*** UPDATE - 6:35 pm *** OK, so, the governor’s press office just called to say that the amendatory veto message they sent out for SB170 which imposed strict conflict of interest standards was e-mailed in error. That’s not actually what the AV does. What the AV really does is not known to me at the moment. So, I deleted the first part of the post.
Oops.
* 5:48 pm - [Deleted content…]
* The other AV was of SB90, which originally removed the requirement that Secretary of State driver facilities have deputy registrars and allows driver facilities to be permanent places for voter registration. From Quinn’s veto message…
My specific recommendation is to give voters the right, through binding referendum, to establish a Veterans’ Advocate as an official of local government to coordinate veteran services, act as a liaison between units of government and veterans, and promote measures by which local governments and agencies may assist the veteran population in the areas of job creation, education, housing, health care, and other issues as the Veterans’ Advocate deems appropriate.
The Quinn folks were definitely worried today about the “Indiana took our jobs” story today, so this might be seen as a nice little diversion.
As with most radical amendatory vetoes, these probably will never again see the light of day.
* Democrats close to Rahm Emanuel’s operation have leaked a few poll results from the survey we discussed a bit last week. The poll, conducted for Emanuel August 17-22, is of 600 likely voters. Let’s start with job approvals…
Not much to say other than those are pretty darned solid numbers all the way around. Yes, it’s still very early in his term, but engaging Emanuel in a political war would hardly be well-advised at the moment.
* Click the pic for a larger version of the character traits test…
Again, not somebody who can be easily messed with.
* This matches up pretty well with an Anzalone Liszt Research poll taken for the Teamsters Union June 7-12, which gave us a snapshot of his first month in office. From the pollster…
Rahm’s numbers have only strengthened and are now 77% favorable and 13% unfavorable. The biggest movement has been with white voters who have moved from 68% favorable to 79% favorable and whose unfavorable rating of him have dropped from 21% to 12%. I would think that both the 650 new cops on the street and the auterity measures with the budget have moved white voters, although all subgroups made gains.
Anzalone Liszt had Emanuel at 71 percent favorable and 15 unfavorable after the election in late April.
* The history of Gov. Pat Qunn’s approval rating is here.
* As expected, Gov. Pat Quinn just couldn’t help himself today.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said that he wants a Chicago casino to help invest in infrastructure improvements. Hizzoner laid out several serious problems that the casino money would help address…
Emanuel today said Chicago’s construction needs go far beyond the $1 billion Quinn said the state infrastructure plan has earmarked for Chicago roads, bridges and mass transit.
“It’s very simple. I think all of you saw the car that fell through. It’s not just a pothole. It’s because the pipes and water system in Chicago, parts of Chicago, a hundred years old,” Emanuel said. “The capital shortfall at CTA alone is in the multi-billions. That doesn’t count what I have to do for the roads, the 25 new schools, the 40 miles of new water infrastructure.”
Quinn, clearly in campaign mode, pivoted on Emanuel’s sinkhole example…
“There is a role for municipalities to pay attention,” Quinn said. “We’re not going to have a situation where every community in Illinois that wants to fill its sinkholes or potholes wants a casino. I mean, come on.”
* And then Quinn expanded the playing field and whacked Emanuel on another topic…
“They’re reviving the drive, and who do you think is paying for it? The state of Illinois is the big investor in that,” Quinn said, while also taking a swipe and Emanuel for placing his name on construction signs in the city, a practice Quinn banned at the state level.
“My name ain’t on that road, and I don’t want it to be, but the fact of the matter is we’re putting, I think, $300 million into a major endeavor to fix up a thoroughfare in the city of Chicago that needed radical improvement.”
If he was this focused during last year’s campaign, Quinn might have won more than four counties.
*** UPDATE *** Raw audio of the governor’s remarks…
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels joined executives from Illinois company Modern Drop Forge Tuesday to announce it is building a new facility in Merrillville, Ind.
Daniels said his state has offered Modern Drop Forge an incentive package worth $5.5 million over the next few years. The company will open a new manufacturing facility, creating up to 240 jobs by 2014. […]
Daniels invited the company executives to a mock citizenship naturalization ceremony Tuesday to welcome them to the state.
How cute. A “citizenship naturalization ceremony.” Excuse me, but when, exactly, did Indiana secede?
* Anyway, Indiana’s subsidy works out to just under $23,000 per job, spread out over three years. Then again, Daniels has grossly inflated job creation numbers in the past, so those numbers should probably be taken with a big grain of salt. Indiana has much lower workers’ comp costs than Illinois does, and that was one reason why the company moved…
Blue Island Mayor Don Peloquin says in this company’s case, workman’s comp differences alone will save several hundred thousand dollars a year.
“They’re looking at dollars. If it costs this much here under the workers comp law, when they go to Indiana, they drop it by 30 or 40 percent. They save that much money,” Peloquin said. “There’s very little a local mayor can do.”
* Illinois’ higher costs of doing business means that our subsidies probably have to be higher. For instance, Motorola’s state subsidy to remain in Illinois works out to about $44,000 per employee spread out over ten years. Even so,Mayor Emanuel just announced 200 new subsidy-free jobs for Chicago. Most of Emanuel’s job announcements, in fact, have involved no subsidies.
* Gov. Pat Quinn said he offered an incentive package to Modern Drop Forge, but no luck…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said he wanted Modern Forge to stay in Illinois and the state made a “generous” offer to the company to stay, but Quinn said it’s the company’s choice to leave.
* Meanwhile, Quinn was on Chicago’s South Side today, touting a new public works project that will benefit Ford, which is also kicking in some cash…
A new construction project on the Southeast Side will alleviate the frustration of motorists caused by lumbering freight trains — and create 1,200 new jobs, officials say.
The $146 million project will lower the intersection of 130th Street and Torrence so two new bridges carrying the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks can pass over it, Gov. Pat Quinn announced Tuesday morning. The streets and the tracks currently intersect, resulting in hours of delays for about 32,000 motorists a day, officials said. […]
The project is partially funded by Ford Motor Company, which has an assembly plant nearby that regularly experiences 20-minute delays as employees and trucks carrying goods wait for trains to pass.
“Every minute counts,” said Ford spokeswoman Mary Culler. “We cannot be competitive without state-of-the-art infrastructure.” […]
The state of Illinois is paying $64.8 million of the price tag, and Norfolk Southern, federal government, city and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District are contributing as well.
* The Quinn administration is doing everything it can to tout new jobs today, including this IDES press release…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and Aon Corporation (NYSE:AON) have come together to place more than 100 job seekers in good-paying jobs at the Chicago-based professional services firm. The collaboration highlights Governor Pat Quinn’s efforts to grow jobs and connect qualified job seekers with ready-to-hire employers.
“Aon is a leading Illinois company, and a perfect match for Illinois’ highly skilled workers,” said Governor Quinn. “This is a great example of how our state and private businesses can work together to connect businesses, workers and jobs.”
“We sought the assistance of the Department of Employment Security to help us identify qualified and talented candidates, and they exceeded our expectations in a quick and efficient manner,” said Greg Besio, Aon’s chief human resources officer.
