* I’ve had one of the best State Fair experiences ever. And let’s hope (probably beyond hope) it doesn’t rain tonight because I really want to see these guys…
While political reporters, analysts and party strategists argue over whether there is or is not a wave approaching, one thing is clear: it’s an extremely difficult landscape for Democratic candidates.
Candidates, party committees, and outside groups are polling dozens of House races as they formalize their fall ad strategies. And increasingly the news ranges from good to great for Republicans, and very few competitive races trending toward Democrats. […]
Illinois’s 13th District. Former Madison County Judge Ann Callis started the cycle as one of Democrats’ top recruits. But her challenge to Rep. Rodney Davis (R) just isn’t materializing. The congressman is in a very strong position and Gov. Pat Quinn is proving to be an anvil around the neck of Downstate Democratic candidates. We’re moving the race from Toss-Up/Tilt Republican to Lean Republican.
State and local police departments obtain some of their military-style equipment through a free Defense Department program created in the early 1990s. While the portion of their gear coming from the program is relatively small (most of it is paid for through department budgets and federal grants), detailed data from the Pentagon illustrates how ubiquitous such equipment has become.
Highlighted counties have received guns, grenade launchers, vehicles, night vision or body armor through the program since 2006.
* Keep in mind that “recipients” can include state and local governments based within the counties. The national map…
* A few random Illinois counties. Check out all the armored vehicles…
* The Illinois Department of Central Management Services was mandated by statute way back in 2012 to expand a state employee database to include municipal employees. CMS claims it was never appropriated any money and so never expanded the database.
One of the co-sponsors of that legislation, Rep. Jack Franks, is not happy…
“There was no appropriation necessary,” Franks said. Local governments “already have this information and all they have to do is transmit it to the state electronically. There’s absolutely no cost and anybody who hides behind that ought to be tarred and feathered.”
State law requires local government agencies to post salary information on their own websites about employees whose annual total compensation exceeds $75,000. Many post the information for all employees.
West Chicago Republican state Rep. Mike Fortner was the chief sponsor of the bill to add library district employees to the database. He had no idea when his bill passed last August that Central Management Services officials hadn’t implemented the database for other local government employees. He also said he was never informed of appropriation issues.
“I would naively suspect that if you’ve got the person on staff doing the website for the state agency, it’s at most an incremental increase in responsibility,” he said. “I get that the first time (reporting) may take more work, but maintaining it would not be near as much.”
Because none of the laws include an enforcement component, there’s little recourse to compel the state agency to create the databases, according to legal experts.
The governor ought to step in and order CMS to do its job.
Illinois Lt. Gov. and Democratic candidate for state comptroller Sheila Simon performed a same-sex marriage ceremony Thursday afternoon in Springfield. […]
“The party that fought tooth and nail against same-sex marriage is at the state fair celebrating their intolerance,” said Simon’s campaign manager Dave Mellet in a press release. “Meanwhile, Sheila Simon is on the capitol steps, helping two men celebrate a wedding that Republicans forced them to wait on for two decades.”
Simon’s campaign is calling out Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka for appearing at LGBT rallies, but failing to support her LGBT employees while serving as state Treasurer, when she “chose to be the only constitutional officer in Illinois to prohibit same-sex domestic partners from receiving health care coverage,” according to Simon’s campaign.
“It’s hypocritical for Judy Baar Topinka to stand up at GLBT rallies, and then raise money and rally with a man who has pledged to veto same-sex marriage,” Mellet added.
Tying her to Rauner is a good move. The treasurer’s office stuff is accurate, but a whole lot of people, including President Obama, have “evolved” on this topic since 2008. So, I’m not sure if it can get any traction, particularly since JBT worked so aggressively to pass gay marriage.
Wearing a Bruce Rauner T-shirt and a pair of Prada shoes, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock walked onto the State Fairgrounds putting the political divisiveness between himself and the gubernatorial candidate behind him.
Topinka called for everyone to get people to vote GOP: “It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican, Democrat, independent, vegetarian, whatever. This is where it’s at.”
Former Marine Paul Schimpf, who is seeking to unseat Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said her 12 years in office have seen two governors go to prison for corruption.
“Her record speaks for itself,” Schimpf said. “Trust a retired Marine, not the Madigan machine.”
“That house is the people’s house,” Rauner said [of the governor’s mansion]. “We should treat it with reverence; we should treat it with respect. Some of you guys who know contractors may have to help me. We have to repair the roof and pump out the basement.”
It was a reference to reports earlier this year that the mansion roof was leaking so badly it damaged rooms on the third floor and led to flooding in the basement. Mansion officials have estimated the roof is at least 40 years old.
“The current governor takes care of the governor’s residence the way he takes care of the economy,” Rauner told the fair crowd.
Sanguinetti was a no-show at a Republican unity breakfast in Springfield Thursday and seemed to tiptoe around the controversy while expressing her adoration for the State Fair during a brief speaking role at the Republican fair event
“Over the last six years, and I apologize to my kids already, this is a family tradition coming to this place,” Sanguinetti told the party faithful at the fairground rally.
“I think she should apologize for those disrespectful remarks,” Quinn told reporters in Chicago. “That isn’t the right way to talk about anybody or any cow in Illinois. We’re proud of our cows. They’re the best that ever was.
“She ought to say she’s sorry to a bunch of cows,” Quinn said.
He was making a joke, but that didn’t translate well to the printed page.
“You know what? I bet Pat Quinn and his Chicago machine political allies don’t even know what a steer is,” Rauner said. “You know what? A steer is a castrated bull. You know what?
“I tell ya,” Rauner continued, “Pat Quinn and his cronies, and these corrupt patronage workers, they know — they do know bull. You hear Pat Quinn generate a lot of bull when he’s talking about his failed record, failed record on jobs, on taxes, on schools.”
No, I don’t “know what.” How about asking us again?
Bruce Rauner remained defiant in insisting he’s released enough on his taxes and wouldn’t commit to making public his full tax schedules for inspection before the Nov. 4 election.
