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Question of the day
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* House Speaker Michael Madigan used his inaugural address to bash Gov. Rauner, but Senate President John Cullerton took a different tack. From Cullerton’s speech…
Governor Rauner, thank you for presiding over today’s ceremony.
And, on behalf of the Illinois Senate, thank you for your public service.
We may have had our differences, from time to time, but you took on a challenge when others merely complain from the sidelines.
Thank you, and I wish you and your family the best.
* The Question: What is the truly nicest thing you can say about the departing governor? This is a serious question, so no snark. And if you can’t say anything nice, then please do not respond to the question.
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* From Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee)…
“I want to thank the people of the 66th District for again entrusting me to represent you in Springfield,” said Skillicorn. “Illinois government is broken, but when we the people work together we can affect change. Our recent success to defeat a massive motor fuel tax hike in the waning moments of the 100th General Assembly that appeared to be a sure thing just a month again is proof of that.”
A sure thing? I told subscribers this on November 15th: “Tentative plans are afoot to move forward with some sort of tax increase to fund a capital bill by the end of the lame duck session on January 9th.” And then on November 27th I told subscribers that from everything I was hearing the plans to do a capital bill in lame duck had been scrapped.
The “horizontal” (roads, bridges, transit) infrastructure project list would’ve likely been ready to go by this week, but the “vertical” (building construction and repair) list would not have been. That lack of a list, I was told in late November, was a big reason for the delay. They couldn’t do the tax hikes for both at once because it’s tough to pass a tax increase for vertical projects when nobody knows what the projects are. They also didn’t want to do one tax hike for horizontal and then another just weeks later for vertical. Too many headlines.
Also, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said this earlier in the week…
“I don’t see anything else coming,” Durkin said. “I’m seeing some posters here about a gas tax. There’s nothing about an infrastructure bill or anything regarding a gas tax or anything that’s going to be considered this week.”
Make no mistake, however: A capital bill is coming, along with revenue streams to pay for it.
*** UPDATE *** It’s not just Skillicorn. Check out this over-heated Taxpayers United press release…
Illinois taxpayers defeated the plan of downstate and Cook County Democrats to give the state of Illinois the highest gasoline tax in the country during the Illinois 100th General Assembly lame duck session.
The Democrat mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, showing how out-of-touch he was with taxpayers, had called for a 30 cent-per-gallon increase on the state gasoline tax. In response, taxpayers protested inside the Illinois Capitol Building against this two billion dollar tax hike. The January 7 protest featured many prominent anti-gasoline-tax speakers, including St. Rep. Allen Skillicorn, St. Rep. Jeanne Ives, and Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America.
When the protesters went to confront their state representatives over this proposed gasoline tax increase, the tax raisers gaveled out and fled to caucus. They refused to leave their rooms until protesters and their signs were thrown out!
“It must have been two minutes,” commented Val, a concerned taxpayer who was waiting in line to speak to his state representative about the gas tax. “They were in session for two minutes and ran. It’s like they didn’t want to talk to us.”
Illinois lawmakers were so shaken by the outpouring of opposition they did not amend any bills to include a tax increase.
“I bet those tax-raising cowards have never seen so many taxpayers gathered together in one place before,” said Tobin. “It’s too bad we taxpayers need to work for a living. Otherwise we could protest and stop every tax increase in its tracks.”
When asked about the possibility of the new general assembly passing a gas tax increase, Tobin responded, “I think they will try to pass it again. But now Springfield Democrats and the newly elected Governor Pritzker will have to take responsibility for any tax increase. They own it now. They wanted to pass it in the 100th so they could blame Gov. Rauner, and not look like hypocrites when they throw poor and middle class taxpayers under the bus.”
Hilarious.
Some background on Mr. Tobin is here.
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* House Speaker Michael Madigan was unsurprisingly reelected today, with, as expected, Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) voting “Present.”
He began his remarks by asking for prayers for former House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who checked herself into the hospital on the way home to Chicago yesterday with a bad case of pneumonia.
Madigan then launched into a litany of complaints about Gov. Rauner’s one term in office. The following are individual tweets from the House Democrats’ account which excerpted his speech…
On Jan. 14, 2015, I stood before you and pledged to work cooperatively and professionally w/ Gov. Rauner. That was four long years ago.
Four long years of character assassination, personal vilification and strident negotiation positions which hurt our state government and led to inaction for the people of Illinois.
Since then, Illinois suffered through a three year budget impasse. Some may say “We made it through the budget impasse” or “our organization got its money,” but others were not so fortunate.
If you were an Illinoisan depending on funding for Autism services, breast cancer screenings, child abuse prevention or services for survivors of sexual assault, you became a victim of the budget
In America and in Illinois, government is people working with people. Sometimes they agree and other times they disagree.
Where people disagree, if they are reasonable, they talk to each other, exchange ideas, negotiate in good faith, and attempt to find common ground. For the last four years, this didn’t happen. Instead we simply got a series of ultimatums.
Illinois has serious problems. A significant budget imbalance and a debt load that is far too high. This impairs our ability to properly support areas such as education, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, and many others.
To solve these problems people need to work with people. Some may say to just ‘put an end to the last four years’ or ‘close the book.’
But, let me suggest we move beyond these last four years and not just close the book. Rather, let’s close one chapter and take lessons, so we can move on to a new chapter where people work with people.
Speaker Madigan did not announce his new leadership team.
* House Republican Leader Jim Durkin’s speech was mostly upbeat. From the HGOP’s Twitter account…
Following the oaths of office… each one of us will be charged with representing the interests and welfare of 108,000 Illinoisans.
That oath is solemn and has meaning. Deep meaning.
I implore you to embrace this historic moment with the best you can offer.
Durkin quotes his friend, the late US Senator John McCain. …there is “much more than unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other.”
The same can be said about us, my fellow Illinoisans
Today is a day for celebrating and unifying.
This is our state’s 5th year in a row of population loss and will once again lead to diminished influence and a loss of congressional representation.
It also means a loss of taxpayers.
