* From the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website…
Coming soon, a redesign to the SBE website. We want to hear from our users. Here is your chance to tell us what you would like us to change in order to build a website that creates a user friendly experience that serves your needs. Please be as detailed as possible when submitting your suggestions. If you have multiple suggestions, we encourage you to submit them separately.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent in September and nonfarm payrolls increased by +2,800 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The August job losses were revised upward from the preliminary report (from -5,200 jobs to -3,100 jobs).
Job growth was flat during the July to September period (third quarter) posting an average monthly change of -100 jobs, significantly less than the prior 3-month average monthly gain of +9,200 jobs during the April and June period (second quarter). The 9-month period (year-to-date) is posting average monthly gains of 4,900/month, up from a year ago when the average monthly increase was 4,000 for the same year-to-date period.
“Nonfarm payrolls were up over-the-month led by gains in education and health services and manufacturing, and jobs were also up over 50,000 from a year ago, “said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Illinois’ unemployment rate at 4.1 percent in September again matched the record low for the state.”
“Over the last year, Illinois has experienced a steady decrease in unemployment,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Acting Director Leslie Munger. “We are thrilled to see opportunity and investment expand across all communities in the state due to an increased focus on supporting our small businesses and marketing our assets to companies around the globe looking to expand.”
In September, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Education and Health Services (+3,300); Manufacturing (+2,300); and Construction (+1,400). The industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Professional and Business Services (-2,500), Other Services (-1,500) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-800).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +50,300 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in September: Manufacturing (+14,600); Government (+10,900); and Leisure and Hospitality (+8,900). The industry sectors with over-the-year declines were: Information Services (-3,800) and Other Services (-900). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.8 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.7 percent over-the-year gain in September.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.4 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September 2018, which declined to 3.7 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.0 percent. Before last month, the Illinois jobless rate last stood at 4.1 percent in February 1999.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -0.7 percent from the prior month to 266,800, down -17.1 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was about unchanged over-the-month but declined -0.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment.
Governor Bruce Rauner is intensifying his attacks on his Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker, with less than three weeks to go before the election. Rauner, who trails Pritzker in most polls by double digit margins, referred to the billionaire Democrat as a “Mercedes Marxist”, in an interview on the “The Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Show” on WLS.
“He’s proposing eleven billion in new spending, he’s a Mercedes Marxist, he’s a radical leftist, he’s proposing a massive new income tax hike and it’s gonna crush the middle class as well as job creators in this state.”
Thursday, Oct 18, 2018 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives that focus on serving their members and communities. Credit unions function like other financial institutions in many ways: they offer checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, as well as personal, home, and auto loans, free ATMs, and more. However, credit unions exist as member-owned cooperative institutions. This means that when you join a credit union, you are more than just a member: you’re an owner, and your voice matters. Interested in finding the credit union that’s right for you? Visit ASmarterChoice.org to discover all the advantages that membership holds.
* You may remember that I posted this ad not long ago. Rodney Davis became the fourth embattled Republican congressman to try and tie his opponent to Speaker Madigan in this spot about the possibly fake Abe Lincoln hat…
The ad claims that his Democratic opponent Betsy Dirksen Londrigan lobbied Speaker Madigan for a taxpayer-funded bailout for the Lincoln foundation and calls her a “Madigan crony.”
Davis is matching the general Republican playbook in Illinois this year, as candidates from Gov. Bruce Rauner on down are linking Democrats to Madigan, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing but has been called corrupt by the governor.
“Anybody that goes to the General Assembly in Springfield … has got to go see Madigan’s team,” Davis said at a recent unrelated news conference. […]
The hat — part of the Taper collection of Lincoln goods bought by the foundation — was bought “years before I ever worked there,” said Londrigan.
“You know that, and you’re paying for that ad. But you’re going to lie about it,” she said. “I never met with Mike Madigan. You’re lying about that too, because you know better.” […]
Davis denied he lied in the ads, and noted that Londrigan for a time handled “major gifts” for the foundation.
I don’t know whether Madigan and Londrigan are tight, but the speaker hasn’t exactly been the foundation’s friend. Long before other politicians did the political calculus, Madigan treated Londrigan’s former employer as radioactive. “We have instances where the foundation, which is not elected, not appointed by a governor, is actually making spending decisions for the library,” the speaker tsk-tsk’d in 2015. Madigan also refused to cooperate with a foundation-funded study that – surprise – recommended that the state bail out the foundation and put it in charge of day-to-day operations at the presidential museum. “Madigan to museum foundation: Drop dead” – that was the headline in Illinois Times three years ago.
