John Keller, the chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, has abruptly resigned “for personal reasons,” according to a memo sent out late by Preckwinkle. The short, foreboding announcement offered no praise or congratulatory farewell to Keller, who had been in the powerful supervisory position since January 2017. Keller oversaw the work of all the offices under Preckwinkle. He also served as a liaison of sorts with elected city, county and state officials. When he was hired, Preckwinkle lavished praise, saying, “I have known John for more than a decade and his breadth of experience equips him well for the chief of staff role. He has a demonstrated ability to work well across the county’s vast landscape of responsibilities.” Deputy Chief of Staff Lanetta Haynes Turner replaces Keller in the interim. His departure comes as Preckwinkle makes plans to announce she’ll run for mayor. That’s supposed to take place Thursday in Hyde Park.
Shia was right to be suspicious. I mean, Preckwinkle’s chief of staff quietly resigns the week she will announce for mayor and he’s not moving over to the campaign, even though he’s been one of Preckwinkle’s go-to campaign guys for years? Odd, to say the least. Stuff like that just doesn’t happen. The rumor mill was blazing hot all day.
* And now we get the explanation via press release…
As President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and as a woman, it is important to me to foster a workplace that is respectful, where all people are treated with dignity. I have always had zero tolerance for inappropriate and disrespectful behavior. On Friday, I became aware of an allegation that my Chief of Staff, John Keller, had engaged in inappropriate behavior on his personal time. The allegation was corroborated. I confronted Mr. Keller; he did not deny the allegation. Yesterday, I demanded and received his immediate resignation.
She shoulda just come clean.
…Adding… I probably don’t have to say this, but anyone who tries to out the victim in comments will be banished for life. Don’t try.
…Adding… Press release…
Toni Preckwinkle to Make Announcement Regarding Mayoral Race
WHAT: Toni Preckwinkle will be holding a press conference to announce her decision regarding the mayoral race.
WHEN: Thursday, September 20 at 3:00 pm
WHERE: Chicago Lake Shore Hotel at 4900 South Lake Shore Drive
“Why did Preckwinkle wait this long to take action?” asked a top Dem political source.
Sneed is told the allegation stemmed from Keller’s time working for the campaign of Marie Newman, who lost a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., in the March Democratic primary.
The rumors of Keller’s behavior, which involved a woman working on Newman’s campaign, had been floating since then, according to another Dem source.
Joint Statement from state Reps. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and Dan Brady (R-Bloomington):
“After being briefed by the independent investigators on the credible harassment allegations regarding Representative Long, the House Republican Leadership team stands unified with Leader Durkin’s actions and encourages Representative Long to resign immediately.”
Please note due to Rep. Norine Hammond’s position on the Legislative Ethics Commission, she has refrained from participating in this joint statement.
…Adding… Aside from Demmer, Brady and Hammond, the HGOP leadership team includes Reps. Grant Wehrli, Mike McAuliffe, Bill Mitchell, David Reis, Mike Unes and Keith Wheeler.
* Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Long shared this post on his Facebook page…
This should be the new cover photo for the ILGOP and The HRO
After the phony sexual harrassment allegations about Jerry Long.
Jim Durkin head of the Elite Establishment HRO. Lied when he put out a press release.
To undermine Jerry Long campaign,
because Jerry Long would not bend to their liberal demands.
The HRO has no credibility. They are the same ones who told Jacob Bramel to drop out if the race 3 years ago.
You can click here and scroll down to see the photo if you want.
* So, I reached out to Reps. Jeanne Ives, Grant Wehrli, Dave McSweeny, Allen Skillicorn, Mark Batinick, Peter Breen and Tom Morrison via text and/or e-mail with this question…
Jerry Long has a post on his Facebook page about how he “would not bend” to the “liberal demands” of the House Republican leadership and resign. As a conservative House member, do you believe that Rep. Long should resign and/or drop out of his reelection bid?
* Their answers in the order in which they were received (an ellipsis indicates two separate messages)…
Rep. Batinick: Both.
Rep. Wehrli: Yes.
Rep. Skillicorn: On one hand I trust Durkin did his due diligence with the 3rd party investigation. On the other only Jerry and the accuser know what really happened. … If he did it, yes.
Rep. McSweeney: Resign! … And drop out to be clear.
Rep. Breen: Yes, Rep. Long should resign & drop out.
I’ll update if Ives (who advocated for two women in their #metoo claims against Democrats) and Morrison respond.
“After the allegations against Rep. Long were reported last Thursday, I reached out to Rep. Long Friday morning. He told me he couldn’t discuss them and instead, he would have his lawyer call me. After four days, that never occurred, and that still hasn’t occurred. Rep. Long’s own caucus conducted a third party investigation and determined by that investigation that his behavior warranted his resignation. I made my statement. This isn’t about me.”
