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Sunday, May 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My new favorite iPhone app by far is Vlingo. It’s not only a very accurate and effective voice dialer, but it’ll do voice-activated Google searches and I’ve been able to post updates at Twitter and FaceBook with my voice.

As Ron Popeil used to say: “Simply amazing.”

I’m hoping they’ll add texting and e-mailing capability and then it’ll be almost perfect.

Vlingo also apparently works with Blackberry and Nokia. Go check it out.

Are there any other apps I should be downloading?

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Sunday ethics - It takes more than a bill

Sunday, May 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kudos to Mark Brown for pointing out something that desperately needs to be said over and over again. It takes more than a change in legislation or the process to clean up Illinois govenrment. Much more. As his prime example, Brown reexamines Mayor Daley’s widely ridiculed comment from the other day that the city is “leading by example” on ethics reform and doesn’t need to look to the governor’s reform commission for advice.

Daley has, indeed, enacted countless reforms in the past two decades…

When it comes to enacting legal and procedural ethics reforms, Daley has been a step ahead of most government officials in Illinois, if always a step behind the scandal that prompted him to take action. Time and again, the mayor has been at the forefront, whether it was putting city contracting data online, imposing his own campaign contribution limits or requiring lobbyists disclosure.

Am I trying to tell you he has run an ethical government? Far from it.

But you would be hard-pressed to name anybody in Illinois more adept at papering over corruption scandals with reform measures, some of which have even been useful.

And in that regard, Daley’s reform example is a cautionary tale on the limitations of what we should expect to result from whatever reforms are enacted by the General Assembly in the next few weeks. […]

Over the past two decades, Daley has “reformed” the hell out of City Hall — on paper — and yet I’d guess there’s not many of you who believe Chicago government is any more honest below the surface than when he started.

Exactly. Should there be reforms? Yes. Should we expect that they’ll stop crooks like Rod Blagojevich? Heck no. Go read the whole thing.

* The Daily Herald surveyed all of its legislators in its readership area and found broad support for most of the reform commission’s report…

Responding to a Daily Herald survey, suburban lawmakers overwhelmingly support the bulk of the ideas put forth in a recent ethics reform report that good-government groups are trying to enact in the wake of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest, impeachment and ouster from office. […]

The most contentious issue among those surveyed was the idea of giving county prosecutors greater powers to eavesdrop and wiretap in much the same way federal authorities go after corruption. Out of the 47 suburban lawmakers surveyed, a dozen said “no” to the idea and another 10 had serious questions or were unsure. […]

“How far will ‘big brother’ go?” asked state Sen. Carole Pankau, an Itasca Republican. […]

State Sen. Dan Cronin, an Elmhurst Republican, said a central contracting person is not a guarantee against abuse, noting that Gov. Blagojevich essentially tried to do the same thing with more sinister motivations.

You can see a larger version of this flash file by clicking here…

* Related…

* Ethics commission member expresses some reservations

* Redistricting reform to wait for later

* State Employee Salaries: This searchable database contains job and salary information for over 82,000 Illinois state employees in calendar year 2008, reflecting the amount each employee made that year

* Marin: Tell legislators what’s at stake: their jobs

* AG Madigan FOIA proposal draws rapid responses

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Tax and spend roadblocks abound

Sunday, May 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The possibility of a do-nothing budget takes front and center in two weekend columns from longtime Statehouse reporters. First, Kurt Erickson…

Could Illinois lawmakers leave Springfield on May 31 without approving an income tax hike to help bail the state out of its deficit-addled condition? With two weeks to go before lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn for the spring, that possibility seemed very real last week.

Here’s an example: State Rep. Frank Mautino, R-Spring Valley, entered a hearing room in the Capitol to present a bill to a House committee.

Before he sat down to present his proposal, he told a lobbyist that Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed 50 percent hike in the income tax hike was going nowhere.

Mautino’s alternative: Legalize video poker.

Video poker would raise maybe $500 million in time… maybe. An income tax hike, whether the 1.5 percent proposed by Quinn or the alternate 1 percent floated by Senate President John Cullerton, would bring in more than $3 billion. That’s a whole lot of extra cutting.

Doug Finke…

Given the amount of work still to do, you have to figure it’s even odds Cullerton will fail [to adjourn by May 29th]. All four legislative leaders met together (a rarity) Friday and apparently agreed to go full speed ahead on ethics reforms and a capital plan, and both of those may be close to agreement.

But from the way Cullerton and others talked, the basic state budget is another matter.

