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*** UPDATED x1 *** Cabonargi claims Harmon mistakenly listed as an endorser

Tuesday, Jan 14, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This press release caused quite a stir within the Senate Democratic caucus…

Progressive Leaders Endorse Michael Cabonargi for Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court
Progressives at multiple levels of government rally behind the only candidate with a vision to bring progressive reform to the Clerk’s office

Michael Cabonargi, candidate for Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, announced today that he received endorsements from an ever-growing list of progressive leaders who represent the people of Cook County at various levels of government, including the following:

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)
State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park)

Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) is also running for circuit court clerk. The Senate President election is this coming Sunday, so endorsing against Sen. Martinez wouldn’t have gone down too well in the caucus, no matter which side Martinez is on. Harmon has said he endorsed Sen. Dan Biss in the Democratic gubernatorial primary because Biss was a colleague and he endorses colleagues.

* Harmon’s people say he did not endorse Cabonargi, even though he has been a contributor over the years and passed petitions for him. Sen. Martinez told me Harmon also assured her this morning that he did not endorse Cabonargi.

* Cabonargi spokesperson Rebecca Evans…

Mike has appreciated the support and friendship of Don Harmon for a number of years, but his name was mistakenly listed on a large list of endorsements that was announced today. It’s since been corrected.

Odd.

…Adding… From an email sent by Democratic Party of Oak Park Committeeman Don Harmon (xxxxx@donharmon.org) in November of last year…

Hmm.

*** UPDATE *** Sen. Iris Martinez just called.

“I’m f—ing pissed,” Sen. Martinez said. “He lied to me early this morning,” she claimed of Harmon’s call to tell her that he hadn’t endorsed Cabonargi.

Martinez pointed to the home page of the Democratic Party of Oak Park that Harmon chairs. It lists the county party’s slate of candidates, which includes Cabonargi. I explained to Martinez that this was the county party list not the township party list, but she was unmoved.

“It doesn’t matter,” Martinez said. “I know the games that are being played behind the scenes.”

Martinez was furious when Speaker Madigan wouldn’t back her bid for countywide office and claimed that Harmon was making “a Madigan move, making sure that I’m not the endorsed candidate.”

“I’m just really disgusted right now about this,” she said, saying it was “typical of some of these committeemen.”

39 Comments

*** LIVE COVERAGE ***

Tuesday, Jan 14, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Follow along with ScribbleLive…

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*** UPDATED x1 - Director Kelly responds *** Question of the day

Monday, Jan 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Text message this morning from an Illinois Republican Party operative…

Wanted to pass along that the ISP director who is now assisting in investigation [of the McClain email] is also a recipient of McClain campaign contributions.

The attached screen shot…

Click the pic for a larger image, but it’s $350.

* Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady was the first to call for the ISP’s involvement in the investigation, so I reached out to Brady’s spokesperson. His response…

Leader Brady trusts the professionals at the Illinois State Police to conduct this investigation in a thorough manner.

* The Question: Should the state police director recuse himself from this probe? Make sure to explain your answer, please.

*** UPDATE *** From ISP Director Brendan Kelly…

Hey Rich,

The donation in question has been donated to the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

I have no personal or professional relationship with Michael McClain and until I read the news I didn’t know who he was.

As a State’s Attorney for eight years, I enforced the law and prosecuted both Democrat and Republican public officials alike- actually more Democrats- and did so because that’s what my oath required.

The professional investigators of the Illinois State Police will pursue violations of the public trust without regard to party or status.

As Director its my job to fight to make sure they have whatever they need to do their job, and that’s exactly what the outstanding men and women of the Illinois State Police will do.

I’m told he asked the general counsel’s office about this and was told that there’s not enough connection to McClain to reach the threshold for a recusal.

24 Comments

*** UPDATED x2 - Sullivan comments *** John Sullivan resigns

Monday, Jan 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney at WBEZ…

A top cabinet official in Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration tendered his resignation this weekend.

The departure of state Agriculture Secretary John Sullivan is apparent fallout from last week’s WBEZ report about a former lobbyist’s email that defended a state worker facing disciplinary accusations for having stayed silent about “the rape in Champaign.”

More to come.

…Adding… All-staff email from Jeremy Flynn, Chief of Staff…

Effective yesterday, Director Sullivan resigned his position leading the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Effective immediately, I will be serving as Acting Director for the Department.

The accomplishments over the last year are many and I know we will continue the mission of the Department. I appreciate everything you do to serve Illinois’ number one industry.

*** UPDATE 1 *** From the Pritzker administration…

Governor Pritzker sought and accepted Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan’s resignation this weekend. Director Sullivan had a long and productive public service career as a State Senator, and the Governor is grateful for his willingness to serve in the administration. Director Sullivan put together an outstanding team at the Department of Agriculture, and as a result, the Department’s work thrived.

