State Senator Dave Syverson helped write the gaming bill and used his local clout to steer the city of Rockford to approve just one casino developer. The investor group that won the city's approval has political and financial ties to Syverson.https://t.co/4atrrlgHVn
State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) went all in for a casino project that would directly benefit his business partner and top campaign donors.
Public records and communications obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show Syverson was in close personal contact with local and county officials during the pivotal moments leading up to the city’s decisive vote to award the casino project to an investor group that included his friends, campaign donors and associates. […]
Syverson chafed at Mayor Tom McNamara’s insistence that city aldermen abstain from talking to anyone about gaming until the city rolled out its own presentation. […]
Syverson claims he complained to the Gaming Board and sought a ruling that would allow him to speak directly to the Rockford City Council, even as they were under a prohibition to speak to any lobbyists or agents of the casino operators. […]
On Saturday, September 28th, 2019, the local newspaper reported Mayor Tom McNamara wanted to send the Illinois Gaming Board multiple options, and rank them in order of preference, in order to have a backup plan in place.
“The mayor’s initial preference, and might have been his preference if we had three viable applicants, was to send more than one down so that we had backup if any of them did not make it,” Holzwarth said.
That weekend, ahead of a pivotal city council vote, Syverson used his state Senate letterhead and communications staff to lobby support for the city to select just a single developer, and urged the public to consider what he saw as disqualifying differences between his business partner’s bid and the other developers’ application, which he discounted as merely a “dream.”
The Syverson business partner referenced above is Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, whose wife Karen is a casino investor. There’s more, so click here.
Today, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx filed motions to vacate more than 1,000 low-level cannabis convictions. The State’s Attorney’s Office is providing this relief for Cook County residents in advance of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act taking effect on January 1, 2020. The new law makes cannabis legal in Illinois and requires the expungement of minor marijuana offenses.
The convictions vacated today were for non-violent Possession of Cannabis cases under 30g. Today’s filings, initiated by Foxx, make it as though these convictions never happened. They will now be expunged and permanently removed from criminal records.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) handles approximately 19,000 petitions for conviction relief each year, averaging approximately 1,500 each month. Today, the CCSAO processed more than 1,000 convictions in one court call.
“Today, we made history and took the first step in the single largest and most equitable piece of criminal justice reform Illinois has ever seen,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “As prosecutors who implemented these convictions, we must own our role in the harm they have caused – particularly in communities of color – and play our part in reversing them. Clearing records is not only a critical part of righting the wrongs of the failed war on drugs, but an intentional step to give people the chance to move forward, which benefits all of our communities.”
Despite being low-level and non-violent in nature, these cannabis convictions can create barriers to employment, housing, and education, as applicants are often asked if they have ever been convicted of a crime.
In January of 2019, State’s Attorney’s Foxx announced that her office would be pursuing conviction relief for low-level, non-violent cannabis offenses. In the months that followed, she worked closely with legislators to ensure that the new law included the broadest and most equitable conviction relief possible.
“Statewide, hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans are held back by their low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color. And hundreds of thousands of others have had to watch their friends and loved ones struggle because of an arrest or conviction they got for something that will be legal starting on January 1st,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker. “This is to say nothing of the fact that arrest rates and prosecution have never reflected consumption rates across racial lines.”
“We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that unfairness and the damage it visited upon so many families. But we can govern our state with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past—and the decency to correct the record and set a better path forward,” Pritzker added.
In August, State’s Attorney Foxx announced an innovative partnership with a non-profit organization, Code for America, to process these records quickly, efficiently, and at no cost to individuals seeking relief. With the aid of Code for America’s technology, the CCSAO can securely evaluate eligibility for record clearance by reading and interpreting conviction data in just a few minutes. This faster approach to conviction relief allows the CCSAO to focus more of its limited resources on the drivers of violent crime.
The convictions vacated today will now be expunged and removed from individuals’ records as though they never happened. Once that record has been removed, the Clerk of the Circuit Court will mail or email notice to the individual’s last known address. Cook County residents or former residents whose convictions took place in Cook County can update their address at www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/address.
* Excerpt from governor’s remarks…
Today marks another important step in righting the injustices of the past. The 1,000 names that State’s Attorney Foxx began to read in that courtroom represent 1,000 real people who will be given a second lease on life. And this is only the beginning.