Working with the IDES’ Employment Services division, Aon was able to hire benefits advisors to work out of its Aon Hewitt office in Lincolnshire. The temporary employment is expected to last through mid-December and pay between $17 and $20 an hour.
* In other business-related news, both the RTA and the City of Chicago filed lawsuits today against Kankakee and Chanahon over lost sales tax revenue. The governments are upset that these small towns have allowed sham sales tax havens to be set up, which the towns profit from. Here’s the mayor’s press release…
The City of Chicago today filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County seeking damages from the City of Kankakee, Village of Channahon and three brokers over a sales tax kickback scheme that is diverting sales tax revenue from the City of Chicago.
“Companies are gaming the system and cheating Chicago’s taxpayers,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I have to be the voice for the taxpayers and I will not tolerate this.”
The City alleges that Kankakee and Channahon have attracted a large number of corporations and an enormous amount of revenue by offering Illinois retailers kickbacks of sales tax revenue if they purport to process their retail sales through brokers set up in those municipalities. The brokers “accept” sales in Kankakee and Channahon on behalf of the retailers. Although this practice was prohibited by the Illinois legislature in 2004 but both municipalities continue to enter into such arrangements.
This practice is so profitable that Kankakee and Channahon now lead the state in annual retail sales per capita at $78,000 and $62,000 respectively—tenfold the per capita sales of Chicago and roughly double the per capita sales of municipalities that are home to major retail shopping malls.
I get the part about the ridiculous sham sales offices designed to avoid the Chicago-area’s high sales taxes. The state definitely needs to get rid of those.
But Kankakee does a lot of business with out of state companies which have no Illinois facilities and need a local sales tax nexus. Those out of state agreements are certainly inflating the tax receipt numbers used by Chicago. I may have more on this in a little while, so check back.
Chicago’s lawsuit is here. The RTA’s lawsuit is here.
* A couple/tree weeks ago we rated the job performance of Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Let’s continue our work.
* The Question: On a scale of one to ten, with one being the worst and ten the best, how would you rate Senate President John Cullerton’s job performance? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments. Thanks.
Tuesday, Aug 23, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
SB 1652 Does NOT Guarantee 10% Profit
Myth: Opponents of SB 1652 have falsely claimed that the bill locks in guaranteed utility profit margins.
Here’s the Truth: SB 1652 sets a “target” profit margin of 10.25 percent return on equity. This is lower than the national average for utilities over the last 10 years and would be the second lowest ROE that the ICC has given ComEd in the last 30 years.
But it can still be reduced in the following ways:
1. ICC disallows costs during the annual rate proceeding. The ICC retains authority to disallow utility costs. Today, the ICC routinely disallows tens of millions of utility costs in every rate case and has authority to do so under SB 1652. 2. Utility fails to meet new performance standards. SB 1652 contains comprehensive performance metrics and a utility’s ROE is reduced if it fails to meet targets. These include performance on reliability and customer service. 3. Lower than expected demand on the system. During an abnormally cool summer or poor economic conditions, demand falls and revenues contract. This drives down the amount of revenue collected by the utility resulting in less income.
There are no guarantees of profits in 1652. For more information on all the benefits of grid modernization, visit www.SmartEnergyIL.com.
* After falling for 16 straight months, Illinois’ unemployment rate has risen each of the last three months. Could January’s income tax hike have caused this? Nope, says the governor’s budget office…
Kelly Kraft, a spokeswoman for Quinn’s budget office, said there is “no connection” between the tax increases and the unemployment increase.
Shattuck said the tax increase, and Illinois’ overall business climate, are part of the uncertainty employers hate.
“That’s why there are so many businesses hoarding cash; they want to be able to pay the bills,” Shattuck added.
We actually gained 1,100 manufacturing jobs in July, according to the state. Mining, information and financial activities jobs all rose as well.
One reason the unemployment rate kept rising is that 5,500 government jobs disappeared in July. “Trade, Transportation, & Utilities” jobs dropped by 7,900 and “Leisure and Hospitality” jobs fell by 6,700. We also lost 4,300 construction jobs and 4,100 jobs in “other services.”
* But the reality is, the people who run most businesses are not exactly flaming liberals, and they ain’t happy…
A company based in the south suburbs is expected to announce Tuesday that it is relocating, taking 250 Illinois jobs to Indiana.
After 96 years in Blue Island, the Modern Drop Forge Co. is reportedly moving 30 miles east to Merrillville, Ind.
“The taxes are very high and Illinois is not friendly to business anymore,” said one employee with the company.
Sources say Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will announce Modern Drop Forge Co., which makes precision tools and metal components, including for Harley Davidson motorcycles, is the latest Illinois company to be lured away by lower taxes and business costs.
The Hoosier State’s Economic Development Corp. launched its “Illinnoyed” campaign, putting 15 billboards up along the state line. It also had an online advertising campaign through Crain’s Chicago Business; EDC spokeswoman Katelyn Hancock said she was told it was the third-most successful online campaign in Crain’s history.
Thirteen businesses representing about 1,000 jobs have committed to moving from Illinois to Indiana this year as a result of the marketing campaign, she said, and she expects more to come.
“Our efforts are still being reaped,” she said. “It takes a long time to relocate.”
Indiana’s unemployment rate also clicked up a bit in July, but its rate is 8.5 percent, a full point below ours.
Over the year, 24 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, 23 of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+269,500), followed by California (+189,600), New York (+106,600), and Ohio (+74,100). The only state with an over-the-year statistically significant decrease was Indiana (-28,300). [Emphasis added.]
Archer Daniels Midland Co. is closing a soybean processing facility in Galesburg immediately.
Decatur-based ADM issued a statement late Monday confirming the facility would close, according to WGIL Radio. The closure will cost Galesburg 31 jobs.
ADM says it expects a number of those jobs to be transferred to a different facility.
Shattuck said this summer’s legislative hearings into Illinois’ business climate may provide enough stability to convince employers in Illinois to start hiring.
“We’re trying to come up with ways to advance the business climate without costing the state any money,” Shattuck said. “But if we’re going to lower the tax increase that means other incentives have to go away. But which ones?”
*** UPDATE *** From a press release…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that EMC Corporation will open a new office and add 200 new jobs in Chicago over the next two years, as the city’s technology sector gets an added boost from a leading provider of information infrastructure and cloud computing technology.
“I am pleased to announce that EMC has decided to open a new office here in Chicago, and to create 200 important jobs for Chicagoans,” said Mayor Emanuel. “EMC is a global leader in information technology, and will drive forward Chicago’s technology economy and presence in this space.”
The new office in Chicago is expected to be open by the end of the first-quarter 2012, and will support EMC’s numerous Chicago-based customers.
* Survey: Small raises for salaried workers in 2012: After increasing salaries by 2.6 percent this year and last year, companies are planning a 2.8 percent bump in 2012, benefits and human resources consultancy Towers Watson reported Monday.
* Fitch Downgrades N.J. Bond Rating: New Jersey has skipped or greatly reduced its payments into the pension fund, contributing to the unfunded liability. The new law requires the state to make its payments, which currently total more than $3 billion a year, but is phasing the requirement in over seven years. This year’s pension payment, one-seventh of the total, was about $500 million.
