Governor Rauner, thank you for presiding over today’s ceremony.
And, on behalf of the Illinois Senate, thank you for your public service.
We may have had our differences, from time to time, but you took on a challenge when others merely complain from the sidelines.
Thank you, and I wish you and your family the best.
* The Question: What is the truly nicest thing you can say about the departing governor? This is a serious question, so no snark. And if you can’t say anything nice, then please do not respond to the question.
“I want to thank the people of the 66th District for again entrusting me to represent you in Springfield,” said Skillicorn. “Illinois government is broken, but when we the people work together we can affect change. Our recent success to defeat a massive motor fuel tax hike in the waning moments of the 100th General Assembly that appeared to be a sure thing just a month again is proof of that.”
A sure thing? I told subscribers this on November 15th: “Tentative plans are afoot to move forward with some sort of tax increase to fund a capital bill by the end of the lame duck session on January 9th.” And then on November 27th I told subscribers that from everything I was hearing the plans to do a capital bill in lame duck had been scrapped.
The “horizontal” (roads, bridges, transit) infrastructure project list would’ve likely been ready to go by this week, but the “vertical” (building construction and repair) list would not have been. That lack of a list, I was told in late November, was a big reason for the delay. They couldn’t do the tax hikes for both at once because it’s tough to pass a tax increase for vertical projects when nobody knows what the projects are. They also didn’t want to do one tax hike for horizontal and then another just weeks later for vertical. Too many headlines.
“I don’t see anything else coming,” Durkin said. “I’m seeing some posters here about a gas tax. There’s nothing about an infrastructure bill or anything regarding a gas tax or anything that’s going to be considered this week.”
Make no mistake, however: A capital bill is coming, along with revenue streams to pay for it.
Illinois taxpayers defeated the plan of downstate and Cook County Democrats to give the state of Illinois the highest gasoline tax in the country during the Illinois 100th General Assembly lame duck session.
The Democrat mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, showing how out-of-touch he was with taxpayers, had called for a 30 cent-per-gallon increase on the state gasoline tax. In response, taxpayers protested inside the Illinois Capitol Building against this two billion dollar tax hike. The January 7 protest featured many prominent anti-gasoline-tax speakers, including St. Rep. Allen Skillicorn, St. Rep. Jeanne Ives, and Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America.
When the protesters went to confront their state representatives over this proposed gasoline tax increase, the tax raisers gaveled out and fled to caucus. They refused to leave their rooms until protesters and their signs were thrown out!
“It must have been two minutes,” commented Val, a concerned taxpayer who was waiting in line to speak to his state representative about the gas tax. “They were in session for two minutes and ran. It’s like they didn’t want to talk to us.”
Illinois lawmakers were so shaken by the outpouring of opposition they did not amend any bills to include a tax increase.
“I bet those tax-raising cowards have never seen so many taxpayers gathered together in one place before,” said Tobin. “It’s too bad we taxpayers need to work for a living. Otherwise we could protest and stop every tax increase in its tracks.”
When asked about the possibility of the new general assembly passing a gas tax increase, Tobin responded, “I think they will try to pass it again. But now Springfield Democrats and the newly elected Governor Pritzker will have to take responsibility for any tax increase. They own it now. They wanted to pass it in the 100th so they could blame Gov. Rauner, and not look like hypocrites when they throw poor and middle class taxpayers under the bus.”
* House Speaker Michael Madigan was unsurprisingly reelected today, with, as expected, Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) voting “Present.”
He began his remarks by asking for prayers for former House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who checked herself into the hospital on the way home to Chicago yesterday with a bad case of pneumonia.
Madigan then launched into a litany of complaints about Gov. Rauner’s one term in office. The following are individual tweets from the House Democrats’ account which excerpted his speech…
On Jan. 14, 2015, I stood before you and pledged to work cooperatively and professionally w/ Gov. Rauner. That was four long years ago.
Four long years of character assassination, personal vilification and strident negotiation positions which hurt our state government and led to inaction for the people of Illinois.
Since then, Illinois suffered through a three year budget impasse. Some may say “We made it through the budget impasse” or “our organization got its money,” but others were not so fortunate.
If you were an Illinoisan depending on funding for Autism services, breast cancer screenings, child abuse prevention or services for survivors of sexual assault, you became a victim of the budget
In America and in Illinois, government is people working with people. Sometimes they agree and other times they disagree.
Where people disagree, if they are reasonable, they talk to each other, exchange ideas, negotiate in good faith, and attempt to find common ground. For the last four years, this didn’t happen. Instead we simply got a series of ultimatums.
Illinois has serious problems. A significant budget imbalance and a debt load that is far too high. This impairs our ability to properly support areas such as education, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, and many others.
To solve these problems people need to work with people. Some may say to just ‘put an end to the last four years’ or ‘close the book.’
But, let me suggest we move beyond these last four years and not just close the book. Rather, let’s close one chapter and take lessons, so we can move on to a new chapter where people work with people.
Speaker Madigan did not announce his new leadership team.
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s speech was mostly upbeat. From the HGOP’s Twitter account…
Following the oaths of office… each one of us will be charged with representing the interests and welfare of 108,000 Illinoisans.
That oath is solemn and has meaning. Deep meaning.
I implore you to embrace this historic moment with the best you can offer.
Durkin quotes his friend, the late US Senator John McCain. …there is “much more than unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other.”
The same can be said about us, my fellow Illinoisans
Today is a day for celebrating and unifying.
This is our state’s 5th year in a row of population loss and will once again lead to diminished influence and a loss of congressional representation.
It also means a loss of taxpayers.
With this new General Assembly, and a new Governor I am optimistic that for once for many, many years, we can put politics aside.
Leader Durkin is outlining what the House Republicans stand for… reform of our state’s regressive property tax system… creating efficiency in our pension systems, by reducing costs and making the systems sustainable for members and taxpayers… balancing the budget by weighing spending demands with fiscal realities… enhancing our weak business climate to bring real sustainable jobs back to our state… getting career gun criminals off our streets.
I have never let the R or D next to a representative’s name impact what I think about their district or constituents and I hope you do the same.
The time for a new direction starts today.
…as former Governor Thompson implored, we can be a “Great” Assembly… that works through the many challenges we face to take Illinois in a new direction.
Durkin ended by saying, “My door is always open. My hope is yours will be, too.”
…Adding… She’s gonna get a lot of press coverage…
Democrat newcomer Anne Stava-Murray was the sole Democrat voting against Madigan. She says it felt great to do. Her reason: she couldn’t vote for a leader who condoned inappropriate sexual behavior in his office. Still, she says she looks forward to working with him and others. pic.twitter.com/oEOlVq8JWl
Lake County State’s Attorney, Michael G. Nerheim announced that in late July of last year, he was contacted by the Illinois Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter regarding the possible criminal activities of then Illinois State Representative Nick Sauer. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Division and Cyber Division immediately began an investigation.
This morning, a Lake County Grand Jury issued a twelve count Indictment for Mr. Sauer for the offense of Non-consensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images involving 2 separate victims. As charged, these are all Class 4 felonies.
Our office has been in communication with Mr. Sauer’s attorney and we expect him to surrender himself on these charges by tomorrow morning. We would like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts and assistance provided by Illinois Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter, the Chicago Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
State’s Attorney Nerheim would like to remind the public that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The statute he is alleged to have violated is here.
I’m working on getting a copy of the indictment. I’ll post it when/if I get it.
The Chicago Teachers Union is heading into contract talks with the wind at its back: A new poll that shows likely voters have a favorable view of the union that stood toe-to-toe with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and overwhelmingly embrace the union’s “educational justice agenda.”
The telephone poll of 600 likely primary voters was conducted Dec. 11-through-16 by Lake Research Partners and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
It shows 62 percent of voters surveyed have a favorable view of the union that led its members on a seven-day 2012 teachers strike that was Chicago’s first in 25 years after Emanuel instigated the walkout with his bullying missteps, including cancelling a teacher pay raise.
That’s compared to a favorability rating of just 31 percent for the City Council, 41 percent for the Chicago Board of Education and 33 percent for County Board.
* Voters are generally pessimistic about both the direction of the city (57% wrong track) and the state of CPS (52% wrong track).
* They are dejected and their issue agenda is noticeably diffuse, with concerns over crime and public safety (19% most important problem), education (16% MIP), property taxes and fees (15% MIP) and jobs and the economy (12% MIP) rounding out a top tier of issues.
o A close second tier includes ethics and corruption(9%), community-police relations(9%), healthcare (8%), and criminal justice reform (7%). […]
* A majority (56%) of voters also says it is important that the next Mayor do something to address the unequal concentration of wealth in downtown and the “push out” of working class African American and Latino families.
* A similar 56% majority also believes that racial segregation should remain an important factor when determining attendance boundaries for Chicago Public Schools. These are key issues the candidates for mayor would do well to address, as they are among the criteria the remaining undecided voters will use to assess them.
* When it comes to sources for new revenue, a millionaires’ income tax (34% excellent idea, 73% total good idea) remains the most popular idea for generating more funding for Chicago Public Schools.
* Voters also solidly support implementing a new tax on large corporations that pay their employees less than $12 an hour (30% excellent idea, 59% total good idea), suing the big banks to recover losses from ‘toxic swaps’ (27% excellent idea, 61% total good idea).
President Donald Trump’s warning that the partial federal government shutdown could last “for months or even years” has states, cities and businesses increasingly nervous.
States depend on federal money to pay for food stamps, welfare and programs such as the Child Care and Development Fund Plan, the National Flood Insurance Program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides matching grants for state and local parks and recreation projects.
