* Some of us figured that since Monday is the last day to file 2016 income tax returns we’d have something out of the governor’s office by now. And maybe the Democratic candidates aside from Daniel Biss who haven’t yet disclosed their returns might do so as well. It’s Friday afternoon, after all. Maybe it’ll come later. Or not. I’ve got some stuff to do now, so if they do send out press releases and/or copies of their returns I’ll post them when I can.
Today I veto Senate Bill 1446 from the 100th General Assembly, which amends the Illinois Procurement Code to force the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to repeat its request for proposals (“RFP”) for purchase of care contracts with managed care organizations. Enactment of this legislation would needlessly cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
The Department conducted the RFP for statewide managed care contracts over a five-month period in a competitive, transparent process. The RFP was consistent with State procurement law and historical practice. Forcing re-procurement of the RFP under this legislation would prevent nearly one billion dollars in savings and block stronger accountability and performance management in the Illinois Medicaid Program.
The transformation of health and human services to help our most vulnerable citizens has been one of the primary goals of this Administration. In the beginning of this year, the Department began a process to help make the goals of the transformation a reality by improving health outcomes for Medicaid clients while slowing the growth of health care costs and putting the State of Illinois on a more sustainable financial trajectory. The result – after months of rigorous work and evaluation by experienced staff from several different State agencies – is a solution that serves all the people of Illinois.
The Department took steps to ensure the integrity of the procurement throughout the entire process. The process of evaluating managed care providers mirrored traditional procurements, including key components such as soundness of evaluations, transparent communications, and the use of objective measures. In addition, plans were chosen through competitive statewide bidding for the first time, using strict rules to ensure impartiality.
The Department has acted in accordance with the law to deliver improved health care to our most vulnerable citizens and provide value for our taxpayers. We should be commending the Department for its work in service of all Illinoisans. Instead, this bill would needlessly force the Department to repeat a task that has already been successfully completed, to the detriment of our vulnerable citizens and the State’s taxpayers.
The bill—which would essentially scuttle what could be the state’s largest procurement ever—is now making its way to the governor, whose approval is a long shot. […]
(C)ritics contend the selection process wasn’t transparent enough. Lawmakers still want to know, for example, who reviewed the bids and selected the winners. […]
Koehler’s bill would amend the Illinois Procurement Code, a roadmap of regulations for state contracting. The current code does not include contracts with MCOs. Currently, those are exempt from the state’s traditional route of securing business (as are collective bargaining agreements and contracts between state agencies). Instead, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which implements Medicaid, a health insurance program for the poor and disabled, oversaw the bidding process in-house. […]
The contracts, with initial four-year terms, are significant. Managed care now costs Illinois about $10.5 billion, but the tab is expected to increase to between $12.8 billion and $13.5 billion a year under Rauner’s revamp because enrollment will increase, and health plans are paid a fixed amount of money per enrollee. But the state expects to save around $1 billion over four years partly because the MCOs have agreed to be paid less money. […]
The bill was resurrected quickly—and passed the Illinois Senate with a 38-18 vote two days later—amid fresh concerns that no minority-owned companies won a bid, said Harris, a Chicago Democrat.
Rauner had repeatedly pledged that a minority-owned company would win the bid, but his administration and DHFS both subsequently said he played no hands-on role in the bidding process.
This will be an interesting bill to watch in the veto session.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) sponsored the legislation and issued the following statement after the governor’s veto:
“The governor’s veto truly is a defeat for transparency and accountability in state government. We are talking about billions of dollars of taxpayer money that is being contracted out by the state without any hearings or a framework of procurement rules.
“It is my intention to override this veto in the upcoming veto session. The largest contract in state history deserves the same amount of scrutiny as every other contract.”
With a national spotlight being shone on the issue, Governor Rauner’s team is working to curb addiction
The nationwide opioid epidemic has attracted attention in states across the U.S., but here in Illinois, Governor Rauner’s task force is already working to curtail its spread. The Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force has already made it easier to get life-saving medications to prevent overdose, and now they are travelling the state, collecting information to help prevent the spread of addiction.
* The campaign e-mail linked to this editorial in the Daily Herald…
On Wednesday, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force began a state tour in search of information and partners to help implement the state’s Opioid Action Plan to curtail the growing opioid overdose epidemic in Illinois.
The Task Force met in Chicago Wednesday and will be in Champaign and Mount Vernon in downstate Illinois this week.
“The opioid epidemic knows no neighborhood, no color, and no class. It is not confined to alleys in urban settings, nor isolated in rural communities,” said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti of Wheaton, the task force chair. “We are traveling the state to collect research and hear stories of those impacted by this growing opioid overdose epidemic so we can take action to save lives.”
* Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) wrote an essay today about the “history of the Rauner Administration’s attempts since taking office to undermine a 2015 bi-partisan law, The Heroin Crisis Act, that serves as a national model to address the heroin crisis”…
Going back to March 2014, House Speaker Michael Madigan had already established a 39-member bi-partisan Heroin Crisis Task Force, which I chaired, and that month the full House had approved unanimously a resolution, HR 883, declaring a “Heroin State of Emergency in Illinois” and calling on the legislature to “develop a comprehensive, bold, and durable package of legislative proposals to combat the heroin crisis” – which, after multiple statewide hearings, the legislature set out to do.
After 14 months of work and hearing from more than 300 witnesses, the legislature put on the new governor’s desk the comprehensive, bi-partisan bill, House Bill 1, which I sponsored, and estimated to invest $25 to $75 million annually to fight the epidemic. The legislation included, among many other provisions, requirements that insurance providers offer coverage for medically necessary acute treatment and clinical stabilization services and that Medicaid provide all medication assisted drug treatment (injectable naltrexone, methadone, suboxone, Vivitrol, etc.) without utilization controls or prior authorization. Those provisions were opposed by Rauner’s Departments of Insurance and Healthcare and Family Services.
Despite House and Senate approval, 114-0 and 46-4, respectively, Rauner vetoed the bi-partisan bill while the heroin epidemic raged statewide. That veto sparked the first revolt by Republican lawmakers who joined with Democrats in the House and Senate to override the governor, 105-5 and 44-11, respectively.
The Rauner Administration retaliated to the bi-partisan repudiation by slow-walking the implementation of multiple provisions and failure to implement others. For example, the governor has failed to fully enforce mental health parity laws. That sabotage pushed me to introduce this year fresh, clean up legislation, HB 68, on which I consulted with the Kennedy Forum and other mental health experts, to force the governor to adhere to the current law.
Not satisfied with undermining the implementation of HB 1, the Rauner’s Administration also this year pushed legislation, HB 2908, sponsored by a top gubernatorial House ally, State Rep. Patti Bellock (R-Hinsdale), that sought to gut the Medicaid financing of medically assisted heroin treatment by re-imposing drug utilization requirements and requiring prior authorization, choking off medications for low-income individuals seeking treatment. I stifled that cynical move. Dead. The effort to weaken Medicaid funding came on top of Rauner’s move in Fiscal Year 2016 to slash state funding for drug treatment providers by 25%. And in the new state budget, Rauner killed a $1.2 million grant to the Rockford-based Rosecrance’s drug treatment triage center.
Thus, Rauner’s opioid advisory council and phantom strategy – two-and-half years after entering office – are nothing but disgraceful and cynical exercises to advance his wobbly reelection hopes. If the Illinois’ opioid crisis has worsened, it’s because Governor Rauner and his administration’s willful neglect and sabotage.
