* Before we go, let’s get to a few news items. The “drip, drip, drip” continues for Speaker Madigan…
Latest on Madigan Staffer fired: We speak exclusively to Kevin Quinn's estranged wife, who says she tried to alert the Speaker's office to abuse 6 months ago @nbcchicago 5p
* But the House Speaker sent this letter to his members today…
Earlier this week you received a briefing about the situation involving a member of my political organization. The purpose of this letter is to advise you of the next steps.
Today each staff member of the Office of the Speaker, as well as my political committees, received the names of individuals they can contact to report any incidents or allegations or get additional information.
* State Staff: Staff should contact Justin Cox or Margaret Livingston at xxxxxx. They
will be available to provide confidential guidance and information or direct staff to an outside resource to address their specific situation. Staff may also contact Special Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter to report any incident or allegation.
* Political Staff: Staff may contact Emily Wurth (xxxx), Michael Kasper (xxxx), or Heather Wier Vaught (xxxx). We have also retained an independent counsel who is available to receive and investigate harassment allegations. Kelly Smith-Haley of Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll, LLP will provide independent review of allegations, conduct investigations, and provide recommendations for updating policies and procedures, including clear rules for conduct and penalties for violations.
It is clear from the number and nature of the conversations taking place that we need to do better when it comes to the issue of equality in the workplace, and that we must work harder to provide a safe and constructive environment for every individual regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. We must rethink the culture of politics if we are to move forward as an institution and as Democrats. In order to change this culture and ensure equality in the workplace, we must provide a positive work environment free from any type of harassment, including sexual harassment and bullying. I recognize this at starts at the top, which means it starts with me and with each of you.
We cannot tolerate harassment or abuse of any kind. Every member, employee, contractor, and intern is valued and necessary for the operation of the General Assembly, this caucus, and for the successful election of Democratic candidates in Illinois. No one should be made to feel otherwise. Everyone has a right to work without fear of harassment, abuse, or retaliation.
We haven’t done enough. I take responsibility for that. I would never condone, sweep under the rug or refuse to take any step to ensure we did not eradicate any behavior of this kind. I understand the “knock it off” mentality is not enough, and we must, and will, do better moving forward. I commit to do more, and I welcome any and all suggestions you may want to bring forward. Our culture must change and I want to work together to make the necessary changes. We must do better. We will do better.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or need further information.
With kindest personal regards, I remain
Sincerely yours,
MICHAEL J. MADIGAN
Speaker of the House
The “knock if off” stuff makes me think he read this morning’s Capitol Fax.
* And the drip, drip, drip continues for Gov. Rauner…
Engineers told Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration 18 months ago that replacing problematic plumbing at a veterans’ home beset by Legionnaires’ disease would cost $8 million and “should be carefully considered,” according to a report obtained by The Associated Press.
That estimate is far below the estimate — up to $30 million — that Illinois Veterans’ Affairs Director Erica Jeffries has repeatedly told lawmakers it would cost to replace aged and corroded pipes at the Quincy veterans home. Legionnaires’ there has led to the deaths of 13 residents since 2015 and has sickened dozens more, including three new cases this week.
The Veterans’ Affairs Department took no action on the August 2016 report by Belleville-based BRiC Partnership. Then, on Jan. 8 — facing questions from lawmakers reviewing the administration’s response to the outbreak — the agency requested the plumbing replacement as an “emergency” project, according to emails the AP obtained with the report under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
Sen. Tom Cullteron, chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said the report shows the administration “has been misleading us on facts and figures.”
* Pritzker campaign responds…
While the Rauner administration has said replacing the water system at the Quincy Veterans’ Home could cost up to $30 million, an August 2016 estimate revealed today shows the fix would actually cost $8 million.
This follows another new report today confirming that Air Force Veteran Ivan Jackson, who Rauner invited to his State of the State address, is one of the three Quincy residents that tested positive for Legionnaires. As this crisis continues to spiral, Rauner’s decision to delay replacement of the water system and lie about the cost becomes even more glaring.
“Bruce Rauner lied about the cost of a potentially lifesaving fix to the Quincy Legionnaires crisis and failed to take action to protect our nation’s heroes,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is gross mismanagement and unacceptable dishonesty from a governor who continues to fail to take charge of this state.”
* Great words, but Kennedy really needs money right now to start putting stuff like this enthusiastic endorsement on the air so lots of people actually see it…
From a distance, Chris Kennedy doesn’t seem to look much like his charismatic father. But up close, looking at him from the side, you recognize it in his profile: the unmistakable reflection of Robert F. Kennedy.
At first blush, Kennedy seems surprisingly ill-suited to politics, an introvert in an extrovert’s profession. He doesn’t work the room the way politicians do. And he doesn’t duck questions the way they do either. That penchant for candor occasionally adds bite to an answer that more calculating candidates might work to avoid.
But Kennedy is so much more than those superficial first impressions.
Up close, he carries forth his family’s legacy with strength and eloquence. He aspires to be a servant leader in the finest tradition of the phrase. His underlying philosophy is rooted in a belief that the highest service is owed to those who are the least privileged.
Quite the love letter. I mean, candidates dream about endorsements like that. I’d bet it’s almost exactly how Kennedy would write it.
The question facing voters in the Republican primary election for governor on March 20 is who will be the standard-bearer of the party. Will it be a sincere, stalwart but flawed incumbent who has been frustrated in his efforts to bring reforms in business and state government? Or, a three-term state representative with a limited record of accomplishment, a demonstrated, indeed proud, history of ridiculing Illinois citizens who do not share her uncompromising conservative values and all but no chance of winning in November?
“J.B. Pritzker’s words are as empty as his ‘uninhabitable’ mansion. Given another opportunity to call out Mike Madigan for mishandling Alaina Hampton’s sexual harassment complaint, Pritzker chose to cast doubt on the ‘facts’ of the case and again peddle tired talking points intended to defend his political ally, Mike Madigan. Despite being asked point-blank to comment on whether Madigan bears responsibility and should remain in his leadership roles, Pritzker dodged.
“If J.B. Pritzker truly believes Mike Madigan did nothing wrong, he should say it.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
“You know I don’t know all the facts …”
“Again, I’m not sure what all the facts are …”
“We’ve got to find out exactly what the facts are …”
“We need to make sure that all the facts come out …”
“Well I, again, I don’t know all the facts about what happened around the — Alaina.”
“It’s unclear what all the facts are…”
In a Springfield press conference and an interview on WMAY, J.B. Pritzker continued to lay the groundwork to absolve House Speaker Mike Madigan of any responsibility in his mishandling of sexual harassment allegations within his political office by questioning aloud the facts in the Alaina Hampton case.
What, exactly, is unclear, J.B. Pritzker? Text messages published by the Chicago Tribune prove Hampton’s claims against Quinn. Even Mike Madigan doesn’t dispute those facts. That’s why he fired Quinn, albeit after sitting on this information for over three months.
Just last night, NBC5 Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern broke news that “an associate of Madigan’s” with “close ties to the supervisor who harassed [Alaina Hampton]” has been attempting to dig up dirt on Hampton in a cowardly attempt to discredit the sexual harassment claims made against one of Madigan’s top political staffers.
All this while Pritzker runs a campaign ad where he says he will tell women “we believe you,” presumably as it relates to sexual harassment claims.
The truth is J.B. Pritzker’s words are hollow. He says “we believe you” up until the point it directly affects the man behind his campaign for governor, House Speaker Mike Madigan.
* Fitch Ratings’ bullet points on the governor’s budget proposal and the Statehouse situation…
–Budget proposal in current form is unlikely to garner legislative support;
–Pension cost shifting would pressure Chicago School District budgets;
–Continued political stalemate over time could trigger a rating downgrade.
Illinois is at BBB right now. The next notch below is BBB- and then after that we’re in junk territory.
* A few highlights from the report with emphasis added by me…
Governor Rauner’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal for Illinois - which utilizes measures including a pension cost shift to school districts and changes to state employee health insurance to generate a modest surplus - is likely to face significant legislative opposition and Illinois will remain challenged in achieving fiscal balance, Fitch Ratings says. A re-emergence of political stalemate that negatively affects fiscal operations, including a material increase in accounts payable, could trigger a downgrade. […]
By the end of fiscal year 2019, the governor’s budget office estimates unpaid bills will be $7.4 billion, slightly higher than the $7.1 billion average between December 2010 and June 2015, but more than double what the administration considers a long-term target of 30 days. This is down considerably from a peak of $16.2 billion in October 2017, reflecting a $6 billion November 2017 bond sale, receipt of significant federal Medicaid matching funds following the enactment of a state budget after a two-year delay, and interfund borrowing. But the still extraordinary overhang of budgetary liabilities, nearly nine years into the national economic expansion, reflects the depth of fiscal and policymaking challenges Illinois faces.
Material progress in reducing accounts payable appears unlikely over the next several years, absent unexpectedly robust economic and revenue growth. The governor’s budget includes the first year of a proposed four year plan to shift pension costs to school districts and public colleges and universities, with $1.4 billion in annual budgetary savings estimated upon full implementation in fiscal year 2022. The administration anticipates dedicating these savings, along with future operating surpluses, to reducing accounts payable over time. At that rate, it could still be many years before accounts payable approaches a level the state considers normal.