* The back and forth sniping between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Pat Quinn just won’t end. You already know the background. Here’s the latest…
Emanuel said he wants the money a casino would generate to pay for major, job-creating infrastructure projects around the city, including modernizing antiquated underground water pipes that damage streets when they burst. Chicago, he said, can’t count on Washington or Illinois lawmakers to come up with all the necessary money.
“There is no other place but the casino to make the investment in Chicago’s economic competitiveness,” Emanuel said at a City Hall news conference touting his accomplishments as he marks his 100th day in office this week. […]
The governor’s office shot back at Emanuel after the mayor made his comments Monday, pointing out that Chicago has been the recipient of infrastructure projects because of a statewide capital construction program that Quinn championed.
“Gov. Quinn does not think that the state or the city can gamble its way to prosperity. He has led with other ways to keep the region competitive and put more people to work, most notably the capital plan, which is serving as the largest infrastructure investment in city history and has provided more than $1 billion for Chicago school, road and other local projects to strengthen our economic recovery,” Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said. [Added another paragraph because some people were getting the wrong idea about Emanuel’s comment.]
It’s like the governor’s office is in campaign mode. Never let a statement go unanswered.
The risk here is that Chicago ends up with its casino, but the mayor is still very unhappy. An unhappy mayor is not something that the governor will want to deal with. Such a situation will lead to all sorts of legislative and media problems. Chicago legislators could be pulled off Quinn’s initiatives in retaliation, for instance, and the Chicago media almost always takes the mayor’s side against any governor.
* And this may not abate any time soon. Check out Gov. Quinn’s media event plans today…
Governor Pat Quinn will announce a major Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction project that will improve regional transportation and create jobs in Chicago.
* Jim Thome has reportedly been placed on waivers by the Minnesota Twins. The Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly interested in picking him up. Thome played for both teams. The Tribune speculates that the White Sox might also be interested…
Although they haven’t publicly said anything, the White Sox could be another team with interest in Thome.
Manager Ozzie Guillen has said he regretted letting Thome go late in the 2009 season. Thome went to the Dodgers, then signed with the Twins before the 2010 season.
Because he’s a fully vested veteran, Thome has a no-trade clause, which means he has the right to approve a potential trade and can reject claims from any teams that might seek to claim him off waivers.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Monday that if any major league team claims Thome on waivers, the Twins have until Wednesday to seek a trade instead. If the Twins don’t receive a trade offer they deem worthy enough, they can pull Thome off waivers and reinstate him to the team.
Thome, who hails from the Peoria area, hit his 600th home run last week. Gov. Pat Quinn is reportedly considering declaring a “Jim Thome Day” soon.
What do you think? Should the Sox try to get him back?
…Adding… Considering how shabbily the Cleveland fans treated Thome after he came to Chicago, I really hope they don’t get him back. Those bums don’t deserve him.
* If it hasn’t been obvious to you that Treasurer Dan Rutherford is openly plotting a move up the political ladder in 2014 (likely to the governor’s office), even after reading his endless stream of Tweets about all the towns he’s visited since the start of the year, then this story might help…
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, a globetrotting businessman during his tenure as a vice president with ServiceMaster, said he’s paying for his own flight to Beijing.
“My 25 years of experience in the private sector working on international business makes me especially optimistic about the benefits of this trip. I will be given several opportunities to represent Illinois to Chinese businesses with the hope of our state’s economy becoming the beneficiary,” Rutherford said in a prepared statement.
The 13-day trip comes as Gov. Pat Quinn prepares to make a similar visit to the Far East with an eye on selling more Illinois products in China and Japan.
Quinn, who will be gone for 12 days beginning in mid-September, will make stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in China and Tokyo, Japan.
Apparently, this is something of a “me too” trip since Quinn is heading to China next month. According to the AP, the Chinese People’s Institute for Foreign Affairs is paying for Rutherford’s expenses, excluding his flight.
* In other quasi-campaign stuff, Fox News picked up a story that has received pretty much zero coverage in Illinois, and for good reason…
Maybe the Fox folks don’t know that this guy is not even close to being a journalist. Or maybe they do and decided to ding Dick Durbin anyway. Either way, kudos to Jim Anderson of the Illinois Radio Network for not giving in to this “activist” during a media availability.
*** UPDATE 2 *** I just talked to Paul Green, who runs these City Club things. The press conferences have not ever been part of the official City Club lunchtime events. They’re mainly informal gatherings at the Maggiano’s bar.
No longer. From now on, the pressers will be held as part of the City Club festivities and, henceforth, the club will require that reporters show credentials. Security will also be present.
The public Q&A, however, will pretty much proceed as it always has.
[ *** End Of Update 2 *** ]
* Meanwhile, Finke says the State Fair political days should be held every other year…
If the state’s two major political parties decided to drop their special days at the Illinois State Fair in non-election years, would anyone care? Would anyone notice?
It’s been a tradition since forever that Democrats and Republicans each gather for one day at the fair. When an election is coming up, those rallies can be mildly entertaining. Candidates for offices will show up to get some face time with the crowd and media. You can generally count on one or more speakers to deliver a stemwinder to rev everyone up to get out the vote. There’s a general sense of enthusiasm around the place.
Compare that to Governor’s Day and Republican Day this year. It was like everyone was just going through the motions. We’ve always gathered at the fair one day a year, and the fair is on, so let’s get it over with. […]
It’s just that last week’s political days were sort of blah. If they were only held every other year, maybe they would seem a little more special.
Yes, this year’s events were boring and mostly news-free (although I found plenty to write about by ignoring the speeches and working the crowds and the receptions). But, as I’ve said before, that’s because we have no statewide election next year (the first time this has happened since 1999). Some of the bigger crowd turnouts I’ve seen have been in the off-years before a gubernatorial or US Senate election, when tons of primary candidates descend on the fairgrounds. So, switching to a biennial event doesn’t really make any sense.
Asked if he’s thinking about running for governor that year, Dillard gave a quick “yes.”
“I’m going to take a swing down to Williamson County, and I’ll be at the DuQuoin State Fair,” Dillard said. He said even if he doesn’t run statewide, he’ll continue to travel because “I love this state.”
Dillard finished just 193 votes behind state Sen. BILL BRADY, R-Bloomington, in last year’s gubernatorial primary, when more than 750,000 votes were cast. Seven candidates were on that ballot, and Dillard said party and business community leaders should try to avoid such a wide open and expensive contest. […]
“What bothers me most is wasting millions and millions of dollars that Mr. McKenna and others made us waste that Bill Brady could have used to win the governorship,” Dillard said.
* This is just one problem that former state Rep. Mike Boland will have to deal with in the congressional primary…
For example, while serving as a state representative, Mike Boland gave scholarships to the daughter of his largest individual campaign contributor.
She gave $15,891 to Boland’s campaign in 2005 and 2006, and her daughter received a free ride to Western Illinois University. After two years, she transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her scholarship from Boland followed.
Boland, who left the Legislature earlier this year, now is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 17th Congressional District.
* McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi says he’s running for a third term. You will recall that two corruption cases brought against Bianchi were both tossed out of court by a judge this year…
During trials in March and earlier this month, the special prosecutors offered so little evidence that Winnebago County Judge Joseph McGraw–appointed to hear the politically charged cases–acquitted Bianchi before he even presented a defense.
But Bianchi said his decision to seek a third term wasn’t prompted by a desire to repair his image following his legal struggles.
“The satisfaction is already there. I’ve been vindicated,” Bianchi said. “I don’t need another four years for that.”
Instead, Bianchi said if he’s re-elected he wants to continue with programs he instituted during his tenure, including stepped up efforts to collect unpaid fines and court costs, as well as a diversion program that allows first-time offenders to clear their records through public service work and education.
Republican Tom Pliura, a doctor and lawyer from LeRoy, is running against state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, for the GOP nomination in the 51st Senate District, which stretches from McLean County to the Indiana border.
Pliura, who has not previously held elective office, showed his inexperience as a campaigner during a stop at the state fair Thursday. He was wearing a Cubs hat, thus alienating all of the Cardinals and White Sox fans in the district.
* From a Post-Dispatch story about the clash between organized labor and Gov. Pat Quinn over Quinn’s halting of contractual wage increases for unionized public employees…
“We welcome them. They can stay as long as they want,” Quinn said of the [fleeing Wisconsin Democratic senators] in a February interview on MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” Quinn in the interview lambasted anti-union sentiment in general, and his fellow governor Walker personally, accusing him of waging “a war on workers.”
“The people who teach our kids, who plow the snow off our interstates, those are working men and women and they deserve a decent pay and decent retirement,” Quinn said. “What Gov. Scott Walker’s doing in Wisconsin is just plain wrong.”
Some in the Illinois labor movement now view that interview with irony and bitterness — even to the point of comparing Quinn, unfavorably, with Walker.
“Whatever you think of what Scott Walker did … at least he changed the law (to do it). Pat Quinn is just ignoring the law, to flout collective bargaining rights,” said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) of Illinois.
* The Question: Is it fair to compare Gov. Pat Quinn to Gov. Scott Walker this way? Take the poll and then please explain your answer in comments.
* Peoria’s Catholic Bishop Daniel Jenky is not happy at all that the state has refused to contract with Catholic Charities for adoption and foster care services. In fact, he’s pretty darned upset…
Bishop Jenky pointed out that religious accommodations have been granted in states such as New York and Rhode Island regarding their establishment of civil unions. His Aug. 18 statement expressed sadness that “important elements of the political establishment in the state of Illinois are now basically at war with the Catholic community and seem to be destroying their institutions.” [Emphasis added]
Um, wow.
* In other news about religion and state, Secretary of State Jesse White is not happy about a new Illinois law that allows him to issue state identification cards without photos. The proposal was pushed to benefit the Amish, who have religious objections to photography…
“How do you use this document as a form of identification?” White said during an interview at the Illinois State Fair “You match the name with the face. I don’t see how that could take place without a picture.”
State Rep. Adam Brown, a Decatur Republican, pushed for the legislation during the spring legislative session. He said Amish leaders in Central Illinois wanted the exemption because of religious convictions about having their pictures taken. […]
Brown said he wants to work with White and the Illinois State Police to move forward with the idea. He has suggested the state police develop a separate, nonpublic database for Amish and other religious groups that could be called up to verify people opting against getting the pictures on the ID cards.
“I think an internal system could work very well,” Brown said. “We’ve also discussed using fingerprints. We definitely want to build safeguards into it.”
* As we’ve discussed several times before, several businesses have opened up “sales offices” in Downstate counties to avoid paying high local sales taxes in Cook and DuPage counties. Chicago, Cook County and the RTA defeated a bill earlier this year which would codify these havens into state law, but they failed to pass their own bill to kill the practice entirely. A Downstate judge ruled against the state’s efforts to collect unpaid sales taxes earlier this year, but the state is appealing.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office said late Friday that the city plans to file a lawsuit early next week against Kankakee and Channahon. “There is money that should be going to Chicago that is going to other cities,” said Chris Mather, a spokeswoman for Emanuel. […]
Just how much money is at stake is hard to track. Kankakee, which observers think has the largest program, reported paying companies about $125 million in sales-tax rebates between 2002 and 2010, but if those sales had taken place in higher tax venues, they easily could have generated double or triple that amount. […]
Within the next week, as many as eight suburbs that are home to Plass Appliance & Furniture showrooms are expected to jointly send a letter to the Revenue Department, asking for a ruling on the company’s routing of sales through Channahon, said Martin Bourke, village administrator for Bloomingdale, a DuPage County suburb.
The retailer stopped paying taxes to Bloomingdale in January 2008, and the village estimates it has lost nearly $100,000 in that time. Plass executives did not respond to requests for comment.
The sale of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. to Google Inc. is interesting in many ways, not least for what it tells us about the effectiveness of state tax breaks for big employers.
The message: Subsidies such as those Illinois granted Motorola earlier this year count for little in an age of rapid-fire corporate consolidation. Corporate executives who negotiate tax breaks in exchange for promises to keep jobs in the state can easily turn around and sell the company to a buyer who places less value on the subsidies.
Gov. Pat Quinn gave Motorola generous payroll tax breaks in return for continuing to employ thousands in the state. A few months later, the Motorola execs who negotiated that deal agreed to sell their company to a California-based acquirer with little reason to care about Illinois jobs. Moving or eliminating those jobs might make financial sense to Google, even if it means sacrificing the subsidies. After all, Google is much bigger than Motorola, with different strategic objectives.
I don’t necessarily disagree. I do wonder, however, what the publication’s editorial board would’ve written had Motorola Mobility announced it was moving away earlier this year.
* Meanwhile, is the exodus to exurbia dead? It appears so, at least for now…
Between 2000 and 2010, Kendall was the fastest-growing county in the United States, with a growth rate of some 110 percent, according to the Census Bureau. In the Chicago area, Kendall was not the only faraway land of big dreams. Population soared, too, in distant suburban Kane, Will and McHenry Counties. Even in DeKalb County, tall-corn country nearly halfway to Iowa, newcomers were drawn by visions of castles on a cul-de-sac.
Now real estate experts say these far-flung housing developments are among the hardest hit by the housing downturn. In Yorkville, with a population of about 18,000, at least 10 subdivisions sit unfinished, with little sign of development soon.
“The Chicago region has been one of the hardest-hit markets in the country,” said Erik Doersching, the executive vice president of Tracy Cross & Associates, a real estate analysis firm in Schaumburg. “And the outlying areas are the most impacted.”
In 2009 and 2010, the top foreclosure rates in Illinois were in Kendall, Kane and Will Counties. On the new suburban frontier along the farthest fringes of the Chicago region, where cheap land and rising prices once triggered a rush of buyers, some newer developments have become ghost towns in places like Yorkville, Frankfort, Sugar Grove and Hampshire.
