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* Sometimes, you just gotta wonder what the Illinois State Board of Elections is thinking. As I told you several days ago, they don’t post a handful of campaign reports by nonprofit groups, which means a million dollars in cash is sitting out there with no easy way to find it. Why? Because they couldn’t figure out how to code their website without costing a fortune, which seems a bit odd.
And now this…
[State Sen. Larry Bomke] laments a change in procedure at the State Board of Elections. Bomke for years has filed campaign finance reports that list every contribution. But with new software being used at the board for electronic filing of campaign reports, there will no longer be a way to itemize donations of $150 or less, which don’t legally have to be listed separately.
Bomke said he thinks the change oddly comes at a time when “the general public is expecting fuller disclosures.”
Campaigns do continue to keep records of all donations, and Bomke said he will make his database of all contributors — including those who give small amounts — available to interested media.
* In other government news, the State Journal-Register makes some good points about the private bidding war to operate the Illinois Lottery…
The idea of handing operations of the lottery over to its biggest contractors, as would be the case with Northstar, strikes us as analogous to General Dynamics and Raytheon assuming operations of the U.S. Department of Defense. The lottery needs an operator that can drive hard bargains with its contractors. We can’t conceive of any way an operator controlled by the biggest lottery vendors can ever accomplish this. Even with promises of firewalls between the contractor and operator sides, the very appearance should make it a non-starter.
Northstar’s main selling point is that it knows the lottery business. That’s true, but the state started this process to break with the lottery business as has been practiced here for the last 26 years.
Camelot’s experience in and record with running lotteries elsewhere make it attractive. Illinois wants growth, but we also want responsible growth. That was a significant component of Camelot’s presentation.
Also, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Business Development Center, the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Chatham Business Association and the Chicago Urban League are all in support of Camelot.
* Worries in Will County…
Some Will County officials think the governor is about to drop the proposed Peotone airport into Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s lap.
Then it would be controlled by Chicago politicians. Will County would be out of luck.
Gov. Pat Quinn will make the move — they say — during his bid for re-election. It could happen this month or maybe next. Because if Jackson controlled it, new jobs would be created for people who live on the South Side of Chicago. And that might mean votes for Quinn.
It’s not as clearcut as the article makes it sound, but there is a real political danger here for Democrats in Will County if the governor doesn’t take their positions into consideration. Will County is already a hotbed of anti-government activity. Quinn could gin that up even more if he’s not careful.
* And the University of Illinois is reimbursing its Urbana chancellor for nights he stays in his Chicago condo, and the foundation even helped furnished it…
The University of Illinois Foundation also authorized $25,000 in Herman’s discretionary funds to help furnish the condo, according to spokesman Don Kojich. Herman indicated that he frequently used the condo to entertain donors and alumni, and “we thought this was a good use,” Kojich said.
Herman could not be reached for comment.
The university reimbursed Herman for 75 percent of the standard lodging rate for Chicago hotels, the amount allowed under state law in such cases, according to UI records.
In 2008, for example, Herman received a total of $4,837 for overnight stays in Chicago, ranging from about $110 to $121 a night, records show.
Previously, he was reimbursed for his hotel costs, which were actually more expensive for the campus, said Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for public affairs. Herman’s last reimbursement for a Chicago hotel stay totaled about $203, she said.
* Related and a state roundup…
* Questions linger on privatizing state lottery
* Journal-Courier: Bring Lottery bidding out into the open
* Trends show gambling revenue falling in Illinois, most neighboring states
* State finance authority to rule Tuesday on bonds for Navistar
* Sun-Times: Out-of-state students can pay off for U. of I.
* Community college enrollment growth slowing down
* State takeover aimed at schools
* GOP House budget director dissects state budget mess
* Smoking out cigarette tax evaders
* Lawrence: Will state meet challenge of new health-care rules?
* News-Gazette: State officials asking for trouble
* News-Democrat: The need for speed revenue
* Pantagraph: Despite drop in traffic deaths, work to be done* LIHEAP will have funds available for cold months
* State Supreme Court may hear tavern liability case in death of patron
* JG-TC: Downstate visit a step toward needed cooperation
* Illinois now first state to require all rape test kits be forwarded to lab
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:06 am
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I still see University salaries and expenses as the last bastion of bloat and excess in the State. The universistes pass out cash like they are large private companies. I am not persuaded that they cannot find good teachers and employees for less.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:20 am
I do not understand why taxpayers are not rising up in protest of the spending at U of I. This is absolutely out of hand — and it is appalling that their response is to open more spaces for out-of-state students, rather than to stop spending so damn much money. And I am not at all persuaded by the argument that the U of I Foundation is spending private dollars. Those funds would be far better spent on scholarships. Do these folks not read the newspapers? Do they not know what’s happening in this state? They are absolutely tone-deaf — and an alum, I am outraged.
