* Click here to see the Liberty Principles PAC A-1.
Uihlein gave Liberty Principles PAC $1.5 million in June. He’s given a total of $17 million to the PAC since 2014. And he’s given Proft’s personal campaign committee another $595K over the years.
…Adding… Uihlein is a bigger GOP sugar daddy than Gov. Rauner…
— Illinois Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) August 3, 2018
…Adding… Gov. Rauner reports raising $411,500. And the House Republicans kicked $500K of their $2 million from Rauner back to the ILGOP, likely for mailers.
Chicago is looking at the feasibility of bond financing as a way to stabilize funding for its four retirement systems, the city’s chief financial officer said on Thursday.
The city’s unfunded pension liability is $28 billion, down from $35 billion last year. That liability and chronic budget deficits have resulted in low credit ratings and high borrowing costs.
“I’m at a point where I feel like we need to look at (options) seriously and see whether or not there is a financing plan that would meet the kind of objections the mayor would have, our (city) council would have, the rating agencies would have,” CFO Carole Brown told reporters. […]
Sacks raised the idea of securitizing about $950 million of city revenue to raise $10 billion for pensions, boosting the funded ratio to 54 percent from the currently low 26 percent.
The Government Finance Officers Association recommends against the use of pension obligation bonds. Several recent Chapter 9 cases have cast a pall over POBs as investors suffered greater losses than pensioners did and some analysts have suggested that POBs contribute to distress. Chicago’s use of its securitization structure would give bondholders more protection. […]
The city last year established the Sales Tax Securitization Corp. and the City Council has approved up to $3 billion in sales tax and general obligation refundings. The city issued $704 million last year, $680 earlier this year, and has plans this fall to sell $750 million.
Other revenues, like the city’s share of local government shared revenue and personal property replacement and motor fuel taxes, could be leveraged. Critics have said diverting those revenues from the corporate fund damages GO value. […]
There’s also the gamble posed by the arbitrage play given that borrowing rates remain low but the proceeds would be invested in an expensive equities market with the risk that future returns won’t exceed the bonds’ interest.
The arbitrage play is a risk here, as well as dedicating existing revenues for years in advance.
The core of the idea is that city pension fund managers currently assume they’ll make 7 percent to 7.5 percent a year on their investments, and figure that assumed return into the actuarial projections that are the basis for what taxpayers pay to the funds each year. Since the funds now have $28 billion in “debt”—the unfunded liability—the city and its taxpayers are effectively paying 7 percent to 7.5 percent interest on the shortfall, Brown says. So, if the city can borrow at a cheaper rate of perhaps 5 percent to 5.5 percent and turn the money over to the pension funds immediately, the end cost to taxpayers will drop. […]
But Brown and Sacks insist the city won’t make the error the Blagojevich administration did, when savings from the POB were used to substitute for normal state pension payments, driving up total debt long term. Savings from this plan could be big enough that the city will be able to make its entire normal annual contribution, but at a lesser rate because the pension funds would have more to invest, Brown contended. Nor would the city’s financial flexibility be reduced much because, after recent changes in law, debt payments “are just as hard of an obligation as our bond debt.”
It’s basically converting pension fund debt to market debt. But that’s a lot of money.
ICYMI: Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s Campaign Falsely Claims Her as a ‘Small Business Owner’
“This is just another example of Londrigan deceiving voters and saying anything to get elected. Voters in Central Illinois deserve better than someone deceiving them in an attempt to earn their vote.” - Travis Sterling, Illinois Republican Party Executive Director
Betsy Dirksen Londigran’s campaign for Congress has spent the past year claiming that Londrigan is a small business owner and an entrepreneur. Her campaign website touts her as a “self-employed entrepreneur - giving her firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by the small business and self-employed workers.”
When asked to elaborate by a local reporter, her response revealed that she has clearly been attempting to pad her resume to get votes. Londrigan was unable to name the business she owned and failed to provide any additional details to clarify her small business owner claims.
After being pressed by the WCIA’s Mark Maxwell, Londrigan finally admitted that she “had no employees” and was not an “employer.” The interview continues:
Maxwell: “So you had a job, but you weren’t necessarily a job creator?”
Londrigan: “I wasn’t an employer, no.”
…
Maxwell: “So I just want to make sure I’m clear. A lot of people say they’re entrepreneurs and that means they’re job creators. But at no time during this 20 year span you described did you have employees or a payroll.”
Londrigan: “I didn’t manage a payroll other than my own.”
Nevada regulators and industry insiders say the state’s first year of broad marijuana legalization has exceeded even their highest expectations, with sales and tax collections already surpassing year-end projections by 25 percent.
Numbers from June are still outstanding but are expected to push taxable sales past $500 million, netting total tax revenue in the neighborhood of $70 million — with about $25 million devoted to schools. […]
A legal battle over distribution licenses made for a rocky start last July, but Nevada’s $195 million in sales for the first six months dwarfed the totals in Washington state ($67 million) and Colorado ($114 million) for the first half-year of legal sales in those states in 2014. And so far, there’s no sign legal sales that began in California on Jan. 1 have cut into business in neighboring Nevada, regulators say.
$195 million in sales in the first six months and $300 million in the second half. Extrapolate that out and we might be looking at ≈$2.4 billion in annual sales here. Or not. There could be some differences. They have a lot of tourists there (although no public consumption is allowed, according to the article).
The resulting tax revenues won’t totally solve any problems, but they won’t hurt, either.
* The Question: What do you think Illinois should do with marijuana tax revenues if legalization is ever approved? Don’t forget to explain your answer, please. Thanks.
In a march that shut down a portion of Lake Shore Drive during rush hour and ended with prayers and speeches outside of Wrigley Field, hundreds of anti-violence protesters marched in Chicago on Thursday evening to demand that the city invest in its impoverished neighborhoods and to call for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. […]
“It’s a tale of two cities,” Rev. Gregory Livingston, another lead organizer, explained to USA Today. “One of the hardest things to do is inspire the uninspired. Sometimes you have to stick your neck out, have some skin in the game and get people to recognize that there are some people here are that trying to do something.”
* Hundreds of protesters?…
About 150 people marched from Lake Shore Drive to Wrigley, stay tuned for updates. https://t.co/gRaWSBLLUr
* They did shut down LSD and they got a lot of media coverage (some people claimed there may have been more cops, reporters and onlookers than protesters), but the organizers failed miserably to convince many demonstrators to show up…
The crowd was not as large as it should have been. Imagine the strength of hundreds, even thousands, of people marching in harmony to end the violence that has led to more than 1,500 shootings so far this year. But a disagreement among community leaders over the goals of the march — specifically calls for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson — splintered the African-American community.
But the activists and preachers and organizers who have started bringing their protests out of the shadows, the ones prepared to make life difficult in places where things are easy — they’re on to something. For too long, this violence has endured. For too long, powerful people in this city have ignored it while politicians have offered up wildly incomplete solutions to win votes.
Anyone who has tuned out the deadly day-in-and-day-out toll on the streets of our city needs to be rattled, needs to be made to feel uncomfortable. Cries of help from street corners most will never pass have, of course, gone unheard.
What choice remains but to get louder, to force others to notice?
Those white and yellow chalk slogans on Lake Shore Drive will vanish quickly.
But I hope, as the Rev. Livingston said, that these protests have only just begun.
Maybe Livingston, who was Willie Wilson’s spokesman in his last mayoral campaign, isn’t the one to lead these protests is all I’m saying…
And despite all the premarch publicity, some caught up in the congestion were taken by surprise. Stevenson Renee of Bronzeville on the South Side sat in traffic at Clark and Belmont. He said he understood the concerns of those protesting, even though he hadn’t heard about the event until he became entangled in it.
“This is all new to me,” Renee said. “I didn’t know anything about this.”
The fact that protesters could bring neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Wrigleyville to a standstill during rush hour signaled the beginning of a different movement, according to activists, to “redistribute the pain in Chicago.”
African-Americans often take to the streets in their own neighborhoods, recently shutting down the Dan Ryan Expressway on the South Side. While such protests send a message to criminals that law-abiding residents will not concede defeat, they do not beckon people on the other side of town to stand with them in the fight.
Illinois has replaced an arcane state law dating to post-Prohibition days that required businesses to get approval from the state to serve alcohol within 100 feet of a church or school.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday signed the new law, which allows local authorities to hand out exemptions to the state’s Liquor Control Law of 1934 that limits where alcohol sales can take place. Previously, it took an act of the General Assembly and approval of the governor to grant an exemption.