“We will release our tax returns when they’re prepared and filed on Oct. 15 and at that point we will have released four years of our tax returns. We outlined and detailed our tax rate. My tax rate is the same as Pat Quinn’s,” Rauner said to a packed scrum of reporters after riding into the fairgrounds on his Harley.
Rauner ducked when asked if he would release his full schedules, talking over reporters and repeating that he’d release his 2013 tax documents in October. Rauner has asked for an extension and that is the due date. Gov. Pat Quinn and other Democrats on Wednesday repeatedly called on Rauner, a multi-millionaire with hundreds of investments, to release the full details of his finances for public inspection. While candidates are not required to do so, it has become the new norm to release full tax schedules and it was something that Mitt Romney eventually did in the 2012 presidential election. His tax documents were some 700 pages.
* But not every Republican agreed with Rauner. Charles Thomas…
Earlier at the state county chairman’s meeting, other Republicans differed on how much Rauner or any candidate should reveal of his or her personal finances.
“I think that basically candidates need to be a transparent as possible,” said Paul Schimpf, R-Attorney General candidate.
“I think you have to see where your money is and I think people need to be upfront about that,” said Judy Baar Topinka, R- Illinois comptroller.
* From the DGA…
“If Bruce Rauner doesn’t want to trust the people of Illinois with information about his finances, the people of Illinois shouldn’t trust Bruce Rauner. He has hidden his policies from them. He has hidden his foreign investments from them. He has hidden the details of how he built his corporate empire at the expense of workers, seniors and communities.
“Releasing tax information is a low bar of disclosure for a public official, not a ‘diversion’ as Rauner says it is. It’s an easy test of whether he is worthy of the public’s trust. Bruce Rauner has failed that most basic test and he shouldn’t be trusted.”
* And the Quinn campaign released a photo comparing Romney’s disclosed tax returns to Rauner’s…
On a day when Republicans were otherwise well-choreographed, U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis attempted to respond to the Democrats’ painting them as the detached party of the rich. Oberweis, a millionaire who has so far donated $1 million to his run for Senate, worked to cast Durbin as a millionaire. The attempt landed with an awkward thud.
“Please repeat after me,” Oberweis asked the crowd. “Millionaire! Career politician! Dick Durbin! Must go!”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday blamed the economic squeeze on the middle class for his 35 percent showing in a Chicago Tribune poll that also shows him trailing Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. […]
“There’s tremendous economic stress in people’s lives, which is why I’ve pushed for the minimum wage, which is why I’ve pushed for policies to make sure our small businesses have a fair chance and an equal chance with big companies,” the mayor said.
“You have to have a set of policies in place — from pre-K to community colleges to playgrounds to parks to after-school activities — to give everybody a chance to not just look at the gains, but know that they have a future in those gains. We’re not where we need to be. We’re not repeating the mistakes that got us into the problems. But we’re not at the pace or place we need to be where everybody’s feeling an opportunity that they have a chance at a middle-class job.”
Yikes. When the overwhelming majority is siding with the CTU against you, that’s trouble with a capital T. That sound you hear is Karen Lewis’ cackling.
Among parents of children in Chicago Public Schools — about one-fifth of those taking part in the survey — nearly 4 out of 5 disapproved of the mayor’s handling of public education while only 19 percent approved. But even those without children in the public schools disapproved at a 62 percent rate, while only 27 percent approved. […]
While dissatisfaction with the mayor on education crossed racial lines, it was more intense among African-American voters. Critics contend black neighborhoods were disproportionately targeted for school closings. Fully 77 percent of black voters disapproved of Emanuel’s handling of the city’s schools while only 14 percent approved. […]
Among white voters, 52 percent disapproved while 38 percent approved. Those numbers slipped from May 2013, when 46 percent of white voters approved of Emanuel’s handling of the schools and 44 percent disapproved. The poll found a similar dynamic among Hispanic voters. […]
Emanuel’s approach on charters versus neighborhood schools was roundly criticized by voters: 72 percent disagreed with that approach, compared with 18 percent who agreed. African-American voters most severely opposed the policy — at 83 percent — while only 10 percent agreed with Emanuel. Nearly 8 in 10 parents of CPS children also were opposed, as well as 75 percent of female voters, 69 percent of men and 63 percent of whites.
Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar says he’s all in for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner.
Edgar says the Democratic agenda offers more of the same policies voters have seen for the past decade. He even equated Gov. Pat Quinn’s tenure to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is now serving a 14-year term in federal prison.
“The Blagojevich-Quinn governorship has been a disaster for Illinois,” he said.
* Gov. Pat Quinn announced some positive economic news yesterday during the State Fair’s Republican Day…
The state Department of Employment Security says Illinois unemployment fell in July to 6.8 percent. It was the fifth straight monthly decrease in the state’s jobless rate.
The new employment numbers included, finally, a gain in manufacturing — though total jobs there remain lower than a year ago.
It prompted Governor Pat Quinn to try to rewrite what has been the established narrative about the State’s troubled economy as he seeks another 4-year lease in the Executive Mansion.
“Unemployment’s fallen from 9.2% last year to 6.8%. It’s the steepest decline since the 1980s. Last month employers created 11,200 jobs,” Quinn said.
And even better, the decline now is being propelled not by people leaving the job force but by the creation of new jobs, with 11,200 positions added just in July. […]
The preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped from 7.1 percent in June to 6.8 percent in July, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The state rate is still somewhat above the national figure of 6.2 percent, but the 0.6 difference is just a fraction of what it was a year ago.
Since July 2013, the Illinois rate has dropped an enormous 2.4 percentage points, from 9.2 percent to 6.7 percent, according to the federal data released by the state. That’s the biggest year-over-year decline since 1984, putting the unemployment rate just above the 6.8 percent level of August 2008. […]
According to the figures, derived from a different survey than the unemployment data, the state added 11,200 private sector jobs in the past month, and 35,600 over the past 12 months.
The July gains were widespread across various sectors, with professional and business services up 5,900, manufacturers adding 3,900 positions and construction 1,900 slots. Leisure and hospitality dropped 3,800 in the month.
According to the governor’s office, this is the lowest unemployment rate in six years. And you’d have to go back to 1984 to see such a sharp drop in the rate.
