Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* MFT = Motor Fuel Tax…
* You kinda have to wade through Russ Stewart’s stuff, but often there’s a good nugget…
Cynthia Santos, the now former $127,000-a year member of the Illinois Pollution Control Board and defeated 38TH WARD aldermanic candidate (she got 10.7 percent), is not hapless. She did NOT put herself in a situation beyond her control, which makes her somewhat clueless.
After 20 years as a $70,000-a year Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) commissioner, Santos was appointed to a 6-year term at the PCB by former Governor Bruce Rauner in January of 2017. The PCB hears appeals from environmental decisions by state agencies. Like a judge, a PCB member is supposed to be non-political and abide by state ethics rules which bar overt political activity. No “appearance of impropriety” is allowed. The PCB meets twice monthly and each member is assigned an attorney who does all the legal appeal research work.
In the summer of 2022 governor J.B. Pritzker re-nominated Santos for another 6-year term, subject to IL Senate confirmation. That did not occur during the autumn session. Also in the late summer of 2022 Santos and her husband Rich Bradley, an ex-state rep and current staffer for MWRD commissioner Marcelino Garcia, began circulating nominating petitions for each to run for 38th Ward alderman, a job held by Nicholas Sposato. The incumbent had dawdled until late August before deciding to run in 2023. Ed Bannon, a member of Rob Martwick’s 38th Ward Dems, also got into the race.
Santos did not take a leave-of-absence or resign her PCB job. She, not Bradley, filed in December, as did Sposato, Bannon, Franco Reyes and Bruce Randazzo. She did not file a D-1 statement with the state Board of Elections (IBOE) to create a campaign committee to report receipts and expenditures. “I’m paying my own expenses,” she later told me. That was not true, however a group called “Citizens in Action for Better Government” (CABG) paid for her flyers, which was an in-kind contribution and reportable by Santos and CABG. Neither has. […]
And she kept collecting her PCB paycheck. “I don’t campaign on work time,” she later told me.
Meanwhile, her PCB re-nomination stalled. Firefighters Local 2 is rumored to have intervened. (Sposato is a retired firefighter.) On March 6 Pritzker withdrew her PCB re-nomination. Santos was then on holdover, so she was out-the-door. […]
Credit Santos with a two-fer: She LOST for a 140K job and then LOST her 127K job all within the span of several days.
“She has nobody to blame but herself,” said Sposato
I told subscribers about this a while ago.
* Tony Peraica lost another case, this time at the 7th US appellate court…
Anthony Peraica represented Jelena Dordevic in her Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding. Alongside filing the bank-ruptcy petition, Peraica submitted a form disclosing his fee compensation (known in bankruptcy parlance as a Rule 2016 disclosure) in which he reported that Dordevic had paid him a total of $5,000 for his services. But Peraica’s disclosure was incomplete. As the Trustee learned during discovery, Dordevic had actually paid Peraica $21,500.
The U.S. Trustee contacted Peraica to inform him that he needed to file an updated Rule 2016 fee disclosure with the bankruptcy court. Rather than heed this advice, Peraica instead sent the Trustee an informal accounting document listing $21,500 in fees. Recognizing this would not suffice, the Trustee responded: “The Rule 2016 disclosures actually need to be filed with the Court” by submitting “an official form.” But Peraica again ignored his obligation and continued to do so even after receiving a third reminder from the Trustee a few weeks later.
In time the Trustee sought the bankruptcy court’s intervention. The Trustee filed a motion under 11 U.S.C. § 329 to examine the fees. After Peraica failed to respond, the Trustee supplemented its motion with a request that all fees be forfeited. The bankruptcy court granted the motion. Beyond Peraica’s brazen disregard of the Trustee’s advice, the bankruptcy court found Peraica’s proffered explanation for not updating his fee disclosure lacking, if not downright false. Peraica claimed that he lacked bankruptcy experience and thus was not familiar with his Rule 2016 disclosure requirements. But a search of the federal judiciary’s docket management system showed that Peraica had been involved in more than 350 bankruptcy cases in the Northern District of Illinois alone. The bankruptcy court ordered Peraica to disgorge all past fees as a penalty for his blatant lack of compliance with his obligations under Section 329 of the Bankruptcy Code. […]
The bankruptcy court found Peraica’s behavior inexcusable. We do too. […]
So the bigger picture takeaway should be clear: counsel for debtors in bankruptcy proceedings should recognize that failures to disclose will not be taken lightly.
