In 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 101-0610, which required downstate police and firefighter local pension funds’ assets to be consolidated into statewide funds for investment purposes. Since then, the Firefighters Pension Investment Fund (FPIF) and the Illinois Police Officers’ Pension Investment Fund (IPOPIF) have geared up to receive those investment funds and go to work. Recently, however, the consolidation encountered its first legal challenge—a class action lawsuit claiming Public Act 101-0610 unconstitutional.
On February 23, 2021, eighteen police and firefighter pension funds, as well as individual active and retired members of these funds, filed a complaint against Governor Pritzker, the two new consolidated pension investment funds, and others in the Kane County Circuit Court. The plaintiffs are seeking to certify the lawsuit as a class action. If successful, the lawsuit’s outcome would apply to every downstate police and firefighter pension fund in Illinois.
The 22-page complaint alleges the consolidation violates three provisions of the Illinois Constitution: (1) the Pension Protection Clause; (2) the Contracts Clause; and (3) the Takings Clause. However, each of these claims revolve around the same general premise. The plaintiffs claim that they “had a contractual and enforceable right to exclusively manage and control their investment expenditures and income, including interest dividends, capital gains, and other distributions on investments,” which the consolidation has infringed upon.
There are hundreds of these local pension boards in this state.
Traditional Voting Rights Claims are Not at Issue. … The main distinction between the case at bar and the aforementioned cases is that those cases involved traditional “voters rights” claims such as procedural due process, equal protection, constitutional vagueness, improper delegation of legislative authority, and other guarantees found in the United States and Illinois Constitutions. […]
Voting is Not Presently a “Benefit” under the Pension Clause. … In this case, the Court finds that it cannot extend the term “benefits” beyond the reach of prior Illinois Supreme Court cases (that this Court is aware of) to find the challenged legislation unconstitutional against the Pension Clause’s protections. […]
The Takings Clause is Not Implicated. … In this case, Plaintiffs Takings Clause claim cannot be tied to real property as required under Illinois’ taking clause jurisprudence. Although, money damages can be sought in a takings clause claim, there are no allegations or evidence presented that Plaintiffs currently drawing their pension benefit have suffered a present or will suffer a future loss in benefit payment. […]
For all the aforementioned reasons, the cross motions for summary judgment are decided in favor of Defendants and against Plaintiffs.
Plaintiffs’ cross motion for summary judgment is denied.
DURBIN, DUCKWORTH, DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS OF ILLINOIS DELEGATION URGE CENSUS BUREAU TO INCORPORATE INCREASED POPULATION COUNT IN FEDERAL DATA AND FUNDING DECISIONS
The Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey shows that Illinois likely was undercounted at a rate of 1.97 percent in the 2020 Census, potentially negatively impacting federal funding over the next decade
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today led 13 Democratic members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert L. Santos urging him to incorporate the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) data into the 2020 Decennial Census after Illinois was shown likely to have been undercounted at a rate of 1.97 percent. The 2020 Census is projected to have undercounted Illinois by 250,000, which inaccurately reflects Illinois’ roughly 13 million residents – the highest the state has ever recorded. In addition to today’s letter, Durbin is working to convene the Illinois delegation for a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Director Santos in the near future to discuss the delegation’s asks and the correction of the Census’ miscount of Illinois.
“We are writing in regard to the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which found that Illinois likely was undercounted at a rate of 1.97% in the 2020 Decennial Census. With this knowledge comes the striking fact that Illinois did not lose residents, but rather, the State’s population is now at its largest in history with about 13 million residents. We are concerned about how this undercount may affect the people of Illinois,” wrote the lawmakers.
As a result of the error, Illinois is in danger of losing valuable federal funding over the next ten years. The Census is used to allocate roughly $1.5 trillion, through about 100 programs including Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare Part B, Highway Planning and Construction, and Pell grants.
“As such, we would like to learn how the findings within the PES will be used going forward, in both allocation of federal funding and in preparation for the next Decennial Census. As you know, Census Bureau data determines how $1.5 trillion of federal funding will be allocated over the course of a decade. Illinoisans rely on roughly 100 programs that use this data to allocate funding, particularly for health care, nutrition assistance, and education programs, among others,” the lawmakers continued.
The lawmakers went on to ask Director Santos what corrective actions the Census Bureau will take to ensure that Illinois receives equitable federal funding based on its true population.
The lawmakers asked, “Any federal entities disregarding Illinois’ revised population estimate in determining these funding allocations could have grave consequences for those affected by such underfunding. As such, we request a response to the following questions no later than June 15.
1. How does the Census Bureau plan to incorporate the PES findings into data products that inform federal funding allocations?
a. What the timeline is for doing so?
2. Will the Bureau commit to ensuring that all of its federal partners understand any errors that may have occurred during the Decennial Census, including Illinois’ estimated undercount, so that they may have full knowledge to inform their funding allocation decisions?
3. Will the Bureau commit to taking into account the PES projections in its yearly Population Estimates following the Decennial Census?
a. Further, how will the Bureau ensure Illinois does not receive anything less than its fair and full share of federal funding over the next decade?”
House members joining Durbin and Duckworth on the letter include Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Sean Casten (D-IL-6), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-7), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-1), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL-4), Bradley Schneider (D-IL-10), Marie Newman (D-IL-3), Mike Quigley (D-IL-5), and Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2).
Today is Day 145 of the year, and the country has already experienced 213 mass shootings so far. Two hundred and thirteen such attacks in 21 weeks. This averages out to about 10 a week.
The tally comes from the Gun Violence Archive, an independent data collection organization. The group defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, excluding the shooter. The full list of mass shootings in 2022 can be found here.
14 of those mass shootings this year were in Illinois. Of those, 10 were in Chicago. The non-Chicago shootings were in Elgin (April 10), Joliet (Feb. 15), Romeoville (Feb. 6) and Peoria (Jan. 1). Illinois has about 4 percent of the US population, yet we had 6.6 percent of the mass shootings. Chicago has 0.8 percent of the US population and had 4.7 percent of the nation’s mass shootings so far this year.
* Dan Proft’s People Who Play By The Rules PAC reported another contribution from Dick Uihlein last night. This one’s for $3.27 million. That brings Uihlein’s total to just a hair under $8.1 million.
Gov. JB Pritzker has been working behind the scenes to get allies on the Democratic State Central Committee, and now he’s going public with a full endorsement, backing longtime lobbyist Liz Brown-Reeves of Springfield for the 15th Congressional District seat on the committee. “Liz Brown-Reeves has decades of experience working with Illinois Democrats and is committed to fighting for our shared values,” Pritzker said in a statement. Brown-Reeves faces Democrat Katherine Daniels of Quincy.
Not mentioned is that Bill Houlihan is supporting Daniels. Houlihan and Sen. Dick Durbin helped engineer the election of Robin Kelly as party chair. It’s all one thing. Click here for Brown-Reeves’ first mailer, which features Pritzker. She’s raised about $19K so far, but this is from her press release…
Senator Doris Turner, former State Representative Julie Curry and former Senator Andy Manar are hosting a fundraiser in support of Liz’s campaign on May 25th from 5:00-7:00 pm at Stonegate Farm (4491 Old Chatham Road) in Springfield
Expect a check from the governor soonish. Daniels has reported raising $2,600.
A concerned Chicago resident filed a complaint against Aurora mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign for governor Thursday, citing a violation of the Campaign Disclosure Act. William Cook submitted documents to the Illinois State Board of Elections stating Irvin has repeatedly failed to identify billionaire Ken Griffin as a sponsoring entity for his campaign.
Under the law, a sponsoring entity is any person, organization, corporation or association contributing at least 33% of a political committee’s total funding during a quarterly reporting period. Cook explained that the law also states political committees must amend the statement of organization documents to identify a sponsoring entity if they pass the 33% threshold. […]
He also explained that the law states candidates could be liable for a penalty of up to $5,000 for filing a false statement of organization. In fact, the penalty for violating Article 9 of the Illinois election code is between $1,000 to $5,000 and could be subject to criminal liability. Cook noted that it could also lead to Irvin being found guilty of a business offense under the state’s unified code of corrections. […]
Board spokesperson Matt Dietrich said members could determine the complaint was filed on justifiable grounds and order Irvin’s committee to file an amended D-1. Although, the board could also order the campaign to ensure that they properly identify any sponsoring entities in the future.
* Richard Irvin talked about his pension reform plan last night…
What we have to do is look at forming, like every other corporation throughout this country, look at doing a 401K pension hybrid. So, as more folks go into the pension system, they don’t create the burden that continues to dig this $130 billion hole that we’re in today
Thirty-five years ago, 17-year-old Richard Irvin pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and trespassing for his involvement in stealing a tire from an auto wrecker’s yard to fix a flat.
Now mayor of Aurora and a Republican candidate for governor, Irvin on Tuesday called the experience a life-changing one. “I knew I had to create a different outcome for myself,” he said.
A central theme of Irvin’s campaign has been his evolution from a hardscrabble childhood living in high-crime Section 8 housing with his single mom in Aurora to serving in Operation Desert Storm with the U.S. Army and earning a law degree.
The tire theft “was the first time I directly had a brush with the law,” Irvin said Tuesday. He disclosed the charges in an answer to a candidate questionnaire from the Daily Herald, which also reviewed court records.
Casten for Congress Spokesman Jacob Vurpillat released the following statement:
“In her first detailed public statement about her bipartisan ethics investigation, Rep. Newman has repeatedly misled voters – no less than seven times in just a few short paragraphs. Instead of providing voters and the press with the transparency and honesty they deserve, Rep. Newman has attempted to deceive the people of the 6th District in hopes of downplaying the severity of her bribery scandal.
“For months, Rep. Newman has claimed that information will emerge that will discredit her bipartisan federal ethics investigation. Yet, with voting already underway in the Illinois 6th Congressional District primary, she has continued to mislead the public.
“Rep. Newman can and should clear this all up today. Her voters deserve to know: How much of the money entrusted to her by her campaign donors has she promised to pay Iymen Chehade? Has she made any additional promises to pay him with taxpayer-provided funds? Does the settlement provide Mr. Chehade with any input on her policy positions or impact on her votes, as suggested may be the case based on her email exchanges with Mr. Chehade? What did Mr. Chehade commit to provide Congresswoman Newman in exchange for the cash payments?
“Out of respect for voters, Congresswoman Newman should immediately release the details of the secret settlement at the heart of her bribery scandal.”
* From an interview of GOP secretary of state candidate Rep. Dan Brady…
Brady said he also hears concerns from voters about election integrity. That’s an issue Republicans are trying to seize on in Secretary of State races across the country. Brady said in Illinois, the Secretary of State has little power over elections, except for motor voter registration.
Brady said he would like to offload that to local election authorities. “I don’t know that the documentation, the registration process is as thorough as it should be. I would like to see the emphasis shifted to organ and tissue donation and try to improve our numbers there,” Brady said.
The original idea of motor voter was to make it easier to register to vote and offering that service at Secretary of State offices provides broader access to registration because most adults use those facilities. Republicans in many states have tried to limit motor voter. Brady said he could be open to a partnership with local election authorities.
Not sure how Motor Voter would be handled by locals. If Brady does win the primary, he’s just opened himself up to criticism in the general.
* LBG…
Lake County Democrats Chair and Democratic State Central Committeewoman Lauren Beth Gash released the following statement in response to the Lake Villa Township Republican Club’s latest “Gun Raffle” being held as the nation mourns the victims of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas:
“It is stunning that Republicans would hold a raffle that glorifies AR-15 type weapons amid a nationwide gun violence epidemic, let alone after the massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde. Since they refuse to help Democrats pass common sense gun safety reforms, canceling this offensive gun raffle is literally the least Lake County Republicans can do. This raffle is in devastatingly poor taste. They should show compassion and leadership and do the right thing, but it seems that we can always count on Republicans in Lake County to do the wrong thing.
“It appears that these Lake County Republicans only registered this highly irresponsible raffle after concerned citizens informed them of their obligation to do so. Blatant violations of well-established and commonly understood campaign finance regulations might be considered standard impropriety for today’s Republican Party under normal circumstances, but these are not normal circumstances, and this is not a normal raffle. In fact, circumstances have been anything but normal for decades with respect to gun violence in America.
“Preventable gun violence and the horrors it produces for American parents, families, and children should not be accepted as some inevitable, incidental consequence of a constitutional right to bear arms. Mass murders are preventable, and their preventability hinges on curbing inappropriate access to firearms. The Lake Villa GOP’s flippant hand-out of deadly weapons meant for quickly killing people is shocking on multiple grounds—and, if continued, is an active and ongoing threat to the safety and security of Lake Villa’s families and children, as recent tragic events in Texas and Buffalo demonstrate. Firearms—as any responsible gun owner knows and clearly agrees with—should not be distributed in the same manner as stuffed animals at a carnival.”
