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* UPDATED x1 * Today’s quotable

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*** UPDATE *** Important correction issued by the magazine…

Rich, thanks for including our magazine piece on the blog today.

Wanted to let you know that we’ve issued a correction on that particular quote from Victoria Watkins in our April issue of Chicago Lawyer. After checking the original transcripts, she told our reporter “I protect the city in Springfield.” Somewhere on the editing desk, it got changed to “from Springfield.” That one-word difference offers a vastly different connotation than what Ms. Watkins told us, and I’d like to apologize for the error. We’ve updated the web version of the story and left a note of the change.

Best,
Marc Karlinsky
Editor, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* Victoria Watkins, deputy director of the city of Chicago’s Office of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, asked by Chicago Lawyer Magazine about a typical day…

When people ask what it is I do, the first thing I always tell them is that I protect the city [in] Springfield. I take that job very seriously. Some people might say too seriously… I wish that’s something more people knew — we have to protect the city far more than we can get for the city. There are so many bills that (city) departments hate and are more concerned with not becoming law than there are with getting their other requests granted.

* On how the state budget impasse affects her job…

I am the funding and complaint hotline. By September, I started getting routine calls from different city departments asking, “Victoria, when will we get this money and these appropriations because we need to get started on these contracts?”

We started getting cease-and-desist letters on our projects last year, and we’ve been able to get some things done piecemeal. Unfortunately, there are still some things hanging out there, and many of them are human services-related. The heavy financial and infrastructure things are done for the most part but many intangible, important things that are not. We just keep pushing every day.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:12 am

Comments

Not wrong, but better left unsaid.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:14 am
‘Springfield’ is made up of reps, senators, and a governor. Most of which come from where? Springfield, the city, has nothing to do with this.

Comment by Thoughts Matter Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:16 am
– the first thing I always tell them is that I protect the city from Springfield. –

The plurality of legislators are from Chicago along with the leaders of the Senate & House. She doesn’t need to “protect” the City of Springfield, she needs to “protect the city” from folks in Chicago. But, I understand her talking point, it’s always harder to speak reality.

Comment by Ahoy! Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:17 am
Stop blaming “Springfield”, as these problems and messes are created in “the city” Victoria.

Comment by Dan S Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:18 am
Chicago has the money to fill these requests. It’s a rich world city. But Chicago politicans-all Democrats, since it’s Chicago-persist in demanding that the rest of the state chip in. That’s the problem here, not a lack of resources or wealth.

Comment by Cassandra Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:20 am
–We started getting cease-and-desist letters on our projects last year, and we’ve been able to get some things done piecemeal. –

Why communicate this in an offhand way in a puff piece in the Chicago Lawyer?

Aggregate all the bad from this mess and put it out so the public can be informed of the true cost.

It’s way past due for United Way to put together another comprehensive survey on the damage being done from the “squeeze the beast” strategy.

And why doesn’t the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce put together a presentation of the tens of millions that it’s members are owed by the state?

(Just kidding on the chamber. They know who they work for, and it’s not their members. Hang in there.)

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:22 am
===as these problems and messes are created in “the city”===

Pretty much all lobbyists spend most of their time playing defense.

Take a breath already.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:24 am
“Not wrong, but better left unsaid.”

That is a chilling statement. Code of Silence trumps truth.

Comment by cdog Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:24 am
“Hang in there, Chicago!” - Fake Todd Maisch(?)

To the Post,

Streamlining government is important, but stymieing work that needs to be done isn’t the best way to run a railroad.

This “year” isn’t the norm. Thinking it should be the norm is scary.

Maneuvering through the agencies is tough, now throw in no monies not being delivered to your city agencies? Yikes.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:28 am
Semi-related, we all suffer from Bill Luking’s absence this particular year. He would have this figured out even if others wouldn’t listen to his solutions.

Bill spoke highly of Victoria’s work and that is a great compliment to her.

Comment by LizPhairTax Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:32 am
==There are so many bills that (city) departments hate and are more concerned with not becoming law than there are with getting their other requests granted.== In other news, water is wet.

Comment by SAP Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 10:50 am
what LizPhairTax wrote! RIP Luking.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 11:08 am
=This “year” isn’t the norm. Thinking it should be the norm is scary.=

OW- I wish that were true but is the new “norm’ or in Raunerspeak the “status quo” and has been for a solid 5 year period and longer in may ways.

If the 17′ budget is not forthcoming and funding stops for those of us that are getting it, and funding does not flow to those who have not been getting it we are talking about a twighlight zone type of Illinois.

I used to laugh at people that were predicting that scenario, I am not so quick to judge now.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 11:12 am
Victoria Watkins is Chicago’s first line of defense from downstate Republicans controlling Chicago’s city council.

Comment by Steve Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 11:54 am
===I wish that were true but is the new “norm’ or in Raunerspeak the “status quo” and has been for a solid 5 year period and longer in may ways.===

Welp, I’m guessing when Rauner finally signs something, funding sonething, it will be the status quo with a Rauner signature even he can’t deny(?)…

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 8, 16 @ 12:44 pm