One of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new communications aides has argued that abortion is being used “to rid the world of disabled and other ‘unwanted’ persons” — comparing it to Nazi Germany. […]
Carl, a $45,000-a-year communications specialist was hired this week as part of sweeping changes within Rauner’s administration. Carl, who goes by Brittany Clingen Carl or Brittany Clingen in online articles, is listed as the editor and publisher of Reclaiming Feminism, a conservative blog. […]
“Certainly nothing matches the atrocity of the Holocaust, but it’s undeniable that abortion is being used to rid the world of disabled and other ‘unwanted’ persons — a fact the Left and their pro-abortion allies don’t want discussed,” Carl wrote.
Carl also wrote about parents aborting babies diagnosed with Down syndrome: “Attempting to rid the world of people with Down syndrome simply because they are different constitutes the dangerous and morally reprehensible practice of eugenics not entirely unlike what was practiced in . . . Nazi Germany.” […]
“Any of the writing Brittany did before she worked for the state reflect her personal opinion, not the opinion of the administration,” said Laurel Patrick, Rauner’s new communications director. “If you’re going to quote from her past writing, she asks that you please quote accurately and with full context.”
* That’s an interesting response. Here’s what that same spokesperson said about the one-day body man’s past tweets…
“These tweets are unacceptable,” said Laurel Patrick, an administration spokeswoman. “The individual in question is no longer an employee of our Administration.”
A Republican operative said Diana Rauner should be concerned. “I would like to know, the First Lady, who is a known pro-choice advocate, how she feels about this,” the operative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “Really she should be weighing in.”
Yep.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Terry Cosgrove at Personal PAC…
This is just further evidence as to what a complete fraud Governor Rauner and Diana Rauner truly are. They have spent tens of millions of dollars lying to Illinois voters about being pro-choice and moderate. Hiring racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic right-wing activists to run Illinois government puts them on a race to the bottom in competition with Donald Trump as to who can be the most destructive.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign…
There is no context in which comparing abortion to Nazi eugenics is appropriate. As a Jewish woman, I find this statement disgusting and entirely indefensible. The Rauner administration’s refusal to condemn it shows that they are being taken over by radical ideologues, intent on furthering the Trump agenda of bigotry and hatred. It may serve his new staff well to take a tour of the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From the Anti Defamation League…
Lonnie Nasatir, ADL Chicago-Upper Midwest Regional Director, states, “Any analogy comparing the Holocaust to the national debate over abortion is historically inaccurate, inappropriate and offensive especially to survivors and their families. We call upon Ms. Carl to retract her statement.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sen. Daniel Biss…
“The latest hire by the Governor reveals Rauner’s true colors; today, that’s attacking the rights of women and teachers. His actions in this moment will be determinative: either he supports this disgusting Trumpian dialogue, or he’ll fire members of his team who continue to use it.”
In a story posted on eagnews.org in May 2013, Carl wrote about a Stanford University professor and author who said teachers unions have created “insurmountable problems for effective schools” and should be stopped.
* From the Illinois Federation of Teachers’ spokesperson Aviva Bowen, who is also Jewish…
The Governor’s recent hires reflect the real Rauner, and it’s appalling.
Republican governors Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, John Kasich of Ohio and Brian Sandoval of Nevada last month sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying the plan would hurt their states. Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said last week the bill “needs a lot of work.”
At the nation’s meeting of governors this month in Providence, Rhode Island, Democratic governors spoke out as well. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said the bill would almost certainly cause job losses at her state’s hospitals and other health care facilities.
In March, Rauner said he was worried Illinois won’t do very well under a health care plan that later passed the U.S. House. But Rauner is far from the front lines in this battle, which has huge implications for our state. […]
We need to hear Rauner’s voice among those of governors who are passionately and publicly trying to protect their states.
Um, boy. Um, Craig [Dellimore], you know my comments. I’ve expressed my concern about the changes being proposed to the Affordable Care Act and their negative impact on our most vulnerable residents, both in the expanded Medicaid population in Illinois, it’s like about 650,000, as well as the many hundreds of thousands in the standard Medicaid program. I’m very concerned about it and I’ve expressed that these changes could be very damaging and I’ve said it publicly and I’ve expressed those concerns to various members of Congress as well as to the administration.
* The DGA was not amused…
While signing Charlie’s law [yesterday], Bruce Rauner was asked about his near complete silence on Republican efforts to pass Trumpcare. In response, Rauner claimed he spoke up about Medicaid provisions – “These changes can be very damaging and I’ve said it publicly, and I’ve expressed those concerns to Members of Congress, as well as to the Administration.”
To which there is only one proper follow-up – seriously?
Faced with the politically inconvenient prospect of speaking out forcefully about legislation coming from his own party, Bruce Rauner has literally hid from reporters’ questions on Trumpcare. Here’s a smattering of newspaper clips since the last time Rauner spoke about the efforts:
Crain’s Chicago’s Greg Hinz: “I’ve now tried for a good two months to get the Rauner folks to detail the economic impact to the budget of what’s being discussed. No answer. I’ve asked them if, like Walker, he’s open to some of those waivers on pre-existing conditions and other matters. No answer. I’ve asked them what the governor wants and doesn’t want in the legislation. No answer.”
Chicago Sun-Times: “The Senate bill is as mean-spirited as the House bill. Illinois would get hammered even harder. And Gov. Bruce Rauner is still AWOL.”
The LAST time Rauner spoke on Trumpcare, he mentioned that he would work with Governors while the bill moved into the Senate. Well, in the past few months, two letters from a bipartisan group of Governors were made public expressing their opposition the Senate’s actions on health care. Rauner’s name was not on those letters. And four letters were sent by Illinois’ Senators asking for guidance from Rauner. He responded to none.
