* Another blast e-mail from John Terranova to state employees…
Dear colleagues,
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to contact me in response to my last email. Your responses confirmed what we knew all along. State employees are hungry for accurate information. Rest assured, you can always count on me and my colleagues in CMS Labor Relations to provide it.
To that end, please take a moment to watch ASK JT: Answers to State Employee Questions and Concerns. In this clip, joined by my longtime colleague and good friend, Colleen Alderman, I answer important questions we’ve been receiving from employees. We cover the following topics:
. health insurance,
. strike-related issues (lost wages and benefits, inability to use vacation and other benefit time during a strike, as well as other issues),
. impasse, and
. merit pay.
I’m sure you have many more questions and encourage you to continue asking them. Colleen and I will do our best to respond, in writing and in future installments of ASK JT. In the meantime, please bookmark team.illinois.gov, where you can find a complete copy of our last, best, and final offer in the AFSCME negotiations. We will continue updating this website with additional information that our employees not only demand but have the right to know.
Yours,
JT
John Terranova
Deputy Director
Office of Labor Relations
Department of Central Management Services
* The video is over 20 minutes long, so it isn’t actually a “clip.” But if you can somehow manage to make it through all the way, please let me know in comments what you thought because I only made it about two minutes. Click here.
* Gov. Rauner again dodged questions about the presidential campaign today during a bill-signing event. Asked, for instance, if he planned to watch tonight’s big speech by Donald Trump, the governor said…
“I’m focused on Illinois’ prosperity and, uh, getting our Illinois, uh, reforms done. Political reform, economic reform, education reform.”
* Reminded that he said he’d support the party’s presidential nominee, so now that Trump is the nominee, what form would that support take?…
“Again, I, I’ve said what I’m, all I’m gonna say on the, on the presidential campaign.”
Whoops! U.S. Rep. John Shimkus needs a geography lesson: He told Illinois delegates at a Yacht Club luncheon in Cleveland on Tuesday, “It’s great to be here next to Lake Superior!”
Tim Schneider, the Cook County commissioner Rauner tapped to be state GOP chairman, maintained talk of any divisions was illusory. “I’ve seen nothing but unity this whole week. I’ve seen nothing but unity,” Schneider said.
With average cost per delegate at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia running between $3,000 and $5,000, Democratic Sen. Mike Noland and his wife, Veronica, have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for their trip.
The idea, Mike Noland tells me, came from Jose Alfonso Villalobos, who heads the Kane County for Bernie Sanders group. The Nolands hope to finance the trip “Bernie style” — a nod to the Vermont senator who amassed many small donations during his presidential primary bid.
While the GoFundMe page shows the Nolands raised about $767, Mike Noland says he’s also doing other fundraising to hit his $5,000 goal.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., slammed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Thursday for not endorsing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during his convention prime time address on Wednesday night.
“If you are invited to speak at the convention, though, you have to endorse him,” said Kinzinger, who is so reluctant to embrace Trump as his party’s nominee that he has been sitting on the fence for months.
“This is Donald Trump’s convention,” Kinzinger said on CNN. “He won the primary fair and square.”
Kinzinger said he was “blown away” with Cruz’s speech, where he urged Republicans to “vote their conscience” rather than say straight up to cast their ballots for Trump.
“I think it was ludicrous of Ted Cruz to do it, and it’s obviously political posturing for whatever comes next,” Kinzinger said.
Trump himself tweeted that he read the speech beforehand and allowed it to proceed. As I recall, the deal he cut with Cruz a while back to speak at the convention didn’t include any promises that Cruz endorse the nominee. Back in March, Trump rescinded his pledge (agreed to with the other candidates) to back the eventual nominee. And after all that, the Trump campaign scheduled Cruz to speak Wednesday night in prime time ahead of a speech given by Trump’s son and his vice presidential nominee.
All that said…
* The Question: Do you agree with Congressman Kinzinger? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate in June decreased 0.2 percentage points to 6.2 percent and nonfarm payrolls decreased by -2,200 jobs, based on preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and IDES. The decrease in Illinois’ unemployment rate is largely due to a decline in the labor force. Job growth is still below the national average, with Illinois -51,500 jobs short of its peak employment level reached in September 2000.
“In June, Illinois experienced yet another exodus and over-the-year job growth is still at half the national rate,” Director Jeff Mays said. “As we do our part in expanding services that help jobseekers find work more quickly, structural reforms are necessary to get the state’s economy back on track.”
“We’ve lost more than 9,000 manufacturing jobs over the last year, and replacing those middle class jobs has been an uphill battle due to the high costs facing Illinois businesses,” Illinois Department of Commerce Acting Director Sean McCarthy said. “Manufacturing has been a critical part of our state’s economy, providing stable, good paying jobs for Illinois families. We need action on structural reforms to Illinois’ dysfunctional worker’s compensation, regulation, and tax systems to make our state competitive and bring solid middle class jobs back to Illinois.”
In June, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+3,000); Financial Activities (+1,700); and Other Services (+1,500). The two industry sectors with the largest declines in employment were: Educational and Health Services (-7,300) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-1,000).
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +41,300 jobs with the largest gains in Leisure and Hospitality (+19,100); and Professional and Business Services (+16,700). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines in June include: Manufacturing (-9,100) and Information Services (-2,700). The 0.7 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is less than the 1.7 percent gain posted by the nation in June.
The state’s unemployment rate is higher than the national unemployment rate reported for June 2016, which increased to 4.9 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate stood 0.4 percentage points above the unemployment rate a year ago when it was 5.8 percent.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -4.1 percent from the prior month to 409,300, up +8.5 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force grew by +1.9 percent in June over the prior year, but decreased 0.5 percent over-the-month. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
The State Board of Elections (SBE) fell victim to a cyberattack that was detected on July 12, 2016. Specifically, the target was the [Illinois Vital Records System] database. Once discovered, State Board of Elections closed the point of entry. On July 13th, once the severity of the attack was realized, as a precautionary measure, the entire IVRS system was shut down, including online voter registration.
SBE’s Information Technology and Voting and Registration Systems staff immediately began researching the extent of the infiltration. Thus far, we have determined the following:
· The pathway into IVRS was NOT through our firewalls but through a vulnerability on our public web page that an applicant may use to check the status of their online voter registration application.
· The method used was SQL injection. The offenders were able to inject SQL database queries into the IVRS database in order to access information. This was a highly sophisticated attack most likely from a foreign (international) entity.
