And this one makes three
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Emboldened by the furor over police shootings in Chicago, lawyers for another black teenager gunned down by police nearly three years ago after allegedly stealing a car are fighting to take the images of his final moments public.
So far, City Hall has fought back.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Brown shot down an attempt last month by the family of Cedrick Chatman to make public the video of the 17-year-old’s Jan. 7, 2013 shooting death. The case is the subject of a federal lawsuit, and the judge issued her ruling the same day a Cook County judge ordered City Hall to release video footage of a Chicago police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times. Chatman family attorney Brian Coffman is now set to ask U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman on Dec. 9 to overrule Brown.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Davis, a former top investigator for the city’s Independent Police Review Authority who said he was fired earlier this year for resisting orders to justify police shootings, said Wednesday that he saw the video of Chatman’s death before his dismissal. His lawyer, Torreya Hamilton, said the Chatman case led to Davis’ dismissal from IPRA.
Davis told the Chicago Sun-Times that Coffman’s shooting death was an “unnecessary use of deadly force” — and a murder.
“You don’t kill a person unless you have to,” Davis said.
The officer who pulled the trigger has said that he feared for his partner’s life when Chatman made a “slight” turn of his torso during a foot chase, records show. The shooting was ultimately justified in an IPRA report that indicated Fry saw “a dark colored object” in Chatman’s hand that he thought could be a firearm. An IPRA spokesman did not comment on Davis’ allegations. A spokesman for City Hall’s law department also did not comment on the case.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune is demanding that Mayor Emanuel release the Ronald Johnson police shooting video.
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What’s in a name?
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As you all know, there’s another guy named Mike Madigan running for state Senate. The other day, the State Journal-Register published an op-ed by somebody named James Durkin entitled “Compromise needed to restore Illinois’ standing” with this footnote…
The writer is a Mokena resident and part-time professor of political science and criminal justice at several northern Illinois community colleges. He is not the state representative of the same name.
* And today the Tribune ran a letter to the editor from a John Culloton…
Our Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan — who has made a practice of pursuing minor investigations — suddenly has written a letter to the U.S. attorney general requesting an investigation of the Chicago Police Department by the U.S. Department of Justice. Why now?
All we need now is a fake Radogno and we’ll have a complete set.
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* WQAD…
The Riverview Center in Dubuque announced it will drastically cut services to its clients in both Western Illinois and Dubuque. The center receives funding from both the state of Illinois and Iowa.
At its Illinois offices in Jo Daviess and Carroll County, 85 percent of its domestic violence staff and 33 percent of its sexual assault program staff, will be laid off.
* Daily Chronicle…
Northern Illinois University and Kishwaukee College students said the state suspending funding for the Monetary Award Program has been unnerving, especially as they try to plan for their future.
Rainn Darring II, a 21-year-old senior studying communications at NIU, said anxiety set in when it dawned on him that he might not receive the grant he was awarded – at least not right away. Darring is scheduled to graduate in May, but he was worried that the funds being delayed would push that big day back for him.
“My biggest worry was that I wasn’t going to have the necessary funding to register for my spring classes, the final courses heading into my graduation,” said Darring, who is also president of the Campus Activities Board. “People in Springfield don’t realize they’re touching so many lives by stopping this funding.”
He’s already taken out several student loans since his freshman year.
* Meanwhile, as I write this the House is debating a non-GRF funding bill (SB 2039) which is expected to pass…
*** UPDATE 1 *** Polly Poskin, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, just called to say that domestic violence programs were included in the bill which passed today, but not funding for sexual assault victim programs. That’s just bizarre.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Emily Miller…
Domestic violence legal aid is GRF, and not included in the bill. You cannot fund bits and pieces of these services and expect the outcome to be successful. It makes no sense.
*** UPDATE 3 *** IML…
Municipal leaders across the state applaud the Illinois House for passing SB 2039 (Rep. Currie), which could pave the way for the Senate to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars the state owes municipalities.
