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Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’m gonna take advantage of Monday’s state holiday to decompress and get away from this stuff for a while. I’ll talk at you on Tuesday. Goose Creek Symphony will play us out

And don’t go buyin’ no one’s answers,
If your question was for free

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Ken Griffin gives $2 million to Durkin

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Remember the other day when we talked about how Gov. Rauner’s Turnaround Illinois campaign fund broke the contribution caps for House Republican Leader Jim Durkin by spending over $100,000 on a radio ad for Durkin even though he has no Democratic opponent?

Well, that act has now opened the floodgates…


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Barclay leaving governor’s office

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AFSCME’s “favorite” Rauner administration attorney is departing, but be careful what you wish for. His replacement is currently in charge of union negotiations…

General Counsel Jason Barclay will leave the Administration at the end of October for a new position. As part of the Governor’s succession planning, Dennis Murashko will be named General Counsel to the Governor. He is currently serving as the Governor’s Deputy General Counsel and is responsible for a wide portfolio of issues, including pension reform, litigation matters, and union negotiations.

Prior to assuming his role in the Administration, Dennis was an appellate attorney with the law firm of Jones Day. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Stephen F. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich on the Tenth Circuit. Before law school, Dennis worked as an actuarial consultant and helped companies analyze and evaluate their pension obligations.

Dennis earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Maryville University of St. Louis and his law degree magna cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. He lives in Schaumburg with his wife and four children.

No comments on this one because it’s just about quitting time.

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Intelligence officials aren’t ready to blame Russian government for state election board hacks

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release

Joint Statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security

The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations. The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow—the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.

Some states have also recently seen scanning and probing of their election-related systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian company. However, we are not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian Government. The USIC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assess that it would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion. This assessment is based on the decentralized nature of our election system in this country and the number of protections state and local election officials have in place. States ensure that voting machines are not connected to the Internet, and there are numerous checks and balances as well as extensive oversight at multiple levels built into our election process.

Nevertheless, DHS continues to urge state and local election officials to be vigilant and seek cybersecurity assistance from DHS. A number of states have already done so. DHS is providing several services to state and local election officials to assist in their cybersecurity. These services include cyber “hygiene” scans of Internet-facing systems, risk and vulnerability assessments, information sharing about cyber incidents, and best practices for securing voter registration databases and addressing potential cyber threats. DHS has convened an Election Infrastructure Cybersecurity Working Group with experts across all levels of government to raise awareness of cybersecurity risks potentially affecting election infrastructure and the elections process. Secretary Johnson and DHS officials are working directly with the National Association of Secretaries of State to offer assistance, share information, and provide additional resources to state and local officials.

  10 Comments      


IDHS claims proposal “pretty close to perfect” after feds complain

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As we’ve discussed before, the Illinois Department of Human Services wants to cap the hours care-givers are paid to provide in-home assistance to cut down on overtime costs

The department implemented the policy in May in response to a U.S. Department of Labor ruling that said home care workers must earn time-and-a-half overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours per week. But the Rauner administration put the policy on hold in August just as a union representing 25,000 home care workers was readying to file a class-action lawsuit challenging it.

The administration is now seeking to implement the policy through the General Assembly’s bipartisan House and Senate committee in charge of approving such rules. The Thursday hearing in Springfield followed one held Monday in Chicago.

The department’s proposed rules would require clients in the home services program to hire enough personal assistants to cover the hours of care they need each week without requiring overtime. Any personal assistant who works more than 40 hours in a week would be required to submit written justification to the department for approval, and anyone who works unapproved overtime three times would be barred from being paid through the program. […]

The federal Labor Department sent a letter to the state noting its “significant concerns” with the proposal. Among those concerns, according to the letter, is the lack of a “robust exceptions policy,” which could result in workers providing off-the-clock care in violation of federal law.

“Without an appropriate exceptions policy, it is likely that either employees who care for vulnerable individuals will feel that they have no choice but to work uncompensated hours … or consumers will be left without adequate assistance,” the letter states. “Neither outcome is acceptable or necessary.”

Vivian Anderson, who oversees the program for DHS, is quoted in the article as saying the agency’s proposal is “pretty close to perfect.” This is the same person who SEIU claims fell asleep during a recent hearing on the issue. But, if it’s so perfect, there was probably no need to pay attention.

…Adding… The union has deleted the tweet.

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*** UPDATED x1 - AG Madigan responds *** Illinois Policy Institute loses big round on election day registration

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The US appellate court in Chicago has basically just decided to keep in-precinct election day voter registration alive during this election cycle. The court put off briefing until November 10th, which is after election day, so its stay of a lower court’s ruling that halted the practice will remain in place. From the court

ORDER re: 1. Plaintiffs-appellees’ statement on consolidating and expediting cases. 2. Defendants-appellants’ statement opposing an expedited appeal. 3. Cook County clerk David Orr’s statement supporting consolidating appeals and opposing expedited briefing. The requests to consolidate are GRANTED, and these cases are CONSOLIDATED for purposes of briefing and disposition. The request to expedite is DENIED. The briefing schedule is as follows: The appellants shall file their openings briefs and required short appendices on or before November 10, 2016. The appellees shall file their consolidated brief on or before December 12, 2016. The appellants shall file their consolidated reply briefs, if any, or or before December 27, 2016. Counsel for appellants are encouraged to avoid unnecessary duplication by filing a joint brief or a joint appendix or by adopting parts of a co-appellant’s brief. EAH [15] [6788829] [16-3547, 16-3597] (CR)

Background is here and here. The full order is here.

