* Leslie Munger defends Gov. Rauner’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act, which is supported by Comptroller Mendoza and would require monthly reports from all state agencies about how many vouchers they were sitting on…
As Gov. Bruce Rauner noted in his veto of the bill, the desire to provide more transparency about the state of our finances is a good one. As the former state comptroller, I kept a running estimate of vouchers in agencies though frequent phone calls so we could plan for payments and manage available cash.
OK, but what happens when the governor doesn’t want to get along with the comptroller? This is what happens…
To give you an idea of how ridiculous this process is, the state’s bill backlog unexpectedly grew by $1 billion one day in May when the governor’s Office of Management & Budget abruptly revealed the unpaid invoices.
Vouchers come into the state agencies continually. Paper reports are out of date almost as soon as they are issued. Our agencies are already burdened by the state’s decades-old methods for processing budgets, invoices and fund transfers, and an antiquated technology infrastructure. This has resulted in dysfunctional, unclear and paper-based systems that require manual entry of payment vouchers because our system cannot accept vouchers via email.
Any report on unpaid bills will be out of date as soon as it’s issued.
There is a better solution. In 2015, the state purchased the software for a new statewide enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The system, once implemented, will allow vouchers to be submitted electronically, eliminating the need for manual data entry and saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Importantly, once a voucher is entered into the system it is transparent throughout the entire process. Everyone — including the comptroller — will have visibility to all the bills held at all agencies with a click on the computer. No need for additional staff to comply with the reporting requirements. No need for burdensome monthly paperwork. Real-time data. Faster. Cheaper. Better.
Rather than doubling down on our antiquated inefficient paper-based system, Comptroller Susana Mendoza should reinstate the funding for the implementation of the ERP system and be the strong advocate for improving the accuracy, efficiency and transparency of the financial transactions in the state.
…Adding… From comments…
This is total nonsense. Just because an agency has an invoice doesn’t mean they create a voucher right away. If someone is sitting on invoices without creating a voucher the Comptroller has no idea what’s out there & that’s true even if ERP were 100% live today.
* If any of the 263 State’s legacy accounting systems have been retired through the ERP, our Office has not been notified. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2019.
* The ERP pilot agencies have encountered so many errors that requests for change orders will require an estimated 15,000 hours, according to information shared by program administrators with the program oversight group.
* Officials from the Rauner Administration report that $63 million, or one-quarter, of the ERP budget has been spent.
* Related…
* Mendoza: Taxpayers deserve a better look at the state’s bills
Crosscheck is an interstate data-sharing program between 28 states. Participating states send their entire voter file to a server in Arkansas. Kansas then downloads all of this data, runs a rudimentary name matching algorithm, and then uploads the results back to Arkansas. We have the passwords to every step in this process.
We’ve posted documents obtained by Indivisible Chicago as a result of FOIA requests to Florida and Illinois. The “yellow paper” redactions are our redactions of usernames and passwords carelessly sent via email. We have redacted instead of posting publicly, as we take the sensitivity of this data more seriously than the Illinois, Arkansas, and Kansas election authorities.
The documents include:
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2011
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2013
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2014
Illinois State Board of Elections, full voter file encryption password, 2012
Illinois State Board of Elections, full voter file encryption password, 2014
Arkansas decides not to change passwords, 2011
ISBE username/password to Arkansas FTP server, 2016
ISBE username/password to Arkansas FTP server, 2017
Florida-Kansas matches; Florida provides Kansas SSN4
ISBE IT emails Kansas asking how Crosscheck works\basic security questions, 2017
For some background on how counter-productive and perhaps even dangerous Crosscheck is, click here.
* The documents appear to show the group was sent this info via FOIA…
ISBE Encryption Password - 2012
The password used by the Illinois State Board of Elections to encrypt over 8 million voter records in a file sent to Arkansas and Kansas state authorities.
ISBE Encryption Password - 2014
The password used by the Illinois State Board of Elections to encrypt over 8 million voter records in a file sent to Arkansas and Kansas state authorities. NOTE: This is the same password as 2012, only it ends with “2014″ instead of “2012″.
