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* Mayor Daley wasn’t pleased that nothing came of the mass transit funding bill during the veto session…
Mayor Daley criticized state lawmakers Saturday for failing to roll back the controversial program that lets all seniors ride public transit for free.
“Some legislators didn’t want to work this out,” said Daley, speaking at an unrelated event on the South Side. “It is really unfair because they’re hurting their own citizens.” He added: “It seems like nothing can get done in Springfield.”
But a CTA source Friday said the authority believed it had negotiated a deal with Gov. Quinn and the four legislative leaders to freeze fares in 2010 and 2011 in exchange for letting low-income seniors ride free while other seniors would pay as little as 85 cents. Daley did not criticize Quinn, even though the source claimed it was the governor who backed out of the deal.
As I’ve said before, this is faux populism. Real populism is ensuring that reasonably priced mass transit is available to as many people as possible.
Daley didn’t mention Gov. Pat Quinn’s name, but the Sun-Times editorial did…
With elections looming in February, far too many Illinois politicians — most notably, Gov. Quinn — refused to pull the plug last week on a program the CTA cannot afford and many seniors don’t need.
And here comes another Doomsday threat…
And this Christmas promises to be an especially glum holiday for more than 1,000 CTA workers, who face the prospect of being out of a job a little more than a month later.
Jim LaBelle, a transportation expert with the civic group Chicago Metropolis 2020 and a Metra director, said the service boards have no choice but to prepare for the worst-case scenarios.
“We’ll be going ahead with those plans we have discussed. I don’t see a reason to change that,” LaBelle said. “I think we’re still where we were before last week. It’s a tough time.”
Transit officials and experts say the outlook is particularly grim now that the legislative session has ended without the governor and General Assembly providing financial relief for the CTA, Metra and Pace.
One thing not mentioned in most stories is that the CTA told lawmakers they were preparing to lay off 1,000 workers, then the very next day revealed that they had sent out 1,800 layoff notices. This naturally angered legislators who have a hard time trusting the CTA/RTA anyway, and it resulted in a large gathering outside the House chambers late Thursday. I got there late so I missed the heavy-duty fireworks, but here’s a little video clip…
And the Tribune goes Medieval on the governor...
Instead of holding lawmakers’ feet to the fire this week, [Quinn] was playing Transit Fairy, waffling over free rides for seniors and promising everyone else cheap rides forever. That’s his shtick: make promises and leave the dirty work for others. No wonder so little of it actually gets done.
* Meanwhile, Daley appears to have radically changed his concept of what a new Chicago casino would look like…
“You don’t want a casino to hurt all your restaurants. You want a casino only to be for a casino — not for food and beverages and everything else. You go in there for one reason: to gamble,” the mayor said.
“If you look at other cities, they have . . . not gotten the benefits outside the casino. It’s not helped restaurants or anything else. They go in there and stay there.”
In the past, Daley has talked about a huge casino with high-end restaurants and other activities, like Detroit’s opulent MGM Grand hotel/casino.
* Other state stuff…
* Readers quick to hop aboard CTA fix-it train
* Cemetery Reform Measure Stalled Until 2010
* New Law Helps Illinois Renters in Foreclosure Limbo
* Tribune editorial: Lawmakers deserve credit for getting this right. There’s no need to delay here. Sign the bill, Governor. Then the Cook County Board should repeal that tax increase in its entirety — over Stroger’s veto, if that’s what it takes.
* It appears there won’t be a road salt spike this year
* Compared to last year, state gets a break on price of road salt
* Illinois prepares for early release of prisoners
* Illinois parental notification law goes into effect Tuesday
* One-on-One with Mayor Richard Daley
* Chicago’s parking blues
* Minority contracting figures still sore point for city
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 11:44 am
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Now you have the makings of a casino deal. Daley’s basically promising a non-compete with the hospitality industry — hotels, bars, restaurants, theaters — so now they’ll be gung-ho.
I’m betting before the primary, Daley will make both Quinn and Hynes commit to a city-owned casino. And despite previous protestations, look for a location south around McCormick Place, perhaps on the partial footprint of a torn-down Lakeside Center.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 11:55 am
I heard some of the interviews Daley has been doing on local radio over the weekend as part of some media rollout. Unimpressive stuff.
Casinos are just about the worst idea in history. If the state wants revenue it should get it from economic development plans that create jobs, not gambling.
You really need to put up a post on this civil war stuff in the GOP. A lot of national prognosticators have been explaining that the next target is likely to be Mark Kirk. I tweeted with Eric Erickson, the head of redstate-the blog that lead the teaparty uprising in upstate new york and they are going to give Kirk a pass because he’s a fiscal conservative. This is good news.
Comment by shore Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:00 pm
I still have trouble understanding how eliminating senior free rides was going to save the CTA this year. I could see more of a shared sacrifice approach but it seemed as though those attempting to resolve the transportation budget crisis were solely focused on getting the seniors to give up those freebies. Any reasonable observer would be suspicious at the suggestion that just that amount would fix everything this year. Quinn probably was wise to stay away from it. And the CTA really does need to make some staff reductions and cut some porky contracts.
