* I’ve been trying to get the new anti Scott Drury ad, but had no luck. I’ll post it if and/or when I get it.
* Meanwhile, click here to watch the Democratic candidates for governor debate at 7 o’clock tonight on ABC 7. I’ll post a coverage roundup over the weekend.
It appears House Speaker Mike Madigan’s call for all legislative leaders to follow his lead and release a list of the complaints involving harassment, intimidation and retaliation involving their caucuses has fallen on deaf ears. […]
But Senate Democrats will not be releasing a list of harassment or retaliation complaints anytime soon, they said.
“In the Senate, our personnel policies spell out that any complaints are to be treated in as confidential a manner as possible in order to protect the privacy and rights of the victim. Our priority is a professional work environment in which anyone who feels victimized can come forward with confidence knowing that their rights and privacy will be protected,” John Patterson, a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, said. […]
As for the Republican leadership, Eleni Demertzis, a spokesman for House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, said there will also be no list of harassment complaints released to the public.
“The House Republican Caucus has a zero tolerance policy for all forms of harassment to ensure a safe environment throughout the Capitol,” Demertzis said. […]
Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, will not release a list either.
“Harassment in the workplace is unacceptable. Those who come to work must be able to do so in a safe, harassment-free environment,” his spokesman Jason Gerwig said. “Our personnel policy clearly prohibits sexual harassment and ensures that complaints are handled in a confidential manner in order to protect the privacy and rights of victims.”
* Click here for background to this press release…
Despite telling the Crain’s editorial board the he has no regrets about his fatal mismanagement of the Quincy Veterans’ Home, Bruce Rauner’s administration admitted today that the home is facing a “health crisis” in a Friday news dump.
Bruce Rauner once again failed to take charge and passed the buck to another administration official to put an end to his fatal crisis. The failed governor made the announcement years after the Rauner administration noted the situation looked like the “beginning of an epidemic” and months after WBEZ published its investigation into the crisis.
“Bruce Rauner fatally mismanaged the Quincy Veterans’ Home and took years to admit he created a health crisis that he still refuses to fix,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Instead of taking swift action when this began, Rauner let 13 people die on his watch and is now doubling down and not taking charge.”
* From the twitters…
One voice: @ChicagosMayor & all 50 Chicago aldermen sent @GovRauner a letter calling on him to sign the Gun Dealer Licensing Act immediately. "After years of firearms continuing to come into the hands of dangerous criminals, Illinois should not have to wait another day." pic.twitter.com/KYmw3fGnWZ
* And, finally, did Sen. Daniel Biss look a bit, I dunno, “pausey” during last night’s debate? I’m not the only one who noticed. Make sure to watch this all the way to the very end…
The PAC is headed by Operating Engineers Local 150 President Jim Sweeney, a staunch ally of House Speaker Michael Madigan. The entire $675K contribution came from the Fight Back Fund, which lists the same address as both Local 150 and the Fight Back for a Better Tomorrow PAC.
So… what’s going on?
* Check out their new B-1. They’re spending $600K on TV ads opposing Rep. Scott Drury, who is running for attorney general and is a noted Madigan foe.
…Adding… A couple of recent Drury press releases. Yesterday…
Earlier today, Scott Drury’s campaign for Attorney General announced the endorsements of three leading Illinois criminal justice reform advocates:
· Thomas P. Sullivan – former United States Attorney, Northern District of Illinois and Co-Chair of the Commission on Capital Punishment and the Illinois General Assembly’s Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee whose reports were influential in the decision to abolish the death penalty in Illinois;
· Rob Warden – co-director of Injustice Watch, an investigative journalism organization dedicated to criminal justice reform; director emeritus of the Center on Wrongful Convictions (CWC) at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; and a founding director of the Innocent Network, an international affiliation of organizations providing pro bono legal services to convicted persons with claims of actual innocence;
· Leonard C. Goodman – an attorney committed to representing the indigent, who has won awards for his work on behalf of the wrongfully convicted and on behalf of an Afghani man detained at Guantanamo Bay without charges or evidence of any wrongdoing.
“I am proud to have earned the support of these leaders in the criminal justice reform movement,” said Drury. “These endorsements are a testament to my long-standing commitment to fix Illinois’ broken criminal justice system.”
Criminal justice reform is a major issue in the Attorney General’s race. As a State Representative, Drury was responsible for the passage of groundbreaking legislation designed to end wrongful convictions in Illinois. As a result of his efforts, Illinois now has best-in-the-nation laws regarding the recording of custodial interrogations and eyewitness identification procedures.
In announcing their endorsements, Warden, Sullivan and Goodman had this to say about Drury:
“As someone who has worked more than three decades for criminal justice reform, I am looking for an Attorney General who has demonstrated a commitment to fixing the dysfunctional Illinois system,” said Rob Warden. “That is why I am endorsing Scott Drury for Illinois Attorney General. I have worked closely with Scott on a number of criminal justice issues and have seen his dedication to meaningful reform. Illinois needs a leader like Scott Drury.”
“I do not often get involved in politics,” Thomas Sullivan stated. “However, having worked with Scott Drury and witnessed his steadfast advocacy for criminal justice reform in the face of intense opposition, I proudly endorse him for Illinois Attorney General. Having personally worked to end the death penalty and wrongful convictions in Illinois, I know how hard it can be to enact these types of reforms. Based on my personal experience with Scott, I am confident he is the best qualified candidate to get the job done.”
“I proudly endorse Scott Drury for Illinois Attorney General,” said Leonard Goodman. “During Scott’s time in the General Assembly, he was instrumental in passing long-overdue reforms designed to end Illinois’ regrettable history of putting innocent people in prison for crimes they did not commit. Because of Scott’s work, more custodial interrogations are recorded, and police throughout the state must now follow standard eyewitness identification procedures.”
These endorsements follow another major endorsement earned by Drury earlier this week – that of the News-Gazette. The primary election takes place on March 20, 2018.
* Today…
Earlier today, Representative Scott Drury filed House Resolution 890 which calls for the immediate passage of legislation that will allow for the independent investigation many legislators have called for but not pursued. Here is a link to the resolution.
In the preamble, Representative Drury sets forth the various reasons why such an investigation is needed, including the mishandling of, and lack of transparency regarding, allegations of harassment, abuse and misconduct by Illinois Speaker of the House and his staff and attorneys. Representative Drury also sent the attached letter to every member of the General Assembly asking them to co-sponsor the resolution. In the letter, Drury makes clear that legislators’ careers “likely will be defined by how we respond to this issue. The time for blind loyalty has passed.”
The ultimate purpose of the resolution is to put in place legislation that will allow for a truly independent special counsel who can investigate allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and misconduct. The special counsel should have the power to issue subpoenas, command testimony under oath and bring appropriate civil and criminal proceedings.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to speak with Representative Drury today or over the weekend.
Governor Bruce Rauner today tapped a key Administration executive to lead the next phase of the state’s response to the health crisis at the Quincy Veterans Home. Michael Hoffman, a retired Marine officer and current head of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS), becomes Senior Advisor to the Governor with operational oversight of the Quincy project.
CMS Chief Operating Officer Tim McDevitt will be promoted to replace Hoffman at the management agency. McDevitt brings knowledge and experience in key areas of CMS’s operations.
“Our response at the Quincy Veterans Home involves multiple state agencies, medical and epidemiological experts inside and outside state government, facilities and engineering experts, local government, elected officials, federal government and more,” Governor Rauner said. “The recent series of highly unusual winter disease episodes and the growing long-range complexities call for a center of operational control. Mike Hoffman is a problem solver. His project management skills and knowledge of the many agencies involved will bring together the people, resources, and ideas that are needed to best serve our veterans.”
