I had the honor of being elected by my peers in 2010 and have taken my role as a trustee very seriously. As the first African-American male President of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund it has been my honor to serve as a fiduciary in a leadership capacity. After heavy reflection and much consideration I am making an announcement that cannot be delayed any longer. I ask my fellow trustees for their indulgence as what I am about to say will not be easy.
For the last year and a half I have been witness to some of the most abhorrent, disturbing and despicable actions by former and current trustees on this board. There is a culture of intimidation, intentional misinformation, discrimination, slander, misogyny, fear-mongering, blatant racism, sexism and retaliatory actions from trustees towards staff and vendors. I cannot and will not be silent anymore. My silence will no longer be used as complicity to enable unethical and terrible behavior from Trustees. I have reviewed audio of verbal abuse from trustees to staff during board and committee meetings. I have been on the receiving end of sabotage, intimidation, and racist comments from individuals that I believed were my colleagues and friends. I have witnessed former trustees slander, harass and defame vendors simply because they can. This behavior stops today. There are at least 12 active complaints that have been filed on behalf of staff against several current trustees. I am aware of documented harassment and targeted bullying from one former trustee and one current trustee to a vendor who represents us in Springfield. I am also aware of trustees being approached by members of the Chicago Teachers Union who want us as trustees to hire former Madigan staffers who are now contract lobbyists. Let me be clear. We are not in the business as fiduciaries of hiding Madigan lobbyists at the fund under the guise of an RFP.
To add insult to injury, several executive board members of this fund have received notice that trustees are deliberately and viciously targeting women of color. I have witnessed a Trustee who refuses to engage or legitimize a Director in her area of expertise without first corroborating her claims with her white subordinate. African American staff, particularly women, are subjected to inappropriate comments, insensitive behavior, and mental intimidation ON A DAILY BASIS. This is the type of behavior that we as teachers would never tolerate and fight against in our own grievances, mediations and arbitrations. As an African-American President, I have even been on the receiving end of gamesmanship that has stalled, delayed, and disrupted our meetings. According to Board policy, the Trustees establish the dates and times for meetings during our Annual Meeting in November. Regular Board of Trustees’ meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of January, March, May, August, September, November and December. This year, the published meeting schedule called for special meetings in February, April, June, and October. These meetings were to be primarily used for committee business. NO board meeting was scheduled for July at the Trustees’ request in recognition of summer schedules, and the difficulty of achieving a quorum due to vacations and holidays. According to Fund policy, special meetings maybe called by the President or by three Trustees provided public notice of the meeting is given in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. There were two special meetings called for in July by groups of three or more trustees. These special meetings were not included on the published schedule for the year, and they failed to achieve a quorum. Not all members will be able to attend every meeting, especially those scheduled on short notice. A lack of attendance by trustees at unplanned meetings is not a breach of fiduciary responsibility or fund policy. In fact, it was a direct act to protect our mental health from the barrage of inexcusable behavior at our participant’s expense. Systemic racism is a form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organization. Systemic racism is not always as blatant as using a racial slur or refusing service based on a person’s race, sexual orientation, or religion. Instead it can reveal itself as comments against African emerging managers as an unfounded suspicion that they will steal money. Systemic racism is a repeated coordinated effort by a former trustee to end a vendor’s contract WITHOUT CAUSE by pushing for an unnecessary RFP. It can rear its ugly head by abusing staff and intentionally blocking consequences for unethical and morally wrong behavior. Lastly, systemic racism can be perpetuated by the Chicago Teachers’ Union who has been made aware of the despicable discriminatory practices of trustees and who choose to remain silent. As I stated before I can no longer sit idly by while the morale of staff and vendors are destroyed. Ultimately it is the participants who suffer.
In a move that is unprecedented, but ultimately necessary I will be instructing the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Legal Officer to compile all grievances, complaints, harassment claims, audio clips of verbal abuse, and recommended consequences from external counsel and submit them to the Public Access Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office, the Illinois Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Legislative Inspector General and the Office of the Mayor for what I believe are violations of the Illinois Human Rights Act, the City of Chicago Human Rights Act, the City of Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, the State Official and Employer Ethics Act, and the Illinois Whistleblower Act. As trustees we cannot condone racism, harassment or targeted discrimination. We will no longer allow former trustees and active trustees to terrorize our fund with unethical behavior and acts. If we are not a part of the solution then we are part of the problem.
The political woes facing Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan expanded to a new front today with the disclosure of a gripe from the president of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund that his board was asked to hire lobbyists close to the speaker. […]
Blackwell has not been available for comment today. Chuck Burbridge, the executive director of the $12.3 billion retirement system, said in an email only that, “The board will be looking into the governance issues Mr. Blackwell raised” and that day-to-day fund operations continue. […]
CTU had no comment, and Madigan’s office has not responded to a request for comment.
In a statement, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said: “Once again, we see a pattern of Speaker Madigan trying to intimidate and abuse his vast power to award his allies with jobs. His reach and corruption know no bounds.”
* The ILGOP also issued a press release today…
JB Pritzker has a big problem. He hasn’t taken a position on whether Democrats should subpoena Mike Madigan to testify before a House probe investigating his corruption. He hasn’t called on Democrats to vote to issue that subpoena. He’s hoping this will all go away so he can stay friends with Madigan, his biggest political booster.
Predictably, however, the probe of Madigan’s corruption is about to widen beyond ComEd. It stands to reason (in line with longstanding Springfield rumors) that if Madigan pressured ComEd to hire his cronies in exchange for legislative considerations, he did this to others. We already knew that the US Attorney had issued subpoenas to other companies in Illinois. Now comes another bombshell.
From Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund Board of Trustees President Jeffery Blackwell:
I am also aware of trustees being approached by members of the Chicago Teachers Union who want us as trustees to hire former Madigan staffers who are now contract lobbyists.
To say that CTU and Madigan have played hardball in Springfield for years is an understatement. So it was a great surprise to read in the spring of 2019 that Madigan allowed a CTU-backed bill out of the House that repealed a 1995 law that had narrowed collective bargaining topics for Chicago public schools. During the Rauner years, Democrats had floated expanding the 1995 law statewide to help school districts save money and lower property taxes; now Madigan was giving the green light in the opposite, pro-CTU direction. Madigan followed with support for a CTU-backed school board election bill.
First ComEd. Now CTU. No doubt the list is endless if people ever came forward. It has always been a wonder that Madigan could operate a Capone-style machine without ever getting caught. But until now, he was considered unchallengeable, all-powerful, invincible. As Madigan’s power wanes, the drip-drip will continue.
The question for Pritzker: a smart politician would be running away at light speed and calling for Madigan to resign. What does Madigan have over Pritzker that the governor can’t even call for a subpoena?
There’s a fantasy popular in certain Illinois Democratic circles that goes something like this:
Democratic legislative candidates wipe out suburban Republicans in the November election, allowing House Speaker Michael Madigan to expand on his party’s overwhelming majority.
Flush with his latest success, the nation’s longest-serving House speaker cites the election results as a repudiation of his critics, declares he’s done all he can for Illinois and calls it quits after 50 years as a state representative — to spend more time with his grandchildren.
Then, those engaged in this fantasy snap out of it and remember this is Mike Madigan, who gives up nothing without a fight, never voluntarily cedes power and ain’t going nowhere yet.
Tell us what you hear most from constituents. What is their top priority of lawmakers in Springfield?
Sen. Rob Martwick: I hear many concerns from my constituents. People are worried about civil unrest, violence and creating a more just system of criminal justice. They are very concerned that the state ensures a smooth and stable, yet robust recovery from the pandemic that allows the middle class to thrive, but protects society from potential future outbreaks. Although, I come from a solidly middle class district and my constituents are a strong willed and hard working bunch and their greatest priority for me continues to be that every level of government work to provide opportunities to them and their families, and fix our financial problems.
Sen. Cellina Villanueva: Since March the #1 issue I have heard most from constituents is the IDES/Unemployment system in the state. My team and I have spent countless hours working to get every case that comes our way in front of the staff at IDES so that people can get their benefits and have one less thing to worry about during this pandemic. I do not believe there is ever going to be just one priority for lawmakers because this pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives. Dealing with the current effects and aftermath of COVID is going to have to be one of many of our top priorities as lawmakers. COVID has impacted jobs, small business, education, higher education, food accessibility, housing, and other social needs. Everything has been impacted and we have to focus on helping people in as many ways as possible.
Rep. Karina Villa: The primary issues in my house district when I first ran were property taxes, education funding and affordable healthcare. From a baseline perspective, that hasn’t changed but the economic reality of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has forced unanticipated priority adjustments. My work with the manufacturing facilities in my district regarding essential worker safety is an example of an unexpected adjustment. It is also imperative that we must work diligently to protect our students, teachers and staff as we reopen schools, and do what we can to support our small businesses. The 2020 census success will be critical in obtaining the federal funding we will need to support these efforts.
Sen. Patrick Joyce: Lowering property taxes.
People are desperately trying to just get by during extremely difficult times.
WBEZ has been asking you what you want Illinois politicians to be talking about heading into November’s elections — and beyond. Our goal: Cover government and politics based on the issues that matter most to constituents, rather than covering politics like a game of thrones. […]
More than anything, you told us you want answers about how government officials are responding to the pandemic – both from the economic and public health perspectives. You also wanted them to address the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black and Latino communities. About half of the responses dealing with COVID-19 had to do with how officials plan to keep the virus from spreading, especially among vulnerable populations like frontline workers. […]
You told us you want to feel safe in your neighborhoods from violence in all of its forms – including robberies, gang violence, and harassment from police. […]
The right to a quality education was top-of-mind for many of you. In particular, people wanted to hear their officials talking about ways to distribute school funding resources and educational opportunities equitably, from childcare to remote learning resources to affordable higher education. […]
You also told us you wanted to hear how elected and government officials plan to address the unequal investment in neighborhoods and areas around Chicagoland – particularly, through the lens of racial equity. […]
Even as the pandemic remains a major healthcare concern, we heard from many people worried about the cost and availability of healthcare beyond the pandemic.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,853 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 14 additional confirmed deaths.
• Champaign County: 1 female 90s
• Christian County: 1 male 80s
• Cook County: 2 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
• DuPage County: 1 female 80s
• Fayette County: 1 male 90s
• Knox County: 1 male 50s
• Monroe County: 1 male 80s
• Wayne County: 1 male 50s
• Williamson County: 1 female 70s
• Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 303,394 cases, including 8,805 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 28 – October 4 is 3.4%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 38,538 specimens for a total of 5,924,956. As of last night, 1,631 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 382 patients were in the ICU and 155 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 1,453 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 17 additional confirmed deaths.
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 2 males 60s, 4 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
DeKalb County: 1 female 70s
DuPage County: 1 male 70s
Monroe County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Will County: 1 male 70s
Williamson County: 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 301,541 cases, including 8,791 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 27 – October 3 is 3.3%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 51,656 specimens for a total of 5,886,418. As of last night, 1,521 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 384 patients were in the ICU and 140 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,442 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 31 additional confirmed deaths.