With these closing observations, we AFFIRM.
Oof.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Indiana Capital Chronicle | Indiana abortions drop significantly, despite pause on statewide ban: As the availability of abortion wavered, doctors made other plans. Illinois became a hotspot, as the “sanctuary” state saw demand surge as all of its neighbors pursued bans. Pushed out of their home states, many physicians opted to license in Illinois and other states.
* NPR Illinois | Pritzker touts funding during visit to Lincoln Land Community College: Pritzker’s plan, which is likely to receive legislative approval, would add money for programs and building needs. The governor said system funding for day-to-day operations at community colleges has increased by over $25 million since the start of his administration, and the proposed budget will add nearly $20 million in additional dollars.
* AP | In nursing homes, impoverished live final days on pennies: Medicaid is jointly administered between individual states and the federal government and, faced with federal inaction, states have taken it upon themselves to raise allowances. Even so, most remain low. A majority of states – 28 – have allowances of $50 or less, according to a state-by-state survey by the American Council on Aging. Just five states grant residents $100 or more each month, including Alaska, which stands alone in offering $200 monthly, the maximum under federal law. Four states – Alabama, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina – remain at the $30 minimum.
* Crain’s | Surging demand for affordable senior housing sparks redevelopment of old hospitals and schools: Seniors’ need for affordable housing is urgent. Nationwide, more than 10 million households headed by someone 65 or older spend more than a third of their income on housing, according to an August article by Jennifer Molinsky, director of the Housing an Aging Society Program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
* Tribune | ‘The defendants gave, and the defendants got’: Prosecutors raise Madigan immediately as they lay out case at ‘ComEd Four’ trial: U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber conducted selection and a panel six women and six men, plus six alternates, were picked by about 10 a.m. “So do you want to go down and deliver the good news to the winners?” Leinenweber quipped to his clerk after the selection process was complete.
* Sun-Times | Chicago a front-runner for 2024 Democratic convention; Whoopi Goldberg boosting New York’s bid in video: “Come to New York, where we will put on a seamless and spectacular convention,” Goldberg says in the video, which surfaced on Monday. It runs 7 minutes and 11 seconds. President Joe Biden, expected to run for a second term in 2024, will make the decision on the convention city. It’s not clear who exactly the long video is supposed to influence.
* SJ-R | Without debate, $58 million plan to redevelop downtown Wyndham moves to next stage: Under the proposal, Tower Capital Group out of San Antonio, Texas, would keep 250 hotel rooms while converting 200 rooms into apartments. The hotel would operate under the Delta by Marriott flag.
* Daily Herald | Des Plaines council candidates tout communication skills, experience: Residents in four wards will choose representatives for the next four years in the April 4 election. The eight candidates — two in each ward — discussed their electability and other issues in online interviews with the Daily Herald.
* Sun-Times | Former mayoral challenger Ja’Mal Green endorses Vallas in runoff; Kwame Raoul first statewide official to back Johnson: Green, a 27-year-old community activist, secured a series of promises he believes will improve the lives of African Americans. Raoul praised Johnson as “the right candidate to move Chicago forward.”
* WCIA | ‘An abomination and a disgrace;’ Humane Society calls for end to killing contests in IL: “Wildlife killing contests are an abomination and a disgrace,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “Destroying coyotes for sadistic fun, games and cash does not reflect our state’s values. Illinois is among the 10 worst states when it comes to wildlife killing contests, with at least 28 competitions targeting coyotes, foxes, raccoons and crows taking place in the state in 2022. Responsible hunters denounce this horrific blood sport and 73% of Illinois voters support a ban on killing contests. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources must take a stand and make our state the first in the Midwest to ban this cruel, unnecessary treatment of coyotes who provide vital balance to our ecosystem.”
