* Isabel and I drove together last Sunday to see our Uncle Kenny (her great uncle) and she was killing some time scrolling through Twitter. All of a sudden she exclaimed that Wilco was playing that very night at Carol’s Pub in Chicago. Alas, we couldn’t score any tickets. But here’s a Grateful Dead cover from one of the shows…
Gimme five, I’m still alive
Ain’t no luck, I learned to duck.
Will County State’s Attorney and Democrat James Glasgow was on Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson Friday morning and discussed the latest updates on the status of the “SAFE-T Act,” the notoriously unpopular and controversial Illinois law set to take effect statewide on January 1st, 2023.
Among those updates are that there are now 56 County State’s Attorney’s who have filed suit seeking declaration the law is unconstitutional, and that it should be enjoined from implementation on Jan. 1st. Only 2 of Illinois’ 102 State’s Attorneys support the law.
Consolidation of all of the cases into a single case is currently pending.
Glasgow also refuted two of fellow Democrat Governor JB Pritzker’s recent public defenses of the law, namely that the SAFE-T Act addresses “poor women who need to steal diapers for their babies, but can’t afford to post bail,” and also the notion that “there are no non-detainable offenses.”
Glasgow: “Obviously, that is not the truth…The non-detainables are not listed in the statute but you figure them out, because the ones that are detainable are listed.”
“As to the diaper example, we don’t have any such people in our jail either, and also Dan, the law’s been amended: On the low-level offenses, a person gets $30 credit for every day they served in jail, so if the bond is $3,000 they wouldn’t do more than 10 days [$300, or 10% of bail] so it’s shocking that they don’t know that.”
Glasgow had a dire conclusion: “I was running around here with my hair on fire back in July because nobody was talking about the fact of releasing these prisoners in the jails. The reason that I have peace and quiet in Will County is because I’m able to restrain the violent offenders. When Chicago gang members come to Will County, they usually don’t leave, they’re in the Will County jail, and the word gets to Chicago, and they don’t come here anymore. I lose that ability [on Jan 1 when SAFE-T ACT takes effect statewide] and then the violent predators who are terrorizing Chicago, they’re gonna branch out. It’s always the path of least resistance, but we give a maximum resistance in Will County. I’ll lose all that with this new law.”
* I asked the governor’s office for a response. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
The current cash bond system that State’s Attorney Glasgow is so vehemently defending allows those “violent offenders and gang members” to buy their way out of jail. You’d think State’s Attorney Glasgow would understand the shortcomings of cash bail since prisoners in his own jail ran an alleged scam to get cash and were then released. The offenders in that scam were charged with felonies for weapon and drug offenses, but were able to buy their way out of jail. If the State’s Attorney is concerned with public safety in his community, then he should focus more time on building cases to keep violent offenders in jail instead of spreading misinformation. Once the SAFE-T Act is in place, violent offenders will no longer be able to buy their way out of jail because detention will be based on risk, not wealth, and State’s Attorneys will be able to present evidence in front of a judge – as they do now – to detain the alleged offender.
Bailey did offer one surprise: He said the state needs to cut spending on grade and high school education, suggesting at one point that many children in regions of the state, such as his area, head for the military or factory jobs and do not need the broader curriculum mandated by state law.
The state should be paying less money. The state should be pulling back, letting the local school boards determine how they want to educate their children, offering school choice. […]
What is good for New Trier is not good for Clay County, Illinois. Most, many of our children are, some of our children are going to go to the military. They’re going to go right into the workforce. There’s welders, pipe fitters, linemen. So that’s what public education needs to be.
“I’m pro-life,” he said, adding, “I couldn’t change anything if I wanted to.”
That might appease some independent voters worried that Bailey would scrap abortion laws in the state if he were elected governor. He knows that as long as Democrats control the General Assembly, that won’t happen. Democratic insiders, meanwhile, worry that electing a Republican to the governor’s mansion would be the beginning of a chipping-away at such rights – or so they say.
The real question is, if Bailey knows he doesn’t have the power to end abortion rights, why does he think he can repeal criminal justice reform laws that the General Assembly passed and Gov. JB Pritzker signed?
Bailey sees an opening: Where abortion is an impenetrable issue in Illinois, he says there are enough concerned Democrats to support a repeal of the SAFE-T Act.
In a statement to Playbook: The SAFE-T Act legislation “narrowly passed in the middle of the night, and there is an appetite for change on this policy,” Bailey spokesman Joe DeBose said in a statement. “Darren will work with all stakeholders to repeal it and replace it.”
Teachers aren’t teaching today because of the regulations that state government has put on them. I’ve experienced that. When we all went to school - probably not you, young man, but some of the rest of us - teachers went home and sometimes they worked on homework, they graded homework. You know what they do now? They spend their time filling out discipline reports. They spend their time filling out progress reports so they can send back to the state. And it’s not working.
* Because… Madigan! in CD13…
While struggling to connect with voters or talk substantively about anything besides abortion at a recent debate, Nikki Budzinski asked her opponent Regan Deering what she had been doing in Central Illinois all these years.
Today is a great day to address that question, and the answer is: working for organizations in her community and NOT with Mike Madigan.
Not surprisingly, after spending her entire career working for politicians and special interest groups, Budzinski is tied to multiple corruption investigations, especially those involving disgraced former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan.
Budzinski was at the center of the Madigan List scandal. After Gov. Pritzker’s election, Madigan’s office sent Budzinski and Anne Caprara a list of people he wanted placed into permanent positions. Budzinski then helped place at least 35 people from the list into prime spots in state government who would go on to receive more than $2.5 million a year in state salaries. Among those placed was Carrie Zalewski as head of the Illinois Commerce Commission that regulates public utilities such as Comed, the company that would help lead to Madigan’s indictment.
Budzinski’s connections to the Comed bribery indictments don’t stop there. She went on to help Speaker Madigan in a new way, by hedging the Clean Energy Jobs Coalition that sent billions of bailout dollars to Comed AFTER the company admitted to participating in a years-long patronage scheme to stay in Madigan’s good graces.
Budzinski also testified before a federal grand jury in the corruption case against former Rep. Luis Arroyo, who pled guilty and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for a bribery scheme in which he offered another politician monthly payments to support legislation to legalize sweepstakes machines.
Budzinski was also named multiple times in the case against Jenny Thornley who was indicted by a Sangamon County grand jury in September for allegedly cheating the state out of up to $100,000 in overtime she allegedly never worked.
“We know from her ads that Nikki is looking to boost her name ID, but someone should tell her that being listed in indictments is probably not the best way to do it,” said Regan 4 Congress Campaign Manager Melanie Meyers. “Nikki Budzinski is part of the Madigan Machine that Regan Deering is running to disassemble. A vote for Nikki is a vote for corrupt pay-to-play politics, and a vote for Regan is a vote for change.”
* Press release…
ILAFL-CIO President Tim Drea issued the following response to Cornell University ILR Review study.
“This week’s study from Cornell University demonstrates that union workers’ will make a million dollars more over the course of their career when compared to non-union counterparts. This is good news for Illinoisans.
Illinois has some of the strongest worker protection and prevailing wage laws in the country, yet there is still work ahead. Today, workers of all stripes are demanding better conditions, pay and benefits.
As Illinoisans, we can seize this momentum by passing the Workers’ Rights Amendment to protect union jobs for future generations that provide stability and prosperity for all, no matter their zip code, race, ethnicity, or education level.
Unions are critical to fostering a just economy where all workers’ have a seat at the table.”
Please attached for the most up-to-date Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Thursday, October 13, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 1,525 ballots cast.
Additionally, 7,444 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 173,071.
The grand total is 8,969 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
* Vote Yes For Clean Air, Clean Water & Wildlife TV ad 1…
Vote Yes For Clean Air, Clean Water & Wildlife TV ad 2…
* Somebody I know who’s not directly connected to any campaigns and who wishes to remain anonymous spoofed Dan Proft’s ads that feature Charles Thomas…
* Isabel’s roundup…
* ‘Sickened, but not surprised’: What lawmakers are saying about new charges against Madigan: Suburban lawmakers expressed anger, frustration and other emotions following the announcement of new charges against disgraced former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. “(I) am of course sickened but not surprised,” said Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush of Grayslake, a long-standing critic of Madigan and one of the first legislators to call for his eventual resignation.
* Editorial: For Illinois attorney general, the clear choice is Kwame Raoul: DeVore has chosen to not take part in the Tribune’s endorsement process, but that doesn’t really matter. Too often his response to critics is to simply sue them. We find him unqualified for the job. […] Raoul pledges to expand the attorney general’s jurisdiction over corruption cases, and Illinoisans should hold him to that pledge. In this important race, he is clearly the best qualified candidate.
* Darren Bailey skirts questions about PAC cash being used on his campaign: On the Uihlein cash? “I’m grateful for Mr. Uihlein, for what he’s done to help us. What he does through the [PAC] I have absolutely no knowledge or discretion of what they do.” He added later, “I’m in the driver’s seat of my campaign… I have no input on that.” And what does he think of those nasty TV ads? “I don’t watch TV,” he said, laughing. (Meanwhile, the Pritzker campaign asserts Bailey discussed the ads with Proft on his TV show.)
* Ballot error in Schuyler County, Illinois, results in early votes being tossed: An error on the 2022 general election ballot in Schuyler County, Illinois, has resulted in dozens of early votes being thrown out, according to the county clerk. Schuyler County Clerk and Recorder Mindy Garrett said 45 people had voted before the mistake was noticed on Wednesday. She said her office had also sent out 307 vote-by-mail ballots and volunteers were working Friday to resend updated ballots.
* Candidates make their case for how they would represent sprawling, Latino-centric district: With less than a month until Election Day, Democratic state Rep. Delia Ramirez points voters to the historic nature of her candidacy in a new congressional district that runs from Chicago’s Northwest Side about 30 miles west into DuPage County. “This moment allows for the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District to elect the first Latina in the entire Midwest to go to Congress,” Ramirez said.
* ACLU: Pretrial Fairness Act needs reform, not complete overhaul: Ben Ruddell, criminal justice attorney at the ACLU of Illinois, said reform attempts regarding the PFA will likely come during next month’s veto session in the Illinois General Assembly. The last two years of conversations among Illinois Supreme Court working groups revealed that further change is needed, he said, mainly in terms of clarifying language.
* Why sheriffs and prosecutors are so concerned about the Safe-T Act in Illinois: Tazewell County Sheriff Jeff Lower minced no words, saying “You have our leaders in Chicago saying that we are giving all the control to the judges and that’s a blatant lie. If you look at the statute, this is a total gamechanger of how we do our jobs.” To him, no-cash bail will put more work on his deputies and on judges. Moreover, he’s upset there’s only a few months until Jan. 1 and he doesn’t know yet how this will look within Tazewell County.
