Chris Kennedy, Democratic candidate for governor, and his running mate, Ra Joy, presented their government reform agenda today to prevent the destruction of democracy in Illinois.
During a speech where he outlined a range of policies, Kennedy cited the need to restore faith in government by not letting, “Crony capitalists infiltrate our party and betray the democratic activists who have always made up the mosaic-like fabric of our party.
“With millions of dollars flowing into campaigns for Illinois Republicans from just two or three donor families, like the Rauners, Ken Griffin and the Uhlines, the Democrats have become desperate.
“Democrats now believe that to compete, they must adopt the same behavior as those who have oppressed us. We are mimicking behavior that we abhor. Just as debilitating behavior can be passed from one person to another, so too can self-destructive traits be passed from one party to another.
“A small group of billionaires has realized that, if they can control the government, then they can reap massive financial benefits at the expense of everyone else.”
Kennedy and Joy’s plan includes the following five priority areas to increase voter registration and voter turnout, implement campaign finance reform and campaign reform, and improve the Democratic Party and the political system:
Voter Empowerment
* Increase voter registration by fully implementing automatic voter registration and supporting the infrastructure and appropriate staff levels to guarantee same-day voter registration at every voting site.
* Increase staffing at early voter sites making it easier to vote and less time consuming.
* Move primaries to a more hospitable month, like May or June.
* Align the Illinois gubernatorial election with the presidential election year cycle.
* Align municipal races with midterm congressional elections.
Direct Democracy
* Adopt direct democracy by pursuing a constitutional amendment that will allow voters to make major decisions by ballot initiative or referendum.
Campaign Reform
* Draw fair maps so voters can choose their elected officials instead of elected officials choosing their voters.
* Institute term limits for statewide office, including the governor, to end the stagnation and careerism that plague our government.
* Support elected school boards.
Campaign Finance Reform
* Ban political parties from making contributions to any candidate during a primary election.
* Create a small-dollar donor matching system in Illinois that allows campaigns to raise a majority of their funds from small dollar donors to compete with the campaigns financed by special interests, crony capitalist donors, and suppliers.
Conflicts and Corruption
* Put a year-long ban on the revolving door that allows elected officials to go into private practice and lobby that same office, just like their employees are subject to.
* Ban property tax lawyers from making contributions to local assessors or to the assessors’ political organizations or even to political parties that have a hand in slating these political candidates.
* Ban family members from working as lobbyists and agents before elected officials from their own family.
* Separate party leadership roles from elected official roles.
* Create an Inspector General role that is responsible for ensuring that the legislature follows these rules.
“If we can fix the way the system itself works, we can get good people into office who can make the other necessary reforms,” Ra Joy said. “To stem the rising power of oligarchic big money in our elections and the increasingly unrepresentative nature of our institutions, we must pursue these reforms.”
The campaign’s government reform policy speech is part of a series of policy speeches intended to cover a range of topics and plans that will help bring lasting change and move Illinois forward. Over the summer, Kennedy spoke about ways to end the state’s property tax racket and he presented an eight-point plan to address the scourge of gun violence throughout the state.
Chris Kennedy is a Democratic candidate for Illinois Governor, who ran the Merchandise Mart and is currently leading a privately-financed construction project that is bringing 2,000 jobs to Illinois. Along with his wife, Sheila, he founded Top Box Foods, a community-based nonprofit that offers healthy food at affordable prices. Previously, he served as chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Chris is the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy and is the eighth of their eleven children. He and his wife have four children and reside in suburban Chicago.
Some of that is good, if not particularly new.
But having the primary during or just after spring legislative session would not be a good idea. Legislators could wind up falling all over themselves to please the PACs while they’re taking final action votes.
Also, banning political parties from contributing to primary candidates seems fruitless because they’ll just get around it another way. Money is fungible.
Putting statewide races on the same schedule as presidential cycles would be great for Democrats. I’m not sure Republicans would love it here, though.
Anyway, do you have any other thoughts on these proposals?
Crosscheck is an interstate data-sharing program between 28 states. Participating states send their entire voter file to a server in Arkansas. Kansas then downloads all of this data, runs a rudimentary name matching algorithm, and then uploads the results back to Arkansas. We have the passwords to every step in this process.
We’ve posted documents obtained by Indivisible Chicago as a result of FOIA requests to Florida and Illinois. The “yellow paper” redactions are our redactions of usernames and passwords carelessly sent via email. We have redacted instead of posting publicly, as we take the sensitivity of this data more seriously than the Illinois, Arkansas, and Kansas election authorities.
The documents include:
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2011
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2013
Passwords to Crosscheck Results files for all states, 2014
Illinois State Board of Elections, full voter file encryption password, 2012
Illinois State Board of Elections, full voter file encryption password, 2014
Arkansas decides not to change passwords, 2011
ISBE username/password to Arkansas FTP server, 2016
ISBE username/password to Arkansas FTP server, 2017
Florida-Kansas matches; Florida provides Kansas SSN4
ISBE IT emails Kansas asking how Crosscheck works\basic security questions, 2017
For some background on how counter-productive and perhaps even dangerous Crosscheck is, click here.
* The documents appear to show the group was sent this info via FOIA…
ISBE Encryption Password - 2012
The password used by the Illinois State Board of Elections to encrypt over 8 million voter records in a file sent to Arkansas and Kansas state authorities.
ISBE Encryption Password - 2014
The password used by the Illinois State Board of Elections to encrypt over 8 million voter records in a file sent to Arkansas and Kansas state authorities. NOTE: This is the same password as 2012, only it ends with “2014″ instead of “2012″.
FTP Server Credentials - 2016
Both the username and password, in a single email, which allows Illinois to login to the FTP server in Arkansas which houses over 100 million voter records across 28 states. The server connection is not encrypted, meaning this username/password is not only sitting in email but is transmitted across the internet in plain text.
FTP Server Credentials - 2017
Same as the image above. Exactly the same. How many years states have gone without ever changing their passwords to access such sensitive systems is unknown.
* I reached out to Steve Sandvoss, the executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections. He said they did attempt to redact all user ID info, login IDs and passwords, but four of them got through. “They should’ve been redacted but they weren’t,” Sandvoss admitted.
But, Sandvoss said, all the login info and passwords are “obsolete” with the exception of the one for 2017. “It’s possible that it is active,” he said, but “the file is empty” because te people who run Cross Check in Kansas are required to immediately delete the information.
And even if it wasn’t empty, Sandvoss said, the file itself is encrypted so you’d need an encryption key to access it and Indivisible Chicago doesn’t have that. And the file can only be accessed remotely via a specific IP address. Without that, you can’t get in.
“At first glance, it looks bad,” Sandvoss admitted. But when you peel the layers back, “We don’t feel that the information they have poses a risk to voter data.”
* But there is an upside for Indivisible Chicago, which has been working to get Illinois out of Crosscheck for a while now. Sandvoss said Florida FOIA laws are “pretty liberal.” A lot of information can legally be requested in that state, which brings up a “legitimate security concern” about remaining in the program. Sandvoss said he thought the full board would take a hard look at that issue when they meet in November to decide whether the state will remain in the program.
…Adding… From Sandvoss…
Hi Rich,
Just an update; the FTP login ID and password contained in the January 19, 2017 e-mail have been changed, therefore the ones that were released are no longer valid.
In case you had any doubt, Mayor Rahm Emanuel says there’s none in his mind. He’s running for a new term in the February 2019 election, with the goal of spreading the prosperity and new jobs that have blossomed in the central area of the city throughout Chicago.
In a meeting with Crain’s editorial board yesterday evening, Emanuel had an instant reply when asked if he intends to seek a new term: “The answer is yes.” He later repeated the sentiment—”I am (running)”—and said he’s doing so because “I want to make sure that every part of the city is participating in the quality of life.”
So far, there’s no sign that Emanuel will face a major opponent despite some very rough patches after the shooting of Laquan McDonald. Insiders say that his popularity numbers, which had dipped very low, are back about 50 percent in the latest polling.
“My goal is to make sure people feel they have a stake in the future,” Emanuel said, saying he’s tried do that by luring new employers to town and expanding the schools model from K-12 to pre-college. But “there’s more work to be done” he said, referring to widespread variance in crime rates, educational levels, income and other measures from one part of town to another.
* The Question: Your suggested reelection campaign slogans?
Makes it unlawful to deliver, sell, or purchase or cause to be delivered, sold, or purchased or cause to be possessed by another, an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly possess an assault weapon, .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge 300 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, except possession of weapons registered with the State Police in the time provided. Provides exemptions and penalties. Prohibits delivery, sale, purchase, or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices. Provides exemptions and penalties. Prohibits the knowing sale, manufacture, purchase, possession, or carrying of a trigger modification device. Defines “trigger modification device”.
If you’re a lawful gun owner and you’re not welled up with anger, you really should be. Why? Because Mike Bloomberg, Marty Moylan, and the Moms have identified you as the “other shooter” on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay.
