A recent poll by RMG Research in the 8th Congressional District shows Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi leading Republican Chris Dargis 45 percent to 39 percent with 12 percent undecided. The 400 respondents in the poll also favored term limits and disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance.
The unspoken, yet very real concern among some Democrats, is that the party is returning to an unhealthy era of one man control, with Pritzker and his subordinates taking the place of Madigan.
“I guess that remains to be seen and we’ll know fairly quickly, ” said Rep. [Will] Davis. “Not only the effort to raise money but then determining how to spend it. If it’s about supporting incumbent Democrats then we’ll know fairly quickly if there’s going to be a resurgence of dictator-style rule.”
[Former Senate President John Cullerton] sees it differently. “There’s an opportunity for someone who can go out and fundraise legally, a chairman, to go out and make it a national effort to raise money for the Democratic Party in Illinois, ” said Cullerton. “We’ve never done that. When Madigan was chair, he only raised money for House Democrats. This would be for the lower-level candidates – the sheriffs and county clerks in the marginal counties downstate. Robin couldn’t do that legally. So of course Elizabeth’s going to raise more than Robin did. Almost by default.”
I’m guessing that Pritzker isn’t gonna want to be governor for 50 years.
Paul Lange believes someone should always have a choice when they walk into a voting booth.
Lange, 67, is recently retired commodities broker who worked in Quincy but lives near Mendon. He has thrown his hat into the ring to run as the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 15th Congressional District.
It was a district that wasn’t configured to be favorable for Democrats, who had to cede most of downstate Illinois during the redistricting process. Most of the state south of I-80 now votes Republican.
So Lange is looking for a Rocinante, much less a Sancho Panza. He knows his opponent, Republican incumbent Congresswoman Mary Miller, who defeated Rodney Davis in the June 28 GOP primary, is one hell of a windmill in the bright red 15th District.
“I knew because of this district … I knew it’d be unlikely that another person would step up on the Democratic side,” Lange said in an interview with Muddy River News.
* I think the term for this is perennial opportunism…
Bob Fioretti, challenging Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, apparently on board the Darren Bailey governor campaign joining with Jeanne Ives pic.twitter.com/RonFZXBcZX
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Famous Friends” country star Chris Young will perform Wednesday afternoon for Illinois Democrats’ unity gathering at the BOS Center in Springfield.
The BOS Center thing is in the morning. Young will be performing at the Governor’s Day event at the state fairgrounds. Show should start at 1 o’clock or so.
* More…
* Chicago aldermen embrace The Great Resignation: “What Mayor Richard J. Daley did was surround himself with 50 aldermen, and he’s in the circle,” said former nine-term alderman Dick Mell. “And all the arrows and slings would hit the aldermen so he could do the big things he wanted to do as the mayor. Now the aldermen all think they’re these great legislators and they’re spending all this time deciding whether Lake Shore Drive should be DuSable Drive.”
The People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched new TV and radio ads, “Summer of Joy – Stop Chicago Violence From Coming To Your Town, Vote NO on JB Pritzker.”
Chicago violence is coming to the suburbs. Pritzker will set free those charged with, among other things: Burglary, Arson, Kidnapping, 2nd Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, and more. And yet we have Mayor Lori Lightfoot calling it “The Summer Of Joy” in Chicago. It is anything but.
The ads will run statewide and are available on YouTube and the PBR PAC Facebook page.
Chicago Mayor LORI LIGHTFOOT:
“It will be the summer of joy in Chicago”
VO:
Thanks to Governor Pritzker, the lawlessness of Chicago will soon be the law statewide.
JIM GLASGOW, Will County State’s Attorney:
“That law goes into effect, our hands will be tied. All their bonds will be extinguished on January 1st”
BOB BERLIN, DuPage County State’s Attorney:
“We’re going to have violent criminals out on the street.”
VO:
That’s why 100 of Illinois’ 102 Illinois State’s Attorneys oppose Pritzker’s mandatory release of violent criminals. Stop Chicago violence from coming to your town. Vote NO on Pritzker.
