Alderman behaving badly
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* To get the full flavor, you really should watch the video…
Chicago Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno said his car was stolen. In fact, he filed a police report last month declaring the alleged theft.
Now, Moreno says it was all just a big misunderstanding.
WGN’s Meghan Dwyer spoke to the woman behind the wheel — a single mother who said she was shocked to be arrested after Moreno loaned her the car.
* More…
Moreno chalked it all up to a misunderstanding.
“The car is not crashed. The car is in perfect condition,” Moreno said. “She’s a friend of mine. We dated for a while. She’s a single mom. I was trying to help out. She was down on her luck and needed a car. That’s end of conversation.”
Moreno was asked if he was trying to falsify a police report.
“It’s political season. I get it. You throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. This is something that is absolutely, 100 percent false,” Moreno said. “Absolutely not. I did exactly what I was supposed to do.”
* Uh-oh…
Man, Chicago is truly crazy-town these days.
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* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker addressed hundreds of attendees at the Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards Dinner [yesterday] evening, promoting the state’s strengths and celebrating our booming travel and tourism industry.
The following is an excerpt of the governor’s remarks:
It’s so wonderful to join you all here to celebrate Illinois.
After all, we attracted 114 million visitors in 2017 for a reason.
Illinois is home to some of the greatest cities in the world. Chicago truly has it all, from an abundance of arts and culture to Millennium Park to Wrigley Field to a shopping and dining scene like no other.
Illinois is home to small towns, rich in history and filled with charm. From Galena to Alton and Ottawa to Peoria, our magnificent rivers connect scenic regional communities.
And we’re home to natural wonders like the Shawnee National Forest and Starved Rock State Park, where families can make the outdoors their playground with hiking and biking, sledding and skiing, hunting and fishing.
Most importantly, we’re home to the greatest people in the world.
Entrepreneurs building shops and restaurants and hotels in every corner of our state.
Chefs and wait staff, hotel managers and clerks, designers and shopkeepers, welcoming people from across the world to our state and showing them everything that is good about Illinois.
We’re powered by some of the most decent, hard working, dedicated and kind people in the world.
I’ve often told people that in the summer you’ll often see a family from out of town walking together on Michigan Avenue looking at a map maybe a little confused. And every time, you’ll see one of our great Chicagoans ask “can I help you find something?” And inevitably a smile and a wave and “thanks” and “have a good time” are exchanged. That’s Illinois in a nutshell.
Our people are our strength. It’s all of you in this room and working families statewide who help make Illinois a great place to live and a great place to visit.
It’s no wonder Illinois is one of the top tourist destinations in the country!
And let’s not understate how much that helps our bottom line.
In 2017, the tourism industry generated $40 billion in economic activity.
That amounted to $3 billion in revenue for state and local governments.
And that saved the average Illinois household more than $1,300 in taxes.
Those tourism dollars supported over 337,000 jobs, providing wages and a decent living to so many working families.
The fact is, Illinois is the fifth largest economy in the United States and our travel and tourism plays a huge role in making that possible.
I want you to know I don’t take that for granted, and I’m going to stand with you to make your footprint in our state even larger.
As I said in my inaugural address, I am going to be our state’s best Chief Marketing Officer.
When people from other states and other countries are deciding where to visit, I will tell them about our natural beauty, our terrific historic sites, our awesome restaurants, and our amazing people.
When entrepreneurs are deciding where to build and grow their business, I’m going to tell them why Illinois is second to none in its supply of talented workers that come from our great higher education institutions.
And when families are deciding where to move and raise their children, I will make it clear that we are the most livable and affordable big state in the U.S.
And I’ll follow your lead too. You all know what it takes to promote our state’s potential.
With the help of everybody in this room, we’re going to attract even more people to visit. We’re going to promote all our state has to offer. We’re going to welcome even more people from all over the world. And together we’re going to build a better future for everyone that calls Illinois home. Thank you for all that you do!
Thoughts?
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* Greg Hinz…
Under the proposal from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, the state would increase personal and corporate income taxes by one percentage point across the board, pulling in $4 billion. The group would net another $1.9 billion by beginning to tax retirement income, and $500 million by extending the sales tax to cover more consumer services.
That $6 billion a year in higher taxes would be matched by $2 billion in spending cuts, half in general state spending and half in trims to health insurance for state workers and retirees. But the plan notably does not include any projected savings from cuts in pensions by requiring workers to pay more, accept reduced benefits, or both.
The full report is here.
* OK, first of all, Pritzker ran on an oft-repeated promise to implement a progressive income tax and said he wouldn’t raise taxes on regular folks. He’d have to break that promise. The only way I see him doing that is if he can’t get a graduated tax proposal through the General Assembly and approved by the voters.
Secondly, Pritzker ran hard against a tax on retirement income. So, following the Civic Committee’s plan would require a gigantic flip-flop in order to implement a horribly unpopular tax. Paul Simon Institute..
A recurring idea is for the state to tax retirement income, such as pensions and social security. This idea is widely unpopular, with 74 percent opposing and only 22 percent in favor.
Proposing such a thing is infinitely easier said (from Chicago) than done (under the Dome).
Also, the Illinois Supreme Court decided in Kanerva v. Weems that retiree health care costs are to be treated the same as pension benefits. So, the Civic Committee has a work-around…
However, the ruling does not apply to new employees, and the State could create a separate retiree healthcare plan for new employees with a reduced premium subsidy structure that would be applied going forward. It is unclear how much the State could save from reducing the premium subsidy for new employees, but the State should pursue the implementation of a separate retiree healthcare plan for new employees.
* And their billion dollars in other budget cuts comes from this…
Reduce State spending through operational improvements
Magic wand.
* But, overall, the numbers make some real fiscal sense…
Specifically, it wants to take the current funding plan in which the state pays about $8.5 billion a year and add an extra $2 billion a year. Doing so would get the state to the actuarial level in just four years, and result in 93 percent funding of the pension plans by 2045. By paying earlier, the state would save at least $46 million in interest costs on pension debt over the next three decades—not counting the potential upgrade of the state’s bond rating and more economic growth, the report asserts.
Such “front funding” of pension debt indeed has been recommended by numerous officials lately including Pritzker. But there has been no agreement on where to find the needed revenue.
Of the $8 billion in new revenue and spending cuts, roughly $3 billion will be needed each year to cover the state’s growing structural deficit, according to the committee’s math. Another $1.5 billion would go to pay short-term, non-pension debt; $1 billion into a new reserve fund; and $2 billion into the extra pension payment.
…Adding… From a pal…
Remember when Fahner and the Civic Committee were personally meeting with the ratings agencies to get the state downgraded? Hard to have imagined this day coming. Welcome to reality, boys and girls
Yep.
…Adding… Wordslinger is probably spot-on…
I always thought the civvies obsession with pensions was really about heading off a call for a progressive income tax.
I think this particular tax increase proposal is the same.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Targeting campaign fund corruption between lobbyists and state legislators, State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) has sponsored legislation to prohibit lobbyists with political campaign accounts from donating to members from that account.
“Senate Bill 128 is a measure to prevent retired legislators-turned-lobbyists—and new lobbyists involved with a PAC—from misusing their campaign funds to benefit their lobbying career,” said Tracy. “It is a good government bill that prevents the corrupt flow of campaign money in the State Capitol, and I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in implementing this responsible lobbying regulation.”
The concerning oversight in the lobbying ethics policy was brought to the Senator’s attention by members of the public who inquired about former legislators’ use of campaign funds. Under current law, there are no regulations to prevent newly registered lobbyists who have access to a campaign account from donating campaign funds to members of the Illinois General Assembly. Senate Bill 128 would specify that donations to members from campaign accounts are strictly prohibited and will remain forbidden for two years after the individual’s lobbyist registration expires.
“While I am not aware of any lobbyists engaging in this activity, I was surprised to uncover there is a loophole allowing for it,” said Tracy. “Campaign contributions exist to support the candidate’s run for office, and this is purely a preventative and precautionary measure to ensure those contributions are not abused.”
* The Question: Agree or disagree with this concept? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey tools
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Skillicorn mulls Underwood challenge
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told you about this last month, but here’s the Northwest Herald…
Addressing speculation on a bid for the U.S. 14th Congressional District, State Rep. Allen Skillicorn said in a statement if it means running for another position for Illinois families to have a voice and not a special interest to represent them, so be it.
The 14th district is currently represented by Democrat Lauren Underwood, who unseated Republican Randy Hultgren in November.
