* Campaign finance reports have been rolling out for congressional candidates this week. Let’s start with the 8th District Democratic primary…
In the race to win the Democratic primary in the 8th Congressional District, Tammy Duckworth has been enjoying a poll advantage. Her campaign’s latest survey shows her with a 42 point lead.
But, when it comes to financing, Raja Krishnamoorthi has $791,000 cash on hand compared to Duckworth’s $562,000.
Duckworth had a big fourth quarter of fund raising, but not enough to overcome Krishnamoorthi’s financial lead.
“Raja has raised more money than Duckworth because he has a stronger message,” said Deputy Campaign Manager Mike Murray.
The Duckworth campaign responds:
“The difference between cash on hand available for the primary is around $140,000. In the Chicago media market, that’s about three day’s worth of television. He would need a lot more than that to make up a 40 point difference in the polling,” said spokeswoman Kaitlin Fahey.
Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, who will face the winner here, raised $146,880 last quarter and had $460,437 cash on hand.
Raja has raised more because he started earlier. And Fahey is probably right about that 40-point difference being too great to be overcome with $140K. I still don’t get why Raja didn’t run in the 10th. He would’ve been almost a sure thing in the primary and given Congressman Dold a real run.
Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) raised $356,831 for his reelection bid for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2011, and now has $1.24 million in the bank, according to a campaign spokesperson. […]
Deerfield management consultant Brad Schneider raised more than $134,000 for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2011, for his Tenth Congressional District campaign in trying to unseat Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth). […]
Schneider raised more than $630,000 since beginning his effort in May, and has more than $450,000 in the bank.
Earlier this month, Waukegan community organizer Ilya Sheyman and Long Grove business owner John Tree reported their fundraising efforts for the quarter.
Sheyman collected in excess of $180,000 for the period with more than $200,000 cash on hand. Tree, who entered the race in November, raised $101,000 with $80,000 on hand.
In a remap-inspired matchup of two incumbent Republican congressman in northwestern Illinois’ 16th District, 19-year Rep. Donald Manzullo of Leaf River reported having $522,864 to start 2012 after raising $169,867 in the final three months of last year.
Manzullo’s GOP primary opponent, first-term Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Manteno reported raising $286,260 and had $651,089 in campaign cash on hand.
Informed Republicans say Manzullo is on retirement watch.
Hadn’t heard that. Interesting.
*** UPDATE *** From Congressman Manzullo’s campaign spokesman…
Rich,
Unfortunately, David Catanese did not contact us before he printed the unsubstantiated retirement rumors from “informed Republicans.” It’s ridiculous on its face to say such a thing when we have more than a half million dollars on hand with less than seven weeks until the election.
The fact is, our fundraising totals right now are solid. We held several successful fundraisers in January that are not reflected in the current totals with several more to come. Congressman Manzullo outraised Congressman Kinzinger by $110,000 the previous filing period (third quarter of 2011), and we likely will have a similar amount of cash on hand once the January fundraising is reflected. Money will not be a factor in this race. What will be a factor is grassroots activism, and Congressman Manzullo is getting strong support from all areas of the new district. He has been endorsed by several major conservative organizations, and has amassed a strong campaign team of area Republican officials, business owners, farmers, and Tea Party leaders throughout the 16th District. Congressman Manzullo has the strong conservative record, the leadership experience, and the plans to help strengthen our economy and help put Americans back to work, and that’s why he is getting so much support for re-election.
Democrat Cheri Bustos, still facing a contested primary, came within nearly $1,000 of raising as much money in the last three months of 2011 as incumbent Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., in the 17th Congressional District race, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
In the reports, which were due Tuesday by midnight, Bustos, a former East Moline alderwoman and hospital executive, said she had raised $219,068 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. Schilling reported raising $219,955.
It’s rare for challengers to raise as much money as incumbents.
Even with that, however, the freshman Republican maintained more than twice the cash balance as Bustos with nearly two months of campaigning left before the state’s March 20 primary.
Schilling said he had $612,022 in the bank at the end of 2011, while Bustos reported $278,897 in cash on hand. This was the second full quarter of fundraising for her. Schilling filed four quarterly reports last year.
