In a radio ad airing on Chicago hip-hop station WGCI, Annette Nance-Holt, mother of slain Chicago Public Schools student Blair Holt, endorses Emanuel.
In May of 2007, a 16-year-old gang member opened fire on a CTA bus. Blair, also 16, dove in front of a classmate to shield her from the gunfire and was killed.
Annette Nance-Holt, a Chicago Fire Department captain, and the boy’s father Ronald Holt, a Chicago police officer, have been committed to stopping gun violence in Chicago’s communities since their son was slain.
“Soon, Chicago will choose a new mayor,” Nance-Holt says in the ad. “I want someone with a strong record of fighting crime and gun violence. As President Clinton’s point man on crime, Rahm Emanuel put 100,000 more police officers on the streets, including hundreds more here in Chicago.”
The ad also uses a quote from Barack Obama. Rate it…
* Emanuel is sticking closely to the script, letting his paid media do the talking and staying away from events that could get him off-message. He’s becoming the Bill Brady of Chicago…
Something’s missing from Chicago’s mayoral candidate forums: Rahm Emanuel.
On at least three nights next week — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — just about all of the major candidates for mayor, except the former White House chief of staff, have agreed to sit side-by-side at community forums and take questions from voters or panelists.
But Emanuel is taking a pass, as he has done with other forums this week and last.
“I don’t think he’ll do any of them,” Emanuel spokesman Ben Labolt said of next week’s forums. “He’s been speaking to voters directly where they live and work every day of the week.”
* But reporters did manage to get some news out of him yesterday when Emanuel held a press conference about boosting teacher training…
Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel would not commit to sending his children to public schools if elected Chicago mayor. Fellow candidate James Meeks wasn’t faulting him for that, but opponent Gery Chico talked about “leading by example.”
Emanuel said Tuesday what school his children attend was a decision his family would make. His comments came after he proposed increasing teacher training academies. He said he wasn’t saying he wouldn’t send his three children to Chicago Public Schools.
State Sen. James T. Meeks, who has made equitable school financing a hallmark of his political career, did not send his children to public schools. He sent his children, who are now adults, to parochial high schools.
“I don’t want a school system the mayor of Chicago is ashamed to send his own kids to,” Meeks said, while adding that he wouldn’t fault Emanuel for not doing so. “We should have quality schools everyone wants to send their kids to.”
Meeks has also been a major advocate of school vouchers, which would allow parents to send their children to private schools.
Mayoral contender Gery Chico attended Chicago public schools, and his children graduated from Northside College Prep and Von Steuben high schools. Northside was built during Chico’s tenure as school board president, and some critics accused him of pushing for the high-performing school near his home for personal reasons.
* Every time John Kass writes about Rahm Emanuel’s residency he claims he thinks Emanuel should be allowed on the ballot. Then he always adds a falsehood about the law or about history in an attempt to prove that Emanuel probably isn’t a Chicago resident or can’t legally prove he is entitled to ballot access. Kass claimed Emanuel couldn’t have possibly voted absentee because he’d been purged from the voter rolls - except that Emanuel wasn’t purged and all he had to do was sign an affidavit that came with his absentee ballot to legally vote. He claimed that Paul Vallas was kept from running for governor in 2006 because he was ruled a non-resident - without informing his readers that Vallas registered to vote in Philadelphia and had sold his Chicago home.
Right now, the story involves the residency drama. All that jabbering and shrieking this week at the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners plays into Rahm’s hands. There’s more to come Monday.
This week, some in the hearing room wore “Indict Rahm” buttons and yelled and yelled and yelled.
“The days of running this board as a racketeering-influenced conspiracy organization are OVER!!!!” shouted one man. […]
And so it went, the caterwauling and finger-pointing and everybody demanding to be able to question witnesses. It exasperated Burt Odelson, the election lawyer who put together what is considered to be the most credible challenge to Emanuel’s residency. […]
Well, Burt, you might want to move on, but Queen Sister and her friends want their media face time. And the Daley-friendly (and therefore Rahm-friendly) city elections board has folded them all together.
