* Assistant DCEO Director Andria Winters and I didn’t hit it off too well. The first time we ever talked we wound up in a loud and extended state policy argument and didn’t speak much to each other for weeks afterward. We’ve long since patched things up, however, and I always get a kick out of hanging with her and her husband Aaron. Those two are something, man.
Winters leaves DCEO today to become Intersect Illinois’ new president. Intersect Illinois is described as: “A private organization working collaboratively with the Department of Commerce to increase our competitiveness for jobs and investment.” It’s the privatized DCEO, basically.
Andria was the policy director for Motorola Mobility and was also director of strategic initiatives for the company’s foundation. She worked for US Sen. Mark Kirk in a high-level job and currently serves on the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s board of directors. We still don’t always agree, but she’s a darned good person.
From a press release…
“Intersect needs leaders who understand the best that Chicago and Illinois offer. Andria brings a wealth of knowledge of key regional growth sectors as well as how to break down bureaucratic barriers for business,” added Ted Souder, Head of Industry, retail for Google. “She is a great addition to the team and will be an important conduit for businesses and economic development organizations.”
“My concern with the proposal so far, is they’re largely based upon re-ramping the payment schedule and slowing down the payment schedule and backloading it,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done in Chicago for decades and it’s the reason Chicago has the worst credit rating of any city other than Detroit.
* Well, the inimitable Fran Spielman put one and one together and got veto threat…
Although the City Council easily approved the mayor’s plan to slap a 29.5 percent tax on water and sewer bills to save the Municipal Employees pension fund, the Illinois General Assembly still needs to sign off on employee concessions tied to the deal as well as the funding schedule.
Same goes for the mayor’s plan to save the Laborers pension fund, bankrolled by a previously-approved, 56 percent tax on monthly telephone bills. […]
In an emailed statement, Molly Poppe, a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Budget and Management, said the governor fails to recognize that Chicago is moving “from a woefully insufficient contribution level set by state law that ensures bankruptcy in the next ten years to a responsible payment plan with a ramp” to an “actuarially required contribution” that “ensures actuarial funding in perpetuity.”
Pressed on whether Rauner was, in fact, threatening a veto, his spokesperson Catherine Kelly would only say that the “dialogue” continues about “enacting comprehensive pension reform for both the city and state.”
“Unlike the state, the city of Chicago is taking steps to address its challenges head-on . . . While the state’s credit rating is susceptible to rating downgrades, we think Chicago’s identified pension funding proposals should forestall further downward rating pressure,” the report states.
“Illinois’ unprecedented budget impasse is ultimately political and the path to compromise is still unclear . . . By operating without a budget for so long, state leaders have created a structural budget gap too severe to address without significant new revenues or drastic cuts.”
The last time Rauner vetoed a Chicago pension bill, both chambers overrode it with a couple of House Republicans jumping on board. So, a veto might be futile again. We’ll have to see.
So, essentially he paid a blackmailer in the Philippines. For what? Well, that’s apparently blacked out above. And then the blackmailer wanted even more money and that’s when things got really weird.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Oof…
In statement, frmr Rep. Ron Sandack says he was target of int'l crime ring that lured him to engage in "inappropriate online conversations."
*** UPDATE 2 *** From what I’ve been able to discern from reading online stuff, the first thing to do when this happens is to shut down all social media accounts so that the blackmailer can’t ping friends/contacts/followers. Sandack, you will recall, abruptly shut down his social media accounts several days before he abruptly resigned. Sun-Times…
Sandack said counterfeit social media accounts started appearing, which he said jeopardized his online identity.
“Nonetheless, I was a victim. Poor decisions on my part enabled me to be a victim and, as a responsible citizen, I reported it and have been working with the police throughout their investigation,” Sandack said in the statement. “I want it to be clear that no aspect of my involvement in this incident was related to my position as a State Representative nor was the computer state property.
“I’m human. I made a mistake for which I am remorseful and ashamed; especially because I have hurt my family, and there is no greater self-inflicted wound than that.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Ain’t that the truth…
Jim Durkin: "I respect Ron Sandack’s decision to resign on July 25 and believe he did the right thing."
* From the Sun-Times write up on yesterday’s editorial board debate with the comptroller candidates…
Mendoza’s campaign has also sought to highlight that Munger has listed Elizabeth Brandt, mayor of Lincolnshire as her campaign chairwoman. Of importance is that Lincolnshire in December adopted right-to-work rules, passing a controversial labor ordinance that gives union-covered employees the option of whether or not to pay dues.
But Munger on Thursday denied Brandt’s involvement in her campaign, calling it an “error” that she did not remove her from paperwork filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Brandt’s name is still listed on her paperwork for her comptroller campaign.
* That’s not all the comptroller said. Munger claimed that she didn’t really get her comptroller campaign off the ground until this year. “I did not update my paperwork,” she said.
* If Brandt wasn’t such a gung-ho poster mayor for a hugely controversial attempt to impose a local “right to work” ordinance (with a big assist from the legal arm of the Illinois Policy Institute) this would be no big deal. But she is, so it’s a legit issue whether Munger or the Republicans or anybody else care to admit it. If you elevate a person like that to such a place of prominence in your official campaign, you have to answer for it.
And because the Illinois attorney general has declared ordinances like the one that Brandt engineered illegal, it’s not just a local issue. It’s a statewide issue because if Brandt and the Illinois Policy Institute succeed, other municipalities could follow. Keeping her on as campaign chair for ten months after that ordinance passed implies agreement.
And, by the way, as I write this, she’s still listed as Munger’s campaign chair.
…Adding… From the Munger campaign…
Susana Mendoza was Rahm Emmanuel’s outspoken Campaign Co-Chair. If she wants to play guilt by association, we ask her;
Does she take responsibility for Rahm Emmanuel’s record $543 million property tax hike?
Does she responsibility for Rahm Emmanuel’s $239 million water and sewer tax hike?
Does she take responsibility for Rahm Emmanuel’s $60 million garbage collection fee?
Does she take responsibility for Rahm Emmanuel $48 million taxi and ride hailing service fee hike?
Does she take responsibility for Rahm Emmanuel’s $40 million amusement tax hike on computer “cloud” services and streaming?
Emanuel is spelled with one “m,” and despite saying it was an “error” to not file paperwork changing her campaign chair, Munger still hasn’t done it.
Otherwise, what do you think?
…Adding Even More… Apparently, Ms. Brandt didn’t get the memo about not being involved…
Illinois may be operating on stopgap budgets into 2019, a local legislator warned this week.
“I want to be blunt with you,” state Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Joliet, told the Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees on Tuesday. “I hear from more and more of my colleagues that we might force Illinois to subsist on stopgap budgets through fiscal year 2019.” […]
He said the forecast for more stopgap budgets is based on a belief that Gov. Bruce Rauner will continue to attach his turnaround agenda proposals to full-year budgets. Democrats have opposed the Republican governor’s turnaround agenda. […]
McGuire said funding problems facing higher education also has led to talk of consolidating some of the state’s nine public universities. Possibilities being discussed, he said, include combining Eastern Illinois University with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as combining Chicago State University with the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Oops…
Senator Pat McGuire, D-Joliet, issued the following statement to clarify his recent remarks regarding the status of higher education in Illinois.
“I am not aware of any discussions at any level of government about consolidating state universities. What I attempted to say at Tuesday’s Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees meeting is that absent any apparent plan to stabilize Illinois higher education, suggestions are being tossed about. I regret I did not communicate that clearly, and I regret any harm done to those schools named.
“I am eager to work toward an Illinois higher education plan.”