Marcia Howard, the executive director of the nonprofit Federal Funds Information for States, said states have enough leftover federal dollars, plus money of their own, to keep key programs going for several weeks — but any period longer than that would create significant problems. The longest previous shutdown was for 21 days, in 1995-1996. […]
In Michigan, for example, $22 billion of the $57 billion state budget comes from the federal government. A spokesman for the Michigan State Budget Office, Kurt Weiss, said the state wouldn’t face significant challenges until 45 days have elapsed. But the day that marks the end of that period, Feb. 5, is fast approaching. […]
Weiss’ office recently asked the heads of state agencies to assess how long they can remain open without federal dollars and which of their programs are most essential. Their responses are due Friday. […]
Federal funding for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for low-income people, is not immediately in jeopardy because Congress already has approved the federal share of those payments through September. […]
As a result of the shutdown, 420,000 federal employees are working without pay and 380,000 have been furloughed, according to a Democratic report from the Senate Appropriations Committee. […]
Because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is closed, officials there won’t process Section 8 and veterans housing vouchers, or answer cities’ questions on grants, Benjamin said. Cities may soon have to work with landlords, food banks and within their own limited budgets to help residents get by in the meantime. […]
The National League of Cities program director for community and economic development, Michael Wallace, said rural residents who are using federal loans to purchase homes have not been able to close on their new properties because the Department of Agriculture is closed, creating unexpected hardship.
If the shutdown extends into February, he said, cities are going to have to transfer money from other programs and services to make sure their residents are fed and sheltered.
I’m told the shutdown’s impact has been a focus of the Pritzker transition team while working with the Rauner administration.
And thank goodness Medicaid is funded or there would be far more serious state issues. Those vendors endured way too many payment delays during our own state impasse.
Am I the only Illinoisan who is experiencing déjà vu, when it comes to the latest antics in Washington?
It seems a petulant chief executive is at loggerheads with a Speaker of the House and is allowing a portion of the government to go unfunded unless he gets what he wants.
It could be Gov. Bruce Rauner circa 2015 or President Donald Trump in 2019.
The parallels are frightening.
Both Rauner and Trump are wealthy men accustomed to getting what they want. It is also worth noting that neither held any other public office before being elected to head an executive branch.
Rauner entered office with a 44-point program to reform Illinois.
He precipitated a crisis by using his veto pen and legislative allies to keep Illinois from having a budget for 736 days. He’d hoped to harness the discontent caused by the emergency to shove his key reforms through the House.
The agencies affected by the shutdown include Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and Treasury.
A longer list with explanations of what’s happening at each agency is here.
The City of Evanston may have to dip deeper into its general assistance funds next month if agreement isn’t reached to end the partial shutdown of the federal government.
The city’s human services manager, Indira Perkins, told the city’s Human Services Committee Monday night that money for the federal government’s food stamp, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is expected to run out in February if the shutdown continues.
She said that in addition to trying to boost cash benefits to general assistance recipients the city will also try to make more use of local food pantries to serve the clients.
(Late Tuesday the Trump administration said it would fund food stamps for February, but had no solution to fund the program for March, if the shutdown continues.)
She said the WIC program, which provides supplemental food to Women, Infants and Children, is also expected to run out of funds next month.
The National Park Service is considering an offer from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to operate the Lincoln Home National Historic Site for the remaining duration of the partial federal government shutdown.
The historic site, which sees more than 200,000 visitors annually, has been closed for more than two weeks as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats spar over the president’s insistence on including funding for a southern border wall in an appropriation bill that would reopen government.
Under the tentative plan offered last week by ALPLM officials, the museum’s management would oversee a team of volunteers that would offer tours of Lincoln’s home and pay for security guards and janitors on the site. The site’s visitor’s center would likely remain closed. The National Park Service is considering the plan, spokeswoman Alex Picavet said Tuesday.
So far, Chicago’s airports haven’t experienced the long lines that travelers reported at LaGuardia last weekend. TSA has acknowledged more screeners are calling in sick, but they say the effect has been “minimal.”
* According to Governing Magazine, 9,703 federal government jobs in Illinois are in agencies currently without enacted appropriations. Another 31,152 work for agencies with enacted appropriations.
In a study conducted by Wallethub, a personal finance website, Illinois was the 11th least affected by the government shutdown given its smaller share of federal jobs and relatively few number of national parks and monuments. […]
Citing estimates from the Center for American Progress, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office said more than 8,300 federal workers in Illinois are being furloughed or forced to work without pay during the shutdown.
Durbin’s office said other problems created by the shutdown include the freezing of loans and grants from the Small Business Administration, Federal Housing Administration and Community Development Board; public housing agencies facing delayed payments, delaying maintenance and emergency repairs; and the closure of USDA farm service agency offices.
And, the longer the shutdown persists, the more that services could be affected and harm could be done, especially in fiscally-challenged states left picking up the tab for social services once covered by the federal government.
This is a federal topic with state implications. As always, do your very best to avoid copy-and-paste DC talking points in comments, please. If you saw some talking head yakking about something on your favorite cable teevee station, don’t repeat it here.
* Related…
* Government shutdown affects southern Illinois: Another area affected by the shutdown is HUD. The agency let 1,150 contracts expire with private landlords who rented to people receiving Section 8 housing voucher, and even though a HUD spokesman says those landlords will be paid eventually, housing advocates like Adrianne Todman, CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, worry it could lead to evictions. “We have to rely on the goodwill of owners to sort of ride this wave with us,” Todman said.
The governor, who has railed against political corruption for the entirety of his term, said [Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s] arrest was “long overdue.”
“Unfortunately there are others — other elected officials who do exactly the same type of thing, using their political position and political power to exert pressure on businesses and property owners to enrich themselves,” Rauner said. “This is not a one person thing. I am ecstatic that they finally indicted him. …There are others that do the same and worse. They haven’t been indicted yet. I hope they are.”
Burke has not actually yet been indicted by a grand jury, but has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of attempted extortion for allegedly trying to use his position on the City Council to win business for his private law firm.
Rauner, a former venture capitalist, too said Burke’s “behavior is relatively common knowledge in the business community in Chicago.”
“A lot of the business community has remained silent out of fear of retribution, and it’s wrong. It is fundamentally wrong and I’m glad they finally got him, and I hope they get some of the others who are doing it. And it’s some of the most powerful people in the state.”
* Mark Maxwell has written one of the most blistering exit stories about Gov. Bruce Rauner I’ve yet seen…
When Bruce Rauner exited stage left after delivering his final public remarks as governor, he had made two things abundantly clear: he couldn’t change the state, and it couldn’t change him.
“Change is hard. Change takes time,” Rauner said Tuesday afternoon as he bemoaned a list of accomplishments that was much shorter than he had hoped.
“The folks that created the massive problems in our state certainly are resistive to change,” he said in a nod to his arch nemesis Michael Madigan, the Democratic Speaker of the House. Rauner defiantly declared, “That does not mean that our recommendations or somehow wrong or flawed or incorrect at all.
After suffering a 15-point defeat in November, the one-term Republican maintained that his positions were popular in the state.
“Virtually everything that we have recommended is supported by a majority of the people of Illinois,” he said.
His office did not respond to a request for examples of public opinion polls to reinforce that claim. If they exist, the election results bore out that he wasn’t nearly as popular a politician as the policy positions he championed.
The governor’s unwavering grip on the withering corpse of his now-infamous ‘turnaround agenda’ was cemented by a swarm of issue-specific polls conducted over several years. Meticulous scientific data regularly supplied him with talking points and campaign prods, though he never liked to admit his reliance on polls much in public.
However, in the only poll that matters, Rauner was on the ballot, and he was saddled with his own record. And no amount of sure-footed stances, electrifying speeches, heartfelt apologies, or vulgar campaign ads could blot out the stain of the historic two-year budget impasse.
Rauner is the first governor in my lifetime to use government as a weapon. He essentially told the Legislature: “Pass my reforms or I’ll use my veto pen along with my legislative allies to keep the state from having a budget.”
We went 736 days without a budget, and not one of his key reforms became reality.
This is not how a democratic government should operate. It should be a process of unifying, of seeking input, of finding compromise that benefits everyone, of careful and well-considered positions and negotiations.
Governing properly is the art of calming the waters, not throwing hand grenades into them.
Then Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno tried to save Rauner — and the state of Illinois — by quietly negotiating with Senate President John Cullerton. The compromise package covered much of Rauner’s wish list — but not all of it.
Instead of embracing a partial win, the governor turned up his nose and walked away, leaving himself and the state of Illinois in worse shape.
And then, there is the lying. Rauner lied about big things and little things. No, his grandparents weren’t immigrants from Sweden. They were born in Wisconsin. It was a fib he told over and over — even after being called out on it by reporters.
My friend and former editor Dana Heupel died the morning after Christmas. I’d heard about his health problems. “I need to give him a call,” I’d said, a few times.
I’ve tried to determine when we last spoke. I know it was more than two years ago, because I don’t remember ever having a conversation with him about our current political era — and had we talked, we’d have talked about that.
Heck, snippets of it would still be echoing over Springfield, Illinois, in language I won’t use here.
Dana was normally a calm and unassuming guy, but he was also the quintessential watchdog journalist; get him going about abuse of power, governmental incompetence or attacks against the free press, and his rhetoric would peel the paint from the walls.
He was an editor at the State Journal-Register in Springfield in the early 1990s, when I was a reporter there. He’d worked in California before coming to this stodgy old Midwestern local newspaper — Lincoln’s favorite, they would never let you forget. He brought with him an ambitious plan to apply new oversight to Illinois’ famously crooked politicians, using the then-edgy concept of “computer-assisted reporting.”
It sounds funny now, like bragging about driving a “horseless carriage.” But at the time, for a paper like ours, it was a journalistic moon shot.
* Former Rep. Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) penned a recent op-ed for the Daily Herald about what happened when he decided to reenlist in the Marines back in 2007 and deployed to Iraq…
What I did not expect, however, was the criticism I received from some in my own political party.