With this new General Assembly, and a new Governor I am optimistic that for once for many, many years, we can put politics aside.
Leader Durkin is outlining what the House Republicans stand for… reform of our state’s regressive property tax system… creating efficiency in our pension systems, by reducing costs and making the systems sustainable for members and taxpayers… balancing the budget by weighing spending demands with fiscal realities… enhancing our weak business climate to bring real sustainable jobs back to our state… getting career gun criminals off our streets.
I have never let the R or D next to a representative’s name impact what I think about their district or constituents and I hope you do the same.
The time for a new direction starts today.
…as former Governor Thompson implored, we can be a “Great” Assembly… that works through the many challenges we face to take Illinois in a new direction.
Durkin ended by saying, “My door is always open. My hope is yours will be, too.”
…Adding… She’s gonna get a lot of press coverage…
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* Some background is here if you need it. From a press release…
Lake County State’s Attorney, Michael G. Nerheim announced that in late July of last year, he was contacted by the Illinois Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter regarding the possible criminal activities of then Illinois State Representative Nick Sauer. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Division and Cyber Division immediately began an investigation.
This morning, a Lake County Grand Jury issued a twelve count Indictment for Mr. Sauer for the offense of Non-consensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images involving 2 separate victims. As charged, these are all Class 4 felonies.
Our office has been in communication with Mr. Sauer’s attorney and we expect him to surrender himself on these charges by tomorrow morning. We would like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts and assistance provided by Illinois Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter, the Chicago Police Department, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
State’s Attorney Nerheim would like to remind the public that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The statute he is alleged to have violated is here.
I’m working on getting a copy of the indictment. I’ll post it when/if I get it.
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* Sun-Times…
The Chicago Teachers Union is heading into contract talks with the wind at its back: A new poll that shows likely voters have a favorable view of the union that stood toe-to-toe with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and overwhelmingly embrace the union’s “educational justice agenda.”
The telephone poll of 600 likely primary voters was conducted Dec. 11-through-16 by Lake Research Partners and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
It shows 62 percent of voters surveyed have a favorable view of the union that led its members on a seven-day 2012 teachers strike that was Chicago’s first in 25 years after Emanuel instigated the walkout with his bullying missteps, including cancelling a teacher pay raise.
That’s compared to a favorability rating of just 31 percent for the City Council, 41 percent for the Chicago Board of Education and 33 percent for County Board.
* From the polling memo…
* Voters are generally pessimistic about both the direction of the city (57% wrong track) and the state of CPS (52% wrong track).
* They are dejected and their issue agenda is noticeably diffuse, with concerns over crime and public safety (19% most important problem), education (16% MIP), property taxes and fees (15% MIP) and jobs and the economy (12% MIP) rounding out a top tier of issues.
o A close second tier includes ethics and corruption(9%), community-police relations(9%), healthcare (8%), and criminal justice reform (7%). […]
* A majority (56%) of voters also says it is important that the next Mayor do something to address the unequal concentration of wealth in downtown and the “push out” of working class African American and Latino families.
* A similar 56% majority also believes that racial segregation should remain an important factor when determining attendance boundaries for Chicago Public Schools. These are key issues the candidates for mayor would do well to address, as they are among the criteria the remaining undecided voters will use to assess them.
* When it comes to sources for new revenue, a millionaires’ income tax (34% excellent idea, 73% total good idea) remains the most popular idea for generating more funding for Chicago Public Schools.
* Voters also solidly support implementing a new tax on large corporations that pay their employees less than $12 an hour (30% excellent idea, 59% total good idea), suing the big banks to recover losses from ‘toxic swaps’ (27% excellent idea, 61% total good idea).
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* Stateline…
President Donald Trump’s warning that the partial federal government shutdown could last “for months or even years” has states, cities and businesses increasingly nervous.
States depend on federal money to pay for food stamps, welfare and programs such as the Child Care and Development Fund Plan, the National Flood Insurance Program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides matching grants for state and local parks and recreation projects.
Marcia Howard, the executive director of the nonprofit Federal Funds Information for States, said states have enough leftover federal dollars, plus money of their own, to keep key programs going for several weeks — but any period longer than that would create significant problems. The longest previous shutdown was for 21 days, in 1995-1996. […]
In Michigan, for example, $22 billion of the $57 billion state budget comes from the federal government. A spokesman for the Michigan State Budget Office, Kurt Weiss, said the state wouldn’t face significant challenges until 45 days have elapsed. But the day that marks the end of that period, Feb. 5, is fast approaching. […]
Weiss’ office recently asked the heads of state agencies to assess how long they can remain open without federal dollars and which of their programs are most essential. Their responses are due Friday. […]
Federal funding for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for low-income people, is not immediately in jeopardy because Congress already has approved the federal share of those payments through September. […]
As a result of the shutdown, 420,000 federal employees are working without pay and 380,000 have been furloughed, according to a Democratic report from the Senate Appropriations Committee. […]
Because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is closed, officials there won’t process Section 8 and veterans housing vouchers, or answer cities’ questions on grants, Benjamin said. Cities may soon have to work with landlords, food banks and within their own limited budgets to help residents get by in the meantime. […]
The National League of Cities program director for community and economic development, Michael Wallace, said rural residents who are using federal loans to purchase homes have not been able to close on their new properties because the Department of Agriculture is closed, creating unexpected hardship.
If the shutdown extends into February, he said, cities are going to have to transfer money from other programs and services to make sure their residents are fed and sheltered.
I’m told the shutdown’s impact has been a focus of the Pritzker transition team while working with the Rauner administration.
And thank goodness Medicaid is funded or there would be far more serious state issues. Those vendors endured way too many payment delays during our own state impasse.
* Speaking of the impasse, here’s Scott Reeder…
Am I the only Illinoisan who is experiencing déjà vu, when it comes to the latest antics in Washington?
It seems a petulant chief executive is at loggerheads with a Speaker of the House and is allowing a portion of the government to go unfunded unless he gets what he wants.
It could be Gov. Bruce Rauner circa 2015 or President Donald Trump in 2019.