–
:60 RADIO SPOT Transcript:
Chicago Mayor LORI LIGHTFOOT:
“It will be the summer of joy in Chicago”
VO:
Instead, the trio of Pritzker, Lightfoot and Foxx have made this another summer of murder, mayhem and chaos.
Mother of murder victim Servando Hamros:
“My granddaughter called me to say ‘help me, my Daddy’s shot.’ And then they executed him in front of her. And then they shot her.”
VO:
Thanks to Governor Pritzker, the lawlessness of Chicago will soon be the law statewide. Pritzker’s so-called “SAFE-T” Act makes Illinois a safe haven for violent criminals. That’s why 100 of Illinois’ 102 County State’s Attorneys oppose Pritzker’s mandatory release of alleged murders, kidnappers and arsonists.
Prosecutors like Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow:
“It’s going to be literally the end of days.”
And prosecutors like DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin:
“We’re going to have violent criminals out on the street.”
VO:
Stop Chicago violence from coming to your town. Vote NO on Pritzker. Paid for by People Who Play By The Rules PAC
In August of 2021, police say, Brittany Griswold, 35, of Geneseo, was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle involved in a fatal collision in Rock Island. The head-on crash resulted in the death of Cecilia “Ceci” Nache, 49, of Rock Island.
Griswold was charged with two felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence, reckless homicide and aiding/abetting or possession of a stolen vehicle.
Her bail was set at $50,000, but she was released on her own recognizance. She was freed on a written promise to return, in other words, without posting bond.
Represented by former judge and prosecutor Larry Vandersnick, Griswold did not spend a day in jail. After multiple requests by a reporter for a copy of her jail mugshot, Griswold was fingerprinted and photographed — one year after the crash.
On March 27, 2019, police said, Armand Cannon, 27, of Grand Mound, was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle involved in a fatal collision in Moline. The crash resulted in the death of Tammy Loos, 51, of Milan.
Cannon was charged with aggravated driving under the influence, aggravated reckless driving, reckless homicide and aiding/abetting or possession of a stolen vehicle.
His bond was set at $250,000. He was assigned a court-appointed attorney.
While Griswold never spent a day in jail, Cannon remained behind bars for the three years it took for his case to go to trial. In May, he was found guilty of all charges. […]
“It seems grossly inequitable that one person walks while the other cannot possibly come up with the cash bail, which the judge must have known, given the defense counsel was appointed,” [Ben Ruddell, director of criminal-justice policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, after being supplied with the basic details]. “How much money you have shouldn’t be a factor.” […]
Blanca Leal, one of three sisters of Ceci Nache, who died in the crash with Griswold, said someone from her family had attended every one of the court hearings. They were disappointed, she said, when they learned Griswold never was processed through the jail, and her high-profile attorney was able to get her released without serving a day.
Bail reform may result in pre-trial release of other defendants who face the same charges, Leal understands, but the inconsistent treatment, based on money, is a bitter pill.
* Gov. Pritzker on Friday when asked about the Trump raid…
Well, I’m shocked and dismayed, honestly, that Republicans across Illinois haven’t stood up for law enforcement, haven’t stood up for law and order. And instead are standing with somebody that clearly, there is something afoot here that may lead to a prosecution. It seems like, you know, Republicans say that they’re anti crime. And yet here they are standing up for somebody who seems to have committed one.
On the other hand, there’s a presumption of innocence that the governor also talks a lot about. But he does have some nuance…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday called on authorities to “quickly and thoroughly” complete their investigation into potential influence peddling involving a police body-camera manufacturer and a state senator who spearheaded a massive criminal justice reform bill approved last year.
The Tribune reported on Monday that state Sen. Elgie Sims, a Chicago Democrat, was approached in the spring by federal authorities looking into whether Axon Enterprise Inc. either directly or through other lobbying entities improperly tried to influence Sims. The criminal justice legislation he championed and was enacted in 2021 included a slew of reforms, including requiring every police officer in the state to wear a body camera by 2025.
“On this matter, I encourage authorities to act quickly and thoroughly and to hold anyone accountable who should be held accountable,” Pritzker said Monday at an unrelated news conference on Chicago’s South Side.