I was told that I needed to resign my House seat because Speaker Madigan would certainly target my district during my absence.
Naturally, I met with Speaker Madigan and, upon hearing my situation, he could not have been more helpful. We discussed the nature of my unit and our duty in Iraq’s Anbar province. He listened and noted that this had not happened with a legislator since World War II. In the end, he assured me that my seat would not be targeted and, further, that his office was there to help me and my district however possible.
And help he did. The speaker’s staff provided input as our unit advised the Anbar Provincial Council on a host of constitutional and legislative issues.
Equally important, Speaker Madigan created an environment which allowed two Democrat legislators to service my district. Dan Beiser, a Democrat from Alton, toured Grafton during a flood and assured my constituents that their needs would be met even though I was in Iraq. To this day, I still have a picture in my office where our two districts meet near Grafton and Alton, along the Mississippi River. The photo was a gift from Rep. Beiser honoring my service and our friendship. For me, it serves as a reminder of his statesmanship. […]
People often ask about lessons learned from my time in Iraq and in the Illinois General Assembly. Without hesitation, I point to the bipartisan help I received from my colleagues and specifically, House Speaker Madigan. My experience is a paradigm of what politics can be.
I share this story because millions of dollars were spent during the last campaign cycle vilifying a man in a manner hitherto unheard of. I worked with and against that man on various legislative issues. I found him to be tough but fair. Our disagreements were never personal. Rather, they were restricted to the merits of the issue. And in my time of need, a time of war, that man, Speaker Michael J. Madigan, extended a hand because it was the right thing to do.
The elections are over, and our state faces a mountain of issues. We need a true statesman who can work together to make difficult decisions. I hope this story serves as an example of what can be done.
Gov. Bruce Rauner said Tuesday that he sought out other people to replace him at the top of the ticket because he wanted to see his reform platform succeed.
Rauner talked about the decision during a news conference where he issued a summary of his term in office.
“It was all a function of me being all in to win for the team for reform,” he said. “This has never been about me. This job has never been something that I’ve particularly sought in and of itself. All I care is that we save our state for our children and our grandchildren … me and my personal situation is irrelevant. All that matters is that the team win and that we get major reforms done and that’s what I’ve been 100 percent committed to every day.”
In an interview with ABC 7 in December, Rauner said he sought out others to take his place. It was later revealed that he asked former state Sen. Karen McConnaughay, Chicago Cubs part-owner Todd Ricketts, and attorney general candidate Erika Harold to take his place under the Republican ticket for governor. They all turned him down.
Rauner went on to lose to Pritzker by 16 points.
The revelation that Rauner wanted someone else to replace him caused an uproar among Republicans across the state, some shocked that he would have stepped aside, others outraged that he fought a long primary battle against conservative Republican lawmaker Rep. Jeanne Ives, only to win by a couple percentage points.
About 30 percent of the lawmakers who take the oath will be different from the person who sat in the same seat two years ago.
Several Republicans who voted to raise income taxes in 2017 didn’t run for re-election again, and some big names left for other reasons — with several departures robbing the General Assembly of some of its most influential women.
Former Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno stepped aside just before the budget stalemate was resolved. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s top deputy, Barbara Flynn Currie, didn’t run for re-election. Juliana Stratton will be sworn in as lieutenant governor in less than a week. And state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton won’t return after her narrow loss in the Republican gubernatorial primary to Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
The turnover comes on top of a lot of turnover two years ago, too, as lawmakers departed during the first half of the state’s two-year budget impasse. That means even the sophomore lawmakers in Springfield haven’t had as much experience putting together state budgets as they otherwise would have.
Chris Krug, publisher of Illinois News Network and president of Franklin Center, called Madigan’s and Brown’s conduct abusive and unacceptable.
“Speaker Madigan and spokesman Steve Brown repeatedly have harassed, belittled and attempted to provoke and intimidate INN reporter Greg Bishop now for nearly two years,” Krug said. “The pattern of unprovoked abuse and playground bullying is unprofessional. It’s unbecoming of anyone in a position of authority, let alone one of the highest offices in Illinois.
“The tolerance for abuse of media in the statehouse is unacceptable, just as it is for any other worker in the capitol. This incident – and the pattern of relentless abuse – should be immediately referred to the inspector general’s office and investigated.”
In about a dozen such exchanges, Madigan’s longtime spokesman Steve Brown has pointed to Illinois News Network reporter Greg Bishop. The nonprofit Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity acquired Illinois News Network in October 2017. Before that, the network had been an independent project of the Illinois Policy Institute, a free market think tank that has been critical of Madigan’s policies and leadership.
* So, I reached out to Mr. Krug with three questions. Here are my questions and his responses…
1) The Policy Institute’s 2017 tax return (attached) shows that the [Illinois Policy] Institute was a “direct controlling entity” of the Franklin Center. Is that no longer the case?
I previously had not reviewed IPI’s 990. I believe the question you are asking is about ownership. When Franklin was taken on, it was in poor financial health, and I believe what you see there is IPI’s commitment to helping the organization financially sustain the end of that 990 reporting period. I should also be represented within the Franklin 990 for 2017.
2) The 2017 return also shows the Institute gave almost a quarter of a million dollars to the Franklin Center in 2017. Have those contributions stopped since the handover?
We don’t, as a practice, disclose donors, as their privacy is relevant.
A fair amount of what I am sharing here has been previously shared, but when it hasn’t fit with the narrative of a reporter, it’s been excluded.
Franklin received sustaining grants and borrowed money from IPI (I believe most of which we have paid back) to make it through 2017’s 990 reporting period. It would be great if every business could begin at “0″ on the number line, but we both know that isn’t the case. We’ve had a lot of rebuilding to do with Franklin, but it’s been good work – both here in Illinois and across the U.S.
Franklin, though a viable brand with equity, was quite nearly a complete scrape-off. It came with a fair amount of debt to service, which was inherited.
Currently, Franklin has its own development team and is steadfastly focused to independently raise money and to utilize our for-profit entities as means to provide revenue for the purpose of accomplishing our nonprofit mission. We’re performing nicely in that regard. We continue to solicit tax-deductible contributions here in Illinois and quite literally across the count – with an aim to be self-sustaining and financially viable long into the future.
John Tillman became the chairman of Franklin. I was appointed president. I am grateful for the financial support as we’ve worked to reconstitute Franklin, because it was critical at the start. IPI, foundations and concerned citizens across a full spectrum of giving have seen the value of our work and mission, which is truly heartwarming. I spent a fair amount of 2018 meeting with prospective donors across the country who believe in our mission to support legacy media with taxpayer-focused reporting. But as far ongoing support from IPI – if it were necessary– that would be a decision IPI would make.
3) You were listed on the 2017 return as an Institute employee. Is that no longer the case?
I am no longer an employee of IPI. I oversaw INN and IRN for IPI from May 2016 to October 2017.
So, if Tillman is chairman of the parent company and runs the Illinois Policy Institute, the entities are pretty darned close.
I still say that Madigan ought to knock off the bashing of a reporter just trying to do his job, but what do you think?
The Illinois House wrapped up its two-year session Tuesday with legislation to help the incoming governor, with House Speaker Michael Madigan praising lawmakers for persevering in an “epic struggle” over state spending with outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
The two-year session saw Madigan, who’s held the gavel for all but two years since 1983, become the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history during a critical period.
The Republican Rauner’s insistence on approval of his conservative agenda in exchange for an annual budget deal had left Illinois without a spending plan for two years. Madigan lured enough Republicans in July 2017 to approve an income-tax increase to fund an annual budget over Rauner’s vetoes, ending what Madigan on Tuesday called “an epic struggle.”
“You deserve credit for what you do day-in and day-out, but you know that from time to time, the issues become more significant on one day than they were on a prior day or they may be on a future day,” Madigan said. “And that’s exactly what happened in that struggle between the Legislature and the executive department.”
* Raw video…
Speaker Madigan on the budget battle with @GovRauner: "What happened happened." He appears content to let bygones be bygones. On to the next session. New members sworn in tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Oq8LxBtpBq
“Our minority status in the legislature gives us an opportunity to place the blame squarely where it belongs, on the Democrats who have run this state into a fiscal mess”
* Gov. Rauner was told by a reporter today that some Republicans blamed the party’s woes last November on the governor’s aggressive stance against unions. For the umpteenth time, Rauner denied that he was anti-union and said he wanted to create more union jobs, then made a case for his local “right to work” proposal. Former Sen. Daniel Biss was not amused…
He was enormously clear in private (and, I'd argue, in public) that he sincerely believes that unions are economically dangerous. He organized the last 6 years of his life around an Ahab-like pursuit of an anti-union agenda. What's to be gained by pretending otherwise?
* Speaking of politics, Rauner refused to comment on who should run for governor next, but said he hoped “reform-minded leaders” would step forward, saying he would “encourage them” and perhaps help them. He appeared to wave off a direct return to politics for himself, but said it’s “yet to be determined” what he would do. “We live in such volatile times. I can’t predict yet what makes sense.”
When asked about former Gov. Jim Edgar’s admonition that the party choose a moderate and Rep. Jeanne Ives’ warning that the party needs to choose someone who will adhere to the party’s conservative platform, Rauner said the two “are both right [and] they’re both partly wrong, and unfortunately I think they’re both part of the problem”…
Republicans won’t win unless we’re moderate in many ways on many things. And I certainly consider myself a moderate on many things. If you look at my record, and the things I’ve advocated and the bills I’ve signed, most people would say I’m a moderate.