As you read this, the gun control movement is crafting a package of severe punishments specially for you just because you dare to own firearms.
The most dangerous of these insults to your liberty is HB4107, introduced by Rep. Marty Moylan (D-DesPlaines).
If passed, Moylan’s bill would inflict the following punishments on you:
Force you to register as a potential offender.
Force you to pay a yearly tax on lawfully-acquired firearms.
Force you to surrender to the police all the firearms that Marty Moylan doesn’t want you to have.
Force you to surrender standard capacity magazines to the police.
Prohibit you from making repairs to your lawfully-owned firearms.
The good people of Illinois should not be subjected to such mistreatment at the hands of a political opportunist like Moylan.
Any reader who does not believe that Moylan poses a serious threat had better think again. The Las Vegas mass murder was a godsend to the Gun Control Movement. For years, the gun grabbers have been waiting for an excuse to justify larceny of your gun collection. Marty Moylan is looking forward to grinding his boot heel into your forehead. Are you going to stand by and let him?
“It’s shameful that organizations would rather attack than engage over such an important issue, in the wake of the largest mass-shooting in American history,” Moylan said in response. “If the machine-gun enthusiasts refuse to engage in a discussion, the only course of action is to proceed without them and for common-sense folks to work to enact real change that is going to keep people safe.”
Moylan added, “Organizations like the Illinois State Rifle Association run for the panic button to stir up anger and fear in their members, feeding them false information about the legislation in question. They even refuse to use the term ‘assault weapons’ because they know the truth and are more focused on their agenda than the safety of their fellow citizens. When…Pearson said I have an ‘obsessive hatred of firearms and the people who own them,’ I was not surprised. The shameful tactics of machine gun activists is to try to scare citizens and intimidate legislators who want real change, but I’m not backing down from this fight because there have been too many lives lost as a result of others backing down.”
* Back to ISRA…
“Moylan accuses the ISRA of stirring up fear and anger – to that we plead guilty,” commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. “The state’s gun owners should be fearful of legislation that would render their firearm investments worthless and cause them to forfeit their lawfully-acquired property. Likewise, gun owners should be very angry that a politician like Moylan would accuse them of complicity – figuratively placing the state’s hunters and sportsmen in that Las Vegas hotel room, shoulder to shoulder with the murderer as he committed his heinous crimes. Yes, the ISRA expects the state’s gun owners to be very fearful, and very, very angry at Moylan for vilifying them in the public eye.”
“In his statement, Moylan seems to imply that firearm owners have backed away from engagement on the issue of violent crime,” continued Pearson. “Of course, that isn’t true but, nevertheless, we’d love to see Rep. Moylan engage gun owners to explain why he plans to register them like sex offenders; require them to forfeit their lawfully acquired property; and apply annual taxes on their constitutional right to own firearms. Yes, it would be interesting indeed to see Moylan ‘engage’ sportsmen face to face as he explains how he plans to brand them as felons.”
“Like all good Americans, the state’s law-abiding firearm owners abhor violent crime,” said Pearson. “After all, our friends and families live here too. We understand that the key to stemming violent crime is deterrence and rehabilitation – not imposition of bad public policy that criminalizes a sizeable portion of the citizenry. That is why ISRA and the state’s gun owners support proactive law enforcement, meaningful sentencing, and effective rehabilitation.”
“Moylan does a great disservice to victims of violent crime by interjecting his personal dislike for gun owners into the equation,” continued Pearson. “Moylan’s legislative proposals are divisive and serve only to punish the innocent while giving violent criminals a pass. The state’s gun owners are well aware of what Moylan is trying to do to them and are mobilizing on a scale not seen since the campaign to pass concealed carry. Gun owners are watching this issue very intently and will note well which legislators see gun owners as partners, and which legislators see gun owners as enemies.”
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
The woman in charge of elections in McLean County is skeptical of a proposed independent election commission, she says, because she trusts voters.
Kathy Michael is the McLean County clerk. She is in charge of elections in the county, but not the city of Bloomington, which has its own election commission.
There are talks to combine the offices, and Michael said it makes sense for voters and for taxpayers.
“Illinois needs to be cutting their units of government,” Michael said. “We have the largest amount of government in the United States, and that includes Texas. It’s long past time that we start to make cuts.”
Michael said consolidating the county election office and the city of Bloominton’s election commission could save $100,000 a year.
But McLean County’s League of Women Voters is threatening to try and scuttle the effort. They want an independent commission.
League leaders told The Bloomington Pantagraph that “anyone can be elected clerk.” They argue an independent commission would be non-partisan.
Michael isn’t a fan on that plan, mainly because she trusts voters more than appointed commissioners, she said.
As you might imagine, it’s not quite that simple.
* The League wants to model the combined county system on Bloomington’s election commission, which has minimum requirements for each party’s representation (the three-person board must include a Democrat and a Republican) and rules forbidding employees from campaigning for a candidate or issue. That stuff wouldn’t happen at the clerk’s office.
The county clerk is a Republican. So, some Democratic folks in Bloomington naturally want to continue having a say in how the elections are administered…
Nikita Richards, a Democrat running for county clerk in 2018, said Sunday she supports a countywide election commission. Kathy Michael, the Republican clerk seeking re-election, said last week, “Moving the Bloomington Election Commission duties into the county clerk’s office makes good fiscal sense.”
* The weird local quirk is that, for whatever reason, the county funds both the clerk’s office and Bloomington’s election commission and the county is now facing a $1 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year.
Board action would break a long stalemate between the county, which prefers to absorb election duties into the clerk’s office, and League of Women Voters McLean County, which has pushed for a countywide commission for years.
Officials have identified two possible solutions: 1,000 Bloomington voters could petition for a referendum of city voters to eliminate the BEC, or the county could push for a legislative change to allow a countywide referendum on establishing a new commission covering all McLean County elections.
Springfield saved about $500,000 a year since it consolidated its election office with the county clerk. Peoria got a legislative change a few years go that allowed it to create a bipartisan election commission, which saved $300,000 per year.
Now Dynegy, which owns eight coal-fired power plants in central and southern Illinois, wants the Illinois Pollution Control Board to scrap the limits on the rate of pollution each of its plants can emit. Dynegy, which also is reportedly seeking rate increases in the Legislature, proposes instead that existing annual caps apply to its plants as a group, which would allow it to give its dirtier plants more leeway to belch out soot and other pollutants that cause smog and acid rain.
The proposal comes as Dynegy faces a deadline that Ameren, which previously owned the plants, agreed to in 2006 to reduce air pollution.
In a classic example of the problems with revolving-door government, Dynegy has worked with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency — a former lobbyist for a trade association that represents Dynegy — to draw up the plan. According to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office, the revised pollution cap would provide a financial incentive for Dynegy to actually increase pollution if it chose.
For a hearing on Thursday, Dynegy is on the agenda with a request for the Illinois Pollution Control Board to rush through the decision-making process. But there is no need to rush. This is a matter that demands full input and careful consideration. Illinois does not face any shortage of power generation capacity.
Environmental experts who analyzed documents obtained under the FOIA request and publicly available emissions and generation data said that it appears Dynegy is comfortably able to meet both the current and proposed new limits with its current generation mix. But they suggest Dynegy might not be able to meet the existing average rate of emissions limit if Coffeen or other plants with scrubbers were to close.
“Coffeen has a big very effective scrubber that makes it the cleanest plant in their operations and probably one of the cleanest in the country, but it has all this extra cost” to run, said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association.
“Right now because of the way the rule is set up, every time they run a dirty plant to make money, they have to run the clean plant to make sure the rate evens out. If the rule were changed to allow [the annual tonnage] cap, they could just ditch Coffeen.”
“Just because Dynegy has decided to shut down some of its uneconomic coal plants, doesn’t give it a hall pass to not clean up its older coal plants,” added Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
*** UPDATE *** Hmm…
IPCB DENIES #Dynegy request for expedited rulemaking! This proposal was done behind closed doors and would only allow for more pollution, harming our environment and anyone who likes to breathe. #twill@capitolfax
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.0 percent in September and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -10,800 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. August job growth was revised up to show a smaller decline (-2,600 jobs) than initially reported (-3,700 jobs).
September’s monthly payroll drop kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. While Illinois job growth has had its ups and downs since the beginning of the year, the 3-month trend shows average declines of -4,200 jobs per month from July to September, while the six-month trend shows a -400 per month average job loss from April to September. Both the 3-month and the 6-month changes are worse than reported last month.
“The Illinois economy continues to sputter.” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Moving one step forward and one step backward, as we have done this past number of months, does little to build the positive jobs momentum that most other states have built during this recovery.”
“Illinois stands apart in terms of the assets and opportunities we have to offer business across industries,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must continue to market our exceptional assets while implementing reforms that boost our economy and make us competitive on a national stage.”