FTP Server Credentials - 2016
Both the username and password, in a single email, which allows Illinois to login to the FTP server in Arkansas which houses over 100 million voter records across 28 states. The server connection is not encrypted, meaning this username/password is not only sitting in email but is transmitted across the internet in plain text.
FTP Server Credentials - 2017
Same as the image above. Exactly the same. How many years states have gone without ever changing their passwords to access such sensitive systems is unknown.
* I reached out to Steve Sandvoss, the executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections. He said they did attempt to redact all user ID info, login IDs and passwords, but four of them got through. “They should’ve been redacted but they weren’t,” Sandvoss admitted.
But, Sandvoss said, all the login info and passwords are “obsolete” with the exception of the one for 2017. “It’s possible that it is active,” he said, but “the file is empty” because te people who run Cross Check in Kansas are required to immediately delete the information.
And even if it wasn’t empty, Sandvoss said, the file itself is encrypted so you’d need an encryption key to access it and Indivisible Chicago doesn’t have that. And the file can only be accessed remotely via a specific IP address. Without that, you can’t get in.
“At first glance, it looks bad,” Sandvoss admitted. But when you peel the layers back, “We don’t feel that the information they have poses a risk to voter data.”
* But there is an upside for Indivisible Chicago, which has been working to get Illinois out of Crosscheck for a while now. Sandvoss said Florida FOIA laws are “pretty liberal.” A lot of information can legally be requested in that state, which brings up a “legitimate security concern” about remaining in the program. Sandvoss said he thought the full board would take a hard look at that issue when they meet in November to decide whether the state will remain in the program.
…Adding… From Sandvoss…
Hi Rich,
Just an update; the FTP login ID and password contained in the January 19, 2017 e-mail have been changed, therefore the ones that were released are no longer valid.
Now Dynegy, which owns eight coal-fired power plants in central and southern Illinois, wants the Illinois Pollution Control Board to scrap the limits on the rate of pollution each of its plants can emit. Dynegy, which also is reportedly seeking rate increases in the Legislature, proposes instead that existing annual caps apply to its plants as a group, which would allow it to give its dirtier plants more leeway to belch out soot and other pollutants that cause smog and acid rain.
The proposal comes as Dynegy faces a deadline that Ameren, which previously owned the plants, agreed to in 2006 to reduce air pollution.
In a classic example of the problems with revolving-door government, Dynegy has worked with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency — a former lobbyist for a trade association that represents Dynegy — to draw up the plan. According to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office, the revised pollution cap would provide a financial incentive for Dynegy to actually increase pollution if it chose.
For a hearing on Thursday, Dynegy is on the agenda with a request for the Illinois Pollution Control Board to rush through the decision-making process. But there is no need to rush. This is a matter that demands full input and careful consideration. Illinois does not face any shortage of power generation capacity.
Environmental experts who analyzed documents obtained under the FOIA request and publicly available emissions and generation data said that it appears Dynegy is comfortably able to meet both the current and proposed new limits with its current generation mix. But they suggest Dynegy might not be able to meet the existing average rate of emissions limit if Coffeen or other plants with scrubbers were to close.
“Coffeen has a big very effective scrubber that makes it the cleanest plant in their operations and probably one of the cleanest in the country, but it has all this extra cost” to run, said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association.
“Right now because of the way the rule is set up, every time they run a dirty plant to make money, they have to run the clean plant to make sure the rate evens out. If the rule were changed to allow [the annual tonnage] cap, they could just ditch Coffeen.”
“Just because Dynegy has decided to shut down some of its uneconomic coal plants, doesn’t give it a hall pass to not clean up its older coal plants,” added Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
*** UPDATE *** Hmm…
IPCB DENIES #Dynegy request for expedited rulemaking! This proposal was done behind closed doors and would only allow for more pollution, harming our environment and anyone who likes to breathe. #twill@capitolfax
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.0 percent in September and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -10,800 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. August job growth was revised up to show a smaller decline (-2,600 jobs) than initially reported (-3,700 jobs).