*** UPDATE ***  Press release…

Attorney General Lisa Madigan today alerted Illinois voters that a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit restores Illinois voters’ legal right to register to vote and cast their ballot at the same time in the general election on Nov. 8. 
 
The Court’s ruling puts on hold an earlier federal district court ruling finding that the law allowing Election Day voter registration was unconstitutional and blocking the widely used practice. As a result of the Court of Appeals decision, election day voter registration can resume. Election day voter registration went into effect in Illinois in early 2015.
 
“Election day registration allows all voters the opportunity to participate in our elections,” Madigan said.
 
As a result of the Court’s ruling, the election day registration law will be restored. Under the law, counties with a population of 100,000 or more must provide voters with the option of registering to vote and casting their ballots at the same time at polling places on election day. Counties with a population of 100,000 or less and that keep voter records electronically must also provide voters with the option of registering to vote and casting their ballots at the same time at polling places on election day. Smaller counties that do not maintain voter records electronically must offer election day registration at the county’s main election office or at polling places in the county’s larger municipalities.
 
Attorney General Madigan also reminded voters that if they are registering to vote on election day, they should be prepared to show two forms of identification. The most common forms of identification include a driver’s license or a utility bill, at least one of which must show your current address. If your voter registration is active and current, you do not need to show identification to cast your vote.

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“Don’t let the Democrats steal this election”

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a reader…

Looks like the ILGOP is making hay statewide with the Kankakee voter fraud issue (I’m a Springfield resident). The following message was left on my phone at about 4pm Thursday.

    Hello, this is Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider calling Republicans with an important voter alert (Siren sound plays).

    We’re beginning to see news reports of the Chicago Democratic machine offering money for votes in places like Kankakee County. Let me be clear: Vote buying is illegal. It’s a felony, and we’re going to make sure that anyone who is caught gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But we need your help. If you see something, say something. If you see offers of money for votes, please call our voter fraud hotline at 1-844-4-IL-FRAUD.

    Don’t let the Democrats steal this election, get out and vote now and help stop voter fraud (Siren sound plays again).

    Paid for by the Illinois Republican Party, 312-201-9000.

* I asked him for the audio and he sent it over

Man, that’s a loud siren.

  29 Comments      


Poshard says he’s visiting 48 counties before election day

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* That’s a lot of chicken dinners

Glenn Poshard, a former state senator, U.S. congressman and gubernatorial candidate, was the keynote speaker at the Fayette County Democratic Central Committee chicken dinner on Saturday night at the American Legion Home in Vandalia. Poshard has been asked by the Democratic County Chairmen’s Association to help with its “Get Out the Vote” drive, visiting 48 counties in Illinois.

Poshard said his message during those stops is “what it means to be a Democrat, the values that we always stood for.”

* His basic message

Former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Glenn Poshard called on Democrats at their annual Country Jamboree to not stay silent in the face of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “buffoonery.”

“Donald Trump is the epitome of the philosophy of their party,” Mr. Poshard said. “What a shameful act that is, in this democracy, to stand up and tell the American people, ‘I’m smart for avoiding taxes when I am bragging about being a billionaire.’”

Mr. Poshard was the guest speaker at the Rock Island County Democrats Annual Country Jamboree Thursday evening at the American Legion, 829 16th Ave.. […]

Mr. Poshard told attendees that it was important for them to remember the party’s five core values: balance the budget; equal educational opportunities for all; stand up for unions; equal justice before the law; and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Thoughts?

  22 Comments      


Question of the day

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Instead of a question, this is a Major League Baseball post-season open thread.

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Chicago charter school network could face first-ever teachers strike

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times

Teachers from the UNO Charter School Network, one of Chicago’s largest charter school systems, voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of a strike if workers and management don’t reach an agreement before Oct. 19.

The vote was nearly unanimous, with 531 of 532 members of UNO’s unionized workforce voting, and 96 percent of those ballots cast in favor of striking if workers can’t come to a fair agreement with management by Oct. 19, the day set for a walkout by UEU, the United Educators of UNO, according to spokeswoman Erica Stewart, a fifth-grade teacher at the Sandra Cisneros UCSN campus in Brighton Park and a member of the bargaining team.

The strike would be the first in U.S. history of a charter school or charter network. […]

The union is looking for a slightly longer summer than the current five weeks off. It wants six weeks and two days.

It also is asking management to cap class sizes at 32 students.

* WBEZ

A representative for the UNO Charter School Network could not immediately be reached for comment. But Richard Rodriguez, the CEO of UCSN, has been posting weekly updates in English and Spanish for parents and the public.

“It is UCSN’s position that there is no need for a strike, as teachers received their salary raises for this current school year in August 2016, and UCSN continues to negotiate in good faith on these and any/all pending matters,” Rodriguez wrote in the two most recent letters.

The vote this week does not mean a strike at UNO schools will definitely happen. If it does, it won’t happen at the same time as the Chicago Teachers Union, which is threatening to go on strike Oct. 11. UNO schools already have a fall break scheduled next week.

* Related…

* The Disproportionate Stress Plaguing American Teachers

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Adventures in early voting

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Lynn Sweet on President Obama’s Chicago fundraising events

The afternoon event will be at the Stony Island Arts Bank, an arts and cultural center founded by Gates, at 6760 S. Stony Island Ave, Chicago.

