Former President Barack Obama, free of a job that forced him to move to Washington for eight years, showed up to a downtown Chicago courthouse for jury duty on Wednesday morning.
The 44th president’s motorcade - considerably shorter than the one he had when he lived in the White House - left his home in the Kenwood neighborhood on the city’s South Side and arrived at the Richard J. Daley Center shortly after 10 a.m.
Obama - wearing a dark sport coat, dress shirt, but without a tie - waved to people who gathered outside after hearing reports that he would be reporting for jury duty.
Whether he will be selected to sit on a jury, and presumably be selected jury foreman, was not known. But if he is like other would-be jurors, Obama will have to watch a decades-old video in which a much younger Lester Holt, who was a local news anchor before he became a national news anchor, explains the ins-and-outs of jury duty.
Former President Barack Obama has been dismissed from jury duty.
The former president arrived at the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago for jury duty shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday. By noon, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans was telling reporters that Obama won’t be serving.
* The Question: Have you ever been called for jury duty? If so, did you actually end up serving? Either way, tell us about your experience.
Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza moved quickly today to use proceeds from Illinois’ recent General Obligation bond sale to begin paying down a major portion of the state’s current $16.7 billion backlog and, critically, stop the clock on a mountain of interest payments accruing on Illinois’ late bills, some dating back to 2015.
Comptroller Mendoza said she will initially prioritize those bills eligible for federal matching funds to maximize the revenues available from the $6 billion bond sale. The action will significantly reduce the state’s record bill backlog and, importantly, end the accrual of interest penalties as high as 12% annually on many of the state’s oldest obligations.
The state owes an estimated $900 million in late payment interest penalties on its bill backlog. The bond sale effectively refinances future interest costs on the state’s existing debt, saving taxpayers billions of dollars over the next decade.
“As the state’s chief fiscal and accountability officer, I’m laser focused on maximizing this opportunity for taxpayers,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “These payments will effectively stop the bleeding of late payment interest penalties on this portion of the backlog. There is still a long, hard road ahead of us, but this is a vital first step toward smart planning for FY2019 and beyond.”
In total, the Office of the Comptroller expects to receive about $6.48 billion in bond proceeds, including a $480 million premium from the sale on top of the $6 billion initially offered, an indicator of the strong market demand for the bonds.
About $2.5 billion will be spent immediately on unpaid medical bills. Close to $4 billion will be used to pay down unpaid state health insurance claims owed to medical providers in the coming days. Over the next several weeks, an additional $2 billion in federal matching funds will be applied to state medical bills.
“Through the use of federal matching funds, we expect to turn a $6.48 billion bond offering into a nearly $9 billion investment which initially targets our state’s struggling healthcare system and medical providers, many of whom have had to turn to third parties for loans just to stay afloat,” Comptroller Mendoza said.
After the Senate voted 52-3 to override Bruce Rauner’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act, JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“With our bill backlog reaching another record-high, I’m relieved that the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to override Bruce Rauner’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act,” said JB Pritzker. “This override is a sign that bipartisan members of the General Assembly are ready to bring transparency to the damage this failed governor has done to our state. I applaud Comptroller Susana Mendoza for standing up for taxpayers and being a true fiscal watchdog as Bruce Rauner drives our state’s finances into the ground. I look forward to standing with Susana as governor to get our fiscal house in order and bring stability back to Illinois.”
WATCH: J.B. Pritzker AGAIN Dodges on Releasing His Tax Returns
208 days since Pritzker first pledged to make his tax returns public
“While his sister was just caught parking assets offshore, J.B. Pritzker continues to hide his tax returns from the public. We already know he schemed with crooked Democrat insiders to slash the property tax bill on his Chicago mansion by over $230,000. It’s time for him to come clean.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
After receiving the endorsement from yet another career politician who’s loyal to Madigan, J.B. Pritzker was again asked when he will be releasing his tax returns.
Watch Pritzker continue to dodge on releasing his tax returns HERE.
Pritzker’s response? “It’s somewhat complex… We’re working on it… We’ll get it done soon.”
That’s the same response Pritzker gave nearly a month ago around when tax returns were due to the federal government.
208 days have passed since J.B. Pritzker first pledged to release his taxes returns.
Other Democrats have already challenged Pritzker on his obfuscation, and Illinois voters are demanding to see what Pritzker is hiding.
We already know that Pritzker has gamed the system to receive a $230,000 tax break on his Chicago mansion thanks to the help of his fellow crooked Democrat insider Joe Berrios.