And Rauner has not answered the easiest question of all – “Do you support the measure?”
“Bruce Rauner has totally and completely abdicated his responsibilities to the residents of Illinois by hiding during the Trumpcare debate,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “While governors from both parties have spoken out against Trumpcare, Rauner’s been silent the whole time. Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership is putting the health and prosperity of middle-class families at risk to avoid taking a politically difficult position.”
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
After Trumpcare appeared all but dead yesterday, Bruce Rauner decided it was finally time to show “leadership” and comment on the bill. In response, JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“While Republican and Democratic governors have joined forces to fight against Trumpcare, Bruce Rauner has cowardly sat on the sidelines and left the healthcare of millions of Illinoisans unprotected,” said JB Pritzker. “For Rauner to speak out now is an insult to Illinois families and community leaders across the state who have worked tirelessly to oppose this bill, which would have a detrimental impact on our state. Rauner’s ‘concerns’ are too little much too late and evidence of a politician who cares more about playing politics than governing. This isn’t leadership, this is cowardice.”
* Remember on Monday when Gov. Rauner said school superintendents were scared of the “tyrant” Speaker Madigan and that’s why they were supporting SB 1? These superintendents don’t sound all that scared…
Superintendents from across the state, along with dozens of teachers, students, and parents, gathered at Brighton North Elementary School to show their strong support for SB 1. Many superintendents said the state already owes them money from previous years, resulting in program and personnel cuts and job losses.
“If the state of Illinois delays or quits sending our general state aid, I don’t think people realize that our district, Bethalto Unit 8, could not stay open for more than one month if general state aid would stop flowing,” said Dr. Jill Griffin, Bethalto School District Superintendent.
Mark Skertich, superintendent of the Southwestern Illinois School District, which includes Bethalto public schools, said his district would be forced to make more deep cuts if SB-1 isn’t signed into law soon.
“We believe all children should receive an adequate and equitable education and we expect a new funding formula does not include winners and losers. Senate Bill 1 is the only bill poised to become law and advocates for call children,” Skertich said.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Mike Gauch from Harrisburg Unit 3 said he worked on SB1 for years and supports it, even with extra money for teacher pensions in Chicago.
“When SB1 was created, the thought was that all school children in Illinois would be created equal and be treated equally across the board,” said Gauch. “And one of those things that was brought up was the fact that all schools in Illinois get state funding to pay pensions and Chicago is not one of those schools.”
And superintendent Gauch has lots of company supporting SB1.
“Should they not accomplish their work to fund schools, it would be a sad day for our state that our governor and general assembly would hold our kids hostage,” said Superintendent Keith Oates from Marion Unit 2
Lake County school superintendents hope a new state funding formula will promise more equity among all school districts, regardless of their zip code.
“No district loses money, I can tell you from my districts prospective in particular it was important for us to make sure there was no Robin Hood scenario going on,” said Brian Harris, superintendent of Barrington 220 School District.
On Monday, Harris stood with superintendents from poorer school districts urging Gov. Rauner to sign SB 1, a bill that changes the funding formula to an evidence-based system which means lower-income districts, who don’t have a strong property base, will no longer be short changed.
“We need a funding formula,” Quincy Superintendent Roy Webb said. “It’s too critical for schools not to have any funding. The money’s been allocated, and with the new income tax, the money is there for schools, so it would be a shame if they didn’t do something.”
Pikeland School District Superintendent Paula Hawley agreed.
“The bottom line is, we need some way to get this funding to the schools as soon as possible,” Hawley said. “We need to have general state aid coming in in a timely manner starting in August, when it’s supposed to. Senate Bill 1 is the best way to get it to us right now. They have to figure out the politics in Chicago, but don’t penalize us in the meantime.”
Connie Collins, superintendent of Round Lake Area School District 116, said it is urgent the governor signs the bill so districts could have the certainty to open their doors in time for the start of school next month. About 82.5 percent of District 116 students are from low-income families.
* But Cary Grade School District 26 Board President Scott Coffey is not a fan…
Its easy to forecast that we’ll end up in exactly the same place as was projected under the original SB-1, with suburban districts as the “Losers” and low-income/downstate districts as the winners.
“I don’t care what J.B. (Pritzker) spends,” said Daley, referring to the rival who insiders say is prepared to spend $70 million to win the primary, and then a multiple of that against GOP incumbent Bruce Rauner. “What Chris needs to be competitive is $8 million to $10 million. That’s enough to get out the message.” […]
Figures released yesterday for the quarter ended June 30 indicate Kennedy raised just $704,000. That’s less than not only Pritzker, who donated $14 million to himself, but also Evanston state Sen. Daniel Biss, who topped the million-dollar mark. Worse, Kennedy spent all but about $50,000 of it, leaving him with less than $1 million in the bank, ahead of the prime campaign season that opens after Labor Day.
“It was a bad quarter, no question about it,” Daley told me. “There was a lot of political outreach. (But) there wasn’t even a finance committee, just a committee of stakeholders.”
Fixing that is the first thing on his agenda, Daley said. A full finance committee is being assembled (Daley declined to disclose any names), with an initial meeting set for next week. Lists of fundraising targets will be assembled, and regular calls and contacts made, he continued. Some of that will involve the candidate himself. “Chris has to spend more time on it.”
I don’t think he even needs $8-10 million. But he’s not on pace to have a few mil in the bank come January
The lack of fundraising success by a member of the Kennedy family with a huge number of wealthy contacts who proved his worth on cold calls early in his career is, by far, the biggest surprise of his entire campaign. He needs to get on those phones and stay on them. And raising a thousand bucks a pop from Hollywood stars including Larry David is ridiculously low. They blow that on lunch. Take ‘em for more.