- State Sen. Sue Rezin.
Long said he will speak with only the Ottawa paper about the harassment charges lodged against him. He claims he can provide “the truth.”
Perhaps no coincidence that the other local reporter he won’t speak to is a female?
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Tom Morrison just called. “All I know about this situation is what I’ve read on your blog,” he said. “I really want to reserve comment until I see an official report.” He said while the leaders have seen the report, he hasn’t. “I’ve asked when that report will come out and I was told ‘later.’ It’s just not appropriate for me to comment until I’ve seen what others have seen.”
The GOPers tied their call for resignation to accusations of Speaker Madigan allowing a culture of corruption, abuse of power, bullying and sexual harassment as well as discrimination among his House members and staff.
Rep. Ives, of course, appeared at a press conference with Rep. Lou Lang’s accuser. Lang was later cleared by the Inspector General.
* Tina Sfondeles on the Sun-Times editorial board meeting with the AG candidates…
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, the Democratic candidate for Illinois Attorney General, on Tuesday tried to paint his Republican challenger as an inexperienced litigator with shifty views on same-sex marriage and adoption — while Erika Harold offered rebukes of the Democrat’s accusations and vowed not to use the post to “punish political opponents.” […]
Both Raoul and Harold took issue with their opponent’s critical ads on constant rotation on TV right now. Raoul has run three ads which claim Harold said at age 19 that she’d prefer a child be placed in a foster home with abusive straight parents over being placed in a home with a “loving gay couple.” The comments were allegedly made during a closed-door interview with Harold, who was a Miss Illinois contestant, according to a story on NBC5 that cited three unnamed sources.
Harold’s campaign initially said she did not recall making those comments and says she now supports same-sex couples being able to adopt and being able to be foster parents. She noted the ads had been rated “false” by Politifact. […]
For his part, Raoul accused Harold of changing her mind on same-sex marriage in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding marriage equality. […]
Sun-Times Editorial Board editor Tom McNamee asked Harold if her views about same-sex marriage and adoption would change should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn marriage equality.
“Of course not,” Harold said.
…Adding…. She kinda gave a different answer to WGN TV…
After the debate, Harold said same-sex marriage is the “law of the land,” and she wouldn’t do anything to undo it, but didn’t comment on her personal feelings on the matter.
In a Harold ad, she calls the real estate tax system a “scheme” and alleges “Mike Madigan and Kwame Raoul team up to raise property taxes.” It’s a reference to a bill Raoul and Madigan co-sponsored that originally contained language allowing the City Council to up its levy for pensions as part of a comprehensive deal with unions. The tax hike language was ultimately struck from the final bill. […]
“I stand by the fact that Sen. Raoul, instead of actually trying to do something to change that system, (serving as) the chief co-sponsor with Madigan, that would have only exacerbated this problem,” she said.
Raoul countered that the legislation offered the “tools” to help the city with its pension burden.
“I’ve never worked on a property tax appeals case in my life. I’ve never been at a firm that did any such work. But the insinuation in these commercials is that I’d engaged in that type of activity,” he said.
Both candidates stood by their ads, and there was no indication they won’t keep running them, which just points out the nature of political ads and what we can expect this political season.
My view: I think there are significant flaws with Politifact’s ratings on both ads in question (in one case they ignored the actual history of the property tax bill and in the other case they took a dispute over an opinion and turned it into hard facts). However, since both candidates have publicly touted Politifact’s false ratings of their opponents’ ads, they ought to both abide by the ruling and pull them. Either that, or stop playing that game.
Today, the Rauner campaign is launching a new ad featuring Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti titled “Spring Chicken.”
In the ad, the Lt. Governor says that she was only three months old when Mike Madigan was sworn into power, and she’s no “spring chicken.” It’s why Governor Rauner is the right choice in November, because he is the only person who has stood up to the culture of corruption that Mike Madigan has cultivated for decades, and he will continue to work for reform throughout his second term.
Lt. Governor Sanguinetti: “When Mike Madigan was sworn into power, I was three months old. I am no spring chicken, but this has been a lot of time for him to drive the state down. And now, he has JB Pritzker who he’s annointed. Bruce Rauner has been the only one to stand up to Mike Madigan, to stand up to the status quo, and that’s why this election is so important. It’s about our families and keeping our families here.”
…Adding… Two people have sent me this screenshot this morning. Notice the typos…
In the closing weeks of his re-election bid, Republican U.S. Rep Peter Roskam is trying to connect his opponent Sean Casten to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, calling his Democratic challenger a tax-happy “Madigan puppet.”
Casten wants to unseat Roskam from Congress, in Washington, D.C., not the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, where Madigan is widely considered the most powerful figure. Nevertheless, Roskam is invoking Madigan in speeches and TV ads, a tactic that aligns with Gov. Bruce Rauner and state-level Republicans as they attempt to position themselves as a counterweight to the Southwest Side Democrat and “the Chicago machine.”