When asked by ICPR about the role they think an attorney general should play in promoting or obstructing President Trump’s agenda, Democratic campaigns responded with a common trend: they believe they are on the “front lines” in blocking the President’s actions.
Senator Raoul highlighted the need to hold the President accountable in areas of voting rights, healthcare reform, and education policy. Pat Quinn’s campaign said the Illinois Attorney General “must resist” the President’s agenda. Jesse Ruiz commented, “it is absolutely the Attorney General’s responsibility to block” many aspects of Trump’s agenda, and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering vowed to act as a “watchdog.”
Sharon Fairley and Renato Mariotti both employed battlefield metaphors to describe the relationship between the Attorney General’s office and President Trump. These campaigns described the Attorney General as “on the front lines,” acting as “a first line of defense” against components of the President’s agenda, which they labeled as “radical,” “an unrelenting attack on our rights,” and “unconstitutional and regressive.”
The campaigns specifically cited immigration policy, minority rights, and environmental and consumer protections as primary areas of disagreement with President Trump.
Notably, Scott Drury’s response was more muted, saying, “To the extent any person’s policies or agenda – including the President’s – threatens [Constitutional] rights and liberties, I will fight to ensure [Illinois residents] are protected.”
Campaigns for Erika Harold (R) and Aaron Goldstein (D) did not provide a comment in response to ICPR’s request.
While Democratic candidates are mostly unified in their perceived role on the “battlefield,” the sources they have tapped to fund their campaigns vary widely.
Self-funding has emerged as a trend in this race. Although Jesse Ruiz has raised the most money since announcing his candidacy, without the $100,000 loan he made to his campaign in October, Ruiz would fall to the sixth spot in that ranking. Sharon Fairley has contributed $120,000 tor her campaign, representing a majority of her $180,000 in contributions. The table below shows fundraising by all candidates since announcing their candidacy.
Additionally, Chicago Committeeman Aaron Goldstein has loaned his campaign a total of $75,000, collecting only $7,500 from outside sources. Attorney Renato Mariotti also donated $10,000 to his campaign.
Erika Harold’s campaign has relied heavily on support from the Illinois Republican Party. The state party’s in-kind contributions account for 30% of Harold’s funding, mainly by providing consultants and media production for the campaign. An assortment of businesses, political committees, and individuals contributed the rest of Harold’s campaign funds.
Similarly, Senator Raoul has collected most of his campaign contributions from political committees representing a host of interests including labor groups, trade associations, and specific businesses. Raoul also received his largest contribution ($25,000) from Citizens for Antonio Munoz, the campaign committee of Democratic State Senator Tony Munoz.
In contrast, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering leads the field in fundraising from individual donors - every contribution since she announced her run for Attorney General was from an individual. The profile of Rotering’s donors is wide-ranging, including individuals from various professions, although most of them live in Highland Park.
Jesse Ruiz and Sharon Fairley have also been successful in soliciting individual donations, albeit not on the same scale as Rotering. Besides the loan he made to his campaign, Ruiz’s remaining $85,000 came largely from attorneys, executives, and investment bankers, along with a $1,000 donation from State Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman. However, Fairley’s contributors are mainly listed as self-employed or retired in her filings.
Democratic State Representative Scott Drury and former Governor Pat Quinn sit at the bottom of the fundraising list. Despite his lackluster fundraising since announcing his candidacy, Drury remains comfortably in second place for total funds raised this year. This is due to his more aggressive fundraising during his run for governor earlier in the year, which he ended to join the attorney general’s race. Since he garnered contributions earlier in the year, he could not collect more money from the same donors due to contribution limits.
Quinn, who joined the race on October 27, retains $289,000 in his campaign committee from his unsuccessful 2014 re-election campaign. Quinn has not reported any donations since announcing his run for Illinois Attorney General.
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[Ron Larson] started the company after several years struggling to make ends meet as a mobile DJ and karoake host. He says his bar bingo company operates within the confines of the law because it’s actually a sweepstakes game, not a traditional bingo game.
Illinois state law prohibits bingo players from paying any amount of money to enter a bingo game to win prizes. Instead, Larson’s company collects a flat rate of roughly $200 from the participating bar in exchange for organizing, promoting and hosting the bingo game. Larson’s company markets the event on social media, draws people to weekly bingo games, and sets aside a portion of the revenue into a prize fund.
With each new bar that signs up, the prize fund - and the prizes - get bigger. The company has paid out at least one jackpot of $10,000 and is now promoting a monthly giveaway of a Harley Davidson motorcyle. Bars can benefit from the increased foot traffic and all the extra food and drink sales accrued during a two-hour bingo game.