* The Southern Illinois has been interviewing legislative candidates. Here’s part of the paper’s sitdown with Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton)…
“We’ve got to sit down and make things work. We’ve got to tighten our belt up. You’ve got to cut back.” Forby said legislators need to go through the budget line-by-line and look for areas to cut before they consider a tax increase. He said only then would he consider a new proposal to raise revenue.
Asked whether he thought that had not happened in the past, Forby, who has been in the General Assembly since 2001, said there’s more work to be done. He said he’s never voted for a tax increase because of that. Forby said one area where he thinks the state could save money is in the elimination or reforming of Central Management Services, because he believes that agency causes many duplication of services throughout state government. But he did not name other big-ticket items he could support cutting. Rather, Forby talked only in general terms about the need for the state to tighten its belt. […]
Forby said that to the best of his knowledge he has not supported a tax increase during his time in the General Assembly. He voted against temporarily raising the corporate and personal income tax in 2011 that then-Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law. According to newspaper records, Forby supported a similar bill to raise the income tax in 2009 that didn’t become law, making a last-minute decision to change his vote from “present” to “yes.”
“I cannot go home and throw my nursing homes out in the street, shut my hospitals down and not pay our bills,” Forby was quoted as saying after the vote. “It’s definitely going to hurt me, but you know what sometimes you have to do the right thing. You just can’t lay back and hide all your life.” Forby has been criticized by his opponent for that vote. Forby said this week he didn’t recall that vote.
“I don’t think I’ve voted on taxes since I’ve been up there,” he said.
Still, going forward, Forby said he believes that “everything should be looked at” when it comes to finding ways to balance the budget. Whatever is passed will need bipartisan support, Forby said.
“It’s time for Gary Forby to stop lying in a desperate attempt to save his political career and start telling the truth. He voted to nearly double the income tax and expand the sales tax.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe […]
(I)n 2009, Forby voted for a $5.2 billion tax hike on all Illinoisans. The bill would have doubled the state’s income tax and expanded the sales tax. Forby then defended his vote, telling the Southern that, “sometimes you have to do the right thing.”
Forby should “do the right thing” and be honest about his record.
* While we’re on the topic of southern Illinois, click here to check out an op-ed by Jimmy Dean, a local radio personality. Dean writes about the various candidates’ positive attributes. Quite refreshing in this day and age.
Human Rights Campaign criticizes Schneider ad in IL-10: The gay rights advocacy group is taking issue with a new TV ad that former Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold in the North Shore 10th Congressional District.
In the ad, a female narrator says: “Dold and the Republicans even said employees could be fired, just for being gay.” The picture accompanying the words shows Dold in between photos of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Dold is the only House Republican to receive the endorsement of the Human Rights Coalition and Dold was the first House Republican to become a co-sponsor of the Equality Act.
“Bob Dold has repeatedly voted in favor of federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. And he has made clear through his votes and support for marriage equality that he believes in a world where everyone, including LGBTQ people, can live free from fear of discrimination,” David Stacy, the group’s government affairs director, said in a statement.
To back up its claim, Schneider’s campaign website cited a January 2010 interview Dold gave to WLS-AM 890 radio.
“Dold said gay people shouldn’t be given ’special rights’ to ensure that employers are prohibited from firing someone because of their sexual orientation,” the Schneider campaign says in a footnote.
The DCCC also points to a vote Dold took earlier this year. He joined six other Republicans who support gay marriage in opposing an amendment that would have kept the prohibition on anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors out of a bill that created the option to review and repeal federal regulations.
The Dold campaign insists that the vote — on a so-called motion to recommit — was a procedural maneuver, not a substantive policy vote. Most members of the majority party typically vote against motions to recommit.
Dold voted for amendments offered by Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney and Scott Peters that protected President Barack Obama’s executive order prohibiting discrimination against LGBT employees of federal contractors.
* Um, wouldn’t it be better if they just worked out their problems with the guy and keep him around? I mean, for crying out loud the university has been screaming about the lack of money for well over a year, just laid off a ton of staff, and now they’re gonna shell out big bucks to get rid of a guy who has received high marks from faculty and other leaders? This makes no sense…
Sources: severance for outgoing #CSU president Calhoun, let go after 9 months on job, could be as high as $600,000 #ChicagoTonight
Faculty members say Calhoun’s hands were tied when he was hired. The board of trustees created a four-person management team that consisted of Calhoun and three other administrators that would make all the administrative decisions. The professors we spoke to say those other administrators are close with the trustees and with the university’s former president, Wayne Watson – whose own tenure was marked by scandal, but who was being paid severance and is currently on the board. They believe Watson and other trustees wanted to call the hiring and spending shots, and that Calhoun suffered from one fatal flaw.
Rauner said this week that his administration will look closely at appointing new trustees to the board. Four trustees’ terms are up in January.
“I’m still trying to sort out, our team’s trying to sort out, exactly what’s going on there,” Rauner said Thursday. “We’re going to do a thoughtful process to try to find highly qualified individuals to serve on that board. The second thing I’ll say is, Chicago State is a very important institution. We’d like to see them do well. I would like to be very supportive of them. But in the past, for many years, they’ve had management problems and they’ve had significant financial difficulties. And I’d like to see them better run.”
Trustees at financially troubled Chicago State University voted Friday to approve a separation agreement with President Thomas Calhoun Jr. that includes a $600,000 payment.
The vote was 6-1 to accept Calhoun’s resignation. Trustees are scheduled to choose an interim president later Friday.
Former Gov. Jim Edgar and Chris Kennedy, former chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, will speak at a luncheon called “Elections 2016: Candidates, Chaos and Consequences” in Springfield on Sept. 27.
The Better Government Association program will feature BGA president and CEO Andy Shaw having a “candid conversation” with Edgar and Kennedy about the election season. Natalie Bomke, reporter and anchor at Fox 32 TV in Chicago and daughter of former state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, will be emcee.
There are several local sponsors to the event, with Isringhausen Imports the presenting sponsor.
* After releasing his doctor’s report this week which claimed he has made a “full cognitive recovery,” Sen. Mark Kirk is now running a TV ad about his stroke…
The Kirk For Senate campaign has launched a new television ad, titled “Determined,” highlighting Senator Mark Kirk’s determination to recover from his stroke and represent Illinois with fierce independence.
I remember holding the hand of the paramedic and knowing something was very wrong.
I thought that was the last human being I would ever touch.
As I learned to walk and climb again, I thought of our Illinois families struggling to get by.
After facing death, Mark returned even more committed to serve.
Bucking his party to support marriage equality and fight to combat gun violence.
I was determined to return to the Senate, to do the job you elected me to.
* Rolling Meadows Mayor Tom Rooney basically now has a lock on replacing former Sen. Matt Murphy, who officially submitted his resignation today. The last remaining major candidate, Palatine Township Republican Committeeman Aaron Del Mar, has dropped out and endorsed Rooney. From Del Mar…
For those of us who believe in reform and know change is desperately needed in Springfield, nothing is more important than a strong, unified Republican Party. That is why today I am withdrawing from consideration for the Senate seat in the 27th district and endorsing Tom Rooney. Tom has been an effective, reform-oriented mayor in Rolling Meadows and I’m confident he will bring the same type of leadership to Springfield. I look forward to continuing to serve at the local level.
The vote was likely going against Del Mar anyway, but this all but seals the deal.
*** UPDATE 1 *** This is a nice gesture for a retiring member…
Illinois Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno announced today the appointment of Senator Dave Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) as Deputy Minority Leader. Radogno made her announcement as the resignation of Senator Matt Murphy, announced last month, became official on Thursday.