“Do we really want Mike Madigan and his team to do a clean sweep in the suburbs?” Roskam asked the crowd Sunday at a rally for Kane County Republicans in Geneva. “And the answer is, of course, ‘No.’ And so we’ve got an opportunity between now and Election Day to over-perform and to bring through this great economic truth: that is we want things that grow. We want an economy where people can participate actively. And it is those things that are at stake.” […]
The anti-Madigan strategy is so pervasive in Illinois Republican politics that it is being carried out in another hot congressional race more than 300 miles away in the state’s most southern district. There, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost just started airing a TV ad in his race against Democratic challenger Brendan Kelly, tying him to both Madigan and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi using just one sentence.
When I served in the Navy, I learned it’s not just about service – it’s about who you serve. My opponent, Mike Bost, has been an Illinois politician for almost 35 years, he even voted to raise his own pay. He’s taken thousands of campaign contributions from Big Banks, Big Pharma, and Bruce Rauner. Then he handed them a corrupt tax giveaway — threatening Medicare and Social Security. I’m Brendan Kelly, and I approve this message, because I will only serve Southern Illinois. Not party leaders and not Big Pharma.
You don’t see this a lot, even with Rauner’s low poll numbers.
*** UPDATE *** Check out this Paul Ryan super PAC ad…
Today, Governor Rauner was endorsed by the state’s four most prominent business groups that support his goal of reducing the tax and regulatory burden to grow the Illinois economy. He released the following statement following endorsements by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Associated Builders and Contractors, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and Illinois Manufacturers Association.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive endorsements from the NFIB, ABC, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and IMA. I am committed to making Illinois the best state in the country to start and grow a business. We will continue working every day to grow the Illinois economy by reducing the tax and regulatory burden on our businesses to create more good-paying jobs.” - Governor Bruce Rauner
ABC President Alicia Martin released the following statement:
“ABC endorsed Bruce Rauner for Governor in the fall of 2013. We did so because we firmly believed Governor Bruce Rauner would make a positive impact on the economic well-being of ABC members and the construction industry. Given the accomplishments of Governor Rauner over the past almost four years, we were right to endorse him then and we are right to endorse him for another four-year term.”
NFIB State Director Mark Grant released the following statement:
“Governor Rauner is the clear choice for Illinois’ small businesses.
“When he took office nearly four years ago, Illinois small businesses were struggling to keep their heads above water and to compete with business in the region. Today, they are firing on all cylinders, hiring more workers, paying higher wages and growing their businesses. They know that Governor Rauner and his economic and government reform agenda is a major reason why.
“…Despite well-funded and entrenched opposition, Governor Rauner has never backed down. He remains deeply committed to policies and legislation that will help attract and keep jobs in the state.
“On behalf of our dues-paying members throughout Illinois, I’m proud to announce the NFIB Illinois PAC’s endorsement of Bruce Rauner for a second term as governor.”
Greg Baise, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, release the following statement:
“The IMA endorsed Bruce Rauner four years ago because Illinois could not afford a Governor who created a hostile business climate with more spending and higher taxes. Four years later, voters in this state could not have a sharper contrast between the two candidates for Governor. JB Pritzker supports raising taxes and spending taxpayer money without accountability as far as the eye can see. The choice is clear as Bruce Rauner is the only candidate that will protect your pocketbook and that’s why manufacturers across this state are endorsing him for Governor today.”
Rick Delawder, President of SWD, Inc. and Chairman of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association released the following statement:
“The business community needs a Governor who understands the challenges facing employers and taxpayers every day. As a family owned manufacturing business, we’ve seen some tough times in this state due to policies that make it difficult for us and our customers to compete and grow our businesses. Higher taxes, higher spending and more regulations do not create jobs or result in higher wages and greater investment. JB Pritzker’s tax and spend solutions are something we cannot afford and that’s why we are endorsing Bruce Rauner for Governor.”
Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement:
“Governor Rauner has consistently stood up for businesses here in Illinois. The governor has been a champion for reducing the tax and regulatory burden that is holding back economic growth, and we at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce are proud to stand behind his message for cutting taxes and creating jobs for hardworking Illinois families”
* Pritzker campaign…
While Bruce Rauner makes an announcement with business groups this morning, a quick look at his record shows how he’s failed the same business community he claims to care about.
Here’s how Rauner failed businesses and drove Illinois off a fiscal cliff:
JOB GROWTH: Illinois’ unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, and “by Rauner’s own standards, he’s a bigger failure than his predecessor” on job growth. New jobs totaled 209,000 during Rauner’s first 42 months as governor, less than the 241,500 jobs created in the 42 previous months.
