I felt I had no choice but to make my harassment complaint public if I wanted anything to change.
“I thank Ms. Hickey for her work in substantially confirming my allegations against Mr. Mapes and for providing concrete recommendations to Speaker Madigan on how to improve the culture in Springfield. I loved my job with the Illinois House of Representatives, and I was proud to serve the people of Illinois. I truly hope that the workplace culture changes so that people doing this important work are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.
“I also want to thank State Representative Kelly Cassidy for her leadership, guidance and friendship during this process. Without her, I am not sure I could have come forward publicly. The people of Illinois owe her a debt a gratitude for the work she is doing on sexual harassment issues.”
The Speaker’s Office cannot address workers’ fear of retaliation by changing a policy. Trust must be earned, and for workers who have lost trust, it will be hard to regain. Fortunately, many of the people who expressed fear of retaliation said that the workplace was headed in the right direction. Many of the people who believed that Mr. Mapes would retaliate against them felt better with Ms. Basham as Chief of Staff. We recommend that the Speaker’s Office use the momentum it has created to continue building workers’ trust in its leadership.
Notably, most people did not believe that Speaker Madigan would retaliate against them. Instead, the fear was that Speaker Madigan did not know who they were and, thus, would not know to defend them if they were punished or terminated. Initially, we were concerned that people spoke positively about Speaker Madigan because he had authority and they feared retaliation. It became clear to us, however, that many people who work in the Speaker’s Office joined because of their respect and admiration for Speaker Madigan or the Illinois legislature overall. Moreover, many of the people we interviewed who no longer worked in the Speaker’s Office at the time of their interview—and therefore did not have the same reason for concern—expressed the same sentiment. It is not surprising then that most workers believed in and trusted the Speaker.
We believe that this trust in the Speaker is a unique asset for the Speaker’s Office, which can be used to address its unique challenges. Workers appeared to want to be seen and valued by Speaker Madigan. This was evidenced by the overall positive feedback we heard regarding the Speaker’s listening sessions, which was the first time the Speaker made rounds to hear from all levels of the Speaker’s Office.
Many of the challenges we learned about were caused by the fact that power was centralized in the former Chief of Staff, Clerk of the House, and Executive Director of DPI, Timothy Mapes. We recommend that Speaker Madigan not delegate such power in one person again. To some extent, the Chief of Staff position will always have great actual and perceived authority, and the person who fills that position will have a large influence on the entire office. The Speaker’s Office has already recognized the benefits of decentralizing this power by, for example, having a separate Chief of Staff and Clerk of the House. This separation should remain in place. […]
The Speaker must be more visible and accessible to all workers in the Speaker’s Office. To have a more visible and pronounced role, the Speaker can, for example, continue to hold listening sessions throughout the year, open to all workers. We also suggest that these listening sessions occur shortly after legislative sessions. Since legislative sessions are stressful for all workers, we believe this could go a long way to show appreciation for workers and identify issues and solutions while they are still fresh in people’s minds.
Likewise, having a separate ethics officer and general counsel may make people more comfortable approaching the ethics officer with questions or issues. As it is, workers may not feel as comfortable approaching the same person for confidential advice that is also the attorney for the Speaker. Separating these positions will also allow the ethics officer to act in a more ombudsman-like role.
The idea of separating the ethics office from the general counsel’s office is a good one.
STATEMENT OF TIMOTHY MAPES IN RESPONSE TO INDEPENDENT REVIEW:
“INVESTIGATIONS, ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING WORKPLACE CULTURE” IN SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
For over forty years, I had the privilege of serving in the Illinois State Legislature, with twenty-five of those years as Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. And, as Maggie Hickey’s 200-page report details, during that tenure, any problems regarding the workplace, including personnel issues, fell on me in my role as Chief of Staff and Clerk of the House of Representatives. Indeed, as the report goes on to say, all “important decisions” regarding confidential personnel matters were left “to the discretion of one person, the Chief of Staff.” That was me.
It is my position that the recent criticisms made against me do not truly appreciate the size of the responsibility of my position. The daily needs of my position required constant attention in order to ensure the successful operation of our government. I made every effort to satisfy these demands.
Over these forty years, I have served the people of the State of Illinois through hard work, dedication and with great dignity. I have always placed the needs of good government above all other concerns and I always did my best to ensure that these needs were addressed with a sense of urgency. I had many responsibilities that I took on in order to make the Speaker’s Office more efficient and effective. If my demeanor or approach to my job did not instill trust and a healthy work environment, I apologize. I truly did my best, no matter the shortcomings that are now ascribed to me, and I always acted in good faith and for the benefit of the people of the State of Illinois.