Before we take questions, I want to remind everyone that yesterday kicked off the application window for a new group of cannabis dispensaries and a chance for new entrepreneurs to succeed in this new market. Social equity applicants will be eligible for the 75 licenses that will be granted in the next few months – and they’ll be able to get business loans to get off the ground, funded by the existing industry. Applicants have until January 2nd to submit their applications for a cannabis dispensary. Now and in the coming weeks, our Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will be hosting workshops across the city of Chicago and throughout the state to answer questions and assist applicants. In fact, I was pleased to see that we had a full house at their workshop in Englewood on Monday night.
And before I introduce the next speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize the solemnity of the proceeding we witnessed today in Judge Evans’ courtroom. We honored the victims of the War on Drugs and we will continue to do so in the days and months ahead.
* The 2019 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Illinois Senate Democratic Campaign Staffer goes to Miles Sodowski…
Not content with doing a great job on the legislative side with marijuana and everything else, Miles also works incredibly hard on the campaign side. His most recent campaign victory with Aud Crowe is proof of this. Having a first timer Democrat in downstate Illinois is tough these days but he never shirked the hard work necessary to win.
* The 2019 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Illinois Senate Republican Campaign Staffer is a tie: Jake Ford and Adam Zmarzlinksi…
Jake Ford and Adam Zmarzlinksi never flinched when asked to get petitions for the caucus this year. Rain, snow and wind storms didn’t stop them from getting the job done. I respect their dedication and expect to see great things from them next year.
Congrats to everyone!
* On to today’s category…
* Best government spokesperson
* Best government staff/official
The categories can apply to any level of government, whether legislative, executive or even local as long as there’s some state connection. Elected officials and agency directors are not eligible. As always, explain your nominations or they will not count and do your very best to nominate in both categories. Have fun!
Hoping for another productive legislative session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday vowed to tackle pensions, early child education, criminal justice reform and health care next year — as well as the elusive Chicago casino.
“I’m very hopeful that in the session of the Legislature that is coming up starting in January that we’ll begin to put together a bill, and get it passed,” the rookie governor said when asked about a Chicago casino. […]
“Criminal justice reform is an area that I’ve already done a lot on in the spring session last year, but now I think we’ll be revisiting some of the issues that came up over the last few years that never got passed,” Pritzker said. “I’m also very focused on making sure that we’re expanding opportunities for working families to get ahead of — you know, I‘ve talked a lot about lowering the cost of healthcare, lowing the cost of childcare, lowering the cost of education, so that we can raise the standard of living and people who are working in our state.”
And the billionaire Chicagoan remains bullish about finally winning the casino Chicago has been pursuing off and on for more than a quarter of a century.
* McGuireWoods Consulting published its own 2020 session preview. Here’s part of it…
Vaping
2019 saw a breakout of respiratory illness among vape users. With 5 deaths this year, Illinois leads the nation in vaping-related deaths. In response, law makers in Springfield have sought to enact various new regulations on vaping and vaping products. House Bill 3887, which would create the Flavored Tobacco Ban Act, prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarette and tobacco products was filed in September. Although a hearing was held, the legislation failed to move forward, but will likely come up again next year. Governor JB Pritzker has stated his support for a ban on flavored vaping products.
Ethylene Oxide
Ethylene oxide, a chemical used by medical device cleaning facilities and various manufacturers was thrown into the political spotlight in this year. One facility, Sterigenics, was shut down in February 2019 following an EPA report showing higher cancer rates in the areas surrounding the facility. The first ethylene oxide related bills to come through the legislature were passed in the spring. SB 1852 and SB 1854 were passed with broad bi-partisan support and have been touted as the most stringent ethylene oxide regulations in the country. Despite this, some members of the public and of the legislature believe the new laws do not go far enough. During veto session, two additional pieces of legislation were introduced including HB 3888, a bill to completely phase out the use of ethylene oxide in the state. While HB 3888 passed the Senate, both bills have been postponed and will be taken up again once the legislature comes back into session in January. The Governor has vowed to sign the legislation if it passes.
Gig Economy Taxation
A bill presented by State Representative Will Guzzardi aims to require online based companies, like Uber, to treat staffers as employees and not as independent contractors. This would require the companies to comply with minimum wage and other employee protections and would require their incomes to be taxed at a normal rate. This bill is based off of a similar one that California passed in September and is expected to come up in the 2020 session.
As the state embarks on a historic $45 billion capital program, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation today to strengthen a pillar of Rebuild Illinois and increase diversity in apprenticeships for construction and the building trades.