“I am 100 percent focused on saving Illinois from high taxes, a restrictive economic policies and Obamacare’s high costs that hurt all Illinoisans,” Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, said. “I will fight for Illinoisans in the state Capitol, Main Street, on farms and even Washington D.C.”
Skillicorn, who said the statement was something he wanted to make for any future releases, said he is listening to Illinois families in the counties of Lake, McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Kendall, DuPage and Will – all of which make up the 14th Congressional District.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport)…
We’ve all felt it. We’ve all had conversations, discussions and disagreements with friends from different parts of the state that have only bolstered our feelings. We see it in the news on a daily basis. It’s hard to avoid the sense that we have two different states of Illinois — one that those in Chicago and the suburbs experience and another distinct Illinois embodied by those living outside Cook and the collar counties.
Over the past year, I spent a lot of time going door to door and talking with residents and voters in our region. If you live in Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Carroll, Ogle or Whiteside counties, you likely not only know this to be true but may have even talked with me when I came to your door. In those discussions, many important topics came up — property taxes, jobs, children and grandchildren moving out of Illinois for work and starting their families elsewhere. All common and expected topics. All topics our elected officials should held accountable to address during their time in public service.
Nonetheless, I never once had a person at their doorstep tell me that their top priority is tasking the Illinois State Police with the role of reviewing and systematically analyzing social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter to issue a Firearm Owners Identification card. This is to look for reasons to restrict access to an otherwise law-abiding citizens’ Constitutional rights — in this case, the Second Amendment. Nobody suggested that as a way to bring jobs back to Illinois, to keep our kids and grandkids here or to protect our biggest investments, our homes and families, or that this is in line with the priorities pressing our state.
However, now that legislators are filing their bills in Springfield, I see one of my Democratic colleagues must have heard a whole different message when he went door to door in Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago on the edge of Cook County. That is the only explanation as to why Rep. Daniel Didech could have filed a bill requiring the Illinois State Police to do just that.
Surely, he must know that the processing time for a citizen seeking a FOID card is already delayed and is often in violation of state law. Surely, he must understand before each firearm purchase that background checks are performed. Surely, he must know that criminals do not follow laws passed by government bodies. If they did, they would not be criminals in the first place. Surely, most would conclude that the type of laws like Rep. Didech proposed in House Bill 888 create unnecessary bureaucracy, unacceptable delays and is an outrageous infringement on law-abiding citizens exercising both their Second and First Amendment rights. Right?!
* Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) responds…
When I decided to run to represent my hometown of Buffalo Grove in the Illinois House of Representatives, I promised that I would reach across the aisle and work in good faith with my colleagues throughout the state to move us forward in a cooperative manner. That’s why I accepted an invitation earlier this year to participate in the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau’s “adopt-a-legislator” program. Even though I live in a suburban community with little farmland, I respect the critical role that farmers and the agriculture industry serve for Illinois’ economy, and I recognize the importance of listening to people whose life experiences may not perfectly align with those of my own.
After my community overwhelmingly chose to send me to Springfield, my mandate was clear: cut taxes for middle-class families, keep our schools safe, and work across the aisle to solve problems caused by years of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois. To that end, in addition to introducing legislation that would make our tax system fairer to low-income families, I introduced HB 888 to advance a conversation about the actionable steps we can take to improve public safety.
In an increasingly online world, we must have an open discussion about the tools law enforcement may use to keep our communities safe, and my intention is to continue that discussion so we can find the right balance that respects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners while at the same time keeping our children safe from gun violence.
The first time I met Rep. Andrew Chesney, we had a productive dialogue about how we could partner to address many issues facing local governments. We discussed how my success consolidating redundant units of local government in Lake County could serve as a model for his prudent plan to eliminate Freeport Township. I was hopeful that this productive dialogue would also include our shared desire to keep our community, schools and places of worship free from violence.
However, I was disappointed to learn that instead of continuing our productive dialogue about how we could work together, Rep. Chesney quickly retreated to Bruce Rauner’s failed strategy of dividing and conquering our state. There is a reason why this tactic of pitting Chicago and its nearby villages against the rest of Illinois was so resoundingly rejected by the voters in last year’s election. When legislators focus on who can score the most political points instead of achieving our common goals, they lose sight of how our most vulnerable neighbors – children, senior citizens, people with disabilities – are the ones who pay the price.
I agreed to partner with the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau because I am committed to working across the aisle with my colleagues to address the very serious problems that Illinois faces after four years of relentless partisan bickering. In that same spirit, I would like to invite Rep. Chesney to join me in Buffalo Grove to attend a meeting of our local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization that believes in both the Second Amendment and reducing the risk of gun violence.
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Gun Dealer Licensing Act consequences?
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
Several gun dealers in Central and Southern Illinois are closing their businesses rather than pay what they’re saying is thousands of dollars in costs to comply with a law enacted last month.
When he signed the bill into law last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Gun Dealer Licensing Act was about stopping straw buyers.
“The reason for it is to deter straw purchases so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else who is not legally allowed to own a gun,” he said at the signing ceremony in Chicago.
* “Several”? I dunno about that, but INN does identify two. Here’s one…
Mick Moore made the same decision for Walnut Creek Shooters Supply in Brownstown after seeing not only the cost of the license and the camera system. but also the uncertainty additional regulations and more fees.
“It’s just not worth it,” he said. “I’ve fought it and fought it but I’m just not up to the fight much longer.”
Mr. Moore explained his reasoning on his Facebook page…
I’ve worked 8 to 12 hrs a day for the last 8 years building my business as an honest and legal gun shop and put all the money back into inventory so i could provide what my loyal customers want. Never drawn a paycheck for my time. I send a nice check to the state of Illinois for sales tax every month. Now they want to add more hardships on all of the small local gun shops. There’s no way we can comply and stay in business. We have allowed a few square miles in the north east corner of our state completely ruin the rest of the state. I will be selling off my inventory of firearms and ammo and not replace them and discontinue those sales. Then i won’t need their firearm license to sell all the rest of the accessories and supplies i have in stock. Time to go hunting and fishing and enjoy my retirement. A very heart felt thank you to all my loyal customers and friends.
If a business is operating on such a thin margin that the owner can’t even draw a paycheck for eight years, then almost any additional regulation and fees would put that person out of business.
That being said, it sucks when people have to give up something they’ve built.
Your thoughts?
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Stop the wind NIMBYs
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We desperately need statewide rules for wind farm siting, as this Douglas County case clearly shows…
Harvest Ridge would create up to 250 full-time equivalent jobs during construction and eight to 10 permanent jobs to operate and maintain the turbines once they’re up and running, according to EDP. […]
Wal-Mart has signed on to buy 233 megawatts of electricity from EDP’s various wind farms, including 50 megawatts specifically from Harvest Ridge. A local cooperative, the Wabash Valley Power Association, has plans to purchase 100 megawatts for 20 years and a second unidentified private purchaser will buy 50 megawatts for an undisclosed number of years.
But a zoning battle that has spilled into court could jeopardize all of that.
EDP recently filed a lawsuit against Murdock Township, which last fall created and enacted its own zoning requirements for wind, separate and more restrictive than the Douglas County ordinance that was intended to be countywide.
In the lawsuit, EDP attorneys argue that the township ordinances are designed “in a manner in which it would be effectively impossible to develop and permit the project.” The company’s complaint states that Murdock Township’s actions are prejudicial to the project, contrary to zoning authority granted to townships by the Illinois General Assembly and an improper attempt to override the county’s wind-farm ordinance.
The governor committed Illinois to the US Climate Alliance just the other day. We’re not going to get there if rural township NIMBYs are setting up arbitrary roadblocks to wind (and solar) power.
The state needs reasonable, uniform siting and operational guidelines. As I’ve mentioned before, the Farm Bureau and the alternative energy folks have been butting heads for years. It’s going to take an involved governor to resolve this disagreement.
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Dancing around the edges
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
Elgin schools officials say they are disappointed unit districts that applied for a portion of $50 million in property tax relief grants from the state this year were sidelined due to the criteria used for calculating eligibility.
Elgin Area School District U-46 sought roughly $43 million — the maximum for which it was eligible — for fiscal year 2019.
Tax relief grants are a provision of the state’s new evidence-based school funding law. A school district’s eligibility is based on whether it has the highest unit equivalent tax rate compared to all the districts that applied. Approved districts must agree to abate a portion of taxes in the coming tax year.
“The way the state evaluated which districts were eligible really favored high school districts,” school board member Sue Kerr said during Monday night’s school board meeting. “Not a single unit district in the state received any property tax relief, and I believe 75 percent of the schools that got it were high school districts. It’s a problem.”