Obviously, many changes have taken place in our state over the last quarter of a century. At the same time, as the report acknowledges, “many positions in the Speaker’s Office have been filled by the same people for many years.” With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps, a more formalized process could have been put in place. I am heartened that steps are being taken toward this end. In the end, greater transparency and a broader approach to accountability hopefully will lead to a stronger work environment for which all the people of the State will benefit.
Timothy Mapes is represented by Clifford Law Offices in Chicago.
Dude deliberately accumulated every bit of power that he could over the years and then uses that to justify his behavior.
As if, Tim.
Also, Clifford isn’t generally known for being a “defense” firm. They’re “offense” pretty much all the way. Makes you wonder.
*** UPDATE *** I asked Rep. Kelly Cassidy for a response…
Solving the deep-seated problems of sexism and sexual harassment in Springfield didn’t begin or end with Mr. Mapes, he’s just the most recent and most egregious example. His apparent unwillingness to take responsibility or acknowledge the harm he has caused should be all the evidence we need to know that he and men like him have no place in our workplaces. As the report repeatedly states, his behavior was well known and widely accepted by people in power as just the way things were. Mr. Mapes’ attempts to justify his actions (without denying them) because he was so busy but him having three of the most powerful jobs in the state of Illinois didn’t happen by accident and is a symptom of the larger problem, not an excuse for bad behavior.
The recommendations of Maggie Hickey’s report must be fully implemented. We must vigilantly avoid the kind of entrenchment and complacency that got us into this situation in the first place. The victims of Mr. Mapes deserve more than lip service. They need to see meaningful change that lasts.
Illinois’ public sector employees are some of the highest paid in the nation and earn wages up to 60% higher than their private sector counterparts.
As you might imagine, there are some red flags with this study. They don’t show their statistical model and they don’t control for union membership, for example.
Using the American Community Survey (ACS), we restrict our sample to white males, heads of households, prime-working age (25-55) only.
I asked Frank Manzo IV from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute how many state and local government employees were white males between the ages of 25 and 55 during the time period studied. The answer is 22 percent…
…Adding… From Dr. Orphe Divounguy…
“All academics restrict their sample sizes to omit as much bias as possible from their analysis.
“As we say in the body of the paper, we don’t just analyze white households: ‘The analysis compares only employed, male heads of households from the ages of 25-55 in order to remove wage disparities resulting from gender, school enrollment or semi-retirement.’ We have over 1.4 million observations for 50 states and 63,800 in Illinois that are male, 25-55, reporting to be heads of households. With the use of sampling weights, that represents 32.3 million U.S. male heads of household and 1.4 million Illinois male heads of household.
“The model used is referred to as an Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition. We refer to it in the appendix and cite the papers that first introduced it. It decomposes log hourly wages into the effect of observable factors such as age, age squared, educational attainment, marital status … all factors that explain wage differences between two groups — and the rest — the wage gap that remains unexplained by observables.
“As for the second part of the paper, the model is fully detailed in the appendix. We control for demographics with year fixed effects. The methodology comes from Behar and Mok who have published a similar paper with the International Monetary Fund looking at whether public employment crowds out private employment in developing countries. We also find that labor market freedom improves labor market outcomes. Another paper published this year => here shows the same relationship: labor freedom is associated with lower unemployment rates.”
Banking service access will be expanding across the state. Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill Monday called Bank on Initiative.
Right now, 1 in 5 households in the state use nontraditional banking systems. The program will connect them with affordable financial help. The hope is this will reduce people’s reliance on predatory lenders that charge high fees for basic services.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said a new state law, signed Monday, will ask banks and credit unions to list what they offer in the way of low cost methods for opening an account.
“We’ll set up a window on our website where people can enter their address and we’ll say here’s the nearest bank to you with an appropriate account that will work for you,” Mendoza said.
The bill specifically is targeted at helping the estimated one-fifth of Illinois households who conduct their financial affairs outside of the traditional banking system, often by using relatively high-fee payday loan outlets, auto title lenders, pawn shops and the like. According to Pritzker, such folks will end up paying an average of $40,000 in fees over their lifetimes.
The new measure doesn’t directly change that but authorizes Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza to certify and publicly post information about low-cost products offered by banks and credit unions that include features such as no maintenance fees, limited charges for overdrafts and secured personal loans for those with low credit scores. […]
The bill doesn’t empower Mendoza to develop new programs, merely to publicize existing products that pass muster. And to do even that, she’ll work with an advisory commission. That may explain why the bill passed both houses of the Legislature by unanimous votes.
But, as one insider put it, “Look at this is sort of reverse shaming. You’d think that this list would encourage banks to offer more programs like this.”