Hoffman’s appointment to the team is designed to help achieve two important objectives. It centralizes responsibility and reporting for all aspects of the Quincy Home response. As important, it means that agency directors and staff in the health and veterans departments will have a single point of coordination for their Quincy focused plans and activities.
Prior to his service in state government, Hoffman spent over 15 years on active duty as a Marine Corps infantry officer. During his military service, Hoffman served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals, one for valor in combat. He has been acting head of CMS since January, 2016. His appointment is effective immediately.
McDevitt named head of CMS
The Governor promoted CMS Chief Operating Officer Tim McDevitt to succeed Hoffman. He previously held positions with the state as Deputy Director of Government Transformation and as Acting Director of the Illinois Lottery. McDevitt has been a senior advisor to the Governor on personnel, procurement, labor relations, and operational improvement initiatives.
“We are fortunate to have an executive of Tim’s caliber at the ready to step in at CMS,” Rauner said. “He has a strong agency management background, is familiar with the multi-faceted nature of CMS operations, and will seamlessly transition to lead CMS. Tim has the expertise to help modernize CMS and to continue important efforts to change the culture of State government.”
Before his state service, McDevitt was a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a native of Charleston, Illinois. His appointment is also effective immediately.
Hoffman is a strong choice. I, for one, am beginning to feel a little better about this situation. We’ll see if that feeling lasts.
* Meanwhile…
State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) has called another meeting of the House and Senate’s Committees on Veterans Affairs to discuss why the Rauner administration did not take swift action on the 2016 recommendations of an engineering report that was made public last month.
The report, which provides a great deal of information and raises several questions, includes two-year-old recommendations by engineers that the state seriously consider replacing the plumbing in buildings at the Quincy Veterans Home.
Several federal Centers for Disease Control studies have pointed to biofilm within those aging pipes as harboring the Legionella bacteria that has caused 13 deaths and numerous other infections among residents, family and staff at the Quincy facility.
Last month there were four laboratory-confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the IVHQ.
NEW: EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) just gave @alainaxhampton "notice of right to sue" Friends of Michael J Madigan and Democratic Party of Illinois, giving her option to file lawsuit #Harassment#twill
State Sen. Daniel Biss released a new television ad Friday, attempting a quick somersault after a slip from the gubernatorial debate hosted by WBEZ and Politico Illinois on Thursday night.
The ad, titled “Chance,” features Biss and his running mate state Rep. Litesa Wallace talking to voters around the state inside restaurants, at campaign rallies and marching in protests as they ask Illinois voters to give them a shot in the race’s final weeks.
“Most people didn’t give us much of a chance,” Biss says in the 30-second TV spot. “But there’s even less of a chance those billionaires will fix a broken system that benefits them.”
The ad comes less than a day after WBEZ reporter and debate moderator Dave McKinney asked gubernatorial candidates to guess the everyday costs of the average consumer, noting that “this campaign has been framed as a battle for the heart of middle and low-income voters” in Illinois.
I doubt that the debate had a huge impact on this decision.
Despite what everyone else is writing, those Pritzker attack ads have had an impact on Biss’ numbers. He needed to respond. Is it enough?
Daniel Biss: A former teacher with kids in public school. A single mom who became a counselor to at-risk youth. I’m Daniel Biss. And against the billionaires, most people didn’t give us much of a chance. But there’s even less chance those billionaires will change the broken system that benefits them. That’s why they’re attacking me. Because we’ll make them pay their fair share in taxes and finally get the chance to level the playing field.
Announcer: Daniel Biss, the middle-class governor.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul will receive the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union Illinois Council as he seeks the Democratic nomination for attorney general. The union represents roughly 150,000 health care, child care and nursing home workers.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois president Greg Kelley cited Raoul’s legislative record and said the group believes Raoul “will fight for us and our core values of economic, racial and immigrant justice for all, not just the powerful few.”
* Biss always comes off as kinda uptight and stiff, so this could be an interesting event…
* Surprise! Longtime House Democrat in hot primary battle against Chuy Garcia ally to introduce resolution on NRA…
Sneed has learned State Rep. Dan Burke, who introduced the Commander Paul Bauer (gun control) Act this week, plans to introduce a new House resolution next week encouraging members of the General Assembly NOT to accept any further contributions from the National Rifle Association.
“I have never supported the NRA agenda or taken money from them,” he said.
“It’s my way of responding to a question asked by a student who witnessed the gun massacre at a Florida high school that U.S. Senator Marco Rubio failed to answer at a recent town hall meeting,” added Burke.
* Always remember that we live in a bubble. We had a gubernatorial primary debate on Chicago Public Radio. At night. More people read about it or watched clips on TV than listened…
With JB Pritzker leading in the polls, the others were looking for that breakout moment.
Pritzker was ready with attacks Thursday night’s debate as well.
So, who won Thursday night? Kennedy’s performance was more focused but no knock out punch. Pritzker still has the advantage.
A nighttime radio knockout punch would have to negate tens of millions of dollars of advertising spending. That would be one heckuva punch.
Gubernatorial debates don’t usually change the course of an election like presidential debates because half the country watches presidential debates. Few watch or listen to gubernatorial debates.
* While we’re on the topic, Chris Kennedy was bluntly honest when asked by reporters last night about the price of a CTA monthly pass…
The CTA is critically important to Chicago and the region, so maybe he should try it?
* Press release…
4th District Democratic congressional candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia released a set of new Spanish language television ads this week.
In “Uno de Nosotros,” Chuy is in conversation with constituents, walking the streets of Humboldt Park, Little Village and Pilsen while 4th District residents voice their reasons for strongly supporting his candidacy.
“Juntos” outlines Chuy’s progressive vision to move the communities of the 4th District forward, and urges voters to elect his team of progressive Democratic candidates, Aaron Ortiz – running for 1st District State Representative – and Alma Anaya – running to fill Garcia’s seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The 30 second ads, airing on Univision Chicago and Telemundo, can be viewed here:
For nearly two decades, suburban Republicans had a political name brand on the ticket in a North Shore congressional district as Mark Kirk won five straight times and Robert Dold won twice and lost twice.
Now the party is trying to rebuild in the 10th District, a rare swing seat that Democrats have had a tough time winning in non-presidential years.
I dunno. Something tells me this off-year could be different than the last two.
President Trump’s job approval was 36% positive and 62% negative. These totals included 54% who strongly disapproved, 8% who somewhat disapproved, 18% who strongly approved and 18% who somewhat approved of his performance in office. In shorthand terms he was 26% “underwater.”
Governor Rauner’s total positive rate was 31% who either somewhat approved (23%) or strongly approved (7%). His total negative rating was 63% with 39% who strongly disapproved and 24% who disapproved. This put him at 32% underwater.
“It is notable that Governor Rauner’s job approval in Illinois is somewhat more negative than President Trump’s. This is the opposite of the more usual finding of other polls in other states”, said John Jackson of the Paul Simon Institute, one of the directors of the poll.
Speaker Madigan fared somewhat worse than Governor Rauner at a 21% approval rate with 18% who somewhat approve and 3% who strongly approve. He is at 68% total disapprove with 49% strongly disapprove and 19% who somewhat disapprove.
This is the second poll in the past few weeks to show that Trump is less unpopular than Rauner.
And that Madigan issue is golden for the GOP and Democrats and will remain golden. The crosstabs show his job disapproval rating among Democrats is at 58 percent, among blacks it’s at 53 percent and among labor union members it’s at a whopping 66 percent. But be careful with those last two numbers because sample sizes were pretty low.
…Adding… DGA…
.@BruceRauner's at 55/39 job approval with REPBULICANS walking into primary.
The respondents were next asked, “Has President Donald Trump’s record in office made you more or less likely to vote this year for a Republican for Illinois executive offices including: Governor and Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, or Attorney General?”
