* My buddy Keith Perks died last week after a long illness. He was part of a circle of friends I’ve belonged to that goes back to the late 1980s. He was a great cook with a kind soul and a fine mind. A live and let live type, he once scolded me for knocking a certain type of music: “Rich, music is like food. Everybody has their own tastes.” He was at times a complicated person, but you couldn’t ask for a sweeter human being.
I’m not happy that Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker has declined to participate in a spirited exchange with incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday morning at the Tribune Editorial Board. But I understand, as a matter of political strategy, why he’s taking a pass.
He’s ahead in the polls, and it’s customary for candidates who believe they have solid leads to limit their encounters with opponents. Such encounters are risky. Flubs, brain freezes and the inadvertent disclosure of uncomfortable truths are always possible, and merely sharing a platform with underdogs stands to give them traction with the public.
This reluctance is particularly true for well-funded candidates, such as the billionaire Pritzker, who don’t need the exposure and can safely reach voters with barrages of scripted commercials.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and his Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker will appear together before the Sun-Times Editorial Board next month.
Both have agreed to meet for an endorsement session on October 9. The session will be live-streamed.
Pritzker declined to appear alongside Rauner in the Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Board endorsement session on Friday morning. The newspaper endorsed Rauner in the March primary.
While the endorsement sessions are intended for editorial board members to decide which candidate the newspaper will endorse, the meeting is a debate of sorts.
* I asked the Sam McCann campaign for a response to the governor’s Thursday speech and today’s Tribune editorial board meeting…
I heard nothing from Bruce Rauner but the same trite language making excuses for lying to his base and selling out the rest of the states citizens.
I also heard an apology for his failed policies as far as his ego would let him, however in his words when directly asked he has made no mistakes while governor.
The only statement made by Bruce Rauner that is of any consequence is that this is the most important election of our lifetime.
Yes it is governor, and our state can’t afford a Pritzker administration and another fours years of your failed policies.
Bost For Congress today released its second television advertisement of the 2018 election cycle. “At It Again” will air district-wide on broadcast and cable television.
I’ve spent 20 years fighting Pelosi and Madigan, my opponent has spent his career supporting them.
I’ve never stopped fighting for our families.
Whether it’s creating a stronger economy and bringing our steel jobs back, reforming the VA to ensure better care for our veterans or fighting for fair trade and a level playing field.
I’ve never wavered.
And you can always count on me to do what’s right for all of Southern Illinois.
* Related…
* Company spun off from business once tied to opioids gave $30K to Southern Illinois reps: U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, were among the more than 600 recipients nationwide on both sides of the aisle that received money from AbbVie, which has contributed about $1.3 million to politicians during the 2017-18 election cycle. They’re being criticized for taking money from AbbVie amid the ongoing opioid crisis.
THE EQUALITY ILLINOIS PAC CALLS ON GOVERNOR RAUNER TO STOP CONTRIBUTING TO OPENLY ANTI-LGBTQ CANDIDATE ERIKA HAROLD’S CAMPAIGN AND TO DEMAND A RETURN OF LAST MONTH’S $1 MILLION CONTRIBUTION
Statement from John Litchfield, Chair of the Equality Illinois PAC, which is dedicated to securing and defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Illinoisans through engagement in the electoral process:
“Since Erika Harold is so out of step with Illinois values – the same values that are the foundation of LGBTQ-affirming legislation Governor Rauner has signed into law –– the Equality Illinois PAC calls on Governor Bruce Rauner to suspend any further contributions to Erika Harold’s campaign and to demand a return of his $1 million donation to her campaign last month. We were shocked and dismayed by Governor Rauner’s enormous contribution to Harold’s campaign because he has been supportive of LGBTQ civil rights in the past, even when those in his party opposed him. This is an opportunity for Governor Rauner to live up to the best values of Illinois by not financially supporting a candidate who has a demonstrated record of supporting harmful policies for LGBTQ families.
“Illinois is a state that values inclusion and fairness. That’s why our LGBTQ-affirming laws were passed and enacted with bipartisan support.
“Yet, in the race for Attorney General of Illinois, we also know Erika Harold’s disgraceful stances on LGBTQ issues, stances that would hurt our community and our families. Harold allegedly stated she would rather place a foster child in the care of an abusive straight couple than in the home of a loving same-sex couple; she advocated for a constitutional amendment to deny same-sex couples like my husband and me the freedom to marry – even after Illinois had enacted its marriage equality law; and she has opposed workplace non-discrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people from being fired or denied a promotion simply because of who we are or who we love. Based on this record, there is little doubt Harold, as Attorney General, would fail to enforce the very laws meant to protect LGBTQ Illinoisans from discrimination and provide them the opportunity to achieve security and safety for our families.
“On November 6, voters will select the state’s chief lawyer who will defend our families or not. There’s so much at stake here for us.”
Scores of elected officials from across Illinois met with Vice President Mike Pence and other senior officials Thursday at the White House to talk about state and federal issues.
The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs hosted about 140 state and local elected officials from Illinois on Thursday. Each state has a day where their officials are invited to the White House to be briefed on matters important to them.
No Democratic lawmakers took up the invitation, according to those who attended.
The officials spent the afternoon talking about transportation, housing, and tariffs important to Illinois with Pence, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and others.
“Every department is rolling back regulation,” said state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, who attended with her husband. “Every single speaker talked about the need for reforming government and to roll back regulation from the previous administration.”
Anthony Bedell, deputy assistant secretary of intergovernmental affairs with the Department of Transportation, spoke about plans to improve rural infrastructure.
“They’re trying to get more money down to rural areas for infrastructure projects,” Rezin said. “He said about 60 percent of the money going out the door for infrastructure will go to rural projects.”
Lincoln Towing suit filed against the IL Commerce Commission today argues the license revocation should be delayed bc of the Cubs games and says the news is already “sparking chaos throughout the city” pic.twitter.com/yyVkbr96r0
TRIBUNE: “So Governor, my next-door neighbor just lost his job because of continuing fallout of the budget impasse. So how do you talk to Illinois voters who are still feeling the effects of that impasse?”
RAUNER: “I say every day what I said yesterday, and I’ll say tomorrow, that budget impasse was deeply disruptive, caused suffering. We should never let that happen again but we also can’t stop the struggle for reform. We cannot just think that deficit spending and higher tax rates will solve the problem. They won’t. That in and of itself causes even more suffering for longer periods of time, we cannot give up the struggle because of frustrations during that particular round of the struggle. One battle does not define the whole effort. My request of your friend, you neighbor, is to recognize that it’s a failure of all of us as a system. It’s a, we let the people down when we don’t get balanced budgets and we don’t change our system that has been failing us for decades. We have to keep trying and hopefully we don’t have any more disruptions while we struggle for the reforms. I hope we don’t ever have that. I will be willing to compromise on every possible way to find common ground and get incremental changes so we can keep making progress and not have major disruptions.”
TRIBUNE: “The tragic budget shortfall standoff was solved by Republicans coming and overriding your veto. So, I think the question is, how should voters think that we’re not going to see another standoff? Do you regret not signing that budget?”
TRIBUNE: “Given your speech yesterday, can you give us more of a window into why you said what you said, and why it took you so long for you to say it.”
