* 2:35 pm - Reports have circulated for weeks that Dept. of Corrections Director Michael Randle would be fired soon. Randle, of course, was responsible for the botched early release program that let hundreds of violent prisoners out of confinement, some of whom went on to commit more crimes.
Instead, it appears that a handful of people who stood up to Randle internally were shown the door today. From a DoC spokesperson…
As of today Executive Assistant to the Director Sergio Molina; Chief of Staff Jim Reinhart; and Northern Regional Supervisor Jack Charlier are no longer State of Illinois employees. Since this is a Personnel issue the agency cannot comment further.
I’ll have more for subscribers on Monday. There are lots of conflicting rumors out there about Randle’s immediate future, so try to keep those in check while commenting, please.
Asked if his departure had anything to do with the early release debacle, Molina said: “Director Michael Randle stood with the governor and took full responsibility for the early release program, and that’s precisely where the responsibility lies, with Director Randle.” […]
The news of Molina’s dismissal came as a shock to state Sen. William Delgado. The Democratic lawmaker from Chicago’s Northwest Side said Molina was being used as a “scapegoat” to cover larger flaws within the department that were brought to light following the prisoner release scandal.
Delgado said Molina represents years of institutional knowledge and proved to be a value to the corrections community by earning the respect of several administrations, Democrat and Republican alike. But Delgado said Molina was “isolated” almost immediately after Randle was put in place in May 2009. Delagado, a former parole officer, said he believes the release “blunder could have been prevented” if Randle had properly consulted with Molina.
“What an atrocious decision by the administration of Quinn,” Delgado said. “Because he brings in a new director who institutes the release program, (Molina) gets pushed out. It’s shameful.”
* Mark your calendars, campers. On Thursday, April 8th at 7 pm some friends of the late, great Carlos Hernandez Gomez are throwing a benefit concert at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn…
All proceeds from the concert and auctions will benefit Living Water International (LWI), a faith-based, non-profit organization that helps communities in developing countries acquire safe drinking water. In particular, the proceeds will help to build a water well in Carlos’ honor in Haiti, as well as fund additional clean water projects.
Carlos watched coverage of the Haiti earthquake the week before he died and was deeply affected. He knew the work of LWI is what is truly needed there; without clean water, there is no foundation for development. Everything that LWI stands for reflects Carlos’ love of others and of God.
The lineup…
It will be a true rock and roll salute to Carlos, with performances by some of his local favorites and closest friends: The Beatle Brothers, Phil Angotti and Brad Elvis, and Eric Howell. To kick off the festivities, Carlos’ own band, The Gear, will reunite to perform for the first time in 15 years. Carlos’ best friend, actor Joe Farina, will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening.
There’s a place every one of us can go to
Maybe you have been there once or twice
Where all your friends just look at you and whisper
And they want to give you nothing but advice
• To wit: Word is Dem Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool is eyeing a run for the assessor’s seat as an independent — and Cook County Dem Party chief Joe Berrios, who is already slated as the Dem Party assessor’s candidate, may be reaching for a bottle of Bromo Seltzer.
• The scoop du jour: Sneed has learned “friends” of Claypool, a close pal of Axelrod and Gov. Quinn who is rumored to also be eyeing the lieutenant governor spot, are now conducting a phone survey to determine his viability for a shot as Cook County assessor.
3. Pat Brady, the Illinois Republican Chairman, should resign for interfering and taking sides in this Republican primary and for doing nothing to effectively stop his predecessor from spending $5 million to attack his opponents (after having promised to monitor and enforce clean campaigning standards).
4. The Kane County Republican Chairman should resign so that we can credibly begin the work of reconstructing a reformed Republican-led coalition of Republicans, Independents, and disillusioned Reagan Democrats. “Less Government, More Individual Freedom” will be our objective and slogan.
Today, Kane County Republican Party Chairman Mike Kenyon responded…
Kenyon responded by saying Lauzen’s letter is the result of lingering grudges over his loss to Jim Oberweis in the 14th Congressional District Republican primary a couple of years ago. Oberweis also recently won a spot on the Illinois Republican State Central Committee during a vote where Lauzen wasn’t allowed in the room.
“What Mr. Lauzen does is he takes everything to the personal level,” Kenyon said. “That’s his greatest flaw. I don’t think he likes me, but don’t ask me to get into his head because it would be uncomfortable, even though he’s got a small brain.
“He would never come on board and say, ‘Congratulations, Jim (Oberweis). I support you.’ If he could just put all his energy in a positive direction, he’d be great. It’s got to be some sort of a mental problem. He’s stuck in the fourth grade and needs to get out of it. I really do want to get along with him.”
Yikes.
* A Republican controversy has been building in Will County after the recent vote for the 11th District State Central Committeeman’s slot. Illinois Review…
It was during the election for the 11th district State Central Committeeman where problem arose. The race was between Bobbie Peterson and Corey Singer. Both were allowed to speak, but discussion amongst committeemen was not allowed. Corey spoke of getting back to core Republican values. He spoke of encouraging primary challenges. He said we have to stop being Democrat-lite. He spoke directly towards all of the newly involved, energized people who have been working hard against the Obama agenda over the last twelve months. While it is my understanding that Bobbie has worked hard for the Republican Party for decades, Corey’s speech won the room.
The vote was an open roll call. Despite the fact that everyone who voted for Corey was going to be the scorn of the establishment, the weighted vote total was approximately 9000 to 4000 – better than 2 to 1. Considering that many people were probably afraid to not vote for Bobbie, that vote was an absolute landslide for Corey. That is of course until Chairman Kavanagh decided he had the right to exercise votes for not only the vacant precincts, but also for the committeemen not in attendance! That was over 13,000 votes! No matter how the committeemen voted, it didn’t matter. The Chairmen was going to decide the winner.
What happened was that Chairman Kavanagh voted the proxies of the vacant precincts and absent committeemen, which he claimed he had a right to do. Those in the room wanted Singer, but the chairman went for Peterson.
Kavanagh, who works for Singer as a lawyer for the forest preserve district, says it’s over.
But Singer says he’s getting encouragement from Republicans across Illinois and is considering his options, including a lawsuit.
Singer questions Kavanagh’s authority to cast votes for elected committeemen who missed the meeting. Singer said he was ahead even after Kavanagh and Grundy County Republican Chairman Donald Hansen cast votes for Peterson on behalf of precincts without committeemen.
Kavanagh said he cleared his action before the convention with Brian Sheahan , the attorney for the state party.
Kavanagh works for Singer? Hilarious.
* In other campaign news, the House just passed HB 5820, which would provide for the joint nomination of governor and lieutenant governor candidates.
* The following photo is of Steve Kim, the Republican nominee for Illinois attorney general vs. Lisa Madigan…
* The Question: Caption?
…Adding… A small handful of GOP versions of Bobby Rush are whining in comments that this question might somehow get out of hand because Kim is an Asian-American, even though they haven’t. So, just to placate these silly folks and keep the comments flowing smoothly, please don’t be racist in comments, even though nobody has been and undoubtedly wouldn’t be.
* The House Republicans tried unsuccessfully this morning to advance a resolution urging the Dept. on Aging to rethink this deal…
The Illinois Department on Aging will move from state-owned buildings to rented space despite complaints from lawmakers that the move is a waste of money during the state’s budget crisis.
The Department of Central Management Services, which oversees state office space needs, on Thursday issued a written statement that nothing has changed that would keep the majority of Aging employees in the Herndon Building at 421 E. Capitol Ave. […]
The state will pay more than $532,000 a year for the space. […]
Reps. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, and Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, are among GOP lawmakers sponsoring a resolution urging Aging and CMS to work with the state’s Procurement Policy Board to find less expensive office space for Aging.
* Is a red-light camera compromise in the works? Maybe…
Lawmakers are moving closer to a compromise on reforming the use of red-light cameras while a complete repeal of the technology appears to face little chance. […]
Lawmakers at the meeting said the broad compromise includes giving motorists more leeway on right-turn violations and requiring studies evaluating the need and effectiveness of the red-light cameras.
But a state Senator involved in the negotiations wasn’t happy that the red light camera lobsters were included in the talks…
State Sen. Dan Duffy, a Lake Barrington Republican pushing to ban the cameras, said he was upset lobbyists for RedFlex and RedSpeed, the two biggest red-light camera companies, were included in the negotiations in Senate President John Cullerton’s office.
“I guess it is what it is, but I would have preferred them not be in the room when we’re discussing the legislation,” Duffy said.
