Fahner leaving Civic Committee
Wednesday, Mar 1, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Commercial Club of Chicago announced today that Ty Fahner will step down from his role as President of the Civic Committee and Club after serving in the position for just over five years. Kelly R. Welsh will succeed Fahner as president, effective April 2017.
Fahner, a member of the Commercial Club since 1992 and a member of the Civic Committee since 1998, will remain a member of the Civic Committee.
Under Fahner’s leadership, the Civic Committee worked to address the State’s and City of Chicago’s enormous pension debt, continued to support charter schools and worked to improve school quality, while achieving sustained member growth. Through the Civic Consulting Alliance, the organization led strategic initiatives such as the Police Accountability Task Force.
“There is not a larger issue facing Illinois than our dire financial condition. Ty has addressed this challenge with incredible energy, integrity and focus,” said Civic Committee Chairman Frederick H. “Rick” Waddell. […]
Kelly Welsh is a Chicago attorney who most recently served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce, from 2014 to 2017.
Prior to joining the Commerce Department, Welsh was Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Northern Trust and held the same role at Ameritech Corporation. Previously, he was Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago and began his legal career as a law clerk to a Federal Judge and then went on to practice at the law firm of Mayer Brown.
“We are thankful that an individual like Kelly Welsh has taken on this responsibility and know that he will provide a strong leadership voice to the organization,” said Waddell.
Welsh has been an active participant in civic affairs. He has served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, Trustee of the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Field Museum of Natural History, and as a Board Member at Navy Pier, Inc. and the Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University Law School. Welsh received his AB cum laude from Harvard College in 1974 and his JD magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978.
Fahner’s main Statehouse-related contribution was pushing the General Assembly into passing what turned out to be an unconstitutional pension reform law.
Greg Hinz has more.
…Adding… Tina Sfondeles…
Fahner was paid a base salary of $408,000, with other benefits bringing his total compensation to about $450,000, according to the most recent Internal Revenue Service disclosures available.
Welsh said he’d be paid the same amount.
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* Frankly, I didn’t even know this group existed. A Google search produced precisely one result and there’s no contact information on the press release, which was sent by John Rednour of Du Quoin. But I heard about this vote last night (without a group’s actual name attached), so here’s the release…
On the 28th of February, 2017 a special meeting of the Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association was called. The resulting proclamation of the Association follows:
The madness of politics in Illinois must stop. The middle class, those struggling to achieve the middle class, and the most in need are being held hostage. Instead of seeking compromise and progress, unfathomable resources are spent to win the daily news cycle. Rather than looking inward, politicians spend their energy creating bogeymen to blame. Now is a time for action—a time for new leadership. Now is a time for Chris Kennedy’s vision of every Illinois citizen having the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
Too often in state-wide politics, the values of Southern Illinoisans are overlooked by both Democrats and Republicans. However, when Chris Kennedy was invited to Southern Illinois, he cleared his schedule and came. He listened. He asked questions. He came back.
The SIDCCA insists the number one priority for Southern Illinois should be increasing economic opportunity. Chris Kennedy’s commitment is to putting people back to work and he has a lifetime of experience upon which to draw. Southern Illinois needs a candidate committed to an “all of the above” approach to revitalizing the economy. In a time when the future of our economic engine, Southern Illinois University, seems uncertain, we need a resolve for increased investments in our universities. Southern Illinois needs a candidate that: understands the importance of agriculture and the livestock industry to the area; that refuses to throw his hands in the air and declare the death of coal, but rather, is committed to the promotion and marketing of Southern Illinois Coal; that knows the region’s location and labor force must be promoted to attract new industry; that is a friend of labor; that respects the state worker and the promises that have been made to them; and that sees the limitless potential of tourism and region specific industries in Southern Illinois. On these issues, we believe Chris Kennedy is the candidate for Southern Illinois.