Christian County: 1 male 80s
Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 2 males 60s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Crawford County: 1 male 50s
Greene County: 1 female 70s
Kane County: 1 male 60s
Livingston County: 1 male 60s
Macon County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
Madison County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Mercer County: 1 female 90s
Monroe County: 1 female 60s
Morgan County: 1 male 80s
Peoria County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
Rock Island County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
Tazewell County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Vermilion County: 1 male 70s
Will County: 1 male 70s, 3 females 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 300,088 cases, including 8,774 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 26 – October 2 is 3.4%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 71,634 specimens for a total of 5,834,762. As of last night, 1,535 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 361 patients were in the ICU and 140 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Rep. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, causes trouble in Springfield (in a good way) because he doesn’t go with the flow. He challenged Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-home directives in court as executive order overreach. He calls out members of his own party if he believes they’re leading the state in the wrong direction. On taking a legislative pension, which he declined, he says: “I believe that the position of representative and senator are not careers, but should be treated as times of service to our state. It is irresponsible to collect a pension for an elected position while the working-class pensions are in jeopardy.” Right on. Bailey faces Olney business owner Cynthia Given. Voters in this district should send Bailey to the Senate where he can continue to challenge the status quo. He is endorsed.
Investors who won a chance for a license to sell recreational marijuana in Illinois have filed a lawsuit asserting it’s illegal to give other applicants a second chance.
The lawsuit sets up a potential court battle over when to hold a lottery to award 75 new retail licenses.
Three finalists filed a petition asking the Illinois Supreme Court to order that the licenses be awarded without recent changes to the application process they say were made because of “political expediency.”
Last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new procedures that would allow applicants to correct any deficiencies in their applications and get re-scored for a second chance at qualifying for the license lottery.
Keep in mind that the winners all had perfect scores. The losers are not allowed to change their applications to add, say, military veteran ownership or whatever. The losers can only challenge what they believe to be subjective decisions or errors by the company hired to do the scoring.
So, I kinda doubt that much will change even if the courts deny this legal move. As I told subscribers several days ago, though, politically speaking, it’s far better for the governor to be on the side of the multitude of losers than to be with the handful of winners.
* Related…
* Canopy to bring cannabis beverages to U.S. next summer - Canopy Growth, the cannabis company that attracted Corona beer producer Constellation Brands of Chicago as an investor, will first roll out the drinks in Illinois and California
* What follows are the results from contact tracing efforts in Illinois between August 1 and September 29. “Other” is described as a catchall for anything not covered by the specific categories below, including things like vacations, family gatherings, weddings and college parties….
Click the pics for a larger image. The graph was provided by the governor’s office.
Two former Illinois politicians have formed a bipartisan campaign committee to urge residents to vote against Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s retention.
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Ray LaHood joined former state lawmaker and political commentator Jim Nowlan to discuss their goals for “Citizens for Judicial Fairness.”
They feel Kilbride has been a “puppet” for House Speaker Mike Madigan over the last 20 years. The group claims he received more than $4 million from Madigan political committees during his first two campaigns.
“Madigan is the issue, and I can tell you he is detested in downstate Illinois. People hate him,” said Jim Nowlan, a former University of Illinois faculty member who is leading the charge against Kilbride.
Labeling Kilbride as a “puppet” of Madigan, Nowlan likes to ask members of his audiences if they would like to vote against the 78-year-old Chicago politician.
“They come out of their seats,” said Nowlan, a former Republican state legislator who’s worked in the administrations of what he describes as three “unindicted” Illinois governors.
If they want to vote against Madigan, Nowlan says, they can vote against Kilbride’s retention.
* Capitol News Illinois has been distributing Nowlan’s column, so I reached out to CNI editor Jeff Rogers to see if that would continue…
After receiving requests from a number of editors, Capitol News Illinois agreed last year to distribute Jim Nowlan’s columns to Illinois newspapers. Jim has been writing those columns free of charge, and he is not an employee of Capitol News Illinois. After his Aug. 21 commentary, Jim voluntarily suspended the writing and distribution of his commentaries until at least after the Nov. 3 election.
Rogers is also the director of the Illinois Press Foundation, which is the “nonprofit, charitable arm of the Illinois Press Association.” The IPA is an association of newspaper publishers and lobbies in Springfield.
The libertarian-leaning Illinois Policy Institute on Monday filed suit in an effort to derail Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature policy proposal — changing Illinois’ constitution to allow for a graduated income tax — by forcing the state to issue “corrective notices” about the intent of the tax change, or declaring the vote on the amendment “void.” […]
Among other arguments, the suit alleges the explanation and arguments in favor of the amendment could “induce retirees into voting to impose on themselves a tax on retirement income.”
“If approved by voters, the [Progressive Income Tax] Amendment would eliminate important structural safeguards that deter legislators in the General Assembly from imposing new taxes on retirement income and deter legislators from imposing higher taxes on individuals with middle or low incomes,” the suit alleges.
Although Pritzker himself has repeatedly said he would not move to tax retirement income, and the pamphlet also explicitly says “This amendment does not tax retirement income,” opponents to the tax change have fixated on a comment made by Democratic State Treasurer Mike Frerichs this summer, in which he suggested the graduated income tax would open the door to taxing retirement income.
They look like they’re taking a political argument and trying to make it in court.