* Northwestern Now | Gov. JB Pritzker named Commencement speaker: He also will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws. The University will announce additional honorary degree recipients later this month. Northwestern’s 165th commencement ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, June 12, at Ryan Field on the Evanston campus.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about surplus state revenues…
We’ve been, I think, on-point and even conservative about our revenue estimates every year that I’ve been in office. We don’t want to spend more than we’re taking in. And one of the reasons that we’ve been able to run surpluses is we’ve been conservative with our revenue estimates. Not intentionally. So, but just you know, as I should say, it’s intentional that we’re careful. But we’ve seen outsize revenue coming into the state that we didn’t expect. So, I’m glad to see that. As you know, we’ve year after year been responsible about what we’re doing with those surpluses, we’re not just spending them on new programs, we are socking it away, paying off debt, making sure that we’ve got, well, as you know, we’re down to I think 15 days of days payable. So we’re in accounts payable now and not overdue bills. We’ve reduced $8 billion to zero of overdue bills in the state. We’ve paid off all these short term debts. And indeed, now we’re starting to pay off long term debts by increasing the amount of money we put into pensions. So that’s what we have been doing with our surpluses.
They’ll obviously be some conversation with the General Assembly, we’re already putting money into the rainy day fund. We that’s another thing that we could consider with these surpluses. We still have more that we can do with regard to pensions, as well as other payments that we can make to alleviate the burden on people across the state of Illinois.
And then, finally, I would like to see as we feel comfortable with these new revenues coming in and their stability and I think we’re seeing a few years in a row now of stability of the revenue, that we should be talking about whether there are tax cuts that we can implement. And I’ve had conversations across the aisle, Democrats and Republicans about what we should do going forward in budgets if we see stability in these higher revenues.
* The Question: If state leaders believe revenues are stable, should they cut taxes or use the money for other things? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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That toddlin’ town roundup
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WBEZ has a good story up about homeless people and mass transit in Chicago…
There are about 3,000 available shelter beds in the city, according to DFSS. But the system that manages the shelters counted 11,683 active clients — or unhoused people already in the system — as of early March. And as of this week, another 4,414 Chicagoans were waitlisted for housing support services.
“The shelter beds available are just a fraction of what we actually need,” said Niya Kelly, the director of state legislative policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. […]
“As far as beds go, there’s just no availability,” said Stephannie Schreiber, the Night Ministry case manager. “We call 311 to try and find them shelter. But personally, I have never successfully been able to get someone a bed.” […]
When asked what it is doing to address a more systemic issue, a DFSS spokesperson said that as of 2023, the department is allocating an additional $3.7 million annually to increase shelter funding. The spokesperson did not disclose exactly where that money is going.
* On to the campaign. Tribune…
Asked about his previous support for the “defund the police” movement — including a declaration that it isn’t a slogan but a “real political goal” — Johnson said, “I said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.”
Oh, please. He said the defund the police cause was “not only admirable but it’s necessary.” Click here and watch it yourself. The Trib story has more examples.
* Back to the Tribune…
Vallas, meanwhile, was asked about his calls to “take the handcuffs off the police,” which he denied.
“Well, please let me know where I said that because … I’ve avoided using that rhetoric, and if I haven’t, I’d be surprised by that quote, because I’ve been careful not to say that one,” Vallas said. […]
When he rolled out his public safety plan in December, however, Vallas said he would reverse rules that have “literally handcuffed officers,” according to WTTW, contributing to demoralization and making “proactive policing” impossible. […]
He has also made posts on Facebook and Twitter criticizing local leaders and state legislation for what he said was “handcuffing” police.
One example…
Maybe he was hacked. /s
* Media advisory from yesterday…
The Vallas for Mayor campaign will announce major endorsements in separate press conferences Wednesday morning – highlighted by the endorsement of a candidate who ran in the mayoral election – as well as three City Council members and an incoming alderman, who will lend their support to the Vallas public safety plan as well as Paul’s commitment to equity for all Chicago communities.
Two press conferences are scheduled as follows:
· 9 AM - ALDERMEN ENDORSE VALLAS – Vallas Chinatown Campaign Office, 2355 S. Wentworth
Paul will be endorsed by Alderman Nicole Lee (11th), Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th), Alderman Debra Silverstein (50th), and incoming Alderman Bennett Lawson (44th).
· 10:30 AM - MAYORAL CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT – Vallas Campaign Headquarters, 328 S. Jefferson, 8th Floor
Paul will be endorsed by yet another candidate from the mayoral race adding to the list of Dr. Willie Wilson and Alderman Roderick Sawyer.
It turned out to be Ja’Mal Green…
Yet another shield against those who would accuse Vallas of racism.
* AG Raoul is a former prosecutor and is definitely not a police defunder, so regardless of this odd spin, it’ll help…
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is endorsing Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor, a move that raises the stakes on endorsements on the same day Paul Vallas announced his own big backer.