* Illinois’ 1st Congressional District Candidates: General Election 2022: The Republican side of June’s Primary Election was much closer, as Carlson secured the nomination with 40.5 percent of the votes. Challenger Jeff Regnier tallied 39.1 percent of votes. Only around 350 votes separated the two. […] Patch sent each of the candidates questionnaires to give each the opportunity to allow voters to get to know more about them. Carlson submitted his responses to the questionnaire, while Jackson has not.
Club For Growth Action out with the first general election independent expenditure in #IL11, dropping $471K on ads supporting Republican Catalina Lauf and opposing Bill Foster. https://t.co/IloQhIgOA9pic.twitter.com/1NF2j8Dtln
While liberal @Foster4Congress has been a rubber stamp for Joe Biden’s agenda that has led to soaring inflation, conservative @CatalinaLauf will shake up Washington and stop Democrats’ reckless spending.
Did you know radical liberal @Foster4Congress is endorsed by groups that want to defund the police and voted with Nancy Pelosi to make Illinois safer for criminals? Learn the truth about Bill Foster: pic.twitter.com/kTC6DhftKK
Timothy Mapes, the former chief of staff to then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, walked into the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Thursday morning for a status hearing on charges he lied to a federal grand jury investigating the alleged ComEd scheme. […]
Kness set a hearing for Mapes for Nov. 29, when he will hear arguments on pending motions and likely set a new trial date.
Mapes, 67, of Springfield, is free on a recognizance bond. He entered the courthouse Thursday with his attorneys and did not speak during the 15-minute hearing.
An indictment filed last year alleged Mapes repeatedly lied during a March 31, 2021, appearance before the grand jury when asked about Madigan’s relationship with his longtime confidant Michael McClain, who was charged in 2020 with orchestrating a bribery scheme by Commonwealth Edison to shower money on Madigan’s associates in exchange for the speaker’s help with legislation in Springfield.
Federal prosecutors are asking for 19 months in prison for former Teamsters union boss John Coli Sr., who pleaded guilty to extorting a Chicago film studio boss and helped federal investigators secure a ghost payrolling conviction against state Sen. Thomas Cullerton.
Coli, for years a politically connected and nationally known fixture in the Teamsters, pleaded guilty in July 2019 to one count each of receiving illegal payments and filing a false income tax return, admitting he extorted a total of $325,000 from Cinespace Chicago Film Studio President Alex Pissios. […]
In a sentencing memo filed late Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote that Coli’s extortion was “prolonged, calculated and deliberate,” involving regular bribe payments in “envelopes bursting with wads” of $25,000 in cash. […]
Federal sentencing guidelines called for up to about three years behind bars. Coli should be given a significant break, however, because of his cooperation against Cullerton, according to the filing.
In making his request to U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote that Coli “has accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct.”
“Experience in this courthouse teaches this is not an easy thing for a prominent local leader to do,” Bhachu wrote. “It is easy to assemble a busload of public figures similarly situated to Coli in this district who could not bring themselves to accept responsibility.” […]
Though plenty of public corruption cases followed, the only one Coli is known to have a hand in is the embezzlement case that put Cullerton in prison. A federal grand jury indicted Cullerton just days after Coli’s guilty plea in 2019. Cullerton entered his own guilty plea this year, and he was sentenced to one year behind bars. […]
The former labor leader’s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 26.
* And Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) says she intends to introduce anti-bullying legislation. From Ray Long and Dan Petrella at the Tribune…
On addressing the lingering issues of harassment and bad behavior in Springfield, one veteran Chicago Democrat said this week she’s pushing for an anti-bullying law that would be added to the ban on sexual harassment and mandated training for lawmakers, staff and lobbyists that were put in place following the #MeToo scandals that began in 2017.
State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz said she intends to propose legislation as soon as the lame-duck period before a new legislative session begins in mid-January. She said bullying “happens as much — if not more” than sexual harassment in Springfield, and that more needs to be done to address the statehouse atmosphere and workplaces throughout Illinois. […]
Another Democratic senator said that — since the #MeToo reckoning at the state Capitol — there seems to be less “actual sexual kind of aggression.” But there is still “bullying behavior,” said the lawmaker, who asked not to be named. “It’s aggressive power behavior, and that definitely is directed more at women than it is at men.” […]
[Sen. Michael Hastings] also has received criticism from longtime Springfield lobbyist Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. She told the Tribune that during negotiations on several occasions over the last five years Hastings became “extremely hostile” and flashed “hair-trigger anger.” […]
Hastings’ spokesman Ray Hanania said the senator denies such behavior with women, adding that the accusations are a “cheap shot” and that the use of allegations arising from his divorce proceedings amounted to “playing politics.”
In a separate interview in July on the “Public Affairs” show hosted by Jeff Berkowitz and published on the Illinois Channel YouTube page, he said he believed “there’s no question there’s a deep state,” and it was aligned against him in the GOP primary.
In his interview with Capitol News Illinois, he said he didn’t recall the post-primary interview and didn’t directly define “deep state” or answer as to whether he believes in one, but he said he believes “most Republicans” are now on board with his candidacy.
Q: You made a comment that you thought there was a deep state lining up against you within the primary and I wonder what that means.
Curran: A deep state in the primary?
Q: Yeah. There is a deep state lining up against you.
Curran: No, I mean, yeah. I mean, when you’re running for a legislative office, it’s far different than when you’re running for a judicial. And the reality is that I think a lot of people have seen this that, that the Republicans are in a super minority, and that one of the problems, I think, is that the leadership has stayed too long in many instances, and they’re way too friendly with the Democratic Party. And only the only reason I say that is because oftentimes it seems as though they vote in a rule when they legislate in a way that’s maybe good for them and not their constituents. And I think that we need to I think we’re better served by having a to a truly a two party system and you know, not not one that just kind of sits back, rubber stamps and make sure that they can get reelected, regardless of what happens to the rest of the people that represent their party.
Q: Okay, so…
Curran: I was kind of a bowling ball in a china shop at times, you know, if I didn’t like something, I said it.
Q: Yeah. So this was actually in July, I think, when this interview was posted. I mean…
Curran: So it would’ve been after the primary, yeah.
Q: Right. So any, I mean, is there a deep state?
Curran: Oh, in, for me? In this, in this race are you talking about?
Q: Yeah, I found an interview with you on Illinois channel that was posted in July after this primary in which you said…
Curran: I don’t remember that interview, I’ll be honest with you.
And while Curran’s Facebook page circulated claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election in a Jan. 3, 2021, post, he said other people had access to that page and he hasn’t posted about the election.
“I’ve said Joe Biden won, and I absolutely believe that,” he said.
Curran: Yeah, I mean, let’s put it this way. You guys are never going to catch me lying. I, I don’t, I, other people posted on my Facebook page. I did not. I’ve never posted anything about the election. So I’ve never, you know, some stuff that’s been attributed to me, other people had access to my page and posted, you know, with regards to the election. I’ve said before Joe Biden won and I absolutely believe that.
Curran spoke more directly to the role of partisanship on the high court, stating that while he wouldn’t rule in a partisan manner, he’d rule in a manner “that is a balance to the governor.”
“Let’s say Darren Bailey wins – he is behind in the polls and everything but, you know, I hope Darren Bailey wins,” Curran said when asked what’s at stake in the Supreme Court election. “Even if he wins, chances are he’s going to be totally ineffective in many regards, because of the fact that the General Assembly has enough votes to override any veto by the governor. So the state will continue to be run by one party, that party being the Democrats. And there’s no check and balance or anything in the state.”
“Lake County is not purple, it’s blue, folks,” Curran said. “You know, the wrong people moved in, what have you. We need to change that and we will.”
Curran said later that he was saying that “it was a Republican county and then Democrats moved in,” and the “wrong people” comment had nothing to do with race. “The ethnic groups haven’t changed,” he said. “We’re the same percentages.”
* In the full interview, Curran was also asked about the All For Justice TV ads which claim he is anti-abortion, including being opposed to exceptions for rape and incest…
I’m Catholic, and I’m, I’m sort of pro-life. I don’t remember ever saying anything about rape or incest or anything else.
This is from that very same 2019 Bernie Schoenburg story…
He also said Durbin is “not really a Catholic,” noting that Durbin, who is Catholic, has been denied communion in his home diocese in Springfield because he backs legal abortion.
Curran said he is pro-life and would only allow abortion to save the life of the mother.
In the open race to succeed retiring Secretary of State Jesse White, former Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias leads Republican state Rep. Dan Brady 43% to 32%, with Libertarian Jon Stewart poised to play the role of spoiler with 8%. […]
In the race to become the state’s chief legal officer, first-term Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul is ahead of Republican Thomas G. DeVore by a 44% to 35% spread. Libertarian Daniel K. Robin drew support from 8% of those polled. […]
In other statewide races, second-term Democratic state Comptroller Susana Mendoza holds a 46% to 32% lead over Republican Shannon L. Teresi. Libertarian Deirdre McCloskey trails far behind at 7%. Undecideds total 15%.
And in the race for state treasurer, two-term Democratic incumbent Michael W. Frerichs has a 43% to 35% lead over state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, who also is a member of Durkin’s House GOP leadership team and a five-term House member. Libertarian Preston Nelson has 6%, with another 16% undecided.
Public Policy Polling surveyed 770 likely voters in Illinois on Monday and Tuesday. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Half of the surveys were conducted via telephone, while the other half were conducted via text message.
* AT&T’s alleged motive to play ball, from today’s federal indictment of AT&T Illinois’ former president Paul La Schiazza…
Between in or around 2010 and continuing until in or around 2015, AT&T Illinois unsuccessfully worked to enact legislation in the Illinois General Assembly that would have made it easier to terminate its obligation to provide landline telephone services to all Illinois residents, which was commonly referred to as the carrier of last resort (“COLR”) obligation. AT&T Illinois projected that it would save millions of dollars through the passage of COLR legislation and the elimination of its obligation to provide landline services to all Illinois residents.
In or around 2017, AT&T Illinois continued to advocate for the passage of COLR legislation by the Illinois General Assembly. The General Assembly passed AT&T Illinois’s COLR legislation, contained in Senate Bill 1839, on or about May 31, 2017, but it was vetoed by the Governor of Illinois. Another version of the COLR legislation, contained in House Bill 1811, was passed by the General Assembly, and it was vetoed by the Governor again. The veto was overridden in the House and Senate on or about July 1, 2017, and the COLR legislation became law. Madigan voted in favor of House Bill 1811, and voted to override the Governor’s veto of House Bill 1811.