“Celebrating today’s job numbers is like cheering a touchdown when you’re down 35 points with two minutes left,” said Mike Schrimpf, a campaign spokesman.
“Our state is still down thousands of jobs since the beginning of the year, we still have one of the worst unemployment rates in the entire country and thousands of Illinoisans have given up looking for work. On top of higher taxes, this means too many families continue to suffer under Pat Quinn. Thankfully, Pat Quinn’s time is almost up and his term in office can’t end soon enough for the working people of Illinois.”
* Related…
* VIDEO: Quinn announces state unemployment rate drops
* Illinois’ tax burden? Not so bad, according to new report
* The “Boat Drink Caucus” - Reps. Chad Hays Mike Tryon - would like me to tell you that their rockin’ cover band is playing at the Bud Tent from 5-8 this evening. Their backup band today was the Blackhawks’ house band at the United Center. Should be a good time.
* Speaking of Tryon, here he is gazing in wide wonder at State Fair fashionista (or fashion disaster, depending) Dave Dring’s boots…
*** UPDATE *** The post hasn’t generated many comments so far, but I’m betting the addition of this pic will do the trick…
Evelyn Sanguinetti used the word “love” several times Wednesday when explaining what she thinks of Springfield and its people.
And the member of the Wheaton City Council, who is also running mate to GOP governor candidate Bruce Rauner, made it very clear that a leaked email she sent to a law school friend months before she was on the state ticket was not intended to be demeaning to the capital city.
“I’ve loved it,” Sanguinetti said of Springfield in a brief interview with The State Journal-Register after a closed-to-press meeting with Women for Rauner at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in downtown Springfield. “We come here every year as a family. We always have come throughout the years for Republican Day, and the kids have enjoyed the (state) fair as a whole. So we love it. And we love all the tribute to Lincoln, and the kids have loved to go to the (Abraham Lincoln Presidential) Museum as well as all the areas around here.”
Lee Enterprises newspapers recently reported that in a Jan. 1, 2013, email to a former classmate at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Sanguinetti asked about any openings in his agency and ended with, “Isn’t cow tipping a work requirement in Springfield (LOL)?”
Many contend we cannot find common ground on key issues, but the recent discussion over Champaign’s failed ERI program reveals a lot of common ground between the Cross and Frerichs camps. For instance:
1. We all agree on Frerichs’ role in providing the data and analysis the county board used to make the decision on the failed ERI program.
From Frerichs’ response posted on Capitol Fax:
“…Frerichs provided us with an analysis that showed both costs and potential savings…” (Michael Graham, former Champaign County Board member and CPA)
“…the administrator asked Mike to review its advantages and disadvantages. Mike did so and presented his findings to the Board, who then adopted it in a bipartisan fashion…” (Steve Beckett, former Democratic Champaign Board and architect of the legislation to take over the Lincoln Library)
2. We all agree the program was a costly failure. At no point in Frerichs’ response does he or his fellow county officials dispute the program was a massive failure that ended up costing Champaign County taxpayers in excess of $3 million. Even though at the time Frerichs said the plan would “be a good tool to deal with budgetary problems for the county board.” (CNG, 7/3/03)
Now, there are a few points of disagreement.
1. Again, instead of taking responsibility for bad analysis and recommendations, Frerichs’ attempts to shift the blame to the market. But, just like the ERI debacle, Frerichs relies on bad math.
Frerichs Response:
On the Champaign County early retirement initiative, many financial experts missed the continued recession that occurred after those decisions were made, not by Mike Frerichs but by other county leaders. The Champaign News-Gazette correctly pointed this out in its 2004 endorsement of Frerichs for County Auditor.
This is just wrong. The market rebounded after ERI was passed, but Frerichs did not account for the market losses in 2001 and 2002 in his analysis for ERI, and that’s why the 2003 ERI program was such a failure. As a result of the ERI and negative investment returns that were already known at the time ERI was proposed and passed, the county faced $2.5 million in new unfunded liability which prompted them to issue bonds in 2005 costing taxpayers over $3 million. (Source: IMRF Champaign County Historical Funding)
Take a look at the Dow Jones Returns. The market performed well after ERI. Frerichs never factored in the losses in 2001 and 2002. Dow Jones Averages
2. Frerichs’ Performance was definitely an issue in his removal as the County’s IMRF Agent
The County Board debate on this issue clearly outlines frustration with mistakes made by the County Auditor along with an office overly focused on politics. As noted also, Frerichs opposed his removal as IMRF Agent.
Before the vote to remove Frerichs from the position, Champaign County Board member Scott Tapley said “This is a move that is long, long overdue, I am not going to beat a dead horse but mistakes have been made in the past. This is a financial decision that should be made every year, politics should be removed and we should have these decisions made by administration.” (County Board Meeting – 9/21/06, Resolution No. 5643 – Audio)
3. On the patronage issue, that’s a debate between Frerichs and the Champaign News Gazette. But, the Gazette never made the claim Frerichs hired people, their extensive research and reporting argued that Frerichs used his significant clout to have those employees appointed to their positions. Once in the positions, their performances were described by the Champaign News-Gazette with words like “disaster” and “fiasco”.
“If you look at his record on almost six years, it’s almost as if he’s running for Rod Blagojevich’s fourth term right now,” Murphy said. “You’ve got the NRI scandal. Look, there’s no other way to put it – he took $54.5 million of taxpayer money to help buy his re-election. Nothing Rod Blagojevich is impeached or imprisoned for cost taxpayers that much money.”
On Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers congregated in Springfield for a brunch (and photo-op) that attracted about 1,400 people. Afterward the group descended upon the fairgrounds to continue a show of solidarity with Quinn, who’s facing a tough re-election challenge from GOP nominee Bruce Rauner.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin was there. So too were U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth and Quinn running mate Paul Vallas, who addressed the string of corporate scandals related to Rauner’s former private equity firm, GTCR.
Conspicuously absent? Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. He didn’t show up last year, either.
The Springfield ringmaster — who’s viewed as a shadow governor of sorts, the real power broker running the show — is also the chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Given his high rank, you’d think Madigan would be there with bells on, the first to arrive and the last to leave. His no-show carries a whiff of possible tension with Quinn.