“The Community Bankers Association of Illinois appreciates the efforts of the governor, comptroller and General Assembly to highlight the needs of the unbanked and under-banked population. It is important to integrate these consumers into the mainstream financial world as an alternative to predatory actors like payday lenders and tile loans who charge as much as 500% interest for basic financial services.” […]
The Brookings Institute found that, on average, a full-time worker who doesn’t use traditional retail banking products is charged roughly $40,000 in lifetime fees. Low-income and immigrant consumers are more vulnerable to being targeted with long-term fees, in exchange for low-information lending documentation.
Lack of access to traditional banking is a problem in both rural and urban areas all over the state. Cook County has a combined unbanked and underbanked rate of nearly 30 percent. Macon County in central Illinois and Alexander County at the southern tip of the state both have unbanked rates of roughly 35 percent.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said a lawsuit challenging the Illinois Gun Dealer License Certification Act is “not ripe for judicial review” and should be dismissed because state police have yet to fully implement the act and that no part of the law has been used to stop dealers from doing business.
The attorney general responded Monday to a lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court filed by several gun stores across the state and the Illinois State Rifle Association. […]
Some dealers don’t want to invest the $300 to $1,500 per business operating name to apply and comply with the new state mandates required on top of what’s required to get the federal firearms dealer license.
“[Gun dealers] may spend $20,000 on a security system for example and it might not work [for the state mandate] so they have to go spend another $20,000,” Pearson said.
After a licensee submits the required materials to the State Police for certification of the federal firearms license, the State Police issues an “initial certificate of license within 30 days.” “If the [State Police] does not issue the certificate within 30 days, the licensee shall operate as if a certificate has been granted unless and until a denial is issued by the” State Police. Dealing in firearms without a certified license is a crime, and also can subject the firearms dealer to administrative sanctions. Not one of the plaintiff firearms dealers alleges that it has been subjected to any sanctions, or that the State Police has denied or prevented it from obtaining a certificate. A certification of license is valid for the term of the federal firearms license being certified.
Plaintiffs challenge section 5-50 of the Act, 430 ILCS 68/5-50, which describes the type of security system that a certified licensee must have for a retail location. That section states that, by no later than January 2, 2021, “[e]ach certified licensee operating a retail location in this State must maintain a video security system and shall maintain video surveillance of critical areas of the business premises, including, but not limited to, all places where firearms in inventory are stored, handled, sold, or transferred, and each entrance and exit.” 460 ILCS 68/5-50(a). Also, “[i]f a video security system is deemed inadequate by the [State Police], the licensee shall have 30 days to correct the inadequacy. The [State Police] shall submit to the licensee a written statement describing the specific inadequacies.”
In District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 592 (2008), the United States Supreme Court confirmed that “conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms” are “presumptively lawful” under the Second Amendment. And in McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742, 786 (2010), the Court said, “[w]e made it clear in Heller that our holding did not cast doubt on such longstanding regulatory measures as . . . laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. We repeat those assurances here.”
The presumption of validity of regulatory burdens on the sale of firearms is not surprising, for the Second Amendment’s “central component is the right to possess firearms for protection.” Ezell v. City of Chicago, 651 F.3d 684, 699 (7th Cir. 2011) (emphasis added). Nothing in the Complaint alleges that the Act imposes an undue burden on a citizen’s right to possess a firearm—at least, not to the extent that the Second Amendment would be concerned. Where a restriction on firearms is presumptively valid, as Heller and McDonald say is the case for regulations concerning the sale of firearms, the Second Amendment does not apply. See Teixeira v. County of Alameda, 873 F.3d 670, 690 (9th Cir. 2017) (“[T]he Second Amendment does not independently protect a proprietor’s right to sell firearms.”), certiorari denied, 138 S. Ct. 1988; United States v. Chafin, 423 Fed. Appx. 342, 344 (4th Cir. 2011) (“Indeed, although the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to bear arms, it does not necessarily give rise to a corresponding right to sell a firearm.”).
To the extent Count II includes a vagueness challenge to the Act’s fee provision, 430 ILCS 68/5-70, the claim should be dismissed under section 2-615 of the Code of Civil Procedure for failure to allege any facts suggesting that the fee provision is unconstitutionally vague.
Thus, as in Conlon, plaintiffs’ vagueness challenge is not ripe because it is possible that the rulemaking process will clarify the terms that plaintiffs claim to be vague, and will moot their vagueness challenge.
Moreover, the Complaint nowhere alleges any facts showing that defendants have enforced any of the challenged provisions against any of the plaintiff firearms dealers. […]
In Count III, Plaintiffs allege that the State Police is enforcing sections 5-30, 5-55, and 5- 60 of the Act without the promulgation of administrative rules. (Ex. B, Compl., ¶¶44–52.) But as noted above, the rulemaking process is underway and, in the meantime, the Complaint does not allege that the State Police has enforced any of the provisions against any plaintiff.