Rauner said the change was “a clear example of bipartisan cooperation in Springfield to reform a broken system.”
“Entrepreneurs should not have to pass a state law to open a new business,” he said.
This was a much-needed piece of legislation. The whole process was ridiculous.
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said one business had to wait a year to get a bill through the state legislature to get a liquor license. She said it didn’t make sense to require farmers in southern Illinois to sound off on a liquor license request for a Chicago business.
“Sixty-eight pages of the 72-page liquor control act are exemptions,” Feigenholtz said. “Today, we end that.” […]
Rauner said he has pushed hard to give control back to local governments since he took office in 2015.
“I actually vetoed two license requests to try and force the change because business was being browbeaten to come to Springfield,” Rauner said. “I said, ‘stop this, no more.’”
Rauner, without naming names, said some state politicians used the 1934 state law to play politics or to get campaign contributions.
* That’s not all Rauner said. When asked if there was any opposition to the bill, Rauner said…
There was opposition. I’ve been fighting for it since I became governor. This has sort of been the law for decades. It’s a way for elected officials to sort of muck around in local politics and maybe get some more campaign contributions or pressure folks to have to come and ask a favor. If you have to force to get a favor then you can get some other political favors. It’s a way that politics gets into the local level. We need to eliminate that, cut the red tape, get Springfield off the backs of our local communities and off of our local business owners. That’s what I’ve fought for every day.
If we can do the same thing that we do on this for things like consolidate local governments, or streamlining procurement or competitive bidding or contracting, get Springfield off the backs of local communities, we’ll bring down our property taxes and we’ll grow even more jobs.
* Other stuff…
* New laws streamline getting into Illinois nursing homes and staying there: Low-income seniors, the disabled and their families will find it easier to apply for and keep Medicaid benefits for long-term nursing home care as a result of two Senate bills signed Thursday by Gov. Bruce Rauner. Rauner signed SB 2385 and SB 2913 at Amberwood Care Center before dozens of attendees, including legislators and representatives of 19 Rockford-area nursing homes.
* Rauner signs laws aimed at nursing-home Medicaid backlog: He also signed a law eliminating the need for annual Medicaid re-determination in cases where financial circumstances have not changed. This comes after a nursing home in Girard had to close because it was fronting the cost of $2 million worth of Medicaid.
* Illinois Governor OKs Allowing Medical Cannabis at Schools: The law does authorize a school to prohibit dispensing the drug if administrators determine it would create a “disruption to the school’s educational environment” or if it would expose other students to the product.
Charlie Kirk is the 24-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit whose 130,000 members claim to be “culture warriors” in the fight “to save Western civilization” from liberals, writes Adam Rubenstein for The Weekly Standard.
Why it matters: With more than 650,000 Twitter followers and the sworn fealty of some of Washington’s most prominent conservatives, Kirk is a provocative firebrand whose proclaimed goal of “owning the libs” all-too-perfectly captures the present state of Donald Trump’s base. Kirk’s messaging and networking in conservative circles has been so effective, in fact, that he claims TPUSA will have raised $15 million by the end of 2018.
The backdrop: Kirk founded TPUSA in 2012, opting not to attend Baylor University and instead use his “rhetorical gifts” to launch a conservative, youth-focused organization with the financial backing of investor Foster Friess and Bruce Rauner, now the Republican governor of Illinois. […]
The big picture: Critics have called Kirk a provocateur — pointing to misleading and outright false tweets that drum up outrage like, “83%, 10 out of 12, of all rapes in Denmark are committed by migrants or their descendants.” But the reality is that Kirk’s influence in Trumpworld is unbridled, and as the 24-year-old leader of a growing movement of right-wing, “own the libs”-driven populism, he won’t be disappearing anytime soon.
Rauner gave Kirk’s group $100,000 in 2014 and then another $50K in 2015.
“Owning the libs” is one of the constants of the summit. This form of political schadenfreude is a big part of the TPUSA playbook. The term originated in campus pranks designed to upset, i.e., “trigger,” liberals. “Trigger the libs” quickly morphed into “owning” them. At the University of New Mexico, a TPUSA group in 2017 held an “affirmative action bake sale” where it charged Asians more than whites and whites more than blacks. The bake sale is suggested in the eighth section of TPUSA’s “chapter handbook.” Other ideas include creating your own “safe space” or constructing a “unionized hot dog stand” to show the excesses of liberalism. At Kent State the same year, members of the TPUSA chapter wore diapers in a simulated safe space. It’s the triumph of the put-down as political principle.
“Owning the libs is easy,” Bak says. “It’s fun. It’s my favorite pastime.” He came to the conference to be among like-minded people. He’s heading to Temple University in the fall to study medicine. He doesn’t yet know if there’s a TPUSA chapter on Temple’s campus, but “if they don’t have one, I will definitely start one. I’ll be happy to.” Bak thinks Trump has fared pretty well in his first two years: “I mean, the numbers speak for themselves. The economy, the way it is, a lot of people who are negative towards him in his presidency don’t really know how good of a job he’s actually doing compared to past presidents.” His favorite book is Nineteen Eighty-Four, which he sees as relevant today, “with everyone misrepresenting facts.”
Charlie Kirk himself made a similar journey. Initially he supported Scott Walker for president and then turned to Cruz. The decision that many Republicans faced during the general election—to brace for Trump or to embrace him—Kirk took with unqualified enthusiasm. TPUSA identifies itself as conservative but nonpartisan and holds the self-proclaimed remit to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” It is a mission that suggests some dissent from the Trump agenda. But Kirk tells me that it is not his job to criticize those with whom he agrees “on the big things.” Maybe that’s the price of politics today—one can’t call balls and strikes anymore without attracting the enmity of fellow conservatives. Intra-party debate on the right is “sinking one’s own ship” or “siding with Hillary.” Kirk happily rationalizes every aspect of the Trump administration and its policies. Protective tariffs? Trade wasn’t free to begin with, and Trump is making it more free: “Fair and free,” Kirk insists. He does add the caveat, though, that he usually wouldn’t support tariffs.
* Bernie Schoenburg has written about the Rauner connection to Kirk several times. From June of last year…
The Rauner Family Foundation, which provides charitable contributions from Rauner and his wife, DIANA, gave Turning Point USA $100,000 in 2014 and $50,000 in 2015. Rauner was keynote speaker at a Turning Point event, a 2014 group newsletter said. Rauner called Kirk “one of the greatest patriots and one of the greatest advocates for limited government and great conservative principles in the entire United States. … I think the world of this young man. He’s a superstar. I personally will do everything I can to help him expand his reach … because his vision of America is the right vision for America.”
Audio of part of that speech is here. “The American dream will be brought back with Charlie Kirk leading the message, leading the charge for all of us,” Rauner said.
The group that hosted a high school leadership summit that featured Attorney General Jeff Sessions laughing and repeating “lock her up” chants from students has ties to Illinois and has been supported by Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
The “lock her up” chant at the event Tuesday in Washington, D.C., refers to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate who lost to Republican President Donald Trump in 2016. It was a staple of Trump campaign rallies as the FBI investigated Clinton’s use of a private email server. She was never charged with a crime. […]
Turning Point USA seeks to mobilize students who believe in free markets and limited government. Kirk has tweeted statements including “There is no such thing as ‘government money’ … It is OUR money the government TOOK FROM US! #TaxationIsTheft” and “The #1 reason poor kids stay poor is failing schools run by the corrupt teacher unions. They only care about their power. Time for change!” […]
Rauner’s campaign had no comment when asked about Sessions on Wednesday.
* The Rauner campaign has been counting down the last 100 days of the race with a daily press release. I’ve been putting them in the live coverage post, but I thought we’d discuss this one…
95 Days Left: Pritzker Wants to Take Away Opportunity From Low-Income Children
August is here and Illinois students will be heading back to school soon, but JB Pritzker wants to take away a program providing educational choice to low-income families.
Despite his plans to raise taxes without saying how high, Pritzker has been adamant that he would immediately eliminate the Invest In Kids tax credit scholarship program.
The Invest In Kids Program provides opportunity for children and families who want the ability to choose the best educational option for their children. The scholarship program is the first in Illinois history, and is a cornerstone of the new education funding formula bill.
Here’s what the Chicago Tribune’s Kristen McQueary had to say when Pritzker said he would get rid of scholarships: “let’s give Pritzker the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t know what he was saying. He doesn’t understand the program. It’s the only plausible explanation. Why? Because the other explanation is that a billionaire candidate for governor is willing to impose a lower education standard on poor families that he would never tolerate for his own.”