That said, if you’re gonna be a moderate to win elections, but you’re not going to be a reformer and fix the problems, what’s the point of winning? And, in Illinois, Republicans have won, in the 80s and 90s, but then they did the same bad stuff that the Democrats did. Kick the can on pension payments, don’t reform the system, raise taxes with no reforms, over-regulate businesses. If you’re gonna moderate to win and then do the same thing that the guy or gal that you were running against would do, what’s the point?
And I think Rep. Ives is correct that you got to have some principles, and you’ve got to be fiscally responsible/conservative… balance budgets. To me, I hope the Republican Party rallies around a unifying message of being pro-taxpayer and pro-job-creator. I think that can be a unifying message and that should define the party. The other things, we’re going to have some vehement disagreements on. Obviously, some of my fellow party members disagree with me on some of my more moderate views. OK, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t all be Republicans and push for responsible things for taxpayers and for job-creators.
* And he had a few words about the president…
.@GovRauner shares his thoughts on @realDonaldTrump: "I support most of the President's policy goals … and I'm appalled by his personal behavior. Just appalled." Specifically, Rauner says he agrees on ending "illegal" immigration, with a focus on the "illegal"
“That’s such a long topic,” the governor said after sighing, “I’ll go have a beer with you one of these nights and we’ll talk about it,” he said to the reporter.
* Gov. Rauner told reporters today he’s “scared” that out-migration from Illinois will “get a lot worse, the exodus is going to accelerate” under the Pritzker administration…
There’s so much talk about raising taxes. Raise the income tax, raise the gas tax, raise the whatever. Goodness, if you’re a working family struggling to make ends meet and your company’s not growing, they’re not adding people, they’re not raising your salary very fast, but things are booming in Tennessee, or Georgia, or Florida or Texas, you say ‘Hey, spouse, maybe we ought to head out.
I’m very scared about this. This is a problem. The exodus could accelerate.
One of my strongest recommendations in the report you all have is stop the discussion about tax hikes. Don’t go to tax hikes. Get the reforms. We don’t have to cut. And this is where I’ve agreed with the Democrats. I’m a social services, human services guy. I don’t want to cut human services. Cut the cost of the government bureaucracy and grow the economy faster. Billions and billions of dollars can be made available for more human services, more education funding. That’s the answer.
I’ve blocked so many bills that would cause more bad regulations, and I’m worried that if I’m not there blocking them, boy, they’re going to pass a whole lot of bad regulations. That’ll push more employers out, and then you’ve got that death spiral going. And then with the corruption, self-dealing, and that’s what’s been hurting us, that’s what we’ve fought against. Again, we’ve made progress, but we’re encouraging the new administration to keep fighting.
* When asked what he thought about Gov.-elect JB Pritzker’s legislation to allow for a 15 percent increase in salaries for top agency administrators, Rauner said, “I do believe we underpay directors for the role they do,” adding that he tried to address the issue early on his term by attempting to create a foundation “where donors could contribute so taxpayers didn’t have to pay more,” but was rejected by the “powers that be” in the General Assembly.
However, he prefaced his remarks by saying, “I hope this isn’t the tip of the iceberg on new spending proposals,” and claimed later that Illinois has the “highest paid government employees… not at the director level, but up and down the levels of bureaucracy.” The governor said it would “fundamentally wrong” and send “absolutely the wrong message” to spend more on the government bureaucracy.
Outgoing state Rep. Lou Lang on Monday said he was unaware of speculation that his daughter may become his replacement.
But he didn’t discourage her from applying.
Lang said he’s already seeking resumes from those in his district. And if his daughter is interested, “if she lives in the district, she should do so [apply].”
But Lang said he hasn’t had any conversations with her about it and vowed to be an “honest broker” about his replacement. […]
Becky Lang is an actress, a social media strategist with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office and also volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. And yes, she currently lives in the district. She has been publicly supportive of her dad’s legislative efforts on social media, and stood up for him as he faced #MeToo allegations last year. On Monday as her father announced his resignation she wrote on Facebook: “I love you and I’m so proud to call you my Daddy.” […]
Reached by the Sun-Times, Becky Lang did not directly answer whether she’s seeking the position: “Today, I’m really just focusing on everything my dad has done for our state. I am so proud of him!”
* I reached out to Ms. Lang on Twitter yesterday and received this DM’d reply…
What I told Tina is truthfully where I’m at right now…. (T)oday, I really am just focused on my dad and his accomplishments, and I believe that this should be everyone else’s focus on this topic today, too.
Former Rep. Lang is also a township committeeman and appears to have the weighted vote to make the replacement, although he has pledged to work with the other committeemen.
Needless to say, a Statehouse lobbyist appointing his offspring to his former House seat would not be a good look, no matter how qualified.
* Meanwhile, some folks are upset with the way Sen. Raoul was replaced…
As the Bears battled the Eagles late Sunday afternoon, a crowd of concerned citizens and jubilant supporters gathered at Toni Preckwinkle’s 4th Ward committee office as political neophyte Robert Peters was swiftly sworn in as the new 13th District State Senator, filling the seat left vacant by Attorney General-elect Kwame Raoul. […]
Hours earlier, a small group of 13th District residents gathered outside of Preckwinkle’s ward office as committee members filed in to protest the “backroom deal” to fill the Raoul vacancy.
“We knew Raoul would be leaving the seat, and conversations started late last winter/spring about the replacement process,” said 13th District resident and 5th Ward aldermanic candidate Gabriel Piemonte. “The residents didn’t want a secret meeting. We didn’t want this to be an appointed process, and we’re concerned that Preckwinkle’s making a decision behind closed doors with other ward committee members in classic ward boss fashion. Why schedule something this important an hour before the Bears playoffs?”
Piemonte and other residents are calling for a special election instead.
1) Neophyte: “a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.” Peters has been involved in politics for years, including a stint as the political director for Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial campaign last year. He’s no neophyte.
2) “We didn’t want this to be an appointed process.” As noted later in the article, the Illinois Constitution is pretty clear on this topic…
Within thirty days after a vacancy occurs, it shall be filled by appointment as provided by law… An appointee to fill a vacancy shall be a member of the same political party as the person he succeeds.
I wouldn’t object to changing this constitutional process, or even changing the statute that hands the process over to the local committeemen/party chairmen. But it is what it is until it’s changed.
* From Chicago mayoral candidate and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s “Future Now” plan…
Susana will work with Assessor Fritz Kaegi to make our property tax system more progressive by advocating in Springfield for a tiered approach to property tax assessments, similar to what is in place in a number of other states. Under this approach, properties with lower assessments are taxed at a lower rate than more expensive properties. As mayor, Susana will support making the necessary changes in state law to allow Assessor Kaegi to make these changes in Cook County.
In an interview, Mendoza said she envisions “maybe three or four tiers,” with the assessment rate rising with the value of the property. Mendoza, now the Illinois comptroller, said she doesn’t yet know what those rates should be, but confirmed that she’s “especially focused on residential rates” because of recent reporting that the current system resulted in homes in poor, minority neighborhoods tending to be valued at relatively higher figures than in many wealthier sections of the city.
Kaegi, who just took office, has vowed to change that practice over time, effectively shifting more of the property tax burden to higher-priced areas. But Mendoza’s change would be on top of that—meaning residents of areas with higher-than-average home prices (be it Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Jefferson Park, the South Loop or Beverly) would pay the higher property tax pushed through by outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as the higher assessments Kaegi wants and Mendoza’s new tiers.
Asked if that’s fair to residents of those neighborhoods, Mendoza said, “I don’t look at it that way.” The way she looks at it, she says, is that some areas of the city were devastated by a property tax system “rigged” to favor the more well-off, so now the latter may have to pay “a little bit more” to make amends. “This would create more fairness in the system.”
Mendoza said she’s also open to another idea that’s been circulating, to impose an extra real estate tax on the sale of properties worth more than $1 million. But the idea would have to be enacted by referendum, and advocates for the homeless and other groups have been debating who would get the proceeds.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Mendoza now as an op-ed up on the Crain’s website backing away from her idea…
One of the most important aspects of effective, elective leadership is to listen. I recognize my fellow Chicagoans want us to focus on creating a fair and transparent assessment system. Altering or tiering rates, as my plan suggested, may not be the best way to get there. I’m not afraid to propose bold ideas. And at times I might miss the mark, as I did on this proposal. But when I do miss the mark, I won’t be afraid to consider alternative points of view and amend those ideas.
To be clear: Chicago already has a rigged two-tiered system that leaves the wealthy and well-connected paying less, while working class families pick up the tab. This was a serious proposal on a complex issue to help fix our deeply broken property tax system. Right now, many high value properties are assessed at rates that are lower than they should be, while low value properties are assessed at rates that are far too high, creating a regressive tax on our neighborhoods.
I support the work Assessor Fritz Kaegi is doing to collect better data and build an assessment model that works for all families in every corner of Chicago. The best plan for this moment would be to build on his work, create a system that is fully transparent and fair without altering rates, and continue finding further ways the city of Chicago can work with the Assessor’s Office to fix our broken property tax system.
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois progressives ran, organized, voted, and won in 2018. Now it’s time to lead. Our victories this election showed there is strong support across Illinois for a bold, progressive agenda and leaders who can turn that agenda into action. We have the power to make Illinois a state that leads the nation on committing to 100% clean, renewable energy, reducing gun violence to keep our communities safe, expanding abortion access to all no matter where they live, their income or age. Working together, we can move Illinois forward on these issues and more — from workers’ and immigrant rights to criminal justice reform, LGBTQ equality, and affordable healthcare. We are one in the fight to build a state where all people can raise families in healthy, safe communities, with dignity and justice.
Forward Illinois is a coalition of leading progressive organizations representing more than 500,000 member-activists. Our work to mobilize voters around the progressive issues that impact us all didn’t end on Election Day. Now we’re taking our fight from the ballot box to the steps of our state Capitol to demand action. Learn more and join the fight at www.forwardillinois.com.