Those grants are a paltry sum in comparison to the actual need. A good explainer about the state law is here.
* Capitol News Illinois…
“I’m from Metropolis, right across the river from Paducah, Kentucky,” [Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis] said. “Young families are just picking up and moving to Paducah because they pay less in property taxes. They feel like they have more opportunity, better life quality, and it’s causing a huge problem in Southern Illinois. People are leaving and they’re not coming back.”
And yet, this is one of the first bills he introduced…
Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that the homestead exemption for veterans with disabilities carries over to the benefit of the veteran’s surviving spouse if the veteran resided outside of the State but otherwise qualified for the exemption at the time of his or her death and the surviving spouse relocates to Illinois after the death of the veteran.
No disrespect for out-of-state surviving spouses of veterans, but if you want to help young families with their property taxes, the first thing to do is stop narrowing the property tax base. Somebody always has to pick up the tab.
* Meanwhile…
State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) has introduced legislation to provide Illinois residents with some much-needed property tax relief.
“We have to do more than just stop property taxes from increasing– we must find ways to lower the property tax burden in Illinois,” McSweeney said. “To that end, I have filed a measure to reduce all property tax levies by 10 percent.”
House Bill 320 reduces property tax levies by 10% total (5% each year for two years) for all local governments, even home rule units of government. The net effect of the measure will be a permanent 10% reduction in property taxes in Illinois in the next two years. Property taxes would be permanently frozen after the 10% reduction and could only be raised if local voters approve an increase by referendum.
According to the most recent data available, Illinois has the second highest property tax rates in the country.
“We know property taxes in Illinois are too high,” McSweeney said. “We know that people are leaving Illinois in droves in large part because the taxes are too high. Illinois lost nearly 45,000 people net last year alone. The longer we delay action on solving the property tax issue in Illinois, the more people are going to leave. We need to reverse this out-migration. It is time to lower property taxes permanently in Illinois.”
House Bill 320 has been introduced and awaits assignment to a House Committee.
Property taxes are a very real problem here. But ordering locals to lower their levies by 10 percent and then freezing them in place forever doesn’t seem like a doable idea without some sort of state help, particularly for schools.
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* You may recall this story from last month…
Hundreds of state jobs that once were exempt from Rutan anti-patronage protections have been reclassified to remove them from political influence during the four years of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration. […]
[Joe Hartzler, who was special counsel to Rauner] said that “we knocked out like 2,500 patronage positions.” […]
At one point, several thousand state jobs were considered Rutan-exempt and subject to patronage considerations. Hartzler said the number is now below 1,500.
Well, the Office of Executive Inspector General just released a list of exempt positions. It currently totals just 953 positions. Click here to see the list.
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* Background is here if you need it. From WBEZ…
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon had what they say was a “productive” phone call on Monday about possibilities for challenging the sentence of Jason Van Dyke, the former Chicago police officer convicted of murder in Laquan McDonald’s killing.
The sentence, handed down last month, would allow Van Dyke’s release from prison in as few as three years. Police accountability advocates have characterized that penalty as far too lenient.
Raoul and McMahon “are both continuing their review and will make a decision on next steps once they have finished their review,” the attorney general’s spokeswoman Annie Thompson said after the call.
Chris Nelson, a McMahon spokesman, said the call lasted 45 minutes and was the first conversation about the case between the attorney general and special prosecutor.
An option previously raised by McMahon is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn the sentencing.
* Sun-Times…
“This is part of the process to decide whether to go forward with a challenge to the sentence,” [McMahon’s spokesman] Christopher Nelson said.
McMahon has said he plans to decide by March 1 on whether to petition the state Supreme Court to file a writ of mandamus, which is an order that would send the case back to Gaughan for a new, likely longer, prison sentence.
Civil rights activists and Laquan McDonald’s family have called for a harsher sentence for Van Dyke, who was convicted in the teen’s death in early October. Van Dyke could be released in fewer than four years with credit for good behavior. Raoul, a former state senator from Chicago who was sworn in days before the sentencing hearing, had said his office was reviewing whether state law mandated a stiffer sentence for Van Dyke.
Nelson said McMahon, who is the state’s attorney for Kane County, had called for Monday’s conference call.
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* Subscribers know more details. Here’s the Tribune’s take on the minimum wage push…
Now, with Democrats in control of the governor’s mansion and both the Illinois House and Senate, they are charging ahead on an issue that’s popular with many of their supporters. But Pritzker could risk alienating business interests and Republican lawmakers in his first big legislative effort, shortly after sounding bipartisan tones when he was sworn in last month.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat who has tried to raise the minimum wage before, said she hopes to introduce her new proposal as early as Tuesday. That timetable could give Pritzker a chance to sign a minimum wage increase into law before delivering his first budget proposal to lawmakers on Feb. 20, she said. […]
Her goal is to get the state’s minimum wage to $15, more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 and equal to the level it will reach in California in 2022 and in Massachusetts the following year. As of Monday, specifics were still being worked out, and debate among lawmakers could further change any proposal. Up for discussion is how many years it should take to boost the wage to $15, whether employers should continue being allowed to pay some teenage workers less and how to structure tax credits to help small businesses offset rising payroll costs. […]
Other business groups are asking for bigger changes. Retail leaders want Illinois to take into account the fact that it costs more to live in the Chicago area than it does Downstate. For example, the rate could be $15 in Chicago and Cook County, $13 in the collar counties and $11 in the rest of the state, Illinois Retail Merchants Association President and CEO Rob Karr said. […]
“There is a difference between being heard and being listened to,” Karr said.
* Crain’s…
Groups representing retailers, manufacturers, gas stations and others have accepted that there will be an increase from the current minimum of $8.25, said Mark Grant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. They’re now lobbying to prolong the phase-in and limit the $15 amount to Chicago and perhaps the collar counties, arguing that the cost of living is lower downstate.
New York and Oregon have higher minimum wages for employers in major cities. In California and Massachusetts, the $15 minimum wage applies across the state, as it will in New Jersey, which last week passed legislation guaranteeing a $15 minimum wage.
SEIU Healthcare Political Director Erica Bland-Durosinmi wants the $15 amount to take effect across the state, and quickly, saying it will help workers from Chicago to Danville pay for rent and groceries.
“This fight is a fight we have been fighting for years,” she said. “We want money in folks’ pockets as soon as possible.”
* Related…
* How has minimum wage hike worked out elsewhere?: Andrew Farnitano helped lead the campaign to raise Massachusetts’ minimum wage — twice. The first time was in 2014, when his organization, RaiseUp Massachusetts, found success in legislation that increased the wage from $8 to $11 within three years. Immediately after, Farnitano’s organization began campaigning for an increase to $15 an hour, succeeding in June 2018. Farnitano says what happened after the first round of raises was the opposite of what many people and groups, especially business associations, expected. “As the minimum wage went up, we saw massive job growth, a stronger economy, and the biggest drops in unemployment in the communities where the most people, some 30 or 40 percent of workers, benefited from the increase,” Farnitano said.
* Q-C Chamber opposes minimum wage hike in Illinois: According to Rumler, the negative impact would be exacerbated in regions like the Quad Cities that share state borders where businesses could easily move a few miles and not be subject to Illinois’ proposed $15 minimum wage.
* New Jersey becomes 4th state to approve $15 hourly wage
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“God put it on this planet for a reason”
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Background is here if you need it. From Illinois Public Radio…
As Illinois explores the possibility of legalizing cannabis for recreational use, the state’s six Catholic bishops say they’re urging lawmakers to say “no.” […]
Advocates for legalization argue, hundreds of thousands of people already use cannabis and a state-run program will make the products safer and shrink the black market. They also propose using some of the tax dollars for education campaigns to let the public, and especially youth, aware of the potential dangers of the drug.
But [Bob Gilligan, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois] asked, if this is the case, then why legalize?
“If the legislature has to use revenue to support programs to urge people not to use marijuana, or if they use it, how to get off it, it begs the question as to why are we doing this at all.”
So, he doesn’t want to fund programs to help people avoid drug abuse? I don’t get it.
* Pritzker response…
Pritzker’s press secretary, Jordan Abudayyeh, said in an email statement that the governor remains committed to legalization.
“Governor Pritzker supports legalizing and taxing the recreational use of marijuana and is confident we are ready to do this in a safe and economically beneficial way in Illinois,” Abudayyeh said. “He is committed to working with leaders in the General Assembly, listening to experts and community leaders, and drawing lessons and best practices from other states to move this forward.”