The price tiers start at $1,000 for an individual donation to $12,700 in a pledged contribution or a promise to raise that much from other people. Top givers and raisers get a VIP reception and a photo.

The proceeds go to the Illinois Coordinated Victory Fund 2016, a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Party of Illinois and Tammy for Illinois.

* Speaking of DPI, the state party has started its vote by mail program this week with a letter from Secretary of State Jesse White, a form and a postage-paid return envelope…

* Except the form is far too wide to fit in the envelope, because the envelope has glue strips inside that make it much smaller than it appears from the outside. The internal glue strips are highlighted for you here along with the form…

* So, the potential voter could very well wind up tossing the whole thing in the trash rather than deal with jamming the form into the too-small envelope. Or, since they’ve already filled out the form by then, maybe they’ll just fold it again themselves, which makes the return envelope a lot thicker…

And if the resulting hand-folding winds up being more than a quarter of an inch thick, the Postal Service charges a higher price, and may not even process it.

Oops.

* Yeah, it’s a little thing, but little things can matter a lot and the Democrats’ coordinated campaign has had real problems with this sort of stuff in the past.

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I may have been too hasty

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I was pretty hard this week on the LOL Illinois front group created by Ty Fahner and his big business organization.

But then I spent some time looking through the group’s site and found this

The financial state of our State is grim. Instead of a responsible and comprehensive budget, we have received a stop-gap spending plan that’s not nearly enough to make it through this year, let alone address the key needs of our State. The Land of Lincoln and its citizens are suffering.

It doesn’t matter if you’re downstate or in Chicago, a student or a social service worker; we all have something in common: Not having a budget is not a laughing matter. Springfield has stopped listening to Illinois citizens. We must make enough noise that they won’t have a choice but to hear us.

Notice anything missing from that highlighted (by me) list? Business owners. Notice anything else missing? Turnaround Agenda items.

* And check out their form letter to legislators and the governor

Our state is facing a financial crisis like never before and we, the people of Illinois, deserve better!

Because of your inaction, 14,000 teens are without access to afterschool programs, 25,000 seniors are at risk of losing services, 15,000 fewer women will have access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, 1,000 at-risk families are in jeopardy of losing child development services, and 136,000 college students are unsure whether they can afford to stay in school, not to mention the thousands of jobs and businesses at risk of being lost or worse, leaving the state.

Illinois has been the laughingstock of the nation for a while now. But these numbers are no joke. This is not a laughing matter.

We need to put the Land of Lincoln back on sound financial footing.

OK, they do talk about the business climate a tiny bit, but it’s almost an afterthought.

* They then allow people to choose an occupation or position in a pull-down menu

A choice of being a union member, but not of a business person? Interesting.

* Just for snicks, I chose “community leader” and this message was automatically provided….

What impacts one group in our community ends up impacting all of us. Without social services who is going to guide the at-risk teenager? Who is going to care for the veteran with PTSD? Who is going to assist with elderly parents with Alzheimer’s? When any one of these groups is ignored, there are ripples of uncertainty and instability throughout our community. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a student just starting out, or a retiree expecting to live out their life with a pension, we expect our legislators to ensure that the pieces are in place for our communities to be safe and secure. If one’s not laughing, no one is laughing.

* And check out their Twitter page. They have tweets about child homelessness increasing, cuts to higher education, MAP grants, the Elgin Latino Treatment Center cutting employees and services, and one tweet about manufacturing job losses. Heck, they even retweeted Emily Miller from Voices for Illinois Children.

Sorry, Ty.

  38 Comments      


Today’s quotable

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* John Pletz at Crain’s

J.B. Pritzker had more bounce in his step than usual at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center’s annual Momentum Awards dinner tonight.

And why not? He was fresh off a rare two-fer, in which two of his venture investments were sold, including Viv, Dag Kittlaus’ follow-up to Siri, and sports-TV graphics provider SportVision. Viv, which Pritzker Group Venture Capital backed last year, was a relatively quick score. Sportvision was one of Pritzker’s earliest venture deals from his first fund, raised in 2000. Terms weren’t disclosed for either deal, but Pritzker didn’t look disappointed.

* Pritzker, who recently gave Mrs. Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention fund $5 million, also cracked a joke about Gov. Rauner…


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The budget problem gets worse by the day

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Illinois Issues has a good explainer article about the state’s severe budget problems. You should read the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt

Given the state’s level of debt, Illinois’ fiscal house was clearly already aflame before the impasse. But when it comes to what elected officials will ultimately have to ask of taxpayers, not having a budget for a year and a half will be like throwing gas on that fire.

“We are spending so much more money than we have available that we’re going to make the solution that much harder. We’re digging the hole that much deeper,” [Laurence Msall, who is president of the fiscal watchdog group the Civic Federation] says.

He says that taxpayers will end up forking over more and getting less in terms of services for it. And the longer there’s no solution, the bigger the tax increases and cuts will need to be to fix it.

“Unless we’re going to get rid of higher education in large parts at the state, close major universities or stop providing health insurance to new (public) employees, there’s not going to be enough cutting that can be done to balance the state’s budget,” he says.

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Winning lottery ticket bought with drug money seized

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Decatur Herald & Review

A woman who lived with a Decatur drug dealer ended up losing big time when she took a judicial gamble on winning back the proceeds of a $50,000 lottery ticket.

