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* Gov. Rauner is often (and justifiably) criticized for putting politics over governance. But he’s not the only one who plays this game. For years, the needs of politically targeted House Democrats have driven Speaker Madigan’s policy goals. Every now and then, he’ll muscle something through and give the targets a pass, but more often than not his political shop dominates.

So, have a look at what a Tier One target, appointed state Rep. Andy Skoog (D-LaSalle) has to say about Sen. Andy Manar’s school funding reform bill…

State Rep. Andy Skoog said his stance on school funding is simple: “No school loses funding in my district.” […]

“We need to work with all stakeholders and local educators to make sure our local schools receive their fair share and to make sure our local schools are not negatively impacted by any formula changes,” Skoog said in a phone message to The Times about questions on school funding.

Skoog’s comments go against a Senate bill Andy Manar, of Bunker Hill, is supporting within his party. That bill would change state funding to give more money to less property wealthy districts, such as Streator Elementary, which the state is recommending for “financial difficulty.” The bill, however, would result in more than $4 million of state funding lost to districts within La Salle County, including Ottawa Elementary, which itself is deficit spending and on an “early warning” list in its financial status. […]

“The taxpayers of the Illinois Valley shouldn’t be on the hook for decades of fiscal mismanagement and failures in the Chicago Public Schools system,” Skoog said in a press statement. “I wholeheartedly stand against bailing out Chicago’s schools.”

How self-centered can you get? Totally, apparently, which is par for the course in the Illinois political world.

Also, the governor has been rightly chastised for his incessant Chicago bashing, but Madigan is spanking it up as well - something he’s done for years.

* There comes a time when you gotta put your state over your party. As anyone who’s ever been around a while knows, Madigan has repeatedly done that in the past.

But while his political staff has been brilliant at doing their jobs, there’s just too much emphasis placed on the next election cycle. It has led at least partially to the dire straits we’re in now. People complain about corporations that only focus on the next quarter. Well, the House has historically had the same sort of myopic bent.

We have to somehow move beyond this. There are problems with Manar’s bill. Even he admits that. But our state’s fate shouldn’t depend on what some appointee in LaSalle County wants.

/rant

* Meanwhile…

Republican House (IL-76) candidate Jerry Long has a statement to make about Rep. Andy Skoog’s use of public funds for political campaigning.

“Rep. Andy Skoog pulled a stunt last week that shows a blatant disregard for the law. He used state money to send out a campaign mailing for political purposes when Illinois doesn’t even have a budget.

“Residents in our district got a political mailer masked as a “constituent survey” that trashed political opponents and pandered for votes from target demographic groups. Illinois law specifically prohibits politicians from using public funds for their campaigns.

“The idea that taxpayers would fund this mailer is an outrage, but this is what politicians do when they’re on Michael Madigan’s leash. They do whatever they can to get re-elected so Madigan can keep his stronghold on power in the Illinois House.

“I am confident that the voters will see right through this. November can’t come soon enough for us.”

Most of the letter in question can be seen here, here and here. Mainly standard stuff. Lots of potshots at Rauner, though. And sending these mailers when there’s no budget should be called out (which I’m sure the Dems will do as well).

*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Skoog…

Jerry Long is continuing the kind of politics that has caused chaos and gridlock in Springfield and Washington. This is the kind of politics that is destroying our state and causes the inability for elected leaders to work across the aisle and get things done for our families. In addition to walking door-to-door and calling hundreds of constituents to stay in touch with residents and identify important local issues each week, I sent a survey to constituents to help me better understand residents’ concerns and to provide updates on issues at the capitol including my fight against reckless plans that slash critical state funding for cancer screenings, care for the elderly and services for victims of sexual assault.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:42 pm

Comments

===“The taxpayers of the Illinois Valley shouldn’t be on the hook for decades of fiscal mismanagement and failures in the Chicago Public Schools system,” Skoog said in a press statement. “I wholeheartedly stand against bailing out Chicago’s schools.”===

Rep. Skoog,

You’ve been in town about 13 minutes, and the “Chicago” bashing, tired rhetoric is going to help?

No way.

“The taxpayers of the (pick any “victim” group) shouldn’t be on the hook for decades of fiscal mismanagement and failures in (pick any easy target the “victim” group sees as “oppressing” them) ,” (Candidate/incumbent name here) said in a press statement. “I wholeheartedly stand against (place whatever stance the opening sentence has stated, and make it a policy option framed negatively).”

Both sides use this ridiculous paragraph.

Stop. Govern. Decide that sooner or later, bad votes, even maybe for a target, are coming, and the more members on board, the better everyone will feel and governing will occur.