There’s a definite side benefit to Kennedy spending lots more time on the phone raising cash. He’ll have fewer opportunities to alienate women and their babies. From a friend today…
I’ve been joking for a while that the Kennedy campaign would be better off if the whole campaign including the candidate went to Europe until after the primary and I think I’ve reached the point where it’s not really a joke anymore.
Maybe he could make those calls from Paris.
* Also, one clarification on the second quarter report from yesterday. Kennedy’s nearly 100 percent burn rate wasn’t as high as it appeared because he deferred a bunch of spending from the first quarter. Still, it wasn’t great by any measure.
* Chris Kennedy spoke at the Mom+Baby governors candidate meet and greet yesterday. I didn’t see anything on his Twitter page about it, but I’m told about 30 moms and 10 kids had to wait at least half an hour for him to arrive. And it went downhill from there. From a few text messages that were forwarded to me…
He was a hot mess. Shirt barely tucked in. He had on biking shoes. He spoke about Trump the entire time. Crazy!
It was embarrassing. He misquoted stats that our members corrected him on. He got called out on lack of supporting single payer and marijuana legalization
He also starting talking education inequity and misspoke on the cps funding. It was nuts.
Now while we had this ridiculous budget fight for the last two years, I said, well if you guys can’t make the cuts necessary to balance the budget and all you guys want to do is raise taxes, I’m not going to support a tax hike, get some reforms that help on workers’ comp and business regulations. But if you’re going to waste a lot of time fighting about that and at minimum, let’s get a capital bill done, let’s do that before all this other stuff. I advocated that two years ago, I advocated that last year. They said no. They didn’t want to do that. They were holding, frankly, holding you guys hostage. Just like they held our schools hostage and our universities and our human services hostage. And it makes me, I won’t use the language I normally use because there’s a camera here, but it makes me very frustrated. It’s ridiculous.
For two years, our universities and our community colleges were held hostage. Our social services were held hostage. And our government agencies and our government workers and our transportation investments were held hostage. This was wrong. And the tragedy is that not only did they jam through a massive tax hike, permanent tax hike, which I was adamantly opposed to, they did it through extorting the pressure. But they didn’t even produce a balanced budget as a result. They cut no wasteful spending. None. And we’re still, we’re still out of balance. And they didn’t allocate any money to pay down debt. None.
And they cut investment in our IT systems, ’cause I was using our IT investments to drive down the cost of government by holding these agencies accountable for productivity and measure results. But they don’t want to measure results. That can actually cut costs, they don’t want that. They don’t want their buddies inside the government to be under pressure to perform and provide you better value for your taxes.
On Monday, Bruce Rauner traveled the state and made empty promises to school administrators, parents, and students. With a taxpayer-funded camera crew in tow, Rauner told the media that his version of the school funding formula would send more money to every school district in the state, except for one, of course.
There’s a problem with Rauner’s statement though. Just two weeks ago, Rauner vetoed a state budget that appropriated funds to our K-12 education system. So, Rauner’s school funding would have looked more like this:
Vetoing the budget means Rauner provided exactly zero dollars to schools across the state.
“Bruce Rauner’s arguments are a sham designed to distract from the fact that he vetoed legislation to fund our schools and continues to hold Illinois children and families hostage,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Instead of lurching to his next crisis with his new radical and amateur crew in tow, Rauner should sign SB 1 and finally give Illinois families the stability they deserve.”
* Gov. Rauner will be in Rep. Sam Yingling’s district to tour flood damage this afternoon at 2 o’clock. Rauner’s office reportedly reached out to Rep. Yingling last night about the visit, about three hours after Yingling’s Tribune op-ed was posted online…
Bruce Rauner doesn’t care. That’s the conclusion I came to after witnessing the governor’s inadequate response to the historic flooding in my district.
It’s been clear that he doesn’t care about the well-being of my constituents since he took office in 2015. One of his first moves as governor of Illinois was to attempt to reduce almost half of the tax dollars that local governments receive for things like public safety and public works. Without that investment from the state, local governments must choose to eliminate services like emergency services or increase local property taxes — something many residents in Lake County, where we pay the seventh highest property tax rates in the country, can’t afford.
Then, after 2 1/2 years of failing to work cooperatively across party lines, Rauner vetoed a bipartisan state budget that provides funding for higher education, social services and, relevant to our current situation, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency — the agency responsible for preparing Illinois for natural disasters.
It should have been of no surprise when the governor failed to lead when Illinois residents needed him during the first days of record flooding along the Fox and Des Plaines rivers and the Chain O’ Lakes system.
How much do you wanna bet that Rauner calls on Yingling to vote against the override of SB 1 while he’s there?
* Anyway, back to the topic at hand. A reminder from last week…
Rauner defended his decision not to send the National Guard to help with flooding in Lake County. He told reporters Friday the local agencies are very prepared to handle flooding situations and hadn’t asked the state for help
Um, actually, they did ask for a state of emergency declaration, which Rauner didn’t issue until late Friday. He also waited until late Friday to activate the State Emergency Operations Center, which is usually kicked into gear a lot faster than that. Visits are important, but actions are more.
* But, again, back to the point I wanted to make. Rauner also said Friday that Wisconsin’s local governments were overwhelmed by the flooding, unlike Lake County. And he offered praise to the great local first responders.
OK, but the governor has also repeatedly complained about Lake County’s high property taxes, which fund that supposedly excellent preparedness and response.