Overall, 27% said more likely; 55% said less likely, and 11% said neither. There were 17% who said much more likely and 10% who said somewhat more likely while 13% said somewhat less likely and 43% who said much less likely.
This was followed by a similar question of whether President Trump’s record in office made you more or less likely to vote for a Republican for U. S. Congress from Illinois this year. A total of 30% chose more likely with 20% who said much more and 10% said somewhat more likely. 57% of the respondents chose less likely with 47% saying much less likely and 11% somewhat less likely. 9% said neither.
Another question asked if Trump’s record made them more or less likely to vote for a Republican for the Illinois General Assembly this year. 29% chose more likely; 56% chose less likely and 10% chose neither.
43% said much less likely and 13% said somewhat less likely. 10% said somewhat more likely and 18% selected much more likely.
If you’re one of those people who still questions why Democrats are attacking Trump in their advertising, now you know.
The margin of error of the entire sample of 1,001 voters is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. This means that if we conducted the survey 100 times, in 95 of those instances, the population proportion would be within plus or minus the reported margin of error for each subsample. For subsamples, the margin of error increases as the sample size goes down. The margin of error was not adjusted for design effects. Among self-identified primary election voters, the margin is plus or minus 6 percentage points in the 259-voter sample of Republicans, and 4.5 percentage points in the sample of 472 Democrats.
Live telephone interviews were conducted by Customer Research International of San Marcos, Texas using the random digit dialing method. The telephone sample was provided to Customer Research International by Scientific Telephone Samples. Potential interviewees were screened based on whether they were registered voters and quotas based on area code and sex (<60% female). The sample obtained 51% male and 49% female respondents. Interviewers asked to speak to the youngest registered voter at home at the time of the call. Cell phone interviews accounted for 60 percent of the sample. A Spanish language version of the questionnaire and a Spanish-speaking interviewer were made available.
* From NBC 5, here are photos of JB Pritzker’s houses in Chicago and Wisconsin and his Wisconsin horse farm…
* The Question: Do these photos make you more or less likely to vote for JB Pritzker, or does it not matter? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
After taking heat for saying Gov. Bruce Rauner should be “applauded” for speaking truth to power, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Chris Kennedy on Thursday said the Republican is the worst governor in state history — worse than some who have ended up behind bars.
“Gov. Rauner is the worst governor in the United States,” Kennedy said, as he spoke to a gathering of striking YMCA childcare workers in the West Loop.
“He’s the worst governor in the history of Illinois, including governors that went to jail.”
Kennedy also called Rauner “heartless” for throwing “a million people out of government programs,” words he’s used before. But the jail reference appeared to take criticism of the governor to a new level.
“He believes, like some ugly character in a Disney movie, in the pirate philosophy that when you fall behind, you’re left behind,” Kennedy said of Rauner. “That’s not what we think of as Americans. We believe what President Kennedy said, that a rising tide should lift all boats.”
* Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign has opened up a new front on Kennedy…
While candidate Chris Kennedy recently said that collective bargaining was “a central tenant of the American Dream,” he has a long history of opposing the labor movement.
In 2013, Chris Kennedy said a tenured faculty union was a “threat to the greatness of the University of Illinois.” While faculty at the UIC and UIUC unionized, Kennedy and his Board of Trustees were part of lawsuits to challenge the bargaining units. And back in 1998, Kennedy praised efforts to cut overtime pay, calling them “hugely significant.”
“Chris Kennedy has disparaged unions and workers seeking collective bargaining, undercutting the ability of working families to come together and fight for a better future,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Suing to challenge bargaining units and calling it a ‘threat to greatness’ shows Kennedy has never truly recognized the value of the labor movement in our workplaces, despite his rhetoric on the campaign trail.”
JB Pritzker wants to compare labor records. Happy to do so.
Chris ran the Merchandise Mart with a unionized workforce and his Wolf Point development is done in partnership with the AFL-CIO Building and Construction trades. He joined Cesar Chavez on his hunger strike to fight for workers’ rights. His family’s commitment to the rights of workers to organize for a better life goes back for generations. To question it in the final weeks of an election is a sign of a desperate billionaire whose attempt to buy an election is failing.
Let’s look at JB Pritzker’s record:
J.B. Pritzker is one of the biggest shareholders in, and has called himself “a principal owner of,” Hyatt Hotels, a corporation that UNITE HERE has said “singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry” and “taken the most aggressive role [in the industry] in going after their workers including turning on heat lamps on striking workers.”
J.B. Pritzker owns and is the chairman of a pallet distribution company that fought to prevent workers at its Chicago plant from forming a union and hired an infamous union-busting law firm to try to keep out Teamsters Local 743.
J.B. Pritzker has funded an attack on public employees and their hard-earned benefits, giving $10,000 to a Bruce Rauner-led political action committee set up by business interests specifically to “bankroll candidates who are willing to cross labor unions and vote to reduce pension benefits.”
So anytime JB Pritzker wants to compare his labor record with Chris Kennedy’s, we are game — especially on a day like today, when Chris is joined by Dolores Huerta, one of the most respected leaders in the labor movement.
* This isn’t the most earth-shattering story, but it’s Friday and… well, whatever. JB Pritzker did an interview with WBEZ yesterday morning…
Our first question on Twitter… This is from Elizabeth Lindquist, ‘Please ask Mr. Pritzker why he thinks he’s qualified to lead our state while he has (in caps) NO POLITICAL EXPERIENCE. Why should we believe that he would stand up to Madigan since JB gave to his campaign?’
Great. Thank you. Um, I know that Elizabeth works for Dan Biss, who’s running against me, so I appreciate the question.
OK, I know who Elizabeth Lindquist is because I closely follow the governor’s race on Twitter. I’ve seen her appear on my bookmarked Twitter searches more times than I can count. Her Twitter page is all about Sen. Daniel Biss. She’s even wearing a Biss shirt in her profile pic.
But Pritzker knows who she is too? I mean, she tweets at him a lot, but he checks his mentions?
“Yeah, he goes on Twitter,” said a spokesperson today. “He’s a human.”
* It turns out, WBEZ made a mistake. It wasn’t Lindquist’s question after all. It was from this strong Biss supporter…
This was MY question and I don't work for Biss! @JBPritzker didn't address his lack of holding political office, all he says is breakfast, breakfast breakfast
And @wbezsarabia said the question came from @EALindquist and @JBPritzker tried to discredit her by saying she works for @DanielBiss. She doesn’t. She is a super volunteer. JB may not realize this, but we don’t have to pay people for their support.
* The Democrats love to put non-binding advisory questions on the ballot rather than just pass laws themselves. But, whatever. They may not have the votes to pass legalized marijuana right now, particularly if it’s gonna be vetoed, so let’s all have a little show biz instead and maybe gin up some youth turnout…
Voters would get to weigh in on whether Illinois should legalize recreational marijuana under a bill that passed the state Senate on Thursday.
Senate Bill 2275, approved 37-13, would put the question to voters on the November ballot.
As currently written, it would ask Illinois voters, “Do you support the legalization of possession and use of marijuana by persons who are at least 21 years of age, subject to regulation and taxation that is similar to the regulation and taxation of tobacco and alcohol?”
The measure is part of a larger effort to explore whether Illinois should liberalize marijuana laws, which has been ongoing as lawmakers obtain feedback from various stakeholders.
Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, has filed, on behalf of the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 43, which aims to end gerrymandering in Illinois.
This amendment proposes a 16-member independent redistricting commission that will reflect the demographic, geographic and political diversity of our state. Residents from communities throughout Illinois will be included. Communities of color will be represented. Democrats, Republicans and Independents will have seats at the table.
Two members of the Illinois Supreme Court from opposite political parties will choose all the commissioners, keeping the process above the political fray.
Above the political fray? Right.