“When the bill is approved by the Senate and signed into law by the Governor, municipalities will finally have the much needed relief to make ends meet with this crucial funding,” said Brad Cole, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League. “There is an urgency to have these funds distributed as rapidly as possible.”
IML has been actively working to gain the release of the funds being withheld by the state of Illinois during this lengthy budget impasse. SB 2039 would release specific state money owed to municipalities from various funds such as the Motor Fuel Tax fund, Use Tax revenue, video gaming fees, casino fees, and 911 service fees. These are non-general revenue funds that are otherwise distributed to local governments.
The IML appreciates the leadership of House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn-Currie and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin for generating overwhelming support for this legislation, as well as Rep. Marty Moylan and Rep. David Harris for their continued advocacy on behalf of local municipalities. In addition, the IML thanks Governor Bruce Rauner for his support recognizing the needs of local governments in serving citizens across Illinois. The IML appreciates the bi-partisan support being demonstrated by Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno for scheduling a vote on this legislation for next week.
If SB 2039 is signed into law, hundreds of millions of dollars would be allocated to fund the following areas of importance to local governments:
$582 million for Motor Fuel Tax Fund payments to be used for road improvements
$340 million in Use Tax payments
$154 million to 911 centers
$145 million to municipalities where casinos and video gaming is allowed
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Today’s number: $521 million
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the New Yorker…
In the past ten years, the city has paid five hundred and twenty-one million dollars in alleged police-misconduct cases, according to a study by the Better Government Association
Now, go read the rest for a truly depressing account of another police shooting.
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Michael J. Madigan (D-Dodger)
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
House Speaker Michael Madigan said Tuesday that he’s been too focused on the state’s budget problems to give any real thought to the March primary, declining to say which races his Democratic Party plans to pour money into.
Madigan also did not directly answer a question about whether he’d support Chicago Rep. Ken Dunkin’s re-election efforts, after Dunkin twice would not cast votes during Democratic attempts to overrule Republican Gov. Rauner on spending for child care and services for the elderly and disabled.
“We haven’t reached any decisions on the primary at all, we’ve been occupied with the No. 1 issue facing the state of Illinois: the budget deficit,” Madigan told reporters.
Madigan also brushed aside an inquiry about the three people challenging him for office, including whether he had anything to do with recruiting additional candidates to make it more difficult for one person to take him on.
The Speaker repeated his line about being too preoccupied with the budget to be dealing with putting up primary opponents against himself. He answered the same way when asked whether the county party ought to rethink its neutrality in the state’s attorney race. He’s just way too focused on the budget.
And if you believe any of that then you’re beyond help.
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Yesterday’s quotables
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WSIL…
“When there is a meeting the speaker says nothing, the senate president talks a lot – and some of what he says is different out here than in [the meeting] and that’s a problem,” [Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno] said.
Senate President John Cullerton, D- Chicago, said he wished they would meet more often and he wants to pledge that it will continue but, “The first thing we have to do is see if we can even agree on what the facts are before we even get to the part where we disagree on and [have] different opinions.” […]
“I thought it was a productive meeting. I think it was meaningful. I think it was good that we met,” Madigan told reporters. “We agreed that we’re going to meet again.”
Madigan did admit he is quiet in meetings, but defended himself stating, “I learned a long time ago, that when you talk, you don’t learn. And my purpose today was to listen, to learn.”
Um, OK.
* Cullerton had one of the better lines…
“I think we should pledge to continue to meet, because if we don’t meet, how are we supposed to know how to reach a conclusion? What if I wanted to surrender to you? Where was I supposed to go? So here I am, and we’re willing to talk.”
* Also…
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he was encouraged by the meeting and remains ready to negotiate.
But he also took a shot or two at Rauner’s leadership style, saying they governor should have summoned the leaders sooner and more frequently, and he implied Rauner needs to step up when it comes to the budget.