Local Republicans have been fairly quiet so far about the still-unfolding Mar-a-Lago raid. But not the National Republican Senatorial Committee, whose national finance co-chair is Chicago corporado Ron Gidwitz.
In a weekend note to contributors, the fund-raising committee for Republican senators and nominees pushed all sorts of buttons. “Why did the Biden administration’s DOJ raid Mar-a-Lago? This has NEVER happened before, and it’s a DISGRACE,” the fund-raising pitch stated. “Could Biden be using the government power to potentially PUT PRESIDENT TRUMP IN JAIL?”
It continued: “The ONLY way to STOP this potential ABUSE OF POWER is by taking our critical Election Year poll so we can WIN this November and RESTORE TRUMP’S Majority.”
There was no immediate response from Gidwitz to a request for comment.
* Pritzker campaign…
Darren Bailey has spent his entire political career cozying up to Donald Trump, breathlessly repeating his dangerous rhetoric and promising to enact his harmful agenda. As MAGA loyalists at every level of government wage a relentless campaign to delegitimize the Federal Bureau of Investigation following a search of Donald Trump’s Florida home, Bailey must answer for whether or not he believes the FBI should be defunded.
Republicans wasted no time sowing distrust in law enforcement in an attempt to please the former president, and Bailey quickly questioned the department’s motives, demanding the FBI “immediately explain their actions.”
Voters deserve to know: Does Bailey agree with his party’s radical right-wing comments discrediting the FBI?
• Mary Miller’s declaration that “The “Deep State” DOJ hates President Trump because he is an outsider who won in 2016 by attacking the DC Swamp for failing the American people.”
• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s call to “DEFUND THE FBI!”
• Lauren Boebert’s claim that the “Dept of Injustice” Raiding Mar-a-Lago “Is Gestapo Crap”
• Josh Hawley’s demand that “Garland must resign or be impeached. The search warrant must be published. Christoper Wray must be removed. And the FBI reformed top to bottom.”
• Rand Paul’s assertion the FBI may have planted evidence
“Working families deserve better than a MAGA apologist who chooses a twice-impeached disgraced former president over accountability, justice, and democracy itself,” said JB for Governor Press Secretary Eliza Glezer.“Bailey must be honest about his party’s attempt to hinder a federal investigation and come clean about why he is more loyal to Donald Trump than a U.S. institution vital to democracy.”
* DuPage County board chair Republican candidate Greg Hart…
Safety and security from crime is a top concern of voters. That is why I am so honored to earn the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police for DuPage County Board Chairman. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the state, and represents over 33,000 active duty and retired police officers.
The Illinois FOP endorsement was given because I fully support our police and the rule of law. My opponent, Deb Conroy, chose to stand with criminals and the radical defund the police movement when she voted for the disastrous SAFE-T Act. The Safe-T Act eliminates cash bail, allowing for the release of violent criminals onto our streets.
DuPage County remains a destination location to live, work, and raise a family because of our safe communities. Keeping our communities safe is my number one priority once elected as DuPage County Board Chairman.
Will you join the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police and help keep this momentum going?
…Adding… Rep. Deb Conroy…
While Greg Hart is trying to exaggerate the facts and scare residents I was doing my job and in a meeting with Director Brendan Kelly and John Thompson discussing the white flag law.
* ILGOP…
In case you missed it, Democrats in the Senate just passed a bill to help bring SOCIALISM to America by hiring OVER 80,000 IRS AGENTS to harass Americans!
Make no mistake, if Democrats continue to hold power, things will only get worse. They’re ready to implement MORE tax hikes, more government regulations, and more attacks on our way of life.
We’re fighting back against Democrats’ extreme socialistic policies. We’re working to build a state and a country where citizens can succeed, but we’re up against a wall.
Democrats are raising MILLIONS and MILLIONS to push the socialist agenda. With the election less than 90 days out, we need to keep up!
Rich, can you RUSH a quick donation before our mid-month deadline so that we can DEFEAT SOCIALISM this November?