Last week on Facebook, the Lake Villa Township Republican Club announced their latest “Gun Raffle.” Source: https://www.facebook.com/LVGOP/
* CD17…
Former state representative and 17th District Democratic Congressional Candidate Litesa Wallace on Wednesday called on Republican frontrunner Esther Joy King to join her in supporting a federal ban on the type of military-style assault weapons used in yesterday’s massacre of schoolchildren in Uvalde, Tex.
In a tweet yesterday, King offered nonspecific “prayers” for children slain by a gunman who reportedly used an AR-15-style weapon to murder 19 children.
Wallace also called on King to return and refuse any money from the nation’s gun lobby.
In statement, Wallace said:
“Whenever there is a mass shooting of the kind we are seeing unfold in Uvalde or in Buffalo, we hear Republicans offer their “thoughts and prayers” and yesterday was no different. I believe in prayer, too. I was on the campus of NIU in 2008 during a mass shooting, and I prayed then. I prayed after my best friend was shot and killed in 2001. But we know thoughts and prayers are hardly enough.
“Enough empty words. It’s time for action. That’s why I’m calling on Esther Joy King to join me in supporting a total federal ban on assault weapons. There is no historical Constitutional argument for owning these weapons of mass destruction. And every day we see the danger of allowing them in our communities.
“I’m also calling on Ms. King to refuse and return any contributions from the gun lobby. Guns are now the leading cause of death in children and that owes much to the blood-drenched money of the NRA and their lobby.
“Please, Ms. King, do more than just think about this problem. Do more than pray for the dead. Join me in supporting action.”
Crain’s Chicago: Illinois loses again as Samsung chooses Indiana for battery factory
In the least surprising news of the week, it was announced that Illinois has missed out on a new large manufacturing employer that chose to locate just an hour’s drive from the Illinois border in Kokomo, Indiana.
“…South Korean battery manufacturer Samsung and vehicle producer Stellantis today announced that they’ll build a $2.5 billion factory in Kokomo, Ind., about an hour’s drive east of the Illinois state line.
The two companies and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the facility would create 1,500 jobs, with the total cost potentially rising to more than $3 billion.
Illinois last year had made a run at the plant, which could serve Stellantis’ Belvidere plant. Insiders say the state fell out of the race awhile ago, and the Kokomo facility will be close enough to Belvidere to serve that factory if it is converted to EV production.”
This news comes on the heels of Illinois Democrats crowing about the US Census undercounting Illinois population over the previous decade while ignoring concrete IRS data showing over 100,000 Illinoisans fled the state in 2020 alone.
For Illinois Democrats like Governor JB Pritzker, crafting an alternate reality in which Illinois is actually a healthy state that employers and people want to move to is easier than acknowledging and addressing our highest in the nation taxes, rampant violent crime, and notoriously corrupt state government.
For passengers arriving at the rather faded terminals at Chicago O’Hare, it may not feel like it. But as of last year they are landing at America’s most important port, measured by value of trade. In the north-eastern corner of the airport, a stately if ageing Korean Boeing 747 lands and within ten minutes moves into position outside a giant warehouse. On board, bound in plastic and cord, are 115 tonnes of cargo—mostly consumer electronics, but also pharmaceuticals, food and more. In an hour it will be unloaded, and will soon be on trucks heading around the country. If the cargo is worth the average of cargo processed at O’Hare, that one flight will have brought $14m of imports into America. […]
In 2021, reckons usTradenumbers.com, a website, goods worth roughly $305bn passed through O’Hare, about 6.6% of American trade. It is far from being the port that receives most goods by volume (that is Los Angeles) or even the busiest airport (Anchorage’s moves more goods). But the 2.5m tonnes moved through Chicago is made up of far pricier stuff.
Though they are designed in California and assembled in China, it is Chicago where almost all Apple’s products arrive in America. So, too, do aeroplane engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce in Britain, car parts made in Japan and sensitive medicines synthesised in India. Products from midwestern factories, such as two enormous hotel-kitchen ovens destined for Singapore, are loaded up for the journey out (flying things out to Asia costs a tenth of what bringing things in does).
The pandemic has boosted the airport’s freight business. Before covid-19, people said that “bellies [of passenger jets] are taking over the world, we don’t need freighters”, notes Shawn McWhorter, the boss in America of Nippon Cargo Airlines, a Japanese firm. For Chicago, where most flights are domestic, that was not so positive. But when people stopped flying because of the pandemic, the cargo holds of passenger planes were no longer available. Instead, more freight has been flown into specialised cargo terminals, like the one in Chicago. Since 2019 the amount moved through O’Hare has increased by 47% in value, and almost as much in volume.
And because much of Asia is still restricting travel, the boom is continuing.
* I pulled up the Illinois State Bar Association’s judicial evaluations today to check on some things, and I noticed that the “Narrative” section was blank next to the ISBA’s “Not Recommended” rating of Illinois Supreme Court Democratic candidate Nancy Rotering. So, I asked the Bar Association to explain why Rotering received such low marks…
When there is no explanation accompanying a “Not Recommended” rating that means that the candidate did participate in the evaluation process, but that the Committee rated him/her “Not Recommended” based on its investigations and interview. The basis of the Committee’s “Not Recommended” rating is confidential.
Hmm.
Judge Liz Rochford was the only Democratic candidate to receive a “Highly Recommended” rating. Republicans Susan Hutchinson and Daniel B. Shanes also received that rating. The worry among some Democrats is that if Rotering wins the primary, she could have real problems in the general if one of those two highly rated Republicans is victorious.
Rotering has reported raising a bit over $180K this year, with about half of that in loans to herself.
Rochford has raised $137K just since the current quarter began last month. She started this quarter with $246K in the bank, and reported $89K in debt from two 2021 loans. That isn’t a ton of cash for a district which includes DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, Lake and McHenry counties.
The race has attracted very little news media attention.
* There’s a similar worry in the 3rd Appellate District where Democrat Sonni Choi Williams is rated as “Not Recommended” (and also went through the evaluation process), but the lone Republican candidate, Liam Christopher Brennan, is “Highly Recommended.” Another Democrat, James Murphy, is rated as “Recommended.”
* In the 5th Appellate District, Judge Mike McHaney was rated as “Not Recommended.” McHaney was the judge who gave Darren Bailey a court win back in 2020. He infamously yakked from the bench about his constitutional right to fish. McHaney participated in the evaluation process. Republican Barry Vaughan was the only candidate in the race to receive a “Recommended” rating. Democrat Brian Roberts submitted his information to the ISBA late and received a “Not Recommended” rating. Maybe Roberts can get his act together for the fall campaign, but it not matter, considering the district.
Mary Ann Ahern: Should we get rid of the gas tax altogether? But then how do you fund road improvements? Mr. Irvin?
Richard Irvin: Well, there’s two portions of the gas tax: One that goes straight to road improvements and the other portion that goes to our General Fund. We can get rid of the portion that goes to our General Fund and still allow the road improvements and infrastructure to continue.
Mary Ann Ahern: Get rid of it all together.
Richard Irvin: Absolutely. Give some relief to our residents here in the state of Illinois.
OK, the problem with this idea is that the state sales tax revenues on fuel are being transitioned over time to the Road Fund. In the coming fiscal year, that amounts to about $230 million, according to the governor’s office. That number gets higher every year until all of the state revenues from the sales tax on fuel are sent to the Road Fund. So, if you “get rid” of the non-road portion of sales tax revenues, you’d have to increase the sales tax on fuel every year to make sure the Road Fund got all the money coming to it. Also, a portion will still go to local governments even with this planned revenue switch, so what do you do about them?
* I reached out to Operating Engineers Local 150, which has endorsed Irvin in the primary and has been a stalwart defender of Road Fund revenues…
In his response, Mayor Irvin was quick to defend the importance of Illinois’ motor fuel tax and its critical role in maintaining Illinois’ infrastructure.
Local 150 opposes reducing or eliminating the sales tax on gasoline. Part of the most recent capital improvement plan was the gradual shift of sales tax revenue from the General Revenue Fund to the Road Fund, so reducing or eliminating the sales tax would negatively affect the overall safety of Illinois’ infrastructure.
We will work with Mayor Irvin to ensure that he and his team are familiar with the nuances of Illinois’ infrastructure funding sources and the importance of protecting these investments.
* The Irvin campaign explained today that what the candidate actually meant to say was that he supported a bill sponsored earlier this year by his running mate…
State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) introduced House Bill 5723, which looks to cap the sales tax on gas at 18 cents per gallon for motor fuel, with 80 percent of that amount for gasohol and biodiesel blends.
Local governments might not like that idea, unless they’re made whole. And that’ll cost money.
And, it likely has the effect of cutting money that is supposed to go to the Road Fund.
*** UPDATE *** From Local 150…
We oppose that legislation and the concept of capping revenue streams set aside for infrastructure improvement. While most inflationary discussions focus on the consumer price index, construction costs are more closely tied to the producer price index, which is rising at more than twice the rate of the CPI. The state’s goal has been to make long-term sustainable investments in the safety of our infrastructure, and the spirit of the last capital spending plan was enabling revenues to keep up with rising costs, which is why the motor fuel tax is now indexed to inflation. Many parties worked tirelessly earlier this spring to find a revenue-neutral way to postpone that inflationary increase in order to provide temporary relief to taxpayers, yet lawmakers determined that keeping revenue in line with costs is a priority, so that inflationary increase will go into effect after the temporary revenue-neutral plan expires. Simply capping revenues without a plan to offset the losses to the Road Fund is not a responsible approach.
So, the walk-back and clarification just led to more problems with Local 150. Notice, however, there’s no mention of Irvin in that statement.
* Related…
* VIDEO: Rep. Batinick Solutions for High Gas Prices
The annual Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award is presented to a former or current state or local government official in Illinois who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility, and bipartisanship.
Former Governor Jim Edgar and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute invite you to nominate an Illinois elected official who has displayed this kind of exceptional leadership.
We created the Simon-Edgar Statesmanship Award to shine a spotlight on remarkable public service that is taking place in our state and local communities. Please join us as we celebrate the Prairie State’s best traditions. Nominate an Illinois statesperson by June 1.
The split forums occurred even though candidates typically resolve differences over televised debates. But in this case the dueling debates occurred when Bailey, Rabine and Sullivan agreed to appear at WGN, which made its invitation before NBC. Irvin accepted the later NBC offer but Bailey, Rabine and Sullivan kept their commitment to WGN.
But Irvin said Wednesday he would appear at a June 2 League of Women Voters on ABC-Ch. 7. Bailey’s campaign said the downstate senator had a conflict for that date and urged the station to select a new date.
Irvin agreed to attend a June 2 League of Women Voters forum on ABC 7, the same day Bailey already committed to a Northwest Suburban GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. Coincidence?
Unsurprisingly, JB Pritzker’s candidate for governor — tax hiker Darren Bailey — attended the children’s debate with military imposter Jesse Sullivan, to avoid a side-by-side comparison to Irvin’s conservative record of accomplishment.
* Sen. Darren Bailey campaign statement…
What else do you expect from the failed establishment backing a basement Democrat, but downright lies. Irvin knows that our campaign and other campaigns committed to the Northwest Suburban Lincoln Day Dinner over 3 weeks ago and paid to help sponsor and speak on this date. He knows because he declined. The ABC date was presented to us as a tentative date. We have reached out to ABC and would love for them to move the date so we can further expose Irvin for the corrupt, lying mini-Mike Madigan he is. Darren Bailey is the true conservative to take on Pritzker and win in November and we proved that last night during the main card debate.
* Roundup…
* Debate showdown: Illinois GOP candidates for governor split up during competing debates: Meanwhile, Bailey said Critical Race Theory and sexual education for young children have no place in Illinois schools. Bailey noted that he stood up against both while serving in Springfield and he would fire the state superintendent of schools if elected as governor. “They have failed our children egregiously. CRT was written into the rules. CRT can be written out of the rules,” Bailey said. “Government needs to be pulled out of our schools. Get the unfunded mandates out of the way and let local school boards and parents come together and decide how they want to educate their children in their schools.” Although, the Illinois State Board of Education and countless lawmakers have confirmed Illinois is not teaching Critical Race Theory.