And what happens if the 16-member commission deadlocks? From the proposal…
If the Commission fails to adopt and file a redistricting plan by August 1 of the year following a federal decennial census, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the most senior Supreme Court Judge who is not elected from the same political party as the Chief Justice shall appoint, by August 8, a seventeenth member to the Commission. The seventeenth member of the Commission must not be affiliated with either major political party.
And if the two can’t agree on a suitable independent appointment? Well, we’re out of luck because there is no provision for that.
Illinois took a significant step toward becoming the first state to ban organized tackle football at the youth level.
HB 4341, also called the Dave Duerson Act, would prohibit any child under 12 from participating in organized tackle football. The measure passed out of the Illinois House mental health committee on an 11-9 vote Thursday and now heads to the House for a full debate and vote.
The bill needed 11 votes for passage.
Illinois is one of four states — New York, California and Maryland are the others — to introduce legislation regulating tackle football.
I’m not saying it won’t pass both chambers and I’m not saying it’s bad legislation. But there’s a reason for the “It’s just a bill” headline. We always see lots of excitable stories this time of year about bills passing committees in the originating chamber. That just doesn’t mean much. Long way to go.
Days after the inspector general in January determined that [Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago] violated the state’s ethics act, behaved in a way “unbecoming of a legislator” and failed to maintain an appropriate professional relationship, Cullerton sent out invitations to host a fundraiser for Silverstein at a bar and pool hall in Springfield.
No, Silverstein’s actions didn’t amount to sexual harassment, the IG said. But still.
Violator of the ethics act. Conduct unbecoming. Unprofessional. Let’s get this guy re-elected! […]
This would be an easy race for Cullerton to sit out. Let Senator Unbecoming make his own case to voters. Several top Democrats have called for Silverstein to step down.
But Cullerton is doubling down, writing generous checks of at least $115,400 from his campaign fund to support Silverstein, along with $6,430 in campaign ads, according to the latest campaign disclosure forms. […]
At a time when some women in the legislature are rising up and demanding respect, Cullerton might as well be patting them on the head and telling them to smile more. Talk is cheap, isn’t it?
* I asked Gov. Pat Quinn’s attorney general campaign yesterday for a copy of their new TV ad and was told I’d have one as soon as possible. As a hedge, I put some Chicago-area friends on alert and asked them to record it with their phones if they saw it.
There are actually two Quinn ads, both 15 seconds in length. Here’s one…
For years I’ve fought the bigshots for everyday people, battling utilities and helping our veterans. Now it’s time to stand up to Trump’s illegal policies. As attorney general, I’ll take on Trump and fight for you.
I half expected him to say “You know me” in that spot.
…Adding… With thanks to a commenter, he actually did say “You know me” at the beginning of the ad. Click here to see it.
* This second one isn’t complete. It’s missing the very beginning, but beggars can’t be choosers…
…the last line of defense against Trump. As attorney general, I’ll fight his attacks on healthcare. I won’t let him take away our civil rights. Trump wants to protect assault weapons. Me? I want to protect you.
…Adding…If you click here, you’ll see he says “Our attorney general is the last line of defense against Trump.”
Thoughts on these ads?
* Related…
* Democratic race to succeed Attorney General Lisa Madigan becomes battle to stop Pat Quinn: “It was passed by the legislature, I looked at it, I signed it,” Quinn said. “There had never been a court case on this issue that was on point. The court decided. In our democracy, whether it’s the U.S. Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, you accept the verdict of the court and you move on.” That response was a far cry from 2012, when Quinn declared he was “put on Earth” to solve the state’s pension mess. He attempted to cut lawmakers’ pay over the issue, then called a special session to get a bill on his desk.
Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy on Thursday night accused opponent J.B. Pritzker of using “the language of racists” and not political leaders when he spoke to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich nearly a decade ago about potential African-American candidates to fill Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. […]
“What J.B. says in those tapes, he uses the language, the language of racists, not language of politicians and not language of leaders,” he said.
Asked after the debate whether he thinks Pritzker is a racist, Kennedy did not directly answer, returning to his contention that his opponent has used “language that is commonly associated with racists.” […]
Kennedy, a member of the iconic Massachusetts political family, is counting heavily on support among African-American community because of the work of his late father, former U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, and late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, during the struggle for civil rights. Rauner’s ads have been seen as lending an assist to Kennedy, who has had struggled to raise campaign cash.
“Our surging poll numbers have been helpful,” texted a Kennedy type. “Look out, JB.”
The Biss campaign has pulled in $104,582 since Sunday.
* Meanwhile, WBEZ’s Dave McKinney asked each of the Democratic candidates a question at tonight’s debate about the price of various things. “This campaign has been framed as a battle for the heart of middle and low-income voters,” McKinney said. “We’re going to do a simple test to see how connected each of you is to average Illinoisans.”
That immediately brought me back to the 1992 debate when President George HW Bush couldn’t cite a price for a gallon of milk. That haunted him the rest of the campaign.
I’m not much of a fan of these questions, but, hey, it wasn’t my debate. Free country.
Chris Kennedy was asked about the price of a haircut. He said he pays $40, which for downtown Chicago and/or his home town of Kenilworth is not out of line.
* But then Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Middle Class) was asked about the price of a monthly CTA pass. Biss said $35. It’s actually $105. Oops.
The CTA has Purple Line service to Sen. Biss’ hometown of Evanston, so I suppose the question was fair, if you think this line of questioning is fair, that is. Either way, this was a made for Twitter moment for the candidate who says he lives like everyday people…
people's champ Daniel Biss thinks a monthly CTA pass costs $35. close! it's $105 #ILGovDebate
* Biss seemed to be thinking out loud while he was trying to come up with an answer to McKinney’s question. He said his monthly Metra pass “comes pretty close to $50 a month” and then appeared to kinda guess at the CTA monthly price from there. But Metra’s website lists monthly pass prices as $116 all the way up to $319.
State Sen. Daniel Biss – who promises to be the “Middle Class Governor” in ads running throughout the state — endured a “The Price is Right” question Wednesday night at a gubernatorial forum in Chicago.
And he didn’t quite pass the test. […]
Biss’ campaign later said the Evanston senator “mixed up” the weekly and monthly pass prices, and was referring to the weekly Metra pass at $55, and the weekly CTA pass at $35.
Still, the answer – heard on public radio — and livestreamed online, had some scratching their heads.
Always been more of a Metra guy than CTA—but boy did I miss that one! I I pay ~$50 weekly for a 10-ride Metra card. Other candidates in this race don't have to worry about how to fit transportation into their families' budget. It’s time for a middle-class governor. #ILGovDebatepic.twitter.com/k3HQVHynoE
* Meanwhile, JB Pritzker was asked about childcare costs. He said it was $150 per week on the low end to “probably $400″ on the upper end. That riled Mary Ann Ahern and Kennedy…
Question on are you relatable? Who is paying $150 for child care each week? @JBPritzker said that’s the low end, high end $400 #ILGovDebate
.@JBPritzker is so out of touch with reality that he thinks childcare only costs $150 a week. But he has profited off of his “social impact bonds" for public schools.
Yesterday at noon, a Kennedy spokesperson claimed the campaign is “bringing in an outside expert to lead sexual harassment training for our campaign staff.”
At tonight’s WBEZ debate, Kennedy said “everyone has to go through sexual harassment training in our campaign.” Click here for a video clip.
* From the Pritzker campaign’s live debate reality check e-mails…
REALITY CHECK: Chris Kennedy Lies About His Campaign’s Sexual Harassment Training
Tonight, Chris Kennedy claimed that his campaign staff have received sexual harassment training, but just yesterday the Kennedy campaign admitted it had failed to hold such a training. The Kennedy campaign needs to tell voters the truth.
* I asked the Kennedy campaign for a response…
As Chris said, our staff members have received sexual harassment training and, as our campaign team continues to grow, our new team members are scheduled to receive it. This claim is an effort to deflect from JB Pritzker’s failure to stand with women and to empower women.