The state of Illinois had initially seized the money as the ill-gotten gains of a ticket bought with drug money. But then a Macon County judge later ruled against the state and awarded the lottery cash to the woman, Tykisha Lofton.

Now, in a decision filed Sept. 27, the three-judge Fourth District Appeals Court ruled unanimously to reverse that decision and said the lottery winnings deserve to be kept by the state, where they will be shared among local and state law enforcement agencies.

The appeals court said the state was right in its initial suspicion the ticket had mostly likely been bought with the proceeds of drug sales, and that meant Lofton, who said she had lived with the drug dealer for many years, was out of luck. […]

But the Macon County judge had not bought her story and ruled that Norwood had purchased the ticket “more likely than not with drug money.” However, the judge said extending state forfeiture laws to grab the proceeds from a lottery ticket was going too far.

The judge used examples such as establishing a dry cleaning business with drug money or a drug dealer paying to put himself through medical school and then going to work as a doctor. “Is that money (a doctor’s salary or the profits of a legitimate business) then forfeitable?” wrote the judge. “At some point the connection has to stop.” He then ruled in Lofton’s favor.

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Sweet Cub tickets come with a harsh pricetag

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune

The head of the city ethics agency has warned Chicago aldermen and other elected officials that if they accept the Cubs’ offer to buy coveted playoff tickets at face value, they must attend personally and have their presence announced publicly.

The warning came in an advisory memo this week from Steven Berlin, executive director of the Chicago Board of Ethics, as news stories revealed about 70 percent of the city’s 50 aldermen, 85 percent of Chicago state and federal officials, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner had taken advantage.

As a result, some aldermen who were planning to give the tickets away have contacted the team to say they won’t be purchasing them, said team spokesman Julian Green, without providing specifics. In addition, the Cubs will display the names of public officials who did accept the offer on a digital board at the park, he said.

Green said the team had asked the ethics board for an opinion on offering the tickets to public officials, as it has for more than a decade, before extending the offer.

* The Sun-Times has more detail

Berlin replied that the ticket “offer itself is not prohibited,” but comes with a “critical caveat”: Elected officials and city employees accepting the offer must attend the game “in his or her official capacity — not as a private Cub fan.”

“It could be construed as a prohibited gift to the city official if they are not announced or if they give away or resell all tickets they purchased at this special price,” Berlin wrote.

“Every city official who purchases tickets [must] be advised at the time of purchase that the Cubs will announce their presence on the Jumbotron or via the PA system at some point during the game.”

Berlin further wrote that the Board of Ethics “will consider any actions inconsistent with this advice as potential violations of the ordinance, which could result in an investigation and public finding of a violation — most definitely a result to be avoided.”

Berlin noted that he had already engaged in “extensive conversations” with Mike Lufrano, vice-president of community relations with the Cubs. But, after reading the Sun-Times story, “It was “not clear that the Cubs had followed our advice given on Sept. 30.”

I don’t really blame the politicos for taking up the team’s offer. Hey, it’s playoff baseball. And it’s not without precedent.

But these tickets are so difficult to come by unless you’re already a season ticket holder that I assume public outrage will surely result. Crime is rising, as are taxes (a buddy of mine says his city water/sewer bill alone is rising by $1600 a year) and the teachers are threatening a strike. Plus, this national campaign has everyone going a little insane.

In the past, the electeds would just ignore the public outcry, figuring it would pass. And it always did. We’ll see what happens this time.

  28 Comments      


Today’s must-read

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Crain’s

When the Emanuel administration reached a $2 million settlement in May in a whistleblower case brought by two Chicago police officers, the deal was widely seen as a way for the mayor to avoid the embarrassment of testifying about the Police Department’s code of silence, Jamie Kalven writes for the Intercept, an investigative journalism website.

What the administration really avoided was a public airing of evidence that, in the words of a federal judge, “purports to show extraordinarily serious retaliatory misconduct by officers at nearly all levels of the CPD hierarchy.”

Kalven tells the story of one of those officers, Shannon Spalding, in a four-part, 20,000-word series. The individual defendants in the case denied the allegations of Spalding and Daniel Echeverria. As part of the settlement, the city also did not admit any wrongdoing.

Spend some time today or over the weekend and read this story.

  13 Comments      


Trump takes a swipe at Kirk

Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Hill

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump swiped at vulnerable GOP Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) on Thursday night, saying it’s Kirk’s fault that he’s facing a loss in his reelection fight since he didn’t get on board with the nominee.

Speaking at a town hall event in Sandown, N.H., Trump was asked about the Republican hold-outs who have refused to support him; earlier that day, 30 former GOP lawmakers announced their steadfast opposition to his candidacy. […]

“I guess there’s a gentleman in Illinois who’s not doing very well,” Trump said, referencing Kirk. “He was actually taking out ads against me. I said, are you sure he’s a Republican? Maybe he’s a Democrat. He’s not doing well but hey, that’s his problem. He wasn’t for me and that’s for political reasons.” […]

Still, Trump predicted Republicans would maintain their slim majority in the Senate, and took credit for a coattails effect he claimed would ensure the GOP maintains power in the upper chamber.

“If you look at what’s going on — the other day I saw very interesting — the announcer said Donald Trump is having a very positive effect on the Republicans,” Trump said. “The Republicans are going to hold. They’re doing terrifically well, far better than anyone thought, and we’re going to win some states that never in a million years people thought we’d do well.”