“Rebuild Illinois is the largest, most robust capital plan in state history. We’re working with our partners to make sure every community in the state benefits from these good jobs – especially those who have been left out for far too long,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We’re putting Illinois’ government back on the side of working families, designing a state that is economically prosperous not just for the few, but for every Illinoisan, no matter the color of their skin or their zip code.”
The Illinois Works Jobs Program will help ensure that Illinois residents from all communities not only benefit from capital projects, but also have access to careers in the construction industry and building trades. Today’s effort includes especially those who have been historically underrepresented in those trades.
The law makes a $25 million investment and works through community-based organizations to recruit new apprentices to work on the construction projects and sets strong apprentice participation goals of 10 percent on public works projects. Through this pre-apprenticeship program, bid credit program and review panel, the new law ensures the Illinois Works Jobs Program can deliver on its goal of building and maintaining a diverse workforce on Rebuild Illinois projects.
“In order to build a healthy and comprehensive economy, we must supply minority businesses with full and fair access to local and state contraction opportunities,” said Sen. Napoleon Harris III (D-Chicago). “I applaud Gov. Pritzker for seeing the significance of this measure and hope to see local governments taking advantage of the business enterprise program to decrease the inequality gap for minority, veterans and female-owned businesses.”
“This legislation creates economic opportunity for working people that have typically been left out of the construction industry,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Will Davis (D- Homewood). “The Rebuild Illinois capital program makes an unprecedented investment in our state, and we’re making sure that benefits all of our communities.”
Senate Bill 177 takes effect January 1, 2020.
This is a pretty important new law because African-American politicians and groups have been complaining about the lack of diversity in trade union membership for decades. So, the Black Caucus and the governor pushed the idea to pump $25 million into apprentice recruitment with a concurrent goal of 10 percent apprentice employment on public works projects and some oversight, study and enforcement mechanisms.
We have so many people that helped us with this project. We would like to thank Steve and Karen Stivers, Marty Smith, George Abrahams, Anna Sharratt, Adrienne Alexander, Dave Lowitzki, Ty Petersen and Joanna Klonsky for sharing our survey. And the biggest thank you to Rich Miller from Capitol Fax whose post got over half of the responses to our survey. We would also like to thank our parents, Anders Lindall, Julie Sampson, and Mike and Anika Byrley who have supported us so much throughout the project and our whole lives.
They received 600 completed surveys, so that means over 300 of y’all responded to the call. I really do have the best readers. Thanks for helping those kids.
When we asked about the Green New Deal, Baby Boomers supported it by a 10-point margin (51% support to 41% oppose) and Gen Xers by 9 points (49-40). But Millennials held the most progressive view, supporting it by 19 points (54-35).
Regarding open borders, Baby Boomers opposed them by 12 points (41% support to 53% opposed). Gen Xers weren’t much more liberal, opposing by a 10-point margin (41-51). Millennials again were more progressive, opposing by 7 points (43-50).
When we asked about socialism and capitalism, there was a much bigger difference. In all, 43% of Millennials supported socialism with 53% opposed. That -10 margin was far more favorable than Baby Boomers (32-59, a -27 margin), with Gen X just as conservative at 32-62, a -30 margin. We guess that’s because Millennials identify socialism with Democratic Socialist countries like Sweden and Norway with high levels of happiness, free college and medical care, and familiar stores like Ikea, but Boomers and other older people associate socialism with the Soviet Union and the Cold War.
On the other hand, Baby Boomers supported capitalism by a whopping 75 points (82-7). Dropping about 20 points behind that was Gen X, with a 59-point margin (75-16). Millennials still had a favorable of capitalism but much less than Boomers, only +41 (65-24). Total opposition to capitalism almost quadrupled among Millennials versus Boomers.
Crazy video: Watch as Park district truck slides off into Lake Michigan. The two employees inside got out safely. @ABC7Chicago pic.twitter.com/tPVNL5R8jQ
Through 25 years in the public eye, Patti Vasquez has worn a lot of hats: comedian, consultant, political activist, and until June, WGN radio host. Through all of it, she’s used her mother’s maiden name, Vasquez, rather than her father’s surname, Bonnin.
That wasn’t a problem until August, when Vasquez, 48, announced her run for the 19th District state house seat currently occupied by Lindsey LaPointe, who was tapped to fill the vacancy in July.
Now, faced with a requirement to use her legal name on the ballot, Vasquez risks forfeiting years of hard-earned name recognition against an incumbent.