BILL BACKLOG: Rauner tripled the state’s bill backlog to a record $16 billion at the height of his budget crisis. And he racked up over $1 billion in late payment fees during his budget crisis — which is more than the last 18 years combined.
JUNK STATUS: “Governor Junk” dragged Illinois’ bond rating to one notch above junk status, the lowest ever for any state in the country. In just three years, state bonds were downgraded eight times and five state universities were downgraded to junk status.
SMALL BUSINESS: Rauner’s budget crisis forced a quarter of Small Business Development Centers to close, and state contracts for minority business owners dropped by 22%.
MANUFACTURING: Eleven months ago, the failed governor zeroed out a $1.4 million grant to the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association for job training, which earned him headlines like “Rauner eliminates manufacturing program during Manufacturing Month.”
“Bruce Rauner created unprecedented instability for businesses as governor, harming hardworking Illinois families and business owners across the state,” said JB Pritzker. “Rauner’s two-year budget crisis devastated the economy, and it will take years to recover. While Rauner, by his own measure, has been a ‘miserable failure on jobs,’ I have a record of creating thousands of good-paying jobs and helping transform our state into one of the world’s top tech hubs. I look forward to bringing my record of job creation to Springfield and putting our state back on the side of working families.”
*** UPDATE *** Greg Baise at the IMA…
“JB’s claim is false. Because Gov. Rauner recognized the importance of addressing the critical job training needs of the state’s manufacturing sector, the final budget did ultimately include the workforce development grant. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle again included it in this year’s budget. While the Pritzker campaign is quick to respond with their canned messages, their continued silence over how much they plan to tax working families and Illinois businesses and how they will pay for almost $11 billion in new spending has been deafening,” said Greg Baise, president and CEO, IMA.
The cut was indeed on the list of what the governor’s office wanted to slash after a budget was passed over Rauner’s veto, but the IMA says it was restored and then put into the budget this year as well.
HOST: Speaking of relationships Diana Rauner, do you think your husband will reach out to Jeannie Ives? We’re actually doing an event with her on Wednesday to try to get her into the fold to help him and perhaps battle Pritzker this November.
DIANA RAUNER: Yeah, I’m sure, I know they’ve certainly, he has certainly tried to reach out to her. I’m sure. The goal here really is I think everyone;s just gotta think about what is - what do we want for the future of our state? And do we want to keep moving forward on a path of reform, of change? You know this has been a really tough road to hoe and all of you guys know that beginning of change is the hardest and the most disruptive time.
Gov. Rauner was on the program the other day and was asked what he’d like to say to Rep. Ives. He said something about how he’d like to thank her for her service both in the military and in the General Assembly. Then he said: “And thank you for saying publicly that you’ll vote for me in this election.”
Well you know, I find them somewhat hollow — ‘thank you for your service in the General Assembly’ — because time and time again I went to his administration with great advice, and it was just a bunch of 30-something smart alec kids that run his agencies, basically thought they knew better than people like me who had served at the local level and have been there for a while. So I mean that’s a little hollow, quite frankly.
And as far as Diana goes, really, she’s the one who has created some of the disaster that we’ve seen with Rauner’s administration. She’s the one advising them. And remember, this is a guy who said ‘I’m not in charge,’ and you know who is in charge in that family and it’s Diana.
The La Salle County Republican Party has not made up its mind on whether it will support state Rep. Jerry Long’s bid for re-election after harassment allegations were lodged against him.
Party chairman Don Jensen said the county GOP is looking into the facts of the case before it makes a decision. He is unsure of a timetable when a decision may be made.
Last week, the Illinois House Republican Organization and Illinois Republican Party both pulled their support, including finances, from Long’s campaign after the HRO said it conducted a third-party investigation into an anonymous complaint. They also asked him to resign.
Long has said he is staying in the race, saying he has done nothing to warrant his resignation.
This was not an “anonymous complaint.”
The House Republicans know the person who complained because the person approached them. They also know the surrounding facts and the context. The complainant asked to remain anonymous and that should be respected, even though Long tried to out the person in a press release.
…Adding… Glad to hear it…
Rich Miller @capitolfax makes a good point on the use of "anonymous" in our report, we have edited online and will make this change for future print. https://t.co/rMS6npqlDd
And as far as Chairman Jensen goes, the House GOP doesn’t pull out of Tier One races over nothing. They spent over a million dollars on the guy in the last month of the 2016 election. That’s an investment you don’t lightly abandon.
In the wake of an allegation last week of harassment of a person associated with the House Republican Office, another Republican today joined the call for state Rep. Jerry Long (R-Streator) to resign.
“In light of the House Republicans recommending Rep. Long step down from his position as State Representative after a third party firm was hired to investigate Rep. Long’s behavior, I too am calling for Rep. Long to resign. Harassment has no place in our society,” said state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) in a statement provided to the NewsTribune on Monday afternoon.