Lawmakers could always decide just to punt, slap together a budget they know isn’t balanced, drop it on the governor’s desk and let him work it out. We’ve all seen how well that idea worked when they did it in 2008.

The budget is, indeed, the big problem. My own syndicated column talks about this, and quotes Cullerton on that problem. We’ll get to that tomorrow.

* Progress Illinois recently pointed to this quote by a Chicago legislator which may be quite accurate…

[Rep. Greg] Harris estimates there are currently 42 state representatives in support of the income tax increases needed to avoid programming cuts. The measure would need 60 votes to pass in the State House this month or a supermajority of 71 votes to pass after May 31.

It’s definitely an uphill climb.

* This lede is exactly why the governor and others want to exclude beer from any sales tax increase and just hike the tax on wine and liquor…

Look out, Joe Sixpack. The taxman is looking for you.

Key legislative leaders contemplated hiking the state’s tax on beer by 2.6 cents per six pack for the first time in a decade to help underwrite a proposed multibillion-dollar statewide construction program.

Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) confirmed talk of a beer tax, which would be part of a trio of liquor tax increases under consideration. Taxes of 13 cents per bottle of wine and 80 cents per bottle of hard liquor have been on the table.

“The beer people feel left out so we’re considering adding them,” Cullerton quipped.

That’s a silly thing to say by Cullerton. All he’s gonna do is make the reaction even more heated.

* And Kristen McQueary takes a look at the vote against Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s pension reform bill last week, which is hotly opposed by AFSCME and the teachers unions. The Republicans were the ones voting “No”…

Funny, isn’t it? That the Democrats, supposedly moored to labor unions, are spearheading pension reform, and the Republicans on McCarthy’s committee were the ones voting against it?

The Republicans who voted “no” were Raymond Poe and Rich Brauer, of Springfield, Dan Brady, of Bloomington, and Michael McAuliffe, of Chicago’s Northwest Side.

Now that’s political ideology upside-down. Welcome to Springfield.

Actually, that’s not so odd. Poe and Brauer both represent Springfield. Brady represents a public university and most of its employees. McAuliffe has been regularly endorsed by the AFL-CIO.

* Here’s a video I shared with subscribers on Friday. It’s Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno talking about what the leaders have decided so far on capital bill funding…

* Related…

* TANF Reform Bill On Its Way To Gov. Quinn

* Video poker, fees eyed in Illinois

* Transparency bill passes both houses, moves on to Quinn’s desk

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The FY 2010 Ostrich Award

Saturday, May 16, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Northwest Herald editor Dan McCaleb wins the head in the sand prize on the state budget deficit.

First, he says he’s against the governor’s income tax increase…

That’s too much to ask families already struggling to make ends meet.

And then he flatly opposes deep cuts in the state budget…

Enough threats about a “doomsday” budget, Gov. Quinn. Illinois is going to have to fund education, health care and other social services if it wants its piece of the federal stimulus money.

You can’t tell me, or other taxpayers in this state, that there’s no more fat to cut after 10 straight years of governors either convicted or accused of corruption.

Actually, Illinois is cutting K-12 education spending by almost $2 billion and filling in the hole with federal stimulus money, so I’m not sure what he’s talking about there and I don’t think he is, either.

And this idea that there’s still plenty of budgetary fat after all our gubernatorial corruption in Illinois is most certainly a widespread notion. Look, I’m positive that there is still some fat to cut. There just isn’t $12 billion in fat.

So, if the government doesn’t raise taxes, and doesn’t do super-deep cuts, and most of the proposed GOP Medicaid “reforms” have been shown to be a mirage, at best, and the state’s revenues are tanking almost daily and expenditures are increasing because of the economic climate, then how the heck is Illinois supposed to balance its budget? “Just cut the fat.” Yeah. OK.

The clear message in opinions like this is: “It’s your problem, Springfield, don’t include us in the solutions.”

That’s a dangerous fantasy in a democracy.

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Reader comments closed until Sunday

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m done. Haven’t checked the weather forecast yet, but I’m in the mood for some outdoor activities. The blog will be reopened Sunday afternoon because the Senate is scheduled to convene at 4 o’clock. I’m not 100 percent sure that I’ll open comments Sunday, but we will be posting here.

* Make sure to check out the new “news feed” near the bottom right side of the page. It’s a Twitter feed of all state legislators who “tweet,” as well as several other tweeters I like.