* The Tribune editorial board follows the Sun-Times’ lead on Rep. Keith Farnham’s strange bill…
[Kane County State’s Attorney John Barsanti] complains that if a [DUI[ suspect can refuse a search warrant to submit for a blood sample without facing consequences, then the law has “no teeth.”
Now Rep. Keith Farnham, D-Elgin, is trying to insert some fangs. He has introduced a bill that authorizes police to use “all necessary and reasonable force” to execute a search warrant, whether for driving under the influence of alcohol or anything else. That means suspects could be restrained at a hospital so a nurse or doctor could draw blood or a hair sample.
Defense attorney Donald Ramsell, who serves on the Illinois State Bar Association’s traffic law committee, says the number who refuse is “minuscule.” Ramsell says he’s handled more than 13,000 DUI cases since 1986. “I have never had a single client in the face of a search warrant who has ever refused.”
You would expect the defense bar to protest this. But consider the position of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Chuck Hurley, CEO of MADD, said: “We support penalties for test refusal and reasonable actions shy of strapping somebody down.” […]
Police need good tools to fight drunk driving. A forced blood draw isn’t one of them.
* Related…
* Welfare Reforms Scuttled In Illinois House: Wednesday saw a number of proposed welfare reforms go by the wayside. One of those plans, from State Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica, would have required drug tests for adults receiving public aid.
* House Passes “Sexting” Ban: Illinois lawmakers want teenagers who send salacious or sexually provocative photographs via their cell phones to come before a judge in a courtroom. But lawmakers don’t think these same teenagers should have to go to prison. The Illinois House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a “sexting” ban proposal that would impose civil, not criminal, penalties on the practice. Under the proposal sponsored by state Rep. Darlene Senger, R-Naperville, minors who are found guilty of sexting by computers or cell phones could face in-house counseling and/or community service.
* Fight attempts to erode FOIA law: We’re beyond disappointed. We’re disgusted. Many have the support of local lawmakers including Republicans state Sen. John Millner of Carol Stream and state Rep. Michael Connelly of Lisle, and Democrats state Sen. Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge, state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia of Aurora and state Rep. Paul Froehlich of Schaumburg.
* House would keep government evaluations secret: The Illinois House voted Thursday to keep evaluations of public employees private, barring them from being released to the public. The proposal, which now goes to the Illinois Senate for consideration, follows lawmakers’ previous push to similarly exempt teacher evaluations from public disclosure.
* Quinn expected to OK bill moving primary election back to March: “It’s hard to imagine he will veto or even amend it, given the wide margin,” said state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, whose measure passed the House on a 114-1-1 vote… The one “no” vote came from state Rep. Mike Boland, D-Moline, who wanted the primary even later in the year.
* Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Abolish Death Penalty
* Correct me if I’m seeing this wrong (and I’m sure you will), but unless there is some proof that Broadway Bank knew that this guy was kiting checks, I just don’t see how this story is a huge deal for the Giannoulias campaign other than the campaign contributions, which will soon be donated to charity…
A father and son who operated the Boston Blackie’s burger restaurants were charged Thursday with ripping off nearly $1.9 million from two banks in a check-cashing scheme, and authorities said they arrested the father on the U.S. border as he was trying to enter Canada.
The allegations caused a new round of political embarrassment for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, whose family owns Broadway Bank and has long known the father and son.
The Blackie’s operators are accused of writing bad checks from their accounts at Broadway to other banks as part of their alleged scheme. Longtime Blackie’s operator Nick Giannis gave Giannoulias more than $114,000 in campaign contributions for his treasurer and Senate campaigns.
Giannoulias was in a state of “shock and disbelief” at the news, according to his campaign, which announced he would donate an equivalent amount to local charities.
Again, unless there’s some collusion, it looks like Broadway was a victim here.
The Kirk campaign tried to connect the dots. From a press release…
In 1996, Nick Giannis was convicted of 4th degree felony possession of a firearm. Giannis was sentenced to 2 years in prison but given probation. (Illinois Court Records, Case Number: 1996C22008201)
Despite his felony conviction, between August 2000 and December 2002, Broadway Bank loaned Nick Giannis roughly $6 million in mortgages – at least $1.22 million during the time Alexi Giannoulias served as the bank’s Chief Loan Officer. (Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Document No.: 0021330151)
Since when do banks check low-level felony gun conviction records that resulted in no prison time before loaning money to a successful restauranteur?
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is putting at least a half-dozen struggling Chicago-area banks out for bid to healthy institutions that might want to buy their deposits and assets.
The fact that so many banks are being peddled simultaneously shows that the crisis for many small and midsize institutions continues and could be getting worse.
“What we have seen in terms of bank failures so far in the market cycle is, unfortunately, only the tip of the iceberg,” said Justin Barr, managing principal at Loan Workout Advisers LLC., a Northfield-based bank-turnaround consulting firm. “The real bloodbath will shortly begin to unfold and will likely drag on for some time to come.”
Loan Workout said that of more than 200 banks headquartered in the Chicago area, 119 were in the red in 2009, while 86 turned a profit.
One of the banks reportedly on the FDIC’s list is Broadway.
Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias tried today to change the focus of his campaign from talk about his family’s troubled bank to what he says is his history of standing up to big banks and his Republican opponent’s history of “cozying up” to Wall Street banks.
“He voted five times against reining in bonuses for Wall Street executives,” the state treasurer said of Mark Kirk. Ticking off every consumer-protection bill he said Kirk has voted against, Giannoulias said: “That is who he listens to — he listens to his Wall Street cronies, and, not coincidentally, his Wall Street pals have given him over $2 million in campaign contributions.”
Giannoulias spoke at a locksmith business near Greektown, where owner Tom Glavin said he hoped Giannoulias’ policies might help fill up Downtown’s partially empty office buildings and help his key-making business. Giannoulias donned protective eyegear as he cut a key.
* As we’ve seen time and time again, some of these allegedly corrupt operators have fooled a whole lot of people. So, try to keep that in mind when reading these stories…
Testimony in the federal corruption trial of a Chicago developer on Thursday revealed that U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez met with the developer and Mayor Richard Daley to push for the city’s approval of a controversial real estate venture.
Gutierrez’s involvement in lobbying Daley to support the project goes a step beyond what the congressman has previously told the Tribune in stories documenting his political and financial relationship with the developer, Calvin Boender, and his unusual role in backing a project outside his congressional district.
The Tribune previously has reported that Gutierrez wrote a letter to Daley on Boender’s behalf after receiving a $200,000 loan from Boender. The newspaper reported Sunday that relatives of Gutierrez and two other Chicago politicians who supported Boender landed jobs tied to the project known as Galewood Yards.
The situation is quite odd, though. It’s definitely worth a closer look.
* Related…
* Witness: Rep. Gutierrez in on pitch for rezoning - Bribery trial witness notes presence of rep. who got $200K loan
* Reputed mobster charged with rigging bids at McCormick Place
* The Quinn administration is considering selling off part of a big “asset” to pay off its debts…
Part of the borrowing could be covered by selling off the state’s rights to a portion of a massive legal settlement with cigarette companies, said David Vaught, director of Quinn’s budget office.
“We haven’t finished our proposal, but we would hope it would be in the range of $1 billion,” Vaught said.
The state now collects roughly $300 million annually under the tobacco settlement. The idea would be to sell off the rights to half of that for $1 billion upfront.
The question remains whether [Gov. Quinn] will stick to his guns on such things as altering state employee pension plans, pay freezes and/or furloughs other cost-cutting measures. He hasn’t demonstrated that ability so far.
He backed away from the “doomsday” cuts to social service providers last year, backed away from pension cuts during a teachers’ union rally, etc., etc., etc. He has a lot to prove.
* A degree in 3 years? U. of I. looking at creating program - An accelerated program might work for 1 in 5 U. of I. students: president
* Quinn aide is among 5 finalists for top tollway post: Kristi Lafleur, deputy chief of staff for economic development and recovery, is among five remaining applicants for executive director, narrowed from a field of 33.
* 9:57 am - The Democratic Party of Illinois’ state central committee will begin meeting to decide who will replace Scott Lee Cohen on the ballot next Saturday, March 20th, according to a letter just released by Chairman Michael Madigan’s office. Read the letter by clicking here.
The party plans to split into subcommittees to allow candidates to make their pitches, but that’s “subject to change,” according to the letter. The subcommittees will meet in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Bolingbrook and Springfield.
The central committee will then meet in Springfield on Saturday, March 27th in Springfield to vote for a nominee.