Much of the rest of the report talks about the unlikelihood that the GA is going to approve many of the governor’s ideas.
For the governor’s planned surplus to materialize, agreement from the legislature on several major policy changes is necessary. Considering that the strategy hinges on transferring to other stakeholders a significant portion of the funding burden related to large long-term liabilities, we believe it could encounter resistance, and thus entails political risk. At its current rating level, which reflects Illinois’ weakened fiscal position, we believe the state has minimal capacity to withstand another protracted budget negotiation standoff. […]
Accounts payable and unpaid bills, projected by GOMB to total $7.7 billion at the end of fiscal 2018, would decline only incrementally, to $7.3 billion to $7.4 billion by the end of fiscal 2019. The state’s large backlog of unpaid bills, distressed pension systems, and strained fiscal operations at a time of economic growth and declining Medicaid enrollments are cautionary harbingers of the potential for renewed downward pressure if economic conditions were to weaken. In view of its recently increased tax rates, high fixed costs, and the ongoing absence of a budget reserve, we view Illinois as having diminished fiscal flexibility, undermining its resilience to unanticipated stressors.
Announcer: Mike Madigan. He loves taxes and he absolutely hates Bruce Rauner. Rauner vetoed the Madigan income tax increase. And now, Rauner’s leading the charge to reverse it. The Rauner Plan: More take-home pay for working families; lower taxes for job creators; and one billion dollars in tax relief for Illinois.
Gov. Rauner: I’ve fought Mike Madigan at every turn because giving him total control means disaster for Illinois.
Announcer: Reverse the Madigan tax hike. Vote Rauner.
* Meanwhile, on to the AG’s race…
Democratic Illinois Attorney General candidate Jesse Ruiz is releasing his first Primary election ad set to hit the airwaves next week.
The 30-second ad features Jesse Ruiz in Washington Park and Little Village, as well as downtown Chicago, talking about his background and the importance of fighting corruption and protecting educational opportunities.
“I am running for Attorney General to protect the American Dream, which is under attack. We need to level the playing field in order to protect working families of Illinois,” said Ruiz. “I want to be the people’s lawyer and their champion. This is what I’ll do as their Attorney General.”
“When you’re the son of Mexican immigrants from Chicago’s south side, you fight hard for your opportunities, and for many, like it did for me, opportunities start with a good education. So when I ran Chicago’s public schools and corruption was threatening our kids, I fought back and stopped it. I’m Jesse Ruiz and as your Attorney General, I’ll fight corruption and abuse no matter where it comes from, even from Donald Trump.”
* Press release…
Highland Park - Attorney General Candidate Nancy Rotering releases video urging legislators to take action to prevent mass shootings.
“It is no longer enough to say ‘enough.’ As recently as last week, I asked again for the help of every legislator in the State of Illinois to fix an arbitrary time constraint that was thrust upon municipalities in 2013. As a Mayor, I led the charge to ban assault weapons and stood up to the NRA in an effort to reduce the risk of a mass shooting. By passing legislation, the members of the General Assembly can provide Illinois municipalities the opportunity to protect their communities as permitted under the US Constitution.
The number of lives lost and affected keeps growing and still no action from those we elected to protect us. The families in Newtown, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, and now Parkland, FL didn’t believe they had “assault weapon” problems. Even if we save just one life, it is worth it to allow every town, village, and city to decide whether or not to limit these weapons that enable mass murder. We need an advocate speaking for all of us. That’s why I am running for Illinois Attorney General. I already am that advocate.”
* I’m told Congressman Mike Quigley’s campaign is putting $300,000 behind his first TV ad despite this November polling…
Total Quigley - 72%
Total Mustafa - 6%
Total Wolf - 8%
Undecided - 14%
Why spend the money? “We don’t take anything for granted and we’re going to make sure we get as close to that total as possible,” a campaign official responded.
* Dan Proft sent me this ad for Chris Miller (no relation that I know of), who is hoping to replace retiring GOP Rep. Reggie Phillips. His four daughters formed a quartet and are featured in the spot…
There are no primary races for the 95th House District seat, so Democratic challenger DILLON CLARK of Litchfield will be taking on incumbent Rep. AVERY BOURNE, R-Raymond, in November.
But Clark, a member of the Montgomery County Board, has been taking to social media with some corny, and some eye-catching, videos to get his name known.
“I hate the cookie-cutter commercials that everybody does,” he says.
In one video, he’s on a tractor that rolls into view.
“Tired of Springfield not listening?” he says, as he tosses an ear of corn over his shoulder. “You’ll always have my ear.”
* The bad news never seems to end for Gov. Rauner when it comes to the Quincy veterans’ home…
An Air Force veteran who was a guest of Gov. Bruce Rauner at his State of the State speech is among the three new cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the Quincy Veterans Home.
Ivan Jackson, 79, was first hospitalized Saturday, according to daughter Marianne Jackson. She said he initially was admitted for pneumonia, but tests confirmed days later that he has Legionnaires’.
Ivan Jackson was one of two residents Rauner invited to his Jan. 31 speech at the Capitol. Jackson and the governor met when Rauner spent a week at the state-run veterans home to meet with staff, learn about operations and spend time with residents. […]
Rauner was asked about the new cases at a stop in Peoria on Thursday.
“Oh, so frustrating. So we have done everything that the national experts have said we should do. We have, it’s extraordinary what the team has done. We’ve acted quickly and decisively…and still we got a couple cases,” he said. “We may look at completely ripping out every type of plumbing, we may look at building a completely new building, and looking at completely different water source.”
*** UPDATE *** Downward spiral…
The daughter of Gov. Rauner’s Legionnaires’-stricken State of the State guest from the Quincy veterans’ home: “If something is not done, I feel that I need to move him.” https://t.co/nOpnZC9mUA
Jeanne Ives, a conservative reform Republican for Governor, has released new :30 second ad ‘Fighting for Jeannie Brady.’
On January 1, 2017, Jeannie Brady was struck by a drunk driver on Interstate 74 in Champaign. Both Jeannie and the man who hit her, were taken to a hospital in Urbana, IL, where she died. The man who killed her was in the country illegally. Because Urbana has claimed sanctuary status, the man was not held. He has since managed to evade authorities.
In the ad, Eric Brady’s voice trembles and cracks as he recounts the night his wife was killed, and his family’s struggle to come to grips with both the loss of a woman they loved dearly and the fact that there has been no justice for Jeannie.
Eric also recounts Governor Rauner’s promise to meet with him and other families before signing the ‘Trust Act’ to make Illinois a sanctuary state. Rauner betrayed that promise, confirming to Brady that the leadership of this state does not share his grief and is not concerned with protecting families like his.
Eric Brady sees no place for Governor Rauner in the leadership of Illinois.
Today the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) announced its endorsement of Jeanne Ives for governor of Illinois, challenging incumbent Republican governor Bruce Rauner, who signed into law a bill that mandates taxpayer funding of abortion through the state’s Medicaid program months after stating he would oppose it.
“We are proud to endorse Jeanne Ives, an utterly fearless champion of unborn children and their mothers,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Jeanne is passionately dedicated to fighting for taxpayers and standing up to the extreme abortion lobby. She will lead with courage and integrity.”
“Governor Rauner’s outrageous betrayal of his pro-life constituents will have political consequences,” said SBA List’s National Campaign Chair Jill Stanek, an Illinois resident and an international pro-life activist, speaker, and writer. “When Rauner flip-flopped on forcing taxpayers to fund abortion on demand, he condemned as many as 3,800 innocent unborn children with the stroke of a pen. The choice before the voters is stark. Illinois families can’t afford another disastrous four years of Bruce Rauner.”
Jeanne Ives accepted the endorsement saying:
“I am honored to be endorsed by Susan B. Anthony List. Illinoisans’ trust in the Governor’s office to protect vulnerable lives has been shattered. I look forward to restoring principled pro-life leadership in Springfield.”
Ives has served in the Illinois legislature since 2012. She is a West Point graduate and served in the United States Army. She and her husband, Paul, have five children and reside in Wheaton, IL.
Susan B. Anthony List and its partner super PAC, Women Speak Out spent more than $18 million in the 2016 election cycle, knocking on more than 1.1 million doors in battleground states to defeat Hillary Clinton and maintain a pro-life Senate. SBA List is dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of more than 630,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
* Ives also sent out a release on the Tribune’s endorsement of Gov. Rauner today…
“I knew there was no chance the Tribune would endorse me,” said Ives. “They sometimes talk a conservative reform game, but ultimately stick with the same big government, combine Republicans and Democrats who are indistinguishable from one another. The Chicago press corps is part of the entrenched power structure that has destroyed Illinois’ economy.”
Ives noted that the only joint appearance Rauner agreed to was before the Tribune editorial board.
“Rauner appeared with me there because he knew he had their endorsement in the bag,” said Ives. “I knew that too, but my purpose wasn’t to get the endorsement. It was to expose Rauner on camera for interested voters to see and judge for themselves—and even the lefties who despise me because of my conservative views, like Eric Zorn, conceded that is precisely what I did.”