Beginning no later than in or around February 2017, and continuing through in or around January 2018, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, PAUL LA SCHIAZZA, defendant herein, did conspire with Michael J. Madigan, Michael F. McClain, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury:
a. to corruptly solicit and demand, and to accept and agree to accept from another person things of value, namely, monetary payments to Individual FR-1 [Ed Acevedo], for the benefit of Madigan and Individual FR-1, intending that Madigan, an agent of the State of Illinois, be influenced and rewarded in connection with any business, transaction, and series of transactions of the State of Illinois involving things of value of $5,000 or more, namely, COLR legislation, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B)
The carrier of last resort language was inserted into the bill, the feds allege, by then-Speaker Madigan and Mike McClain. Their alleged motive was some money for Ed Acevedo, who left the House and was apparently looking for income.
a. On or about February 14, 2017, McClain sent an email to Individual ATT-1 asking for “a small contract” for [Ed Acevedo].
b. On or about February 16, 2017, LA SCHIAZZA informed AT&T Illinois employees that McClain had been assigned by Madigan to work on AT&T Illinois’s legislation as a “Special Project.”
c. On or about March 28, 2017, LA SCHIAZZA sent an email to Individual ATT-1 and Individual ATT-3 in which he indicated that McClain had called to ask if AT&T Illinois had $2,500 or $3,000 per month for a “small contract” for [Ed Acevedo].
d. On or about March 28, 2017, LA SCHIAZZA advised Individual ATT-1 and Individual ATT-3 that AT&T Illinois had received a “GO order” to hire [Ed Acevedo].
e. On or about March 31, 2017, LA SCHIAZZA wrote an email in which he advised Individual ATT-1, Individual ATT-2, and Individual ATT-3 that he had no objection to paying [Ed Acevedo] through an intermediary as a consultant, instead of directly as a lobbyist, “as long as you are sure we will get credit and the box checked.”
f. On or about March 31, 2017, Individual ATT-3 wrote an email in which Individual ATT-3 asked Individual ATT-1 and Individual ATT-2 the following about hiring [Ed Acevedo] through an intermediary as a consultant: “[A]re we 100% certain that we will get credit for being responsive?”
g. On or about March 31, 2017, Individual ATT-3 wrote an email to Individual ATT-1 and Individual ATT-2, in which he added, “I think remaining question is if we would get credit from the powers that be.”
h. On or about March 31, 2017, Individual ATT-2 wrote an email responding to the email referenced in paragraph 17(g) above, “I would hope that as long as we explain the approach to McClain and [Ed Acevedo] gets the money then the ultimate objective is reached.”
i. On or about March 31, 2017, Individual ATT-3 wrote an email responding to the email referenced in paragraph 17(h) above, “I don’t think Paul [LA SCHIAZZA] wants this based on ‘hope.’ We need to confirm prior to executing this strategy.”
j. On or about April 2, 2017, Individual ATT-1 texted McClain that he wanted to discuss a “consulting issue.”
k. On or about April 5, 2017, in connection with the payment of [Ed Acevedo], Individual ATT-3 submitted a false justification via email to a fellow AT&T Illinois employee in support of increasing the monthly payment made to Intermediary 4, so that Intermediary 4 could in turn pay [Ed Acevedo] $2,500 a month for the remainder of 2017.
l. On or about April 20, 2017, LA SCHIAZZA signed a contract amendment on behalf of AT&T Illinois that increased compensation to Intermediary 4 by $2,500 per month for April 2017 through December 2017.
m. On or about April 26, 2017, after Intermediary 4’s contract had been amended so that AT&T Illinois could make indirect payments through Intermediary 4 to [Ed Acevedo], Individual ATT-2, Individual ATT-3, and the owner of Intermediary 4 met with [Ed Acevedo] for the first time to discuss paying [Ed Acevedo] $2,500 per month to prepare a report on the political dynamics of the General Assembly’s and the City of Chicago’s Latino Caucus.
n. On or about April 28, 2017, after [Ed Acevedo] had rejected the proposal to indirectly pay him $2,500 a month as being insufficient, Individual ATT-1 contacted McClain and confirmed that $2,500 per month was sufficient.
o. On or about May 26, 2017, the Speaker’s office requested a complete roll call on Senate Bill 1839, which included the COLR legislation.
p. On or about May 31, 2017, Madigan voted in favor of Senate Bill 1839.
q. On or about June 29, 2017, after the COLR legislation had been added as an amendment to House Bill 1811, Madigan voted in favor of the amendment to House Bill 1811.
r. On or about July 1, 2017, Madigan voted to override the Governor’s veto of House Bill 1811.
s. On or about each date set forth below, the conspirators caused payments to be made to Intermediary 4 in the approximate amount set forth below, with a substantial portion of each payment intended for Individual FR-1:
t. On or about each date set forth below, Intermediary 4 caused a check to be made to a company designated by Individual FR-1 in the approximate amount set forth below, for payments totaling approximately $22,500:
* High numbers for a third party candidate generally means that voters are looking for an alternative to the two main candidates. Here’s Tina Sfondeles and Dave McKinney…
In the governor’s race, the poll found Pritzker leading Bailey 49% to 34%, with Libertarian Scott Schluter boasting 8% — with 9% of those polled still undecided. When it comes to offering their opinions of the candidates, 46% of those surveyed held favorable views of Pritzker, 46% unfavorable and 9% were unsure. […]
Pritzker and Bailey were tied among downstate voters with 40% each, while Pritzker was leading the downstate farmer in Chicago 78% to 12%. The spreads were closer in suburban Cook and the collar counties, but the Democratic governor still held the edge. […]
The poll also found U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth leading her Republican opponent, Kathy Salvi, 50% to 36%, with 5% supporting Libertarian Bill Redpath and another 9% undecided.
The poll of 770 likely general election voters, conducted by Public Policy Polling, was taken on October 10 and 11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%. Of those polled, 38% said they were Democrats, 32% said they were Republicans and 30% were independents. The geographic breakdown was 35% downstate, 26% collar counties, 20% Chicago and 19% in suburban Cook County.
Bruce Rauner got 15 percent of Chicago’s vote in 2018, and 21 percent in 2014, so some slippage for Bailey. The big surprise there is Downstate. That’s the second media poll in a row showing some surprising Downstate strength for Pritzker. Wish we had suburban numbers, though.
And if the Libertarians manage to get major party ballot status with a big showing this year, that’ll be one more of many hurdles for the Illinois GOP.
AT&T Illinois has agreed to pay a $23 million fine as part of a federal criminal investigation into the company’s illegal efforts to influence former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The investigation of AT&T Illinois, which was previously reported by the Tribune earlier this year, is being resolved with a deferred prosecution agreement under which the company admitted it arranged for payments to be made to an ally of Madigan to influence the powerful speaker’s efforts to assist with legislation sought by the company in Springfield.
In exchange for admitting guilt and paying a $23 million fine, the charge will be dropped by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in two years. […]
The payments to [former state Rep. Edward Acevedo] were made via a lobbying contract between AT&T and Thomas Cullen, a former Madigan staffer and longtime political strategist aligned with the speaker, two sources told the newspaper.
Acevedo was a registered lobbyist at the time, state records show, but not for AT&T, and the sources said the amount of work Acevedo actually did for AT&T is in question.
Whew. Stay tuned because this post will be updated.
*** UPDATE 1 *** AT&T’s response…
AT&T has issued this response to news of its involvement in the Springfield/Madigan corruption scandal pic.twitter.com/EQKq5LgjGq
The former president of Illinois Bell Telephone Company, which does business as AT&T Illinois, has been charged in federal court with participating in a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the former Illinois Speaker of the House of Representatives involving the company’s efforts to advance legislation in the Illinois General Assembly.
PAUL LA SCHIAZZA conspired in 2017 with former Speaker Michael J. Madigan, Madigan’s close friend, Michael McClain, and others, to corruptly arrange for $22,500 to be paid to a Madigan ally, according to a five-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. AT&T Illinois caused the payments to be made through an intermediary – a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois – to conceal the true nature of the payments, which was to influence and reward Madigan’s efforts as Speaker to assist the company with respect to certain legislation, the indictment alleges. Although the members of the conspiracy formulated a pretextual assignment for Madigan’s ally to disguise why the ally was being paid, the ally performed no actual work for AT&T Illinois and had no role in advancing the legislation, the indictment states.
La Schiazza, 65, is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of corruptly giving something of value to reward a public official, and three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.
Also today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a one-count criminal information charging AT&T Illinois with using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity.
The public is reminded that charges are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Illinois Bell Telephone Company, LLC, which does business as AT&T Illinois, today agreed to pay $23 million to resolve a federal criminal investigation into alleged misconduct involving the company’s efforts to unlawfully influence former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan.
The investigation of AT&T Illinois is being resolved with a deferred prosecution agreement under which the company admitted it arranged for payments to be made to an ally of Madigan to influence and reward Madigan’s efforts to assist AT&T Illinois with respect to legislation sought by the company. The U.S. Attorney’s Office today filed a one-count criminal information in U.S. District Court in Chicago charging AT&T Illinois with using an interstate facility to promote legislative misconduct. Under the agreement, the government will defer prosecution on the charge for two years and then seek to dismiss it if AT&T Illinois abides by certain conditions, including continuing to cooperate with any investigation related to the misconduct alleged in the information.
The deferred prosecution agreement requires AT&T Illinois to pay $23 million to the federal Crime Victims Fund. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The charge and the deferred prosecution agreement were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.
AT&T Illinois’s admissions regarding the charged conduct are contained in a Statement of Facts attached to the deferred prosecution agreement. AT&T Illinois admitted that in 2017 it arranged for an ally of Madigan to indirectly receive $22,500 in payments from the company. The company paid the money through an intermediary – a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois. Although AT&T Illinois employees formulated a pretextual assignment for Madigan’s ally to disguise why the ally was being paid, the ally performed no actual work for AT&T Illinois and the company made no effort to ensure any work was performed. AT&T Illinois acknowledged in the agreement that AT&T Illinois’s then-president used an interstate facility to facilitate Madigan’s indirect receipt of a thing of value, namely the payments made to his ally, in exchange for Madigan’s vote and influence over a bill.
In addition to the monetary penalty and its continued cooperation with the government, AT&T Illinois’s obligations under the agreement include implementing a new compliance and ethics program and providing annual reports to the government regarding remediation and implementation of the program. If AT&T Illinois fails to completely fulfill each of its obligations under the agreement during the two-year term, the U.S. Attorney’s Office can initiate prosecution of the charged offense.
The deferred prosecution agreement is here. The “information” is here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Gonna be a busy Friday…
Madigan and longtime confidant Michael McClain now face an additional conspiracy count alleging the corrupt scheme with AT&T Illinois.
“Indicted former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s legacy continues to haunt Illinois as he now faces additional corruption-related charges. Since 2019, nine Chicago Democratic Aldermen & women, three Democratic State Representatives, and four Democratic State Senators have been indicted or convicted on corruption-related charges, including Madigan himself.
While these additional charges, as well as AT&T’s settlement, is another step towards justice, with Ilinois Democrats and their corruption charges, it’s like the “Never Ending Story”. This sad saga hasn’t ended with Madigan. It will only end when Democratic leaders like Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon stop turning a blind eye to Madiganesque behavior in their caucuses.”