* Illinois’ Republican gubernatorial candidates face off in debates: “You’ve got to stop by addressing it it head on- what I call the “3 Cs”, children, cops, community. Focus on getting kids in a more positive program and off the streets, because kids are the ones committing most of the crimes,” candidate Richard Irvin said. “We need mentorship and fatherhood programs that we need to be funding in the way Ron Desantis did down in Florida. What I see constantly on the crime side is a lack of enforcement of our laws and our lack of enforcement of police,” Jesse Sullivan added. Many said Illinois’ recent police and criminal justice reform are part of the problem. “We have to have a restore authority to police. It’s proven that crime is curbed with more active police force. And crime is out of control in the state of Illinois,” Darren Bailey said Tuesday night.
* GOP gubernatorial debates: Irvin more elusive than lesser known rivals Schimpf and Solomon: During a rapid-fire “yes or no,” segment, Max Solomon and Paul Schimpf agreed that the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 were not an “insurrection.” But Richard Irvin touted his credentials as a lawyer and said, “I don’t think it’s a ‘yes or no’ question.” … Ahern tried again, “So if you vote for a Republican, why did you vote for Trump?” “As I said, as I drive around the state,” Irvin continued, prompting Ahern to interject, “I guess you didn’t.”
* Illinois GOP governor candidates address gun violence and crime in competing debates following Texas mass shooting: State Sen. Darren Bailey of downstate Xenia called Chicago “a crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole” when asked about gun violence. “Let’s just call it what it is,” said Bailey, who once co-sponsored legislation to split Chicago from the rest of the state. “And no one knows that better than the friends and the people that live in Chicago. Something’s wrong. City leaders, they hate the police.”
* Three GOP Candidates Vying for Illinois Governor Weigh in on Gun Control: Mayor Irvin: “I can’t imagine, as a father, what those parents are going through today, as they have to mourn the these young lives that that hadn’t lived yet. And I couldn’t help but to think when I sat at my office on that cold day, in February, when I my Chief of Staff walked in and said there had been a mass shooting in the city of Aurora where five workers had been killed. And five police officers shot many of the police officers shot very seriously. And remember going to the funerals and seeing the pain on the parents face at the loss of their adult children. And I can’t imagine, after seeing that pain of those parents, what the pain of the of these children, these little kids must feel this horrific act of violence. We need a governor who’s going to stand up and fight against these acts. We need a governor who’s going to stand strong, and make sure that not only we heal after this, these events that seem to be happening so much throughout our country day in and day out, where we’re comparing one violent act to another, we have to make sure that we support our police and, and we support our neighbors and our families and our friends and these these school children that we don’t allow, we don’t allow weapons to get into the hands of criminals and those with mental illnesses. And as governor, I will take a strong stance to ensure that we do what’s necessary to protect ourselves. We’ve got to do what we need to do to bring our community together to show that we’re not going to allow senseless acts of violence to define who we are as Americans. Our Illinois.”
* Republican candidates for Illinois governor face off in 2 forums, attacks focus on Richard Irvin: “People in Illinois right now are ready for somebody that is not beholden to insiders, somebody that does not have a billionaire benefactor,” Schimpf said. … “The fact is we’ve got to address crime head on,” Irvin said. “You don’t simply address it by coming up with kneejerk rules; let’s have a curfew, that’s not gonna stop crime.”
* GOP gubernatorial debate: Bailey, Sullivan, Rabine rip Chicago in WGN debate: “Electing Richard Irvin into this seat would be no different than allowing Mike Madigan to serve as governor,” Bailey said. “Richard Irvin is a mini Mike Madigan.” Rabine said he wasn’t surprised Irvin declined. “I think this is tough, for a person that’s a Democrat, to actually be debating in a Republican atmosphere,” Rabine said, referring to questions over Irvin’s past voting record. Sullivan hammered Irvin for past statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. “He was someone who stood proudly and strongly for Black Lives Matter. That’s trying to disintegrate the family unit in our state. I hold the exact opposite views,” Sullivan said, quickly following up by saying he supports “the principle of Black Lives Matter, of course,” but not the political organization.
[Cynthia Buckley a sociologist at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and a self-described census nerd who uses her demographer skills to dig into the data] said any claim that residents are flocking in or out of Illinois based on a particular administration or policy is “balderdash.”
“The Midwest as a whole is not growing as fast as the Sunbelt. And so unless either the Democrats or the independents can do something about preventing the next polar vortex, I have a real strong suspicion that these claims of ‘we’re doing it right so people are moving in, we’re doing it wrong so people are moving out’ are quite overblown,” Buckley said.
* If you want to glimpse what could’ve been if NBC5 and WGN didn’t cave to the GOP gubernatorial candidates and move forward with holding two separate “debates” tonight, you should watch the Daily Herald editorial board’s virtual debate of all the candidates. There was some good back and forth and Richard Irvin held his own. Click here.
For instance, at one point Sen. Darren Bailey claimed that Caterpillar closed down its Aurora plant “because of regulations and taxes.” Irvin quickly countered that Caterpillar did not leave Aurora. It actually left nearby Montgomery. “So,” Irvin retorted, “you might want to get your facts straight.”
Bailey talked about how Irvin supported COVID mandates, but Irvin shot back that Bailey mandated mask-wearing on his megafarm. Bailey later claimed that, despite his son signing a federal pledge under oath to mandate masks, he didn’t actually do it.
Jesse Sullivan talked at one point about how he felt “betrayed” by former Gov. Bruce Rauner and noted that much of Irvin’s team ran Rauner’s 2014 campaign. Irvin replied that Sullivan was living in California at the time, so if he was betrayed by a governor, it was a whole different governor. Not a bad zinger. Irvin prevented Sullivan from responding immediately and then noted correctly that Rauner’s 2018 campaign was helmed by the same guy who’s at the top of Bailey’s campaign food chain. Bailey accused Irvin of lying, and Irvin said the response meant “You know how to tell a lie yourself,” and chuckled. Bailey eventually just smiled and laughed at that one.
And when Gary Rabine brought up a Crain’s Chicago Business story headlined “Aurora homeowners are taxed at the highest effective rate among 53 U.S. cities included in a new study,” Irvin claimed the Illinois Department of Revenue’s figures show Aurora isn’t even in the top 50 in Illinois.
Anyway, it’s worth a look. Bailey and Sullivan could’ve easily called Irvin’s bluff and appeared on the Channel 5 debate with the frontrunner. They didn’t, and that may have been for good reason.
One year later, Irvin refuses to answer for his corrupt comments. Instead, he openly contested the police report, telling the Tribune the report was “actually incorrect” in its characterization of his comments.
Looks like the “law-and-order candidate” only backs the blue when it works for him.
“While Irvin parades around as the ‘law-and-order’ candidate who’s ‘tough on crime,’ the truth is clear: he only cares when it’s politically convenient,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Mayor Irvin’s corruption runs deep — and a Governor Irvin would be no different. Illinoisans deserve better.”
* Valencia…
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia announced today that she has earned the endorsement of the Illinois National Organization for Women (NOW) PAC, a major endorsement that highlights Valencia’s unwavering commitment to protecting and advancing women’s rights, especially access to abortion and reproductive justice. The endorsement comes as extreme politicians across the country are passing laws undermining a woman’s right to reproductive health and just weeks before a U.S. Supreme Court decision that is expected to undermine these rights in a significant way.
“Illinois NOW PAC is pleased to endorse Anna Valencia for Illinois Secretary of State,” said Laura Welch, President of IL NOW PAC. “Especially now, Illinois must elect leaders like Anna who fully support women and our rights to privacy. She has a proven track record of uplifting those most often disenfranchised in our state—women, people of color and people whose voices aren’t always heard by our elected officials.”
* CD1…
This evening at an Indivisible Chicago candidate forum, Karin Norington-Reaves condemned Jonathan Jackson’s support of defunding the police amid our city and nation’s crime epidemic.
Jackson touted his endorsement from “Our Revolution,” in a release just last week, an organization that supports defunding the police. “Jonathan checks all of the boxes,” an Our Revolution spokesperson confirmed of his positions being consistent with their priorities. Jackson said, “The issues the organization espouses… are in alignment with my beliefs about the type of policies that will deliver the best long-term benefits to the 1st Congressional District.”
“At a time when our District is grappling with almost unprecedented gun violence and crime, defunding the police is an incredibly dangerous proposition,” said Norington-Reaves spokeswoman Samantha Keitt. “We need candidates who will invest in real solutions to our crime problem, not create more opportunities for violence.”
* CD3…
Today, Alderman Gilbert Villegas received endorsements from Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 and IBEW Local 134 in his race for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional Seat.
President and Business Manager of Sheet Metal Workers Local 73, Raymond Suggs, expressed the union’s support for Villegas.
“The members of Sheet Workers Local 73 are proud to endorse a fellow brother Teamster who is running to represent working people in the US Congress. We are confident that Gil Villegas will serve the workers of this district and the country well, as he understand what it means to work hard and fight for fairness in the workplace,” said Raymond Suggs, President & Business Manager for Local 73.
Don Finn, Business Manager and Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 134, spoke in support of Alderman Villegas.
“Experience, leadership, professionalism and integrity are all important aspects in a candidate, but the shared values and dedication to protecting Workers’ Rights (including the right to collectively bargain conditions of employment, especially for those employees’ seeking representation in their workplace), preserving area standard wages, and ensuring workplace safety are what distinguishes his candidacy and solidifies our endorsement,” said Business Manager & Financial Secretary Don Finn.
Villegas reacted to the support.
“Driving a bakery truck as a Teamster was one of the proudest experiences of my life, and having support from two strong organizations of the Chicagoland labor movement is especially important to me. This campaign is about getting things done for ordinary working people and their families, and with this support, I know we’ll be successful in this race for Congress” said Alderman Gilbert Villegas.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
Tonight, the Republican candidates for governor will finally meet to answer questions from the public and reporters––but not on the same stage. Throughout the messy and divisive primary contest, the GOP candidates have lobbed brutal attacks at each other but have spent little time discussing their policies and records. Although the candidates are unwilling to actually meet on the same debate stage, tonight’s two “debates” will be a long-awaited opportunity to demand answers from those running for office who have spent the primary ducking, dodging, and running away from tough questions.
Voters are still waiting for answers to major questions such as:
• Do you support the nationwide abortion ban proposed by Republicans?
• Do you think Roe v. Wade should be overturned?
• Did you vote for Donald Trump?
• Will you support Donald Trump in 2024?
• Do you support background checks for gun purchases and the FOID card?
• Did Joe Biden win a free and fair election in 2020?
• Do you consider the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol an insurrection?
• Do you support a $15 minimum wage?
• Do you support the Workers’ Rights Amendment?
• Do you support the Black Lives Matter movement?
• What would you do as governor to protect Illinoisans from the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Do you support LGBTQ+ Illinoisans’ constitutionally-protected right to marry?
During the 2018 primary, Governor JB Pritzker had already participated in more than 36 forums, six televised debates and 10 editorial board sessions with his Democratic primary opponents. Republicans have made it clear that political points and sneaky campaign tactics are more important than sharing the same debate stage to publicly discuss the issues most important to Illinois families.
*** UPDATE *** A new IE for Karin Norington-Reaves…
* In May of 1997, after more than 20 years of Republican Illinois governors, the US Census Bureau laid out its predictions of the states that would have the highest net loss of population due to interstate migration in the 30-year period between 1995 and 2025 per 1,000 people…
California -4
Massachusetts -4
Illinois -5
New York -9
DC -10
While Americans frequently move among the states… Florida, Texas, and North Carolina will each gain 1 million or more persons over the 30-year period through net interstate migration, with Florida gaining nearly 4 million. Georgia and Washington will each gain slightly less than 1 million. Four states will have a net loss of at least 1 million persons to other states. New York will lose 5.0 million; California, 4.4 million; Illinois, 1.7 million; and Michigan, 1.1 million. Over the 1995-2025 period, nearly one-quarter billion people are projected to move from one state to another. […]
California is projected to add the largest number of international migrants (more than 8 million). … Other states projected to have gains of 1 million or more from immigration are New York, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, and Texas.
International immigration slowed way down under President Trump and then because of COVID, which has obviously hurt Illinois, and that may have been partly why the 1997 projection was off by about a hundred thousand people when the Census estimated Illinois’ 2020 population to be 13.121 million. As you know, the latest corrected Census number has Illinois right around 13 million.
* Point being, the fundamentals have been against Illinois for a very long time. This ain’t a new issue. And maybe some folks in Massachusetts should take a look at that 1997 report as well.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the governor’s office…
Governor Pritzker today urged President Joe Biden and the federal government to ensure that Illinois receives federal funding that reflects its growth of 250,000 residents, lifting the state’s population to more than 13 million for the first time in its history.