* I overslept this morning (either I slept through my alarm or it didn’t go off), so everything is running way, way behind schedule. There will be a late version of Capitol Fax for subscribers, but for now here’s my Sun-Times column…
‘The idea that Rahm Emanuel would be in the house gym . . . lobbying another congressman whether he had clothes on or not is the reason I wanted him to cut the deal to make the attorney general a senator in exchange for jobs, health care and no taxes,” Rod Blagojevich said earlier this week on WLS-AM.
As ever, Blagojevich was babbling about pure fantasy. The former governor was referring to his claimed plan to appoint Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat back in 2008, right before he was arrested by the FBI for, among other things, allegedly trying to sell that seat to the highest bidder.
The impeached and ousted governor has used this Madigan cover story over and over to “prove” that he wasn’t trying to sell Obama’s seat.
A few days after a newspaper story appeared in December 2008 that Blagojevich was being wiretapped by the feds, I received a tip from a top source that Blagojevich was seriously talking about appointing Lisa Madigan. But let’s back up a bit.
The day before that wiretap story ran, Blagojevich was caught on federal recordings attempting to speed up a deal to appoint U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to Obama’s seat in exchange for something “tangible upfront.”
“Some of this stuff’s gotta start happening now, right now, and we gotta see it. You understand?” Blagojevich instructs an aide to tell a Jackson intermediary. He then added an ominous warning: “You gotta be careful how you express that and assume everybody’s listening, the whole world is listening. You hear me?”
The day the story ran, wiretap transcripts show that Blagojevich tried to hide some of his dirty deeds, ordering an aide to “undo” the Jackson deal. (Jackson has not been charged with anything.)
Blagojevich knew he was under the gun, so I believe he concocted the Lisa Madigan appointment to give himself an alibi. He could then say that he wasn’t trying to sell a Senate seat, he was just trying to do what was best for the state.
Blagojevich has often pointed to the plan as a way to bring peace to Illinois politics. He and both Madigans — Lisa and her father, speaker of the House Mike Madigan — feuded for years. They totally despised one another. Blagojevich says the idea was to use the appointment to break loose his long-stalled (by Speaker Madigan) multibillion-dollar capital construction bill and his universal health-care proposal.
Balderdash.
First, Speaker Madigan hadn’t returned Blagojevich’s calls in months and wouldn’t even sit in the same room with him during closed-door legislative meetings. Madigan wouldn’t pass a $30 billion capital bill because he was worried that Blagojevich would try to steal everything that wasn’t nailed down. The universal health-care bill included a gigantic tax increase on businesses that Madigan staunchly opposed.
Attorney General Madigan was widely known to loathe the man she had been investigating for years until she turned over the case to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. And she had no interest in the Senate.
In other words, there’s absolutely no chance that this Lisa Madigan appointment deal could’ve been pulled off.
The impossibility of closing such a deal wouldn’t have meant much to Blagojevich if he was looking to establish an alibi, however. He could’ve just announced his decision with great fanfare and the federal case against him might have been undermined.
The FBI knocked on his door one cold December morning before he had a chance to make everything public, but that hasn’t stopped him from peddling this nonsense ever since. As usual with this guy, don’t believe a word.
* Illinois Democrats haven’t gotten a break in a long while, but one might be coming from an unlikely source…
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has repeatedly said he’s looking forward to clearing his name at his trial.
But now he wants that trial to start five months later than scheduled. Lawyers for the indicted governor made a formal request to continue the June trial to November.
They say they need a delay because they don’t know what the charges they’ll face at trial.
That could mean a post-election trial, which would be fine with the Democrats. The only problem would be all those pre-trial motions, which could still be used for political payback. Just imagine.
* The February primary experiment was a failure. I think a lot of folks would like a total do-over. We can’t do that, but the primary date can be moved back where it was…
Illinois’ primary election would be pushed back to March under legislation the House sent to Gov. Pat Quinn today.
If the governor signs the measure into law, the state’s experiment with a February primary would end after just two elections. […]
The measure would move Illinois’ primary to the third Tuesday in March, where it had been for decades. The House approved it 114-1, with one lawmaker voting present. The Senate signed off last month.
* Check out the difference between how two news outlets covered a visit by the governor to a Springfield school this morning. First, the local SJ-R…
Gov. Pat Quinn vigorously denied charges by Republican legislators that he is engaging in scare tactics in order to win passage of an income tax hike.
Appearing this morning at Jefferson Middle School in Springfield to promote his tax hike for education, Quinn reiterated that schools face severe budget cuts from the state if more revenue isn’t found for them.
“There’s no scaring involved,” Quinn said. “We have to understand reality. We are without $1 billion (in federal funds) that we had this year.
The governor, however, didn’t pick the best school to illustrate his point. Walter Milton, Springfield’s schools superintendent, said his district could prevent layoffs next year even if Quinn’s proposed education cuts go through.
Milton said the district is finalizing its budget and working to keep cuts “as far away from the classroom as possible.” Milton said while teachers will not face layoffs if education cuts go through, he won’t be able to hire as many new teachers as in the past.
Quinn said he did eat breakfast with Madigan Thursday. But he didn’t say how exactly he would try to convince election-minded lawmakers to support his plan while they are out on the campaign trail facing angry voters.
* Green Party gubernatorial nominee Rich Whitney outlined his budget and economic plan today at a Statehouse press conference.
Among other things, he wants a forensic audit of state government…
Convene an independent commission of citizens, drawn from both the private and public sector to examine the budget with a fresh set of eyes and identify programs, positions and practices that can be cut without any detriment to the public. Borrowing a good idea from a former rival candidate, Republican Adam Andrzejewski, I propose to give this commission the authority to conduct a “forensic audit” of the budget for this purpose and the authority to subpoena state employees and documents.
He later told reporters that he might appoint Andrzejewski to the commission, or even Dan Proft.
The audit, an expanded state government “suggestion box,” a review of pork and cuts to the capital program are supposed to save $2 billion.
After the cuts, he wants a SB750 type bill to raise taxes and reduce property taxes. He also would expand the sales take to include services, and impose a financial transactions tax on “speculative trading”…
At a time when the Illinois legislature repeatedly hits low-income workers disproportionately with ―sin taxes‖ on alcohol, tobacco and gambling, a Financial Transactions Tax would impose a tax on another form of gambling, one that is every bit as harmful as the other sin taxes, and far more voluminous
He also wantsa “fee and dividend” system on energy producers responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and nuke plants…
Fees would be imposed on the producers while consumers would receive quarterly dividends from the proceeds, based on their income level, that would provide protection from energy price hikes and allow a shift in spending in favor of clean energy and energy efficiency.
His rhetoric is pretty sharp…
It may surprise some people to hear a candidate talk about expanding public employment at a time when the media keep pounding into people’s minds the notion that government is “too big” and we can’t afford it.
However, we have to ask ourselves why we are continually being told this. We have to recognize that the corporate-dominated media have an agenda and that there is a reason why we have been hearing this propaganda steadily for over 30 years. We also have to realize that when the opinion leaders in the corporate media keep telling us that “we” can’t afford it, what they are really trying to tell us is that “they” – the wealthy owners of corporate America – don’t want to afford it. They don’t want to pay their fair share of taxes needed to maintain the most basic functions of government. And thus the illusion is created that in the richest, most productive nation in the world, we as a society somehow can’t “afford” quality public education, quality health care for all, quality employment opportunities for all and decent retirement security for all.
He also wants a state-owned bank…
Create a state bank, in which to deposit our tax revenues, supplemented by funds from private depositors, so that the State of Illinois can invest in productive ventures that benefit the people of Illinois, and keep the interest collected for the benefit of the people, rather than pay interest to enrich the same private financial institutions that have already preyed upon workers, homeowners and taxpayers.
* Whitney took questions from the press and here are some snippets…
* This was one of the reactions to Gov. Quinn’s budget proposal, which included a $2500 per worker tax credit for small businesses that hire new employees…
“Small-business owners don’t need tax credits. They need customers,” Kim Clarke Maisch, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said while noting economic growth comes from areas such as workers’ compensation reform and a lower minimum wage.
* The Question: Do you agree or disagree with Maisch? Explain thoroughly, please.
* To say this is a big boost would just be too obvious, so I’ll just skip that and go right to the story…
Mayor Daley today endorsed the runner-up in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor — State Rep. Art Turner (D-Chicago) — in the political sweepstakes to replace Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen. […]
“There’s only one winner in the lieutenant governor’s position and that’s Art Turner. He won second [place],” the mayor
“If you run for public office and the person [in first place] drops out before the election or even after the election, the person who [finished] second moves automatically up. If you forfeit a game, [your opponent] wins the game.”