A court-appointed expert would guide the overhaul of health care for Illinois prison inmates in a proposed federal consent decree filed Thursday.
Lawyers for approximately 40,000 state prison inmates announced that the Illinois Department of Corrections’ agreement would settle an eight-year-old federal lawsuit alleging that prison health care is so inadequate it has led to needless deaths.
A U.S. District judge in Chicago must approve the consent decree, in which the state admits no wrongdoing. It provides for a court-appointed monitor to oversee the complete reconstruction of prison-system health care. The monitor would assist in creating a plan for adequate staffing of medical and dental professionals and an outline for implementing other system-wide changes.
The agreement, signed last month by Corrections Department Director John Baldwin and a legal representative of Gov. Bruce Rauner, contains specific qualifications for physicians and other providers, requires upgraded health care space and equipment, hiring staff members dedicated to infection control, developing an electronic medical records system and implementing a stringent quality assurance program.
No word yet that I can find about how much this will cost.
During the legal battle, reviews by court-appointed experts in 2014 and 2018 reported pervasive problems in the health care provided in Illinois prisons. The most recent report attributed numerous preventable deaths to the poor quality of care, according to court records.
“Based on record reviews, we found that clinical care was extremely poor and resulted in preventable morbidity and mortality,” the 2018 report stated.
In one case, a 24-year-old inmate with mental illness swallowed two sporks and a nurse “documented that the patient ‘will have no complication from swallowing a foreign object,’” according to the 2018 report. Over several months, the inmate complained to several staff members and medical personnel of symptoms related to ingesting the utensils. The inmate died about three months later.
“The death was attributed to a gastrointestinal bleed from lacerations caused by a foreign body,” the 2018 report stated, noting the Corrections Department’s own review “found no problems with medical care.”
The 2014 report includes the case of a 26-year-old inmate at Illinois River Correctional Center who “repeatedly informed health care staff that he had atrial fibrillation, a fact that was confirmed by his jail records, but this history was discounted until he suffered a stroke.
Gross personal income tax is up [so far this fiscal year] by $931 million, or $777 million net. Gross sales tax receipts are up by $318 million, or $292 million net. Gross corporate income taxes are up by $188 million, or $165 million net. All other tax sources combined added $44 million to the year-to-date gain.
In the last six months of 2018, overall tax receipts flowing into Illinois government coffers showed a nearly 10 percent hike, according to the Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Sales tax revenue was up 7.5 percent statewide, personal income tax collections were up 11 percent and corporate income taxes jumped 17.7 percent. Through the first six months of the year, all state revenue sources were up nearly $1.5 billion more than a year earlier. As UI economist J. Fred Giertz noted last week, it was an odd ending for outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner, who spent much of four years belittling the performance of the state’s economy. […]
The booming national economy is a good part of the reason that Illinois’ economy is so strong. And there’s reason to believe, the COGFA economists say, that an economic slowdown is ahead.
“Overall, the economy appears to be ending 2018 on a strong note, but the future is more uncertain,” wrote analyst Benjamin Varner. “Economic prognosticators see a slowing of the economy in 2019, with further deterioration in 2020.”
Amid all the numbers, there’s a lesson for both Republicans and Democrats in Illinois: This is still a big state with a big, balanced, productive economy. But it needs to be tended carefully, especially if this welcome growth is to persist. That $1.5 billion (or more) in revenue growth this year is already claimed because the state still has a bill backlog estimated at $7.1 billion. And the Democratic Legislature and new Democratic governor have to be cautious about spending beyond the state’s means.
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois continues to reel from the fatal outbreak of legionella at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. School and park districts are scrambling to address troubling levels of lead in water lines and drinking fountains. Now the House is considering a radical measure that would eliminate longstanding protections that ensure the proper installation of drinking water systems and would, in so doing, endanger safe drinking water in Illinois.
SB 1226 would put the health of all Illinoisans, especially seniors and children, at risk by effectively deregulating the practice of plumbing for public works projects, commercial construction, and residential buildings over four stories. In addition, it:
* Would be a regulatory nightmare. Representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health and Capital Development Board strongly oppose the bill and believe it conflicts with multiple statutes.
* Would compromise existing energy efficiency standards. The Illinois Environmental Council opposed the bill in committee.
* Is also opposed by: the Illinois Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association; Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association; South Suburban Building Officials Association; Central Illinois Chapter of the Illinois Plumbing Education Association; and organizations representing licensed plumbers, registered plumbing contractors, and plumbing inspectors across our state.
At a time of heightened awareness about threats to safe drinking water, the last thing Illinois needs is the creation of a legislative loophole that enables unqualified individuals to work on water supply systems.
Today is my last day as your State Representative. I want to thank you for the privilege of allowing me to represent you these past 6 years. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
I leave as I came in - on my own terms. In 2013, the question was whether a former prosecutor, dedicated to ethics and honest government, could have success in the swamp that is Springfield. I’m happy to report the answer is a resounding yes!
In my six years in office, I ushered in historic criminal justice reforms - even as my Democratic colleagues defended the warped policies of Anita Alvarez and the Chicago Police Department. I created the national model for legislation designed to end the scourge of revenge porn. I took on the NRA and won - working to implement assault weapons bans throughout the District. I passed groundbreaking child-protection legislation.
At the local level, I prevented Highland Park from implementing the misguided policy of charging people who call the police seeking medical assistance for intoxicated minors. I stopped video-gambling from being implemented in Highwood. I helped District 113 with its renovations and helped prevent District 112 from wasting our tax dollars.
I took the bold step of shunning Mike Madigan for Speaker of the House with no repercussions beyond childish antics. While he withheld gifts, I have left him with the gift of my legacy. Based on reports, a newly-elected Democratic state representative will not vote for him when sworn in tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is not our new state rep.) Six years ago that would have been unheard of.
The success we all achieved during my three terms was well beyond anything I could have imagined when I first ran for office. The greatest sign of this was the increasing attacks on me over the years by those who saw their stranglehold on government slipping away. Those attacks simply fueled my motivation to work harder on your behalf.
None of the above would have been possible without your unwavering support and encouragement. It truly has been a privilege to represent all of you. I will cherish my time as a State Representative. Thank you!
* Funeral services for Jon Bauman, known to CapitolFax.com readers by his “Arthur Andersen” pseudonym, will be at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Butler Funeral Home in Springfield. A visitation will begin shortly thereafter.
Jon graduated from Central High School in Champaign. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He served as the Executive Director for the Teachers’ Retirement System and was an avid blogger at Capitol Fax. He was currently retired after serving the State of Illinois for the past few decades.
Emphasis added. This place meant that much to him.
Monday, Jan 7, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois continues to reel from the fatal outbreak of legionella at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. School and park districts are scrambling to address troubling levels of lead in water lines and drinking fountains. Now the House is considering a radical measure that would eliminate longstanding protections that ensure the proper installation of drinking water systems and would, in so doing, endanger safe drinking water in Illinois.
SB 1226 would put the health of all Illinoisans, especially seniors and children, at risk by effectively deregulating the practice of plumbing for public works projects, commercial construction, and residential buildings over four stories. In addition, it:
* Would be a regulatory nightmare. Representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health and Capital Development Board strongly oppose the bill and believe it conflicts with multiple statutes.
* Would compromise existing energy efficiency standards. The Illinois Environmental Council opposed the bill in committee.
* Is also opposed by: the Illinois Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association; Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association; South Suburban Building Officials Association; Central Illinois Chapter of the Illinois Plumbing Education Association; and organizations representing licensed plumbers, registered plumbing contractors, and plumbing inspectors across our state.
At a time of heightened awareness about threats to safe drinking water, the last thing Illinois needs is the creation of a legislative loophole that enables unqualified individuals to work on water supply systems.
* Once again, Speaker Madigan asked his spokesman today before an availability which reporter worked for the Illinois Policy Institute. The Illinois News Network is headquartered in the same building as the Institute, but they’re technically separate entities…
Speaker Madigan mischaracterizing my employer and pointing out where another journalist lives. I asked "is this an intimidation technique?" To which his spokesman (off camera) said "only if you want them to be." pic.twitter.com/ok9SmHN2At
I dunno. It’s almost like a running joke now, even though he should probably knock it off. Not to mention that Madigan stays in the same Springfield apartment building as that other reporter during session. And Brown clearly giggled after saying “Only if you want them to be.”
If you listen to the audio, Madigan even playfully asked Dave Dahl where he got that Hawaiian shirt. “Ebay,” was the response…
* On a more serious note, Madigan said he was “anxious to work” with House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, pointing to past successes, including the education funding bill and last year’s budget agreement…
I think that if we set a tone in this session where we recognize that the state has got some serious problems, we should get together, people working with people to solve the problems, that all of us would be better off including the people of the state of Illinois.
A Chicago-area lawmaker said Monday the state can’t afford a gas tax increase, calling it “predatory.”
Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said rumors have been “swirling around” since November about a 25-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase, and the idea for a gas tax up to 30 cents was recently floated by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In addition, now-former Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn, in his final weeks on the job last month, said an increase would “provide revenue necessary to maintain, enhance and modernize” the infrastructure system.
Skillicorn, however, said it would be “prudent” to wait to see how the lockbox amendment to the Illinois constitution, prohibiting the use of state transportation funds for any other purposes and passed in 2016, works out first.
Skillicorn, speaking at the Capitol Monday as the House returned to session for the first time since the veto session in November, acknowledged the need for repairs, maintenance and design upgrades for roads. But the strategic way for the state to deal with it is by working with its congressional delegation.
Both Republican legislative leaders are on record saying they want to get a capital bill done soon, and notice that Skillicorn was the only legislator at the presser who is returning in the 101st GA.