· We have found no evidence that they added, changed, or deleted any information in the IVRS database. Their efforts to obtain voter signature images and voter history were unsuccessful.
· They were able to retrieve a number of voter records. We are in the process of determining the exact number of voter records and specific names of all individuals affected. (Because of the complex methods used to access the data, this may take 10-15 days.)
· In an effort to prevent an attack such as this from happening in the future, we have made a number of security enhancements to the IVRS and POVA systems.
· Once the system is brought back online, all IVRS user passwords will need to be changed at the first login (or by your vendor for system specific accounts). The new password must be a minimum of eight characters in length, one of which must be a non-alphanumeric character ($, *, # etc.).
Pursuant to the Personal Information Protection Act (815 ILCS530/), the Illinois General Assembly and the Office of the Attorney General have been notified of the incursion. Furthermore, once we have determined the number of voter records and the individuals whose information was collected, we are prepared to take the proper steps required to notify those persons.
A separate notification will be sent indicating when you and your staff may access IVRS. Thank you for your patience regarding this matter.
Kyle Thomas
Illinois State Board of Elections
Director-Voting and Registration Systems
The registration database is a frequent target of cyberattacks, [Ken Menzel, the Illinois State Board of Elections’ general counsel] said, but “this is the first time that we’re aware of that anybody’s gotten into anything — not for lack of trying .”
Menzel said the board is confident that no voter information in the database was altered and will follow the proper notification procedures if any personal information was compromised.
* This passage from a Trib editorial on yesterday’s failure by the remap reform amendment is just plain intellectually dishonest…
It ought to go without saying that this appeal deserves the prompt attention of the state’s highest court. But two years ago, the justices showed a shocking disregard for the hundreds of thousands of voters who signed petitions in support of a different amendment.
Illinois isn’t California. We can debate forever the legal arguments on this particular case, but just because hundreds of thousands of people sign a petition it doesn’t change the fact that our state Constitution drastically restricts any and all proposals for change. And in 1988 and 2008, Illinois voters soundly rejected calling a constitutional convention. I wrote numerous columns leading up to that 2008 vote supporting a convention, mainly to get remap reform on the table, but the question lost 3.1 million to 1.5 million.
3.1 million voters trumps 564,000 petition signatures in my book, as much as I strongly disagreed with their overwhelming decision.
* That having been said, there is a most definite political downside to Democrats with this ruling, as today’s Chicago Sun-Times editorial clearly shows…
But the power to reshuffle that stacked deck lies, perhaps more than ever now, in the hands of the very people uninterested in any change — the state’s Democratic legislative leaders. The court ruled that the remap plan, which would have assigned new duties to the state auditor general and Supreme Court, went beyond constitutionally allowed “structural” and “procedural” changes to the Legislature.
Today’s court ruling was a defeat for democracy and a victory for House Speaker Mike Madigan and Company, who have consistently put their own political interests above the power of your vote.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Democrats need to get out in front of this issue with a real proposal of their own. If they don’t defeat Rauner in the next election and don’t maintain their super-majorities in both chambers in the next two cycles, then he’ll veto their remap bill and they’ll only have a 50-50 chance of drawing the next map.
And then all heck will break loose. I seriously doubt the GOP will make the same sort of mistakes that they made when they drew the map in 1991.
* Related…
* Mark Brown: Dems’ stance on redistricting reform will catch up to them
* This new data sophistication that the state party chairman spoke about this morning is just part of what’s going on. The House and Senate Republicans now have much larger operations, with a much bigger infrastructure than they’ve ever had before…
Schneider complimenting Rauner's campaign for helping get tons more data and info on IL voters
* While some Illinois Kasich delegates (most notably the “Never Trump” former state party chairman Pat Brady) are quoted high up in this article, the Trump delegates fervently contend that the Republican National Convention’s relentless negativity against Hillary Clinton won’t hurt the party in the end…
Trump delegates say they have no problem with the Clinton-bashing and do not fear blowback from women voters, a problem area for Trump.
James Devors, a Trump delegate from Aroma Park, 60 miles south of Chicago, agreed that he’d “like to hear more positive stuff about Mr. Trump.”
But the negative statements, Devors said, “are going toward those Republicans who are lukewarm to Mr. Trump. It’s, ‘You might not like Mr. Trump, but this is your alternative,’ is the audience they’re going for.”
State Rep. John Cabello of Machesney Park, 95 miles northwest of Chicago, an at-large delegate and Trump supporter, said reprisals from women voters shouldn’t be a problem because “Trump has a problem only with women who would never support him in the first place.”
Linda Lucchese, a Trump delegate from Park Ridge, Clinton’s hometown in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, disagreed: “It won’t hurt with any woman who’s got half a brain,” she said.
It did look a bit Third Worldish to be loudly chanting “Lock her up!” about an American political opponent, but I think that if the nominee has a very good night tonight, much of that might be forgotten.
To: Interested Parties
From: ALG Research
Re: IL Statewide poll findings
Illinois voters like labor unions. Conversely, they do not like Bruce Rauner or think he is doing a good job as Governor. They side with labor unions in fights with Bruce Rauner generally, and they side with AFSCME specifically in their current dispute with the Governor.
Key Findings
• Labor unions and workers are popular in Illinois. Voters are favorable towards “public employee unions” (51% favorable / 29% unfavorable) and “state government workers” (57% favorable / 28% unfavorable).
• Voters have turned on Bruce Rauner. Last April, voters gave Rauner a net positive job rating (45% positive / 42% negative) and personal popularity rating (47% favorable / 36% unfavorable). That’s now flipped, and Rauner has a poor personal rating (38% favorable / 50% unfavorable) and job rating (35% positive / 60% unfavorable). That includes bad ratings with:
o Independents (32% positive / 64% negative job)
o The Collar counties (45% positive / 50% negative)
o Downstate (42% positive / 54% negative)
o People who voted in the November 2014 election (37% positive / 59% negative)
• In general, voters trust public employee unions more than Bruce Rauner in a dispute. They favor public employee unions by 24 points (54% unions / 30% Rauner) when it comes to conflicts between them and Rauner, an improvement for unions since last April (51% unions / 33% Rauner).