[Sen. Terry Link] and his Republican counterparts on the Senate Gaming Committee want the Attorney General and the Illinois Gaming Board to investigate small businesses who host bar bingo games.
“Somebody said we can’t do anything to these bars,” Link said. “Oh yes we can, we can take their liquor license away from them and put them out of business if they want to do this kind of stuff that’s illegal.”
“It’s something that has to be looked into both by the Attorney General’s office and the Gaming Board,” said Senator Dave Syverson, a Rockford Republican. “If it’s considered bingo, right now bingo is limited to not-for-profits in Illinois.”
* The Pritzker campaign’s announcement of this endorsement was the usual stuff. But Sen. Andy Manar sent this out to his e-mail list today, and I thought you might like to see it…
Illinois needs a new direction, the people of the 48th Senate district need a new direction, Downstate Illinois needs a new direction.
And right now more than ever, Illinois needs a steady hand at the wheel, someone that can reform state government and build the trust and leadership that are required to make state government work for working people. And I believe JB Pritzker is the right man for this job and I wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy for Governor.
JB Pritzker is committed to building the downstate economy in places that have been forgotten by Bruce Rauner. Bruce Rauner pays nothing but lip service to middle-class families living in Downstate Illinois while his economic policies are punishing their pocketbooks. Bruce Rauner takes Downstate voters for granted as evidenced by his attire. I know that JB Pritzker is committed to creating jobs in small towns and rural counties. In Gillespie, I watched JB listen to a constituent that has struggled to find employment. JB will remember him when decisions have to be made. I’ve heard him listen to workers in Decatur and commit to protecting their right to collectively bargain. He is committed to building the Downstate economy and he has laid out very specific plans to do so.
Speaking of building, JB Pritzker is committed to building the democratic party in Downstate Illinois. Why is that important? Because his strategy for governing I believe will be reflective of the statewide strategy that he has set into motion in his campaign from day one. He will be a Governor for all of the State and won’t be a governor that uses the office to divide the state to advance a political agenda. That is something that I welcome and that’s a very big reason why I’m standing here today. He is committed to all 102 counties in the State of Illinois.
JB Pritzker is a listener. And for me that would be a welcome change in the Governor’s office—someone that actually listens, someone that seeks to understand, someone that wakes up every day to work with others to set into motion positive change, someone that builds consensus, someone that can bring Illinois together—that’s what we need today in our State.
And finally, perhaps the issue that he and I have discussed the most is the importance of continuing our public investment in public education, FIRST in the least funded schools in Illinois. I’ve pushed JB, I’ve pushed him hard in our conversations not because I’m pushy but because I didn’t spend five years of my life fighting for reform only to watch it be pushed aside or dismantled a year or two from now. JB views the issue of equity in public education the same way that I do. And I’ve come to appreciate that it is a deeply held opinion that he has. We share many common interests, but there is no greater common interest than our shared desire to give every child in Illinois an equal shot at life and that starts by attacking poverty in the public-school classroom. Yes, it took five years to successfully indict the system that stacked the deck against children living in poverty. Yes, that system today has now been erased. Yes, a whole lot of folks are taking credit for things that they opposed for years. But what I’m most interested in is this: Governor JB Pritzker will be a partner to me to make sure we stay true to our promise of educational equity for all kids in the smallest of towns, in the toughest of neighborhoods, JB Prtizker will be fighting that fight with me when he’s in the Governor’s office.
We’ve got so many challenges in the State of Illinois. JB and I are ready to unite Illinois and finally move our state forward.
JB Pritzker is going to fix Illinois. And I’m going help him win this election and get the job done.
* Meanwhile, I neglected to post this endorsement the other day, so here it is…
Today, Daniel Biss announced the endorsement of State Senator Don Harmon.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Daniel is ready on day one to be governor and to lead our state in the years ahead,” said Don Harmon. “We need a governor who is committed to reforming our government at its core—someone who will change the way we raise revenue and run elections to ensure our state supports middle-class families like his own. We need a transformational leader, and that’s Daniel.
“As we’ve worked together in the Senate, from introducing a constitutional amendment to allow for a fair income tax to creating a small donor matching plan to get big money out of politics, I’ve always admired Daniel’s commitment to organizing. He’s not introducing bills for the headline, or to wrap up a quick accomplishment for the next election cycle—he’s in this for the long haul and understands how to mobilize the support necessary to win meaningful reforms for working families. It’s been a pleasure to work with Daniel in the Senate, and I know our state will benefit immensely from his passion, expertise, and long-term vision when he’s governor.”