Reporters reminded Daley that his conclusion is true in sports, but not necessarily in politics. The State Democratic Central Committee has the final say.
“Well, what would you do if not?” he said. “Art Turner is No. 2. No. 1 dropped out. He withdrew. Sure, you automatically move [up]. He put his name and his career on the line in a public way no one else has done . … Whether you voted for him or not, he came in second place.”
* Meanwhile, Rasmussen released the rest of its polling yesterday. Here are some of the responses…
* How would you rate the job Barack Obama has been doing as President… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
33% Strongly approve
23% Somewhat approve
19% Somewhat disapprove
35% Strongly disapprove
0% Not sure
* How would you rate the job Pat Quinn has been doing as Governor… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
10% Strongly approve
33% Somewhat approve
28% Somewhat disapprove
27% Strongly disapprove
2% Not sure
* In terms of how you will vote how important is Alexi Giannoulias’s involvement in the Broadway Bank?
30% Very important
26% Somewhat important
24% Not very important
8% Not at all important
11% Not sure
* Generally speaking, do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and the congressional Democrats?
35% Strongly favor
18% Somewhat favor
8% Somewhat oppose
37% Strongly oppose
2% Not sure
* When it comes to health care decisions, who do you fear the most: the federal government or private insurance companies?
41% Federal government
49% Private insurance companies
9% Not sure
* Regardless of how Congress is doing overall, does your local representative in Congress deserve to be reelected?
39% Yes
32% No
29% Not sure
* Generally speaking, would it better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were reelected this November or if most of them were defeated?
27% Better if most incumbents were reelected
58% Better if most incumbents were defeated
16% Not sure
* Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party movement?
37% Favorable
40% Unfavorable
23% Not sure
* Do you consider yourself a part of the Tea Party Movement?
13% Yes
68% No
19% Not sure
* A year from today, will the U.S. economy be stronger than it is now, or weaker?
46% Stronger
32% Weaker
16% About the same
6% Not sure
* Is it possible for anyone who really wants to work to find a job?
26% Yes
56% No
18% Not sure
Except for Quinn, these are more positive numbers for the Democratic majority than in other states Rasmussen has polled. At least the ones I’ve seen. Then again, that ain’t saying much.
By the way, in the crosstabs, 32 percent of Republicans said they considered themselves a part of the tea party movement, while just 4 percent of the Democrats said so. 73 percent of Republicans and just 15 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of the tea partiers.
* The Alexi Giannoulias campaign has been challenging Mark Kirk to release his tax returns since early February. Kirk finally did so yesterday after issuing a press release that attempted to turn the tables…
Mark Kirk’s U.S. Senate campaign today announced the five-term congressman and Navy veteran would make available his personal income tax returns dating back to 1999. In the spirit of transparency, the Kirk campaign requested Mr. Giannoulias release all documents related to Michael “Jaws” Giorango, insider bank loans and Bright Start College Savings Fund.
But reporters weren’t allowed to copy the documents and the campaign wouldn’t send them to the reporters…
Unlike Giannoulias, who provided copes of his tax returns to the press, Kirk allowed a lower level of access to his.
Reporters were required to travel to Kirk’s office in Northbrook for a peek at his returns and were not allowed to make copies.
“It seems to me that what he’s simply doing here is ignoring the problem, kicking the can down the road, trying to make it past the election,” Brady said. “I frankly wonder if he’s planning on being here in January because he’s leaving a pretty big problem.”
In a veiled reference to the financial solution proposed by state Sen. Bill Brady, his opponent in the Nov. 2 election for governor, Quinn said, “There are some people who say we should just cut across the board until we close our $13 billion deficit and our spending equals our revenues — even if that means draconian cuts in health, human services, education and public safety. But that approach is both heartless — and naïve.
“We must consider the financial impact — as well as the human cost — of every cut we make,” Quinn said.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady on Wednesday called Gov. Pat Quinn’s fiscal year 2011 budget a “catastrophe,” insisting his own plan for a 10 percent across-the-board cut would balance the budget and dig the state out of its $13 billion hole. […]
“I wish [Quinn] would take more time to analyze what I’ve suggested Illinois needs,” Brady said. “I really don’t want to be governor and be saddled with the albatross he’s created in this fiscal mess.”
“Today was an embarrassing day. He (Quinn) asked for an extra 30 days and yet the best he could come up with was a budget that is $4 billion out of balance,” Brady said, referring to Quinn’s request to delay his budget address by a month.
Um, $4 billion out of balance? Try $11 billion.
After Brady’s press conference, the governor’s campaign issued a news release…
Response to Bill Brady’s Critiques of Governor Quinn’s “Fighting for Illinois” Budget Plan:
Bill Brady says he opposes Governor Quinn’s budget plan and won’t support any additional revenues for education or additional borrowing to close the state’s $12.7 billion gap. So what would Brady include in his all-cuts plan to balance the budget? So far, he ’s refused to say - because it simply can’t be done without causing devastating harm to education, healthcare and public safety. No wonder former Governor Jim Edgar called Brady’s chainsaw approach to the budget “naïve.”
In fact, Bill Brady ’s own voting record provides the best clue about what he’d do as governor. His solution to our economic problems would be to turn the clock back by eliminating the minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, Family and Medical Leave, and to allow discrimination in the workplace. That’s an economic vision from 1910 — not for 2010.
You can expect that Edgar quote to be used ad infinitum by the Quinnsters.
* Brady did much better yesterday than I thought he would. His presser was on the third floor near the rail and the gun rights folks were in town so it was hard to hear anything in the Rotunda. But, it appears TV and radio got their audio and Brady got in a lot of decent shots, despite his consistent refusal to look at the complete budget picture.
Of course, Brady doesn’t have his own alternative legislation. As Senate President Cullerton pointed out yesterday, Brady is the first sitting Illinois legislator to be nominated for governor in over 100 years. He therefore has the ability to introduce his own plan.
…Adding… I forgot to mention that Gov. Quinn will appear at two schools today to tout his tax hike proposal. From a press release…
GOVERNOR’S PUBLIC SCHEDULE
**Thursday, March 11, 2010**
SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn will speak about his education priorities.
WHO: Governor Quinn
WHEN: 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Thomas Jefferson Middle School - Library
3001 South Allis Street
Springfield, 62703
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn will speak about his education priorities.
WHO: Governor Quinn
WHEN: 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: James R. Lowell Elementary School
3320 West Hirsch Street
Chicago, 60651
* The headline on Kristen McQueary’s column pretty much sums it up…
Budget plan is clever, but D.O.A.
Tactically, this would normally be a decent move. Raise taxes for schools. That’s how income taxes were raised here in 1987, all the money went to schools and local governments.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has repeatedly condemned Republicans for refusing to put votes behind an income-tax hike, praised Quinn’s courage in pushing the new plan. But the speaker actually made a compelling case against it during a televised interview after the governor’s speech.
“Let’s be straightforward about this. The people of Illinois, they don’t want tax increases. They’re hurting. The American economy is in bad shape. People are out of work. They don’t want to hear about tax increases,” Madigan said.
“You should admire the governor for standing up in these times and say, ‘Look if we wish to maintain the fiscal integrity of this state, then we ought to do this tax increase.’ That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Madigan said.
“This is a fellow who likes to hold people hostage,” Cross said of Quinn. “I suggest that at end of the day, this (education cuts) will not happen. This is a scare tactic. Scaring people is not leadership.”
. Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he supports the latest plan, but it is up to the House to take the lead, since the House never acted on last year’s proposal
Given the lack of support for a tax hike, one scenario circulating in the Capitol has Democrats approving a bare-bones budget that carries the state through the November elections, after which they would push through a tax hike to help pull the state out of its fiscal quagmire.
“It’s entirely possible,” Cross said.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune editorial board was predictably enraged, screaming that its pension fund slashes should’ve been implemented in order to save $2 billion, even though they won’t. And just saying something ought to be done doesn’t mean it can be done. I’d like to visit Pluto, but I ain’t gonna get there. Also, proposing cuts of $6 billion when we appear to have a structural hole far larger than that isn’t going to solve the problem in two years, no matter how you do the math.
And Ralph Martire makes a good point that the Tribune should at least listen to…
Illinois ranks — when you look at us compared to other states, and you look at our spending as a percentage of our state GDP, which is the only rational comparison state-to-state — we rank 45th in spending with the 5th biggest populations, and we ranked 42nd in tax burden. We’re low-tax, low-spending, we have a giant, giant deficit.