With the State of Illinois ranking in the top 10 states with the highest tax burden on it’s residents, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, has introduced a measure to remove burdensome taxes on senior citizens when they are purchasing items they need to survive.
“We must do everything that we can to protect seniors on fixed incomes here in Illinois,” said Ford. “With the rising cost of living in addition to increased county, city, state, and federal taxes, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for vulnerable senior citizens to make ends meet.”
On Tuesday, Ford introduced House Bill 4111, a measure that makes senior citizens in the state exempt from being taxed on bare household health necessities. Among the items eligible for the tax exemption are fresh groceries, medicine, medical devices and items used for wellness in diabetic patients.
“People living on fixed incomes are trapped between a rock and a hard place,” said Ford. “This exemption from certain sales taxes for qualified senior citizens will provide real relief for the men and women who have worked hard and paved the way for future generations in Illinois.”
Wait. Aren’t those items already exempted from Illinois’ sales tax? From a spokesperson…
Currently, the goods that would be effected under HB 4111 are taxed at the local level at a rate of 1%.
So, it’s the local tax that he’s exempting. Some mayors will be pleased, I’m sure. He’s already picked up a few co-sponsors, including Rep. Theresa Mah…
“Senior citizens in our community have worked hard their entire lives to build up our neighborhoods and to bring their families up in our communities,” said Mah. “We must take preventative steps that protect elderly citizens who often live on a strict fixed income.”
I get the political angle here, but this would do to local governments what the state has been doing to itself for decades: Narrow the revenue base. Combine that with expanding the spending base (including by deferring pension payments) and we’ve wound up in a with a fiscal mess.
At the state level, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is a chief cosponsor of House Bill 4083. The measure would prohibit counties from imposing soda taxes in the future. He said people see right through such money grabs.
“Because none of the money is being used to offset the risks of diabetes or obesity,” Moylan said. “It’s all going to pay other things.” […]
HB 4083, which has a broad swath of support in the House with 37 sponsors, is stuck in Rules Committee.
C’mon. Rules hasn’t met since the last time they were in session. I’m betting this will get popped to the floor (so to speak) before election day.
A four-time Illinois Legislator of the Year is free on $1,500 bail following a recent shoplifting arrest, authorities said.
Former Republican representative Sandra Pihos, of the 500 block of Williamsburgh Road in Glen Ellyn, is charged with retail theft. […]
According to court documents, Pihos, 71, stole three female clothing items from Von Maur in Lombard’s Yorktown Shopping Center at 2:05 p.m. on Sept. 26. […]
But authorities said Pihos returned to the store around 9:18 p.m. that same day and attempted to return the stolen items for cash or store credit.
* The Question: Do you have any experience with this problem in your family or circle of friends? Tell us about it.
Trump's decision will lead to higher premiums for Illinoisans. We'll fight this, and keep fighting until we achieve Medicare for All. https://t.co/19SFKUMFeu
Over the past two days, President Donald Trump announced he would end ACA subsidies for people buying insurance on the individual healthcare marketplace and issued an executive order expected to further destabilize the market. Rates are expected to rise 20% or more.
For months, Governor Bruce Rauner sat quietly on the sideline as President Trump worked to end the Affordable Care Act, despite the consequences in store for Illinois families. Recently, Rauner even deflected blame for President Trump by trying to tie recent instability in the marketplace back to President Obama. When asked what he’s doing to protect Illinoisans, Rauner claims, without evidence, that he’s talking to leaders in Washington.
Well, now Governor Rauner has an old friend to call. Earlier this week his old health care advisor, Eric Hargan, was named acting Secretary of President Trump’s HHS. Hargan served as the “Co-Chair and Convener of the Healthcare and Human Services Transition Committee for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.” Will Rauner call acting HHS Secretary Hargan and prevail on him to protect the 350,000 Illinoisans in the marketplace? Or will he continue to stand by as Illinois families see their rates rise?
“Premiums are set to skyrocket for Illinois families and Governor Rauner has not lifted a finger to stop it,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “For months, Rauner sat idly by as Trump worked to strip needed health protections and destroy the state budget. Now Trump’s reckless actions will hit voters in their pocketbook and Bruce Rauner’s silence is only making things worse for families. It’s time for Bruce Rauner to stop shielding President Trump and start standing up for Illinois.”
* Chris Kennedy…
“Attempts to rollback Obamacare were successfully thwarted because of outcry from across the country, including from a bi-partisan group of governors, despite the glaring absence of Bruce Rauner. Trump, along with rank-and-file GOP, failed in those attacks so now they’re taking a new approach. They’re dismantling Obamacare piece by piece, starting with subsidies to cover costs for the poor because they don’t think we care about the poor. Well, we do, and it’s on us to prove him wrong. We know health care is a right, not a privilege. No one in America should choose between bankruptcy and staying healthy. We know that when we risk health care access for the few among us, we risk it for all of us. Nearly 10 years ago, my uncle Ted Kennedy proclaimed words that still ring true today: ‘The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.’”
* Pritzker…
As Donald Trump sabotages the Affordable Care Act by halting subsidies, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new digital ad, “Fight Back.”
The ad highlights the intentional destruction of our healthcare system by Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington and the urgent need for a leader in Illinois to fight back. Bruce Rauner has remained silent as Donald Trump systematically dismantles our healthcare system and puts millions of Illinoisans’ coverage at risk.
“Donald Trump is intentionally destroying our healthcare system, but Bruce Rauner doesn’t seem to care that millions of Illinoisans’ healthcare could be jeopardized,” said JB Pritzker. “Trump is an immoral leader, and Rauner is his clear partner in Illinois. We need a governor who will protect Illinoisans from Trump’s attacks and work to protect healthcare in our state.”
My own opinion of that ad is the editing may inadvertently pair Pritzker with Trump if you’re not paying close attention, and most people aren’t. I took my eyes away from it for a second and was a little surprised at what visuals were hitting my brain.
Steve Sandvoss
Executive Director, Illinois State Board of Elections 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd.
Springfield, IL, 62704
Executive Director Sandvoss,
We write to you today to express our deep concern about how Illinois voter registration data is used, shared, and protected outside of the State of Illinois. We urge the Board to end the state’s participation in the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck System (“Crosscheck”) and to refuse to comply with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity’s second request for voter registration data.
Continued participation in Crosscheck poses several risks. The data shared with Crosscheck includes personal identifying information beyond what is normally shared with political parties, such as the last four digits of social security numbers. Crosscheck creates a central repository for voter data from over two dozen states. Portions of this data are then shared with the participating states. Both of these scenarios expose over 8 million Illinoisans to the risk of identity theft if hacked.
More concerning is the fact that Crosscheck is administered by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach who has a documented history of authoring anti-immigration legislation and advocating for laws that disproportionately disenfranchise people of color, the young, and those with low incomes. Since taking over administration of Crosscheck, Kobach has transformed what was once a legitimate tool for voter roll maintenance into a propaganda machine for voter suppression efforts.
When Crosscheck returned 400,000 potential voter registration matches to Illinois, based on nothing other than first name, last name, and date of birth, Kobach labeled these “potential duplicate voters” despite the fact that he is well aware most records were not matches on the same people, let alone actual duplicate voters. The data analysis may be free, but at what cost to voters? As the saying goes, “if you’re not paying, you’re the product”. Ultimately states are being used to provide the data necessary to manufacture statistics to justify new voter identification laws and to make it harder for some people to vote.