Vote Yes For Fairness, a new ballot initiative committee working to pass the fair tax in Illinois, launched today with a mission to stand up for working and middle-class families in the fight for the fair tax. Vote Yes For Fairness believes the fair tax is the next step the state needs to continue on a path toward fiscal sustainability and success for all its residents, and will be making that case to voters in the lead up to the November 2020 election.
With the fair tax, only those making more than $250,000 a year will pay more, with the majority of Illinoisans, including our middle and working-class families, paying less.
But if the fair tax does not pass, Illinois’ structural budget deficit would have to be addressed by either cutting spending on social services by 15% or by raising income taxes on all Illinoisans by 20%. Our working families simply cannot afford either option.
“After four years of irresponsible governance and fiscal mismanagement under the Rauner administration, Illinois is finally getting back on track, but the next step toward fundamentally changing the trajectory of our state is implementing the fair tax,” said Quentin Fulks, Chairman of Vote Yes For Fairness. “The fair tax will lift the burden off of middle and lower-income families, reduce economic inequality, and generate additional funding to address our budget crisis and fund our weakened education system. Vote Yes For Fairness will be sharing that message with voters across the state, and we’re confident it will pass in November 2020.”
Pritzker’s “Vote Yes for Fairness” is a ballot initiative committee helmed by Quentin Fulks, the head of his “Think Big Illinois” non-profit 501(c)(4). While it has a $0 balance, it can accept unlimited contributions in the weeks and months leading up to the election that will feature Pritkzer’s banner question over the state’s progressive income tax. Its stated purpose is “to support the proposed Graduated Income Tax Amendment to the Illinois Constitution.”
Opponents of the graduated income tax launched their own ballot initiative committee last month, called “Vote No On The Blank Check Amendment.” Crain’s reported that the group, headed by Greg Baise, the CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association who now leads Think Big opponent Ideas Illinois, planned to spend “a significant amount” to counter Pritzker. It has already begun some of its messaging, using the face of House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Ballot committee names are supposed to include words describing the question of public policy and whether the group supports or opposes the question. Those two names kinda stretches one of those requirements.
…Adding… From the new committee…
Hi Rich,
Hope your summer is going well!
I saw your post about Vote Yes For Fairness with the headline “Pritzker, Lightfoot launch campaign committees” and just wanted to reach out for clarification. Vote Yes For Fairness is not a Pritzker campaign committee. It will be advocating for the fair tax, which is obviously one of his policy objectives, but it is separate from Governor Pritzker.
[Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s] new PAC allows her to collect maximum donations of $10,800 from individuals; $53,900 from other committees and PACs, and $21,600 from parties, unions, and corporations. Those amounts are higher than the limits for her existing campaign committee; individuals and organizations can donate to both committees. […]
Dave Mellet, Lightfoot’s political director, says the PAC “will help support the mayor as she continues to reform city government and invest in all Chicago neighborhoods. We will also support candidates who share that vision for the city.”
The new committee is called Light PAC and is chaired by Laurel Appell, the president of Better Together Chicago, a 501(c)4 which funded Lightfoot’s transition with dark money (they listed funders here).
Millions of low-income women could lose access to birth control and other reproductive health services when a Trump administration rule kicks in Monday night that bans funding for clinics that make abortion referrals, among other restrictions.
The new policy steers federal dollars toward anti-abortion, faith-based providers and bans all participating doctors from giving women information about obtaining abortions, which critics call a “gag rule.” Going beyond longstanding restrictions on using federal money for abortions, the rule also cuts off family planning dollars to clinics that use their own money to provide abortions. Some providers who oppose the new policy already have stopped using federal Title X family planning dollars while they await a possible federal appeals court ruling that could block it. That’s allowed Planned Parenthood, as well as states including Oregon, Washington and Illinois, to technically stay in the program without having to follow the new rule.
But that could all change in the next few days. HHS says midnight on Monday is the deadline for providers to prove they’re following the rule or be thrown out of the program and forced to forfeit grants worth tens of millions of dollars a year.
* Yesterday…
Today, August 19, 2019, The Trump-Pence administration is forcing Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) and other providers out of the national program for birth control and reproductive health care — Title X — through an unethical gag rule. Over 100,000 people in Illinois rely on Title X to access basic health care like cancer screenings, annual wellness exams, birth control, and STI testing and treatment. PPIL operates one in five Title X health centers in Illinois, and serves more than 42 percent of Title X contraceptive clients. PPIL is the only Title X provider in six counties in Central Illinois: LaSalle, Macon, McLane, Peoria, Sangamon, and Tazewell.
