Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I posted this for subscribers earlier today, but here’s Democratic state Rep. Dan Didech on this week’s election results…
We won’t lose a single Democrat because they voted for PNA repeal or they voted for the Black Caucus pillars. We will lose members if the national dynamics are insurmountable and if people don’t work their own districts.
* The Question: Do you agree or disagree with Rep. Didech? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
survey services
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* I told you yesterday that Republicans have a decent shot at holding on to retiring Rep. Mark Batinick’s seat. That’ll depend on who wins the primary. This guy? Maybe not…
One month after announcing plans to run against Meg Cappel in next year’s State Senate 49th District race, Tom McCullagh has switched gears.
McCullagh notified Joliet Patch’s editor on Wednesday that he now plans to run for the seat held by State Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield. An officeholder since 2014, Batinick announced that he will not seek re-election next year.
“I want to thank Mark Batinick for his almost eight years as a state rep providing great conservative leadership in the greater Plainfield area,” McCullagh remarked. “When looking at places to live, the Plainfield-Shorewood area stood out because Mark Batinick was the state rep. After hearing of his intent to not run again, I decided to run to fill the seat in the ‘22 cycle. I know I have a lot to live up to, but I intend to represent the people of the 97th district to the best of my ability.” […]
After learning of Batinick’s plans to retire, McCullagh had this to say: “I stand firmly behind advocating the removal of CRT and early age sex ed from our children’s curriculum, as well as being a strong advocate for parental rights and involvement with their children’s education. Mark is leaving big shoes to fill, but I am up to the task.”
* From last year when he ran for state Senate as an anti-corruption candidate…
* He also claimed Pritzker was planning to issue mitigation orders so he could get pension money from the feds…
“I firmly believe he’s trying to show the worst impact of COVID that he can so he can get the federal bailout he wants to address all the state’s other problems, like pensions,” McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. “He’s trying to politicize the moment by using people’s suffering to get the bailout that he wants.”
McCullagh lost by about 12.5 points.
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* Megan Valley at the BND…
Despite hardships from COVID-19, Illinois grew its teaching force and increased retention rates last school year, according to new state data.
The Illinois State Board of Education released statewide data from the 2020-2021 school year on Friday with the Illinois Report Card. The Report Card covers student and school staff data and provides one of the first high-level looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Illinois public schools.
Illinois added more than 2,000 teachers to its teaching force last school year. At the same time, the retention rate increased to 87.1%, which is the highest its been since the state board started publishing that data in 2014.
Wasn’t expecting that.
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Schimpf rejects pension magic beans fantasy
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tom Collins at Shaw Media…
[Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Schimpf] said he’s open to all measures to reduce the state’s pension shortfall (offering buyouts, for example) and criticized Pritzker for not allocating surplus revenues to address the shortfall. Yet, he promises no short-term solution.
“Anyone that’s telling you there’s a silver bullet or magic beans-type of solution that’s going to resolve this instantaneously is selling something,” he said. “The pension shortfall has been three decades in the making. We’re just going to have to be responsible and it’s probably going to take us about a decade to get our financial house in order.”
I’m not sure what surplus revenues he’s talking about, but the fact that he isn’t buying into the magic beans fantasy is heartening.
…Adding… The author of the story he went back and checked the audio recording and realized he made a mistake. Schimpf didn’t say “surplus.” Here’s the full quote…
One of the things I would have differently had I been governor instead of JB Pritzker is when we had record revenue coming in, I would have used that revenue to try to put our financial affairs in order rather than just increasing spending across the board like Gov. Pritzker did.
I don’t think that take of Schimpf’s is very accurate either. Whatever.
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Good guys don’t always finish last
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Statehouse lobbyist Randy Witter retired last month after 48 years. He is honest to a fault, considerate, kind and smart as all get-out. I just cannot say enough good things about him, but this Illinois Times profile by David Blanchette covers a lot of ground…
“I learned early on that if you treat everyone the same way, whether it’s the governor or the janitor, with the same respect, you’re going to get further ahead,” said the 72-year-old Witter. “You don’t necessarily have to get along with them, but you have to respect them.” […]
“I’ve seen God, flag, apple pie and motherhood all go down the drain and I’ve seen pieces of legislation I never thought would pass, get passed,” Witter said. “Most people don’t realize why we have the laws that we have, what goes into the final result.” […]
Witter admitted that many people consider “lobbyist” to be a four-letter word, but “it’s like used car salesmen or attorneys, you’re going to have good ones, bad ones, timid ones, bold ones, you’re going to have every kind.”
And lobbyists are not miracle workers.
“Sometimes the client comes up with a wish list and you have to tell them it is unrealistic, that we have to do something different,” Witter said. “I think it’s important to tell the client the bad news before you tell them the good news. The worst is a lobbyist who doesn’t communicate with the client.” […]
“The legislature is truly a representation of the population of Illinois as a whole. There are people in the legislature that you say, ‘Wow, they are so brilliant, what are they doing here, they could be doing all kinds of other stuff,’” Witter said. “Then there are other legislators that you’d say, ‘Wow, if their constituents only knew.’ And you have to get along with everybody.” […]
Witter plans to do pro bono work for the Illinois Innocence Project and “other causes I think are fair and just” now that he’s officially retired, but “I will avoid trying to get into politics. I’ve often said the Republicans think I’m too much of a Democrat and the Democrats think I’m too much of a Republican.”