Vote Yes For Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks released the following statement in response to the lawsuit the Illinois Policy Institute filed in Cook County today:
“When the facts aren’t on your side, you’re forced to rely on blatant stunts and outright lies, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing from the Illinois Policy Institute today. This is just the latest attempt by an organization bankrolled by the wealthiest people in the state to ensure the burden remains on middle and working-class families, while millionaires and billionaires avoid paying their fair share. IPI is the organization that brought Illinois’ two-year budget impasse and 8 credit downgrades, but won’t support a policy that gives 97% of Illinoisans a tax cut. They can continue to waste their time with frivolous lawsuits – Vote Yes For Fairness remains focused on educating voters on how the Fair Tax will help them, their families, and their communities.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** John Bouman, chairman of Vote Yes for Fair Tax…
“The wealthy few who benefit from the state’s unfair tax system are desperate. They will do anything to prevent paying their fair share, even try to silence the voices of Illinois voters. The frivolous lawsuit filed by an extreme far-right front group is the latest example of their dirty tricks.
“The people of Illinois won’t be denied their right to vote Yes for a tax cut for everyone who makes less than $250,000, Yes for new funding for schools and health care, and Yes to make the very rich finally pay their fair share.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
Working families in Illinois are used to seeing lies from the billionaires and millionaires who don’t want to pay their fair share, and this latest desperate doozy from the Illinois Policy Institute is just more of the same to protect their wealthy donors and make the middle class pay. The Governor has been abundantly clear that Illinois will remain one of the few states that will not tax retirement income and retirees will get a tax cut under the fair tax plan. The General Assembly passed and the Governor signed into law the tax rates that would go into effect. Illinoisans can go online and see how the fair tax would impact them and the fact is that 97 percent of Illinoisans will see a tax cut.
* No more Chicago/STL baseball and our NFL team was not exactly great yesterday. What off-topic stuff are we gonna talk about now? Whatever it is, let’s leave the national politics to other sites for the moment. Keep it local, be polite to each other and, above all, remain calm.
Alby Gallun at Crain’s Chicago Business recently reported that sales at Chicago’s bars and restaurants plunged 64 percent during the first half of 2020.
The worldwide pandemic crashed a lot of businesses. The city’s particularly tight restrictions in response to the crisis made things even tougher. In comparison, the six-county Chicago metropolitan area saw bar and restaurant sales fall “only” 30 percent.
This is not a criticism of the city’s restrictions. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her team had to do what they had (and have) to do to keep the virus contained. Chicago was slammed hard by COVID-19 in the early going, and no sane person wants to risk a repeat or even an echo of that madness again.
But the restrictions, and the coming cold weather, mean the city’s bars and restaurants are facing annihilation. Something has to be done. But only a fool would depend on Congress for adequate help. Illinois’ coffers aren’t exactly flush with cash, and Chicago’s budget is deeply in the red.
So the city ought to let these barely surviving businesses help themselves by finally opting in to legalized video gaming.
The games were approved by the state over a decade ago, but Chicago has never allowed them. Some folks had moral objections, and others wanted to make sure a potential downtown casino would have a gambling monopoly.
The end result is that the perpetually cash-strapped city has left a ton of tax revenues on the table while it waited for a casino that never materialized.
And now, when a Chicago casino has finally been approved by the General Assembly, the city’s leaders are even more reluctant to approve video gaming.
City Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett said last month that video gaming “could have a ‘cannibalization’ effect on revenues the city is counting on from an in-the-works casino and cost thousands of jobs,” according to WTTW.
So, I reached out to one of the most trusted voices in all of Chicago’s hospitality industry, the @ChicagoBars Twitter account. The fact that a Crain’s editor gave me the go-ahead to interview a Twitter account should tell you how authoritative the source is.
It’s well known that the Illinois House Republicans (along with pretty much all Illinois Republicans) are using House Speaker Michael Madigan’s bad reputation to bludgeon their Democratic opponents.
Madigan has been enormously unpopular in Illinois. And he’s probably more unpopular now because he’s been in the news so much during the long federal investigation into ComEd and the company’s resulting deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney in Chicago.
A special Illinois House investigating committee has been impaneled to take testimony about the federal probe and consider whether to discipline Madigan for “conduct unbecoming a legislator,” which is helping to keep him in the news.
Add the more recent news about Democratic Rep. Stephanie Kifowit’s announcement last week that she will run against Madigan for speaker in January, and it’s been a complete media circus for the longtime pol.
Kifowit has not yet identified any allies and isn’t exactly an odds-on favorite to defeat Madigan. She’s votes more conservative than many in the House Democratic caucus. She was the only House “present” vote on the minimum wage increase bill and she hired a public relations person who is raising money for the Republican opponent of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. That puts her at odds with her party, the Black Caucus and labor unions that fund the Democrats.
But the mere fact that she stood up and announced her bid is an indication that Madigan’s political strength is not what it used to be.
Anyway, the last time the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute polled Speaker Madigan’s job approval rating was last year. It found 71% disapproved of the way Madigan did his job while only 20% approved — a 51-point difference.
Those results weren’t all that different from the same poll’s question on whether Illinoisans supported a new state tax on retirement income. Seventy-three percent opposed it while 23 percent supported — a 50-point margin.
Normally, opposition to a retirement income tax is an easy layup for Illinois legislators in both parties. Just score some no-brainer points with the folks back home and move on to the next question.
But some brainiacs always want to start a “discussion,” and it often blows up in their faces.
This time, it’s blowing up in others’ faces.
“One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income,” Treasurer Michael Frerichs, a Democrat, told the Daily Herald back in June. “And, I think that’s something that’s worth discussion.”
Frerichs’ quote has opened the door to House Republican attack mailers in numerous districts against Democrats who voted “Yes” on the graduated income tax last year and also against Democratic House candidates in general.