• In the current dispute between state employees and Bruce Rauner, voters agree with state employees. Voters overall side with state workers, as do voters in the Collar counties, Downstate, Independents, and midterm-election voters:
“When it comes to the current dispute between the state employees’ union and Bruce Rauner, which of the following do you agree with more?
o “State employees say they are willing to negotiate with Bruce Rauner, even offering to limit pay raises and pay more for their health care. But just like Rauner held the state budget hostage for a year, he refuses to negotiate with workers. Instead he’s trying to force our everyday heroes like caregivers and emergency responders to accept steep cuts to their standard of living. 56%
OR
o “Bruce Rauner says that we are in such a fiscal mess because past governors gave too much to government unions that funded their political campaigns. He says that the unions’ demands would cost taxpayers three billion dollars, and that the state can’t afford employee pay raises or generous health care benefits.” 34%
• On the following points of contention, voters also agree more with the state employees’ union than Rauner. Voters don’t just agree with ASFCME on the general issue, they also take the union’s side on the key specific points of disagreement between AFSCME and Rauner.
“Which of the following do you agree with more?”
o The union says Rauner is wildly exaggerating the cost of workers’ pay and benefits for his own political gain. 58%
OR
o Bruce Rauner says the union’s demands would cost taxpayers three billion dollars. 32%
o The union says public service workers are important. They keep us safe, protect kids, care for veterans, and more. 62%
OR
o Bruce Rauner says government unions are part of the corrupt bargain in Springfield causing our state’s mess. 28%
o The union says Bruce Rauner is trying to destroy unions, so he can get a blank check to outsource public services for private profit. 60%
OR
o Bruce Rauner says we need to cut Illinois state workers’ excessive pay and benefits. They are the highest-paid state workers in the nation at $60,000 a year. 30%
The findings are based off of an n=600 sample poll of November 2016 likely voters conducted on landlines and cellphones. Interviews were apportioned geographically based on past voter turnout. The expected margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is +4.0% and higher for subgroups.
This fabricated poll is yet another attempt by AFSCME leaders to mislead and distract taxpayers from AFSCME’s true intention, which is a strike as early as September 1st.
The Illinois Republican Party on Wednesday revoked the convention credentials of a Donald Trump delegate from Chicago “for publicly-made racist comments and threats of violence” on a Facebook posting.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider told the Sun-Times the party, “has zero tolerance for racism of any kind and threats of violence against anyone.” […]
The Republican National Convention welcome party was thrown Sunday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. [Fifth Congressional District delegate Lori Gayne] wrote, over a photo of law enforcement officials on the roof on the iconic building on the Lake Erie shore:
“Our brave snipers just waiting for some “N—- to try something. Love them.”
One of Gayne’s social media handles is “whitepride.”
“With all the racism going on today, I’m very proud to be white. Just like black people are proud to be black and now, as white people, whenever we say something critical we’re punished as if we’re racists. I’m tired of it. I’m very proud,” Gayne said.
“I’m so angry I don’t even feel like I live in America. You can call me a racist. Black Lives Matter? Those people are out of control,” she said.
The oldest line in the book is “I’m not a racist, but…” As a white man, I’ve heard it countless times.
State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, co-chair of the Illinois delegation and a major Trump supporter, said he supported free speech but said Gayne had crossed the bounds to be a representative for Illinois Republicans.
“I don’t believe her voice is one we want in the party,” Cabello said.
Coulda thought about that before the convention even started.
Duckworth’s deputy campaign manager Matt McGrath said in an email she was referencing a statement Kirk made in May 2013 during an interview with Fox 32 Chicago political editor Mike Flannery.
Kirk told Flannery: “My top priority is to arrest the Gangster Disciple gang, which is 18,000 people. I would like to do a mass pickup of them and put them all in the Thomson Correctional Facility. I will be proposing this to the assembled federal law enforcement: ATF, DEA and FBI.”
Kirk made that statement in response to the January 2013 shooting death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was struck in the back by a stray bullet during a gang-related shooting on Chicago’s south side.
The Gangster Disciples is an African-American gang from the city’s south side and has an estimated 18,000 members, though its membership could be as high as 30,000, according to the Chicago Crime Commission’s press officer John Pastuovic.
The statement drew criticism from the media as well as from Kirk’s colleagues in Congress, including U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill, who called the proposal an “upper middle class elitist white boy solution to a problem he knows nothing about.”
But Kirk acknowledged in July 2013 that his plan to arrest every member of the Gangster Disciples was “not actually that practical.”
Still, not only does Duckworth’s tweet take what Kirk said out of context, it also implies he supported the general mass arrest of 18,000 African-Americans, even though Kirk never mentioned race or used the term “African-Americans” during his interview with Fox 32 Chicago.
More troubling in recent weeks, to our thinking, have been a couple of scurrilous accusations by Democratic Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth against her Republican opponent, incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk. If we ever thought Duckworth might be above cheap shots, we know better now.
Duckworth loaded the two false accusations into a single tweet on June 8: “Kirk, who called for the mass arrest of 18,000 African Americans, was apparently fine w/ Trump’s #StillTooRacist call for mass deportation.”
Did Kirk in fact call for the arrest of 18,000 African-Americans? No.
Is it true Kirk has no objection to Trump’s call for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants? Also not true.
* Oscar got a haircut last week and today is my turn. I also have some errands to run, so blogging will be light to nonexistent until about 3 this afternoon.
Talk amongst yourselves, but let’s keep the conversation focused on Illinois and far away from the national convention and national politics. There are plenty of other posts on here for that.
In it, I correct AFSCME’s erroneous statement that employees who refuse to join the union at the picket line and remain at work become “at will,” a term reserved for a limited group of state employees who can be terminated without just cause. AFSCME’s claim is wrong. AFSCME employees continue to receive the same job protections even if they remain on the job and refuse to join the union on the picket line.
* AFSCME’s Anders Lindall responded today…
Rich –
We can’t imagine where John Terranova came up with the supposed “erroneous statements” alleged in his email and letter and wrongly attributed to us. AFSCME Council 31 has never published anything like these statements, nor are they accurate.
Terranova’s criticism of what he calls “AFSCME’s irresponsible strike talk” is likewise misplaced. Anyone paying attention knows that it’s Governor Rauner who boasted on the campaign trail that he’d force a strike and shut down state government, it’s Rauner who walked away from negotiations more than six months ago, and it’s Rauner who twice vetoed the fair arbitration bill we supported to prevent a strike and instead allow a neutral third party to help settle our differences.
Just as surely, anyone paying attention knows that AFSCME has repeatedly urged the administration to return to the bargaining table and join us in working toward an agreement that’s fair to all.
