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* Scott Lee Cohen actually got some local pols to sit down with him on the first leg of his “listening tour.” Yorkville’s mayor Valerie Burd and city administrator Bart Olson met with Cohen yesterday…
Cohen is now running against GOP nominee Bill Brady and incumbent Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn, although he was for a short while on the ticket with Quinn. He called Quinn “arrogant” and “incompetent” in dealing with the state’s financial crisis during his meeting with Yorkville officials.
Cohen made the comments after city officials said the biggest problem facing them at the moment is the state’s late disbursement of income and sales taxes. […]
Cohen said the General Assembly threw the financial system problem all to Quinn, and “that was the wrong person” to throw it to.
“Our fearless governor is cutting all this education funding,” he said. “I don’t believe education is the place to cut.”
Quinn will have to deal with this problem for the rest of the year unless a (not yet filed) lawsuit succeeds in knocking Cohen off the ballot. Cohen appears to be using most of his energy to blast the governor, who failed to show “proper respect” after the primary when word got out about Cohen’s past.
Notice also how the local paper tread ever so lightly on Cohen’s “issues”…
Cohen, who won the Democrat lieutenant governor’s primary race but resigned after disclosures of domestic violence incidents in court-filed divorce papers, is now running as an independent for governor.
Sheesh.
* Gov. Pat Quinn tried to slip one by yesterday…
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday quietly signed a new law sponsored by his Republican rival and inspired by a controversy over the Quinn administration’s early release of prison inmates.
The new law, sponsored by Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, would require the Department of Corrections to post on the Internet photographs and other information about prisoners who are being released early. A key goal of the law is to give crime victims and communities a user-friendly and specific location to check on whether a perpetrator is getting out of prison ahead of schedule. […]
“We believe the governor should have signed this bill promptly instead of letting it sit on his desk for 60 days because of politics,” said Patty Schuh, Brady spokeswoman. “Gov. Quinn had a secret early release program that jeopardized the public safety of Illinois, and I suspect he continues to be embarrassed it.”
* Quinn has recently criticized Brady for not showing up to vote in the Senate, and those absences cost him with the Illinois Chamber’s latest ratings…
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is out with its annual legislative ratings and — I know you’ll be shocked, shocked, shocked at this — every one of the winners is a Republican.
The most significant rating was for lawmakers who voted right 85% of the time or better over the past three General Assembly sessions. Twelve senators and 25 representatives — again, all Republicans — got the nod.
Interestingly, Sen. Bill Brady, the GOP nominee for governor, fell just short of that mark because he missed or failed to vote in favor of a measure revamping the state’s telecom law and failed to vote against a bill creating a legal cause of action for public employees subjected to an “abusive” work environment.
*** UPDATE *** Greg has deleted that last graf and rewritten it to read…
Notably included is Sen. Bill Brady, the GOP nominee for governor. He voted perfectly, the chamber said, except he missed or failed to vote in favor of a measure revamping the state’s telecom law and against a bill creating a legal cause of action for public employees subjected to an “abusive” work environment.
So, no issue there.
…Adding… From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today announced that construction will begin in early September on the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail route. An agreement between the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Union Pacific Railroad will allow upgrades to be made on an initial 90-mile segment of Union Pacific track to prepare it for high-speed rail. The $98 million dollar project is funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and will support an estimated 900 jobs.
“Today’s announcement will create hundreds of jobs and is a major step towards making high-speed rail a reality in Illinois,” said Governor Quinn. “When the corridor is completed, travelers will be able to move from Chicago to St. Louis in under four hours, making Illinois the high-speed rail hub of the Midwest.”
* Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan is openly mulling a mayoral bid…
Houlihan has long privately coveted the mayor’s office. But now, with the 2011 election looming, he was open about that prospect today.
He said the results of a Chicago Tribune / WGN poll, published Sunday, that found 53 percent of those surveyed don’t want Daley reelected “didn’t surprise me.”
Houlihan took note of “the focus on the parking meters, people being upset about that, referring to Daley’s having turned over parking meters to private business interests that raised the cost of parking at a meter.