Yeah, well, his coattails aren’t so great in Illinois as a whole.

* Sen. Kirk’s campaign has released a new poll and specifically mentions in the memo how much Kirk is outperforming Trump

GS Strategy Group surveyed 600 likely voters, statewide, in Illinois. The survey was conducted October 4-5, 2016. The margin of error for the survey was +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence level.

United States Senate Ballot

Our findings indicate a much tighter battle in the race for United States Senate than the most recently released numbers from our opponent. As has been the case for over a year, the race remains a statistical tie and inside the margin of error. While Congresswoman Duckworth maintains a lead over Senator Kirk, he is well within striking distance of her. Duckworth’s inability to capitalize on the Democratic strength in the Presidential ballot underscores voter apprehension toward her candidacy and provides a path to victory for Senator Kirk.

Key Highlights

    * Race remains a statistical tie – consistent with nearly every other public poll.
    * Kirk is outperforming Trump by a net of 13 points.
    * Duckworth continues to significantly underperform the top of the ticket.

According to the poll, Hillary Clinton is winning Illinois 50-33, while Kirk is trailing 41-37.

* Normally, candidates wouldn’t release a poll showing them trailing in October by four points. But with the new Paul Simon Institute poll showing Duckworth ahead by 14 points, the Kirk campaign needs to stop people from assuming this thing is a complete lost cause.

Also, according to the Kirk campaign, the NRSC is running TV ads in the Chicago, Rockford, Springfield and Peoria media markets. They claim those ads show the national folks haven’t given up hope.

  22 Comments      


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Friday, Oct 7, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Munger again warns of delayed pension payment

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Monique

Illinois Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger warned Thursday that continued cash flow problems may once again force a delay in the state making its contribution into the government worker pension systems.

Munger said the state is entering a particularly precarious financial period because tax receipts historically drop in October and November, meaning there is less money on hand to pay bills. While some expenses such as debt payments and those covered by court order automatically go out the door, there is more flexibility when it comes to making the pension payment.

That’s because by law, the state’s contribution into the five employee pension systems must be made on a yearly basis. However, Illinois usually chops those up into smaller monthly installments to make the cost more manageable. That means if a payment is skipped, it must be made up by July 2017. […]

Munger pushed back a $560 million pension payment in October 2015, citing similar financial pressures. The payment eventually was made in April, when state coffers were flush with money from yearly income tax payments.

  22 Comments      


Gill concedes the inevitable, bows out

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WMAY

An independent congressional candidate is finally throwing in the towel.

David Gill had been suing for a spot on the ballot in the 13th District, despite failing to submit the required number of valid signatures for an independent candidate. Gill won an initial court ruling after arguing the state’s rules were unfair and burdensome but that decision was overturned on appeal. And two attempts to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court have been rejected.

  9 Comments      


Fun with editorial boards

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Champaign News-Gazette recently heaped glowing praise on a blatantly political stunt

Comptroller Munger, who was appointed to the office after the death of Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka, recently upped the ante on the pay issue.

Earlier this year, Munger decided to make legislators wait in the same line as state vendors who face serious delays in payment for services rendered. That has resulted in paycheck delays that have stressed some legislators’ family budgets and forced them to take out loans (Republican state Rep. Chad Hays) or second mortgages (Democratic state Sen. Scott Bennett).

Now Munger, who is running for the office in the November election, is escalating the paycheck debate in a way sure to draw legislators’ further resentment.

Munger last week proposed what she called “no budget, no pay” legislation that she said will ensure members of the Illinois House and Senate meet their constitutional obligations by passing a balanced budget.

In other words, if legislators don’t pass a real balanced budget they won’t be paid — ever. Further, Munger said that her proposal would block retroactive pay, meaning that the longer there’s no balanced budget, the less lawmakers would make.

Of course, Munger’s proposal has no chance of becoming law because it requires the targets of the bill to pass it. But Munger still scores points by pointing out the failure of the General Assembly to pass full-year budgets two years in a row.

* The Champaign News-Gazette recently heaped glowering scorn on a blatantly political stunt

Politicizing the law as a means of garnering votes sets the stage for injustice.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the case of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

When it comes to spinning an effective political web, both she and he know what they’re doing. It’s a different matter, of course, when it comes to effective public policy. But in Illinois, who cares?

So it will be no surprise if Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s latest gambit into generating favorable headlines doesn’t prompt state legislators to act with alacrity on the question of abolishing the statute of limitations on more than 20 crimes involving the sexual abuse of children.

Who, after all, supports accused child molesters? No one.

Words just fail me.

* The Chicago Tribune back in February

Gov. Bruce Rauner addressed the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, outlining his plans for next year’s state budget. The poindexters whipped out their calculators.

* The Chicago Tribune today

117th District: Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, did a better job for his district before he joined House Speaker Michael Madigan’s leadership team. Bradley may bring home more bacon serving in leadership. But he also is stuck voting for the speaker’s agenda, and that often conflicts with the values of his district. Example: Bradley voted for a budget that was $7 billion out of balance. Is that how homeowners of his district run their households?

  32 Comments      


AG Madigan argues against Mautino hearing delay

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Attorney General Lisa Madigan doesn’t think Auditor General Frank Mautino should be granted a delay in his pending Illinois State Board of Elections hearing

This week, she filed a brief asking First District Appellate Court in Chicago to deny the Spring Valley Democrat’s request to delay the state Board of Elections’ inquiry into his campaign spending.