However, the Governor holds all state employees to the highest ethical standards, and the Governor requested the Director’s resignation because he is disturbed that then-Senator Sullivan became aware of the existence of the July 31, 2012 email contemporaneously, and did not handle it appropriately, including not alerting the inspector general or other authorities.

The Governor’s general counsel has shared all of the information she learned from Director Sullivan with the Office of the Executive Inspector General and offered to share this information with all law enforcement agencies looking into this situation. The administration will continue to assist in the ongoing investigation.

Sullivan is from the Quincy area and represented Mike McClain’s hometown for years.

*** UPDATE 2 *** From former Director Sullivan…

This past weekend, Governor Pritzker’s General Counsel notified me that an August 2012 email from Mike McClain to Governor Quinn’s staff referenced my name as state senator and McClain’s advocacy on behalf of my constituent, Forrest Ashby.

That information led me to conduct a review of my own personal emails from that same period of time. My search discovered a forwarded copy of McClain’s July 31, 2012 email reported by WBEZ. I shared this information with Governor Pritzker’s General Counsel.

The summer of 2012 was a stressful time for me. I was in the middle of a state senate reelection campaign, as well as preparing for and undergoing cancer surgery in Baltimore, MD. I was already well aware of McClain’s efforts to keep me informed of his advocacy on behalf of Ashby, and l simply did not read the entire forwarded email.

Had I read the email thoroughly, my reaction would have been disgust and I would have immediately notified proper authorities. Nevertheless, the email was in my inbox and not reading the entire email led to my failure to immediately respond as I would have.

Bottom Line, I accept responsibility for what was truly an unintentional oversight and the subsequent inaction.

In light of these circumstances, Governor Pritzker asked for and I submitted my resignation as Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture effective immediately.

It has been an honor to serve Illinois and the agriculture industry. I cannot say enough about the outstanding and dedicated employees at the Illinois Department of Agriculture and all they accomplished this last year.

…Adding… ILGOP…

Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement in response to the revelation that Director of the Department of Agriculture, and former state senator, John Sullivan resigned because he knew about Mike McClain’s “rape in Champaign” email at the time and did nothing:

“If a random state legislator like John Sullivan knew about McClain’s email at the time, surely there were others who knew about it and also ‘kept their mouths shut.’ It defies belief that John Sullivan knew of the email and its contents, but Speaker Mike Madigan, a close confidant of the email’s author, knew nothing.

I get what they’re saying, but Sullivan was no “random” legislator. He was McClain’s Senator.

58 Comments

State warns vertically integrated cannabis companies about inventory limits

Monday, Jan 13, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We talked last week about vertically integrated cannabis companies with growing centers and retail outlets. A spokesperson for one such vertically integrated company claimed it had no product shortage problems at all while other retailers which didn’t also own growing centers were reporting shortages.

~~Well, yet another retailer with no growing license~~ [Nope. Thanks to commenters for pointing out that this retailer is also vertical] has announced a temporary closure…

HCI Alternatives in Springfield will suspend recreational cannabis sales for the day on Monday.

The dispensary at 628 E. Adams St. will remain open regular business hours Monday (9 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to serve medical cannabis patients.

It based its decision on the need to replenish recreational use inventory and allow staff to recharge.

HCI’s Collinsville dispensary is also suspending recreational sales Monday. Both dispensaries are expected to resume recreational use sales on Tuesday.

* The state has taken notice. From an email sent Friday by Bret Bender, the deputy director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Cannabis Control Section…

Dear Licensees,

The Department has become aware that some adult use dispensaries have inventory from a single cultivator center entity in excess of the 40% limit mandated by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“Act”). 410 ILCS 705/15-70(p)(5). The Department is currently investigating the scope and extent of these potential violations. In addition, it has been reported that many dispensaries are experiencing a shortage of cannabis products, including products for medical cannabis patients. The Department takes seriously the availability of product for medical patients and dispensaries are required by law to prioritize providing products to medical cannabis patients.

Dispensaries in violation of the 40% limit must immediately remedy the problem and come into full compliance with the Act. In addition, the Department expects dispensaries to immediately take affirmative steps to avoid future violations of this requirement.

Any dispensary that had or currently has inventory exceeding the 40% limit is in violation of the Act and may face potential non-disciplinary or disciplinary action by the Department. Prompt remediation of this violation will be considered a mitigating factor regarding any discipline the Department may impose for these violations. Future or continued violations will be viewed by the Department as avoidable and intentional, and dealt with accordingly.

I do not like vertical integration in that industry. This was wholly predictable, even with state limits.