Kobach now serves as Vice Chair of the Presidential Commission which has the same objective as Crosscheck: use intentionally poor data analysis techniques to create misleading statistics which help to perpetuate the myth of widespread voter fraud and to further an agenda of voter suppression.
Voting is one of the most fundamental rights and exercises of power available to the American people. We trust that the Board will do everything in its power to protect Illinoisans’ personal information and the integrity of our elections. While Illinois has same day voter registration, many states using Crosscheck data do not. Every year Crosscheck puts millions of registered voters across the country on Kobach’s target list of “potential duplicate voters”. Simply by being on the list, people face an increased risk of having their registration wrongly inactivated or cancelled — Illinois must stop supplying over 8 million records that are used to disenfranchise our fellow Americans.
There are currently more secure and reliable systems available to maintain voter registration rolls, such as ERIC, which the Illinois legislature has already mandated the state to join. We again urge the Board to consider the societal impact of Crosscheck both within and outside of Illinois when weighing continued participation in this program and to refuse to legitimize the Presidential Commission by providing data that will be used to manufacture fraudulent statistics.
Sincerely,
State Representative Will Guzzardi
State Representative Linda Chapa Lavia
State Representative Mary E. Flowers
State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez
State Representative Carol Ammons
State Representative John D’Amico
State Representative Robyn Gabel
State Representative Jay Hoffman
State Representative Kelly Burke
State Representative Laura Fine
State Representative Greg Harris
State Representative Camille Lilly
State Representative Theresa Mah
State Representative Anna Moeller
State Representative Michelle Mussman
State Representative Carol Sente
State Representative Juliana Stratton
State Representative Arthur Turner
State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch
In theory, the program is supposed to detect possible cases of people voting in multiple locations. But academics and states that use the program have found that its results are overrun with false positives, creating a high risk of disenfranchising legal voters. A statistical analysis of the program published earlier this year by researchers at Stanford, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Microsoft, for instance, found that Crosscheck “would eliminate about 200 registrations used to cast legitimate votes for every one registration used to cast a double vote.” […]
Along with 18 other states plus D.C., Minnesota has instead opted to join the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a separate voter data program started in 2012. ERIC draws on a much wider array of data sources than Crosscheck, including motor vehicle registration data, Social Security death records, and Postal Service data.
“Look at what ERIC’s doing. That’s the way you clean up the voting rolls,” Simon said. “It’s anonymized data, and you don’t have nearly the problem with false positives.”
The sheer number of businesses calling Illinois home is up 28 percent since 2001, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares to 17 percent for Wisconsin, 8 percent for Indiana and 4 percent for Ohio. Michigan is down 9 percent.
Most of the growth in Illinois is in small businesses, yet the data also show that Illinois has done better than neighboring states in retaining its roster of very large businesses.
* But…
Gummy bear maker @HARIBOUSA announced today that they will double their HQ workforce in Rosemont, creating 55 new jobs for Illinoisans! pic.twitter.com/512hhHJBTc
The better way to measure job growth is by growth *rate*, not net jobs gained. IL’s job growth is quite poor since Rauner took office pic.twitter.com/vxGqkWoKrG
* We’ve already discussed a couple of them, but if you click here you can refresh your memory. Here’s a very short one apparently designed for social media…
We're delivering for our kids because I believe Illinois' future is worth fighting for. pic.twitter.com/rjxLjX0cr3
Back in 2006, Republican polling found that whenever Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared in one of his ads his numbers would sag. Despite winning by 10 points (in a huge Democratic wave), he had lousy job approval ratings.
* Note that this is a projected increase and not yet an actual increase…
The union representing corrections officers says inmate attacks on state employees have increased 51 percent since 2015.
Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 said Thursday that assaults increased from 541 in the 2015 calendar year to a projected 819.
AFSCME says the Illinois Department of Corrections is reclassifying violent inmates to lower security levels to save money. Those inmates are transferred to medium-security prisons which are less costly to run.
Corrections acknowledged an increase in staff assaults from 2015 to 2017, but put the number at a 34 percent increase, not a 51 percent increase. The department counts assaults by fiscal year which runs from July 1 to June 30. AFSCME based its numbers on calendar year figures. For 2017, the union compiled the number of assaults reported so far this year and extended it to the end of the year.
Corrections also said that more than half of the staff assaults at state prisons involved inmates throwing a “liquid substance” at staff. It said that since 2000, the department has averaged about 1,282 staff injuries per year. That number dropped to 907 in the 2017 fiscal year that ended in June.
[AFSCME executive director Roberta Lynch] also said inmates are being reclassified for their security threat which has resulted in inmates convicted of violent crimes being moved from maximum security prisons to medium and minimum facilities. She said the reclassifications are being made by Corrections’ management without consulting staff who actually deal with the inmates. […]
Lower security prisons have lower staffing requirements and cost less to operate, she said.
However you count it, even a 34 percent increase is still a lot. And “liquid substance” can include, um, bodily excretions.
“Is it because … prisons with lower security levels have lower staffing levels and cost less to operate and that far too little attention is paid to the human cost of increasing violence against staff?” Lynch asked […]
Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin, meeting later with reporters, rejected AFSCME declarations that management “doesn’t care” and dismissed the AFSCME’s claims of “budget-driven security re-classification.”
He said the department is changing its classification system for inmates to replace a 30-year-old model, acknowledging that “we have a lot of population in the wrong place.” […]
Seven in 10 assaults are perpetrated by mentally ill inmates, Baldwin said. Key to reducing those, he said, is training approved by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which all department employees have had, in dealing with sometimes uncertain responses and reactions associated with mental illness.
We have a mental health crisis in this country and we’re making prisons and jails deal with it.
Baldwin says the department’s staffing level has grown by 11 percent over the past three fiscal years.
He also says some increase in assaults is expected as Illinois changes the way it deals with inmates who have mental illness, but that based on the experience in other states, the trend will improve over time. The state has agreed to improve treatment of inmates with mental health disorders in order to settle a lawsuit.
Her role as chief fundraiser for Chris Kennedy’s campaign is putting Jubeh in direct conflict with longtime colleagues in the labor movement who want J.B. Pritzker to get the Democratic nomination in the March primary.
The tensions between Jubeh and her one-time friends and allies erupted into public view this week. In its newsletter published Tuesday, the Illinois AFL-CIO — which has endorsed Pritzker — took a highly unusual cheap shot at Jubeh.
“Kennedy’s campaign has been plagued with poor fundraising and no-show appearances, which has stalled the campaign,” according to an unsigned, lead article in the Illinois AFL-CIO newsletter. “Hanah Jubeh of P2 Consulting is senior advisor and fundraiser for the Kennedy campaign. Based on past political campaigns, combined with this campaign, many people, especially within the Illinois labor movement, are seriously questioning her abilities to manage statewide campaigns.”
Jubeh told me Thursday that the personal attack on her in the newsletter was “unprecedented,” but it echoed pressure she has faced privately since joining the Kennedy campaign. […]
Jubeh says she believes sexism is behind this criticism.
Other Kennedy campaign consultants who are men have worked with labor unions before this race, including Kennedy’s pollster and the guy producing his campaign ads. Unlike Jubeh, the men on the Kennedy campaign have not faced the same sort of attacks from labor.
“Why did [IL AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan] single me out, a female in leadership?” Jubeh says. “He knows he can only bully a female. If I was a guy, this would be a non-issue.