Monique Davis (center), the longtime 27th District state representative from Morgan Park who retired last December, was honored at a bon-voyage party at Mr. G’s Supper Club on June 16 on the occasion of her retirement. Among the well-wishers at the celebration were Christy Hunter (from left), Shirley Madigan, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and Clayton Starks. Davis began her tenure in January 1987, and she retired on Dec. 30, 2016, after 29 years of service. Justin Slaughter, 36, was sworn in as the new state representative on Jan. 5.
* The last press release I received from the Illinois Republican Party on state issues was July 7th, the Friday before the Monday Rauner purge began…
On Monday, the Chicago Machine tipped its hand on SB1.
After months claiming that SB1 was about fixing the school funding formula, Chicago Public Schools started making the unsubstantiated argument that an amendatory veto of the bill to remove the Chicago bailout would change the “fundamental purpose” of the legislation.
It’s a clear admission by the Chicago Machine that the “fundamental purpose” of SB1 is a Chicago pension bailout, and not school funding reform.
It’s time Madigan Democrats in the General Assembly either send SB1 to Governor Rauner for an amendatory veto to remove the Chicago bailout, or pass true bipartisan school funding reform that excludes a multi-hundred million dollar bailout of Chicago at the expense of schools across the state.
Otherwise, this is just another case of Mike Madigan and his machine holding Illinois hostage for his Chicago agenda.
*** UPDATE *** From Do Your Job, Inc…
On Monday, Governor Bruce Rauner tipped his hand on SB1.
After claiming in his State of the State address that “we have the largest gap between funding for high income schools and low income schools in the country, both across the state and within the city of Chicago”, Governor Rauner tweeted that SB1 “helps public schools in IL get equitable and adequate funding.”
It’s a clear admission by a man elected to govern that he’s willing to veto a bill he overwhelmingly supports for political reasons and not because it doesn’t overhaul our school funding formula for the better.
It’s time for Governor Rauner to do his job and sign SB1.
Otherwise, this is just another case of Governor Rauner holding Illinois hostage for his extreme agenda.
Rasmussen signed on for an annual salary of $170,000. Tax filings from the nonprofit Illinois Policy Institute show Rasmussen’s salary was less than $160,000 in 2014. In the same year, she collected over $30,000 in “other compensation” from the Policy Institute and related organizations.
According to a former Rauner staffer, Diana Rickert, another IPI recruit, will earn $15,000 more than her predecessors. State records show former Communications Director Brad Hahn and former Deputy Chief of Staff Lance Trover each earned an annual salary of $150,000.
In a 2016 op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, Rickert wrote, “When public-sector unions demand excessive salaries and benefits, politicians just say yes and pass on the bill to taxpayers.”
A press release from the Illinois Policy Institute published in the same month complained that “at $67,836, Illinois lawmakers have the highest base salary in the Midwest and the fifth-highest base salary for legislators in the nation.”
* And Rasmussen not long ago advocated for the elimination of the Dunn Fellowship program with this interesting logic…
Still, fans of the program say it is worth it because you’re getting about $80,000 of work out of a $30,000 worker. But Rasmussen says even that doesn’t add up.
“If you’ve got someone making $80,000 and you’ve got an equally talented person who’s willing to take that job for $30,000 it means that you’re paying folks too much,” she said.
The ACLU accuses a juvenile detention facility in southern Illinois of improperly and unnecessarily seeking prosecutions of several dozen detainees.
The civil liberties group made the allegation about the Illinois Youth Center in Harrisburg in a filing in an ongoing federal lawsuit in Chicago. It blames center staff disgruntled about court-approved limits on how long juveniles can spend in solitary confinement.
* Press release…
The John Howard Association (JHA) is deeply troubled by reports of youth at Illinois Youth Center Harrisburg being prosecuted on new charges based on reckless, minor misconduct, such as pushing, shoving or grabbing that results in no injury or only superficial injuries, behavior that up until recently, would be handled internally by facility staff through the use of the facilities’ disciplinary system.
Over 40 charges have been brought against youth in custody at IYC Harrisburg in a 14-month period, January 2016 through March of 2017. These charges were filed based on staff members who work at IYC Harrisburg individually going to local law enforcement and bringing formal complaints as victims and complaining witnesses. Illustrative of this disturbing trend, is the case of a young man who was charged and convicted for spitting on a staff person at IYC Harrisburg and received a sentence of six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). This kind of excessive punishment is ruinous for young lives. It also defies basic notions of proportionality, fair treatment, justice and DJJ’s stated mission and goal of rehabilitating youth in its custody.
If staff at Harrisburg feel unsafe and that the facility is dysfunctional such that they feel they must involve outside law enforcement and prosecutors, these are serious issues and worthy of attention. However, these issues should be addressed by DJJ, not the Saline County courts.
Youth lives must not be sacrificed to political gamesmanship and staff concerns must be addressed. Safety and security of staff and youth inside the facility is paramount, and can be achieved short of draconian punishments and responses. DJJ must find a way to achieve this in a fair, humane, and just way.
ACLU Director of Communications and Public Policy Ed Yohnka said furthermore “these events which should be prosecuted as internal disciplinary matters are being handled in courts with adult charges attached.”
The lawsuit said this is a “deliberate and concerted attack” upon the DJJ disciplinary structure put in place by a 2012 Consent Decree and remedial plan.
As part of that agreement with DJJ, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly approved an end to lengthy, isolated confinement as part of punishment.
When the threat of solitary confinement was removed, the lawsuit alleges that certain DJJ staff at IYC Harrisburg created their own, alternative “correctional” system, engineering a steady stream of youth prosecutions for “staff assaults.”
ACLU lawyer Lindsay Miller calls Saline County State’s Attorney Jason Clark “out of control” for bringing the charges, and claims IYC staff manipulated him into filing the charges.