* By far the best comeback is in Robert McCoppin’s Tribune story…
Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference, noted that cannabis impairs memory, coordination and judgment, and that the state will be profiting off an addictive substance.
The bishops only occasionally take stands on public issues, such as against abortion and the death penalty. In this case, Gilligan will be speaking out against legalization at upcoming public hearings in Springfield. […]
Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the pro-cannabis group NORML, and general manager of Maribis medical marijuana dispensaries in Chicago and Springfield, said marijuana has proved safer than alcohol, and that prohibition simply doesn’t work. By overseeing legal marijuana sales, he said, the state will have a much greater ability to regulate it.
“Cannabis is a natural substance,” he said. “God put it on this planet for a reason. I don’t know why the bishops are concerned about undermining God’s credibility.”
Good point.
* Related…
* Lawmakers address hot topics at town hall: “I’m going to vote no on recreational marijuana and it doesn’t matter what the legislation looks like,” Bryant said.
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Anybody want to buy a giant slide?
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WICS…
The giant slide on the Illinois State Fairgrounds is now up for sale.
According to Amy Raftis with Prairie State Bank & Trust, the bank now owns the slide. The bank is not interested in owning the slide and hopes to sell it as soon as possible.
Anyone interested can purchase the Pittroff Giant Slide for $135,000. […]
The slide is privately owned, but it does operate as a vendor of the Department of Agriculture during the fair. This means it is under lease with the Illinois Department of Agriculture which calls for a single lease payment plus a percentage of income to the fair.
Click here to buy it. Click here for some background on the former owner. He tried to sell it for $175K and now the bank has it.
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Question of the day
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Amanda Vinicky’s “13 Revelations from House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Deposition”…
Anyone seeking Madigan’s help getting a job needs to pass a test.
“You can understand that many people come to me asking for recommendations for employment, and I render recommendations for employment in both the private and the public sector, I do it in both. But there’s a test that people have to meet. They have to be, to my knowledge, they have to be honest hard-working people with integrity. And if they are, I’ll recommend to a potential employer the best of my knowledge and my experience with this person, this would be a good worker for your office, a good worker for your business whatever it may be,” Madigan said.
Peraica followed up to ask whether it’s a function Madigan enjoys.
“No,” Madigan said. […]
Peraica asked directly, “Does that test ever involve doing political work for you or any of your political committee?”
“The answer is no,” Madigan said.
Peraica followed up. “Do you condition job recommendations upon doing political work for you or your political committees?”
Again, Madigan was direct with his response.
“The answer is no,” he said.
* The Question: Do you believe Madigan’s last assertion? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
web polls
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* So, how did the Sun-Times obtain the explosive 2016 FBI affidavit that was used to obtain a federal search warrant on Chicago Ald. Danny Solis? Greg Hinz has the deets…
But somehow, the [affidavit] was openly posted on the court’s document website, known as Pacer. In other words, the entire document was inadvertently made public for the world to read. And either because of smart reporting or a tip from someone—or both—the Sun-Times quickly downloaded the search warrant, and proceeded to go to town on what would become one of the best stories in Chicago media in years.
None of that sat well with Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim, who court records indicate has been presiding over the Solis matter.
According to my sources, Kim re-closed the affidavit, and ordered the Sun-Times not to print what was in it, presumably on grounds that premature publicity could undermine what appears to be an extremely wide-ranging federal probe into City Hall that has been underway for four years or longer.
Knowledgeable sources also say that Kim’s order came despite sentiment within the U.S. attorney’s office here that a ban on publication, known as prior restraint, would be on shaky legal ground and likely inconsistent with past U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the famed Pentagon Papers and other cases.
But the Sun-Times went ahead. Whether Kim will take further action is not known.
Nobody is responding to requests for comment. I asked a couple of top people at the Sun-Times about this last week and they either didn’t respond or said they weren’t aware of the issue.
Either way, good for the Sun-Times to not let a federal judge push it around.
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The limits of oppo
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lots of people have wondered aloud why opposition researchers never found Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s racist yearbook photos. Chicago-based Democratic opposition researcher Will Caskey offers some insights in Campaigns & Elections. His conclusion…
The price most (Democratic) statewide campaigns will pay for an opposition research report comes to about $10,000-$12,000 (less for down-ballot statewides). At that rate, an opposition researcher can spend about five weeks per report. The more time we spend on one report, the less time we have for new clients and more money. Firms who hire staff don’t have it much better, and in some cases, they have it worse: they have to pay for staff regardless of whether their clients are paying their bills.
The reality is that it takes a lot more time than five weeks to look at more obscure records like yearbooks, student newspapers, multiple courthouses, and microfilm.
In case you think my clients would be shocked to see this: no, they love it. Most of my clients actually ask me to look at fewer things in exchange for a lower fee. And they may be right: just because I look at more things doesn’t mean I’ll find better attacks. Either way, as media budgets rise, research budgets fall, and as research budgets fall, total information gathered falls as well.
So if you’re a candidate looking to avoid becoming the next Ralph Northam, don’t ask what your opposition researcher has found. Ask yourself if you’ve paid your researcher enough to find everything you need.
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UIUC facing racial harassment lawsuit
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Coming a little late to this, but here’s WILL…
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court includes numerous allegations of racial harassment of black employees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The plaintiffs allege in court documents racial harassment is U of I’s “standard operating procedure.”
Black employees at the U of I were “exposed to threats of racial violence, such as nooses, swastikas, KKK garb, racist graffiti, and confederate flags,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges staff members used racial slurs and other racially charged language against black workers:
“UIUC supervisors and other employees frequently use racial slurs and offensive stereotypes, calling black employees ‘n*ggers,’ ‘boy,’ ‘monkey,’ ‘lazy,’ ‘angry,’ ‘rowdy,’ and ‘Aunt Jemima,’ and using other offensive racial language.”
Attorney Joshua Friedman, who represents the plaintiffs, said the U of I’s non-discrimination policy allows this kind of harassment because the campus considers these incidents not severe or pervasive enough to violate the policy.
The lawsuit also claims the U of I’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Access (now known as the Office For Access and Equity or OAE) — the department in charge of investigating discrimination claims — is itself “rife with internal racial harassment.”
* WBBM…
“It’s like stepping into a wormhole, to a time before the Civil Rights Act,” said attorney Joshua Friedman, who represents the black plaintiffs suing U of I. “We’re talking about racial slurs, including the N-word, racial symbols, symbols of the Confederacy – nooses, which are violent threats to kill African Americans because of the color of their skin. KKK garb. Swastikas.”
Friedman said his firm sees harassment cases, but this is different.
“We’re usually talking about shipyards or industrial employers. I’ve never seen anything on this scope before at a university.”
It was three years ago when a noose and swastikas were found at U of I. A groundskeeper was fired, but some African American employees like Atiba Flemons said employees are still harassed because of their race. And he said the university lets it happen.
The full lawsuit is here.
* Related…
* U of Illinois still in search of new chief diversity officer: The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Chancellor Robert Jones told search committee members last month that the goal is to make a decision by the end of the academic year in May. Jones originally hoped to hire someone for the job early this semester.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Oppo dump!
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago Tribune on Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia’s personal finances…
Enyia did not report to the IRS $21,000 paid to her by Chris Kennedy’s governor campaign, where she worked as a consultant for several months. […]
Enyia acknowledged she has underpaid her taxes in the past. In March 2017, the IRS placed a $9,668 lien against her for unpaid taxes between 2011 and 2015, according to public records. The tax lien filed with the Cook County recorder of deeds lists unpaid tax balances associated with Enyia’s Form 1040 tax return filings for four years — $3,311 in 2011, $1,288 in 2012, $350 in 2013 and $4,718 in 2015. […]
Also in August 2017, one of Enyia’s student lenders filed a lawsuit against her in Cook County Circuit Court for $17,800 in what it said were unpaid loans from the 2005 school year, when she was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. […]
The fines from her first mayoral campaign were not Enyia’s only financial difficulty from 2015. She also faced an eviction lawsuit from the landlord of her Garfield Park apartment in 2015, alleging she had failed to pay her rent. The landlord later dropped the legal action and now says filing the suit was “his error.” […]
Enyia also lists Blue1647 on her resume, stating she has been a “senior advisor” to the organization since 2013, and served as its president in 2017.
The Tribune asked Cambry if Enyia has had a role or title with his organization. “No,” he said.
*** UPDATE *** Response…
At a time when the next mayor of Chicago will face a $1 billion spike in pension payments, those personal financial troubles might seem disqualifying.