“The budget is our (the Legislature’s) problem and he’s just the governor? That doesn’t make sense,” Cullerton said.
And…
“I thought the best part was we agreed to have future meetings,” Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said afterward.
* Leader Durkin…
“The mess we find ourselves in today, including the worst credit rating under one party, Democrat control, falls into the hands of the Democrats,” a fiery Durkin said. […]
“Rather than meet you half way, our friends at the end of the aisle ran away,” Durkin said, adding Democrats view the budget impasse as a “war” without compromise.
“I’m sorry but I’ve seen this bad movie before. It doesn’t end well for the Illinois economy,” Durkin said.
* Gov. Rauner…
“I respectfully disagree that any of our ideas are extreme,” Rauner said.
* Leader Radogno went all in on the Turnaround Agenda…
[Radogno] threw Madigan’s words back at him: “The changes being suggested are reasonable. They are not extreme.”
As did Leader Durkin…
“There needs to be a willingness on behalf of Democratic leadership to say that those reform agenda items need to make some progress,” Durkin said. “There’s got to be reform before we get to anything else.” […]
“This never-ending tax-and-spend cycle has driven this state into the ditch,” Durkin said. “Revenue is not the answer; it is never going to be the answer.”
And…
“I think the governor’s very clear about what he is looking for; nothing’s changed,” House GOP leader Jim Durkin said. “And that’s not going to change either. There needs to be a willingness on behalf of the Democrat leadership to say that those reforms, agenda items the governor has specifically stated, that there needs to be made some progress.
“The Democrats talk about their core principle beliefs on certain issues as if they’re the only party that has core beliefs. We have some as well,” Durkin said.
* Last word…
“I’m not quite sure what the result of today’s meeting was,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs.
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Question of the day - Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Emily Miller chooses the Golden Horseshoe Award for best political restaurant…
I’ve spent more time at Alexander’s this year than any other year, and there are always heavy hitters dining alongside tables of local families. It’s a nice change of pace to venture off campus and be with real people.
It has, indeed, become a non-sandbox session hangout. Even MJM occasionally dines there.
* The Golden Horseshoe Award for best Statehouse bar goes to Boones Saloon…
Boones is the best Springfield bar. There is always a crowd of characters and you are guaranteed a good night after a long stressful day at the Capitol.
* Unless I hear any real objections, I think we need to name the Golden Horseshoe Award for best bartender/waiter/waitress after this year’s winner…
Kathleen at the Globe. Has my drink ready when I walk in and handles the shenanigans that occur with the biggest smile on her face.
Honorable mention to Alisha Kulek at the Butternut Hut.
* Today’s Golden Horseshoe categories are…
* The Beth Hamilton Golden Horseshoe Award for Best House Secretary/Admin. Assistant
* Best Senate Secretary/Admin. Assistant
Remember that these awards are based on the intensity of your nominations, so please explain your votes. Also, please do your best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!
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There are no easy solutions here
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Neil Steinberg writes about the problems created after the ouster of Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy…
Problem One: who replaces him? Someone from within the force who, weaned on the you’ve-got-my-back-I’ve-got-yours buddyism that is the air of the Chicago Police Department, knows how things work and could change them were he inclined to. But he wouldn’t be; that’s how he lasted so long in the first place. Anyone who has risen high enough within the CPD to be on the short list for superintendent should be excluded from consideration.
Bring in an outsider, however, and the rank and file immediately hate him, on general principles, for being an outsider and suggesting that any young cop who arrives with a gun and dream can’t grow up to be superintendent. They’ll resist with all their might whatever Supt. Not-From-Here tries to do even more than they’d resist someone from within trying the same thing, not that someone from within would do anything beyond symbolic chair shuffling.
He’s right, unfortunately.
The city needs more than just somebody new at the top of the force. The entire department needs an attitude adjustment. Some new state laws limiting the powers of the police union might be something to look at. Let’s look again at what McCarthy said on TV yesterday moments before he was fired…
Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy admitted Tuesday on NBC Chicago that the initial press release sent out after 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot 16 times by an officer last year was wrong.