* I chose this video after reading a story in the Sun-Times about how a certain Chicago alderman wants to crack down on street musicians [cough*brendanreilly*cough]. I can’t stand bucket drummers, but these guys used to play not far from my building when I lived downtown. They were almost always at the corner of Michigan and Randolph on warm Friday afternoons, and it was a very cool way to end the week…

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in…

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Leaders; Robocalls; Statehouse Roundup *** UPDATED x1 ***

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

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This just in… Special session in September? *** Cullerton: “No commitment” *** Collins: “We’re not demanding a special session” *** May 29th adjournment? ***

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 12:03 pm - Reform Commission member Brad McMillan said today that he believes a special legislative session will be called this September to deal with the redistricting issue. Reformers (myself included) believe the General Assembly absolutely has to abandon its gerrymandering process and try something new, like computerized redistricting a la Iowa.

The quote…

“In conversations with Sen. Radogno and Sen. Cullerton and the Governor, they are looking to call a special legislative session the third week of September where we’ll focus exclusively on redistricting and getting it right.”

The video…

More as it comes in.

*** 12:11 pm *** The Senate Democrats’ spokesperson just called. Here’s her quote…

“We have not committed to a special session at this point.

“Our intent is to hold special hearings over the summer in the new Senate Redistricting Committee. Among the things to be discussed will be the Iowa model and other proposals. But that’s our intent at this point.”

*** 12:35 pm *** It sounds like McMillan talked out of turn. I just got off the phone with reform commission chairman Patrick Collins, who tried to make one thing clear…

“We’re not demanding a special session.”

Collins said that the governor “talked about a process that could include a special session,” but that neither Cullerton nor Radogno used that specific phrase.

Collins said that there just isn’t enough time before the end of May to take up the redistricting question, but that both Cullerton and Radogno committed to action over the summer, including a vote (possibly a committee vote).

More from Collins (rough quotes)…

We have had discussions with the govenor where he told us that he was supportive of a post May 31st session that focused on redistricting. Cullerton has told us that he is amenable to summer hearings that would focus exclusively on redistricting. Sen. Radogno the same day last week, in referencing a Cullerton conversation, said she was supportive of hearings on redistricting.

I’m currently awaiting a call-back from the governor’s press office.

*** 1:06 pm *** The guv’s office chose to send an e-mail which doesn’t really answer my question, but here you go for now…

Statement from the Governor’s Office:

Governor Quinn is committed to ethics reform in state government and fully looking into each of the Reform Commission’s proposals. Given we are in the remaining weeks of session, he is leaving the door open to working on the Commission’s recommendation on redistricting this fall.

*** 1:22 pm *** Senate President Cullerton’s office is confirming to reporters my subcriber-only story this morning about Cullerton’s desire to adjourn the Senate for the summer by May 29th. From Melissa Hahn’s Twitter page…

From Sen. Pres. Cullerton’s flak: ethics bills out Tues; budget, capital plan, ethics to start moving next wk; Senate adj. May [29th].

* 3:48 pm - From Senate GOP Leader Radogno’s office…

The Reform Commission and others believe there may not be time to address the redistricting reform issue during the next two weeks.

Given the complexities — and the public commitments that the entire report of the Illinois Reform Commission will be addressed — there is probably going to have to be summer hearings and a special session to deal with the specific issue of redistricting reform.

Leader Radogno has discussed the possibility of both with Senate President Cullerton and Governor Quinn. Both have been amendable to the idea – which will be discussed further as the legislative process moves forward.

There must be public hearings and a public vote on the proposal put forth by the Commission – sooner rather than later — to take the map-making responsibilities out of the hands of politicians.

Anything less than that cannot be acceptable to the Reform Commission or the public.

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The Harsh Realities of Overcrowding

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department

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Why no questions about Randle?

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You would think there would’ve been questions about Gov. Pat Quinn’s choice to lead the Department of Corrections, Michael Randle, who raised some eyebrows back in Ohio with a special deal for an old college buddy. The AP’s bio doesn’t even mention the episode.

Ohio’s state prison industry makes and sells furniture (much like ours does here) to state agencies. But all of a sudden the corrections system decided to start selling furniture to a private company at a reduced rate - via a no-bid contract. That company then made money on sales to other facilities…

[The Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections] decided that KBK Enterprises should get furniture for the reduced price. 10 Investigates turned up an agreement that allows KBK to buy furniture for only the cost of materials along with the cost of inmate labor and supervision.