First of all, yesterday was Governor’s Day, not Democrat Day. And a couple of years ago, after being loudly and roundly booed by AFSCME members, Madigan grew tired of the sideshow atmosphere and handed the event to the governor’s office.
And other democrats who made the trip to Springfield wondered why their state party chairman, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, did not attend the events during a year with six statewide offices on the ballot.
ABC7’s Charles Thomas: “He’s the party chairman and he’s not here?”
Quinn: “Well, everybody in, nobody left out in my book, yeah.”
“He’s the hardest-working party chair the state has,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
ABC7’s Charles Thomas: “So he’s not here, does that mean anything?
Lisa Madigan: “Apparently, it does to you. So you can comment on it.”
A Madigan spokesman said the party chief was away fund-raising, and Democratic officials knew he would not be at the fair.
“He’s been raising campaign funds out of state. He’s been doing that all summer,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown, predicting: “We’re going to be badly outspent.”
Brown said they’re keeping the fund-raising location close to the vest.
For appearance purposes, he probably should’ve been there. But Madigan isn’t one who cares much for optics, as his horrific approval ratings clearly demonstrate. And yet, considering those ratings, maybe it’s best that he stayed away.
Perhaps the most stinging anti-Rauner attack came from U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, the wounded Iraq War veteran who is seeking re-election to her northwest suburban congressional seat and was Wednesday morning’s keynote speaker.
She hit Rauner hard, later likening him to a “deserter” for investing some of his personal fortune in funds and stocks based in the Cayman Islands, a notorious tax haven.
“I think if you’re avoiding paying your fair share in your nation, that fits,” she said of Rauner when pressed on that label, considered in military circles to be the most derisive of all.
That’s disgusting and way over the line.
For crying out loud, it’s August and the campaign is already this ugly?
“If we use comments like ‘deserter’ and ‘traitor’ that normally those crimes have a capital punishment consequence, I’d say that rhetoric is probably too overblown for a country that wants to stick together and hang together,” Kirk said.
Rauner and other Republicans first will meet at a downtown Springfield hotel, where party leaders from around the state will hear out the candidates up and down the ballot.
They then will hold a noon rally at the fairgrounds — one expected to be peppered with political speeches from would-be officeholders and longtime veterans, such as Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who is seeking re-election.
The fairground event is billed as more of a true rally in the traditional sense rather than the family-styled format with picnic and performers that Quinn has adopted. The governor made the change from the traditional platform for old-fashioned stem winders on an outdoor stage following a run-in two years ago. Union workers booed him off the stage over a contract dispute.
* While yesterday’s Director’s Lawn event was indeed billed as a light, family-oriented festival, it contained lots of elements of the rallies of old, including several fiery speeches and a stage appearance by “Baron von Moneybags”…
“I don’t see this Republican wave they’re talking about,” [Sen. Dick Durbin] continued. “To be honest, the public is not very enamored with either political party at this point. I went through the races yesterday with Harry Reid — the Senate races — and we feel good.”
* Meanwhile, Durbin fired back at Jim Oberweis for calling him a “bully” after Walgreens decided to remain in the US and not do an “inversion” to avoid federal taxation…
Durbin’s November opponent state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, blasted Durbin, saying he had bullied the company into staying rather than fixing a broken tax code and that Durbin deserved “scorn” rather than praise.
“You know, where I grew up, bullies picked on little people. When I’m doing these battles for the state, I’m picking some of the big people,” Durbin told Early&Often Wednesday. “You know, and I think that’s my job, to call them out. I’m a customer at Walgreens. I love Walgreens. They were about to make a bad decision and they straightened it out. When the CEO called me and said ‘let’s get together,’ and of course we will. We can disagree without being petty about it. I think they were about to make a big mistake and I’m glad they didn’t.”
“Oberweis introduced a bill and said it should be illegal to give an increase in the minimum wage to anyone under the age of 26,” Durbin said. “You think I’m making it up, don’t ya? It’s a fact. Well, who did he exclude. All college students. Virtually all of them. A lot of struggling moms, struggling to keep their families together. And incidentally, returning vets under the age of 26 trying to find any kind of job. Jim Oberweis said no increase for them.”
Among CPS parents, 57 percent backed Lewis, who led an eight-day teacher strike during Emanuel’s first year in office, while 27 percent supported Emanuel. Similarly, 56 percent of union household members backed Lewis, who has headed the CTU for four years, while 31 percent backed Emanuel’s re-election.
Younger voters tended to back Lewis over Emanuel, with 51 percent of those ages 18-35 favoring the potential challenger compared with 36 percent for the mayor. Those numbers were nearly flipped among voters ages 36-49.
Lewis, a controversial and outspoken union leader, was viewed favorably by 38 percent of the voters, compared with 24 percent who viewed her unfavorably. Another 38 percent had no impression of her, leaving Emanuel room to try to help voters make up their minds if she runs against him.
White voters were divided in their impression of Lewis: 36 percent unfavorable, 31 percent favorable and 33 percent with no opinion. Black voters, meanwhile, considered the African-American union leader favorably — 46 percent, to only 13 percent unfavorably. Parents of CPS students who took part in the survey viewed her favorably by 49 percent to 19 percent who viewed her unfavorably.
Emanuel probably knew that this poll was coming, which could explain why some unfavorable stories appeared this week about Lewis and Ald. Fioretti, who is almost completely unknown to voters but is still getting a quarter of the vote.
Lewis isn’t as wealthy as Emanuel, a multimillionaire who made his fortune during a short stint as an investment banker. But she makes more than $200,000 a year and has an ownership interest in three homes, records show.
That includes vacation homes in Hawaii and in the upscale “Harbor Country” area of southwestern Michigan, where Emanuel has a second home, property records show. […]
When she first ran for CTU president four years ago, Lewis promised not to make more than the highest-paid teacher. […]
Chicago Public Schools’ payroll records show no teacher makes as much as Lewis’ $136,890 CTU base salary.
Ald. Bob Fioretti says he’s thinking so seriously about challenging Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the February election that he plans on hiring campaign staff now. Want ads were posted online last week.