September’s monthly payroll drop kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. While Illinois job growth has had its ups and downs since the beginning of the year, the 3-month trend shows average declines of -4,200 jobs per month from July to September, while the six-month trend shows a -400 per month average job loss from April to September. Both the 3-month and the 6-month changes are worse than reported last month.
“The Illinois economy continues to sputter.” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Moving one step forward and one step backward, as we have done this past number of months, does little to build the positive jobs momentum that most other states have built during this recovery.”
“Illinois stands apart in terms of the assets and opportunities we have to offer business across industries,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must continue to market our exceptional assets while implementing reforms that boost our economy and make us competitive on a national stage.”
In September, the two industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Financial Activities (+3,600) and Manufacturing (+1,100). The three industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-4,200); Education and Health Services (-3,400); and Leisure and Hospitality (-3,300).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +3,700 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in September: Financial Activities (+12,000); Education and Health Services (+9,600); and Professional and Business Services (+8,000). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-10,700); Government (-7,100); and Construction (-5,800). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.1 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.2 percent over-the-year gain in September.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.8 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September 2017, which decreased to 4.2 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.8 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 5.0 percent, the Illinois jobless rate is -0.7 percentage points lower than January 2017.
The number of unemployed workers dipped -0.4 percent from the prior month to 321,700, down -14.5 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force remained about unchanged over-the-month and declined by -1.3 percent in September over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Some positive spin from DCEO Director Sean McCarthy…
“This administration is working hard to change the course of the decline in non-farm payrolls. While the numbers were down overall, we made gains in very important sectors including Financial Activities; Education and Health Services; and Professional and Business Services. This morning’s announcement of the launch of Discovery Partners Institute, coupled with our efforts to land Amazon HQ2, show our commitment to increasing opportunities that will attract and keep workers in Illinois.”
Um, Education and Health Services was down last month, although it was up for the year.
Either way, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen positive spin on an employment report from this administration.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Do you get the feeling that today’s supplemental statement from McCarthy (after all, he was already in the original press release) had something to do with not allowing this bad news to overshadow today’s big Discovery Partners Institute press conference? Here are his statements going back to April…
APRIL
“Our state has the potential to be the most competitive in the nation,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “To expand opportunities and good paying jobs, we need to make common sense reforms that will give businesses the confidence to grow and thrive in Illinois.”
MAY
“We continue to see sluggish growth in our economy due to the inability of the legislature to institute common-sense structural changes that would encourage investment in our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “If we create a business-friendly environment, we will see greater opportunities and more good paying jobs in every community.”
JUNE
“We hear from companies every week that are concerned by the current business climate in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We need to implement common sense reforms that would lead to booming job growth and expansion of opportunities across our state.”
JULY
“A competitive economy is crucial to creating jobs and opportunities for Illinoisans in every corner of the state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must institute true reforms that will help businesses expand and thrive here.”
AUGUST
“The modest gains in Illinois continue to lag behind the rest of the nation,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We need reforms to provide business owners relief and incentives to make our state not only competitive, but attractive to bring good jobs back to Illinois.”
SEPTEMBER
“Illinois is working tirelessly to highlight our strongest assets – our strategic location and dedicated workforce – to bring more opportunity, competition and good paying jobs to our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We need to couple that with lasting reforms and incentives to attract businesses and quality jobs in Illinois.”
OCTOBER
“Illinois stands apart in terms of the assets and opportunities we have to offer business across industries,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must continue to market our exceptional assets while implementing reforms that boost our economy and make us competitive on a national stage.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Daniel Biss released the following statement in response to the latest Illinois Department of Employment Security report stating that Illinois lost 10,800 jobs last month.
“Bruce Rauner doesn’t seem to understand that strong businesses rely on strong communities. When you decimate social services, perpetuate a broken tax system, and refuse to pass a budget, people suffer—and businesses do too. Building a state that works for business starts with building a state that works for the rest of us, not just the millionaires and billionaires.”