“It’s an honor to receive Don’s endorsement,” said Daniel Biss. “For years, Don has been a trusted friend and mentor as well as a crucial partner in building campaign finance, criminal justice, and tax systems that support middle-class and working families. Don’s leadership and dedication is especially evident in his long-standing advocacy for a progressive income tax. Don has shown me the importance of pushing the envelope on what is politically possible and has modeled the persistence necessary to build a system that works for the rest of us. It’s been an honor to work with Don in the legislature, and I look forward to his leadership, friendship, and guidance on the campaign trail and when I’m governor.”
A Springfield musician was killed in a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 in Bloomington Monday night, authorities said.
John M. Brillhart, 44, was the lone occupant of the sport-utility vehicle involved in the wreck, McLean County Coroner Kathy Davis said Tuesday afternoon. […]
Mike Naylor, an owner’s of Abe’s Old Hat Antiques and Country Store, 111 N. Sixth St., said Brillhart played at several of his open mike nights. Brillhart hosted last week’s event at Abe’s, and his name was still on a sign Tuesday that advertised the event.
“I haven’t erased it. I’m so glad I didn’t. I’m looking at it right now. It says, ’Open pick tonight. Host John Brillhart,” Naylor said.
Naylor said Brillhart was a great guy who was well-liked.
“He was a good performer, a good songwriter and a good friend to everyone,” Naylor said. “I never heard him ever say a harsh word about anyone. He was always jovial.”
John was a good friend to everyone, and he was more than just a talented local musician and songwriter. He was one of the most active supporters of the Springfield music scene in this town. He was pretty much everywhere you could find decent music. The last time I saw him was Friday night during Larry Stevens’ gig at George Rank’s. John left early to go see another show downtown, mainly to make sure that people were in the audience to support the musicians. He was that kind of guy. Sweet, humble, accessible to all and not an enemy in the world.
John’s friends, and he had so many, threw a heck of a party for him last night at Rank’s. He did an open mic there every Tuesday and last night the place was jam packed with people. We cried and laughed and danced and hugged each other. He would’ve loved it.
The family will meet friends for a memorial gathering from 3:00pm-7:00pm on Friday, November 10, 2017, at Bisch Funeral Home West, 2931 Koke Mill Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to www.grammy.com/musicares. Please visit John’s online “Life Remembered Story” at www.bischfuneralhomewest.com.
* There are a few language issues with this video, so be forewarned. But here’s John…
As sometimes happens with these waves, the prevailing party did better than the polls predicted. RCP’s polling average from 10/29-11/5 had the Democrat up by 3.3 percent.
Virginia Democrats are poised to claim at least a share of control of the House of Delegates after erasing a 32-seat Republican advantage in a “tsunami election,” with control of the chamber likely to be ultimately decided by vote recounts.
Northern Virginia journalist Danica Roem made history by becoming the first openly transgender candidate elected to the Virginia legislature, while her party appeared to make a epochal gain in power in a legislative chamber that has been under an iron Republican grip.
Democrats picked up three open seats — including one in Henrico County — and knocked off at least 13 Republican incumbents on Tuesday to draw even in power in the House, pending recounts that could still swing in either direction.
For whatever reason, when some folks look at off-year elections, they insist on talking only about 2010 and 2014. They forget about 2006.
Illinois is definitely not Virginia (nobody else has the “Mike Madigan issue,” for instance) and there’s a very long way to go before November, 2018. But the current trend is not the Republican Party’s friend.
* Mike Murphy formally announced his House candidacy yesterday…
Murphy is the Sangamon County GOP’s choice to replace state Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove, who is not seeking another term. Precinct Committeeman Steven Westerfield also is running for the nomination in the March primary. Two Democrats – Jenica Myers-Hopkins of Pleasant Plains and Marc Bell of Chatham are seeking their party’s nomination.
Murphy, 64, said he has no “personal political agenda” to seek higher office. He said that gives him independence to tell the governor or his caucus leader when he disagrees with them.
“And lastly, I will be willing to go on the floor of the Illinois House and stand up and shout and say, ‘Speaker, what you’re doing is bad for Illinois,’” he added. “I can’t wait to do that.” […]
He said he isn’t backing anyone yet in the primary for governor – where state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Naperville recently announced her candidacy.
“I have my hands full,” he said, with his own race for the House.
Murphy used to own Charlie Parker’s restaurant, and the governor raved about the place for years.