Illinois Juvenile Justice spokesman Mike Theodore says the department takes all reports of assaults seriously and carefully considers whether to use internal discipline or refer the incident to a prosecutor.
He also says staff can seek prosecution as “private citizens”. […]
ACLU Lawyer Camille Bennett says that center staff are taking the juvenile’s futures into their own hands
“The staff who were going over to the Saline County state’s attorney and the Saline County state’s attorney are saying we don’t think these kids have a chance, so we’re not going to give them a chance,” she said in a phone call with News 3.
The legal filing is here (scroll to the bottom of the page).
A group that ran ads during the late stages of Illinois’ budget impasse is going back on TV for three days to urge Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to support a Democratic plan to pay for the state’s public schools.
The group is Do Your Job Inc., which is led by state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park; state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie; and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
A significant problem remains with the budget plan enacted by lawmakers earlier this month over Rauner’s veto — namely a new method to distribute state public school funding. Without approval of a new funding formula, schools don’t get any state money. Democrats have passed legislation to change the distribution method, but it gives more money to Chicago Public Schools than a Republican alternative.
Democrats have withheld sending the bill to Rauner because he has vowed to use his veto powers to rewrite it, contending the money for CPS is a “bailout.” That ratchets up pressure as the opening date for schools gets nearer. […]
The tax-exempt group said it has purchased $118,000 of TV time on broadcast and cable markets across the state to air the ad from Wednesday through Friday evening.
90 percent. That’s how much of the school funding bill that Gov. Rauner agrees with. So why in the world would he threaten to veto it?
Because Rauner won’t budge on his extreme agenda. He digs in, no matter the cost.
Republicans and Democrats had to go over his head to fix Rauner’s budget crisis. And now, he’s after our schools. Without the money, some won’t reopen this fall. Other schools may close their doors by Thanksgiving.
The Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association (IRTBA) is pleased and honored that Governor Bruce Rauner gave the keynote presentation at today’s Planning & Design Conference. […]
Governor Rauner addressed this year’s conference theme, “Project Delivery Innovations,” along with a panel of presenters who explored a variety of project delivery methods and included profiles of national, state, and local projects that showcased project delivery alternatives and private investment opportunities.
“There’s going to be a lot of transportation related technology - autonomous vehicles and drones. Given where we are in the country, the ability to do innovative partnerships with tech companies, and doing these transportation related innovations, bring them here […] I think there’s a big opportunity,” Governor Rauner said in his speech.
Rauner concluded his presentation to the transportation industry stating, “The next few months are going to be critical. I really think we can get a capital bill done without having to drag 18 months. We’ve got the road fund money. We’ve stopped the diversions that have been going on throughout the state. Let’s use the money to get it into infrastructure and get these projects moving.”
A capital bill in the next few months? Has anyone shown him the legislative calendar lately? Not to mention that he just vetoed a budget which had some capital projects.
…Adding… Very good point from the Bond Buyer’s reporter…
perhaps more thought should go into avoiding a Moody's cut to junk that's gonna make a new capital bill all the more expensive….. https://t.co/p9POKe64Mj
* The governor also said told the road builders this today…
And we just need to get our friends and get our neighbors and our allies to stand up together and message on this issue. Workers’ comp, the I-55 lane — everything we’re fighting for is a win for the people of Illinois, and we’ve got to message that together.
As an acquaintance asked me today, who talks like that?
* I checked in with Dan Kovats at the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association. Here’s his response…
Representative Drury has only contacted the IDCCA once since he announced his candidacy for Governor and that was to ask to speak at our event. IDCCA President Doug House did speak with him last night and President House attempted to contact him again this morning. Representative Drury has not returned President House’s call. If he had returned his call he would have already found out that we will offer him a slot to speak at our Chairmen’s Brunch.
Now Representative Drury puts out a press release calling the IDCCA a machine. That couldn’t be further from the truth and if Representative Drury had been in touch with the IDCCA he would know his statement is ridiculous.
I followed up with Kovats and he explained that the first time Drury called the group was to ask about the event last night. The IDCCA had already set its program, so he was turned down. But then House decided to change his mind this morning and Drury hasn’t called him back.
The annual brunch is traditionally held the morning of the Illinois State Fair’s Democrat Day.
…Adding… Here is Drury’s press release from earlier today…
Illinois Democratic Party bosses are refusing to allow Democratic Candidate for Governor Scott Drury to speak at a major gathering of Democrats in August, prompting Drury to refer to the primary process as “rigged.” “The decision to ban a Democrat from speaking to Democrats is a symptom of an out-of-touch Democratic Party more interested in preserving its leaders’ power than building the party of the future,” said Drury. “If we are to beat Bruce Rauner, the Democratic Party must embrace fresh ideas, not suppress them.”
Drury is a three-time elected Democratic State Representative, and the only Democrat in thirty years who did not vote for Michael J. Madigan to be the Speaker of the House. According to Drury’s campaign, Drury was informed yesterday that he has been barred from speaking at the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association’s Annual Chairmen’s Brunch, which takes place the morning of Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair. Drury was not provided any explanation for the decision and was told the decision is not appealable.
“To the extent there was any doubt that party bosses only want candidates who have kissed their rings and professed loyalty to them, our exclusion from this event puts that to rest,” said Drury. “Any candidate who appears at this event should wear a big sign stating ‘Approved by the Machine,’” said Drury.
Drury’s campaign is pleased that the strength and grassroots appeal of his message is so strong that entrenched politicians are scrambling to try to stop it. “Our message of honest change and returning ownership of Illinois government to the public has clearly scared those whose existence is dependent on the status quo,” said Tony Coppola, Drury’s campaign manager. “Scott is the only candidate in the race with a record of successfully taking on the machine to solve Illinois’ biggest problems and with a plan to restore Illinois to fiscal health so we can return hope and opportunity to every community in the state. Scott’s message will not be impeded by decisions made in a smoke-filled backroom.”