- Mega donor Uihlein kicks in millions to help elect Republicans who question election results: “More than nine of every 10 dollars mega donors Dick Uihlein and his wife Liz have contributed directly to congressional candidates running in the midterms have gone to Republicans who cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020,” reports Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles
- In IL-10, Republican Joseph Severino says his new poll by Victory Research shows he’s still in the hunt. Though POLITICO’s Forecast 2022 has the race as going solid Democrat for Rep. Brad Schneider.
* Democrats defend the SAFE-T Act as opposition grows: A recent panel discussion was held to “dispel myths on ending money bonds” in the state, organizers said. One of the architects of the law, state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, said the crime wave is a byproduct of the current judicial system.
* Daily Herald Endorsement: Kwame Raoul for attorney general: four years ago, we endorsed Raoul based on his depth of understanding of the law, his experience and his passion on behalf of public service. He has not disappointed. He has been an activist attorney general who has upheld the energetic decadeslong consumer-focused traditions of the attorney general’s office. Raoul has earned another term.
* Daily Herald opinion: Mike Frerichs endorsed for another term as state treasurer: In his two terms as Illinois’ chief investment officer, the state has topped $1.2 billion in investment gains while cutting investment fees by more than $100 million. Frerichs accelerated and increased repayments of unclaimed property by modernizing this once paper-based program.
* Race could determine partisan makeup of state’s high court: It’s a race that’s become more visible on the airwaves in recent days, with Gov. JB Pritzker chipping $500,000 into the Rochford campaign war chest. Her backers have aired ads that highlight Curran’s long history of antiabortion rhetoric. Rochford, meanwhile, has support from abortion rights advocacy groups and her campaign website bills her as a champion of women’s rights.
* Senate District 31 candidates have different views on SAFE-T Act, other issues: Listening to former state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, and Republican Adam Solano of Third Lake, talk about the SAFE-T Act, a voter might think the two Illinois state Senate candidates are speaking about two different pieces of legislation. “It needs to be repealed or heavily fixed,” Solano said. “It’s wrong to keep people in jail just because they don’t have money, but let violent people walk free because they do,” Edly-Allen said.
* Candidates make their case for election to state House in Districts 51 and 52: Both Syed and Bos want to see a reduction in gun violence, but they have different approaches. Syed said she will support legislation to ban military assault weapons and wants to find ways to stem the flow of weapons arriving in Illinois from other states with laxer laws.
Today PBR PAC released Episode 3 in its series “Real Talk with Charles Thomas.” In the latest installment, Thomas calls for black families in Illinois to “punish” JB Pritzker for failing to live up to his so-called “social equity” promises to black businesspeople when it came to dispensary licenses for the state-created recreational cannabis industry.
“We can’t do this again,” said Thomas. “We can’t let Pritzker take advantage of us again. He insulted us with his words in his first run for governor and then proceeded to spend four years insulting us with his deeds.”
The ad is available on YouTube, the PBR PAC Facebook Page and will run on statewide media this week.
For 25 years, ABC 7 political reporter Charles Thomas gave you the straight news. Now he’s giving you real talk on the governor’s race.
Charles Thomas: “JB Pritzker promised what he called ‘equity’ when the new recreational cannabis industry opened in Illinois. Blacks got nothing. ZERO. Nothing. He needs to be punished for that. Black people should not vote for JB Pritzker because he didn’t live up to that promise.”
* I totally forgot about this story, but I stumbled across an outline I worked up during the long weekend and I can’t waste it now. WGN…
Last night’s debate between the major party candidates running for Governor of Illinois, Democrat J. B. Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey, was a ratings winner for WGN-TV. The first debate, “YOUR LOCAL ELECTION HEADQUARTERS: ILLINOIS GOVERNOR’S DEBATE,” took place on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. CT, at the Illinois State University campus in Normal, IL.
The debate reached over 240,000 total viewers, finishing #1 in the time period. It also finished #1 in the key Adults 25-54 demographic.
The actual number was 241,313. The WGN numbers above were only for the Chicago media market.
According to the US Census, 22.1 percent of Illinoisans are under 18, and therefore cannot vote. Subtract those 1,661,642 people and you’re left with 5,857,102 adult Illinois viewers in the Chicago media market.
The statewide voter registration rate among eligible voters is 74.4 percent. So, somewhere around 4,357,684 registered voters are in the Chicago media market.
And that means, with 241,313 viewers, about 5.5 percent of registered voters in the Chicago media market watched last week’s debate on TV, assuming all the viewers were 18 and above. More may have watched online, but even so, as I always warn people, the vast majority of folks just don’t watch gubernatorial debates.
However, [Rep. Dan Brady] also discussed his plan to reduce vehicle registration fees by $50 during his first year in office. Brady insisted that this would be affordable for the state and would be a way to help cash-strapped motorists.
But there are 11 million vehicles registered in Illinois. Even if 1 million of those vehicles do not renew their registration in a given year, that still appears to amount to a loss in revenue of some $500 million which would need to be plugged. Brady insisted that this was not the case, but even at the end of our session, we couldn’t fully understand his math. And, since we have editorialized against schemes that look like vote-getting giveaways (already a feature of the mayoral race in Chicago), we found this aspect of Brady’s plan to be problematic.
Giannoulias appeared further along in his thinking on how to enhance the digital capabilities of the office, discussing with us his ideas for a new secretary of state app (long overdue) and developing a digital driver’s license, meaning that you would be able to carry around your license on your smartphone. And, of course, that would also allow for instant updating.
Brady rightly pointed out the real dangers of cybercrime and identity theft, but Illinoisans already carry their credit cards and other sensitive documents on their phones. And digitization (to varying degrees) already has happened in other states, including Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma and Colorado. Much attention has been paid to security. As Giannoulias said, “Illinois doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel.”
* OK, on to a couple of oppo dumps. Last year…
“I’m not vaccinated,” @DarrenBaileyIL told a room of Republican primary voters last Thursday in Wheeling at the Chevy Chase Country Club. He tells the crowd he wants to see more transparency about what DNA might be in “MMA and rubella.” It’s MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella.” pic.twitter.com/z4eawkCtjH
Somehow, Bailey must’ve forgotten about that statement this week when he was on WPNA Radio…
Host: During the same debate, Gov. Pritzker accused you for not being vaccinated for COVID-19 [laughs]. He said, ‘He, himself is not vaccinated.’ You responded, ‘How do you know that?’ What was the reason for your reply?
Bailey: Well, I’ve had a lot of people suggest that I file suit against him for a HIPAA violation for, for purporting information like that. He has no idea if I am or not. And how dare a governor of a state, such a high position, to go around and talk about someone else’s health and whether or not such you know, yeah, no, I think that’s wrong, but to him…
Host: Yeah personal medical medication. Right. Nobody should know if you got vaccinated, if you got X-ray, tooth pulled out, right?
Bailey: And I think that shows how dangerous this man is by what he’s potentially looking for in the future that we might carry some card or wear some kind of a badge to say, you know, we’re vaccinated or you know, give our health status. It’s dangerous.
* More over the transom stuff, this time on Bailey-related gun raffles. One of Bailey’s schools…
‼️ We are having our 2nd annual gun raffle! ALL proceeds go back to pay off our new gym.🤩
Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee Launches Six-Figure Campaign to ‘Halt The Assault’
Following months of public outcry demanding policy change, today the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee launched a new campaign to bolster and build legislative support around a ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines dubbed ‘Halt The Assault.’ A statewide effort supported by leading national gun violence prevention organizations, Halt The Assault will utilize tools to organize and activate supporters to reach their state lawmakers and ultimately advance the life-saving measure in the coming months. […]
Halt the Assault will pair digital advocacy and paid media to reach concerned residents and drive them toward action. Campaign assets are attached, and you can learn more about the affiliated political action committee, G-PAC, in this video profile.
The campaign will focus its efforts on DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, McHenry, Suburban Cook and Will counties, as well as the Bloomington, Champaign, Metro East, Peoria, Springfield and Quad Cities metro areas. An updated legislator contact tool will be employed to connect constituents with their lawmakers and put facts front and center in the policy conversation. GVPAC is investing six figures into the campaign and will activate its advocacy network of nearly 200 organizations that have organized behind past efforts to hold gun dealers accountable, require universal background checks for all gun sales, and make ghost guns illegal.
Organizations supporting Halt The Assault include GVPAC, One Aim Illinois, Everytown, Giffords, Moms Demand Action and Brady.
* Democrats are counting on Duckworth to help them keep control of the U.S. Senate: Although Salvi has said she expects “full well” to win the November general election, a defeat to Duckworth would be far from the first electoral setback for the Republican nominee and her husband, Al Salvi. […] But in a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans, Duckworth has eagerly highlighted the differences she has with Salvi on virtually all of the biggest political issues of these times, including gun control, abortion and immigration.
* Close election expected for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District: The district, which was held by U.S. Rep. Cherri Bustos before she announced she wasn’t seeking another term, was redrawn by Democrats in what some say was a blatant case of gerrymandering, but the move may backfire. Bustos, D-Moline, is backing Democrat Eric Sorenson, a former TV weatherman. He faces Republican Esther Joy King, an Army veteran who narrowly lost to Bustos in 2020.
* The election for Illinois’ attorney general comes at a dramatic legal moment: The attorney general’s race rarely grabs front-page headlines — but experts and advocates across the political spectrum say the position is one of the most essential in the state. In addition to the hot-button issues of crime and criminal justice reform, Illinois’ next attorney general could play a key role in everything from abortion to LGBTQ rights.
* Police groups endorsing different candidates for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District: “I am proud to announce that with our 34,500 plus members out there whom we represent … we unanimously endorse Regan Deering as the candidate for U.S. Congress for the 13th Congressional District,” said Illinois Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Southwood during a news event this week. […] Earlier this year, the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District.
* Endorsement: Casten for Congress from Illinois Dist. 6: [Casten] is articulate as well as passionate about issues including abortion rights, gun control and, with his particular expertise as the former head of an energy business, climate policy. And, he is a frequent presence in the district, having conducted more than 60 town halls in his two terms to discuss his ideas with constituents. We would have liked to have seen more thoughtful engagement during the campaign between these two candidates, but we’re confident that Casten’s background and congressional experience make him well suited for a third term. He gets our endorsement.
* Daily Herald opinion: Wheeler for Illinois’ 83rd House district: Wheeler, the House assistant minority leader, has impressed us as a thoughtful, business-oriented legislator who maintains solidly conservative values while understanding the need to work across the aisle. He is measured and compassionate on the issues, including being open-minded about proposals in response to mass shootings and supporting the need to keep guns away from those who should not own them. When voicing concerns about provisions of the Safe-T Act, he does so with reasoned arguments, steering clear of the hyperbole and ugly rhetoric that have dominated the debate for so many of the act’s opponents.
* Judicial races include 2 write-ins: Six candidates are seeking three judicial seats Nov. 8 in a sometimes controversial election in Madison County. Current Associate Judge A. Ryan Jumper, a Democrat, and attorney Tim Berkley, a Republican, are competing for the seat of retiring Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge, who is stepping down in December.