RAUNER: “Yesterday, I felt it was very important to speak directly to the people of Illinois at this critical juncture in our state’s history. I believe that this election is the most important election of my lifetime. I was born in Chicago and lived in Illinois for most of my 62 years. I don’t know of a more important election. This election will determine the future for our state for decades to come and two very different potential paths. The voters of this state will have a crystal-clear, stark choice to make in this election. It’s essential that we choose to support my efforts with Evelyn Sanguinetti to get our state reformed and turned in a better direction. In my first term, we’ve made important progress but also have had some important frustrations. We’ve learned some lessons from those frustrations. And I’d like to build on the successes we’ve had, progress we made, and lessons learned, and try to get even more done in my 2nd term. And I felt it was critically important now with basically less than 60 days to go until the election that the people of Illinois heard directly from me about that. About what’s at stake in this election. And that we can together, Democrats as well as Republicans, reform minded people, independent voters, everyone, we come together to get done what has to get done to create a better future. We cannot tax our way to a better future. We cannot give more power to the same insiders that have created the problems in our state for the past 35 years. We need to get reforms. And these are reforms that are not partisan reforms. They are not Republican reforms. They are reforms that Democrats in other states have done.”
“I am cautiously optimistic that the dynamic in the General Assembly is different. I do not believe that the speaker is as powerful and dominant and domineering as he was four years ago and as he has been for much of the last 35 years. I think there’s more willingness within his caucus to stand up and challenge him on issues,” said Rauner, who has spent millions of dollars attacking Madigan, who also is state Democratic chairman. […]
He said, in retrospect, he would have accepted smaller changes in such issues as workers’ compensation, local mandate relief, property tax controls and state pensions. During his first term, Rauner pulled back from Senate Republican-led efforts to fashion a “grand bargain” aimed at trying to resolve differences between the governor’s agenda and the Democratic-led General Assembly because it didn’t go far enough.
“The simple fact is I’ve learned. I’ve learned a lot. I was highly successful in business by being very aggressive, very dynamic, very quick to act, innovative in thinking. I’ve tried to be the same in government and what I’ve learned is that doesn’t work very well in a political process where we are in the super-minority and now the minority,” Rauner said.
“We just have to take wins where we can get them. We have to change the system slowly. It takes time. We have to gradually convince not only the legislators but also the voters — and communicating about these issues with 12.8 million people is hard and takes time and we’ve just got to stay persistent,” he said. “What we can’t do is let our frustrations, let our frustrations stop us from continuing to work and continuing to try to make progress.”
* Coming late to this because of all the other stuff yesterday. Sun-Times…
Susana Mendoza hasn’t ruled out running for mayor of Chicago.
Now someone is trying to sway her decision by forming a committee to draft her to run.
That someone is Marty Castro, former chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, who plans to launch the committee to get Mendoza, already running for re-election as Illinois comptroller, into next year’s mayor’s race.
Castro ran against incumbent U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez in the 2002 Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District seat. Since then, Castro co-chaired the mayoral campaigns of Gery Chico in 2011 and Chuy Garcia in 2015. But this time around, “more is at stake than ever before,” Castro said in a statement.
“I can think of no better person at this point in time to lead our city. On day one, she will bring a fresh voice and ideas, free from the reins of a longstanding broken political system, to create lasting change for our city,” Castro said in a statement. “Susana understands Chicago. She is Chicago. No one is more qualified or has a more compassionate understanding of the struggles that so many residents and families face.”
Castro said in the statement that he has spoken to the comptroller and urged her to run. Mendoza’s camp confirmed that Castro spoke to her.
But in a statement, Mendoza reiterated that she’s focusing on her re-election campaign.
“I am nothing but flattered and honored by the many calls of support urging me to run for mayor of Chicago, which would be an honor and a privilege, but right now I am focused on running for reelection and supporting the statewide Democratic ticket,” Mendoza said in a statement. “After nearly four years of a disastrous administration led by Bruce Rauner, we can’t take anything for granted.”
Nice dance.
Last month, Secretary of State Jesse White was asked whether he intended to serve out his full term in office if he’s elected in November. I think Mendoza should be asked the same question until she answers it.
Rauner claimed that the impasse deeply affected him. He told the Tribune editorial board that to see how much, they should compare photos of him from four years ago to today.
The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the limits set in a 2009 [Illinois] law do not violate First Amendment free-speech rights . […]
Illinois Liberty PAC argued limits on individuals’ contributions shouldn’t be lower than those for corporations or unions. It complained that political parties and “legislative caucuses” formed by lawmakers may make unlimited contributions and that all limits are off when a self-funded candidate chips in enough.
Liberty Justice Center is representing Liberty PAC. President Patrick Hughes says it plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Illinois Policy Institute’s John Tillman and Hughes are both prior chairmen of that PAC. Liberty Justice Center is a project of the Illinois Policy Institute.
Illinois Liberty PAC, Edgar Bachrach, and Kyle McCarter (collectively, “Liberty PAC”) sued Illinois officials under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that certain campaign contribution limits set by the Illinois Disclosure and Regulation of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Act (“the Act”), 10 ILL. COMP. STAT. 5/9-1 et seq. (2016), violate the First Amendment. Invoking the intermediate-scrutiny framework of Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), Liberty PAC challenges four parts of the Act that it contends are not closely drawn to prevent quid pro quo corruption or its appearance. First, the Act sets lower contribution limits for individuals than for corporations, unions, and other associations. 10 ILL. COMP. STAT. 5/9-8.5(b)–(d). Second, the Act allows political parties to make unlimited contributions to candidates during a general election. Id. Third, a waiver provision lifts the contribution limits for all candidates in a race if one candidate’s self-funding or support from independent expenditure groups exceeds $250,000 in a statewide race or $100,000 in any other election. Id. 5/9-8.5(h). And fourth, certain legislators may form “legislative caucus committees,” which, like political party committees, are permitted to make unlimited contributions to candidates during a general election. Id. 5/9-1.8(c).
The district judge dismissed the first three claims at the pleadings stage, reasoning that Supreme Court precedent foreclosed them. The judge then held a bench trial to determine if the Act’s more lenient regulation of legislative caucus committees—classifying them with political party committees—shows that the Act is not closely drawn to prevent quid pro quo corruption or its appearance. The judge ruled for the defendants, finding that legislative caucus commitees are sufficiently similar to political party committees to justify their identical treatment under the Act.
We affirm across the board. The Supreme Court’s campaign-finance cases plainly foreclose any argument that the Act’s contribution limits for individual donors are too low or that the limits for other donors are too high. To overcome this impediment, Liberty PAC argues that the Act is fatally underinclusive by favoring certain classes of donors over others. But the Court has repeatedly upheld a similar federal campaign-finance scheme setting lower contribution limits for individuals than for other categories of donors, including political parties. See, e.g., McConnell v. FEC, 540U.S. 93, 187–88 (2003), overruled on other grounds by Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310, 319 (2010); FEC v. Colo. Republican Federal Campaign Comm., 533 U.S. 431, 455–56 (2001); Buckley, 424 U.S. at 35–36. The Court has also said that a waiver provision like the one Illinois has adopted would not be unconstitutional. See Davis v. FEC, 554 U.S. 724, 737 (2008). Finally, on the record before us, we see no basis to disturb the judge’s factual findings that legislative caucus committees are sufficiently akin to political party committees to justify Illinois’s decision to treat them alike.
Madigan puppet Sean Casten pledged his full loyalty to the Illinois Speaker this week by entering into a new joint fundraising agreement with Mike Madigan and the Illinois Democratic Party to set up a K Street operation.
Casten for Congress and Mike Madigan joined forces to funnel more funding into the Casten campaign, signing the fundraising agreement on September 12, 2018. This should come as no surprise since earlier this year, Casten stood with Madigan in defiant opposition to a property tax freeze that would have protected Sixth District residents from the ever-growing, out-of-control property taxes imposed by Madigan and Illinois Democrats.
“Casten already mirrored all of Madigan’s views in raising taxes on Illinoisans and blocking bipartisanship, but now Casten has committed to accept Madigan’s money and do his bidding,” said Roskam for Congress Veronica Vera. “The last thing the Sixth District needs is a carbon copy of Mike Madigan representing them in Congress.”