If you’re looking to apply, though, you might want to know this: Two staffers who worked on Fioretti’s first campaign didn’t get paid in full until he was halfway through his first term as the 2nd Ward’s alderman.
Former Fioretti staffers Emily Miller and Jane Deronne didn’t receive all they were owed until appealing to the state agency that helps workers who’ve been shortchanged.
Miller said Fioretti’s campaign stiffed her out of $3,000. An administrative law judge for the state sided with Miller and ordered Fioretti For Alderman to pay up, according to records obtained by Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times political portal.
Kolenc most recently served as campaign manager for Yes For Independent Maps, an organization that ran a failed bid to launch a statewide constitutional amendment referendum on state legislative redistricting. First, opponents challenged whether enough of the group’s petition signatures were valid, then a Cook County judge tossed it from the ballot.
Today Illinois Freedom PAC released a new video highlighting billionaire gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s record of outsourcing American jobs. The video comes as Rauner faces criticism for stashing some of his vast fortune in a foreign tax haven and as an executive of a Rauner-created business faces criminal charges for wire fraud committed via a subsidiary in Bermuda.
The video features TV clips and other footage from a July protest of Rauner held at site of an abandoned wire plant in Rockford, which saw some of its production move to Mexico in 2002. Rockford is a community not unlike many others throughout Illinois and the nation, which has fallen victim to CEOs who outsource jobs.
Tom Gaulrapp - who found himself out of work in late 2012 when Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital outsourced his and 169 of his co-workers’ jobs to China and closed the Sensata Technologies plant in nearby Freeport - sums up the sentiment of the day in one particular clip.
“This is about keeping one of these vulture capitalists who thinks it’s a good idea to pack up our jobs and move them somewhere else, to keep him from being in the governorship of Illinois,” Gaulrapp tells local reporters.
H-Cube
Rauner was a director at H-Cube, a self-described “premier global business outsourcing firm.” In 2006, 4,000 of its financial service jobs were located in India.
Polymer Group
Rauner was a director at the Polymer Group, a company which produces feminine hygiene products, wipes, medical fabrics, and industrial material. The Polymer Group increased its profits by $13.4 million in 1995 by expanding its operations in Mexico after NAFTA.
VeriFone
Rauner’s company financed VeriFone, a maker of retail credit card terminals. In late 2001, 100% of its manufacturing workforce was outsourced to China, Mexico, Singapore, and Brazil. Rauner’s company made $800 million from VeriFone in just three years and Rauner called it his “biggest financial winner.”
ERO Inc.
Rauner was a director at ERO Inc., a company that produces slumber bags and flotation devices. In 1997, Ero contracted with manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Italy, and Indonesia..
* I’m not sure how the AP interpreted this statement from Sen. Michael Frerichs as “confirming basic facts behind the allegations” made by the Tom Cross campaign yesterday, but that’s not how I read the Frerichs response…
Tom Cross’ media tour highlights exactly what is wrong with his run for Treasurer: loose with the facts and worried more about running against his opponent than running with a vision for the office.
Here are the facts:
On the Champaign County early retirement initiative, many financial experts missed the continued recession that occurred after those decisions were made, not by Mike Frerichs but by other county leaders. The Champaign News-Gazette correctly pointed this out in its 2004 endorsement of Frerichs for County Auditor.
Deb Busey, who has been the Champaign County Administrator since 1998, said, “I brought the ERI proposal to the County Auditor and the County Board. To say otherwise is not accurate.”
Republican Mike Graham, a former Champaign County Board member and CPA, said, “I served on the Champaign County Board when we passed the Early Retirement Incentive. It was brought to the board by the County Administrator, Deb Busey, and Mike Frerichs provided us with an analysis that showed both costs and potential savings. I don’t know why the Cross campaign is saying otherwise.”
Steve Beckett, former Democratic Champaign Board member added, “The ERI under question was never a Mike Frerichs proposal. It was brought to the County Administrator by county employees and the administrator asked Mike to review its advantages and disadvantages. Mike did so and presented his findings to the Board, who then adopted it in a bipartisan fashion. This attack by Tom Cross is ludicrous and typical of a 20-year Springfield insider who would rather sling mud than talk about the issues.”
The Champaign County Board changed its management of IMRF as part of a greater restructuring plan by the board, not a criticism of Frerichs’ work as Auditor. The Cross attack is revisionist history.
Deb Busey, who has been the Champaign County Administrator for 16 years, said, “The IMRF authorized agent was moved when the County reorganized to bring payroll into the same department as human resources, to say it was for any other reason is a fabrication.”
On allegations of patronage, Frerichs employed neither of the two men mentioned in their official capacity. Again, these hiring decisions were made by the Champaign County Board.
Tom Cross might want to look more closely at his own past while he’s revisiting the facts:
Rep. Tom Cross voted for the notorious $10 billion bond deal pushed by then-Gov. and now inmate Rod Blagojevich. Remember that deal? It provided more than $35 million in fees to big banks and more than $800,000 to Republican Springfield insider Bob Kjellander, whose ties to convicted felon Tony Rezko were a key part of the scandal that ultimately doomed Blagojevich.
That same $10 billion pension bond fiasco Cross supported followed the infamous 1995 pension payment ramp he supported that pushed billions of dollars in pension debt onto future generations. Both helped create a system today whose debt tops $100 billion and puts state finances in peril.
If Tom Cross wants to talk clout, then why did he appear on Blagojevich’s “clout list” 46 times?
Voters want more and deserve better than the distasteful politics shown here by party cronies for a 20-year Springfield insider who has shilled for corporate interests as House Republican Leader at the expense of working families. Mike Frerichs has a clear vision for reforming a Treasurer’s office swamped by scandal and using the tools in that office to better invest in Illinois’ success. Cross offers nothing new in commending the current Treasurer for doing a good job.
* The Sun-Times reports that Secretary of State Jesse White is concerned that Bruce Rauner may be trying to buy votes in the black community…
“He may be encouraging them to support him … with possible promises or some money they may have received,” White said after a Democratic unity breakfast held by the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association in Springfield. […]
“Sometimes you go into someone else’s turf, you try to invade them and you try to encourage them to support you and we don’t believe he’s going to be successful in that effort,” White said.