Yeah. That Daley-friendly and Rahm-friendly city elections board is all to blame for consolidating those cases. There absolutely must be something going on. But this is the response I received today from the city’s board of elections…
The board [consolidated the complaints] to prevent witnesses from being called (and issuing subpoenas to those witnesses) for 30 separate appearances to testify on the same issues. Such consolidation is common.
We also consolidate record exams (aka “binder checks”) when the same candidate is facing multiple and related objections over signatures on his or her petition.
In the Emanuel cases, all of the objections center on residency. Many of the objections are quite literally fill-in-the-blank photocopies of each other.
Kass also forgot to mention the background of the hearing officer appointed by the board. From the Illinois Review…
A Cook County Republican, former president of United Republican Fund, former candidate for Cook County Board, and former Reagan Administration appointee, attorney Joseph Morris will act as presiding officer over challenges to Rahm Emanuel’s bid for Chicago mayor Monday at 11:00 am.
So, yet another conspiracy theory is undone by simple facts.
* Is it me, or did the State Journal-Register just publish an anti-Semitic letter to the editor which was ostensibly about how people don’t care when they offend Christians…
In the halls of schools and government institutions, no one will object to the profane use of Christ’s name (think Rahm Israel Emanuel).
Think: Israel.
Sheesh.
* Roundup…
* Mayor hopeful Chico gets backing of Ald. George Cardenas
* According to WBEZ, just 1200 Chicagoans have applied for handgun permits since the city’s gun ban was repealed.
* Want a government job? Run against Aaron Schock…
In 2008, Democrat Colleen Callahan ran against the Peoria Republican. She lost, but was then named to a job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The pattern continued last week when Sheila Simon, the state’s next lieutenant governor, announced she was hiring Deirdre “DK” Hirner to be her chief of staff.
You guessed it: Hirner recently lost her race for Congress against Schock.
* The state’s chief tort reform cheerleader has been sued…
Ed Murnane, who has weighed in on his share of court cases as president of the Illinois Civil Justice League, has been sued by a woman who says he crashed into her car after running a red light. He denies any wrongdoing.
In a lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Dorothy Hardy says the Feb. 18 crash injured her head, limbs and nervous system and has prevented her from “attending to her usual and customary affairs and duties.”
Mr. Murnane said he was disappointed to learn of the lawsuit, which also names his employer, because police determined he was not at fault after considering statements by him and his doctors.
“This is rather surprising,” he says, adding that “the Illinois Civil Justice League has nothing to do with the incident in my hometown, in my personal vehicle. I’ll seek guidance from legal counsel.”
Quinn totally vetoed four bills that were before lawmakers this fall. The Legislature sustained Quinn on only one of those — a bill Quinn vetoed because it duplicated another bill that he signed.
Quinn also used his amendatory veto powers over the summer to rewrite several pieces of legislation. Lawmakers rejected most of those changes, too. Of 14 bills before the Legislature on which Quinn used his amendatory veto powers, lawmakers agreed with Quinn on only one. That amendatory veto changed the effective date of the law.
(T)he best line during the sunshine bill debate came from Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon.
“We need a see-through government,” Righter said, urging his colleagues to save the bill by scrapping Quinn’s changes.
It’s a great line because, about 12 hours earlier, Righter voted with 47 other senators to shield the performance evaluations of public employees from the state’s open records laws.
Guess you want see-through government but with certain parts blacked out for family viewing.
The newly appointed state representative from Champaign – who will take office in early January – got stuck in an elevator on his way up to the House chambers on the third floor of the Capitol.
And then he got lobbied.
“I get in an elevator with 12 women. The elevator starts to go up and then it stops. We’re stranded,” he said. “One of the women looks around says, ‘This is not good. It’s too bad we don’t have a representative or a senator in here who we could lobby.’
“I just kinda put my head down. Then she goes, ‘who are you?’ I explained my situation and we all had a good laugh. They were suburban women for education. So they gave it to me. They said that ‘these are our issues and our positions.’”