Pritzker wants to take away educational opportunity for low-income families, but has no problem pushing tax hikes on Illinoisans while dodging his own taxes. Check out what he said during his April press conference:
Reporter: What happens to the tuition tax credits if you should win?
The Pritzker folks flatly denied a media report the other day that he might be wavering on the scholarship program.
* Just $40 million has been received so far in what was supposed to be a $100 million scholarship program. All but $3 million or so has come from northern Illinois contributors, and almost three-quarters of the cash has been donated by people in Chicago and suburban Cook County.
A quarter of Illinois’ county governments have passed resolutions declaring their county a “gun sanctuary,” including those in Brown and Greene counties. […]
Mark Strang, the Greene County board’s vice chairman, said the symbolic nature of the resolution is in defiance of counties that see fit not to follow the law.
“The same politicians that overlook those (immigration) laws are the same ones trying to impose gun laws in the state of Illinois,” Strang said. “We’re saying that if you’re not going to enforce rules regarding immigration, we’ll just have our own gun control laws.” […]
“It’s to show the hypocrisy of these counties not abiding by the (immigration) law,” Strang said. “Guns are something we treasure and we don’t want a bunch of laws made against our gun ownership rights.”
Our office today began sending the first backpay checks authorized by the General Assembly. The checks are going to employees of the Department of Public Health – the first state agency to submit the vouchers for backpay to our office. As soon as the other state agencies submit their vouchers to us, we are prepared to get the backpay checks out quickly. (Please note these backpay checks are not for the step increases that Governor Rauner’s Administration has refused to pay.)
The administration stopped paying step raises to AFSCME members after the union’s last contract expired June 30, 2015. Step increases are automatic raises given to workers in the first seven to 10 years of their careers. AFSCME said about 15,000 of its members are eligible for them. […]
In its filing Tuesday with the ILRB, the Rauner administration said it only owes step increases for the period from July 1, 2015, to Jan. 8, 2016 when the administration declared contract talks were at an impasse. Although labor law requires the status quo be maintained while a new contract is negotiated, the administration said that requirement ends when an impasse is reached. Consequently, the administration said it only owes step raises until Jan. 8, 2016. […]
The impasse issue is also being litigated, and the administration said it shouldn’t have to pay the step increases until that case is resolved. The case was argued before the Fourth District Appellate Court in June, but a decision hasn’t been issued yet. The administration noted the case is likely to end up in the Supreme Court. If it is determined an impasse doesn’t exist, the administration said, the ILRB can modify and initial decision.
The administration also said no money was appropriated in the budget to pay the past due step increases. The estimated cost of the step raises is $415 million. In addition, the administration said some state agencies may not have been appropriated enough salary money to pay AFSCME members their step raises going forward.
AFSCME strongly disagrees with the Rauner Administration’s proposal and will file an objection, instead urging that all employees are immediately restored to their proper step and paid the back wages owed.
There are no grounds for the administration’s claim that the appellate court ruling only applies through January 2016. The tolling agreement which continued the current terms and conditions of employment has been in effect since July 2015 and remains in effect today, as the administration has acknowledged.
What’s more, the need for appropriation authority (as in the back pay case) does not apply to the step case because the back pay case arose from a violation of the contract but Rauner’s failure to pay steps is a violation of state law.
* Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) is now officially the new president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. This is a very big deal, so try to be gentle…
* The New Dehli-based India Post newspaper asked an astrologer to take a look at the Illinois governor’s race because the paper claims there’s intense interest about the race among Indian-Americans here. According to the article, Jatin Patel predicted Donald Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton. Patel uses what’s called the “Vedic systems approach” (click here to learn more). I kid you not…
Mr. Pritzker birth (natal) planets has exalted (extreme power) of Rahu and Ketu which has given him abundance of drive. His Sun and Saturn are well-placed. This has given him limelight and opportunity to pursue politics, later in his career.
Saturn rules masses of people, which gives him people skills and is liked by others. Sun rules government, the combination of the two and transit Saturn on the day of election touches his natal Saturn making people (masses) like him. His natal Moon is strong giving him status, and a nurturing nature.
Mr. Rauner’s natal planets have strong Saturn, Venus, and Mars which give him good life, energy and success in businesses ventures. Venus giving him interest in arts and good support from wife, also making him helping others. He has many interests in life, outdoors for example. Mars gives him success in real estate and strict in decision making. It is sitting in its own house.
Both candidates have strong charts, but the transit of planets should be a very decisive factor for the ultimate outcome.
On November 6, 2018, the big difference of Saturn close to natal Saturn of Mr. Pritzer and exalted Rahu and Ketu at birth give him the edge. Mr. Pritzker in my opinion would prevail.
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation to bring greater transparency to state government finances, limiting the use of intergovernmental agreements to end the longtime practice of paying employees from one office out of other State agencies’ appropriated funds. At the same time, the Governor called for the provisions of the legislation to be applicable to the offices of all Constitutional officers.
“Transparent governing has been a hallmark of this administration and I support efforts to challenge status quo policies and practices, particularly those that are perceived to undermine the public’s confidence in their government,” Rauner said.
“Unlike previous administrations, we have been transparent in reporting headcount and salaries of all Governor’s Office employees,” Rauner said, “and our administration is spending less on total agency-wide payroll than the previous administration.”
“The same level of transparent accounting ought to apply to all State Constitutional Offices as a necessity for accomplishing their work for taxpayers,” the Governor said urging the General Assembly to extend the truth-in-budgeting principle to the Offices of the Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.”
“The taxpayers of Illinois need to know how their money is being spent,” Rauner said. “The state’s constitutional offices have an obligation to be accountable for their spending and this would be a major step toward achieving that goal.”
* Notice how he spends much of the release insisting that other statewide electeds should now be subjected to the same rules? From the comptroller’s spokesman…
We looked into all that and found it was not necessary because no other constitutional office has the authority over another office that the Governor’s office has over its agencies. The Comptroller can’t say to the Attorney General, “Hey, I’m hiring a $150,000-a-year staffer and taking her salary out of your budget.” Or vice-versa. That imbalance of power does not exist elsewhere. The governor can and does do that to all the agencies whose directors he appoints and who therefore are in no position to argue with him. It’s not an issue for any other constitutional office.
That makes sense.
I suppose, say, it’s conceivable that the comptroller might seek an intergovernmental agreement to pay executive salaries in the future out of the State Lottery Fund. The latest omnibus appropriations bill gave her $50,300 from that fund “for expenses in connection with the State Lottery.” But that seems a stretch. The governor’s office would have to approve such an IGA, for one.
* And how transparent has this administration actually been? From 2015…
Gov. Bruce Rauner promised a leaner, more transparent administration than his predecessors, yet he’s rigorously following their time-honored practice of asking other departments to sign paychecks for his staff.
Among employees doing significant work for Rauner, half their combined salaries — about $4 million — comes from separate agency budgets and isn’t listed on his office payroll, according to a review of documents by The Associated Press.
That figure is about $1 million more than Rauner’s staff reported in June during a contentious hearing over use of the strategy before a House committee headed by Rep. John Bradley, a Marion Democrat.
So, the answer is: “Not very.”
* And has he really spent “less on total agency-wide payroll than the previous administration”? From that same article…
Based on a publicly available online directory of governor’s staff, Rauner is asking other agencies to cover about $4 million — more than Quinn, the AP’s analysis found.
* Back to the comptroller’s office…
We count about $5 million in Rauner off-shoring on the current payrolls.
*** UPDATE *** OK, here’s something I didn’t know. The governor’s office just called and pointed to numerous intergovernmental agreements that the administration has with the attorney general’s office.
For example, Revenue has an IGA for seven criminal enforcement tax attorneys. Those lawyers work for and are controlled by the attorney general, not the department.
DHS has an IGA with the attorney general for collections. These are the IGA’s (along with others) that the governor wants addressed in future legislation.
Also, the governor’s office says a state statute requires DCFS to pay for child welfare attorneys general.
The Twitterverse exploded Tuesday night after video footage captured Illinois gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner violating the most basic Chicago food law.
Rauner, the Republican candidate campaigning in Northwest suburban Vernon Hills amidst a ferocious race against incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn, stopped at the village’s Portillo’s on Tuesday.