The state gas tax was increased in 1990, according to reports by the Chicago Tribune, which is why proponents of the increase say it’s time for the rate to go up again. Skillicorn contests that, though, and says there is a percentage base in place to make up for things like the rise inflation.
“Just because gasoline prices have dropped and the free market works and politics in Washington DC work to lower gas prices: Is that a good reason to raise gas taxes on the people of Illinois?” he asked Monday.
He also says timing is a key reason why the tax should not be increased. Two years ago, lawmakers passed what is essentially a lock box measure that would ensure motor fuel taxes be used for transportation and infrastructure needs only. He says it was to ensure the executive branch could not tap in to those funds. That law has only been in effect for 1 year, though, and Skillicorn says time is needed to see how useful that law is, and if the state actually needs an increase.
Timing in Washington is also key, he says. While Democrats and Republicans seem to be at odds with most things, the two sides do agree that investment in roads, bridges and other infrastructure is necessary. He says it would be premature to raise the gas tax before tapping in to federal resources.
The DC point assumes that Congress and the President will actually get something done.
* And the accompanying sideshow…
“There’s going to be hell to pay. If you raise this gas tax, there’s going to be a civil war,” a woman shouts as she storms out of the Capitol rotunda. There is currently no legislation filed to raise the gas tax, but there have been some preliminary discussions. https://t.co/sLxeRgLPcZ
Here’s a frame-by-frame look that clearly shows the Parkey kick was tipped by Treyvon Hester (Hester confirmed to @Bo_Wulf he tipped it). pic.twitter.com/6dOXui7Yyp
* Gov.-elect JB Pritzker’s chief of staff is a die-hard Eagles fan and an avid tweeter about Philly sports, but she made this pledge before the game, which she attended with her boss…
And if the Bears best us on Sunday, I will be cheering for them to go all the way. This concludes my political announcement and hopefully a resolution to my thorniest political issue ever. 🦅
State lawmakers could consider legislation in next week’s lameduck session aimed at ending the terms of Illinois tollway directors in the wake of controversy at the agency.
The move could allow Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker to appoint replacements after he is sworn in Jan. 14.
Asked for reaction, a spokeswoman for Pritzker said bills could be introduced next week but did not elaborate on the content.
Five tollway directors have terms ending in May, and sources told the Daily Herald the bills could aim to terminate those appointments, as well as that of Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, immediately.
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the term of office of each director of the Authority serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, other than the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, is abolished and a vacancy in each office is created on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly. The Governor shall appoint directors to the Authority for the vacancies created under this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly by February 28, 2019. Directors whose terms are abolished under this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly shall be eligible for 15 reappointment.
* The Pritzker team summarized the bill this afternoon…
• Ends the tenure of the current members of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. New directors must be appointed by February 28, 2019.
• Requires the Board’s by-laws direct members to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
• Requires that a process to override the Chairman of the Board’s veto be spelled out in the by-laws, and consistent with statute.
* Jordan Abudayyeh, spokeswoman for the transition…
The Governor-elect’s administration is moving swiftly to restore the public’s trust in the integrity of the government, starting with the Illinois Tollway – where too little transparency and unethical behavior is unacceptable. With the construction season around the corner, it’s critical that billions worth of road-building contracts aren’t awarded to political insiders and the Tollway needs a fresh start to move forward with rebuilding Illinois.
New Illinois tollway bylaws no longer include a process for the board to overturn a veto by the chairman.
The bylaws also omitted language that previously included “potential conflicts of interest” as something board directors should avoid.
* I also told subscribers about this proposal, which surfaced today. From SB3531, Floor Amendment 3…
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for terms beginning after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, the annual salary of the director or secretary and assistant director or assistant secretary of each department created under Section 5-15 shall be an amount equal to 15% more than the annual salary of the respective officer in effect as of December 31, 2018. The calculation of the 2018 salary base for this adjustment shall not include any cost of living adjustments, as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly, for the period beginning July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2019. Beginning July 1, 2019 and each July 1 thereafter, the directors, secretaries, assistant directors, and assistant secretaries shall receive an increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly.
* Jordan Abudayyeh…
The past four years have been destructive to Illinois, and it will take talented people to make progress for our state. Many critical positions – including those that protect our safety and security – no longer have competitive salaries, and we are moving to bring them in line with their peers around the country to attract talent.
* Explanation…
• Provides for an immediate 15% raise to agency directors and assistant directors at key agencies, so that the state can attract the talent necessary to turn put Illinois back on track.
• Provides a mechanism by which we can, with the assistance and consent of the legislature, keep compensation competitive and the state on track.
• The bill will not require a new appropriation.
Click here for examples of compensation disparity between selected states.
Leader Durkin will be supporting both legislative requests from Governor-elect Pritzker as a gesture of good faith moving forward into the 101st General Assembly.
* Last week was supposed to be a triumphant time for Congressman Chuy Garcia. He was about to be sworn in to Congress, his nemesis Ald. Ed Burke had been indicted and Garcia gave his full backing to one of Burke’s opponents…
On Wednesday, Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia endorsed 28-year-old Tanya Patiño to unseat Burke, Chicago’s most powerful and longest-serving alderman. Patino is the girlfriend of Aaron Ortiz, the Garcia-backed political newcomer who defeated Burke’s brother, State Rep. Dan Burke (D-Chicago), in a primary race dominated by Edward Burke’s property tax reduction work for the riverfront hotel and condominium tower bearing the name of President Donald Trump.
Burke has run unopposed in 10 of the last 11 elections. He now has four challengers and has been targeted since his brother’s primary defeat.
On Wednesday, Garcia was asked whether he expects Burke to drop out of the race if he faced federal charges.
“It’s hard to say. Someone who has been a member of the Council for 50 years may not have considered how to live life differently,” Garcia said.
“He is having deep letting-go issues as it relates to the City Council. It’s what he knows. It’s what’s made him breathe for a long, long time.”
Ald. Ricardo Munoz was arrested without incident at his 22nd Ward office Wednesday morning after physically assaulting his wife on New Year’s Eve, Chicago police said.
Munoz’s wife, Betty Torres-Munoz, filed Wednesday for an order of protection in Cook County Domestic Violence Court. She asked a judge to order Munoz to stay away from their residence and mixed breed dog, Rambo, and to pay her $1,000 a month in temporary support beginning next month.
In those court papers, she alleged that during a heated argument Monday night her husband “forcibly” grabbed and pushed her, causing her to fall and hit her back and head as well as twist her left arm.
“Ricardo had been drinking all day + was drunk,” she wrote.
In a petition seeking an order of protection, the wife of Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) claims she feared not only physical abuse at the hands of her husband but threats from gang members connected to him.
“Ricardo has connections (with) local gangs (and) individuals with criminal pasts who … have threatened my family in the past,” Betty Torres-Munoz wrote on the form she filled out Wednesday, seeking a court order barring the Munoz from having contact with her, the couple’s 16-year-old dog, or visiting the Little Village home they shared.
That order was granted by a Cook County judge on Thursday, a day after Munoz was arrested at his ward office on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from an alleged New Year’s Eve altercation.
Munoz, who announced this summer that he would not seek another term, pleaded not guilty and is free on bond. As he left the courthouse Thursday, Munoz told reporters he would “talk tomorrow,” but did not return calls from the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday.
Bill Velazquez, the chief of staff to freshman Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia, D-Ill., resigned on Friday in the wake of a New York Times story detailing the account of a female staffer who worked with Velazquez on Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and said he “laughed” after she brought a complaint to him about being sexually harassed.
Velazquez was a manager on the Latino outreach team of the Sanders campaign.
Garcia’s communications director Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampoli said Friday in a statement that Garcia had accepted Velazquez’s resignation.
“They both agreed that the recent media stories that involved Bill had become a distraction from the work the Congressman needs to do for the people of Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, and from the work Bill was brought in to do,” Rodriguez-Ciampoli said.
A former Democratic leader in the Illinois House has resigned his seat.
Lou Lang announced Monday that he’s ending his 32-year legislative career. The 69-year-old from Skokie has joined the lobbying firm Advantage Government Strategies.
Lang will join a lobbying firm headed by the late Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka’s former chief of staff Nancy Kimme. He started his tenure in Springfield in 1987 and became known for his advocacy for expanded gambling and for ushering in Illinois’ medical marijuana law.
Last year, Lang left his leadership post after a former medical marijuana advocate accused him of retaliation, verbal abuse and “inappropriate behavior.” Months later, the legislative inspector general wrote that “evidence does not support” the complaints, after the woman who made the accusations didn’t participate in the resulting investigation.
Lang won re-election in November. Asked on Monday if last year’s experience led to his resignation, he said: “Not at all.” […]
Kimme’s lobbying success in Springfield came in part from her Republican connections after Gov. Bruce Rauner’s election. Now, Lang adds depth to the firm with the new Democratic domination in Springfield.
“One enduring feature of any legislative career in Springfield is transition – entering and leaving the legislature. For me, I too will be part of this year’s transition,” Lang said in a news release. “Rather than beginning a 17th term in the 101st General Assembly, I have decided to resign my seat effective today, Jan. 2, at noon.”
The 16-term lawmaker was appointed to the House in 1987 and was seen as a probable successor to longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan. […]
He will remain in his political position as a committeeman for the Niles Township Democratic Organization and Executive Vice Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party.
Local Democrat leaders from Suburban Cook County will choose a successor to the 16th House District. Leaders will interview those interested in seeking the post, according to Lang’s news release. Because he’s keeping his post in the local township Democratic organization, Lang will likely have a say in who succeeds him.
* Legislation introduced solely to pry money or other stuff out of a targeted entity used to be called a “fetcher bill.” Ald. Ed Burke was often considered the king of the fetcher ordinance in Chicago. There were tons of rumors that he’d introduce a particularly onerous ordinance banning this or that activity or product in order to pry loose a campaign contribution or maybe even property tax law firm work. But, he’d been investigated by the feds before and nothing was ever turned up, so people went on their merry little ways.