* OK, as I’ve been saying for months and as I told subscribers again this morning (I also worked on this story), the Kennedy campaign’s most fundamental problem is its fundraising. His pollster and his media consultant are not the problem over there. The real issue is money, meaning the lack of it.
“It was a bad quarter, no question about it,” Daley told me.
Kennedy raised $704,000 during that quarter. During the next quarter, he raised about $800,000 from others. Something simply has to change over there. And since she’s his chief fundraiser, that’s her turf, even though I would blame the candidate more because it’s his job to burn up the phones. And she has had success raising money for others, including Sen. Kwame Raoul.
While Pritzker builds momentum, his rivals for the Democratic Party nomination are struggling to gain any traction. Chris Kennedy has had two straight quarters of subpar fundraising, including injecting $250,000 of his own money in to boost the totals.
Kennedy’s campaign has been plagued with poor fundraising and no-show appearances which has stalled the campaign. Hanah Jubeh of P2 Consulting is Senior Advisor and fundraiser for the Kennedy Campaign. Based on past political campaigns combined with this campaign many people, especially within the Illinois labor movement, are seriously questioning her abilities to manage statewide campaigns.
The organization should’ve focused its attack on Kennedy without naming staff because it’s now opened itself up to public criticism. Bad move and understandably seen as sexist. Frankly, I was shocked to see it in the newsletter late Wednesday night when somebody sent it to me. They should apologize, or at the very least knock it off. When just five members of your 35-member executive board are women, you need to tread much more carefully.
* You can go back to the Sun-Times story for other responses, but something important was left out of this react…
[Chicago Federation of Labor Ramirez President Jorge Ramirez] didn’t want to comment on the remarks in the AFL-CIO newsletter. Although the CFL is supporting Pritzker for governor, Ramirez vouches for Jubeh.
“Hanah has done good work for us over the past 10 years,” Ramirez says. “I’d be dishonest to tell you otherwise.”
* The full statement from the CFL, with emphasis added by me…
Hanah Jubeh has worked for the CFL in various capacities for nearly a decade. While Hanah no longer directs the political work for the CFL, she continues to provide logistical support and planning for non-political events. I’d be less than honest if I didn’t acknowledge Hanah’s contributions to our organizational and public policy successes.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: My question is, would you legalize marijuana so this state would not go down the drain like all the others? Like [inaudible]
KENNEDY: I would do this. I would follow the advice of scientists and doctors. If the scientists and doctors and the recovery community said, ‘you should not do that because you’ll create a public health hazard,’ I wouldn’t legalize marijuana simply to get us out of a budget mess, I would tax the rich people who can do that. We don’t need to do that. But I would defer to science, I don’t think it should be a politician that makes that decision.
And we should, within six months of the next governor’s term, we should charge the University of Illinois with reviewing all of the studies that have been done and decide whether it should be legalized or not and how to legalize it. I talked to the governor of Colorado last Friday. So, he said, ‘Look we legalized it, but we didn’t know it would come as gummy bears.’ So, a bunch of kids ate gummy bears and ended up at the children’s hospital in Denver. Because we didn’t know that they should come in a medical container with a screw top lid that only an adult should open. So, they had to go back and re-regulate.’ Then he said the THC, which is the chemical in there, the THC is much stronger than it was when – I was familiar with the topic back in the 80’s, so it’s like 10 times stronger. There’s no regulation in Colorado, at least the way he said it, that regulates how much THC can be administered in one dose. Which means that for the first time in history, like in 10,000 years of human history, people can overdose from marijuana. You’re saying no you can’t –
AUDIENCE MEMBER: – Well, alcohol. You can overdose with alcohol.
KENNEDY: We should defer to science, and what we should say is, OK what do the rules look like? What would be good? Is it OK? Is it like liquor? If it’s like booze, they say it’s not a public health hazard, let’s do it. But let’s make sure we’ve got the right container, let’s make sure that we don’t have a dose that’s too high. Let’s learn from what other states have done. That’s what I say.
The thing is in America, this is interesting, the Republicans in the Senate and in the House, have stopped the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health from studying this question. There’s no study. The federal government is prevented from studying whether or not we should legalize marijuana. That’s like crazy, because politicians got involved where they should have differed to the scientists. In the state of Illinois we regulated medical marijuana. The doctors said, ‘oh no we should use it for many diseases.’ And they said ‘No, no, no, just a few,’ because the politicians substituted their own judgement for doctors and scientists. That’s ridiculous, we should defer to doctors, you should defer to science, there is truth and we should respect it. Let them decide and then we’ll do whatever they decide.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I feel that God gave us this beautiful plant. Why does there have to be so much regulation?
KENNEDY: And I think I would just ask a doctor or a scientist that’s all I’m saying. I can’t argue with your point.
Democratic candidate for Governor, Bob Daiber, announced that Jonathan W. Todd, a Chicago Social Worker, will join him on the ticket for his bid for the 2018 nomination. Daiber said. “Jonathan is a person who knows the issues of Chicago because he works to solve them every day in his job.” The Daiber campaign has interviewed a long list of possible running mates. “Jonathan Todd is a good choice because of his working knowledge” stated Daiber.
Todd is 49 years old and is married to his wife, Stacy. The couple lives on the west side of the city in the Austin community and are parents of their four-year old daughter. Todd has worked for the Association House of Chicago for thirteen years. Todd has been politically active in Democratic politics as a community organizer, campaign volunteer, and strategist for numerous candidates. While Todd has never held public office, Daiber indicated that he is comfortable with him in the Lieutenant Governor’s spot because of his knowledge of social services and his understanding of government to help solve social problems. Daiber also welcomes the volunteer base that Todd will bring to his campaign.
Daiber stated, “Jonathan has a background to help lead the charge to end violence in Chicago and around the state. I feel very good that Jonathan has worked with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Department of Human Services (DHS).”
Todd holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Roosevelt University. He has over twenty years of experience in social work.
Todd stated, “I am excited to join Bob Daiber in this gubernatorial race because Bob has an extensive background in public service and education. I began to follow Bob in his campaign last spring and have been impressed with his knowledge and detailed answers. We will be a good team because we will work to move the state forward and unite Illinois.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Another running mate problem…
I was excited to read your recent post that a Governor candidate selected a social worker to be his running mate, one problem – Johnathan Todd is NOT a social worker in Illinois. Social work is a title protected profession in Illinois that requires either a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (not sociology), supervision hours and passing the ASWB test for the Licensed Social Worker, or a Master’s degree in Social Work, supervision hours and passing the ASWB test for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Mr. Todd has none of those qualifications.
In Illinois you must be licensed as a social workers to call yourself a social worker, it is violation of state law to represent yourself as a social worker without those qualifications. I am asking that you please correct this inaccuracy.
Kyle Hillman
Director of Legislative Affairs
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Bob Daiber…
On behalf of the Daiber Campaign for Governor, it was not the intent of our announcement today to misrepresent the qualifications of Jonathan Todd our running mate or to misuse the title of social worker. As a candidate for Governor, I apologize to any one who was offended by the misuse of this title. As a licensed professional myself, I uphold the greatest respect for all who have earned licenses to practice their professions. Mr. Todd does hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and has worked for the Association House of Chicago for thirteen years.
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced today that Patty Schuh will become his deputy chief of staff for communications.
Schuh will join the governor’s office next week, bringing with her more than 30 years of experience working with the Illinois General Assembly. Schuh started her career on the Senate Republican staff as a communications officer and advanced to the role of press secretary and Assistant to the Senate Republican Leader.