Eventually, Rauner makes his way to the counter. Check out 39 seconds into this Daily Herald video to watch Rauner order three hot dogs: One with everything, one plain with nothing on it and the third with mustard and ketchup.
Ordering a hot dog with ketchup in Chicago is always a gutsy move. It’s an especially courageous move by a candidate involved in a close race with less than a week before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Social media reacted strongly, with several Tweets claiming Rauner’s order had cost him the election.
Turns out the offending dog was meant for one of his staffers, but by the time Team Rauner clarified the incident, it was too late: News of the Winnetka venture capitalist’s mistake had swiftly spread across social media; on Twitter, #Raunerdog and #hotdoggate hash tags had sprung up.
* Gov. Rauner helped celebrate the 125th anniversary of Vienna Beef in Chicago yesterday and recalled the incident…
Rauner ordered what he called a Chicago-style dog for himself and for his staffers a plain hot dog and — gasp — one with ketchup.
“You would have thought the earth stood still. There were reporters standing there. They said, ‘What just happened? What just happened? The governor just ordered a hot dog with ketchup,’ ” Rauner recalled.
“This is a headline. It was a state headline — state headline that the governor’s staffer ordered,” he said. “And you know what? I had to come out and say, ‘In America, we believe in freedom, freedom of choice. In Chicago we eat it with mustard and relish and pickles. But America’s built on freedom and if Lindsay wants ketchup, God bless her. All right?’”
The staffer, Lindsay Walters, is now a deputy press secretary for President Donald Trump.
* Actually, it was Walters herself who took the fall…
Hey, that hot dog with ketchup was for me. What happened to a woman's right to choose?
* Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson back in January…
“When people don’t trust that district, I take that personal, not just because I’m the CEO, but because I owe everything in my career to CPS,” Jackson said.
Jackson promises more transparency in her tenure as Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s fourth CPS CEO
* Yesterday…
We reported on sexual violence in Chicago Public Schools even though the district refused to release public records. But I want you to see some records they did release. This arrived from CPS this week: pic.twitter.com/h6JxayGfAF
Notice that she is the one who is responsible for his resignation. Her allegations, not his behavior, are the distraction. Great example of how not to respond to allegations of sexual harassment or revenge porn made against you, esp. when your own friends called on you to resign.
The [police] report doesn’t describe the photos, but says her former boyfriend asked her to “participate in the acts depicted.”
On July 20, a detective was assigned to investigate but doesn’t appear to have done any follow-up yet, a police source said.
The report is currently listed as a “sex offense-obscenity materials (consisting of lewd writing, pictures, pornographic materials, etc. – with a predominant appeal to prurient interest – not involving children.)”
The report is currently not listed under “non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images (e.g., Revenge Porn,” but the report could be re-assigned a classification when it is further investigated.
Gov. Pat Quinn in 2015 signed legislation making that classification a felony offense. Those convicted of the “revenge porn” law could get one to three years in prison with a fine of up to $25,000.
Conservative group @nwsgop planning gathering for union members–tho its biggest donor, Illinois Liberty PAC, was run until May by president of @LJCenter, which helped take #JANUSvsAFSCME case to #SCOTUS to win restrictions on union powerhttps://t.co/7bUAyJ0T9W
Union-Friendly Republican Party
August 11 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Big indoor / outdoor party with a band and tents. Cash bar. $10 cover. Buy tickets at door. Cash only please.
The Northwest Side GOP Club has many card-carrying union members and we want to invite more to join us for a good time. We will have awesome raffles as always.
If you are a card-carrying, independent-minded, right-leaning carpenter, bricklayer, operating engineer, iron worker, electrician, plumber, police officer, firefighter, paramedic, teacher, janitor, auto-mechanic, or truck driver, come hang out and have a great time with friends.
A TBD band will be playing. Come hang out with Ammie Kessem and others.
Illinois Republicans want to take back state road money that’s been dedicated in the budget for former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago.
The white-tailed deer is so beloved in Illinois that schoolchildren voted to make it the official state animal in 1980. So proposals to mess with the health and habits of the forest-dwelling does and bucks tend to generate ferocious debate.
Such is the case with a bill that would launch a trial program to see what might happen to the state’s wild herd if Illinois lifts a 15-year-old rule that makes it illegal to feed deer. In a five-year experiment, feeding deer would be legal in some parts of the state in a study gauging the health effects of doing so.
Supporters, including the makers and distributors of deer feed, say the test will show whether the wild animals could better fight off some illnesses if they are given a nutritional feed infused with supplements like proteins, vitamins and minerals. […]
Foes fear that establishing feeding stations would attract large gatherings of the animals, making healthy deer vulnerable to catching and spreading a variety of diseases. The most worrisome is chronic wasting disease, often known by the shorthand CWD. It’s an infectious, debilitating condition that wrecks a deer’s nervous system. It is present in deer saliva, urine and feces. And it is fatal. […]
“It opens the door to statewide devastation of the deer herd, and no one knows the human or livestock implications,” said Brent Manning, a leading opponent who formerly served as director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “This is the biggest wildlife bungle the General Assembly could possibly make.”
FYI Rauner said he signed a bill this morning that allows kids to be able to use medical marijuana in schools. Paperwork still being filed, gov’s office says.
* Rauner signs law providing protection for EpiPen prescribers: The original law provided legal liability protection to police officers who administer so-called EpiPen injections to those suffering allergic reactions. The new law protects doctors and others who write standing EpiPen prescriptions for police agencies to carry them.
Third-party candidate Sam McCann reported receiving $550,000 last week from the Engineers Political Education, the Washington-based political arm of the union that’s endorsing both him and Democrat J.B. Prtizker, according to campaign finance records filed Monday.
McCann, who’s running under the Conservative Party banner, previously reported that various entities of the International Union of Operating Engineers have given his campaign $200,000 in direct cash — half coming from Local 150, records show. Local 150 provided $77,692 in assistance, including more than $60,000 on professional petition passers, to help McCann make the November ballot.
In a statement, Travis Sterling, recently named as the new executive director of the state GOP, sought to paint the operating engineers involvement as revealing that McCann was a “Democratic plant whose sole purpose in this race is to benefit Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker.”
* McCann’s campaign released this statement from the candidate today…
Since Governor Rauner took office, he has made union members and middle class workers out to be the “bad guys” in Illinois, constantly blaming them for economic strife and making reduction of their quality of life a central part of his plan to return Illinois to fiscal health. Enough is enough.
Illinois does better when middle class workers are doing well. When workers can earn a living, get benefits, and plan for their retirement through their jobs, it reduces demand for government services. Our state should celebrate those jobs and try to create more of them.
A strong and vibrant middle class adds value to Illinois. I want to grow a middle class economy where workers are moving forward instead of losing ground. And union members won’t have to look over their shoulders if I am elected Governor.
Limiting workers’ rights, reducing wages, and attacking benefits is not the way to economic prosperity. I’ve fought Bruce Rauner’s attempts to weaken unions and hurt workers in Illinois, and I will continue this fight as Governor.
Former President Barack Obama is endorsing Democrat J.B. Pritzker for Illinois governor. He’s also backing Kwame Raoul for attorney general and three Illinois Democrats looking to unseat GOP congressmen.
Obama announced his first midterm endorsements Wednesday and said he expects to campaign for several of them this fall.
The three Democratic U.S. House candidates Obama endorsed are Sean Casten, who’s running against Rep. Peter Roskam; Brendan Kelly, who’s challenging Rep. Mike Bost and Lauren Underwood, who’s trying to unseat Rep. Randy Hultgren.
* One reason Pritzker needs even totally expected endorsements like this is because he’s still a relatively unknown quantity, even after a katrillion dollars in TV ads. His favorability is also low, so he could use as many boosts as he can get…
His endorsement confirms his belief in our mission: that we are committed to fighting for the working families of Illinois and that we will get Springfield back on their side again. We’re so proud to have his support.
I sincerely appreciate the endorsement of my predecessor in the Illinois Senate and a great president, Barack Obama. We have lived in the same neighborhood, represented the same communities and worked to address many of the same challenges. His confidence is meaningful to me as I seek to continue my advocacy as Attorney General.
Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson says he handed out more than $100K in $500 checks today to help Cook Co homeowners pay their prop taxes. Says will keep doing so unless a law gets passed outlawing the practice.
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) filed a formal complaint with the state today against Willie Wilson’s mayoral committee for failing to disclose money spent by the Dr. Willie Wilson Foundation to promote his candidacy.