Southern Illinois needs a candidate that knows educational and training opportunities are fundamental to increased economic opportunity; a candidate committed to ensuring John A. Logan College and Rend Lake college and their students thrive; a candidate who believes in parity of spending on k-12 throughout the state. On these issues, we believe Chris Kennedy is the candidate for Southern Illinois on these issues.
The Kennedy legacy of commitment to civil rights, social justice and public service is at the core of Chris Kennedy’s character. His message reminds us that at the foundation of the American dream is the God given dignity of work—that each person should have the opportunity for work; that each able-bodied person should seek work. We stand with the belief that service to community, state, and country is not a passive thought, but rather, something to which we should each strive. In short, Chris Kennedy reminds us why we joined the Democratic Party in the first place.
The Southern Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association hereby endorses Christopher G. Kennedy to be the next elected Governor of the State of Illinois.
Respectfully, Southern Illinois Democratic Chairman’s Association
*The Members of the Southern Illinois Democratic Chairman’s Association include the Chairmen of the following counties: Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Washington, White, and Williamson.
St. Clair is a good get for sure. The rest won’t hurt, either.
…Adding… I’m told that St. Clair County wasn’t represented at the meeting and will do its own separate endorsement.
*** UPDATE *** I’ve been told that the vote was 10-5 last night, which isn’t even a majority of the counties in the group. Odd.
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* From Anders Lindall at AFSCME Council 31…
Rich,
You asked for a chart comparing key elements of the terms Governor Rauner is demanding of AFSCME members versus those to which other unions have agreed. The governor and his administration often claim, falsely, that the two are one and the same.
In reality, half a dozen unions have no contract agreement with the state—including nurses, state troopers, child care workers and others—while those unions that have settled contracts have done so on very different, more favorable terms not offered to our union.
For example, those other unions have accepted either a wage freeze or a 100% hike in employee health care costs, but Rauner is trying to force AFSCME members to swallow both. See chart for detail.
Anders
The chart is too wide to display well on the blog, so click here to see it.
* According to AFSCME, four of the 18 contracts they examined did not hike health insurance costs by 100 percent. The construction trades did agree to a 100 percent hike, but their contracts say that if AFSCME negotiates a better deal, they will get the same terms.
Twelve unions didn’t agree to a four-year freeze on wages and step increases, with the construction trades even retaining their prevailing wage increases, AFSCME’s analysis claims.
None of the contracts changed overtime pay rules, the union claims. AFSCME, of course, has been whacked because its members are paid overtime after less than 40 hours per week.
And only seven unions agreed to implement the governor’s merit pay program. The construction trades’ agreements say that the merit pay program cannot be implemented until CMS and the specific unions agree to terms on process and procedures.
*** UPDATE *** From Eleni Demertzis at the governor’s office…
The twenty other unions our Administration reached agreements with were not demanding guaranteed wage increases, platinum health insurance at bargain prices, or overtime starting after 37.5 hours. These other unions recognized the State’s dire financial circumstances and had begun working with the state to come to a reasonable solution. Instead of continuing to spread misinformation, it would be helpful if AFSCME leadership would work with our Administration to implement these common sense proposals agreed to by other unions.
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* From Dan Proft of the Liberty Principles PAC…
Statement by on the “grand bargain” before the Illinois Senate:
The truth about the so-called grand bargain is, to paraphrase Voltaire, it is neither grand nor is it a bargain.
It is the same old power politics presenting the same false choices to keep the same false prophets atop their very real perches of privilege.
Chicago Democrat bosses Madigan and Cullerton don’t need to learn new tricks as long as Republicans continue to fall for their old ones.
If the Chicago Democrat bosses pass a structural tax hike with the votes of a handful of a pliable Republicans, they present Governor Rauner with this choice:
(1) sign the tax hike immediately becoming the majority owner of it thus giving lie to your campaign promise to provide tax relief to Illinois families and businesses thereby destroying your brand as an outsider, maverick willing to take on the craven political establishment of both parties to set Illinois on a growth track; or,
(2) veto the tax hike and be attacked as someone who won’t compromise with Democrats and even moderate Republicans to do a budget deal.