* And speaking of exurbia, a proposed toll hike would put us above some states, but not too far out of line with the rest of the country…
Currently, the tollway, which encompasses 286 miles of road, charges about 3 cents a mile for I-PASS customers in passenger cars.
On average, drivers in passenger cars using electronic tolling on the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road also pay about 3 cents a mile. On the 241-mile Ohio Turnpike, the toll average is 4.2 cents a mile, while further east, the Pennsylvania Turnpike charges 7.7 cents a mile and the 138-mile Massachusetts Turnpike levies 9 cents a mile.
The Illinois tollway’s average would go to 6 cents a mile under the new proposal, but an individual’s cost increase could depend on his or her specific commute. The tollway’s plan proposes toll hikes of 35 cents at 40-cent plazas, 45 cents at 50-cent plazas, and increases at ramps ranging from 15 cents to 45 cents.
So, that would mean an I-PASS customer commuting daily from Arlington Heights to Lombard on I-355 and using tolled access ramps would pay $1.35 more a day, or $337.50 a year, assuming two weeks of vacation.
* Morris raises good questions in debate over tollway tolls
* Press Release: Governor Quinn Signs Bill to Reduce Transportation Costs for Illinois Businesses - New Law Modifies Truck Weight Limits to Increase Efficiency on Short Trips
* Kadner: This man doesn’t like deal that cuts electric rates
* Darin: The Smart Grid - A Better Forecast For Reliable Power and Clean Energy Jobs
Earlier this week, Emanuel ticked off the wish list of projects he intends to build with casino cash. It includes: 40 miles of roads and water mains; 25 new schools; 45 renovated CTA stations; 20 miles of new rail; 150 buildings to be made more energy efficient.
The mayor also talked about the other side of the equation: the steady “withdrawal” of state and federal funding that has created the infrastructure crisis.
The pressure tactic didn’t work with Quinn, who accused the mayor of “putting the cart before the horse” and spending casino cash he doesn’t have.
On Thursday, the mayor fired back on that point, too. Emanuel argued that he had shared the wish list with Quinn — and it was the governor who encouraged City Hall to make it public.
“I told him beforehand that this was how I was gonna use the money, and he asked me to lay it out specifically, which I’ve done,” the mayor said.
Since the Legislature adjourned at the end of May, Emanuel has met with Quinn as few as three times or as many as five, depending upon which side is counting. The controversial casino legislation passed by lawmakers this spring has come up during each meeting, both sides acknowledge.
* And the mayor’s office was apparently not pleased with this Quinn comment, either…
The governor’s office also pushed back by saying Quinn wouldn’t make a “rush to judgment” and approve the [casino] measure in light of the “parking-meter fiasco,” a reference to Daley’s unpopular long-term lease of the city meters.
The reference to the parking-meter controversy was viewed unfavorably in the new mayor’s shop. A frustrated Emanuel said he “will not allow Chicago’s future to be held hostage because the state obviously has other financial issues and their resources have been drying up over the years.”
* Gov. Pat Quinn said last week that he was still working on a solution to the crisis he created when he vetoed out the appropriations for regional superintendents’ salaries. But the superintendents filed suit on Friday, saying that they have exhausted all options with the governor.
I’ve asked for a copy of the lawsuit, but haven’t received it yet. I’ll post it when I get it…
The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools said it had no choice but to take the dispute to court after trying for weeks to reach a compromise with Quinn. “We have exhausted all options in working with the governor’s office,” said Bob Daiber, president of the association and regional superintendent for Madison County. […]
“Having missed three consecutive pay periods has generated real hardships on association members that face mortgage payments, property tax bills and monthly cost of living expenses,” Daiber said in a statement. The lawsuit says one superintendent is now on an unspecified form of welfare.
The lawsuit, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court, points out that the General Assembly created the offices in 1975, replacing what until then had been county superintendents. It argues Quinn doesn’t have authority to block the salaries of duly elected public officials. Even if the money specifically earmarked for their salaries is vetoed, the lawsuit claims, the State Board of Education must pay the salaries out of other funds.
The lawsuit argues that it is unlawful for the state to refuse to pay the regional superintendents’ salaries. The State Board of Education is required to pay salaries that are set by law, the suit says.
“It’s not up to us to create a law to pay ourselves,” Anderson said. “The law already exists, and we’re carrying out the responsibilities we’ve been elected to do, but we’re not being paid.”
Regional offices serve many functions, and Anderson said some of the major ones her office is responsible for are providing professional development and training for teachers, providing assessments to educators for certification and certificate renewal, acting as compliance officers and monitoring school compliance, conducting GED testing and assisting students and families through homelessness assistance and truancy programs.
Defendants listed in the lawsuit filed Friday include Quinn, Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch, members of the State Board of Education, Quinn budget director David Vaught and state Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, while plaintiffs include Shannon Fehrholz, assistant regional superintendent for Sangamon County, whose husband is serving with the National Guard in Afghanistan, and Monte Newlin, regional superintendent of Clay, Crawford, Jasper, Lawrence and Richland counties, who has said he was forced to apply for food stamps to feed his wife and triplets because he has no income.
Way back in 1981, Gov. Jim Thompson got into a fight with the Illinois General Assembly over who should fund the salaries of county state’s attorneys.
By law, Illinois was on the hook for two-thirds of those salaries. Thompson originally proposed paying all of the state’s share, then decided that locals should pick up the tab and not the state. The General Assembly negotiated a deal with the governor to pay 80 percent of the required funding. But Thompson turned around and vetoed the entire appropriation.
The state’s attorneys all of a sudden weren’t getting paychecks and threatened to sue, county governments were enraged at having this financial hardship dumped on them, and the General Assembly worked itself into an uproar over Thompson’s decision to break their deal. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Thompson made an unprecedented move and simply declared that he’d “unvetoed” the appropriation. Democratic Comptroller Roland Burris announced that he would recognize the “unveto” as legitimate and go ahead and pay the state’s attorney salaries.
The premise was that since the General Assembly had not convened since the original veto and, therefore, hadn’t yet entered Thompson’s veto into the record as received, the original appropriation veto wasn’t completely official. The state’s attorneys were paid and all was forgotten.
Does this sound familiar to you?
It should.
Gov. Pat Quinn has put himself into the same trick box as Big Jim did all those years ago.
Quinn has tried to get rid of state funding for regional superintendents of schools for at least the past two years.
There are good arguments on both sides of this issue. The regional superintendents say they are mandated by the state to carry out a long list of specific statutory duties. Some districts find their work highly beneficial.
Another argument is that the superintendents are a needless layer of bureaucracy. When Cook County’s regional superintendent was abolished, hardly anybody noticed the difference, except for the money saved.
Quinn’s position is that regardless of whether these superintendents are needed or not, local taxpayers ought to be picking up the tab for their salaries. They are local elected officials, after all. And like countywide state’s attorneys, they ought to be paid for with local cash so the state can concentrate on using its resources elsewhere; especially since federal education funding has drastically declined since President Barack Obama’s stimulus program ended.
But once again, Quinn lost the argument with the General Assembly. The Legislature provided $11.3 million in state funding for the salaries of regional superintendents and their operating budgets.
Then, in a surprise move, Quinn vetoed all that state funding out of the budget.