[Chicago] Police records through the end of June showed 15 children younger than 10 years old had been shot, which is seven more young shooting victims than the same span last year.
- Six-year-old Jaylene Bermeo was drawing with sidewalk chalk on the evening of June 6 in the Logan Square neighborhood on the city’s northwest side when she was shot in the back, the bullet puncturing her lung and lodging near her heart. Police say a 17-year-old boy accidentally shot the girl when he opened fire on rival gang members as he drove down the block.
- Three-year-old Devon Quinn was with his dad on Father’s Day in a car in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side when someone pulled up and fired at least 10 shots at the vehicle. Prosecutors say the gunman was a gang member who opened fire in a rival gang’s territory to pay tribute to a dead member of his own gang. At a court hearing, prosecutors said the boy was left paralyzed from the chest down and that he will never be able to move his limbs or even breathe on his own.
- Five-year-old Taniyah Williams and her 8-year-old cousin, Corey Bondurant, were playing with sparklers on the evening of July 4 in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side when someone sprayed the area with bullets. Taniyah was struck in the leg, as were a 19-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man. After the commotion, relatives discovered that 8-year-old Corey was also shot in the leg.
*** UPDATE *** To read today’s opinion in its entirety, click here.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* No matter what happened today, this thing has always been destined for the Illinois Supreme Court…
In a written opinion, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Diane Larsen said it violated the state constitution on two grounds. First, it exceeds the constitution’s requirement that citizen-led constitutional amendment proposals be limited to “structural and procedural” changes to the Illinois General Assembly. Larsen also ruled that it violates the constitution’s provision that amendments be limited to a single topic.
* Reboot also posted the final page of the ruling. Click the pic for a larger image…
…Adding… From the ILGOP…
“Hundreds of thousands of citizens petitioned to put the Independent Map Amendment on the ballot. Instead of supporting the chance to vote for fair maps, Mike Madigan’s allies sued to stop voters from having the opportunity to vote for reform. It’s sad to see that Mike Madigan’s Democratic Party would rather deny voters their voice than face fair, competitive elections.
It’s more clear than ever that Illinois needs major political reform. While we expect this legal battle to continue, there is nothing preventing the legislature from passing fair maps and term limits. It’s time for reform-minded Democrats and Republicans to work together to get it done.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
…Adding More… Press release…
Independent Maps Chairman Dennis FitzSimons’ statement about today’s Cook County Circuit Court ruling:
“We are disappointed that Judge Larsen has ruled against the Independent Map Amendment and the 564,000 Illinois residents who signed a petition to change a broken system and eliminate the inherent conflict of interest where politicians draw their own legislative districts. We expected from the beginning of this effort that the issue would ultimately be decided by the Illinois Supreme Court. We will file for an expedited appeal to the State’s highest court.
“A great deal of care went into crafting an amendment that follows constitutional guidelines while also creating a system that is independent, fair, transparent, and protects the ability of minority communities to elect candidates of their choosing. Redistricting reform was specifically addressed by the framers of our constitution as a ‘critical’ area for citizen petition initiatives. We believe that the Illinois Supreme Court will side with Illinois voters and not deny citizens the opportunity to vote on this amendment.“
* And…
Governor Bruce Rauner issued the following statement on a Cook County judge’s decision regarding the redistricting referendum on the November ballot:
“Today’s ruling is a harsh reminder that the political system in Illinois is in need of major reforms. I hope the decision to deny voters the chance to consider the Independent Map redistricting referendum is appealed and reversed.
“Independent redistricting is badly needed in our state. A stunning two-thirds of incumbents will be running unopposed in November. That’s certainly not because the politicians in charge are doing such a good job in Springfield. It means the system is broken.
“Legislators in power could have placed the Independent Maps referendum directly on the ballot and avoided this court decision. Instead, they chose to play politics in an effort to protect their own power.
“That is wrong.
“We have it backwards in Illinois. Voters should be able to choose their elected officials through an independently-drawn map that ensures competitive elections. Instead, we have politicians choosing their voters, putting politics ahead of people.
“Independent Maps has strong support from both Democrats and Republicans. It has strong support from non-partisan good government groups. So this ruling is a definitely a setback for the people of Illinois.
“If this decision remains in place, it will prove that we need to put political reform at the top of our legislative agenda. We need to fix our broken political system to ensure taxpayers win instead of the insiders.”
…Adding Still More… Press release from today’s winners…
The Circuit Court’s decision represents a victory for democracy and minority rights. This unconstitutional amendment would put a tremendous amount of authority in the hands of unelected middlemen unaccountable to the taxpayers. Shifting the authority to draw the legislative map from 178 elected officials to 11 people randomly selected or appointed by legislative leaders does not make the process “independent,” rather it removes the ability for voters to have a voice. A group of unelected mapmakers is accountable to no one for the decisions it makes, has no reason to protect minority voters and minority communities, and faces no consequences for failing to give those protections.
Minority groups have spent decades fighting to ensure our voices are heard, and that hard work would be in jeopardy if this amendment were to become law. Any effort to weaken minority rights harms us all and should be seen as nothing more than a major setback in what has been accomplished for minority rights in Illinois. As politicians throughout the country try to make it more difficult for minorities to vote, we should ensure any movement like this is carefully examined.
The proponents of Independent Map claimed their proposal would put the map back in the hands of the voters, but nothing is further from the truth. The current process allows those unhappy with the redistricting process to express their displeasure at the ballot box.
John Hooker
Chairman
People’s Map
…Adding… Press release…
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, on the Independent Map ruling today:
“Unfortunately, I am not shocked. This is a Circuit Court opinion out of Cook County – a very political system. I look forward to a fresh set of eyes at the next level of juridical review. The people of Illinois are demanding change – but the powers that be continue to frustrate their efforts to reform our system. We cannot continue to be stuck with the status quo in Illinois.”
“Today’s ruling by a Cook County Circuit Court Judge is an unfortunate win for the status quo in Illinois. I am disappointed for the 546,000 registered Republican and Democratic voters who felt strongly enough to sign their support for a ballot initiative that would remove politics from the remap process. I am hopeful the Illinois Supreme Court will reverse this decision.”
[Independent Maps Chairman Dennis FitzSimons], in a phone interview, suggested that the judge created what amounted to a dilemma for voters in her ruling.
The judge “accepted or position in general that remap is a structural and procedural subject” and thus can be dealt with by voters, he said. But she delivered “a interpretation that would make it almost impossible to pass any constitutional amendment” on this subject.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court may start all over in examining the issue, FitzSimons concluded. But, “If this stands, it will be almost impossible for voters to change their own constitution.”