To date, four key political prognosticators like Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Election Projection, and Larry Sabato all list this race a toss-up. And the New York Times latest public polling confirms that.
* AP: Humbled Illinois governor admits errors, pleads for 2nd term: A humbled Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, one of the most endangered state executives in the country, promised Thursday to be less confrontational and more understanding of his political opponents’ views if voters give him a second chance in the November election. Fighting an uphill battle for re-election in a Democratic-leaning state, the first-term Republican delivered an unorthodox address that was part apology, part State of the State address, and part stump speech. Gone was the brash talk of the private-equity investor who once suggested a government shutdown might be necessary to reform the state. Rauner acknowledged that he misjudged the difficulty of government change, and that his stubbornness helped enable a painful, two-year budget standoff with majority Democrats in the Legislature.
* WSIL TV: Gov. Rauner reflects on time as governor, reveals plan for future: Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner made his case to voters with less than two months to go until election day. In a 30-minute-long speech Thursday, Rauner reflected on his four years as governor and the lesson’s he’s learned as head of state. “I’ve grown in office, I’ve changed,” Rauner said “We’ve made progress. I know we can work together to get even more done.”
* ABC 7: Rauner slams Pritzker in speech: Pritzker’s character was the target for the last half of Rauner’s speech, as he accused the Democrat of having off shore bank accounts and avoiding property taxes. “His behavior shows him to be a person utterly lacking in the integrity and character we need in public office,” Rauner said. “Well, Bruce Rauner has no character when he doesn’t get a budget passed and cost working families jobs,” Pritzker said
* Politico: Will voters buy Rauner’s apology speech?: Bruce Rauner isn’t the first governor to stand, hat-in-hand, in the homestretch of an election. After a combative three-and-a-half years, the embattled GOP incumbent — trailing badly in the polls — wants voters to know that a second term would be different. … It’s a tough speech for the usually brazen private-equity-investor-turned pol who allowed the state to go two years without a budget. Rauner was remorseful talking about the toll the budget stalemate had on regular folks. “It kept me up at night worrying about the disruption that many families experienced,” he said.
* Sun-Times: Rauner, Pritzker agree character key to race, but each says other has none: Rauner delivered his speech at the Hilton, which is one of 26 hotels where workers are on strike in Chicago. Thousands of workers are fighting for better healthcare and higher wages. Pritzker’s campaign sought to make light of the location, asking reporters — many of whom are union members — whether they’d attend the governor’s speech. Several television cameramen opted out. But two of the hotels on strike are Hyatts, which are owned by the Pritzker family.
* Tribune: In mea culpa to voters, Rauner pleads for second term by saying he’s not perfect but has grown: “Admittedly I may have overdone it on the courage part at times. I’ve done things that cost me politically, because I was more focused on doing what was right,” he said. “I stand before you today a man of no less courage, but perhaps greater understanding.” Rauner’s admissions were reminiscent of the 2015 Chicago mayoral run-off campaign, when a re-election seeking Rahm Emanuel ran ads in which he donned a sweater and acknowledged he can “rub people the wrong way or talk when I should listen” and said he could do better. Still, Rauner defended the disruption and dysfunction created in a politically divisive first term that pitted a rookie Republican governor against a Democratic legislature along ideological lines.
* Illinois Public Radio: Gov. Rauner Tries to Reset Campaign: Rauner acknowledged problems with his time in office — like the two-year budget stalemate. But he framed that as a fight for HIS ideas about reform, which he said required “courage.” “I may have overdone it on the courage part at times — politically — because I was more focused on doin’ what was right.”
* WGN TV: Rauner: Pritzker ‘lacking in the integrity and character’ to be Illinois governor: “A man caught on FBI wiretap trying to buy political office from a criminally corrupt politician is not worthy of the highest office in our state,” he said. Rauner is warning voters that if elected, Pritzker will raise taxes and allow a culture of corruption. But Rauner was introspective. “I’m a better governor now than when I took office because of what I’ve learned,” Rauner said. … Rauner accused Pritzker of dodging the press. The governor did not take questions from reporters before or after Thursday’s speech.
…Adding… Heh…
.@WCIA3Mark@capitolfax In Rauner's speech yesterday he dropped 15 g's out of 88 opportunities, a paltry 17% score on the FolksyMeter, which is why I have formally retired the device. Must I do all the serious work around here?
Sneed is told former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley, who was once President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, is planning a bid for mayor.
Word is Daley will make an announcement Monday, a source told Sneed.
It was unclear whether Daley plans to announce that he is forming an exploratory committee or a formal run for a seat once held by his brother, former Mayor Richard M. Daley, and his father, Richard J. Daley.
Many county commissioners think it likely that if Preckwinkle moves to City Hall, County Board Finance Chairman John P. Daley would emerge as the acting board president — assuming this son of one Chicago mayor and brother to another wants the job.
A dozen years ago, five financially strapped city of Chicago pension funds invested $68 million in a shaky real estate deal put together by a former boss of President Barack Obama and a nephew of Mayor Richard M. Daley. […]
And not only did the pension funds not make a profit, records show they will end up losing a combined $54.2 million for the retirement plans, which cover Chicago teachers, police officers, municipal workers, garbage collectors and bus drivers.
On top of that, they spent $2.6 million on lawyers to fight DV Urban in court, litigation that finally came to an end last month when the retirement plans also agreed to pay $14,400 in copying fees that the company incurred during the court battles.
While I can see Bill Daley deciding to run for mayor, he has a bad habit of not following through on stuff. Also, I just can’t see his path after so much Daley fiscal wreckage. Then again, I haven’t seen any polling data.
“Then there are areas in the sales tax system that we could look at, to expand sales taxes into services,” he said. “Those are three areas we can bring revenue into the state.”
Asked later if he had any specific services in mind, Pritzker said he did not.
“It’s just that if we have to look for revenue sources, that might be a place we can look,” Pritzker said. […]
“As J.B. said in the past, he opposes a sales tax on services,” said campaign spokeswoman Galia Slayen. “J.B. has been clear in his support for a fair tax that would require the wealthy like himself and Bruce Rauner to pay more, while Bruce Rauner thinks he should be paying the same rate as a childcare worker struggling to make ends meet.”
The campaign also referred to a debate Pritzker attended in January with other Democratic candidates for governor in which he was the only one to oppose extending the sales tax to services.
Gov. Rauner also pushed for a sales tax on services during the 2014 campaign.
I happen to think a tax on services is long overdue. All of our tax bases (sales, income and property) are too narrow in Illinois, and that pushes up our tax rates.
But, dude, if you’ve made a big deal out of opposing something, then stick with it. This ain’t some sophomore dorm room debate. It’s a gubernatorial campaign in a major state.
* Rep. Jerry Long (R-Streator) made a big mistake yesterday when he tried to downplay the harassment accusations against him. The House Republicans had to keep their press release vague because the alleged victim in the case wanted to remain anonymous and didn’t want any details shared, so Long deliberately took advantage of that and it apparently didn’t go over well with the victim.
From the House GOP…
Statement attributed to the complainant:
“Representative Long’s denial of his actions and behavior are troubling and disappointing.
“While there was an incident of physical harassment, the verbal abuse and abuse of power on a daily basis resulted in a hostile work environment that put anyone around him at risk.
“It is my sincere hope that Rep. Long resigns from his position and gets the help that he needs.”
Long said Friday he plans to run a grassroots campaign and that his district office in Streator is still open to assist residents of his district. […]
Travis Sterling, executive director of the Illinois Republican Party, said the state organization will also pull support from Long’s campaign.
“We support their decision,” he said. “They’ve done their investigation.”
Campaign flyers and ads that were authorized prior to the results of the investigation will continue for a short while, but after that, Long will have to fund any further literature.