Wilson gave away a reported $300,000, including personally handing out a significant amount of cash, at a July 22nd event in Chicago. The money was reportedly provided by Wilson’s foundation, but the giveaway was promoted with a press release from Wilson’s campaign spokesman and the event was streamed live on Wilson’s campaign Facebook page.
ICPR believes the money spent by the foundation at the July 22nd event should have been disclosed as an in-kind contribution to the Wilson campaign because it was of material value to the campaign (the legal standard). Because the contribution was over $1,000, ICPR believes it should have been publicly reported on state campaign finance reports within 5 business days. That has not occurred. The complaint was filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
“We don’t take issue with a charitable foundation helping people, but when such actions are so clearly tied to a political campaign, that has to be disclosed because the public has a right to know how campaigns are spending money and where it comes from,” said ICPR Executive Director Mary Miro. “As the organization in the forefront of fighting the corrosive influence of money in politics, ICPR is compelled to file this complaint where the appearance of impropriety is so obvious.”
ICPR remains concerned about the continued potential for a blurring of lines between charities and politics – as vividly illustrated by a video of a mayoral candidate handing out cash at a campaign-like event. ICPR is also concerned with the apparent legality of Gov. Bruce Rauner contributing to the foundation, attending the money giveaway event and benefiting from it politically.
As Illinois’ leading nonprofit dedicated to addressing the role of money in politics and encouraging integrity, accountability and transparency in government, ICPR will continue to explore ways to make Illinois’ campaign finance laws clearer and more easily enforceable so the public can see how money is influencing their elections.
Although Wilson’s campaign argues that the Foundation has regularly given money away in this fashion, the most recent available Form 990 for the Foundation lists only $5,468 in assets on hand. See Exh. 1. In 2016, the Foundation spent approximately $24,500 on bail payouts, but it does not list any payments for property tax assistance, and the amount given away by the Foundation in the entire 2016 fiscal year was less than 10% of the amount given away in the one-day event on July 22, 2018. This is persuasive evidence that the purpose of the giveaway was, at least in material part, to promote Wilson’s campaign for Mayor of Chicago.
Complainant believes this is a potential violation of Illinois campaign finance law. To the extent that Wilson was in fact giving away money from the Foundation and promoting this giveaway through videos on his campaign Facebook page and through his campaign spokesperson, the money from the Foundation should be reported as an in-kind contribution. A “contribution” includes “anything of value, knowingly received in connection with . . . election . . . of any candidate or person to or in public office.” 10 ILCS 5/9-1.4(A)(1). Moreover, the money given away by Wilson at one event should be considered a single in-kind contribution from the Foundation to the Committee of $1,000 or more that has not been reported on an A-1 within 5 business days. An A-1 is required to be filed within 5 business days of receiving a contribution of $1,000 or more. 10 ILCS 5/9-10(c). As such, the Board should fine the Committee for its delinquent A-1 and require it to report the cash giveaway of $300,000 as an in-kind contribution from the Foundation to the Committee.
In addition, Complainant believes that there may be additional campaign finance law violations upon further investigation by the Board. Although Wilson’s campaign states that the money given away came from his Foundation, the most recent filing indicates that the Foundation had just over $5,000 in assets. As such, there is a reasonable question as to whether the money given away was from the Foundation or from Wilson’s personal assets. Moreover, to the extent that Wilson donated money to the Foundation for the express purpose of promoting himself as a philanthropist to further his campaign, this could potentially be a direct contribution to the campaign that has not been reported.
A new report out today from the Illinois Policy Institute concludes that the cost of worker pensions is soaking up a larger and larger share of your property taxes, on average 45 cents of every extra dollar levied by school districts, city halls and other local government statewide between 1996 and 2016.
Except, the state funds teacher pensions, not local school districts. The explanation…
According to its findings, 31 percent of local property-tax increases (on average $3,213 a year) had to be imposed because $3.2 billion a year in state aid was diverted to pay pensions through the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System, which pays pensions for all teachers statewide except in Chicago. In other words, if the local districts had received their previous share of state spending, they wouldn’t have had to raise property taxes to pay for operations.
Of course, that assumes that the state would have appropriated as much if pensions weren’t on the table. And it assumes districts would not have raised their taxes had the state aid been available. So, what the institute is measuring here is a bit indirect.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
* And as One Illinois notes, the Illinois Policy Institute wants to shift state pension payment responsibilities down to local school district taxpayers…
“The most egregious thing about the article is the IPI wants to have it both ways,” said Bridget Shanahan, spokeswoman for the Illinois Education Association, which of course is in the IPI’s crosshairs as the state’s leading teacher organization, with 135,000 members. “They’re complaining about property taxes being too high on the one hand, but on the other hand the IPI wants to shift more pension costs onto local school districts,” as with language “buried” in the state budget compromise that passed earlier this year.
* Give him points for staying on message, but this is just ridic…
Rauner says Sauer, a House Republican, should resign but says “there’s no culture I created. Madigan in the Legislature created a culture of abuse…what’s clear is Madigan has hidden accusations.”
"There is no culture that I have created," Rauner says in wake of Rep. Nick Sauer story, and calls for Sauer resignation. When pressed on whether incident shows a bipartisan sexual harassment problem, Rauner puts the blame on Speaker Madigan for creating that culture.
Earlier this year, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Nick to serve as a Director on the Illinois Tollway Board.
Sauer is Rauner’s guy.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Rauner campaign called to say that the governor was asked by a reporter about his past remarks that Speaker Madigan had created a culture of harassment. If that’s the case, the governor was asked, then did Rauner create a culture that was responsible for Sauer. And that’s when the governor said he didn’t create a culture.
…Adding… Transcript from Team Rauner…
Pearson: What is your reaction to the Nick Sauer event? And what does that say, you and Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti have attacked Madigan for creating a pervasive culture of harassment. What does that say about Nick Sauer and what he did?
Rauner: I just learned about the allegations against him this morning. He should resign. And my understanding is that he’s going to resign and that’s the right thing for him to do. He should resign.
Pearon: But what about the pervasive culture that you say Mike Madigan created? This is a guy you appointed to the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.
Rauner: There is no culture that I’ve created. Madigan in the legislature has created a culture of abuse. People all around him had to resign because they’ve been caught. What’s clear is that Madigan has hidden accusations. He has pushed back against those who have come forward, and his lieutenants have threatened individuals. He’s created a culture of harassment and of hiding the harassment and that culture has to be brought out and exposed and those responsible should be removed from office.
…Adding… The Rauner campaign left off Pearson’s third question…
Pearson: But isn’t there a bipartisan culture of harassment that exists?
Rauner: The legislature clearly has been existing in a culture of harassment, and that culture is created by Mike Madigan.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Hmm…
Well except for when @GovRauner literally created a culture of sexual harassment at DOC by appointing a known offender as an administrator (who was then caught harassing women on video.) Or when he appointed Ken Dunkin to MWRD. Nothing to see here! #twill#TimesUpIL#metoohttps://t.co/bYxpqncRIX
Oh! I was worried when I read the tweets the Gov was politicizing a sex crime to shift blame to a political rival and in doing so entirely confirmed Pritzker’s point that he will blame Madigan for everything. In reality, the transcript shows the Gov was just politicizing a sex crime to shift blame to a political rival and in doing so entirely confirmed Pritzker’s point that he will blame Madigan for everything.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Sen. Sam McCann…
Nick Sauer’s alleged actions are deeply disturbing on many levels, and they destroy Sauer’s attempt to portray himself as a conservative. Illinois’ Conservative Party has no room for individuals who demonstrate this kind of sick, troubling behavior.
Bruce Rauner and his enablers put Nick Sauer in office, and appointed him to paid leadership positions like the Toll Highway Authority board. Bruce Rauner can’t distance himself from Nick Sauer now. This is just one more example of Bruce Rauner’s bad judgment embarrassing our state.
*** UPDATE 4 *** With a hat tip to a commenter, this is from 2015…
A national women’s organization is challenging Gov. Bruce Rauner’s appointments to the Illinois Tollway, saying he is violating state law by creating an all-male board.
Over the past three months, Rauner has named five male directors and re-appointed another to the nine-member Tollway board, which already included three men.
In addition, Rauner backed Greg Bedalov as the agency’s new executive director. Bedalov replaced Kristi Lafleur, who had held the post under the tenure of former Gov. Pat Quinn.