Watch for yourself:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/95786566-132.html
Ives also noted her endorsement from the national, pro-life Susan B. Anthony List this morning adding, “I’ll take the endorsements of my legislative colleagues like State Representatives Tom Morrison, John Cabello, Peter Breen, Margo McDermed, Allen Skillicorn, Barb Wheeler, and David McSweeney and State Senators Tim Bivins and Kyle McCarter, as well as that of the Susan B. Anthony List, and Tax Accountability over that of the Chicago Tribune every day and twice on Sunday.”
* And the DGA tried to hype it all up…
This morning, Governor Bruce Rauner saw his primary opponent pick up another influential endorsement. The Susan B. Anthony List announced it was endorsing State Rep. Jeanne Ives and pledged financial backing for her campaign.
Today’s news illustrates a real problem Rauner has within his own party. He’s already been criticized by the National Review and Fox News, which both concluded Rauner was simply a failure. Mega donor Dick Uihlein gave millions to Ives to run ads. And its only getting worse: the powerful right-wing website Breitbart posts daily articles cheering on Ives and the site Town Hall published a glowing column praising her.
Rauner can’t event count on the help of his ally Vice President Mike Pence, who gave money to just about everyone not named Bruce Rauner.
Is Rauner hearing footsteps?
“Bruce Rauner seems to have a real problem on his hands,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner already suffers from disastrously low approval ratings from Illinois voters, and now he’s losing needed support among influential members of his own party. But Rauner only has himself to blame – his failed leadership is all too evident to Republicans and Democrats alike.”
Defendant, Scott Drury, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the office of Illinois Attorney General in the general primary election to be held on March 20, 2018. Plaintiff, Thomas J. Rottman, Jr., objected to Drury’s nomination petition. The State Officers Electoral Board (Board) overruled Rottman’s objection. Rottman sought review of the Board’s decision in the circuit court, which reversed the Board’s decision and ordered that Drury’s name not appear on the ballot. Drury appeals, contending that the Board correctly found that he satisfied the requirements of section 7-12(8) of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7-12(8) (West 2016)) when he submitted a receipt with his nomination petition that showed that within the preceding year, he filed his statement of economic interests with the Secretary of State in connection with his position as state representative. We reverse the circuit court’s decision and conclude that Drury’s name should appear on the ballot.
Drury has been a state representative in the General Assembly. On November 27, 2017, Drury filed a nomination petition with the Illinois State Board of Elections for nomination as the Democratic candidate for the office of Illinois Attorney General. The nomination petition included a statement of candidacy and a receipt from the Office of the Secretary of State dated November 17, 2017, which stated:
“Please accept this receipt as acknowledgment that our office has received and filed your Statement of Economic Interests pursuant to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Your statement was filed on April 10, 2017 for the following agencies:
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.”
On December 11, 2017, Rottman filed an objection with the Illinois State Board of Elections, contending that under section 7-10 of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7-10 (West 2016)), Drury should have filed a statement of economic interests “ ‘in relation to his candidacy,’ to-wit, his candidacy for Illinois Attorney General, not later than December 4, 2017.” Rottman continued that the Election Code only excused this requirement where, within the last year, a candidate filed a statement of economic interests in relation to the same governmental unit for which the candidate now sought office. However, state representative and attorney general are not in the same governmental unit because the positions are in two distinct and separate branches of government. According to Rottman, Drury should have filed a new statement of economic interests and receipt, and by not doing so, Drury failed to comply with the Election Code and should be removed from the ballot. […]
Our supreme court has stated that “access to a place on the ballot is a substantial right not lightly to be denied.” Jackson-Hicks v. East St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, 2015 IL 118929, ¶ 32; Welch v. Johnson, 147 Ill. 2d 40, 56 (1992). Further, we must tread cautiously when construing statutory language that restricts the people’s right to endorse and nominate the candidate of their choice. Lucas v. Lakin, 175 Ill. 2d 166, 176 (1997). We believe that our interpretation of the relevant enactments comports with those principles. Drury complied with section 7-12(8) of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7-12(8) (West 2016)) when he relied on his previously-filed statement of economic interests for his position as state representative.
No word about an appeal.
*** UPDATE ***
Earlier today, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First Judicial District, in a unanimous decision, declared that Scott Drury’s name should appear on the ballot for the March 20, 2018 primary election. In the opinion, the appellate court makes clear that Drury fully complied with the requirements of the Illinois Election Code and properly filed all necessary paperwork. In reaching its decision, the court noted that the legislature did not intend “absurdity, inconvenience, or injustice” in drafting the Election Code. According to the court, the objection at issue merely wanted Drury to fill out a form he already completed – “we do not believe that the legislature intended that result.”
“I am obviously delighted with the decision,” said Casey Westover, Drury’s attorney. “I have known all along that Scott fully complied with the Illinois Election Code. The court’s opinion is complete vindication for him, and I’m glad he can now turn his focus to winning this election.”
Drury said he is extremely pleased with the court’s opinion and hopes the havoc machine insiders have caused to the primary election based on their fear of Drury being the attorney general has finally come to an end. According to reports, several counties delayed the start of early voting because of the pending objection to Drury’s candidacy.
“Mike Madigan and the political machine have come at me with everything they’ve got – and lost,” said Drury. “It’s time for Madigan to act graciously in defeat, focus on real issues like the sexual harassment scandal roiling his political organization and threatening the Democratic Party’s success in November, and get comfortable with the fact that Illinois is going to have an Attorney General who works for people, attacks corruption, and is not scared of him.”
Kennedy also plans to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour if elected. While that would be an extra cost for businesses to pay in addition to regulations such as workers’ compensation, Kennedy said workers’ comp only affects a “small segment of the (business) population,” such as small manufacturers and other companies with workers who could sustain injuries on the job.
“I dealt with more than 5,000 companies … when all those companies moved to Illinois when I talked about coming here, not one of them ever asked me about workers’ comp, Right to Work, tort reform, how we draw our maps or term limits,” Kennedy said. “Those are important issues, but not to everybody all the time. What drives success and great economic development from a government is stability and predictability. They want to know what the taxes are going to be; they want to know what the regulations are going to be. Uncertainty and chaos is the enemy of economic development.”
Agreed on the uncertainty angle, but, dude, small manufacturing is suffering mightily in this state after keeping countless Downstate communities alive for decades. Just because a bunch of interior design vendors at the Merchandise Mart don’t care all that much about workers’ comp doesn’t mean it isn’t hugely important to places like… I don’t know… maybe… Galesburg?
* As for the rest of what Kennedy said, I asked Mark Denzler at the IMA to respond. Here’s most of it…
Chris Kennedy clearly does not have a fundamental understanding of the issues faced by job creators every single day in Illinois including workers’ compensation.
Let’s take a look. Illinois has the 8th most expensive system in the nation with costs nearly 20 percent higher than the average state. I’m not sure if he is aware but every employer in Illinois, regardless of size, is required to provide coverage for their employees. Perhaps Mr. Kennedy can explain why a doctor who performs two identical surgeries is paid 200-300 percent more for the operation covered by workers compensation rather than private insurance. Or why the average maximum compensation for an arm injury in Illinois is $439,858 when the national average is $169,878 according to the Pro Publica study. And by the way, when he proposes to nearly double the minimum wage, he is also increasing costs for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance where benefits are calculated on a wage-based formula.
He mentions that workers’ compensation only impacts a “small segment” of the business community. Perhaps he’d be interested in learning that Illinois manufacturers employ nearly 570,000 people in good, high-paying jobs that average more than $84,000 in wages and benefits. Ninety-two percent of manufacturers provide health insurance benefits and manufacturing has the highest jobs multiplier for any industry. The industrial sector contributes the single largest share of the Gross State Product and more than ninety percent of Illinois exports are manufactured products. Total manufacturing output in 2016 was $100.4 billion and if the Illinois manufacturing economy was its own country, it would be the 62nd largest economy in the world. This is hardly a “small segment” of the economy.
Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy has a new digital ad criticizing primary rival J.B. Pritzker over comments made in a November 2008 phone call with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich about potential African-American appointees to the U.S. Senate.
The half-minute ad features various broadcast reporters and anchors giving their interpretations of a Chicago Tribune report on the government-recorded conversation, which was part of the federal corruption investigation into the now-imprisoned Blagojevich.
What jumps out at me most about this online ad are the images of Pritzker’s face. Striking stuff. Always watch an ad with the sound off to get a good gauge.
* Script…
Reporter: New problems for JB Pritzker, struggling to explain racially insensitive comments about two high-profile African-American politicians.
Reporter: The comments are being denounced by the African American Community.
He was caught on tap bad mouthing Jesse White. Calling him quote “The Least offensive African American.”
Reporter: Pritzker denigrated former state senate president Emil Jones. He referred to Jones as quote “Crass.”
Reporter: Congressman Bobby Rush is calling the wire taps despicable, dismissive and disrespectful.
*** UPDATE *** A commenter mentioned the ad’s last panel…
Yep. A powerful question that pretty much everyone is asking.
* Earlier today, I mentioned how much I liked Daniel Biss’ “middle-class governor” schtick. It comes off as genuine. The Pritzker folks may be thinking the same thing with this new ad featuring a Naperville teacher named Lisa Yost…
Lisa Yost: In his TV ads Dan Biss says he’d be a middle-class governor, but why should I believe that? For 35 years I was a public school teacher, and during that time I earned a pension that would be there for me when I retired.