Oh, and Rep. Skoog, using that ridiculous paragraph to go after someone if “your own party” doesn’t absolve your ignorance to the governing.

Yea! You went after a Democrat, as a Democrat! The reason that paragraph works… is that the hyperbole is a caricature of someone, someone pretending to be engaged. The target and “resolve” is as silly as it is embarrassing.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:53 pm
Was a little surprised at your “rant” Rich. Skoog probably locked up his reelection with the statement about schools in his district not losing money; he gets points for being honest about his intention to protect his taxpayers. The mailings- might not be the best thing to do in this climate, but probably won’t hurt him much in the election. “Bad” publicity (unless it involves kids or a LOT of cash money) is better than “no” publicity, especially when you don’t have to pay for it…

Comment by downstate commissioner Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:55 pm
=including Ottawa Elementary, which itself is deficit spending and on an “early warning” list in its financial status.=

This might not be so “self centered” after all.

= But our state’s fate shouldn’t depend on what some appointee in LaSalle County wants.=

Or Sangamon County for that matter.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:56 pm
===This might not be so “self centered” after all.===

Um, yes, it is. Totally.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:57 pm
==The bill, however, would result in more than $4 million of state funding lost to districts within La Salle County, including Ottawa Elementary==

I don’t get this. Manar’s current bill has a hold-harmless clause that prevents any district from losing money. I have seen the most recent analysis of the bill and districts either gain or get flat funding.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:58 pm
Wasn’t this self-centered too? From the archives, November 2012:

===Madigan’s people have insisted for years that Republican attempts to sully his name have not worked. But then they got behind what appeared to be a pro-Madigan group that attacked Madigan in order to help defeat a Republican state Representative. To put it another way, the Democrats took the Republican Party’s ubiquitous “Fire Madigan” mantra and turned it against a Republican legislator.

This was either a brilliant payback to the GOP or a foolish confirmation that Madigan’s name truly is toxic. Heck, it could turn out to be both.===

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:59 pm
===This might not be so “self centered” after all.===

Um, yes, it is. Totally.

Sorry Rich, but help me understand how Manar’s bill that clearly and significantly helps his district is different from Skoog? I get that he is pandering for votes, but so is Manar.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:00 pm
=I don’t get this. Manar’s current bill has a hold-harmless clause that prevents any district from losing money. I have seen the most recent analysis of the bill and districts either gain or get flat funding. =

The “hold-harmless” expires after four years. You need to read the whole bill and full analysis.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:01 pm
In the last election, Jerry Long came very close to defeating Frank Mautino, and as OW pointed out, Skoog has been in town for “13 minutes.” He has a tough fight on his hands against Long.

While the Streator Elementary School district is also on the State’s early warning list, some schools in LaSalle County are doing just fine, thanks to taxes from Exelon’s LaSalle Station nuclear power plant.

Among the 49 other states, surely ONE must have fair, equitable, efficient school funding. Why can’t Illinois just copy their system instead of trying to reinvent the wheel?

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:03 pm
With respect to the “Chicago Bashing.” It is expected. If you go door-to-door downstate, one of the first questions voters ask will have to do with “all the money going to Chicago.”

You can try to tell those folks that downstate gets more than it pays, but they won’t believe you. You could bring charts and graphs and speadsheets, but the belief is stronger than any facts. A politician who ignores this basic reality will lose in November.

This is as much a problem as the belief that the budget can be balanced without tax increases by just cutting all of the “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:04 pm
Don’t know anything about Skoog. Apparently he is a “newby” who wants to get reelected, so unless we live in his district, our opinion really doesn’t matter. As a newby, he may think that this is the way things are done in Illinois, and of course, he is wrong…oh, wait….

Comment by downstate commissioner Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:05 pm
===As a newby, he may think===

Yeah, that’s all him. Right.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:08 pm
I received this junk mail from Skoog. Was not impressed one bit. Was tempted to write “return to sender” but my wife tossed it in the trash.

I am not impressed with Skoog. From what I have seen, he seems to be a mole for 1.4% and is not considering the interests of the district.

Comment by Huh? Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:10 pm
===With respect to the “Chicago Bashing.” It is expected.===

But… is it helping? No. Self-serving to Skoog in this instance while not helping? Yes. Ugh.

===If you go door-to-door downstate, one of the first questions voters ask will have to do with “all the money going to Chicago.”===

…because the “regional politics pitting one region against the other” is being driven when driving conpromise with regions understanding each other isn’t driven.