Even stickier, her solution — to appear as Patricia D. Bonnin “Patti Vasquez” on the ballot — has led to accusations that she’s using two names to pander to different sets of voters: Vasquez for Latinos, and Bonnin for whites.
But the truth is more complicated: Vasquez’s half-brother was Michael Bonnin, one of 33 young men killed by John Wayne Gacy — a fact she’s kept private until now. At the time of his disappearance in 1979 at age 17, Vasquez was four, living with their shared father and her mother, his second wife, in Norwood Park. When they found his body in the crawl space of Gacy’s house, she was seven.
Leading up to Gacy’s execution in 1994, Vasquez was just beginning her comedy career, performing at open mic nights around town. “That first summer I did standup was when he was being executed,” she says. “It was insane how many comics had a joke about it. There were nights when I had to leave the room.”
And so, to detach herself from the Gacy tragedy and not allow it to define her, Patti Bonnin became Patti Vasquez. And when her comedy career gave way to one in radio, the name stuck. “I knew our name was going to be in the paper again,” she says. “I didn’t want [the murder] to precede every conversation and interview I gave.”
Wow.
* Other political stuff….
* Objections filed against two dozen suburban candidates: Two of the three Democratic challengers — Inam Hussain and Mohammed Faheem — who are seeking to unseat 8th District congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi face objections. Catalina Lauf is the lone Republican 14th congressional district candidate in a seven-way primary race to face an objection, according to the Illinois Board of Elections. Democratic congressional challengers Andrew Tarnasiewicz-Heldut and Adam Broad, in the 9th and 10th districts respectively, also saw their petitions challenged. Both incumbent 22nd District state Sen. Cristina Castro and challenger Rae Yawer had objections filed against them. They are Democrats.
* Petition objections fly while Villanueva files for Sandoval’s seat: Of the 13 petition challenges filed against Senate candidates, nine were filed in the race for the 40th Senate District, currently occupied by State Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex), who was appointed last month to fill the seat vacated by Toi Hutchinson, who went to work in Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration. Joyce is running to retain the seat, along with Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Executive Director Monica Gordon, Chicago Heights City Clerk Lori Wilcox, Kankakee County Democrats spokesperson Marta Perales, and former Rich Township High School District 227 Board MemberDavid Morgan. Cook County GOP Co-Chair Eric Wallace is running as a Republican. Wallace, Wilcox and Gordon each received a petition challenge, while Perales received two and Morgan received a grand total of four. … In the 9th House District, where seven Democrats have filed to replace retiring State Rep. Art Turner (D-Chicago), a challenger named Archibald Walker filed petition objections to four candidates, including Turner’s brother Aaron Turner, entrepreneur Sandra “Sandi” Schneller, political consultant Ty Cratic and Nicole “Nikki” Harvey. Harvey also received another petition challenge. Others running for the 9th District seat include Maurice Evans, SEIU Healthcare activist Lakesia Collins and Trina Mangrum, chief of staff to Ald. Jason Ervin (28).
Illinois received a “C-” for making critical information about how governments are subsidizing business projects with taxpayer dollars readily available to the public online, according to a new report from Illinois PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group. Following the Money 2019, the organization’s tenth evaluation of online government spending transparency, gives 17 states a failing grade, while only four states received a grade of “B” or higher.
Illinois received an “C-” grade because researchers could not find any statewide grants report, nor reporting on whether or not economic development subsidies are producing the promised benefits, among other scoring criteria.
“As taxpayers, we should be able to see how government spends our money down to the dime,” said Abe Scarr, Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director. “That includes the billions of dollars that state and local governments give away each year to lure businesses into their backyards.”
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group’s Following the Money reports have evaluated states on online spending transparency since 2010. While many states have made progress towards providing citizens access to government spending information online, this year’s report finds economic development reporting is still lagging behind.
“It’s often easier for citizens to see when a state hands a company $50 for printer ink than when it hands a company a million dollars to relocate its headquarters,” said R.J. Cross, report lead author and policy analyst at Frontier Group. “States have moved light years ahead in the last decade when it comes to providing information on basic government spending online. But when it comes to economic development subsidies, most are still in the dark ages.”
The report graded each state’s transparency efforts from “A” to “F” based on the availability of online reports detailing how much the state spends through tax breaks and direct grant programs; the availability of information on individual payments to companies on the state’s transparency site; and the existence of state laws that require ongoing reporting of information on economic development subsidies to the public.