In his request for delay, Mautino, whose campaign spending is under federal criminal investigation, cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

In her brief to the court, the attorney general said she recognized the elections board’s administrative proceedings put Mautino in a less than ideal situation, but he would not suffer irreparable harm. That’s because he could still invoke his Fifth Amendment rights during the proceedings, she said.

“Therefore, he can choose not to take any action that would jeopardize a possible defense to any possible future criminal charges,” she wrote. “And while a negative inference may be drawn in the proceedings from Mautino’s invocation of his right to remain silent, the state board must prove its case against (him).”

In the elections board’s hearing, Madigan said, Mautino can still mount a “vigorous defense through cross-examination and other means.”

The state, she said, wanted a speedy resolution of the proceedings because of its interest in regulating the election process and ensuring political committees observe the rules.

Discuss.

  14 Comments      


Question of the day

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Share your political memorabilia with the UIS History Harvest at the Old State Capitol

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Department of History is inviting members of the public to bring and share any and all political memorabilia during a History Harvest at the Old State Capitol. Students will photograph, scan and record the stories behind the items in an effort to document the way that people in central Illinois have participated in elections.

WHEN: Saturday, October 22, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Old State Capitol, 1 SW Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL

DETAILS: UIS students are asking people to share campaign literature, brochures, letters, photographs, diaries, buttons and bumper stickers related to the democratic process. Digital copies of the items made during the event will be included in an online exhibit and catalog. Participants will also have an opportunity to tell the ‘harvesters’ the stories behind the objects.

History Harvest offers the opportunity to “put yourself in the historical record.” By collecting information on the memories of the local electorate, the project will provide a unique insight into how ordinary citizens in central Illinois have participated in and remembered the democratic process. Items from both the recent and distant past are welcome.

Students from UIS Assistant Professor of History Devin Hunter’s undergraduate public history class and UIS Assistant Professor of History Kenneth Owen’s graduate history and digital media class will lead the effort to digitize items for the online digital exhibit. Illinois State Historian Dr. Samuel Wheeler will be on site between 11 am and 1 pm. Students will also display items from the Nelson O. Howarth Papers (Springfield Mayor, 1955-1959 and 1963-1971) and the Kozeliski Campaign Button Collection, courtesy of the UIS Archives and Special Collections.

For more information, visit http://www.uis.edu/history/historyharvest/

Pretty cool.

* The Question: What is your own favorite piece of campaign memorabilia?

  36 Comments      


The Rolling Stones get back to where they once belonged

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I’ve been hoping they’d do an album like this for years. They’re just too old to be rock stars. I loved the “Stripped” album because it was a grownup departure from their usual stadium rock nonsense. Keep it simple, keep it basic and keep it bluesy

Those who like their Rolling Stones music raw and unfiltered may get their wish Dec. 2 when a new studio album, “Blue and Lonesome,” will be released. […]

Produced by Don Was, who has been working with the band for more than two decades, the 12 blues covers were recorded in a rapid-fire three-day session in London last December. “Blue and Lonesome” includes songs associated with Howlin’ Wolf (“Commit a Crime”), Jimmy Reed (“Little Rain”) and Magic Sam (“All of Your Love”). Eric Clapton adds guitar to two songs: Johnny Taylor’s “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” and Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You Baby.”

The Stones — Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood — plus sidemen Darryl Jones (bass), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Matt Clifford (keyboards) approached the sessions as more of a live recording and avoided overdubs, according to a statement released by the band.

With a few exceptions, they dug a layer or two deeper than the obvious Chicago blues classics on these tracks, reflecting their roots as fledgling blues appreciators who listened obsessively to albums released on Chess, Vee-Jay and other labels imported from overseas in the early ‘60s. As Was said in a statement, for the Stones, the blues is “the fountainhead of everything they do.” That hadn’t always been reflected in their post-‘70s recordings, but it appears they’re doubling down on that commitment now.

Finally.

* A brief snippet

I’ll take it.

  19 Comments      


Is a state law actually discouraging development?

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Rep. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago) is pushing a bill to address vacant storefronts that are pock marking even “hot” areas because they may not be telling the truth when taking advantage of a state law to lower their property taxes

Current state law allows the owners of properties that become vacant unexpectedly to ask tax officials for a break on their bill — as long as they are doing everything possible to find a new tenant for the store or office.

But there are troubled properties that have received the break for decades — when, in some cases, the owners should be paying the property’s tax bill in full, Martwick said.

If the measure authored by Martwick is passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner, government agencies that collect property taxes — like the city of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Education — would have an incentive to investigate the claims of property owners asking for the vacancy deduction, Martwick said.

If officials determine that claim was false or fraudulent, they could force those owners to pay back three times what they owe as punishment, according to the measure. […]

“I’ve been a broker since 1981 and I’ve never done business with a landlord who does not want their building rented,” said Rich Kahan, a principal at commercial real estate brokerage KB Real Estate. “The law provides some relief. You don’t always get it, sometimes you do. At end of day, you make zero income on any empty space.” […]

“Chicago needs to start imposing penalty taxes on property that sits vacant for more than a year in hot areas — the number of commercial spaces that just sit empty due to landlord greed or indifference could be reduced significantly,” [Michael VanDam, an East Village resident in West Town] commented on Neighborhood Square.