“Mary Edly-Allen supports the tax hike amendment,” one recent HGOP mailer exclaimed about the freshman Democratic state Representative from Libertyville. “Her Springfield pals admit the amendment would open the door to a brand-new tax on retirement income. That means your pension, your 401(k) plan, and your retirement plan would be taxed and sent straight to Springfield.”
The mailers are being sent to other districts (Metro East and Southern Illinois, for example) where the tax is also not polling great. But, said one House Republican source of the tax issue, “We’re talking about that everywhere.”
The mailers have the added benefit of ginning up opposition to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Fair Tax” constitutional amendment, which House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has vowed to defeat. So, it’s a twofer.
“Politician Janet Yang Rohr wants to tax your retirement income,” another Republican mailer warns about Rep. Grant Wehrli’s, R-Naperville, Democratic opponent.
“Yang Rohr is backing the graduated income tax. This plan would not only raise taxes on the middle class, but also on retirees. The state treasurer has admitted this is a tax on retirees. There’s no question that ordinary people will suffer. Protect your retirement. Vote ‘No’ on Janet Yang Rohr.”
To be fair, if Treasurer Frerichs hadn’t said what he said, the Republicans would’ve found another way to make the same argument. But Frerichs did make their easier.
And Pritzker can’t really complain about taking somebody’s mention of a graduated tax on retirement income and twisting it into an attack on all retirement income taxation because he did the very same thing in the 2018 Democratic primary. His top two Democratic opponents, Chris Kennedy and Daniel Biss, both tentatively supported a tax on upper-income retirees, but Pritzker distorted that into TV ads claiming the two wanted to tax all retirement income.
Karma can be problematic.
…Adding… From Rep. Kifowit…
Good afternoon Rich, I had a busy Monday but I wanted to address some points you made in your post.
First, the public relations person that you reference in your post took time out of her dedication to making masks for her community to help facilitate my announcement. Due to a technological glitch in my Facebook live stream, she accepted a friend request from you to allow you to see the FB live stream on her page. It is disappointing that you would review her page and attribute her private views as a reflection of my record. In a democracy, private citizens are allowed to have different views. In this case, while I do not share this same view as hers, I appreciated her willingness to assist me with the announcement.
After my first year in office, I ended being on the “target program” which included the watch list (otherwise known as the watch chart or target list) which often listed IL House Black Caucus members’ bills as being “soft on crime” and intimidated “targets” to vote no. Since then, I have offered my support to I believe almost all, if not all, of the bills proposed by members of the IL House Black Caucus and I have spoken out about the need to end institutional racism without any time to reflect. As Speaker, I will eliminate the watch chart and the intimidation that is incorporated against new members to vote in accordance with it, and work with members to vote for the best interest of their districts and their views.
In addition, my labor voting record is solid. You mention the minimum wage bill, which I voted present on, as a feeble attempt to again sow division. I have a long-standing promise to my residents to not vote for legislation that is rushed through the process. I believe in our democratic system, and I hold fast that there should be constructive debate and discussion with regards to legislation, and the minimum wage bill in particular I had some concerns with. I was told there would be no changes to the bill - so while I did support raising the minimum wage, the manner in which the bill was presented was the reason I voted present.
As Speaker, I do believe that working together and treating members with respect on all manners is so important to our system of government. To have a separate and equal branch of government gives rise to a higher standard of integrity and a proper check and balance that our founding fathers established. When we stray from our principals, is when the public loses faith in our state.
Thank you,
Stephanie Kifowit
The PR person didn’t just facilitate the Facebook video, she sent out media alerts and a press release.
Every citizen has a right to the truth about what Governor Pritzker and Mike Madigan’s tax increase will mean for our state: the continued exodus of families and businesses, loss of jobs and inevitably higher taxes on everyone. Well informed voters are increasingly speaking out against this tax hike, and I am committed to ensuring each of us has the facts to make a thoughtful decision about this catastrophic constitutional amendment.
With less than 5 weeks to go until Election Day, Ken Griffin is growing increasingly desperate to ensure he can keep the special deal he gets under our current tax system that allows him to pay the same tax rate as our essential workers. Mr. Griffin and his fellow opponents have already made clear they want to raise taxes on working families and retirees rather than pay their fair share.
Mr. Griffin’s now spent more than he would have paid additionally last year under the Fair Tax in an attempt to defeat it. This may be nothing more than a calculation to him, but the future of our state is at stake. We remain committed to passing the Fair Tax in this election and giving a tax cut to 97% of Illinoisans.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Coalition To Stop The Proposed Tax Hike Amendment spokesperson Lissa Druss…
It is clear people are responding to the message that giving Springfield Politicians more power to raise taxes in the midst of a health and economic crisis is the wrong direction for our state.
With each passing day, the people of Illinois realize that the actual tax rates are not what they are voting on, but rather they are being asked to trust Springfield Politicians with a blank check.
The Coalition’s support continues to grow from small businesses, family farmers, and middle-class families who all believe now is the worst possible time to raise taxes.
* This one is for my mom, who loved Helen Reddy when I was a kid and she definitely loved this song. Mom tried to raise us right. It didn’t always work, unfortunately, but RIP, Ms. Reddy…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 28 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
Twenty-eight counties are currently reported at a warning level – Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Christian, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, DeWitt, Fayette, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Lee, Livingston, Macon, Massac, Monroe, Morgan, Pulaski, Putnam, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Wabash, Washington, and Winnebago.
Although the reasons for counties reaching a warning level varies, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with university and college parties as well as college sports teams, large gatherings and events, bars and clubs, weddings and funerals, family gatherings, long-term care facilities, correctional centers, schools, and cases among the community at large, especially people in their 20s.