After the 2010 election, Schilling was considered by Democrats to be one of the easier freshmen marks here. The guy is an amazingly hard worker and has moderated his tone considerably. He won’t be a pushover by any means.
Augustana College administrator Greg Aguilar only raised $6,618, FEC filings reveal, with roughly $16,000 cash on hand. Freeport Mayor George Gualrapp raised $9,980 total as of September 2011.
I guess I’ll never quite figure out why people run for office if they’re unwilling to do the necessary work to win.
* A miniscule buy, but Gidwitz is obviously trying to raise enough cash to be a real player…
With the Illinois primary still seven weeks away, a business-oriented political group headed by Chicago business activist Ronald Gidwitz is launching attack ads against a likely Democratic opponent of Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale.
The $25,000 cable TV buy takes aim at Bill Foster, a former scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory who served one term in Congress before losing two years ago to Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Winfield.
Mr. Foster has two opponents in the Democratic primary, Aurora attorney Juan Thomas and James Hickey, president of the Orland Park Fire Protection District. But Mr. Gidwitz said, “it’s pretty clear to us” that his group is targeting the likely nominee.
The 30-second ad, called “Signs,” consists of a piano dirge in the background with a voice-over saying: “There were signs that Bill Foster would be bad for Illinois,” citing his votes for health care reform and a bill to make it easier for unions to organize. “How many signs that Bill Foster would be bad for jobs do we really need?” The ad closes with an image of a man in a work shirt taping a sign to a window that reads “Closed — Going out of Business.”
So far, the New Prosperity Foundation (one of those newfangled “SuperPACs”) has raised $205K and had $133K on hand at the start of the year.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. raised twice as much money as rival Debbie Halvorson in the last quarter of 2011. But with money she already had in her account, the two head into next month’s Democratic primary for the South Side and south suburban 2nd Congressional seat with a roughly equal amount of money to spend.
Jesse Jackson Jr.: $115,046; $262,942
Debbie Halvorson: $66,360; $260,727
* Roundup…
* Is Randy Hultgren Hinting about a Statewide Run?
* Gill challenges Goetten to 13th District debates
* This e-mail just arrived from Rep. David Harris (R-Arlington Heights), a retired National Guard Major General…
Just FYI, I can understand the Governor’s desire to provide a “significant” tax credit to companies hiring “unemployed veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan”
And having served 33 years in the military myself and also having a son in the US Army who is currently on a year’s deployment in Afghanistan, I know the great service and sacrifice that these service members are giving to their country.
But why discriminate against service members who did not serve in Iraq or Afghanistan?
What about the young sailor who is assigned to the Seventh Fleet (Pacific Ocean) and does not get orders to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom (which is Afghanistan)? Or what about the soldier who is assigned to Korea and spends a year on the DMZ at Camp Liberty Bell or Camp Bonifas (formerly Camp Kitty Hawk)? Or the Air Force airman that is assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. Those service members are not normally given orders under Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.
Are these service members any less deserving than those that had orders under Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom. You know, there are thousands of service members who were issued orders under Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom but they never set foot in either those countries (e.g., assignment to Camp Doha, the logistics supply base in Kuwait, or al-Udeid Air Force Base in Qatar).
Whether or not the proposal moves through the General Assembly, I know I am going to bring up this consideration when I can.
* The Question: Do you agree with Rep. Harris that Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed tax credit to hire unemployed veterans who had orders for the nation’s two wars be expanded to include all vets? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
A wave of nostalgia will land on Gov. Pat Quinn when he hits the Belvidere Dodge plant to announce hundreds of new jobs assembling the new Dodge Dart … Quinn used to own a Dodge Neon made at the same plant.
* The Sun-Times SOTS story is headlined “Quinn’s State of State address gets cool reception from legislators” and includes the best line of the day…
In his second State of the State speech, the governor facing low approval ratings laid out an array of feel-good ideas whose shelf life will be dictated entirely by the harsh reality of Illinois’ nearly empty treasury and a state Legislature more focused upon the March primaries.
We could probably stop there, but then we’d miss all the other fun.