* The Sun-Times was upset that the governor’s tax hike wasn’t large enough, even though the governor’s tax hike isn’t going anywhere.
* I hesitate to delve too deeply into this budget plan, because the whole thing will need to be reworked. But here’s one of the more interesting proposals that may survive…
llinois Governor Pat Quinn wants the state’s youth prisons to be controlled by another department.
Four years ago, the Department of Juvenile Justice was part of the Department of Corrections. It was separated after some lawmakers and advocates argued youth prisons should not be controlled by the same office as the adult prisons.
Now Quinn wants to fold it into another large agency, the Department of Children and Family Services, to save money, the administration says, and get kids more access to a full range of services.
As Chicago Public Radio has amply reported, the state’s juvenile justice system is a complete mess. Some of the prisons are in outrageously poor conditions. Maybe DCFS can straighten it out, maybe not, but they’re gonna try…
Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris, whose office represents kids in juvenile court, said it often seemed unfair that children involved in the child protection side of juvenile court have access to services absent on the juvenile justice side.
“They are often confronted with the same issues — neglect, abuse, no family or parents involved in drugs,” Harris said. “It makes sense.”
Mayor Daley warned today that the day of reckoning has arrived for a financial crisis that’s choking local taxpayers: underfunded city pensions.
Daley said the 32-member pension commission he created more than two years ago will soon recommend solutions to the crisis that won’t be pretty or politically popular.
Daley and others commented on an exclusive Chicago Sun-Times report Wednesday of massive grade changing after the marking period ended last school year at Hyde Park, including 873 F’s changed to passing marks. More than 1,100 other grades were changed downward.
As a result, training instructors for the Chicago Police Department have moved away from teaching recruits to do searches that way in recent years. Instead, trainees are taught to make suspects stand, then hold one arm of the suspect and perform a one-handed pat-down.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) may file an application with the U.S. securities regulator for an initial public offering, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
* Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno started her media availability earlier than she announced, so here is the last minute or so of her response.
More in a bit.
* Sen Bill Brady offered his reaction to reporters. Take a look…
The budget also includes more than $2 billion in proposed cuts, including a deep reduction in education funding. In his budget address, Governor Quinn called on the General Assembly to rescue education from devastating cuts by passing a one-percent income tax surcharge for education. The surcharge for education would restore the education budget to its current level.
“If we enact this emergency rescue plan promptly, we can keep thousands of committed teachers from getting layoff notices,” Governor Quinn said.
* I’m told that the one point tax surcharge would bring in somewhere between $2.8 and $3 billion. Wish I knew that when I was on live TV and was asked the question cold.
Speaker madigan just said the people don’t want to hear about tax increases.
*** UPDATE *** I just got off the phone with Fox Chicago. They accidentally misreported the numbers this morning. The actual numbers are…
Giannoulias 44
Kirk 41
Undecided 10
Other 5
The poll was taken March 8th (the same day as the Quinn/Brady poll) and the margin of error is +/-4.5.
[ *** End of update and text corrected below to reflect update *** ]
* A new Rasmussen poll has Alexi Giannoulias leading Mark Kirk 42-41 44-41.
Rasmussen hasn’t posted the numbers as of 10 o’clock this morning, but I’ll check back later. [UPDATE: Check back after four o’clock for the full poll results.]
So, what the heck is going on? Yesterday’s poll, presumably of the same set of voters, had the governor’s race a lopsided 47-37 Bill Brady lead over Gov. Quinn.
I originally thought that the Quinn/Brady poll was an outlier, but Rasmussen’s US Senate numbers are in line with recent polling…
Again, if Rasmussen polled the same people for US Senate that they polled in the governor’s race, then this is a screwy year, baby. Screwy.
* Anyway, back to the Senate poll. Here are Rasmussen’s numbers for the current poll with their February, December and October results in parentheses…
Giannoulias 44 (40, 42, 41)
Kirk 41 (46, 39, 41)
That’s a huge apparent swing for Giannoulias/Kirk in the past month - a month when the Democrat has been hammered incessantly over his family bank’s troubles. Today was no exception. Tribune…
It’s usually understood that a Democratic president supports his party’s candidates for office, especially when the nominee in question is running for the U.S. Senate seat the president himself once held.
But today Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign went out of its way to announce that he does, in fact, have the backing of the White House.
Giannoulias campaign sent out a news release highlighting remarks by President Barack Obama’s press secretary about the president’s support for Giannoulias, who not only is the Democratic nominee running for Obama’s old Senate seat but also is known for being a longtime personal friend of the president’s.
Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, the party’s nominee for the state’s open Senate seat, visited the White House Tuesday and picked up a somewhat tepid endorsement from press secretary Robert Gibbs.
While Democrats may scoff at any notion of a latter-day Reagan revolution coming to the blue state of Illinois, they are hardly cheered by the challenges facing state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in his U.S. Senate battle vs. Kirk.
Giannoulias has tried to get out in front of the seemingly imminent failure of his family’s Broadway Bank, but there’s no way to put that story behind him as long as the FDIC could move in at any time and take it over.
Giannoulias met with David Axelrod at the White House on Tuesday. At the same time, Republicans were sending out dispatches with a reminder of President Obama’s recent denunciation of “fat cats who are getting rewarded for their failure . . . bankers don’t need another vote in the U.S. Senate.”
Chicago’s reluctance to allow video gambling in the city will deprive the state of almost $178 million annually, according to a new analysis by the Legislature’s budget-forecasting arm.
That shortfall could blow a nearly $2 billion hole in Gov. Quinn’s $31 billion construction program, which was partly reliant on proceeds from video gambling in bars and restaurants across the state.
“This puts a monkey wrench in a couple billion dollars worth of projects we can’t move forward on and do jobs,” said Rep. Raymond Poe (R-Springfield), who requested the estimates from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
The panel projected that up to $475 million worth of wagering would occur on video gambling machines in Chicago if the city were to authorize them.
The commission said the state stands to lose between $95.6 million and $177.7 million by Chicago’s absence from the video gambling bandwagon.
As we’ve discussed before, Chicago has to approve video gambling before it can commence inside city limits and Daley has grumbled about not wanting to do it yet. He and the city council are up for election next year, and they’ve all got enough problems without adding this to the mix.
* Slots at racetracks is being pushed as a way to supplement (or even replace) video gaming revenues. It’s getting some bipartisan support, but Speaker Madigan’s spokesman sounded non-committal…
Steve Brown, spokesman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, said approving slots for racetracks isn’t an immediate priority, but there is some interest brewing among members given the state’s $13 billion budget hole and underfunded capital construction program.
“I don’t know I would say there’s serious interest on the part of leadership,” Brown said.
Burns said the idea of installing slots at racetracks has been floated for years, to no avail. He’s hoping he’ll get more traction as the session continues.
“It’s always hard to read the tea leaves this early in the process,” Burns said.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat, introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
If Brown had been jumping up and down for joy, the Statehouse would’ve exploded with interest, so I get what he tried to do there.
[Illinois State Superintendent of Schools Christopher Koch] once again told lawmakers that schools across Illinois will be looking at $500 less per-student next year in general state aid. Koch reiterated that the 13,000 layoffs he talked about last week is the best-case scenario. He said if lawmakers ordered cuts for the last three months of this school year, or Gov. Pat Quinn followed through with a billion-and-a half dollars in cuts to education, the number of layoffs could triple.
But the newest warning from Illinois’ school chief is that he cannot tell local schools when, or if, they’ll get money for the mandated categorical of special ed and transportation, or for early childhood education programs.
“I’d not be comfortable saying [the governor’s proposed budget is] dead on arrival. But if I was simply assessing how I thought it would fare in the Senate, we’d have to assume we’d have to get Republicans on board to the idea of borrowing . . . and I do not see that happening,” said Rikeesha Phelon, a spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago).
Borrowing beyond a fiscal year requires a three-fifths majority, and that means Republican involvement. It’ll be tough, for sure.
Even if lawmakers go along with Quinn’s cuts, the state still would be $11 billion short next year, Quinn budget officials said.
That’s where the options of a tax increase or borrowing come in.
Quinn aides said the administration will propose borrowing $4.7 billion and carrying over $6.3 billion of the state’s debt.
“Carrying over” means “not paying bills anywhere near on time.” That’s the biggest component of the Quinn plan, but it got the least media attention today.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) issued a joint statement urging ruling Democrats to cut spending and rein in Medicaid expenses and state pension costs before asking taxpayers “to invest more of their hard-earned money into a state government that has not and is not serving them well.”