“I have had the privilege to know and work with Dave Luechtefeld for 20 years,” said Radogno. “Dave is a tireless fighter for the needs of southern Illinois, while also demonstrating his leadership skills and ability to see the state as a whole. Dave and I began our careers as freshman seatmates on the floor of the Illinois Senate. With this appointment, he will end his career as my seatmate.” Luechtefeld, who has served in the Illinois Senate since 1995, was previously serving in leadership as the Assistant Minority Leader.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve as Deputy Leader through the end of my term,” said Luechtefeld. “As Illinois continues to face many difficult challenges in the months ahead, I am hopeful that as Deputy Leader I can contribute in a new way in meeting those challenges.”
Today’s appointment takes effect immediately. The position carries no increase in salary. Luechtefeld is not a member of the General Assembly retirement system and will receive no General Assembly pension.
Northwest suburban Republicans on Thursday chose Rolling Meadows Mayor Tom Rooney to replace departing state Sen. Matt Murphy, a move that came after a string of other candidates dropped out of the running.
Rooney, 48, says he’ll step down in the coming weeks from his village post as he transitions into representing the 27th Senate District, which includes parts of Palatine, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows and Inverness.
* Gov. Rauner was asked today about the transportation funding “lock box” constitutional amendment that voters will have a say on this November.
You’ll recall that the Tribune fiercely editorialized against the proposal, calling it “Illinois’ diabolical ‘Safe Roads Amendment.’” You might also recall that Rauner’s former chief of staff is working on behalf of the proposed amendment, so it’s highly doubtful that Rauner actually opposes it.
The governor’s response…
Um, that’s a good question. I’m, I’m really not gonna comment on it. It’s going through its own process.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate in August decreased -0.3 percentage points to 5.5 percent and nonfarm payrolls decreased, based on preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and IDES. The decrease in Illinois’ unemployment rate is largely due to a decline in the labor force. Job growth is still below the national average, with Illinois -46,400 jobs short of its peak employment level reached in September 2000.
“In this 30-day snapshot, manufacturing losses were heavy, which contributed to more than half of the month’s decrease in nonfarm payroll jobs,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “The surveys have shown a great deal of fluctuation over the past year; seeing how the numbers develop over the long-term should make the trend clear.”
“Illinois residents continue to drop out of the workforce at a concerning rate, driven out by the steady loss of jobs and anemic growth,” DCEO Acting Director Sean McCarthy said. “If our state enacted the structural reforms necessary to get Illinois growing at the national rate, we could create 200 new jobs every day and put Illinois back to work. Instead, the state lost 8,200 jobs and nearly 20,000 people gave up looking for work.”
In August, the two industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Leisure and Hospitality (+3,400); and Professional and Business Services (+2,000). The three industry sectors with the largest declines in employment were: Manufacturing (-4,400); Financial Activities (-2,600); and Education and Health Services (-1,900).
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +40,100 jobs with the largest gains in Leisure and Hospitality (+23,000); and Professional and Business Services (+17,000). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines in August include: Manufacturing (-11,800) and Information Services (-3,600). The +0.7 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is less than the +1.7 percent gain posted by the nation in August.
To put this into perspective, those 4,400 manufacturing jobs lost in just one month almost equals the 4,600 new manufacturing jobs created in Illinois over the last seven years.
Social service providers are appealing a judge’s dismissal of their lawsuit asking the court to force payment on contracts with the state of Illinois.
The Pay Now Illinois coalition said Thursday morning that it intends to appeal Cook County Judge Rodolfo Garcia’s Aug. 31 ruling to an Illinois appeals court. Garcia says the issue belongs in a higher court.
The coalition includes nearly 100 social service providers. The group sued in May over fallout from the state’s budget stalemate. They argue the state breached its service contracts and they are owed roughly $160 million collectively for services, including health care and programs to fight homelessness.
The list of appellants is now down to 47. Click here to see the full list. Mrs. Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention is still on the list.
DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján today announced that attorney and small-businessman C.J. Baricevic has earned a spot in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) competitive Emerging Races program, indicating that his campaign has shown promising strengths and has demonstrated the ability to fight on behalf of hardworking people in Southern Illinois.
Since announcing his campaign for Congress, Baricevic has outraised his opponent Republican Mike Bost, was the first to air a television ad, and has received the endorsements of, among others, United Steelworkers and the Alliance for Retired Americans.
Baricevic is up against freshman GOP Congressman Mike Bost. We’ll have to see if the DCCC gets heavily involved or if this is just a press pop.
But Baricevic spokesman Barzin Emami said that while the campaign would take the help, it had issues with the national party. He had said earlier this year that Baricevic would welcome DCCC support, and a DCCC spokesman told the Post-Dispatch in April that it would never take the Bost-Baricevic race off its list of possible takeovers. […]
Baricevic has been trying to separate himself from the national Democratic Party and President Barack Obama on two key issues: trade and coal. Both are important in Southern Illinois, as steelworkers and coal miners have seen their livelihoods buffeted by international trade agreements and the Obama administration’s clean-power environmental push, which has helped cripple the coal industry.
Baricevic argues that clean-coal technology should allow for a better 20-30 year transition away from coal than Obama has pushed.
“We have never really been one to cater to the national party,” Emami said. “We don’t agree with all their platform. We are Southern Illinois Democrats. A Southern Illinois Democrat is different from a Nancy Pelosi Democrat.”
Pelosi must not poll well. So, it’s sort of a double-edged sword. But I’m sure they’ll be happy to have the dough.
What’s true is Leslie Munger flat out lied at the Chicago Tribune last week when she denied that her campaign chair is Elizabeth Brandt when official documents signed by Munger herself show Brandt, the leader of the movement to slash the paychecks of thousands of Illinois private sector workers, is in fact her campaign chair.
Brandt is the Mayor of Lincolnshire, Munger’s home town. She is leading the fight for a local “right to work” ordinance.
* The candidates are debating at the Sun-Times today…
Mendoza brings up Munger's listed campaign chair again. Munger denies she's still her chair. Mendoza brings out the paperwork.
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Brandt is listed as Munger’s campaign chair. [Munger’s campaign manager Phil Rodriguez] called the incident a misunderstanding Wednesday and confirmed that Brandt is the comptroller’s campaign chair.
I don’t get it.
*** UPDATE *** From Tina…
Hey Rich,
I’m writing a story now, but Leslie didn’t deny that Brandt is on the paperwork. She just denied that she’s involved in her campaign. She called it an “error” that she didn’t take her name off.
Meh.
A campaign chairperson has duties. And she’s been the chair for quite a while now.
* A new report from the US Census shows that Illinois’ median household income rose 3.7 percent to $59,588 between 2014 and 2015. That’s right about the national average increase of 3.8 percent.
Indiana’s median household income rose 2.1 percent during the same period to $50,532. Michigan’s rose 2.4 percent to $51,084. Minnesota’s rose 3.2 percent to $63,488. Ohio’s rose 3.5 percent to $51,075. Texas’ rose 4.8 percent to $55,653. California’s rose 4.0 percent to $64,500. And New York’s rose 3.3 percent to $60,850.
* Another Census report released today found that the number of Illinoisans living in poverty fell by 0.8 percent in 2015 vs. 2014, equal to the national average. That number is now 14.4 percent, about a point lower than the national average. Indiana’s fell by 0.7 percent. Michigan’s fell by 0.4 percent. Minnesota’s fell by 1.3 percent. Ohio’s fell by 1.0 percent. Texas’ fell by 1.3 percent. California’s fell by 1.1 percent. And New York’s fell by 0.5 percent.
More numbers, including the number of people living at less than half the poverty rate and those below 125 percent of the poverty rate are here. I have some errands to run, so have a look and discuss in comments.
The battle between Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel continues after the city council voted to raise water and sewer taxes.
Emanuel wants the money to go toward underfunded city pensions. He also needs Rauner and state lawmakers to approve his plan to change pension benefits.
But Rauner is critical of the mayor’s proposal.