With crime issues at the center of the mayor’s race, support from the state’s chief law enforcement officer could be huge in swaying moderate Democrats who have been hesitant to support Johnson, a progressive who in the past has invoked the “defund” movement.
The endorsement by Raoul, the first state-wide elected official to endorse in the race, also raises questions about why the state’s chief investigator would endorse in the mayor’s race since his office would also be charged with investigating that office. Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t endorsing either candidate.
* More developments…
* Not a surprise…
Citizen Action/Illinois is proud to announce the organization’s endorsement of Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago.
The endorsement was made by a vote of the Citizen Action/Illinois Policy Council, a body of 50 organizational affiliates and individual leaders including elected officials at the Congressional, state and local levels.More than two-thirds of the voting members of the Policy Council supported the endorsement.
“As a Cook County Commissioner, Brandon Johnson has a proven record of fighting for the issues that face the city’s working families. As an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, he brought the voice of educators and their communities to our coalition,” Citizen Action/Illinois Co-Director William McNary said. “We look forward to working with him to improve the lives of all Chicagoans.”
“Brandon Johnson will bring compassionate, thoughtful leadership to City Hall at a time when we face historic challenges,” Co-Director Julie Sampson said. “No one is better poised to bring the city together and lead a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition than a former educator. His energy and ideas are the driving force behind the groundswell of voters calling for change at City Hall.”
* Press release…
A broad coalition of City Council members today called for a special meeting next week to consider proposed rule changes that would establish City Council independence, removing decades of mayoral control, in addition to other changes to improve city governance.
The proposal is a seismic shift for the City Council, establishing its independence and removing power from mayors who in recent decades have exclusively selected committee chairs. But on the cusp of an historic mayoral election, and with significant turnover in the City Council, members are proposing rule changes and making this critical change for the future of city government.
Proposed rule changes would increase council independence, minimize mayoral influence over council deliberations, provide for increased transparency of committee business, and provide new ways for committees to operate. Among the rule changes, the council is considering:
• Only gender-neutral references included in the rule book;
• Increased number of committees;
• Creating Council’s own Office of Legislative Counsel;
• Additional transparency on how direct introductions of ordinances can be made and posted;
• The provision on two or more committees being called; and
• Allowing for electronic dissemination of materials.
With the proposed rule changes, Chicago would join other legislative bodies in the country as an independent, co-equal branch of city government.
* Isabel’s Chicago roundup…
* Crain’s | Return-to-office figures hit a plateau: The number of workers who’ve returned to the office in Chicago — and nationwide — has been steady since the start of 2023, right around 50%. That’s according to data from real estate technology firm Kastle Systems, which analyzed building security card swipes and compared current figures to early 2020.
* CBS Chicago | Efforts to stop smoking on the CTA highlights challenges – and limits – to policing Chicago’s public transit: Chicago police have tried to rein in smokers on the CTA with municipal citations, issuing about 3,900 citations last year, and roughly 4,400 in 2021, according to an analysis of police citation data. But the effectiveness of this policy is questionable. CBS 2 obtained payment data from 2021 from the Chicago Department of Finance and hearings data from the Department of Administrative Hearings through public records requests. Out of the roughly 4,400 citations issued in 2021, about 200 were paid – or 5%.
* NYT | Black Voters in Chicago Look for a Candidate and a Path Forward on Fighting Crime: These voters are being aggressively wooed with starkly different appeals by the candidates who made the April runoff. Paul Vallas, a former schools executive, is campaigning largely on a pro-police law-and-order message. Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner, has touted a plan that views crime as a problem with solutions that go well beyond policing.
* Block Club | Ald. Gilbert Villegas To Face CPS Teacher Lori Torres Whitt In 36th Ward Runoff: Villegas has received endorsements from officials such as Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, while Torres Whitt is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, among others.
* WTTW | 14 City Council Races Head to Runoffs, as La Spata Triumphs, But Gardiner and Taliaferro Fall Short: Six members of the City Council will have to defend their seats during those contests, including 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro, who fell 50 votes short of winning a majority of votes in his West Side ward. Taliaferro, the chair of the City Council’s public safety committee, will face CB Johnson, who has run a nonprofit organization fighting drug addiction for nearly three decades.