Wouldn’t it be loverly, too, if Illinois could afford the lavish wish list that the governor crooned during his State of the State address — a fabulous treasure of new spending notions and tax breaks.
Funny how I don’t remember seeing this same level of vitriol when the big corporate tax cuts passed in December.
It’s something the Governor addressed in just one sentence, saying “Suffice it to say, we must have Medicaid reform and pension reform in the coming year.” Trinity President and CEO Rick Seidler says, “I was surprised there wasn’t more discussion of that issue.” There was no discussion about how Quinn would make reform happen.
The budget address is in three weeks. Patience, please.
…Adding… I think because so many of you are affiliated with state government, when you hear “state” you think “government” instead of thinking “Illinois.” The State of the State address is supposed to be about the state in its broadest terms.
* Of course, the Carbondale-area TV station would lede with this…
There was one topic noticeably absent from Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s State of the State speech Wednesday: how the state plans to pay the backlog of millions of dollars owed to Illinois colleges and universities.
I could probably think of a hundred things that were noticeably absent from the speech if I was expecting a budget address instead of a State of the State.
That tax — which is figured as a percentage of usage — generates about $160 million revenue each year, said the state’s Department of Revenue. The typical Illinois household pays about $32 a year for the utility tax, according to rough estimates by the Citizens Utility Board. […]
Illinois Chamber of Commerce president Doug Whitley said talk of ending the utility tax had largely disappeared from the business agenda over roughly the past 25 years. Still, natural gas is vital to some companies, particularly manufacturers, and they would be pleased by Quinn’s proposal.
Natural gas prices are very low right now, and the less than $3 a month savings seems far too low to take such a significant budget hit. But Whitley’s right about the manufacturers. They’d feel the tax cut far more.
“We would be most interested in hearing how that could be paid for, given our current fiscal condition,” said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.
“He made excellent points about education, jobs and building the economy as it relates to manufacturing, but my question is, how do we do this? It takes money to make it happen. Early childhood education is fantastic, we need to teach all our children, but how do we fund it? Hopefully he’ll have an answer in our budget speech.
“We know out state is hurting fiscally, and how do we fund all these programs?”
Hugely increased exports, more jobs created last year than anyone around us, factories expanding, high tech beginning to really boom. Yes, we have horrible problems, but this state is still moving forward despite the government’s many errors.
* While using a speech like this to raise campaign money is nothing new, this e-mail blasted out to contributors shortly after Gov. Pat Quinn’s speech ended seems more than a little cynical…
As Governor Quinn delivered the State of the State address today, one sentence stuck out: “Illinois is moving forward.”
Can you help Governor Quinn fight for progress by donating $25, $50, $100 or $250 right now?
* Of course, I agree with every word of this cogent analysis…
“Moving forward on the vision that I laid out today will require true partnership,” Quinn said.
But will that partnership include the leaders of his own party, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton?
Springfield observer Rich Miller of the influential Capitol Fax Blog says lots of work remains in the realm of interpersonal relationships.
“There is still a lot of tension there between those three gentlemen,” he said.
* On style points, I’d also give the speech high marks…
Although Quinn’s plans drew more questions than support, the governor did receive high marks for his delivery. The speech clocked in at just under half an hour and Quinn used a teleprompter to read the address, a departure from his usual habit of delivering off-the-cuff remarks.
“This was his most gubernatorial (speech), though the bar was low,” said Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, like Murphy a potential governor candidate in 2014.
Yes, the bar was low, but he did well this time. Maybe he’s learning.
* Reaction to Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State: “Cuts alone will not get us to a better budget. We must build and grow our Illinois economy like never before to keep Illinois moving forward.” Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
* Via the Daily Herald. Click the pic for a larger image…
More SOTS coverage in a bit. There are a ton of stories to go through, so chew on this one for a while.
*** UPDATE *** Something about that word cloud looked a bit off to me. The governor’s office thought the same thing. Turns out, the reason why words like “Quinn” and “Pat” appear so prominently is that the DH likely pasted the pdf version into the program, which would have those words on every page. So, here’s the text-only version. Click the pic for a larger size..