Last week, Rauner said he planned to use proceeds from the sale of the Thompson Center to help finance the institute. Rauner has said unloading the 1.2 million-square-foot building would fetch $300 million, though the state would have to pay around $60 million off the top to buy out the leases of the current tenants.
Rauner also said that though he was seeking some public funding for the initial stages of the work, over time he expected the institute to be primarily funded through private dollars.
Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said Tuesday that legislative leaders were in talks about the institute but denied there had been any such accord, “in part because there was sort of a lack of detail about exactly how the state funds might be utilized.” Brown also said the Thompson Center profits are incorporated into this year’s state budget, comprising a large chunk of new revenues.
“The money has been accounted for in the current state budget, and there is no agreement, verbal or otherwise, to support state funding for this institute,” Brown said.
That pool of money isn’t exactly earmarked for the state budget either. The bill allowing the sale of the Thompson Center has been hung up in political wrangling and has yet to be sent to the governor’s desk.
“There’s no way to say that from Madigan’s point of view whether we’re on board or not on board because we don’t know what we’re getting on board for,” Brown said of the potential for the state to have to pitch in for the center.
*** UPDATE *** From Steve Brown in comments…
When called by the Tribune, I was told the governor said he had a verbal agreement from the legislative leaders to shift the proceeds from the JRTC sale to this project. I advised the reporter the JRTC funds were committed to the budget and there was no agreement by the Speaker in no small part because there were few details provided to the leaders.
Tribbies robbed readers of these facts.
Seems all hands need more details before there can be an agreement.
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said he had heard about the project last week and on Friday called Rauner, who told him that components of the project will help downstate cities such as Champaign-Urbana, Peoria and Rockford.
But he said he still hasn’t heard many details.
“I’m going to reserve judgment until I see what it is,” Rose said.
Illinois is out of the running for a prized 4,000-job assembly plant that Japanese auto makers Toyota and Mazda are planning to open in the United States.
The apparent reasons: lack of shovel-ready sites and the state’s failure to adopt a right-to-work law.
Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Intersect Illinois, the state’s privately run economic development corporation, said in an interview and email that while no formal announcement has been made, his sources tell him Illinois is not among the three or four finalists for the $1.3 billion facility.
“While we showed very well, particularly in the areas of workforce, and our proposal was very well received, in the end the site readiness of some other locations took us out of the consideration set going forward,” Peterson said. […]
“Recently, we have seen very public searches taking place for HQ and manufacturing facilities,” Peterson said. “The challenges with these is that although they are public in their media exposure, they are still very protected and confidential when communicating exactly what factors weigh in on final decisions. That said, many national site consultants charged with making recommendations for corporate relocations and expansions will not even consider a state that is not a right-to-work state. In this case, the three states I am told are still in the running are all right-to-work states.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Greg Baise, president & CEO, IMA…
“When will Illinois lawmakers wake up and realize that their actions have real life consequences? For years, the IMA has pointed out that the state continues bleeding manufacturing jobs and losing opportunities for new plant expansions because of the high cost of doing business in Illinois while other states are gaining tens of thousands of jobs. The sad fact is that the General Assembly allowed the primary incentive program (EDGE) to expire during the time that the state’s bid was submitted. Illinois has many advantages including location, workforce, colleges and universities, infrastructure, and clean water but self-inflicted wounds are damaging our state’s economy.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Illinois Working Together…
Today, Intersect Illinois announced that Illinois is no longer in the running for the Toyota/Mazda plant expected to generate as many as 4,000 jobs. Illinois lost out despite the Rauner Administration taking the lead in recruiting the companies and Gov. Bruce Rauner himself traveling to Asia last month to pitch top executives. Illinois has lost more than 12,000 manufacturing jobs since Gov. Rauner took office.
“Today’s announcement is yet another example of the economic damage Gov. Bruce Rauner has inflicted upon Illinois,” said Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis. “Gov. Rauner has created widespread economic uncertainty that has caused long-lasting damage to Illinois’ business climate. While Gov. Rauner trashes’ Illinois economy, job growth has sputtered and our bill backlog has soared.
