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* WGN-TV Political Report interview with Gov. JB Pritzker…
Q: You pushed back on [Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s] financial transaction tax, but he’s also looking for state help with the possible real estate transfer tax, changes to the school funding formula. Any negotiation room on those plans?
Pritzker: Well, it’s not something that, obviously, as governor, I’m not the one in the General Assembly, in the committees that are talking about this. But I do not think we’re going to see a lot of movement on the tax front.
But I do think that there are a lot of things that we’re doing at the state level that will be very, very helpful to the new mayor, to the city of Chicago. Always we’ve focused on providing the resources necessary to fight crime, to make sure that they’ve got violence interruption programs that are well funded. We’re providing literally tens of millions more dollars than ever before, each year to help do that. We’ve got to address that issue. That’s certainly one of the top ones and the mayor talks about that as well. And then of course, education funding. We’re increasing education funding, that will help CPS. So there’s a lot that’s coming to the city and we’re going to be as helpful as we can.
Look as Chicago goes, as you know, so goes the economy of the entire state. We need to make sure we’re supporting businesses across the state and job creation and people and working families. But it turns out, as you know, that the majority of the economy of our entire state is in the Chicago area. And so the mayor of Chicago and I and the legislature all need to work together to make sure we’re growing our GDP.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Yep…
Honestly not looking forward to the most ardent supporter backlash when every mayoral campaign promise can't be funded everywhere all at once.
Passing new revenue source bills is hard. Even harder when same body gave City a new casino four years ago that's still not open. https://t.co/iVhYEx5hCo
— Chicago Bars (@chicagobars) May 1, 2023
Not to mention the many years that the city refused to allow video gaming and instead allowed gray market sweepstakes machines to establish themselves, even though the machines don’t produce a thin dime of city revenue.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:01 am
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Very courageous of Pritzker to say he doesn’t have control, that it’s up to the legislature. That’s just like when he wouldn’t say who he was voting for. But he will comment about what goes on in Florida and Texas. He’ll talk tough about a lot of things but he’s terrified to talk about taxes after the fair tax flop.
Comment by Torco Sign Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:11 am
My thought is that he’s simply stating the obvious
Comment by Nick Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:13 am
Anyone counting 60 and 30 (71 and 36) for any of the wants?
===I’m not the one in the General Assembly, in the committees that are talking about this. But I do not think we’re going to see a lot of movement on the tax front.===
Yep. Show me how it passes first.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:14 am
===Very courageous of Pritzker to say he doesn’t have control, that it’s up to the legislature.===
Do you see 60/30?
Otherwise, what exactly are you “complaining” about, or are you complaining to complain?
Can’t sign anything not passed.
Oh. Oh, now I get it…
===That’s just like when he wouldn’t say who he was voting for. But he will comment about what goes on in Florida and Texas. He’ll talk tough about a lot of things but he’s terrified to talk about taxes after the fair tax flop.===
Screaming at clouds. Got it.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:16 am
Put progressive income tax back on the ballot for the state of Illinois, that’s what you campaigned on in 2018 Governor. Now it seems that you don’t want to try again because it affects your bottom line.
Comment by Lake villa township dem PC Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:16 am
===Put progressive income tax back on the ballot for the state of Illinois, that’s what you campaigned on in 2018 Governor. Now it seems that you don’t want to try again because it affects your bottom line.===
Please list your 71 and 36 Green votes for it.
Alphabetical or numeric by district, your choice.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:17 am
==Very courageous of Pritzker to say he doesn’t have control, that it’s up to the legislature. ==
It’s true, though?
==That’s just like when he wouldn’t say who he was voting for.==
Why do you want him to weigh in on everything? Do you miss RJD that much?
==Now it seems that you don’t want to try again because it affects your bottom line.==
Or maybe it’s because he *did* put it on the ballot and it lost?