JB Pritzker works tirelessly to protect Michael Madigan while his political organization is riddled with claims of sexual and workplace harassment. JB Pritzker has zero credibility on this issue. He puts out ads and soundbites about how he’ll fight for women, yet when it comes time to fight, he steps to the side. He won’t stand with women and call on Madigan to step down during an investigation and he won’t stand with women when it comes time to empower them, as evidenced by the lack of women in leadership roles at Pritzker Group.
* Linda Ellerbee told a story in her book “And So It Goes” about how covering presidential campaigns could be mentally grueling. She eventually learned a trick to keep her somewhat sane during the never-ending blur of multiple cities a day. Every night before she went to bed, she’d write a note to herself that included what candidate she was covering and what town she was in. That way, when she suddenly woke up with a start in the middle of the night in yet another strange hotel room, she could just look at her note to settle her nerves.
I told that story last night at dinner (or maybe it was the night before last - this week has been so busy), and then today I watched Rep. Jeanne Ives’ interview at Quad Cities TV station KWQC…
Interviewer: So, if you don’t live in Chicago you’re considered Downstate. The Quad Cities is not actually Downstate, it’s directly west. How will you make sure the rest of the state feels included?
Ives: We’ve traveled the state. I think they feel included. My, my, uh, uh, I’m sorry, my lieutenant governor selection is Rich Morthland. He is a farmer from Rock Island County, which is in the far western part of the state right on the border of Iowa. He’s also a community college professor. We, listen, I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. It was a farming community. And my three uncles farmed around the area. All of us grew up working on the farm. I’m just as much associated with farmland as I am the suburbs where I live. So, I, I, the entire southern, central Illinois, this resonates with me and my background.
Um, KWQC’s studio is in Iowa and sits 1.6 miles across the Mississippi River from Rock Island County. No explanation needed on that one.
And since she was just over the border from western Illinois, perhaps she could’ve mentioned that when talking about how the various regions resonate with her.
Look, sometimes candidates talk so much to so many people in so many towns and then get so tired from all that yakking that their talking points just automatically take over. If you watch the video, she looks relieved when she gets back to familiar ground.
I’m not trying to pick on Rep. Ives here. This stuff happens perhaps more often than you’d think. And, frankly, my brain is a little bit fried as well these days. I don’t know how these people do it.
Today the Biss campaign is announcing it has raised more than $2 million in the first two months of 2018, including $150,073.33 raised through a ten-day small donor matching challenge. Inspired by the success of small donor matching programs in other states as well as Daniel Biss’ legislation designed to take on the influence of big money in politics, the Biss campaign launched a small donor matching program of its own.
Between February 19 and February 28, all contributions of $150 or less were matched, up to $100,000. This small donor matching program was so successful the campaign surpassed its goal by more than 50 percent. During the ten-day period, there were 4,819 unique donors who made 5,928 contributions at or below the $150 threshold. The average contribution was $25.32.
“Our grassroots campaign is powered by thousands of people across the state who are investing their time, their money, and their energy to elect a middle-class progressive who will make transformational change in Illinois,” said Biss campaign manager Abby Witt. “When people hear Daniel’s message, it resonates. Despite the millions of dollars Daniel’s opponents are spending to self-fund their campaigns, we know Illinois voters want a governor who will represent their interests, not the billionaires and corporations. In an era of Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump, voters want a middle-class progressive with a record of getting things done to help working families.”
The Biss campaign won’t identify the person who promised to match the contributions, so I suppose we just have to look for the next person who contributes $150,073.33 to him. Shouldn’t be too difficult.
The Illinois Education Association (IEA) is proud of its work that helped kill Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to shift the cost of pensions from the state to local school and community college districts and universities.
Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced a resolution last year that stated the pension cost shift is “financially wrong” and would harm local school districts and taxpayers.
McSweeney approached the IEA for help in talking to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build support for his measure because of IEA’s history of bipartisanship. Together, they were able to get 66 House members to sign on to the resolution in a show of force that effectively kills the Rauner pension cost shift.
“The pension cost shift would result in a massive increase in property taxes and would jeopardize education funding. I’m proud of the bipartisan coalition of 65 House members, and working with the IEA, to oppose this cost shift and do what’s right for the taxpayers and students of this state,” said McSweeney.
The resolution reads: “States the opinion of the Illinois House of Representatives that the proposed educational pension cost shift from the State of Illinois to local school districts, community colleges, and institutions of higher education is financially wrong.”
“If the state quits paying its portion of pension benefits and pushes it off to the local school districts, it strangles local school funding and harms students,” said IEA President Kathi Griffin. “We need to be looking for ways to provide more funding for our students, not taking money away from them to pay for state obligations.”
For decades, the IEA has been fighting for changes to the way Illinois schools are funded to create a more equitable formula that ensures a quality education for all students regardless of where they live. This summer the legislature passed a new school funding formula.
“It’s interesting that now you have the governor talking about shifting pension costs to local school districts and community colleges. While at the same time, Rauner continually tries to take credit for passing the historic school funding reform bill, even though he originally vetoed the bill,” Griffin said. “You can’t give with one hand and take away with the other. Rauner is not a friend of education. Our kids deserve more than this.”
That is one odd coupling right there, kids. Politics, bedfellows, etc.
…Adding… I had this one saved up to post and then forgot to do it. Busy day…
NEIU tells #SenateApprop that @GovRauner’s proposal to shift pension costs to univ could “shut off the lights and close the doors”.
* Gov. Rauner has said that the state is looking at various options with the Quincy veterans’ home, including replacing the plumbing and putting up a new building. But that would take a lot of time and with 4 recent Legionnaires’ cases, the Quincy Herald-Whig has another idea. Move the residents two blocks down the street…
We strongly urge the governor and state agencies to give careful consideration to a feasible, transitional option that would address many of the stated safety concerns and achieve that short-term objective.
It would require the state to buy — or rent — the vacant Sycamore Healthcare Center facility just two blocks from the Veterans Home grounds and temporarily move the 75 residents now living in Elmore Infirmary — where most of the Legionnaires’ cases have been traced — there until Elmore can be renovated or replaced.
Sycamore Healthcare Center closed in April 2017, a victim of Medicaid funding cuts instituted in 2015 and a state budget impasse that began that year and lasted until last summer.
The skilled nursing facility at 720 Sycamore has more than 26,000 square feet of space, features 102 rooms and was licensed for 205 beds at the time of its closing. DLZ Capital of New York bought the facility out of foreclosure and has it listed with Mays Realtors of Quincy for $795,000.
There has been a growing chorus of politicians calling for residents to be moved to other facilities across Illinois, which also would carry a hefty price tag for the state. We strenuously object to any such plan and urge our readers to do the same.
First, it seems fitting to use what is essentially a belly-up budget hostage to fix the problem.
Second, why the heck didn’t any of the governor’s “super stars” think of this idea?
* The Democratic-controlled House and Senate pass a bunch of gun bills and right on cure, here’s the DGA…
Today, the Democratic Governors Association launched a new digital ad campaign holding Governor Bruce Rauner accountable for his failure to lead on gun safety. As Governor, Rauner has failed to take on the NRA or fight for bold reforms that will keep families safe. The DGA’s ad campaign will call on Rauner to show leadership on the issue of gun safety.
“Illinoisans are fed up with Bruce Rauner’s failure to show leadership on gun safety,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The nation reels from one shooting after another, and in three years Rauner’s refused to take on the NRA and take charge in Illinois. Illinois families need the Governor to stop making excuses and start leading on gun safety.
The DGA confirms this buy will be in the “high six figures.”
Illinois has had enough. Enough with assault weapons. Enough with guns in the hands of the mentally ill.