“My concern with the proposal so far, is they’re largely based upon re-ramping the payment schedule and slowing down the payment schedule and backloading it,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done in Chicago for decades and it’s the reason Chicago has the worst credit rating of any city other than Detroit.
OK, I get that. But, to a lesser degree, isn’t that similar to what the governor tried to do when he failed to stop the Teachers’ Retirement System from lowering its presumed rate of investment return? That was a kick the can down the road moment if there ever was one.
Current and former members of the military and their families can enjoy free food and entertainment at the Executive Mansion Saturday as guests of Gov. Bruce Rauner and first lady Diana Rauner.
The Rauners are hosting Military Family Day to acknowledge their service.
“This is really an opportunity just to show our appreciation to current active-duty and veteran families,” Diana Rauner said in an interview Wednesday. “We make, of course, great ceremony of many events during this time, but this is one that it a little bit more of a low-key, fun way to show appreciation to families. That’s the most important part of all of this.”
Rauner described the event as “your basic down-home party with activities for children of all ages.” She said that will include baseball and football games, carnival games, crafts, music and a princess parade with Disney princesses, along with a visit from Big Bird and Elmo from “Sesame Street.” There will be a video game truck for older children, and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency will be bringing some Civil War re-enactors to the event.
This Saturday’s event will be privately funded. Click here to RSVP by Friday (it says September 12th at the link, but that’s been changed).
A conservative-backed organization says it will continue efforts to topple the Illinois law limiting campaign contributions, after a judge ruled the law constitutional.
The law caps how much individuals, corporations, and political action committees can give.
Committees controlled by the legislative leaders are subject to caps too, but only in the primary. There’s no limit on what they can give to candidates during the general election.
Liberty Justice Center attorney Jacob Huebert says the law is set up to help the leaders maintain power.
“When you have that power, you really can make or break a candidate. You can say: Well, I have can give unlimited money to you, or I can give unlimited money to your opponent,” he said. “It’s very easy for the leader to be in a position to effectively buy off people, or threaten people, who would challenge his leadership. And so this ability to give all this money helps them stay in that position. They can use it to maintain their own power.”
* Here’s what the Illinois Policy Institute’s organization really wants to do, however. From Liberty Justice Center attorney Jacob Huebert…
We have only asked the court to strike down all contribution limits, not to impose new limits on anyone. If the courts ultimately strike the limits down, it will be up to the General Assembly to enact a new scheme of fair limits if it chooses.
And striking down all contribution limits for everyone would make life easier for… ?
* Arizona voters have a ballot question in November to legalize marijuana in small quantities. The story has an Illinois angle, so I thought you might like to see it…
The campaign to prevent cannabis legalization in Arizona recently accepted a half-million dollar donation from a pharmaceutical company accused of peddling a dangerous narcotic painkiller off-label.
Drug company Insys made the donation to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy on Aug. 31, according to information posted by the Arizona Secretary of State. The revelation has lent support to longstanding claims by legalization proponents that drug companies view cannabis as a source of competition for their more addictive, dangerous and expensive products. […]
The large donation from Insys to the anti-legalization campaign is particularly notable because the company only markets a single product: Subsys, a sublingual spray form of the synthetic opioid painkiller fentanyl. Fentanyl is stronger than heroin, highly addictive and can cause lethal overdoses. It was fentanyl that led to the accidental death of the musician Prince in April.
In August, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit against Insys, accusing the company of promoting Subsys to doctors for off-label uses, in violation of federal drug laws. Madigan claims that the company’s “desire for increased profits led it to disregard patients’ health and push addictive opioids for non-FDA approved purposes.” […]
A 2014 study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that states that legalized medical marijuana saw significant drops in opioid overdose deaths.
* From AG Madigan’s press release…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics, Inc. for deceptively marketing and selling Subsys, a highly addictive opioid drug significantly more powerful than morphine and intended exclusively for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain, to physicians treating non-cancer patients for off-label uses like back and neck pain in an effort to rake in high profits.
Madigan alleges that Insys illegally marketed its painkiller to doctors who prescribed high volumes of opioid drugs instead of focusing its marketing on oncologists treating cancer patients, who are the intended recipients of the drug. Insys’ irresponsible promotion of a prescription opioid is particularly concerning as studies indicate that people who abuse prescription opioids frequently move on to using heroin as a cheaper and more readily available alternative. In fact, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, four out of five new heroin users started their addiction by misusing prescription painkillers.
“This drug company’s desire for increased profits led it to disregard patients’ health and push addictive opioids for non-FDA approved purposes,” Madigan said. “It’s this type of reprehensible and illegal conduct that feeds the dangerous opioid epidemic and is another low for the pharmaceutical industry.”
The lawsuit stems from Madigan’s investigation into allegations that Insys was marketing Subsys broadly as a treatment for breakthrough pain associated with chronic conditions, including back and neck pain, despite the lack of FDA approval for those uses. Insys also pushed doctors to prescribe the higher and more expensive doses of Subsys, contrary to FDA mandates aimed at keeping patients on the lowest effective dose.
Madigan’s investigation revealed that doctors across the country were rewarded for prescribing Subsys to non-cancer patients for off-label uses, including payments for sham speaking events and dinners at expensive restaurants. In Illinois, the top Subsys prescriber was Dr. Paul Madison, who wrote approximately 58 percent of the Subsys prescriptions in the state. Madison is an anesthesiologist who treats few, if any, cancer patients. More than 95 percent of the Subsys prescriptions written by Dr. Madison did not relate to breakthrough cancer pain. Madison was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago billing insurers for procedures he did not perform.
Madigan’s lawsuit against Insys seeks to permanently bar the company from selling its products in Illinois and impose financial penalties for violating the Consumer Fraud Act. Madigan’s office continues to investigate other opioid manufacturers for similar practices.
Nick Klitzing, executive director of the state GOP, said that while Rauner has supported the party over the last three years and is committed to “electing Republicans up and down the ticket who share his commitment to fixing Illinois through real reform, he is not involved in the day-to-day workings of any campaign.”
“Yeah, I’m asked that all the time and I do want to emphasize: I’m really not involved. People say, ‘Well, governor, you must be involved in these races.’ I’m really not involved in races,” [Gov. Rauner] said this week. “I’m encouraging everybody who … might be a public servant to get involved, I’m doing that; but I’m not involved in races per say — predicting races or advising races. I’m not involved in that,” he said this week.
Illinois Policy Action, an arm of the Illinois Policy Institute, is backing a new documentary called “Madigan: Power, privilege, politics,” which the group has dubbed “an unprecedented look at the life and influence of Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, one of the state’s most powerful political figures of all time.”
The 60-minute documentary is to be released in October — weeks before the November election — and will be available online and at “select movie theaters throughout the state,” a statement from Illinois Policy said.
The Illinois Policy Institute — and its CEO John Tillman — are closely aligned with Rauner, whose epic war with Madigan and Illinois Democrats held the state’s budget at an unprecedented impasse. […]
Those appearing in the documentary according to Illinois Policy: “Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, University of Illinois professor and political observer Dick Simpson, former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, law professor and former drafter of the 1970 Illinois Constitution Ann Lousin, former state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, Rob Blagojevich who is the brother of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, political blogger Rich Miller.”
The Emil Jones stuff ought to be good.
* This is the explanation I was given by the documentary’s producer…
Emergent Order, based out of Austin TX is trying to create a dialogue about why the state of Illinois is in poor shape. Many fingers have been pointed at Michael Madigan, but we’re trying to do a fair/balanced piece about what’s really at the center of it all. We’ve interviewed both people who support and dispute that Madigan is to blame. Interested in your take on that and any other relevant info you’d be willing to contribute.
Seemed harmless enough.
