Sneed has learned former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is unloading his Super PAC big-time to back Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s soda tax.
The billionaire Bloomberg is one of the few who has the resources and political savvy to fight back and he is apparently rolling his plan into Illinois, starting tomorrow, to do just that.
Sneed has learned that a seven-figure broadcast and radio buy was made Thursday and Bloomberg plans to be “on the ground” driving that message and supporting those who support the tax for as long as it takes,” according to a top Sneed source. […]
“Bloomberg’s determination and resources could very likely impact elections throughout the state, not just Cook County, in 2018,” he added. “Having spent over $20 million in San Francisco, this development could easily see the largest issue advocacy fight in the history of Illinois.”
As you may know, a new tax has taken effect in Cook County that places a one cent per ounce tax on most sweetened beverages. We’d like to know if you APPROVE, or DISAPPROVE of the new Cook County beverage tax that places a new tax on most sweetened beverages.
The former New York City mayor tomorrow will begin airing what a spokesman says will be a $2 million-plus TV ad campaign in the Chicago media market. The spots don’t mention Preckwinkle, but do make the case she has tried to make that the penny-an-ounce levy on sweetened tax is about health, not raising money.
The spot depicts a teenager in front of a vending machine. Only, instead of cans of pop, there are signs saying “obesity,” “tooth decay,” “kidney failure” and the like.
In the background, an announcer declares, “When kids drink soda pop, they’re getting a lot more than they bargain for.” The announcer goes on to mention that drinking just one can of soda a day can make a child gain 10 pounds a year in weight, and declares that a soda tax “can make a difference” by making children healthier and providing money for county health programs.
The ads, which also will run on radio and online, were commissioned after Bloomberg “decided it was important to counter all the one-sided advertising from the soda industry,” said a spokesman. “This is a campaign to counterbalance all the special interests that profit off soda.”
It’s a good ad, but it should’ve been running months ago.
* Press release from Can The Tax…
Cook County has issued an SOS over its deeply unpopular beverage tax.
With dwindling credibility and a brewing voter revolt, Cook County and County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have turned to a New York City billionaire to try and tell county residents why they’re wrong about the unfair, anti-working family beverage tax.
That’s right. New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg has announced a $2 million-plus television ad buy in Cook County beginning tomorrow. Bloomberg’s track record has been to mislead viewers by making unproven public health claims. We don’t think Cook County families need an outsider billionaire to tell them what to do.
Cook County’s call for a lifesaver comes as resident outrage over the beverage tax is at record levels, some county retailers are already reporting beverage sales declines as much as 39%, and residents are voicing their outrage.
Cook County residents, local shops and restaurants don’t need New Yorkers to tell them they are wrong – they know this tax is just a money grab that has dramatically increased costs for consumers, is hurting small businesses and will hurt small businesses.
It’s an act of desperation when Cook County and President Preckwinkle have to turn to a New York billionaire for leadership in their effort to whitewash a tax that residents, consumers, small businesses, editorial boards and a growing list of bipartisan elected officials have universally rejected.
In general, do you APPROVE, or DISAPPROVE of the job Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle is doing?
Approve 21.12%
Disapprove 67.98%
No opinion 10.90%
Do you AGREE, or DISAGREE with the following statement: “I will probably vote to re-elect Toni Preckwinkle as County Board President no matter who is running against her.”
Yes 16.18%
No 75.06%
Unsure 8.76%
Does that fact that Toni Preckwinkle cast the deciding vote that created the Cook County beverage tax make you MORE LIKELY or LESS LIKELY to vote to re-elect her?
More likely to re elect 10.00%
Less likely to re elect 84.49%
No difference 5.51%
If the survey is right, Preckwinkle’s personal numbers are almost as bad as those for her penny-an-ounce tax on sweetened beverages. […]
“President Preckwinkle is solely focused on navigating the county through tough economic circumstances and leading on behalf of the people of Cook County,” Preckwinkle political aide Scott Kastrup said in a statement. “Her strong record of reforming county government, improving access to healthcare, protecting public safety services and standing up to special interests are why she has broad support across the county and why she’s in strong position to win-re-election next year.” […]
Crosstabs indicate there is little variation among racial and ethnic groups about Preckwinkle and her tax. For instance, disapproval of her job performance ranges from 65 percent among whites and 67 percent among African Americans to 81 percent among Latinos. […]
The only figure now known to be actively considering a race against Preckwinkle in next year’s elections is fellow commissioner Richard Boykin, a Democrat who represents the West Side and western suburbs including Oak Park.
You can’t beat somebody with nobody, so we’ll see if she gets an opponent. And maybe the furor will die down, or maybe it won’t. But these county numbers are worse than a recent statewide poll of Donald Trump’s and Bruce Rauner’s approval ratings.
This poll was conducted from August 15 through August 16, 2017 using both automated (recorded) and live operator-initiated calls cell phones. In all, 902 registered voters completed all questions on the poll; 450 of the responses came from cell phones. The voters dialed were randomly selected from a proprietary registered-voter database of likely voters to assure the greatest chance of providing an accurate cross-section of opinion from the county-wide sample. No weighting formulas were applied to correct any over- and under-sampling.
Cook County officials say they’ve solved a problem with the new sweetened beverage tax that put roughly $87 million in funding used to run the federal food stamp program in Illinois at risk of being withheld. […]
The county solved the issue by striking language permitting refunds from the regulation, which “will ensure ongoing access of SNAP benefits for eligible Illinois households,” county spokesman Frank Shuftan said in a statement Thursday.
The USDA confirmed that the county notified the agency that it had corrected the issue.
*** UPDATE 2 *** ILGOP…
Cook County is fed up with politics as usual from Toni Preckwinkle. A shocking poll out today finds that there is overwhelming opposition to Preckwinkle’s signature tax - nearly 7 in 10 registered Cook County voters oppose her soda tax.
But where does J.B. Pritzker stand? So far, all we’ve heard is silence from the normally talkative billionaire.
Could it be that Pritzker’s ties to the Cook County machine prevent him from speaking out?
Could it be that Pritzker is just so thankful for the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsement that he refuses to take on their reckless members and stand up for taxpayers?
Or maybe running mate Juliana Stratton is stopping Pritzker from doing the right thing – since she’s a “member of Ms. Preckwinkle’s inner circle” and her “protégé”.
Either way, Pritzker’s silence says it all - he’s okay with massive tax hikes that threaten to take millions in federal funding away from those in need.