The parallels are frightening.
Both Rauner and Trump are wealthy men accustomed to getting what they want. It is also worth noting that neither held any other public office before being elected to head an executive branch.
Rauner entered office with a 44-point program to reform Illinois.
He precipitated a crisis by using his veto pen and legislative allies to keep Illinois from having a budget for 736 days. He’d hoped to harness the discontent caused by the emergency to shove his key reforms through the House.
Sound familiar?
* From USA Today…
The agencies affected by the shutdown include Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and Treasury.
A longer list with explanations of what’s happening at each agency is here.
* Local impact…
The City of Evanston may have to dip deeper into its general assistance funds next month if agreement isn’t reached to end the partial shutdown of the federal government.
The city’s human services manager, Indira Perkins, told the city’s Human Services Committee Monday night that money for the federal government’s food stamp, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is expected to run out in February if the shutdown continues.
She said that in addition to trying to boost cash benefits to general assistance recipients the city will also try to make more use of local food pantries to serve the clients.
(Late Tuesday the Trump administration said it would fund food stamps for February, but had no solution to fund the program for March, if the shutdown continues.)
She said the WIC program, which provides supplemental food to Women, Infants and Children, is also expected to run out of funds next month.
* Brenden Moore at the SJ-R…
The National Park Service is considering an offer from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to operate the Lincoln Home National Historic Site for the remaining duration of the partial federal government shutdown.
The historic site, which sees more than 200,000 visitors annually, has been closed for more than two weeks as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats spar over the president’s insistence on including funding for a southern border wall in an appropriation bill that would reopen government.
Under the tentative plan offered last week by ALPLM officials, the museum’s management would oversee a team of volunteers that would offer tours of Lincoln’s home and pay for security guards and janitors on the site. The site’s visitor’s center would likely remain closed. The National Park Service is considering the plan, spokeswoman Alex Picavet said Tuesday.
* Sun-Times…
So far, Chicago’s airports haven’t experienced the long lines that travelers reported at LaGuardia last weekend. TSA has acknowledged more screeners are calling in sick, but they say the effect has been “minimal.”
* According to Governing Magazine, 9,703 federal government jobs in Illinois are in agencies currently without enacted appropriations. Another 31,152 work for agencies with enacted appropriations.
Peoria Journal Star…
In a study conducted by Wallethub, a personal finance website, Illinois was the 11th least affected by the government shutdown given its smaller share of federal jobs and relatively few number of national parks and monuments. […]
Citing estimates from the Center for American Progress, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office said more than 8,300 federal workers in Illinois are being furloughed or forced to work without pay during the shutdown.
Durbin’s office said other problems created by the shutdown include the freezing of loans and grants from the Small Business Administration, Federal Housing Administration and Community Development Board; public housing agencies facing delayed payments, delaying maintenance and emergency repairs; and the closure of USDA farm service agency offices.
And, the longer the shutdown persists, the more that services could be affected and harm could be done, especially in fiscally-challenged states left picking up the tab for social services once covered by the federal government.
This is a federal topic with state implications. As always, do your very best to avoid copy-and-paste DC talking points in comments, please. If you saw some talking head yakking about something on your favorite cable teevee station, don’t repeat it here.
* Related…
* Government shutdown affects southern Illinois: Another area affected by the shutdown is HUD. The agency let 1,150 contracts expire with private landlords who rented to people receiving Section 8 housing voucher, and even though a HUD spokesman says those landlords will be paid eventually, housing advocates like Adrianne Todman, CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, worry it could lead to evictions. “We have to rely on the goodwill of owners to sort of ride this wave with us,” Todman said.
* TSA Workers Fear They Will Not Get Paid Friday
* Federal shutdown hurting southern Illinois farmers
* Shutdown stalls Trump farm bailout created in response to trade war
* UI mostly unaffected by government shutdown — for now
* US Chamber calls for end to shutdown as businesses struggle
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* Tina Sfondeles…
The governor, who has railed against political corruption for the entirety of his term, said [Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s] arrest was “long overdue.”
“Unfortunately there are others — other elected officials who do exactly the same type of thing, using their political position and political power to exert pressure on businesses and property owners to enrich themselves,” Rauner said. “This is not a one person thing. I am ecstatic that they finally indicted him. …There are others that do the same and worse. They haven’t been indicted yet. I hope they are.”
Burke has not actually yet been indicted by a grand jury, but has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of attempted extortion for allegedly trying to use his position on the City Council to win business for his private law firm.
Rauner, a former venture capitalist, too said Burke’s “behavior is relatively common knowledge in the business community in Chicago.”
“A lot of the business community has remained silent out of fear of retribution, and it’s wrong. It is fundamentally wrong and I’m glad they finally got him, and I hope they get some of the others who are doing it. And it’s some of the most powerful people in the state.”
Gee, I wonder who he could be talking about?
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Bye, Bruce
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mark Maxwell has written one of the most blistering exit stories about Gov. Bruce Rauner I’ve yet seen…
When Bruce Rauner exited stage left after delivering his final public remarks as governor, he had made two things abundantly clear: he couldn’t change the state, and it couldn’t change him.
“Change is hard. Change takes time,” Rauner said Tuesday afternoon as he bemoaned a list of accomplishments that was much shorter than he had hoped.
“The folks that created the massive problems in our state certainly are resistive to change,” he said in a nod to his arch nemesis Michael Madigan, the Democratic Speaker of the House. Rauner defiantly declared, “That does not mean that our recommendations or somehow wrong or flawed or incorrect at all.
After suffering a 15-point defeat in November, the one-term Republican maintained that his positions were popular in the state.
“Virtually everything that we have recommended is supported by a majority of the people of Illinois,” he said.
His office did not respond to a request for examples of public opinion polls to reinforce that claim. If they exist, the election results bore out that he wasn’t nearly as popular a politician as the policy positions he championed.
The governor’s unwavering grip on the withering corpse of his now-infamous ‘turnaround agenda’ was cemented by a swarm of issue-specific polls conducted over several years. Meticulous scientific data regularly supplied him with talking points and campaign prods, though he never liked to admit his reliance on polls much in public.