“Patty may be the most well established and politically astute communicator in Illinois government,” Rauner said. “As the leader of our team, she will add unparalleled experience in Illinois politics and media to our communication. I have known her for many years and I am excited that she has decided to join our effort.”
Schuh has the unusual distinction of having served as spokesman and press secretary for four Republican leaders – Senate President James “Pate” Philip and Senate Republican Leaders Frank Watson, Christine Radogno and Bill Brady.
“I’m honored to put my experience to work in the Office of the Governor. I’m grateful to Gov. Rauner for the opportunity and look forward to working with his administration to make the changes Illinois needs to move forward,” Schuh said.
Schuh teams with Communications Strategy Director Hud Englehart in Chicago.
Schuh and her husband live in Springfield.
I love me some Patty. She’s a pro through and through. I sure hope this works out for her. We’ll see.
* This will definitely help. Via the great Shia Kapos…
Billionaire philanthropist Neil Bluhm is backing Kwame Raoul, the Democratic state senator who’s running for Illinois attorney general.
Bluhm is a longtime campaign donor to Democrats. He raised $200,000 for former President Barack Obama’s 2008 bid and $500,000 for the 2012 race.
No word yet on how much Bluhm will donate to Raoul, who was appointed to the state Senate in 2004 to fill the vacancy left by then-state Sen. Obama after he won a U.S. Senate race.
Bluhm will serve as finance chair for the campaign. With an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, it will be interesting to see if his backing scares off other Democrats from running against Raoul.
Today, State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard) and State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) filed the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which would prohibit units of government in Illinois from using taxpayer funds for elective abortions, reversing key provisions of the recently enacted House Bill 40. Breen and McConchie are pressing for full debate and a floor vote on the measure during the upcoming fall veto session later this month, before HB 40 goes into effect in 2018.
“With the signing of HB 40, Illinoisans will be put on the hook for roughly 75% of the state’s 40,000 annual elective abortions,” said Breen. “Strong majorities of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act will respect both their pocketbooks and their consciences. Considering the average cost of $1,000 per Medicaid abortion, we don’t have the $30 million required to cover 30,000 abortions every year.”
“The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is a critical piece of legislation that respects the moral and fiscal concerns of our residents,” said McConchie. “In states that have legalized Medicaid abortions, over 50% of all abortions become taxpayer-funded. The residents in my suburban district are overwhelmingly opposed to this new spending scheme.”
The legislators are relying on data from the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, about income levels of those seeking abortions and payment data from other states that provide elective abortion funding. Guttmacher indicates that 75% of women seeking abortions are below 200% Federal Poverty Level, and that, in states with elective abortion, over 50% of all abortions are paid for by Medicaid. See, https://www.guttmacher.org/report/characteristics-us-abortion-patients-2014. Because Illinois’ Medicaid system extends eligibility to pregnant women up to at least 213% Federal Poverty Level, those who will be eligible for taxpayer funded abortions may be even higher than 75%. See, http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=14091 (pregnant women considered at least family size 2, as Illinois law counts unborn children in family size). The legislators also received information from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services showing that the average cost, over the past five years, for a Medicaid abortion and ancillary services is approximately $1,000 per procedure.
Breen drafted the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act on the model of the federal Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortions, other than for abortions sought in connection with pregnancies that result from rape or incest, or that threaten the life of the mother. Abortions under these circumstances constitute roughly 1% of all abortions. Federal law already requires states to provide Medicaid abortions under these three conditions, and the proposed Act recognizes those federal provisions.
While the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act reverses the substantive provisions of HB 40 and prevents taxpayer funding for abortion at all levels of government, it adds new public policy language on abortion, not including controversial “trigger language” about Roe v. Wade that was at issue in HB 40.
“The ‘trigger language’ in HB 40 had no legal effect, and there’s no need to reopen a theoretical debate about language from over 40 years ago. Instead, we wanted to start fresh with updated language and concepts that reflect the majority position of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, who care very deeply about this issue,” Breen added.
“This controversial and culturally divisive act should not be one that taxpayers should be forced to fund,” said McConchie. “Likewise, there is no good reason for taxpayers to be on the hook for someone else’s personal decision.”
Additionally, while the federal government typically matches a state’s Medicaid expenses, it will not do so for elective abortions. Breen has stated previously that, based on the estimated direct cost to the state of $30 million for abortions, the true impact to the Medicaid system is actually double that, $60 million in lost medical services.
Within an hour of the filing of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, numerous legislators from across Illinois joined the bill as cosponsors. The bills are pending as HB 4114 & SB 2241. Legislators are also considering legal action in the coming weeks to challenge whether HB 40 can be effective before June 1, 2018, due to it being held beyond the May 31 deadline set by the state constitution for the passage of bills. The current effective date is set at January 1, 2018, and legislators estimate the five-month difference in effective dates could prevent taxpayer funding of 10,000 abortions or more.
“I’m not ruling anything out. I just don’t want to talk about another office or another race today or any time in the near future. But I can tell you I’m not done in politics. I’m sure that I will run again.”
A natural alternative for supporters of Pawar’s populist campaign is progressive State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston). But Pawar said he is not prepared to endorse any of his opponents “at this time.”
Pawar’s absence may boost the chance that Biss or Kennedy will emerge as the top competitor to Pritzker, instead splitting the anti-establishment vote. […]
Meanwhile, a Democratic political consultant who’s not affiliated with any candidate for governor, ex-Rahm Emanuel aide Tom Bowen, agrees with my take that Pawar’s withdrawal “frees up a little more of the progressive lane, probably to Biss.”
But Pawar didn’t have that much support to start with, so the impact is limited, Bowen continued. “If Kennedy or Biss left, that makes a difference.”
But Biss seriously disrupted his own campaign when he picked and then dropped Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his lieutenant governor running mate. And Kennedy has yet to find his stride as a contender, with his fund-raising short of what he’ll really need to be competitive against Pritzker.
* The Question: What impact, if any, will Pawar’s exit have on the gubernatorial campaign?
Wanted to flag this Register-Mail article for you. Mark Kleine is running an impressive campaign for Congress in IL-17. So far, his campaign has raised $507k, with 90% of those funds coming from donors within the district. $100k of that total comes from Kleine himself.
Cheri Bustos probably hasn’t noticed the groundswell of support for Kleine because she’s too busy helping Madigan and Chicago Democrats anoint J.B. Pritzker with the Democrat nomination for governor.
Mark Kleine, a local entrepreneur running to represent Illinois’ 17th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Tuesday his campaign has raised close to $400,000 since he announced his candidacy in late August.
Kleine said that money came from donors. He provided roughly $100,000 in his own money. The total contributions amount to $507,000, and over 90 percent of the donated funds came from donors living in the 17th district, Kleine said.
“I’m investing in my own campaign because I want to utilize my money to help people throughout the district,” Kleine said.
* Bustos’ campaign just sent out a fundraising e-mail entitled “Urgent Message → Read Immediately”…
We can’t afford to sugarcoat this: Since Cheri was one of only TWELVE Democrats to win a Trump-district — this fundraising haul could doom our campaign.
We need to fight back — so we’re asking 5OO people to chip in $5 before Saturday.
Will you RUSH a $5 donation to Cheri’s Democratic Campaign?
Look, Cheri’s Republican opponent is ramping up his campaign arm.