I had no idea that the Illinois Policy Institute was behind this thing, but I did get a couple of hints during Tuesday’s interview when some of the group’s stories were used as a basis for a few of their questions. They also asked me about Rauschenberger, which I thought was kinda odd.
So, I have no clue what they’re gonna do with my interview.
Hackers are targeting state Democratic Party officials and have successfully breached and impersonated some of them, according to a message the Association of State Democratic Chairs sent Wednesday to its members.
“A number of chairs and state parties have been victims of hacks and impersonation recently,” read the email, which POLITICO obtained.
On Monday, [Raymond Buckley, president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs] posted on Facebook that his Twitter account was hacked last week and that Facebook had warned him about someone pretending to be him and trying to delete his profile. “Three other Dem State Chairs had their emails hacked,” he wrote in his post, which has since been deleted. “Interesting times.”
Speaker Madigan doesn’t use e-mail, doesn’t have a Facebook page and doesn’t use Twitter, so we can safely assume he wasn’t hacked.
* The Question: What would a hacked Democratic Party of Illinois Facebook page look like?
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk on Wednesday released a letter from the physician that led the medical treatment of his stroke declaring that the senator has made a “full cognitive recovery” while still dealing with some physical limitations.
“He is unlikely to regain further range of motion on his left side, but he continues to undergo regular exercise and physical therapy to maintain his strength,” stated Dr. Richard Fessler of Rush University Medical Center, who called Kirk otherwise “a healthy 56-year-old male.”
“His speech is occasionally halting but has vastly improved. The stroke did not affect the left side of his brain, which controls cognitive and verbal functions,” Fessler continued.
Kirk suffered a severe stroke in January 2012, returning to the Senate after a near year-long absence for recovery and rehabilitation. He often uses a wheelchair and occasionally uses a cane. Fessler wrote that Kirk has “no increased risk” of suffering another stroke.
Politically, Kirk’s campaign believes the big question voters have is about the mental state of Kirk, who turns 57 on Thursday, and what the lingering fallout of the stroke is on his judgment, if any.
Some of Kirk’s controversial remarks — such as calling his colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a “bro with no ho” in 2015 — have fueled speculation about Kirk’s mental status.
Kirk’s stroke did not impact “the left side of his brain, which controls cognitive and verbal functions,” Fessler wrote, concluding Kirk “has made a full cognitive recovery.”
The Fessler letter omits basic information yielded in routine physical exams — what medications Kirk takes, the results of basic lab tests, his blood pressure, electrocardiogram results.
After just nine months at embattled Chicago State University, President Thomas Calhoun Jr. is apparently parting ways with the Far South Side university.
Trustees on Friday plan to vote on Calhoun’s “separation agreement” and name an interim president, according to a board meeting agenda posted Wednesday morning. Calhoun is paid $300,000 a year, and the terms of the agreement were not immediately available. […]
On Wednesday morning, the president of the university faculty union sent a letter to the board to show the faculty’s “virtually unanimous support” for Calhoun, saying he has “provided steady leadership and a strong public voice” during the difficulties presented by the budget crisis of the past year. […]
“The board has chosen a path guaranteed to create continued conflict, contention and uproar on this campus,” said [Robert Bionaz, president of the faculty union], a history professor. “This is a truly dark hour for our university, and Gov. Rauner should immediately replace every member of this current board of trustees.”
* Dusty Rhodes thought a young man’s testimony to the General Assembly in favor of a bill to restrict school suspensions and expulsions sounded too good to be true. For instance…
“My junior high school had a very set protocol for disciplinary referrals,” Anderson said. “At three you got an out-of-school suspension; at five you got expulsion. In 8th grade, I set my junior high school single-year record at 54, and I was not expelled. And the reason for that was: I had an assistant principal who pulled me aside and told me that I was too smart for the dumb things I was doing. He said that he wasn’t going to let my behavior at age 13 affect what I was going to do at 23, 33 and 43.
“Every time that I would get those disciplinary referrals, he would pull me into his office and he’d make sure that my teachers forwarded my homework to his office, and I would do my school work in his office. And because of that, he didn’t allow my immaturity to affect who I became as an adult. And now I have a college degree, a law degree, and I’m sitting here before you to advocate on behalf of legislation that is that champion, that is that assistant principal who was there for me. All these young people — they don’t always have that. What this legislation does is it seeks to give those young people that additional champion.”
“Quentin Anderson! Really, really liked him. He drove me crazy!” Hampton said, “I’m not going to lie, he drove me crazy. It was just… at the time, he wasn’t a bad person, he just was going through some tough times, which led to really poor choices.” […]
“Quentin went through some really difficult phases, but you know what? If you can look past their choices and look into their heart, I really believe that there’s a big difference between who a person is versus the choice they make,” Hampton said. “Yeah, you have to pay for this choice, but are you really a bad person? No. Let’s rethink this. That’s how you change behavior.”
But Hampton didn’t just change Quentin Anderson’s behavior. The change Hampton made in that one student eventually changed the law in Illinois.
* But the story doesn’t end there. Dusty sent me an e-mail today…
So yesterday we aired this story that originated when I watched this kid lobby for Lightford’s SB100, and became suspicious that his personal tale he kept telling all the lawmakers was exaggerated if not wholly fabricated. Turns out — it wasn’t. But when I sent him a pic of the principal he had talked about every time he testified, he responded, “Yep, that’s the dude that saved my life.” I thought — well that’s a little melodramatic. But then last night, he contacted me and said his brother had called him after hearing the story, in tears. And he sent this link so that I could see who his brother is:
Tio Hardiman Offers Strong Alternative as 2018 Gubernatorial Prospect
(Chicago, IL) - After racking up 125,500 votes, securing nearly 30 percent of the vote statewide, and winning 30 counties downstate in the March 2014 Democratic Primary, Tio Hardiman is considering another run for Governor. The Chicago native has focused his career on strong community development and social change, and he believes in the face of economic and political stagnation, he is the catalyst Illinois needs. In a statement released today he said:
“My priorities have always focused on what is best for everyday people – ensuring youth have jobs, communities are economically stable and violence is reduced in every neighborhood. I represent the people, and in my first run for governor in 2014, I learned exactly what it would take to ensure a successful primary campaign. I’m determined to represent the common voice, and I’m the only candidate in the state of Illinois who does not need millions of dollars to win a primary. I could win the March 2018 Primary with $500,000, which promises to be a wide-open raise that is anyone’s game. Governor Bruce Rauner has disappointed millions of people across Illinois by allowing the state’s economy to languish. He has failed to reduce the state deficit, failed to address violence in Chicago, refused to fairly fund Chicago Public Schools, and has aggressively worked to break apart Illinois unions that protect hard working citizens. Illinois needs a leader who can take us in the right direction, and I plan to run a comprehensive grassroots organizing effort that will galvanize over 100,000 people to join my campaign.” - Tio Hardiman, prospective 2018 gubernatorial nominee
He says he can win the race with $500,000? Does he recall that he only raised $19,372.11 in the first quarter of 2014? And all but $555 of that was a loan to himself?
Hardiman ran an almost non-existent campaign. So, he didn’t “win” those votes and counties. The inept, unpopular Pat Quinn lost them.
Governor Bruce Rauner told law enforcement officers fixing the states wasteful bureaucracy will help free up the money needed for public safety.
The Governor made his comments at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel. He spoke to more than 200 criminal interdiction police officers.
“Reduce wasteful bureaucracy, the cost of bureaucracy in our government, and free up money that we can put into public safety,” Rauner told WAND’s Doug Wolfe before leaving the conference.
The Governor told officers the money could be used to put extra police on the streets and provide them with the technology to do their jobs.