The US can never be a socialist country. We’re counting on you to help us out.
* From a US Rep. Jan Schakowsky press release…
For far too long, billionaires have enjoyed their mega yachts and trips to space, while hardworking Americans are left struggling to provide for their families. The Inflation Reduction Act will implement a 15% minimum corporate tax so that our richest corporations start to pay their fair share. The bill will also provide funding for the IRS to go after ultra-wealthy tax evaders and will raise at least $124 billion from these tax cheats. Finally, this bill will not raise taxes on any family making $400,000 or less per year, and there will be no new taxes on small businesses. This bill yet again puts people over politics and finally goes after the super rich and corporations.
Kinzinger was a rare republican critic of Trump during his time in the White House. He says the final fracture, his breaking point, came on Election Night 2020 when Trump called for an early end to the vote count while he was ahead.
“We talk about democracy – Republicans love to talk about the Constitution – and yet we’re openly violating it now,” he said.
An analysis last year of Chicago Police Department deployment data appears to raise questions about whether Chicago police officers are consistently on the street at times when most shootings happen in the city. […]
The separate “GPS Analysis by Time of Day and Day of Week” included a 10-year review of shooting data, which examined days of the week. It showed that on weekdays, shooting incidents peak during the 9 p.m. hour. But on weekends, shooting incidents rise until 2 a.m. and then start declining.
The analysis further examined GPS data for three types of patrol responses in the so-called Tier 1 and Tier 2 districts, where most shootings happen — non-tactical district units, tactical district units and the citywide Community Safety Teams, which were launched by Brown as part of his crime-fighting strategy.
The analysis period was between June 2020 and February 2021. In all three categories, the number of officers working in the field, or on the street, appeared out of sync with the number of shootings on the weekends, according to the report.
The city had 167 carjackings last month, up 11% from last July. There were 149 cases in July 2020 and 53 in July 2019.
City records show that Chicago police have made arrests in slightly less than 7% of this year’s hijackings. The arrest rate for 2021 carjackings is 13%. It’s important to note that arrest rates for previous years are typically higher than current periods because police have had more time to identify offenders and secure charges from the state’s attorney’s office.
In 2021, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges in 75% of the carjacking cases that Chicago police brought in, according to the prosecutor’s office data.
…ADDING… Media advisory…
ADVISORY: 9:15 a.m. Tomorrow Aug. 16
Sen. Villa, Rep. Stava-Murray, Community Leaders, Advocates Attend Public Court Watching in Support of Ending Money Bond
Pretrial Fairness Act is law and will go into effect January 2023
WHO:
State Sen. Karina Villa, (D-West Chicago)
State Representative Stava- Murray, (D-Downers Grove)
Katrina Baugh, The People’s Lobby
George Gutierrez, formerly incarcerated community member
Pastor Nathan Perrin, Lombard Mennonite Church
Reverend Dwight Stewart, United Methodist Church
WHAT:
Elected officials, community members and activists will attend public bond court hearings followed by a press conference where they will discuss their support of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which eliminates money bond in Illinois.
This is Reagan’s original rendering. I think she was in high school when she did it. Figured it was relevant for the Pork Patio lol pic.twitter.com/MhzvVQ1pLU
* Sen. Darren Bailey lashed out on Facebook this morning at reporters who are reading his Facebook posts…
Political pundits, and all this other nonsense of digging back in our Facebook posts of 5, 6, 7 years ago. It’s absolute nonsense. And that’s the problem with government here in Illinois. They want to deal with the way things always have been and they don’t want to move forward and do something new and try to figure out our problems, trying to get crime under control, try to ease your burden of taxes so you can stay and flourish and raise a family here in Illinois. And guess what schools getting ready to start. No one wants to talk about making sure our schools are in proper order. The only thing they want to talk about is CRT and sex education and that’s absolute nonsense. Friends, that new day is coming to Illinois, and I know that people all across this state get that we’re fighting for you. You’re fighting with us, and we’re going to change Illinois.
Notice how he never disavows those posts or says he now believes something very different. He simply chafes at a little bit of scrutiny.