In September, the two industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Financial Activities (+3,600) and Manufacturing (+1,100). The three industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-4,200); Education and Health Services (-3,400); and Leisure and Hospitality (-3,300).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +3,700 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in September: Financial Activities (+12,000); Education and Health Services (+9,600); and Professional and Business Services (+8,000). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-10,700); Government (-7,100); and Construction (-5,800). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.1 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.2 percent over-the-year gain in September.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.8 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September 2017, which decreased to 4.2 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.8 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 5.0 percent, the Illinois jobless rate is -0.7 percentage points lower than January 2017.
The number of unemployed workers dipped -0.4 percent from the prior month to 321,700, down -14.5 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force remained about unchanged over-the-month and declined by -1.3 percent in September over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Some positive spin from DCEO Director Sean McCarthy…
“This administration is working hard to change the course of the decline in non-farm payrolls. While the numbers were down overall, we made gains in very important sectors including Financial Activities; Education and Health Services; and Professional and Business Services. This morning’s announcement of the launch of Discovery Partners Institute, coupled with our efforts to land Amazon HQ2, show our commitment to increasing opportunities that will attract and keep workers in Illinois.”
Um, Education and Health Services was down last month, although it was up for the year.
Either way, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen positive spin on an employment report from this administration.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Do you get the feeling that today’s supplemental statement from McCarthy (after all, he was already in the original press release) had something to do with not allowing this bad news to overshadow today’s big Discovery Partners Institute press conference? Here are his statements going back to April…
APRIL
“Our state has the potential to be the most competitive in the nation,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “To expand opportunities and good paying jobs, we need to make common sense reforms that will give businesses the confidence to grow and thrive in Illinois.”
MAY
“We continue to see sluggish growth in our economy due to the inability of the legislature to institute common-sense structural changes that would encourage investment in our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “If we create a business-friendly environment, we will see greater opportunities and more good paying jobs in every community.”
JUNE
“We hear from companies every week that are concerned by the current business climate in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We need to implement common sense reforms that would lead to booming job growth and expansion of opportunities across our state.”
JULY
“A competitive economy is crucial to creating jobs and opportunities for Illinoisans in every corner of the state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must institute true reforms that will help businesses expand and thrive here.”
AUGUST
“The modest gains in Illinois continue to lag behind the rest of the nation,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We need reforms to provide business owners relief and incentives to make our state not only competitive, but attractive to bring good jobs back to Illinois.”
SEPTEMBER
“Illinois is working tirelessly to highlight our strongest assets – our strategic location and dedicated workforce – to bring more opportunity, competition and good paying jobs to our state,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “We need to couple that with lasting reforms and incentives to attract businesses and quality jobs in Illinois.”
OCTOBER
“Illinois stands apart in terms of the assets and opportunities we have to offer business across industries,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We must continue to market our exceptional assets while implementing reforms that boost our economy and make us competitive on a national stage.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Daniel Biss released the following statement in response to the latest Illinois Department of Employment Security report stating that Illinois lost 10,800 jobs last month.
“Bruce Rauner doesn’t seem to understand that strong businesses rely on strong communities. When you decimate social services, perpetuate a broken tax system, and refuse to pass a budget, people suffer—and businesses do too. Building a state that works for business starts with building a state that works for the rest of us, not just the millionaires and billionaires.”
Attorneys for a former business partner of Gov. Bruce Rauner who has filed a lawsuit against him want the case unsealed — but the governor is both fighting off that attempt in court while also trying to dismiss the suit entirely.
The lawsuit against Rauner — who ran a private equity firm before becoming governor — was filed Oct. 5. by Harreld “Kip” Kirkpatrick III and the Kirkpatrick Capital Partners Fund, according to Cook County Circuit Court records. […]
“We believe it should be unsealed. They believe it should be sealed,” [Kirkpatrick’s attorney Bill O’Neil] told the judge.
Rauner attorney Joe Smith plans to file a written request to oppose the unsealing while also filing a motion to dismiss the case. Smith plans to file both by Oct. 26. The plaintiff plans to respond to those requests by Nov. 9. Lawyers will meet on Dec. 13, sans the judge, to discuss the case.
During the short status hearing, [Cook County Judge David Atkins] told attorneys there may be a need for oral arguments.
Pritzker thinks legalization [of marijuana] could save lives. “Unfortunately, marijuana is readily available and also unfortunately some of it is laced with heroin. If we legalize it and regulate it, marijuana won’t have those problems,” he said.
Laced with heroin? Who’s gonna sell a dime bag of weed and secretly add heroin to it without jacking up the price so high that nobody would buy it? Not a very good business plan. I suppose you could sell weed that’s specifically laced with heroin for a premium price. And you can add pretty much anything to your own stash.
* So, I checked with the Pritzker campaign. They sent along the full quote from yesterday…
Look there are reasons to legalize marijuana and I favor legalization, but the reasons are less to do with revenue then they are with safety and criminal justice reform. But those are the three reasons that we should legalize it. Let’s talk about safety for a moment. Unfortunately, marijuana is readily available, it just is. And also unfortunately, they’re sometimes laced with heroin.
And in fact, I talked to a mother who lost her son to heroin addiction, who got into it, this son – by the way self-medicating for a mental health problem – got into it by smoking marijuana that ended up being laced with heroin and then got into a heroin addiction problem.
If we legalize marijuana and we regulate it, marijuana will not have those problems and it’ll – yes, it’s readily available today – it’ll be available in recreational use but regulated. Criminal justice reform – Dan [Biss] talked about that and I think it’s hugely important to recognize how unfair the system has been. And then of course the 350 to 700 million dollars of tax revenue that this state could garner.
* From the campaign…
“While it is highly uncommon, there are a few cases of overdoses linked to marijuana being laced with stronger drugs. Ultimately, JB was addressing a broader problem of lacing and making the point that illegal marijuana is a lot less safe than if we legalize it and regulate it.”
Police in Yarmouth used two doses of Narcan to revive an unresponsive man Saturday afternoon and investigators believe the man may have been experiencing an overdose after smoking marijuana laced with the powerful opioid fentanyl. […]
Police said the man and his girlfriend had smoked marijuana earlier in the day “but did not realize it may have been laced with another drug which caused the overdose.”
* But Snopes.com looked into the fentanyl angle and found real problems with that story and other stories like it. They concluded that people simply did not want to admit to the cops that they were knowingly doing a drug which could get them busted for a felony, so they lied.
Kirk Maxey, who works with law enforcement agencies like the DEA to test suspected synthetic opioids, said that not only would such a mixture be rare—it might not even be scientifically possible.
* Pritzker is right about the broader point. Take the criminal and other unknown elements out of it by legalizing it with reasonable restrictions and taxation. But he should stick to that, and not buy into fringe “Reefer Madness” conspiracies.
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates didn’t get to be the most discussed public intellectual in America by pussyfooting around when it comes to race.
So he was characteristically direct this week during a trip to Chicago, telling Chicago Inc. that President Donald Trump and conservatives “use Chicago as a tool — ‘Chicago’ has become code for ‘black people.’ ” […]
He said the constant national focus on Chicago’s crime problem started under President Barack Obama as a way to diminish the first black chief executive.
“They use ‘Chicago’ to shame people,” he said… “I’m not trying to make light of any of the violence in Chicago at all that you see on the West Side or the South Side, but this sense that Chicago is somehow alien or outside of America is just absurd, it’s ridiculous.
That’s been the case in Illinois for as long as anyone can remember. It’s why I’ve been so hard on Gov. Rauner whenever he’s used that dog whistle…
“The Senate and the House were competing with each other, who could spend more to bail out Chicago with your tax dollars from southern Illinois and central Illinois and Moline and Rockford and Danville — the communities of this state who are hard-working families who pay their taxes.”
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he was saying there.
Last week, Rauner said he planned to use proceeds from the sale of the Thompson Center to help finance the institute. Rauner has said unloading the 1.2 million-square-foot building would fetch $300 million, though the state would have to pay around $60 million off the top to buy out the leases of the current tenants.
Rauner also said that though he was seeking some public funding for the initial stages of the work, over time he expected the institute to be primarily funded through private dollars.
Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said Tuesday that legislative leaders were in talks about the institute but denied there had been any such accord, “in part because there was sort of a lack of detail about exactly how the state funds might be utilized.” Brown also said the Thompson Center profits are incorporated into this year’s state budget, comprising a large chunk of new revenues.
“The money has been accounted for in the current state budget, and there is no agreement, verbal or otherwise, to support state funding for this institute,” Brown said.
That pool of money isn’t exactly earmarked for the state budget either. The bill allowing the sale of the Thompson Center has been hung up in political wrangling and has yet to be sent to the governor’s desk.
“There’s no way to say that from Madigan’s point of view whether we’re on board or not on board because we don’t know what we’re getting on board for,” Brown said of the potential for the state to have to pitch in for the center.
*** UPDATE *** From Steve Brown in comments…
When called by the Tribune, I was told the governor said he had a verbal agreement from the legislative leaders to shift the proceeds from the JRTC sale to this project. I advised the reporter the JRTC funds were committed to the budget and there was no agreement by the Speaker in no small part because there were few details provided to the leaders.
Tribbies robbed readers of these facts.