However, in the only poll that matters, Rauner was on the ballot, and he was saddled with his own record. And no amount of sure-footed stances, electrifying speeches, heartfelt apologies, or vulgar campaign ads could blot out the stain of the historic two-year budget impasse.
Go read the rest. Oof.
* Scott Reeder is a close second…
Rauner is the first governor in my lifetime to use government as a weapon. He essentially told the Legislature: “Pass my reforms or I’ll use my veto pen along with my legislative allies to keep the state from having a budget.”
We went 736 days without a budget, and not one of his key reforms became reality.
This is not how a democratic government should operate. It should be a process of unifying, of seeking input, of finding compromise that benefits everyone, of careful and well-considered positions and negotiations.
Governing properly is the art of calming the waters, not throwing hand grenades into them.
Then Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno tried to save Rauner — and the state of Illinois — by quietly negotiating with Senate President John Cullerton. The compromise package covered much of Rauner’s wish list — but not all of it.
Instead of embracing a partial win, the governor turned up his nose and walked away, leaving himself and the state of Illinois in worse shape.
And then, there is the lying. Rauner lied about big things and little things. No, his grandparents weren’t immigrants from Sweden. They were born in Wisconsin. It was a fib he told over and over — even after being called out on it by reporters.
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Dana Heupel
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My old buddy Kevin McDermott wrote a fitting tribute to our friend Dana Heupel…
My friend and former editor Dana Heupel died the morning after Christmas. I’d heard about his health problems. “I need to give him a call,” I’d said, a few times.
I’ve tried to determine when we last spoke. I know it was more than two years ago, because I don’t remember ever having a conversation with him about our current political era — and had we talked, we’d have talked about that.
Heck, snippets of it would still be echoing over Springfield, Illinois, in language I won’t use here.
Dana was normally a calm and unassuming guy, but he was also the quintessential watchdog journalist; get him going about abuse of power, governmental incompetence or attacks against the free press, and his rhetoric would peel the paint from the walls.
He was an editor at the State Journal-Register in Springfield in the early 1990s, when I was a reporter there. He’d worked in California before coming to this stodgy old Midwestern local newspaper — Lincoln’s favorite, they would never let you forget. He brought with him an ambitious plan to apply new oversight to Illinois’ famously crooked politicians, using the then-edgy concept of “computer-assisted reporting.”
It sounds funny now, like bragging about driving a “horseless carriage.” But at the time, for a paper like ours, it was a journalistic moon shot.
Go read the whole thing.
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* Former Rep. Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) penned a recent op-ed for the Daily Herald about what happened when he decided to reenlist in the Marines back in 2007 and deployed to Iraq…
What I did not expect, however, was the criticism I received from some in my own political party.
I was told that I needed to resign my House seat because Speaker Madigan would certainly target my district during my absence.
Naturally, I met with Speaker Madigan and, upon hearing my situation, he could not have been more helpful. We discussed the nature of my unit and our duty in Iraq’s Anbar province. He listened and noted that this had not happened with a legislator since World War II. In the end, he assured me that my seat would not be targeted and, further, that his office was there to help me and my district however possible.
And help he did. The speaker’s staff provided input as our unit advised the Anbar Provincial Council on a host of constitutional and legislative issues.
Equally important, Speaker Madigan created an environment which allowed two Democrat legislators to service my district. Dan Beiser, a Democrat from Alton, toured Grafton during a flood and assured my constituents that their needs would be met even though I was in Iraq. To this day, I still have a picture in my office where our two districts meet near Grafton and Alton, along the Mississippi River. The photo was a gift from Rep. Beiser honoring my service and our friendship. For me, it serves as a reminder of his statesmanship. […]
People often ask about lessons learned from my time in Iraq and in the Illinois General Assembly. Without hesitation, I point to the bipartisan help I received from my colleagues and specifically, House Speaker Madigan. My experience is a paradigm of what politics can be.
I share this story because millions of dollars were spent during the last campaign cycle vilifying a man in a manner hitherto unheard of. I worked with and against that man on various legislative issues. I found him to be tough but fair. Our disagreements were never personal. Rather, they were restricted to the merits of the issue. And in my time of need, a time of war, that man, Speaker Michael J. Madigan, extended a hand because it was the right thing to do.
The elections are over, and our state faces a mountain of issues. We need a true statesman who can work together to make difficult decisions. I hope this story serves as an example of what can be done.
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* Illinois News Network…
Gov. Bruce Rauner said Tuesday that he sought out other people to replace him at the top of the ticket because he wanted to see his reform platform succeed.
Rauner talked about the decision during a news conference where he issued a summary of his term in office.
“It was all a function of me being all in to win for the team for reform,” he said. “This has never been about me. This job has never been something that I’ve particularly sought in and of itself. All I care is that we save our state for our children and our grandchildren … me and my personal situation is irrelevant. All that matters is that the team win and that we get major reforms done and that’s what I’ve been 100 percent committed to every day.”
In an interview with ABC 7 in December, Rauner said he sought out others to take his place. It was later revealed that he asked former state Sen. Karen McConnaughay, Chicago Cubs part-owner Todd Ricketts, and attorney general candidate Erika Harold to take his place under the Republican ticket for governor. They all turned him down.
Rauner went on to lose to Pritzker by 16 points.
The revelation that Rauner wanted someone else to replace him caused an uproar among Republicans across the state, some shocked that he would have stepped aside, others outraged that he fought a long primary battle against conservative Republican lawmaker Rep. Jeanne Ives, only to win by a couple percentage points.
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Lots of new faces out there
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
About 30 percent of the lawmakers who take the oath will be different from the person who sat in the same seat two years ago.
Several Republicans who voted to raise income taxes in 2017 didn’t run for re-election again, and some big names left for other reasons — with several departures robbing the General Assembly of some of its most influential women.