“Instead of blaming workers for his failure to recruit new businesses to the state, Gov. Rauner should invest in Illinois communities and work collaboratively to find new ways to bring new jobs to Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** DGA…
Today, Crain’s Chicago reported that Illinois will not be a contender for a new Toyota factory and, rather than take any responsibility, Governor Bruce Rauner’s team quickly pivoted to bashing the state. While running for governor, Rauner touted himself as a natural salesman due to his business background. Instead, Rich Miller wrote, Illinois voters got “two and a half solid years of Rauner running down his own state.”
Rauner’s Asia trip was supposed to be the return of Rauner the Recruiter with a new Toyota factory as the crown jewel. But after failing to land the big fish, Rauner’s team quickly returned to their normal messaging, blaming Illinois. The CEO of Intersect Illinois blamed labor laws for Rauner’s failure and even claimed that Illinois was never going to get the plant anyway. He did not mention Rauner’s two-year budget impasse which drove up debt, devastated higher education, and slowed the state’s economy.
At least Intersect Illinois got a good meal out of it.
“Over and over again Illinois voters hear how Bruce Rauner’s failures are not his fault,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Governor Rauner just refuses to accept any responsibility. Now, his team is bashing the state for their own failure in recruiting companies, something Rauner promised voters he would succeed at. Rauner can’t blame away the fact that Illinois’ economy is lagging behind the state’s neighbors and the nation, and his failed leadership is at fault.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) responded today to assertions that Illinois’ failure to adopt a right-to-work law factored into a manufacturer’s apparent decision not to site a factory here:
“When you have a governor who spends a significant portion of his time publicly bashing the state he is supposed to lead, it should come as no surprise that manufacturers would look elsewhere for a more stable home for their factories.
“Contrary to what Gov. Rauner and his administration would have people believe, labor unions are not to blame for all of Illinois’ problems. Two years of a devastating budget stalemate under the governor’s watch did nothing to improve the state’s economic outlook or its reputation in the corporate world.
“Turning Illinois into a right-to-work state and lowering wages for our workers does not mean the state suddenly would become an attractive location for manufacturers. Many more factors are considered when companies make these decisions.
“Illinois will become a more attractive site for companies when its state budget is in order; when it can show a record of investing in universities, colleges and public schools; and when its governor stops bad-mouthing the state and its people.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner long has argued that one of the state’s best economic bets would be to somehow bridge the 140-mile gap that separates two of its strongest assets: the University of Illinois main campus in Urbana-Champaign and the city of Chicago. He thinks he’s got it figured out.
Joined by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen, Rauner plans to announce tomorrow morning a project called the Discovery Partners Institute, which would be built on a 62-acre site along the Chicago River south of Roosevelt Road that is being developed by Related Midwest. Related calls the site “78″ in reference to hopes of becoming the city’s 78th neighborhood. The property also has been floated as a possible site for Amazon’s second headquarters, which the city and state jointly are pursuing. […]
The institute would be funded initially by as much as $200 million in private donors lined up by the governor, according to people who’ve heard the pitch. Exactly what programs will be represented is unclear, but it likely would involve both the university’s flagship campus and the University of Illinois at Chicago and both research and instruction activities. In broad strokes, the idea is to get academics and companies to collaborate on “pushing the art of the possible,” said one executive who was pitched on the idea by Rauner. It’s part of a broader innovation corridor envisioned by the governor that has multiple “nodes.”
With the clock running out on Rauner’s first term, the announcement would allow him to show some momentum on the economic-development front (along with hopes of landing Amazon and a Toyota-Mazda assembly plant, which the state also is pursuing). The question will be whether he can deliver.
Already, the proposed project has become the subject of political battles.
Rauner said project leaders have secured numerous commitments for private funding, though the governor would not identify those donors or reveal how much they planned to contribute. The governor also identified a source of public funding for the project that faces several hurdles: the sale of the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop.