[ON SCREEN: DAN BISS “cut retirement benefits for teachers, nurses and other retired and current state workers”]
Lisa Voiceover: But in Springfield, Dan Biss wrote the law to cut pension benefits owed to over 450,000 workers, including teachers like me.
Lisa Yost: Dan Biss wasn’t looking out for me then, and I don’t trust him to look out for me as governor.
The end of that ad kinda reached out and grabbed me, but we’ll have to wait and see if this “trust” angle works.
* Pritzker is also out with a pretty good new ad featuring his running mate, Rep. Juliana Stratton…
Juliana Stratton, Candidate for Lt. Governor: I’m a mom, a runner, and a fighter from the South Side. And when I ran for State Representative I beat Bruce Rauner’s candidate - and JB and I will beat Bruce Rauner again.
[ON SCREEN: JB PRITZKER AND JULIANA STRATTON]
Juliana Voiceover: I spend every day with JB, I know JB’s heart and I know JB’s values -
Juliana Stratton: - and if you look at the work JB’s done throughout his life - work for children, work to expand healthcare and work around criminal justice reform; that’s who JB is, and I know what we’ll get done for Illinois.
* Related…
* AP: Can Middle-Class Candidate Defeat Millionaires in Illinois?: Rabia Amin, a 19-year-old political science major at Elmhurst College, said she plans to vote for Biss. It was his ads set in a home that looked much like her own that sealed her decision. “I thought, ‘Oh my god. He’s a normal human being,’” she said. “That’s the thing I’ve been getting from him. He understands our problems, because I feel like he’s gone through them, and I really like that.”
Because Chicago Public Schools have traditionally paid their own pensions, the new law incorporates normal pension costs into the calculation of each district’s financial needs, called the “adequacy target.” A cost shift would require recalculating funding targets for all 850 districts, and could drastically change the amounts each district would get.
Although there’s no published models of how such a change would affect each district, Manar predicts that it would end up sending more state aid to wealthy districts, and less state aid to poor districts. That’s because wealthy districts tend to pay higher salaries to their teachers and administrators, and therefore have higher pension costs. Lower-income districts, on the other hand, tend to have lower salaries and higher teacher turnover rates, resulting in lower pension costs.
If those numbers are rolled into the formula, wealthy districts will “appear needier” and thus get more state aid, while poor districts will “appear wealthier,” and get less state aid.
Wow.
* I asked around yesterday afternoon to see if this was a real possibility. From the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability…
We haven’t actually run any numbers to see for sure, but it would certainly make sense based on how the model works, for exactly the reasons laid out in the article.
* Illinois Federation of Teachers…
We agree. All districts would show up as farther from adequacy (“needier”), but particularly the wealthier districts with higher salaries.
* Jessica Handy at Stand for Children Illinois…
The introduced budget is a net cut to education, violates the carefully-negotiated funding formula fix, and singles out Chicago to absorb the cost shift immediately while other districts have a 25% shift this year. So that’s not the way to accomplish it. But, we are very open a gradual cost shift if – and only if – the entire amount of savings in the TRS contribution is invested in the formula on top of the required $350 million increase. That’s because we know that the state picking up teacher pension costs across the board is an inequitable way to deliver state funds to schools.
The new funding formula accounts for the cost shift in the definition of adequacy by adding the exact cost that TRS certifies to each district’s adequacy target calculation. As a result, every district will look (and, indeed – be) less adequately funded. Some districts – the richest ones – will have that added into their adequacy target and still have enough local capacity to cover it and still be fully funded. But generally yes – as Manar told NPR – districts with higher payrolls will have a higher amount added to their adequacy target calculation, and districts with lower payrolls will have a lower amount added. We know that the state paying TRS is incredibly inequitable. It is better to put that money through EBM, even while recognizing it will make every district look less adequately funded with wealthier districts having a bigger gap. The formula covers that gap by a combination of state and local resources, so those with more local wealth will be expected to cover a greater proportion of the costs locally – which is better than the state paying the whole thing for everyone.
In retrospect, it would have perhaps been more true to the principles of the Evidence-Based Model to accomplish this normal cost adjustment to the adequacy calculation by including normal cost as a percentage of the payroll assumed for each district through the EBM inputs, rather than using actual costs, because EBM uses average/best-practice salaries, class size ratios, numbers of positions, etc. and leaves the actual expenditure to the locals. Thus, if a richer district has higher salaries and more experienced teachers and a higher payroll, its benefit costs would stay in line with EBM’s adequacy levels, rather than rising up to match whatever the district actually spends.
* Advance Illinois…
The pension cost shift in the Governor’s proposed budget doesn’t bring districts closer to adequacy and equity and perpetuates a system that overly relies on local sources for funding of education. Under the proposed cost shift in the Governor’s budget, all district adequacy targets will increase, and wealthier districts will likely see their targets increase more. Even with new dollars going into the formula almost all districts will be less adequately funded, but that doesn’t necessarily cause them to get additional funding through the formula.
Districts will also be expected to contribute more to the formula from local property taxes. However, districts with less property wealth and greater student need will see less of an increase in their local contributions than wealthier districts.
Whether a district will get more or less new state money is dependent on both how much their adequacy target goes up and how much their local contribution goes up. We believe that the Governor’s proposal will mean that poor districts could get somewhat more money out of the formula, but this will be offset by the money districts lose from having to pay their own pensions.
Schools argue that picking up the tab would have devastating effects and exacerbate inequity, which last year’s funding change aimed to end. Educators said it would undo many of the effects of that evidence-based funding model, which gives needier districts extra money for educational services.
“The governor just poured water on our campfire,” said Tony Sanders, CEO of Elgin School District U-46. He said that if his district — the state’s largest outside Chicago — doesn’t raise property taxes, it would have to cut programs just to “make ends meet.”
Today, Biss for Illinois launched its latest television ad, “More.” The ad shares home videos of Daniel and his family and explains why Illinois families need a middle-class governor they can trust to put their needs first.
I’m Daniel Biss, and when I say I’ll be the middle class governor, it’s about more than where we live, or that we send our kids to public schools, it’s about my commitment to level the playing field for the rest of us.
While my wealthy opponents profit from our rigged system, I’ll make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes, to invest in good schools and healthcare for all.
Announcer: Democrat Daniel Biss. The middle-class governor.
That middle-class governor line is a really good hook.
* Meanwhile, from the Pritzker campaign…
Today, the Pritzker campaign is continuing a new series, highlighting where Dan Biss’ campaign rhetoric is at odds with his record. Dan Biss says he’s a proven progressive, but he voted to increase funding for charter schools at the expense of neighborhood public schools. Let’s check the record.
Despite praising public education on the campaign trail, Dan Biss undermined public education by voting to shift tax dollars from neighborhood public schools to charter schools in 2012. CPS alone would have lost $126 million a year if the bill passed, but thanks to strong opposition from teachers unions and progressive groups, the bill was defeated. Biss’ support comes as no surprise given his unequivocal statement in 2010: “I support the charter school movement.”
“Were it not for teachers unions and progressive organizations standing up to him, Dan Biss would’ve stripped money from neighborhood public schools to fill the coffers of charters,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Public school children in Illinois deserve better than politicians like Bruce Rauner and Dan Biss siphoning critical dollars away from their education.”
In fairness, for campaign staffers often working 18 or more hours a day, life is nothing short of a living hell. Men and women who once were quasi-normal human beings become alien life forms surviving on adrenaline, coffee, junk food and booze.
Reality loses out to the bubble in which they live. It becomes easy to lose sight — trust me on this — that today’s debacle does not necessarily mean a campaign is doomed. […]
It’s hard to do, but campaign staff would be well served to remember that not every negative news story or tough moment is the end of the world.
Come March 20, the voters in the Republican and Democratic primaries will do their part. And on the very next day, March 21, a lucky few candidates will begin the fight for the big prize.
Meanwhile, in the real world, it’ll be what most folks refer to simply as Wednesday.
* Today’s Sun-Times about how Congressman Dan Lipinski wants the Internal Revenue Service to investigate “a series of financial deals improperly [which] benefited the leaders of the Illinois Policy Institute” includes the best explanation I’ve seen so far about what’s being alleged…
“Federal law provides tax benefits that help nonprofits pursue their agendas, including ideological agendas,” Lipinski wrote to David Kautter, the acting commissioner of the IRS. “What it does not allow, however, is for an individual to use a non-profit organization to inure excessive benefits to himself. I fear that is exactly what Mr. Tillman has done.” […]
But experts in nonprofit tax laws told ProPublica Illinois and the Sun-Times that some of the transactions raised ethical and legal concerns. Among the list of potential red flags: a zero-interest, $49,400 loan from Think Freely Media, a nonprofit Tillman founded and served as board president, to Crowdskout, a for-profit data and marketing firm owned by a company he controlled.
That loan was essentially a gift, experts said.
“No loans are made on zero interest because you lose the inflation value. That means it’s a financial benefit to a for-profit business,” said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School. “Under federal tax law it’s called an excess-benefit transaction.”
Think Freely Media also made another $60,000 in loans to Crowdskout on which it collected interest. On other occasions, Think Freely Media gave grants to nonprofit organizations that hired Crowdskout or other companies in which Tillman had a stake.