Meanwhile, Davis is ripping Londrigan for not denouncing an ad created by Women Vote that features footage of the congressman’s wife and kids, cribbed from the Republican’s own campaign ads. The congressman’s smiling kids are juxtaposed against Davis’ voting record on healthcare issues. Davis whines that his family is being attacked. “Leave my kids out of it,” Davis complained on Monday. “It’s not acceptable.” Couldn’t agree more. Quit using your family like cheap yard signs, congressman, and stick to issues.
Is Sam McCann just looking for his taxpayer-funded job in the Pritzker Administration?
We don’t know, but it may explain why he sent out attack mailers on a commonsense conservative like Tom Morrison.
Yesterday, mailers from Sam McCann’s campaign hit in the 54th House District portraying State Representative Tom Morrison as a Rauner Puppet. The mailers were funded by union-backed State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann.
These attacks on Morrison demand a response. They are patently false. Tom Morrison is one of the few state legislators in Springfield who stands up for conservative values every time they are under attack in the Illinois House. He is one of the most reliable conservative votes in Springfield on both fiscal and social issues.
Is Sam McCann working for Mike Madigan? Is he hoping to receive favorable treatment under a Governor Pritzker? Is he so clueless that he doesn’t realize how his platform is being used by the state’s vicious public sector unions? I don’t know. And I don’t really care.
McCann is lying about Morrison. Lying is not a conservative value.
Many Illinois Conservatives looking for a candidate who represented their values had found hope McCann’s candidacy. Illinois Conservatives have once again been betrayed.
* Sen. Sam McCann…
I am disappointed by the shallow political rhetoric that Jeanne Ives used in her attack against me. The hard-earned credibility from her primary campaign against Bruce Rauner is all but lost now that she has intervened as his defender, casting principles aside for political grandstanding. Legislators like Tom Morrison who are actively supporting Bruce Rauner are trying to con voters into the same bad deal and empty promises that conservative Illinoisans have suffered under for the past four years. Any legislator who stands with Rauner despite his phony RINO agenda and abandonment of conservative principles deserves to be called out for it.
The Jeanne Ives who so vehemently opposed Bruce Rauner during the primary is now too eager to put him back in the driver’s seat.
When conservatives are crying louder than ever for a change, Jeanne Ives has shown her true colors. She is not a leader, but a politician.
Tom Morrison has been supporting Bruce Rauner for more than 4 years.
Tom Morrison needs to go on the record and state whether he does or does not still support Rauner. As soon as he PUBLICLY states that he does not, I will PUBLICLY thank him for stepping up.
* And this is pretty darned funny. All four legislative leaders, including House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, attended Operating Engineers Local 150’s annual legislative banquet last night. McCann showed up as well and went live on Facebook to emphasize his point that everybody works with 150, not just him…
Illinois House and Senate RINOS… getting exposed LIVE for ALSO taking money from Local 150. Why is it okay when THEY accept a check from the union, but it’s called “Madigan Money” when Sam McCann gets support from that SAME Union?
Food for thought, folks
Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann collects $539,659 from the Fight Back Fund, which promotes union-friendly candidates. FBF has now provided McCann with $2.3 million this election cycle. #twillhttps://t.co/tSdasQttlI
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “body man” — a hand-picked assistant chosen to travel with the governor on a daily basis — was fired Monday on his first day of the job after a series of homophobic and racially insensitive comments were found on his Twitter page.
The exit is one of at least 20 since last week — when Rauner began a rash of firings, with others resigning in protest.
Ben Tracy was chosen by the administration to replace Kyle Haevers as the governor’s “body man.” Haevers on Sunday was told his services were no longer needed but that he could choose to work for another state department.
Ben Tracy learned the hard way the price one can pay for inappropriate posts on social media.
Tweets he wrote as a high school student came back to cost him a high-profile job in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office, Tracy told St. Joseph-Ogden students during a presentation this week at the high school.
The event started with Tracy warning SJ-O students that he was about to share some regrettable tweets — authored by some of them — that he had tracked down using a simple search.
“It took me 10 minutes to find these,” Tracy said as tweets from SJ-O students filled the screen behind him.
Tracy then went on to tell students what happened to him a year earlier, after he had graduated from college and started working for political campaigns. Among the positions he held — for less than 24 hours, anyway: a job as Rauner’s “body man,” the governor’s own traveling personal assistant.