Last week, Rauner said that he planned to use proceeds from the sale of the Thompson Center to help finance the institute. Rauner has said unloading the 1.2 million-square-foot building would fetch $300 million, though the state would have to pay around $60 million off the top to buy out the leases of the current tenants.
Rauner also said that though he was seeking some public funding for the initial stages of the work, over time he expected the institute to be primarily funded through private dollars.
Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said Tuesday that legislative leaders were in talks about the institute but denied there had been any such accord, “in part because there was sort of a lack of detail about exactly how the state funds might be utilized.” Brown also said that the Thompson Center profits are incorporated into this year’s state budget, comprising a large chunk of new revenues.
The Democratic candidates for governor sought to sell themselves to primary voters at a Tuesday night forum in Aurora, but much of the focus was on a guy who wasn’t on the stage: veteran Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the Illinois Democratic Party.
State Sen. Daniel Biss and businessman Chris Kennedy ripped Madigan, saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker, who has received the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, declined to say whether it’s time for Madigan to go.
“He’s been around an awful long time,” said Pritzker, who suggested that putting in place term limits on legislative leaders is “an answer to that question.”
Pritzker said he and Madigan agree on some issues, but disagree on others, such as term limits and restrictions on the influence of politics when drawing legislative boundaries. […]
Biss contended Madigan’s grip has not only hurt Illinois but also prevented Democrats from pushing for progressive policies, saying it was “time for him to go.” Kennedy raised concerns about Madigan owning a property tax appeals law firm while also overseeing laws relating to property taxes, which are the primary source of education funding in Illinois.
Pritzker, who has had to fight off ties to Madigan, said there are issues he doesn’t agree with the speaker on. He said he favors independently drawn legislative maps and leadership term limits. He called himself an “independent progressive leader” and said that wouldn’t change should he win.
Pushed on whether the speaker has been around “too long,” Pritzker pointed to term limits as the answer to the question.
“There’s no chance I’m going to be working for the speaker,” Pritzker said.
“I don’t think that what Speaker Madigan is doing is illegal, I just think it should be,” Kennedy said. “He’s a state rep and he’s a property tax appeals lawyer. The problem with that is that it leads to us holding on to a system where we fund our schools through property taxes.”
Kennedy later added, “Mike Madigan makes money on a system that’s destroying our schools.”
Biss said Madigan has “been around too long” and is “too powerful.” He said he has supported term limits for legislative leaders, including proposing state constitutional amendments. However, Biss said Madigan is one person and is not the system.
“If we get too obsessed with just one person who has manipulated the system but did not create it, and then we don’t fix the system but just get rid of him, we’re going to be disappointed by how little changes,” Biss said.
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
Another day, another attempt from J.B. Pritzker to cover up his close ties to Speaker Mike Madigan.
Last night at an Aurora debate with the Democrat candidates for governor, the candidates were presented with a simple question: should Madigan stay in power. Even though Democrats Daniel Biss and Chris Kennedy have their own close ties to Madigan, they took the question as an opportunity to attack him, with both saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power.
When it came time for Pritzker to answer the same question, he balked, refusing to say whether Speaker Madigan has been around too long or if it’s time for him to leave state government, surprising no one, as Pritzker is running for governor with Madigan’s blessing.
From the Chicago Tribune’s story, Dem gov. debate: Kennedy, Biss bash Madigan; Pritzker won’t say if it’s time for speaker to go:
The Democratic candidates for governor sought to sell themselves to primary voters at a Tuesday night forum in Aurora, but much of the focus was on a guy who wasn’t on the stage: veteran Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the Illinois Democratic Party.
State Sen. Daniel Biss and businessman Chris Kennedy ripped Madigan, saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker, who has received the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, declined to say whether it’s time for Madigan to go.
Pritzker’s silent support of Madigan’s Speakership comes after he was asked about the same issue at a recent Chicago debate with the Democratic candidates for governor.
When asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan, Pritzker repeatedly dodged the question, fumbling over his inability to change the subject. His discomfort was so plain that after being challenged on the issue by moderator Mary Ann Ahern, Pritzker’s non-answers were met with laughter from the crowd of Democrat activists.