* I’ve been getting a lot of calls, e-mails and texts asking me if I know why Rep. Ron Sandack has apparently deleted both of his Twitter accounts and his personal Facebook account. His official Facebook account is still active, however.
Sandack is one of the most active users of social media in all of Illinois politics, so I reached out to him the other day. Here’s our text chat via MightyText…
Check out the attached taxpayer-funded legislative mailing I received in the mail yesterday from my State Rep. Scott Drury. While all these types of mailings are arguably taxpayer-funded campaign mailings disguised as “information,” I have never seen one so cavalier in not even attempting to disguise itself as informative. It provides no value to the constituent and simply touts Scott Drury. It truly is campaigning on the taxpayers’ dime.
And I actually think, despite his reputation, that he is a decent legislator, but this is a very troubling mail piece.
Needless to say, if you choose to use this, please do not associate it with me — I have redacted my name and address from the mailing.
Illinois Republican Chairman Tim Schneider had the honors of casting the Illinois’ delegation vote at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, hailing an absent Gov. Bruce Rauner, and leading chants of “Woo” and “Trump.”
“I’m a proud citizen of the state of Illinois and the United States of America and we have the finest governor in our nation in Gov. Bruce Rauner,” said Schneider, a Cook County commissioner who was picked for the state GOP job by Rauner.
Rauner is absent from the convention and aides have said he is not “formally endorsing” Trump, though the governor has called himself the leader of his party and has urged support for the GOP ticket. […]
Schneider then engaged in an uncharacteristic Ronnie “Woo Woo” Wickers-style impression, chanting “woo, woo, woo” and then began shouting “Trump, Trump, Trump,” before his microphone was cut off.
…Adding… Raw video including the “woo woow” is here.
I thought about going to the convention and the thought of spending a week in Cleveland with a bunch of Republicans shouting “Trump, Trump, Trump” – it sounded better for me to actually be in Illinois.
University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen has delivered excellent news: He’ll recommend a freshman tuition freeze for an unprecedented third year in a row. Killeen credits the tuition freeze with helping spur an overall increase in applications (up 13 percent) and acceptances, particularly from Illinois students.
That freeze is “dynamite in terms of not just letting parents know what they are getting into but also improving our competitive position vis-a-vis other states,” Killeen told us during a visit to the Tribune Editorial Board.
Dynamite? You bet.
Name a dozen other major state universities — heck, any universities — holding the line on tuition year after year.
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told the Illinois GOP delegation at the Republican National Convention he expects Trump to return during the campaign, even though a highly-touted campaign rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago was canceled in March in the face of raucous protests and clashes between anti- and pro-Trump crowds.
Trump did return to Illinois a few days after the aborted Chicago rally to campaign downstate, but hasn’t been back for any public events since the March 15 primary.
Lewandowski said Trump has created new battleground states where Republicans have had little success in recent presidential elections.
“There’s an opportunity that we haven’t had in this country since 1984, in my opinion, and that’s to put states in play that Republicans don’t win anymore; and if you look at a state like Pennsylvania, and a state like Ohio, and Michigan, and places where Republicans have given up, even places like California – like the polls today said Trump is down three points in a state like Michigan – it’s unheard of,” he said.
Actually, it’s very much “heard of.”
* In mid-July of 2008, one Michigan pollster had Barack Obama ahead of John McCain by a mere 2 points. Obama went on to win the state by 16.4 points.
* Now, this isn’t to say that Trump will lose Michigan. I have no idea. Hillary Clinton is yet again running as a cautious incumbent in an environment that does not love cautious incumbents.
But what I do know is that early presidential polling is notoriously weird. You may remember early June of 1992, when Bill Clinton was polling in third place nationally behind President George HW Bush and Ross Perot, who was leading the pack at the time. That lead didn’t last.
We have to wait until after both conventions are finished and voters have had some time to process things before the polls start to make sense.
* And Illinois? Please. I thought Lewandowski works for CNN now. He’s sure not talking like an analyst.
I’d refer you to his public schedule which indicates he will be in Park Ridge signing legislation. That’s where he will be
* Daily public schedule…
Daily Public Schedule: Wednesday, July 20, 2016
What: Governor Tours Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Signs Legislation Expanding Coverage for Breast Cancer Screenings
Where: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Center for Advanced Care – First Floor
1700 Luther Ln., Park Ridge
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Time: 12:00 p.m.
* From a GOP campaign official…
I think there was also an event honoring Radogno in absentia
The vacant Old Main Post Office that hovers over the Eisenhower Expressway is about to be converted from a dilapidated civic embarrassment into a bevy of construction activity.
Five months after Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s bold threat to seize control of the giant hulk, the city has reached a court-approved agreement with its new owner, 601W Companies LLC, to begin a five-year, $500 million renovation and restoration. […]
Strict and staggered deadlines have been set through 2018 to correct more than 20 code violations cited by the city since 2012. The work also will include: replacing the building’s massive roof; restoring its historic lobby; repairing building facades; new high-speed elevators; and overhauling the electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation systems.
Only after that nitty-gritty work is done can the decaying building be converted into commercial office space expected to house up to 12,000 people. The construction project alone is expected to take about 1,500 building trades workers.
After the three-phase renovation, it is hoped tenants will be drawn to a strategically located building with 18-foot ceilings and wide-open floor plans of up to 250,000 square feet per floor.
* From an Emanuel press release…
601W’s three-phase renovation plan will comprehensively rehabilitate the building as offices, primarily targeting commercial users attracted to the building’s 18-foot ceilings and 250,000-square-foot open floor spaces. Amenities will include a three-acre rooftop park complex and a landscaped riverwalk that will be open to the public.
An estimated 12,000 people could work in the building when fully-leased. The rehabilitation project is projected to generate more than 1,500 construction jobs. The agreement also includes requirements for minority- and women-owned business participation in the work to redevelop the facility.
“Developing the Old Post Office will bring thousands of jobs for Chicagoans and renew a building that has been neglected for decades,” Ald. Daniel Solis (25th) said. “This agreement is a significant step forward, and I look forward to continuing our progress.”
“The scheduled improvements involved significant cooperation by the City and 601W,” Department of Planning and Development Commissioner David Reifman said. “They will result in a first-class development that will benefit the entire City of Chicago,”
International Property Developers North America has also agreed to pay the City $800,000 for the violations incurred by the prior owner from 2009 to March of 2016 when it sold the property to 601W. The complex had been cited with more than 20 building code citations since 2012.