There aren’t nearly enough Medicaid and pension cuts in this proposed budget to satisfy the GOP. Then again, I kinda doubt that satisfying them is possible at this stage of the game. Going in relatively low leaves room for negotiations.
Stermer also said there was “an agreement in the works” within the legislature that would institute a two-tier pension plan with lesser benefits for future state workers. Such a plan, he said, would provide up to $300 million in savings in the budget proposal. While pushed by prominent politicians in both parties, a two-tier system has been fought by state labor unions.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Murphy proposed borrowing as a solution when he was a gubernatorial candidate, so this is more than a bit disingenuous…
“They want to borrow their way past the election so they can pass the tax increase without risk of retribution from the voters, and that’s what this is set up to do,” said Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine).
* If you watched the briefing videos, you know that the governor’s people had to be pushed and prodded over and over to come clean on just what some of this stuff meant. One of the big questions was about the missing tax hike component…
“The General Assembly has not acted on a tax increase and has given symbols that they don’t want to act on a tax increase,” said Jerry Stermer, Quinn’s chief staff. […]
As to whether Quinn would propose a specific revenue increase in his budget address, or divulge what he plans to do with the money that would come from one, no one in the room would answer that question.
“Quinn’s not included a tax increase in this budget, and that’s a conversation that has to happen,” Stermer said. When pressed on the issue, Stermer said, “The governor will talk about that tomorrow — noon sharp.”
“I don’t think he intends to cut a billion dollars out of education… He’s doing it to get the education community upset and to call lawmakers and say, ‘Vote for a tax increase so we don’t have this cut.’”
There have to be cuts, but education’s share is disproportionate to its budget size. The Sun-Times also rails against the education cuts today…
But we think his education cuts are too severe. We prefer a plan by the conservative-leaning Civic Federation to exempt from cuts Medicaid and a significant portion of the state public school budget, known as general state aid. The Civic Federation recommends across-the-board 7 percent cuts to bring Illinois back to 2007 spending levels, given how revenues have been whacked by the recession. Quinn also will propose a two-tier pension system today, with less generous benefits for new hires. This is both the right thing to do and a good way to bring around recalcitrant Republicans who refuse to support an income tax increase without pension reforms and budget cuts.
As I said earlier, I’m not sure those pension reforms are quite enough yet. The Republicans don’t really want to get in front of this issue because they also fear upsetting the unions. They’ve been content to hang back and demand the Democrats take the lead, which is what the minority party does. So, we’ll just have to wait and see what the actual agreement looks like, if they ever get one.
“Anything meaningful is gonna be very politically unpopular. You’re gonna be cutting programs, eventually you got to look at a tax increase, I just don’t think that’s gonna happen during an election year. What worries me is I’m not sure that’s gonna happen after the election. I’ve become very pessimistic.”
Edgar says his biggest hope is that politicians don’t make the state’s budget mess worse during the upcoming legislative session.
* Former Illinois governor Jim Edgar had some not-so-kind words for his party’s Republican nominee on Chicago Public Radio yesterday. Edgar called Brady’s ten percent across-the-board budget cut plan “naïve“…
“I don’t agree with across the board. I think that’s a naïve approach,” Edgar said. “There are some more essential [programs] than others. It’s a difference of life and death… we don’t want to make a cut that will result in somebody dying. There are some programs in state government that [can mean] the difference between life and death. Those programs you can’t cut.”
And he’s not planning to campaign for Brady, either…
“I was hoping that Kirk [Dillard] would be the [Republican] nominee,” Edgar said. “He was my chief of staff and I think he had a good understanding of what it took to get the problems…I’m at the University of Illinois and I think I’ll take a professorial role in this campaign and just sit on the sidelines.”
* As I already told you, several pro-choice groups held a presser yesterday to blast Brady…
Beth Kanter with Illinois Planned Parenthood’s politcal action committee and several other activist groups gathered in Chicago to declare Brady “anti-woman,” vowing to support Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.
“Over 17 years in Springfield, Bill Brady has amassed quite a scary record,” Kanter said. “And in his run for governor, Bill Brady is not backing down in his extreme positions against women.”
Kanter was joined onstage by representatives from the National Organization of Women, Personal PAC, Citizen Action, and a supporter of stem-cell research. She said she and other activists scrutinized Brady’s Senate record and campaign questionnaires in formulating their opinion of him as a gubernatorial candidate.
Kanter cited Brady’s opposition to abortion rights, noting his response to an Illinois Federation for Right to Life questionnaire.
“Sen. Brady has said he would sign a law banning abortion except to save the life of a woman,” she said. “That means if a woman is raped or the victim of incest, she would not be allowed to get an abortion.”
Cosgrove and the other speakers admitted they would probably be launching the same campaign if any of the other five Republicans had won the nomination for governor.
All the GOP candidates were anti-abortion except for DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who dropped out a week before Election Day. The other six agreed with 26 out of 26 positions supported by the Illinois Federation for Right to Life on the group’s questionnaire, except for Andy McKenna, who agreed with 25 out of 26.
But Cosgrove said surveys of Republican primary election voters showed 70 percent of them supported a right to abortion in cases of rape and incest, unlike the candidates.
* Representatives from Gov. Quinn’s Office of Management and Budget presented a budget plan Tuesday night in the Illinois State Museum Auditorium. They opened with a PowerPoint before taking questions from reporters. Videos from the briefing are below in chronological order.
*** UPDATE *** I’m at the budget briefing. The materials include broad outlines of some of the cuts. Human services will take a $276 million hit, including adult home care, child care and community mental health.
Health takes a $325 mil reduction with cuts to prescription drug assistance [benefits cut in half] and retiree group health.
Education, including universities, is in for a $1.3 billlion cut.
464 reduced head count at state police and 30 at Corrections.
Increased head count at Ag (6.5) DCFS (208) DCEO (33) DHFS (23) Rev (75) IDOT (262) Vets (87).
• They built into the budget the 62% Medicaid match even though that extra cash expires Dec. 31. They claim strong signals that the increased match will be extended.
• There will be no briefing on any tax hike. Gov Quinn will save that for himself.
• after proposed cuts they “still have an eleven billion dollar problem.”
• The “Voucher payment notes” are various borrowing plans, the budget director says. That could include another pension note plan. Since increased pension payments appear to be $4.16 billion and the voucher payment notes are listed at $4.67 billion, that looks likely to my eyes, but we’ll have to wait and see.
• Much confusion now over what this briefing is. This is the budget, Jerry Stermer says, but this doesn’t include a tax hike, and the guv will lay out new state revenues tomorrow. So, go figure.
• It’s taken a bi to get this out of them, but it looks like they’ll borrow about 4.7 cut a couple bil and roll over about 5.7 bil to fiscal year 12. In other words they have a 4.7 bil operating deficit built in to next FY plus 6 billlion from this fiscal year.
[End of live-blogging portion.]
* I was able to obtain a little bit of the governor’s proposed budget. His total operating expenditures will rise from $29.145 billion this fiscal year to $32.117 billion next FY - mainly, it appears, because of an increase in pension payments.
Quinn’s also using $4.672 billion of something called “Voucher payment notes” to balance the budget. The explanation at the bottom of the page is “A series of notes to pay specific vouchers during the fiscal year.” Not sure yet what that means. We’ll hopefully have more after the budget briefing later this afternoon.
…Adding… The top sheet referenced above can be viewed by clicking here.
* Here are some of the state agency numbers from the governor’s soon to be proposed FY 2011 budget. The first number is the current fiscal year’s estimated expenditure and the second is the proposed funding level for next fiscal year. All numbers are in thousands…
AGENCY ($ thousands) … FY10 EST. EXPEND. … FY11 REC. APPROP
General Assembly … 50,099 … 43,155
Legislative Agencies … 103,601 … 83,348
Judicial Agencies … 400,764 … 376,608
Office of the Governor … 93,896 … 4,705 [GOMB Typo. Waiting on actual number.]