If Governor Rauner chooses the first option, he destroys his base and likely precludes his re-election as a result.
If Governor Rauner chooses the second option, he preserves his base party support with an existent opportunity to work to the middle for victory as he successfully did in the 2014 election.
Democrat bosses got previous Republican Governors Thompson and Edgar to choose the first option. Those decisions by those Republican governors began the descent of the ILGOP into superminority status and of IL to its designation as the worst governed state in the nation.
GOP State Senators who vote for the not grand non-bargain are in effect saying they want Chicago Democrat bosses to continue to run this state and run it into the ground for their benefit.
GOP State Senators who vote for this not grand non-bargain are in effect saying they do not want Gov. Rauner re-elected.
Our position at Liberty Principles PAC is that GOP State Senators who vote for this not grand non-bargain are actually in effect saying they don’t want to be re-elected.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Illinois Policy Institute…
Illinois lawmakers have begun voting on the components of a “grand bargain” budget proposal, and voting is expected to continue today. Illinois Policy CEO John Tillman released the following statement:
“This entire budget package is a weak charade meant to convince Republicans to provide Democrats cover on yet another tax increase. Don’t take the bait. Stand up for the people and vote against any proposal that forces Illinoisans to pay more before the state enacts real reform.
“Furthermore, this is not the budget Illinois needs. This is not a reform package. Lawmakers must vote no.
“Illinois cannot weather another tax increase. The state is on the brink of an economic collapse. Moody’s Investors Service has said Illinois is facing economic deterioration. But don’t just take Moody’s word for it. Look around: People are leaving. Businesses are shutting down or packing up and fleeing. The state’s revenue is declining. Raising taxes to prop up a broken and dysfunctional state government will not change that – it will escalate Illinois’ decline. If the tax increases in the Senate’s so-called ‘grand bargain’ are enacted, taxpayers will be crushed and the state’s economy may not recover for decades.
“A multibillion-dollar tax hike would destroy what little recovery has been made since the recession. At the end of 2016, Illinois had the worst jobs growth rate in the region. Nearly 1 in 5 homes are deeply underwater on their mortgages, and Illinois is the only state in the region with a shrinking population. Bloomington, Carbondale, Peoria and the Quad Cities are currently in recession, according to Moody’s, and Elgin, Danville, Decatur and Kankakee are on the brink of recession.
“Illinoisans dutifully paid more than $31 billion in higher taxes after the tax increase of 2011. They were told the revenue would be used to strengthen the state’s economy, pay off the backlog of bills, and get Illinois back in fiscal shape. They were told that a spending cap enacted with the tax increase would prevent the state from this type of crisis ever occurring again. Illinoisans were lied to. Now, policymakers in Springfield are lying to them again. If this deal passes, overburdened taxpayers will be forced to sacrifice again – and even more people will throw up their hands in disgust and decide to leave. More families and jobs will cross the border, and the downward economic spiral will continue.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Yep…
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* From last December…
Arlington Park and others finally might have come up with a way to boost the lagging horse-racing business in Illinois, and it’ll require the tracks and regulators to pony up.
The plan would call for the Illinois Racing Board to tighten its belt and contribute up to $500,000 — about 18 percent of its budget — toward bigger purses for winning races next year.
* From yesterday…
The Illinois Racing Board Feb. 28 conditionally approved transferring $500,000 of its “surplus” operating funds to bolster purses at the state’s three remaining tracks. […]
The ensuing lengthy discussion prompted IRB chairman Jeffrey Brincat to reiterate, “I never thought it would be so hard to give away a half-a-million dollars.” […]
Representatives of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the Illinois Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation both said they support the idea of hiking purses. But they urged the money be used to fund races written for Illinois-bred horses, which carry awards for owners and breeders.