The National Council of Women’s Organizations is charging that Rauner is violating the Illinois Gender Balanced Appointments Act. The 1991 law is aimed at equalizing representation on state panels “with a good faith attempt to seek gender balance.” It makes no mention of consequences for failing to comply.
Employees at the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Fulton Street office say they are battling a bedbug infestation.
An employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said the 2650 W. Fulton St. location has had bedbugs in the past, but the current problem at the department’s West Side office started a few weeks ago.
The employee filed a grievance with AFSCME Local 2858, which took the matter to management. It took higher ups about four days before a fumigator was called in and only one room was fumigated, union spokesman Anders Lindall said.
“We are not convinced they’re resolved. The local union has requested that management have the fumigators inspect the infested areas before employees are returned to work in them,” he said.
Usually, grievances like this one don’t get filed unless management is failing to do something about the problem. In other words, I’d bet this grievance isn’t the first time management knew of the bedbug issue. That the employees felt the need to take the matter up with the Sun-Times indicates even more management indifference.
But, hey, no worries. The union isn’t needed, right? The administration cares for the workers much more than that awful Afscammy.
Employees of an Illinois Department of Human Services office on Tuesday called on Gov. Bruce Rauner to create a “rapid response and comprehensive” bedbug protocol after a recent infestation at one of the department’s Chicago offices.
The group, brought together by the Alliance for Community Services, brought a letter listing their demands to Rauner. […]
One room was fumigated, even though the bugs were found in other areas of the office. Edwards says employees were told to catch the bedbugs as proof of their existence for other rooms to be fumigated.
“This is just another example of the Rauner administration’s neglecting the staff,” Edwards said. “As one of the staff representatives told me, ‘you shouldn’t have to catch Cujo in order to prove he has rabies.’ I think it’s quite telling that the Rauner administration has neglected staff, and it’s a sad tale of the continued neglect from downstate.”
A couple friends of mine suffered through a bedbug infestation after staying at a nice hotel. The nasty things were everywhere in their house. You can’t just fumigate one room because they move. And those bites will drive you crazy.
* And yet, according to Rep. Skillicorn, this is “comedy gold”…
This is comedy gold. Bureaucrats who are responsible for running our lives can’t handle #bedbugs in their office.
Employees of bedbug infested state office take letter of demands to Gov. Rauner https://t.co/hhPgkmpexv
I don’t get the joke. Are the workers supposed to hire an exterminator? Are they just supposed to tough it out and deal with the bedbugs forever? Also, how does the Department of Human Services run our lives?
Leave the comedy to comedians.
*** UPDATE *** From IDHS…
The IDHS facility in question was treated for bed bugs within 1 business day of the initial report of bed bugs. Staff were removed from the area immediately after the bugs were spotted. Bed bug monitoring devices have been installed at the facility and pest control has consistently visited to treat the area and monitor the situation. Only one additional bed bug has been seen after the initial sighting and there has been no other bed bug activity reported at this office since.
Like any other public office, bed bug activity is a result of many different people visiting our offices every day. We take the health and safety of our staff and customers seriously and are happy to have dedicated local staff that acted so promptly in response to this situation. We encourage all staff or customers to report any sightings of bed bugs to our management immediately so we can act as quickly as possible.
If you’ve seen one bug, there are definitely lots more. Just sayin…
1) Puppies! So cute! Very nice deflection and thanks for the positive ad;
2) “Because… Madigan!” must really be working if they’re using puppies;
3) Who puts Mike Madigan in their own ads?
Narrator: Mike Madigan hates puppies. Mike Madigan hates sunshine. JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan are Democrats, so JB Pritzker must hate puppies and sunshine.
JB Pritzker: It’s ridiculous. Bruce Rauner is a failure and he blames everyone but himself. As a businessman, I’ve helped create thousands of jobs by bringing people together to solve problems and get results, and that’s what I’ll do as Governor. And, for the record, I love puppies.
An early and combative campaign for governor has used millions of dollars of the candidates’ wealth to focus on symbols: House Speaker Michael Madigan. President Donald Trump. Toilets and taxes. And now puppies.
Democratic candidate J.B. Pritzker is launching Wednesday a new ad to show he likes puppies — a largely humorous and mocking rebuttal to more than a year of attacks by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
In the ad, a narrator says, “Mike Madigan hates puppies. Mike Madigan hates sunshine. J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan are Democrats. So J.B. Pritzker must hate puppies and sunshine.” […]
While lighthearted in nature, the ad underscores the success of Rauner’s well-funded attempts to tarnish Madigan and link a host of Democratic candidates to the veteran House speaker and state Democratic Party chair.
And it turns out Madigan doesn’t hate puppies or sunshine, the speaker’s spokesman said.
“He thinks they’re very important parts of society,” Steve Brown said.
“And there’s no real record of him hating puppies and sunshine.”
Brown also disputed Rauner’s portrayal of the speaker.
“There’s no real record of the corruption claims that Bruce Rauner makes. Any of them,” Brown said. “It’s a pretty consistent thing. Rauner has consistently hung his hat on it, failing to accomplish anything as governor and blaming it all on Madigan. And it’s all showing in the data and what he’s going through right now that it hasn’t worked.”
* Rauner campaign…
Today, the Pritzker campaign launched a TV ad that tries — and fails — to defend JB Pritzker’s corrupt relationship with Mike Madigan. But Illinois voters know the truth. The Rauner campaign issued the following response:
“JB Pritzker may love puppies, but it’s clear he loves Mike Madigan more. Pritzker and Madigan both want to raise taxes, turn a blind eye to corruption, and put their own political ambition ahead of protecting victims of sexual harassment. JB Pritzker is Mike Madigan’s candidate — and his piggy bank — and the Pritzker-Madigan ticket offers nothing more than higher taxes and more corruption.”
- Rauner campaign spokesman Alex Browning
A former girlfriend of Illinois state Rep. Nick Sauer has filed an official complaint accusing the first-term Republican of creating a fake Instagram account and populating it with nude photos of her to lure men into “graphic” discussions.
According to the complaint filed by ex-girlfriend Kate Kelly with the Office of the Legislative Inspector General and obtained by POLITICO, Sauer used the Instagram account “to catfish other men using my privately shared naked photos. Nick would use this account to direct message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature. The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life.”
In her complaint, Kelly states that she filed a police report with the Chicago Police Department and that there is “an active investigation” into her claims. CPD has not yet complied with POLITICO’s Freedom of Information Act request for the police report. […]
The complaint says Kelly’s employer helped her determine how long the fake Instagram account had been in use based on when messages were sent, which was close to the time they had started dating.
In her complaint, Kelly writes that Sauer admitted as much. “He came to my house & confessed to catfishing men with my photos for 2 years to at least 8 men. He was unable to provide the names and begged that I let it go,” she wrote.
Sauer hasn’t yet been charged with a crime.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From House Republican Leader Jim Durkin…
The allegations that have come forth against Representative Nick Sauer are troubling. He will be resigning from office today. We should allow the proper authorities to conduct their investigations.
…Adding… This is his Senator…
“These are very serious allegations and Representative Nick Sauer has made the right decision to resign his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives,” said State Sen. Dan McConchie (R-26th District).
*** UPDATE 2 *** This is a good explanation of what the real issues are here…
Illinois State Senator Melinda Bush issued the following statement calling for Rep. Nick Sauer to resign after allegations of sexual harassment and violation of Illinois’ “revenge-porn” law by releasing nude photos of an ex-girlfriend without her consent:
“I want to first thank Kate Kelly for her bravery in speaking out against the sexual harassment she endured by Rep. Nick Sauer. This is exactly why I fought for the creation of the Joint Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention, so we could give victims a safe space to come forward and so we can take the necessary steps to change the culture in Springfield and eliminate sexual harassment.
“The allegations against Rep. Sauer, which I believe are true, goes beyond harassment and crosses the line between predatory and criminal. We passed the so-called “revenge porn” law in 2015 to make these kinds of non-consensual releases of private sexual images a felony offense in Illinois.
“Early this morning, I personally reached out to Sen. Jil Tracy (R - Quincy), the co-chair of the joint task force on sexual harassment to ask for Rep. Sauer to be immediately removed from this task force. And unless Rep. Sauer has credible evidence to address the accusations against him, I believe he should immediately resign from his position as state representative.
“Democrat or Republican - this behavior is inappropriate and unbecoming of someone elected to serve the public. I applaud the Illinois Republican Party for calling for Rep. Sauer’s resignation; I hope he will do the right thing and step down immediately.