Seems all hands need more details before there can be an agreement.
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said he had heard about the project last week and on Friday called Rauner, who told him that components of the project will help downstate cities such as Champaign-Urbana, Peoria and Rockford.
But he said he still hasn’t heard many details.
“I’m going to reserve judgment until I see what it is,” Rose said.
* The Tribune fleshes out some more cuts being made by the Rauner administration. The full list of those cuts is here. I suppose zeroing out money designed to help manufacturers during Illinois Manufacturing Month isn’t quite as egregious as slashing autism funding on World Autism Day, but it’s still pretty ironic…
Other belt-tightening includes $41 million in cuts to programs administered by the state’s economic development agency, including the elimination of a $1.4 million grant for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. The grant was used to help partially reimburse companies for offering qualified training to employees.
The group has been a strong supporter of Rauner as he pushes for changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system, and he has spent the last several weeks touring various companies after declaring October “Manufacturing Month” in Illinois.
“We understand the governor’s challenge in balancing the budget and we hope there is a way this program can be restored,” said Ryan McLaughlin, spokesman for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
Other cuts include money set aside to promote tourism in Illinois, including a 50 percent cut to the state’s advertising campaign. Rauner used to head Chicago’s tourism efforts, where he called for increased spending on marketing.
By the way, the slashed Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center funding comes with a federal match.
* Related…
* Special events to mark Manufacturing Month: Beginning today, Oct. 6, more than 100 events will take place statewide to celebrate Illinois’ commitment to the past, present and future of manufacturing.
* When Bruce Rauner was elected, this is exactly the sort of thing I hoped he’d be doing…
Rauner is backing the University of Illinois-led Discovery Partners Institute, a public-private facility for conducting specialized research in an array of fields, including computing and big data, food and agriculture, and health and wellness.
The center, which is to be announced officially on Thursday morning, is intended to bring together academic faculty, students and companies to collaborate on research and to parlay that work into new products and companies, U. of I. President Timothy Killeen said.
It would also give the state’s flagship public university, the Urbana-Champaign campus, a prominent footprint in Chicago — a long-held goal — and bring it closer to the city’s most prestigious private institutions. Northwestern University and the University of Chicago have committed to become partners in the new center, school representatives confirmed.
“What if we formed more collaboration with those universities and created a dense network of students, faculty and research; and encouraged them to form businesses, connect them to the university, and give them the rights and ability to take their research and their technology and commercialize them, and develop products?” Rauner said in an interview last week. “We thought that would be a major magnet to keeping and growing the Illinois economy.”
Dubbed the Discovery Partners Institute, the UI-led initiative would allow top faculty and students from several universities to work side-by-side with industry to produce innovations and spin-off companies that would create high-paying jobs for the state and keep talent in Illinois, according to the UI. […]
Research would initially focus on advances in “big data” technology, from cybersecurity to the “internet of things; in health care, including new drugs and treatments; and in food and agriculture breakthroughs, to improve nutrition and help feed a growing world,” the UI said.
“It incorporates some of what UI Labs is already doing, but this is a much bigger initiative,” said Rauner spokesman Hud Englehart, referring to the public-private research and development organization in Chicago involving the UI, launched in 2013.
Seidel said the new institute will be “much more deeply integrated with the university curriculum” than UI Labs and would hire its own faculty.
The interdisciplinary collaborations would address real-world challenges, in the hopes of creating breakthrough discoveries that lead to new products and companies, while giving students hands-on experience and creating a highly skilled work force for the future, the UI said.
University of Illinois President Tim Killeen sees the center as a way for the state to retain talent.
“If you look at the state of Illinois we know there is a net outflow of college-ready high school graduates to the tune of about 16,000 a year,” Killeen said. “We want to reverse that arrow if we can,” he said, noting that the goal would be to keep that brain power, degree in hand, in Illinois to build the sort of tax base that creates a healthy state. […]
Plans also include using 40 percent of the land for a public park in the shape of a crescent — an homage to the original shape of the river on the site before it was straightened in the 1920s to accommodate barge traffic.
The site will also include a 100-feet wide riverwalk that developers said will be part of a larger plan to build a continuous river walk extending to Wolf Point. […]
He did say though that he envisions a place that includes, residential, commercial and entertainment that would become a tourist destination.
“What we are building is what we refer to as 78 — the city’s 78th neighborhood,” Bailey said.
But as we tell our college journalism students: Remember, when you buy stock in Apple or put money in a 401(k), that’s investing. When the government “invests,” that’s spending taxpayer money.
I do agree that the word is overused by politicians.
But, when the government spends taxpayer money on mass transit, roads, bridges, education, childcare for kids whose economically struggling parents are working or attending college, healthcare (including disease prevention), etc., etc., etc. that’s just spending money and not an investment in the state’s future? The spending won’t provide any returns at all?
Two cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been confirmed at the Illinois Veterans Home Wednesday morning.
David MacDonna, a Public Information Officer with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs says Legionella tests came back positive for two residents.
One of those residents is now deceased, however, the Illinois Veterans Home says the individual had a complex medical issue aside from Legionnaires’.
The second individual is being treated for the disease.
“We work continuously with the Adams County Health Department to identify any potential sources. We’ve done an extensive renovation, including a brand new water treatment plant to provide higher quality water,” said MacDonna.
Pritzker and Kennedy Continue to Dodge on Releasing Their Tax Returns
Tuesday’s forum highlighted growing pressure on Pritzker and Kennedy to honor their word, release tax returns
Tuesday’s Democrat gubernatorial forum at Aurora University raised questions for the two candidates who have yet to release their tax returns, J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy, drawing criticism from fellow Democrats.
Both Pritzker and Kennedy pledged to release five-year’s worth of tax returns six months ago, though neither has followed through yet. Daniel Biss set up a counter on his campaign website to mark the days since the candidates made the pledge to release their tax returns, as well as lambasting them publicly for avoiding the subject.
The candidates provided no details on a timetable for releasing their taxes other than saying they will be released “soon,” the same answer each has been telling the media for months.
While the Democrats debate who comes from a wealthier family and dodge on releasing their tax returns, they continue to prove that the Democratic gubernatorial primary is a race to the bottom.
Speaking after the forum, Pritzker told the Sun-Times he plans to release his tax returns “soon.”
“We’re compiling them and we’re putting them together. We’ll make sure we get them out soon,” Pritzker said. Asked why they haven’t been released yet, Pritzker called the process “complex.”
Kennedy too said he’ll release his tax returns when he files his financial disclosure form: “That way everything is together in one place.” He said the state’s financial disclosure form is limited and it’s helpful for voters to see tax returns “to give a little fuller picture of what’s going on.”
Candidates are under no obligation to release their tax information, though it is customary. Forms help to discern potential conflicts of interest, fiscal management, as well as a candidate’s priorities through charitable giving.
Elected officials are obligated to file public economic interest statements, though watchdog groups have long criticized Illinois’ disclosure requirement and forms as weak and riddled with opportunities for loopholes.
It's always a privilege to encourage young women to run for office. Thanks @marieclaire for including my advice in your campaign guide pic.twitter.com/5VZSx8diOH
Sen. Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate, said in a radio interview Sunday that his party could lose to President Donald Trump in 2020 if they “overdo it” and become too liberal.
The Illinois senator was asked on a local Chicago radio program about comments made by Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, which the host characterized as a warning to fellow Democrats that if the party becomes too liberal, they would give Trump another term.
“We need to be balanced,” Durbin said on “Connected to Chicago” on WLS-AM on Sunday. “She’s right about that. And as downstater like her, I understand she represents a challenging district. We don’t give up on our values, but we better be sensitive too that there are people with more moderate views, and people who may disagree with some parts of the Democratic platform as they as they are presented. We’ve got to be open to that possibility.”
“So you could lose it by being too liberal?” asked the host.
“You can,” Durbin said. “I think you can overdo it. We have to really appeal to that sensible center. It’s a thin stripe now. It used to be a lot wider stripe, but it’s an important and determining factor in most elections.”
Keep in mind before you answer that Illinois is not a bellwether state. President Trump lost Illinois by 17 points, 56-39. Durbin was talking nationally, we’re talking statewide here.
* The Question: Do you think the Democratic candidates for governor are moving too far to the left? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) and Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler announced today Kankakee County submitted its Request for Proposal (RFP) to Amazon outside of the Illinois RFP package. Rep. Parkhurst commented:
“The Governor submitted a Chicago only proposal for the State’s RFP for Amazon HQ2. We respect the Governor’s decision, but are not letting this discourage us. The Kankakee County RFP is an inspired, inventive, imaginative, and innovative plan quite different from most submissions. Chairman Wheeler and Kankakee County presented a visionary, comprehensive, and conceptual plan for Amazon H2Q. Our RFP thinks outside the box.”
Somebody got out the thesaurus.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler sent their proposal Tuesday after hearing the news about Chicago’s submission. While he conceded that Chicago has the population, it isn’t necessarily known for being business friendly, which was among Amazon’s criteria.