Before running for office, Drury was a federal prosecutor who fought on the front lines of Illinois’ battle against public corruption and gun violence. As a State Representative, Drury has been committed to rebuilding Illinois’ economy through responsible fiscal and ethical reforms. Drury has also led the charge to reform Illinois’ broken criminal justice system and worked successfully to keep our communities safe by defeating the NRA’s attempt to allow assault weapons in every community throughout the state.
Someone’s got a sense of humor about Republicans helping to override Governor Rauner’s budget veto last week. An anonymous person has set up a Facebook page identifying himself as the “Angry Illinoisan.”
One of Angry Illinoisan’s creations is an adaptation of a “Back to the Future” clip. It features Governor Rauner, some of the ten Republicans that betrayed the governor with State Rep. Steve Andersson at the wheel, and several Republican onlookers that chose to stay firm and reject Mike Madigan’s budget.
One example is a Rauner campaign video, complete with sad piano music and distributed on social media last week, that featured CARLA BLANCHARD, a CPA of Lindenhurst. She spoke of how property taxes are “going up every year” and, “A lot of people are actually moving out of the area instead of sticking around here just to get away from the high property taxes.”
Lake County records show that the tax bill for the Blanchard home, valued at $362,838 in 2016, did go from $15,694 in 2015 to $16,423 in 2016. That is a 4.6 percent increase. But the tax rate actually dropped from 14.67 percent in 2015 to 14.28 percent in 2016. The assessed value of the home was increased from $112,960 to $120,946 over that year. […]
Another campaign video shows BILL LANDWEHR of Grayslake, who says he moved from Northbrook but may put his house on the market. […]
As in the other Lake County example, the tax rate from 2015 to 2016 actually went down, in Landwehr’s case to 14.53 from 15.63. His tax bill increased 6 percent, from $12,078 to $12,803. But that’s because his assessment went up nearly 9.5 percent, from $88,245 to $96,593. Landwehr also couldn’t be reached.
* The property tax issue is very difficult. People, up to and including myself, just don’t understand the system, which is part of the problem with the system we have. But I’ve actually heard people claim that Rauner’s freeze would put Speaker Madigan’s law firm out of business because nobody’s assessed valuations would rise. Um, no.
It’s one thing for John Q. Public to believe in a fantasy, but it’s quite another for the governor to use his office to promote those very same fantasies as fact.
* The rumor mill kicked up hard after McCann filed an A-1 late last night showing he’d raised about $68K from unions in the past few days, including almost $54K from the IEA’s committee.
State Sen McCann on challenging Rauner in GOP Primary: "I am considering it. I have not made a decision." #IlGov18
Democratic candidate for Illinois governor Daniel Biss released his second quarter fundraising results today, reporting more than $1.015 million in receipts and more than $2.3 million cash on hand.
The total represents more in funds raised and cash on hand than the entire Democratic field of candidates who are raising money for their campaigns combined.
In response, Biss Campaign Manager Abby Witt released the following statement:
“Some may be surprised that we’re competitive with established brand name candidates, but our fundraising totals confirm what we already know: People looking for an alternative to J.B. Pritzker—and wary of a strategy that tries to out-Rauner Bruce Rauner—are looking to Daniel Biss.
“With each new small-dollar donation and each volunteer hour, we’re showing that people are building a movement powerful enough to take on the billionaires and the political machine.”
About half of Biss’ money, $501K, came from contributions of $10,000 or higher. And $350K of that was from contributions of $50K or more, about 35 percent of his total.
Another $291K came from contributions of between $1,000 and $9,999. Another $56K came from contris of $500 to $999.
That all comes to about $847K, which is about 84 percent of his total reported.
But, are “small-dollar: contributions defined as under $500? To some, yes. To others, $500 or even $100 is a lot of money. So, add in the $100-499 contributions and you get another $74K.
By the way, Biss’ report also shows that he raised almost $307K from political action committees, about 30 percent of his total.
Biss listed $88K in unitemized receipts and 161 contributions ranging from $1.50 to $99 that came to just under $5K in contributions. That totals $93K, or about 9 percent of the total he reported raising.
Count $100 contributions and less as small donors (about $16K from 271 contributions), add in unitemized receipts and you come up with $104K, or about 10 percent of the total raised.
* What Biss is doing is putting together a relatively strong campaign finance operation with a pretty good but still not quite there yet small-dollar component. So, this idea that he’s got a “movement” going on doesn’t really hold up because his report would look a whole lot different if he did.
Now, building a “movement” can take time, so maybe this will change. Right now, it’s mainly spin.
With Rauner’s [school funding reform] amendment, Rockford would receive $4.5 million more than it would under SB 1, he said during his Galapagos visit. He rattled off several other dollar figures as well — $1.1 million more for Rock Island, $900,000 more for Moline, $4.3 million more for Waukegan, $3 million more for Cicero and $1.8 million more for Round Lake.
The governor says the Democrats’ plan gives too much to Chicago at the expense of other districts. His office posted a comparison chart online, but the numbers don’t match official spreadsheets published by the state board of education.
Rauner’s comparison chart is here. The ISBE spreadsheets are here. It’s unclear at this point how Rauner arrived at his conclusions about what his proposal would do for local communities. Usually, the State Board of Education does this work, but his plan isn’t on the ISBE site.
The SB 1 number accounts for CPS’ tier funding and FY18 new pension pick-up, and the Governor’s plan number accounts for CPS’ tier funding, FY18 new pension pick-up, and net result of Chicago Block Grant elimination.