Over half of the 102 State’s Attorneys in Illinois have filed lawsuits against the act.
Knox County State’s Attorney, Jeremy Karlin said the process is unconstitutional.
“There are good arguments the statute is unconstitutional, because first of all, the Illinois constitution talks about a cash bail being used,” he explained. “So it’s specifically mentioned in our constitution. The statute doesn’t take into account, adequately, the rights of victims. These crime victim rights are institutionalized in the Illinois Constitution. So it’s the separation of powers issue. I think the most significant constitutional problem is that because the statute is more worded poorly and so vaguely, implementation of the statute is going to look different in every county.”
State’s Attorney Karlin is one of many who filed a lawsuit but said there are plans to consolidate all lawsuits into one.
With a Jan. 1, 2023, enforcement date looming on the Pre-Trial Fairness Act component of the SAFE-T Act, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said she hopes that changes to the bill in the State House can provide some clarity on how parts of the law should be enforced.
Signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last year, the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act implements sweeping reform impacting many aspects of the criminal justice system, including pre-arrest diversion, policing, pretrial, sentencing, and corrections.
Mosser said the Pre-Trial Fairness Act (PFA), which is best known for eliminating cash bail, helps replace an “antiquated system.”
“We are moving toward a system that is actually better, that will detain people who should be detained,” she said.
McLean County’s top prosecutor says that her lawsuit aimed at stopping the criminal justice reform law known as the SAFE-T Act is not a negotiating tactic and that she’s not “opposed to responsible bail reform.”
Erika Reynolds, who was appointed state’s attorney last month, filed the lawsuit last week along with McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage. Both are Republicans; the four defendants are the Democratic governor, attorney general and two legislative leaders. Their lawsuit, assigned to Judge Rebecca Foley, is very similar in language – identical in parts – to those filed by law enforcement officials in other Illinois counties, including Tazewell.
The intention is to consolidate those complaints into a single lawsuit, said Reynolds.
“This is just one tool that we have in our tool chest to try to address the concerns we have,” Reynolds told WGLT. “But no, it’s not a negotiation tactic.” […]
In their press release, Reynolds and Sandage said a “reasonable compromise” is possible and that they support “meaningful, responsible bail reform.” Reynolds on Wednesday declined to describe what that might look like. She said the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association was involved in negotiations with stakeholders, including lawmakers, and she didn’t want to undermine that.
Pritzker is right that there’s a lot of bad information being spun out there about what the SAFE-T Act does and doesn’t do. And he has political reasons not to provoke his base right before an election by calling for wholesale changes in the bill.
But if the perception that crime is out of control is hurting business—helllooooo, Ken Griffin—Pritzker’s job is to change the perception. And posturing about a tweak here or there while letting the General Assembly take the lead isn’t going to change the perception. Only a governor can be bold, not a gaggle of legislators.
We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks. But you can bet your ballot box that rival gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey will have something to say about this when he meets with the Crain’s edit board later today.
The two men running for Kane County Sheriff have concerns about the SAFE-T Act and support offering drug treatment programs for those in the county jail. […]
[Incumbent Democrat Ron] Hain said he’s spent the last 2½ years understanding the act, how it will be implemented and making lawmakers aware of concerns about it. He estimates about one-fourth of the current jail population would be eligible for release under the cashless bail system that would take effect Jan. 1 under the law.
He said he has continued to “press the issue” but also has worked to be prepared for whatever changes may come Jan. 1.
[Jeff] Bodin said he believes the SAFE-T Act has some good aspects — such as mandating body cameras for police officers — while other parts of the Act are troubling. He is concerned the law limits what offenses would qualify for detention pretrial.
“It’s going to be a disaster,” he said, echoing critics’ claims that some serious offenses may not be eligible for detention. “I’m fine with a low-level offense being released … but to let a serious offender out of jail … is going to be an absolute disaster.”
For months, the Public Safety Working Group has been meeting regularly with stakeholders from across the state to discuss ways we can improve and ensure successful implementation of the SAFE-T Act. Ford and Hurley’s task force has never been tasked with these conversations. https://t.co/YluyvUymy9
State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (HD 45), along with candidates Jack Vrett (HD 53), Stefanie Hood (HD 42), and Michelle Smith (HD 97), will host a news conference via zoom and broadcast on BlueRoomStream on Thursday, October 13 at 10:30am.
Mazzochi will introduce three House Republican candidates running against machine-backed politicians and how this election cycle represents the best opportunity in decades to remove the stain of corruption from our state politics.
* Isabel ran the press conference audio through Otter.com and the rough transcript shows 40 mentions of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s name in 25 minutes, including this question submitted by a reporter and read aloud…
Q: We have our first question from the media and I’ll put it out there. Do you folks think Madigan is pulling any strings behind the scenes? Or is it an all new group which has learned the machine ways?
Rep. Mazzochi: I’m not going to speculate as to what Mike Madigan is or isn’t doing. You’d probably get a better answer through some recordings at the US Attorney’s office or at a table near a bathroom hallway in a Southside restaurant. But what we have seen is, when it comes to the vendors, the tactics, the styling, it’s the same, the same old, same old Madigan routine and machine politics that’s going on. You know, again, when you look at where people are getting their funding, it’s the same old special interest groups. It’s the same old demands. And it’s the hope is that the people in Illinois decided they don’t want the same old outcome, and that they’re finally going to look past what I would call the shrieky emotional negative advertisements and the false statements that are always made about Republican candidates that never accurately represent our record, and which always distort the records of the candidates on the Democratic side of the aisle, we can actually get some real change in Illinois.
Sen. Dick Durbin, who heads the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., and presided over confirmation hearings for the first African-American woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, is getting involved in Illinois judicial politics.
D.C. delivery: The Senate Democratic whip is endorsing Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford for Illinois Supreme Court in the 2nd District. […]
On camera:Durbin has cut an ad that promotes Rochford’s experience but also takes shots at Curran. “He’s anti-choice, believes the 2020 election was stolen and his mind is bubbling over with screwball conspiracies,” Durban says in the ad. […]
Why he’s getting in the mud: That Durbin would get involved in a state race is an indication of how important Democrats view the contest.
* “Ad” must be loosely defined because you’re not gonna see this on TV or streaming. For one, it’s well over a minute long. And the lighting is just… I mean… Half the background is a door. His delivery leaves a lot to be desired, to be kind. I kid, but my first impression was that this looked like a hostage video taken by an older smart phone…
Hello, I’m Senator Dick Durbin. One of the most important races on the ballot this November is to fill the vacancy on the Illinois Supreme Court. I’m supporting Judge Elizabeth Rochford to fill that vacancy. She has a record which reflects real confidence in the ability of women to make the most important decisions in their lives.
She’s endorsed by Planned Parenthood, labor organizations and many legislators in the area. In contrast, she’s running against Mark Curran. I know him well. He ran against me for the United States Senate. I know his positions. He’s anti-choice. He believes the 2020 election was stolen. His mind is bubbling over with screwball conspiracies. That’s why the Illinois State Bar Association, a bipartisan group, says Mark Curran is not recommended. He has no experience as a judge. When it comes to Judge Rochford, they gave her a highly recommended position. And that is a result of a bipartisan vote by the State Bar Association.
When it comes down to it, Elizabeth Rochford is reasonable and respected and will be the right person for the Supreme Court.
“His mind is bubbling over with screwball conspiracies,” is a truly great line. Maybe re-take that and put it in an actual ad. Also, I think the ISBA prefers to think of itself as non-partisan.
Today the Illinois Republican Party was made aware of a ballot issue in Schuyler County, where Early Voters were given ballots containing the name of a former Republican candidate instead of current Republican nominee for Senate Kathy Salvi. As well, over 300 Vote By Mail ballots containing this same defect had been disseminated to Schuyler County voters. Kathy Salvi’s campaign was justifiably upset over this error.
From the Salvi campaign press release earlier this afternoon:
“On Tuesday, October 11th, it was brought to my attention that ballots drafted by the Schuyler County Board of Elections, and approved by the Illinois State Board of Elections, incorrectly listed one of my primary opponents as the Republican nominee for United States Senate. Our campaign legal team immediately took action and worked with the Schuyler County State’s Attorney. While we came to the best remedy - to sequester the hundreds of ballots that were distributed - this does not solve the most pressing problem of election integrity and transparency.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy issued the following statement in solidarity with Salvi and her campaign:
“Voters need to have confidence that our election process is conducted fairly and transparently. This is an unacceptable error by the Schuyler County Clerk. While we are lucky that we caught this error early, this doesn’t change the fact that it could very well disenfranchise dozens of her voters. Officials responsible must be held accountable professionally, and Schuyler County must come up with a solution to remedy their mistake and ensure these voters have a say in who represents them in the United States Senate.”
* Schuyler has a total population of about 7,000 people. It’s small, and the number of votes at this early date is even smaller, according to this report in Center Square…
In a letter Salvi’s campaign shared with media, her attorney John Fogarty Jr., indicates the Schuyler County State’s Attorney provided information that a total of 45 people have cast early votes using the incorrect ballot.
“I have requested, and you have agreed, that these ballots will be sequestered and processed separately,” Fogarty said.
The letter also indicates 307 vote-by-mail ballots have been mailed out with the incorrect candidate listed.
“I have requested, and you have agreed, that any such returned ballots are sequestered and are not permitted to be counted,” Fogarty said. “You have indicated that while the Clerk’s plan for a remedy is not yet final, it is her current intention to send corrected ballots and an explanatory letter to those three hundred seven (307) voters who have already been mailed an errant Vote By Mail ballot.”
* I reached out to Matt Dietrich at the Illinois State Board of Elections about the plan to unilaterally sequester ballots…
We were told initially that that is what they planned to do and we recommended that they not do that unless they are ordered to do so by the courts. There have been 45 early votes cast so far and, barring a court order to do otherwise, any votes for Hubbard will be disregarded when tabulation begins at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Schuyler County plans to re-send the 307 vote-by-ballots that have been sent to voters so far with an explanation of the ballot error and instructions to re-submit the ballot if a voter so chooses. Though some 200 vote-by-mail ballots had already been completed by voters and returned to the clerk’s office, none of those ballots had been processed for tabulation. They remain sealed in the signed, secure envelopes in which they were returned. Those ballots will be held pending replacement by the corrected ballots.
“This is national news,” the insider said. “How many more votes would have gone to Kathy Salvi if her name had been on the ballot as it should be?” […]
Will the Schuyler County ballot blunder affect the US Senate race and possibly the delicate political party balance of the now-tied US Senate?
I’ve said it before, but maybe it’s time the state looks at regional election authorities and get away from its current hyper-localized system, which can be comically inept at times.
…Adding… The State Board of Elections pushes back on Salvi’s statement…
The statement issued yesterday on the Schuyler County ballot error states that the Illinois State Board of Elections approved the county’s incorrect ballot:
Kathy Salvi said: “On Tuesday, October 11th, it was brought to my attention that ballots drafted by the Schuyler County Board of Elections, and approved by the Illinois State Board of Elections, incorrectly listed one of my primary opponents as the Republican nominee for United States Senate.