Sen. Bush co-chairs the Joint Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention and serves of the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access panel formed earlier this year.
Looks like @GovRauner has signed @ILComptroller -backed truth-in-hiring legislation to prevent "offshoring" employees in the gov's office onto other state office payrolls.
What, no big signing ceremony trumpeting transparency in IL gov't?
This was the “off-shoring” bill, which requires the governor to put all of his staff in his office’s budget.
…Adding… Press release…
Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation to bring greater transparency to state government finances, limiting the use of intergovernmental agreements to end the longtime practice of paying employees from one office out of other State agencies’ appropriated funds. At the same time, the Governor called for the provisions of the legislation to be applicable to the offices of all Constitutional officers.
“Transparent governing has been a hallmark of this administration and I support efforts to challenge status quo policies and practices, particularly those that are perceived to undermine the public’s confidence in their government,” Rauner said.
“Unlike previous administrations, we have been transparent in reporting headcount and salaries of all Governor’s Office employees,” Rauner said, “and our administration is spending less on total agency-wide payroll than the previous administration.”
“The same level of transparent accounting ought to apply to all State Constitutional Offices as a necessity for accomplishing their work for taxpayers,” the Governor said urging the General Assembly to extend the truth-in-budgeting principle to the Offices of the Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.”
“The taxpayers of Illinois need to know how their money is being spent,” Rauner said. “The state’s constitutional offices have an obligation to be accountable for their spending and this would be a major step toward achieving that goal.”
House Bill 5121 becomes effective upon becoming law, eliminating the use of IGAs with future appropriations enacted. It is anticipated those appropriations will be made in Fiscal Year 2020.
* And…
Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza’s “Truth in Hiring Act,” to bring all “offshored” employees of the Governor’s office back into the Governor’s budget, became law today.
For too long, Illinois governors – Democratic and Republican – have engaged in the deceptive practice of “offshoring” their employees’ salaries to other agencies – for example, paying an education advisor $250,000 from the Department of Human Services; or a deputy chief of staff $140,000 from the Illinois State Police’s budget – to mask the true size of the Governor’s budget.
“Offshoring is wrong. It was wrong when Governor Quinn did it. It was wrong when Governor Blagojevich did it. It was wrong when Governor Ryan did it. And it was still wrong when Governor Rauner did it. But all of that ends today,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Thank you to the sponsors of this legislation, Representative Christian Mitchell and Senator Andy Manar, and to the lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who voted for it. I’m glad that Governor Rauner recognized the overwhelming bipartisan support behind this bill and signed it into law.”
The Truth in Hiring Act (House Bill 5121) passed unanimously in the Illinois House, and the Senate approved it 46-7. It simply says that if an employee works in the Governor’s office, they will be paid from the Governor’s payroll. Their salary will be counted in the Governor’s budget. Their salary will not be pulled from agencies that are supposed to protect the most vulnerable or put state troopers on the highways.
“Every time a governor shifts a new, unexpected six-figure salary onto a state agency’s plate, dollars that had been prioritized for important purposes – economic development, senior services and child protection, to name a few – are being diverted to a paycheck instead,” Senator Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said. “Governors should understand the importance of being transparent about their expenses. Taxpayers who foot the bill for government, and frankly the lawmakers who determine the appropriations for state agencies, deserve that accountability.”
A recent payroll analysis shows only 47 of Governor Rauner’s 110 staffers are actually paid from the Governor’s budget. MOST of his staff – 63 people – are hidden in other agency payrolls. If the Governor were honestly reporting all the people working in his office, he would have to disclose his office budget is nearly $10 million, instead of the $4.6 million that is budgeted for the current fiscal year.
“This practice subverts the appropriations process. It takes money away from state agencies that protect children, the environment, and public safety,” Representative Mitchell, D-Chicago, said. “This Governor, and any future governors, should present the true cost of their staff in their office’s budget and make the case for why they need that level of funding.”
HB 5121 goes into effect immediately and will apply to appropriations passed after this date.
In addition to having broad bipartisan support in the legislature, the Truth in Hiring Act also has the backing of newspaper editorial boards across the state.
“Truth in Hiring is pro-transparency legislation that empowers the General Assembly to better its oversight of agency spending,” Quad-City Times editorial board editor Jon Alexander wrote.
“Governors, both Republicans and Democrats, have engaged in this practice – which they call ‘offshoring’ – at least since the days of former Gov. George Ryan. Now is a good time to stop,” the Quincy Herald-Whig editorial board wrote. “A state budget is all about setting priorities. Concealing things from the public shouldn’t be one of them.”
The Truth in Hiring Act follows Comptroller Mendoza’s Debt Transparency Act, which passed last year with unanimous or near-unanimous overrides. The state is already seeing the benefits of that reform as legislators on both sides of the aisle have more up-to-date numbers to craft a budget with and regular citizens have a clearer picture of the state’s finances.
* I usually don’t bother with stuff like this, but I just couldn’t resist because it’s so weird and unusual. As of 4:08 this afternoon, Friends for John Scaletta had filed 29 amended D-2 forms. This feed caught my eye…
DUPLICATE CHECK WAS INADVERTENTLY ENTERED IN MARCH 2011 AND FEE UNDER $10.00 WAS INADVERTENTLY ENTERED IN DECEMBER 2015
Scaletta originally reported raising $2,122 in the first quarter of 2011, but today’s amended D-2 has him raising $2,622. He originally reported spending $1,323.40, then amended that today to $1,342.90, after adding $19.50 in not-itemized expenditures (how he figured that one out is anyone’s guess). He originally reported ending the quarter with $3,220.02, but his amended report put the amount at $3,700.52.
So, adding in the “inadvertent fee under $10″ he paid in 2015, he had to file amended reports for every quarter since the beginning of 2011 because his amount available had changed.
* But, wait. There’s more.
Scaletta filed a slew of amended returns earlier this month and provided this reason…
Expenditures were inadvertently omitted from original report filings.
These appear to be $5 not-itemized expenditures each quarter, which, of course, lowered his available funds and necessitated re-dos of every quarterly report.
So, today’s filings were actually corrections to a correction.
* And then at 4:14 this afternoon, Scaletta filed this explanation attached to his second quarter report for 2018…
DUPLICATE CHECK WAS INADVERTENTLY ENTERED IN MARCH 2011 AND FEE UNDER $10.00 WAS INADVERTENTLY ENTERED IN DECEMBER 2015. BANK VOIDED AN UNCASHED CASHIER CHECK WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY THE COMMITTEE AND THEN REDEPOSITED THE FUNDS TO THE COMMITTEE MAY 11 2018
An estimated 40,000 low-income community college students in Illinois are now assured access to food security through SNAP, thanks to Senate Bill 351, which was signed into law July 20 by Gov. Bruce Rauner. CCH advocated for this eligibility for more than five years, through its statewide No Youth Alone campaign. CCH worked with Heartland Alliance and the Sargent Shriver National Poverty Law Center through two legislative sessions to enact the College Hunger Bill.
A state lawmaker is pushing for the governor to sign a bill that some worry would open small employers to frivolous discrimination lawsuits.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said there’s a problem in state law.
In “most small businesses around the state of Illinois, it is perfectly legal to discriminate against employees on the basis of age or gender or disability status, or religion,” Guzzardi said.
House Bill 4572, on the governor’s desk, would open up businesses of 15 or fewer employees to be investigated for various wrongful termination cases involving allegations of discrimination.
“We have the discriminator-in-chief in the White House who’s trying to ban Muslims from entering our country, who has a long track record of harassment and discrimination against women,” Guzzardi said. “We have an opportunity in the state of Illinois to stand up against those kinds of behaviors.”
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Mark Grant urged Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto the bill. Grant said many small business owners treat employees like family and don’t have the resources to handle additional regulations.
* Other bills…
* Zorn: Illinois lawmakers should allow secret recordings of conversations
* It’s unanimous; governor joins Legislature in protecting DCFS: Enactment of Senate Bill 3105 is a small, first step toward greater protection for DCFS workers. Let tougher penalties also be placed on the books, and widely publicized, to deter potential offenders from acts of violence.
The Illinois Collaboration on Youth learned with dismay about the racist remarks made by the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) against one of our own Board members, Raul Garza. We are even more concerned to learn that the IPHCA has yet to issue an apology despite the acknowledgment by the former executive that he did make those remarks.