But Enyia argued otherwise. She wears those struggles as a badge of honor — not because getting through it was easy, but because her “lived experience informs the values” of equity and justice she brings to a campaign that aims to change the direction of a City Hall she claims is “disconnected from the lived reality” of everyday Chicagoans.
“I’m standing here as a candidate for mayor — not because I’m well off or have lived a perfect life. I’m standing here as a real person who understands financial hardship because I have lived through it myself. I’ve gone to bed having to make decisions about paying a bill or getting a vehicle or paying a ticket or putting food on the table,” she said, surrounded by cheering and finger-snapping supporters.
“When I talk about policies that create generational wealth, it’s because I don’t want generations of Chicagoans to have to experience what I experienced trying to make their way in this city. When I talk about punitive fines and fees and banning the boot, it’s because I know how an unjust government punishes people because they are poor.”
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Unclear on the concept
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon has filed legislation to ask voters to change the state’s constitution to allow for a progressive tax system, but the bill provides no details about what that structure would look like.
Harmon’s bill would allow for the state to impose higher income tax rates on those who earn more, but is devoid of detail. It “provides that the income tax may be a fair tax where lower rates apply to lower income levels and higher rates apply to higher income levels,” according to a synopsis of the legislation.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pledged to change the state’s flat income tax to a graduated one, but he has avoided talking about specifics such as tax rates. He’s said that the rates would be negotiated with the legislature.
Harmon’s proposal is actually a constitutional amendment. I don’t know very many people who want to lock tax rates into the Constitution.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Senators in both parties who demand budget cuts now have a clear way of expressing themselves…
While the rules for the Illinois House’s 101st General Assembly were contested then approved on partisan lines, things went more smoothly in the Senate on Thursday, Jan. 31.
The upper chamber added a provision in its rules to allow any senator to file a committee amendment to a bill that provides appropriations for state spending. Previously, only the bill’s sponsor or a member of the committee considering the bill could file such an amendment.
State Sen. Dale Righter, a Mattoon Republican, said he was thankful for the amendment, which he said should make things “interesting.”
Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, said he wanted to “highlight the fact that we handle things differently in the Senate” than in the House.
Aside from the merits of the proposal itself, I wonder how long the fledgling Capitol News Illinois service will refer to the Senate as the “upper chamber.”
* Maybe legislators should take this class, too…
As other states look at upping financial literacy requirements, should Illinois high schools require students to learn basic budgeting before getting a diploma?
Just this month, lawmakers in Florida introduced a bill that would require all students to take a class on basic skills, like how to save money and apply for loans. A new bill in South Carolina would make passing a financial literacy test a graduation requirement.
Starting in 2017, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office has partnered with Econ Illinois, a nonprofit affiliated with Northern Illinois University, to create the first ever standards-based financial literacy curriculum for grades 1-8 in Illinois. According to spokesman Greg Rivara, grades 1-3 currently are online at the treasury’s website. Grades 4-8 will be available shortly.
The state does not require standardized testing on the topic.
* Other stuff…
* Illinois not doing enough to cut down tobacco, e-cigarette use: American Lung Association: The association gave Illinois failing grades in funding for smoking cessation and prevention programs, tobacco taxation and access to existing quit-smoking services.
* Schimpf talks gun laws and minimum wage: “It’s difficult for people who are in different part of the state, particularly those who are in a more urban area, to understand the complexity of a rural area when you have to protect yourself,” Bryant said.
* State Senator pushes back as gun control measures gain traction in Springfield: “There are an awful lot of bills filed by Second Amendment advocates that aren’t going to move either,” Harmon said. “So everyone should just calm down.”
* Should boat sizes be limited on the Chain, Fox? Owners, waterway agency disagree with state senator’s plan for a cap
* With first full term ahead, Bristow looks to get comfortable in House seat
* Rep. Weber optimistic about changes with new Illinois Legislature
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* From Illinois’ six Catholic bishops…
Legislation that would legalize marijuana for recreational use will be considered in the Illinois General Assembly. The Catholic bishops of Illinois are committed to the common good, and therefore advise against legalization.
Data collected by government agencies and public-interest groups document that drug use is rampant in modern society. Just a few years ago, we heard too many stories of children turned into orphans after their parents overdosed on heroin. Today, we hear of the opioid crisis and the lives it claims. If marijuana is legalized, it will only add to the problem.
Proponents of legalization say marijuana is not addictive, yet peer-reviewed research concludes that it is. Proponents also say that most people who use marijuana will not move on to harder drugs, yet other studies note that most people who are addicted to other drugs started with alcohol and marijuana.
Advocates of legalization rightly point to the racial disparity of our jail and prison populations, noting that marijuana infractions often lead to lives trapped in the criminal justice system. We recognize the truth of that premise, while observing that recent sentencing reforms should soon reverse that trend, since possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana now results in a ticket of up to $200 and no jail time.
Medical marijuana dispensaries already exist across Illinois, ready to be converted into retail stores for customers 21 and older, leading proponents to predict that legalization will eradicate the black market. Will that actually happen, or will the black market simply sell marijuana at a lower price and to those under age?
As lawmakers consider this issue, it is important to remember they are not only debating legalization of marijuana, but also commercialization of a drug into an industry the state will profit from. In seeking the common good, the state should protect its citizens.
We ask lawmakers to say “no” to legalization of marijuana, as Pope Francis explained in 2014 when speaking about marijuana and other recreational drugs: “… To say this ‘no,’ one has to say ‘yes’ to life, ‘yes’ to love, ‘yes’ to others, ‘yes’ to education, ‘yes’ to greater job opportunities. If we say ‘yes’ to all these things, there will be no room for illicit drugs, for alcohol abuse, for other forms of addiction.”
This whole argument of “Keep it decriminalized” just blows my mind. Status quo proponents never seem to understand that their stance directly and materially benefits often violent crime syndicates.
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“How about anything, Danny?”
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fran Spielman…
Ald. Danny Solis wanted lawyer and political power broker Victor Reyes to help raise money for him, but Reyes had a complaint, according to a transcript of an August 2015 cellphone call between the men secretly recorded by the FBI.
Reyes said four other aldermen — George Cardenas (12th), Roberto Maldonado (26th), Proco Joe Moreno (1st) and Rick Munoz (22nd) — had referred him business. But Reyes griped that Solis, then the powerful chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, had given him nothing.
“How about anything? How about anything, Danny?” Reyes is quoted as saying in the transcript in the explosive federal affidavit obtained by the Sun-Times. “How about anything. Not just the big one. How ’bout one f—ing thing … Maldonado sends me business. Moreno sends me business.”
“I will. I will,” Solis said.
“Rick Munoz sends me business,” Reyes continued.
“I will send you business this month,” Solis said.
“You haven’t sent me any. I don’t know why,” Reyes said.
Go read the whole thing.
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* My Crain’s Chicago Business column…
What can we expect out of freshman Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s first legislative session? Let’s look at a few issues.
Minimum wage: Pritzker campaigned on raising the state’s minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $15 an hour over a period of years. But getting to $15 an hour for the entire state on the same time schedule could prove politically difficult. The downstate cost of living is much lower than in Chicago or the suburbs, after all.
Pritzker sincerely wants to honor his campaign promise, but he is under pressure to extend the time period for downstate areas to reach his goal. He’s also promised to lessen the sting on small businesses with tax credits, but the credits currently being discussed may not be adequate.
Pritzker has decided to make this his first big test as governor, so I think we will learn a lot about the future from how he performs now. Does he alienate people he will need down the road by ramming something through, or does he listen to the other side and make some compromises to show he can be reasonable?
Click here to read the rest before commenting, please. Thanks.
* Related…
* Finke: The bill’s pretty much going to have to pass the Senate this coming week if it is going to get to Pritzker on time. The Senate is taking off the following week and then will be in session one more day before Pritzker does the budget address. Supporters may say the bill isn’t being rushed through, but that’s a pretty quick turnaround for lawmakers this early in the session.
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Patience, please
Monday, Feb 4, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
We’ve known for weeks now that the FBI recorded Chicago Ald. Ed Burke’s mobile phone conversations over a period of eight months, listening in on 9,475 calls. And then we discovered that the feds had wired up Chicago Ald. Danny Solis during his own conversations with Burke.
Ald. Burke has a rather, um, “earthy” way of talking when he’s among friends and close allies. Race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexuality, whatever. You name it, if there’s a socially unacceptable word to describe it, his pals say, he’s probably used it.