Office of the Lieutenant Governor … 94 … 0
Office of the Attorney General … 76,852 … 69,556
Office of the Secretary of State … 394,391 … 355,967
Office of the State Comptroller … 108,968 … 87,325
Office of the State Treasurer … 1,743,160 … 1,732,926
Elected Officials and Elections … 2,435,411 … 2,286,215
Department of Aging … 732,919 … 703,147
Department of Agriculture … 101,262 … 97,560
Department of Central Management Services … 846,129 … 1,064,405
Department of Children and Family Services … 1,394,312 … 1,439,450
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity … 1,053,678 … 2,389,531
Department of Natural Resources … 214,092 … 278,731
Department of Corrections … 1,202,307 … 1,305,163
Department of Employment Security … 306,510 … 350,649
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation … 78,014 … 84,185
Department of Human Services … 6,199,214 … 6,346,019
Department of Healthcare and Family Services … 14,630,665 … 15,920,104
Department of State Police … 357,519 … 359,019
Illinois Arts Council … 9,215 … 9,577
Governor’s Office of Management and Budget … 321,930 … 338,319
Office of Executive Inspector General … 6,859 … 6,931
Illinois Gaming Board … 117,127 … 137,359
GOVERNOR’S AGENCIES TOTAL … 36,013,295 … 39,719,582
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION … 10,314,159 … 9,861,256
TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM … 951,540 … 157,594
HIGHER EDUCATION TOTAL … 2,796,227 … 2,591,954
The new survey finds Brady leading by 17 points among women but just three points among men.
We’ve known for a while that Quinn had trouble with women, but I cannot possibly see how the Democrat is trailing among women to a Republican by 17 points, while losing by just 3 among men.
The crosstabs (subscribers only) show Brady ahead of Quinn 50-33 among women and 45-42 among men. The crosstabs also show Quinn leading Brady among Democrats 63-21, while Brady leads Quinn among Republicans 82-10.
The only other poll we have is the Research 2000 for Daily Kos which had Quinn up 47-32 - an almost reverse image of this one. So, go figure.
Even Rasmussen has a bit of trouble with these results…
Brady’s numbers likely reflect at least a modest bounce from the news of his victory. Given Illinois’ strong Democratic leanings, the race is sure to tighten in the days ahead.
* Meanwhile, Rasmussen has support divided over whether the LG’s office should be eliminated…
Should Illinois eliminate the position of lieutenant governor?
41% Yes
40% No
19% Not sure
The governor hopes the measure will generate as many as 20,000 jobs.
According to a source in Mr. Quinn’s office, the program will be open to companies with 50 or fewer total employees as of June 30.
For each new, full-time Illinois job created and maintained for at least one year, employers would get a $2,500 credit.
This is pretty close to a campaign proposal by Sen. Bill Brady…
I will help create and retain jobs in Illinois through employer incentives. I am proposing a $2,100 tax credit to businesses for every new job they create. The average job brings in $4,200 in revenue to the state. I believe it’s a good investment for the state, attracting new jobs to get Illinois’ unemployed back to work.
The difference, apparently, is that Quinn’s program only applies to small businesses, not big ones. That tack has obvious political advantages.
* Sheila Simon’s on the LG short list, according to Sneed…
Word late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon’s daughter, Sheila, submitted her application for the job is worth noting: Sneed has learned she was on Gov. Quinn’s list of five nominees for the job weeks ago.
Pssst! Sneed is told Quinn treasures a bow tie that once belonged to Sen. Simon, one of his heroes — given to him by Sheila Simon after her father died.
Sneed’s bet: The Dem party will select state Rep. Art Turner, for lieutenant governor.
The buckshot: Watch for a rumpus and a ruckus from angry African-American congressmen if Turner, who placed second in the primary, doesn’t get the ballot spot.
We’ll see soon enough.
* More on the hopeful LG horde, which now tops 200…
Mary Stonor Saunders of Chicago, for example, notes that she runs a company that sells high-end granola.
Carol Qualkinbush of Evanston is a partner in a company that sells products aimed at controlling foot odor.
“I am definitely not a politician but will hopefully bring an integrity that career politicians cannot often afford,” Qualkinbush notes in her application. […]
The son of Joseph Hartzler, the federal prosecutor who oversaw the conviction of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, also has tossed his name in the ring.
* Erickson looks at what these people are vying for…
On a recent tour of the space, visitors were greeted by the sound of the Capitol heating system, which still pours warm air into the offices.
Desks had been hastily cleared in the aftermath of the exodus. One room contains a jumble of furniture. Computer monitors remain, but important paperwork and any personnel effects left by Quinn’s staffers is nowhere to be seen.
In all, there are six offices jammed into the small space, including a large, high-ceilinged affair that serves as the main meeting room for the lieutenant governor’s team.
The desk in that room was once former Gov. Richard Olgilvie’s. The desk was brought into the office in 1991 when newly elected Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra walked into the space to find that his predecessor, George Ryan, had cleaned almost everything out.
To accommodate other aides, there are five offices crammed into the area. There also is a tiny bathroom, a couple of utility closets and a kitchen. In all, the budget allows for about 30 people to work for the lieutenant governor. Some work out of other offices in the Capitol complex.
* Meanwhile, in other campaign news, Ben Smith at Politico reports that Giannoulias is meeting with Axe today…
Embattled Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias — an old Obama ally, but not his preferred candidate — will be by the White House for Greek Independence Day tomorrow, and the local press has been asking the campaign what kind of welcome he’ll receive.
I’m told he’s likely to stop in and chat with political aides like Axelrod and Patrick Gaspard, part of a running effort to convince national Democrats not to write the race off.
The hits are obviously working if the national press is starting to think that Giannoulias’ troubles give him little chance of beating Mark Kirk.
A group of centrist Republicans found themselves target of robocalls on Tuesday, courtesy of a liberal action group, pressuring them on healthcare reform.
Americans United for Change launched a series of robocalls targeting 10 potentially vulnerable House GOP lawmakers, as well as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
The calls take aim at the House lawmakers for “being an important member of Congress, but when it comes to his health care he should be no better than the rest of us,” and, in the case of McCain, makes an issue of his own personal wealth.
* Preckwinkle commits to debates, reforms: The Chicago Democratic Hyde Park alderman said she would debate Republican Roger Keats and Tom Tresser of the Green Party in front of the City Club some time before the November election. She also promised a full rollback of the 1 percentage point increase in the county sales tax imposed in 2008 and scheduled to be cut in half in July.
The Illinois Department on Aging plans to move from two state-owned locations in Springfield where it pays no rent into a private office building where it will lease space for more than $530,000 a year.
The department said the move was in the works before the state’s financial problems hit and that it will enable all department employees to be in one location.
OK, hold it right there. “Before the state’s financial problems hit”? When was that? August of 2001?
Let’s continue…
Beginning July 1, Aging will lease space in the Jefferson Terrace office building in the 300 block of West Jefferson Street in Springfield. Information posted on the state’s procurement Web site said the state will lease 49,214 square feet of space for five years at a total cost of $3.3 million. That comes to about $662,000 a year, or $13.45 a square foot.
$13 billion budget deficit? Difficult, if not impossible to conjure by your average voter. But this goofy plan? Real easy to digest. Well, not so easy to digest, but you get the picture.
Isn’t there a lot of open space in IDOT’s building out by I-55? And is it really so all-important that the department be put in one building while the state is literally scrounging around for every dime to pay vendors, universities and schools?
Stupid. Just stupid. They richly deserve whatever ridicule is coming their way.
Created in an effort to keep the cost of electricity as low as possible, the Illinois Power Agency has only one employee and no one to handle its finances, a recent audit found.
Mark Pruitt was tapped to run the agency almost two years ago, and he’s remained its only employee ever since.
Here’s why…
Pruitt’s agency was created in 2007 after a months-long controversy over a spike in some Ameren and ComEd power bills. Some of the money from a $1 billion settlement with Ameren, Exelon and others, pays for the Illinois Power Agency’s operation.
David Kolata, director of the utility-watchdog Citizen’s Utility Board, said he thinks Pruitt’s doing a good job helping keep costs down. The fact that Pruitt remains alone in the agency is just a matter of bad timing, he said.
“The creation of the IPA coincided with the fiscal crisis of the state,” Kolata said.
* In other budget news, mayors are gearing up to fight the governor’s budget idea to slash local government revenue sharing by $300 million…
Normal Mayor Chris Koos said the town could lose up to $400,000 at a time when officials already have cut workers, halted new programs and increased the local sales tax to cope with current budget shortfalls.
Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder suggested his community would face additional belt-tightening.
“Any loss of additional revenue would require further cuts,” Snyder said.
While some mayors wouldn’t speculate on how exactly they would deal with cuts in state aid, Pana Mayor Steven Sipes said his town may need to look into some kind of tax or fee increase to plug such a shortfall.