The old Post Office was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and built in phases from 1921 to 1932. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been vacant since the city’s main post office operations relocated in 1995.
While Trump has his steadfast supporters, there also are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans who are still struggling to get behind him.
Like U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, who says he’s been left with a “binary choice.” There’s Hillary Clinton, who he says is an “entirely unacceptable candidate” for President of the United States.
“That makes the alternative then, Donald Trump,” he said. “And so all of the sorts of feelings and things, you know, and the wincing at various comments … I feel those too. Like I said, I’m not here over-communicating and overselling. What I am saying is there’s a choice between these two people.”
Even though he admits this is an either/or “binary choice,” Roskam hasn’t fully committed to backing Trump.
Kirk, a first-term senator facing a difficult contest against Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, had been backing retired Gen. David Petraeus, the former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information.
Mocked by Duckworth’s campaign over the choice, Kirk told WJBC radio in Bloomington on Wednesday that he’s now backing former secretary of state and retired Gen. Colin Powell.
“I’ve switched out Petraeus now that Colin, being much more experienced at the national level, is the better way to go,” Kirk told the radio station.
Kirk acknowledged a vote for Powell wouldn’t count since write-in candidates must register with the state to be counted.
“He wouldn’t count, yeah. Just kind of a protest vote for me and I think Donald Trump is too bigoted and too racist for the Land of Lincoln,” said Kirk, who had pledged to support the nominee before rescinding his pledge over Trump’s remarks critical of a judge of Hispanic heritage.
Good on that radio host for pointing out that voting for an unregistered write-in has no real world impact whatsoever.
* In related news, Congressman Adam Kinzinger said this morning that he’ll be supporting Trump after all…
Walking tightrope. Cong. Adam Kinzinger tells IL delegation he was early detractor of Trump. But says must support. pic.twitter.com/loW0H97aCy
* Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is in Cleveland mainly to raise money…
Republican Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin says he is not in Cleveland to attend the Republican National Convention. Instead, he’s here to raise money–gobs of it–with the goal of pouring it into contested House races and chipping away at House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Democratic supermajority. […]
Durkin says that Trump’s name at the top of the ticket could help down-ballot Republicans with their races for the state House, especially in rural areas of Illinois.
“There’s areas where Donald Trump is very strong. Regions like Southern Illinois, the collar counties. That’s going to help our candidates. We have a lot of races we’re investing in downstate and Central Illinois. The suburbs will be a bit of a challenge though. That’s where Donald Trump is having a tough time connecting with Republican voters,” Durkin said.
Trump indeed could be a drag on the Republican ticket in urban and suburban areas of the state, and in statewide races. Illinois has voted for the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 1992. With this in mind, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk has rejected Trump and decided to stay away from the Republican National Convention in order to fortify his image as an independent moderate. […]
Durkin says that if Republicans can pick up a handful of seats and deny Madigan a supermajority, it might force the speaker to the table to accept more of Rauner’s “turnaround” agenda in exchange for a long-term budget agreement. Then again, it could embolden the speaker to double down and try and help defeat Rauner for re-election in 2018.
Durkin was on floor of the convention arena as the roll call of delegates continued. Trump supporters were cheering around him. Durkin says he welcomes Trump supporters, wants the party to expand, he knows that’s necessary to make any political gains.
But Durkin couldn’t commit to backing his party’s nominee.
“I want to get there. I need to hear more,” he said. “This is a very personal decision for me, to vote for a man or woman for President of the United States.”
Durkin did say that Trump has brought new people to the Illinois Republican Party, and he’s hoping they’re as passionate about helping elect Republican state representatives as they are about Trump.
Um, OK. He won’t commit to Trump, but wants Trump voters to commit to his candidates.
* Oops, I forgot to post a question so today’s will be a quickie: Your one word (and one word only or it’ll be deleted) comment about the Republican National Convention so far?
* Speaking to AFSCME’s convention in Las Vegas today, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took a whack at Gov. Bruce Rauner…
“In Illinois, Bruce Rauner has been holding the budget hostage for months, endangering public colleges and universities, hurting families and demanding outrageous concessions from public sector unions.”
As a reporter on Twitter noted, she pronounced his name “Rawner.”
A group waging an aggressive legal battle to keep a redistricting question off November’s Illinois ballot hasn’t reported a single donation or expense since it became a political committee last summer, adding to the mystery of who is funding the effort and paying its legal bills.
The People’s Map, comprised of business and community leaders who say they represent the interests of minority voters, filed a lawsuit in May against a proposed voter referendum that seeks an independent commission to take over drawing Illinois’ political lines instead of the party in power. Arguing on their behalf was a top Chicago elections lawyer who has long represented the leader of the Democratic Party of Illinois, House Speaker Michael Madigan.
But every line of quarterly disclosures The People’s Map filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections shows a zero. The People’s Map also doesn’t disclose any pro bono work or $12,000 in union donations that appear in state filings by the unions from July to October of last year. The groups says they never cashed the checks.
The lack of disclosures, or any monetary details, raises questions about how the group is functioning and who is covering legal fees. The scrutiny comes as a judge is expected to decide this week whether the remap question is constitutional for the ballot. […]
People’s Map chairman John Hooker declined an interview through a spokesman and said questions about legal fees should posed to Michael Kasper, the lead attorney of five listed in the lawsuit. Kasper, who’s also represented Senate President John Cullerton and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has repeatedly declined comment. He didn’t respond to questions Tuesday.
Kasper, of course, also represents Speaker Madigan, who has unconvincingly denied involvement in the effort.
* Meanwhile…
Judge expected to rule tomorrow on whether Independent Map group can go forward with ballot initiative #ChicagoTonight
*** UPDATE 1 *** A top official with the Illinois AFL-CIO, which gave $2,000 to the People’s Map group last year, told me that the group “never cashed the check.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** I’m told that Kasper hasn’t yet submitted his expense report, but will eventually be reimbursed. Kasper tends not to submit those bills until after the case is over.
In case you missed it, I wanted to share with you my letter to the editor that ran in last weekend’s edition of The State Journal-Register. The letter is copied below. In it, I correct AFSCME’s erroneous statement that employees who refuse to join the union at the picket line and remain at work become “at will,” a term reserved for a limited group of state employees who can be terminated without just cause. AFSCME’s claim is wrong. AFSCME employees continue to receive the same job protections even if they remain on the job and refuse to join the union on the picket line.