Former Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno stepped aside just before the budget stalemate was resolved. House Speaker Michael Madigan’s top deputy, Barbara Flynn Currie, didn’t run for re-election. Juliana Stratton will be sworn in as lieutenant governor in less than a week. And state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton won’t return after her narrow loss in the Republican gubernatorial primary to Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
The turnover comes on top of a lot of turnover two years ago, too, as lawmakers departed during the first half of the state’s two-year budget impasse. That means even the sophomore lawmakers in Springfield haven’t had as much experience putting together state budgets as they otherwise would have.
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Three questions for the Franklin Center
Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Remember the post earlier this week about Speaker Madigan and his spokesman once again needling an Illinois News Network reporter for working for the Illinois Policy Institute? Well, INN is out with a statement…
Chris Krug, publisher of Illinois News Network and president of Franklin Center, called Madigan’s and Brown’s conduct abusive and unacceptable.
“Speaker Madigan and spokesman Steve Brown repeatedly have harassed, belittled and attempted to provoke and intimidate INN reporter Greg Bishop now for nearly two years,” Krug said. “The pattern of unprovoked abuse and playground bullying is unprofessional. It’s unbecoming of anyone in a position of authority, let alone one of the highest offices in Illinois.
“The tolerance for abuse of media in the statehouse is unacceptable, just as it is for any other worker in the capitol. This incident – and the pattern of relentless abuse – should be immediately referred to the inspector general’s office and investigated.”
* More from the INN’s story…
In about a dozen such exchanges, Madigan’s longtime spokesman Steve Brown has pointed to Illinois News Network reporter Greg Bishop. The nonprofit Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity acquired Illinois News Network in October 2017. Before that, the network had been an independent project of the Illinois Policy Institute, a free market think tank that has been critical of Madigan’s policies and leadership.
* So, I reached out to Mr. Krug with three questions. Here are my questions and his responses…
1) The Policy Institute’s 2017 tax return (attached) shows that the [Illinois Policy] Institute was a “direct controlling entity” of the Franklin Center. Is that no longer the case?
I previously had not reviewed IPI’s 990. I believe the question you are asking is about ownership. When Franklin was taken on, it was in poor financial health, and I believe what you see there is IPI’s commitment to helping the organization financially sustain the end of that 990 reporting period. I should also be represented within the Franklin 990 for 2017.
2) The 2017 return also shows the Institute gave almost a quarter of a million dollars to the Franklin Center in 2017. Have those contributions stopped since the handover?
We don’t, as a practice, disclose donors, as their privacy is relevant.
A fair amount of what I am sharing here has been previously shared, but when it hasn’t fit with the narrative of a reporter, it’s been excluded.
Franklin received sustaining grants and borrowed money from IPI (I believe most of which we have paid back) to make it through 2017’s 990 reporting period. It would be great if every business could begin at “0″ on the number line, but we both know that isn’t the case. We’ve had a lot of rebuilding to do with Franklin, but it’s been good work – both here in Illinois and across the U.S.
Franklin, though a viable brand with equity, was quite nearly a complete scrape-off. It came with a fair amount of debt to service, which was inherited.
Currently, Franklin has its own development team and is steadfastly focused to independently raise money and to utilize our for-profit entities as means to provide revenue for the purpose of accomplishing our nonprofit mission. We’re performing nicely in that regard. We continue to solicit tax-deductible contributions here in Illinois and quite literally across the count – with an aim to be self-sustaining and financially viable long into the future.
John Tillman became the chairman of Franklin. I was appointed president. I am grateful for the financial support as we’ve worked to reconstitute Franklin, because it was critical at the start. IPI, foundations and concerned citizens across a full spectrum of giving have seen the value of our work and mission, which is truly heartwarming. I spent a fair amount of 2018 meeting with prospective donors across the country who believe in our mission to support legacy media with taxpayer-focused reporting. But as far ongoing support from IPI – if it were necessary– that would be a decision IPI would make.
3) You were listed on the 2017 return as an Institute employee. Is that no longer the case?
I am no longer an employee of IPI. I oversaw INN and IRN for IPI from May 2016 to October 2017.
So, if Tillman is chairman of the parent company and runs the Illinois Policy Institute, the entities are pretty darned close.
I still say that Madigan ought to knock off the bashing of a reporter just trying to do his job, but what do you think?
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* AP…
The Illinois House wrapped up its two-year session Tuesday with legislation to help the incoming governor, with House Speaker Michael Madigan praising lawmakers for persevering in an “epic struggle” over state spending with outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner. […]
The two-year session saw Madigan, who’s held the gavel for all but two years since 1983, become the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history during a critical period.
The Republican Rauner’s insistence on approval of his conservative agenda in exchange for an annual budget deal had left Illinois without a spending plan for two years. Madigan lured enough Republicans in July 2017 to approve an income-tax increase to fund an annual budget over Rauner’s vetoes, ending what Madigan on Tuesday called “an epic struggle.”
“You deserve credit for what you do day-in and day-out, but you know that from time to time, the issues become more significant on one day than they were on a prior day or they may be on a future day,” Madigan said. “And that’s exactly what happened in that struggle between the Legislature and the executive department.”
* Raw video…
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Today’s quotable
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Soon to be former GOP Rep. Jeanne Ives…
“Our minority status in the legislature gives us an opportunity to place the blame squarely where it belongs, on the Democrats who have run this state into a fiscal mess”
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* Gov. Rauner was told by a reporter today that some Republicans blamed the party’s woes last November on the governor’s aggressive stance against unions. For the umpteenth time, Rauner denied that he was anti-union and said he wanted to create more union jobs, then made a case for his local “right to work” proposal. Former Sen. Daniel Biss was not amused…
* Speaking of politics, Rauner refused to comment on who should run for governor next, but said he hoped “reform-minded leaders” would step forward, saying he would “encourage them” and perhaps help them. He appeared to wave off a direct return to politics for himself, but said it’s “yet to be determined” what he would do. “We live in such volatile times. I can’t predict yet what makes sense.”