Did he really think Rauner was trying to buy the black vote?
“I do,” White said. “I really was surprised at the number of people who were wearing his shirts…Sometimes when you give a person a T-Shirt, they’ll wear it and sometimes they’re unaware of what it says on the back and wha the message is they’re trying to convey.”
Gov. Pat Quinn struck a class warfare theme today in a plea to Democratic Party faithful to turn out a big vote this fall to defeat Republicans with pockets as deep as “King Midas.”
The re-election seeking Quinn and fellow Democrats drummed away on the theme of the common-man-versus-the-privileged-class on Governor’s Day at the Illinois State
They sought to rev up support in a year they won’t have home-state Democrat Barack Obama pulling Democrats to the polls but must compete against Republican Bruce Rauner pouring millions of his own dollars into his race against Quinn. […]
Quinn also cited John F. Kennedy in drawing a contrast with Rauner. Kennedy once said “a rising tide will lift all boats,” but Rauner’s philosophy is that a rising tide “lifts all yachts.”
* Tom Cross’ campaign probably should’ve done this in small stages. I don’t think I’ve seen a longer press release this year…
State Senator and Democrat candidate for State Treasurer Mike Frerichs has consistently touted his financial experience, yet a review of his performance as Champaign Auditor calls into question his claims. In fact, based on his past performance, Frerichs’ financial mistakes coupled with his own patronage program ended up costing Champaign County taxpayers millions of dollars.
“Based upon the facts of his poor performance as auditor coupled with the patronage scandals he was engaged in, there truly is only one conclusion: Mike Frerichs is not ready to be Illinois’ next Treasurer,” said State Representative and Assistant House Republican Leader Bill Mitchell.
Frerichs’ Claims On The Campaign Trail
“I’m a certified public finance officer and I think people want someone who has some experience in government finance in this office.” (Mike Frerichs, WMAY Interview, 6/4/14)
“I think the state treasurer is the fiscal watchdog for the state, but the main responsibility of the treasurer is to oversee the state’s investments. As a certified public finance officer and former county auditor, that’s going to be my main priority.” (Mike Frerichs, 5/29/14)
“While Tom Cross is better known than Mike Frerichs on August 1st, we have the resources and game plan to turn that around and show voters there’s a clear choice between a prepared and experienced finance official and a twenty year Springfield insider to be the next state Treasurer. Mike Frerichs has detailed plans to clean up the mess created by the current Republican Treasurer and when voters tune into the race in the fall, we are confident they will choose what Mike has been talking about for over a year now; bringing competency and transparency to the Treasurer’s office while making wise investments to help build our economy from the middle out.” (Capitol Fax, August 1, 2014)
Mike Frerichs’ ERI Program Costs Taxpayers $3 Million
Even with the stock market in a steep decline since September 11, 2001, in 2003 County Auditor Mike Frerichs proposed an Early Retirement Initiative (ERI) that he said would be a ‘good tool to deal with budgetary problems for the county board.’ (The Champaign News-Gazette, 7/3/03)
The County Board, utilizing analysis and data from Mike Frerichs, approved the Frerichs ERI plan, but not without objection. Board Member Scott Tapley warned that with the past market decline and rising pension costs, the Frerichs’ ERI program would only add further pension costs. (The Champaign News-Gazette, 7/25/03)
Within months, Tapley was proven right as Frerichs’ plan failed to achieve savings and in fact created $2.5 million in new unfunded liability for the county catapulting Champaign County’s annual IMRF contribution from $755,769 to over $1,797,000. (Source: IMRF Champaign County Employer Rates)
Frerichs Mistakes Cost Taxpayers Over $3 Million:
To address the funding shortfall created by Frerichs’ ERI program, in 2005 the Champaign County Board approved a bonding issuance to pay off pension obligations for IMRF. The $2.75 million in bonds were issued to pay off the county’s funding shortfall. (source: Champaign County Board Meetings, 12/20/2005)
The bonds to fund the shortfall of Frerichs’ failed ERI program were finally paid off nine years later in January, 2014 with a total cost to taxpayers of over $3 million. (source: Champaign County Records)
“Mike Frerichs used bad math to fuel bad policy that cost Champaign County taxpayers over $3 million,” said former Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden. “Auditor Frerichs was warned that the market was in decline and that this had the potential to significantly increase costs, but he ignored the facts and the warnings and recklessly proceeded with a plan that ultimately cost taxpayers millions.”
County Board Removes Frerichs As IMRF Officer:
As a result of Frerichs’ reckless policy, he was dismissed by the Champaign County Board as the County’s agent with Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). Frerichs
fought the dismissal, but it was approved by the County Board by a bipartisan vote of 17-5. (source: Champaign County Board Resolution No. 5643)
“Mike Frerichs used poor planning to implement a plan that underfunded pensions while costing Champaign taxpayers millions,” said former Champaign County Board Member Stephanie Holderfield. “As a result of his poor planning and bad management in 2003, Champaign taxpayers were forced to pay for his mistakes until January of this year. Mike Frerichs simply isn’t ready to manage taxpayer money at any level.”
Frerichs Attempts To Blame Market, But Defense Falls Flat:
During his 2004 re-election campaign for Auditor, Frerichs’ campaign attempted to blame the mistakes on market forces, yet the market had already suffered its worst losses before Frerichs introduced his ERI plan. In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 2,000 points between January 2001 and December 2002. (source: Champaign News Gazette 10/27/2004, www.djaverages.com)
“Throughout this whole event, Mike Frerichs refused to accept responsibility for this failed plan – blaming the error on anything and everyone but himself,” said former Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden. “But the simple fact is that he was removed from his role because he ignored the warnings, he didn’t understand the process and applied bad math that cost taxpayers $3 million.”
Now, as Mike Frerichs touts his past experience as Auditor as a key point in his campaign, many believe Frerichs’ record deserves a closer look.
“The best predictor of future performance is past performance and it is clear that Mike Frerichs does not have the skillset to effectively safeguard the hard-earned tax dollars of Illinois’ families,” said State Representative Adam Brown.