The ballot certification that we sent to all local election authorities on Aug. 26 was correct. The printing error was made at the local level subsequent to our certification. The Board of Elections does not approve local ballots after certification. If possible please amend the candidate’s statement to make this clear.
* Naperville’s high-powered weapons sale ban hangs over 41st House race: Yang Rohr, a sponsor of state legislation that would ban “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines, supports the strengthening of “red flag” laws to prevent potentially dangerous people from owning weapons… Janor, while embracing local control for communities like Naperville, also is focused on maintaining Second Amendment rights. He said law enforcement agencies must be supported in attempts to take weapons from people who should not have them, like in cases of revoked FOID cards.
* Challenger Philip Nagel seeks to curtail government authority; incumbent Patrick Joyce cites ‘extreme political agendas’: The Republican candidate in the state’s 40th Senate District says COVID-19 mandates and the education system in Illinois prompted him to challenge Democratic incumbent Patrick Joyce. Philip Nagel said he drafted legislation last year called the Parental Medical Choice Act, filed by his representative, that would’ve taken away the governor’s emergency authority to mandate medical treatment for students in K-12 schools or higher education institutions.
* Patrick Thomas Brouillette: 2022 candidate for Illinois House District 44: Abortion is a state issue, as the high court has determined. Abortion remains legal in Illinois, and no changes will take place. Illinois already has the most permissive laws on abortion in the country. One item I take issue with is the repeal of the parental notification law last year. I believe the repeal of that law is extreme and wrong. Parents have every right to know if their minor child will be undergoing any health care procedure. That said, I also support ensuring there are protections built into the law for those cases involving abuse of a child.
* Fred Crespo: 2022 candidate for Illinois House 44th District: “As far as term limits is concerned, I supported term limits for legislative leaders and helped add these limits to the House rules. However, I’m concerned about the impact of term limits in general. As I talk to out of state legislators who are term limited, they express concerns that the lack of institutional knowledge enables lobbyists and staff to exercise undue influence on policy issues,” Crespo said.
But with Illinois not yet luring big facilities such as those recently announced in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and other states, Illinois could use a big deal-closing fund, Pritzker said—essentially a pot of money the governor is empowered to dip into to sweeten economic development deals when the competition with other states is tight. “Michigan has, I believe, a $1 billion fund. They can just write a check,” he said. “It would be great if we had a closing fund in Illinois.”
Pritzker’s apparent reference was to Michigan’s Strategic Outreach & Attraction Reserve Fund, which can provide grants or loans for “infrastructure improvements, capital investments, acquisition of machinery and job training.” Officials there say the fund has been a major success.
Asked if he’ll ask Illinois lawmakers to authorize such a fund—Texas created such a program decades ago—Pritzker suggested it would depend on whether the state has an available budget surplus.
State law has long provided that when a constitutional amendment is on the ballot, the secretary of state is to send out a pamphlet explaining the proposal. This is the Illinois Constitutional Amendment Act (5 ILCS 20/0.01).
Among the requirements under the law are that the Secretary of State publish a pamphlet with the proposal along with an explanation of the amendment. Important, too, is a requirement that the pamphlet include arguments both for and against the amendment to better inform voters.
State law also requires the Secretary of State to mail the pamphlet to every mailing address in the state. Yes, the official pamphlet itself. […]
Illinois law was amended (5 ILCS 20/2(f)) to provide that for any proposed constitutional amendment appearing on the Nov. 8 ballot that the pamphlet would not be sent out. Instead, the Secretary of State was directed to instead mail a postcard advising that “a proposed constitutional amendment” will be considered. A URL (or for the non-techie, a Uniform Resource Locator) to a state website then is provided to access the pamphlet.
This special provision was tucked in the FY2023 Budget Implementation Act (Public Act 102-699). The bill was 544 pages long. This only applies to the upcoming election. […]
The postcard doesn’t even say that the amendment relates to our Bill of Rights. It only says “a proposed constitutional amendment” will be voted upon.
With a hat tip to a reader, the person on the left is Grundy County Sheriff Kenneth Briley. The Anti-Defamation League analyzed a large list of Oath Keepers members and Briley turned up on that list. From the Rockford Register-Star…
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “the Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom are associated with militias. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as members, they explicitly focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel.”
Oath Keepers were among the individuals and groups who forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. […]
For the time being, the ADL is only releasing the names of public officials. Other public Illinois officials named include Lewistown Mayor Doug Lafary and Grundy County Sheriff Kenneth Briley.
Data compiled by the ADL showed Illinois has 883 Oath Keeper members.
* Statewide vote by mail totals…
The @illinoissbe has updated early vote totals (10/12/22): Total VBM requested: 684,021 Total VBM returned: 64,363 Total VBM outstanding: 619,658 Return Rate: 9% Total Early Vote: 24,773 Total Grace Period: 6 Total Already Voted: 89,142https://t.co/44ga6AOUdY
Early Vote and Vote By Mail totals in Chicago, night of Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
The Early Vote total stands at 1,050 ballots cast.
Additionally, 3,712 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 166,151.
The grand total is 4,762 ballots cast so far in Chicago for the November 8th General Election.
That means Chicago VBM is just 5.8 percent of the statewide total. Not a great start.
* We already knew the Gannett thing, but James Norman comes up with another tidbit…
Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States, has taken on as a client a group of controversial conservative publications run by Republican insider Dan Proft, a few weeks after the publications lost their previous printing deal. […]
Postage permits printed on some recent LGIS publications also show The Mail House Inc., out of Mount Prospect, sent some out, a USPS spokesman wrote in an email. An official with The Mail House Inc. on Tuesday said they had no comment.
The last thing the news industry needs is to have its biggest print publisher, Gannett, participate in the actual production of fake news. In Illinois, Gannett is accepting money to publish fake newspapers that manufacture coverage helping GOP candidates. The fake newspapers carry names like the “West Cook News” and “Chicago City Wire.” They appear to be the handiwork of a Florida-based right-wing activist, Dan Proft, who has taken particular aim at incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Proft was an Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2010 and has a current talk show on a conservative radio network. […]
Gannett, which also publishes the non-trustworthy Epoch Times, remains silent about such printing contracts. Profiting off operations that help undermine real journalism is abhorrent, no matter how much Gannett needs the money.
* The Republican nominee for DuPage County Board Chair on abortion, via WBBM Radio…
Greg Hart, the Republican candidate for DuPage County Board, said there’s very little the board can do involving abortions, and he downplayed the issue. Democratic rival and state Rep. Deb Conroy, though, said the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade has driven many people to the polls.
“[Roe v. Wade] being overturned by the federal Supreme Court has really triggered people in DuPage County because in Illinois, we are a bastion for being able to trust women to make their own health care decisions,” [The Democratic nominee Rep. Deb Conroy] said.
Still, she agreed the county doesn’t directly drive policy on abortion.
Hart, a current board member, refused to let himself be lumped together with the more conservative members of his party on this issue. He said as the father of a daughter, he has concerns about rolling back any rights, and added that he would not stand in the way of women’s health care.
“There is nothing I will do as county board chairman to restrict a woman’s right to choose, and I’ll always support women’s health initiatives,” Hart said.
But, as the far-right Illinois Family Action points out, this has not always been the case…
In fact, as recently as 2018, chameleon Hart responded to a survey from Illinois Right to Life Action that he opposed the legal right of women to choose to have their sons and daughters killed in their wombs. Was Hart lying then, or has he devolved?
Hart, meanwhile, is sending out campaign text messages from his spouse…
Q: I want to pin you down on this business about you can’t, you’re not even allowed to look at somebody’s history in terms of whether they actually show up when they’re supposed to be at a court hearing. … You’re not allowed to look at that when determining whether they’re a flight risk…
(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 101-652)
Sec. 110-5. Determining the amount of bail and conditions of release.
(a) In determining which conditions of pretrial release, if any, will reasonably assure the appearance of a defendant as required or the safety of any other person or the community and the likelihood of compliance by the defendant with all the conditions of pretrial release, the court shall, on the basis of available information, take into account such matters as: […]
(3) the history and characteristics of the eligible defendant, including:
(A) the eligible defendant’s character, physical and mental condition, family ties, employment, financial resources, length of residence in the community, community ties, past relating to drug or alcohol abuse, conduct, history criminal history, and record concerning appearance at court proceedings;
…Adding… But there is this part of the statute that the questioner was trying to get at…
“Willful flight” means planning or attempting to intentionally evade prosecution by concealing oneself. Simple past non-appearance in court alone is not evidence of future intent to evade prosecution.
* More state’s attorneys and sheriffs are suing over the SAFE-T Act. WICS…
This time it is Douglas County State’s Attorney Kate Watson and Douglas County Sheriff Nathan Chaplin. […]
In their statement, they argue that the lawsuit seeks injunctive relief based upon the act violating the Illinois Constitution; violating the single-subject law; violating the separation of powers; being unconstitutionally vague, and violating the three-readings requirement.
“Risk to innocent civilians would no longer be a reason for a judge to detain someone who’s charged for the first time offense of kidnapping, or for the first time offense of burglary; even second degree murder, arson,” said Watson.
“It is my sworn duty as Douglas County Sheriff to protect the people of Douglas County,“ said Chaplin. “Criminal justice reform should not be at the expense of public safety. The SAFE T Act was forced through at the 11th hour in a lame duck session (in January 2021). Police and prosecutors were excluded from any type of negotiations. They forced this thing through and now we’re left with the fallout.”
Several state’s attorneys in Illinois have filed lawsuits against the controversial SAFE-T Act, Including those in Mercer, Knox and Jo Daviess Counties. […]
Jo Daviess County State’s Attorney Chris Allendorf said cash bail is ingrained in the Illinois Constitution. […]
On the federal level, Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin said it could violate the 14th Amendment. […]
Meanwhile, Karlin agrees that cash bail should be eliminated, but he disagrees with the SAFE-T Act’s implementation. He said the way it is currently written, it restricts his office’s ability to get defendants treatment prior to their trial.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright and Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell are filing a lawsuit over the SAFE-T Act.
The two are suing over the elimination of cash bail, also known as the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.
The lawsuit names Governor JB Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch, and Senate President Don Harmon as defendants.
“Litigation of good faith constitutional questions raised by the Act as written, while absolutely necessary to support and defend the Illinois Constitution, does not indicate categorical rebuke of criminal justice reform and many of the public policy objectives underlying the Act,” Wright wrote in a release. “To the contrary, as I have previously stated, the Act includes many provisions that will bring positive reform. The need for meaningful legislative changes to achieve a responsible balance between the rights of criminal defendants and the safety of law-abiding citizens should not continue to be an entrenched “us vs. them” issue hijacked by social media hysteria and election season posturing. Getting criminal justice reform right for all citizens of Illinois is too important to allow our public discourse to devolve into hyperbole divorced from the plain language of the Act, our Constitution, and common sense.”