Two things to remember: The conservative Lipinksi is in a primary battle against a liberal Democrat and Tillman denies all wrongdoing. Click here for his response.
This morning, the Chicago Tribune announced that it is endorsing Governor Rauner. The Governor’s steadfast opposition to Speaker Mike Madigan’s unbalanced budgets and tax-and-spend agenda makes Governor Rauner the best choice in their view.
Had Democrats been serious about rescuing Illinois’ jobs climate and public finances, they could have cut plenty of deals with Rauner. The rookie governor with a mandate to shake up Springfield was willing to talk tax hikes in return for a reasonable wish list.
What Rauner wouldn’t do was sign another phony budget.
But Democrats dug in. They did not negotiate in good faith. They did not meaningfully debate his proposals. Their goal was gridlock. Illinois would lurch for two years without a full-year spending plan.
As Rauner’s agenda languished in Democrat-chaired committees, Illinois slid further. And fed-up residents accelerated their exodus. For four years running, this state has bled population. In 2017, Illinois lost a net 33,703 residents, dropping the state to sixth-largest in the U.S. That is flat-out alarming.
His wish list was reasonable, eh? Some of it was, sure. But lots of his must-haves were no-ways.
And this talk about negotiating in good faith from the same editorial board which opined in October of 2015 months after the start of the impasse: “No, Gov. Edgar, ‘doable’ is the problem.” They wanted a war all along.
The woman who accused a high-ranking political aide to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan of sexual harassment said Wednesday that she is being targeted in retaliation for speaking out.
Hampton told NBC 5 she was forced to send a cease and desist letter to Jack Hynes, an associate of Madigan’s who lives in the powerful Democrat’s 13th Ward and has ties to his political organization - including the supervisor she said harassed her.
The 28-year-old political consultant, who worked for Madigan’s organization intermittently beginning in 2012, said her attorney sent the letter after learning that Hynes was reaching out to men who know her “in an effort to get ‘dirt’ on her and determine whether she has had inappropriate relationships with those men,” the letter reads. […]
Hynes refuted Hampton’s claims in a statement, saying, “It’s unfortunate that a casual conversation among two friends has been escalated to the level of involving lawyers.”
“In an effort to advance an economic and political agenda, I have been thrust into the spotlight, despite the fact that I didn’t act on behalf of anyone, consult anyone or discuss this with anyone (other than the person I was talking to), especially Speaker Madigan or his staff,” he continued. “Any words spoken by me were innocuous and unrelated to the pending legal matter. To the extent my words offended Ms. Hampton, Speaker Madigan or anyone else for that matter, I apologize, that wasn’t my intent.”
* React from a Madigan member…
To be clear - he doesn’t deny asking about her personal life…he just describes it as “a casual conversation between…
The lawyer for political consultant Alaina Hampton sent a “cease and desist” letter to Jack Hynes on Thursday, accusing her former boss at the nonprofit Chicago Heights Economic Development Corporation of trying to smear Hampton — and claiming that Madigan’s team put Hynes up to it.
“It has been brought to our attention that you, on behalf of the 13th Ward Democratic Organization and Michael J. Madigan, have been conducting an investigation to build a case to disparage Ms. Hampton’s professional and personal reputation,” wrote the lawyers with Kulwin, Masciopinto & Kulwin. “In so doing, you have contacted several of Ms. Hampton’s male colleagues, friends and acquaintances, in an effort to get ‘dirt’ on her and determine whether she has had inappropriate relationships with those men.”
The political operative booted from his job with House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Democratic organization over inappropriate texting to a female campaign worker was arrested Thursday on a charge of violating a protective order because of texts and calls to another person, suburban police said.
Kevin Quinn, 41, allegedly made calls and sent text messages on Feb. 10 in violation of the protective order, two days before Madigan announced Quinn had been ousted from the organization. Quinn is the brother of Marty Quinn, the alderman in Chicago’s 13th Ward, where Madigan has ruled for decades.
The issue erupted Monday when Madigan issued a statement announcing he had cut Quinn loose from the speaker’s government and political operations.
Quinn was arrested at his home on the city’s Southwest Side around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Evergreen Park police said. He had pleaded guilty in January to disorderly conduct.
* I know it’s super late in the day for a question, but I got busy with a bunch of stuff and forgot. I was just gonna skip it and then somebody sent me a link to this tweet. Your own caption for this pic?…
The Nursing Assistant to Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Bridge Program at Methodist College in Peoria is just what the doctor ordered. 100% pass rate on the state certification exam last year, this program gives apprentices the experience they need to change lives. pic.twitter.com/pAXp2yPdvS
In a blockbuster report with huge political implications, an outside consultant concluded that Cook County’s residential property tax system is stacked against the little guy, with assessments far more variable and “much more regressive” than they should be, especially in the city of Chicago.
The problem starts with proposed assessments issued by Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, and actually gets worse as some homeowners, generally those well-off enough to hire a lawyer, appeal to the Board of Review. And in the end, the owners of relatively low-priced homes, many of them African-American and Latino, end up paying more than they should, with a relative break given to owners of more expensive properties, many of them owned by whites. […]
If the report is accurate, it’s striking how far the system is from performing as it should. For instance, by the coefficient of dispersion (COD) measure used by assessors, most homes should be valued within 5 percent to 15 percent of their true market value. In the county as a whole, that standard barely has been met, the report found. But in Chicago, the average COD was 25—almost five times the low end of the recommended variability range. […]
In the South township of the city, the average COD found was 21. In Hyde Park Township, it was 30; in Lake Township on the West Side, 44; and in south suburban Calumet, almost 50. The population in all of those is predominantly black.
In comparison, the CODs in the north lakefront’s North and Lake View Township were 13 and 11, respectively. And in suburban Elk Grove, Palatine and Orland, the CODs all were 8 or less.
* From Clem Balanoff, chairman of Our Revolution Illinois/Chicago…
“The Civic Consulting Alliance today released a scathing report confirming that Assessor Joe Berrios runs a regressive residential assessment process. The report, which Joe Berrios has been relying on to save his failed tenure as Assessor, reinforces what many have been saying for months: Berrios runs a corrupt, pay-to-play office that overtaxes working and middle-class families in order to reward his campaign donors.
It has been 254 days since the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica exposed Joe Berrios’s corrupt assessment process. Since then, another cycle of assessments has passed, forcing many residents to pay more than their fair share in property taxes, including costs passed on to renters, while billionaires like Donald Trump get millions in tax breaks.
Joe Berrios faces $41,000 in fines from the Board of Ethics for accepting illegal contributions from property tax lawyers doing business with his office. His actions have also led to a major lawsuit against Cook County by community organizations seeking to correct the unjust system.”
Democrat Andrea Raila’s bid to run for Cook County assessor suffered a serious blow Thursday, when county election officials kicked her off the March 20 primary ballot.
Raila, though, said she will appeal in court. If a judicial ruling doesn’t reverse Cook County Electoral Board’s decision, the Democratic primary will feature a one-on-one matchup between two-term incumbent Joe Berrios and asset manager Fritz Kaegi.
The Electoral Board signed off on a recommendation made last week by hearing officer Christopher Agrella, who found a “pattern of fraud” within the Raila campaign’s collection of petition signatures to run for office. That alleged fraud wiped out thousands of signatures, putting her below the threshold needed to get on the ballot.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…
Following is a statement from Fritz Kaegi, the progressive Democrat running against incumbent Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios in the March 2018 primary election, in response to the newly released Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA) property tax assessment report commissioned by the Cook County Board.
“Today’s CCA report is the latest in a mountain of expert analysis that over the years all point to one indisputable conclusion: Assessor Berrios has failed the taxpayers of Cook County.
“Berrios campaigned on a promise to fix property tax regressivity in 2010–but during his tenure as Assessor, he has focused on filling his own campaign coffers and serving the interests of clouted property tax attorneys and wealthy property owners.
“Under Joe Berrios, wide swaths of the South Side, West Side and Southland have suffered greatly under a property tax assessment system that leads to tremendous inequity. It’s time to give Cook County taxpayers the property tax assessment system that they deserve and expect.
“As Assessor, I will bring integrity, fairness and transparency to the Assessor’s office and end the nepotism, corruption and pay-to-play politics that have come to define Berrios’s tenure.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Chris Kennedy…
Today’s report proves that Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios knowingly gutted the economic future of so many homeowners, particularly in African-American and Latino communities, while our schools are underfunded, so that his wealthy and well-connected friends could save money. He’s been unapologetic and shameless throughout this investigation.
His tenure as assessor is a complete complete disgrace, and it’s exactly what’s wrong with the political establishment in Illinois. I called on Joe Berrios to resign months ago and today I renew that call. JB Pritzker took 48 hours to criticize the way Speaker Madigan handled a sexual harassment complaint and has been silent for months on Joe Berrios’ corrupt property tax system. With the evidence outlined in today’s study, he has no choice but to denounce Berrios and join my call for him to resign.
JB has spent $50 million in this campaign upping his profile but that money hasn’t bought any courage to stand up to the political insiders who are hurting the people of Illinois.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Andrea Raila…
In a much anticipated decision, the Cook County election board upheld the decision to remove Andrea Raila’s name from the March 20 primary ballot after thousands of military ballots with Andrea Raila for Cook County Assessor have already been mailed.