And enough with Gov. Rauner letting the NRA call the shots and saying [Rauner appears on camera] ‘I am not in charge.”‘
Tell Rauner, enough excuses. Lead on gun safety.
*** UPDATE *** RGA’s response…
“The DGA knows full well that Governor Rauner is working hard to ensure that guns stay out of the wrong hands. This is the DGA desperately spending J.B. Pritzker’s cash to distract from shocking revelations that their favored candidate is a corrupt political insider with longtime ties to Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich.” – Republican Governors Association Spokesman Steven Yaffe
* Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association and candidate for mayor has endorsed Chris Kennedy. A campaign press release says LaRaviere “referenced JB Pritzker’s profits from social impact bonds for preschool.” He did more than that…
We have endured an endless stream of reckless budgetary practices from an administration and city hall that seems hell-bent on indebting taxpayers to the mayor’s campaign donors.
One of the most asinine examples of this reckless and incompetent spending is the so-called social impact bond for preschool. Three investors–all of whom are donors to the Emanuel Campaign–Goldman Sachs, Northern Trust and the Pritzker Group headed by J.B. Pritzker himself.
They loaned CPS $17 million and stand to gain more than $34 million from taxpayers in return. We’re paying $34 million for a program that cost $17 million, and we’re paying it to Sachs, Northern Trust and Pritzker. Yes. One of the many wealthy beneficiaries of this legalized theft is the Pritzker Foundation, headed by a man who wants to be your next governor.
The grant will follow participants for 14 years to determine if outcome measurements have been met. Metrics include increasing kindergarten readiness, improving third grade literacy and reducing the need for special education services. An independent evaluator will assess whether these measurements have been met. If analysis proves students have fared well after attending the early education programs, investors will get a return on their investment.
The city estimates that surplus will come from CPS savings of $9,100 per student for each student who avoids special education services. An additional $2,900 would be saved for each student deemed ready for kindergarten after attending the program, and a $750 savings for each student who scores above the national average on a third-grade reading test.
In a political attack ad paid for by Pritzker, a narrator assails his primary opponent, state senator Daniel Biss, for his 2012 vote “to increase funding for charter schools at the expense of neighborhood public schools.” The ad also says “he’s supported by a pro-charter group who’s fought for school privatization.”
Biss campaign spokesman Tom Elliott hit back, saying, “The height of J.B. Pritzker’s hypocrisy is astounding. While he spends millions of dollars on sloppy attack ads against Daniel Biss for voting for a bill that provides funding parity for all school children in Illinois, Pritzker tries to privatize education so he can profit off the backs of underprivileged families.” […]
“All of these guys are trying to claim the wing of progressivism when none of them have a record that supports that,” [Blogger and retired teacher Fred Klonsky] said. “I don’t think there’s anybody running for statewide office as a Democrat who can make a claim that they were defenders of neighborhood public schools and that they were opponents of charter schools. If they can make that claim, show it. Before you attack someone else, show us your record.” […]
Klonsky says Pritzker’s political attacks against charter schools is evidence of a larger nationwide shift in the political conversation around privatizing education.
“After nearly 20 years of corporate-driven education reform, they have nothing to show for it.”
* Meanwhile…
A day after reporting a $20k contribution from a nephew of former mayor Richard M. Daley, @KennedyforIL–who's ripped the culture of insiders in IL politics–reported getting $100k from the mayor's brother, former White House chief of staff Bill Daley. pic.twitter.com/7CRYE1My1q
Remember the days when Bill Daley was brought in as Kennedy’s finance chairman and was talking about raising $8-10 million?
Also, speaking of Daley, that Kennedy presser was held in front of Rauner Prep charter school, which Daley’s brother Mayor Richard M. Daley helped get off the ground.
Biss is the only candidate who has featured video of his home in a campaign ad, showcasing his family’s modest duplex in Evanston. He also owns a small home in Urbana, Illinois, that his wife bought before they were married and they now rent, he said. […]
Of those, Pritzker’s Astor Street mansion in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood has received considerable attention in the past, not just for its size but also on the topic of property taxes.
Pritzker owns the mansion next door, where the toilets were removed and it was deemed uninhabitable, resulting in a major reduction in property taxes.
Just north of the Illinois border, Pritzker also owns an expansive horse farm in Racine, Wisconsin, with several buildings on its grounds. And not far from that is the Pritzker vacation home, a mansion in Lake Geneva.
NBC 5 also obtained photos of another home, believed to be Pritzker’s, under construction in an exclusive area of the Bahamas with ocean views. The Pritzker campaign would only say that he has a home in the Bahamas, but would not confirm that the photos are of his property. […]
“My wife Sheila and I have a house here in Illinois, near her parents and her brothers and sisters, and then we have a house up in Cape Cod near the Kennedy compound, close to all of my brothers and sisters,” Kennedy said
Two leading female lawmakers have floated a set of recommendations aimed at improving the system for reporting and investigating sexual harassment at the Capitol, but questions remain about legislative leaders retaining control over complaints that are filed.
Democratic state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie and Republican Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez offered the “working draft” at a meeting of a House task force on sexual discrimination and harassment on Tuesday […]
Currie and Wojcicki Jimenez suggest that each legislative leader appoint a person who is responsible for receiving and reviewing complaints. That person would decide which ones should be turned over for investigation. Then, each leader would either employ their own investigator, refer investigations to an outside attorney or refer them to the legislative watchdog.
That structure reflects the current system, except that the roles of receiving complaints and of investigating them would be separated. Currie acknowledged that expecting staffers or lawmakers to complain to legislative leaders or their chosen representatives could have a chilling effect.
“There is an awkwardness, I recognize that,” Currie said.
* From the “Open Questions” section, which means they’re still discussing it…
Adding additional punishment options to House Rules for lawmakers such as reprimand or censure for violations of the Ethics Act.
Long way to go, campers.
* But some legislators are working on a different track. Sun-Times…
Democratic women of the Illinois House on Wednesday held a closed door meeting at the Capitol with Alaina Hampton — the woman whose accusations of harassment led to the firing of a top political aide to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
And while Hampton shared her perspective, women legislators are trying to look forward and introduce new legislation to help combat sexual harassment — and also to help empower women in politics. […]
“The broader context is to ensure that any legislation that comes out of part of a final package has the input of women around the Capitol who are impacted and will be impacted by the policies we implement,” [Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago] said.
Williams said the caucus plans to meet with female staffers, former female staffers, current lobbyists and other women at the Capitol to get their perspective.
* And this is from Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s constituent newsletter…
Last week, as stories of sexual harassment and abusive behavior as well as questions about how complaints were handled within Illinois political offices and campaigns swirled, I called for a proactive and truly independent investigation of the various entities involved with the House Democratic Caucus. Recognizing the challenge of finding someone locally that wouldn’t have some political or family connection to someone involved, I made clear that I intended to research both locally and nationally.
Over the last week, we have reached out to the local group Women Employed as well as nationally to the National Women’s Law Center, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Innovation Exchange. At the same time, we have been contacted by groups both locally and nationally who have expressed interest in the possible investigation. Each of these groups or firms were asked to submit a proposal outlining how they would accomplish a probe resulting in concrete proposals for change as well as to disclose any actual or perceived conflict along with their plan for addressing potential conflicts.
So far, four organizations have agreed to submit proposals. Once all of these proposals have been received, I intend to share them with the Speaker and the House Democratic Women’s Caucus in order to be as transparent as possible as we attempt to move forward and improve the culture of our operations. I am happy to share the results of my research with any of the other caucuses or members of leadership seeking to proactively make change within their own organizations as well.
* Rep. Cassidy also included a list of legislation to watch. Here’s one of the bills…
Provides that the Secretary of State or the Executive Ethics Commission, after the adjudication of a violation regarding sexual harassment under the Lobbyist Registration Act for which an investigation was initiated by the Inspector General appointed by the Secretary of State, are authorized to temporarily suspend or terminate any person, or lobbying entity for which that person is employed, registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act.
