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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
I’ve read and heard a lot of commentary about what Gov. J.B. Pritzker didn’t say in his State of the State address last month. Some folks are still quite angry that he didn’t address their pet causes.
And the previous day’s guilty plea by former Sen. Martin Sandoval prompted the news media to focus mainly on the anti-corruption portion of the governor’s speech. Behind his strong, quote-worthy rhetoric, however, were three concrete proposals: 1) A ban on legislators being paid to lobby; 2) Disclosure of conflicts of interests and punishment for non-compliance; and 3) Forbidding legislators from becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving office.
The House Republicans are already on record in favor of a legislator lobbying ban, and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has introduced a conflict of interest bill (HB 3954) that would even require attorneys to disclose clients who could pose potential conflicts. Senate President Don Harmon offered support of the lobbying revolving door provision. Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady said he supports the conflicts of interest disclosure bit.
House Speaker Michael Madigan did not indicate support for anything. The chairman he appointed to head an ethics commission, however, supported all three.
But beyond what Pritzker didn’t say, and beyond the corruption angle, the governor did get into some other substance which was lost in the shuffle.
On the subject of property taxes, Pritzker complained about the “perverse incentives in state law” that encourage local governments to “max out” their property tax levies “even when they don’t need to.” He was referring to an unintended consequence of the state’s Property Tax Extension Limitation Law that essentially encourages units of government to tax to the cap every year for fear of forever losing that revenue. What Pritzker wants to do is not yet known.
Pritzker also proposed allowing citizens to initiate consolidating or eliminating units of local government. The General Assembly has passed some limited, highly localized legislation on this topic. Pritzker wants to take it statewide.
Other governors have talked about ethics, property taxes and consolidation and ended up accomplishing little. Pritzker will have to use all of his considerable persuasive powers to move his agenda to the goal line. He spent a whole lot of his political capital on last year’s mega-agenda and a governor’s second year is never as “easy” as the first. There is generally an eagerness to help a brand-new governor achieve his goals, but that can wear off.
Pritzker’s clean energy proposals included legislation “that reduces carbon pollution, promotes renewable energy, and accelerates electrification of our transportation sector.”
That matches up with the three “pillars” of the Illinois Clean Jobs coalition. Pritzker also made clear that ComEd’s hegemonic days are over: “I’m not going to sign an energy bill written by the utility companies.”
Harmon told Public Television’s Jak Tichenor after the speech that he didn’t believe anyone was suggesting that Exelon and ComEd shouldn’t be at the bargaining table. “What is encouraging to me,” Harmon said, “is that they won’t be the loudest voice in the room now. The governor made it very clear that he’s going to amplify the voices of other people.”
On the social justice front, the governor said he wants to start phasing out cash bail. He also wants to follow “many of the recommendations made by the bipartisan criminal justice reform commission created by my predecessor, most of whose ideas were never adopted because of the rancor and dysfunction.” Gov. Bruce Rauner drew widespread praise for his criminal justice reforms, but the issue got lost in his never-ending battles with Democrats.
Pritzker did have a pointed response to those who have been pushing him hard to hire more Democratic patronage workers.
Democratic insiders have been grumbling for a full year that their people have to go through the same hiring practice as everyone else and often don’t wind up being picked.
In response, people within the administration have complained about how party bosses have been trying to shove an inordinate number of politically connected and unqualified or under-qualified white men down their throats.
Pritzker insisted that his way of hiring has made the state better: “The old patronage system needs to die…finally and completely. The input of women and people of color needs to be treated as essential to decision making — not as some token show of diversity.”
It was a well-written speech, but the really hard part comes soon when he introduces his next budget, which, at last check, was projected to be $1.8 billion out of balance.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:23 am
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===Pritzker insisted that his way of hiring has made the state better===
At this very minute there are Rauner appointed/affiliated folks in exempt positions that if not actively seeking to undermine Pritzker’s administration, are at the very least not actively seeking to help it succeed.
Not every appointment or every exempt position is representative of the “old patronage system” and sometimes having a person that believes in the mission is more important than having a person that’s been entrenched in the same position.