“The amenities that Chicago offers are world class, but I wonder about the business environment,” Wheeler said. […]
Wheeler couldn’t give specifics of his county’s unique plan to persuade Amazon to overlook the lower population, but he said that the offer stood out by “allowing Amazon to create their own incentive package.”
For Amazon to select Kankakee County over huge cities such as Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C./Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Austin (Texas) plus Ottawa and Toronto in Canada, would be considered a one-in-a-billion shot at best.
However, this county was ticketed as a long shot in 2001 when the Chicago Bears were looking for a new summer home for their annual training camp.
There were more than 20 other Illinois universities in the running at the time. Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, one of the smallest, put this county’s best foot forward when the Bears’ brass came to visit.
Kankakee County’s quest to get in on the new Amazon headquarters might have become greater as the Chicago region officially submitted its bid to land the company’s prized second headquarters.
Kankakee County’s hope is that if the Chicago region were to submit the winning bid, then, perhaps, some portion of the Amazon headquarters could spill here. If nothing else, county residents could gain access to those jobs.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration borrowed $1.5 billion on the bond market Tuesday as part of a larger plan to whittle away at the state’s about $16 billion pile of unpaid bills and save money on interest costs.
The state received an overall interest rate of 3.5 percent on the bonds. That’s compared to as much as 12 percent per year in interest the state pays to contractors who have waited months to be compensated for their work because of Illinois’ cash crunch. The last time the state borrowed money, in November 2016, it received an interest rate of just less than 4.25 percent for $480 million in bonds.
* But…
note to the non-bond geek reporters out there….careful comparing ILL 3.5% cost of borrowing to last deal…..last deal went out 25 YEARS, this is a very very short deal, 1B paid off 2 years, $500M in 12. apples-oranges.
The loan carries an interest rate of 3.5 percent — remarkable given Illinois experts expected the state’s poor credit to drive interest as high as 6.5 percent. But, more importantly, it’s far lower than taxpayers have to fork over in late-payment fees.
Maybe don’t consult those “experts” any more if they’re so bad at predictions?
* Deets from the governor’s office…
· $500 million of general obligation bonds, series of November 2017A were awarded to Bank of America Merrill Lynch with a true interest cost of 1.67 percent for the one-year maturity.
· $500 million of general obligation bonds, series of November 2017B were awarded to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC with a true interest cost of 1.75 percent for the two-year maturity.
· $500 million of general obligation bonds, Series of November 2017C were awarded to Bank of America Merrill Lynch with a true interest cost of 3.95 percent for the 12-year maturity.
* For the bond geeks…
JPMorgan won two-year maturity with True interest cost of 1.746 %, about 75 over MMD, better than had been trading in recent days. So one and two year fared better, 12 year slightly over where had been trading.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Illinois paid a penalty for its poor governing decisions when it made its first bond offering Tuesday to pay off part of its bill back-load.
The state will pay 3.5 percent on the $1.5 billion in debt that it issued Tuesday. The state will offer up more debt in the coming days, totaling $6 billion in bonds to pay down some high-interest bills accrued in the budget impasse. The state’s backlog of bills had ballooned to $16 billion.
While analysts said the rate was lower than they expected, a fiscally sound state would have paid a little more than two percent for a similar loan, according to Municipal Market Data. More bonds are expected to be sold next week.
* Comptroller Mendoza made a good point…
The 3.5 percent rate the state of Illinois received on its competitive bond offering Tuesday will serve state taxpayers much better than the interest rates of up to 12 percent the state pays on parts of its bill backlog now. Once the negotiated sale is complete, my office will leverage federal matching funds to get taxpayers a good return on their investment and we will move swiftly to pay down the highest-interest-accruing parts of the state’s debt.
The state’s nearly $16 billion backlog of bills is triple the amount when Rauner took office in January 2015. Though the state went two years without a budget amid fighting between the Republican governor and Democrats who control the legislature, government continued to spend money and rack up debt. A series of laws, one-time agreements and court orders meant money kept going out the door. And the Rauner administration continued to sign contracts, whether or not the money was there to pay for them.
Under state law, unpaid bills can accrue from 9 percent to 12 percent interest a year. The bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability has estimated that could cost the state as much as $2 million a day.
* And back to the governor’s office…
“The state received strong bids today for its bonds and is pleased with the market’s favorable reception of the sale,” said Scott Harry, director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. “This bodes well for the state’s financing coming next week.”
Following the completion of next week’s $4.5 billion bonds to complete the backlog refinancing, the State will return to the capital markets later this year with a $750 million general obligation bond issue for 2018 capital projects, which will also be sold competitively.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has identified millions of dollars of cuts it will make to the new state budget, including to human services, agriculture programs and transportation.
Even then, the administration says the budget remains $1.5 billion out of balance, which will require further reductions. […]
Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, the lead budget negotiator for House Democrats, said the cuts included $89 million to various human services programs, including autism services, after school programming and immigrant and refugee services.
“He has the authority, I understand that,” Harris said. “If you look at the human service programs, it is the same vulnerable seniors, people with disabilities and children that he has consistently targeted year after year despite the legislature continually trying to restore the funds. Those are his regular targets.” […]
In addition to the human services cuts, the administration outlined $85 million in cuts to the Illinois Department of Transportation, $41 million to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and $21 million to the Department of Agriculture.
* One of the problems is that the governor estimates the deficit to be $1.7 billion, while the GA claims the budget has a $356 million surplus…
GOMB estimates an original deficit of $1.7 billion and reduces it to $1.5 billion after initiating programmatic reductions totaling $156 million. There are four major factors driving the estimated budget deficit when compared to the General Assembly’s enacted budget which estimated a surplus of $350 million.
Those factors include:
1. A revenue estimate that is $511 million below the GA estimate
a. Personal income is $250 million less
b. Corporate income is $125 million less
c. Sales tax is $51 million less
d. Other sources total $62 million less
2. GOMB does not account for $500 million in savings associated with Tier III
a. The systems have publicly stated they did not anticipate they would have the new option in
place in order to achieve savings in FY18
3. Debt service costs associated with issuing $6 billion in bonds is estimated at $535 million in FY18
4. Due to the budget being enacted after the start of the fiscal year (enacted on July 6th) some automatic transfers out of GRF into special funds occurred on July 1, adding $234 million to FY18 statutory transfers out.
It’s worth noting that during all spring and summer budget negotiations the various working groups were using the same base revenue estimate. It was only after the FY18 budget was enacted that DOR readjusted their FY18 revenue estimate which lead to a drop in assumed revenues of over $500 million.
GOMB has implemented $156 million in GRF budget reductions. They chose to fully eliminated or reduce various grant programs to reach this savings level. For example, human services grant programs that the governor has repeatedly proposed to eliminate are either eliminated entirely or reduced by at least 5% from the FY17 enacted level. The FY17 enacted level already represented a 3% reduction from the FY15 base level. In some instances the reduction represents over a 66% reduction from the FY18 enacted funding level. There are at least five grant programs that GOMB has decided not to fund in FY18, despite an enacted appropriation for the program.
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner is making another round of devastating cuts to crucial state spending on human services, agriculture, and transportation.
Rauner slashed funding for after school programming, autism services, business development and tourism grants, environmental programs, immigrant and refugee services, and para-transit. The latest round of cuts by this failed governor is all too familiar. In 2015, $26 million in funding for many of those same human services was eliminated in the aptly-named “Good Friday Massacre.”
“Bruce Rauner slashing vital programs that help Illinoisans build better lives comes as no surprise for this crisis creatin’ governor,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Bruce Rauner has no moral compass and he is hell-bent on repeating his same destructive mistakes with Illinois families paying the price.”
Illinois is out of the running for a prized 4,000-job assembly plant that Japanese auto makers Toyota and Mazda are planning to open in the United States.
The apparent reasons: lack of shovel-ready sites and the state’s failure to adopt a right-to-work law.
Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Intersect Illinois, the state’s privately run economic development corporation, said in an interview and email that while no formal announcement has been made, his sources tell him Illinois is not among the three or four finalists for the $1.3 billion facility.
“While we showed very well, particularly in the areas of workforce, and our proposal was very well received, in the end the site readiness of some other locations took us out of the consideration set going forward,” Peterson said. […]
“Recently, we have seen very public searches taking place for HQ and manufacturing facilities,” Peterson said. “The challenges with these is that although they are public in their media exposure, they are still very protected and confidential when communicating exactly what factors weigh in on final decisions. That said, many national site consultants charged with making recommendations for corporate relocations and expansions will not even consider a state that is not a right-to-work state. In this case, the three states I am told are still in the running are all right-to-work states.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Greg Baise, president & CEO, IMA…
“When will Illinois lawmakers wake up and realize that their actions have real life consequences? For years, the IMA has pointed out that the state continues bleeding manufacturing jobs and losing opportunities for new plant expansions because of the high cost of doing business in Illinois while other states are gaining tens of thousands of jobs. The sad fact is that the General Assembly allowed the primary incentive program (EDGE) to expire during the time that the state’s bid was submitted. Illinois has many advantages including location, workforce, colleges and universities, infrastructure, and clean water but self-inflicted wounds are damaging our state’s economy.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Illinois Working Together…
Today, Intersect Illinois announced that Illinois is no longer in the running for the Toyota/Mazda plant expected to generate as many as 4,000 jobs. Illinois lost out despite the Rauner Administration taking the lead in recruiting the companies and Gov. Bruce Rauner himself traveling to Asia last month to pitch top executives. Illinois has lost more than 12,000 manufacturing jobs since Gov. Rauner took office.