Notice that the pension pick-up is in his plan and the block grant is being eliminated. But this is what the governor said yesterday…
“Unfortunately, Democrats want to turn this historic opportunity into a bailout for the CPS pension system. The point of this school reform bill is to help low income students across the state, including those in Chicago, get the education they deserve – not to bailout CPS’s mismanaged teacher pension system.”
At issue is the way the bill factors CPS’ finances into what would become the new statewide funding formula. SB 1 eliminates the Chicago block grant, which automatically appropriates specific funding to CPS each year, but takes that $203 million into account – plus the district’s $221 million in employer pension contributions – when calculating the district’s baseline funding minimum.
That, plus the $505.8 million reduction in the bill’s assessment of Chicago’s local fundraising capabilities based on its unfunded pension liability, is what Rauner said led to his decision to issue an amendatory veto.
Meanwhile in budgets it’ll present to principals later this week, CPS is assuming that the funding contained in SB1 will come through. It’s the third year in a row the broke district is banking on money not yet in hand, but officials said the alternative was to send devastating budgets to schools without the extra $300 million.
* But will there be enough votes to override? Rep. David Harris was one of the Republicans who voted to override the governor’s budget vetoes. He was on Chicago Tonight yesterday and it sounded like he wasn’t yet on board to override the governor this time around…
#Illinois#education funding discussion now on @wttw. Votes to override Gov? Trotter says yes in Senate, D. Harris says doubts it in House
With questions swirling around his record as Cook County assessor, Joseph Berrios will take the unprecedented step Tuesday of defending his office before the Cook County Board after a Chicago Tribune investigation exposed widespread inequities in the county’s property tax system.
Published in June, “The Tax Divide” showed the assessor’s office overvalued low-priced homes while undervaluing high-priced ones. These disparities in assessments — known as regressivity — led to inequities in property tax bills, giving the wealthy unsanctioned tax breaks while penalizing low-income residents.
In the weeks since, mounting pressure has put the assessor on the defensive. The county’s independent inspector general opened an investigation; lawmakers at the state and local levels proposed legislation to limit the assessor’s ability to raise campaign contributions from tax attorneys; and a bill has been introduced in the General Assembly that would require greater transparency.
Among the questions Berrios is likely to face at Tuesday’s hearing: Why did his office tout and then quietly abandon a new residential valuation model funded by the MacArthur Foundation designed to reduce regressivity?
* From a letter sent to the Cook County Board by County Clerk David Orr…
I am very concerned that the problems with the assessment process have not been corrected. In 2015, Assessor Berrios, while announcing a new assessment model, stated that the assessment system was regressive. Regressivity hurts low and middle income residents the most—putting them on the hook for a larger property tax bill than they should be paying. We have now learned that the new model, which was created to address regressivity, was never—or only partially—implemented.
The Cook County Clerk’s Office is an integral part of the property tax system and we rely on accurate and fair assessments from the County Assessor’s Office to determine property tax rates.
I am aware that Assessor Berrios and President Preckwinkle are looking for experts to bring solutions and transparency to the assessment process. Still, two question must be asked: (1) why is the Assessor’s Office not using the model that, in 2015, they publicly touted would significantly alleviate this problem and, (2) what assessment model is the office currently using?
Three substantive studies have already been conducted: a 2011 study by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; a University of Chicago analysis commissioned by the Assessor in 2014 and funded by the MacArthur Foundation; and the Chicago Tribune investigation. Clearly, there is a crisis to solve and we must begin—as you are today—by speaking with the experts that have already spent countless hours studying the assessment process and developing stronger models.
If the choice is to move forward with an expert to offer solutions to the assessment system, then the selection process cannot be conducted behind closed doors. My office, and the other Cook County offices that administer the property tax system, must be involved. We need all hands on deck to assure the public that the property tax system is fair and transparent. Finally, any study of the crisis we face must be conducted with all deliberate speed.
The assessment process is complex. However, there has been a lack of transparency from the Assessor’s Office. The public cannot afford any delay in implementing real solutions.
*** UPDATE *** Chris Kennedy…
Joe Berrios today tried to defend the rigged property tax system in Illinois. All today’s testimony speaks to is the need to overhaul a property tax system that discriminates, preys on our most vulnerable communities and leads to inequities in access to education.
While reputable academic institutions are laying out concrete evidence about the broken system, elected officials are keeping quiet about the need to implement policy changes for fear of not getting political insider support for their next election. I have laid out real reforms that need to be adopted, including banning elected officials from serving as property tax attorneys and ending campaign contributions from property tax lawyers to the assessors’ office.
* “Radical Candor,” which appears to be run by former Rauner staffers, was the first to expose the tweets of the governor’s new “body man” yesterday. It’s also been a sharp critic of the rest of the new Rauner staff…
Psst - I'm not sure if anyone in the digital team is left to read this, but that tweet reads like the Gov is gonna sign SB1 not veto it. https://t.co/zeb2Fc5xSm
* But this has only just begun. Here’s Wordslinger in comments earlier today…
The way this mass purge is going down is shockingly stupid.
It’s bound to create vengeful enemies out of trusted loyalists — who have stories to tell.
Yep. Lots of bodies were quietly buried over the past two and a half years and I expect maps to those corpses will be distributed soon. Actually, between us, that’s already happening.