“The initial press release was mistaken, no two ways about it,” he said. “I guess that’s my fault.” […]
McCarthy added that he didn’t see dash-cam video of the shooting until the day after the press release went out.
“At that point I was too involved in trying to learn the circumstances of this event and what I needed to do internally and externally and communication is a part of that, no two ways about it, but in this particular case my greatest concern was that information came from elsewhere that he had lunged at the officers, which we knew not be the case and that was what I was trying to fix behind the scenes with the FOP quite frankly,” he said.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons, because, I mean, what the heck, man? If the FOP is so powerful that it can cow a superintendent into participating in a 13-month coverup, then the FOP needs to be reined in. But I doubt anything can be done about it on the state level because the governor has made anti-union issues his top priority and the Democrats have reacted by retreating to the arms of organized labor.
* Back to Steinberg…
Problem Three is the real problem, underlying all this. It isn’t McCarthy’s fault, or Emanuel’s fault or even Anita Alvarez’s fault, which is really saying something, because everything is her fault. That problem is: how do we fix the grotesque undervaluing of human life that is behind the Laquan McDonald atrocity? It’s as if even the public doesn’t want to notice. It wasn’t the 16 shots, horrible as that was, that was the most horrible part of the video. It was the cops letting the teenager lie dying in the street, unaided, uncomforted, almost unnoticed. As if he were a dog. How do we fix that? Cameras might cow cops into grudgingly doing their jobs better, although Jason Van Dyke certainly wasn’t inspired to excellence. Besides, cameras break. We need a police force that knows the people they’re policing, the dreaded community policing that was tried and abandoned because it costs money and officers we don’t have.
The $5 million given to McDonald’s family is viewed only as hush money. Anybody noticed another awful injustice: the same family that left him a ward of the state after two abuse investigations gets a giant payday at his death? You could hire a lot of cops for $5 million. And those cops could get to better know the people they’re policing. And then they will be less inclined to shoot them.
Agreed on all counts, except for the dog part. I’m betting they’d give aid and comfort to a dying dog. The officers walked past that bleeding kid like he didn’t even exist. He might as well have been a fly on a windshield.
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State debt a Democratic talking point
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Most every media outlet claimed that both sides essentially recycled all their old talking points yesterday. That’s mostly true, but the Democratic leaders did focus on something that they haven’t really highlighted much in the past…
“Put it all together, and Illinois is awash in debt. Awash in debt, at a time, where Mr. Governor, you have committed to spend over 100 percent, of the amount of money that you estimate will be available this current budget year,” [House Speaker Michael Madigan] said.
Before his “awash in debt” comments, Madigan also talked about the state’s structural deficit and its unfunded pension liability and then sharply criticized the governor for borrowing to pay for state operations. Afterwards, he noted that bond raters haven’t commented at all about workers’ comp reform, collective bargaining, the prevailing wage or whatever, and instead have focused their criticisms about the money coming into the state versus the money going out.
What he didn’t mention, of course, is that the House and Senate didn’t renew the income tax hike after the last election, which would’ve solved most of those problems.
* And…
House GOP Leader Jim Durkin disputed [Speaker Madigan’s] position, saying 12 years of unbalanced budgets passed under “total Democratic control” wrecked the state’s finances and drove away jobs.
Senate President John Cullerton responded that “speeches like that won’t help,” but then went on the attack himself, saying that Rauner’s refusal to sign off on tax hikes have “doubled” state IOUs after years in which Democrats had paid down debt.
Discuss.
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Kadner: “The flimflam works every time”
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Kadner, who is retiring next month after decades as the voice of the Southland, writes about Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed property tax freeze and accompanying collective bargaining “reforms”…
School districts take more than 60 percent of your property tax dollars and that’s largely because the state — you guessed it — has failed to adequately fund public education. School districts do approve pay raises for teachers and that represents a big chunk of their spending. But how many people would support cutting the pay of the teachers in their schools when neighboring districts are paying more? More to the point, perhaps, how many parents would support a school district that faced a teacher’s strike?