Yours,
JT
John Terranova
Deputy Director
Office of Labor Relations
Department of Central Management Services
The following is a Letter to the Editor published in the State Journal-Register on Sunday:
Letter: AFSCME misleading on employees’ strike status
This paper recently reported on the possibility that AFSCME Council 31 employees could go out on strike, perhaps as early as Sept. 1.
As Deputy Director for Labor Relations at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, one of my goals is to avoid a strike. I therefore feel compelled to correct one item of factually false information the union has provided.
AFSCME incorrectly claims that an employee who fails to join the strikers at the picket line and remains on the job becomes an “at will” employee and thus can be fired without just cause. Not so.
AFSCME members are not “at will.” The state’s last, best and final offer in contract negotiations includes the provision that employees can be discharged or disciplined only for just cause. If the Labor Board determines that the parties are at impasse and the state has implemented its last, best and final offer, AFSCME members and fair share employees alike who remain on the job would continue to receive these protections.
Employees do not lose these protections simply because they fail to join the picket line. Indeed, employees would be protected not only by the state’s last, best and final offer, but also by the state’s Personnel Code and accompanying rules, which extend the same workplace protections, as a matter of state law, to AFSCME employees.
While we hope employees reject AFSCME’s irresponsible strike talk, we firmly believe that a decision to strike or to continue working belongs to each employee and will respect each employee’s decision. AFSCME should do the same. That starts with providing accurate information on this critical issue.
“In terms of the convention, as I’ve been clear, I was never intending to go. Illinois has lots of problems, we’re not fixing them fast enough and I’m full-time focused on getting Illinois strong and I’m focused in Springfield and traveling the state so that’s how I spend my time.”
So far Republican Senate candidates Seth Lewis, Paul Schimpf and Dale Fowler are getting paid staff from both the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee (RSSCC) and the House Republican Organization (HRO). Now the House Republican Organization is running an ad against Democratic incumbent Senator Gary Forby, which would presumably be an in-kind contribution to the Fowler campaign, it even lists HRO in the paid-for-by at the end of the ad.
Someone mentioned to me that the reason you rarely come across a situation where a candidate for the General Assembly is being financially supported by the caucus committee of both chambers is that it’s not allowed. I looked it up and this appears to be the case.
Here is the section on campaign contributions, the relevant section is highlighted:
5/9-8.5 Limitations on campaign contributions
(b) During an election cycle, a candidate political committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $5,000 from any individual, (ii) $10,000 from any corporation, labor organization, or association, or (iii) $50,000 from a candidate political committee or political action committee. A candidate political committee may accept contributions in any amount from a political party committee except during an election cycle in which the candidate seeks nomination at a primary election. During an election cycle in which the candidate seeks nomination at a primary election, a candidate political committee may not accept contributions from political party committees with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $200,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to statewide office, (ii) $125,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to the Senate, the Supreme Court or Appellate Court in the First Judicial district, or an office elected by all voters in a county with 1,000,000 or more residents, (iii) $75,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court or Appellate Court for a judicial district other than the First Judicial District, an office elected by all voters of a county of fewer than 1,000,000 residents, and municipal and county offices in Cook County other than those elected by all voters of Cook County, and (iv) $50,000 for a candidate political committee established to support the nomination of a candidate to any other office. A candidate political committee established to elect a candidate to the General Assembly may accept contributions from only one legislative caucus committee. A candidate political committee may not accept contributions from a ballot initiative committee or from an independent expenditure committee.
And here is the section on committee definitions, the relevant section is highlighted:
5/9-1.8. Political committees
(c) “Political party committee” means the State central committee of a political party, a county central committee of a political party, a legislative caucus committee, or a committee formed by a ward or township committeeman of a political party. For purposes of this Article, a “legislative caucus committee” means a committee established for the purpose of electing candidates to the General Assembly by the person elected President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, or a committee established by 5 or more members of the same caucus of the Senate or 10 or more members of the same caucus of the House of Representatives.
I’ve asked Mike Schrimpf for comment and I’ll let you know if he responds.
* Republican Congressman Bob Dold’s new TV ad opens with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton attacking (although not naming) Donald Trump for not releasing his tax returns. Check it out…
The 10th CD leans Democratic in presidential races, but that’s surely an interesting twist.
* From a Dold campaign press release…
After first coming under fire for campaigning to voters as a successful “business consultant”, only to later disclose he had no actual clients or revenue, serious questions about Schneider’s honesty and financial background have been growing.
And Schneider’s refusal to release his household tax returns has now put him at odds with demands from his own party’s presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton, who labeled the disclosure of a candidates household tax returns from their time in public life as the basic standard of transparency.
Unlike Bob Dold, who has released his household tax returns dating back to 2009 (the year before he first ran for Congress), Schneider has consistently refused calls from the public, the press and even his own party to meet this basic standard of transparency by releasing all of his household tax returns dating back to 2011. Instead, Schneider has effectively said that his tax returns are none of the public’s business—citing “privacy” concerns and offering only vague financial disclosure documents required by federal election law.
Discuss.
…Adding… The dispute here is over “household tax returns.” Schneider has released his individual returns, but hasn’t released his returns which he filed jointly with his wife.
Two male juveniles were shot while driving a stolen car on the Dan Ryan Expressway near West 63rd Street on Chicago’s South Side overnight, Illinois State Police said.
State police said at least four male juveniles were in the black Chevy when it left a gas station at 63rd and South Wentworth Avenue and headed north on the Dan Ryan. Around 11:55 p.m. Monday, investigators said someone inside another black vehicle fired several shots at the Chevy.
The driver exited the expressway and came to a stop at West 59th Street. It was riddled by bullets on the driver and passenger sides. […]
There have been more than 20 expressway shootings in the Chicago area this year.
More and better police and more laws cannot totally solve this problem.
Tuesday, Jul 19, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Some additional editorial support for the Independent Map Amendment from news outlets across Illinois:
“The Independent Map Amendment would change a system that welcomes partisan power brokers to draw legislative district boundaries that enhance their strength into a system requiring boundaries that ensure citizens have choices to select leaders who truly represent their interests and values.”
-The Daily Herald; May 9, 2016
“There’s a remedy to this gerrymandering, called the Independent Maps Amendment. A bipartisan group of Illinoisans is trying to get this constitutional amendment on the November ballot. If voters approve it, political gerrymandering would be replaced by a nonpartisan independent commission that would draw legislative districts starting after the 2020 census.”