Experience is not a substitute for ideology, and governing isn’t just about skill or ability.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:31 am
=== At this very minute there are Rauner appointed/affiliated folks in exempt positions that if not actively seeking to undermine Pritzker’s administration, are at the very least not actively seeking to help it succeed.===
Ah.
The Deep State worries.
Here’s the deal; as someone who is NOT disagreeing with you, and frankly it’s a bit troubling that Raunerites were given such latitude and continued existence in a governing that Rauner himself found… distasteful…that kind of charge isn’t going to help bring quicker change to remove those who gleefully, yes I said gleefully, wanted this state to fail at the behest of Rauner.
Truly a failing, a real disappointment, is that keeping on Raunerites, even if they “seem” to be honest to governing. I won’t go as far as outright sabotage to make that point.
The rationale that patronage needs to wholly change before removing the Raunerites feels like an excuse to slow play things as opposed to the sheer idea of being deliberate in these hires.
It’s an election year. I’m confused why this governor is comfortable continuing to carry Raunerites, and not actively, and within their own hiring parameters.
If there are these undercutting folks, the days of allowing silence on this were months ago.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:42 am
I think he said a lot.
The key goal of any state of the state address is to avoid the predictable coverage of “The Governor outlines an ambitious agenda for the year ahead, but provides no details on how he plans to pay for it.”
Because, of course, it isn’t a Budget Address and you save that detail for the Budget Address.
The Governor avoided those stories this time around. Primarily, because he has already said how he will pay for things with the fair tax proposal, and also because he stuck mostly to issues that weren’t just about state spending.
Comment by Ok Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:43 am
JB Pritzker has become a champion of faux reform. Say the right things to the media but deflect from his true nature. The fraudulent $350,000 property tax scam shows the real JB Pritzker. It reinforces the negative perception that the public has about greedy billionaires like JB gaming the system for their own benefit. My hope and prayer is that the Federal Law Enforcement will move forward and bring justice to the good people of Illinois.
Comment by Reformer Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:49 am
=== The fraudulent $350,000 property tax scam shows the real JB Pritzker. It reinforces the negative perception that the public has about greedy billionaires like JB gaming the system for their own benefit. My hope and prayer is that the Federal Law Enforcement will move forward and bring justice to the good people of Illinois.===
If “all” you have is the property tax issue, the issue in which Pritzker finally paid “the two dollars”, you aren’t going to be swayed by *anything* this current administration is doing or going to do.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 9:53 am
The holdovers in exempt positions are doing an excellent job of being yes men/women and then slow walking and bad mouthing the new administration. It seems the senior Pritzker people are very comfortable with the situation.
Comment by Annon3 Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 10:08 am
=== Pritzker insisted that his way of hiring has made the state better: “The old patronage system needs to die…finally and completely. The input of women and people of color needs to be treated as essential to decision making” ===
Replacing one patronage system with a different patronage system is not the answer.
You conducted a nationwide search for someone to run the country’s largest child welfare agency and landed on…a mid-level manager for a nonprofit in Joliet with no child safety experience?
The fact consultants are calling the policy shots at DCFS and Smith does not even report to the DCFS office on a daily basis only reinforces the view your administration is engaging in tokenism.
Comment by Balderdash Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 10:22 am
== have been trying to shove an inordinate number of politically connected and unqualified or under-qualified white men down their throats.==
So they’d rather leave in place the “politically connected and unqualified or under-qualified white men” that Rauner put into those positions instead? You’d think they would want people that support their priorities in those positions, regardless of the candidate’s skin color or gender.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 10:37 am
Tell me more about how you are ending patronage, Governor:
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20200210/tollway-director-has-hired-9-chicago-housing-authority-alums-that-concerns-some-lawmakers
“Tollway Director has hired 9 Chicago Housing Authority alums”
Daily Herald, today
All the best people in transportation just happened to work with Director Alvarez when he was at the Housing Authority?
I mean, that is convenient.
Comment by Inspector Gadget Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 10:43 am
Oh, goody…is the monopoly of Com Ed about to take a hit?