Most people who move to the suburbs select an area because of the quality of the public schools. Their home values are closely tied to the quality of those schools. I suppose there may be some people who would vote against their self-interest in that regard, but it hasn’t happened in any wealthy, Republican suburbs I am aware of, places with some of the best schools and highest paid teachers.
But here’s the important point. Even if property taxes were frozen, even if municipalities could decide for themselves what issues they would collectively bargain (an issue where legal scholars disagree) there is no reason to believe that the problem involving school funding would change at all. This state simply doesn’t have the money now to adequately fund public education. The governor has provided no long-term solution to the problem because there isn’t one in sight.
Once again property taxpayers and school children are being used as pawns in a political game. I’m surprised that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Rauner’s supposed foe, didn’t stand up and applaud the governor’s maneuver. He’s been using this ploy with great success for decades himself.
In recent years, I have given readers the same advice many times.
If a state legislator or governor talks about his devotion to public school children, or property taxes, you ought to assume he is lying.
I do not know if Republicans and Democrats will ever reach a budget agreement. The problems facing this state and the philosophical differences among the people involved seem insurmountable.
However, they can agree on one thing. If you claim you support public education and criticize the property tax system, the people of the state will love you for it. You don’t have to do a thing. In fact, you can even make the situation worse, which has happened often.
The flimflam works every time.
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He didn’t “narrow” anything
Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We should’ve seen this coming…
A long-awaited budget talk among Gov. Bruce Rauner and other Illinois leaders repeated some of the well-worn conflicts that have punctuated the lengthy impasse over state spending and ended with the promise of yet another meeting.
Rauner used his opening public comments to outline top priorities in the upcoming negotiations, calling term limits for public officials and changes to how political boundaries are drawn “easy votes” for state lawmakers.
“Let’s vote for the next generation, not the next election,” he said.
But shortly after the meeting adjourned, Rauner’s chief foil, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, called both the issues Republican talking points for the 2016 campaign, raising questions of whether a budget compromise is anywhere close to reality.
“I don’t think that they ought to be advancing political party positions relative to a future campaign” as part of budget talks, Madigan said.
OK, that’s pretty rich coming from Madigan. I mean, the guy has forced how many votes on his property tax freeze bill? Those “No” votes by Republicans won’t be used in mailers and TV ads? Please.
* But why do I say we should’ve seen this other stuff coming? Well, let’s go back to November 13th when the governor announced his plans for the meeting…
At that point, we will allot 10 minutes for each leader to make his or her case to the people of Illinois — uninterrupted and unfiltered. While you can discuss any issues you’d like, I suggest it may be most productive for each leader to use their 10 minutes on the issues about which they feel most passionately: Speaker Madigan, balancing the budget with specific additional taxes/revenue details; Leader Durkin, the need for reform before revenue; President Cullerton, overall spending levels, pension reform and Chicago’s financial crisis; Leader Radogno, economic reforms to improve the jobs climate like workers’ compensation reform; and I will focus on term limits, redistricting reform and local control of costs and property taxes.
Emphasis added.
* As such, we can ignore this report from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
Illinois’ governor has narrowed his agenda to three points he says are not extreme while the leading House Democrat stuck to statements he’s made in the past.
During the much-anticipated meeting to discuss the budget impasse now in its sixth month between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the four legislative leaders, Rauner said he’s willing to raise taxes but wants three reforms: redistricting reform for political maps, term limits on elected officials, and a property tax freeze with local cost controls.
Several items Rauner had previously pushed for that didn’t get aired Tuesday afternoon were reforms to tort law and workers’ compensation.
C’mon, man. Talking about those three things was his plan all along. Radogno was supposed to talk about workers’ comp (which she did in private and subscribers know more).
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