Illinois’s population was undercounted by roughly 2% in the 2020 census. The adjusted Census results show an increase in Illinois’ population as people move to the state in pursuit of expanded economic and employment opportunities.
“Illinois is growing, and our federal funding should reflect that reality,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Nearly 250,000 Illinoisans—the majority of whom are from historically disenfranchised and underserved communities—were not represented in the Census results. That’s why I have urged President Biden and the federal government to ensure that the local communities of Illinois receive the federal dollars they are entitled to—and deserve. I thank the President for his commitment to an accurate Census count, and I look forward to working with him to guarantee that our state secures its fair share of federal funding.”
Governor Pritzker’s letter to President Biden calls for adjusted population counts to be considered when allocating over $1.5 trillion in federal funds for Medicare, affordable housing, homeland security, and other essential programs. Census undercounts often disservice Black, Latino, and minority residents who are historically underserved by federal resources such as these, making the correct appropriation of these funds even more important. The letter requests that President Biden support any efforts to factor the new data into equitable funding allocations.
The Census Bureau’s Post Enumeration Survey (PES) is a follow-up survey to the census count meant to examine the results for accuracy through additional statistical sampling. The original census count, which inaccurately showed a population decline, resulted in Illinois losing one congressional seat, making accurate appropriation of funds even more essential to ensure Illinoisans can access the resources they need over the next decade.
This updated count reflects Illinois’s rising status in the region and the country as a site of innovation and opportunity. Increased investment by the Pritzker administration in training and apprenticeship programs in manufacturing and aviation have created jobs and attracted new residents across the state.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Monique Garcia on behalf of the Illinois Municipal League…
Hi Rich,
As you continue to cover what the Census undercount means for Illinois, I wanted to bring your attention to this letter from the Illinois Municipal League to Gov. JB Pritzker seeking clarification about whether the administration intends to ensure municipalities are made whole for the purposes of state-shared revenues. The letter also raises the need to address the pending loss of population-established home rule authority in several communities across the state, which could be resolved if corrections to undercounts are made.
But there is an early example of Irvin trying to be all things to everyone. It came in his successful 2017 run for the nonpartisan position of mayor of Aurora, through a pair of near identically designed mailings — one sent to Democrats and another sent to Republican households.
Each mailer is labeled, “The Choice is Yours” with the words appearing atop a donkey representing Democrats and an elephant representing Republicans.
In the mailer sent to Republicans, an arrow points to the donkey with the words, “Rick Guzman is endorsed by entrenched Chicago Democrats like Dick Durbin.” The arrow pointing to the elephant says, “Richard C. Irvin is endorsed by Local Elected Officials who actually have a stake in Aurora’s future.”
The reverse side touts GOP endorsements he received and says, “The reasons are clear. Richard C. Irvin has a solid conservative record.”
But in the mailer that went to Democrats, the arrow pointing to the elephant warns Guzman, a former mayoral chief of staff, is “endorsed by Tea Party Republicans.” Under the donkey arrow appear the words: “Richard C. Irvin is endorsed by Local Elected Officials who actually have a stake in Aurora’s future.”
On the opposite side, appears a list of Democratic elected officials and groups supporting him for mayor — but there was no mention of his “solid conservative record.”
…Adding… The latest Irvin campaign mailer…
* Also, Irvin has now changed his story from March of 2020, when he claimed he had “spoken” with Gov. Pritzker. Now, he says he spoke to Pritzker’s staff because Pritzker wouldn’t return his calls.
When I asked, the governor’s spokesperson said Pritzker called Irvin around March 12, 2020 to check in and see how it was going in Aurora and to say his office was monitoring the situation and working to keep people safe. Then, I was told, Pritzker called Irin to check in on him in April when Irvin tested positive for the virus. And Pritzker talked to him again around the middle of July. The governor called Irvin again on November 14 and got his voicemail, but Irvin called him back. Pritzker called again on Dec. 10 and got Irvin’s voicemail. More documentation is here.
* But, to be fair, in the spring of 2020 just about everyone was on board the mitigation train. Even Darren Bailey was telling his Facebook followers on March 21 to stay safe...
Please just, just take this serious. I’m, as I compare what we’re doing here in Illinois, and then I watched President Trump with many of his recommendations. We just we really need to take this serious so we don’t get to the point where Italy and other countries are at. […]
We really need to take this serious so we don’t get to the point where italy and other countries are at. […]
And you know, there is reason to be concerned. So I am satisfied with what the governor is doing as we watch what he is suggesting and compare that with what President Trump is doing.
I wanted to ask everyone to please stay home from church tomorrow. If your church is considering having services, please call your pastor and, and talk about it, you know. For the next few weeks, we need to take this serious.
And then in May of 2020, Bailey offered up his own mitigation plan, including for places of worship…
Places of Worship
All staff and worship leaders shall have temperature checks when arriving to work.
Occupancy allowed at 25% capacity ensure not less than six feet distance between attendees
Distancing between family members is at their discretion
Avoid contact with common items (items open to use by all attendees)
Disposable hymn handouts
Avoid physical contact between attendees
No greeters/No physical contact
No Offering Baskets passed among attendees
No waiting area
All surfaces touched by attendees shall be sanitized between each use
Continued Virtual worship is recommended
Self-Contained communion practices are acceptable
Organized dismissal should be implemented
…Adding… Irvin says in the article that his support for mitigations waned over time, but he declared a special day for Dr. Ezike when she was in Aurora this past October for a vaccine event.
The leaked draft decision on Roe V. Wade sent a shockwave across our country, reminding us that elections have consequences, especially in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District that is densely populated by Latinas, who will be severely impacted by Roe V. Wade being overturned. Alderman Gil Villegas’ record on abortion and reproductive rights has raised serious concerns about his ability to represent women and trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people who seek abortion access and reproductive healthcare.
Below is a statement by one hundred women in the 3rd Congressional District, including State Senator Karina Villa, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Representative Maura Hirschauer, and Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, condemning Alderman Gil Villegas’ anti-abortion record and cautioning voters.
“This election is especially critical because the candidate we send to Congress has to be an unapologetic fighter for reproductive, abortion, and LGBTQ+ rights. Unfortunately, Alderman Gil Villegas has demonstrated that he is not a committed partner in protecting reproductive rights. His ties to anti-choice Republicans are troubling.
“In 2017, Alderman Gil Villegas voted to give $5.5 million of taxpayer’s money to subsidize clinics that banned women from obtaining abortions and access to birth control. It is reprehensible that he voted to use public dollars to fund inadequate healthcare access, knowing that Black and Brown women in the 3rd Congressional District would be severely impacted.
“Additionally, Alderman Gil Villegas has taken campaign contributions from anti-choice Republicans, including Gubernatorial Candidate Gary Rabine and Dan Cronin.
“The 3rd Congressional District can not afford to send a tepid Democrat to Congress when our freedoms are under attack by Republicans, so it is essential that we send someone to Congress who we trust will fight at all costs to ensure that Roe V. Wade is codified. We ask voters to support Delia Ramirez, a real progressive and champion for reproductive and abortion rights in this race.”
Today, IEA - NEA and SEIU Local 73 announced their endorsement of State Representative Delia Ramirez in her campaign for Congress in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District of Illinois. Illinois Education Association represents 3,000 educators in the 3rd District; SEIU Local 73 represents more than 3,100 frontline, essential workers in the 3rd Congressional district.
“We are proud to endorse Delia Ramirez for Congress. As a state representative, Delia was instrumental in finally bringing an elected school board to the City of Chicago,” said Dian Palmer, President of SEIU Local 73. “Delia has dedicated her life and career advocating for working families. As an accomplished community leader and coalition
builder, we know we can count on her to fight for our members in Congress.”
“It is an honor to receive the endorsement of SEIU Local 73. Their commitment to fight for dignified, fair wages and working conditions for the thousands of frontline workers they represent is inspiring. I am proud to receive their support and look forward to working with them to continue this fight in Congress” stated Leader Ramirez.
Leader Ramirez is running in the newly drawn 3rd Congressional seat. The Democratic Primary takes place June 28th. She has been endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Schakowsky, Congressman Chuy Garcia, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, SEIU Healthcare, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Congressional Progressive Caucus, PODER PAC, Mijente, End Citizens United, EMILY’s List and the United Working Families and Working Families Party.
* Judge Rochford…
Today, Teamsters Joint Council 25 announced its endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford for the Illinois Supreme Court’s Second District. Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents over 100,000 working men and women in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. The endorsement builds on Judge Rochford’s strong labor support, including the Illinois State AFL-CIO, Local 881 UFCW, Plumbers Local Union 130 United Association (UA), and the Lake County and McHenry County Building & Construction Trades Councils and their affiliates, which together include 44 local affiliate trade unions. […]
Recently, the Illinois State Bar Association released their rating of Judge Rochford as “highly recommended.” Judge Rochford is the only candidate in the Democratic primary for the Second District seat to be rated “highly recommended.”
Judge overrules Cook County Electoral Board, says rival to Sheriff Tom Dart should be put back on ballot: “Carmen Navarro Gercone’s successful appeal of a decision by the Cook County Electoral Board comes with little more than a month to go before the June 28 primary. Dart’s campaign had argued that she was ineligible to run under a controversial new state law that requires sheriff’s candidates to be registered law enforcement officers,” by Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner. […]
— OPEN SEAT SCRAMBLE: The Democratic group VoteVets is launching a $360,000 buy supporting Chicago Ald. Gil Villegas in the open Democratic primary in IL-03. The ad, which will start airing today, highlights Villegas’ service in the Marines and his work on the city council. It is set to air for two weeks. The district is open after redistricting turned it into a Latino opportunity district in the city. […]
— Gov. JB Pritzker has endorsed Eileen Dordek in her bid for the 13th state House District seat now held by retiring Majority Leader Greg Harris. Four other Democrats, all men, are also in the race. […]
— Charise Williams has been endorsed by state Rep. Rita Mayfield and Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts in the IL-01 Democratic primary.
* Press release…
SEIU Healthcare Illinois is proud to announce the union’s endorsement of Illinois Senator Jacqueline Collins for the 1st Congressional Seat.
“The over 90,000 home care, child care, nursing home and hospital workers joined together in our union have benefitted from Jacqueline Collins’ dedicated advocacy on behalf of healthcare workers, care recipients and the communities within our state most in need of and dependent upon care,” said SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley. “Nearly 12,000 of our members live in the 1st Congressional District and would directly benefit from Collins’ advocacy in the nation’s capital. Additionally, her leadership in areas of concern to working families would have a positive impact for all the union’s membership, and for struggling low-wage earners across the state.
“Collins has shown exemplary leadership in Springfield standing up for nursing home reform—both in calling for safe staffing in long term care facilities backed by real consequences for owners who fall short and in advocating for living and sustainable wages and working conditions for workers.”
Frontline healthcare workers appreciate Collins’ grasp of the importance both of their work and of increased investment in wages and benefits. “Senator Collins gets that our working conditions are the care conditions of residents and patients,” said Francine Rico, a certified nursing assistant at Villa at Windsor Park, a long-term care facility. “She also understands that when we fight for higher wages and a voice on the job, we’re fighting for racial and gender equity. Like me, most nursing home and frontline care workers are women of color and our work has been devalued for too long.”
“Too often, our elected leaders will say the right thing when it comes to lifting wage and working standards but fail to act,” said Kelley. “But in Collins, we have a leader who has proven she has the courage and integrity to do the right thing, by fighting for real accountability for staffing levels in Illinois nursing homes—and for all of the issues that matter the most to working families. Her election to Congress would be a real win for frontline caregivers and for all those who receive care in the state and beyond.”
…Adding… Litesa Wallace…
First-term Galesburg Mayor Peter Schwartzman on Tuesday announced his endorsement of former state Rep. Litesa Wallace for the 17th Congressional District Democratic nomination, citing Wallace’s history of advocacy and willingness to stand up to the establishment on behalf of everyday Illinoisans.
Schwartzman said he did not easily give out endorsements, but was drawn to do so for Wallace after hearing her personal story, her record of progressive advocacy and seeing her intent to focus on “real challenges,” ones that face all of us.
In an endorsement statement Tuesday, Schwartzman, a Knox College environmental studies professor, said:
“I don’t give out endorsements lightly or frequently, but Litesa has impressed me with her background, with her personal history and with her values. She’s not part of the Democratic establishment, but she has a strong sense of the everyday things we should do for each other. She understands that economic growth is true when it includes everyone. She’s a real person with a very high level of integrity.”