* The Freeport Journal-Standard believes that Gov. Quinn’s hesitancy is a sign of doom…
Any thoughts that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn had changed his stripes after a narrow victory at the ballot box on Nov. 2 were quickly put to rest last week.
Quinn is back to his familiar role as a crusader for public unions, regardless of the state’s financial predicament.
After both the Illinois House and Senate approved a two-tier pension system for police and firefighters hired after Jan. 1, 2011, the governor refused to answer direct questions on whether he would sign the legislation.
Think about that, just for a second.
Yeah, think about that for a second. The governor wasn’t involved in the negotiations, his staff hasn’t had time to analyze the bill, and the newspaper wants him to jump on board right away?
Still, there’s that nagging issue. It’s called the law.
The state residency law has cost other deserving candidates, including former Chicago Schools Chief Paul Vallas. He wanted to run for governor in 2006 and challenge soon-to-be-indicted incumbent Rod Blagojevich. Vallas was denied because he didn’t live in Illinois at the time but rather in Pennsylvania.
That’s a truly silly comparison. Sherman, turn on the Wayback Machine…
Thomas Ioppolo, an assistant attorney general representing the State Board of Elections, maintained that Vallas’ decision to sell his home in the Beverly neighborhood, obtain Pennsylvania license plates and vote in the 2004 presidential election in Pennsylvania effectively made him a Pennsylvania resident.
Unlike Rahm Emanuel, Vallas registered to vote in Philadelphia. Also, the municipal code is different than the state law governing gubernatorial candidates. Candidates for governor must reside here for three years, not the one year that the municipal code requires. It’s apples to horses.
* And, finally, have a look at how Pete Giangreco threw Gov. Pat Quinn under the bus during an interview about Rahm Emanuel’s residency. Ouch…
* Twenty Eight Percent: With Illinois’s passage of the civil unions bill, more than a quarter of the population of the United States – to be precise, a bit over 28% - now lives in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage or its functional equivalent.
* Taxpayers expect more than ‘no’ votes on pension reform bill: Bost’s explanation for his minority vote (the bill passed 95-18) doesn’t entirely hold water. As we reported Wednesday, Bost said the bill is not a real compromise but is “being promulgated by people who will just be back to change it in the next session.” He believes the bill will be amended by the Senate “and we’ll get a second bite at that apple.”
* When Corrections Don’t Count - In a time-honored but sorely outdated tradition, the Tribune buries a couple of real boners about Rahm and Ron Huberman.
* VIDEO: CapitolView, hosted by Amanda Vinicky and featuring panelists Charlie Wheeler, Mike Lawrence and Scott Reeder
* Why Should We? A closer look at the Cubs’ plea for public money
* Officials warn of conflicts in picking DuPage state’s attorney - Schillerstrom, Birkett at odds over selection process
The businessman renting Rahm Emanuel’s house withdrew from the Chicago mayor’s race today just hours before a hearing to decide whether he could be on the ballot.
Rob Halpin issued a statement saying “the realities of entering the race at this relatively late stage, including the financial and legal hurdles I’d have to leap in order to win, have forced me to reassess my intention to run at this time.”
Halpin’s impromptu candidacy had been in doubt all along and became more questionable after disclosures about the legitimacy of his candidacy petitions. Election law requires 12,500 valid signatures of Chicago voters to get on the ballot.
Halpin submitted about 17,000, but the Tribune reported last week that a number of people allegedly involved in the signature-gathering process said their names were used without their knowledge.
This sounds familiar: Two of the Chicago voters challenging Rahm Emanuel’s right to run for mayor of Chicago are demanding, among other documents, his birth certificate.
Emanuel says he was born in Chicago, but …
(No, wait: There’s no restriction on where the mayor of Chicago can be born.)
Mayoral candidate Jay Stone, son of alderman Berny Stone, was escorted from the hearing after calling for the ouster of Chicago Board of Elections chariman Langdon Neale.
“I challenge you Langdon Neale,” screamed Stone. “You make millions of dollars [through your private law practice],” he said, suggesting some impropriety. Stone has filed only about 250 signatures for his mayoral bid. 12,500 are needed.