“So we’ve got this vicious cycle going. Bureaucracy wasting money and low economic growth not generating money and it’s taking away resources from you, it’s taking away from our school and making all the problems that you’re dealing with every day worse.”
If the people of Illinois skipped out on their job responsibilities 73% of the time in the month of September, they would get a pink slip – not a promotion.
Why does Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth hold herself to a different standard?
As NBC Chicago reports, Duckworth – one of the least-effective members of Congress, has missed 19 out of 26 votes in this month alone:
Duckworth has missed 19 out of 26 votes in September following a seven week recess. That includes seven votes Tuesday…Last week, the Duckworth campaign claimed the congresswoman missed votes because she was busy on the campaign trail.
One of the seven votes Duckworth skipped yesterday would prevent tax hikes on out-of-pocket medical expenses for middle class Illinoisans and seniors over 65.
Yet, that just wasn’t important enough for Duckworth to show up to work.
They list a couple of bills that’ll probably never become law and conclude…
The United States Congress isn’t just another office in the Rod Blagojevich administration where public officials can skip out on their responsibilities without consequence.
Tammy Duckworth should stop ripping off her constituents by wasting their tax dollars on an empty, ineffective congressional office.
“On Tuesday, Tammy was warmly received by over 2,000 working men and women of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, where she laid out her vision for an economy based on fair trade and opportunity for all in contrast to Senator Kirk, who supports the tax loopholes companies use to ship jobs overseas and tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, paid for by raising taxes on middle-class families by $2,000,” Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath said in a statement.
“She also noted that Illinois has lost more than 270,000 manufacturing jobs since Kirk was first elected to Congress, a fact not lost on those in attendance, or working families across Illinois,” McGrath added. “With that record, it’s no surprise Kirk was a no-show in Illinois on Labor Day.”
The Duckworth campaign also pointed to votes missed by Kirk, including one in May that looked to protect and enhance the rights of sexual assault survivors. The Kirk campaign noted that Duckworth also missed a vote that day on a measure that looked to help police find kidnap victims.
This meaningless campaign can’t be over soon enough.
* This isn’t as silly as some might think. As the article rightly notes, no state has defaulted on its bonds since Arkansas during the Great Depression and states can’t file for bankruptcy…
For a year, Citigroup Inc. has recommended a strategy that has been controversial among its clients: Buy debt issued by the lowest-rated U.S. states to boost returns in a market where tax-exempt yields sank to historic lows.
Though there is “little optimism” that some of the worst-rated states with negative credit outlooks will see their funding of public pensions improve enough to help their bond ratings, Citigroup continues to “cautiously” recommend the debt to investors, according to a new report.
“It’s a controversial topic, but we think it is a compelling buy,” Vikram Rai, head of municipal strategy at Citigroup, said in a phone interview. “There is downgrade risk, but the credit stress is going to unfold slowly. The spread is compelling.”
Citigroup’s report declines to name specific states but some of the lowest rated such as Illinois and New Jersey, have returned 5.148 percent and 6.067 percent this year, respectively, according to S&P Municipal Bond Indices, some of the highest in the market.
The Kirk For Senate campaign will launch its first Spanish television ad tomorrow, titled “Su Senador,” highlighting Senator Kirk’s work on behalf of Illinois’ Hispanic community and residents. The ad will run on Univision and Telemundo until the end of the election cycle.
Senator Kirk has consistently broken from his party to support and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. In 2013, he was one of 14 Senate Republicans to support comprehensive immigration reform and has continued the effort throughout his term, working with organizations like the Illinois Business Immigration Council. In 2005, Senator Kirk launched his Abuelitas program that has reunited over 3,000 separated families. He is fluent in Spanish and studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
So far, Univision, which airs on WGBO Ch. 66, reported the Kirk campaign bought seven ads for this week at a cost of $3,175. No spending report was on file with the Federal Communications Commission for Telemundo, which airs on WSNS Ch. 44.
The Campaign for Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger on Wednesday called on Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza to pass on one of her two public pensions to make up for her ten years of simultaneously taking in two government paychecks.
The campaign noted that Mendoza raked in two salaries – one from the city of Chicago and the other from the state – during her ten years of “service” in Springfield. The paydays coincided with government contributions to her two public pensions.
“Susana Mendoza voted for the unbalanced budgets, tax increases and pension holidays that put Illinois in fiscal crisis,” Munger Campaign Manager Phil Rodriguez said. “At the same time, she picked up two paychecks and sweetened her two pensions. It embodies all the problems that have led us to this place.”
Mendoza started working for the City of Chicago in 1998 as a Project Coordinator. In 2000, she won a Party Primary for State Representative and received a 33 percent raise for her city job a month later. She then served ten years in the General Assembly, all the while remaining on the city and state payrolls.
The salaries coincided with contributions to two public pensions.
“It’s time for a change,” Rodriguez said. “Leslie Munger spent her career balancing budgets and meeting financial expectations. She has dedicated nearly two decades to serving developmentally disabled adults. She doesn’t accept a public pension or state health care benefits. The contrast could not be clearer.”
You’d think that info about Munger’s “two decades” of dedication to “serving developmentally disabled adults” would be on her campaign bio page. It ain’t.
Other than that, what do you think of the release?
She is an active community leader and volunteer, and was honored as Lincolnshire’s Citizen of the Year in 2004. She is a long time volunteer and former Board member at the Riverside Foundation, a not-for-profit residential facility for developmentally disabled adults in Lincolnshire where she was the Volunteer of the Year in 2013 and the Distinguished Service Award Honoree in 2016.
*** UPDATE *** From Susana Mendoza…
“Like Rod Blagojevich, a pathological liar who attacked Susana on this same false charge years ago, Leslie Munger isn’t telling the truth. When Susana retires, she will have only one pension. What’s true is Leslie Munger flat out lied at the Chicago Tribune last week when she denied that her campaign chair is Elizabeth Brandt when official documents signed by Munger herself show Brandt, the leader of the movement to slash the paychecks of thousands of Illinois private sector workers, is in fact her campaign chair. Leslie Munger is very wealthy and doesn’t have to worry about a safety net when she retires unlike 99% of other Americans. We need a truth-telling independent comptroller, not a Rod Blagojevich quoting, factually challenged lap dog for Bruce Rauner.”
Illinois voters were asked for whom they would vote if the election were held today and 51 percent supported Clinton, 33 percent preferred Trump, Johnson got just over 4 percent and Stein polled a bit more than 1 percent.
* And then they asked voters if they’d like other choices. 38 percent said yes…
More than 44 percent of Republicans surveyed said they’d prefer a different candidate, while only 26 percent of Democrats wanted a new nominee and 51 percent of independents wanted new presidential contenders. Men wanted a new nominee more than women by a margin of 12 percentage points, 46-34.
The results show Clinton has done a better job of solidifying her base than Trump. Clinton wins the support of 84 percent of those who say they are Democrats, while Trump has the commitment of 74 percent of those who identified themselves as Republicans.
As expected, Clinton polls best in Democratic Chicago, but also does well in suburban Cook and the collar counties. Trump, though, garnered more than one-third of the support of collar county voters. His strength is in downstate Illinois, but he still falls short of winning 50 percent support in that region, where more than 12 percent of voters remain undecided.
“The only area of Illinois Mr. Trump enjoys a lead is downstate–and the further south of I-80 you travel, the stronger he leads,” Durham noted.
Trump’s only getting a third of the collar county vote and he isn’t at 50 Downstate? That ought to send shivers down some GOP spines.
This poll was conducted on 09/12/2016 among 955 registered voters using both automated (recorded) on landline phones and live interview calls to cell phones. 40% of the responses came from cell phones. Margin of error is ±3.17%.