Public health officials are observing businesses blatantly disregarding mitigation measures, people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. Mayors, local law enforcement, state’s attorneys, and other community leaders can be influential in ensuring citizens and businesses follow best practices.
Several counties are taking swift action to help slow spread of the virus, including increasing testing opportunities, stressing the importance of testing to providers, hiring additional contact tracers, working with schools, meeting with local leaders, educating businesses and large venues about the importance of mitigation measures, and distributing donated masks.
IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county. A county is considered at the warning level when at least two of the following metrics triggers a warning.
• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests performed. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.
Weiss mailed a package containing a $2,500 bribe payment to the senator Oct. 22, 2019, according to the indictment. That was two days before the original complaint against Arroyo was filed. pic.twitter.com/fQuRWF4YaH
Five years ago, Weiss got married to former state Rep. Toni Berrios, whose father ran the Cook Democratic Party while serving as Cook County assessor ruling on property tax appeals filed by clout-heavy lawyers, including Madigan and Ald. Edward M. Burke.
The former assessor is also a lobbyist in Springfield, who clients have included the Illinois Gaming Machine Operators who oppose efforts to legalize sweepstakes machines, like those owned by Weiss.
Weiss is a close friend of Madigan’s only son, Andrew, an executive at Alliant/Mesirow Insurance Services which sells insurance to various government agencies.
Weiss and his mother, Mary C. Murray, have run two Bridgeport-based charities aided by powerful political allies such as Cook County Commissioner John Daley and his nephew Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th). One of the charities, the Benton House, is a former settlement house operating an emergency food pantry on South Gratten, and the other is a scholarship fund.
* Michael Hawthorne at the Tribune takes a look at the Pritzker administration’s actions on Illinois coal…
Illinois already is a major supplier of coal, the chief source of heat-trapping gases warming the planet. After Pritzker took office in early 2019, his administration began clearing the way for a new coal mine, despite a sharp fall in demand for the fossil fuel as electric utilities shift to cheaper, cleaner sources of energy.
Pritzker appointees also tentatively approved a 12-mile pipeline that every day would dump millions of gallons of toxic waste into a Mississippi River tributary, making it easier for a recently bankrupt company to continue digging coal out of the state’s second-largest mine.
The governor’s aides said their reviews of the projects are far from over. “We don’t agree that the administration’s decisions are locking Illinois into a coal-dependent future,” Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s spokeswoman, said in an email response to questions from the Chicago Tribune.
Abudayyeh said the governor made his intentions clear with a list of principles for a clean-energy future. But Pritzker’s “Putting Customers & Climate First” agenda does not address the impacts of coal mining.
Go read the whole thing. IDNR appears to be at the root of much of this. But the governor is the governor. And governors own.
* I’d heard that Michael McHaney, the Clay County judge who had given the state fits with his multiple rulings in favor of Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), had been transferred.
So, I checked with Clay County Circuit Clerk Crystal Ballard, who said judges in the circuit are on a 6-month rotation and McHaney was rotated to Effingham County.
The Effingham County Circuit Clerk’s office confirmed to me today that McHaney is now there and is handling criminal cases.
Darren Bailey and Thomas DeVore respond to a question from a CNN reporter following their victory against Governor J.B. Pritzker in the Clay County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,206 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 47 additional confirmed deaths.
• Bond County: 1 female 80s
• Bureau County: 1 male 70s
• Champaign County: 1 female 90s
• Christian County: 1 male 60s
• Coles County: 1 female 70s
• Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 females 60s, 3 males 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• DuPage County: 1 male 60s
• Fayette County: 1 male 90s
• Jersey County: 1 female 90s
• Kane County: 1 male 80s
• Kankakee County: 1 male 90s
• Lake County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
• Lawrence County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 90s
• Livingston County: 1 female 60s
• Macoupin County: 1 female 70s
• Madison County: 1 male 70s
• Monroe County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• Peoria County: 1 female 40s
• Randolph County: 1 male 80s
• Richland County: 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• Rock Island County: 1 male 80s
• Sangamon County: 1 male 50s
• St. Clair County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
• Stephenson County: 1 male 60s
• Warren County: 1 female 90s
• White County: 1 male 50s
• Will County: 1 male 60s
• Williamson County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
• Woodford County: 1 male 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 297,646 cases, including 8,743 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from September 25 – October 1 is 3.4%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 72,691 specimens for a total of 5,763,128. As of last night, 1,678 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 373 patients were in the ICU and 162 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
More than 100 people packed into a banquet room at Giovanni’s Thursday for what was billed as an informational meeting for Rockford area bars and restaurants whose businesses are being threatened by new COVID-19 mitigation rules that go into effect Saturday.
What they got was an hour and a half presentation by attorney Thomas DeVore of Sorento, Illinois, advising bars and restaurants that they are under no legal obligation to cease indoor and food and beverage sales, as ordered by Gov. JB Pritzker, and that they can and should stay open.
Several local leaders and elected officials attended the meeting including state Rep. John Cabello, state Sen. Dave Syverson, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana and Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury — all of whom assured attendees that they would not enforce or support the state’s additional COVID-19 mitigation strategies for northwest Illinois.
“I pretty much though speak for any law enforcement agency in this county,” Caruana said, adding that he had close relationships with the Illinois State Police director and local captain. “Pretty much though we’re all on the same page. (Rockford Police Chief Dan) O’Shea and I are on the same page. We are not going to go into your bars and stalk you or do anything like this. No fear.”
