Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* If you don’t know him, let me assure you that Kyle Hillman ain’t no Raunerite. Here he is on Facebook today…

This was a photo of an elementary school in my neighborhood. That is lead paint falling on kindergarten rooms. This school STILL has lead paint falling in hallways.

CPS knew about this. They knew the school fire doors worked improperly, that the fire alarm was broke in the main building. All of these were considered OK.

The school has been gutted by a funding formula CPS put in place. The school has no technology teachers, no librarians, after-school programs have been gutted and our social worker is hanging on by the grace of his nonprofit.

You know what they do get in Illinois Prisons? Library Services! Mental Health Services! Educational Services.

So yeah the Governor’s solution of REDUCING funds for CPS is madness, but what he said today wasn’t wrong. If Claypool doesn’t want his schools to be called worse than prisons… FIX THEM!

“Frankly, the Governor’s comments comparing Chicago schools to ‘crumbling prisons’ are disrespectful and beneath his office.” via Claypool.

You know what is really disrespectful and beneath (their) office? Allowing schools like this to happen, our Mayor owns this.

* Kyle’s photo…

…Adding… Kyle says this pic was taken in Gale Elementary in Rogers Park.

* On the other hand…

On a day that saw both Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel refer to Chicago’s public schools as “prisons” — Emanuel admittedly caught in a slip of the tongue — supporters of CPS took to social media to prove the politicians wrong.

#NotAPrison became a rallying cry on Twitter for parents, teachers and administrators. They posted examples of good things happening in the city’s schools — in spite of a funding crisis — from talent shows to campus cleanups, and even the occasional hug.

Go check it out.

42 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s raw audio

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Rauner was clearly fired up by the union protesters who forced him to change the venue of his LaSalle County event today. The governor’s comments begin at about the 3-minute mark…

…Adding… As of 4:03 pm, the CMS site isn’t feeding audio. Not sure if we broke their site or it went down on its own. Once the problem is fixed I’ll download the file and put it on SoundCloud or something.

…Adding More… In the meantime, here’s the governor in Oregon today. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet…

*** UPDATE *** Here’s the raw audio from the LaSalle County event…

29 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 - Claypool: Rauner should “apologize for his hurtful, divisive and inflammatory rhetoric” *** More back and forth

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Call…

“If I have one major disappointment in the last 18 months, it’s with the mayor. And that’s not — people say oh, it’s personal and you guys hate each other. We’re friends. We’re always going to be friends. You can separate friendship from what’s good public policy,” Rauner said. “The mayor has stayed behind the speaker and supported the speaker’s position when the mayor should be fighting.”

The governor then listed elements of his much-disputed legislative agenda, including pro-employer changes to the state’s worker compensation system, scaling back collective bargaining rights in local government contract negotiations and a state worker pension proposal.

“(Emanuel) is not fighting, advocating for it with the working groups. It’s my single major disappointment. And it’s not personal, and it’s not personal attacks. It’s just where we are. We’ve got to stand up.”

* Response…

“Last week, I said his rhetoric of division and divisiveness, of targeting one community against another or one group of people against another, was Trump-like,” Emanuel said. “Now it sounds like he’s auditioning to be Donald Trump’s running mate. And I would just say to him that this is not about right-wing ideology, it’s about results.”

* Echo…

Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), the mayor’s City Council floor leader, was loaded for bear when told that Rauner had characterized Emanuel as his “biggest disappointment.”

“His calculator is a little busted . . . If you haven’t had a budget in two years, that would be my biggest disappointment if my sole job as governor was to pass a budget and have the state of Illinois run appropriately,” O’Connor said.

“If the idea is it’s the mayor of Chicago [who is Rauner’s biggest disappointment], I’m not quite sure he understands his role in government.” […]

“Right now, the concern that he has is that, if he does compromise, he’s lost. That’s not how life works. If you compromise at your house, I don’t think you’ve lost. You and your spouse have worked something out. If it’s win at all costs, that’s not what government is all about. It might be what business can be about. It’s definitely not what government’s about,” the alderman said.

…Adding… Ald. Howard Brookins…

Words matter, and the offensive way that Governor Rauner speaks about Chicago families is just getting uglier and uglier.

First, he accused Chicago families of not contributing taxes and not being hardworking. Today, he’s taking his racist rhetoric even further – saying that Chicago’s schools are ‘crumbling prisons.’

Unlike our Governor, I visit Chicago schools all the time, and I can tell you that our students are hardworking, that they’re making tremendous academic gains and without the progress Chicago students are making, the state’s schools would be on the decline. If the Governor wanted to respect our students, teachers, and principals, he would start funding all our schools equitably instead of punishing poor students throughout the state of Illinois.

It’s time for Governor Rauner to apologize for his inflammatory rhetoric that insults our children and degrades their achievements.