* After Rep. Chad Hays announced his retirement, former Rep. Bill Black said he might run for the seat. Instead, he’s endorsing a different candidate in the race. From a press release…
Vermilion County Board Chairman Mike Marron announced his intent to run for State Representative in the 104th District as the Republican nominee. Marron was introduced by former State Representative Bill Black who will serve as the Campaign Committee Chairman. “I will give my full support to a young, energetic, and creative man, Mike Marron. He will bring new ideas and new eyes to the General Assembly” said Black, who represented the 104th District from 1986 to 2011. In his announcement, Mike Marron stressed a focus on righting the State’s fiscal ship, business climate, agriculture and transportation issues, and education. The 104th District covers parts of Champaign and Vermilion County.
Mike Marron has served as the Vermilion County Board Chairman for the past two terms. He is responsible for managing and administering the daily operations of Vermilion County and overseeing the $40 million dollar budget. Prior to that, Marron served as Vice-Chairman of the Vermilion County Board.
Marron is a strong advocate for the agriculture industy. For the past 17 years, he has helped manage and operate Marron Family Farms with his father. He also served on the IL Dept.of Agriculture Transition Committee. Marron has worked extensively with the Illinois Soybean Association serving as the Vice-Chairman from 2013-2015. He has been instrumental in coordinating and attending trade missions to Ghana, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and China.
Mike Marron completed his degree from Murray State University with a BA in Agriculture Economics 1999. Marron is a fifth-generation Fithian native. He and his wife – Brandy, a genetic researcher specialist at the University of Illinois – have one daughter.
Maybe Bill can train this guy to properly throw a rules book. Then again, they probably don’t have rules in book form these days and throwing a legislative laptop can get expensive.
Fear is the operative emotion in the governor’s office, which has essentially been taken over by a conservative think tank, according to remaining staffers. The resignations on the administration’s policy, digital and communications team, were a way to protest the new ideology, sources said. […]
While many are still scratching their heads over the takeover, a source with close knowledge of the governor’s administration said the uproar was sparked by Rauner’s and his wife’s “unhealthy obsession with media and messaging” and discussions the couple had at “North Shore cocktail parties.”
“They had conversations with people at these parties who said ‘I had no idea you were doing this.’ It would blow up the whole week’s plans,” the source said.
Speaking of the state’s first lady, the source said: “I think her footprint on decision making, on his decision making, is larger than most believe.”
The source, too, said the Illinois Policy Institute’s current CEO John Tillman “clearly has the ultimate influence [on the governor] at this point.”
Chris Kennedy’s campaign for governor announced today that it continues to gain momentum from supporters throughout Illinois, having received nearly 6,000 contributions totaling about $1.79 million since the campaign launched earlier this year, with more than $700,000 of that coming in the second fundraising quarter.
The announcement comes on the same day that the campaign named Bill Daley as campaign finance chairman. Daley, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, served more recently as Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama.
“Illinois residents’ votes aren’t for sale. They won’t replace one billionaire for another. That’s why thousands of Illinois residents contributed to Chris Kennedy’s campaign,” Daley said. “Chris is the only candidate ready to bring fundamental change to Springfield and restore the promise of the American Dream to Illinois families. The latest poll numbers, coupled with the fundraising progress to date from across the state, proves that Chris has the support to do just that.”
The poll, released last week, shows that without spending any money on advertisements, Kennedy leads the race by 6 points at 44 percent.
* The campaign filed its report on paper last night because it had some software issues. The filing shows he raised $704K and spent $652K, a very high burn rate. Chris appears to be the only Kennedy family member who has trouble raising money.
He sure knows how to spend it, though. Compare his money raised and money spent to Daniel Biss, for instance…
Biss for Illinois 06/30/17 Raised: $1,013,798.87 Spent: $265,709.77 CoH: $2,340,170.17https://t.co/AYqZBjSKK7
* I have some questions about Morning Consult’s polling methodology, but their latest round found that Bruce Rauner is the 7th most unpopular governor in the nation…
Bruce Rauner (R-Ill.) and Gina Raimondo (D-R.I.), two governors facing difficult paths to re-election next year, are also among the most unpopular governors… Illinoisans also soured further on Rauner amid his latest budget wrangling with Democratic state lawmakers, and 49 percent of registered voters in the state disapprove of the businessman who ran as a disruptor of the status quo in 2014.
40 percent approved, 11 percent were undecided, according to the poll.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “body man” — a hand-picked assistant chosen to travel with the governor on a daily basis — was fired Monday on his first day of the job after a series of homophobic and racially insensitive comments were found on his Twitter page.
The exit is one of at least 20 since last week — when Rauner began a rash of firings, with others resigning in protest.
Ben Tracy was chosen by the administration to replace Kyle Haevers as the governor’s “body man.” Haevers on Sunday was told his services were no longer needed but that he could choose to work for another state department.
A “body man” serves as the governor’s assistant — traveling with him, taking pictures, collecting business cards and helping people connect with the governor. In some cases, the role requires work seven days a week, depending on the governor’s schedule.
We asked the governor’s office additional questions about vetting and to what extent the governor was involved in picking Ben Tracy as his personal aide (as was practice in the past) — the office hasn’t responded.
More recently, he was employed by the Senate Republican campaign operation. He also did a stint with the House GOP.
*** UPDATE *** I had been saving this little tidbit for subscribers tomorrow, but I’m sure there will be plenty of other stuff to tell them. Rauner did, indeed, personally interview Tracy according to my own sources…
Former Rauner staff confirms: @GovRauner interviewed "body man" Ben Tracy Friday, who was fired Monday for racist, homo-phobic tweets
There’s also a funny and revealing story about the governor to go along with this, but I’ll keep that to myself for today, unless somebody else gets it.
…Adding… Sen. Jil Tracy just called to say that while she has a son named Ben, it’s not the same guy. She’s not related to the jettisoned body man.
* Related…
* Rauner ‘body man’ fired first day on job after racially insensitive, homophobic tweets surface