M. Tricia Lee and Ryan Graves were also removed from the ballot.
Stone’s father appeared at a recent WBEZ candidates’ forum and attempted to prove that he still has all his faculties. The elder alderman didn’t do so well. Listen…
Attorney Burt Odelson says Emanuel should be disqualified because he didn’t have a city sticker on his car when he claims to have been a Chicago resident.
“If you’re in debt to the city at the time you sign your statement of candidacy, you are disqualified as a candidate. We could find no record of city stickers being purchased from that address in ‘07, ‘08, and ‘09,” Odelson said.
The Emanuel campaign says he didn’t need a sticker on his car when it was with him in Washington, but since he’s been back he does have a sticker on his car.
Hearing officer Joseph Morris said he will try to keep out extraneous issues. For instance, he would not entertain a subpoena to make president Obama come Chicago, raise his right hand and testify what dates Emanuel has been serving him as chief of staff.
“That would be a waste of the president’s time and a waste of my time,” Morris said.
Just a friendly reminder for all you fans and friends of our lately departed, blessed and beloved Raoul: the benefit and tribute happens at the Brewhaus this Sunday, Dec. 5, from 2 p.m. to midnight. Live music by many friends, plus food, giveaways, silent auctions and whatever else we can do to raise money to cover official costs of his passing.
It’s gonna be a blowout, baby. Make sure to attend if you can. Raoul was truly one of a kind and we want to send him off right.
During the ensuing 25 years in the Springfield scene he played guitar in several bands including Raoul & Company, Elvis Himselvis, the Cheezy Messiahs, Rock Quarry, Dr. Feelgood, Black Magic Johnson, Sarah Schneider Band, the Hired Hands, Springfield Shaky and for whoever would hire him for a night of music with drinks and pay included. While others worked jobs and played the weekends or refused to come out of the house except for a guaranteed price, Raoul made music because that is what he did and he did it no matter what he had to do to do it. He drove old vehicles, sometimes went hungry and often wondered if he’d make enough cash playing his guitar to pay the rent, but he never wavered in his way of living for the moment, for the music and for the majesty of life.
For the record, he had a broken hip his last few months and being poor with no insurance had some trouble getting decent medical attention. By the time Raoul made it to the hospital with assistance from his dear friend, my sister Sara, he was unable to walk. They found advanced cancer when testing for hip surgery. He received a six- to eight-months life sentence on Monday and was gone by Friday night. We sang songs to him in his last hours, watching for a bushy eyebrow to raise in acknowledgement of a welcome tune and familiar voice. He went peacefully and passed on out on Neil Young’s birthday, a nice touch by a beautiful person, well loved and universally respected not just as a heartfelt musician, but as a friend, mentor, party pal, father figure, brother-in-arms and blessed soul.
To the wise and wonderful, round mound of sound Raoul Brotherman: Long may you run.
It’s been a good month of Sunday’s
And a guitar ago
I had a tall drink of yesterday’s wine
Yeah, I left a long string of friends
Yeah, I left some sheets in the wind
And some satisfied women behind
Won’t you ride me down easy, Lord
Ride me on down
Leave word in the dust where I lay
Well, I’m easy come, and I’m easy go
And I’m easy to love when I stay
Our nation was founded, Mr. President, upon the principal that with the respect to our pursuit of happiness each of us are created equal one to another and the rights of everyone are diminished when the rights of any one of us are threatened.
This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.
Noland…
Today, we are engaged in the continuing struggle to defend the right of those in committed family relationships in respect of gender to receive equal services in place of public accommodation, such as hospital—-and places of employment without first having to produce proof of legal authorization under powers of attorney.
Kennedy…
Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free.
Noland…
So ultimately this is not even a legal legislative issue, that let alone can not change what is in our hearts. We are at long last confronted with a moral issue which essentially asks the question of whether all Illinois residents are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Whether we are going to treat our fellow citizens as we wish to be treated.
Kennedy…
This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. It is better to settle these matters in the courts than on the streets, and new laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.