“While Pat Quinn’s Illinois continues to tax and spend itself into oblivion at the behest of union bosses, Mitch Daniels’ Indiana stands as an example for the entire Midwest.
Norquist was mainly talking about Gov. Daniels’ signature yesterday on that state’s new “right to work” legislation.
* The State of the State address begins at noon today. I’ll be appearing on Public Television before the address to offer up whatever analysis crosses my mind. Check your local listings for channel numbers and rerun times. You can click here to watch Gov. Pat Quinn’s address online if, like me, you don’t have a TV in your office.
* You might also want to play the Illinois Policy Institute’s State of the State Bingo game. First commenter who says “Bingo!” and can prove it will win a free beverage of choice.
* Here’s a roundup of State of the State preview stories…
* Marin: Quinn has a Rahm problem: On the other hand, if Quinn doesn’t begin to play ball with Emanuel better than he has, the legislative initiatives Quinn hopes to pass this session are on life support.
* Jobs, tax relief on Pat Quinn’s mind: Jobs and economic growth, including tax relief for some Illinoisans, will be a main focus of the State of the State address, Gov. Pat Quinn said Tuesday, but details of potentially painful spending cuts will wait until he presents his budget in late February… “You can’t just cut your way to a better budget. We have to make cuts, there’s no doubt about it,” [Quinn] said. “We also have to build and grow our economy.” … Cullerton was skeptical about offering any tax relief when money is so tight. “We would be most interested in hearing how that could be paid for, given our current fiscal condition,” [a Cullerton spokesperson] said.
* Quinn to talk economy in State of the State: “When I became governor, we had one shift at Ford Motor Company on the South Side of Chicago. Now we’re on the verge of three shifts,” said Quinn. “And then we’ll be talking later this week about Chrysler. There’s something really special coming to Chrysler right here in Illinois.”
* ADDED: Illinois Historic Sites Could Face Deep Cuts
* IL lawmakers want more than job talk from Gov. Quinn: Todd Maisch, vice president for government relations at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the interests of businesses in the state, agreed. “We have to give the governor credit. He is willing to engage CEO’s. But we want to see him get outside of his comfort zone and engage employers on many levels,” Maisch said. Maisch said he too wants to hear “concrete plans” from Quinn.
* Educators say funding key to reducing dropouts - Quinn wants law to require kids to stay in school until they’re 18
* Local reps want specifics from governor in State of State
* Editorial: Ground fleet to air out state budget tactics
* Gov. Pat Quinn derided Indiana’s so-called “right to work” proposal yesterday as a “right to work for less” idea and defended union rights…
“Having a good union work force like Caterpillar and John Deere and Ford and Mitsubishi and Chrysler; they all have – Navistar as well – they’re all organized by the UAW and the UAW believes in making sure that people get a decent wage, get a decent health care plan and a decent retirement,” Quinn said.
Quinn said major companies like those are thriving in Illinois with union labor.
“Take a look at Caterpillar. They had their best year in 2011 since, I think, 1947 was the last year they were as good as they were last year. They sold a lot of machinery all over the world; 90 percent of what they make in Illinois, they export to the world,” Quinn said.
The governor also said he’s not worried about losing Illinois businesses to Indiana.
“That ain’t gonna happen, I’ll tell you that. I think that’s a bad bill and I’m very sorry that Mitch Daniels is gonna sign the ‘right to work for less’ bill. That’s a bad bill for the incomes of hard-working people,” Quinn said.
Quinn, of course, has ignored union contracts by canceling pay raises and attempting to close facilities and lay off workers. Saying you’re for collective bargaining doesn’t mean you’re actually for it.
* For weeks now, Gov. Pat Quinn and his staff have been saying that he believes more of the burden for pension funding ought to be paid by local school districts. For instance, this is from Monday…
Gov. Pat Quinn, responding to a dire new report on state finances Monday, said more clearly than ever that he wants schools and universities to help pay for their employees’ retirement costs.
A statement from Quinn’s budget office said the practice of state government paying for the retirement of downstate teachers and professors “requires careful examination and reform” because “employers need to have a stake in funding their own employees’ pension costs.” [Emphasis added.]