I’m not saying for sure that the feds have him on tape saying stuff like that, but if they do, there’s no way in heck that Burke wants a Chicago-area jury hearing it. Those words could destroy a defendant. And, of course, few on the other end of any of those conversations want that stuff to come out, either. People might bend over backwards to be helpful if the feds play them those tapes.
The feds, in other words, might very well possess some embarrassing leverage on Burke aside from the alleged illegalities. And the feds love leverage.
They most certainly used leverage against Ald. Solis. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the feds recorded almost twice as many of Solis’ calls as Burke’s — 18,000 in all. Some of those calls centered around asking a political operative to set up trips to massage parlors, allegedly in exchange for official government acts. Ald. Solis agreed to flip on Burke when confronted with the evidence in 2016.
Being caught on an FBI wiretap doesn’t automatically mean somebody did something wrong. Back in 2017 and then again in 2018, the mere presence of J.B. Pritzker on old FBI wiretaps of Gov. Rod Blagojevich was enough to rattle his gubernatorial campaign to the very bone, even though there was no evidence then or since that he was ever under any sort of investigation.
Pritzker simply called the wrong guy at the wrong time and said some stupid things that wound up being memorialized on a government recording device. But lots of folks jumped to an immediate conclusion that the hint of federal smoke somehow meant the existence of a raging corruption fire. Nothing like that has ever emerged.
We don’t yet know for sure, but the same might be said of what’s being treated by the media as an explosive revelation that an FBI mole recorded a 2014 meeting with Ald. Solis, a Chinatown real estate developer and House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Madigan didn’t say anything illegal on the recording. He was at his law firm’s office and Ald. Solis had brought the developer in to talk about perhaps retaining Madigan’s property tax assessment firm for a hotel the businessman was trying to build. The developer never hired Madigan’s firm and never built the hotel. And all this happened almost five years ago and we haven’t heard anything else since then.
The story does give us an inside peek into how things work in Chicago, however. Madigan’s law office can apparently be an important stop on the path toward getting things done. And while Madigan himself can avoid doing anything overt to help his law firm’s clients outside of property tax appeals, just meeting with Madigan could help those clients check a very important box with other important people like Solis.
Madigan himself could be completely ignorant of why a potential client is in his office. Indeed, it’s almost 100 percent certain he wants it that way. You’d have to be insanely greedy to risk prison over a $3,000 annual property tax retainer.
But Madigan is so powerful that people like Solis want to do whatever they can to get into and remain in his good graces. So, it’s not at all inconceivable that part of an alderman’s process of approving a development could include a meeting at Madigan’s firm to show fealty and offer tribute.
The big question: If Solis wired up on Burke, did he also wire up on Madigan? The House Speaker issued a statement through his attorney admitting he “recalls attending several meetings with Ald. Solis over the past five years, including meetings with individuals in need of legal representation.”
Despite the frothing at the mouth from the usual Madigan haters, we simply have no way of knowing if the feds have any leverage on the guy. Be patient. If they’ve got him, they’ve got him. If they don’t, well, it wouldn’t surprise me.
* Related…
* Madigan under the microscope: Did cautious speaker finally slip on trip wire?: “If people believe this is how powerful he is, people will steer business his way just in the belief that he’ll help them. He doesn’t have to help them there. No quid pro,” Gaines said. “That probably doesn’t really hurt him. That doesn’t really alter his legacy. That’s sort of already common wisdom about him.”
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Question of the day
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* First, click here and read Jason Gonzales’ deposition, which is part of his federal lawsuit against House Speaker Michael Madigan and Madigan’s organization.
I’m still reading through it, but I did come upon this nugget…
Q. Why do you believe the Hispanic voters would have voted for you?
A. Because I was bringing a new voice to the district and a voice that resonated with them, and that’s the reason why I ran because the 22nd District needed a new voice. It needed someone who was going to represent the interests, the hopes, and ·the issues of the Hispanic community in my district, which is now 81 percent. […]
It has a lot to do with the fact that I’m Hispanic, and I can understand them. I can understand their culture. I’m Hispanic, Mexican-American. I speak fluent Spanish.
From March of 2016…
[ABC7’s Charles Thomas has] a very interesting take on Madigan’s opponent Jason Gonzales after hanging out with him much of Friday. Thomas claims Gonzales has real trouble “connecting” with Latino voters in the district, partly because he grew up in the suburbs and partly because he doesn’t speak very fluent Spanish.
* And this is just odd…
Q. Do you think you would have done better if Joe Barboza had had a platform and raised money and gone door to door?
A. Maybe.
Q. How would you have done better?
A. Well, I would have had to campaign against him.
Q. How would that have made things better for you?
A. I would have gotten my message out to more people in the district.
Q. How would Barboza running have gotten your message out to more people in the district?
A. Well, because I would have had to run more ads to counter some of the things he said.
MR. PERAICA: Who is “he”?
THE WITNESS: Joe Barboza.
BY MR. VAUGHT: Q. So you would have raised more money if Barboza had ran?
A. Not necessarily.
* More…
Q. So you think the Hispanic vote was all yours?
A. I would say most of it was, yeah.
Q. Why?
A. Because I was the right candidate for the right time, and I had secured, I believe, a good amount of the Hispanics in my district to vote for me, and I had a campaign, and I got my message out, but it was drownded by Speaker Madigan’s negativity.
Q. So is it the negativity that caused you to lose, or was it Barboza or Rodriguez?
A. I believe I would have won the election had these two sham candidates not been on the ballot.
Q. So I want to go back when I asked you do you believe the Hispanic vote was yours?
A. Yes.
Q. Why do you say that?
A. One, because I’m Hispanic, and they’re looking for a new leader and they want a new voice.
Q. Is Chuy Garcia Hispanic?
A. Chuy Garcia wasn’t running in the 22nd District.
Q. But he endorsed Michael Madigan; isn’t that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Would that sway Hispanic voters?
A. Possibly.
* They really twisted him up in knots…
Q. Well, you said that the Hispanic vote was yours, and you based it on the fact your name is Gonzales, which you said is a common Hispanic name, and many people would know somebody named Gonzales?
A. Yes.
Q. So why is it okay to get votes simply because your name is Gonzales, but it’s not okay if your name is Rodriguez or Barboza?
A. Because I was a real candidate. […]
A. I answered it. The difference is they don’t deserve those votes.
Q. Who makes that determination?
A. The voters.
Q. So is it your opinion that you deserve to be the Hispanic candidate?
A. Yes.
Q. And why do you deserve to be the Hispanic candidate over anybody else?
A. Because I’m the right person to lead my community and give Hispanics the voice that they have been wanting for the past 37 years. […]
Q. So you have a constitutional right to have people vote for you?
A. Yes.
Q. Did anybody prohibit somebody from voting for you?
A. No. […]
Q. Is that what this was, a dirty trick?
A. Madigan and Barboza were a dirty trick.
Q. And you got to campaign saying that it was a dirty trick?
A. Could you repeat that? […]
Q. So who do you want to be prohibited from being on the ballot?
A. Anyone that isn’t a legitimate candidate.
Q. Who gets to determine if they’re legitimate?
A. I suppose we’ll let the Court decide that.
Q. So are you asking for an injunction that if you run again, anybody else who would run has to go to the Court to get permission?
A. No. […]
Q. It says, “Upon information and belief, defendants Rodriguez and Barboza received rewards for their action of running as sham candidates for state representative.” Do you have any knowledge of Rodriguez or Barboza receiving rewards?
A. No direct — I have no direct knowledge of that.
Q. Just to be clear, do you have indirect knowledge?
A. I don’t. […]
Q. If you go to the last page of this document, this is an article from Tom Schuba on March 2, 2016, NBC Chicago. It says, “‘Diluting the ballot is the oldest trick in the book,’ Gonzales said, ‘but we don’t believe it’s going to change things very drastically.’” Did you say that?
A. I know I said the first part. I’m not sure that I recall saying the second part.
Q. So do you believe Mr. Schuba gave a false quote?
A. He may have given a typo. I just don’t remember saying that. […]
Q. I’ve handed you what is identified as [Gonzales supporter] BrownMillerGroup’s post-election analysis. Have you seen this before?
A. Yes. […]
Q. It says, “Despite this, final election results were far from satisfactory. Data we received from polling indicated common background shared with a candidate was not of particular importance to the Hispanic voters of this district.” It kind of undercuts your argument that the Hispanics voters were looking just to vote for a Hispanic candidate; is that correct?
A. I don’t agree with it.
* The Question: Any other observations and thoughts?