No regional school superintendents have been paid since the state’s fiscal year began July 1st. The uproar has been as loud as it was predictable.
So, it may be no surprise to learn that a Thompsonesque unveto “solution” now is being pushed by some folks to solve the crisis that Quinn created. Quinn, some say, should just realize he made a mistake and undo his veto.
The push comes after the latest plan to resolve the situation fell flat on its face.
The Quinn administration wanted the Illinois State Board of Education to use its personnel budget to pay the regional superintendent salaries. Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka agreed to pay the salaries through the board if the deal could be cut, but the state board refused, worried that it might not be legal and that even if it was, the General Assembly wouldn’t replenish their already slashed personnel budget when the Legislature reconvenes this fall. Nobody really expects Quinn to follow in Thompson’s footsteps, however. Unlike Quinn, Thompson was never accused of being a chronic flip-flopper. And despite Thompson’s established precedent, Quinn would be mercilessly hammered in the media for making such a move. Plus, even with all the flipping and the flopping, Quinn absolutely hates to admit to being wrong.
The governor said last week that he was still looking for a way out of the problem, preferably through local funding. But that may have to wait until the late October legislative session. It’s a heck of a long time to live without a paycheck.
* One storm-related stage collapse may be a “fluke,” but we’ve seen three of these in the past month. Back on July 17th, one of those big scaffold rigs above a stage collapsed on Cheap Trick up in Canada. Then there was the horrific rigging collapse in Indiana, which now has a death toll of six. A scaffold collapsed on a Belgium concert stage area this week, killing five.
Every venue needs to make sure their scaffolding is safe and that they can and will get people the heck out of the way of incoming storms. Period. No more of this, please.
* The Tubes are playing at the State Fair tonight. I saw them back in 1981, when I was living in Munich. I had high hopes for that show, but was somewhat disappointed. They’d drastically toned down their act by then. Gone were the X-Rated antics and, more importantly, the Zappaesque music and attitude. Instead, it was obvious they were going for the Top 40, and they made it. But the music just wasn’t as good.
The Tribune, examining [freshman Republican Congressman Joe Walsh’s] driving record, found that from 1989 to 2009 he was cited in Cook and Lake counties for traffic offenses 17 times, records show. The records are not clear on how many citations led to convictions, but reflect that he has paid hundreds of dollars to address the tickets, which included speeding, driving without current registration, driving without insurance and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
For almost nine months ending in April 2009, Walsh lost his driving privileges because of a failure to appear in court on a traffic case, according to Elizabeth Kaufman, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state.
Walsh’s license was suspended again this past April — while he was in Congress — because he did not abide by a state requirement to maintain high-risk car insurance known as SR-22, which is used by the state to monitor what it calls problem drivers, Kaufman said.
He got his license back last month, according to the article.
The must-read Tribune piece also looked at several lawsuits filed against Walsh, as well as his somewhat odd work history and, of course, the allegations that he owes a hundred grand in back child support.
I’ve believed for a long while that we as a state and a nation elect far too many dweebs who’ve never been in any kind of trouble. Such a “zero tolerance” attitude by the media and the public leaves us with an overwhelming number of overly cautious (and probably hiding something) vanilla leaders who don’t know what real life is all about. I have to admit, however, that Walsh is kinda testing my theory’s limits.
* By the way, Walsh also asked for taxpayer financing of a trip to Israel, which included attending Glenn Beck’s big to-do over there. You can watch a video of Walsh and Beck discussing the denial of funding by the Ethics Committee here.
* Nobody can say that this is a gigantic surprise…
Jim Hendry has been dismissed as the Cubs’ general manager, the team announced on Friday.
He was the only general manager in franchise history to oversee three postseason clubs (2003, 2007, 2008) and was the first Cubs general manager to lead the franchise to consecutive postseason berths.
“My family and I appreciate Jim’s dedication during our time with the Cubs and thank him for his overall 17 years of service to the Cubs organization,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. “It is time for a fresh approach in our baseball leadership and our search begins immediately for our next general manager.”
Hendry, 56, was named vice president/general manager on July 5, 2002 and departs as the third-longest tenured general manager in the National League and the third-longest-tenured general manager in franchise history behind John Holland (1957-75) and James Gallagher (1940-49).
“At end of the day, I’m not going to leave here with any problems,” Hendry said. “Tom Ricketts is a good man. We just didn’t win enough games.”
Owners of the Chicago Cubs have quietly launched a new campaign to rebuild Wrigley Field with public help — and this time, City Hall wants to be helpful.
Sources close to the matter say that team chief Tom Ricketts in recent weeks has met with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other government officials about a funding scheme that could be put before state lawmakers as soon as the Legislature’s fall veto session.
According to sources, the plan envisions as much as $200 million in public help for a $400-million rebuild of Wrigley, with officials given a menu of potential funding options to get the needed cash. […]
But others say that no agreement yet has been reached and could yet be a ways off, given big budget holes faced by the city, county and state.
Chances of cutting a deal now — at least in time for the veto session — are around 50-50, said a source involved in the talks, with Senate President John Cullerton long on record as advocating help for the team, which is a major employer in his North Side district.
* The day set aside every year at the Illinois State Fair for the minority party is always filled with people who have very high hopes. This, however, may be a bit much…
Republicans predicted they will overcome Democratic-drawn legislative and congressional map and beat President Barack Obama in his home state on Thursday, their day to rally party activists at the Illinois State Fair.
If the map is tossed out by the courts, then the Republicans will do far better. But beating Obama here? I wouldn’t bet very much money on that. However, Sen. Murphy is almost undoubtedly correct about this point…
“You look at Bill Brady getting 99 out of 102 counties, you see people up in my area in suburban Cook that are really suffering when they expected something different when President Obama was elected,” said state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine. “The 61 percent he got in 2008, he’ll be nowhere near that.”
Obama won Murphy’s very Republican Northwest suburban district in 2008 with about the same percentage that Murphy received. Not gonna happen next year.
* Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno is also probably right…
“I would be surprised if that happened [Obama losing Illinois] just because I think there is a real allegiance to the favorite son, a pride in having the president,” Radgono. “I think it’s going to be a heckuva lot closer than it was last time. I don’t think his re-election is a shoo-in as people thought it was a couple years ago.”
Republicans largely ignored the impact of new legislative and Congressional districts, drawn by ruling Democrats at the statehouse, that are likely to help Democrats keep control of Springfield and win back seats in the U.S. House. Republicans are challenging the maps in court.
They talked about building on the five seats they picked up in Congress last year, statewide victories by Treasurer Dan Rutherford and Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, and gains in the Illinois House and Senate, where they are minorities in both chambers. Demetra DeMonte, a Pekin resident who serves as secretary of the Republican National Committee, said the Republican tide that swept America last year was the “beginning of a Renaissance.”
Added U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria, “I don’t know about you, but I smell blood in the water.”
Rally speakers drew parallels between Illinois’ dismal finances and the Washington battles over the budget and deficit. Calls for change were buttressed by new unemployment figures released Thursday that show joblessness in Illinois rose to 9.5 percent - the third consecutive month unemployment has increased in the state.