On the other hand, what happens to those landlords when the economy turns downward again? I’d bet that’s why the original law was enacted.

  18 Comments      


*** LIVE COVERAGE *** Gov. Rauner’s Facebook live event

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The festivities begin at 11. I hesitate to do this because the last one was such a total bust, but click here to watch. [Updated link.]

And follow along with ScribbleLive


  23 Comments      


A very good question

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Dan Mihalopoulos asks “Where are Chicago cops who are ready for reform?”

Lost amid Donald Trump’s hot takes on life in Chicago during last week’s presidential debate, Hillary Clinton made a statement that could sound overly optimistic to many people here in the city of her birth.

“We also have to recognize, in addition to the challenges that we face with policing, there are so many good, brave police officers who equally want reform,” she said.

“We also have to recognize, in addition to the challenges that we face with policing, there are so many good, brave police officers who equally want reform,” she said.
Promoted Stories from politicsChatter

Many good and brave officers? No doubt.

You have to be very brave to even show up for work at the Chicago Police Department, especially these days. Let’s also put aside the alleged “Ferguson effect” and assume the vast majority still do the job as well as they can.

But all these officers who Clinton says “want reform”?

If they’re really out there, it’s been hard to hear them in the debate that’s roiled politics here since last November, when the dashcam video of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s death in a hail of 16 CPD bullets became public.

Go read the whole thing.

  23 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Was a terrible tragedy averted in Darien?

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Tribune

A Hinsdale South High School student who allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the Darien school has been charged with several crimes after police found firearms, explosives and a Nazi uniform in his residence, DuPage County prosecutors said Wednesday at a juvenile detention hearing.

Prosecutors said the youth, 16, had promised a “Southocaust” and on Monday had made a specific threat against a fellow student on social media. That brought police to his house, where they found the guns and explosives in his bedroom, prosecutors said.

The youth has been charged with eight felonies and was ordered to be held in a juvenile facility by Judge Michael Wolfe.

* ABC 7

How the teenager acquired the cache of weapons is still under investigation.

“We were very disturbed. It’s very shocking. We have great kids. We have great families. This is a great place to live, a great place to send your kids to school,” said Bruce Law, Superintendent of Hinsdale School District 86.

Despite the discovery of the Nazi uniform, police said there’s no indication of a racial motive or an indication of any accomplice. Police said the suspect’s parents were not aware of the weapons cache.

Police also said they searched the student’s locker and found no other weapons or devices.

* Daily Herald

Nuckolls said police found a flare gun that had been converted to a working gun, as well as a shotgun, a sawed-off rifle, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, knives, ski masks and brass knuckles. His bedroom also contained Nazi posters and flags, a World War II German soldier’s uniform, a Soviet flag and paper targets.

Police said they found an incendiary device in the boy’s closet that contained black powder, razor blades and ball bearings. In addition, Nuckols said the boy had PVC pipe and other materials commonly used in building pipe bombs. […]

The teen’s attorney said the boy’s mother was unaware of her son’s threats and of the materials found in his room. The mother asked Judge Michael Wolfe to release the teen to her with an electronic monitoring device.

“In the interest of the protection of others, in light that the family had no idea what was going on under their own roof, the minor will be detained,” Wolfe said.

Ugh.

  45 Comments      


SIU’s Dunn complains about ICCB agreement with the University of Iowa

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From June of this year

The University of Iowa has signed an articulation agreement with the Illinois Community College Board that will provide a seamless transition for eligible students who want to continue their education at the UI.

The agreement sets a minimum number of semester hours in communications, humanities, math and science and a minimum GPA. Students who meet those standards and earn an Associate of Arts degree at Illinois Community College will be admitted to the UI as a junior and will have met all freshman and sophomore level general education requirements, with the exception of a Diversity and Inclusion requirement and the World Language requirement needed for each college.

“This is an exciting new partnership that will benefit thousands of Illinois community college graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UI,” says P. Barry Butler, executive vice president and provost at the UI. “At the core of this agreement is the completion of an Associate of Arts degree, which will help increase degree completion rates at both the community college and the University of Iowa.”

* Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn was not pleased in a system-wide e-mail…

Earlier this summer, The University of Iowa announced on its website that it had just inked a new master articulation agreement with … wait for It … the Illinois Community College Board. In the words of P. Barry Butler, executive vice president and provost at Iowa, “[t]his is an exciting new partnership that will benefit thousands of Illinois community college graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UI.”

The full press release can be found here.

I get it. A lot of Illinois kids — in Chicagoland, as well as where I grew up, in the western part of our state — head off to Iowa City for their baccalaureate degrees. No doubt these agreements improve accessibility and make for easier transitions in those cases.

But in the wake of record drops in enrollment at numerous of our state’s public institutions of higher education, as well as recent national press (most notably, coverage in The New York Times) that highlighted Illinois’ role as one of the country’s largest exporters of post-secondary students, one might reasonably wonder why this was on the “to do” list right now for the ICCB.

I know we have the Illinois Articulation Initiative that provides us something akin to UI’s special agreement, and I guess I should begrudgingly give Iowa credit for going after this … assuming the impetus for this came from their side.

But as this news has made the rounds across SIU over the last day or so, it has caused any number of our folks to wonder aloud about timing and how something like this happens as Illinois’ universities find themselves struggling through their greatest operational and financial distress of the last 50 years.