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Todd Ricketts joins Trump Victory Committee
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If this doesn’t drive the final stake into the heart of those Illinois gubernatorial campaign rumors, I don’t know what will…
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Donald J. Trump for President campaign announced today that Todd Ricketts will join the Trump Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee between the RNC and the Donald J. Trump for President campaign, as its finance chairman.
Ricketts has served as RNC finance chairman since January 2018, spearheading the committee’s record-breaking fundraising work for the midterm cycle. He played a critical role in fundraising for President Trump ahead of the 2016 election.
“Todd has been a friend and successful advocate for our Party and I look forward to his strong leadership on the Trump Victory Committee over the next two years,” said President Trump.
“The RNC is grateful for Todd’s leadership and thrilled that he will play an important role in President Trump’s re-election in 2020,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
“Todd’s contributions play a critical part in advancing the America First agenda,” said Donald J. Trump for President Campaign Manager Brad Parscale. “Todd was a huge help to President Trump in 2016 and we look forward to his finance leadership ahead of 2020.”
“I am honored to continue to support President Trump and the Republican Party through the Trump Victory Committee,” said Ricketts. “As we head toward 2020, I will work to ensure President Trump and his campaign have the resources they need to fight for the American people.”
This should not be taken as a knock on the president, by the way, but the guy lost Illinois by 17 points in 2016 and we all saw what happened here last year.
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* Press release…
The one-year anniversary edition of the Debt Transparency Act (DTA) report, released by Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza’s office today, lays out the fiscal challenges facing Illinois as the Governor and General Assembly begin work on the fiscal year 2020 budget.
“Since my office started publishing Debt Transparency Act reports last year, they’ve provided a crucial, monthly window into the state’s finances. These reports give our new Governor and members of the General Assembly a valuable tool to inform them about the state’s fiscal situation heading into this year’s budgeting process,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “It will take years for our state to recover from the damage caused by the failed budgeting practices of the previous administration. The first step on that path is approving a responsible budget for next fiscal year.”
The report, which is an addendum to the monthly report, highlights the need to use realistic projections for revenues and savings for the fiscal year 2020 budget.
“The current budget was a consensus budget, but it’s important to remember that it did not solve all of our state’s fiscal problems. In fact, it will make the bill backlog worse,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “I urge Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly to use realistic projections when estimating revenues and cost savings and to avoid relying on any concepts they know cannot be realized in fiscal year 2020. Failing to do so essentially amounts to shoveling more bills onto our already unsustainable bill backlog.”
Budgeted revenue shortfalls of the fiscal year 2019 budget are expected to cause a $1.5 billion to $2 billion increase in the bill backlog. The fiscal year 2019 budget counts on revenues from sources, such as selling the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, that aren’t going to be realized. It also includes savings from proposals, such as a pension buyout plan, that will potentially fall short for the current fiscal year.
The report also calls for direct action to reduce the state’s bill backlog and describes the potential consequences of failing to reduce the backlog, including a negative impact on the state’s credit ratings. Illinois ratings currently remain just above “junk” status.
“The major ratings agencies have cited Illinois’ rising backlog as a reason for previous ratings downgrades,” the report says. “Moody’s Investors Service specifically noted that one way Illinois can improve its near-junk bond rating is to show ‘progress in reducing payment backlog’ and ‘prevent renewed build-up of unpaid bills.’”
Low bond ratings cost taxpayers more when the state borrows for major initiatives, such as repairs to roads and bridges and other infrastructure needs.
“Crafting a responsible budget that meets the needs of our state for the next fiscal year is going to be an incredibly challenging task. I urge policymakers not to forget about Illinois’ bill backlog, which currently stands at $7.5 billion,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Without direct action, there’s no hope of substantially reducing our stack of unpaid bills. In fact, the backlog is going to grow because the current budget is based on some revenue assumptions, which aren’t going to happen. As long as the backlog is delaying payments, Illinois is being a bad business partner to thousands of small businesses and schools and putting more strain on our already weakened social safety net.”
Key findings of the report include:
The unpaid bill backlog continues to force the Office of the Comptroller into crisis management; impede timely bill processing; cause instability for state programs; and creates unnecessary and costly late payment interest penalties.
Budgeted revenue shortfalls of the fiscal year 2019 budget are expected to cause a $1.5 billion to $2 billion increase in the bill backlog.
Given that the fiscal year 2019 budget also failed to address the current backlog of bills, taking significant steps in fiscal year 2019 to pay down the backlog of unpaid bills – or even keeping it static – is impossible.
Temporary tools to manage the backlog granted under the current budget do not resolve systemic budgetary issues. Dedicated funding is needed to lower the bill backlog.
The full report is here.
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Pritzker signs EO to help end HIV epidemic
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m told by Team Pritzker that this will carry no additional appropriated costs. They’re simply spending money that Gov. Rauner didn’t spend, the administration claims.
…Adding… From the governor’s office..
FYI— There is a $1.2 million appropriation this year, as has been the case in the past. In previous years, the spending fell short of the appropriation. In FY17, it was roughly $967K in spending and FY18 was $662K. In FY16, there was no funding appropriated. Our goal is to make sure that the full appropriation is used this year for this effort.
And the administration points out that the more important point is about data sharing to keep people healthy…
Surrounded by health care providers and HIV prevention advocates at the Winnebago County Health Department, Governor JB Pritzker took executive action strengthening the state’s commitment to ending the HIV epidemic that has affected nearly 40,000 Illinois residents.
“While 1,375 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2017 alone and unacceptable health disparities in communities of color continue, over the past few years we’ve seen HIV prevention funding dry up, HIV testing rates go down, and HIV prevention and treatment agencies lay off staff,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Now is not the time to back down from this fight. Now is the time to double down. This executive order defines the state’s commitment to the HIV epidemic and serves as a first step in ensuring the state is good partner in this fight.”
Over the last four years, the State of Illinois failed to partner fully with organizations and advocates that are working to end the HIV epidemic. When there was no state budget, HIV prevention and care agencies across the state laid off staff. This lack of investment came a time when health disparities in HIV are increasing.
With today’s executive order, the state will change course and take advantage of opportunities to improve treatment. With Medicaid providing health insurance for 23,748 Illinoisans living with HIV in FY17, the state-run program is the largest payer for HIV care in the state and a vital partner in ending the HIV epidemic.
Committing to ending the HIV epidemic, Gov. Pritzker signed Executive Order 2019-08, which will:
Invest in Programs and Services to End the Epidemic. Investments will include prevention measures the Rauner administration had discontinued, including funding for increased HIV testing, PrEP, the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act and other public health initiatives. Additionally, people living with HIV along with their healthcare providers will be invested and supported in achieving undetectable viral loads.
Monitor Viral Load Metrics. The Department of Public Health and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in conjunction with the contracted Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MMCOs), shall, within 90 days of the effective date of this Executive Order, deliver a report to the Governor containing a plan for the MMCOs to share data with the State in accordance with all laws and regulations governing health privacy, including a viral load metric, so that the State can monitor progress to ensure Illinoisans living with HIV have access to the healthcare they need to keep their viral loads at zero.
“The AIDS Foundation is proud to see the state of Illinois taking critical steps to end the HIV epidemic,” said John Peller, president of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. “With a partner like Gov. Pritzker in the governor’s office, Illinois can eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV by holding Medicaid accountable for tracking and reporting viral suppression.”
“We welcome Governor Pritzker to the Winnebago County Health Department and the focus of his administration on both the prevention and treatment of HIV infection,” said Dr. Sandra Martell, administrator of the Winnebago County Health Department. “Through this public and private partnership, we can get to zero in Illinois.”
“With HIV affecting so many communities across the state, I’m glad that Gov. Pritzker is combating this epidemic head-on and ensuring Illinoisans living with HIV have access to the health care they depend on,” said Rep. Maurice West (D-67th). “While the state hasn’t always been a good partner, the governor is turning the page and writing a new future when it comes to ending the HIV epidemic once and for all.”
“I thank Gov. Pritzker for coming to Rockford during his first week in office and commend his commitment to partnering with localities to keep our residents healthy,” said Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara. “Cities and counties across Illinois have experienced a painful stretch of disinvestment from the state, but Gov. Pritzker has already shown he’s a different type of leader that cares about every region of the state.”
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Tell me another fairy tale, grandpa
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* One reason for Jason Gonzales’ lawsuit against House Speaker Michael Madigan is that Madigan allegedly packed the 2016 spring primary ballot with other Latinos to dilute Gonzales’ vote. But, if you read the deposition, not only does Madigan deny involvement in the scheme, he says the Latino angle never even came up in meetings.