* Radical Candor lets loose…
Tip #1: Avoid posting racist comments on social media. Or saying racist stuff. Actually, just don’t be racist. Tip #2: If @BruceRauner calls you a “superstar” or part of the “Best Team in America ™,” run. #twillhttps://t.co/vVzrWQrm2H
One day @BruceRauner body man Ben Tracy’s new speaking career giving blindingly obvious social media tips gives me a great idea: the Best Team in America ™ Speakers Bureau. #BTIASpeakers#twill
My goal in speaking to young people is to help them use social media responsibly. The things I tweeted when I was a high school and college student were hurtful and hateful. I am deeply sorry for the things I said, and I faced serious repercussions. There is no place in our society for derogatory thoughts, words, or actions, even if they’re not maliciously intended. I make that crystal clear in my presentations.
The truth is that young people don’t understand the lasting impact of the things they post online. Seventy percent of employers and 35% of college admissions counselors look at social media profiles of applicants. I learned this lesson the hard way, and I want to make sure others don’t make the same mistakes.
There have been examples of other people who have made similar mistakes in the news recently including Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader, and Sarah Jeong who now sits on the New York Times Editorial Board. Instead of celebrating getting a great job or making it to the big leagues, these individuals had to answer for old social media posts – and rightfully so. This is a reality of the world in which we live, and I intend to help others understand the impact of things they say online both to themselves and the people around them.
We are inundated by the presence of social media on a daily basis and our online lives aren’t going away anytime soon. Because of this, I want to help young people learn from the mistakes I made and better understand how to use social media in a positive way.
DeJuan Jackson, as a Regional Field Director, used to take many of the complaints of racial discrimination and harassment related to POD 4 to higher ups on behalf of the organizers.
However, in exchange for his silence, he was given a shiny new job title and pay raise. He was also strongly encouraged to cut his dreadlocks; therefore, he no longer comes across as crass and was the least offensive African American that could be put in that spot.
I reached out to Jackson, but didn’t hear back. I also asked the campaign for a statement because the lawsuit’s claim seemed so weird. They flatly denied that anyone told Jackson to cut off his dreads.
* And now we have this from Jackson’s Facebook page…
Pretty darned strong. That claim was just insulting on its face, so I’m glad he responded.
* Meanwhile, remember this tweet from one of the plaintiffs about an event the day her lawsuit was filed?
“I think the policies and practices that were put forth during the campaign have racial undertones and that my clients have been discriminated upon based on those policies,” said attorney Shay Allen.
Yet in a tweet posted by one of the workers in the lawsuit, Celia Colon wrote, “Had an amazing event tonight,” seeming to refer to an event the same day the lawsuit was filed.
When asked why eight of the plaintiffs are still working for their campaign, Allen said “even though the situation is horrible, they’re powering through it” so they can finish what they started.
The Region 6 office, I’m told, is the one on South Wentworth. As you can see, the campaign claims Pritzker has visited that office four times.
The only two he hasn’t yet visited are the ones which opened in September. His running mate Juliana Stratton visited those.
…Adding… The schedule says he was at the South Wentworth office on July 24th. That address is near Washington Park. Pritzker tweeted the following day to a staffer’s July 24th post…
I was glad to go to our Washington Park office! Keep up the great work! https://t.co/SPt3whCtPn
At all times relevant, the JB Prtizker [sic] for Governor campaign has been cesspool of racial
discrimination and harassment.
For example, Kasmine [Calhoun] travelled over one thousand miles to Illinois to work for JB Prtizker for Governor and was one of the few Blacks not herded into POD 4.
In fact, she was the only (and possibly first) Black organizer in Peoria; she was later informed by the campaign that she was hired meet a “Black Female organizer quota.”
Stationed in Peoria, Kasmine was supposed to be housed with a family that was friendly to the campaign. When the family found out Kasmine was Black, though, they denied her housing.
As a result, she was forced to sleep in her car and at the campaign office.
Eventually, Caitlin Pharo found her a hotel in an unsafe part of town.
When Kasmine complained that she did not feel safe there, she was counseled on the “financial budget” of the campaign and told to “make due.”
Even after the chairman of the Peoria Democrats informed the campaign that they could request cheaper rates at safer hotels, therefore not affecting the campaign budget, the Campaign still refused to move her to a safer location.
As a result, she resigned her position.