Community health centers throughout Illinois say there is no way they will be able to fill the gap when Planned Parenthood health centers are no longer allowed to serve these patients. This move by the Trump-Pence administration puts affordable health care out of reach for many underserved communities, with an even greater impact on communities in poverty and rural communities.
Title X subsidizes family planning and preventive services for low-income families. It grew out of federal subsidies to help low-income families obtain birth control as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in 1965. The current program, Title X of the Public Health Service Act (Public Law 91-572), passed the Senate unanimously and the House overwhelmingly in 1970, and was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
Below is a statement attributed to Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
“Planned Parenthood being forced out of the Title X program due to the unethical gag rule is a devastating blow to Illinois residents, especially in Central Illinois. In the short term, we have emergency funds to continue providing services for our patients, which is our number one priority. However, this is not a permanent solution nor is this gap in funding something that can be covered through private philanthropy.
“Illinois is a haven for reproductive health care but the Trump-Pence administration is sidestepping the choices of local residents. We will continue to fight for the rights of all Illinois residents to have access to abortion information, birth control and health care.”
“The Trump administration’s gag rule is fundamentally wrong,” Pritzker said in a telephone news conference Monday. “This policy has caused a mess of confusion and uncertainty, destabilizing women’s health care nationwide and doing extraordinary harm to the lives of patients, particularly women of color.” […]
In Illinois, the state Department of Public Health typically receives about $4 million a year, which it distributes to various public health clinics in the state. Planned Parenthood of Illinois receives about another $3.5 million, while Aunt Martha’s receives about $500,000.
The money is used to pay for such services as contraception, cancer screening and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, among other things.
Since the program’s inception in 1970, federal law has prohibited recipients from using Title X money to pay for abortions. But abortion opponents have for years wanted the ban to go further by prohibiting money from going to any organization that provides abortion services or refers women to abortion providers, even if the funding for those services comes from separate sources. That’s essentially what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did earlier this year when it announced its new rule.
Planned Parenthood is the sole Title X provider in Peoria, Tazewell, Sangamon, LaSalle, Macon and McLean counties. Pritzker said the agency served 70,000 people in Illinois in the last fiscal year.
Planned Parenthood officials declined to put a number on the expected financial impact on their bottom line in the Monday conference call.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block the rule’s implementation last week as a court battle moves forward.
Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, in collaboration with an advisory group of women members of the House Democratic Caucus, today released – in full – an unredacted report prepared by Maggie Hickey, a former federal prosecutor and Inspector General for Governor Rauner, detailing the findings of her independent review of the workplace culture within the Office of the Speaker and providing insight into the environment in the Capitol. In 2018, Speaker Madigan and an advisory group comprised of female members requested Hickey conduct a thorough review of prior allegations of harassment and make recommendations for improvements.
“I welcomed this independent review to better understand the workplace culture within the Office of the Speaker and to help improve the environment in the Capitol,” Madigan said. “I thank Ms. Hickey for her professionalism and commitment to this process, as well as the staff, House members, lobbyists, and others who were interviewed as part of this report.”
As part of her review, Hickey examined the operations of the Office of the Speaker, including the Office of the Clerk, and interviewed more than 100 current and former staff members, as well as members of the General Assembly and lobbyists. Those interviewed described interactions with co-workers and other individuals who are not employed by the Office, including those employed by other caucuses or elected officials, lobbyists, and members of the general public.
“I take responsibility for not doing enough previously to prevent issues in my office, and continue to believe that we, collectively, need to do more in the Capitol to improve our workplace culture and protect the women and men who work here who want to make a difference in the world,” Madigan said. “While the Office of the Speaker has taken many steps to improve and will work to adopt Ms. Hickey’s recommendations, Ms. Hickey’s report makes clear there is more to be done. As part of my full commitment to change the culture, I am ready to work with the other legislative caucuses to ensure that everyone has a safe workplace.”
Madigan said that issues with harassment in the workplace go beyond the Capitol. “This is an issue that affects all workplaces and individuals from all walks of life. We must vigilantly work to eliminate employment-related discrimination and harassment, and address workplace equality not only in the Capitol, but across Illinois.”
The members of the advisory group involved with Hickey’s selection issued a statement thanking those who participated in the review and reaffirming their commitment to change the culture. The advisory group includes Representatives Kelly Burke, Deb Conroy, Jehan Gordon-Booth, Lisa Hernandez, Camille Lilly, Theresa Mah, Natalie Manley, Ann Williams, and Kathleen Willis. Former Representative Melissa Conyears-Ervin was involved during her tenure. The advisory group will continue working with the Office of the Speaker on implementation of further reforms.