By refusing to drop his challenge, Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi continues his efforts to keep a qualified woman off the ballot because of technicalities, which have allowed other candidates on the ballot, but are called a pattern of fraud in Raila’s case.
“The inconsistencies of this board’s decisions is an embarrassment to the democratic process. 14,500 voters—supporters who signed Raila’s petitions lost today. Today was an example of the typical good ole boys sticking together,” said Raila.
Raila said, “The decision amplifies the disenfranchisement of women and minorities who are working so hard to gain access to the democratic process. It is unAmerican.”
In the year of the Woman, we are witnessing a man running for office under the banner of a Progressive, but using old school democratic tactics to knock the first Democratic woman to run for this office in 85 years off the ballot.
“My election attorney was not even allowed to present witnesses and affidavits that show Frederick “Fritz” Kaegi’s name on petitions that were circulated before the legal date allowed.” Raila added.
In the bowels of the board of elections, some twenty plus women clutching the special Newsweek edition SHE PERSISTED, gasped when the ruling announced and shouted. ‘SHAME ON YOU!” We will prevail!
*** UPDATE 5 *** Biss…
Today, Daniel Biss released the following statement in response to the release of an independent study reviewing Cook County’s property tax assessment process.
“Middle-class families like mine don’t need a study or high-priced consultant to tell us property taxes are stacked against us, and neither do wealthy homeowners like JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy who have, for years, exploited the system for six figures in tax breaks. We all understand that the system is rigged, but that’s where the similarities end: I have a personal stake in fixing the system while my opponents benefit from its continuation. That’s why I’ve worked with ordinary homeowners, advocacy groups, and my colleagues in the legislature to find ways to root our corruption and hold wealthy homeowners accountable for paying their fair share. I was proud to introduce the HOME Act in June to bring transparency and fairness to our property tax system and will continue fighting for progressive reforms when I’m governor.”
Craig Wall: The Reader cover. Is this helpful in the conversation, does this hurt in the conversation?
Ald. Sawyer: It’s hurtful. I just happened to see the cover right before I started my speech, and that’s the equivalent of putting gasoline on a fire. Someone’s doing that intentionally to stir up race when we should be talking about disinvestment on the South and West Side. We should be talking about… employment opportunity. We should be talking about educational opportunities. Instead, we’re talking about something that happened nine years ago. I get it. It was wrong. The man apologized. Let’s move forward and talk about what’s important for Illinois, what’s important for the City of Chicago and not continue to race bait. That’s all the Reader did and I think they should apologize for doing that. That cover was offensive. That cover was offensive to whoever looks at it, you know whether… It’s offensive to JB I would imagine. I think that they’re race baiting. I think better of them than that.
“There was a time in America when certain things were socially acceptable without any thought to how dehumanizing they were to someone else. The image of the lawn jockey symbolizes the wink-and-a-nudge ignorance that puts racism into context historically and in this contemporary situation. As a Democrat, Pritzker indeed needs the black vote, and he puts all his weight on it in a most disrespectful manner.”
Not sure I get what he’s saying there.
* The magazine also published a column by Neil Steinberg about Pritzker…
To make it worse, Pritzker responded by apologizing to everyone in sight. Which, to be honest, doesn’t make him seem very gubernatorial. He might have said instead, “Why should an American citizen not accused of any crime, like me, be confronted with his mildly judgmental small talk a decade later?”
Yeah, smugness always works. Right.
* The Reader’s new editor interviewed Pritzker and asked him: “What are you doing to change? Will you seek counseling?”
* The mag also published another piece by Adeshina Emmanuel. The first one, entitled “Pritzker the sneak disser might as well have said the N-word,” is here. And this is the part of the new one…
That’s why I called out the African-American elected officials who accepted Pritzker’s apology and still back him in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. To me, a black millennial, their seeming willingness to consider the way Pritzker spoke about race issues as displaying an acceptable level of racism is part of the problem too.
They stood behind Pritzker and offered forgiveness that suggests to a lot of people-white people, that is-that they too should get a pass for sneaky racism so long as they don’t speak in vicious racial slurs. There are a lot of people-African-Americans and people of color across this city-who don’t forgive him. Some fear electing Pritzker is trading one racially insensitive billionaire governor for another. If you haven’t heard from those people, it’s because their opinions don’t matter much to the Democratic machine or the mainstream media.
That said, Pritzker’s political apologists deserve a chance to explain why they think African-Americans should see Pritzker as a friend to their communities. […]
The black politicians supporting Pritzker that did talk to me all shared a common message: We should judge Pritzker’s history and entire person, not words from a decade-old private conversation. They touted him as the Democrats’ best chance to beat Governor Bruce Rauner. They said that Pritzker wouldn’t abandon them once the polls close, and would stay engaged through his tenure with economic development, income inequality, crime, and other issues plaguing many African-American neighborhoods. […]
But Pritzker being sensitive to what words he says doesn’t mean we know what he really thinks about African-Americans. Then again, the same goes for any politician. However, the difference is most politicians don’t have wiretaps released with their problematic language just weeks before a closely contested primary as they make a hard push to court black voters.
Discuss.
…Adding… Statement from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, 6th Ward Alderman and Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus Chairman Roderick Sawyer and Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers…
“The Chicago Reader says its cover art featuring the image of a lawn jockey is a ‘wink and a nudge’ that provides historical context for racism. A ‘wink’ infers subtlety. This cartoon is not subtle and cannot do the work of contextualizing racism because it is in itself racist. At a time when we are having a debate as a state and as a nation about who we are and how insidious racism infects our politics, this image does not advance the thoughtful debate we need and is therefore disappointing.”
Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker was not exactly excited to pick up this week’s Reader and see himself in exaggerated caricature form sitting on top of a lawn jockey. Nope. He characterized the cover illustration by artist Greg Houston as “not the right approach.”
“Well, I guess I knew they intended to be provocative at the Reader, but I think this is not the right approach,” he said while addressing a seniors’ luncheon hosted by Captain’s Hard Time Dining & Josephine’s Cooking soul food restaurant on 79th Street. […]
Reader executive editor Mark Konkol responded in a statement: “Today’s Reader included a variety of opinions about J.B. Pritzker’s wiretapped interaction with former governor Rod Blagojevich, including the candidate’s own statements in his defense. Alderman Sawyer is entitled to his opinion. We stand by our decision to engage readers on important issues of the day by producing journalism and social commentary that gets people talking.”
* From that kinda new, or at least revised Watchdog.org company…
State Rep. Carol Ammons says it’s time for the Democratic state central committee to weigh in on the future of Speaker Michael Madigan in the wake of sexual harassment allegations within the party and his own political organization.
Ammons, D-Urbana, said Wednesday she didn’t know all the details of Alaina Hampton’s accusations regarding Madigan’s handling of harassment allegations within the Democratic Party of Illinois. However, Ammons said there needs to be complete transparency and a thorough investigation.
“I suggest that [the Democratic state central committee] follow a procedure, they get the precinct committeeman together, get your state central committee together and have a conversation about this issue,” Ammons said. […]
Comptroller Susana Mendoza wouldn’t go as far as Ammons, but said the state central committee should review policies to handle harassment complaints.
“Yeah, the state central committee should look into that,” Mendoza said, “but so should every single elected officer, whether they’re a statewide constitutional [officer], or just someone at home running for state [representative] to make sure there’s a policy in place for any of your employees, male or female, to be able to seek a thoughtful ear and know that there’s going to be a path to a resolution, one way or the other. I think that’s the biggest issue that’s failing right now.”
* There are no anti-harassment or anti-discrimination laws on the books for state and local campaigns here, so, yeah, it’s the Wild West…
"I don't have any protection as a political campaign worker. I don't work for the government, I only work on political campaigns." -@alainaxhampton
THIS is a huge part of the problem for so many of us. #timesupIL
The hardest part for me is that this behavior surprised me. When I was beginning in politics, no one ever pulled me aside and said, “this might happen to you.”
Now, when I speak to women, I say, “I hope this doesn’t happen to you, but I have never experienced sexism or racism as explicitly as I did on the campaign trail.”
* One idea I’ve heard is to draft some model language on harassment and discrimination prohibitions and procedures and allow campaign committees to opt in via the State Board of Elections. Perhaps the campaigns can even be given a menu of choices.
Another idea I’ve heard is to just give campaign committees the option of saying they’ve adopted their own policies and perhaps they can even share those policies via an official Board of Elections filing.
I dunno. Maybe they can just pass a law regulating campaigns and then essentially dare someone to challenge it in court.
* On Tuesday IDPH reported “two laboratory-confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease among Illinois Veterans’ Home residents” in Quincy. Here’s the latest…
The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are reporting a third laboratory-confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy (IVHQ). The positive test result was reported late yesterday. The resident is in stable condition.
IDVA is boosting disinfection levels in its water to further reduce any potential exposure to residents or staff. IDVA is also implementing modified water restrictions across the IVHQ campus, including:
• Installing Laminar flow devices on all sinks. This filter reduces the aeration of the water as it flows from the faucet.
• Limiting bathing to showers only, which are protected with legionella blocking Pall filters.
• Instituting temperature checks every two hours while residents are awake, and full vitals every four hours.
Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have returned to the home in Quincy, at the request of IDPH on Tuesday, February 13th, to review testing protocols for individuals with respiratory illness.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) is outraged at third confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy today.