* Related and a state roundup…
* Will Illinois miss the Tea Party revolution, too?
* IL-10: Fuzzy Math-News Claims Dold Bests Seals in Q2 Funding When the Opposite is True
* Dirt won’t stick to clean captain
* Houlihan an ‘’Enthusiastic Supporter'’ of Claypool
* Tax man catches up with property owners
* Daley approval numbers down
* ‘Overlooked’ properties back on tax rolls
* Gov. Quinn’s furlough plan a terrible idea
* Quinn: Investments are helping region survive
* Quinn: SIU Expansion Will Take Shape Quickly
* Quinn wants to sell property to help make ends meet
* Kane, neighboring counties fighting loss of millions in foreclosure income
* Government must change its model to survive
* Dire outlook has Rockford City Council budgeters on fast track
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 11:53 am
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There is another person who is pretty openly mulling a mayoral bid, and that is Alderman Scott Waguespack.
The main thing to keep in mind, however, is that unlike our primary and general elections multiple candidates to NOT act as spoilers. Just the opposite — they can be crucial to getting an incumbent to below 50% so that whoever emerges as the strongest challenger can take on the incumbent one-on-one in the run-off. Each challenger will bring their own constituency to the polls — as long as they all add up to 50% +1 there will be a runoff.
The candidates just need to keep the fire on Daley, not the other challengers — then we can all get together in the runoff.
Comment by Lakefront Liberal Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:01 pm
I’m unclear how you could sue to get Scott Lee Cohen off the ballot. If there was a question of eligibility, my understanding is that you take it to the Board of Elections. You fail to do that, you have no recourse.
Comment by John Bambenek Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:12 pm
What exactly would be “showing proper respect” about Cohen’s issues with the women in his life?
Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:14 pm
===I’m unclear how you could sue===
Ran as a Dem and an Independent in the same year.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:16 pm
“papers went easy on Cohen’s [domestic]’issues’”
Collectively the press always goes easy on the corruption issues of established pols like Daley, so going easy is nothing new.
The press is ever so cautious until it is clear the offending pol is done and they can kick the dead horse safely. best example–todd stroger.
Recall the caution with George Ryan and Blago until it was pretty clear they were going down.
Not alot of courage to be found.
Comment by jaded voter Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:46 pm
===There is another person who is pretty openly mulling a mayoral bid, and that is Alderman Scott Waguespack.===
LOL! He might as well run for Mayor since he’s got about the same chance there as being re-elected. Waguespack? That’s funny.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:50 pm
Talk of replacing King Daley is all nonsense until the press and voters really wake up and see Daley’s corrupt machine for what it is and how much it truly costs everybody.
A little whining is not going to take Daley out. he is King for life until people get serious. Don’t hold your breath.
Comment by jaded voter Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 12:51 pm
Said it before, will say it again:
Daley will not run for another term. I feel he has lost his fire in the belly. I don’t think he will work full-out for the Dems this year, and he won’t run because he his tired, and because of his wife’s illness.
Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:19 pm
Rich, minor detail. Scott WON as a Democrat (just like Adlai Stevenson in 1986) and is running as an independent in the same election (Adlai ran 3rd party as his court attempt to run as independent was denied because the indy deadline had passed). Cohen isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before by Adlai Stevenson. Unlike Adlai, Cohen has the opportunity to run as an independent because Lee v. Keith ruled the earlier independent deadline violated our US Constitution.
There is no legal justification for removing Cohen from the ballot. If there was one, they would use it. The statutes, while vague and sloppy, only say you can’t run again if you LOST the primary. Scott won. Big difference according to the statutes. I suspect those will be changed soon knowing our hack politicians.
As for the media treading lightly on his issues, where have you been? They do that to all politicians in Illinois. That is how Blago got elected again. The media is a bunch of chickens more interested in protecting their access to politicians than reporting on politicians’ shear stupidity in Illinois.
Comment by JeffTrigg Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:20 pm
Perhaps picking a nit, but how could a legitimate news source use “Democrat” in place of “Democratic” primary? It hurts the ears just reading that, like an RNC press release.