When asked about former Gov. Jim Edgar’s admonition that the party choose a moderate and Rep. Jeanne Ives’ warning that the party needs to choose someone who will adhere to the party’s conservative platform, Rauner said the two “are both right [and] they’re both partly wrong, and unfortunately I think they’re both part of the problem”…
Republicans won’t win unless we’re moderate in many ways on many things. And I certainly consider myself a moderate on many things. If you look at my record, and the things I’ve advocated and the bills I’ve signed, most people would say I’m a moderate.
That said, if you’re gonna be a moderate to win elections, but you’re not going to be a reformer and fix the problems, what’s the point of winning? And, in Illinois, Republicans have won, in the 80s and 90s, but then they did the same bad stuff that the Democrats did. Kick the can on pension payments, don’t reform the system, raise taxes with no reforms, over-regulate businesses. If you’re gonna moderate to win and then do the same thing that the guy or gal that you were running against would do, what’s the point?
And I think Rep. Ives is correct that you got to have some principles, and you’ve got to be fiscally responsible/conservative… balance budgets. To me, I hope the Republican Party rallies around a unifying message of being pro-taxpayer and pro-job-creator. I think that can be a unifying message and that should define the party. The other things, we’re going to have some vehement disagreements on. Obviously, some of my fellow party members disagree with me on some of my more moderate views. OK, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t all be Republicans and push for responsible things for taxpayers and for job-creators.
* And he had a few words about the president…
…Adding… Raw audio from CMS is here.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Rauner was asked today what he would do differently if he could turn the clock back four years.
“That’s such a long topic,” the governor said after sighing, “I’ll go have a beer with you one of these nights and we’ll talk about it,” he said to the reporter.
* The Question: What should he have said?
…Adding… Raw audio from CMS is here.
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* Gov. Rauner told reporters today he’s “scared” that out-migration from Illinois will “get a lot worse, the exodus is going to accelerate” under the Pritzker administration…
There’s so much talk about raising taxes. Raise the income tax, raise the gas tax, raise the whatever. Goodness, if you’re a working family struggling to make ends meet and your company’s not growing, they’re not adding people, they’re not raising your salary very fast, but things are booming in Tennessee, or Georgia, or Florida or Texas, you say ‘Hey, spouse, maybe we ought to head out.
I’m very scared about this. This is a problem. The exodus could accelerate.
One of my strongest recommendations in the report you all have is stop the discussion about tax hikes. Don’t go to tax hikes. Get the reforms. We don’t have to cut. And this is where I’ve agreed with the Democrats. I’m a social services, human services guy. I don’t want to cut human services. Cut the cost of the government bureaucracy and grow the economy faster. Billions and billions of dollars can be made available for more human services, more education funding. That’s the answer.
* Rauner said he hopes the new administration will “see the light” and change positions on taxes and other things…
I’ve blocked so many bills that would cause more bad regulations, and I’m worried that if I’m not there blocking them, boy, they’re going to pass a whole lot of bad regulations. That’ll push more employers out, and then you’ve got that death spiral going. And then with the corruption, self-dealing, and that’s what’s been hurting us, that’s what we’ve fought against. Again, we’ve made progress, but we’re encouraging the new administration to keep fighting.
* When asked what he thought about Gov.-elect JB Pritzker’s legislation to allow for a 15 percent increase in salaries for top agency administrators, Rauner said, “I do believe we underpay directors for the role they do,” adding that he tried to address the issue early on his term by attempting to create a foundation “where donors could contribute so taxpayers didn’t have to pay more,” but was rejected by the “powers that be” in the General Assembly.
However, he prefaced his remarks by saying, “I hope this isn’t the tip of the iceberg on new spending proposals,” and claimed later that Illinois has the “highest paid government employees… not at the director level, but up and down the levels of bureaucracy.” The governor said it would “fundamentally wrong” and send “absolutely the wrong message” to spend more on the government bureaucracy.
More on the governor’s presser in a bit.
…Adding… Raw audio from CMS is here.
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Caption contest!
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The House has officially concluded its business for the 100th General Assembly…
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Appointment angst
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tina Sfondeles…
Outgoing state Rep. Lou Lang on Monday said he was unaware of speculation that his daughter may become his replacement.
But he didn’t discourage her from applying.
Lang said he’s already seeking resumes from those in his district. And if his daughter is interested, “if she lives in the district, she should do so [apply].”
But Lang said he hasn’t had any conversations with her about it and vowed to be an “honest broker” about his replacement. […]
Becky Lang is an actress, a social media strategist with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office and also volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. And yes, she currently lives in the district. She has been publicly supportive of her dad’s legislative efforts on social media, and stood up for him as he faced #MeToo allegations last year. On Monday as her father announced his resignation she wrote on Facebook: “I love you and I’m so proud to call you my Daddy.” […]
Reached by the Sun-Times, Becky Lang did not directly answer whether she’s seeking the position: “Today, I’m really just focusing on everything my dad has done for our state. I am so proud of him!”
* I reached out to Ms. Lang on Twitter yesterday and received this DM’d reply…
What I told Tina is truthfully where I’m at right now…. (T)oday, I really am just focused on my dad and his accomplishments, and I believe that this should be everyone else’s focus on this topic today, too.
Former Rep. Lang is also a township committeeman and appears to have the weighted vote to make the replacement, although he has pledged to work with the other committeemen.
Needless to say, a Statehouse lobbyist appointing his offspring to his former House seat would not be a good look, no matter how qualified.
* Meanwhile, some folks are upset with the way Sen. Raoul was replaced…
As the Bears battled the Eagles late Sunday afternoon, a crowd of concerned citizens and jubilant supporters gathered at Toni Preckwinkle’s 4th Ward committee office as political neophyte Robert Peters was swiftly sworn in as the new 13th District State Senator, filling the seat left vacant by Attorney General-elect Kwame Raoul. […]
Hours earlier, a small group of 13th District residents gathered outside of Preckwinkle’s ward office as committee members filed in to protest the “backroom deal” to fill the Raoul vacancy.