*** UPDATE *** CPS CEO Forrest Claypool and Chief Education Officer Janice K. Jackson…

“Frankly, the Governor’s comments comparing Chicago schools to ‘crumbling prisons’ are disrespectful and beneath his office. In Chicago, our students’ remarkable achievements – in their graduation rate, in their ACT scores, in their college enrollment, in elementary reading and math – have come because of their hard work, and they deserve our support. Instead, their own governor is bad-mouthing them, de-funding them and demeaning everything that they have accomplished.

“We call on the Governor to apologize for his hurtful, divisive and inflammatory rhetoric – and just as importantly, to stop being an obstacle to badly needed education funding reform.”

They also passed along a fact sheet. Click here.

30 Comments

Here we go again

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* And his solution is not providing any more money to CPS than this fiscal year?…

Rauner says some of CPS schools are like "crumbling prisons."

— Tina Sfondeles (@TinaSfon) June 6, 2016

* Rep. Mitchell is not amused…

& downstate + suburban taxpayers are hardworking while Chicago taxpayers r shiftless. @GovRauner loves dogwhistles! https://t.co/SvPOzRjHGO

— Christian Mitchell (@cljmitchell) June 6, 2016

* More…

“If I had one major disappointment over the past 18 months, it’s the mayor.” Rauner said, though, that the issue is not “personal.”

Rauner had hoped Mayor Rahm Emanuel would be an ally in persuading House Speaker Mike Madigan to pass Rauner’s anti-union, pro-business reforms but Emanuel has not.

Rauner said Emanuel is unwilling to stand up to Madigan.

The governor added that he had spoken to many Democrats over the weekend to try to reach a bipartisan compromise over the budget.

…Adding… Video…

48 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Kennedy takes turn floating his name

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Mary Ann Ahern…

The next election for governor of Illinois is not until November 2018, but already Chris Kennedy is making the rounds for a possible campaign, sources told NBC Chicago.

Kennedy, the eighth of 11 children of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, has lived in the Chicago suburbs for nearly 30 years.

He had previously considered a run for the U.S. Senate in 2009, but opted out shortly after. Instead, Gov. Pat Quinn appointed Kennedy Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. […]

“I have heard that Chris is more serious this time,” said Eric Adelstein, a Democratic strategist. “Look, I think we have a unique situation, and here’s why — I believe Rauner is a failed governor.” […]

If Chris Kennedy does run, it would be the 50th anniversary of his father’s 1968 campaign for president. “Chris is a guy who will not just run on that name, I think he’s going to run on accomplishments and a vision,” Adelstein said.

“Not just” run on the name? OK, but the name will play a huge role if he does jump in.

* But, man, the guy has been floating his name for so many offices for so many years it’s difficult to believe this one.

Kennedy is the chief funder of what was supposed to be a liberal alternative to the Illinois Policy Institute. But the group never had enough money to really get going. They’re reportedly planning a re-launch soon. We’ll see if they get it together this time. But if Kennedy cheaps out on a gubernatorial bid, things won’t end well. And he’s never had to take a real hit on a campaign trail, so we don’t know if he can handle it. Plus, he’s been in business a long time, and as we found out with the Rauner campaign, the oppo could be… well… interesting.

* On the plus side, Kennedy has plenty of charisma. You can’t buy a personality like that. His family name is so much larger than life that it’d be tough to credibly claim he’s a Madigan pawn. He could conceivably raise some big bucks. And he does seem interested in policy.

It’s just way too early to tell. Frankly, I still think that Pat Quinn is gonna be the nominee.

*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz…

Kennedy, 52, whose name repeatedly has come up in past election cycles, seems more interested this time. I’ve confirmed that he’s met with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, among others.

None of those pols now appear prepared to back him, but it looks like none of them blew him off, either. For instance, Preckwinkle’s spokesman confirms the meeting and says, “It’s early in the process, but she certainly appreciates the contributions Mr. Kennedy has made in his role as chair of the county’s sustainability advisory council.”

Cullerton told me Kennedy “obviously would be a strong candidate,” but he needs to make a decision soon and “not keep others hanging.”

One obvious draw: In a contest in which Rauner could again open his wallet and effectively self-fund a re-election campaign, Kennedy, the scion of America’s best-known political clan, might do so, too.

* Related…

* How The $1 Billion Kennedy Family Fortune Defies Death And Taxes

63 Comments

*** UPDATED x17 - LIVE COVERAGE *** Superintendents rip Rauner over funding, divisiveness

Monday, Jun 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Part of a letter sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner by 14 Downstate and suburban school superintendents plus Forrest Claypool, the CEO of CPS…

The [state’s school funding] formula is broken. Yet despite collective agreement on this from across the state, including your own acknowledgement of that fact, you continue to push a proposal that puts more money into this worst-in-the-nation K-12 funding system in the same way.