Add Tazewell County’s top prosecutor and sheriff to a growing list of law enforcement officials around Illinois suing to block full implementation and ultimately overturn a criminal justice reform bill signed into law nearly two years ago.
Tazewell County State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson and Sheriff Jeff Lower filed suit Wednesday in Tazewell County Circuit Court arguing the law is unconstitutional on several levels. They’re also seeking a preliminary injunction on the law’s implementation pending an outcome in the suit.
The two officials are Republicans. They are suing Gov. JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, House Speaker Chris Welch, and Senate President Don Harmon - all Democrats. […]
Johnson and Lower argue the law will lead to increased staff workloads, delays in court cases, and make it harder to compel a defendant’s appearance in court.
McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds and Sheriff Jon Sandage are the latest law enforcement officials to go to court in an effort to stop a major criminal justice reform bill from being implemented next year.
They filed a lawsuit in McLean County civil court asks the court to declare the SAFE-T Act unconstitutional. […]
Reynolds and Sandage, both Republicans, said law enforcement officials want to help negotiate changes to the measure they claim will threaten public safety.
They argue a judge’s ability to hold a defendant based on a “high likelihood of willful flight” for an array of violent offenses is too narrowly defined under the law, and makes it unlikely those defendants would be detained. They cite aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated drunk driving, concealment of a death and certain hate crimes as examples of offenses in which a state’s attorney could not petition the court to hold the defendant in custody prior to trial.
WGN News invited two top prosecutors who belong to the same political party but have vastly different views of the SAFE-T Act for a discussion. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart joined the WGN Evening News Tuesday.
In the regular [Peoria] city meeting, there was a presentation on the SAFE-T Act to offer clarity for council members about the act. Some council members had questions about how the SAFE-T Act will affect the operation of the Peoria Police Department. Chief Eric Echevarria said he believes major changes will impact state’s attorneys as opposed to local law enforcement.
“Quite frankly, this doesn’t change how we’re procedurally going to do our job. We are going to continue to follow the law. We’re going to continue to make the arrests we need to make,” said Echevarria.
Republican candidate Paul Santucci and Democratic state Sen. Linda Holmes, who are running for the 42nd state Senate District seat, agree the controversial SAFE-T Act criminal-justice reform law needs fixing. […]
“Quite frankly, it is a complicated piece of legislation,” Holmes said. There are aspects of it police and prosecutors support, she added, such as the body cameras and the idea that people accused of violent crimes should not be able to be freed pretrial just because they can afford to post bond.
“If I was in office I would have voted ‘no,’” Santucci said. “I feel that the form it is in now needs to be repealed.” But, he added, there were parts of it he does support, including provisions addressing police abuse of power.
“I would not say, ‘All of it is garbage and must go,’ but there are issues that must be addressed before we are comfortable with the law,” Santucci said.
* Related…
* BND: No, the jail doors won’t open Jan. 1. Here’s what to know about end of cash bail in IL
Today, the independent expenditure committee All for Justice (AFJ) placed its second buy for the General Election Cycle with the ad “Oath.”
The ad highlights the risk Republican Supreme Court candidates Justice Michael Burke and Mark Curran’s pose to all Illinoisians from a doctor’s perspective. This buy builds off the previous ad, “One Seat,” highlighting the horrific records of Burke and Curran on abortion.
“Rochford and O’Brien are right for Illinois. It is the goal of All for Justice to ensure that voters know the distinct differences between them and these two men. We have the resources to set the record straight in both districts and intend to over the final weeks,” said Luke Casson, Chairman of All for Justice.
Justice Michael Burke faces Justice Mary Kay O’Brien in the 3rd District, which includes DuPage, Will, Grundy, LaSalle, Bureau, Livingston, Iroquois, and Kankakee Counties. Mark Curran faces Judge Elizabeth Rochford in the 2nd District, which includes Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kendall, and DeKalb counties.
Pregnancies are complicated and every situation is different. My job is to do what’s best for my patients.
But Mark Curran and Michael Burke want to criminalize abortion in Illinois, and they’ll get that chance if they’re elected to the State Supreme Court.
Criminalizing abortion will put women’s lives at risk. To think that I could be put in jail, that women could be put in jail for making their own medical decisions. Where does this end? Mark Curran and Michael Burke are too extreme for the Illinois Supreme Court.
…Adding… We’ll just have to wait and see if they file suit. ILGOP…
Statement from ILGOP Executive Director Shaun McCabe on false and defamatory “All for Justice” TV Ad:
“The latest false TV ad from ‘All for Justice’ is even more defamatory than their first false ad. This Madigan Machine-backed group is lying about Michael Burke and Mark Curran because they’re attempting to cover up Mary K. O’Brien’s and Elizabeth Rochford’s ties to the Madigan Machine. Don’t be fooled, Illinois voters. If elected to the Supreme Court, Madigan Machine judges O’Brien and Rochford will put their political cronies before the people of Illinois.”
Former state legislator Jim Nowlan is part of the Judicial Fairness Project, and was involved with the effort to oust Kilbride after he and “his fellow Democrats sullied their robes in 2016 with a preposterous decision that knocked off the ballot a citizen’s initiative to put an independent mapping question before the voters.”
Nowlan said Democrats drew the judicial map to favor their party back in the ’60s.
“Since then, continuously, Democrats have had a majority on the Illinois Supreme Court and they have used that majority reliably to back the positions of (Chicago Ald.) Ed Burke and (former Illinois House Speaker) Mike Madigan on redistricting, term limits, pensions,” Nowlan said. “And so, it’s time for a change.”
For the first time, Illinois’ Democratic-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker last year redrew the Illinois Supreme Court districts, in a manner that Nowlan said will make it more difficult — but not impossible — for Republicans to win them.
He adds that the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has changed the landscape and made it more difficult for the GOP judicial candidates.
Some Republican groups and donors that had been expected to come through with heavy funding backed away after Curran, who has never been a judge, won the primary instead of the party’s establishment-backed Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes.
They didn’t back away because he’s never been a judge, but whatevs.
Officials from different Illinois judiciary groups across the state have introduced a Declaration of Judicial Independence to inform the public of the threat of misinformation before the election.
The Illinois Judges Association, representing 1,250 sitting and retired judges in Illinois, introduced the declaration on Tuesday during a virtual meeting about the document.
The document’s purpose is to provide voters with accurate information on judicial candidates ahead of the November election.
Chicago Bar Association President Timothy Tomasik said it is an issue that has been going on for years.
“We are so concerned about the reckless and sometimes ruthless number of politically motivated attacks that have been occurring on our judiciary over the past several years,” Tomasik said.
The Chicago and Illinois Bar Associations are urging voters to consult their evaluations of the candidates, which claim to be non-partisan.
“They are not asked are you Republican or Democrat, do you like the current president or the past president, do you believe in the death penalty or not believe in the death penalty — there is nothing political about the judicial evaluation process,” Tomasik said.
A leader of the pro-abortion rights group, Personal PAC, pushed back. Terry Cosgrove said television advertising focused on what a judge has said or done about the abortion issue, including outside the courtroom, is appropriate.
* Related…
* Illinois Chief Justice Anne Burke Discusses 40-Year Legal Career as She Nears Retirement: Burke also addressed controversy surrounding her husband, Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who is facing a federal corruption trial next year. She says that the trial “absolutely did not” influence her decision to retire. “My decision was my decision,” she says. “We’ve been married for 54 years and as I always said, for better or worse, but not for lunch. We have to figure out how to do lunch now!” When asked about how well she did in fulfilling her promise to keep her work separate from her husband’s, Burke says “perfectly. Well, not perfectly, but the best I could.”
Most registered voters no longer have traditional television subscriptions, prompting a need for campaigns to increasingly shift advertising to streaming, according to a new Samba TV-HarrisX survey.
The poll found that only 49 percent of registered voters nationwide have traditional TV subscriptions, and the figure falls to 39 percent in 10 key battleground states.
But more than 80 percent of registered voters nationally and in key battleground states indicated they stream television. […]
“The data points very clearly that the future king of political ad spending will be streaming. Voter eyeballs are more likely to be present there by a factor of almost two to one,” said Dritan Nesho, founder and CEO of HarrisX.
* The Question: Where do you generally see the most political advertising? Explain.
* A whole lot of folks need to read this, not because it’s full of scary right-wing stuff, but because it’s chock full of very practical information for candidates…
Seems legit. Either way, there’s a lot of good, basic stuff in there for all candidates. Looks like pretty effective how-to training https://t.co/tXi9BGYu2O
The other side better be prepared, because the Awake IL types are getting some decent training for school board elections. And Dan Proft, who is sitting on a giant mound of money, has said he wants to get involved in school board races. From July…
Following the end of his congressional campaign in Illinois’ 14th congressional district, Mike Koolidge has been hired as the Communications Director and Chief Spokesman for People Who Play By The Rules PAC, effective immediately. The “PBR” PAC is a political action committee whose mission is to support gubernatorial candidates and candidates for local offices, particularly school boards, committed to ending the fleecing of people who play by the rules and are gamed by a political system they finance.
Proft was reportedly at that Awake IL training session. Again, go read it.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul accused his Republican challenger Thomas DeVore of making “dangerous” remarks, while DeVore accused the Democratic incumbent of failing the state’s school students by not challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigations.
The charges and countercharges came during a nearly hourlong debate organized by the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors and Capitol News Illinois that was conducted Monday via Zoom. […]
“I think one of the things we’ve learned over the course of the last couple of years is that there was a fair question to be asked about the extent of the governor’s ability to issue some of those mandates,” DeVore said. “You know, you have some on one side of the conversation say he could absolutely do it. You had some that said he absolutely couldn’t. But I think we would all agree as intellectual people there was a fair question.”
Raoul, however, defended his decisions, and his support for Pritzker’s executive orders, saying the state was in the midst of a deadly pandemic and that he, himself, lost friends to the disease.
“I will agree with Mr. DeVore. It was a fair question to ask,” Raoul said. “But how many times you ask it is a fair question too. It was asked and answered multiple times in multiple lawsuits. And the courts’ resources should not have been abused as they were.”
Q: The Attorney General said that some of these [”stop the steal”] lawsuits, challenges we’ve seen in other states undermine democracy. Do you agree with that?
DeVore: I’m willing to go that far because again,we’re not dealing with propaganda here to create fodder for to me what doesn’t matter, which is our state. You know, if there’s people filing lawsuits and other states, I’ve heard about them, are they trying to undermine democracy or whether they have specific articulable facts? I don’t know. Maybe Mr. Raoul knows, but I’m certainly not going to discredit people bringing forth causes of action trying to make a point in a court of law if it’s not a meritorious case, the courts will dispose of those in short order.