Noland…
Again, legislation can not solve this problem on discrimination, it must be solved in the homes and in the hearts of every citizen and every community across this great state.
Kennedy…
But legislation, I repeat, cannot solve this problem alone. It must be solved in the homes of every American in every community across our country.
Noland…
We send young people from Illinois to fight for freedom throughout the world and we teach our children here at home that all men are created equal but are we to say to the world that much more importantly to each other if not our children that this is state where all are created equal except for those that are born with different gender different affiliation. That we have no second class citizens except the gay or lesbian.
That we have no discrimination or gender bias except for the respect for the gay or lesbian; we have previously voted to uphold that principal such discrimination is not allowed in the conduct of housing and employment law in Illinois now comes the time for the state to complete their promise.
Kennedy…
We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?
Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise.
Noland…
We owe them and owe ourselves and our children a better state than that.
Kennedy…
I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.
Noland…
That is all the vast majority of the people our state are asking. It is a question of fairness, nothing more nothing less. And in answering it I ask the support of my fellow colleagues in this chamber and all the good people of this great state.
Kennedy…
This is what we’re talking about and this is a matter which concerns this country and what it stands for, and in meeting it I ask the support of all our citizens.
* Vote against gay unions sets Meeks apart in race: Supporters of civil unions will see their votes “split between five or six candidates, while Sen. Meeks will get all the votes of those who are against it,” said Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, who praised Meeks for views that he said “conform to the beliefs of the majority of Chicagoans.”
* As most of you know by now, Rep. Rich Myers passed away last night. Here are the arrangements…
The Myers family will receive friends at a visitation for State Representative Rich Myers from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, December 4 at the Scotland Trinity Presbyterian Church, 14950 North 900th Road in Macomb.
A Memorial Service will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the University Union Grand Ballroom on the Campus of Western Illinois University.
Burial will follow at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Colchester. Mt. Auburn Cemetery is located in the north side of Colchester on the west side of the road to Argyle Lake.
Memorials can be made to Scotland Trinity Presbyterian Church, the McDonough District Hospital, and the Representative Rich Myers Agricultural Scholarship at Western Illinois University.
Those wishing to send flowers should have them delivered to the Scotland Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Rep. Myers’ obituary is here. Gov. Pat Quinn’s comments are here.
* The House wasn’t in session today, but Sen. John Sullivan delivered a heartfelt eulogy for Rep. Myers on the Senate floor…
* Like the headline says, Thursday was an emotional, sad day in the Senate. Sen. Mike Jacobs also rose to memorialize the late Joel Brunsvold…
* Sens. Willie Delgado and Mattie Hunter spoke about Rep. Myers, former Rep. Brunsvold and their own recent losses and gave thanks to their colleagues for their support during difficult times…
Gary Dahl abruptly resigned his seat in the Illinois Senate on Thursday.
The Granville Republican, who turns 70 on Sunday, leaves a two-year unexpired term that will be filled by appointment.
“I’m at a stage of my life where I’m thinking it’s time to spend more time with family and my business (Double D Express),” Dahl said. “After six years of serving in the state Senate (I was hoping) things would change down there but nothing has. I just feel it’s time to move on.”
Dahl said he’d contemplated resignation for some time but limited the discussion to family and staff. None of his peers were apprised of the decision prior to Thursday’s announcement. The decision, he said, was reinforced recently with the news that several lawmakers had passed away.
* Whether or not you agree with the civil unions bill that passed this week, you have to agree that Illinois will finally be known for something other than Rod Blagojevich - at least for a while. For that, I’m grateful.
But we still have this little $13 billion budget deficit problem to work out.
* I’m no fan of the idea that the General Assembly should focus solely on the budget and not bother with anything else at all until that problem is solved. Coming up with solutions will take time and there is plenty of other work to do. So, while I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiment behind Sen. John O. Jones’ remarks during the civil unions debate yesterday, he made a good point about how the governor was contacting members on behalf of civil unions, but hadn’t called anybody about the budget or the economy. Watch…
* During yesterday’s post-civil unions passage press conference, I asked Gov. Pat Quinn when he was going to start working on passing his income tax hike. Watch…
Yeah, I wasn’t thrilled with his answers, either, but one can only ask so many questions during a brief avail.