* WBEZ | ‘The CTA is their last resort’: A night out with the people helping homeless riders: Outreach workers say fewer shelter beds and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recent crackdown on people sleeping at O’Hare has forced more unhoused people onto trains and buses.
* Crain’s | Uptown alderman candidate faces questions over PPP loans: In a letter yesterday to Ethics Board Chairman Steve Berlin, candidate Angela Clay said she inadvertently disclosed financials on one newly formed company that she said paid her $9,000 as president, Saij, when she should have listed another that was formed earlier in 2014, Pink Ribbon Hair.
* Block Club | Ordinance Allowing Chicago Restaurants To Add Walk-Up Windows Gets Key Committee Approval: Introduced by Ald. Matt Martin (47th), the walk-up window ordinance would allow restaurants with certain neighborhood zoning classifications to install to-go windows without seeking a rezoning from City Hall.
* WGN | Alderman to propose ‘Chicago Plow the Sidewalks’ pilot program to City Council: The intent is to make sure seniors and those with physical disabilities can get out of their homes and to stores for food and other supplies. The alderman wants $750,000 to fund the pilot program.
* Block Club | Neighbors Vow To Block Chicago Fire Soccer Facility On Public Housing Land — Even After Deal Gets Key Federal Approval: The city said its lease with the Chicago Fire will bring back funds to improve housing, while residents called the deal the product of broken promises.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Center Square…
House Bill 1533 is sponsored by State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and would make it a finable offense to surgically remove a cat’s claws and ban any other surgical process that would alter a cat’s paws. The measure is up for final passage in the Illinois House before it could be sent to the Senate. […]
“It’s really hurtful and it can damage the behavior of the animal as well,” Hernandez said during a recent House Agriculture Committee hearing. “If it’s a cat that is roaming around the streets, it is now defenseless.” […]
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, said the measure will force some pet owners to give up their cats.
“A cat that has been raised and nurtured in a house for most of its life will maybe now be thrown outside,” Meier said. “They won’t last long out there, even if it does have claws.” […]
“Declawed cats do tend to bite more, and so the concern from us and medical experts is that a bite is worse than a scratch,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois state director of the Humane Society.
* Effingham Daily News…
As the April 4 consolidated election rapidly approaches, the Effingham Daily News is preparing questionnaires for candidates in contested races around the county. That can sometimes be tedious, as we poke around trying to find email addresses for those candidates.
That gives us a personal interest in legislation filed recently by State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin.
As our colleagues at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights note, the proposed law would require candidates for political office to include email addresses on petitions filed with their statement of candidacy. Already, candidates provide a standard mailing address. This legislation would move that requirement into the 21st century.
We agree with Daily Herald: “For us in the news media, that means assured access to candidates, so reporters can cover their campaigns more accurately and thoroughly and media outlets can reach them for basic information, such as candidate questionnaires, that voters use to be more informed about their selections. That increased quantity of information is certainly valuable for you as a voter, and the increased access can allow you to interact with campaigns in ways that not only provide details about candidates’ positions but also enable candidates to interact with you in ways that help them refine and clarify their message.”
* The bill is on Second Reading…
A bill introduced and advanced out of committee by state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, would close a loophole often exploited by puppy mills and unscrupulous breeders to profit from their activities at the expense of animal welfare.
“The vast majority of Illinoisans are united behind the idea that animals should not be abused and that those who try to profit from activities that are harmful to innocent creatures need to be stopped,” Carroll said. “What this bill is about is stopping a small minority of people from continuing to shamelessly inflict harm in their heedless rush to enrich themselves no matter the cost.”
Carroll’s House Bill 3236 would prohibit financing companies from offering or engaging in any type of installment loan or other loan transaction related to the sale or purchase of a companion animal. Companies that do enter into such loans would have no right under state law to enforce the agreement.
The bill is aimed at puppy mills and disreputable breeding operations which profit by selling companion animals at exorbitant prices. Because of the high prices such fly-by-night operations often charge, many purchasers take out a loan or pay in installments. Without the ability to enter into loans, abusive and unethical breeding operations would become less profitable, helping to discourage breeding practices in which animals are abused.
* WTTW…
Illinois lawmakers are eyeing a bill that would force the owner of a decommissioned generating station on the shores of Lake Michigan to clean up all the coal ash left behind.