“Transparency checks corruption and enables citizens to hold their elected officials accountable,” finished Cross. “Without access to information, it’s impossible to know how fully these corporate subsidies are serving the public’s interest.”
According to the report, Ohio is the only state to receive an “A” grading. Three states, including Wisconsin, received a “B.” Illinois was one of 15 states to receive a “C-range” grade. Indiana and Minnesota were among 14 states to receive a “D” grade. Seventeen states, including Michigan, failed.
I’ve asked the governor’s office for comment and will let you know if and/or when they respond.
Sources who have been interviewed by federal agents told The Hill that authorities are also looking into the relationships between several small towns around Chicago and people in Madigan’s orbit. In September, the FBI raided government offices in McCook, Lyons, Schiller Park and Summit, all towns in Sandoval’s state Senate district.
All four towns have insurance contracts with Mesirow Insurance Services, a Chicago-based company that employs Andrew Madigan, the Speaker’s son.
One source interviewed by federal agents, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said agents asked about several Madigan allies who lobbied for ComEd and about the relationships between the suburban cities and the Speaker’s political operation. The agents specifically asked about Andrew Madigan, the source said, and whether the towns were told to sign contracts with his firm in exchange for legislative favors in Springfield.
“They know it’s happening, it’s just really difficult to prove,” the source said.
One thing the Madigan people point out is that stories like this one never report what the people who were interviewed actually said to the feds.
Also, a strong hunch is one thing, proving it is true in a court of law is quite another task.
But, and this is a very important but, if the feds are indeed taking a look at the House Speaker’s only son, then hold onto your hats.
* Dragging ComEd execs to a hearing to explain what the heck is going on may not be the end-all be-all, but it’s more than anyone at the Statehouse has come up with so far…
The hit to Commonwealth Edison’s political agenda from the federal investigation into its lobbying is being felt now in the city of Chicago in addition to Springfield.
With ComEd’s franchise agreement up for renewal for only the third time in more than 70 years, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling now for a public airing before City Council into ComEd’s political behavior as it and parent Exelon have secured a series of lucrative legislative victories in Springfield over the past eight years.
“I think there’s got to be a level of accountability that ComEd has to make publicly to make sure that we understand the magnitude of the problem there because clearly it’s a problem; it’s not just news reports and smoke,” Lightfoot said today in a taping of Bill Cameron’s “Connected to Chicago” program, which airs this coming Sunday morning on WLS. “There’s something real there, and there’s got to be a measure of accountability to the public on that. So we haven’t fully thought out what that would look like, but my expectation is we’re going to call them for some kind of hearing and make them answer some questions in the public about the broader framing of what they were doing, how they were using their shareholders’ dollars and give us assurances that we can be comfortable doing business with them.”
It’s unclear whether Lightfoot actually has the appetite to seek to end the city’s agreement with ComEd. But she can certainly call ComEd officials on the carpet for a City Council hearing to make them sweat a bit while answering questions.
FYI, the committee says they are an "independent organization" (🤔…even though it's chaired by Pritzker's former deputy campaign manager… and the governor will 100% be the top donor to this committee.)
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Gov. J.B. Pritzker just pumped $5 million into the “Vote Yes for Fairness” committee that’s out pressing for a graduated income tax amendment to the state Constitution — an early signal of an all-out political campaign willing to compete for air time while presidential candidates duke it out.
The Legislature gave their blessing to changing the tax code earlier this year but voters must still support altering the constitution in November 2020 before it can take effect. If approved, taxes would be raised on income greater than $250,000.
Quentin Fulks, who heads Vote Yes for Fairness, has said the committee will spend whatever it takes to secure a graduated income tax amendment. It’s a matter of communicating the message to voters — and that takes money.
Enter Pritzker, whose $5 million donation recorded with the state board of elections may be a drop in the bucket of what will ultimately be spent on the campaign to push the amendment since opponents have launched their own efforts attacking the graduated income tax.
The Vote No on Blank Check Committee headed by Greg Baise claims amending the state’s tax structure would only lead to future tax increases.
1) Obviously, it’s not first appearing in that publication.
2) Pritzker didn’t “just” pump that money into the committee, the contribution was made a week ago and the disclosure was made over the weekend and everybody who writes about politics apparently missed it until that legislator’s text. Oops.
3) Good point by Kyle…
And when I first read this today my reaction was - meh. Second thought - 5m is actually a lot of money —-campaigns have gotten so obscene it doesn’t feel like it is anymore. https://t.co/Ae6WHg6FQY