“Three cases this week alone and still no real solutions from the governor. Obviously his leadership throughout this entire process — from the initial 2015 outbreak to where we stand now — has been an abysmal failure. The time to act is now. My colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both chambers are willing to take action the moment the governor decides he cares.”
* I love these dueling press releases because they give me an easy way of doing a roundup while still showing you the political spin and back and forth. From the Rauner campaign…
What They’re Saying: The Rauner Tax Cut
Yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner introduced a balanced budget that includes pension reform and a path to a $1 billion tax cut for Illinois families. The plan will change the status quo in Illinois’ finances, and would lay the groundwork to roll back Mike Madigan’s 32% tax hike passed over the governor’s veto last summer.
Check out some of the coverage below:
Chicago Sun-Times
To help roll back an income tax hike legislators approved in their budget plan this year, over his override, Rauner said “true pension reform” is needed.
“For middle class earners and young mobile workers, the pension crisis is not about the politics that are played in Springfield. It’s about how much money we are taking out of their pockets. The people of Illinois are taxed out. A $1 billion income tax cut should be our No. 1 objective at the end of this session,” Rauner said to some applause.
Associated Press
Gov. Bruce Rauner says a $1 billion tax cut should be the top priority for this year’s legislative session. The Republican said Wednesday it could be achieved by changing the way pensions are doled out to state employees.
Rauner’s fourth budget address included his promised plan for a phased-in cut in last year’s income-tax increase. Lawmakers increased the rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent to help pay down the state’s massive deficit. Rauner vetoed it but it was enacted anyway.
Rauner says enacting pension changes would mean “a nearly $1 billion tax cut” that would allow him to “start rolling back” the rate hike.
Rockford Register Star
In a roughly 30-minute speech, Rauner said the number one goal for lawmakers this spring session is to begin to roll back the income tax increase enacted last summer.
“A billion dollar income tax cut should be our number one objective by the end of the session,” Rauner said.
WQAD
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner calls for an end to state’s income tax hike during annual budget address.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner says the state’s Income tax hike has got to go.
The Daily Northwestern
Two weeks after his state of the state address in the same chambers, Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered an Illinois budget address outlining a proposal emphasizing tax reduction, pension and health care reform and reinvestment in specific areas of need.
In the address, Rauner called for a nearly $1 billion dollar tax cut for Illinois residents. Rauner said they are “taxed out” and that higher tax rates cannot fix a structural need to slow state spending.
“Our guiding principle is this: Only spend money we have, and don’t increase the tax burden on the people of Illinois,” Rauner said.
* DGA…
Short on Accomplishments, Rauner Continues Dishonest Campaign
Chicago Tribune: “Rauner Budget Proposal at Odds with Re-Election Rhetoric.”
How desperate is Governor Bruce Rauner to have a real accomplishment to run on? Well first, he touted a bill that he vetoed and ran attack ads against. Now, he’s out with a misleading new ad that avoids discussing how Rauner’s fiscal mismanagement left lasting damage on the state.
“If Bruce Rauner had something to show for his three years in office, he would not have to mislead the public like his ads do,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Rauner is desperate to avoid talking about his real record – skyrocketing debt, a plummeting job creation rate, and an acceleration of people out of the state. Illinois is worse under Rauner’s failed leadership, and he will try every trick in the book to distract voters from the truth.”
Rauner’s ad conveniently leaves out the fact he’s spending the money he says he vetoed and that the budget is being weighed down by the effects of the two-year budget impasse Rauner forced the state to endure. The press has roundly critiqued Rauner’s budget as a smoke-and-mirrors plan:
NPR Illinois Headline: “On Income Tax, Rauner’s Budget Plan Doesn’t Match Campaign Rhetoric.”
Chicago Tribune: “Candidate Rauner says he wants a freeze on local property taxes, touts changes to increase funding for poorer schools as a key accomplishment and derides the income tax hike lawmakers put in place last year over his veto. But Gov. Rauner, facing pressure to balance the state’s books and live up to his promise to bring savvy financial management to state government, offered a spending plan that undermines much of that platform.”
WNIJ/WNIU Public Radio: “Rauner would plow the savings from that pension-cost reduction into a tax-rate cut of a quarter of one percentage point; but the plan — and tax cut — could be delayed for years while they’re challenged in court.”
Doug Finke, Gatehouse Media: “In a roughly 30 minute speech, Rauner also dangled the possibility of a cut in the state’s personal income tax by linking the reduction to lawmakers passing a long-sought change to public employee pensions. However, the tax cut wouldn’t take effect until the reform plan gets through a court challenge, which could take years.”
The [governor’s budget] plan relies in part on roughly $1.5 billion in savings from shifting pension costs away from the state and onto school districts, slashing health insurance benefits for retirees, and reducing rates for doctors, hospitals and pharmacies that participate in the state’s Medicaid health care program for the poor. It also calls for raiding $600 million from specialized funds that would not be repaid. […]
“He’s asking us to pass laws that his own Republicans will not vote for,” Cullerton said during an appearance on “Illinois Lawmakers.” “He wants to take money away from the state employees, take money away from pensions, take money away from health care. He wants to cut funding for education? We’re not gonna vote for that.” […]
“Every budget requires legislation,” said a top budget official during a background briefing with reporters. “There’s a misapprehension that passing legislation somehow constitutes an unbalanced budget. That’s absolutely, completely false.” […]
CPS would be asked to pay $228 million for teacher pensions after the state just last year had agreed to pick it up as part of an overhaul of the school funding formula. Suburban and downstate districts would take on about $262 million a year for the next four years.
A similar plan was floated several years ago by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, the governor’s chief political nemesis, but was pulled amid pushback from Republicans who argued the change could drive up property taxes or result in program cuts as schools take on the added cost.
The Tribune’s budget story was very good, but I have one quibble. CPS’ cost-shift would be completed in just one year, but the governor has proposed a four-year shift of 25 percent per year for suburban and Downstate schools. From Rauner’s address…
We will ask school districts to begin sharing the cost of their own pensions. We’ll phase in the shift over four years— in 25 percent increments per year
So, suburban and Downstate school districts would be shifted $262 million in pension costs in the first year. By the second year, the total local cost would escalate to $524 million. In the third year, $786 million. The last quarter of the state’s cost shift would up the total annual local pension costs to $1.048 billion (based on this year’s dollars).
We will… give schools and local governments the tools they need to more than offset the costs. The tools include increased education funding, the power to dissolve or consolidate units of local government, and more flexibility in contracting, bidding and sharing services.
More flexibility in contracting. Ah, the good ol’ Turnaround Agenda, aka Magic Beans. “My plan will not raise property taxes because I’m definitely gonna pass something into law that the Democrats will never give me!”
Rauner’s budget would increase K-12 education by $420 million, including $350 million that was required to continue fully implementing the funding reform plan. But Manar said the money doesn’t make up for the increased expenses of the pension shift and would make funding inequity among schools even worse.
So, he increases state funding by $420 million, but decreases state spending elsewhere by sending local schools a new $490 million tab in just the first year.
* And this isn’t just about K-12. From his speech…
We will ask universities to pay their pension costs also phased in over four years and to pick up their health care costs
The pension shift would cost $101 million and it’ll be $105 million for healthcare in the first year, for a total of $206 million. It’s offset by a $205.7 million GRF approp, but, again, that cost shift is just for the first year. By the second year, the shift would total $412 million, then $618 million in the third year and $824 million by the fourth year.
Whew.
* Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady has in the past called a cost-shift a “deal killer” because it would jack up property taxes and tuition. But now that the governor has proposed one, Brady is on board.
…Adding… From Brady’s office…
It’s worth noting. Not all cost shifts are the same. Leader Brady didn’t believe the Speaker’s cost-shift proposal was sound policy because unlike the Governor’s proposal, it included legacy costs.
Back in 2014, then-Republican state Rep. Darlene Senger became a co-sponsor of HR1267…
States the opinion of the Illinois House of Representatives that the proposed educational pension cost shift from the State of Illinois to local school districts, community colleges, and institutions of higher education is financially wrong.
Senger is now running for comptroller on Rauner’s ticket. Hmm.
That resolution was sponsored by Rep. Dave McSweeney. He has filed another anti-shift resolution during this General Assembly and it picked up 14 new bipartisan co-sponsors yesterday, to bring his total to about three dozen.
Today, the Pritzker campaign is launching a new series, highlighting where Dan Biss’ campaign rhetoric is at odds with his record. Dan Biss says he’s a proven progressive, but he voted for unconstitutional cuts to pensions and healthcare. Let’s check the record.
In 2013, Biss wrote the unconstitutional bill that cut pension benefits for 467,000 downstate teachers, university workers, and state employees. This followed a 2012 vote where Biss tried to slash healthcare benefits from nearly 80,000 state retirees and retired suburban and downstate teachers. Both of those efforts were opposed by the Illinois AFL-CIO and ruled unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court.
“Dan Biss led the charge on unconstitutional efforts to undermine pensions for public servants, only to get smacked down by the Supreme Court,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “From cutting pensions for almost half a million Illinoisans to slashing healthcare for 80,000, the Biss record looks a lot closer to Rauner’s latest budget address than that of a true progressive.”