And the ITHA, echoing sentiments expressed by the harness horsemen’s group, said its members need further assurance that the redistribution of IRB funds will not result in a demand for more detailed scrutiny of their internal finances. […]
The ITHA and harness horsemen again raised fears that switching funding from the IRB operating account to horsemen’s purses might open their organization to demands for internal records. Board staff said there is no intent to do that and nothing in the proposal that would trigger expanded oversight.
OK, but now I kinda want to see what’s in those internal books. /snark
Legislation to enable the IRB to distribute the cash has been filed and is awaiting a Senate hearing.
*** UPDATE *** A spokesman for the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association sent me a statement which includes this…
Hello, Rich.
Please see below for the text of a statement read into the Illinois Racing Board record yesterday by an attorney for the ITHA.
As you will see, the statement references the practice of “recapture.” For more on that, please click here.
Regarding the ITHA budget, the ITHA publishes on its website a synopsis of its audited financial statements (click here) and also makes those statements available to ITHA members upon request.
The full statement is here.
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[Bumped up for visibility.]
* Whoa…
Aurora mayor (Top two in April 4 runoff)
Linda Chapa LaVia Nonpartisan 2,821 25.6%
Richard Guzman Nonpartisan 3,131 28.4%
Richard Irvin Nonpartisan 3,502 31.8%
Michael Saville Nonpartisan 1,566 14.2%
* Subscribers know a big reason why this happened. It’s the anti-Madigan meme…
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* From WGEM TV…
A new proposal by the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform has been met with multiple opponents.
Right now, any theft valuing over $300 will land you a felony charge in Illinois. An Illinois criminal justice reform group has asked lawmakers to raise that thievery threshold to $2,000, in an attempt to combat prison overcrowding.
Executive Director Amy Looten of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce said on Monday that there are many reasons to oppose it. […]
“This sends a message to potential shoplifters that well you know it’s not that big of a deal.” Looten said. “The punishment’s not going to be that big, and we just think that’s the wrong message to send.” […]
“If you take away the punishment side of it, and you’re just going to slap them on the hand, they’re more likely to come back, and there’s more people that are going to try it for the first time.” [Quincy Menard’s Assistant General Manager Scott Warner] said.
* From the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform report…
Rationale
Under current law, a theft where the property was not taken from a person is a felony if any of the following conditions are present:
* Theft of goods worth more than $500 is a Class 3 Felony. If the goods are worth $500 or less the defendant is guilty of a Class 4 felony if he has previously been convicted of any type of theft.
* Theft from a school or a place of worship, or theft of government property, is a Class 2 felony if the value of the items taken is more than $500. If the value of the goods taken from these places is worth less than $500, it is a Class 4 felony.
* Retail theft where the value of the items taken is greater than $300 is a Class 3 felony. If the stolen items are worth $300 or less, the defendant is guilty of a Class 4 felony if he has previously been convicted of any type of theft.
Processing non-violent theft offenders puts a significant strain on the prison system. In 2015, for example, there were 2,630 offenders sentenced to IDOC for the Class 3 or Class 4 felonies of retail theft or theft not from a person. Typically these inmates have short and unproductive terms of incarceration; in 2015, nearly half (49 percent) of those who were sentenced to prison for a Class 3 felony theft received the minimum sentence of two years.
Theft of all types is a serious problem, but treating those who steal relatively small amounts (a single laptop or smartphone, for example) the same as those who steal on a large scale seems disproportionate, and does not make the best use of prison resources. Before theft not from a person becomes a Class 3 felony, the value of property taken should be greater than $2,000. Theft of items worth less than $2,000 should be a Class A misdemeanor. Similarly, before retail theft becomes a Class 3 felony, the value of the property taken should be greater than $2,000. Retail theft of property worth less than this amount should be a Class A misdemeanor.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** From Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association…
“We can all agree that non-violent offenders, particularly first-time offenders, should not necessarily be sitting in prison. That is why IRMA has proudly been a part of solutions already enacted to address those situations. But the answer is not to diminish the seriousness of retail theft and erode the sales tax base. Any suggestion that retail theft is a victimless crime is simply wrong — $2 billion in losses to business and government has consequences.”