Coal ash, the byproduct created when plants burn coal for power, contains potentially dangerous materials like arsenic, mercury and cadmium that can endanger nearby water supplies. Since coal-fired power plants use a lot of water to keep their equipment cool, they’re often near bodies of water like Lake Michigan — including Midwest Generation’s now-decommissioned generating station in Waukegan. […]
“I want to be proactive, not reactive,” said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan. She’s sponsoring a bill that would force NRG to remove all the coal ash from its Waukegan facility, which the company is not currently required to do. […]
The Waukegan bill has cleared a state House committee. If it’s passed by the full House, it’ll head to the state Senate.
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You-know-whats are gonna you-know-what
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Dan Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC D-2 filing with the Illinois State Board of Elections…
Funds available at the beginning of the reporting period: $3,437,741.06
Total Receipts: $13,924,971.92
Subtotal: $17,362,712.98
Total Expenditures: $18,566,070.19
Funds available at the close of the reporting period: ($1,203,357.21)
Investment Total: $0.00
So, the balance sheet is $1.2 million out of whack? Either they didn’t report all the money they raised, or they reported paying vendors and actually didn’t, or maybe they’re just really lousy at bookkeeping. How do you file a report with that sort of deficit?
This is an amended filing, by the way. The PAC didn’t previously disclose $2,000 in smaller individual contributions. So, they filed a clearly problematic D-2 not once, but twice.
* And here’s the Tribune…
For the second time in four months, the Illinois Democratic Party has filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections against right-wing radio talk show host and GOP political operative Dan Proft, this time alleging he failed to disclose $1.2 million in contributions to the conservative political action committee he runs. […]
The latest complaint, filed Tuesday by Ben Hardin, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, accuses Proft of committing “one of his most egregious” violations of the law yet by failing to disclose all of his PAC’s financial records “completely and accurately.”
”Mr. Proft is keenly aware of the disclosure requirements found in the (law),” the complaint alleges. “He has served as the chair and treasurer of several political committees spanning more than a decade and has been the subject of multiple matters before this board. And yet, Mr. Proft appears to have again completely disregarded the (law).” […]
”While a PAC can incur more in obligated expenditures than it receives in contributions (as long as it properly discloses the debt), it cannot expend more funds than it receives in contributions unless it has received a loan or other receipts,” the complaint says. “But the PAC’s filing shows no debt, loans, or other receipts. Instead, it simply states that it expended more than $1.2 million more than it received.”
Proft did a lot of outrageous things with his Uihlein money last year. Looks like some payback is being dished.
* Meanwhile, Tom DeVore has apparently collected $1.4 million in non-refundable legal fees ($200 per client times 7,000 clients). Illinois Review…
On Friday, Effingham County Chief Judge Douglas Jarman granted attorney Tom DeVore’s order requesting to amend his initial complaint and include an additional 2,000 plaintiffs to his lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s assault weapons ban.
DeVore’s lawsuits in total, represent over 7,000 plaintiffs and over 200 Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs).
Good work if you can get it. DeVore talked yesterday about starting his own statewide organization. “It’s coming,” he said.
* DeVore is also apparently so upset that his assault weapons ban lawsuit is not going to the Illinois Supreme Court and Rep. Caulkins’ lawsuit is, that he posted a faked photo and adds his own conspiracy theory…
I have no knowledge of the origins or authenticity of this photo but it was just sent to me.
One thing is for sure,…
Posted by Thomas DeVore on Saturday, March 11, 2023
Actually, what I think he’s doing is setting up an excuse for if/when basically the same arguments he’s using in his three consolidated Effingham cases (minus his procedural issues, which were rejected at the appellate level) fail at the state’s top court. It’ll all be Caulkins’ fault and his clients’ anger can be directed elsewhere. Actually, that’s already begun.
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* WBBM Radio…
Chicagoland advocates for the disability community said they hope Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent decision to start moving residents out of the state-run Choate institutional living center will signal a shift toward community-based living for all Illinois residents.
“It’s really something the leadership—both the governor and, hopefully, the Legislature—will embrace, which is, the rights of people to live with their families and in their communities,” said Zena Naiditch, the President and CEO of Equip for Equality in Chicago.
Naiditch said Equip has served as the federally mandated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities for 38 years. That means it’s held special authority to make both announced and unannounced visits to state-run institutions as part of its watchdog efforts. […]
While Pritzker announced the transition of Choate residents, though, he also promised to fund improvements at state-run facilities and expand support for those residents. Naiditch, who praised the decision to move residents out of Choate, said no state in the country can afford to fund both institutional and community-based living.