At Port Columbus International Airport, we found an example of how the relationship benefits KBK. It bought a chair from the DRC for $365. State agencies would have paid $505. KBK then sold the discounted chair for $468. That’s a $103 profit.

“How can they quote these high prices to state agencies and then lower price to private enterprise?” asked Henry Eckhart, who is with Common Cause, a government watchdog group. […]

KBK is the only company with the arrangement with the DRC and it does not even have to bid for it. The man who owns KBK and Michael Randle, the assistant director of the DRC, have a long history that goes back to a fraternity house, Aker reported.

The contract was canceled just days after the above story appeared…

The state prison system is ending a no-bid arrangement that allowed a private company with close ties to the agency’s second-in-command to sell inmate-produced furniture for less than the agency charged its government customers. KBK Enterprises, a Columbus-based company that describes itself as a multistate real-estate developer, has been notified that its 2-year-old agreement with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction won’t be renewed when it expires next month.

“The parties have been trying to work through many issues, and for various reasons the development of the appropriate business relationship has not been accomplished,” wrote Rod B. Johnson, chief of Ohio Penal Industries, a division of the corrections department.

Agency officials said the decision to end the agreement — described in the termination letter as an “informal purchasing arrangement” as opposed to a contract — had nothing to do with any concerns about the long-standing relationship between Michael P. Randle, assistant director of the corrections department, and Keith B. Key, KBK’s founder and president.

Apparently, the state was supposed to get a share of the profits, but never got them…

“This revenue-sharing was to be paid monthly for each order during the previous month,” Johnson wrote in the termination letter, sent after WBNS requested public records detailing the agreement. “To date, KBK has not provided to OPI its share of that revenue.”

A bizarre, botched no-bid contract to an old friend of a higher-up that has to be canceled after reporters start digging. All that sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?

* And, even more familiar to Illinois ears, there’s apparently an investigation underway back in Ohio…

Randle leaves Ohio amid an Inspector General’s investigation into his role with a contractor who bought furniture from the Department of Corrections. […]

Randle declined to respond to e-mailed questions from 10 Investigates about the timing of his move to Illinois.

In March, Randle denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate relationship concerning the furniture deal.

* Strangely enough, Randle was chosen after a national search, unlike all of Gov. Quinn’s other agency director appontments so far…

“We looked all over the country,” Quinn said, calling Randle the “best of the best.”

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Question of the day

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sports Illustrated has named its five best and worst baseball owners.

* The Question: Who is the best owner in Illinois sports? Who is the worst? As always, please explain your answer.

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Morning videos

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The governor talks about House Speaker Michael Madigan’s “fumigation” bill…

* Quinn says he’s “not excited” about a proposal to legalize video poker to help pay for the capital plan, but is open minded. He also talks about other tax and fee hikes for the public works proposal…

* The governor rejects the idea for a temporary income tax increase…

* Quinn on the budget plan…

* And I’ve already posted this video, but here’s Quinn on reform…

…Adding… Here are some related links…

* Quinn wants to scale back firings plan

* SJ-R Opinion: Narrow focus of ‘fumigation’ measure

* Quinn holds ground on raising income taxes

* Lawmakers ready wish lists for construction plan

* Liquor tax would spare Joe Six-Pack

* Bill Fleischli: Cigarette tax hike sure to hurt sales

* Gov. Quinn ‘open-minded’ to legalizing video poker

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Reform is more than just saying “There oughtta be a law”

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

* “Reform” is often defined by reformers as passing a bill. But it’s more than that. Much more. From last night’s blogger conference call with the Senate Democrats…

Q: ArchPundit question about the stability of State Board of Elections data links and making state agencies make their information more useable online.

A: Harmon said he’s glad to hear its not just him having technical difficulties. Said it could be a problem of not enough money to update technology and is something lawmakers need to make sure agencies have the resources to do properly.

Sometimes, reform just means making sure that the technology works like it should. The Board of Elections’ website is in dire need of a complete revamp.

* Reform also means changing behavior like this…

The Illinois Tollway’s board of directors Thursday agreed to pay the company that runs its much-criticized toll-collection program an additional $12.3 million, boosting the five-year contract to $81.8 million.

Board members, who last month balked at the payment, insisted that more oversight be given to the work performed by Texas-based Electronic Transaction Consultants Corp. Tollway staff said ETC was entitled to the extra money, an increase from the company’s $69.5 million contract, because the company performed more work than planned when the contract was awarded in 2005.

Sheesh.