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* Press release…
Two Illinois government employees have filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to continue their case challenging the constitutionality of government union officials forced-dues privileges. The workers, all employed by the State of Illinois are currently required to pay union dues or fees to a union as a condition of their employment.
A District Judge recently dismissed the case, Janus v. AFSCME, and the two employees, who are receiving free legal assistance from staff attorneys with the National Right to Work Foundation and the Illinois Policy Institute’s Liberty Justice Center, have now formally filed their appeal of that dismissal.
National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix issued the following statement regarding the latest development in the case:
“No citizen should be forced to pay union dues or fees just to work for their own government. This is a fundamental violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the violation is especially egregious for public servants who are currently required to pay dues to a private organization just to work for their own government. We are hopeful that the United States Supreme Court will soon outlaw this unjust practice for every public employee across the country.”
You gotta wonder if the Illinois Policy Institute would support a bill allowing all customers to eat at restaurants without paying a dime.
…Adding… OK, so, I misread an e-mail with the above press release attached. The case was appealed a few months ago and oral arguments are tomorrow. Sorry for any confusion.
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* Press release…
The Rauner Administration announced today as part of its ongoing AFSCME strike preparation that it has launched a new website called Working for a Better Illinois. The website is a simple way for job seekers to apply for jobs in Illinois government.
“We genuinely hope AFSCME leadership will choose not to strike against taxpayers and work with us on implementing common-sense proposals like overtime after 40 hours, not 37.5,” Rauner General Counsel Dennis Murashko said. “However, we must be prepared to continue government operations and provide services that citizens deserve and expect,” Murashko said.
Every year the state receives tens of thousands of applications from Illinois residents interested in state government. This website streamlines the job application process by allowing citizens to provide basic information about the location and type of work they would be interested in performing. For citizens interested in applying for specific job titles, the existing job application process remains in place.
This website is part of the Rauner Administration’s on-going attempt to modernize the state’s technology services to better serve taxpayers, as well as to prepare for a possible strike against taxpayers by AFSCME.
Submissions to the website would provide a way for state agencies to efficiently identify those who could work on a temporary basis. Although individuals would be hired on a temporary basis in response to the strike, the State would then begin taking the steps necessary to fill positions permanently.
The Rauner Administration has signed labor agreements with 20 unions. The Administration’s proposal includes earning overtime after 40 hours instead of 37.5, pay based on performance rather than seniority, reasonable testing of drug and alcohol use if suspected on the job and allowing volunteerism at state facilities like state parks.
Illinois citizens interested in working for the State should visit: https://statejobs.illinois.gov.
* SJ-R…
The website, statejobs.illinois.gov, is basic. It only asks for contact information, a preference for what counties a person wants to work in and what job category they’d be interested in filling. It also asks if applicants are interested in temporary work, permanent jobs or both. People who want to apply for specific state jobs should continue to use the existing job application process, which includes listings at work.illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** AFSCME Council 31…
“Governor Rauner’s refusal to negotiate has left public service workers with no choice but to consider a strike. Rauner’s unreasonable demands include a 100% hike in employee costs for health care that would cut worker pay by $10,000, and an end to safeguards against reckless privatization.
“AFSCME members investigate child abuse, care for veterans and the disabled, respond to emergencies and more. These jobs require years of experience and training. For Governor Rauner to seek temporary strikebreakers in place of skilled and dedicated professionals is a recipe for disaster for the people of Illinois.
“Instead of trying to intimidate workers with illegal threats, Bruce Rauner should simply do his job: Negotiate with us toward a compromise that’s fair to all.”
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