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:27 am
“He’ll talk tough about a lot of things but he’s terrified”
Yeah he’s certainly not a certified badass like Ron DeSantis or Darren Bailey.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:30 am
I think the governor was just reminding him who is governor
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:32 am
@arsenal Pritzker doesn’t have to donate the next time progressive income tax is on the ballot, in fact I think the referendum would likely be better off if he did not.
Comment by Lake Villa Township Dem PC Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:45 am
It’s a nice way of saying to Johnson that this was his and Stacey Gates grandiose plan so now go find a alternative solution because the state isn’t paying for your campaign promises.
Comment by Old time Independent Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:53 am
==Pritzker doesn’t have to donate the next time progressive income tax is on the ballot, in fact I think the referendum would likely be better off if he did not==
So you think that Pritzker should put a progressive income tax on the ballot except he shouldn’t donate to support it? This is all very confusing, lol.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:58 am
It’s wise for Johnson to listen to someone with a record of accomplishments and electoral success as Pritzker has, since he won not just a city but a state. Certainly don’t be like the previous governor, stubborn to the point of massive damage and political self-destruction. Also don’t be like the current Chicago mayor and develop acrimonious relationships. Remain within the realm of feasibility.
Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:58 am
I’m just using your logic of him not wanting to support again because of his previous contributions to the referendum, nothing more Arsenal.
Comment by Lake villa township dem pc Monday, May 1, 23 @ 11:59 am
Respectfully submitting that “What ONE Mayor Elect additional revenue measure do you think would be most likely to pass the GA?” would be interesting. LGDF restoration? Commuter Tax? Financial transactions trading tax? That jet fuel tax?
Comment by ChicagoBars Monday, May 1, 23 @ 12:00 pm
===Very courageous of Pritzker to say he doesn’t have control, that it’s up to the legislature. ===
Hmmm…reading is fundamental.
=But I do not think we’re going to see a lot of movement on the tax front.=
Seems pretty clear to me.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 1, 23 @ 12:16 pm
==I’m just using your logic of him not wanting to support again because of his previous contributions to the referendum, nothing more Arsenal.==
But so much less as to be indistinguishable from zero.
I was offering an alternate explanation as to why he won’t, in your words, “try again” to “put progressive income tax back on the ballot”. And that is because he tried once already and it failed. To expound on that, he tried, failed, and it’s difficult for me to see what has changed so that he might now succeed. I never mentioned anything about “donations” or “contributions” to the effort to pass a progressive income tax. I never even talked about “support” except insofar as “trying again” counts as support, and *you* brought that up.
So, no, I’m sorry, but you can’t blame me for the “he should try to pass it except not monetarily” logical pretzel you have tied yourself into. That’s all you, baby.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 1:17 pm
==It’s a nice way of saying to Johnson that this was his and Stacey Gates grandiose plan so now go find a alternative solution because the state isn’t paying for your campaign promises.==
Sort of, but I’d emphasize the “nice”. I don’t think Pritzker wants to see Johnson fail, or even views him as warily as he did MLL.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 1:19 pm
Am thinking our new Mayor has a valid point on Chicago residents carrying the tax burden for Chicago teachers as well as paying taxes for downstate teacher retirement systems. Not fair and completely not appropriate.
Why am I paying for the enormous pensions for administrators and teachers in the suburbs that get special pension retirement deals?
If my tax money was going for charter schools or private schools then I am all onboard, but this state educational system has been failing students for a long time and the funding needs to be changed to give Chicago taxpayers some degree of fairness.
People in Chicago voted for change and Pritzker should respect their views.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 1, 23 @ 1:34 pm
==People in Chicago voted for change==
Did they? Or did they vote for the most loyal Democrat, or the most securely pro-choice candidate? Did they vote for the CTU? Did they vote against the FOP? Remember, these voters overwhelmingly voted to re-elect Pritzker just a few months ago.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 1:50 pm
Arsenal makes a good point.
Overall the choices for Chicago voters has been very poor. Between Bailey, Pritzker, Johnson and Vallas Chicago voters had pretty poor choices.