* Leader Durkin doesn’t get the credit he deserves in this piece. He held his caucus together despite a very strong push by the other side…
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday narrowly fended off a major loss for the second time in as many weeks when the Illinois House failed to override his veto of union-backed legislation to prevent local governments from establishing right-to-work zones.
The override attempt again fell short by just one vote, despite efforts by Democrats to try to take advantage of a split between Rauner and Republican lawmakers following months of infighting that’s led one conservative House member to pursue a primary challenge against the governor. […]
The right-to-work legislation was put forward by Democrats in response to an attempt by north suburban Lincolnshire to establish a right-to-work ordinance in 2015. A federal court struck down the village’s ordinance, ruling that only states have the power to enact such laws.
“In a victory for the people, the House of Representatives today kept the door open to stronger job growth in Illinois,” Rauner said in a statement Tuesday.
“Courageous House lawmakers joined together to make Illinois more competitive so local communities can continue to decide how to make their economies stronger, help their businesses grow and give individual workers the freedom to support a union as they choose.
“Thanks to their action, Illinois is better positioned to be a national and global competitor.
“Now we need to buckle down and continue the work of creating economic opportunity for all of the people of Illinois.”
State Representative Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, says even though some Republicans reportedly promised unions they’d be with them, “I got a sneaking suspicion we may only end up with 70 votes.”
He was right. The legislation failed on a vote of 70-39 — just one short of the number needed to override a gubernatorial veto.
Rep. Jerry Lee Long, R-Streator, says Illinois is in no danger of becoming a right-to-work state.
“We don’t have enough votes in this House to vote for right-to-work,” he says. “There’s no way that we could make the state of Illinois right to work. All this is is political theater.”
Long says he’s a third-generation union member, but for unions to survive, Illinois has become more business-friendly.
Long gave an impassioned speech about unions on the House floor Tuesday. He told his colleagues he was third-generation union and that he had worked hard for the Teamsters. […]
His speech came a day after the Teamsters ran a full-page advertisement in The Times urging him to vote to override Rauner’s veto. That same day, a Teamster semi-truck appeared outside his Streator legislative office carrying the same message.
Steve Conrad, president of the Illinois Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, said Wednesday he continued to be confused about Long’s position on Moylan’s bill.
“Whoever he speaks to, he tells a different story. That’s the confusing part. Tell us what you really want. Quit trying to kowtow to everyone,” Conrad said. “When you keep moving the finish line, you’ll never get to the finish line.”
“I sound like a high school boy,” says state Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, in a moment of blinding clarity on the 437th page of what I’m calling “The Silverstein-Rotheimer Papers,” a printout of 17 months’ worth of Facebook messages between Silverstein and victim rights advocate Denise Rotheimer.
Rotheimer released this tome to certain members of the media last week as evidence, she said, of the “torment” she suffered due to Silverstein’s “unconscionable” sexual harassment of her while he was sponsoring a bill that she was backing in Springfield.
Rotheimer’s accusations were magnified by the current focus in the news on predatory behavior, from inappropriate to illegal, which was touched off by widespread allegations of sexual misconduct against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. And they resulted in Silverstein losing a seat in party leadership that paid him $20,649 a year.
Fair enough, I suppose. “The Silverstein-Rotheimer Papers” show that the veteran North Side lawmaker engaged in an inappropriately personal relationship with a woman who personal and political propriety demanded he keep at arm’s length. It was an ethical failure.
Notably, though, there’s little to no evidence in the 444-page record of Silverstein, 57 and married, threatening, harassing, intimidating or propositioning Rotheimer, 45 and single. Rather, as Silverstein says, he sounds in this to me like a high school boy — goofy, smitten and awkward as he flirts with a woman who, it seems to me, coyly leads him along.
Rotheimer tried to put this into context yesterday, so click here if you missed it. She adamantly denies that the relationship was mutual.
I don’t know anyone who believes that Sen. Silverstein is the perfect poster child for sexual harassment. He’s not on anybody’s top ten list. But I also believe that, at minimum, he behaved unprofessionally with Rotheimer. Also keep in mind that there are no perfect victims in this world.
Of course there are plenty of men here, doubtless in positions of authority, who read this as flirting. That’s gross, guys. She isn’t flirting, and all the women in subordinate positions to you who respond similarly aren’t flirting with you — they’re trying to get you to stop without you screaming at them or hitting them. The 20-year-old waitress does not find your 50-year-old flirting charming, she finds it creepy. The secretary you’re engaging in “flirtatious banter” with is not amused, she’s trying not to get fired and hating you like fire.