Rampant Patronage & Alleged Ghost Payroll
Mike Frerichs is at the epicenter of two of the most publicized and costly patronage scandals in recent Champaign County history. Patronage scandals that ended up depriving taxpayers of the honest delivery of services, while costing them over $100,000.
Frerichs’ Campaign Rhetoric:
“I think it’s time we have a Treasurer who knows the office, wants to be Treasurer and will end the political games from the outset. Our elected officials in Springfield need to work for the middle class, not for each other for political benefit.” (source: Mike Frerichs Facebook page, 7/12/14)
“Mixing state business and political activity is unacceptable. Unfortunately, this is a recurring problem for the current Republican Treasurer. From spending taxpayer dollars
on promotional brochures to Republican donors to asking government employees to perform campaign work, it’s time to take politics out of the Treasurer’s office. (source: Mike Frerichs Facebook page, 2/11/2014)
Mike Frerichs’ Focus On Patronage Costs Taxpayers Thousands
At Frerichs’ Urging, His Campaign Chairman Received Taxpayer-Paid Post:
“At one end of the Brookens Administrative Center, Curt Deedrich, a 44-year-old Pesotum farmer and multitownship township assessor, was smiling for the television cameras after narrowly being appointed to a four-year term as Champaign County supervisor of assessments … Deedrich was elected township assessor as a Democrat and he also served as campaign chairman for Michael Frerichs’ two unsuccessful campaigns for state representative in 1998 and 2000.” (“Pesotum Man Gets Top Assessor Post,”The Champaign News-Gazette, 5/7/04)
Frerichs Pushed For Deedrich To Get Patronage Post:
“After a big fight, Deedrich and his political sponsor, current state Sen. Mike Frerichs, for whom Deedrich had worked as a campaign manager, persuaded a majority of the county board to approve Deedrich’s appointment.” (“County Positions Should Be Filled On Merit, Not Loyalty,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 4/6/07)
Frerichs Patronage Program Led To The Bypassing A Better-Qualified Employee:
“The Deedrich appointment three years ago stemmed from the dual desire of county board Democrats both to flex their newfound political muscle by filling county jobs with patronage appointments and to satisfy current state Sen. Mike Frerichs’ desire to find a good job for his former campaign manager. So in a controversial decision, board Democrats passed over a better-qualified employee in the supervisor of assessments office and named Deedrich to what had been a nonpolitical post.” (“Deedrich Follies Are County Board’s Doing,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 6/10/07)
The Results Of Frerichs Patronage Program Called A “Disaster”:
“But he’s been such a disaster that it’s unlikely Deedrich will win reappointment when his term expires next year. That’s assuming he hasn’t been fired by then.” (“County Positions Should Be Filled On Merit, Not Loyalty,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 4/6/07)
Frerichs Patronage Program Also Called A “Fiasco” & “Awful”:
“To call the Deedrich chapter in county government a fiasco from beginning to end minimizes just how truly awful it was. Suffice it to say, he was the wrong person
appointed for the wrong reason to the wrong job.” (“Deedrich Follies Are County Board’s Doing, The Champaign News-Gazette, 6/10/07)
Frerichs Patronage Program Costly For Taxpayers – Scandal Cost $100,000:
“Curt Deedrich’s contentious three-year tenure as Champaign County’s supervisor of assessments ended with a $100,000 settlement.” (“Board Accepts Deedrich Resignation, Approves $100,000 Settlement,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 6/5/07)
Deedrich Resigns Amidst Resolution Calling For Dismissal:
According to the resolution that resulted in Deedrich’s dismissal, the county alleged that Deedrich changed a township assessor’s work on a Mahomet gravel pit and environs in 2006 without informing the assessor. In March 2007, he misrepresented the work to be performed by another official, used e-mail to urge legislators to investigate an Illinois Department of Revenue practice about the exempt status of hospitals, suggested school districts could sue the county on instant assessment and gave instructions to township assessors that may not be in accordance with the law.
“He was accused of harassment last year, but the board voted that he had not committed that offense – while admonishing Deedrich to improve relations with staff. At one point in his tenure, he was locked out of his office, but his attorney, Glenn Stanko of Champaign, had that decision reversed.” (“Board Accepts Deedrich Resignation, Approves $100,000 Settlement,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 6/5/07)
Frerichs Patronage 2.0: Program Didn’t End With Deedrich
Frerichs Pushes Fabri For County Auditor Post:
“[Tony] Fabri had the backing of two former auditors at the meeting, Frerichs and Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing.”(“Champaign County Democrats Nominate Fabri For Auditor,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 1/4/07)
Fabri Decides He Doesn’t Need To Show Up For Work:
“County government telephone records indicate that Champaign County Auditor Tony Fabri has been missing from his office for well over half the workdays in the last year, including two different periods when he apparently was gone for more than a month.” (“Phone Records Show County Auditor Frequently Absent,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 3/15/09)
But Fabri Does Find Time To Make Political Calls To Senator Frerichs:
“While Fabri said he is careful not to make potentially political phone calls from his desk phone, the records show he made calls from his desk phone to county board member Claudia Gross, state Sen. Mike Frerichs and Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing, all Democrats.” (“Phone Records Show County Auditor Frequently Absent,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 3/15/09)
And Frerichs Gives Fabri Advice On How To Avoid Ghost-Payroll Criticism:
Fabri Said Frerichs, Who Preceded Him As County Auditor, Warned There Might Be Sniping About His Attendance At Work. “He said that when you start hearing complaints to just walk around Brookens and say ‘Hi’ to everyone and make sure that they see you,’ Fabri recounted.” (“Phone Records Show County Auditor Frequently Absent,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 3/15/09)
Frerichs Admits Fabri Doesn’t Show Up For Work & Doesn’t Do A Good Job, But Urges Voters To Support Him Anyway:
Frerichs, A Longtime Ally Of Fabri’s, Urged Voters To Look Beyond The Charges Of Absenteeism Against Fabri. “I’m not saying that the current auditor shows up every day and does the best job.” (“Voters To Decide Whether To Keep Elected Auditor,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 3/29/11)
Fabri “Steal[ing] A Living,” But Frerichs To Blame:
“As an elected official, Fabri sets his own hours. If he chooses to steal a living from the taxpayers, they can only blame themselves for electing him. Sadly, it’s not just Fabri who is responsible for this outrage. He never would have been in the position to take advantage of the public if he hadn’t had an influential political patron (former auditor and current state Sen. Michael Frerichs) and supportive friends among the Democrats on the county board.” (“Tony’s Excellent Adventure,” The Champaign News-Gazette, 3/18/09)
“As Auditor and a State Senator, Mike Frerichs fueled a patronage driven program that put unqualified people in offices of significant public trust. Mike Frerichs’ patronage program cost taxpayers over $100,000 while clearly putting people in positions they had no business serving in. The simple fact is that at every opportunity Mike Frerichs has used his position to advance patronage at the expense of better-qualified people and honest service to the public,” said Pat Brady, former federal prosecutor. “It’s simply appalling that Mike Frerichs is giving one of his patronage employees tips on how to avoid being criticized as a ghost-payroller. Mike Frerichs represents the politics of the past, the failed politics that has sent Governors to jail and led to our culture of corruption. Mike Frerichs is unprepared, reckless and not ready to lead.”