The speaker spoke for nearly five hours on Thursday, but didn’t provide any “smoking gun.”
That’s the way the plaintiff suing state House Speaker Mike Madigan described the deposition Madigan gave, saying the powerful Southwest Side Democrat denied putting up two sham candidates in his own legislative race and accused Gov. Bruce Rauner of putting his own plant in the race.
The deposition began at 11 a.m. and ended around 4:30 p.m., according to Jason Gonzales, who filed the federal lawsuit against Madigan.
Gonzales argues in the suit that Madigan put up two “sham” candidates with Latino names to try to split the Hispanic vote in the March 2016 primary. Madigan beat Gonzales 65.2 percent to 27.1 percent. […]
“He pretty much played the denial game. He basically said he didn’t know anything or that he doesn’t remember. He said he had no involvement with the two sham candidates,” Gonzales said. “It’s to be expected. We didn’t expect that he would hand us his own smoking gun.”
On August 9, 2017, Plaintiff emailed Mr. Hull saying that it was good to see him and that “[w]e can’t get rid of Madigan without you.” On October 6, 2017, Plaintiff sent Mr. Hull an email with the subject line, “Remaining Invoice for Legal Fees – Anthony Peraica,” in which he said, “I appreciate you supporting me in this and now that the case is moving forward with discovery, I think we have a great shot at finding even more dirt on MJM.”
This morning, JB Pritzker delivered a speech on mental health, a speech that yet again highlights Pritzker’s agenda of more government spending.
Rauner campaign spokesman Alex Browning issued the following statement:
“JB Pritzker continues to talk about his ’specific plans’ that lack specifics. He touts more and more government programs, more than $10 billion in additional spending with no reform whatsoever while keeping taxpayers in the dark about how high their taxes will go. This speech is more of the same from Pritzker: higher taxes, more spending, NO reforms.”
Democratic candidate for Illinois governor JB Pritzker and Democratic candidate for Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul lead their opponents by a wide margin in a new poll released late Thursday by the Illinois Broadcasters Association.
Asking 1,024 respondents who they’d choose for governor if the election were held today, the IBA poll showed Pritzker leading Republican governor Bruce Rauner 44 percent to 27.1 percent. Conservative Party candidate Sam McCann got 6.4 percent and Libertarian Party candidate Kash Jackson got 4.3 percent, and 12.6 percent said they didn’t know or hadn’t decided.
In the attorney general race, 43.4 percent of respondents said they’d vote for Raoul if the election were held today, while 31.7 percent said they’d vote for Republican candidate Erika Harold, and 20 percent said they didn’t know or hadn’t decided. […]
The poll found 23.9 percent of respondents had an overall favorable view of Rauner and 52.4 percent had an overall unfavorable view of him. Only 3.1 percent of respondents had never heard of the governor, and 3.8 percent said they had no opinion.
24 percent favorable. Whew. The report implies these were registered voters, however. Those results tend to skew more toward the Dems.
* Background on this tattoo artist is here. It’s a great read. Press release…
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, running for re-election in the 14th Congressional District, has aired his first television ad of this campaign season. The 30-second spot rises above typical campaign ads and focuses on the issue of human trafficking that is plaguing our nation, an issue that Rep. Hultgren is passionate about and will continue to address when he is re-elected in November.
“As any parent will attest, there’s nothing more important than protecting our children and our communities. And as a husband and father of four children, including one daughter, one of the issues I’ve been particularly drawn to is the tragic human cost of human trafficking on families and especially children,” said Rep. Hultgren.
“As your representative in Congress, I’ve done my best to raise awareness of this issue that effects our region, and not just far-off corners of the world. Our work isn’t done by any means, but our progress is unmistakable.”
The Hultgren Campaign has made a significant ad buy on local cable networks and digital, and this first ad is one piece of a comprehensive TV and Digital advertising campaign that the voters can expect from Rep. Hultgren.
“When I started removing sex trafficking tattoos, I would drive home in tears,” Ink180 owner Chris Baker says in the spot. “To have a kid, at 13, with a tattoo of her pimp’s name on her arm made me sick.”
“There’s so much more work that needs to be done to combat human trafficking, and Randy Hultgren is the man to do that,” Baker says. […]
Underwood outraised Hultgren by about $150,000 in the second quarter of the year. She launched her first TV commercial this week, highlighting her work as a registered nurse as she tries to introduce herself to voters and keep her campaign’s focus on health care.
“Bruce Rauner’s problem isn’t that he had too much courage, it’s that he spent four years refusing to compromise, hellbent on forcing his radical agenda on our state no matter the collateral damage,” said JB Pritzker. “Forcing bipartisan legislators to override your budget veto after two years of pain and destruction is not courageous. Holding our children and their schools hostage to an extremist special interest agenda is not courageous. Waging war on unions and attacking working people is not courageous. This failed governor exhibits the height of cowardice when he spreads lies and says ‘I’m not in charge.’ And while Bruce Rauner finally admitted his failures today, it’s too little too late after he’s forced four years of destruction and devastation on Illinois’ working families. I’m running for governor to clean up Bruce Rauner’s mess and I’ll be the leader we need to get this state back on track.”
* The Question: With 1 being the best and 5 being the worst, how would you rate Gov. Rauner’s campaign speech today? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Late last Friday afternoon and throughout the evening, my phone absolutely blew up with people telling me about allegations of some sort of harassment by freshman Rep. Jerry Lee Long (R-Streator). I eventually figured out that it had something to do with his campaign and on Saturday morning I asked a House Republican Organization official for a response. I was told they were “in the process of gathering facts on a personnel issue” and would discuss it with me the following week.
Well, it’s the following week. From House GOP Leader Jim Durkin’s spokesperson Eleni Demertzis…
Over Labor Day weekend, the House Republican Organization was made aware of allegations into Rep. Long’s behavior.
We immediately brought in a third party firm to investigate these allegations, and upon completion of their report on September 12, a decision was made to withdraw support of Rep. Long’s campaign, restrict access to all caucus resources and recommend he step down from his position.
At the request of the complainant for privacy, there is no other information we can release at this time. The House Republican caucus and organization has a zero tolerance policy on harassment of any kind.
* I reached out to Rep. Long this afternoon and he said he had not yet seen the release, so I read it to him. “No comment,” he said. “I’ll have to look into it. No comment.”
The “restrict access to all caucus resources” means Long will receive no resources outside of his legislative district office allotment, which is mandated by law (see the Sam McCann lawsuit stories for what will be withheld).
Rep. Long is a Tier One target, so this is a huge blow to the GOP. He’s attracted the ire of the unions because he ran as a pro-union Republican and then flipped on them (at the governor’s behest) once in office. The unions and the Democrats have a ton of precinct workers in that district, so lots of them will now likely be moved to other races, which is also bad for the Republicans.
The alleged victim wants to remain publicly unnamed and that’s her right and I completely respect it. Anyone trying to guess in comments will be banned for life.
…Adding… Someone asked in comments if he can be replaced on the ballot. The answer is no. The deadline expired in late August.
…Adding… From Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections…
Aug. 24 was the last day for a candidate to withdraw and make sure their name didn’t appear on the ballot.
…Adding… Actually, he can be replaced. I misunderstood Matt when we talked about a different race earlier this month. From Dietrich…
The managing committee can fill a vacancy in nomination up to 16 days before the election. They need to do it within eight days of a vacancy occurring.
The statement by Leader Durkin stated that they do not stand any kind of harassment. Because of the nature of this high pace/high pressure nature of this campaign, I can be demanding. This is not a sexual harassment of any kind, but merely a difference of opinion on the lack of support by the Republican Party that goes back several months. At this time I have no intention on pulling out of the race because this just proves that I’m not a part of the “Good Ole Boys ” club.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Rep. Long did a radio interview this afternoon on WCMY. Click here. He repeated some comments from his official statement. “I can be demanding,” he said. “It’s extremely important to understand that I expect a lot out of people and that’s what the allegation is.”