I served 17 years on our local school board of education from 1995 to 2012. Cindy and I have been very instrumental in our community. We’re Rotary members. We’re very, very active in our church We’ve always focused on the youth. And when it came to a back to that to 2017 date, many people might remember that, you know, the Illinois General Assembly came into session. Over the July 4 weekend, we were celebrating Cindy’s birthday that weekend. And yeah, I believe it was a total God thing that I was totally checked out of politics, because politicians are corrupt. Politicians are lazy. Politicians, you know, just make life harder for us by by doing what they do, and, and I wanted nothing to do with it. And I found it a little easier, especially when I discovered that, you know, the General Assembly had checked in under the guise of the Fourth of July weekend, I began exposing what I was discovering, within my Facebook group, and it exponentially grew. And I just kept complaining, I really liked that it’s easy to complain, you know, on social media, but in our area the day came when our friends and our family began to come and say you need to represent us and I knew I was in trouble. And I said absolutely not. But Cindy understood the the bigger plan. And again, we laid that down to our church in our community, prayed, fasted, and it just became evident that this is the new mission field that God wanted us to approach. And we’re very blessed that our three sons were able to manage to take over my role on the farm, and that our daughter was able to accomplish the co-administration of Full Armor. So that alleviated us because they knew we’re in this full time, we’re putting 150% of our energy into getting the state under control. We believe it is that important.
TL/DR: The end of the Rauner impasse is what set him off and his spouse was instrumental in getting him into the race.
* Also, it turns out that Bailey’s running mate agrees that comparing things to the Holocaust is a no-no…
“Wearing a #MAGA hat is the equivalent of wearing a swastika or a confederate flag”, @karenhunter on @SXMUrbanView. I wonder how people of Jewish descent feel about that comparison. There is a painful history associated with those symbols of hate.
* Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign found a couple of Democratic sheriffs…
As Darren Bailey attempts to bolster his flimsy voting record and feign support for law enforcement, he once again finds himself in hot water for protecting the disgraced former president instead of police officers. When asked for comment on the FBI’s raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home following months of investigations into the former president’s role in the January 6th Capitol attacks, Bailey joined scores of other Republicans in casting doubt on the FBI’s legitimacy and demanding that the FBI “immediately explain their actions.”
Bailey has consistently refused to denounce the deadly insurrection on January 6th, where numerous Capitol police officers were brutally attacked.
He’s also spent the last four years voting against bipartisan legislation that supports law enforcement. Bailey voted against the single largest investment to expand cadet classes in Illinois history, $10 million for a local law enforcement retention grant program, and $8 million for a multi-year equipment replacement program at the Illinois State Police.
“Talking about supporting law enforcement and actually supporting law enforcement are two different things,” said Rick Watson, St. Clair County Sheriff. “When the going gets tough, Darren Bailey has failed first responders and proved that he treats support for the men and women who put others before themselves only as a political convenience.”
“Darren Bailey’s hypocrisy puts the public at risk. He talks about supporting law enforcement, yet in the same breath suggests nefarious motives simply because holding his favorite president accountable is an inconvenience to his campaign,” said John Idlenburg, Lake County Sheriff. “Meanwhile, he votes again and again against public safety measures and resources for our first responders.”
To date, Bailey has voted against:
• Strengthening the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services
• Strengthening safety for first responders on state highways
• Installing hundreds of highway cameras and doubling state police presence on Chicago-area interstates in response to on-road violence
• Providing tens of millions of dollars for police body cameras, retention grants, and mental health screenings
• Building new, state-of-the-art forensics labs to provide law enforcement with the resources to solve crimes
• Delivering millions of dollars to local fire departments to purchase firefighting and ambulance equipment
• Requiring municipalities to coordinate 911 and 988 services in order to respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies with proper emergency care, reduce danger to those in crisis, and lessen the burden on local police
* CD3 leans pretty heavily Democratic. The only Republican to win the district was Comptroller Leslie Munger in 2016. The Fair Tax lost in the district by 6 points Some commenters were right. I was accidentally using old numbers. No Republican won this district, and I don’t have Fair Tax numbers for the new districts…
Today, Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of nine candidates running for the US House of Representatives to challenge the influence of the gun lobby in Washington. Each of these candidates will play a crucial role in ensuring that the issue of gun safety remains at the forefront of our policy decisions.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:
“The candidates we are endorsing today are the kind of fearless champions we need to end gun violence in America. Each one has proven to be a leader with the courage to act. At the state and local level around the country, they’ve stood with communities rocked by gun violence and pushed for legislation that will make all Americans safer.