“Everyone who has employees in the pension system should contribute something to the pensions,” Quinn said.
* But Kurt Erickson reports today that the same budget office which has been talking openly about the idea is now starting to walk it back…
It appears unlikely Gov. Pat Quinn will push hard this spring to shift some of the state’s skyrocketing pension costs off on local school districts and universities.
A top official in the governor’s budget office downplayed Quinn’s recent comments on such a move, which school districts say could either trigger massive cuts in local school programs or force downstate and suburban districts to seek property tax increases.
Kelly Kraft, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, said the idea is “a concept” at the moment.
“This is just something we’re taking a look at,” Kraft said.
When it comes to his Facebook and Twitter pages, state Sen. Sam McCann says he tries not to bicker with disagreeable constituents.
“I will accept a friend request from almost anyone,” said McCann, R-Carlinville. “There’s only been a number of folks, who I can count on one hand, who I’ve had to de-friend. We don’t put up with any nonsense or get into any debates.”
McCann is one of a growing number of lawmakers using social media to get their messages out to constituents. Out of 118 members of the Illinois House, at least 77 have created Facebook accounts of some kind, and at least 48 representatives have created Twitter accounts. Out of 59 senators, 47 of them have created Facebook accounts, and 32 have Twitter accounts.
For McCann, Facebook is like a daily journal in which he posts recaps at the end of each day. McCann only has one profile—his personal one.
* The Question: Do you use social media? If so, which sites? Also, how do you use your social media accounts? How often?
Yeah, that’s more than one question, but try to answer as fully as you can. Thanks.
* I’m not sure that much of anything will happen today, but you can follow along with our ScribbleLive thingamajig.
* We’re also going to try something new this week. If you have a news update on session, you can now post directly to the ScribbleLive feed. However, do not use the feed for general comments and observations. Also, do not use the feed to post your lobbying talking points. Legit news updates only, please. I have it set for full moderation, so it may take some time for your post to appear. Thanks.
* OK, Blackberry users click here, everybody else can just watch the day go by…
(T)he CTU has hired veteran political consultant Delmarie Cobb, whose clients include Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and City Council members Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) and Anthony Beale (9th).
Gadlin, the CTU spokeswoman, said union leaders hoped Cobb would help beef up the labor group’s public-relations efforts because they felt “outgunned” last year by Emanuel’s aggressive push for longer school hours.
* Cobb, you may recall, worked for former US Sen. Roland Burris. Her main job was to fend off attacks. She is a big believer in the best defense being a strong offense. But she can also be somewhat offensive at times. I did a roundup of some of her Burris quotes back in 2009…
Now, Cobb says, Burris’ enemies are trying to bloody him up and weaken him with mounting legal bills.
“And then it won’t be called racism,” said Cobb. […]
Veteran political consultant Delmarie Cobb is a top adviser to Exhibit No. 1 of the old strain, Sen. Roland Burris. I visited her Bronzeville office last week during a pause in her winning battle to keep Burris in office.
“All of a sudden, we’re into this young thing, and anybody who’s been out here needs to be put out to pasture,” she vented. Cobb resents “that somebody would take this kind of knowledge and put it out to pasture.” […]
“They keep trotting out these marquee names to scare Roland,” said Delmarie Cobb, the senator’s media and political adviser, adding that some Democrats are out to “lynch” Burris and turn him into a “whipping boy.”
“In true David Axelrod style, all week, white progressive Democratic elected officials have called for Roland’s resignation - David Orr, Dan Hynes, Dick Durbin, Pat Quinn, and Alexi Giannoulias.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday declined to say whether it’s appropriate for faith-based groups that have become vocal public supporters of his controversial education agenda to receive millions of dollars in contracts from his administration.
Some organizations that were awarded grants to run after-school programs and to ensure children make it to and from school safely have come under scrutiny following complaints they paid people to testify in favor of Emanuel’s plans to lengthen the school day and close underperforming schools.
On Monday, the mayor was asked whether the intersection of contracts and political support amounted to a form of patronage. Emanuel did not directly answer the question. Instead, the mayor said he did not intend to take his “eye off the ball,” which he defined as transforming a system that locks kids in to failing schools.