“That you’re an abusive boss, more or less?” the host asked.
“Uh, uh, I’m a demanding boss, yes,” Long replied.
Four years ago, I ran for governor on a bold plan to change state government, and unlock Illinois’ potential.
I was a political newcomer. A private citizen who was called to serve, to fix the biggest problems in our state.
Serving as your governor is an honor. It’s also the hardest thing I’ve ever done. To lead Illinois at this critical time, when our challenges as a state are so large, and our politics are so tragically small.
But the cause of fixing the great state of Illinois is worth the stress. Because short of being a good husband, father, and grandfather, building a stronger future for the 12.8 million people of our state is the most important thing I’ll do with my life.
To get Illinois back on track, we have to be honest about the changes we need to make. I have been criticized over my time in office for speaking too negatively about Illinois. I don’t need to list here today all the challenges we face. But I do believe it’s my responsibility as governor to tell the truth about the situation we find ourselves in.
It’s impossible to fix a problem by pretending it doesn’t exist.
The people of Illinois know our system is broken. It was true four years ago. It’s still true today.
I passionately believe that we can reform state government under the principle of public service, making government work for the people rather than for the insiders. Taking power from the politicians and giving it back to the people is the key to driving the change we need.
When I arrived in Springfield, I leaned on my decades of experience in the private sector. I was successful in business because I brought “out of the box” thinking to existing problems. I rose to the top of my field because I challenged the status quo and thought of new ways to do old things. I brought that mindset to Springfield, and sought to turn Illinois around by changing everything at once. I believed a dramatic, aggressive approach could shock state government into shape and bring Illinois back to life.
While it was true – and remains true – that Illinois needs massive reform to get back on track, I underestimated how difficult change can be in government.
You all know this truth: spending more money we don’t have and taking more money from taxpayers in hopes it will cover the bill, will lead us to disaster.
But you should know this as well: I have learned from my years on the job.
I have learned that the two most important things for success in public service are courage and understanding.
Courage to do what’s right regardless of the political consequences and understanding that there are different points of view, different priorities and approaches, even when we share the same goal of wanting to improve Illinois.
And by embracing courage and understanding, we can chart a new path for Illinois. That’s what I pledge to do over the next four years.
Admittedly, I may have overdone it on the courage part at times. I’ve done things that cost me politically, because I was more focused on doing what was right.
I know the budget impasse was painful. It kept me up at night worrying about the disruption that many families experienced. All of us elected officials let you down in that struggle.
But the budget impasse was a fight for reform. The people of Illinois have suffered for decades under a political system that cares less about the people it represents, than about keeping special interests happy to win the next election. A system that does what’s politically easy instead of what’s right.
It takes courage to stand up to the special interests and the status quo. But I’ve learned that it’s equally important to build mutual understanding – to find common ground with those elected officials who want to change things for the better.
It’s no secret that real divides exist between our political parties. That’s why I’ve learned to listen. It takes wisdom to listen to those who disagree with you, wisdom that can be gained only through years of tough political fights.
I have learned that building consensus around ideas … hammering out policy details … clearly communicating to the people of Illinois why they matter … these things take time in government. Sometimes more time than we’d like.
And I have learned that there are countless areas where we can work together – with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. When we put aside our partisan differences and focus on the good of the people, we can get great things done.
That’s how we’ve made progress for the people of Illinois. We have made important progress in many areas, including:
Education reform, achieving record levels of K-12 and early childhood investment, greater equity in school funding, and more school choice.
Healthcare reform that improved access to quality care for Illinoisans, saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and makes us a national leader in behavioral health.
Groundbreaking criminal justice reform, reducing recidivism and increasing public safety by addressing the root causes of criminal behavior.
A future energy plan that puts Illinois on the forefront of efficiency and independence.
A major expansion of the U of I, to make Illinois a world leader in economic growth through technology, research, and innovation.
And by cutting through red tape and supporting entrepreneurs, we’ve created over 210,000 net new jobs since I took office.
After years of tough political fights, Republicans and Democrats came to the negotiating table and worked together to pass a budget. It isn’t perfect; that’s the nature of compromise. But it’s bipartisan momentum we will build on in a second term.
These are OUR successes – bipartisan and with meaningful, measurable, lasting impact for the people of Illinois. Achieving these things required courage … and they required understanding.
I stand before you today a man of no less courage, but perhaps greater understanding.
In divided government, you can’t fix things all at once. You have to be willing to accept incremental improvements. You can’t sacrifice progress for the sake of winning an argument.
But the disruption, the arguments, the negotiations of the past four years have laid the groundwork for real and necessary change. We can continue to move, albeit more slowly than I’d proposed, towards the change that Illinois needs. We can build on the bipartisan successes to move our state forward.
I’m a better governor now than when I took office because of what I’ve learned. And that experience makes me uniquely qualified to lead Illinois.
Today, I ask voters to allow me to continue the work we started, to unlock Illinois’ unlimited potential.
The pillars of this work remain the same: reducing taxes, growing jobs, and ending corruption in state government.
My goals for a second term are the complete opposite of my opponent’s. Pritzker’s plans for more reckless spending and another round of devastating tax hikes would spell disaster for our state. We cannot tax our way to a better future.
The reforms we need aren’t partisan or unreasonable. Our neighboring states have flattened and reduced taxes for their residents. Bluer states than Illinois have put in place the same common sense reforms I’ve proposed: Rhode Island Democrats achieved bipartisan pension reform, Massachusetts Democrats reformed their worker’s compensation and government healthcare systems, California Democrats passed term limits and have tackled gerrymandering.
We’ve proposed these things before, but Speaker Madigan has pulled the rug out from under reform. Even when his fellow Democrats desired the same changes, he has stood in the way.
But Speaker Madigan and his political machine are weaker now than at any time in recent memory. The scandals and controversies, the fiscal reality of our state, and the appetite for reform on both sides of the aisle make this moment an opportunity for change.
I’ve tried to empower and strengthen the many voices for reform. And with a few more reformers in the General Assembly, we will break through. Reformers who pledge to vote for new leadership in the General Assembly, and hold themselves accountable to the people.
Together, through courage and understanding, we can fix our biggest problems.
Unfortunately, my opponent disagrees.
I’m committed to freezing property taxes and removing mandates from Springfield to restore decision making to the local level, to reduce property taxes over time.
Mr. Pritzker opposes a property tax freeze. And mandate relief.
I’m committed to lowering income taxes over time – as I outlined in my budget proposal this year – by enacting genuine pension reform that puts us on a sustainable path.
We can come to a compromise on the consideration model that allows hardworking state employees to choose a compensation structure that works best for them.
It’s something policy-minded Republicans and Democrats agree on – and we can do it.
Mr. Pritzker believes it’s a non-starter, and he’s proposed nearly $11 billion in new spending with another big tax hike to pay for it all.
I’m committed to creating more good-paying jobs through smart regulatory reforms like fixing the broken workers’ compensation system, which is twice as expensive in Illinois as in neighboring states, and by reducing the massive regulatory burden on our job creators.
Pritzker doesn’t think excessive regulations are an issue.
I’m committed to putting term limits on all state elected officials and agreeing to independently drawn legislative maps to end the corruption and conflicts of interest that have held Illinois back for decades.
The University of Illinois at Chicago released a study this spring that ranked Chicago as the most corrupt city in America, and Illinois the third most corrupt state.
Ask yourself why Mr. Pritzker has voiced zero concern for the corruption in our state. He might be the only person in Illinois who doesn’t think corruption is a problem.