* Chris Kaergard was recently re-hired by the Peoria Journal Star (hooray!) and the Pritzker campaign gave him hotel receipts and other details…
They show that the night before Calhoun’s Sept. 4 start date, the campaign booked a room for her at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites, 4244 Brandywine Drive, at a cost of $61.56.
The night of Sept. 4, the campaign booked her a room at the America’s Best Value Inn, 104 W. Camp St. in East Peoria, at a cost of $56.44, but the summary says she did not like the facility, leading the regional field director to book her a second room for the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 200 Eastlight Court in East Peoria, at a cost of $122.08.
The next night, Sept. 5., Calhoun received housing from a supporter.
From Sept. 6 through Sept. 9, the campaign had a room booked for Calhoun at the Super 8, 1816 W. War Memorial Drive, at an average cost of $75.81 for each of four nights.
The campaign says Calhoun then indicated she didn’t want to stay there and brought her complaints to a local official who used credit card points to arrange a room that night at the Candlewood Suites Grand Prairie, 5300 W. Landens Way.
The campaign then arranged a room at the same hotel the next three nights at $119.99 per night.
The next two nights, the campaign said, Calhoun was at an all-staff get-out-the-vote training in suburban Burr Ridge and stayed with all other campaign staffers at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel.
On Sept. 12, the campaign found and arranged for Calhoun to stay with a Peoria area supporter that evening.
She quit the next day, the campaign says. “Effective immediately.”
And just because the lawsuit was filed only after the Pritzker campaign did not accede to demands enumerated in a letter sent to it last Friday that included a $7.5 million settlement and a threat to “pursue all available legal remedies” if the parties didn’t come to terms by Monday doesn’t mean that the lawsuit is simply phase two of a brazen extortion plot.
But the demand letter severely weakens the idea that these short-time field organizers are animated by an interest in racial justice as opposed to say, an interest in a significant payday from a billionaire candidate.
The final thing you notice is that there isn’t even an allusion to the existence of documentary evidence of specific problems, specific outrageous behavior and specific attempts to address these issues with Pritzker or members of his team.
Just three weeks ago, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune acknowledging his mistakes in handling claims of harassment and retaliation in Springfield and promising to be better in addressing such issues going forward. Madigan asserted that “harassment of any kind and workplace bullying will simply not be tolerated — period.”
Yesterday, news broke that ten African-American and Latino employees of the Pritzker campaign have filed a lawsuit against JB Pritzker for Governor accusing the campaign of discrimination and harassment. Madigan has been silent on the issue.
Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling issued the following in response:
“Much like his hand-picked candidate for Governor, Michael Madigan is a hypocrite. Just three weeks ago, Madigan claimed to the people of Illinois that he was making it ‘a personal mission to take this issue head-on’. Now that a lawsuit has been filed against his Democratic gubernatorial candidate alleging racial discrimination and harassment, where is Madigan?” - Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling
I asked the Democratic Party of Illinois for comment yesterday and didn’t get anything. I also asked all three of the Anti-Harassment, Equality and Access Panel for comment and either didn’t hear back (Sen. Melinda Bush and Comptroller Susana Mendoza) or was told she had no comment (Rep. Carol Ammons).
* The Rauner campaign posted a video this morning of some TV coverage, including a brief interview with one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers…
* And Shia Kapos interviewed the lead plaintiff Maxwell Little…
This is Little’s first foray into political campaigns. He’s otherwise passionate about education and has considered running for alderman of the 18th Ward. In July, he took a job as a field organizer for Pritzker’s gubernatorial campaign, a position that doesn’t require a degree so much as the patience and fortitude to talk to as many people as possible about the candidate. In this job, you don’t get to raise your hand and influence policy. For better or worse, it’s like the Army: you do what you’re told. Little had the added duty of organizing meet-and-greets on the West Side. Over the past three months, he’s been frustrated that his accomplishments have been overlooked. “I felt silence, I was ignored, and I was unfairly treated” compared to white staffers, he said. “Everyone deserves a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.”
A few weeks ago, Little talked to attorney Shay Allen at an event for Level Up & Vote. Little and Allen, a former prosecutor turned private attorney, both support the get-out-the-vote effort. Little vented about his campaign job, and that led to bigger conversations with other campaign staffers and soon a lawsuit was born. Allen and fellow attorney Jeannette Samuels , with plaintiff’s agreement, came up with the demand for $7.5 million. In a civil lawsuit, “there’s no formula” on how you quantify someone’s “self-respect,” Allen told POLITICO. He also cited emotional distress and “missed opportunities to progress in the campaign” as factors in coming up with the damages number.