“We need people like her who are fighting for us, and not just for the special interests. This is a very important race and we’re at risk of losing this seat, so we need to put forward the best candidate–and that’s why Litesa Wallace has my endorsement.”
Rep. Wallace previously served three terms in Springfield as the State Representative from Rockford’s 67th District. She gained national attention in 2018 when she ran for Lt. Governor alongside Daniel Biss in the Democratic primary for Governor.
She previously has been endorsed by Indivisible, Our Revolution Illinois, SEIU Illinois, Winnebago County Citizens for Choice, the Collective PAC, Democracy for America, and a long list of elected officials in the 17th District and across Illinois.
Rep. Wallace is running to represent the newly drawn 17th District, which includes most of Peoria, Rockford, Freeport, the Quad Cities, Bloomington-Normal, Macomb, and Galesburg.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn has a poll out asking about term limits and referendums and also includes a question about a Quinn mayoral candidacy. File that under kicking the tires
And, yes, rumors have been flying for a few days about a possible Quinn run for mayor. Frankly, I was kinda surprised that he didn’t run for secretary of state.
However, Citizens for Judicial Fairness (which spent millions to defeat Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride in 2020) busted the caps in those two statewide races with some independent expenditures.
First, billionaire Ken Griffin (who has given Irvin $45 million) contributed $6.25 million to Citizens for Judicial Fairness in April. The committee had only $45K in the bank at the end of March.
* And speaking of independent expenditures, Dan Proft’s People Who Play By The Rules PAC filed a B-1 on Friday with a list of TV buys throughout the state.
The long delay in issuing new retail Illinois marijuana licenses might soon end.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit that resulted in a Cook County judge prohibiting the state from issuing 185 new licenses requested today that the ruling be lifted. And attorneys from the state indicated that a deal to lift the judge’s stay could be worked out in the coming days. […]
The stay preventing the state from issuing the licenses was issued last summer by Cook County Judge Moshe Jacobius, who retired in January. The applicant who filed suit, WAH Group, received a perfect score after the state rescored disputed applications, and it won lotteries for two licenses. However, the stay remained in place.
The state conducted three lotteries for 185 licenses last July and August, but none of those licenses has been awarded because of the stay. The legal limbo has frustrated applicants who have been unable to open stores. A handful have begun the zoning process in the city and suburbs, but many have been unable to move ahead as long as the licenses were on hold.
Dispensary license applicants have been waiting a long time for these licenses. Applications were first filed in January 2020, with awards originally supposed to be made in late April, but delays due to Covid, poor government planning, and then lawsuits kept adding delays to the process.
“The first thing I’m gonna do is have a drink and probably take a puff or two after thanking the good Lord that it’s finally over,” said dispensary license holder and activist Rickey Hendon when asked what he plans to do on Friday. “And then work on our location. My partners and I are looking at two places, and now that’ll accelerate.”
As voting begins in the Democratic Primary in Illinois 6th Congressional District, new polling shows U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) with a robust 9-point lead – prior to his campaign spending a single dollar on television advertisements.
Key highlights from the poll:
• Overall, Sean Casten has opened up a nine-point advantage over Marie Newman since January when the race was a dead heat.
• Casten leads Newman among progressives (+7), liberals (+11), and moderates/conservatives (+10).
• Casten is ahead of Newman with women (+5) and men (+14).
• Casten has a significant lead among voters citing abortion as their top issue (+15).
No information was provided about any candidate prior to the questions related to this data.
On behalf of Casten for Congress, the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group conducted a district-wide telephone survey (including both cell and landline interviewing) among a representative cross section of 402 likely June 2022 Democratic primary voters. The survey was conducted May 12 to 16, 2022, and has an overall margin of error of ±4.9.
Jeanne Ives chased Richard Irvin out the door: Ives, a conservative Republican who got thisclose to defeating Bruce Rauner in the GOP primary for governor four years ago, asks Irvin who he voted for president in 2016. Irvin stuck by his guns and wouldn’t say. Ives can be heard chasing Irvin out the door for an answer. Via AM560 and Dan Proft, who is behind the “People Who Play By the Rules PAC” that opposes Irvin.
In the space of just a couple-two-three seconds, Irvin said a version of “Hold on a second” eight times while attempting to interrupt Ives.
Keep watching the video and you’ll see Amy Jacobson describe how Irvin was “shucking and jiving” while attempting to avoid her.
Despite continuing to court Republican voters ahead of the June 28 primary election, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin again refused to say whether he voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Irvin, considered a frontrunner for the Illinois GOP gubernatorial nomination, briefly met with reporters following a Saturday morning campaign event in Springfield. It was one of the final stops of a three-day, 16-event campaign swing across the state to promote early voting, which started Thursday.
Asked point blank whether he voted for Trump, who was GOP’s presidential candidate in 2016 and 2020 and is widely considered the favorite to win the nomination in 2024 if he runs, Irvin deflected, saying that “in general elections, I’m a Republican. I always vote for Republicans.”
The audience roundly applauded anyone who supported Trump, those who support a single day of voting, speakers who wanted laws banning critical race theory from being taught in schools, and any mention that 2020 election was fraudulent.
* Mary Miller…
Conservative Congresswoman Mary Miller received a perfect “A” rating from the National Rifle Association today, after previously receiving an “A” rating from Gun Owners of America for her perfect record of support for the Second Amendment.
Miller’s opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, was scored lower by the NRA and Gun Owners of America because Rodney Davis has embraced “red-flag” gun confiscation and voted to allow the federal government to seize firearms from American citizens.
“I am honored to receive a perfect A rating from the National Rifle Association, and I will always defend the Second Amendment from Joe Biden and JB Pritzker,” said Miller, who is a member of the House Second Amendment Caucus. “Some RINO Republicans like my opponent Rodney Davis have betrayed conservative voters by embracing red-flag gun confiscation and voting to allow the federal government to seize firearms. President Trump endorsed me because I will never back down under pressure from the liberal media or leftist politicians. I am 100% pro-Second Amendment, and I will always defend our right to keep and bear arms.”
Mary Miller is the only member of Congress from Illinois in both the House Second Amendment Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus, where she has been a strong opponent of Joe Biden’s efforts to ban firearms, seize firearms, and create a national gun registry.
Her opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, has been endorsed and funded by Joe Biden’s major Super PAC, the United Union of Plumbers and Pipefitters, based on his liberal record supporting the Biden-Pelosi agenda. Rodney Davis has an “F” rating from the American Conservative Union and an “F” Liberty Score from the Conservative Review. You can read about RINO Rodney Davis’ support for red-flag gun confiscation below:
Davis scored an A- from the NRA.
* From a longtime reader…
Hi Rich,
We’ve begun to wallpaper our newsroom with the mailers we get for Illinois Governor and the Miller-Davis race.
We recently got a mailer for an anti-Miller ad from The Governing Majority Fund attacking Miller’s vote on [the National Defense Authorization Act].
I did some research on the Super-PAC sending out the mailer. They are based in Tampa, Florida. Nancy Watkins is the Treasurer for them. She seems to be a go-to CPA for Republican campaigns around the country.
Miller has been going after Rodney for not being Trumpy enough. Here’s something interesting on Nancy Watkins’ biography I found doing some googling online:
“Watkins’ firm also oversees the legal defense fund for Roger Stone, the GOP strategist and Donald Trump confidante who was convicted on charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation but was later pardoned by Trump.”
Democratic State Central Committeewoman Lauren Beth Gash (10th Congressional District) has been endorsed by 10th District Congressman Brad Schneider, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Congresswoman Robin Kelly, and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky for re-election to the Democratic State Central Committee. These Congressional leaders and more than 100 other prominent Democrats are supporting Gash because of her tireless dedication to electing Democrats in the 10th Congressional District and throughout Illinois.
Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly said of Lauren Beth Gash: “I know a true political organizer when I see one.” That’s only one of the reasons so many prominent Illinois Democrats in the 10th Congressional District and beyond have endorsed Lauren for re-election.
* More…
* Stacy Davis Gates becomes CTU president as leadership wins reelection: The incumbent leadership group, part of the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators, also known as CORE, won 56% of the votes — CTU did not say how many ballots were cast. Members First, which called for the union to focus solely on basic working conditions for teachers, received 27%. The other challenger, the Respect, Educate, Advocate and Lead caucus, or REAL, got 17%.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety John O’Malley and Chicago Police Department Lt. Michael Kapustianyk told alderpeople the expansion and extension of the curfew would give officials another tool to fight crime.
O’Malley was repeatedly pressed by members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus to share evidence backed up by data that teen curfew laws had been effective in reducing violence or crime. O’Malley acknowledged he had no evidence to show that the proposal has worked in other cities and states.
O’Malley told Martin that he was not familiar with a study of the impact of the decision by Washington, D.C., officials to move its teen curfew from midnight to 11 p.m. in 2015. That change increased gun incidents by 150% during the additional hour of curfew, according to the study.
A systematic review of research literature on juvenile curfew programs was published in 2016 by the Campbell Collaboration, a nonprofit that synthesizes research studies for policy-makers. Campbell examined over 7,000 studies on juvenile curfews and synthesized the 12 most rigorous studies. The report stated that, “evidence suggests that juvenile curfews are ineffective at reducing crime and victimization. The average effect on juvenile crime during curfew hours was slightly positive — that is a slight increase in crime — and close to zero for crime during all hours. Similarly, juvenile victimization also appeared unaffected by the imposition of a curfew ordinance.”
The Campbell findings followed a systematic review of juvenile curfew literature published in 2003 by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. That review found that “empirical studies of the impact of curfew laws failed to support the argument that curfews reduce crime and criminal victimization.”
Why are juvenile curfew laws ineffective? For one thing, the studies found that they damage already-strained relationships between police and youth of color and in some instances have “blowback” effects, increasing juvenile victimization or overall crime.
Another factor is that on empty streets there are no witnesses. Urban activist Jane Jacobs theorized that well-populated streets are safe streets; deserted streets invite crime.
A study published in 2015 tested the effect of Washington D.C.’s juvenile curfew on gun violence. Using ShotSpotter audio sensor data, the authors found that gunfire incidents were significantly more frequent when the curfew was in effect. Curfews remove bystanders and witnesses from the streets, reducing their deterrent effects on street crime.
* From one of the co-authors of that ShotSpotter study…
Curfews incentivize law-abiding citizens to be at home instead of out on the streets.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s executive order turning back the clock and age of Chicago’s seldom-enforced curfew law — from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., for minors younger than 18 instead of under 17 — will not have the weight of law behind it. At least not for a few days.
Two mayoral allies — Emma Mitts (37th) and Nick Sposato (38th) — made certain of it on Monday by using a parliamentary maneuver to postpone a final vote on the mayor’s curfew ordinance after a barrage of criticism from all sides. That sets the stage for a final vote on Wednesday.
Aldermanic allies and enemies alike have condemned the crackdown as a toothless and desperate response to a deadly outbreak of youth violence in the downtown area that prompted a mass shooting outside a McDonald’s at Chicago Avenue and State Street and the fatal shooting of a teenager at Millennium Park.
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), a mayoral challenger and Lightfoot’s most outspoken critic on the council, has further warned that demoralized, inundated and overworked Chicago police officers will, once again, be yanked out of neighborhood CPD districts “so we can have the curfew patrol downtown.”
In the 2018 elections, 53% of the Illinois statewide vote came from women, with 28% of the total votes cast from suburban women.
“It’s white suburban women who need to take this issue very, very seriously when they cast a ballot. Which means them, their friends, their daughters their nieces and everyone else,” said Terry Cosgrove, executive director of Personal PAC, which supports pro-choice candidates.
Both sides in the abortion debate are using the prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade as a rallying cry for their voters.
“For those of us who are pro-life in Illinois, I think its a two-fold reaction,” said Mary Malone Rumley of Illinois Right to Life. “We’re absolutely thrilled that it’s looking like Roe is finally going to be overturned after 50 years. But we also know that this will impact Illinois greatly. We know that there are plenty on the pro-choice side who would like to see Illinois become an abortion oasis for the entire Midwest.”
The final Supreme Court decision is expected before the Nov. 8 general election. [Kent Redfield, emeritus professor of political science at University of Illinois Springfield] said the abortion debate could further energize a Republican base that generally supports abortion restrictions and is capitalizing on voter frustration with President Joe Biden and inflation.
Democratic politicians, whose base isn’t as enthusiastic, have more to gain if Roe falls and pro-choice voters want to prevent restrictions on abortion at the state and federal level, Redfield said.
In Illinois, where Democrats control state government, concern about preserving abortion rights could mitigate voters’ concerns about crime, he said.