Winnebago County Public Health Administrator Dr. Sandra Martell also weighed in saying:
“The Winnebago County Health Department has worked with bars and restaurants in our community throughout the pandemic. Despite the financial challenges to their businesses and the greater community, they adapted and implemented the strategies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. We trust that they will thoughtfully consider all the impacts and will continue to follow the guidelines to protect the community. These are challenging times for all. We ask our community to rally and support them by ordering curbside and enjoying their outside venues.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Another day, another lawsuit. DeKalb Daily Chronicle…
Seven DeKalb County restaurant owners on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health seeking a temporary restraining order to stop state officials from forcing them to shut down indoor dining beginning Saturday.
Bradley Melzer, of Sycamore-based Cronauer Law, is representing the owners of Fatty’s Pub & Grill in DeKalb, Remington Gastropub in Malta, The Lincoln Inn and Faranda’s Banquet Center in DeKalb, Ellwood Steak & Fish House in DeKalb, The Junction Eating Place in DeKalb, MVP Sports Bar in Sycamore and El Jimador Mexican Grill, which opened in downtown DeKalb on Tuesday. […]
The lawsuit – which names Pritzker and IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike – claims the governor’s actions during the pandemic have been “unlawful and unconstitutional in that it defies the County’s Emergency Management Act,” unfairly punishing DeKalb County businesses for positivity rate and resurgences outside of the county.
Mitigations for Region 1 – which includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties – were put into place this week effective Saturday due to high positivity rates of the viral respiratory disease in the region as a whole. At the time of the governor’s announcement Tuesday, positivity rate breakdowns for counties included in the region showed Winnebago County with the highest. […]
“DeKalb County is under the Governor’s 8% positivity rate and is being arbitrarily lumped together in a “region” where only 3 of the 8 counties currently exceed that threshold,” he said. “Our clients in DeKalb County have taken this pandemic seriously and have been following all the appropriate guidelines. To now be punished for another counties’ spike in COVID-19 cases is not only unjust, but could result in closing these businesses forever and the loss of additional jobs.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
Packing more than 100 people indoors for a meeting without masks or distance is irresponsible and dangerous. Every single time Tom DeVore has taken his reckless roadshow outside Clay County he has lost because the courts have repeatedly sided with public health experts and supported guidance that keeps people healthy and safe amidst a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 8600 Illinoisans. The people of Region 1 would be better served by following the mitigations and working together to bring down their positivity rates so their businesses can operate safely instead of allowing themselves to fall victim to DeVore’s self-promoting schemes.
I was also told that the Illinois State Police will be in Region 1 enforcing the public health emergency rules.
A DeKalb County Judge on Friday afternoon denied a petition by seven DeKalb County restaurant and bar owners to delay COVID-19 resurgence mitigations expected to begin Saturday.
Elected officials in Michigan and Illinois say a racially charged robocall has been targeting voters this week with misinformation about mail-in balloting.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson tweeted out a recording of the call on Thursday. The call falsely claims that mail-in voters will have their personal information shared with law enforcement “to track down old warrants” and that they could be added to a list for “mandatory vaccines.” […]
The robocalls hitting Detroit also targeted voters in Chicago, according to Alderman Pat Dowell, a Democrat, who posted on Facebook that she personally got a call at home Wednesday night. Dowell told CNN on Thursday that she informed the Chicago Board of Elections about the robocalls and would be warning her constituents about the misinformation.
“This was an attempt to suppress, in my case, my community, an African American community, solidly Democratic, suppress voter turnout in this upcoming general election,” Dowell said.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Thursday warned residents to be on alert for robocalls with false claims about voting by mail in the upcoming election, advising anyone with questions about voting by mail to contact election authorities.
Voters have reported receiving calls with an automated recording falsely claiming that voting by mail could result in their private information being given to third parties like “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track people for mandatory vaccines, police departments and law enforcement in order to locate individuals who have outstanding warrants, and creditors to help find people who owe outstanding debt,” Raoul said in a statement.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed charges today against two political operatives for allegedly orchestrating a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election.
Jack Burkman, 54, and Jacob Wohl, 22, are each charged with:
• One count of election law – intimidating voters, a five-year felony;
• One count of conspiracy to commit an election law violation, a five-year felony;
• One count of using a computer to commit the crime of election law – intimidating voters, a seven-year felony; and
• Using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy, a seven-year felony.
The charges were filed today in the 36th District Court in Detroit. Arraignment is pending for the defendants. The Attorney General’s office will be working – with local law enforcement if necessary – to secure the appearance of each defendant in Michigan. It’s too early to say if formal extradition will be necessary or if they will present themselves here voluntarily in the very near future.
Burkman, an Arlington, Virginia resident, and Wohl, a Los Angeles, California resident, allegedly attempted to discourage voters from participating in the general election by creating and funding a robocall targeted at certain urban areas, including Detroit. The calls were made in late August and went out to nearly 12,000 residents with phone numbers from the 313 area code.
During its investigation, Nessel’s office communicated with attorneys general offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois, all of which reported similar robocalls being made to residents in their states who live in urban areas with significant minority populations. It’s believed around 85,000 calls were made nationally, though an exact breakdown of the numbers of calls to each city or state are not available.
Famed for conspiracy theories and slapdash media briefings in Burkman’s driveway, Wohl and Burkman have been booted from social media sites including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for their outlandish claims, including bogus sexual assault accusations against special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
The Bloomington Election Commission said Thursday it has suspended early voting after learning of a “glitch” with its ballots.