Reached on Tuesday, Rotheimer urged the new legislative inspector general to move quickly to resolve her complaint, which she filed nearly a year ago.
As for Silverstein, she said he has no one to blame but himself.
“I’m not going to apologize for how things are coming out on him,” Rotheimer said. “That’s on him. That’s on the people in Springfield who decided to sweep my complaint under the rug. That’s on them, not me.”
* And Senate President Cullerton has a suggestion…
But Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s office noted the Legislative Ethics Commission should be responsible for notifying victims since the panel has the responsibility to take in complaints and follow through with victims.
“One of the problems we’ve identified is the lack of follow through in notifying victims that their complaints were received, who they can contact and where they can send additional information if they have any,” Cullerton spokesman John Patterson said in a statement. “There needs to be a clear line of notification and communication. It’s an issue that would be best handled by the ethics commission and its executive director.”
Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, said there is a “disconnect” in Springfield in which people call for an end to the culture of sexual harassment but “there are enough folks walking around who still don’t know what it is they are not supposed to be doing.”
Hutchinson told a story of when she started lobbying and was trying to land her first contract. She was at a luncheon, and the “head person on this bill told me that the only reason I was there was so that we could put my beautiful black breasts on sale,” she said.
“Now, I was just starting out. I hadn’t gone to law school yet. I had absolutely no power to speak out. I had just one client in my pocket I was trying to work. That is an example of a conversation that crosses three things: it was generational, it was racist and it was sexist.
“I didn’t know there was any place that I could have gone to say anything about it at the time,” Hutchinson said.
…Adding… I’ve been telling subscribers about these two folks since Monday morning…
Ram Villivalam, SEIU Healthcare’s legislative coordinator and former political director to U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s campaign, tells us he’s challenging embattled state Sen. Ira Silverstein in the Democratic primary. Silverstein last week resigned from his leadership post amid sexual harassment allegations leveled by a victims’ rights activist, which he has denied.
Villivalam told POLITICO on Monday he expects to formally file campaign papers today and he set a goal of raising $25,000 in the first week. “I think we need a new and young generation with more diversity in our government. The 8th district has the highest concentration of Asian Americans in the state of Illinois. As an Asian American, it’s time we elect the first Asian American state senator,” said Villivalam, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India. “I want to be a part of the new generation of leaders that we elect who want to listen to everyday people, who want to change the culture in Springfield.”
Villivalam worked as a legislative coordinator for SEIU Healthcare for three years, including combating right to work efforts by Gov. Bruce Rauner, advancing wage issues for home health care workers and child care assistance programs for working parents. “It’s the organization that’s been on the frontline of fighting Bruce Rauner’s disastrous policies,” Villivalam said.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration had arranged to pay a new deputy governor out of an employee health care account that is more than $4 billion behind on its bills due to the state’s budget crisis, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
After the AP reported Thursday that half of Leslie Munger’s $138,000 salary was scheduled to come from a pool of insurance premiums, a spokeswoman for the governor said an agency “mistakenly” designated the wrong fund and that Munger’s pay would come from elsewhere.
Munger, Rauner’s hand-picked choice to fill a vacancy in the comptroller’s office in 2015, landed the position with her political ally after losing a special election.
A state legislator is taking issue with Gov. BRUCE RAUNER hiring a “digital director” for $125,000 a year, with the salary, according to state records, coming from the mental health budget.
But PATTY SCHUH, spokeswoman for the governor, said this week that while governor’s employees’ works benefits all agencies, it was not intended that JAMES VETRANO be coded under a mental health line in the Department of Human Services, and he would be moved to a more appropriate designation, possibly outside that agency budget. […]
State Rep. GREG HARRIS, D-Chicago, chairs the appropriations committee that oversees human services spending, and noted that the Rauner administration recently announced cuts to human services.
“And now, they found hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay a guy to post pictures on his social media?” Harris said. “How many pictures to we need to see of him riding around on his motorcycle? … We should be investing more into community services and less on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.”
The governor’s previous director of digital communications, BRIDGET SHANAHAN DAVIDSON, who is now director of media relations for the Illinois Education Association, was paid $80,000 annually and worked for the state from October 2016 to July. Her Linked In profile says she “produced social media campaigns and created content to engage followers and grow reach while successfully generating several earned media stories.” She produced Facebook Live events, managed a graphic designer, video editor and production crew, a still photographer and web redesign team – as well as managing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, “expanding engagement on all platforms.”