“Today’s announcement is yet another example of the economic damage Gov. Bruce Rauner has inflicted upon Illinois,” said Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis. “Gov. Rauner has created widespread economic uncertainty that has caused long-lasting damage to Illinois’ business climate. While Gov. Rauner trashes’ Illinois economy, job growth has sputtered and our bill backlog has soared.
“Instead of blaming workers for his failure to recruit new businesses to the state, Gov. Rauner should invest in Illinois communities and work collaboratively to find new ways to bring new jobs to Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** DGA…
Today, Crain’s Chicago reported that Illinois will not be a contender for a new Toyota factory and, rather than take any responsibility, Governor Bruce Rauner’s team quickly pivoted to bashing the state. While running for governor, Rauner touted himself as a natural salesman due to his business background. Instead, Rich Miller wrote, Illinois voters got “two and a half solid years of Rauner running down his own state.”
Rauner’s Asia trip was supposed to be the return of Rauner the Recruiter with a new Toyota factory as the crown jewel. But after failing to land the big fish, Rauner’s team quickly returned to their normal messaging, blaming Illinois. The CEO of Intersect Illinois blamed labor laws for Rauner’s failure and even claimed that Illinois was never going to get the plant anyway. He did not mention Rauner’s two-year budget impasse which drove up debt, devastated higher education, and slowed the state’s economy.
At least Intersect Illinois got a good meal out of it.
“Over and over again Illinois voters hear how Bruce Rauner’s failures are not his fault,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Governor Rauner just refuses to accept any responsibility. Now, his team is bashing the state for their own failure in recruiting companies, something Rauner promised voters he would succeed at. Rauner can’t blame away the fact that Illinois’ economy is lagging behind the state’s neighbors and the nation, and his failed leadership is at fault.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) responded today to assertions that Illinois’ failure to adopt a right-to-work law factored into a manufacturer’s apparent decision not to site a factory here:
“When you have a governor who spends a significant portion of his time publicly bashing the state he is supposed to lead, it should come as no surprise that manufacturers would look elsewhere for a more stable home for their factories.
“Contrary to what Gov. Rauner and his administration would have people believe, labor unions are not to blame for all of Illinois’ problems. Two years of a devastating budget stalemate under the governor’s watch did nothing to improve the state’s economic outlook or its reputation in the corporate world.
“Turning Illinois into a right-to-work state and lowering wages for our workers does not mean the state suddenly would become an attractive location for manufacturers. Many more factors are considered when companies make these decisions.
“Illinois will become a more attractive site for companies when its state budget is in order; when it can show a record of investing in universities, colleges and public schools; and when its governor stops bad-mouthing the state and its people.”
Congressman Bobby Rush’s son and brother are working for Chris Kennedy’s gubernatorial campaign — their paydays coming just weeks after Rush endorsed the Democrat for governor.
Kennedy’s third quarter contribution report, filed on Monday, shows Jeffrey Rush — one of the congressman’s sons — has been paid $11,120.19 from the campaign with his first paycheck dated Aug. 16. His brother Marlon Rush’s first paycheck was on Aug. 4 for $3,000, with his pay now adding up to $11,354.31. […]
Kennedy on Tuesday night said he didn’t see a conflict of interest in having hired relatives of Rush after his endorsement.
“I’m from a large family. He’s from a large family. It never occurred to me,” Kennedy told the Sun-Times after a candidate forum at Aurora University. “Look at the dollars involved and the hours that they’re putting in. It’s fair compensation, and I don’t think there’s any extra going to any..I don’t see it as a conflict.”
Kennedy said the two are working on “everything from meeting planning to event organizing, political outreach, interface with different interfaith organizations.”
“Pretty much soup to nuts in the campaign,” Kennedy said. “And they’ve been very, very helpful and probably surprised by the amount of work they’re being asked to do.”
Um, they’re surprised at how much work they have to do?
An Illinois state senator says Facebook refused to take down a recent political ad despite his claims it contained false information.
“There was little if anything I could do about it,’ said Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill.
Manar says the ad, from the Christian County Republican Party, ran for several weeks on Facebook stating Manar had voted for a bailout of nuclear power plants. Manar had voted on the bill, but voted no.
“We did get though to Facebook and I’m going to paraphrase their response,” he said. “It’s not their job to match votes of public officials up to news stories that are promoted on their platform.” […]
“What’s most alarming is there’s a financial incentive for Facebook to allow lies, blatant lies, about the record of public officials to be told because the more provocative the lie, the more money they make on advertising,” he said.
Manar ran into more problems when Facebook rejected his response ad because it had violated Facebook’s policy of using another ad’s content.
A Republican challenger for state Sen. Andy Manar’s seat said he took down a factually incorrect ad on Facebook, but it’s unclear whether the ad is still reaching local voters when they log on to the social media site.
“I think it was up there for a few days … when I found out that it was not accurate, I had it taken down,” said Seth McMillan, a Republican who announced he is running against Manar and chairman of the Christian County GOP. […]
Manar said he saw the ad still appearing on his personal Facebook account as recently as last week, after McMillan said the ad had been removed.
When McMillan explained the process of how his organization removed the ad, he described what Facebook calls a “boosted post.” This type of advertising allows the operator of a public page, like the Christian County Republicans, to pay Facebook to show the post on more people’s news feeds. […]
But McMillan said he was not sure if his organization also paid for another type of Facebook ad that’s meant to show up on the sides of the social media site, and if so, whether it had been deleted.
Fritz Kaegi has a mysterious problem: He’s running for Cook County assessor against a powerful politician, but someone has hijacked his online identity. […]
He’s just filed a legal action against GoDaddy, Facebook, Twitter, Crowdpac and others because someone created fake online web accounts in his name to raise campaign cash and connect with supporters. […]
The sham websites appeared shortly after Fritz announced he would challenge incumbent Assessor Joe Berrios, chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party.
A recent fake tweet mentions “orgies,” and a press release dated Aug. 29 says Kaegi was out talking about his campaign “with a deadly hurricane raging in Texas.”
“It’s creepy,” says Kaegi’s wife, Rebecca. “My children’s names and faces are on the fictional website.”
A state legislator who was groped by a male lobbyist weeks after she was sworn into office. A legislative staffer-turned-lobbyist who for years would only wear pantsuits in order to project a “business-only” air. A government affairs director who faced inappropriate advances from an associate in full view of male colleagues who seemed oblivious as it happened.
As Hollywood takes a hard look at itself in the wake of the spiraling Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal, the women of California politics are publicly declaring: Us too.
More than 140 women — including legislators, Capitol staff, political consultants and lobbyists — signed a letter calling out the “pervasive” culture of sexual harassment and mistreatment that plagues their industry.
The signatories include six of 26 women in the Legislature, two retired lawmakers, a Board of Equalization member and officials from the state Democratic and Republican parties.
“Each of us has endured, or witnessed or worked with women who have experienced some form of dehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces. Men have groped and touched us without our consent, made inappropriate comments about our bodies and our abilities. Insults and sexual innuendo, frequently disguised as jokes, have undermined our professional positions and capabilities,” the women wrote. “Men have made promises, or threats, about our jobs in exchange for our compliance, or our silence. They have leveraged their power and positions to treat us however they would like.”
Lawmakers in other states have spoken out as well. In Rhode Island, for example, a handful of political leaders added their own messages, as reported in the Providence Journal. “I can say that as an elected official, as a state representative I have experienced this first-hand,” state Rep. Teresa Tanzi told the newspaper. “I have been told sexual favors would allow my bills to go further.”
Such descriptions could apply to many other statehouses as well. So far this year, sexual harassment scandals have roiled state capitols in Iowa, Nevada, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Those incidents resulted in secret settlements, a seven-figure jury award and the departure of at least four state lawmakers, on top of the personal consequences for the victims. […]
For years, researchers and advocates thought that simply increasing the number of women in politics would reduce the amount of harassment and violence they encountered. But that hasn’t turned out to be the case, even in places where the numbers of women in high government office have been on the rise, says Mona Lena Krook a Rutgers political science professor. “The resistance to women’s participation has just taken new forms,” she says. “There’s been a pushback against women’s inclusion.” […]
At least 37 of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers had a written policy on sexual harassment in 2016, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But those policies vary widely in their substance and effectiveness.
A new 60-second radio ad featuring a Chicagoan with a disability who is served by the DHS Home Services Program exposes the real-life consequences of Governor Bruce Rauner’s dangerous cuts to overtime care.