“As we know all too well, the current House majority is one of the slimmest in decades. If we want to enact lifesaving reforms to stem America’s epidemic of gun violence—like universal background checks and strong extreme risk protection order laws—we must work to expand our gun safety majority this fall. Giffords is proud to help this group of challengers get to Washington DC so they can stand up to the gun lobby and deliver clear victories on gun safety legislation for the American people.” […]
Delia Ramirez (IL-03): State Representative Delia Ramirez is an accomplished legislator, community leader, and coalition builder who has dedicated her life and career to advocating for working families. Having grown up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood—where gun violence is all too common—Representative Ramirez is acutely aware of the need to solve the root causes of crime and violence. She knows that building safe communities requires a comprehensive plan that includes funding community-based youth programs and mental health services, investing in domestic violence prevention, and reinvesting in communities that have long been neglected. As a state legislator, she fought to do just that—and secured $250 million for community-based violence prevention in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. Representative Ramirez also supported the Illinois General Assembly’s critical “Fix the FOID” legislation, which expanded background checks for firearm purchases across the state of Illinois. In Congress, we know she will be a strong proponent of passing universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons, reducing the flow of illegal guns across state lines, and adequately funding street outreach and intervention programs.
Marlon Watson, leader of the Freedmen Descendants of Chicago, and Pastor Anthony Williams of King International Ministry are calling on Chicagoans to draft state Rep La Shawn Ford to join a growing field of candidates challenging Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Thursday night, they expect a group of about 100 Chicago residents to gather at The Quarry Art & Cultural Center, 2423 E. 75th St., to garner support to launch Ford’s run for mayor.
Pastor Williams ran for US Senate as a Republican this year, receiving just 7.4 percent of the vote. He’s also run in Democratic, Libertarian and Green Party primaries, according to the Tribune. His main issue is anti-violence and he pushed hard for the passage of a bill that declared violence as a public health crisis.
As recently as March, Adam Shores and Laura Faver Dias were colleagues on the Grayslake village board. But in November, the duo will face off as voters choose which one will represent the 62nd state House District in Springfield. […]
The two started working together in 2019, when Dias was selected to serve as a resident member of the village’s Economic Development Commission, chaired by Shores. […]
“She was just elected last year, and we’ve had a respectful working relationship,” Shores said of Dias. “I’m proud of my leadership style where I work to find commonality even in the face of opposing opinions.”
When discussing how she and Shores differed, Dias cited the vote she cast in February against the plan to build a Casey’s General Store and gas station at Lake Street and Belvidere Road near the town’s namesake lake.
Dias said more than 500 residents expressed concerns about the project and she chose to take that into account.
“I’m looking forward to a robust campaign and debates when we have them,” Dias said. “Ultimately, it comes down to two people who want to serve in the state legislature and not about my relationship with Adam.”
I doubt the race will remain this cordial, but that’s a really nice piece.
…Adding… CD6…
Pelosi and her political allies are propping up one of their favorite candidates because they know his voting record is out of step with the new 6th District. Read my response to Pelosi throwing millions behind Sean Casten: https://t.co/SnQ4rIGZ1Lpic.twitter.com/kvZP7aY0cN
Union workers at Vandalia Correctional Center in Illinois will not be facing reduced capacity or layoffs in the near future, following protests from AFSCME and local officials.
AFSCME members had mobilized in recent weeks with petitions and appeals to elected officials after an announcement that the state was considering consolidation of populations within the prison that the union felt would lead to a reduction in employees and possibly closure of the prison in the future.
Council 31 pressed the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and the governor’s office to reconsider while invoking the union’s right to bargain over the impact of the changes.