In any other state, these reforms wouldn’t be like pulling teeth. They wouldn’t create conflict; they would be bipartisan no-brainers.
They are all things that the people of Illinois want and deserve: a government that’s more efficient, effective, and accountable to the people.
This November, Illinois voters have the chance to send a message. They can tell the political class that we refuse to go back to a system controlled by a few insiders and that we want common sense reform.
I’ve grown in office … I’ve changed. We’ve made progress. I know we can work together to get even more done.
The people of Illinois have a clear choice in November. Will we continue the hard work of reform, aimed at making this state a place where our children and grandchildren can thrive? Or will we return to the status quo: a government controlled by insiders, hellbent on hiking taxes, with little regard for the consequences felt by ordinary citizens?
I’m here to tell you the truth: Pritzker doesn’t have what it takes.
Exchanging campaign cash for political favors, and using his inherited wealth to get what he wants out of state government are not prerequisites for being governor. They’re disqualifications.
A man caught on FBI wiretap trying to buy political office from a criminally corrupt politician is not worthy of the highest office in our state.
A man who inherits billions of dollars, but hides it in offshore bank accounts in the Bahamas to avoid paying taxes, won’t work to give YOU the tax relief YOU deserve. His actions are unpatriotic. He’s not paying his fair share.
A man who ripped toilets out of his Chicago mansion to dodge his property taxes won’t work to reduce your taxes. His deceitful action just puts more burden on other property taxpayers.
What sort of person would do that?
His behavior shows him to be a person utterly lacking in the integrity and character we need in public office.
If elected, he WOULD get big things done: BIG spending, BIG tax hikes, and BIG support for self-dealing.
Imagine what another tax hike would do to your family budget. Imagine what a new tax on every mile you drive would do.
I’ve talked to dozens of families and job creators who have told me that if Pritzker gets into office, and raises taxes as he’s promised, they will leave Illinois.
My opponent doesn’t have the courage or understanding to lead. He’ll only be another insider working for the special interests and against the people.
My opponent thinks he can hide from the media, avoid their questions, and buy this election. I don’t often agree with the media, but I respect them enough to address their questions. Because that’s what you do when you serve the people.
My opponent thinks he can hide from the truth. But we won’t let him.
My opponent thinks he can rail against Washington, and make this election about what’s happening over there. But this election is about Illinois, what’s happening here, and the future of our state.
I’m not perfect, but I’ve grown … and I’m still committed to doing what’s right for Illinois.
Serious challenges require serious leaders, willing to listen and willing to do what it takes.
State government of the insiders, by the insiders, and for the insiders is destined to fail the people.
But I believe in the potential of Illinois, I believe in the people of Illinois, who make us the greatest state in the greatest nation on earth.
This election isn’t about me. It’s not about Republican vs. Democrat. It’s about the people vs. the corrupt political machine. It’s about the taxpayers and job creators vs. the insiders.
It’s about you, and finally delivering the tax relief, the jobs, and the healthy economy you deserve.
It’s about delivering the future our children and grandchildren deserve.
I humbly ask for another four years to finish the job we started, to save our state. I hope you’ll join me in our fight.
Illinois is OUR home. It’s OUR fight. And it’s OUR future on the line.
God bless you, God bless the great state of Illinois, and God bless the United States of America.
Thoughts?
…Adding… I’m posting rapid responses from the Pritzker campaign on the live coverage post.
* I told subscribers about this last Friday, both in the morning and then in an afternoon update about the agreement to pull the spots on Tuesday. There was a huge fight with Chicago labor leaders over Cullerton’s spots…
Within 10 days of running, three ads for Democratic women running for the Illinois State Senate - in which they called for term limits for House Speaker Michael Madigan - have been pulled from airwaves.
It was an unusual step for the candidates, criticizing a member of their own party by name ahead of a general election, particularly one who leads a different chamber of the legislature. Though Madigan is leader of the Illinois House, Democratic insiders admit that his power impacts the Senate as well. […]
But days after the ads began to air on cable television, sources said the Chicago Federation of Labor intervened, threatening to withhold nearly $5 million in campaign cash for Senate Democrats if the ads were not taken down. A spokesman for the Chicago Federation of Labor did not immediately respond to request for comment.
A spokesman for the Illinois Senate Democratic Victory Fund said Thursday that the ads were the candidates’ introductory ads and they had new ads up and running beginning Tuesday.
The ads are still online, however. Click here for one of them.
* The ads also mention how the Senate Democratic candidates back a “no budget, no pay” law for legislators. As I’ve already told you, the House Democrats are also pushing the concept in some of their mailers. Rep. Mark Batinick was the original sponsor of a bill to prevent lawmakers from being paid without a budget, and his Democratic opponent has been using the issue to bolster her own campaign. So, Batinick wants an immediate special session to deal with the issue…
State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) today called on the General Assembly to immediately return to Springfield to approve “No Budget, No Pay” legislation that he has been championing since 2015. Democratic legislative candidates and officeholders are now claiming to support this Bill that Leadership suppressed.
“The silence from legislative Democrats on ‘No Budget, No Pay’ during the state’s budget impasse was embarrassing,” said Rep. Batinick. “Now that Democrats on the ballot across the state are voicing their support for the idea through political mail pieces, TV and radio ads, let’s put the issue to bed. I’m calling on the Speaker and the Senate President to call the legislature into session immediately. Let’s see who truly supports this important form of taxpayer protection and who is using this to simply get elected only to turn their backs on Illinois families once in office.”
At the start of the budget crisis in July of 2015, Rep. Batinick became Chief Co-Sponsor of “No Budget No Pay” legislation — HB 4253. This legislation simply states that if there is no state budget in place, legislators won’t get paid.
Batinick also started the website www.NoBudgetNoPayIL.com to collect petition signatures on the concept and signed on to a letter to the comptroller outlining a legal argument on why the comptroller could withhold legislator pay without legislation.
“To use ‘No Budget, No Pay’ as nothing more than a political tool to get elected is disgusting and dishonest,” said Rep. Batinick. “Illinois families deserve better. Let’s go back to Springfield and put the votes on the board. Time to see who is willing to stand for taxpayers and who is in this for themselves - before the November election.”
Today, ahead of Bruce Rauner’s desperate “reset” speech, the Pritzker campaign is releasing two new TV ads that show exactly why Bruce Rauner is trying so hard to reframe his inability to lead after four years of failure.
The ads highlight the central failure of Rauner’s tenure: the two-year budget crisis that Illinoisans are still recovering from. “736 Days” focuses on how the crisis hurt local communities by delaying funding for schools and forcing local governments to raise property taxes while “Unpaid” focuses on Rauner racking up over $10 billion in unpaid bills and wrecking state finances.
“From harming local neighborhood schools to forcing property tax hikes and tanking state debt, communities across Illinois are still reeling from Bruce Rauner’s two-year budget crisis, and no single speech can erase the fact that four years of his failure is enough,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen.
Want to see what failure looks like? Because of Bruce Rauner, Illinois went 736 days without a budget, delaying funding for schools while local governments were forced to raise property taxes. Four years of failure is enough.
Want to see what failure looks like? When Bruce Rauner took office, Illinois had $6 billion in unpaid bills. But after Rauner’s budget crisis, we had over $16 billion. Bruce Rauner, four years of failure is enough.
A TV-watching buddy told me last night that the :15 spots were played back-to-back.
*** UPDATE *** Despite the claims by the Pritzker campaign (and the fact that I only heard about the spots last night), the Rauner campaign says the ads are not new and have been running since last Thursday.
Metra leaders gave riders a 2019 fare-hike holiday Wednesday but promised doomsday-scenario downsizing unless state funding materializes.
That could mean eliminating stations, trains and even routes, officials said.
“Absent adequate funding, Metra cannot survive in its current form,” Chairman Norm Carlson said.