Go read the whole thing.
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Budzinksi in voter registration flap
Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I have seen congressional candidate Nikki Budzinski around Springfield regularly since the summer. She supposedly subleased an apartment while looking for a house to buy. So, this story was a surprise to me…
According to Sangamon County election records, Budzinksi, who voted in Chicago for each of the last five elections, attempted to register to vote at an apartment in Springfield a few days before she announced her campaign to run for Congress back in August. However, when the clerk’s office sent a voter identification notice to her listed apartment address, it came back “undeliverable.”
A follow-up letter from Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray’s office warned Budzinski to fill out her accurate residency information and submit it before a deadline of September 16th in order to avoid her registration being canceled. Suspended voter registrations are only canceled and removed from the voter rolls after two federal election cycles, a process that wouldn’t actually have taken place for another three years. However, until a voter clarifies their status, they are not allowed to vote while their registration is suspended.
“We’re required to send out a voter identification card, and a part of the securities and protection of voter registration lies within that card being delivered,” Gray explained. “If it’s delivered to the address, the assumption is that the person that registered to vote was at the proper address. If it is returned to our office, because it’s an unforwardable piece of mail, it starts a process of suspension.” […]
As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Budzinski’s voter registration was still listed as suspended, more than six weeks after the county’s deadline for her to correct the error. However, as soon as her campaign became aware that reporters were asking about her suspended voter registration status, she promptly went into the county building and provided documents to show that she’s in the process of buying a home in Springfield. Later on Wednesday night, the clerk’s office confirmed that she had indeed come in just before the end of the day to update her voter registration.
“Nikki owns a home in Springfield and is registered to vote there,” campaign manager Josh Roesch clarified hours after the suspended registration was brought to his attention.
* NRCC…
WCIA reports that a few days before Nikki Budzinski announced her run for Congress she attempted to register to vote at an apartment in Springfield.
Budzinski’s voter registration was then suspended after a voter identification notice sent to her listed apartment address came back “undeliverable.”
WCIA then went to the apartment Budzinski listed on her voter registration and nobody was there.
NRCC Comment: “It’s clear that Nikki Budzinski lied on official forms about where she lives. This is incredibly unethical, if not outright illegal.” – NRCC Spokesman Mike Berg
I dunno. I’m not sure we should be making a leap like that considering how horribly messed up the Post Office is these days. Even so, she’d been running a textbook campaign until now. Locking up support from all but one of the Metro East Democratic legislators in her district was quite a feat.
* Meanwhile, here’s a useful campaign roundup from Politico…
Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) is out of the gates with his re-election campaign now that boundaries are all but sown up for his district. The governor still needs to sign on to the newly released map. Bost has been endorsed by 20 Republican Central Committee leaders from across the newly mapped district, according to his campaign. Here are the 20 GOP leaders backing Bost. […]
— Appellate Judge Mary K. O’Brien formally kicks off her campaign for Illinois Supreme Court next week. Leading up to that she’s announcing more endorsements of elected officials, including a few who serve in Congress. Sen. Dick Durbin already announced his support. O’Brien, a former state legislator, is running in the 3rd District seat that includes DuPage and Will counties as well as Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties. She kicks her campaign off next week. Officials backing O’Brien
— Small business owner Maria Peterson has announced her run for the 26th District state Senate seat now held by Senate Republican Minority Leader Dan McConchie. Peterson, who lives in North Barrington, says she’s focused on “clean air, safe and affordable water, access to affordable health care including mental health, cleaner modes of transportation, and helping small businesses survive and thrive — the issues that impact the day-to-day lives of people.”
…Adding… Press release…
Today, the Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8 (BAC) announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in the IL-13 Democratic primary. The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers has represented bricklayers, stone and marble masons, cement masons, plasterers, tile setters, terrazzo and mosaic workers, pointers, cleaners, caulkers, and other highly skilled trowel craftworkers across the United States and Canada for over 100 years. BAC Local 8 represents masonry and allied craftworkers in 65 counties across Illinois and are leading the way on innovations like more sustainable green and energy efficient materials, prefabricated masonry and modular construction units, and the use of robotics or material unit lift enhancers.
The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 8’s endorsement is the latest in a broad coalition of support that Budzinski is building, including The UFCW Local 881, IBEW Locals 51, 146, 193, 309, 601 and 649, The Communications Workers of America (CWA), The Heat and Frost Insulators, The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), The Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI), State Senator Christopher Belt, Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, House Democratic Caucus Chair LaToya Greenwood, State Representative Katie Stuart, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Cheri Bustos, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Elect Democratic Women, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Pastor T. Ray McJunkins, County Chairs Bill Houlihan (Sangamon), Mark Pohlman (Jersey), Paul “Snow” Herkert (Calhoun), Ben Curtin (Christian) and Pam Monetti (Macoupin).
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