“This is the culmination of months of work,” said Eddie Caumiant, regional director of AFSCME Council 31 and the union liaison to IDOC.
IDOC’s statement insisted that closing Vandalia was not the intent of the consolidation and conversion review, but that the department was only seeking ways to more efficiently operate the facility as the prison population has declined under recent sentencing reforms in the criminal justice system. Vandalia’s population has dropped from 525 on June 1 to 458 this week, while in February it was as low as 301, according to IDOC.
“At this time we have decided to hold off on the consolidation/conversion at Vandalia,” read the statement from IDOC. “If it is decided in the future to revisit this plan, we will notify AFSCME Council 31 and continue discussions.”
That last part is key, according to Caumiant, as union leaders had made it clear to IDOC that they could not make unilateral changes in the workers’ jobs and working conditions without negotiating.
…Adding… The Pritzker administration insists that no layoffs were ever planned at Vandalia. IDOC was simply trying to move prisoners out of a very old section into a newer section to comply with a consent decree.
Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today to announce a $34.6 billion program to improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, and ports over the next six years. This funding represents a robust commitment to invest in people and communities backed by the historic Rebuild Illinois capital program.
“Since I signed our historic, bipartisan infrastructure program into law, Rebuild Illinois has undertaken a massive transformation of our state’s transportation systems,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And today, I am proud to announce IDOT’s new Multi-Year Program for the next six years — with $20 billion going towards transportation investments including 2,500 miles of roads and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck and $10 billion going towards our state’s rail and transit systems, airports, and ports. At its very core, Rebuild Illinois and this MYP are an investment in our future — one that leads to economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.”
Of the major elements in the program released today, $6.36 billion will go toward highway reconstruction and preservation, $6.4 billion for bridge improvements, $2.03 billion for strategic expansion, $2.48 billion for system support such as engineering and land acquisition, and $1.55 billion for safety and system modernizations.
For the first time, road projects that add capacity were evaluated by a new Data-Driven Decisions Tool supported by Gov. Pritzker for selecting critical projects to ensure greater equity and transparency in transportation planning and programming. The FY2023-28 Proposed Highway Improvement Program aims to improve 2,562 miles of roads and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck. Of the $24.6 billion over the six years of the highway portion of program, $3.7 billion is identified for the current fiscal year. Included in the program are scores of projects in each of IDOT’s nine highway districts.
Thanks to last year’s passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, IDOT increased the investment in Illinois roads and bridges in the six-year program by $4 billion, further advancing Gov. Pritzker’s goals to create economic opportunity and jobs, promote quality of life, and improve safety on both state and local transportation systems throughout Illinois. The 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan’s framework and investments ideally positioned Illinois, the country’s transportation hub, to take advantage of the increased federal commitment and leverage additional funding which will help rebuild the state’s infrastructure more quickly and efficiently. The new federal transportation package is expected to contribute almost $16 billion across all modes of Illinois transportation, with the state eligible to compete for billions more in discretionary programs.
In addition to the six-year program for roads and bridges, Gov. Pritzker also released the FY2023-28 Proposed Multimodal Multi-Year Improvement Program further demonstrating the commitment through Rebuild Illinois to build connections across the modes of transportation and strengthen the state’s entire transportation network, resulting in even more economic activity and job creation. The program identifies a combined federal, state, and local investment of $6.5 billion for transit, $2.5 billion for passenger and freight rail, $817 million for aviation, and $150 million for ports. […]
Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing a total $33.2 billion into the state’s transportation system over six years, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first plan that touches all modes of Illinois transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
Entering year four of Rebuild Illinois, IDOT has made approximately $8.6 billion in improvements statewide on 4,422 miles of highway, 412 bridges, and 621 additional safety improvements.
…Adding… Maybe IDOT could start addressing these mounting complaints…
Another sickening tragedy on an IDOT roadway in Chicago. The department urgently needs to either change its design rules to create more pedestrian protections, or just relinquish control of these roads completely. Current policy is a blatant failure. https://t.co/BW7oewuV29