The GOP knows their best chance of passing their extremist agenda is to replace strong Democrats like Cheri.
And since Cheri is FIGHTING BACK to stop Trump and the GOP from gutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, they’re desperate to defeat her.
That’s why hitting Saturday’s goal is critical. Everything we care about is at stake.
An annual tracking of child well-being finds huge gaps statewide in educational access and achievement that spans birth through college, and disproportionally affects low-income and minority children.
Illinois Kids Count 2017, being released Thursday by Voices for Illinois Children, blames systemic inequities in access to early childhood education, public funding for kindergarten through 12th grade, and both readiness for and access to college for those disheartening education statistics.
The annual report by the advocacy group shines new light on the critical nature of recent reforms to Illinois’ public education funding system. It found 82 percent of state kids most in need had access to preschool in 2015.
In 2016, only 22 percent of third-graders in that same population were meeting English Language Arts standards; and only 14 percent of sixth-graders were meeting math standards. Racial disparities in graduation rates remain entrenched. In 2016, only 75 percent of African-American students graduated in four years; 81 percent of Hispanic students, and 90 percent of white students. […]
Of those enrolling in college, less than half were meeting college readiness benchmarks, and only 60 percent were graduating from public or private nonprofit colleges and universities.
* From Voices for Illinois Children…
“The data in the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book clearly proves that to build a future for Illinois where every child is a high achiever, we must reduce systemic inequities and increase support for the students who need it most,” said Tasha Green Cruzat, President of Voices for Illinois Children. “It’s time for leaders across Illinois to fulfill their promise to all our children by providing adequate revenue for quality and competitive programming. We must close the achievement gap and give children, in every community, the tools they need to reach their full potential.”
Through recent policy and budget changes – specifically affecting early childhood education programs, K-12 funding, school breakfast options, after school program access, high school and postsecondary alignment – Illinois has taken steps to reduce educational inequities for children across the state. The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes that in order to build on the State’s foundation and continue the progress of these policies, Illinois must raise additional revenue.
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes Illinois will only make systemic gains in education for all groups of students by:
· Increasing investments in quality early childhood education programs for low and middle-income children;
· Examining and addressing inequities in school resources, teacher and principal distribution, course rigor and discipline practices;
· Coordinating support services so that every child has access to food, safe after-school programming and mental and health services.
“This information shines a clear light on where Illinois has made progress and where challenges remain,” said Anna Rowan, KIDS COUNT Manager at Voices for Illinois Children. “The expansion of access to early childhood education is promising, yet too many children still lag behind and graduate high school without the tools they need for college and a career. While new policies are a step in the right direction, we must continue to make necessary investments, especially in low-income and minority communities, so every child has the chance succeed.”
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains — health, education, economic well-being, and family and community — that represent what children need most to thrive. Illinois ranks:
10th in health. Illinois has been a national leader in providing children with access to health insurance. From 2010 to 2015, Illinois cut the uninsured rates for African-American and Latino children in half, from 6 percent to 3 percent, for both groups.
13th in education. Early childhood education has been a bright spot for Illinois. Less than half of 3- and 4-year olds do not attend school, ranking the state fifth in this indicator. However, the state still has significant work to do to close the achievement and attainment gaps that exist between low-income and minority students from their white and more affluent peers.
25th in economic well-being. Illinois families continue to struggle with economic security. Although more kids’ parents are now working full-time, year-round jobs than in 2010, the percentage of children living in poverty has not changed when comparing the height of the Great Recession in 2010 to 2015 data.
28th in the family and community domain. Illinois has made great strides in reducing the teen birth rate. There were more than 6,000 fewer teen births in 2015 than in 2010. But there are still far too many children living in high-poverty areas and in single-parent families.
The data show that key investments in health and early education have reduced racial disparities among children. Although Latino children still lag behind in preschool attendance, there is little difference between the percentage of African-American and white children who aren’t attending preschool. Additionally, all groups of kids are accessing health insurance at roughly the same rate. However, there is still work to do to lessen other disparities. For example, more than two-thirds of the half a million Illinois children living in poverty are children of color. If Illinois elected officials fail to enact a budget for a third year, we run the very real risk of causing disparities to grow and wiping out the progress we’ve made.
* Not to diminish the problem with Illinois’ pension debt, but this is an apples to oranges comparison from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
In one year, Illinois’ pensions added more debt than 25 U.S. states’ entire budgets.
The Illinois Department of Insurance released its two-year report on every public pension in the state. From 2015 to 2016, Illinois’ 671 pension funds added $17 billion in additional unfunded liabilities, bringing it up to $185 billion. That’s larger than 25 state budgets in fiscal year 2016.
The pension debt is long-term. Those are one-year budgets.
The Teachers’ Retirement Fund is the state’s largest pension. At an estimated $71.4 billion in unfunded liabilities, it also carries the most debt. Director Dick Ingram said that his fund’s main issue is that the older, more generous pensions cost too much.
“The albatross that’s still out there is the Tier 1 unfunded,” he said.
Yep. And that debt can pretty much only be reduced by making the payments. Actually, it’s the only way unless somebody comes up with a brilliant plan that hasn’t yet been devised or tried.
* Moody’s recently issued a rating for the state’s upcoming bond issue to pay off part of the bill backlog. Check out the number one way Moody’s says Illinois can improve its credit rating…
Factors that Could Lead to an Upgrade
- Adoption of a realistic, long-term plan to provide funding for pension obligations
- Progress in reducing the state’s massive payment backlog, and formulation of a legal or policy framework to prevent renewed build-up of late bills
- Enactment of recurring fiscal measures that support the expectation of sustainable, structural balance
And check out the number two factor that could lead to a downgrade into junk bond status…
Factors that Could Lead to a Downgrade
- Structural imbalance that leads to renewed build-up of unpaid bills following issuance of debt to pay down backlog
- Efforts to obtain near-term fiscal relief by reducing pension contributions in a way that exacerbates the state’s long-term funding burden or indicates a lack of long-term sustainability
- Difficulty managing the impacts of adverse exogenous factors, such as a national recession or a reduction in federal Medicaid funding
*** UPDATE *** Dave Urbanek at TRS…
Rich:
The Illinois News Network story you highlighted today misquoted Dick. We saw it late in the morning and asked them for a correction. They complied and changed the story in the afternoon. You ran the original version.
The problem was that in the lead up to Dick’s quote in the original version, they wrote that he said that older pension benefits “cost too much.” That’s not what he said in the interview with them. The “albatross” he was referring to in his quote is the unfunded liability.
No one at TRS would ever give an opinion on the nature of benefits, and especially the cost of those benefits. Benefits are enacted exclusively by legislators and the governor. The job of TRS is strictly to administer those benefits, whatever they may be. We have to stay detached from the creation of benefits. We will talk about whether we have the proper resources and tools to do the job and keep the fund financially healthy, but commenting on the nature or cost of the benefits would violate the System’s fiduciary duty to its members.
“Why would J.B. continue dumping millions of dollars in this race, this early in the primary? Here’s the answer: he and the establishment backing him believe their best chance at winning is by piling on millions of dollars right now,” Biss campaign manager Abby Witt said in an email fundraising appeal.
“They think that a grassroots movement without the backing of a billionaire has no chance. They think it’s time to write our obituary. And they want you to believe that too,” she warned.
Even as she boasted of the grassroots support for Biss, Witt added an unusual cautionary note about the campaign’s long-term viability to try to raise some money.