We are profoundly disappointed in the decision to play politics with the state education budget and pit school districts against each other in an unnecessary competition for insufficient resources. We expect the Governor of the entire state to rise above political games to put all of our children’s futures before politics. However, instead of suggesting reforms that reflect the economic diversity of Illinois, your proposal continues to put a greater burden on the districts supporting our most vulnerable students. In the face of the many recent proposals to improve our state’s inequitable approach to education funding, you put forward one that maintains the failed status quo of Illinois’ outdated funding formula.

Click here for the full letter. Signatories…

* Meanwhile…

Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to hold a news conference Monday in Ottawa as part of his effort to persuade the General Assembly to enact a short-term funding package for schools, a local official says.

Mayor Robert Eschbach confirmed Saturday night that the governor’s office requested space for Rauner to hold the news conference at 1:45 p.m. Monday at Ottawa City Hall. Area school superintendents are expected to attend.

Eschbach said the governor’s office made the request about 3 p.m. Friday.

This would be Rauner’s first public visit to La Salle County since taking office in January 2015.

Gee whiz. He’s visiting a politically targeted House district. What a coinkydink.

…Adding… There could be a demonstration…

Illinois Valley Building Trades and Construction Council asked its members to attend in the following post on Facebook Sunday: “The Governor will be in Ottawa Illinois to talk about school funding. Construction workers and all working people need to attend this rally. Don’t forget he wants Illinois to be a right to work state and lower the prevailing wage to non union standards. If you are lucky enough to be working, send your better half or your mother or father if they are busy send gramma. This goes for AFSCME workers, Teacher Unions, Industrial Unions. It’s time to stand up for yourself. I will be there, hope to see you.”

But it looks like from reading the actual post that there isn’t much online interest.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Quite a few people attended after all…

Union members chanting: "Hey, hey, Rauner's gotta go" in front of Ottawa City Hall pic.twitter.com/BTdEwYrUnt

— Derek Barichello (@tt_derekb) June 6, 2016

*** UPDATE 2 *** This pic from inside looks like it could possibly be a hostile crowd. A local radio station is promising live coverage of the governor’s press conference. Click here.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Word from the locals is the governor may be moving the event to another venue.

I’m told the protesters are now moving to the courthouse.

*** UPDATE 4 *** I’m told protesters completely surrounded the city hall before the venue was moved a block away to the court house.

*** UPDATE 5 *** Like I said, the protesters have moved to the courthouse…

*** UPDATE 6 *** Live radio coverage has begun. Click here.

*** UPDATE 7 *** Courthouse was reportedly closed to the public. No protesters allowed inside.

*** UPDATE 8 *** Rauner apologized for having to move venue, but said he wanted to have a “constructive” discussion. Says he’ll take questions from the audience.

*** UPDATE 9 *** The governor called out appointed Rep. Skoog for voting with Speaker Madigan. “We need the people of Illinois who don’t live in Chicago, who live in the rest of the state” to stand up to Madigan and the city.

*** UPDATE 10 *** He just said, with a straight face, that Attorney General Lisa Madigan was trying to stop “hard workin’ state employees” from getting paid in order to force a tax hike.

*** UPDATE 11 *** First audience question is hostile. Person supports graduated income tax. Asks governor to be a “strong advocate for collective bargaining.” Rauner says it’s “false, baloney spin” that he wants to strip collective bargaining rights. “I am not anti-union, I am not anti-collective bargaining.” Says Madigan has cut school funding for years. “I’ve made a ton of money and I’m proud of it,” the governor said. Said he’s given “tens of millions of dollars” to public schools.

*** UPDATE 12 *** The governor said Streator was getting a lot more money under his K-12 spending plan. Turns out, it’s just $6,119.

*** UPDATE 13 *** Rauner raged against the “Corruption and cronyism and self-dealing to benefit a machine.” He’s in high dudgeon.

*** UPDATE 14 *** Rauner: “There is no right to work anywhere in our agenda. Zero. Zero.”

*** UPDATE 15 *** “The Democrats are in the super majority, so I’m not going to push anything that won’t pass.”

*** UPDATE 16 *** Ouch…

#Rauner says "right to work" is nowhere on his agenda, interrupting a media member

— Derek Barichello (@tt_derekb) June 6, 2016

"If you don't want to be in a union, you should have the right to choose," Rauner just said, isn't that right to work?

— Derek Barichello (@tt_derekb) June 6, 2016

#Rauner took one question from the media, then darts. He answered that question with the same answer for minutes

— Derek Barichello (@tt_derekb) June 6, 2016

*** UPDATE 17 *** Ouch… One more…

Our reporters have confirmed #Rauner took four questions from the media after the radio broadcast was taken off.

— Derek Barichello (@tt_derekb) June 6, 2016

79 Comments

« NEWER POSTS