-Rockford Register Star; July 12, 2016
“Good government reform groups seeking to change Illinois’ badly broken and undemocratic mapmaking process deserve to celebrate an epic achievement—regardless of what happens next.”
-The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus; June 15, 2016
“Redistricting abuse by parties in power limits competition and accountability for state representatives and senators, who come to care more about pleasing political bosses in Springfield than the folks back home.”
-Sauk Valley Media; June 8, 2016
Sherrie Crabb went without pay for a third of the last fiscal year, laid off members of her staff, cut benefits for those who remained, and finally, closed the only homeless youth shelter in southern Illinois, all because the state legislature and governor couldn’t agree on a budget. […]
Family Counseling Center has closed six different office and residential locations, laid off 36 staff members, and cut holiday and personal time off as well as retirement funding, in addition to draining the agency’s reserve funds and shutting down a homeless youth shelter that had been up and running for a little more than a year. She says the organization is now operating “month to month.” […]
“You have thousands of people who have not been able to access services, you have programs that have shut down and a workforce that will never come back into this field,” says Marvin Lindsey, executive director of the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois. […]
According to CBHA’s survey results, 76 percent of the organization’s member agencies have wait lists ranging between two and four months for people in need of a psychiatrist, and 24 percent have wait times from four months to more than six months. […]
Greg Sullivan, director of the Illinois Sheriffs Association, a nonprofit agency that facilitates communication and training between and for state sheriffs departments, says state law enforcement agencies saw an uptick in the number of mentally ill individuals ending up in jail following the closure of psychiatric institutions. That’s “a direct result of the budget impasse,” he says.
“There is nobody to service these people and they end up in county jails,” says Sullivan. “They’re really not criminals. They have a severe mental health problem, and they don’t belong in jail.”
Rauner has said he wants to reduce the state’s prison population by 25 percent over the next decade, but Sullivan says that that’s an impossible goal if Illinois doesn’t adequately fund its behavioral health agencies. […]
Nearly one-quarter of Illinois hospital emergency department visits in the past year were related to behavioral health needs, including both mental health and substance abuse issues, either as the primary or secondary diagnosis, says Danny Chun, a spokesperson for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association.
After 15 months of investigation, the federal grand jury investigating former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock has been dismissed without indicting the Peoria Republican.
But that doesn’t mean Schock is free and clear of possible federal charges. There currently is a grand jury sitting in Springfield and that body could take up the case. […]
“Our position has been and remains that while administrative errors may have been made during Mr. Schock’s time in Congress, no aspect of this matter involves anything criminal,” said George Terwilliger, Schock’s lead attorney.
The Schock grand jury was impaneled in early 2015 for a one-year term, which was extended, as is allowed, for six months in December. That term ended on June 30 and sources have told the Journal Star that no indictment was handed down against Schock from that panel. […]
However, there has been a second grand jury sitting in Springfield since the beginning of this year and it is possible that grand jury could take up the investigation. It’s possible witnesses heard last year could be recalled or that prosecutors could merely rely on transcripts for the information.
I think that Springfield grand jury has always been the one to keep an eye on. The Springfield federal prosecutor’s office has sparred with Schock about turning over documents. And it has an experienced anti-corruption task force.
A private fundraising campaign is approximately $4.5 million toward the estimated $15 million cost of restoring the historic Illinois Executive Mansion in Springfield, according to figures released Monday by the campaign.
The goal is to complete the work in time for the 200th anniversary of Illinois statehood in 2018.
The 2018 Illinois Bicentennial Commission was created in May 2014 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn and left in the hands of his successor, Bruce Rauner. Its official task: “The Bicentennial Commission will plan and coordinate events, activities, publications, digital media, and other developments and encourage citizen participation at all levels in every community in the state.”
That hasn’t happened. The commission’s Facebook page has made all of three posts in two years. In fact, it seems the commission hasn’t even met. […]
“Right now, there’s nothing going on,” [William Furry, executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society] says. “There should be press releases going out every week. There’s no coordination to put it all together.
“There’s a lot that could be done that wouldn’t cost a lot of money.”
Apparently, all the effort and money is going into the mansion.
Vinci Hamp Architects president Philip Hamp said opening up the north side of the mansion grounds — including a public entrance from Jackson Street — will improve the visibility of the historic structure, as well as access. The existing entrances on Fourth and Fifth streets will be used for vehicle traffic, though a drop-off zone on the north side of the mansion will be eliminated.
The changes also will bring the home into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Hamp.
“There will be a gate at the bottom of the hill. People will circulate up both walks to the level of the mansion,” said Hamp. “The big sweep of the yard to Jackson Street will be available for events.
One of the worst things about the mansion is that its lone elevator is broken, making the house inaccessible to people in wheelchairs. The renovation will change that, replacing the elevator and installing gradually sloping — and therefore accessible — pathways that lead to the house from a new entrance to the north.
Expect more smart upgrades inside. The ground-floor orientation center will seat about 20. New carpeting and paint will harmonize with the mansion’s Regency-style furniture, upgrading the high ceilings of the first-floor parlors where work by the state’s fine and decorative artists will be displayed. Second-floor bedrooms will get period-style decoration that conveys key events in state history such as the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
In the governor’s private quarters, a new kitchen and family room suite will dramatically expand the tiny kitchenette. Right now, “There’s a microwave and a sink that’s this big,” [Mrs.] Rauner said, cupping her hands close together.
The upcoming work will build on earlier improvements such as a $500,000 roof that was installed last year after revelations of decrepit conditions at the mansion. These conditions include plaster falling from ceilings, black mold that took root in the basement and rainwater that seeped into the Lincoln bedroom.
The deal that the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner reached in June gave the SIU system $106.2 million on top of the $57.5 million it received in an April emergency funding bill for higher education. But that represents just 82 percent of what the university received from the state for the 2014-15 school year, and it’s supposed to cover 18 months’ worth of expenses, from July 1, 2015, through Dec. 31 of this year.
Speaking after the meeting, Dunn said the university system has decided to apply all the state money it has received thus far to expenses from the 2015-16 school year and to continue urging lawmakers to provide adequate funding for the full 2016-17 school year.
“We thought, ‘Let’s get the bills paid that are out there,’” he said. “And that gives us a very strong argument to say, ‘Now fund us for ’17. You didn’t even get us totally caught up for (fiscal year) ’16.’”