Comment by soccermom Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:24 am
Rich
I have been playing around with the SBE site and it is actually makes the old site look user friendly. You cab run searches of expenditures to certain groups and all of the expenditures don’t show up. If you know a certain group received money for polling or such sometime it doesn’t appear just by running a regular search and you have to go to indivual reports. Kind of defeats the purpose. As bad as the old site was at least it worked. Whoever does the site now doesn’t seem to understand the purpose of the site.
Comment by WOW Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:30 am
Quinn would be crazy to cut out Will County from the pie-in-the-sky Peotone plans. It would be insulting, and he’s in a game of addition.
Is the idea Triple-J can deliver more than he would lose by this move? I don’t buy it.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:35 am
WOW, I’ve noticed that as well. It’s crazy.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:40 am
What a simple, all-purpose line from the News-Gazette article:
“But this is Illinois, where those in positions of authority routinely and intentionally do the wrong thing. It’s long past time to pierce the veil behind which our public officials hide.”
That one sentence sure seems to sum up issues raised in most of the other articles and links on this same thread.
Comment by Responsa Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 11:41 am
Can somebody explain, so I can understand it, what these outside lottery management bidders can do for our lottery, that the state *can’t*? Seems to me that giving away a worthwhile chunk of lottery revenue to an outside contractor, instead of putting it into GRF, is a bad trade. The “news” articles I read so far on this topic have little or nothing to say except for the most nebulous generalities.
Comment by Gregor Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 12:35 pm
Recent lottery ‘managers’ have proven that they have no idea how to run a lottery. Profits as a percentage of sales have fallen drastically, sales have stagnated for years, the strategy of selling more to the poorest Illinoisans an accepted business practice, and all of their actions and practices are controlled by their lottery vendors. Most people in Illinois would play the lottery but don’t. Why? The way it has been ‘managed’ has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues with no end of such incompetence in sight. The legislature acted correctly only to be thwarted in their intent by the lottery itself. They delayed the original implementation by dragging their feet and have manipulated this process to protect their reputations and friends. According to the Acting Superintendent’s public remarks, thirteen companies expressed interest in bidding…only three, after reviewing the biased bid criteria, did. One was eliminated secretly. The remaining two, catering to the lottery’s prejudices, submitted bids to curry favor from the evaluators, not to maximize lottery performance in a socially responsible manner. Per the editorial from the Journal Courier, the Governor should reject the lottery’s recommendation out of hand and start the process over. This time with an independent, business savvy team of advisors designing an bid criteria and scoring in the clear light of day.
Comment by Walter Sobchak Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 2:04 pm
Okay, i’ll bite with another naive question: Why can’t the state hire lottery management people away from some of these fine companies and then do this job themselves? Why does it *have* to be outside consultants? Why can’t we hire and train for these jobs internally?
It may seem counter-intuitive that a guy like me, who hates gambling and considers the lottery a tax on stupid people, wants our own lotto system better-managed. Well, I know it is here and not going away. Since it is a necessary evil, it should be run as efficiently as possible, and we shouldn’t give away huge percentages of the revenue it generates, for long periods of time, so some guys in bad jackets can “watch our car” for us.
What the government really wants, I think, is political cover; to hide behind these management consultants as they hike prices and further exploit those folks least able to afford gambling. Yes, I know there are plenty of people who are middle and upper class, with good jobs, that play lotto. But go to the west and south side’s more run-down places, look and listen to how Lotto is marketed there. Its not right.
Comment by Gregor Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 6:16 pm
Gregor,
One question is if the vendor is going to have some of the marketing gloves taken off in terms of what they can and can not do. The state has had some targeting restrictions in terms of marketing that have gotten in the way.
Also in general you wouldn’t be able to provide the same incentives to state workers, that is big bonuses if you increase the amount of betting.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 8:59 pm
The Web Site thing makes no sense either the site and the way data is stored behind it is less flexible than a i-beam covered in concrete or they are just lazy.
the first thing you do when designing stuff is ask ‘what if’ it isn’t like these entities just appeared 3 months ago and even if they did, you would think a simple type lookup table would be able to take care of this.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Sep 13, 10 @ 9:02 pm