“We are grateful for those who have shared their own personal and often difficult experiences – both publicly and privately – in an effort to bring positive change to the Capitol work environment,” said Representative Ann Williams, on behalf of the group. “Each allegation made and every story told has contributed to the larger conversation, and underscores our commitment to rebuild our workplace on a foundation of respect for each and every individual. Though these findings were often difficult to read, the report further solidified our commitment to provide a professional and respectful workplace environment not just in our own House, but throughout the Capitol. As members of the House Democratic Caucus, we take responsibility, individually and collectively, to right these wrongs and ensure a safe, healthy, and respectful workplace for all who work there.”
Using criteria established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hickey found the Capitol presents many challenges and risk factors that make harassment more likely to occur, and the report details the various challenges that employees and employers face in an environment such as the Capitol atmosphere. To combat this, Hickey recommends the Office of the Speaker should consider unique and innovative ways to address these challenges and risk factors, particularly by partnering with the other legislative caucuses, as well as other entities that interact with legislative staff. The report makes several recommendations for improvement, particularly given the unique challenges of employing a significant number of people who are young or new to the workforce.
“I commit to all of our staff, particularly those who are new to the workforce, that we will provide you with a supportive atmosphere that encourages professional growth and development, and that provides you with the necessary tools to thrive in our unique environment,” said Madigan in response to Hickey’s recommendations. “I want the Office to be a place where everyone is comfortable to bring forth allegations, knowing that they will be treated fairly and with compassion.”
In her report, Hickey found the Office of the Speaker has taken significant actions to address concerns and challenges faced by staff, and staff confirmed the environment has improved since the beginning of the #MeToo movement. Her report details actions taken by the Office of the Speaker and rank-and-file members (see pages 119-121 of the Hickey Report). A few of the key actions taken to change the environment for staff include:
Created a Human Resources Unit and hired an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer;
Improved the process for responding to and investigating allegations of discrimination or harassment, as well as general workplace complaints;
Conduct frequent trainings customized to addressing the unique challenges of the legislative environment (in additional to what is required by law);
Hold specialized training for supervisors, directors, and human resources staff;
Convene regular meetings with supervisors and staff, both on a one-on-one basis and in group settings;
Implemented numerous staffing changes and implemented an “open door policy” for the Chief of Staff, Human Resources personnel, and all directors;
Revised personnel policies, with continuous staff contact so all staff know the rules and their rights; and
Implemented additional skills training for staff to help employees become more confident in their skills and grow their career opportunities.
The Office intends to build upon the current momentum of these improvements by planning further actions, consistent with Hickey’s recommendations. For example, the Office plans to expand the Human Resources operation related to various training efforts, recruitment and onboarding processes, and general personnel management activities.
This post will be updated as I go through everything. Meanwhile, here are some documents to peruse…
The current and former workers in the Speaker’s Office that we interviewed, however, gave varying feedback regarding inappropriate sexual conduct in the Speaker’s Office. Female workers, for example, were more likely to describe personal experiences hearing inappropriate sexual comments. More workers, however, said that they had witnessed or personally experienced what they considered to be bullying. In fact, most workers across the Speaker’s Office and across genders and positions said that they were more concerned with bullying than with inappropriate sexual conduct.
What is more, the vast majority said that they would not have reported miscon- duct under the previous Chief of Staff Timothy Mapes, for various reasons detailed in this report. In addition to serving as Chief of Staff since 1992, Mr. Mapes was also the Clerk of the House since 2011 and the Executive Director of the Demo- cratic Party of Illinois since 1998. For this reason, workers were concerned that Mr. Mapes had discretion to affect their positions, opportunities, and benefits. In some cases, people believed that they were more replaceable than the subjects of their potential complaints. People were also concerned that making complaints would reflect negatively on them. Even though we identified only a few instances when the Speaker’s Office terminated a worker’s employment, workers commonly perceived that they could lose their jobs at any time and for any or no reason.
In fact, most of the people interviewed—regardless of their views of Mr. Mapes— agreed that Mr. Mapes commonly threatened people’s jobs or reminded them that they were dispensable. People believed that Mr. Mapes attempted to motivate workers through fear and that a few other supervisors throughout the years emu- lated this practice. Some people also raised the additional concern that, given Mr. Mapes’s political ties, he could make or break their careers outside of the Speaker’s Office as well.