* You may or may not be a proponent of gaming expansion, but the governor didn’t seem to be all that interested in the proposal passed by the Senate yesterday…
A planned $3.5 billion clean-coal technology plant for Taylorville hit another snag Wednesday that will delay a vote on the plant until January.
A Senate committee was scheduled Wednesday to hold a hearing on a bill authorizing the plant that was approved in the House a day earlier. However, just as the hearing was about to begin, an announcement was made that the committee would not hold the hearing on the bill after all.
“I was told we didn’t have enough votes to get (the bill) out of committee,” said Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville. “I was told it would be best to hold it.”
The two advertisers on this blog have vastly different opinions about what that bill would do. But we’re talking a bunch of jobs and investment, so perhaps the governor could inject himself and help find an acceptable compromise.
Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki on Wednesday challenged Gov. Pat Quinn’s support for legalization of civil unions. Quinn said Tuesday that his faith – Quinn was raised a Catholic — had inspired him to support civil unions.
“He did not say what religious faith that would be, but it certainly is not the Catholic faith,” Paprocki said in a statement. “If the governor wishes to pursue a secular agenda for political purposes, that is his prerogative for which he is accountable to the voters. But if he wishes to speak as a Catholic, then he is accountable to Catholic authority, and the Catholic Church does not support civil unions or other measures that are contrary to the natural moral law.”
Asked about the bishop’s statement, Quinn said, “I follow my conscience. My conscience is not kicking me in the shins today.”
David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, said he’s talking to lawyers and “exploring options” to see if a lawsuit is possible. None is planned immediately, he said. “There’s no recourse that we can see,” Smith said.
* The one Senate Republican “Yes” vote was Sen. Dan Rutherford. Here’s his quietly eloquent floor speech…
* Remember this comment by Sen. Rickey Hendon during the campaign?…
“I’ve never served with such an idiotic, racist, sexist, homophobic person in my life,” Hendon said before introducing Gov. Quinn. “If you think that the minimum wage needs to be three dollars an hour, vote for Bill Brady. If you think that women have no rights whatsoever, except to have his children, vote for Bill Brady. If you think gay and lesbian people need to be locked up and shot in the head, vote for Bill Brady.”
* Well, during the debate on the civil unions bill yesterday, Hendon claimed that he had attempted to apologize to Sen. Brady and was rebuffed. Watch…
“He just said I want to apologize, and I said, ‘Rickey, you know, you can’t apologize for that,’ ” Brady said. “That’s not something you apologize your way out of.”
Classless or justified?
* Sen. Hendon’s full floor speech on the civil unions bill is getting mad hits on YouTube. Watch…
We’ll have more videos a bit later.
* Brady, by the way, has not shied away from criticizing Gov. Pat Quinn. From Medill Reports…
Quinn “talks about cutting spending, but we have yet to see him do it,” Brady said in an interview in his Bloomington office. “His tax increases, I think, are going to further erode the economic job environment. He’s got some policies that aren’t going to help Illinois’s economy.”
Brady, who was sharply critical of Quinn’s leadership abilities during the campaign, said he doubts that Quinn has the muscle or moxie to manage tense relations with Senate President John Cullerton (D) and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D).
“The infighting has put our state in a bad position the past couple years,” Brady said. “Governor Quinn has yet proven to have the skill to… lead. So it will be interesting to see.” […]
Three weeks after the election, Brady and Quinn met for lunch at Manny’s Deli in the South Loop.
Among the topics, Brady said, was “the backlog of unpaid bills. The governor’s got to lead on fiscal discipline. He can’t let legislature do it and talk about making Illinois’ business climate conducive for job growth.”
Brady also said he would run for reelection in two years, then consider another bid for governor. He also admitted that Scott Lee Cohen may have cost him the election by taking protest votes away from him.
* Related…
* Hendon pledges to tone down after hypertension diagnosis