* I haven’t seen this covered any where else and I’m on deadline for Crain’s so I don’t have much time for a post, but here’s yesterday’s veto message…
February 28, 2018
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois House of Representatives,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto House Bill 768 from the 100th General Assembly, which would eliminate a route for charter school applicants and operators to appeal denial or closure decisions made by their local school boards.
This legislation would deny charter school applicants and operators the right to appeal local school board decisions through the Charter School Commission, instead sending every appeal to the judicial system. Furthermore, it would strip the Charter School Commission of responsibilities that are rightfully under its jurisdiction as a check on local school board decisions. The Commission has only approved 6 out of 48 appeals since its inception in 2011, and has a track record of careful consideration of what is best for students within local contexts, as it is statutorily bound to do. Further, the decisions of the Commission are already judicially reviewable. Current law provides applicants a second venue before turning to the courts.
The Charter School Commission is more well-equipped to facilitate the appeals process than local courts, and should continue to be empowered with the charge of ensuring that all Illinois children have access to a high-quality education.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 768, entitled “AN ACT concerning education”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.
Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Removes provisions allowing the State Charter School Commission to reverse a school board’s decision to deny, revoke, or not renew a charter; makes related changes. Provides that if a charter school applicant submits a proposal to a school board outside of the process adopted by that school board for receiving charter school proposals on an annual basis, the applicant shall not have any right to submit its proposal to the State Charter School Commission as otherwise authorized. In a provision concerning a charter school proposed to be jointly authorized by 2 or more school districts and the school boards unanimously denying the charter school proposal with a statement that the school boards are not opposed to the charter school, but that they yield to the Commission in light of the complexities of joint administration, allows the charter applicant to submit the proposal to the Commission and requires the Commission to follow the same process and be subject to the same timelines for review as a school board. Allows the Commission to approve an application for a charter if certain conditions are met. Provide that the Commission may condition approval of an application on the acceptance of funding in an amount less than requested. Provides that final decisions of the Commission are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. Provides that if the Commission approves an application for a charter school, then the Commission shall act as the authorized chartering entity. Provides that if the Commission is the authorized chartering entity, then the Commission shall execute a charter agreement (instead of approve the charter agreement). Provides that the Commission has no authority to approve a charter school proposal that has been denied by a school board. Effective immediately.
State Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) released the following statement in response to the governor’s veto of her measure Senate Bill 768, which allows local school boards to make the final decision when issuing, denying or revoking charter school licenses:
“Governor Rauner wants to deny local officials the right to decide who educates their communities. By vetoing this bipartisan measure, Rauner keeps charter school permitting decision-making at the state level, where he can more easily influence outcomes and force communities to support charter schools that they may not need or want. School boards across the state know what is best for those that they serve and should have the final word on issuing, denying or revoking a charter school permit.”
* Up until this week, the JB Pritzker campaign has been very careful to not say much in the way of negative stuff about Chris Kennedy. Well, not on the record, anyway. But after launching a negative TV ad yesterday, I guess they have a new track. From a press release…
A claim that spurred backlash from Cairo students themselves landed Chris Kennedy in hot water with fact checkers. The Better Government Association rated Kennedy’s claim that “zero percent of kids in Cairo are college-ready” as false.
BGA: Fact Check: Chris Kennedy Flunks Data Interpretation 101 With Cairo College Readiness Claim
Kennedy tried to make a point about inadequate state school funding when he declared “zero percent of kids in Cairo are college-ready.”
But school officials in that deep southern Illinois community report a majority of current seniors have already received acceptance offers from at least one college.
Kennedy backtracked on his original statement when news media sought clarification, though he did not admit error. In the second go-around, he pointed to slightly better numbers from a different set of state-collected test data. […]
The confusing set of numbers and assertions reeled out by Kennedy to bolster his comments about Cairo students make it clear he didn’t do his homework before claiming initially that no members of the graduating class of 2018 were prepared for college. For that reason, we rate his statement False.
“Chris Kennedy should get his facts straight and take time to understand the needs of the communities he’s so thoroughly insulting from the campaign trail,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “Public education is the lifeblood of the Illinois economy and students are the future of this state, but Kennedy seems intent on badmouthing them instead of bringing people together to move Illinois forward.”
The [Paul Simon Public Policy Institute] survey, conducted Feb. 19 through Sunday, was made up of registered voters who identified their party preference to poll takers and said they were likely to vote in the March 20 primary. The sample was not weighted to reflect voters more likely to go to the polls based on past voting history and was not adjusted for historical racial and age demographics or turnout.
For example, African-Americans make up about one-third of the state’s Democratic primary vote. But of Democratic voters surveyed in the poll, only 19 percent were black based on those giving their race or ethnicity to pollsters. […]
Among African-American voters, a key demographic in Democratic elections, Pritzker had 45 percent to 22 percent for Kennedy and 6 percent for Biss, the poll showed. But the smaller sample of black voters also has a significantly larger margin of error.
In addition, Chicago voters cast one-third of the state’s Democratic primary votes in the 2016 presidential primary election. But only a quarter of the voters in the poll who said they would vote in the Democratic primary were from Chicago.
The Tribune almost never writes about anybody else’s polls, so this story makes me wonder if the paper is ever going to do its own poll. Usually, it does two and would have published one by now.
* Let’s go back to Speaker Madigan’s gun bills press release. He included a list of what passed and I then added the bill status as of about 10 o’clock this morning…
* House Bill 1465, which raises the minimum age to purchase an assault rifle from 18 to 21. [Passed the House 64-51 and is in the Senate]
* House Bill 1467, which bans the sale of bump stocks and other modifications like those used by the Las Vegas shooter to turn an arsenal of semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic machine guns. [Passed the House 83-31 and is in the Senate]
* House Bill 1468, which requires a 72-hour “cooling off” period on all assault rifle sales. [Passed the House 79-37 and is in the Senate]
* Senate Bill 1657 [Passed the House 64-52 and goes to the governor] and House Bill 1273 [House concurs 64-51-3 and goes to the governor], which ensure gun shops will comply with these and other state and federal laws by creating a gun dealer licensing system. These bills will hold gun dealers to the same standard as many other licensed professions including car dealerships, real estate agencies, and even beauty salons, to ensure gun shops meet basic levels of security and training.
Facing pressure to tighten gun laws after a Florida high school shooting and the slaying of a Chicago police officer, Illinois House lawmakers led by Democrats on Wednesday voted to create new rules for gun shops, ban the sale of “bump stocks” and restrict purchases of assault weapons.
The votes at the Capitol came as hundreds of gun control advocates including Cardinal Blase Cupich and Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called for action, while opponents argued that Democrats in control of the legislature were exploiting tragedy to score political points in an election year.
Even so, some Republican lawmakers broke with most of their party, particularly suburban lawmakers who said the changes represented a reasonable response to violence.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner largely has avoided weighing in on specific gun proposals, saying it’s a matter for the federal government. He may have to soon, though, now that the House voted Wednesday to put on his desk a bill that would require gun retailers to get state licenses. Once the legislation arrives in Rauner’s office, he will have 60 days to act. That means he will not have to make a decision until after the March 20 primary election in which he faces Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton, who voted against the bill.
The proposed law requires background checks for gun dealers and their employees; allows the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to inspect businesses that sell firearms; and requires gun dealers to undergo training on conducting background checks, identifying straw purchasers, and properly storing firearms to prevent theft. […]
Harmon said he has received no indication from Gov. Bruce Rauner on whether he will sign the bill if approved by state lawmakers.
“I think the governor would be foolish to not embrace this bill, but he has a habit of surprising me,” Harmon said. “There have been no commitments, but there have been no threats to veto either.”