And this…

Mayor Daley promised that one-fifth of the homes built as part of the massive makeover of the historic Maxwell Street market would be set aside as affordable housing. Damaris Matis, a real estate agent, got to buy one of those 187 affordable homes.

The Maxwell Street units were supposed to go to families, but many were bought by single professionals, some of whom never lived there and some of whom rented them out. Matis, then 25 and single, already owned two condos and was making $43,782 a year when city housing officials deemed her eligible to buy an affordable one-bedroom condominium in the city-subsidized development, called University Village.

She even got a $20,000 taxpayer-funded subsidy when she closed on the $190,500 condo on July 2, 2007, records show. Thirty-eight days later, Matis sold it — at a profit of $29,500.

* And you have to always keep in mind that just because some newspaper editorial boards huff and puff in support of this or that “reform” proposal, the ideas won’t always work in the real world…

Combining the investment operations of the five state-funded pension systems won’t save enough money to make it worthwhile, a key state senator said Thursday. […]

Giannoulias estimated the state could save $50 million to $80 million a year in administrative and management fees - money that could be reinvested into assets that benefit the pension funds’ bottom lines. […]

Under its “more likely” scenario, the study said the pension funds would save about $21 million a year in fees. The most optimistic scenario pegged the savings at $35 million. A worst-case scenario put the savings at only $500,000.

“I think we should shelve the idea,” said Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), a co-chairman of COGFA who asked for an independent study of the idea.

* And then there are the goofy editorials like this one…

We’re not buying the arguments going around Springfield as to why federal limits wouldn’t work for Illinois. We hear the scoffs, that campaign contribution limits have done little to clean up Washington.

So, of course, that’s an excellent reason to do nothing here.

Nowhere did that editorial explain why limits have been such an amazing success in DC. It also ignored the fact that limits appear to be moving forward. This is from last night’s blogger conference call by the Senate Democrats…

“We will have campaign caps.” [said Sen. Don Harmon]

He said the federal $2,400 limits are too low. Those low limits have some unintended consequences.

Higher caps have been endorsed by a wide array of folks, including Senate GOP Leader Radogno, the Tribune and the SJ-R. But, as always, if you question anything produced by the sacred reform commission, you must be a crook. The trouble with that logic is people have different ideas of how reform should proceed, so then everybody gets tagged with the crook label unless they are in 100 percent lockstep with the reform commission. That’s just downright unAmerican.

Heck, even Gov. Quinn and Pat Collins are open to higher caps…

Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday he would consider backing a contribution limit higher than $2,400. And Quinn’s reform panel chairman, Patrick Collins, said the commission is flexible on where the limit ends up.

* And watch Gov. Quinn squirm after being hit with questions about term limits for legislative leaders, another demand of his reform commission…

Under the terms of debate devised by some editorial boards and reformers, Pat Quinn must not be much of a reformer, either.

* Related…

* Daley pushes Springfield agenda lacking ethics reform

* Mayor Daley Defends Chicago’s Ethics

* Cook County Board President Todd Stroger breaks silence on income-tax lien on his property

* Good ideas, limits help democracy

* The Cost of Corruption in Illinois: $500 Million a Year

* Long road to respectability

* Cullerton promises transparency on Senate projects

* Reform in Illinois: A View From Springfield

* The Rod Blagojevich case: Debate over use of federal wiretaps in trial goes on behind closed doors - Prosecutors file response under seal to co-defendant William Cellini’s request to suppress taps

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Morning shorts

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray

* Suburbs take heavy tax revenue hit when dealership closes

* No-haggle end for hundreds of Chrysler dealers

1 in 4 dealerships nationwide, including nearly 20 in the Chicago area, will be forced out of business

On Thursday, bankrupt Chrysler LLC notified about a quarter of its 3,181 dealerships, 42 of them in Illinois, that it would terminate their franchises on June 9 as part of a reorganization mandated by President Barack Obama’s auto industry task force.

* More than Forty Illinois Chrysler Dealers Get Bad News

* Chrysler pulls out of Ridings dealerships

* GM dealers expect 1,100 shop cuts

* Ford Dealership in Monmouth Closes

* Crestwood water: Cancer victim’s widow sues village

* EPA: Private Crestwood wells not polluted

* State trying set things right at vets home

* Chicago wind-power plans eastern Ill. project

* Chicago grumbles for art’s sake as ticket prices jump to $16

* Art Institute Modern Wing Opening This Weekend

* An addition that enriches Chicago

* Ceremony honors Illinois firefighters who died in ’08

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Friday, May 15, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller

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