The low turnouts say a lot about what Chicago residents thought about the choices we were stuck with.
My point is that Chicago folks don’t need to spending our money on both Chicago and Downstate pension systems.
Yes a majority of less than 50% of the voters voted for Pritzker.
Hard for me to say an overwhelming percentage of Chicago voters supported Pritzker when most of them did not vote.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 1, 23 @ 2:07 pm
=Not fair and completely not appropriate.=
It is exactly what Richie Daley wanted and what he traded for. Control of the schools and an outsized piece of the school funding pie.
=Why am I paying for the enormous pensions for administrators and teachers in the suburbs that get special pension retirement deals?=
They get the same deals as everyone else. They also contribute more to the system.
=If my tax money was going for charter schools or private schools then I am all onboard,=
You can send as much as you want to private schools. No one is stopping you. By nature of their being private, they do not and should not get public money.
Charter schools are public schools and get public funds. With the exception of donations they are entirely funded with public dollars.
=but this state educational system has been failing students for a long time and the funding needs to be changed to give Chicago taxpayers some degree of fairness.=
No and no. Families have certainly been failing their children, but schools are doing so much more than they were just 20 years ago to make up for what they do not get at home.
Last I checked, CPS is getting 27% of state education dollars with far less than 27% of state enrollment. Chicago needs to raise property taxes. For most of Illinois, property taxes are based on 33.3% of fair market value. For decades Cook County and Chicago started at 16% of fair market value. It really has not changed.
My district is 80% funded by local property tax dollars. We are not wealthy even by 3rd world standards.
Educate yourself before making such erroneous statements.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 1, 23 @ 2:30 pm
==Chicago needs to raise property taxes.==
In addition, CPS is classified as a Tier 2 school (Tier 1 for the first few years of EBF) which means it gets more state assistance. Chicago holds a lot of wealth, but since CPS enrollment doesn’t reflect the wealth of their tax base like every other school district in the state, Chicago gets to larp their way into more money.
Comment by City Zen Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:06 pm
The test scores measure the outcome of the educational systems in Illinois.
Of course, let’s blame the students and the parents for the low reading and math scores.
We are among the most highly taxed states in America, but the answer is always to tax more and not hold the administrators or the teachers responsible for the low test scores.
Chicago folks should not be paying for downstate pensions. If suburban school districts want to support the huge pensions administrators get paid then that should be their burden.
Mayor Johnson is absolutely right in pointing out the unfairness in the current system and Pritzker should be supporting him on this.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:07 pm
The Governor knows that the state needs more revenue to meet the needs of its people, whether in Chicago or elsewhere. The Governor knows that new revenue could come from a different version of fair tax or through other means. The Governor knows that new revenue sources typically are created when the Governor backs them - eg he proposed closing a billion in corporate loopholes 2 years ago, and got $600m. If you wait for the GA you won’t ever see a new dime. The Governor knows he has a bully pulpit here - he just doesn’t want to use it.
Comment by State revenues Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:16 pm
===he just doesn’t want to use it.===
Or he’s opposed and is trying to be polite.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:19 pm
==Hard for me to say an overwhelming percentage of Chicago voters supported Pritzker when most of them did not vote.==
If they didn’t vote, then they’re not voters.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:28 pm
== or he’s just trying to be polite ==
This. And diplomatic.
Comment by Shytown Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:33 pm
Arsenal-Get your point, but the my point is they are registered voters who just reject the choices they have.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:35 pm
=== Yes a majority of less than 50% of the voters voted for Pritzker.===
Elections are won by votes counted by voters casting ballots.
If one doesn’t vote, they chose to silence their own voice.
It’s a dishonest argument to winning elections by focusing the policies around who maybe didn’t vote
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:36 pm
=== they are registered voters who just reject the choices they have.===
Facts not in evidence.