Frerichs, of Champaign, issued a written statement to The Associated Press confirming basic facts behind the allegations but denying wrongdoing. Instead, he decried the Cross attack as “revisionist history.”
“Tom Cross’ media tour highlights exactly what is wrong with his run for treasurer: loose with the facts and worried more about running against his opponent than running with a vision for the office,” Zach Koutsky, Frerichs’ campaign manager said.
Frerichs blamed the retirement program losses on market forces and decisions made by county leaders. Tuesday, Koutsky noted the county board changed its management of the program as part of, “a greater restructuring plan by the board, not a criticism of Frerichs’ work as auditor.”
In response to the allegations of patronage, Frerichs also says he never employed the Democrats in his post as auditor.
* Rauner paid over $56K for the steer and is donating it to the U of I’s ag college…
The Republican candidate for Illinois governor placed a winning bid on a champion steer at the Illinois State Fair.
Bruce Rauner is a Winnetka businessman. His campaign says he and wife Diana, as well as the Friends of Pike County 4-H bought the Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer at the Governor’s Sale of Champions at the fairgrounds Tuesday. His spokesman says Rauner is vacationing in Montana, so the bid on the steer was made by others on his behalf.
The auction was hosted by Rauner’s Nov. 4 election rival, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.
No irony there.
Heh.
* Meanwhile, this is from a press release…
Today is Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair. But for the second year in a row, Pat Quinn and Illinois Democrats won’t hold their traditional all-out rally. Why? With a laundry list of broken promises, record job losses and multiple criminal investigations, Pat Quinn and his allies have little cause to rally.
If Pat Quinn won’t share his record on Governor’s Day, the Illinois Republican Party will do it for him throughout the day. The ILGOP begins this morning by launching PatQuinnocchio.com, a website dedicated to exposing Pat Quinn’s broken promises – from raising taxes and cutting education to record job losses and Blagojevich-style corruption.
“As a career politician, Pat Quinn has broken almost every major promise he’s made,” Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said. “After saying he wouldn’t raise taxes on middle-class families, he increased taxes on everyone by 67% and now wants to make his tax hike permanent. Pat Quinn promised he’d invest in education, but cut it by $500 million instead. And he said job creation was a top priority, but Illinois leads the Midwest in job losses. Illinois has had enough of Pat Quinnocchio’s lies, and we’re going to hold him accountable in November.”
The ILGOP will advise of further Governor’s Day activities later this morning.
Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday accused Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn of tapping into a $20 million pot of cash to dangle in front of groups whose support he wants in the fall election, saying the effort “looks and smells” like a new version of the 2010 anti-violence program now under state and federal scrutiny.
The money Republicans highlighted represents a new allocation to the Illinois Department of Labor for social programs similar to those in Quinn’s much-criticized Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. Quinn aides, however, maintained the money is going into job-training programs established even before the 2010 anti-violence initiative began.
Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno contended Quinn “squirreled away” the new funds and already has directed $11.5 million to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Department of Human Services. She wondered whether the money would be misspent, saying it “looks and smells just like” the 2010 program and questioning whether the Quinn administration had learned from previous mistakes. […]
House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs recounted how GOP lawmakers were stonewalled when they sought explanations from Democratic lawmakers about the purpose of the money when it was inserted into the budget during the end of the spring session. Durkin warned the new dollars come with the same “fingerprints” as Quinn’s flawed 2010 initiative.
The charge carries little weight. This is a legit jobs program being run mainly by DCEO, which has run summer jobs programs for years.
The money is going to a job-training program with “rigorous” standards that involves both DCEO and DHS, the spokesman said. “DCEO has for many years — long before the defunct NRI program began — run several job training programs for youth and young adults that continue today.”
A source with knowledge of the matter said Mr. Quinn did not ask for the money and that it was inserted in the budget at the last minute at the behest of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Mr. Madigan’s spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
Appropriating money for one department that ends up being spent by another is not unheard-of in government. But given the NRI experience, the subject is particularly sensitive now, with federal prosecutors confirming they are probing the MRI expenditures.
Greg is absolutely right at the end. Quinn’s botched (or worse) 2010 anti-violence program taints any and all attempts to address the issue this summer and fall.
* From the governor’s office…
The General Assembly allocated $20 million to the Dept. of Labor for “grants to state and local agencies and community providers for at-risk community support programs, after school programs, and youth employment opportunities.”
This program is employing more than 5,000 youth and young adults and we are carrying it with rigorous controls and strict oversight.
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has for many years - long before the defunct NRI program began - run several job training programs for youth and young adults that continue today. These programs are competitively-bid. Inter-governmental agreements allow DCEO and the Department of Human Services to administer these grant programs under strict oversight.
Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for the Illinois State Museum Building in Springfield to be named after the late former U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon. Quinn’s office says the governor will announce it on Wednesday. He’s working with the Illinois General Assembly to make the designation official. Dixon died July 6 at age 86. The Democrat’s political career spanned more than 40 years. He was in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1993 and chaired a subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee.
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