“We knew Raoul would be leaving the seat, and conversations started late last winter/spring about the replacement process,” said 13th District resident and 5th Ward aldermanic candidate Gabriel Piemonte. “The residents didn’t want a secret meeting. We didn’t want this to be an appointed process, and we’re concerned that Preckwinkle’s making a decision behind closed doors with other ward committee members in classic ward boss fashion. Why schedule something this important an hour before the Bears playoffs?”
Piemonte and other residents are calling for a special election instead.
1) Neophyte: “a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.” Peters has been involved in politics for years, including a stint as the political director for Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial campaign last year. He’s no neophyte.
2) “We didn’t want this to be an appointed process.” As noted later in the article, the Illinois Constitution is pretty clear on this topic…
Within thirty days after a vacancy occurs, it shall be filled by appointment as provided by law… An appointee to fill a vacancy shall be a member of the same political party as the person he succeeds.
I wouldn’t object to changing this constitutional process, or even changing the statute that hands the process over to the local committeemen/party chairmen. But it is what it is until it’s changed.
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* From Chicago mayoral candidate and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s “Future Now” plan…
Susana will work with Assessor Fritz Kaegi to make our property tax system more progressive by advocating in Springfield for a tiered approach to property tax assessments, similar to what is in place in a number of other states. Under this approach, properties with lower assessments are taxed at a lower rate than more expensive properties. As mayor, Susana will support making the necessary changes in state law to allow Assessor Kaegi to make these changes in Cook County.
* Greg Hinz followed up…
In an interview, Mendoza said she envisions “maybe three or four tiers,” with the assessment rate rising with the value of the property. Mendoza, now the Illinois comptroller, said she doesn’t yet know what those rates should be, but confirmed that she’s “especially focused on residential rates” because of recent reporting that the current system resulted in homes in poor, minority neighborhoods tending to be valued at relatively higher figures than in many wealthier sections of the city.
Kaegi, who just took office, has vowed to change that practice over time, effectively shifting more of the property tax burden to higher-priced areas. But Mendoza’s change would be on top of that—meaning residents of areas with higher-than-average home prices (be it Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Jefferson Park, the South Loop or Beverly) would pay the higher property tax pushed through by outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as the higher assessments Kaegi wants and Mendoza’s new tiers.
Asked if that’s fair to residents of those neighborhoods, Mendoza said, “I don’t look at it that way.” The way she looks at it, she says, is that some areas of the city were devastated by a property tax system “rigged” to favor the more well-off, so now the latter may have to pay “a little bit more” to make amends. “This would create more fairness in the system.”
Mendoza said she’s also open to another idea that’s been circulating, to impose an extra real estate tax on the sale of properties worth more than $1 million. But the idea would have to be enacted by referendum, and advocates for the homeless and other groups have been debating who would get the proceeds.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Mendoza now as an op-ed up on the Crain’s website backing away from her idea…
One of the most important aspects of effective, elective leadership is to listen. I recognize my fellow Chicagoans want us to focus on creating a fair and transparent assessment system. Altering or tiering rates, as my plan suggested, may not be the best way to get there. I’m not afraid to propose bold ideas. And at times I might miss the mark, as I did on this proposal. But when I do miss the mark, I won’t be afraid to consider alternative points of view and amend those ideas.
To be clear: Chicago already has a rigged two-tiered system that leaves the wealthy and well-connected paying less, while working class families pick up the tab. This was a serious proposal on a complex issue to help fix our deeply broken property tax system. Right now, many high value properties are assessed at rates that are lower than they should be, while low value properties are assessed at rates that are far too high, creating a regressive tax on our neighborhoods.
I support the work Assessor Fritz Kaegi is doing to collect better data and build an assessment model that works for all families in every corner of Chicago. The best plan for this moment would be to build on his work, create a system that is fully transparent and fair without altering rates, and continue finding further ways the city of Chicago can work with the Assessor’s Office to fix our broken property tax system.
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It’s Time To Put Our Progressive Values Into Action
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois progressives ran, organized, voted, and won in 2018. Now it’s time to lead. Our victories this election showed there is strong support across Illinois for a bold, progressive agenda and leaders who can turn that agenda into action. We have the power to make Illinois a state that leads the nation on committing to 100% clean, renewable energy, reducing gun violence to keep our communities safe, expanding abortion access to all no matter where they live, their income or age. Working together, we can move Illinois forward on these issues and more — from workers’ and immigrant rights to criminal justice reform, LGBTQ equality, and affordable healthcare. We are one in the fight to build a state where all people can raise families in healthy, safe communities, with dignity and justice.
Forward Illinois is a coalition of leading progressive organizations representing more than 500,000 member-activists. Our work to mobilize voters around the progressive issues that impact us all didn’t end on Election Day. Now we’re taking our fight from the ballot box to the steps of our state Capitol to demand action. Learn more and join the fight at www.forwardillinois.com.
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* This happened during break. From the AP…
A court-appointed expert would guide the overhaul of health care for Illinois prison inmates in a proposed federal consent decree filed Thursday.
Lawyers for approximately 40,000 state prison inmates announced that the Illinois Department of Corrections’ agreement would settle an eight-year-old federal lawsuit alleging that prison health care is so inadequate it has led to needless deaths.
A U.S. District judge in Chicago must approve the consent decree, in which the state admits no wrongdoing. It provides for a court-appointed monitor to oversee the complete reconstruction of prison-system health care. The monitor would assist in creating a plan for adequate staffing of medical and dental professionals and an outline for implementing other system-wide changes.
The agreement, signed last month by Corrections Department Director John Baldwin and a legal representative of Gov. Bruce Rauner, contains specific qualifications for physicians and other providers, requires upgraded health care space and equipment, hiring staff members dedicated to infection control, developing an electronic medical records system and implementing a stringent quality assurance program.
No word yet that I can find about how much this will cost.
* Tribune…
During the legal battle, reviews by court-appointed experts in 2014 and 2018 reported pervasive problems in the health care provided in Illinois prisons. The most recent report attributed numerous preventable deaths to the poor quality of care, according to court records.
“Based on record reviews, we found that clinical care was extremely poor and resulted in preventable morbidity and mortality,” the 2018 report stated.