The solution is to convince Illinois lawmakers to turn on the tap for transit despite ongoing state budget woes, officials said. “We are the lifeline that holds the region together economically — we get people back and forth to work,” Carlson said.
If the push for funding fails, “drastic changes in service levels … may be needed to shrink (Metra’s) size to what our resources can sustain,” he added.
“A fare increase only puts a Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” said board member Tim Baldermann of Will County. He said the state has “kicked the can down the road for decades” in terms of funding, and suggested the possibility that Metra may have to cut lines without adequate state help. […]
Metra staff proposed a preliminary 2019 operating budget of $828 million if there are no fare hikes, and a capital budget of about $211 million. The agency has said it needs $1 billion in capital funding to get into a state of good repair. […]
Metra lines with the lowest annual ridership include the Heritage Corridor to Joliet, with 730,000 trips in 2017, and the North Central Service to Antioch, with 1.7 million trips, out of a total of 78.6 million trips for the whole system.
In 2014, Metra announced at $2.4 billion plan to modernize its trains and install a federally mandated — yet unfunded — Positive Train Control (PTC) safety system intended to prevent train collisions and derailments.
The board said the plan was put together with the assumption the agency would get $700 million in state and federal funding, with Metra putting in $400 million. But since the state hasn’t passed a new infrastructure plan since 2009 and has reduced some of the funding the agency expected, most of the revenue from fare increases has gone toward capital needs and the PTC system.
* Riverside Democrat…
To be clear, we deserve a pounding for lack of a capital bill to address aging assets. And the budget crisis wreaked havoc on transit agencies. But cmon man. This is some hot garbage from an agency that consistently drops the ball on their own.
HOST 1: Bruce Rauner’s been on the program a number of times, and I kind of feel for him. But, the ad that he ran against you from the Tribune Editorial Board meeting –
HOST 2: ’She loves Mike Madigan.’
HOST 1: - Was taken so far out of context for even people that follow the news marginally well.
HOST 2: ’When Jeanne Ives was a soccer coach she taught her kids to cheat.’
HOST 1: What does this say about the populous where they buy that nonsense? And this is true of Democratic ads too.
IVES: But they did. But they did buy it. He spent $1.7 million the last four days of the campaign lying about who I was in Central Illinois, and they did not do their research or check it out. So, they know that it’s effective. Which is why now everybody’s tied to Madigan on both sides, I mean it’s just ridiculous. So, people are gonna have to wake up to the reality in their checkbook before we – Republicans are going to have to make arguments, we’re going to have to make real arguments about what’s going on and connect dots for folks. And I think eventually we may get there, but the truth is we’re going to lose more and more people every single year because they’re just going to give up, they don’t care why they just want out.
State Senator Andy Manar, (D) Bunker Hill, and two other Illinois lawmakers are demanding answers from the Rauner administration concerning funds for critical access pharmacies.
The legislature created the critical access pharmacy program (Public Act 100-587; HB 3342) with the intention of providing funds for the sustainability of independent pharmacies that have been negatively impacted by reimbursement rates through the states managed care program. The new managed care program started April 1, 2018. Since that time several pharmacies throughout the state have closed including pharmacies in Mt. Zion and Lincoln.
A September 10, 2018 letter was sent to Patricia Bullock, Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services, seeking an explanation as to why the program has not been implemented. The letter from Senator Manar, Senator Heather Steans, (D) 7th District and Representative Gregory Harris, (D) 13th District, reads in part:
“While this program is subject to appropriation, the fiscal 2019 budget as contained in Public Act 100-586 (HB 109) included $10,000,000 to fund disbursements to critical access pharmacies. We strongly believe that this program needs to be administered as soon as possible to prevent pharmacy closures that would impact access to care for individuals throughout the state – closures that are occurring right now in Illinois.”
* I asked the Rauner administration for a response and was sent this…
In following recently enacted state law, the Department has been working with stakeholders to establish this new program in a way that will ensure it offers as much assistance as possible. HFS is developing program guidelines within the timeline of the formal rule-making process that needs to be followed.
I asked what that timeline was and didn’t hear back. Manar’s letter also asked for a timeline.
I sent the administration’s response to Manar. His spokesperson sent me this…
Just talked to him. He noted that this is an emergency situation for these pharmacies and that the budget went into effect July 1. He said, “We have not received a response, and we would have expected them to at least have rule-making started by now.”
Ohio’s Department of Medicaid will end the state’s contracts with pharmacy benefit managers which bill taxpayers more than they reimburse pharmacists for filling Medicaid patients’ prescriptions.
The department on Tuesday directed Ohio’s managed care plans to terminate contracts with pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, based on the “spread pricing” practice, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The state said it’s moving to a more transparent pass-through pricing model Jan. 1.
* Finally, some results from Gov. Rauner’s European trade mission…
.@FaberCastell was founded in 1761 and is one of the world’s oldest industrial companies. We met with their team in April and we’re happy that they have chosen to be born, built, and grown in Illinois for the North American market. pic.twitter.com/VR1sGSV34C
A German cosmetics manufacturer is opening a plant in Elgin with state incentives, giving Gov. Bruce Rauner a chance to credit a trade mission he took to Germany and Poland in April.
The factory, operated by a unit of pencil maker Faber-Castell, will start with 10 to 15 employees and aim to expand to 50 within three years, a threshold for job- and investment-linked subsidies under the state’s revamped EDGE program.
The plant will make cosmetic pencils, beginning this fall.
Christina Zech, managing director of Faber-Castell Cosmetics, said other states, including Wisconsin, offered more money upfront, but Illinois won out, mainly because of its central-U.S. location and access to O’Hare International Airport. Under EDGE, companies can get a credit against income taxes equal to 50 percent of withholdings associated with each new job, up to the level of projected investment.
State economic development officials learned last summer of Faber-Castell’s interest at a Commerce Department conference in Washington, according to Mark Peterson, CEO of Intersect Illinois, a privately funded economic development office. “That set the table.” Rauner then scheduled a stop at corporate headquarters in Stein, Germany.
…Adding… Text from an African-American legislator…
All that money for eyebrow pencils. We have cosmetic companies - minority ones- who could have added ‘10-15′ employees and made these things here with just a small incentive from DCEO. He coulda saved a trip.
This is the story of a school mentor who was pedophile. It's also the story of a principal who trusted him. A top CPS official (now a mayoral candidate) who didn't push for scrutiny. And an inspector general who rejected investigative findings on blame.https://t.co/zGETAz2xSw
What did Paul Vallas know and when did he know it? Vallas, running for mayor, won't say. Instead, he had his campaign respond to Tribune findings that officials ignored warnings of a pedophile in their midst. @poolcar4@garyjmarx@jsmithrichards@PerezJrhttps://t.co/49vNu2AbWk
Vallas’ (mayoral) campaign also defended the lack of any immediate investigation into Lovett’s sexual misconduct, or the principal’s alleged failure to report it, saying it was a matter for police and child welfare authorities. https://t.co/drheURGBfY
Marvin Lovett was a trusted mentor to students at Johnson Elementary School. He also was a pedophile.
Lovett used a camera hidden in his apartment closet to make secret pornographic videotapes of students, police and school reports show. He plied boys with cash and gym shoes as he destroyed their childhoods.
Shot to death in April 2000 by a teenage student he abused for five years — since the boy was 12 — Lovett has been accused in lawsuits of sexually abusing at least 19 boys in the North Lawndale community.
It is the largest known case of sexual abuse involving a Chicago Public Schools worker, volunteer or vendor in recent decades, one that led to $2.7 million in legal settlements earlier this year. Yet no one at CPS was ever held accountable for allowing a dangerous sexual predator to volunteer and work in the West Side school.