I’m guessing the “series” is a bunch of press releases, but the campaign does have a new “Biss Please” Twitter account.
* And while Biss does have a problem with his voting record in the past, he does have stuff like this in his present…
People’s Action is proud to join our member organization Reclaim Chicago in endorsing Sen. Daniel Biss (D) for governor of Illinois. As a middle-class candidate and father of two children in public schools, Biss has championed progressive issues his entire career and is the only candidate for governor who has real government experience, passing nearly 90 bills during his time in the state legislature.
Biss has pledged to support the People’s Action Protest to Power Platform and promote a bold racial and economic justice agenda. Biss will lead Illinois’s working families into a future with prosperity for all – not just the wealthy few.
By the way, I’m also kind of a fan of Biss’ new “JB Spends” website. You enter any dollar amount you want and it tells you how fast Pritzker’s campaign could spend it. It also gives you some examples. For instance…
JB Pritzker’s campaign spends the average cost of buying a gas station in Cook County in 5 days, 4 hours, 17 minutes, and 51 seconds. source
A true test of someone’s character is what they say when they don’t think anyone’s listening.
On FBI wiretaps, JB Pritzker said what he really thinks of black folks.
Pritzker used insults and code language to put down our entire community.
We shouldn’t be surprised by Pritzker insulting ourcommunity, Pritzker called Barack Obama a mediocre President
Danny Davis, Bobby Rush, myself and many more Black leaders are supporting Chris Kennedy for Governor.
Chris’ father Robert Kennedy and his uncle President Kennedy fought and struggled and sacrificed alongside Dr. King in the civil rights movement.
Chris has devoted his life fighting for those who are left behind.
That’s the Kennedy way.
It’s time to unite, fight and get it right.
Support Kennedy for Governor.
* Meanwhile…
Chris Kennedy’s Campaign for Governor is sending the following letter today to Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Treasurer Michael Frerichs, State Senator Andy Manar and county chairs who endorsed JB Pritzker:
Dear Friend of JB,
As candidates for governor, my opponents and I all need to be vetted by the press and by the voters. No one should be exempt from that, but unfortunately, JB Pritzker has decided he will not attend the only televised debate taking place outside of the Chicago market.
I am sure that you will agree with me that Pritzker is denying Illinois voters the chance to hear where he stands on the issues facing residents throughout our state.
You have spent years as a champion for communities throughout Illinois, reminding the Democratic party that we should not ignore the voters outside of Chicago. Since you have endorsed JB Pritzker, I am calling on you to encourage your candidate to respect the voters of Central, Southern, Western, Northern and Eastern Illinois and join the debate in the Springfield-Champaign-Decatur market on WCIA-TV on March 5th.
Unfortunately, WCIA may now cancel the debate because Pritzker declined to participate.
We, as Democrats, believe that there should be a free exchange of ideas, that talking about issues isn’t a bad thing. That’s why debates are so important; they allow us to work through important issues and give voters the opportunity to decide.
All voters in our state deserve the same opportunity as those in Chicago. The Governor of Illinois is not responsible to only Chicago but to the whole state. If the debate is cancelled, it sends a message that the only voters who matter are those in Cook County.
In order to win back the governorship, Democrats need the support of not only voters in Chicago but across the state. It would be a colossal mistake to cancel the debate.
Do not let JB Pritzker deprive Illinois voters from hearing from all of us. Please join me in calling for the WCIA debate to continue as scheduled.
Sincerely,
Christopher G. Kennedy
Candidate for Governor
…Adding… Ouch…
Hey @KennedyforIL - I got your letter. It reminded me of the downstate forum I held in Peoria last summer- the one your campaign said you’d attend before ghosting on us. Downstate knows @JBPritzker because he’s been here repeatedly & has a plan to grow our economy. #twill#ilgov
After JB Pritzker announced that he was unwilling to participate in the only televised debate outside of Chicago, the corporate owner of media host WCIA Channel 3 in Springfield said they were considering canceling the event. In response, the Biss campaign launched a petition to Save Our Downstate Debate, inviting people across the state to add their name to a petition urging WCIA to carry on with the program, so voters can hear from the candidates who aren’t afraid to be heard.
The response to the petition was overwhelming, with 2,400 signatures collected in the last week.
“Clearly, JB Pritzker is worried,” said Biss communications director Tom Elliott. “And Illinois voters clearly want to see this debate continue with or without him. Daniel Biss agreed to participate in this debate early on, and he’s eager to share his vision for our state and how middle-class progressive values drive our campaign. On the first day of expanded early voting across the state, it seems JB is afraid to answer the tough questions being raised about his campaign, which raises serious doubt about whether he’s actually prepared to face Bruce Rauner in the fall.”
State Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria, agrees with the governor.
“We need the pension reform and (Gov. Rauner) talks about $900 million in savings from implementing the pension model,” Sen. Weaver said. “I have almost unanimous agreement that will solve our pension crisis.”
* This press release was sent yesterday, but I didn’t see it until early this morning…
“It’s become apparent that Mike Madigan used his power to cover up sexual harassment in his political organization, and only went public when he knew Alaina Hampton was on the verge of speaking out. Today, J.B. Pritzker was asked repeatedly whether Mike Madigan bears responsibility for these actions, and Pritzker refused to answer the question every single time.
“What’s even more striking is that just yesterday Pritzker released a statement saying we need to focus on Alaina’s story, but when pressed by reporters for a reaction to Mike Madigan’s involvement in Alaina’s story, Pritzker dodged the question. Pritzker said we shouldn’t focus on Madigan’s involvement, but we should rather focus on sexual harassment generally because he knows he can’t speak out against Madigan - the man behind his campaign for governor.
“J.B. Pritzker’s repeated silence on Mike Madigan shines a light on Pritzker’s character and reveals a man who believes behind-the-scenes support from a corrupt politician is more important than speaking out for a woman who faced harassment. Just like his conduct on the Rod Blagojevich calls, Pritzker chooses the insiders over everyone else.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
Today, J.B. Pritzker held a press conference in Springfield and faced a volley of questions about the recent sexual harassment case in Mike Madigan’s political operation. Not once did Pritzker criticize Madigan or his handling of the case. Instead, he chose to dodge and deflect because his campaign is dependent on Mike Madigan’s support. From the press conference:
Question: “You said that you want to believe [Alaina Hampton’s] claim. One of the claims she made was the Speaker’s announcement to fire Quinn was preemptive right out in front of the story. He’s the Chairman of the Democratic Party [of Illinois], and we are five weeks from a primary that you’re running in. At what point does his involvement in the party become a political liability?”
Pritzker: “We’ve got to find out exactly what the facts are… Each piece of information that leaks out is yet another, you know, piece of information. Focusing this on one thing isn’t good enough. This is a pervasive problem throughout private and public sectors and that means to me making sure all the facts are brought to the fore.”
Question: “If you called on Mike Madigan publicly to clean up what happened here, wouldn’t that put pressure and send a signal to women that they were safe working on his campaigns?”
Pritzker: “Again, I would say focusing on one person when this is a pervasive problem, what I would tell you is we need to make sure that all the facts come out…”
Just yesterday, Pritzker released a statement saying in part that “today should be about Alaina and Alaina’s story,” but when pressed by reporters today to respond to what Mike Madigan’s involvement in Alaina’s story was, Pritzker balked, said we shouldn’t focus on Madigan, but rather we should focus on the issue of sexual harassment generally. Yet again, Pritzker refuses to criticize Mike Madigan because he knows he can’t speak out against the man behind his campaign.
Watch Pritzker absolve Madigan of responsibility HERE.
To be fair, Pritzker did eventually kinda answer the questions. The Tribune has the full exchange here. But the back and forth is much longer than even the ILGOP press release indicates.
The Trib’s story is entitled “Pritzker on Madigan’s handling of sexual harassment complaint: ‘It shouldn’t take that long’” but maybe it should’ve been “It shouldn’t take that long for Pritzker to answer a simple question.” The Sun-Times headline was better: “Pritzker takes a while to say Madigan took too long to fire aide.”
J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday tiptoed around criticizing Mike Madigan over the state Democratic Party chairman’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint.
But under repeated questions from reporters, the billionaire entrepreneur did question why it took three months for a Madigan political aide — and brother of an alderman — to be fired.
“It shouldn’t take that long,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker is in a precarious spot. His Democratic campaign for governor is backed by heavy-hitting state Democrats and unions, many allied with the powerful House speaker. But Pritzker has been careful not to signal public support for Madigan — which many Democratic and Republican opponents would pounce on — given Madigan’s growing unpopularity with some voters.
Today, the Rauner Campaign launched a new statewide television ad promoting Governor Bruce Rauner’s $1 billion tax cut proposed in yesterday’s budget address. In his speech, Governor Rauner outlined a plan to enact pension reform using the ‘consideration model’ to save taxpayers nearly $1 billion.
Governor Rauner’s pension reform proposal coupled with the $1 billion tax cut is the first step needed to reverse the 32 percent income tax hike forced through the legislature last year by Speaker Madigan over Governor Rauner’s veto.
The Rauner Tax Cut will help grow jobs in Illinois and put more money in the pockets of hardworking families.
It’s time to end Mike Madigan’s tax hikes. It’s time to enact the Rauner Tax Cut.