And the State Journal-Register has a pretty decent editorial today which tries to give the governor some advice…
It was amateur hour when Quinn delivered his state-of-the-state speech, a stream-of-consciousness stemwinder based off of notes jotted down on a yellow legal pad. Everyone knows Quinn fancies himself a man of the people. But he’s also chief executive of the fifth-largest state in the union. He has a responsibility to present a coherent set of well-thought out, specific ideas.
* Related…
* Quinn has five in mind to take driver’s seat at tollway
* Daley’s gun control legislation proposes ‘micro-stamping‘ pistols, harsher penalties
* Daley calls for new state laws on guns: This time, the mayor also is asking the General Assembly to make it a Class 1 felony to knowingly sell a gun to a known gang member, stiffen penalties for unlawfully using a weapon and require “micro-stamping” of guns that make it easier to match weapons used in crimes.
* Bill Brady said this during his campaign kickoff fly-around yesterday…
“Our statewide ticket is not only broad-based in terms of geography, but also in terms of ancestry and background, unlike the Democrats’ ticket,” Brady said.
Ancestry?
There are two Irish-Americans (Pat Quinn and Lisa Madigan, by adoption) and three African-Americans (Jesse White, David Miller and Robin Kelly) on the Democratic ticket.
If nothing else, Brady’s comment should make it pretty clear why the Democrats are thinking about somebody other than a black person and an Irish-American for lt. governor, despite some of the uproar that the thought process has generated.
But Brady ought to be very, very careful about bringing race into this campaign. We’ve got enough problems without that. The Peoria paper passed it off as a joke. They’re doofuses. Other reporters aren’t.
* Speaking of silly statements, Brady also talked yesterday about what he would cut…
If elected he would look to reduce state spending by $3.5 billion, and call for across –the-board cuts to reduce deficit spending by 10 percent.
$3.5 billion in spending cuts? Plus a $1 billion tax cut? And the budget is magically balanced? Waiter, I want what he’s having.
“I have to cut state spending by 10 percent if I’m going to pay for my tax breaks, if I’m going to reconcile the budget in a balanced way, and pay back the backlog of unpaid bills that Gov. Quinn and Gov. Blagojevich have accumulated,” he said.”
A ten percent cut of just the operating budget wouldn’t even be $3 billion. I really would like to see his numbers on one sheet of paper.
* Meanwhile, Zorn was given an opposition research document by the Quinn campaign yesterday of some of Brady’s more socially conservative votes and statements. Read the whole thing. I’ve already written about most of these bills, but Zorn also had some quotes…
Brady said the minimum wage should be controlled by “market-forces” and opposed increases in the minimum wage. “I think supply and demand in the marketplace determines the rate of minimum wage. I don’t think governmental intrusion is as effective,” said Brady. [Pantagraph, 1/23/03]
Regarding pay equity for men and women, Brady said the marketplace should set pay standards. Responding to a question about pay equity between men and women, Brady said the marketplace should dictate pay rates. On a question about affirmative-action programs for college students, Brady said he “opposes setting quotas.” [State Journal-Register, 5/8/06]
A few more…
Co-sponsored SB 908 – Insurance Without Mandated Coverage (2003)… Voted NO on HB 211(2003) – Contraceptive Coverage in Private Health Insurance… Co-sponsored SB 2343 (2006)– Pharmacy/Pharmacist Refusal… Voted NO on SB 4 (2007) – Stem Cell Initiative… Voted NO on SB 144 Senate Concurrence with House Amendment #3 (2007)– Prevention coverage in the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)… In a questionnaire submitted to the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Senator Brady indicated that he would sign a law banning abortions except to save the life of the woman (2010)
Expect to hear more about Brady’s voting record later today. From a press release…
WOMEN LEADERS, ADVOCACY GROUPS TO DENOUNCE GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE BILL BRADY’S POSITIONS ON WOMEN’S ISSUES
In an 11 a.m. news conference on Tuesday, March 9, the Chicago Chapter of the National Organization for Women (Chicago NOW) will gather with several advocacy groups, including Citizens Action, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action and Personal PAC, along with a number of women business and political leaders, to discuss GOP Governor Candidate Bill Brady’s extreme record on issues including the Family Medical Leave Act, healthcare funding and choice issues, along with the dire consequences they entail for Illinois women and families. The choice that Illinoisans make for governor in the upcoming election will have a profound impact on the direction of our state for the next four years. But for the women of Illinois, the outcome carries particular importance.
“The Democrats are going to try to distract us, which they typically do,” Brady said. “They’re all about politics but we’re going be about policy. We’re going to be about job policy and ending the culture of corruption.”
“You’d be surprised (by) the number of people who come up to me and say ‘Hey listen, you’re pro-life, I’m pro-choice, but I’m going to support you because, A) you don’t scare me and B) I know we need someone who can take a business approach to rebuilding Illinois,”‘ Brady told The Associated Press in a telephone interview before an eight-city fly around.
“A lot of pundits don’t believe Republicans can win statewide offices in Illinois. But you and I know we can.
“Just like the states of Massachusetts, Virginia and New Jersey were challenged, Illinois can rise above it. We can reach out to independents and Democrats, through the Republican Party, and build the strongest groundswell of support with principles, values and economic development.”
Brady also said he would lift the state’s freeze on executions and would refrain from cutting funding to help ensure fair trials.
While on the topic of law and order, Brady criticized Quinn for allowing 1,700 prisoners to be freed from state prison early; some were sent back for new offenses.
“I will do everything I can to keep Illinois safe,” Brady pledged.
llinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is calling on the state health department to cancel its contract with VIP Security & Detective Services, citing a Chicago Sun-Times report that raised questions about the firm’s nursing home safety deal….Madigan described a State Police takeover as ideal.
Mr. Warren said in an interview that his resignation was effective today and that Alison Draper, who last month became Creative Loafing’s chief sales executive based in Chicago, will now be interim publisher at the Reader. While he acknowledged “differences” with Ms. Petty, he said there was nothing unusual about the transition.
* Survey finds more Peoria employers plan to add jobs
The survey showed that 21 percent of the employers interviewed expect to add to their payroll during the second quarter, April through June, while only 6 percent said they will likely reduce employment. Another 70 percent expect to maintain current levels, and 3 percent are uncertain.
The next employment outlook of 15 percent for the quarter is well above the 5 percent outlook from a year earlier, when 19 percent of the employers interviewed said they would add staff and 14 percent said they would cut staff, with 63 percent maintaining then-current levels and the rest uncertain.
* Dick Simpson back in saddle as protests grow over state budget cuts
“It seems like old times,” quipped Dick Simpson, who, as 44th Ward alderman from 1971-79, once railed against misdeeds by Mayor Richard J. Daley. He’s now chairman of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Gov. Pat Quinn’s threatened 15% cut in spending on higher education in fiscal 2011 literally will leave students unable to get the classes they need, Mr. Simpson charged, with 150 students to lose slots in poly sci classes alone due to professor layoffs and cutbacks.
* Architect who designed Willis Tower, John Hancock dies
The 53-year-old Congress bridge over the south branch of the Chicago River is about to get a well-needed face lift. Beginning April 1, dot will close the eastbound side for repairs and shift traffic to the westbound side….
At the same time IDOT begins the Congress bridge project, CDOT will begin the three-year reconstruction of upper and lower Wacker from Randolph to Congress.
This year, crews will be doing utility work on Lower Wacker, which will be open for local traffic only. The ramps to and from Lower Wacker and the Eisenhower will close April 1st for the duration of the project. This could create more congestion on Upper Wacker.
* Fines, Safety at Odds Where Chicago Has Red Light Camera Intersections
A study conducted by Texas A & M University found that adding one second of yellow decreases crashes 35 to 40 percent and violations by 60 percent. But Brian Steele, Chicago Department of Transportation director of communications, said he envisions more crashes if the city were to add an extra second of yellow at its intersections.
The collaboration could bring university doctors to Cook County’s Provident Hospital in Chicago where they would work alongside county providers.
* Grandson of Ex-Cook Co. Commissioner Fatally Shot
Bowen, who was in the Navy but was recently unemployed, is the grandson of Charles Bowen, who served a four-year term on the county board in the early 1980s. Charles Bowen, 76, later spent more than 15 years as Mayor Daley’s chief liaison to black ministers before retiring.
Every one of the 107 students in Urban Prep’s first senior class has been accepted to a four-year college.
That’s a remarkable achievement, especially considering that the overall college acceptance rate for Chicago public school graduates is 52.5 percent. And that number doesn’t include the many students who start high school but don’t finish it.