“It will have a more positive effect overall, and it will affect Democratic turnout,” he said. “This is something that motivates younger voters, who are more likely to be pro-choice.”
Vice President Kamala Harris met Thursday with abortion providers from some of the most restrictive states in the country, including Missouri, to learn how the Biden administration can help protect access to abortion amid a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision that could end the constitutional right to the procedure. […]
The St. Louis region is unique in that it straddles the two states — Republican-led Missouri, which has moved to restrict abortion access, and Democrat-led Illinois, which has worked to expand access.
Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region in 2019 opened an abortion clinic in Fairview Heights — just 15 minutes from its Missouri clinic. Over the years, the St. Louis clinic has become the only abortion provider in Missouri.
Since the Fairview Heights facility opened, abortions have become nearly nonexistent in Missouri. Patients can drive a bit farther to Illinois and avoid Missouri’s 72-hour mandatory waiting period, which requires two appointments three days apart for those seeking an abortion.
At the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, the day starts early. Before the doors open at 7:30 a.m., clinic escorts and protesters take positions on opposite ends of the parking lot.
“You’ll remember this for the rest of your life!” one of the protesters shouts at the escorts. “Is it glorious to you [that] you’re participating in the death and destruction of babies?”
The escorts, volunteers from the activist group Pro-Choice Missouri, have started seeing a lot of patients who have traveled far to get to the Metro East clinic.
“I can see a Mississippi plate behind you right now,” escort Justine Collum said. Like the others, she’s clad in a rainbow vest and sometimes carries a large umbrella to shield patients from view.“
“I would say we’ve been seeing a lot of out-of-state plates lately,” she said. “There always have been some. But I would say it’s been an increase.”
Between 2014 and 2020, the state saw a more than 200% rise in abortion patients coming from out of state, a total of more than 9,000 abortions, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
In 2020, about two-thirds of those patients came from Missouri. They also come from other states that have also increased abortion restrictions in the past decade.
* Planned Parenthood press release…
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is proud to offer abortion pills through the mail to qualifying patients with an Illinois address. The FDA permanently removed in-person dispensing requirement for Mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill, in December 2021, allowing PPIL to launch this new program. With the Supreme Court expected to dismantle the legal protections afforded by Roe v. Wade this summer, this service is one more way PPIL is advancing health equity, breaking down unnecessary barriers to health care, and expanding access to underserved areas of the state.
“Now more than ever it’s crucial that our patients can access the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Dr. Amy Whitaker, Chief Medical Officer for PPIL. “There are over 20 years of data demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of medication abortion using Mifepristone. Not only is this a safe method, but it also increases access to care, especially for people of color, people living in rural areas, and people with low incomes who already face barriers to care.”
PPIL has been offering medication abortion via telehealth since 2021, however, patients needed to visit a physical health center to pick up the prescription. Starting mid-April 2022, patients can have the medication mailed to an Illinois address after they meet with a clinician via telehealth to determine whether they qualify. Mailing prescriptions directly to qualifying patients allows PPIL to expand capacity for patients who still require in-person services and for those who are forced to travel here from other states.
Out-of-state patients can still access medication abortion via telehealth, as long as they are traveling to Illinois for their video visit. They can then pick-up the medication in person at a PPIL health center.
* And Jesse Sullivan is fully embracing the abortion issue. Click the pic for a larger image…
* Related…
* Illinois rejoins federal Title X family planning program: Pritzker announced in August 2019, shortly after the policy took effect, that the state health department would no longer participate in the program while a number of other family planning service providers, including Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, said they would not comply with the new requirements. For the rest of that fiscal year, the state health department used General Revenue Fund money to fill in what was previously paid for by the federal government. The following year, the agency expanded the program with $5.8 million to fund Planned Parenthood, which had previously gotten its Title X money on its own, and other providers that weren’t previously part of the state’s Title X program.
Republican candidate for governor Richard Irvin has shifted $800,000 from his Ken Griffin-funded campaign to two members of his slate of GOP candidates a little more than one month before the June 28 primary.
Secretary of state candidate John Milhiser received $500,000 from the Irvin for Illinois Fund on Friday, while Steve Kim, a candidate for attorney general, got $300,000 from the Irvin fund, state campaign records show. Both men are part of a slate of Republicans seeking statewide offices put together by Irvin’s campaign and backed by Griffin, Illinois’ wealthiest individual and the billionaire founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund.
Griffin has already given Irvin, who is mayor of Aurora, $45 million to help Irvin secure the Republican nomination for governor and challenge Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November.
Irvin, during a campaign stop on Saturday, said more money would be coming for Milhiser, Kim and other members of the Griffin-backed slate.
Today, Secretary of State Candidate John Milhiser is launching a new ad as early voting is getting underway. The ad, titled ‘Competence,’ highlights exactly why Illinois needs a career prosecutor who has put corrupt public officials behind bars as our next Secretary of State.
Even today, we learned more about how deeply Madigan corruption has permeated this state. The Sun-Times reported today on a recording of Madigan discussing a plan to provide secret payments to a disgraced former aide, a scheme Madigan has consistently denied having knowledge of.
The Democrats in this race have shown they are more of the same Madigan Machines politicians, and are pointing fingers over who is more corrupt. In contrast, the Irvin-Bourne slate is laser-focused on ending the Madigan-style corruption that has eroded competence in state government and held Illinois back. We must restore trust in government in Illinois, and with John Milhiser in charge of the state government office more Illinoisans interact with than any other, they can have faith that government is working for them, not the special interests and corrupt insiders.
Madigan-style politics permeating every government office, and we pay the price.
I’m John Milhiser. As a federal prosecutor and state’s attorney, I put criminals and corrupt politicians behind bars.
As Secretary of State, I’ll root out corruption and modernize government services, saving millions in taxpayer dollars to make government work for you, not just the chosen few.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was recorded on a wiretapped phone call in 2018 discussing with lobbyist confidant Michael McClain a plan to arrange secret payments to a close political ally who had been implicated in a sexual harassment scandal, newly released court documents show.
Madigan has always denied any involvement in the scheme in which McClain allegedly arranged with a group of other lobbyists allied with the speaker to make monthly payments to Kevin Quinn, brother of Ald. Marty Quinn and a key member of Madigan’s political organization who had been ousted over his inappropriate treatment of a female co-worker, Alaina Hampton.
But in the call from Madigan to McClain on Aug. 29, 2018, McClain is quoted as telling Madigan he had put “four or five people together” who were willing to make monthly payments to Quinn for a six-month period to tide him over until he could find a job.
The call was referenced in an affidavit sworn out by an FBI agent May 13, 2019, as the feds sought permission from a judge to search McClain’s home in Quincy. A redacted version of the document was unsealed Friday in federal court in Springfield.
The full affidavit is here. Tell us what you find.
[Fidel Marquez, a former ComEd executive who pleaded guilty separately to a bribery conspiracy in September 2020] later told the feds he “was not aware of any action by Madigan to defeat or advance a bill ComEd either opposed or supported, respectively. Marquez knew of no ‘obvious’ influence by Madigan to defeat a bill.”
Illinois peaked at 27 U.S. House seats after the 1910 Census and subsequent reapportionment. That lasted until the 1940 Census, when Illinois dropped to 26 seats.
We’ve been steadily losing ground ever since. It’s not that we lost population, it’s that other states in the West and the South grew much faster. California had just 11 congressional districts as a result of the 1910 Census. It now has 53.
Our downward trajectory has often been demoralizing, but even more so during the past decade as professional naysayers trumpeted annual Census estimates that showed huge, six-figure population losses.
By December 2020, those annual Census estimates showed Illinois had lost about 240,000 people, or 2% of its population.
“Illinois is a deepening population sinkhole flanked by states that are adding people, businesses, jobs,” the Chicago Tribune editorial board opined. “The estimated Illinois population is 12,587,530, down more than 240,000 since the 2010 census. That’s more than Waukegan and Naperville, combined.”
The paper went on: “So tell us again, Democratic power brokers who rule Illinois. Tell us what great jobs you’re doing. Tell us that these worsening annual population losses aren’t an indictment of anti-jobs, high-spending policies. Tell us it’s just snowbirds fleeing the weather here. Tell us you need to keep raising taxes.”
When the official 2020 Census count showed those previous estimates were wildly wrong and Illinois’ net population loss was “only” 18,000 people, those same folks either changed the subject or harrumphed that, whatever the case, Illinois was still a net loser and had fallen to the rank of sixth-largest state behind Pennsylvania.
To this day, political candidates and pundits still regularly trumpet our losses as evidence that we are a state in horrific decline while offering simplistic policy prescriptions based on numbers that have, as of last week, turned out to be more inaccurate than we ever knew.
As you probably know by now, the Census Bureau admitted last week that it had screwed up Illinois’ decennial headcount, and the state actually grew by about 250,000 people – that’s almost a 500,000-person swing from the December 2020 estimate.
We’re back to being the fifth-largest state and our population has surpassed 13 million people for the first time ever.
“This is excellent news,” Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said in a statement issued hours after the Census Bureau admitted its blunder. “It confirms what most of us already know: Illinois is a great place to live and work. We need more people cheering for Illinois and fewer spelunking for misery.”
I cannot imagine anyone actually cheering for Illinois. We’re just not that way here. Pessimism is in our collective bones, partly because it has been beaten into our beings for so many years by opinion leaders, and partly because, well, we do indeed suck at so many things.
In reality, more people leave Illinois in search of greater economic opportunities, lower costs of living or even better winter weather than move here. It’s still a problem that must be dealt with.
But this eager acceptance of Illinois’ decline as an overwhelming cold, hard scientific fact needs to be reexamined by the news media, which has repeatedly perpetuated what has apparently turned out to be a widely believed myth.
The Tribune has almost seemed to revel in the stories of Illinois’ population loss. And where the Tribune goes, so goes most of the rest of the state’s news outlets.
You don’t have to cheerlead for Illinois. Nobody would buy that, anyway. But the almost perverse pleasure some get at running down this state’s already bad reputation needs to be called out.
And what about those annual population estimates, which turned out to be almost half a millions Illinoisans below the final number released last week?
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi sits on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau. Back in January, Krishnamoorthi asked the Census Bureau for a methodological review of its annual state population estimates.
Last week, Krishnamoorthi again pressed the Census Bureau for answers, this time about why Illinois was so grossly undercounted in the decennial census. The agency owes him, and the rest of us, some answers.
Now.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Policy Institute surmises that the reason for the 2020 undercount is that the 2010 census must’ve been off. Yeah, that’s it. The Census Bureau also took another look at the 2010 count and revised Illinois’ population by half a point.
The census snafu should have given our elected officials and the economic teams who work for them cause to take no more than a five-minute victory lap and perhaps enjoy one round of “I told you so’s.”
Got that? You can be happy for no more than five minutes! After that, we must all return to harrumphing. “I didn’t get a ‘harrumph’ outta that guy,” said Crain’s, probably.
* And after years of finding individual people to tell their anecdotes about why they’re leaving Illinois, the Tribune finally quotes someone who says otherwise…
Brooke Landrum came to Chicago from Cincinnati in 2016 to attend Loyola University, and after graduation she decided to stay and settle into the bustling Lakeview neighborhood.
That put Landrum among the influx of newcomers who helped Illinois’ population grow by about 250,000 between 2010 and 2020, according to updated census figures released Thursday. The new estimate stands in contrast to the oft-expressed belief that the state is hemorrhaging people, and matches what Landrum, a 23-year-old market research analyst, has experienced on the North Side.
“I’m apartment hunting right now and all the decent ones get snapped up in 24 hours,” she said. “It’s so quick. It’s not a sign of people leaving.”
The annual Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Statesmanship Award is presented to a former or current state or local government official in Illinois who has demonstrated a pattern of public service characterized by vision, courage, compassion, effectiveness, civility, and bipartisanship.
Former Governor Jim Edgar and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute invite you to nominate an Illinois elected official who has displayed this kind of exceptional leadership.
We created the Simon-Edgar Statesmanship Award to shine a spotlight on remarkable public service that is taking place in our state and local communities. Please join us as we celebrate the Prairie State’s best traditions. Nominate an Illinois statesperson by June 1.
* Lots of folks have been out there knocking on doors for hours every day, seven days a week and they still have 39 more days of that difficult drudgery until it’s all over. It takes a special kind of grit to do what they’re doing and I have nothing but respect for what they endure. So, if you’re one of those people and you’re tired, or frustrated, or feeling a little overwhelmed, just hang in there. And turn it up…
I’m gonna fight ‘em all
A seven-nation army couldn’t hold me back
The man accused of killing four people in a Nashville Waffle House used to send his father text messages in which he punctuated everyday chitchat with delusional rants.