Q: Okay, Mr. Devore. On the topic of lawsuits, what happens to your private practice if you are elected Attorney General? Do you completely step aside? I’m not even sure if there’s prohibitions on maintaining that office while serving as AG. But also on the topic of lawsuits, you sued the governor for calling you a grifter. You sued the mother of your girlfriend for allegedly criticizing you. And then about five years ago, you sued a special education teacher for criticizing your characterization of some students as window lickers, alleged characterization maybe. So is the lawsuit a tool you’re using to maybe quash public criticisms and should we expect that level of private litigation from you if you are elected Attorney General?
DeVore: A lot of different questions in one statement there and I’m not sure which ones to deal with. But look, let’s talk about the governor’s comments. He never at one time said that what he called me, which is a fee for all intents and purposes, wasn’t defamatory. He raised the argument that as the governor he can defame people all at once and go about saying whatever he likes, and he has that immunity. That was his argument. As to these other causes of action, those are personal issues. To the extent those persons are trying to say those things, but in general, I’ll say merely because you know how many people are stifled to run for office because they’re scared that they’re going to be absolutely taken to task on their whole manner of things that exceed the office a lot. You know what? Governor Pritzker just sent a letter through his law firm to a news organization in the north saying that what you’re doing is defamatory to me, please stop. So when it rises to the level of it’s not just political talk, and it’s accusing people of committing crimes, and saying other things that impugn their ability to do their job, they have an absolute right to defend themselves. Me, the governor, Mr. Raoul and anybody, and to suggest that it has some ulterior motives other than defending your character I take issue with that, because that’s what it’s about. The governor had the right to send that letter when he sent it. Just as much as I have the right to defend myself. And if someone says something like that to Mr. Raoul, I would hope he would do the same thing.
Q: What do you do with your private practice if you become elected Attorney General?
DeVore: There’s a lot of other lawyers in our office that are already handling most of those cases, and would continue to handle those cases as well.
Q: Would you accept any income from that?
DeVore: I will not be, whether I would or wouldn’t I can tell you the answer is no. I’ve already made that clear to them that it’s again, I’ve not even looked into the details of that Mr. Raoul may know. But I know my decision that I made is not something that has to be vetted because I won’t get any income from it. I won’t be a part of it. I’ll be completely disconnected and have nothing to do with the financial part of it.
Q: And should we expect these level of private lawsuits from you to continue if you’re elected Attorney General?
DeVore: You mean you’re asking me if somebody is going to defame me in the future?
Q: Are you going to plan on suing people who speak ill of you as attorney general?
DeVore: You know, whoever asked that question, I put them in the category of people that need to stick to reporting. If someone defamed me anytime in the future, am I going to defend myself? Absolutely. But to suggest that that means you’re going to go out and just start filing lawsuits against people at will it’s a poor choice of words and completely irresponsible for whoever asked that question. Of course, I’m going to defend myself if I need to no more than Attorney General Raoul would defend himself and Governor Pritzker currently defends himself, so it’s not unique to me.
Raoul: I think a lot of questions speak to something that we as lawyers and certainly as attorney general, have to have respect for, is and that’s of course resources. You know, lawyers, whether they’re attorney general or independently, can be sanctioned for abuse of filing non-meritorious lawsuits. As we talk about the defamation lawsuits that were referenced before, including one against a special ed teacher for objecting to Mr. DeVore referring to some kids as window lickers. First off, I don’t think we want the courts to be used to stop teachers from being protective of students when somebody’s gonna do something that I think is just unconscionable. And then, the other thing that’s important to look at is the outcome of those lawsuits. That lawsuit was eventually dismissed, right? And so, it’s one thing to file a lawsuit if you really try to follow a meritorious lawsuit, carry it out to the point where you know it has merit and you can prevail. The number one defense to defamation is truth.
DeVore: Yeah, Attorney General Raoul, well, let me just say what you just said on this camera is defamatory because you weren’t there. You don’t know anything about it. It was not anything to do with special needs kids. It didn’t have anything to do with a special ed teacher. None of that.
Raoul: I didn’t say anything about special needs kids.
DeVore: Yes you did.
Raoul: I said kids.
DeVore: You said, disabled kid. But I dropped the case because the young man who made those defamatory statements was scared to death. And so why should I put him through more than I already went through. So don’t talk about things you don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean, how many special needs kids have suffered tremendously for your failure to defend them against the governor’s tyrannical behavior? Thousands and thousands of special needs kids have lost their learning that they’ll never recover in their lifetime. That’s true. And that’s on you, sir. So please don’t talk to me about some alleged defamatory issue from five years ago, when the kids of this state will never recover from your failure to defend them against the governor. Please don’t go there with me sir.
Raoul: Thank you for your comments, Mr. Devore. If you take time to re-watch the tape you will find out that I did not say special. I said kids, and I think what you said about kids whether special needs or not is despicable.
1) DeVore would certainly know about courts tossing out lawsuits.
2) DeVore implies he sued the governor because too many people are scared of being “taken to task” when they contemplate running for office, and then said he dropped his window lickers lawsuit “because the young man who made those defamatory statements was scared to death.” OK.
3) Raoul did not say “disabled kid” despite DeVore’s instance. So, is that defamatory? /s
All right, happy Columbus Day. Yes, Columbus Day, not indigenous people day. Coming to you from the site of the former Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park. That should be backed up there. That’s a whole story in and of itself, that some civic leaders and some political leaders in this city are going to have to answer for in the coming months during election season. For their decision naively to believe the mayor that this was a temporary thing. Because here we are, two years later, still gone. Disgusting. But they allowed it. She should pay the price for having it done to begin with.
You notice they’ve never, ever hijacked any other ethnic holiday. It’s for some other purposes. Why Christopher Columbus Day? Why don’t they just create a new day for indigenous people? Christopher Columbus is supposedly responsible for the slaughter of thousands, if not more, Indians. Because he came to America, while coming to America definitely resulted in some bloodshed, no doubt. But why does Columbus get the blame for all of that? It’s ridiculous. Number one.
Number two, Christopher Columbus brought Christianity to United States. There’s no disputing that he did. Where are the religious leaders sticking up for civil and religious liberties thanks to Christopher Columbus? Nowhere to be found.
Or the Christian leaders. Where is the Cardinal? Where’s the Pope? Nowhere to be found. They’re all hypocrites. Just like the mayor and political leaders who thought it was a good idea to take these statues down. The same people who blamed Christopher Columbus for all these atrocities that were supposedly committed on behalf of modernization are the same ones that enjoy these newfound freedoms with modern civilized society.
I don’t see any of these politicians selling their houses to live in teepees, hunt buffalo or raise crops in their back yards like the Indians did. But they all want to say ‘Oh, the poor Indians.’ Okay, great. Create a day separately. You don’t have to steal someone else’s holiday to create another one. But that’s just the sad reality we’re living in today.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting the freedoms, like shopping in a 24-hour Walgreens, or buying cases of Modelo in the middle of the night. But those are freedoms afforded to you, in part thanks to the civilization that Christopher Columbus helped bring to this country. Shame on you all. There will be repercussions in the elections coming forth. These hypocrites need to be accounted for and basically removed from office.
* Republican Darren Bailey’s first TV ad of general election campaign focuses on crime: While other TV ads critical of Pritzker have been airing since Bailey won the six-man GOP primary race, those ads were paid for by a political action committee aligned with Bailey’s campaign. The new TV ad is the first to be broadcast and paid for by Bailey’s campaign. … The ad buy for the 30-second spot totals $534,000, campaign spokesman Joe DeBose said, and will include being broadcast in the expensive Chicago-area TV market. DeBose said the ad is slated to debut Wednesday or Thursday.
* Darren Bailey’s gubernatorial party nomination signals a rightward shift in Illinois GOP, experts say: Bailey has built his political platform around criticizing Pritzker’s COVID-19 response, making headlines in 2020 for refusing to wear a mask during a legislative session and suing the governor over his stay-at-home order. Chicago crime has also been a focus of Bailey’s gubernatorial campaign. In 2019, he co-sponsored a resolution in the Illinois House to separate Chicago from the rest of the state and has frequently referred to the city as a “hellhole.”
* With Jesse White off statewide ballot for first time in nearly a quarter century, voters faced with fresh choices for Illinois secretary of state: Republican Dan Brady, 61, of Bloomington, is a veteran state legislator who touts his record of bipartisanship and promises to expand staffing to reduce wait times at secretary of state facilities. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, 46, is attempting a political comeback after losing a 2010 U.S. Senate race following a single term as state treasurer. He says that if elected he will lean heavily on technology to make the office more consumer-friendly.
* Illinois attorney general race: Raoul, DeVore interview with IAPME: A joint interview with candidates for Illinois attorney general, Democratic incumbent Kwame Raoul and Republican Tom DeVore, conducted by the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors Association.
* State Senate 26th District candidates differ on variety of issues: State Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, who serves as the Senate minority leader, said as he talks to voters this election season he hears concerns about inflation more than any other topic. […] Maria Peterson, a North Barrington resident and McConchie’s Democratic challenger in this fall’s election, said as she communicates with people while she campaigns, concerns about gun violence are a frequent topic.
* Former corrections officer running for Illinois’ 72nd House District: A lifelong resident of Rock Island County, Johnson says his life experience has prepared him well for this position. After working for the Illinois Department of Corrections, Johnson says he has firsthand experience advocating for various issues in Springfield. And if elected, he would focus on improving mental health care in Illinois and encouraging young people and families to continue living in the state.
* Martens running for Illinois’ 72nd House District: A Rock Island native and mechanic at Rock Island Electric Motor Repair, Martens says working full-time helps him understand his constituents better than his oponents. And if elected, Martens would focus on voting security and cutting taxes. Martens says if Illinois doesn’t cut spending it will become bankrupt. Because of this, he believes a change of leadership is needed in Illinois.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
After months of being propped up by notorious grifter Dan Proft, Darren Bailey is finally up with his first TV ad of the general election and, as expected, it is full of misleading information.
Darren Bailey’s newest ad falsely claims he supports investments in police retention efforts, when his actual voting record shows he voted against millions of dollars for local law enforcement retention grants.
At every opportunity, Bailey voted against bolstering funding to support law enforcement and improve public safety. The governor’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which Bailey voted NO on, included the single largest dollar investment to expand cadet classes in Illinois history, $10 million for local law enforcement retention grants, and $8 million for equipment replacements and upgrades at the Illinois State Police.
Additionally, Bailey voted against:
-Providing tens of millions of dollars for police body cameras, retention grants, and mental health screenings
-Strengthening the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services
-Strengthening safety for first responders on state highways
-Installing hundreds of highway cameras and doubling state police presence on Chicago-area interstates in response to on-road violence
-Building new, state-of-the-art forensics labs to provide law enforcement with the resources to solve crimes
-Pumping $30 million into multi-jurisdictional task forces to catch and crack down on carjackers
“No amount of false advertising can paint a rosy picture of Darren Bailey’s disastrous voting record thwarting public safety,” said JB for Governor Press Secretary Eliza Glezer. “Bailey had his chance to vote for police recruitment and retention efforts and, instead, voted NO.”