A lack of consumer confidence and uncertainty about the national economy contributed to the third monthly increase in unemployment in a row in July, officials with the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday.
The 9.5 percent rate was up from 9.1 percent in June and compared with 10.1 percent in July 2010. Total employment was down by 24,900 jobs. […]
Illinois has added 28,900 jobs this year and 72,200 since January 2010 after the July losses are subtracted. The department also noted manufacturing employment increased for the fourth straight month in July.
* Many top Republicans have yet to pick a candidate in the presidential race, but some have…
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is Romney’s state campaign chairman.
“I’m going to be putting together the delegates and we’re going to be working hard to elect him the next president of the United States,” said Rutherford.
Meanwhile, State Senator Kirk Dillard says he has “promised” to help Governor Perry.
“He brings a record of job creation second to none of any governor in America,” said Dillard.
Other high-profile Republicans are waiting for a candidate to sign their dance cards. Conservative activist Adam Andrejewski, who raised money for Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty before Pawlenty dropped out of the race, is available.
* Some media outlets reported that yesterday’s turnout yesterday was a bit sparse. I’ve seen much worse, particularly during the last two years of George Ryan’s administration and the first year or two of Rod Blagojevich’s. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said the Democrats had more people this week because they bussed in union members. Um, Chairman, those union members were mostly protesting against Quinn outside the fair gates.
* A couple of hours before the event started, the statewide and legislative Republican leaders reiterated their opposition to more state borrowing…
Soon to enter their ninth year in Illinois’ political wilderness, Republicans rallied Thursday against Gov. Pat Quinn’s management of the state budget, beat up President Barack Obama for mishandling the economy and insisted the party finally has shaken George Ryan’s tarnished legacy.
Those messages represented the themes of Republican Day at the State Fair, giving an early glimpse of some of the talking points the GOP will use in the 2012 elections, when Obama aims to retake the White House with a strong Illinois showing, and control of both legislative chambers will be up for grabs.
“We have the right message: fiscal responsibility, no more borrowing. We’re all together on this message. It’s what this state needs, and it frankly is what this country needs,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) told a couple hundred supporters at the fairground event.
“We have an electorate that’s been shocked into awareness by the horrible mismanagement by the Democrats,” she said.
Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, state House Minority Leader Tom Cross and state Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno held a joint news conference here to address comments Quinn made late last week.
“The very thought that anyone would consider borrowing as a solution to our problem is breathtaking. We cannot use borrowing as a crutch for a tax system and budgetary system that is just broken,” said Topinka, who is in charge of the state’s checkbook.
Quinn told a gaggle of reporters Aug. 11 that he would continue to push his plan for borrowing in the upcoming veto session in October, despite the Legislature refusing to support his original idea this spring to borrow $8.75 billion.
Republicans offered few details about how they would run things differently if put in charge of Springfield.
They criticized Quinn for not paying down a $4 billion pile of overdue bills but rejected his proposal to eliminate the backlog by borrowing money, and they acknowledged their own budget plans would take about five years to pay off the bills. Republican leaders proposed cutting government spending by making unspecified changes to Medicaid, government pensions and health insurance for state employees.
Members of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee voted Thursday to impose term limits on committee members and also decided to move the party’s Springfield office to save money. […]
Rodney Davis, the GOP’s interim executive director, said the term limit will take effect in 2014 – the next year members of the state central committee are up for selection. The party has one member from each congressional district, and each of those people appoints a deputy member.
The rule would allow a person to be a deputy member for eight years and a regular member for another eight.
Davis also said the central committee decided to leave its current headquarters at 320 S. Fourth St., which costs $1,600 per month in rent. The party will rent space from the Republican state Senate campaign operation at 2731 S. MacArthur Blvd. The move could come as early as Oct. 1.
From the way it was explained to me yesterday, the term limits kick in with the next election in 2014. Previous terms are not included in the new limits. So, if somebody has been around for several terms, he or she could still run for two more four-year terms in ‘14.
* Hultgren gets cheers, boos during tax talk in Geneva: Some constituents held signs that read “Where are the jobs?” and “Tax Wall Street Millionaires.” Others stood outside with a greeting of “Throw the bum out” while passing out literature with a photo altered to show President Barack Obama with crossed eyes and a Hitler-esque mustache. Hultgren would get simultaneously booed and cheered no matter what he had to say, on topics from job creation to taxes.
* Eaton: Unfortunately, Illinois has a GOP establishment
[Gov. Pat Quinn] joked about his time with Republican presidential candidate Texas Governor Rick Perry, with whom he roomed during a trip to Iraq two years ago.
“And I had to listen to his so-called philosophy for seven days. The harshest philosophy known to man,” Quinn said.
Pat Quinn and Rick Perry were roommates for seven days? Wow. The horror. The horror.
* The Question: How do you think those conversations went?
Have fun.
* Wednesday’s caption contest winner was sal-says…
No, really. I’ll figure this Governor thing out soon; I’m near the last chapter.
* I always thought that John Schmidt was a pretty darned good Sangamon County State’s Attorney back in the day. We had several long conversations about crime and punishment and he really seemed to have put a lot of thought into his role in the criminal justice system.
That thoughtfulness has apparently followed him to the circuit court bench. Despite being up for election next year in a very Catholic area, Schmidt issued a concise, to the point opinion in a case which pitted Catholic Charities against Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration over the right of the group to participate in adoptions and foster care while refusing to place kids with people who entered into state approved civil unions. You can read Schmidt’s opinion by clicking here.
An Illinois judge ruled Thursday that the state can stop working with Catholic Charities on adoptions and foster-care placements, which the state decided to do in July after the nonprofit agency refused to recognize Illinois’ new civil unions law.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt said that no one, including Catholic Charities, has a legal right to a contract with the state government. He did not address the more sensitive issue of whether a state contractor that refuses to serve gays and lesbians is violating the state’s new civil unions law.
The state Department of Children and Family Services ended $30 million in contracts with Catholic Charities in four dioceses in July, but Schmidt temporarily reinstated them while he considered the case.
Catholic Charities argued the state could not cancel contracts that have been in place for four decades. Attorneys said the organizations had a legal right under the state’s constitution to follow their religious beliefs and only provide services to married couples and single parents living alone.
In the Peoria Diocese, the ruling affects 975 children in foster care. The Springfield Diocese has 257 cases, and the Joliet Diocese has 218. The Belleville Diocese has 547 foster care cases.
The state has never forced Catholic Charities to accept state contracts, Schmidt wrote.
At a hearing Wednesday, assistant attorney general Deborah Barnes argued the state has the right to set contract terms within the limits of the law.
A spokesman for Catholic Charities issued a brief written statement in response to Schmidt’s decision.
“The ruling does not address Catholic Charities’ contention that the state of Illinois cannot refuse to contract with someone based on that person’s exercise of religion,” the statement said. “Thomas More Society attorneys are reviewing the ruling and considering next actions with Charities.”
Pointing to a clause in the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act that they believe protects religious institutions that don’t recognize civil unions, the agencies said they would refer those couples elsewhere and only license married couples and single parents living alone.