Now a Tribune investigation has uncovered a 58-page case manager’s report from the CPS inspector general’s office in which four CPS employees told investigators they had raised concerns with the school’s principal, Mattie Tyson, about Lovett’s interactions with boys.
Scroll down and you’ll see that a school parent reached out to Paul Vallas, who was then CPS CEO, but he apparently didn’t do anything about it.
* Lori Lightfoot called him out…
Paul Vallas’ response to the horrific case of sexual abuse that occurred under his watch at CPS is entirely disqualifying.
Vallas dismissed then, and continues to dismiss today, the fears and frustrations of parents in the face of appalling acts of abuse by a known pedophile. His campaign’s statement that, if parents were truly concerned, they ‘would have endeavored to do more than simply send faxes’ places the burden on victims and evades responsibility.
I call on Paul Vallas to apologize for his deeply disturbing response to Tribune inquiries. For seven years, Chicagoans have had a mayor who blames victims instead of hearing their concerns, and we can’t afford to elect a new leader made from the same mold. It’s time for new leadership, and it’s time for an elected and representative school board that Chicagoans can hold accountable in moments like these.
*** UPDATE *** Vallas campaign…
The case of Marvin Lovett is a tragic one and an example of how an individual can prey on children in a community while perpetuating the image of someone who was dedicated to improving the health and welfare of that community to the extent he was able to get elected to his Local School Council.
During Paul Vallas’ tenure as head of the Chicago Public Schools, Lovett was not an employee, having resigned the year before Vallas became CEO. It was also not until after Lovett was killed, a year before Vallas left the school system, that there was even any attempt to alert anyone of suspicions about Lovett. That consisted a of single anonymous fax apparently sent to a few individuals at CPS, including the School Board President Gery Chico, as well as Mayor Daley, and reporter Pam Zeckman, none of whom ever recall receiving any communication on this matter.
It is inconceivable that had these faxes - or any other communications - actually reached school officials that immediate follow up actions would not be taken as far lesser allegations prompted swift and decisive actions. This was mandated through the comprehensive system that had been put in place to keep children and faculty safe and secure and to ensure prompt and appropriate intervention when abuse was suspected.
This system included: clear protocols and training on procedures to follow when allegations of child abuse surfaced; a 24/7 hotline for anonymous reporting of potential abuse; creation of an Office of Crisis Intervention to provide support services for abused students in schools as well a multitude of other offices and services specifically designed to protect them.
With all these systems of safeguards and supports in place, had any complaint been actually received, immediate action would have been taken. During Vallas’ tenure there were almost daily interventions and an average of one to two dozen employees and others were removed from schools each year for misconduct. The policy was zero tolerance and student and employee safety first.
Sadly, the realities of child abuse and the furtive ways in which predators carry out their despicable activities means that no system - no matter how well designed - can never guarantee that all abusers will be detected. But there was no stone left unturned by the Vallas administration in making certain that everything possible was being done to keep children safe.
* I missed this one yesterday when I was under the weather. But now that Rauner is planning to cross a union hotel picket line today, it’s even more timely…
Today, the Rauner campaign is launching a new digital video titled “Turning Up The Heat.”
JB Pritzker claims to support unions and boasts of their endorsements, but his history with workers stands in stark contrast to his words. Currently, union workers are striking at the Hyatt Hotels owned by the Pritzker family and employees of a Pritzker-owned business are accusing of him of union-busting.
Back in 2011, when workers at the Pritzker family’s hotel chain went on strike in the middle of the summer, the hotel turned the winter heat lamps on. This video focuses on the strike, the Pritzker’s use of heats lamps, and features one worker saying, “If the heat didn’t kill us, the heat lamps would.”
JB Pritzker talks a big game, but Illinois workers can’t trust him.
Pritzker: “It’s why I believe so strongly that we have to stand up for our labor unions in the state.”
But when workers went on strike at the Pritzker family hotel chain, they turned on the heat. In the heat of the summer, they turned heat lamps on workers.
Hyatt Hotel Worker: “They put the heat lamps on us like we were nothing. If the heat didn’t kill us the heat lamps would.”
JB Pritzker says one thing, but his record shows another. Illinois workers can’t trust him
This spot is obviously designed to try and discourage or tamp down union member support for Pritzker.
A new ad from the Roskam for Congress campaign released today highlights Sean Casten’s previously unreported work as a federal lobbyist who sought taxpayer funded subsidies and attempted to sway members on Capitol Hill to grant him special tax incentives for his own company.
“Sean Casten takes every opportunity to talk about his ‘resume,’ but he conveniently leaves out that he was also a registered federal lobbyist who pleaded with congressional leaders for special tax breaks to benefit his own business,” said Roskam for Congress Spokesman Veronica Vera. “Casten’s hypocrisy in calling for raising taxes for 6th District residents, all the while lining his own pockets with taxpayer money through special interest tax breaks, is breathtaking. Casten’s history continues to reveal shady business dealings, cover-ups and contradictions—and now, Sixth District residents are getting to know the real Sean Casten.”
* This media advisory was supposed to be for planning purposes only, but I saw two mentions of it in other publications this morning, so here you go…
Governor Rauner will deliver a speech framing the gubernatorial election. The speech will cover lessons learned in the first term, the contrast between Governor Rauner and his opponent, and the governor’s vision for the future of Illinois.
The speech begins at 2 o’clock this afternoon at the Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Ave.
He’s also speaking this morning to the Civic Federation’s board. I’ll try to let you know if he previews his afternoon address.
…Adding… DAGA moved its fall conference to avoid crossing picket lines…
In response to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) moving its Fall Quarterly Policy Program Conference from the JW Marriott to another location in Chicago to show support for workers, UNITE HERE and UNITE HERE Local 1 applauded the Democratic Attorneys General Association for its commitment to supporting workers.
“We applaud the decision of the Democratic Attorneys General Association to stand by the thousands of hospitality workers in Chicago and move their conference site,” said Karen Kent, President of Unite Here Local 1. “We are proud of our members who are making their voices heard this week in Chicago—and we are proud of the Democratic Attorneys General Association for listening.”
Thousands of Chicago hotel housekeepers, servers, cooks and doormen have stopped working and are on strike for year-round healthcare, workloads that keep them healthy, and wages that keep up with the cost of raising a family. Hotel workers are on strike at 26 downtown convention and boutique hotels. Some of the affected hotels include the Hyatt Regency Chicago, JW Marriott, Sheraton Grand, and Hilton Chicago. Union contracts with UNITE HERE Local 1 expired on August 31, 2018.
I’ve heard they haven’t moved the rooms, however. We’ll see.
…Adding… I’m told he didn’t break any new ground at the Civic Federation this morning. “Rauner’s greatest bits” was one explanation. So, we wait for the afternoon speech.
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker campaign…
With 54 days until election day, Bruce Rauner is desperately trying to reframe his inability to lead after four years of failure.
While nothing can undo his damage done, if Bruce Rauner truly wants to take responsibility for his failures, here are five questions he can answer for voters today:
Was your two year budget crisis worth it?
You underperformed your predecessor, so does that make you the same “miserable failure on jobs” you called him?
After enrollment in state colleges and universities plummeted by 72,000 students on your watch, do you regret proposing cuts to higher ed and slashing funding for MAP grants?
Why haven’t you protected Illinoisans with pre-existing conditions from losing their healthcare coverage to Trump’s attacks?
After 14 Veterans and spouses died on your watch, do you still think your administration did ‘an excellent job’ in Quincy?
“Bruce Rauner is a failed governor who has spent four years wreaking havoc on communities across the state, and nothing Rauner says will undo his damage done,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “A speech can’t erase four years of failure, a ‘reset’ can’t save a flailing campaign, and the same failed governor can’t convince anyone that another term will be any different than the last.”