The new ad, which began airing Tuesday, October 17, features Jennifer Kostanski, who lost use of her limbs 14 years ago in a spinal injury suffered in a car accident.
The caregiver on whom Jennifer relies now faces suspension for working hours above the new overtime caps put in place by the Rauner administration; hours of care that Kostanski needs to live safely at home.
“I’m paralyzed from the chest down. I can’t imagine that I’d have any quality of life without my home care worker. I consider Melissa a godsend; she is my hands. I don’t see why Bruce Rauner is doing this,” Kostanski says in the ad. […]
Terri Harkin, a vice president with SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said:
“Jennifer’s story is a prime example of the dire consequences facing people with severe disabilities directly because of Governor Rauner’s strict overtime policy. The governor is threatening to take away trusted, dedicated caregivers from the people who need them most. We hope Gov. Rauner will hear Jennifer’s plea, change course and remove the threat of suspension to caregivers resulting from his illegally implemented policy.”
Jennifer: I was in a car accident… in a blink of an eye my whole life changed forever… I’m paralyzed from the chest down … I need 24 hour care for the most part
I can’t imagine that I’d have any quality of life without … my home care worker.. I consider Melissa a godsend… She basically is my hands.
VO: Governor Bruce Rauner is continuing his attack on people with severe disabilities and the caregivers they rely on. Rauner is threatening to suspend nearly one thousand home care workers and leave the people they care for with nowhere to turn to meet their most basic needs
Jennifer: I don’t see why Bruce Rauner is doing this…
VO: Rauner is taking away trusted, dedicated caregivers from the people who need them most.
VO: Call Rauner at eight five five nine nine nine zero two seven seven. Tell him to stop attacking Illinoisans with disabilities.
Jennifer: I rely on my home health care worker she’s my lifeline.
Gov. Bruce Rauner long has argued that one of the state’s best economic bets would be to somehow bridge the 140-mile gap that separates two of its strongest assets: the University of Illinois main campus in Urbana-Champaign and the city of Chicago. He thinks he’s got it figured out.
Joined by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen, Rauner plans to announce tomorrow morning a project called the Discovery Partners Institute, which would be built on a 62-acre site along the Chicago River south of Roosevelt Road that is being developed by Related Midwest. Related calls the site “78″ in reference to hopes of becoming the city’s 78th neighborhood. The property also has been floated as a possible site for Amazon’s second headquarters, which the city and state jointly are pursuing. […]
The institute would be funded initially by as much as $200 million in private donors lined up by the governor, according to people who’ve heard the pitch. Exactly what programs will be represented is unclear, but it likely would involve both the university’s flagship campus and the University of Illinois at Chicago and both research and instruction activities. In broad strokes, the idea is to get academics and companies to collaborate on “pushing the art of the possible,” said one executive who was pitched on the idea by Rauner. It’s part of a broader innovation corridor envisioned by the governor that has multiple “nodes.”
With the clock running out on Rauner’s first term, the announcement would allow him to show some momentum on the economic-development front (along with hopes of landing Amazon and a Toyota-Mazda assembly plant, which the state also is pursuing). The question will be whether he can deliver.
Already, the proposed project has become the subject of political battles.
Rauner said project leaders have secured numerous commitments for private funding, though the governor would not identify those donors or reveal how much they planned to contribute. The governor also identified a source of public funding for the project that faces several hurdles: the sale of the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop.
Last week, Rauner said that he planned to use proceeds from the sale of the Thompson Center to help finance the institute. Rauner has said unloading the 1.2 million-square-foot building would fetch $300 million, though the state would have to pay around $60 million off the top to buy out the leases of the current tenants.
Rauner also said that though he was seeking some public funding for the initial stages of the work, over time he expected the institute to be primarily funded through private dollars.
Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said Tuesday that legislative leaders were in talks about the institute but denied there had been any such accord, “in part because there was sort of a lack of detail about exactly how the state funds might be utilized.” Brown also said that the Thompson Center profits are incorporated into this year’s state budget, comprising a large chunk of new revenues.
When asked what income tax rate they would charge the top earners in the state, some offered approximate percentages, while others demurred and declined to state a rate.
Biss said he would look at Wisconsin or other neighboring states; he said top earners in Wisconsin, for example, pay 7.65 percent.
Kennedy said it’s “nearly impossible, with Gov. Rauner sitting as governor, to answer that question.” He said we don’t know if we’ll have a budget next year, or what the financial condition of the state will be. He accused Rauner of allowing the state to pile up its bills and its debt in order to “wound” state government.
Pritzker did not give a rate, but said creating jobs would “grow revenues in this state.”
Daiber said every person would pay $250 annually, with a one percent to six percent rate, with six percent for the highest income earners. Daiber said he based the six percent figure on neighboring states’ tax rates.
Hardiman said his rate would be one percent to 10 percent, with seven to 10 percent reserved for the highest income earners.
Whoever wins the primary, Rauner’s most crucial task next year is to make this race about two things: Speaker Madigan and higher taxes, as in he’s opposed, they’re in favor. That’s easier than explaining why they won’t be beholden to their party’s leader and what a graduated tax would mean for average citizens.
John Jackson, a professor at SIU’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, says the amount of money spent in Illinois governor’s race so far is unheard of.
“This is the earliest I’ve ever seen this much money being spent,” he said.
More than a year out from November 2018’s election, more than 100 million dollars has been raised in what is on pace to be the most expensive governor’s race in United State’s history.
Campaign Finance reports for period from July through September were due Monday, and show unprecedented levels of spending so early in the race from Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democratic candidate JB Pritzker.
“They’re both spending like the election is this November instead of next November,” Jackson said.
The debate exchange on the merits of Madigan came after the candidates clashed on the growing influence of money in politics, as billionaire Pritzker defended using his personal wealth to seek office while those with fewer resources bemoaned average citizens were being shut out.
Pritzker, who is self-funding his campaign, blamed Rauner for opening the floodgates by giving his campaign $50 million late last year, contending Democrats will need cash to build up infrastructure that could defeat the GOP.
Biss said Democrats should focus on building support using people, not money. “We’ve got to decide: Do we want to have an election or do we want to have an auction?” he said.
Kennedy joked that he “thought” he came from a wealthy family before seeing the amount of money that’s flowed in the race, which prompted Pritzker to shoot back, “You do.”
“Is this just a rich person’s game when we’re looking at this table? Is this just a rich man’s game of politics these days that regular people really can’t participate in?” [moderator Rick Pearson of the Tribune] asked the candidates.
“Unfortunately he set us on a course that I think is going to mean that we Democrats have got to build the infrastructure that we’ve lost. It’s important that we knock on doors, that we’re phone banking,” Pritzker said. “It also means that we Democrats have to join together to go beat Bruce Rauner. That is the campaign that I’m trying to put together. Not just here in the primary but also in the general election. For us to go out and beat Bruce Rauner and that’s why I’ve funded this campaign.”
Kennedy, heir of the famed political dynasty, too pinned the need to raise money on Rauner: “We need to respond to what they’ve done.”
But he noted his “outrage” at the amount of money in the race and the notion that you have to be wealthy to serve in politics.
“If that’s true, it’s the end of American democracy,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said people in the state must “rise up and make it clear that anybody can serve in office. You don’t need deep pockets.”
The Democratic candidates for governor sought to sell themselves to primary voters at a Tuesday night forum in Aurora, but much of the focus was on a guy who wasn’t on the stage: veteran Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the Illinois Democratic Party.
State Sen. Daniel Biss and businessman Chris Kennedy ripped Madigan, saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker, who has received the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, declined to say whether it’s time for Madigan to go.
“He’s been around an awful long time,” said Pritzker, who suggested that putting in place term limits on legislative leaders is “an answer to that question.”
Pritzker said he and Madigan agree on some issues, but disagree on others, such as term limits and restrictions on the influence of politics when drawing legislative boundaries. […]
Biss contended Madigan’s grip has not only hurt Illinois but also prevented Democrats from pushing for progressive policies, saying it was “time for him to go.” Kennedy raised concerns about Madigan owning a property tax appeals law firm while also overseeing laws relating to property taxes, which are the primary source of education funding in Illinois.
Pritzker, who has had to fight off ties to Madigan, said there are issues he doesn’t agree with the speaker on. He said he favors independently drawn legislative maps and leadership term limits. He called himself an “independent progressive leader” and said that wouldn’t change should he win.
Pushed on whether the speaker has been around “too long,” Pritzker pointed to term limits as the answer to the question.
“There’s no chance I’m going to be working for the speaker,” Pritzker said.
“I don’t think that what Speaker Madigan is doing is illegal, I just think it should be,” Kennedy said. “He’s a state rep and he’s a property tax appeals lawyer. The problem with that is that it leads to us holding on to a system where we fund our schools through property taxes.”
Kennedy later added, “Mike Madigan makes money on a system that’s destroying our schools.”
Biss said Madigan has “been around too long” and is “too powerful.” He said he has supported term limits for legislative leaders, including proposing state constitutional amendments. However, Biss said Madigan is one person and is not the system.