In one case, a 24-year-old inmate with mental illness swallowed two sporks and a nurse “documented that the patient ‘will have no complication from swallowing a foreign object,’” according to the 2018 report. Over several months, the inmate complained to several staff members and medical personnel of symptoms related to ingesting the utensils. The inmate died about three months later.
“The death was attributed to a gastrointestinal bleed from lacerations caused by a foreign body,” the 2018 report stated, noting the Corrections Department’s own review “found no problems with medical care.”
The 2014 report includes the case of a 26-year-old inmate at Illinois River Correctional Center who “repeatedly informed health care staff that he had atrial fibrillation, a fact that was confirmed by his jail records, but this history was discounted until he suffered a stroke.
The filing is here.
* Related…
* How solitary confinement drove a young Illinois prison inmate to the brink of insanity
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* From the latest COGFA report…
Gross personal income tax is up [so far this fiscal year] by $931 million, or $777 million net. Gross sales tax receipts are up by $318 million, or $292 million net. Gross corporate income taxes are up by $188 million, or $165 million net. All other tax sources combined added $44 million to the year-to-date gain.
* News-Gazette editorial…
In the last six months of 2018, overall tax receipts flowing into Illinois government coffers showed a nearly 10 percent hike, according to the Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Sales tax revenue was up 7.5 percent statewide, personal income tax collections were up 11 percent and corporate income taxes jumped 17.7 percent. Through the first six months of the year, all state revenue sources were up nearly $1.5 billion more than a year earlier. As UI economist J. Fred Giertz noted last week, it was an odd ending for outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner, who spent much of four years belittling the performance of the state’s economy. […]
The booming national economy is a good part of the reason that Illinois’ economy is so strong. And there’s reason to believe, the COGFA economists say, that an economic slowdown is ahead.
“Overall, the economy appears to be ending 2018 on a strong note, but the future is more uncertain,” wrote analyst Benjamin Varner. “Economic prognosticators see a slowing of the economy in 2019, with further deterioration in 2020.”
Amid all the numbers, there’s a lesson for both Republicans and Democrats in Illinois: This is still a big state with a big, balanced, productive economy. But it needs to be tended carefully, especially if this welcome growth is to persist. That $1.5 billion (or more) in revenue growth this year is already claimed because the state still has a bill backlog estimated at $7.1 billion. And the Democratic Legislature and new Democratic governor have to be cautious about spending beyond the state’s means.
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SB 1226 Endangers Safe Drinking Water & Public Health
Tuesday, Jan 8, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois continues to reel from the fatal outbreak of legionella at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. School and park districts are scrambling to address troubling levels of lead in water lines and drinking fountains. Now the House is considering a radical measure that would eliminate longstanding protections that ensure the proper installation of drinking water systems and would, in so doing, endanger safe drinking water in Illinois.
SB 1226 would put the health of all Illinoisans, especially seniors and children, at risk by effectively deregulating the practice of plumbing for public works projects, commercial construction, and residential buildings over four stories. In addition, it:
* Would be a regulatory nightmare. Representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health and Capital Development Board strongly oppose the bill and believe it conflicts with multiple statutes.
* Would compromise existing energy efficiency standards. The Illinois Environmental Council opposed the bill in committee.
* Is also opposed by: the Illinois Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association; Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association; South Suburban Building Officials Association; Central Illinois Chapter of the Illinois Plumbing Education Association; and organizations representing licensed plumbers, registered plumbing contractors, and plumbing inspectors across our state.
At a time of heightened awareness about threats to safe drinking water, the last thing Illinois needs is the creation of a legislative loophole that enables unqualified individuals to work on water supply systems.
Learn more here.
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* Rep. Scott Drury e-mail…
Friends:
Today is my last day as your State Representative. I want to thank you for the privilege of allowing me to represent you these past 6 years. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
I leave as I came in - on my own terms. In 2013, the question was whether a former prosecutor, dedicated to ethics and honest government, could have success in the swamp that is Springfield. I’m happy to report the answer is a resounding yes!
In my six years in office, I ushered in historic criminal justice reforms - even as my Democratic colleagues defended the warped policies of Anita Alvarez and the Chicago Police Department. I created the national model for legislation designed to end the scourge of revenge porn. I took on the NRA and won - working to implement assault weapons bans throughout the District. I passed groundbreaking child-protection legislation.
At the local level, I prevented Highland Park from implementing the misguided policy of charging people who call the police seeking medical assistance for intoxicated minors. I stopped video-gambling from being implemented in Highwood. I helped District 113 with its renovations and helped prevent District 112 from wasting our tax dollars.
I took the bold step of shunning Mike Madigan for Speaker of the House with no repercussions beyond childish antics. While he withheld gifts, I have left him with the gift of my legacy. Based on reports, a newly-elected Democratic state representative will not vote for him when sworn in tomorrow. (Unfortunately, it is not our new state rep.) Six years ago that would have been unheard of.
The success we all achieved during my three terms was well beyond anything I could have imagined when I first ran for office. The greatest sign of this was the increasing attacks on me over the years by those who saw their stranglehold on government slipping away. Those attacks simply fueled my motivation to work harder on your behalf.
None of the above would have been possible without your unwavering support and encouragement. It truly has been a privilege to represent all of you. I will cherish my time as a State Representative. Thank you!
–Scott
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Posted by Barton Lorimor
* Funeral services for Jon Bauman, known to CapitolFax.com readers by his “Arthur Andersen” pseudonym, will be at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Butler Funeral Home in Springfield. A visitation will begin shortly thereafter.
Bauman died unexpectedly Saturday at age 62. Memorials are being made to the “Bauman Education Fund” kept at Carrollton Bank.
* By the way, check out this snippet Jon’s kids put in his obituary…
Jon graduated from Central High School in Champaign. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He served as the Executive Director for the Teachers’ Retirement System and was an avid blogger at Capitol Fax. He was currently retired after serving the State of Illinois for the past few decades.
Emphasis added. This place meant that much to him.
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