But lawyers for the Illinois attorney general said that exemption only shields religious clergy who don’t want to officiate at civil unions. The policy of Catholic Charities violates state anti-discrimination laws that demand couples in civil unions be treated the same as married couples, they said. […]
Tom Brejcha, the lawyer for Catholic Charities, said he likely would ask Schmidt to reconsider the issue of religious liberty, which he believes is more relevant than property rights. Brejcha also said he likely would ask the state to agree to a stay of the judge’s order until all appeals are exhausted. Such a stay would delay the transfer of about 2,200 children in Catholic Charities’ care to new child welfare agencies.
“There’s a lot to argue about here,” Brejcha said. “The exercise of religion can not be substantially burdened. … That alone could carry the case for Catholic Charities. A lot of these people involved feel they are compelled by their faith. … The burden is pretty substantial.”
Bishop Daniel Jenky, the head of the Diocese of Peoria, said in a statement that the unwillingness of DCFS to make an exception for religious groups suggested that “important elements of the political establishment in the state of Illinois are now basically at war with the Catholic community and seem to be destroying their institutions.”
Kendall Marlowe, deputy director of DCFS, said Catholic Charities has been one of the better quality care providers in Illinois, but that does not excuse them from following state law.
“We don’t want to see them leave the field, but the law has changed in Illinois and all child welfare agencies have to respect civil unions,” he said.
“While it may be unfortunate that we have to make this transition, we will be able to make this transition without significant disruption for these children.”
Now that a Sangamon County judge has ruled Catholic Charities does not have a right to state contracts, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services plans to resume the process of removing some 2,000 foster care and adoption cases from Catholic Charities agencies in Peoria, Joliet, Springfield and Belleville.
DCFS will review each child’s case, as well as the performance and capacity of other private agencies before transferring Catholic Charities’ caseloads to other agencies.
Today’s decision by Judge Schmidt is a good decision for the children under the care of DCFS in Illinois. The primary goal in foster care and adoptive services must be the best interest of the children in need of loving, secure homes. The State has a responsibility and constitutional obligation to assure that all decisions about foster and permanent homes for children are made in the best interest of the child – not other factors including the religious views of the contractual provider. Lesbian and gay men across Illinois daily provide secure, good homes for foster and adoptive children – and have done so for many years. These loving parents must be allowed to participate fully and equally in any program performing the state’s function of licensing and placing children with foster or adoptive parents.
Earlier this week, Emanuel ticked off the wish list of projects he intends to build with casino cash. It includes: 40 miles of roads and water mains; 25 new schools; 45 renovated CTA stations; 20 miles of new rail; 150 buildings to be made more energy efficient.
The mayor also talked about the other side of the equation: the steady “withdrawal” of state and federal funding that has created the infrastructure crisis.
The pressure tactic didn’t work with Quinn, who accused the mayor of “putting the cart before the horse” and spending casino cash he doesn’t have.
On Thursday, the mayor fired back on that point, too. Emanuel argued that he had shared the wish list with Quinn — and it was the governor who encouraged City Hall to make it public.
“I told him beforehand that this was how I was gonna use the money, and he asked me to lay it out specifically, which I’ve done,” the mayor said. [Emphasis added.]
Seriously, why would you do this to the mayor of the biggest city in your state?
* Meanwhile, Abdon Pallasch has a fascinating story in today’s Sun-Times listing all the questions from a lengthy new Rahm Emanuel poll…
A telephone survey of Chicago voters offers the most extensive clues yet about what Mayor Rahm Emanuel might do to close a $636 million budget gap.
Closing libraries; a 15 percent cut to police, fire and emergency management administration; a $2.5 million cut to programs for seniors, low-income housing and domestic violence are all proposals respondents are asked to give their opinions on.
The survey also opens a window into what issues weigh heavily on the mayor’s mind:
“Rahm Emanuel has been a disappointment as mayor so far and is no better than Mayor Daley,” is one of the statements voters are asked to say whether they agree with.
Another asks whether voters support Emanuel’s school board hiking property taxes $150 million or whether they view that as the mayor “going back on his word” not to raise taxes.
Go read the whole thing. Lots of interesting stuff in there, including a question about a Chicago casino.
* In other news, the Rockford Register Star continues its cheerleading for a local casino on its news pages. Check out this lede…
The latest group to join the Rockford Casino Coalition did it on their turf — the ground was covered with dirt and hay, excited 4-H kids milled about and cows flapped their tails back and forth.
That was the backdrop for this morning’s news conference, the latest in a series of official proclamations from local groups pledging their support to Senate Bill 744, also known as the gambling expansion bill, which includes a casino in Rockford.
I’m not sure how the fair is going about selecting the “celebrities” for its annual celebrity harness race anymore, but [Wednesday’s] array of drivers hardly qualify, as far as I can tell. No offense intended to any of them.
Riding along with professional harness drivers in today’s race were Mica Matsoff, communications director for Gov. Pat Quinn; Rich Miller, owner and reporter at Capitol Fax; Steve Brown, spokesman for Speaker of the House Mike Madigan; and John Patterson, spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton. […]
But can we look at this for what it is and go back to having actual more fair celebrities in the race instead of elected officials’ employees?
No offense taken, other than the goofy errors in the piece.
First of all, to my knowledge the State Fair has nothing to do with choosing the “celebrities.” And I think it’s actually called a celebrity race because we are not licensed drivers and there’s no betting allowed on the event (well, no legal betting anyway).
And I may have missed it, but I don’t recall any Hollywood movie stars or rock and rollers participating in this race. Back in 2006, the year before I was asked to participate, the “celebrities” weren’t exactly nationally known names, either, nor were some of them “fair celebrities.” From a State Fair press release…
Celebrity Horse Racing entertains all
Celebrity harness horse racing excited Grandstand fans as local celebrities took part in a friendly competition this afternoon. State Fair manager Amy Bliefnick and driver Julie Miller dashed to an early lead. After the first quarter mile, though, WFMB Radio’s Sam Madonia and driver Andy Miller pulled ahead and kept the lead for most of the race until faltering on the homestretch. News Channel 20’s Sara Wojcicki, with driver Tom Simmons, and the Springfield State Journal Register’s Marcia Martinez, with driver Rick Schrock, were neck and neck the final quarter mile. In a photo finish, Channel 20’s Wojcicki won first place by a nose over the S J-R’s Martinez.
Yep. You just can’t beat that A-List of yore. No offense, of course.
* Look, I obviously enjoy being in that race. I publicize it here and it always draws a significant crowd, many of whom wouldn’t be there normally. If they want somebody else to race, that’s absolutely cool with me. Heck, if Mick Jagger or Leonardo DiCaprio want to take my spot they’re more than welcome. Imagine the crowd that would draw. But as long as the horsemen ask me to do it, I will. It’s just way too much fun to pass up.
* My fax/e-mail service went down this morning. This should be a temporary blip since the company has always been pretty reliable. I’ll get the Fax out as soon as I can. You can, of course, use your password to access today’s issue.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
*** UPDATE - 9:06 am *** And we’re back up and running. Just a minor glitch.