Like the IPHCA, ICOY members serve a disproportionate number of people of color in our work. People of color are our clients, our staff, our volunteers, our executives, and our Board members. It is disheartening to realize in 2018 that a racist remark would be made by a leader in our industry and that our peers would not immediately understand that an apology and full investigation would be needed as a result. We all must do better, as leaders in our communities, to recognize and respect the common bonds of humanity which unite us all, and to reject and repudiate racist stereotypes, remarks, and behavior whenever they occur.
Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago), Co-Chairman of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, this week called for legislative hearings to investigate the trail of racism surrounding the resignation of Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) President and CEO Bruce Johnson.
Johnson resigned Monday, July 16 after he admitted to making racist remarks during a meeting with an IPHCA member organization. Just four days later, six members of the IPHCA’s Executive Committee resigned.
“This isn’t just one incident of a racist comment. This was a sustained campaign of intimidation by not just Bruce Johnson but several members of the executive board,” Sandoval said. “I call for these hearings because we have an obligation to stand up for one another and what is right to ensure that racist conduct—no matter who engages in it—will not be tolerated.”
An official complaint of discrimination against Bruce Johnson and the IPHCA Executive Committee was filed last week by Raul Garza, President and CEO of Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness. Garza is a U.S.-born citizen and 12-year veteran of the United States Air Force. Johnson allegedly made disparaging comments to Garza about his re-entry into the country after a recent visit to Mexico.
“The executive committee clearly failed in their duty to investigate these disgusting comments and it is disturbing that a handful of IPHCA members are now speaking in defense of the individuals who have rightfully resigned,” Sandoval said. “Their protest reflects poorly on the Association’s entire membership.”
Sandoval said a committee should investigate:
• Why Mr. Johnson was allowed to behave as he did
• Why it took so long for the Executive Committee to conduct an investigation
• Why the Association has not issued an apology for either Johnson’s behavior or its failure to properly investigate the matter
Sandoval said he also plans to file a resolution to conduct an audit of the IPHCA’s adherence to its contracts with the State of Illinois.
“The IPHCA has multiple contracts with the State, and those contracts require the Association to comply with all civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination in any form,” Sandoval said. “We have to send an example that while increasingly common, this type of discourse will no longer be tolerated.”
An IPHCA spokesperson says the group’s new executive director (who is black) has talked with members of the Latino Caucus, but hasn’t yet spoken with Sandoval.
I’ve asked if the group plans to issue a public apology.
Two California residents are suing a state senator for blocking them from a social media account in a case similar to a successful lawsuit that barred President Trump from blocking critics on his Twitter account.
Suzanne Rummel and Marlene Burkitt sued Democratic Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento alleging that barring them from his Twitter account violates their First Amendment free speech rights.
Pan is a physician and both women’s accounts show they oppose his efforts to promote universal vaccinations of children.
Burkitt says in the lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Sacramento that she was blocked after using Pan’s Twitter site to discuss his efforts “to reduce medical freedom, parental decision-making rights, and other issues.”
I bet they were a real treat to deal with.
* The Question: Should elected officials be prohibited from blocking their constituents on social media? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Arthur Jones, the Republican nominee for 3rd Congressional District, tries to downplay his past affiliations with Nazis. […]
“I’ve got a winning platform,” said Jones, 70, of Lyons. “If (the GOP) would get behind me we would beat Lipinski.”
Jones mirrors the Republican platform on many issues. He holds a hardline view on immigration. He supports 2nd Amendment gun-ownership rights. He has a conservative view of gay rights and believes Congress should repeal Obamacare. […]
In many respects, Jones resembles the populist and nationalist views of President Donald Trump. Both seem to appeal to voters who feel grievance and resentment.
“I support 90 percent of what he’s trying to do,” Jones said of Trump. “We’re both getting attacked by radical leftists.”
* But he reminds me a little of the LaRouchies who ran as Democrats…
I reached out the league’s Chicago chapter to ask about Jones and his attempts to distance himself from his Nazi affiliations.
“Arthur Jones, who proudly displays Holocaust denial, xenophobia and racism on his blog and website, has a long history of hateful, extremist and anti-Semitic views,” ADL Midwest Regional Director Lonnie Nasatir replied in a statement.
“For example, in 2009, he protested the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center and continues to espouse absurd conspiracy theories questioning the deaths of millions of Jews. He has spoken publicly at numerous neo-Nazi rallies and events, expressing xenophobic policies based in racial and religious hatred. He is by every definition an anti-Semite and unrepentant bigot.”
* As we discussed yesterday, the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation is basically a joke - raising just $32,000 last year after promising to raise millions. AP…
People have raised concerns about whether the money could be put other uses, [Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation Chairman John Slayton] said. Lawmakers have taken funds out of special state funds to balance the budget. But the foundation money is separate from those state accounts and cannot be swept by lawmakers.
“You have to walk them through the process,” said Slayton.
He said that some donors, including companies like John Deere, Caterpillar and State Farm, already contributed to the governor’s mansion.
“So the well’s kind of dry there for a few years,” said Slayton. “I think we’ll have to wait. That’s fine because they both had to be renovated.”
Sigh.
By the way, Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) told the AP that Gov. Rauner himself should ante up.
Veteran journalist Charles Thomas stepped down as co-host of the popular morning drive talk show The WVON Morning Show with Maze Jackson featuring Charles Thomas over the weekend.
Thomas joined the morning show 13 months ago with the intent of only staying a few weeks after retiring from ABC-7 following a 45-year career in journalism. Thomas tendered his resignation to Midway Broadcasting Corporation’s Chairman, Melody Spann Cooper. Spann Cooper states, “I thanked Charles for his tremendous commitment and contribution to the station and the community. We were honored to have him for such a short stay and look forward to assisting him in his future endeavors of building his brand in the Black media landscape. We know there are big things on the horizon for him.”
Thomas’ departure is the first of several major personality changes that will be taking place before the end of the year.
Esteemed journalist Charles Thomas has stepped down as co-host of WVON’s Morning Show. The move comes a few days after POLITICO published the ties his co-host Maze Jackson had to Republican candidates.
Thomas, who joined WVON in April 2017 after he retired as political reporter from ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, cited the difficult hours of morning drive for suddenly walking away from the 6 to 9 a.m. weekday gig. He would not comment on the Politico story or say whether it figured into his decision to leave.
“I’m getting my life back,” he told me Monday. “When I retired [from ABC 7], I did not envision getting up at 3 o’clock in the morning every day and then having to go to bed every night at 7 or 8 o’clock. So it’s a good thing for me.” […]
WVON is looking to add a new morning co-host “in the very near future,” according to program director Todd Ronczkowski.
* Maze Jackson defended himself on Facebook the other day. Excerpt…
This story is a one-sided attempt to paint me as a Republican and to attempt to compromise who I am and my intentions. So instead playing their game I’ll share with my audience. Let’s FACT CHECK:
Chauncey Colquitt does not have a job and never had the job of booking guests for WVON. As many community and PR people do, Chauncey HAS scheduled HIS clients on the show. Additionally he is a 30 year friend and fraternity brother. He has worked with and for me on campaigns for 20 plus years. He is family…I would help him until it hurt me.
One study released each month is based on a survey of households. Known as the current population survey, it’s best known as being the basis for the unemployment rates that come out 12 times a year. The study also includes figures on local employment, and in the case of metropolitan Chicago the news is bad.
However, BLS does another report each month that IDES uses to compile its metro employment report. In June, according to that report, employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights area grew 42,300, almost 1.2 percent, to 3.829 million.
So, Chicago lost 4,000-plus jobs. Or it gained more than 42,000. Both can’t be right, can they? […]
A BLS spokesman emphasizes that the household survey uses a significantly smaller sample than the employer survey, so its margin of error is larger. With a current margin of error in metro Chicago of plus or minus 63,000, the finding that the region lost more than 4,000 jobs is compatible with the region also being found to have gained 42,000 jobs.
A study released this week by the Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance placed more than half of the state’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list.
Considered an update to the organization’s poverty report issued last year, it placed 52 of Illinois’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list, up from 30 last year, while finding that almost a third of state residents are below the poverty line or considered low-income.
Using 2016 census data, the alliance issued a statewide map showing poverty widespread by county. The study found that poverty was increasing in Chicago suburbs, and that while all the collar counties are considered relatively healthy, with poverty rates below 12 percent, all had more than 20,000 people below the poverty line.
According to the alliance, its County Well-Being Index “highlights counties that are experiencing particularly negative conditions and trends on four key indicators: poverty, unemployment, teen births, and high-school graduation.”