* And yet…
On May 21, 2018, Representative Kelly Cassidy spoke to the media regarding allegations of retaliation against her by then-Chief of Staff and Clerk of the House Timothy Mapes, Representative Robert Rita, and Speaker Michael Madigan. Specifically, Representative Cassidy alleged that the following occurred in response to her public criticisms of how the Speaker’s Office handled sexual harassment claims:
● Mr. Mapes attempted to intimidate Representative Cassidy by contacting her outside employer and asking if she still worked there;
● Representative Rita sponsored a bill that was supported by Representative Cassidy’s outside employer, and he promoted the fact that Representative Cassidy did not support the bill with the intent to affect her outside employment; and
● Speaker Madigan rejected a meeting with Representative Cassidy and later appeared to threaten her committee positions.
Notably, during her interview, Representative Cassidy did not allege that Mr. Mapes, Representative Rita, and Speaker Madigan conspired to retaliate against her. Instead, Representative Cassidy alleged that the culture is one in which every- one independently knows to retaliate against anyone for publicly criticizing Speaker Madigan.
As a representative, Representative Cassidy did not have the same protections against retaliation as an employee would have. Still, even if she did have these protections, we do not find sufficient evidence to conclude that there was an effort—coordinated or otherwise—to punish or silence Representative Cassidy.
The evidence against Mapes was right in front of their eyes and others backed her up…
We heard from many representatives that they would have also interpreted Mr. Mapes’s phone call to be a threat or, at least, to be unusual and warranting an explanation. Likewise, we heard from many people who worked closely with Mr. Mapes who would consider that type of threatening behavior to be in line with his typical management style.
* More…
At a press conference in Chicago, on June 6, 2018, Account Technician Sherri Gar- rett made several allegations against Timothy Mapes, who was the Chief of Staff for the Speaker’s Office, Clerk of the House, and Executive Director of the Demo- cratic Party of Illinois (DPI):
Over the course of the last several years, I have endured and have personally witnessed bullying and repeated harassment that was often sexual and sexist in nature in my workplace. . . .
Tim Mapes, Chief of Staff to Speaker Madigan, has made repeated inappropriate comments to me and around me, both in the office and on the House floor. . . .
I am speaking out because victims of harassment like me, men and women alike, just want to go to work, we want to do our jobs with dignity, and we want to go home at the end of our day, but instead, we have a culture of sexism, harassment, and bullying that creates an incredibly difficult work environment.
The same day, Speaker Michael Madigan announced that, at his direction, Mr. Mapes had resigned from all of his positions.
Based on our investigation, we conclude that Mr. Mapes violated the Speaker’s Office’s Personnel Rules and Regulations with his treatment of Ms. Garrett. While we could not substantiate each one of Ms. Garrett’s interpretations of events, we found Ms. Garrett to be credible. We found that Mr. Mapes was not “courteous and efficient” with Ms. Garrett, among other workers. Most notably, Mr. Mapes discouraged Ms. Garrett from coming forward with a concern about potential sex- ual harassment by insinuating that Ms. Garrett was raising the issue only because she was jealous of the attention.
* Pretty good summation…
Most people believed that Mr. Mapes was efficient at getting things done. This appearance of efficiency was, at least in part, a product of the fear he engendered. But this fear was ultimately inefficient. Workers described that they were unable to raise concerns under Mr. Mapes’s leadership. Unless workers felt comfortable talking to Mr. Mapes directly, they would not raise concerns. Many workers said that there was no point in raising concerns to their supervisors, because they be- lieved that their supervisors had no authority and would be required to elevate issues to Mr. Mapes. Thus, many people believed that they could neither express concerns to Mr. Mapes directly nor raise concerns with their supervisors because they believed that Mr. Mapes would ultimately not take those concerns seriously.
* Ugh…
Ms. Garrett alleged that, in the late evening near the end of session in spring 2013, then-Representative Kenneth Dunkin made an unwanted sexual comment to Ms. Garrett and another female worker on the House Floor. Specifically, Ms. Garrett alleged that Representative Dunkin told Ms. Garrett and the other woman some- thing like: “I want to take you both home and see which one of you would be the naughtiest.” Ms. Garrett was very upset, but was very busy and continued work- ing. Later that night, Ms. Garrett told then-Reading Clerk John Hollman about the incident to voice her frustration with Representative Dunkin and to say that she would not let it happen again.
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Kelly Cassidy…
As stated in the report, my main goal was to make the negative actions towards me stop, and they did. Others now feel safer coming forward to share their story without fear of retaliation. I am pleased overall and particularly that the Speakers’ office chose to share the full report with the public. It is the best path forward.
* Sandoval succeeded in extending the story with yet another statement. Tribune…
State Sen. Martin Sandoval on Monday blamed a vendor hired to provide music and entertainment at a Friday fundraiser for photos posted online showing a man pointing a fake gun used as a novelty beverage dispenser at someone wearing a mask depicting President Donald Trump.