“We have a lot of ground to make up. If we’re going to take this all the way to the March primary, we’re going to need each and every one of you to step up however you can,” she said.
That’s likely just a standard “scare the contributor into ponying up more dough” line, but in the wake of Ameya Pawar’s announcement today that he’s getting out of the race over money issues, they might want to shy away from that sort of thing in the near future.
Today, I am ending my campaign for Governor. Briefly, I want to explain why: we simply don’t have the money to meaningfully scale this campaign statewide. Without more resources, the only choices for expanding the campaign to a scope that could earn the nomination were to take on more personal debt or to cut staff. I have a young family, and we decided not to take on more personal debt right now. As to cutting staff, I simply refuse. We raised $828k from 2,526 donors; that is amazing. But as you know, the race for Illinois governor will set a record as the costliest race in American history. For democracy’s sake, I hope we see this as a troubling trend. My donors did the best they could, I’m the one who came up short, but I am not ashamed. Just know that while we didn’t have the most money, we have the volunteers (3,200), the signatures (10,000), and the right message. I’m sorry for the people who have stood with me that I don’t have the extraordinary wealth or extraordinarily wealthy connections to make up the difference.
We’ve all heard Winston Churchill’s famous line, “never give in, never, never, never, never.” Less often quoted is the rest of the sentence: “except to convictions of honour and good sense.” I think both suggest that this is the right time for this campaign to come to an end. I wish there was a sensible path forward, but we have always been playing a long game, and this is more of a beginning than an end. At this time, I will not be endorsing a candidate. That said, I urge you to get to know the other Democratic candidates. They are good people, and any one of them will make a fine governor.
Today, I am launching One Illinois, a political action committee to organize young people around progressive issues and fight the false and bigoted divides around race, class, and geography. We all want to see progressive change and policies, but to achieve our goals we must take on the politics that are used to keep communities fighting one another over scraps. I hope that you will join me in this new effort. More on this in the coming weeks.
We all want to see progressive change, but we must organize and attack the false divides around race, class, and geography. If we don’t, we won’t realize the changes we all seek.
Enough about the primary campaign’s end, now I want to talk about a beginning. I began my public service career with, quite frankly, a pipe dream. I decided to knock on every door in the 47th Ward to listen to the ideas of people who had lived there for years, in some cases, more years than I’ve been alive. My backup plan if I lost — and I was almost certainly going to lose — was to join the military. My chances of winning were roughly somewhere between zero and the Cubs winning the World Series. But as we know, these things can happen. My experience in city council convinced me that, as intransigent as politics can be, a normal guy with authentic passion can make a difference. One of the blessings of getting into politics as a no-name with no affiliation was that I didn’t have to play a character. I got to be myself from the very start. And that was the same for this race. I knew that speaking about my own progressive ideas and policies was a risk. When billionaires who own football teams are so afraid of public opprobrium that they say nothing while national politicians vilify their employees for unobtrusively exercising their rights, believe me, I realize that condemning the War on Drugs as a war on black and brown families is going to raise some hackles. But I got into public service speaking my mind when nobody cared what I had to say, and by now all I know how to do is be myself.
The reason I got into this race, honestly, is that I was afraid. Afraid of the society my daughter might inherit if the American ship stays the current course. She’s only one-and-a-half, but America is not a small ship. It is a giant tanker, the kind you need to start steering miles out from shore if you want to dock without crashing. We are not on a safe course right now, and we know it. If from nothing else, that should be obvious when nuclear diplomacy occurs on Twitter. (Threatening nuclear annihilation on Twitter really seems like it should be a violation of the terms of service.) And if we don’t address inequality across race, class, and geography, I believe we are headed to a very scary place. Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump are targeting communities and turning them into ‘the other.’ We have seen before the brand of fear mongering that Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump wield to pit people against their fellow citizens, to divide us by geography, or race, or class, or absolutely any other difference that can be wielded for political expedience. It never ends well.
One of my goals was to force a conversation on progressive values and shine a light on how race, class, and geography are used to drive a wedge between communities and prevent progressive change. That’s why I declared for the race first, so that I could plant the conversation firmly in progressive ideas. We hit the road with our message – a message that included progressive income tax, mass commutations of low-level nonviolent drug offenses, calling out the War on Drugs for the racist failure that it was, universal childcare, and single-payer healthcare. We also listened, a tactic in too-short supply among public officials. Today, I am so tremendously proud and so deeply heartened to see the other campaigns talking about race and class and geography. As the first entrants to the race, I believe we pushed the public discourse to the left, toward a more progressive Illinois. I may have come up short, but together, we made progress. I urge all candidates to continue those vital discussions in the fight against the plainly bigoted agendas prosecuted by the chief executives of both our state and our nation.
While fear got me into this race, as I leave it, it is the shared humanity I experienced on the trail that I’ll take with me. Beyond giving me hope, it literally makes my skin tingle when I remember the love and compassion people expressed, often people in desperate circumstances who were worrying about everyone but themselves. A moment that I can’t wait to tell my daughter about, when she’s old enough to understand, occurred at our campaign stop for a parade in Eldorado. My running mate, Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman, was traversing southern and central Illinois as part of our Don’t Close Our Communities Tour, and he was anxious about this visit. Whereas Cairo was the final stop on the Underground Railroad, Eldorado was once a “sundown town.” That is, in the 1960s people of color were required to leave by sundown. As a pastor, a man who came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, and founder of a southern Illinois chapter of the NAACP, Mayor Coleman knew that history well. As he and his wife, Mary, marched in the parade, a woman stopped them and shared how decades of disinvestment from Cairo reminded her of the disinvestment from Saline County and Eldorado. Specifically, she recounted how the decline of jobs ushered in the opioid crisis. Then she said: “We all want the same thing. We’re neighbors.” A town that black people once fled to and one they once fled from, but today they are neighbors in search of the same things.
Memories like that will continue to fuel me.
As will memories of the devotion of my incredible team. Sam, Will, Tom, Kayley, Charissa, Lindsay, Heather, Spencer, John, Maggie, Mica, Zach, Katie, EJ, Maria, Jordan, Morgan, Mary, Anjali, Jenn, Steve, David, Leslie, Stacy, Brian, Kyle, and Collin. Thank you. You are family to me and Charna. We did something amazing. We will be forever grateful for the time and energy you put into this campaign, and we hope you know we will always have your backs, personally and professionally.
To our volunteers, it has been the honor of my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the most talented and hardworking people I ever had the pleasure to fight alongside. Your commitment, your energy, and your steadfast support kept me going. I hope you will stick with me because this is just the beginning.
To Mayor Coleman, thank you. Mrs. Coleman, thank you. Charna and I are so honored to call you our friends. Cairo captured a piece of my heart, and I look forward to working together to put a spotlight on Cairo and communities all over the state as they fight for investment. I hope to join you and your community as you fight for affordable housing, the port authority, and jobs. I urge every campaign for governor to meet Mayor Coleman and his constituents. Cairo deserves all of our attention.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Charna. Our daughter Sigalit was 10 months old when I got into this race. I’ve missed so much, and Charna took everything upon herself so that I could run. She has sacrificed over the last eight years to support me. I am looking forward to sacrificing for her and what she wants. (Imagine that, a gubernatorial campaign wasn’t a new mother’s first choice!)