People don’t vote for many reasons
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:38 pm
=The test scores measure the outcome of the educational systems in Illinois.
Of course, let’s blame the students and the parents for the low reading and math scores=
How much time have you actually spent in the classroom?
When parents do not hold their children responsible for doing their work or attending school with fidelity, yes they are in fact failing.
The constant flood of excuses is absurd. Couple that with truancy laws that no one on the legal side upholds, a legislature that extends mandatory schooling and accountability measures for schools and then guts the schools ability to do anything other than use words to get kids and parents to hold up their end of the bargain and you are absolutely right they are failing.
I know what teachers and principals do everyday to get kids to succeed. I do not pooh pooh the value of test scores like some. BUt on testing day, we have students who spend ten or fifteen minutes taking a state exam of the SAT, why? Because nothing can happen to them if they blow it off.
And their parents are the same way.
Those test scores are a direct reflection of the effort most parents are putting in.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 1, 23 @ 3:46 pm
==my point is they are registered voters who just reject the choices they have==
I mean, I can make up motivations for them, too. Turns out they all wanted Pritzker, but knew he had it in the bag so they spent the whole day watching Youtube videos of the ‘85 Bears.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, May 1, 23 @ 4:16 pm
Always am impressed with JS Mill’s comments and knowledge on education in Illinois.
In answer to his question, other than being in classrooms from grade school through law school, I have not been teaching with the exception of substituting for a collogue in law school for a few classes and lecturing at various Assocation conferences, but I can appreciate that classroom teaching can be challenging. I also know I would not be very good at teaching and respect those that pursue teaching as a career.
Some parents suffered a poor education experience and that is probably a factor in how they work with their children, but children spend thousands and thousands of hours in school and, in a majority of cases in some school districts, do very poorly on testing.
In terms of spending on private schools, I did send my kids to private schools through university and now am paying for nieces, grandchildren and grandnieces to attend private schools. Make no mistake about it, I have been very lucky in life to be in the right place at the right time so don’t be impressed by my support of relatives.
Why not have the tax money follow the child? If they want to go to a charter school or a private school, then give them a few bucks to help out the family? Being from a poor family should not be a life time sentence of having to get a lousy education.
On the post, let’s free up the money Chicagoans are spending on pensions for suburban teachers and administrators and put that money back into the Chicago public school system or fund the Chicago Public Pension system with state taxpayers’ money like other school systems.
Mayor Johnson is on the right side of this issue.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 1, 23 @ 4:50 pm
@Back to the Future- I appreciate the kind words, sincerely.
I had a conversation with my father about the private school thing. I went to a private suburban grade school and private college prep school for a while. It was not for me. The public high school was far better and had a galaxy of opportunities that the private schools did not.
My brother went private all the way. My dad never complained about paying taxes and paying tuition. We were not wealthy but did ok. I asked why he never complained. He said he knew beforehand that is how it was and didn’t think public money should go to private and parochial schools.
Maybe that is why I feel the way I do. Until the constitution was turned upside down, everyone knew public money should not go to private schools who also dodge the rules that public schools have to follow.
If private and parochial schools had to follow the same rules, they would be absolutely lost. I have been told as much from teachers and admin from that side of the fence.
If privates take public money the should follow every single rule publics do.
If they want to go to a charter school or a private school, then give them a few bucks to help out the family?
Charters are public schools and get public money.
=On the post, let’s free up the money Chicagoans are spending on pensions for suburban teachers and administrators and put that money back into the Chicago public school system or fund the Chicago Public Pension system with state taxpayers’ money like other school systems.=
When is an agreement an agreement? only when you like the benefits? Your problem is with Richie Daley. This was the deal he struck for a ton of state money and control of CPS. You will have to live with that one.
In the process Richie also took the CPS pension from 103% funding to worse than TRS.
So if you want the CPS pension funded by the state, prepare for a funding haircut. That was the deal. CPS gets far more in state funding than it should.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 1, 23 @ 7:28 pm