* Since Gov. Rauner has involved himself so intricately with this pick, Rep. Harris was likely doomed anyway. Too much of a free thinker…
One of the candidates to replace departing state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine says he’s dropping out of the running.
Republican state Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights told the Daily Herald Tuesday he plans to withdraw his name from contention and continue serving as a member of the Illinois House.
Harris, who was elected in 2010 and previously served in the state legislature in the 1980s and ’90s, said his decision was influenced by the seniority, committee assignments and good relationships with colleagues he has in the House.
The announcement comes several days after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and a number of his allies held interviews for the six candidates interested in the job. Harris has at times criticized Rauner’s continued push for pro-business changes in state laws and operations without a full state budget in place.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Rep. Harris…
State Representative David Harris (R-Arlington Heights) today announced that he was informing the Republican Township Committeemen from the townships in his area that he wants to be removed from consideration for possible appointment to the District 27 State Senate seat when the seat is vacant.
The local Republican Committeemen in the 27th District area vote on a weighted basis for the individual they want to appoint as a replacement. The incumbent State Senator, Matt Murphy, has announced that he intends to resign effective September 15th. The Committeemen would vote on a replacement after the office becomes vacant.
“I have thought long and hard about the possibility of seeking the Senate appointment,” said Harris, “and after much reflection I have decided that I want to continue to serve my constituents in the House of Representatives. Serving in the Senate would be an honor, but serving in the House is a great honor, as well.”
Harris added “I have excellent committee assignments in the House; I have positive relationships built up over the years with my House colleagues; and I have seniority in the House that I would lose in the Senate. All of these factors work to the benefit of the people of my House district, and they enable me to provide effective service to my constituents. I do not want to lose all those positive factors by moving to the Senate.”
There are several quality candidates that the Republican Committeemen are considering right now, and it is expected that a vote on the appointment could come very soon after the incumbent’s resignation takes effect.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From what I’m told, Rooney is pretty much a sure thing (nothing is ever 100 percent in this biz). More for subscribers tomorrow…
Republican state Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights first told the Daily Herald he planned to withdraw his name. Less than three hours later, state Rep. Tom Morrison of Palatine followed suit. […]
Morrison threw his support behind Rolling Meadows Mayor Tom Rooney, who could emerge as the consensus candidate among a group of suburban Republican committeemen who don’t always get along.
I have been thinking about it the last 24 hours. When you consider campaign staff survives for a year on a diet of nothing but alcohol, cigarettes, cold pizza, and parade candy you really get a sense of how strong and driven these women and men really are.
Those are the four “campaign food groups” - ask any staffer, I’m not making this up.
His commenters chimed in that he’d forgotten to include caffeinated drinks like coffee and pop.
* The Question: Your favorite personal campaign story?
* Jim Nowlan has a new column about lobbyists and interest groups and includes this thought as well…
Having already personally committed $20 million or more to the campaigns of others, Rauner is now both inside the game as governor and also a one-man interest group, doggedly pursuing a business-friendly, anti-union agenda.
Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps, on Tuesday issued the following statement in response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s refusal to reconsider its 4 to 3 decision disqualifying the redistricting reform amendment from the ballot:
With the Illinois Supreme Court’s refusal to reconsider its 4 to 3 ruling against the Independent Map Amendment, Illinois voters have been denied their right to vote on a constitutional amendment to remove politics from the way state legislative maps are drawn. Four members of the state’s highest court have rejected an amendment that we firmly believe meets the state constitutional requirements for amendments that can be proposed by voters.
Our bi-partisan coalition collected more than 563,000 signatures on petitions to place the amendment before voters and to allow voters to decide whether to change the redistricting process, which now gives legislators the power to draw their own district boundary lines – a clear conflict of interest and one of the reasons there is only one candidate running in 60 percent of this year’s legislative elections.
Unlike what they had done in every single similar case, the majority of the Supreme Court refused to consider transcripts of the Constitutional Convention debates, which support our argument that the amendment is exactly what the framers intended to allow citizens to do. They ruled on only one of seven arguments made by opponents and did not consider the other six counts – leaving those questions “for another day.” But that “another day” may never come.
We asked that, at a minimum, the court give voters guidance about what the majority believes is permissible in a citizen-initiated amendment to reform redistricting through a fair and impartial commission. Today, without comment, the court refused.
Our coalition remains committed to reform and believes an independent redistricting commission would be one important step in changing state government and making the legislature more responsive to the voters of this state. Whether that is possible through a citizen-initiated amendment is now an open question to be discussed by supporters throughout the state.
We are grateful to our thousands of supporters and contributors, to the many, many Illinoisans who gave up nights and weekends to circulate petitions and organize volunteers, and to the great outpouring of support from newspaper editorial boards and opinion leaders throughout Illinois.
Change is difficult, especially in Illinois government, but it is a battle worth fighting.
* From Gov. Rauner…
“Today’s court decision is very disappointing, but not unexpected. Now that the courts have denied Illinoisans the right to vote on a redistricting referendum in November for the last time, it is up to the General Assembly to address political reform - term limits and independent redistricting - as soon as they reconvene this fall.”
….Adding… ILGOP…
“The court again sided with the political machine against the people of Illinois who overwhelmingly support redistricting reform. Now is the time for Democrats to show their independence from Mike Madigan and pledge to allow a vote on the Independent Map Amendment during the veto session this fall.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Just remember as you leave, in the last seven years….
Wisconsin created 44,100 manufacturing jobs
Ohio created 75,900 manufacturing jobs
Indiana created 83,700 manufacturing jobs and
Michigan created 171,300 manufacturing jobs.
Illinois created 4,600 jobs. Even Idaho created 9,100 manufacturing jobs. A state better known for its potato farms.
When Illinois creates half as many factory jobs as Idaho (“a state better known for potato farms,” as Miller writes), you know we have a full-blown jobs crisis on our hands. In fact, in July, Illinois was tied for the third-worst unemployment rate in the country.
We believe our plan can help.
Miller is even-handed in saying that the responsibility for creating jobs is not exclusive to one party, and he calls on Illinois leaders to “step up and offer a plan.”
Once the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill (SB1485/HB2607) fully ramps up, the bipartisan plan would create 32,000 jobs over the course of a decade in every part of Illinois.
In a divided Springfield, fixing the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), expanding successful energy efficiency programs, and expanding low-income energy projects is supported by Republicans and Democrats, as well as the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, which includes more than 150 businesses and 60 organizations including groups advocating for environmental justice.
What it means for jobs:
> By fixing the broken RPS [Renewable Portfolio Standard], Illinois can again gain solar and wind energy jobs, instead of losing them as we did last year and seeing big gains in other states.
> It would create thousands of jobs, especially in energy efficiency, that cannot be outsourced or moved overseas, let alone to other states.
> And the expanded energy efficiency component would build them in every corner of Illinois, from economically disadvantages neighborhoods in Chicago to small cities in towns across that state which have lost manufacturing jobs over the last twenty years.
The fact is: Illinois hasn’t modernized its energy policy in a way that creates jobs for nearly a decade.
This is a lost opportunity, and our losses can be measured in the gains that other states have made at our expense:
> Barely a week goes by without Iowa’s Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, whose state is already a leader in renewable energy, announcing a new plan for big investments and the jobs that come with them.
> In wind production, Illinois fell behind Oklahoma last year and we are poised to be overtaken next by Kansas.
> Last year, Michigan gained 700 jobs in the field of solar energy, and Ohio gained 500 jobs. Nationally, solar jobs are increasing at 12 times the rate of the overall economy.
Meanwhile, Illinois lost more than 500 jobs in wind and solar combined last year.
It’s time to reverse this trend. And it’s time to spread these gains to every community.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is dropping a fraction of his multimillion-dollar fortune across the state line trying to keep a fellow Republican in place as Indiana’s chief executive.