I wanted to be your nominee for governor. I gave it everything I had. But I don’t have the resources to continue in a manner that I think would both be fair to the people who work with me and would set us up to win, and I require both. But I feel the same way about the inspiration I’ve acquired to make positive change as the Greek philosopher Plutarch did about education: It is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
I will keep organizing around the principle that we are stronger together and that we must defeat the politics of divide-and-rule. For you. For us. For my daughter. After all, we all want the same thing. After all, we are neighbors.
Onward,
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel…
“Ald. Pawar has been a strong voice on the city council, not just for his ward but for Chicago. While he may have ended his bid for the governor’s office I have no doubt his commitment to public service and his commitment to using his voice to stand up for others will continue.”
* Pritzker…
“I want to thank Ameya Pawar for being a part of this race and running a positive campaign focused on our party’s progressive values,” said JB Pritzker. “Ameya made the race for our state’s highest office a real conversation about the issues that affect all Illinoisans—increasing public school funding, providing universal child care and paid family leave, creating jobs through investing in infrastructure, and reforming our criminal justice system. With his running mate, Mayor Tyrone Coleman, this was a ticket that focused on how we can lift up communities from Chicago to Cairo.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
Ameya Pawar is a committed public servant motivated by social justice. We thank him for giving voice to the people of Illinois who have been left behind by a failed government that benefits a wealthy and well-connected few.
Ideas and solutions from a thoughtful, progressive leader like Alderman Pawar are critical to the future of our state. We should all be disappointed in a system where money is driving people out of politics and, in turn, silencing conversations that drive change.
Daniel Biss…
“Ameya Pawar ran an incredible campaign that elevated the effects of systemic inequality on working families. Illinois and the Democratic Party are better for it, but we still have a long way to go. Good candidates are being pushed out of races by big money and insiders. If you care about democracy, this should be unacceptable.
“As a father, I know how tough campaign life can be. Thanks to Charna and Sigalit for sacrificing so that Ameya can serve the people of Illinois. And thank you to Ameya’s supporters for the energy and commitment they’ve shown to progressive politics this year. Ameya, you’ve been a friend for years, and I’m especially proud to call you a friend this year. Today is hard, but I hope you’re proud of the campaign you’ve run.”
In 2017, Colorado eclipsed $1 billion in marijuana sales in eight months; in 2016, it took 10 months.
Colorado’s marijuana retailers logged upward of $1.02 billion in collective medical and recreational sales through August, according to The Cannabist’s extrapolations of state tax data released Wednesday. Year-to-date sales are up 21 percent from the first eight months of 2016, when recreational and medical marijuana sales totaled $846.5 million.
This year’s cumulative sales equate to more than $162 million in taxes and fees taxes and fees for Colorado coffers. […]
The special sales tax rate for recreational marijuana increased to 15 percent from 10 percent in July, as the result of a new law that also exempted recreational marijuana products from the 2.9 percent standard state sales tax. Medical marijuana and accessories are still subject to that 2.9 percent sales tax rate. […]
Here’s a look at Colorado’s previous cumulative yearly sales totals:
Illinois has more than twice Colorado’s population.
Right now, Illinois has decriminalization. But that means it’s not taxed and the production and distribution networks are controlled by criminals - and some of those criminals are violent people.
On the heels of trade mission trips to China and Japan, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has plans to head overseas again in the coming months.
Rauner says in about three weeks, he will head up a trade mission to Israel, meeting with Israeli officials, business leaders and university heads in hopes of expanding opportunities for Illinois. […]
The governor says after Israel, he will travel to Europe, with stops in the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner is planning on traveling to at least four countries in the coming months, which means four more opportunities for Rauner to bash Illinois abroad.
Last month when Rauner was in Asia, he criticized Illinois’ business and regulatory climate while trying to bring businesses to the state. Now he’s headed to Israel in three weeks and Germany, Poland, and the UK in a couple months, but will Rauner bad mouth the state — again?
“This is Bruce Rauner’s international bad-mouth Illinois tour,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “After failing to lead our state and creating economic turmoil, Rauner is taking his special interest agenda abroad and trashing Illinois wherever he goes.”
* Have you noticed the governor’s Twitter feed recently? He’s all about the international angle…
Happy to celebrate National Day of the Republic of Korea with Consul General Lee and our Korean-American community. pic.twitter.com/m9gexLiqkV
Great luncheon! Illinois has a longstanding releationship with Poland and I look forward to creating new opportunities for the people of IL. pic.twitter.com/8EDOjWuBjt
Great meeting with Sir Alan Duncan, Min. of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs & John Saville, Consul General Designate of the UK. pic.twitter.com/5igs5KC2E9
The most important role of a county commissioner is to pass a yearly budget that meets the needs of the residents and fairly balances services and costs.
I voted Wednesday — along with Commissioner Jerry Butler — to keep Cook County’s sweetened beverage tax because it was a tax on a small number of people rather than a general sales or property tax on all. This tax had a twofold purpose: First, it provided enough revenue to balance our 2017 budget without gimmicks. Second, it helped us fight the increase in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis and the high cost of treatment.
Unfortunately, repeal of the sweetened beverage tax also repeals the law that prohibited the raising of any taxes by Cook County until after 2020. This tax limitation covered property taxes, sales taxes and home-rule excise taxes. The repeal of the tax limitation means all taxes are in play.
Cook County homeowners are getting a property tax break that their counterparts in other counties aren’t.
The $7,000 homeowners exemption and $5,000 senior citizen exemption are both increasing by $3,000 next year, to $10,000 and $8,000 respectively, thanks to legislation Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed. Cook County taxpayers will see the effects of the exemption increases on the second installment of their property taxes next summer, officials said.
“The exemptions hadn’t kept pace with the values of homes in Cook County,” said Tom Shaer, a spokesman for Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. “This was designed to help lower-market and middle-class homeowners.”
The exemptions cut taxes by reducing the assessed value of homes.
Meanwhile, homeowners in the collar counties and downstate won’t see similar increases to their exemptions. The homeowners exemption will stay at $6,000 for collar county and downstate homeowners, and the senior citizen exemption will remain at $5,000. […]
Using Cook County’s most recently available average tax rate for the Northern suburbs, the change in the homeowners exemption would reduce the tax bill on a $300,000 home by about $277 next year if tax levies remain flat. People over age 65 who receive both exemptions on a $300,000 house could expect to pay about $555 less.
Facing ongoing criticism from conservatives, Gov. Bruce Rauner this week has put $4.45 million into the state GOP that he controls in what was branded as an effort to topple Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan next year. […]
Since he won the Republican nomination, Rauner, wife Diana and the Citizens for Rauner campaign fund have contributed more than $35.5 million to the state GOP, campaign finance records show. The donations represent more than 71 percent of the nearly $50 million the state Republican Party has raised during that period. For 2017 alone, Rauner has given the state GOP $6.6 million, records show. […]
“He has his tentacles in every part of the Republican Party all across the state because he’s put so much money into it. And now he’s fractured all of those tentacles and we’re in a very bad spot right now,” state Rep. Peter Breen of Lombard, the House GOP floor leader, said before Rauner’s most recent campaign contribution.
“We have a really serious problem. Folks are depending upon money from Rauner. At the same time, he’s betraying our principles. So we have to have a difficult family discussion within the Republican Party: Are we going to continue to stand with a guy just because he’s writing big checks?” Breen asked. “I mean if he wasn’t writing these kind of big checks, you think anybody, anywhere in the Republican Party would still be with him for governor?”
But he is writing big checks and he just wrote another one. Ah, the conundrum.