This ratepayer is hoping so…
Comment by Loop Lady Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 10:57 am
===It seems the senior Pritzker people are very comfortable with the situation.===
I suspect that to some ears there has been no difference between friendly advisement from stakeholders that “hey, this person is a problem” and “hey, hire someone that this legislator likes”
=== a different patronage system is not the answer.===
I think the question is how one defines patronage, which is part of why we have a Special Master working on this very question now.
Obviously, some senior and very senior staff positions need to serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
Simply having a system of appointments isn’t patronage, and just because someone was a bartender, server, or made coffee doesn’t mean they’re disqualified — especially with the next generation the state needs to be recruiting to fill positions having started their professional lives over educated in the middle of a recession.
Give me a barista with an MPA over a high school grad with 30 years in the agency any day.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 11:27 am
= Give me a barista with an MPA over a high school grad with 30 years in the agency any day.=
Someone with 30 years in at an agency is probably not a patronage hire. They would most likely be gone at an administration change unless they knew their stuff. Which would make them a qualified hire. Someone with 30 years probably has an in-depth knowledge of how their agency works and how they get stuff done on their job. No newbie, regardless of degree held, is going to be able to function like them from day 1. Will they have new ideas? Of course. Will they be able to eventually function at a high level? Probably. One thing a degree tell you is that the person can read and learn. But don’t trash a high school grad with 30 years of experience just because you can. That’s condescending.
Comment by thoughts matter Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 12:11 pm
==Give me a barista with an MPA over a high school grad with 30 years in the agency any day.==
Yes, I wouldn’t want someone who has 30 years of experience in the agency. Because why would we want anyone without some sort of expertise in the agency. Just throw someone off of the street. Unbelievable.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 12:20 pm
Agree with Oswego Willy about leaving Raunerites in positions to employ. Those employees are slow walking his agenda and trying to employ employees who follow their own agenda.
Comment by South of 64 Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 1:03 pm
== Give me a barista with an MPA over a high school grad with 30 years in the agency any day==
This comment could only come from a former Rauner administration official.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 2:21 pm
=== I think the question is how one defines patronage ===
1) hiring nine of your friends from your former post because they are all about to get axes by the new mayor falls into every definition; this is not a “depends”
2) If your defense of your hiring is indistinguishable from Joe Berrios’ defense
3) Nearly every person interviewed fit into an easily defineable subset, or only one person was interviewed.
Comment by Balderdash Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 2:24 pm
=== This comment could only come from a former Rauner administration official. ===
Or Margaret Croke.
Some Progressives: Experience doesn’t matter.
Same Progressives: Ivanka is unqualified.
Comment by Inspector Gadget Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 2:30 pm
==This comment could only come from a former Rauner administration official.==
Not necessarily. When John Filan became Director of OMB under Blagojevich he looked down his nose at anyone who didn’t have an MBA. Being a snob is bipartisan.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 4:13 pm
==House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has introduced a conflict of interest bill (HB 3954) that would even require attorneys to disclose clients who could pose potential conflicts. Senate President Don Harmon offered support of the lobbying revolving door provision. Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady said he supports the conflicts of interest disclosure bit.
House Speaker Michael Madigan did not indicate support for anything.==
A bill to require presidential candidates in Illinois to release their tax returns passed the Senate and had 53 Dem co-sponsors, including Harmon and John Cullerton, but didn’t get a vote in the House.
https://legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB0982/2017
A simple reform that might get bipartisan support is requiring the four legislative leaders to release their tax returns.
Comment by Anonanonsir Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 5:24 pm
Margaret Croke is a great example of pinstripe patronage.
Comment by low level Monday, Feb 10, 20 @ 7:17 pm
===Margaret Croke is a great example of pinstripe patronage===
I think this might represent a misuse of that term, but I’m not an expert. I always thought it referred to awarding politically connected businesses to work around rules against rewarding/punishing individuals.
Doing a good job of meeting and knowing the right people isn’t indicative of patronage and she does have a resume that justifies her position with the DCEO.
Choosing to run for legislature in Chicago in a crowded primary at her point in her career is literally the opposite of a patronage system.
Now she’s running against an appointed state rep. Not the best time to accuse her of patronage.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Feb 11, 20 @ 12:06 am