The first-term governor gave $100,000 last week to Indiana Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb’s campaign to succeed Gov. Mike Pence. […]
“Eric and Gov. Rauner have known each other for years, going back to when Rauner was exploring a bid and sought out Gov. Mitch Daniels and Eric for advice,” [Holcomb spokesman Pete Seat] said. […]
Indiana Democratic Party spokesman Drew Anderson said he believes Rauner’s donation to Holcomb is more about Rauner’s 2018 re-election bid than any genuine interest in Indiana politics.
“Gov. Rauner wants to keep Indiana’s current leadership and failed economy in place — one that includes falling wages and discriminatory policies,” Anderson said. “Rauner wants a Holcomb administration so he can continue to make himself look better.”
Nice try by the Democrats, but I seriously doubt that’s what he’s doing there since Rauner believes Indiana is an economic model for Illinois.
* We talked about this story yesterday, but the two big papers have picked up on it, so let’s revisit…
Bankrolled by Gov. Bruce Rauner, Illinois Republicans on Monday attacked Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan by raising questions about the property tax appeals business handled by his law firm.
The bid to muddy up the powerful Democrat came in a television commercial running in the Chicago area and aimed at re-electing state Rep. Michael McAuliffe, the lone city Republican in the House. His district covers portions of the Northwest Side, as well as the suburbs of Niles, Des Plaines, Franklin Park, Park Ridge, Rosemont and Schiller Park. […]
The new McAuliffe spot aims to boost him by demonizing Madigan, who wears three hats: speaker of the House, chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois and partner in a law firm specializing in appealing property tax assessments. The spot asserts that Madigan’s tax work is responsible for “saving his friends millions, forcing you to pay more.” It claims Marwig got her property taxes lowered “at your expense.”
Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe said Madigan is being used in campaign ads because he’s “never been more unpopular” and because “far more people are able to hear our reform message this year than in past cycles.”
Democrat Marwig, a political newcomer, is challenging Republican Rep. Michael McAuliffe, who has been up on expensive broadcast TV with positive biographical ads for months. According to the latest ad, Marwig “thought her property taxes were too high,” and “got them lowered, at your expense.”
Appeals of property taxes are common, and you don’t have to be politically connected to file an appeal. But Republicans are trying to make the November election a referendum on Madigan, so Marwig’s property tax history is an easy way to try to draw a connection between her and the veteran speaker.
Marwig defended the property tax appeals. “Like many residents of the 20th District, I filled out and turned in a form to appeal my property tax bill on my own, without any outside help,” she said in a statement.
* Marwig didn’t mention it, or if she did her quote didn’t make it into the paper, but check out this October 28, 2014 post on Rep. McAuliffe’s website…
McAuliffe’s Message: Back to School Safety Tips, Property Tax Appeals and More […]
Maine Township Property Tax Appeal Seminar
Do you live in Maine Township and are you interested in learning how to appeal your property tax assessment? Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak, Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri, and I are hosting two free Property Tax Appeal Seminars for Maine Township residents. Dates, times, and locations are as follows:
Wednesday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Niles Senior Center
999 Civic Center Drive Room 127
Niles, IL 60714
Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.
Park Ridge City Hall
505 Butler Place, Council Chambers
Park Ridge, IL 60068
The hour long sessions will educate taxpayers on how to file a successful tax appeal, provide information on property tax exemptions and address why property taxes go up when the value of your home goes down. Attendees may fill out and submit appeal forms at the end of the event. Analysts from the Board of Review will be on hand to answer any questions.
So, Rep. McAuliffe was enabling this vile practice of appealing one’s own property taxes?
I’m so shocked.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Merry Marwig’s full statement…
Mike McAuliffe is a hypocrite 20-year career politician who is so out of touch he believes local residents who appeal their property taxes are corrupt, even though he personally benefited himself from a successful property tax appeal on a condo he owned.
Like many residents of the 20th District, I filled out and turned in a form to appeal my property tax bill on my own, without any outside help – a process that McAuliffe himself encourages local residents to do at property tax appeal seminars, even though he has repeatedly voted against proposals to freeze property taxes. Just like when he lied about being a veteran, 20-year politician Mike McAuliffe says one thing publicly and does the opposite when people aren’t looking.
Unlike 20-year politician Mike McAuliffe, I actually understand the strain local homeowners are under to afford rising property taxes and remain in their own homes. But since just last year, McAuliffe voted 18 times against freezing property taxes, and now it appears he wants to get rid of the ability for residents to appeal their property taxes. The thousands of voters I have spoken to at their doors desperately need relief, but McAuliffe keeps thinking of ways to make them pay more.
Mike McAuliffe and Donald Trump are using the same playbook of distracting voters from the issues our neighborhoods are concerned about. McAuliffe is trying to hide his inexcusable record of voting to protect sex offenders, voting against funding to track sex offenders, and using more than a million dollars in campaign contributions from failed Republican Governor Bruce Rauner to try to sweep his lie about being a veteran under the rug.”
The first page of the attachment highlights a property that McAuliffe owned that had a successful property tax appeal applied to it. Further documentation is included in the attachment as well.
With regards to Merry Marwig’s statement this morning, if you look at the last page of her own documentation, it shows that Rep. McAuliffe did not appeal his condo’s property taxes. Page thirteen of the document states that “Rebecca Dossman” was responsible for filing the appeal. Dossman filed appeals for every other unit in the building, indicating it was an action taken by the condo association, not McAuliffe.
The difference between Marwig and McAuliffe on this issue is twofold:
First, Marwig personally appealed and McAuliffe did no such thing.
Second, Marwig is directly funded by Mike Madigan, who profits directly from Illinois’ broken property tax system and refuses to reform it. It is ridiculous for Marwig to ever claim to be for lower property taxes while taking money from the career politicians and special interests that have driven tax rates up for decades.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Gov. Bruce Rauner said economic and political reforms will help the state capture as much investment from Japan as possible and, in turn, grow the state’s economy.
During the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association Conference in St. Louis on Monday, Japan Consulate General at Chicago Toshiyuki Iwado said his country’s businesses are ready to boost partnerships in the Midwest.
“The Midwest should market itself first as a region so that Japanese companies know that this is the place to be. The more the Midwest shines, the more individual states will benefit.”
That’s actually an insightful comment by Iwado. We’re a regional economy, particularly the Great Lakes states.
Rauner listed said overly high workers’ compensation insurance costs and property taxes, along with labor regulations, need to be reformed. Rauner also said Japanese businesses want to see political reforms.
“What many would like to see is that we reform our political system in Illinois so that democracy is working for the people again,” Rauner said. “Many investors, many company owners, want to see that democracy and taxpayers have a voice.”
So, you’re telling us that Japanese business owners want term limits and remap reform?
* They don’t really explain their methodology, except to say that it’s an online poll of registered voters, and their results go back to May (which is ancient history in polling terms), but Morning Consult claims that US Sen. Mark Kirk’s approval rating is now just 35 percent, with a disapproval rating of 38 percent. Another 27 percent didn’t know enough about the six-year incumbent to have an opinion. And Kirk’s trendline is not good at all…
Vulnerable Republican senators have spent much of 2016 under siege from their Democratic opponents and super PACs, but Morning Consult surveys show only two GOP incumbents — Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mark Kirk of Illinois — who are definitively trending in the wrong direction in terms of how their constituents view their job performance. […]
Kirk checks in with the second largest drop in support among constituents. Voters in the Land of Lincoln over the past few months approve of Kirk’s performance at a 35 percent to 38 percent margin. That’s a net loss of 9 points from earlier this year, when almost four out of 10 of voters (39 percent) approved of his work in the Senate, compared with 33 percent who did not.