“We cannot tolerate a status quo that locks kids in to the shortest year of any major city…” Emanuel said at an unrelated news conference. “Religious groups have a role to play beyond their congregation. They’re anchors in many communities. They are the thing that holds a community together. Can they play a role in safety and security? Yes.”
* That above story about Cobb’s hiring also included this…
An exclusive interview with Emanuel highlights the 35-minute video produced by the Michigan-based Education Action Group Foundation and Fox News political analyst Juan Williams. Williams narrates the video, saying the teachers union is “radically politicized” and is “repeatedly providing terrible examples for Chicago’s school children.”
A spokeswoman for Emanuel said Monday the mayor did not share those views of the union, but CTU officials were irked by Emanuel’s more-measured comments in an interview with Williams. The mayor discusses the opposition he faced from the CTU to some of his education proposals, such as extending the length of the school day this year.
“Do I think the union leadership has been a problem in resisting? Absolutely,” Emanuel tells Williams. Emanuel also says: “I think the system was never designed to benefit the kids.” And he lauds teachers at the Noble Street charter network’s schools as being “on a mission” and “not just doing a job.”
Chicago Public Schools’ plan to build an elementary school on polluted property in the shadow of the Chicago Skyway and an expiring coal-fired power plant near the Indiana border is raising the ire of parents in the working-class East Side neighborhood.
CPS already has paid more than $3 million for about 2 acres near 104th Street and South Indianapolis Avenue, a triangular parcel near a heavily congested traffic corridor, train tracks and towering industrial plants.
Preliminary testing at the site, which had been home to a gas station and more recently a carwash, uncovered eight underground gasoline storage tanks, one known to be leaking, and unsafe levels of the chemical benzene in the soil. But an official with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency cautioned that the true extent of the contamination won’t be known until more testing is completed. […]
CPS bought an acre from a relative of Ed Vrdolyak, aka “Fast Eddie,” the former Southeast Side political heavyweight and longtime alderman who had a reputation for wheeling and dealing. Vrdolyak was released from prison in November after serving 10 months for his role in a $1.5 million Gold Coast real estate scheme.
Parents charged Wednesday that the opposition to a 7-1/2 hour school day touted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel is strong and growing, with more than 900 parents signing a new online petition against it.
900? That’s it?
* Related…
* Skinner North principal to release longer school day survey results: According to survey tallies provided by the principal, the number of parents who prefer the extended day increased from 36 percent to 52 percent, but fewer people responded to questions in January. More than 87 percent of parents participated in the survey in October, while only about 60 percent of school families answered questions in January.
* Brizard: Raising Dropout Age To 18 Is A ‘Wonderful Idea’
* Minister in ‘rent-a-protester’ flap offers to open his books
* Schools CEO: We’re too obsessed with selective enrollment
* For at least the last 30 years, Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed to change the way Illinois funds its schools. The idea was to rely less on property taxes and more on statewide taxes to help ease the local burden. Dawn Clark Netsch made the proposal a centerpiece of her 1994 campaign, and Gov. Jim Edgar successfully hammered her for it. Not long after, however, Edgar himself proposed just about the same plan.
One of the concepts behind this idea is that property taxes are not based on the ability to pay. So, it’s better to lessen that tax burden and shift it to a tax that is based on the ability to pay, like the income tax.
The feeling after the 2006 gubernatorial election, when the Democrats swept the state, was that Illinois was as close as it would ever be to achieving this goal. Gov. Rod Blagojevich had a different idea, however. Instead of a “property tax swap,” he proposed what turned out to be a catastrophically unpopular gross receipts tax. The momentum was lost and the issue began to fade away.
The Senate Democrats revived the idea a couple of years ago with their tax hike plan that would’ve provided some property tax relief. The bill passed the chamber, but went just about nowhere in the House.
* And now the state budget crisis has apparently taken the whole thing off the table and Illinois politicos are discussing throwing the car into reverse. Instead of talking about local tax relief, the big new idea is to pass the pain down the governmental food chain to the locals…
Gov. Pat Quinn, responding to a dire new report on state finances Monday, said more clearly than ever that he wants schools and universities to help pay for their employees’ retirement costs.