“Other states have chosen to focus their investments heavily on home- and community-based services, and that’s a direction Illinois is struggling to do because of the fact that they’re trying to fund, essentially, a dual-system,” she said. […]
“We need to understand that there are consent decrees in place, such as Olmstead, Ligas, Williams, and Colbert, that assure people with developmental disabilities the right to live in the least restrictive setting,” [Going Home Coalition Manager Carole Rosen] said.
I spoke with Sen. Terri Bryant the other day and she said one of her top priorities is making sure that Choate residents with nearby families would be able to stay there and not be moved elsewhere.
* Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, here’s Center Square’s take…
Illinois lawmakers are coming together to call for an audit into ongoing issues at group homes for those with disabilities.
A Community Integrated Living Arrangement, or CILA, is a group home where eight or fewer unrelated adults with developmental disabilities live under the supervision of the community developmental services agency.
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, has previously shared examples of problems at some of these facilities.
“You have heard from the first responders about the incidents of rape, sexual abuse, the neglect of residents, and even starvations that we can document in the state of Illinois that have taken place in CILAs,” Meier said.
Meier’s House Bill 1298 would require the Department of Human Services to establish a system of sight inspections at the facilities.
On Tuesday, the Legislative Audit Commission approved a resolution to trigger an Auditor General Performance Audit. […]
The issue has been a bipartisan one in Springfield. State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said doing nothing is a misuse of their power.
“They [the state] just got notice there is a problem,” Ford told The Center Square. “To ignore it and to do nothing, I think, is a dereliction of duty on our part.” […]
There wasn’t an immediate timetable offered for when the audit will be started and finished before the findings are released. However, on March 15, 2017, the House adopted a similar resolution calling for an audit of CILA homes. That report was released in July 2018.
The audit wasn’t about CILA homes, it was about the Department of Human Services’ oversight of those homes. From the report…
During the period FY12-FY16, DHS transitioned 408 individuals from the eight State- Operated Developmental Centers (SODCs) to CILA living arrangements. The responsibility for providing follow-up service visits to individuals who transition from an SODC to the community is performed by several entities. These entities are the Independent Service Coordinators (ISCs), the Bureau of Transitional Services (BTS) within DHS, SODC staff, and a vendor (Community Resource Associates (CRA)) that DHS contracted with for SODC closure activities.
DHS contracted with 17 ISCs whose primary role is to work with the individual, family, and/or guardian to identify the most appropriate living arrangement, be it State-operated facility or CILA. The 17 ISCs received over $28 million for these services during the audit period.
During audit testing of available documentation we found:
• DHS failed to ensure that Independent Service Coordinators (ISCs) maintained documentation on all required visits to individuals that transitioned from an SODC to a CILA.
• ISCs only conducted 62 percent of the required weekly visits to the individuals in CILAs. Additionally, ISCs only conducted 82 percent of the required monthly visits to the individuals in CILAs. However, ISCs did conduct 91 percent of the required quarterly visits to the individuals in CILAs.
DHS, through BTS, failed to conduct follow up visits with individuals that transitioned from SODCs to CILAs. Our sample testing found that BTS only conducted 45 percent of the required weekly visits to the individuals in CILAs. Additionally, BTS only conducted 51 percent of the required monthly visits to the individuals in CILAs.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go!
* Capitol News Illinois | Moody’s gives Illinois another credit upgrade: Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the state has received in less than two years. Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’ category following S&P’s decision on Feb. 23 to upgrade the state to A- on its scale.
* Tribune | Democrats file another election complaint against Dan Proft’s political operation, alleging $1.2 million in undisclosed contributions: Proft’s independent expenditure PAC, People Who Play By The Rules, was almost entirely funded by ultraconservative billionaire megadonor Richard Uihlein. The PAC spent tens of millions of dollars in an unsuccessful effort to boost conservative GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, who was defeated by progressive billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker 55% to 42% in November.
* WBBM | Illinois cannot afford both institutional living and home-based services, disability advocates say: “Despite the resources that had been put into the facility—despite staff training, all the different types of things that might be in the toolbox to try to make things better—still, the same kind of findings are occurring today as occurred almost 20 years ago now,” Aschemann said. Pritzker alluded to those findings in his March 8 announcement that Choate would be “repurposed” over the next three years. The plan included giving a majority of the 225 Choate residents the opportunity to transition into community-based settings or other state-run centers.
* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker touts higher education plan, joins call for pharmacies to state abortion pill plans: “With an additional $100 million directed to the (Monetary Award Program) grant program, a student can pair our state support with a federal Pell grant and pay for college with no loans and debt required,” Pritzker said at the news conference at Heartland Community College.
* Center Square | No-cash bail ‘more fair,’ Pritzker says; opponents worry recidivism would increase: During oral arguments in front of the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday, Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe raised concern that sheriffs will have to double the number of instances of deputy contacts with potentially dangerous criminals. “Fascinating to listen to both sides,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in Normal Tuesday afternoon.
* Sun-Times | Video poker in Chicago? Vallas and Johnson say deal us in: Under state law, local governments can prohibit video gambling machines from operating at restaurants or bars within their city limits. But both mayoral candidates favor lifting Chicago’s longstanding ban on the machines.
* Daily Southtown | Third airport plan gains traction, but skeptics seek commitment from cargo carriers:
“If my presentation were a newspaper, the headline might read, ‘South Suburban Airport has its best week in at least eight years,’” congressional aide Rick Bryant said Tuesday during a lunchtime teleconference with Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce members.
* WTTW | Lawmakers, Organizers Want to Force Lakefront Power Plant Owner to Clean Up Coal Ash Byproduct: For years, she and other organizers fought to get the power plant in Waukegan closed. Now, they’re fighting to get the company to clean up all the coal ash left behind. “They want to remove the coal ash from one of the ponds and they want to leave one, to cap it in place,” Ortiz said. “I feel like it’s kind of like leaving a ticking time bomb there.”
* Tribune | City Council committee OKs pro-union ordinance aimed at Chicago nonprofits despite opposition: The measure, dubbed a “labor peace agreement,” passed a City Council committee and will go for a vote before the full City Council on Wednesday. The once-dormant proposal has been in the works for three years and found new life in an election year that would strengthen the labor rights of those who work for organizations that serve the city within the public health and family and support sectors.
* Tribune | Defund the police or take their handcuffs off? Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson deny controversial statements at public safety forum: Asked about his previous support for the “defund the police” movement — including a declaration that it isn’t a slogan but a “real political goal” — Johnson said, “I said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.”
* Chalkbeat | How former teacher Brandon Johnson organized his way to the doorstep of Chicago City Hall: “A few months ago, they said they didn’t know who I was,” Johnson told a crowd of supporters when he made it to the mayoral runoff election on Feb. 28. “Well, if you didn’t know, now you know.”
* Tribune | ‘The hardest position to fill’: Finding a new Chicago police superintendent amid mayoral transition and crime uptick may be no easy feat: The end of David Brown’s nearly three-year tenure as the Chicago Police Department’s leader comes at a pivotal time: The city is in the midst of a heated mayoral runoff between candidates offering contrasting takes on policing; CPD still grapples with diminished morale, shrinking ranks and a recent spike in violent crime; and calls for accountability that started before the death of George Floyd remain strong.
* Crain’s | Portillo’s in Texas? Chicago food favorites are finding new fans nationwide: One of Chicago’s most beloved brands and a heavy hitter in the city’s street food scene, Portillo’s first launched nearly 60 years ago as a hot dog stand in Villa Park. It has since established a strong presence outside of Illinois with more than 70 locations in 10 states, including California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. A pre-IPO filing from 2021 said that the Oak Brook-based company believes it could grow to more than 600 restaurants in the U.S. in 25 years, and the company has said most new locations this year will be in Texas, Florida and Arizona.
* Sun-Times | The curiosities of a freak crappie caught in northern Illinois: Kyle Tepper caught a freak crappie in the Chain O’Lakes area that looks like something from far southern Illinois or Mississippi. The catch gives the chance to splash around the oddities of crappies in Illinois.
* WGN | Bears’ David Montgomery signing with NFC North rival Lions, report says: The deal is reportedly worth $18 million over three years. Mongtomery signing with the Lions means the running back will face off against the Chicago Bears twice a year, with an annual return to Soldier Field.
* NYT | Sold: Yacht With a Waterfall. Price: $19 Million. Broker: George Santos.: Just before his House election, Mr. Santos helped two of his largest donors reach a private deal on a $19 million boat, mixing his political and personal interests.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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