Police say 29-year-old Travis Reinking was nearly naked, only wearing a green jacket, when he opened fire outside the restaurant on April 22 and then stormed inside. Police have said there would have been far more casualties if it weren’t for a quick-thinking restaurant patron who wrestled the AR-15 rifle away from the gunman.
By the time of the shooting, Reinking’s erratic behavior had already come to the attention of law enforcement, including the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois, where he lived part-time.
According to several incident reports, Reinking believed the singer Taylor Swift was stalking and harassing him, including hacking into his computer and phone. He believed the police and his family were part of the conspiracy, and his delusions went back to at least August 2014.
The local sheriff’s office allowed Reinking to keep his gun, even after multiple incidents, but then finally seized it after he showed up at the White House. The sheriff’s office gave Reinking’s gun to his father, who then gave it back to his son. And then after the Waffle House shooting, the local state’s attorney seemed very hesitant to bring charges against the father.
A rural Morton man now faces up to three years in prison after being found guilty Friday of illegally giving his son weapons that were later used in a 2018 mass shooting.
Jeffrey Reinking could also get probation when he is sentenced on June 17 on the charge of illegal delivery of a firearm to a person who had been treated for mental illness within the past five years.
During a one-day bench trial before Tazewell County Judge Chris Doscotch, prosecutors argued that Reinking knew his son, Travis, had undergone mental health treatment in 2016.
* According to AdImpact, Richard Irvin spent $3.44 million this week on TV spots. The other side spent a total of $4.4 million, however: The DGA spent $2.25 million, Darren Bailey spent $1.57 million and Dan Proft’s committee spent $621K…
The Democratic Governors Association has spent millions in both Illinois and Nevada, where incumbent governors are seeking reelection, in an apparent effort to weaken their likely Republican opponents.
“The DGA is wasting no time in educating the public about these Republicans,” said Christina Amestoy, the group’s senior communications advisor. “These elected and formerly elected officials want to deceptively retell their histories, and we’re just filling in the gaps.”
So far, the DGA has dropped $8.4 million on television ads across Illinois, including more than $4 million in the Chicago market alone. Those ads target Irvin, the leading Republican ahead of next month’s primary, in which he faces state Sen. Darren Bailey (R) and a handful of other contenders. The winner of the GOP primary will face Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) in November.
Irvin briefly met with reporters at a campaign stop in Bethalto on Thursday morning. Thirteen times, Irvin dodged specific and direct questions about whether he voted for Trump. Twice, he dodged questions about whether he was a more conservative candidate than Darren Bailey.
During an online forum Thursday night, all five Republican candidates for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District seat criticized the U.S. House committee investigating last year’s deadly assault of the U.S. Capitol.
One, Mike Koolidge, said there are much more pressing issues in the nation than determining exactly what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.
“We waste a lot of time talking about something from so long ago,” said Koolidge, of Rochelle. “We need to move on.”
The others criticized the committee for not having an equal number of Democrats and Republicans or for how the two Republican members — Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming — were chosen.
“It’s a sham and a fraud,” said candidate James Marter of Oswego.
— Rep. Rodney Davis has been endorsed by 18 current and former central Illinois county sheriffs in his bid for the 15th Congressional District seat. He’s also been endorsed by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.
— Jonathan Jackson, candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District seat, has been endorsed by Our Revolution Illinois, the state affiliation of the national, progressive political action organization that spun out of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign of 2016.
* Back to the governor’s race…
Today, the Irvin for Illinois campaign announced the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council endorsed Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and State Representative Avery Bourne in the Republican primary for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. The endorsement adds to Irvin’s growing list of support from law enforcement announced in the last few weeks including the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge No. 7 , Association of Professional Police Officers (APPO) and Illinois Troopers Lodge #41.
…Adding… I knew I was forgetting something…
Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) released his first TV ad of the cycle. The ad is part of the campaign’s nearly 7-figure ad buy and will be seen on broadcast and cable channels across the 6th District.
With families facing high costs, this ad highlights Rep. Casten’s work to address supply chain issues and high gas prices, all while remaining true to his core values of fighting the climate crisis and protecting a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. […]
Transcript
The last few years haven’t been easy. Our homes have become our schools, our offices, and even our gyms. But it’s time to get life back to normal, and that’s why I’m working to free up the supply chain and get gas and prescription drug prices down. All while never losing focus on the fight against climate change. I’m Sean Casten—a scientist, a businessman, pro-choice, and a Democrat—and I approve this message.
* Dargis campaign worker suspended after ethics complaint by 8th District GOP rival: While the Dargis campaign condemned Biebel’s actions, it maintains there is a record of financial litigation involving Kopsaftis. The campaign did not accuse the real estate businessman of any criminal wrongdoing. The campaign provided a list that includes eight breach of contract cases from 1990 to 2009, Chapter 7 bankruptcies in 1996 and 2010, four foreclosures during the ’90s, a civil judgment for debt in Cook County, a small claims case in McHenry County in 1990, a 1993 housing court case, a 1995 condemnation case, and a 1987 eviction for possession — a type of case in which a landlord aims to take back possession of a property.
* Reported cases barely increased over last week, but hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, jumped 17 percent (although at a still low 1,060). Deaths, the ultimate lagging indicator, are up 24 percent (but that’s from 45 to 56). IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 40,193 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 56 deaths since May 13, 2022.
According to the CDC, eight Illinois Counties are now rated at the High Community Level for COVID-19 cases and 39 counties are rated at the Medium Community Level.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,249,534 cases, including 33,761 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of last night, 1,060 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 116 patients were in the ICU and 43 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 315 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.
“With COVID-19 case counts rising across the state, the public should understand that they can take action to protect themselves, their loved ones, and friends,” said IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars. “Everyone should make sure they are up-to-date with vaccinations and booster shots. As we see movement into higher community risk levels, masking up in indoor public places and avoiding crowded indoor spaces as much as possible will also make a difference. And if you test positive, promptly contact a healthcare provider to discuss which treatment is right for you. The treatments are much more effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths when they are taken early in the course of the illness.”
The CDC reported that following eight Illinois counties are now listed at the High Community Level; Boone, Lee, Stephenson and Winnebago in the northern part of the state; and Champaign, Ford, Peoria and Tazewell in the center.
In addition, the following are in the Medium Community Level: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Henry, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Warren, Whiteside, Will and Woodford in the northern tier of the state; and Calhoun, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Fulton, Jackson, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Mason, Massac, McLean, Menard, Sangamon and Wabash, in the central and southern parts of the state.
At the High Community Level, the CDC recommends that all people wear a well-fitting mask in indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status. For those at risk at risk of severe outcomes, they should consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public places, have a plan for rapid testing if needed, and talk to their healthcare provider about other precautions they can take.
At the Medium Community Level, persons who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places. In addition, they should make sure to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their 2nd booster, if eligible.
IDPH has been supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized treatments. There are over 1,200 treatment locations in Illinois - including all the major retail pharmacies. More than 96.7% of the state’s population is within a 10-mile radius of one of these locations.
A total of 22,200,483 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 13,167 doses. Since May 13, 2022, 92,168 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 69% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and 52% of the vaccinated population has an initial booster according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
Even in quieter periods, health-care workers are scrambling to catch up with backlogs of work that went unaddressed during COVID surges, or patients who sat on health problems and are now much sicker. Those patients are more antagonistic; verbal and physical assaults are commonplace. Health-care workers can also still catch COVID, keeping them from their jobs, while surges elsewhere in the world create supply-chain issues that keep hospitals from running smoothly. All this, on top of two years of devastating COVID surges, means that health-care workers are so exhausted and burned out that those words have become euphemisms. In trying to describe his colleagues’ mental state, Plante brought up Migrant Mother—the famous photo from the journalist Dorothea Lange, which captured unimaginable hardships in a single haunting expression. “That look in her eyes is what I see in folks who’ve been on the front lines,” Plante told me.
Enough health-care workers—nurses, in particular—have quit their jobs that even when hospitals aren’t deluged, the remaining workforce must care for an unreasonable number of patients over longer hours and more shifts. In a survey of nearly 12,000 nurses, conducted by the American Nurses Foundation this January, 89 percent said that their workplace was short-staffed, and half said the problem was serious. Worse, almost a quarter said that they were planning on leaving their jobs within the next six months, and another 30 percent said they might. Even if just a small fraction of them follow through on their intentions, their departure would heap more pressure upon a workforce that is already shouldering too much. “There’s a palpable concern that this can’t be our new normal,” Beth Wathen, president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, told me. […]
Many hospitals are now facing an unenviable bind. Without chances to recover from the past two years, more people will leave, and the staffing crisis will deepen. But for many people, recovery means doing less—at a time when institutions need their workers to do more. “For health-care workers, that’s not our problem; that’s the system’s problem,” Masood told me. “When you say burnout, you’re blaming people for feeling a very normal outcome of being put in a situation that’s depleting us of our energy and humanity. When a house catches fire, we don’t say it was burned out. We say it was burned down, and then we look for the source.” For too long, the U.S. has relied on the “individual grit” of its health-care workers, Jennifer Sullivan, an emergency physician who runs strategic operations for the South’s Atrium Health system told me. Its challenge, now, is to create a health-care system that’s as resilient as the people in it have been forced to be.
The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, representing Illinois gas stations and convenience stores, today announced it has officially filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court challenging a new state law requiring fuel retailers to post signs on gas pumps promoting temporary gas tax relief.
As part of a broader tax relief package included in the state budget that begins July 1, state lawmakers required fuel retailers to post signs – at their own expense – to tell motorists about the six-month suspension of the scheduled motor fuel tax increase scheduled for July 1.
Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, said the new law violates his members’ constitutionally protected free speech rights.
“Government does not have the authority to compel private citizens to engage in political speech,” Sharp said. “If the Governor and lawmakers want to promote their political move to temporarily and slightly decrease the gas tax, they have many other ways to do that than to force our members to do it and pay for it ourselves.”
The complaint reads in part: “This specific amendment to the Motor Fuel Tax Law requires Plaintiffs and other retailers to choose between making a political statement they do not wish to make to their customers or the general public on behalf of the State of Illinois or facing criminal penalties. SB 157 violates Plaintiffs’ Free Speech rights as protected by Article 1, Section 4 of the Illinois Constitution, and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution by compelling political speech.”
Sharp also noted the onerous penalties contained in the new law.
“The penalties for not engaging in forced political speech is a fine as high as $500 per violation,” Sharp said. “This legislation is an overreach, and we have no choice but to go to court and try to stop it.”
The gas station owners argue they’re being treated differently than other businesses whose customers will benefit from the tax breaks. Supermarkets, for instance, will be required, “to the extent feasible,” to print a notice on their receipts that the 1% sales tax on groceries has been waived for one year. If it can’t be printed on the receipt, “then the retailer shall post the statement on a sign that is clearly visible to customers.”
But grocery stores, unlike gas stations, won’t face a fine if they fail to comply, a discrepancy the gas station group states is “a clear violation of Plaintiffs’ Equal Protection rights guaranteed by the United States and State of Illinois Constitutions.”
The suit also warned that customers who see the notice could “mistakenly perceive” that gas station owners are expressing political support for a particular policy, which “is outside the scope of the Motor Fuel Tax Law’s purposes and serves no legitimate governmental interest.”
* ABC7 on yesterday’s Democratic secretary of state candidate forum…
Giannoulias launched his own new ad with a flurry of news clips about Valencia’s questionable dealings to help her lobbyist husband, Rayahd Kazmi.
It comes as new emails and texts suggest Kazmi was looking for his wife’s help in 2019 and 2020 to land a contract for a digital billboard business in the Illinois Medical District.
“People are sick and tired of lobbyists and her using the office to enrich her and her husband,” Giannoulias said. “Those aren’t my words, those are the media who has requested these FOIA’s and has noticed what’s taking place.”
Valencia denies any wrongdoing.
“We’re gonna be out here talking about the facts and we’re not going to be bullied out of this race,” she said.
Valencia acknowledged mistakes in having her husband, Reyahd Kazmi, copied on city clerk office emails that were obtained by the Tribune and other media and have raised suspicions about possible conflicts.
“When I came into public office there are some growing pains you have,” said Valencia, who has been city clerk since 2017, “and I had to live them out very publicly these few weeks or a month and I wish I would’ve been more careful with my emails, and my personal and professional emails. I will own that.”
“There will be the strongest firewall between my husband and I,” she said. “We have separate careers and if I’m elected secretary of state, he’ll not do any business with the state of Illinois.”