It’s clear - J.B. Pritzker is Mike Madigan’s candidate for governor and even other Democrats aren’t buying Pritzker’s spin.
Jesse Ruiz, a prominent attorney and community leader, announced Wednesday that he is running for Illinois Attorney General.
“I became an attorney so I could use the law to protect and defend others, and be able to step in when people need a champion,” Ruiz said in a video campaign announcement released Wednesday. “For too long, many of us have felt forgotten and let down by our government. As Attorney General, I will use all of the powers of the law as a shield – and if necessary, a sword – on behalf of everyone in Illinois.”
The son of Mexican immigrants, Ruiz has been a strong advocate for the rights of minorities throughout his legal career. He said that Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrant and minority rights motivated him to run for public office.
“Donald Trump launched his campaign by saying, ‘When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Ruiz recalled. “When I heard those words, I got angry. He was talking about my parents, and about the millions of hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding Mexican immigrants who came to this country to build new lives for themselves and their families. I feel that I would dishonor my parents if I failed to do everything I can to resist Trump and to put the law on the side of people who work hard and play by the rules.”
In his announcement video, Ruiz (52) talked about growing up in the working-class Roseland neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. “I learned so much – like the value of hard work and determination, and that if you have enough to eat, you have enough to share.”
Ruiz attended Marist High School, on Chicago’s Southwest Side – a commute that required taking three different CTA buses. To pay his way through college, Ruiz worked a number of different jobs, including stints as a sales clerk, a machine operator, a meter reader, and a handyman. “As I was growing up, my parents made sure I knew the value of hard work and determination,” Ruiz said. “The Attorney General’s job is to be the champion of hard-working people, and I will make sure everyone’s rights are protected – in the workplace and in the marketplace.”
After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in economics, Ruiz spent four years working in the steel industry before entering law school at the University of Chicago.
While in law school, Ruiz took a seminar class on racism and law taught by then-faculty member Barack Obama. Ruiz became one of Obama’s earliest political supporters, knocking on doors with Obama and hosting one of his first fundraisers in his race for the Illinois State Senate. Years later, he worked as a volunteer on Obama’s presidential campaigns.
“As a teacher, Barack Obama always encouraged students to challenge everything, to stand up for what they believed in,” Ruiz remembers. “His example is even more important today, when so many of our nation’s fundamental principles are under attack.”
Ruiz is a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath, a nationally renowned law firm, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He also serves as President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners.
A tireless volunteer, Ruiz is best known as an advocate for public education. He served over four years as Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education and in 2015 stepped in to become Interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest school district. In 2011, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed Ruiz to serve on the U.S. Department of Education Equity and Excellence Commission, a post he held for two years. Previously, Ruiz served nearly seven years as Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
As the head of ISBE, Ruiz took prompt action when a school district refused to enroll an undocumented student, in violation of federal law. In an unprecedented action, Ruiz led ISBE to cut off the school district’s state funding. The very next day, school district backed down.
“I want to serve as the people’s lawyer,” Ruiz said. “As Attorney General, I will work to bring the power of government back to the people of Illinois. I will fight back whenever our government goes too far – whether that means standing up against Donald Trump’s assaults on our civil rights or speaking out against Bruce Rauner’s radical agenda here in Illinois. Every day, I will work to make Illinois a better, safer place – for all of us.”
Ruiz and his wife, Michele Ilene Ruiz, met when they were both law students at University of Chicago. Ms. Ruiz is now a partner at Sidley & Austin. The couple live on the south side of Chicago with their two young sons.
*** UPDATE *** Republican Attorneys General Association…
“This race is clearly going to be a sprint to the left and Jesse Ruiz will lead the pack. Former President Barack Obama was Ruiz’s law professor in the mid 1990s, so Ruiz learned from the best how to circumvent the rule of law and impose crippling regulations on our hardworking job creators. Illinois needs a fighter, outside the political class, who will defend the rule of law and fight public corruption.”
Campaigning against Obama in his home state? That’ll work.