Comment by Southwest Sider Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:26 pm
===Rich, minor detail.===
There was a Senate candidate named Cullerton kicked off the ballot two years ago for voting in the GOP primary and getting appointed to a Dem seat vacancy. Appellate court ruling. That’s been contradicted by another appellate court ruling on Rauschenberger’s case. Supremes will decide. It’s still possible, in other words.
===That is how Blago got elected again.===
You apparently were in a cave in 2006. RRB got horrible press all year long. His approval rating was upside down. You can’t blame the media for that one.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:26 pm
For some reason, I am reading the link as COhen finds sympathetic ears in Statesville
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:37 pm
Rich-
I didn’t say you had an argument, my point was more about the process. If you want to kick someone off the ballot, you have to start with the election board. If you don’t go to the election board, I’m not sure how you can go to court later.
Comment by John Bambenek Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 1:54 pm
Rich, I agree, anything is possible, but that scenario you describe above, which I’m on top of, concerns a different part of the election codes and the challenge deadline for that issue has long passed so no one has standing at this point. If the Supreme Court clears that up on the other cases, it still would not affect Cohen. This is the statute they have to use on Cohen. Nothing about independents and nothing about winning a primary. Yet.
(10 ILCS 5/10‑2)
A candidate for whom a nomination paper has been filed as a partisan candidate at a primary election, and who is defeated for his or her nomination at the primary election, is ineligible for nomination as a candidate of a new political party for election in that general election.
Didn’t the Sun-Times and a ton of newspapers still endorse Blago in 2006? They get plenty of blame for ignoring $25,000 campaign donors being appointed to boards within weeks and the known federal investigation into Blago in most of their articles.
Comment by JeffTrigg Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 2:09 pm
Rich, you’ve been spewing venom at Cohen for some time now and he’s quietly managed to earn a spot on the ballot and prove you wrong. I realize this is a blog, but some objectivity his way is needed. The stuff he’s talking about makes decent sense to me. And I understand that he has some vulernability for his past indiscretions, I just think the guy has earned a spot on the ballot, so let’s see how it all pans out.
47th Ward re Waguespack. Keep laughing. He’s one of only 2 or 3 Alderman that have actually stood up to the Mayor and made some difficult votes that, in hindsight, make sense. He voted against the parking meter deal, sponsored TIF sunshine ordinance, and has actually analyzed City budgets refusing to pass them in under 24 hours. I’m not saying he’s going to win, but I think he’s got some of the most credibility, save maybe Houllihan, that have voiced interest thus far.
Comment by Patriot Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 2:44 pm
===but some objectivity his way is needed===
I am objective on Cohen. I can objectively say he’s offensive.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 2:45 pm
JeffTrig,
You are right. The press does tread lightly on established politicians–very deferential. They like to hammer newcomers hard for any flaws great or small and pile on abandoned pols who are going down once it is safe to do so. Kick ‘em when he’s down.
Blago should have been getting hammered as the joke and greedy climber he was the 1st time he ran against a very decent and competent Paul Vallas and later Jim Ryan. Instead the press deferred to Daley’s tacit choice in Blago and ate up the whole “reformer” bs.
Even into his 2nd term so members of the media wondered aloud what new allegations against Blago would do to his “reformer” image. So much for a “watchdog” press who only follow the facts.
Comment by jaded voter Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 4:02 pm
No doubt Scott L Cohen is a clown in his personal life, a Jerry Springer circus easy to laugh and poke fun at.
That being said he got himself back on the ballot–no easy feat. No harm in listening to his ideas and comments to see if they have any merit [not expecting much but hey]. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I’d still like to hear what Mike Madigan threatened him with to make him leave the Dem ticket earlier in the year.
Plenty of jerks in IL politics, I don’t see how one more could do any more harm. If anything he could shake things up b/c he is a loose canon, speaking freely beholded to no one.
Anything that makes the establishment nervous can’t be all bad.
Comment by jaded voter Tuesday, Jul 20, 10 @ 4:15 pm