“I had absolutely no knowledge that this regrettable exchange between one of my 1,200 guests and a third-party vendor even took place,” the Chicago Democrat said in a statement. “Those individuals involved exhibited extremely poor judgment.” […]
The person wearing the Trump mask was from Harvey-based Party District Entertainment, which has provided entertainment at previous Sandoval fundraisers. Sandoval’s campaign fund has paid the company $7,700 since 2017. The company provides costumed characters, DJs and other services for parties and events. The “gun” in the photos was a novelty beverage dispenser.
“This offensive use of a beverage dispenser was in no way part of any scheduled program,” Sandoval said in his Monday statement. “I had no knowledge of it and neither did my staff. I want to again express my deepest regret that this unfortunate incident took place at (an) event in my name.”
Just because they ask a question doesn’t mean you have to answer it, Marty.
Also, the “beverage dispenser” in question is a tequila gun.
The photos even got the attention of Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, who tweeted, “Every Democrat should be asked if they support or disavow this.”
And the U.S. Secret Service on Monday told the Chicago Sun-Times they are “aware” of the incident. Tim Gilroy, assistant to the special agent-in-charge of the Chicago office, said he could not comment on whether an investigation was underway, “but I can tell you that the Secret Service investigates all threats against the president, and we take them all very seriously.” […]
After a barrage of questions from reporters, Sandoval released a second statement on Monday — expressing “regret” but no apology.
“As a matter of clarification, I had absolutely no knowledge that this regrettable exchange between one of my 1,200 guests and a third-party vendor even took place. Those individuals involved exhibited extremely poor judgement,” the statement said.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise asked what it would take for liberals to denounce violence against conservatives after a Democratic state senator from Illinois came under fire last weekend over pictures showing his supporters at a fundraising event taking part in a mock assassination of President Trump. […]
“I am glad he took ownership, and said he was wrong,” Scalise said.
* Another party pic to give you an idea of how wild that event can get…
The governor’s aging Chicago offices just got a $275,000 face-lift, thanks to billionaire Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“The Governor’s Office at the Thompson Center was in a very sad state of disrepair, and the Pritzkers paid personally to replace decades-old carpeting and repaint so that the space would no longer be embarrassing,” Pritzker’s spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in explaining the renovations after decades of neglect.
The stained gray carpets, some with duct tape to hold them together, are gone — at least in the offices of the governor and his staff. There’s now a dividing line between Pritzker’s staff and the offices housing Republican staffers on the 16th floor — a spiffy new blue carpet butting up against the tattered gray one. […]
In total, Pritzker spent $275,000 for carpeting, paint and ceiling tile work, all from his own deep pockets, the governor’s office said. Carpet replacement began on Aug. 12 and will continue for several weeks, the work done with union labor via C&W Building Services, Inc., the general contractor for the Thompson Center. All the renovation was done by state-approved vendors, and they in turn directly billed the Pritzkers.
That suite has needed a rehab for years. Can you imagine what it’s like when people meet with the governor to talk about investing in Illinois? Not a good look. The building won’t be sold for a while, so sprucing it up now makes sense. Also, it’s basically pocket change for this governor.
* Replace your communications director, go on vacation and then leak the news that you want the General Assembly to allow you to impose a service tax and a real estate transfer tax. Interesting choices…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to ask state lawmakers to help Chicago dig out of a $1 billion hole — by empowering the city to tax high-end professional services and raise the transfer tax on big-ticket home sales [over $1 million], City Hall sources said Monday. […]
Sources said the mayor is prepared to portray those two local taxes as the only alternative to a dreaded property tax increase she wants desperately to avoid after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel doubled the city’s levy.
John Patterson, a spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), said the veto session is still two months away and it’s “premature to start speculating” on Chicago’s needs.
Patterson would say only that the Senate president is “eager to work with” Lightfoot and has “always tried to be helpful” to the city — but, he added: “These issues would be a heavy lift in Springfield.” […]
[House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said]: “I just don’t see my caucus embracing either of those two concepts…Our caucus believes that we’ve placed enough taxes and fees upon homeowners and businesses large and small throughout the state.”
I’ve asked the governor’s office for a response. I don’t think they were briefed in advance of this leak.
Also, I’m hearing that the mayor wants to lengthen the pension payment ramp. She’d need GA approval to do that as well.
*** UPDATE *** Pretty tame response from Emily Bittner at the governor’s office…
The governor is committed to creating an environment in the state where all cities can thrive, because Illinois succeeds when its cities succeed. The administration looks forward to working with stakeholders on a productive veto session for communities throughout Illinois, including Chicago.