A statement from Quinn’s budget office said the practice of state government paying for the retirement of downstate teachers and professors “requires careful examination and reform” because “employers need to have a stake in funding their own employees’ pension costs.”
Ben Schwarm, associate executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards, said schools can’t simply absorb hundreds of millions of dollars in new expenses.
“It’s either an $800 million cut in public education funding or … an $800 million property tax increase to cover the pension costs,” Schwarm said. “Either way, I’m not sure it’s the best way of solving the problem or in the best interest of the taxpayer.”
Sometimes, it’s amazing to me how fast things can change in politics.
I’m not sure this thing can pass, as I explained in my syndicated newspaper column this week. Downstate and suburban voters are not going to relish the prospect of paying higher local taxes, or watch as their schools are slashed even further.
There are also some who believe that House Speaker Michael Madigan is counting on vocal opposition to gain a bit of political advantage. His suburban and Downstate members can angrily vote “No” and then use the roll call in their campaigns this fall.
Either way, this issue needs to be debated in the proper context, and I think I’ve framed it the way it ought to be. Your thoughts?
* Related…
* Zorn: Researchers identify ‘effective’ school techniques
* Schools should pay more for teachers’ pensions: Quinn: Gov. Pat Quinn, responding to a dire new report on state finances Monday, said more clearly than ever that he wants schools and universities to help pay for their employees’ retirement costs. A statement from Quinn’s budget office said the practice of state government paying for the retirement of downstate teachers and professors “requires careful examination and reform” because “employers need to have a stake in funding their own employees’ pension costs.”
* Little dispute over report that Illinois soon to be $35 billion in hock
Joining Commissioner Bridget Gainer’s initiative examining Lollapalooza’s exemption from the Cook County amusement tax, Illinois Rep. Sara Feigenholtz is pushing the state legislature to probe whether the three-day concert is paying its share of state sales taxes on everything sold in Grant Park.
Although several sources, including Gainer, have said that the massive music festival uses its partnership with the not-for-profit Parkways Foundation to avoid paying the 6.25-percent sales tax, this reporter has not been able to confirm how it receives an exemption. Feigenholtz said on Friday that she intends to get an answer, and to seriously question whether a waiver is warranted. […]
Illinois law states that to qualify for an exemption from the sales tax, “Your organization must be not-for-profit and organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, or governmental purposes.” Lollapalooza, which is co-owned by politically well-connected Texas concert promoters C3 Presents and Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor (run by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s brother, Ari) clearly is a for-profit venture.
Last year, the festival gave Parkways more than $2 million for park improvements. But its gross revenues were more than $21 million, and it did not pay the 5-percent city amusement tax, the 1.5-percent county amusement tax, or any fee to rent and close Grant Park for much of the summer.
Oy.
* Nobody seems to know how this happened or why. Background…
Although Lollapalooza is very much a for-profit event, it partners to apply for all of its licenses with the non-profit Parkways Foundation, a favorite group of former Mayor Daley and his late wife, Maggie. A long-term sweetheart deal negotiated in part by the festival’s attorney and lobbyist, Daley nephew Mark Vanecko, exempts it from paying the 5 percent city amusement tax and the 1.5 percent county amusement tax, as well as the state sales tax levied on every other major event in Chicago—even though the municipal code clearly states that every big concert and sporting event must pay what’s owed unless 100 percent of its profits go to charity. […]
The loss in sales tax could be even more substantial, Gainer said, since local government has no idea what that cut of souvenir, food, and alcohol sales would even be. Parkways applies for the festival’s liquor license, but as this blog has reported, actual sales are handled by a corporation co-owned by Texas promoters C3 Presents and local bar owner Kevin Killerman, a client and friend of Vanecko.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he would ask the City Council to appoint a “third-party, independent” negotiator to broker talks with Lollapalooza and determine whether to eliminate the music festival’s multi-million dollar amusement tax exemption.
The hands-off stance is necessitated by the involvement of Emanuel’s brother, Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel. Ari Emanuel is the CEO of William Morris Endeavor, which co-owns Lollapalooza.