The day began with a plea to lawmakers from the influential leader of Chicago’s Catholic Archdiocese to pass “sensible” gun control measures in the name of “murdered children” in Parkland, Florida, and Newtown, Connecticut.
As the day wore on, Cardinal Blase Cupich’s call was echoed in emotional pleas from gun control advocates, many who have lost family members to violence, at rallies outside the Capitol.
And it ended with controversial legislation being sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk that would require gun dealers to be licensed by the state, and not just the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. […]
The House, however, is still working to gain support on other measures, including one named after Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer, who was shot and killed while responding to an armed robbery in the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop earlier this month. The bill would ban the sale of body armor and high-capacity gun magazines to anyone other than police officers, licensed security guards and members of the armed forces. Shomari Legghette, charged with the murder, was allegedly wearing body armor and using a gun with an extra-capacity magazine when he is accused of shooting Bauer. Legghette also is a four-time felon.
Some cattle farms in southern Illinois have experienced attacks by black vultures, with one farm losing four cows.
Teresa Steckler, commercial agriculture educator at the University of Illinois Extension, said the vultures appear to be moving north in recent years and that Interstate 64 seems like the cutoff line.
Steckler said besides the reported cases, some farmers might not realize they are losing calves to attacks by the vultures. […]
Steckler said that the black vultures will use a coordinated attack to go after cattle, teaming up on a mother cow while others attack the calve from another direction. She said the attacks remind her of another predator, the hyena. […]
Steckler said the vultures will attack calves, adult cows and just about anything else. She said setting up Canada goose decoys could be a deterrent for the vultures. Additionally, Steckler said farmers should keep watch on their cattle and that the vultures are very brazen and will attack close to barns.
The birds also can recognize farm vehicles, Steckler said.
“They learn pretty quickly what your truck is like or your vehicle is like and they will fly off and wait until you leave, and they come right back,” Steckler said.
They’re also a protected species and can’t be killed.
* Gov. Rauner talked to reporters yesterday about his possible general election opponent, JB Pritzker…
The tragedy for the people of Illinois is Pritzker is a hand-picked candidate of Mike Madigan. Madigan has controlled our state for 35 years. He brought Pritzker in to run for governor. Pritzker, because he had, Pritzker inherited billions of dollars and he can put lots of money in the race, that’s why they want him.
Unfortunately, Pritzker’s part of the corruption in Illinois. He funded Blagojevich, he’s funded Madigan. He’s part of that machine out of Chicago.
And he’s a tax dodger, and he tried to buy the Senate seat from Blagojevich, he’s been on the FBI tapes.
He’s a bad, bad person and if he were to become governor he would hand the governorship to Mike Madigan. Disaster for the state.
In a nutshell, that’s pretty much your fall campaign preview.
* Related…
* Video: Why Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner thinks he should be re-elected
* Gov. Rauner talked to reporters yesterday about the gun bills moving through the General Assembly…
I’ll tell you, one of my frustrations, Speaker Madigan and his majority so far have not been willing to really bring Republicans in. Republican legislators have not really been included in much of the negotiations and my team has not really been brought in very much. I’m concerned that they want to just do a one party, partisan type of legislation. I don’t think that’s right. We should be a bipartisan negotiation to get good bills done.
* From a Speaker Madigan press release…
Today, Democrats and a few thoughtful Republicans stood up and answered the call, but the silence from Governor Rauner speaks volumes and is reflected in the fact that the majority of his caucus opposed even these most basic gun safety measures. While the successful passage of these bills is a critical step for safer communities, it should have been a step we took together rather than another example of the governor’s failure to lead.”
Ah, Illinois. What would I ever do without you?
* Meanwhile, Senate President Cullerton’s release looked outward…
With Congress paralyzed by partisan politics, Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton applauded his Illinois colleagues for taking action Wednesday to protect public safety and urged state lawmakers across the country to show similar leadership.
“I’m proud of the Illinois Senate’s continued leadership in pushing for safer communities. We all recognize the need for federal action on gun safety. But in the absence of federal action, I want to encourage our statehouse colleagues across the country to do what we did today, seize this opportunity to make a difference,” said Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, who represents the state’s 6th Senate District in Chicago.
“And I want to specifically call on Indiana officials to finally do something about the flood of guns from their state flowing into Chicago and being used for crimes. If Indiana were to take public safety as seriously as we do, both of our states would be far better.”
The Senate President’s call for statehouse leadership across America followed the Illinois Senate’s approval of legislation regarding gun dealer licenses (HB1273) and creation of a process through which guns can be removed from people who family members believe are prone to violence (HB772).
Cullerton also stressed that annual studies have shown that lax gun laws in Indiana result in firearms flooding into the Chicago and being used for crimes. Between 2013 and 2016, 21 percent of the guns recovered by Chicago police had been sold in Indiana.
* You really gotta hand it to this guy. He just doesn’t care about how he looks to the populace…
With less than three weeks until election day, Democratic Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios went to court in an effort to keep the spigot flowing on campaign contributions from property tax appeal lawyers whose livelihoods can depend on the decisions his office makes.
On Wednesday, Berrios’ lawyers asked Circuit Court Judge Sanjay Tailor to void county ethics rules that place limits on campaign contributions to elected officials and candidates from those who seek “official action” from the county. Berrios’ team argued the county rules violate the state constitution because only the Illinois legislature has authority to set campaign contribution limits.
The county, however, maintained that it has the power to set its own, more-restrictive limits on campaign cash to avoid quid pro quo politics.
While the optics of the situation won’t exactly win the old-school Berrios praise from good government groups, a look at where Berrios’ campaign cash is coming from shows that property appeals lawyers remain a vital source of contributions. Since October, Berrios has collected more than $276,000 from those attorneys — about four-fifths of what he’s received in individual contributions during that time.
* Meanwhile…
Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago, candidates call on Commissioners to act immediately to Reduce Homeowners Property Taxes
WHO: Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago, along with Fritz Kaegi and other Our Revolution Illinois endorsed candidates, will hold a press conference Thursday at 11am, prior to the Finance Committee meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
WHAT: Commissioners are summoning Berrios to testify before the Finance Committee on the heels of a scathing report by the Civic Consulting Alliance—commissioned by Berrios himself—showing deep inequity in the way he values residential properties in Cook County. Further, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that the 50 highest priced commercial property sales in Cook County, whose total value is $17.1 billion, were only valued at $7.8 billion—46% of their actual value.
Our Revolution Illinois will offer specifics ways the Cook County Board can act immediately to start to correct some of the inequities and provide much needed property tax relief for homeowners.
…Adding… Rauner campaign…
As Berrios Takes Advantage of Middle Class Illinoisans, Pritzker Stays Silent
On Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that Cook County Commissioner and close Madigan ally Joe Berrios is going to court to fight limits on campaign contributions from “those who seek ‘official action’ from the county.” Berrios’ actions are clearly a conflict of interest, and yet another example of how corrupt and broken the property tax system is in Cook County: he receives help getting elected from Madigan, and in return, Madigan receives favorable reductions in value for clients of his tax reassessment firm.
From the Tribune:
The practice also was highlighted in “The Tax Divide,” a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois series that concluded Berrios’ assessment practices favored the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Tax appeals, which have flourished under Berrios, only make the system less fair, the series concluded and a recent independent study commissioned by county officials confirmed.
In addition, how Berrios’ case plays out — and is perceived by the public — also could have implications well beyond the down-ballot campaign for assessor. Some of the state’s most powerful politicians, including House Speaker Michael Madigan and 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, are lawyers whose firms make money handling property tax appeals. Berrios, chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, is a key Madigan ally.
Pritzker, who has personally benefitted from property tax breaks from Berrios’ office, continues to be unwilling to stand up to entrenched political interests, to the detriment of hardworking Illinois families