Longtime Ald. Edward Burke, one of Chicago’s most powerful figures and a vestige of the city’s old Democratic machine, has often been considered too clever and sophisticated to be caught blatantly using his public office to enrich himself.
But after years of dodging investigations while watching dozens of his colleagues hauled off to prison, Burke has been accused of crossing the line himself — and doing so in a quintessential Chicago way.
A federal criminal complaint unsealed Thursday charged Burke with attempted extortion for allegedly using his position as alderman to try to steer business to his private law firm from a company seeking to renovate a fast-food restaurant in his ward. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison on conviction.
The complaint also alleged Burke asked one of the company’s executives in December 2017 to attend an upcoming political fundraiser for “another politician.” Sources identified the politician as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who is running for Chicago mayor.
On June 27, Burke used his target phone to call a company executive, saying “we were going to talk about the real estate tax representation.”
The following months include recorded “hard ball” references, permit denials and work stoppages.
By Dec. 2017, executives agreed to give Burke tax business “to avoid any further delays”.
The restaurant company extended their correspondence for several months with Burke’s law firm and completed their renovations, but never gave him any tax business.
Shoukat Dhanani, 60, isn’t the type of entrepreneur who courts publicity, but his company, Dhanani Group, has gotten too big to ignore.
Dhanani Group is the largest franchisee in the Popeyes system, as well as a giant Burger King franchisee, making it the nation’s third-largest restaurant franchisee, with 2015 revenues of $871 million, according to trade publication Franchise Times. But those numbers capture only a piece of the group’s businesses, which include convenience stores and gas delivery, as well as the franchised restaurants. In a recent conversation, Dhanani told me that “if you add everything up, it would be over $2 billion” – an amount that would likely qualify Sugar Land, Tex.-based Dhanani Group for FORBES’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies.
* Editorial: Shakedown City: Employers and Chicago’s corruption tax
* Why Ald. Ed Burke May Have Been Allowed To Have 23 Guns In Government Building - It’s still not known if the guns that were found in November were discovered at Burke’s ward office or at City Hall, but it’s hard to miss the irony of a staunch gun control advocate having to turn over 23 guns as a condition of his bond.
A freshman Democratic state representative is filing discrimination claims against House Speaker Michael Madigan after she says he sent women lawmakers to coerce her to vote for him as speaker.
Newly-elected Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, said she plans to file discrimination charges against the long-time speaker with the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Illinois Office of Legislative Inspector General.
Even though she’s yet to be sworn in, Stava-Murray says she’d been harassed on three occasions since her election in November, allegedly at the direction of Madigan.
“You can’t harass someone to do something they don’t want to do if they’re sticking up for a federally protected class of people,” meaning victims of harassment, she said Wednesday. […]
Stava-Murray said she sat through hours of calls from veteran Democratic women lawmakers in the days leading up to their gathering and subsequent call to support Madigan for House Speaker, something she says she refuses to do because of his poor handling of sexual assault victim rights under the dome.
“I got calls from legislators continuously telling me that there would be no value if I voted against the speaker, telling me that if I wanted to play the game, I needed to get on the game board that existed,” she said.
The different lawmakers who called her all used uniform language, she said, as if it had been prepared for them, but she wouldn’t disclose their names.
Legislators are elected officials, so their employers are considered to be the voters in their respective districts. That’s why legislators aren’t covered by the Illinois Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
* As far as I can tell, nobody in the House has received a committee assignment yet. The new committee structure hasn’t even been unveiled as of yet…
The rookie lawmaker campaigned on a vow to vote against Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) retaining his title. Within days of announcing her decision to a private House Democratic conference, Stava-Murray says she faced “next level retribution” from Madigan’s allies.
Stava-Murray claims Madigan denied her a chance to sit on a committee, though the Speaker’s office has not yet officially finalized committee assignments for the upcoming session. She also complained that Madigan gave other longer serving House members preferential treatment in deciding the House floor seating chart. […]
Stava-Murray said she intends to mask the origin of her ideas so they can survive the legislative process. She detailed how she plans to work behind the scenes to “do the leg work” and craft legislation, then ask other members to introduce her bills under their name because she fears Madigan won’t allow bills with her name on them to pass out of committee.
“In some ways, I’m a pass through entity that makes my colleagues smarter,” she said.
Due in part to the environment for women in Springfield, Stava-Murray announced Tuesday that she would be running for U.S. Senate in 2020, a seat currently held by long-time Senator Dick Durbin, who has been rumored to be near the end of his tenure in Washington.
Stava-Murray made the decision to announce a run now in an effort to keep Durbin from winning re-election only to resign and allow the Illinois Democratic Party to appoint someone.
“If there weren’t such a toxic culture in Springfield, in an ideal world would I have spent more than a few years as a state rep? Absolutely,” she said. “I don’t feel like I should have to go to an unsafe workplace for more than two years.”
Stava-Murray is a survivor of workplace harassment and said that the experiences have left her with post-traumatic stress. She’s committed to sponsoring legislation during her two years in Springfield that would give victims of sexual harassment in Springfield rights.
She said she’s never met the veteran lawmaker but disagrees with his “turn of becoming more centrist.”
“I think that he sort of writes off the progressive branch of the party, of which I identify myself with, as being unwilling to compromise, and certainly there might be some key players who aren’t giving the progressive cause a good look, but in the most part what I see when I talk to my fellow progressives and Democrats in Springfield and other fellow progressive Democrats is a total willingness to work across the aisle.”
Durbin eventually confirmed he was running.
* Last word…
Moderates like my opponent? Who are too busy playing political games to have a real talk with McConnell?
I work across the aisle and expect my Senator to do the same- not play the blame game as he has been. https://t.co/EHKVv6dAAP
* The Tribune’s Rick Pearson wrote a story in late December about hoped-for bipartisanship in the new JB Pritzker administration. You should definitely click here to read the whole thing, which includes some positive words from the two Republican legislative leaders. I’ve covered some of this stuff for subscribers, but here’s the ending…
One Pritzker confidant said the incoming governor envisions a return to what was once known as the “agreed-bill” process, in which all of the various stakeholders on an issue, such as labor and management, agree to sit down together to work to resolve a problem and that no legislation would move forward without such an agreement.
Such a process, still used regarding the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, allows lawmakers to implement an agreement that is approved by all sides.
“Illinois has really only worked well when everyone works together on bipartisan solutions to the problems. It’s never really worked well, Illinois has never really prospered, with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach,” [Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association] said. “We are confident in the early stages that he’s going to take that approach, and only time will tell.”
But the more politically active and Republican-allied Illinois Chamber of Commerce already is girding for the Democratic domination. A recent internet seminar promoted by the group warned that “the Pritzker administration is going to be aggressively pro-labor when it comes to creating new workplace laws and greater regulation that this state has (believe it or not) yet to experience.”
The title of the event was: “The Employers’ Survival Guide under Gov. Pritzker.”
Harris, who began his second stint in the House in 2011, will leave the post on Jan. 9 when the new General Assembly is sworn in. He said Pritizker’s decision to have him head the Department of Revenue is a positive sign for state government.
“The governor-elect really wants to build a bipartisan administration,” Harris said, recalling that Barack Obama as president-elect reached out to retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of downstate Illinois in 2008 and selected him as transportation secretary.
He added he hoped his management experience as chief of staff for the U.S. State Department Iraq Reconstruction Office and as Illinois adjutant general would be helpful in running an agency with 1,500 employees and a $55 million budget.
* Related…
* Stratton bringing love of mediation to lieutenant governor’s office: Her mediation training while still in law school led to various pursuits, including being director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois Chicago. The Center, Stratton has said, works with small- and medium-sized police departments across the country, doing training on “how to build trust with the communities that they serve.” After her stint at a law firm, she also worked as an administrative law judge, hearing officer and mediator for city of Chicago departments, as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago, as executive director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, and as a mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution. She is also a trained peace circle keeper and restorative justice practitioner.
* State Dems in control — can they get work done?: “I suggest that Gov. Pritzker come in with four or five important initiatives, moderate in nature, which can succeed,” said Rep. Mike Zalewski, a Riverside Democrat beginning his sixth term. “We’ve had a turbulent eight years and if we focus on small successes, they can translate into big successes in the long run.” That might be the plan before the 101st General Assembly is even sworn in on Wednesday. The lame-duck 100th assembly will be in Monday and Tuesday. A note to House Democrats instructs them to be in Springfield for action on “the items being requested by the governor-elect.” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said only that Pritzker “is working with lawmakers to introduce good-governance legislation to move forward on key priorities” as soon as next week.
* Jon Bauman, the loyal aid to former Gov. Jim Thompson who rose to the highest ranks of the Teachers Retirement System, died Saturday morning at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield after an unsuspecting illness took a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse. He was 62 years old.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, and they are likely to be made in his given name instead of the one we all knew him by in Capitol Fax comments: Arthur Andersen.
The Bauman family said memorials may be made to the “Bauman Education Fund” maintained at Carrollton Bank. The proceeds have been used to help pay for his kids’ education, which Jon cared for and supported through to his passing.
“AA” was a frequent contributor here - serving as a resident pension expert given his extensive background in the subject as Chief Investment Officer and later Executive Director at TRS. His family shared with me they sometimes found their Dad groggy in the morning because he had pulled an all-nighter reading reports, articles, and preparing notes in anticipation of a day that would be heavily spent keeping the discussion in the Capitol Fax comments informed and on-track.
As Oswego Willy put it as we chatted off-line yesterday…
“He looked at numbers and figures without forgetting the people are families affected by them. He loved Illinois unabashedly, but spoke of the challenges Illinois faced very candidly. He was a loyal, old school Republican tracing back to Thompson working up the ranks of politics and government.”