“If we get too obsessed with just one person who has manipulated the system but did not create it, and then we don’t fix the system but just get rid of him, we’re going to be disappointed by how little changes,” Biss said.
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
Another day, another attempt from J.B. Pritzker to cover up his close ties to Speaker Mike Madigan.
Last night at an Aurora debate with the Democrat candidates for governor, the candidates were presented with a simple question: should Madigan stay in power. Even though Democrats Daniel Biss and Chris Kennedy have their own close ties to Madigan, they took the question as an opportunity to attack him, with both saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power.
When it came time for Pritzker to answer the same question, he balked, refusing to say whether Speaker Madigan has been around too long or if it’s time for him to leave state government, surprising no one, as Pritzker is running for governor with Madigan’s blessing.
From the Chicago Tribune’s story, Dem gov. debate: Kennedy, Biss bash Madigan; Pritzker won’t say if it’s time for speaker to go:
The Democratic candidates for governor sought to sell themselves to primary voters at a Tuesday night forum in Aurora, but much of the focus was on a guy who wasn’t on the stage: veteran Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also heads the Illinois Democratic Party.
State Sen. Daniel Biss and businessman Chris Kennedy ripped Madigan, saying he’s been in office too long and wields too much power. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker, who has received the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, declined to say whether it’s time for Madigan to go.
Pritzker’s silent support of Madigan’s Speakership comes after he was asked about the same issue at a recent Chicago debate with the Democratic candidates for governor.
When asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan, Pritzker repeatedly dodged the question, fumbling over his inability to change the subject. His discomfort was so plain that after being challenged on the issue by moderator Mary Ann Ahern, Pritzker’s non-answers were met with laughter from the crowd of Democrat activists.
It’s clear - J.B. Pritzker is Mike Madigan’s candidate for governor and even other Democrats aren’t buying Pritzker’s spin.
Jesse Ruiz, a prominent attorney and community leader, announced Wednesday that he is running for Illinois Attorney General.
“I became an attorney so I could use the law to protect and defend others, and be able to step in when people need a champion,” Ruiz said in a video campaign announcement released Wednesday. “For too long, many of us have felt forgotten and let down by our government. As Attorney General, I will use all of the powers of the law as a shield – and if necessary, a sword – on behalf of everyone in Illinois.”
The son of Mexican immigrants, Ruiz has been a strong advocate for the rights of minorities throughout his legal career. He said that Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrant and minority rights motivated him to run for public office.
“Donald Trump launched his campaign by saying, ‘When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Ruiz recalled. “When I heard those words, I got angry. He was talking about my parents, and about the millions of hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding Mexican immigrants who came to this country to build new lives for themselves and their families. I feel that I would dishonor my parents if I failed to do everything I can to resist Trump and to put the law on the side of people who work hard and play by the rules.”
In his announcement video, Ruiz (52) talked about growing up in the working-class Roseland neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. “I learned so much – like the value of hard work and determination, and that if you have enough to eat, you have enough to share.”
Ruiz attended Marist High School, on Chicago’s Southwest Side – a commute that required taking three different CTA buses. To pay his way through college, Ruiz worked a number of different jobs, including stints as a sales clerk, a machine operator, a meter reader, and a handyman. “As I was growing up, my parents made sure I knew the value of hard work and determination,” Ruiz said. “The Attorney General’s job is to be the champion of hard-working people, and I will make sure everyone’s rights are protected – in the workplace and in the marketplace.”
After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in economics, Ruiz spent four years working in the steel industry before entering law school at the University of Chicago.
While in law school, Ruiz took a seminar class on racism and law taught by then-faculty member Barack Obama. Ruiz became one of Obama’s earliest political supporters, knocking on doors with Obama and hosting one of his first fundraisers in his race for the Illinois State Senate. Years later, he worked as a volunteer on Obama’s presidential campaigns.
“As a teacher, Barack Obama always encouraged students to challenge everything, to stand up for what they believed in,” Ruiz remembers. “His example is even more important today, when so many of our nation’s fundamental principles are under attack.”
Ruiz is a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath, a nationally renowned law firm, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He also serves as President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners.
A tireless volunteer, Ruiz is best known as an advocate for public education. He served over four years as Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education and in 2015 stepped in to become Interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest school district. In 2011, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed Ruiz to serve on the U.S. Department of Education Equity and Excellence Commission, a post he held for two years. Previously, Ruiz served nearly seven years as Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
As the head of ISBE, Ruiz took prompt action when a school district refused to enroll an undocumented student, in violation of federal law. In an unprecedented action, Ruiz led ISBE to cut off the school district’s state funding. The very next day, school district backed down.
“I want to serve as the people’s lawyer,” Ruiz said. “As Attorney General, I will work to bring the power of government back to the people of Illinois. I will fight back whenever our government goes too far – whether that means standing up against Donald Trump’s assaults on our civil rights or speaking out against Bruce Rauner’s radical agenda here in Illinois. Every day, I will work to make Illinois a better, safer place – for all of us.”
Ruiz and his wife, Michele Ilene Ruiz, met when they were both law students at University of Chicago. Ms. Ruiz is now a partner at Sidley & Austin. The couple live on the south side of Chicago with their two young sons.
*** UPDATE *** Republican Attorneys General Association…
“This race is clearly going to be a sprint to the left and Jesse Ruiz will lead the pack. Former President Barack Obama was Ruiz’s law professor in the mid 1990s, so Ruiz learned from the best how to circumvent the rule of law and impose crippling regulations on our hardworking job creators. Illinois needs a fighter, outside the political class, who will defend the rule of law and fight public corruption.”
Campaigning against Obama in his home state? That’ll work.
* The Sierra Club’s gubernatorial candidates forum didn’t get a lot of media coverage, so here’s a press release from the group summing up the event…
Sierra Club held its first ever Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Forum Saturday, October 14th at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a crowd of over 500 witnessed a spirited exchange between candidates who are rivals for the Democratic nomination, but in broad agreement that Illinois should do much more to lead on the environment.
“It is crystal clear, given the rollbacks, the cuts, the denial of science, and attempts to divide our communities that are coming at all of us from the Trump administration, that Illinois must step up to lead,” said Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter Director Jack Darin. “Illinois must lead if we are to make progress against threats like climate change and toxins in our drinking water, and even to protect the tremendous progress we have made together as a society.”
Trump’s moves against climate action, and steps by Governor Rauner’s Illinois EPA to weaken clean air standards for coal plants drew strong rebukes and commitments to move Illinois in an entirely different direction.
Candidates Tio Hardiman, Chris Kennedy, J.B. Pritzker, and State Senator Daniel Biss made bold pledges for the future, including:
-Setting a goal of 100% clean renewable energy for Illinois, and joining the U.S. Climate Alliance of leading states,
-New investment to remove lead service lines and reduce nutrient pollution,
-Rebuilding the Illinois Department of Natural Resources after years of decline,
-Promoting environmental justice for communities of color and disadvantaged communities, including state help for a just transition to a clean energy economy.
Governor Rauner did not respond to an invitation to participate.
State Senator Daniel Biss said “I strongly support a firm commitment to move Illinois to 100% clean energy mix, and was the first candidate to do so.” Tio Hardiman agreed, saying “I plan to be a champion for renewable energy, and as a community organizer will build a movement for this goal.” Chris Kennedy pledged to begin with state properties, saying “we can make the State of Illinois commit to using 100% renewable energy for its buildings, and put the entire state on that same trajectory as well.” J.B. Pritzker said “we need to move this state to 100% renewables, and we must invest in clean energy and battery technology, as I have as an individual, in order to get to that goal,” before apologizing for leaving the event early to attend an event downstate, and introducing State Senator Heather Steans as his surrogate for the remainder of the forum.
The health of Illinois’ water supply was top of mind, with candidates sharing plans for protecting drinking water and Illinois’ rivers and lakes. Kennedy pledged to involve the public in the fight for clean water by informing residents about their water quality to inspire them to action.
Biss said that truly universal access to clean water would come at a cost, but that is clearly worth it to stop poisoning our children and put people to work on water projects in communities that need it most. Steans said Pritzker plans to replace 100% of lead service lines in Illinois, expand existing nutrient control programs, and develop a state water use plan to ensure sustainability of community supplies.
Biss and Kennedy each expressed opposition to the proposed Route 53 extension in Lake County. Kennedy also described the proposed Illiana expressway as “like one of those zombies in one of those movies – it’s time to put a stake in the heart of that thing and move on.” Biss said “investing in mass transit and sustainable transportation is an important part of acting on climate change and reducing carbon emissions. We have to have a holistic view of what transit means across the state – trains, buses, and access to economic opportunity.” Steans did not take a position on specific projects, but said that Pritzker would understand that we cannot look at road projects based on political considerations, but on technical merit. Hardiman also declined to take a position on specific projects, while noting his support for mass transit.
Each of the candidates lamented the long decline in staffing and budget at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and shared their personal connections to Illinois’ outdoors.