Skoog isn’t a victim of a choice he made here. Deciding to feed the anti-Chicago narrative, it’s a choice

Mushrooms are gonna mushroom?

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:17 pm
From what I have seen, he seems to be a mole for 1.4%

He was actually selected by the local party to fill Frank Mautino’s seat. He also reflects the district, basing a lot of his early campaigning on 2nd Amendment rights…and distancing himself from Madigan and “Chicago” as best he can. Being that he has a previous career in local politics as well as being a local businessman, he knows the territory and is probably playing it as safe as he can for this election.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:29 pm
“But he’s not the only one who plays this game. For years, the needs of politically targeted” [insert name of any caucus here] …

This is a long and sad truth about our political/governance process.

Comment by Norseman Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:49 pm
The hold harmless in the Manar bill, SB 231, is for ONE year IF over $400 million extra is appropriated for the hold harmless. Then it phases out and is completely gone after 4 years.

Comment by winners and losers Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:56 pm
Andy’s anti Chicago message plays well to the base in the Illinois Valley and is very similar to the Republican Chicago position in this area.

Comment by nobody Monday, May 16, 16 @ 2:56 pm
I’ve actually been pretty impressed with Skoog. I’ve found him to be pretty thoughtful and reasonable.

And he is doing EXACTLY what he should be doing for his district. Yea - it sucks. Yea - sometimes (most of the time?) we need them to think bigger. But we cannot expect a tier 1 target to say things and support things that would pretty explicitly hurt his/her district.

Comment by AlabamaShake Monday, May 16, 16 @ 3:08 pm
“Among the 49 other states, surely ONE must have fair, equitable, efficient school funding. Why can’t Illinois just copy their system instead of trying to reinvent the wheel?”

I agree on checking out how other states fund their PK-12 schools - - If those states are comparable to IL. They have more homework to do.

Comment by Mama Monday, May 16, 16 @ 3:22 pm
“How self-centered can you get?” I can’t believe you just said that. You, out of just about anyone around here, understand you take care of your district first. The on slot of negative mail for Skoog would be unrelenting. “Sorry–I decided to put Chicago’s school before our schools.” Time to get off the high horse. Jeez.

Comment by Tom Monday, May 16, 16 @ 3:38 pm
…because Rauner has the best intentions for this state by demanding concessions from the Dem base? His agenda is about discouraging that base and winning seats so that he can institute an ideological “bent” that will devastate labor in this state. Come on Rich!

Comment by Obamas Puppy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 3:49 pm
There are some who didn’t “say” anything. That might have proven a better approach for a guy who is sitting there by invitation.

Comment by A guy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 3:50 pm
Wait…..my side does the same things as the other side? Get outta here!

Comment by Anony Monday, May 16, 16 @ 4:08 pm
Have any of those silly surveys ever even been tabulated, and the results used for anything?

And I would think the bad press from spending money to send this mailer without a state budget is more then the good that comes from doing it at all.

Comment by Not It Monday, May 16, 16 @ 4:17 pm
**And I would think the bad press from spending money to send this mailer without a state budget is more then the good that comes from doing it at all.**

The bad press barely gets noticed. But Skoog’s name showing up in your mailbox, in a positive way, builds invaluable name recognition.

Comment by AlabamaShake Monday, May 16, 16 @ 4:41 pm
Nothing personal here, but how do you forget a name like “Skoog” once you’ve heard it?

Comment by A guy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 5:01 pm
if the House Dem staff does not worry about incumbents who will? Griffin, Blair Hull Uline, BGA??? let’s see your list
Credit for the current mess goes in descending order Cheney-Bush Depression, Bush NASDAQ Bubble burst, 2 wars….
Anymore questions?

Comment by Annonin' Monday, May 16, 16 @ 5:12 pm
===if the House Dem staff does not worry about incumbents who will?===

That’s obviously their job and they should do it.

But the Speaker is fond of saying he doesn’t let staff dictate policy. So…

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 16, 16 @ 5:26 pm
===Jerry Long is continuing the kind of politics that has caused chaos and gridlock in Springfield and Washington.===

Next time…

Don’t respond. Awful. Like “train wreck” awful

You’ve learned NOTHING so far, Representive. Congratulations.

Rep. Skoog, you are on pace to be the perfect “ducking”, so… Yea you.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 16, 16 @ 5:48 pm
If I was Rep. Skoog I’m not sure I would address my opponent’s attack and give it credibility. I might just let it blow over.

Comment by Just Me Monday, May 16, 16 @ 7:42 pm
Annonin in severe denial. Deflect, deflect, deflect.

Comment by Athens Monday, May 16, 16 @ 8:28 pm