Jim Thompson, with honorable mention to Jim Edgar. JRT gave a lot of youngsters their start in government in positions that were way over our heads. AA will never forget the opportunity I was given. He was the smartest guy and the best practical politician to hold the office in a long time.
Aiding him through most of the obscurities of state finance and pension law was an impressively sharp memory. I remember catching up with him not long after I took an appointment in the IDES Director’s Office managing internal policies and procedures. He regaled an instance back in the 1980s when he was running, what is now, the Bureau of Property Management and trying to establish a multi-agency office in East St. Louis. In full detail, he was able to recall how the project was made complicated by this rule, that law, and how this property manager was not a qualified vendor because of this procedure, etc.
It was amazing, and yet another reminder of how valuable his analysis was on the blog.
* While “Arthur” was an insightful read in comments and heckler-in-arms on Twitter, Jon was someone I considered a friend. He would accept my lunch invitations from time to time when our schedules aligned, and he was my first phone call whenever I had the blog and something broke in the pension realm. He was fun to be around, to text, or DM in the middle of the night when the news was just too hot to switch off at an acceptable hour.
Jon was a great story teller, and he was notorious for saving the very best for the very end. One of my favorites that I have (unsuccessfully) tried to retell is one that starts with a salesman and his assistant coming to town and ends with, “And that’s how the stock market works.”
Another memorable one was from his days at TRS. The bulk of it was about a Chicago-based investment company on the verge of losing its bid to manage some of the system’s portfolio until one of its partners presented at a board meeting in Springfield. It ended with, “And that’s how I met Bruce Rauner.”
* I called him out of the blue the week before Christmas to see if he might be available for lunch. Unfortunately, but not all that surprising given the spontaneity of the plan, that did not happen. We had hoped to connect just after the holidays. He had no idea how sick he was when I talked to him, nor, according to those who were with him, did he when he slipped into unconsciousness. He excitedly told me about his plans to be with his family and taking in every moment he could with his grandchildren.
Here is the last photo he posted on Facebook…
* “His life was full of us – his kids,” his daughter Molly said yesterday. “We never wondered if our parents were proud of us.”
Jon is survived by his four children, Jon (Emily) Bauman of Virginia Beach, Va., Molly Irwin (Erick) of Springfield, Emily Bauman, who is pursuing a Masters of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Megan Bauman, who is a student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and two grandchildren, two-year-old Hendrick Irwin and four-month-old Elliana Bauman. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Erin Bauman.
* A suggestion for commenters who knew Jon throughout his life: As you can tell from the photo above, he was a fiercely proud grandfather. His grandchildren are young, so they might appreciate learning one day from you who their grandfather was, why he meant so much to us, and what traits of his you hope to emulate.
llinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will begin airing a TV ad in the new year, weeks before fellow Democrat Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker is inaugurated, according to a memo distributed to lawmakers.
The 30-second spot paid for by Madigan’s campaign fund is unusual in that it won’t run in advance of a state election. Instead, it’s meant to “set the tone for our efforts to create a better Illinois and move beyond the failures of Bruce Rauner and the extreme agenda of Donald Trump,” the memo reads.
“The contents are based on new polling conducted following the November election,” it reads. “This is a first step in an ongoing process of promoting our Democratic agenda.”
The commercial doesn’t mention the incoming governor but features Madigan briefly.
The ad includes a brief shot of President Donald Trump’s Chicago tower and highlights Democrats’ push for affordable health care, a key campaign point for the party in last month’s midterm congressional races.
* The ad also includes a pledge to make “the wealthiest pay their fair share so we can get a break,” which appears to be a reference to the graduated income tax proposal…
* The response by the usual “Because… Madigan!” crowd was predictable…
* Kristen McQueary: Watch the new Madigan ad with a heap of skepticism: Plenty of Illinois taxpayers don’t believe that the Democrats, who have controlled the state legislature since 2003, are on their side. They see the Democrats as the party that has neglected an alarmingly underfunded pension system while other states, also dominated by Democrats, have taken action. They see them as the same party that routinely passes unbalanced budgets, squeezing resources for the state’s most vulnerable citizens since long before Rauner took office in 2015.
* Illinois News Network: Madigan’s “On Your Side” Ad Panned as Tone Deaf: After seeing the ad on ABC 7 Chicago’s airwaves, Orland Hills resident Susan Greve posted to the TV station’s Facebook page “Just saw your Mike Madigan commercial about how Illinois Democrats are for Illinois citizens? REALLY? Mad Mike Madigan? Come on ABC!” Oak Lawn resident Marjean Hawkins replied she “nearly spit out my coffee” after viewing the ad. Kristen Wiley, who is organizing a “Middle Class March” outside of Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker’s inauguration in Springfield next week said the ad is out of touch. “Making Madigan the last shot in this ad is completely tone deaf to people who believe in term limits, and would like to see him out of office,” Wiley said. “That was completely off-putting. Democrats know that 45,000 residents left Illinois last year, and that number will grow this year if they can’t keep their hands out of our pockets.”
* News-Gazette editorial: Madigan’s rehabilitation campaign: The only Democratic officeholder featured in the spot is Madigan (the only Republican is Trump), who closes with this line: “In the fights that lie ahead, Democrats are on your side.” But those efforts apparently don’t include stabilizing Illinois’ economy, its horribly out of balance budget or fixing the government pension mess, but instead focus on a Madigan favorite: ensuring the wealthy “pay their fair share, so we can get a break,” as a narrator says. If only it was that easy.
I don’t know if there’s any real money behind the ad, but it got some tongues wagging, so whatevs.
It’s not a horrible ad and it probably won’t do any damage (I mean, how much lower can his approval ratings go?), but I doubt it does any real good. The best way to rehabilitate his image would be to work cooperatively over the next four years with his members, the new governor, the Senate President and the Republicans to actually solve the problems this state is facing.
* We have a lot of catching up to do. This Tribune story is from December 28th…
A proposal that would give the state more oversight over Illinois gun dealers could be among the first big issues that land on Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker’s desk after he takes over, and an aide says he’d sign it.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in the spring vetoed a bill that would have required the state to license and regulate gun shops. Lawmakers approved the plan in the wake of the killing of Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer and the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
Supporters contended that federal regulators are stretched too thin to regulate all the shops operating in Illinois. Rauner, though, called the proposal “duplicative” because the federal government already licenses firearms retailers. He said adding another layer of oversight would be costly for businesses and “do little to improve public safety.”
Lawmakers didn’t override Rauner’s veto, but they approved a new version. Likely knowing the governor would veto that one, too, Democratic Senate President John Cullerton in May put a procedural hold on the bill, keeping the paperwork off Rauner’s desk.
Now, Cullerton could release it in the coming weeks just before Pritzker is inaugurated Jan. 14, steering the gun dealer licensing proposal into the Democratic governor’s hands instead of Rauner’s. There’s still time, though, for Cullerton to decide to send it to Rauner or it might not work out for procedural reasons.
State Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said it’s an interesting question of whether a previous General Assembly can pass legislation but hold it and then send it to a new governor.
“This is, I know, one of the unusual years where the General Assembly is sworn in before the governor. Just an oddity in the way that the calendar falls,” Harmon said. “I’m going to have to look into that.”
Monday and Tuesday are the final two days of the 100th General Assembly. The 101st General Assembly is seated Wednesday, Jan. 9. Gov.-elect Pritzker is inaugurated Jan. 14.
Longtime statehouse observer and University of Illinois Professor Emeritus Kent Redfield said it’s technically possible for lawmakers to hold a bill that passed in one General Assembly and then pass it onto a new governor. He said it’s an ambiguous area that he’s not aware has been fully litigated.
“Particularly if it’s controversial legislation involving something like gun control measures, something involving taxes, there certainly would be a court challenge,” Redfield said. […]
Per the state constitution, lawmakers are supposed to send measures that passed both chambers to the governor within 30 days of passing. A procedural hold called a motion to reconsider was used on House Bill 40 in 2017 after it passed both chambers. That hold kept the controversial bill allowing more tax dollars for abortions from the governor for a total of four months. The hold was eventually lifted and sent to the governor who signed the bill. A lawsuit challenging that procedure as an abuse of the legislative process has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, but whether the court will hear it is still not known.
…Adding… This has happened before, however. From early 2015…
Gov. Bruce Rauner sided with the state’s two largest electric suppliers Friday when he signed legislation giving Ameren Illinois and ComEd two more years to recover costs of upgrading their delivery systems.
The move allows Ameren to continue seeking rate increases via a special formula, rather than going through a longer regulatory process.
The governor’s action came after legislative leaders in December delayed sending the measure to former Gov. Pat Quinn on the belief that he would veto the proposal. The maneuver left it up to Rauner to approve or deny the plan, even though it was approved by a previous General Assembly.
Outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner talked a lot about high property taxes in Illinois. But, like most everything else, he never actually got anything done about them.
Rauner’s idea was to freeze local property taxes and allow local governments to strip almost all collective bargaining powers from teachers and other unions, which would then drive down wages and benefits to balance local budgets. But that idea was simply too radical for this state.
Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker has also promised property tax relief, but he hasn’t yet said how he would achieve it. Pritzker has rightly blamed high property taxes for businesses and residents leaving Illinois. But total up all local property tax revenues and compare them to statewide taxes and you’ll see what a daunting task this is.
In 2015, about $29 billion in local property taxes were levied statewide, according to the Civic Federation. That number is higher now, but the latest projection from the governor’s budget office is that Illinois will take in about the same amount, $29 billion, from income and sales taxes this fiscal year.
Decades of inaction, incompetence and partisan games have allowed a big problem to grow into a gigantic monster.
Monday, Jan 7, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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