Um, the problem wasn’t that he was copied on emails, the problem was what was in the emails. And maybe start by saying he will no longer be doing any business with the city of Chicago.
[Valencia] also talked about establishing a similar program to one she oversees as city clerk, the CityKey program that is designed to help immigrants or undocumented Chicagoans use a single ID as a library card, a transit and a prescription discount card.
Valencia is married to Reyahd Kazmi, a lobbyist who is a consultant for IGNITE — a company that provided technology for Chicago’s CityKey program.
Hard, hard sigh.
* Press release…
Democratic Secretary of State candidate Anna Valencia released the following statement today challenging Alexi Giannoulias to debates ahead of the June 28 primary:
“Alexi Giannoulias has been skipping forums, dodging tough questions from political reporters and relying on allies to attack me because he doesn’t want to answer for his failures as a banker, state treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate. But Democratic primary voters deserve to hear the candidates for Secretary of State debate the issues of the day and our plans for the office. That’s why I’m challenging Alexi to participate in debates, hosted by major media outlets, over the next several weeks. Early voting has begun – we cannot wait any longer. I have answered, and will continue to answer, any question that comes my way. Alexi must do the same. We cannot continue to have an empty chair in his place.”
In recent weeks, Giannoulias has skipped the following forums that Valencia and David Moore have attended:
• Clergy of Interfaith forum (5/18)
• East PAC/East St. Louis Dems (5/7)
• Chicagoland Chamber PAC (5/3)
• Illinois PIRG & College Dems (4/12)
* David Moore…
The Illinois secretary of state’s race is too important for Anna Valencia or any other candidate to decide who should be a part of any televised debates.
I am in full agreement that Illinois voters need to hear from all of the candidates in the secretary of state’s race. This is the first time the seat has been vacant in more than 20 years and there are millions of Illinois residents who are too young to remember when the secretary of state’s office was mired in scandal and corruption. Illinoisans deserve a candidate who will serve them and not themselves or their families. We don’t need another secretary of state using the seat as a steppingstone to run for governor or senator. We need a nominee in the general election who is electable.
To date, I have appeared at candidate forums with Republican candidate Dan Brady more than my Democratic opponents. Television ads should not be a substitute for real debate. I urge the major television networks to treat this race with the same importance they are giving the governor’s race. The secretary of state’s office is the second most important office in the state and touches nearly every Illinois resident.
The contest for Illinois secretary of state is a tight race and regardless of money and/or clout all of the Democratic candidates should be invited to any televised debates the major broadcast networks decide to schedule.
political ammunition aside, rating agencies and investors all have made negative mention of Illinois having been one of only three states that had supposedly lost population…. https://t.co/uuLwcwEReL
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) May 19, 2022
GOP leaders in the General Assembly could not immediately be reached for comment. […]
Laurence Msall, president of the budget watchdog group The Civic Federation estimated the state could receive at least $100 million in additional federal funding based on the new population data.
“So many of our formulas are based on population,” Msall said. “This is really good news for Illinois.”
Oddly enough, the Census stories were not mentioned on a few websites notorious for trumpeting the state’s population loss, including ChicagoTribune.com. But Rodney Davis chimed in…
“Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats who run state government should not use this news as a license to continue their tax hikes, corruption, and pro-criminal policies,” Rep. Rodney Davis said in a statement to Playbook.
Dude knows how to get his message out there, I suppose.
…Adding… US Rep. Davis’ spokesperson sent me the full quote he submitted to Politico…
“Given these updated Census numbers, I will continue to advocate in Congress that Illinois gets its fair share of federal resources. For years, I have worked to fix unfair formulas for federal programs, including those for Medicaid and transportation, which have limited the amount of federal dollars the State of Illinois should otherwise receive.
“At the same time, Governor Pritzker and the Democrats who run state government should not use this news as a license to continue their tax hikes, corruption, and pro-criminal policies. Pritzker’s Far-Left agenda is limiting Illinois’ great potential.”
* But it’s not clear that the new numbers will bring any extra federal revenue to Illinois…
The results do not change the official population numbers of any state, nor do they affect congressional reapportionment, but they do help guide the bureau in its planning for the next decennial census.
The survey data released Thursday did not identify the causes of undercounts or overcounts within any particular state, nor did it identify the cities, counties or regions within a state where the count may have been inaccurate.
On a national level, however, officials said undercounts generally occur within the Black population, Hispanic or Latino population, American Indian and Alaska Native populations living on reservations and the demographic group that reported being of “some other race.” […]
They also noted that the 2020 census undercounted children, especially young children ages 0-4.
*** UPDATE *** Krishnamoorthi writes to Secretary Raimondo…
May 20, 2022
Gina Raimondo
Secretary of Commerce
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20230
Dear Secretary Raimondo:
I’m writing with regard to yesterday’s release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s release of the 2020 Census estimated undercount and overcount rates by state and the District of Columbia from the Post- Enumeration Survey (PES) which found that 14 states are estimated to have had an undercount or overcount, including my state of Illinois which was undercounted by 1.97 percent. This follows my January 13th, 2022 letter to Census Bureau Director Santos, in which I expressed similar concerns about the bureau’s undercounting and methodological issues in response previous undercounting issues in Illinois.
In light of this major revelation and the implications for Illinois and other states having been significantly undercounted, please provide answers to the following questions:
1. What is the mechanism and timeline by which the apportionment of federal resources will reflect this new data?
2. What additional data is available with regard to the undercounting of Illinois?
3. While the report discusses general factors for undercounts across the country, what specific factors contributed to the undercount in Illinois?
Sincerely,
Raja Krishnamoorthi Member Of Congress
Good questions.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
“Since day one, Governor Pritzker has championed Illinois. His commitment to fiscal responsibility, rebuilding our critical infrastructure, investing in job creation, and delivering tax relief has encouraged residents to come to Illinois to live, work and raise families,” said JB for Governor Spokesperson Natalie Edelstein. “Every single Republican running for governor has built a campaign on fraudulent claims badmouthing Illinois and must face the truth: due to Governor Pritzker’s strong leadership, Illinois has a positive financial outlook, an influx of residents and, for the first time in a long time, is on the rise.”
The director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has once again been held in contempt of court.
This is the eleventh time Marc Smith has been held in contempt since January 2022.
This time, Smith is accused of failing to place an 11-year-old girl appropriately in violation of court orders.
According to the Cook County Public Guardian, The eleventh contempt order involves an 11-year-old girl who has been in DCFS’ care since she was 5 years old. In the six years the girl has been in DCFS’ care, she has bounced back and forth between abusive foster homes, emergency foster homes, psychiatric hospitals, residential placements, shelters, and hospital emergency rooms. Since January 2022, DCFS’ own clinicians have recommended a secure residential placement for the girl. Yet, on April 12, 2022, the girl was taken to a hospital emergency room after making suicidal statements at school, and attempting to place a noose around her neck. On April 14, 2022, the court entered an order directing DCFS Director Smith to remove the 11-year-old from the emergency room by the end of the day, and either place her in a psychiatric hospital or a secure residential facility. Despite the court’s order, the girl remained in the emergency room for another two days before being moved to her current temporary shelter placement. During her four day stay in the emergency room, the 11-year-old made repeated suicidal statements, attempted to run out of the hospital, was physically aggressive, and required five emergency medication restraints to calm her down.
Months earlier, DCFS placed the child in a foster home. Judge Murphy warned against it, saying something bad was going to happen. It did. The child repeatedly stabbed the foster parent, whose injuries were treated with stitches.
DCFS says several secure residential treatment centers refuse to accept this fifth grader because of the violent act. And said it can not force residential programs to take in youth.
Judge Murphy pointed out DCFS is supposed to be set up to care for difficult children, yet it then argues it can’t get a child placed because he or she is difficult.
DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey issued a statement late Thursday, saying the agency has, in fact, placed the child appropriately:
“This youth is no longer in a psychiatric hospital and DCFS has, in fact, placed this youth in a clinically appropriate setting where she is receiving supportive services and is attending school every day. DCFS is in constant contact with its network of providers and foster parents in an ongoing effort to place children in clinically appropriate settings. Because it is doing everything possible to place these children, DCFS has taken and continues to take the legal position that these contempt orders are not appropriate and has appealed to a higher court to overturn these orders as expediently as possible.”
Hey. I have an idea. How about getting these kids placed before the contempt citations are issued? Then again, maybe the contempt citations are actually helping get the kids placed, which means that the state’s attempt to overturn them might be counter-productive.
First of all, we already have an 11 p.m. curfew for minors, but it is not enforced. Moving it to 10 p.m. does not make much difference unless there is a real commitment to actually enforce it.
Second, the Millennium Park curfew is fraught with risk. It will invite abuse, racial profiling and lead to countless negative encounters between police and people at a time when police-community relations are already strained.
Moreover, young people looking for excitement will simply choose other locations, as we have seen recently with activities at North Avenue Beach and in River North.
Instead of curfews, it’s time to get much more serious about violence prevention. We need more unarmed outreach workers on duty downtown during summer evenings and on weekends. These men and women, many of whom come from “the life,” know how to reach these young people at risk. They’ve been in their shoes. They can talk to them and show them how to stay safe.
We need more alternative activities for these young people, both downtown and in the neighborhoods. We need summer jobs and tax incentives for businesses that hire the formerly incarcerated. We need a massive public education campaign aimed at helping parents keep their kids safe. We need to celebrate what is right about Chicago to balance all of the media coverage about what is wrong about Chicago.
And yes, law enforcement must be part of the solution, but not with the tactics of the past. Instead of riot squads, Chicago needs police who have been specifically trained to deal with young people. There must also be a serious commitment to enforce the curfew we already have. […]
- Rev. Michael Pfleger is pastor of the Faith Community of St. Sabina. Rev. Otis Moss III is pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. Rabbi Seth Limmer is Vice President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain is executive director of Live Free Illinois. Arne Duncan is founder of Chicago CRED.
Influential experts on gun violence, youth culture and recreation say the Black and brown teenagers flocking to the park, one of the city’s top tourist destinations, need a safe space to meet peers and experience independence from parents. And they say the city is blowing an opportunity to provide them with entertainment and services that could make a difference in their lives.
“Getting outside of their neighborhoods and taking advantage of all the beauty the city has to offer is something that we actually want them to engage in,” YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago CEO Dorri McWhorter said. “So, how can we support that, versus making it a public nuisance?” […]
McWhorter and others say the city should respond to chaotic youth gatherings in Millennium Park with an outpouring of programming and services involving city entities ranging from the school district to the public health department — a prescription consistent with the mayor’s avowed “whole-of-government approach” to the city’s two-year-old gun violence surge.
According to this view, the city should seize on the convergence of teenagers in that park, even try to draw in more, and start providing them everything from movies to hip-hop performances, from dance lessons to public health outreach about mental trauma and sexually transmitted infections.
“When we have incidents like [the shooting], we need to use them to galvanize more support, more coordination,” said Norman Livingston Kerr, a former assistant deputy mayor for public safety under Lightfoot. “We have to be thinking now about what young people need.”
Kerr said the strategy should include flooding the park and surrounding blocks with trained anti-violence workers along with cops.
But he said their goal should not be pushing teenagers back to their neighborhoods, many of which are unsafe.
“They’re getting shot at late-night hours,” Kerr said.
“I’m sure they feel safer downtown, many of them, because you see more cops,” Kerr said. “It’s not a bad place to be.”
* The Sun-Times op-ed authors were right about how kids would go somewhere else if they’re banned from the park…
Two people were killed and eight people were wounded in a mass shooting late Thursday blocks from Michigan Avenue amid a continuing surge in violence downtown.
One person was in custody in connection with the incident, which started as a fight among a group of teens around 10:30 p.m. near the Chicago Avenue station on the CTA Red Line outside a McDonald’s restaurant, officials said. A gun was recovered, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department. […]
The violence erupted on the first night that everyone younger than 18 was banned from Millennium Park by Lightfoot
* Massive failure by the city’s mayor…
Um, we were already supposed to have fixed posts in place at Chicago & State. So, huh? The daily excuses coming out of the Superintendent’s Office insult intelligence & are infuriating. City Council needs to step-in & demand accountability. Their strategy is failing us miserably.
“Area residents, commuters, and others simply must have the peace of mind that this highly trafficked area is safe, and it is time for more specific, concrete steps to be taken to address this area once and for all,” Lightfoot said.
Yeah. Try following through on your campaign promises about policing alternatives and holding up your end when it comes to commitments to police staffing in hotspots. Sheesh.