I really find this difficult to believe. It’s how the game has been played forever in Chicago. A black person files against you, then you bring other black people into the primary. A woman files, you bring in more women. And that’s been especially true with Latino challengers over the years.
From Madigan’s deposition…
Q And what decisions, if any, were made regarding the strategy towards these other candidates, if you recall?
A Our basic strategy was to identify the people that are going to vote for me and identify them and get them voted, that was our basic strategy.
Q Well, that’s every campaign strategy.
A Yes.
Q Did you look at the demographic back — breakdown of the population in the 22nd District?
A That was not a consideration in the conduct of the campaign.
Q Were you aware that the District was in excess of 70 percent Hispanic in Primary of March 2016?
A I’ve never heard that it was 70 percent. At the time of drafting, it was about 60 percent.
Q When you say at the time of drafting, you’re referring to redistricting?
A Yes.
Q And that would have been in 2010, six years before, correct?
A Probably 2011.
Q ‘11. And would you agree that the District has progressively trended more and more Hispanic over the years?
A Yes
Q So were you concerned about having a Hispanic opponent Jason Gonzales?
A No.
Q Why not?
A Because I know of my own knowledge that I have widespread support among Hispanic people in the District.
Q So you were not concerned?
A About what?
Q About a Hispanic candidate running against you in the primary?
A I was concerned about Bruce Rauner, that’s what I was concerned with.
Q I’m not asking you about Bruce Rauner. I’m asking you about Jason Gonzales.
A No, you asked me what I was concerned with. I’m telling you. I was concerned with all the money that Bruce Rauner was going to bring into the election, that’s what I was concerned with.
Q So were you concerned that the money that Bruce Rauner was going to bring into the 22nd District election where you were running for re-election would be brought in on behalf of Jason Gonzales?
A Yes.
Q So what were you going to do about that?
A We were going to make sure that the voters in the District knew that Bruce Rauner was on the scene and that he was supporting Jason Gonzales because Bruce Rauner is not a popular person in the 22nd District.
Q As part of your re-election strategy that you developed with these other individuals Marty Quinn, Will Cousineau, Tim Mapes, Steve Brown, yourself, did you discuss bringing in other Hispanic candidates into the 22nd District Primary Race?
A The answer is no.
Q There were two other primary District –22nd District Hispanic candidates in that race other than Jason Gonzales, right?
A The answer is yes.
Q Did you have anything to do with those candidates getting on the ballot?
A We learned about those candidates, again, by word-of-mouth, and we made a judgment that was advantageous to me that there would be multiple candidates in the Democratic Primary. My judgment was at the beginning that not every participant in the Democratic Primary was going to vote for me and the statistic proved that out. So when we learned that there were others that were contemplating candidacies, we thought that would be helpful to my campaign. It would be advantageous to my campaign.
Q So you realized that it would be to your political advantage on election day March of 2016 to have additional Hispanic candidates besides Jason Gonzales on the ballot?
A Not Hispanic, just multiple candidates. And so you study election returns, I study returns, and you know that in my case for certain not every applicant for a ballot in the Democratic Primary is going to vote for me. And, therefore, in a Primary Election it’s advantageous to me to have multiple candidates.
So, those two unknown Latino candidates just happened to be concerned citizens who decided on their own to run against one of the most powerful Democrats in the history of the state at the same time some big outside money was lining up behind a third Latino candidate? How fortuitous for Madigan. Such a charmed life he leads. I never realized before how a guy with a reputation for carefully analyzing every possible angle relied so heavily on pure, dumb luck.
And nobody of consequence in that part of the world ever so much as uttered the idea of splitting up the Latino vote to prevent Gov. Rauner’s allies from making a serious run at Madigan?
Right.
…Adding… Also, just to be clear, Madigan’s operation carried the petitions for those two other Latino candidates from Chicago to Springfield on filing day. Just another coinkydink.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Mayoral race odd couples
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a powerful voice in the African-American community, has endorsed Chicago mayoral candidate Bill Daley, he said Thursday night.
“The future of this city is dependent on us to get this election right,” Rush, a Chicago Democrat, said by phone. “I believe that Bill Daley has the national and international connections to drive economic development from the central city to the outlying communities and neighborhoods. We are suffering, and have been suffering, from decadeslong disinvestment in our neighborhoods.” […]
They both supported Chris Kennedy for the Democratic nomination in the Illinois governor’s race. Daley worked as Kennedy’s head of finances, and Rush endorsed the candidate. Later it was reported that Rush’s son and brother were on Kennedy’s payroll. […]
“I have for years and years wanted to see another African-American as mayor of the city of Chicago,” [Rush] said. “However, for this election, I think Bill Daley is the wise choice for my community. He’s tuned in to the lack of opportunities that a significant population of this city suffer under.”
*** UPDATE *** Emil Jones, too?…
* NBC 5…
Long-time proven vote-getter Dorothy Brown passed the torch to Amara Enyia on Thursday, endorsing her in the race for Chicago mayor.
Brown was removed from the ballot for not having enough signatures, and at least five other candidates spoke to her about winning her endorsement.
“The woman that I believe will be the next mayor of the city of Chicago, Amara Enyia!” Brown declared to a room full of cheers.
Reports have claimed for years that Brown has been under the microscope of a federal investigation, and though she was never charged, it brings questions to this endorsement.
* ABC 7…
“It’s time for honesty, integrity, to put that back into city government,” Brown said.
It’s a comment that might strike some voters as strange coming from Brown, who has been under investigation by the FBI for an alleged scheme to sell jobs and promotions in her office. Enyia dismissed those concerns.
“Well, I have no say or control over what the FBI does or the nature of these investigations. I think, again, at the end of the day, we just have to make sure that the process plays itself out,” Enyia said.
* Sun-Times…
Another veteran Democratic operative not aligned with any of the mayoral candidates said Brown’s support among older African-American voters carries “only upside” for Enyia.
“It’s not like anyone is running away with this race. Everyone is within single digits of each other. So, even these small things matter,” the operative said.
The operative noted that there are “multiple options for every voter out there,” a “remarkable” development that is likely to produce “two run-off candidates barely scratching at 20 percent.”
“If I were Amara, I’d try to utilize having Chance on her side. Try to generate some energy in a race that lacks energy with no real momentum candidate. I’m not saying she will be that. But, she has just as good a chance to do that as any of the others,” the operative said.
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Read the full Madigan deposition
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times obtained its own copy of Speaker Madigan’s deposition in the Jason Gonzales lawsuit…
A very careful Mike Madigan sat down last year for what the 76-year-old political power broker said was his first deposition ever, answering questions for more than five hours about everything from whether he goes to church to his relationship with Ald. Ed Burke to his own “philosophy” on separating politics from government.
Those are some of the highlights in a copy of the veteran House Speaker’s deposition, released by lawyers for the former political rival suing Madigan in federal court. […]
Madigan answered many questions with versions of “I do not remember,” or “I do not recall,” which is common in depositions.
When asked about being elected chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, the speaker said he didn’t remember the exact date.
“I have information that it was in 1998, would that be about right?” Peraica asked.
“Right,” Madigan said.
“So about 20 years now?” Peraica asked.
Madigan replied, “Maybe more than 20 years. It’s one of those situations where you have so much fun you forget things.”
The full deposition is here.
* One of my favorite exchanges…
Q: And what case did he represent you on or in, [Bill Roberts], that is?
A: Those were matters that involved the United States Attorney’s Office.
Q: Were those civil in nature or criminal in nature?
A: They were not civil.
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It’s Time To Put Our Progressive Values Into Action
Friday, Feb 1, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois progressives ran, organized, voted, and won in 2018. Now it’s time to lead. Our victories this election showed there is strong support across Illinois for a bold, progressive agenda and leaders who can turn that agenda into action. We have the power to make Illinois a state that leads the nation on committing to 100% clean, renewable energy, reducing gun violence to keep our communities safe, expanding abortion access to all no matter where they live, their income or age. Working together, we can move Illinois forward on these issues and more — from workers’ and immigrant rights to criminal justice reform, LGBTQ equality, and affordable healthcare. We are one in the fight to build a state where all people can raise families in healthy, safe communities, with dignity and justice.
Forward Illinois is a coalition of leading progressive organizations representing more than 500,000 member-activists. Our work to mobilize voters around the progressive issues that impact us all didn’t end on Election Day. Now we’re taking our fight from the ballot box to the steps of our state Capitol to demand action. Learn more and join the fight at www.forwardillinois.com.
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