Commission chair Denise Williams confirmed the problem was related to two Eleventh Judicial Circuit judges, Jennifer Bauknecht and Matthew Fitton. Their retention was included on ballots prepared by the McLean County Clerk’s office. But they were inadvertantly missing from Bloomington Election Commission (BEC) ballots.
Early voting began Sept. 24. That’s also when vote-by-mail ballots were mailed out. […]
“We are just brainstorming trying to figure out the best thing for the voter,” she said, adding the BEC is working with its vendors to get corrected ballots printed and hopes to get those mailed by late next week.
Late next week. Wonderful. Great job, BEC.
My own opinion is we have way too many election commissions in this state. They need to be consolidated into regional systems with experienced, full-time folks in charge. If nothing else, force cities to merge with their county clerks like Springfield did. Suburban Cook County, for example, does a pretty darned good job handling elections. Chicago does not.
Equality Illinois applauds the Pritzker Administration’s efforts in FY20 to appoint more LGBTQ, women, and BIPOC leaders to state boards and commissions. On Thursday, the Governor’s Office released the Administration’s FY20 Boards and Commissions Act Report that details the demographic data of gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions, including the voluntarily disclosed LGBTQ identities of appointees.
“We thank Gov. Pritzker and his Administration for their work to ensure our state boards and commissions better reflect the diversity of the people and communities they serve,” said Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. “While there is more work to do to ensure representation of LGBTQ, women, and BIPOC leaders in public service, the governor’s new report shows the results of the Administration’s diligence and partnership with community organizations like Equality Illinois. This report reflects the governor’s ongoing commitment to making sure Illinois is a state where all people are inspired to lend their talents to public service.”
According to the FY20 report, Governor Pritzker has nearly quadrupled the appointment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) people to state boards and commissions compared to appointments made in FY19.
Also, unlike in previous years, appointees in FY20 were able to self-report if they are trans; if they are asexual, pansexual, or queer for their sexual orientation; and if they are intersex or non-binary/genderqueer for their gender.
* More…
• Regarding sexual orientation:
• 3.7% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as LGBQ (up from 1% in FY19).
• 4% of the applicants in FY20 identified as LGBQ (roughly the same as in FY19).
• Also, FY20 appointees who declined to state or did not respond to the inquiry about their sexual orientation dropped significantly compared to FY19 (30% in FY20 but 52% in FY19). This could mean more appointees are comfortable living authentically and publicly.
• Regarding gender identity (which were new questions added in FY20):
• 1.17% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as genderqueer or non-binary.
• 1.36% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as trans.
• The result is that 0.5% of those currently serving identified as trans and 0.4% identify as genderqueer or non-binary.
* More…
• The percent of Black, indigenous, and people of color appointees by the governor in FY20 was 37.6% (up from 32.8% in FY19).
• The percent of appointments who identified as women in FY20 was 48.3% (up from 39.4% in FY19).
* Posted in the order they were received. Press release…
[Yesterday], Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress released a new ad titled “Lying Londrigan,” which highlights Betsy Londrigan’s lies to voters concerning financial support her campaign has received from the Mike Madigan-chaired Democratic Party of Illinois and corporate lobbyists and special interests.
The truth is Madigan spent nearly $300,000 to elect Londrigan.
Londrigan also takes money from corporate lobbyists, even Big Pharma, breaking her promise not to accept corporate dollars.
And those negative ads against Rodney Davis? Paid for by corporate cash.
A Madigan Machine politician, Betsy Londrigan is lying to get elected.
* Press release…
Today, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign released its sixth television ad, “Jayne,” which tells the story of a stage IV lung cancer survivor and how she relied upon the protections of the Affordable Care Act that Congressman Rodney Davis repeatedly voted to cut. Davis voted 11 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no replacement, which would have stripped health care coverage from millions, including more than 31,000 in the 13th District, and removed protections from the more than 282,500 13th District residents with pre-existing conditions.
The 30-second ad will air in the Champaign-Springfield-Decatur and St. Louis media markets as part of a districtwide buy that includes broadcast, cable, and digital platforms.
”Without the Affordable Care Act I wouldn’t have had health care. Rodney Davis doesn’t agree,” said Jayne. “He voted 11 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would strip protections from people like me with pre-existing conditions. After staring death in the face not much scares me, but Rodney Davis in Congress does.”
“Each of the 11 times Rodney Davis voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no replacement he was voting to strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions, ” said campaign spokeswoman Eliza Glezer. “Unlike Davis, Betsy is running to protect and expand upon the Affordable Care Act and will fight to ensure access to quality, affordable health care for Central Illinois families.”
Betsy: I’m Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and I approve this message.
Jayne: I feel so blessed to be a lung cancer survivor for six years now.
Without the Affordable Care Act I wouldn’t have had health care. Rodney Davis doesn’t agree.
He voted 11 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act which would strip protections from people like me with pre-existing conditions.
After staring death in the face not much scares me, but Rodney Davis in Congress does.
* Press release…
Today, the DCCC released “Secret,” a new TV ad hitting Congressman Rodney Davis for prioritizing himself and his family ahead of local businesses in Central Illinois. During the pandemic when small businesses in Central Illinois were struggling to stay open, Davis twice voted against transparency for the federal loan program meant to help – just days after his own family took more than $1 million in loans.
“Secret” is the DCCC’s third TV ad in the 13th District, following “Working For” and “Perfect Match,” which highlight how Davis takes millions in contributions from special interests and votes their way in Washington.
* Was tracking down some quotes this morning and got one back just as I finished up the subscriber edition. So, I’m busily rewriting. Keep it local and keep it polite, please. Find somewhere else to talk about national politics. Thanks.