Your thoughts?

  112 Comments      


McAuliffe TV spending already at $2 million

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AP

Republicans have spent nearly $2 million in television advertising to help a state lawmaker win a Chicago-area legislative district — the most spent on air time for any legislative candidate in the nation.

A new report by the Center for Public Integrity released Thursday shows the Chicago-area contest has helped makeIllinois the state with the most money spent on TV ads for legislative candidates across the country this election cycle. Nearly $14 million has been spent on legislative races in Illinois since Jan. 1, 2015, a staggering amount that reflects the struggle between wealthy Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic leaders amid an epic budget stalemate. Democrats are trying to strengthen their control of the Legislature while Rauner is trying to give his party greater influence. […]

The Illinois race with most money spent on ads pits GOP Rep. Michael McAuliffe, a 20-year veteran of the House, against Democrat Merry Marwig, a political newcomer on leave from her job at a Chicago software company. […]

Even so, the amount they’re spending is remarkable. In 2012, for example, the Republicans’ two major party committees spent just over $2 million combined on all races from July 1 through Sept. 30. […]

Marwig has spent about $187,690 on television ads so far, according to figures from the Center for Public Integrity.

And there’s still more than a month to go before election day, so expect much more like this.

Also, at this pace, state Rep. McAuliffe could wind up outspending US Sen. Mark Kirk on Chicago TV. Let that sink in for a minute.

  26 Comments      


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Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

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*** UPDATED x1 - Munger responds *** Two big new campaign cash developments

Thursday, Oct 6, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

[Bumped up for visibility.]

* So, this just happened…


Munger just got $5 million, so why is she giving $3 million away? And why would they blow the contribution caps in Leader Durkin’s race when he doesn’t even have an opponent?

* Scott Kennedy’s explanation could apply to both developments, although I’m told by one top Munger person that it doesn’t apply to her. We’ll see.

Kennedy’s theory is that the Republicans could be using Munger’s and Durkin’s no longer contribution capped committees as entryways to move huge amounts of fresh, non-Rauner cash into legislative races. Campaign committees can contribute unlimited amounts to state parties, and state parties can contribute unlimited amounts to candidates in general elections, so I suppose it’s possible that Rauner doesn’t want his personal campaign committee’s name on every single dollar going into the system

Another very likely possibility is that [Munger’s] campaign committee is being used as an entryway to get unlimited contributions into the system where that money can then move freely around to be spent on other races. I discussed the need for entryways in my previous post. The House Dems have had a number of large donors, particularly in labor and legal, who are willing to contribute more than the maximum amount so they’ve had to break up those contributions into the amounts permitted by contribution limits and then contribute those amounts to as many Democratic affiliated committees as necessary to get all the money in the system. In a general election candidate committees can make unlimited transfers to party committees and party committees can make unlimited transfers to candidate committees so once that money is in the system the candidate committees with surplus funds can either transfer those funds to their fellow candidates up to the limited amount or they can make unlimited transfers to their party committee where the funds can then be redistributed in unlimited amounts to other candidates in need.

However in this case the contribution limits are off for the Comptroller’s race because of the $260,000 loan Munger received from her husband. Munger (and Mendoza) can accept contributions in unlimited amounts and if they so choose they can then make unlimited transfers to the party committee who can then spend or transfer unlimited amounts on other candidates, such as targeted general assembly races.

Prior to last week the Governor had been almost single-handedly funding the Republican legislative effort. The only other significant pool of money was in the Independent Expenditure committee Liberty Principles PAC which had raised $5 million since June, $2.5 million from Governor Rauner personally, $1.5 million from Richard Uihlein and $1 million from Ken Griffin. However the funds in the IE committee are somewhat walled off, independent expenditure committees are not allowed to transfer funds to candidate or party committees so if these donors wanted to use their money to help legislative candidates they could only do so by making expenditures independently. But now that the contribution limits have been lifted in the Comptroller’s race they can make direct unlimited contributions to Munger who can then transfer that money to the party as needed and it can be put to use elsewhere.

Just because Munger transferred $3 million to the State Party today doesn’t mean she won’t get additional financial support later to supplement her campaign budget, she may still very well spend $5.5 million on her fall effort if additional contributions are received. Also, it’s unlikely that this is our last unexpected development before the election. Stay tuned.

*** UPDATE ***  Munger is in Quincy today

The Republican comptroller also defended recent moves within her campaign finance fund, which have brought allegations from challenger Mendoza that she is gaming the system.

Late last month, Munger got a $260,000 loan from her attorney husband, which lifted contribution limits in the race. That cleared the way for $5 million in donations from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin and frequent conservative GOP donor Richard Uihlein, key Rauner allies. Since then, Munger’s campaign transferred $3 million to the Illinois Republican Party, which can now distribute that money to various candidates as the GOP tries to cut into the Democratic supermajorities held by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.

Mendoza called it “blatant money laundering” in a Twitter post. Munger said she was just taking advantage of campaign financial rules Democrats put in place in 2009 that Mendoza voted for while in the House.

“We are really just taking advantage of the law that she passed,” Munger said. “Everything I’ve done is completely transparent, and it’s certainly legal.”

  48 Comments      


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* Campaign news: Big Raja money; Benton over-shares; Rashid's large cash pile; Jeffries to speak at IDCCA brunch
* Rep. Hoan Huynh jumps into packed race for Schakowsky’s seat (Updated)
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