Comment by cassandra Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:22 pm
The state’s position on gambling has been archaic. Gambling isn’t the best way to develop an economy, but it certainly has a place in the discussion. The state should make it easier for casinos to build, while maintaining the regulations that keep them “clean.”
The cemetery reform bill is an idiotic idea. What happened at Burr Oak is already illegal. Why burden private cemetery owners with even more regulations and then exclude municipal and parochial cemeteries from those new regulations? Again, it’s idiotic.
Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:26 pm
Look at that a real debate about issues.
Comment by Obamas' Puppy Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:30 pm
Look at all of the CTA buses in downtown Chicago stacked 5 and 6 deep and mostly empty. Dozens and dozens of bus routes from all over the city come downtown. Why? take the riders to an El line. CTA wasting so much money and the RTA with all of their bus lines serving a minimal number of riders. Waste, waste and more waste.
Comment by Observer Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:35 pm
let the existing casinos expand by 20% put slots and video poker in Ohare and midway, put a casino in the city, one in the south burbs. With the 20% expansion let the casinos lease gaming positions from other casinos. This way the Chicago casino could be larger than others and it would spread the earnings around some. Slots at Ohare and Midway to get the travelers dollars is a no brainer like eliminating free rides for seniors but out elected leaders cant even get that right.
Comment by fed up Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:41 pm
Yeah…no brainer…there’s never been any patronage at the airports! Sure…go ahead and gamble away. We’ll trust you not to skim! Does the city even own Midway any more?
Comment by Vote Quimby! Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:55 pm
Cassandra - CTA has offered specific management cuts and is putting forth 1000 union layoffs, service reductions and fare increases. I don’t know what “porky contracts” means, but it seems to be a throw away criticism without any fact behind it. The bottom line is the reformed free rider proposal would have guaranteed low-income seniors free rides (those who qualify for Circuit Breaker) and would have given every other senior a 50% discount. I hardly think that is draconian. That seems like a decision that should be easy to make in today’s economic climate. If elected officials cannot make that choice we are in trouble when the really tough choices come up.
Comment by Transit Supporter Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 12:59 pm
Casino’s do food in part to lure in gamblers, and to keep them from leaving. When your tryign to seperate some guy from his weekly paycheck yah dont want him to step outside to eat. The big money in casinos is from whales. To get the whales you need high end restraunts to lavish them with expensive foir gras and old wine.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 1:13 pm
The transformation of the CTA from a social program to a transit agency is going to be harrowing.
Comment by Leroy Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 1:16 pm
Free Ride! - Edgar Winters Group, enhanced by VanillaMan
With taxes so high, our approval is low,
Voters are yelling that we have to go,
So here’s a freebie to give you a hand,
Just use public buses, trains or a van.
Come on and take a free ride! (free ride!)
Senior voters, we are on your side!
Although we’re broke - take a free ride!
All over Cook County, we’re hearing the same,
Voters are angry, they say that we’re to blame,
We promise we’re better, it’s one big win-win,
No, we can’t give you answers
Why we love corruption and sin.
So, come on and take a free ride! (free ride!)
Sit your Depends upon some Naugahide!
Take it from us, life’s a free ride!
Set your hearing aid up high,
so you can hear our political show,
If you think we suck, those Republicans blow,
Times are tough, but we’ll still hold your hand,
Ride this old bus, while we show you our plan.
Come on and take a free ride! (free ride!)
With all your money, we’ll blow this budget wide!
While we rule, you always get a free ride!
Our last gov, Ole Blago, we don’t really like
He bankrupted us, forced our taxes to hike,
We now know better, with your help we can win,
We got us some candidates,
Do you like some Hynes or some Quinn?
Come on let us take a free ride! (free ride!)
We’re screw ups with nothing left to hide!
Re-elect us and we’ll give ya a free ride!
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 1:28 pm
I don’t have any direct info, but they may need to send out 1800 notices to actually lay off 1000 people after bumping, etc.
Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 1:47 pm
The transit agencies were all gung ho to pass the doomsday tax increase and claimed the senior free rides would be no big deal. Now it cost $35 million and it has to be repealed.
Repealing it will never generate 35 mil because the seniors will quit riding it if it’s not free.
Basically, they lied to get the tax and now they are lying to repeal it.
Cut staff, cut unnecessary routes and leave the seniors alone. Transit didn’t have the fortitude to stand up tour crooked Governor and now they are reaping what they have sown
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 2:11 pm
Transit Supporters
They have “offered” these cuts but offering is not the same as doing, as we have seen on numerous occasions under our accidental governor Quinn.We regular folks can be pardoned for being skeptical after experiencing days of doomsday headlines, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and when somebody checks a couple months later…nothing happened. Remember Quinn’s 2600 layoffs. Nothing happened. The social service agencies got most of their money too, I believe, if not all of it.
However, my point here was that the revoking of senior fares seemed to take top billing in the discussion of transit. Personally, I think that
middle class seniors might as well get the benefit as well as low-income seniors (so it may not be worth an expensive means-testing process to screen out a few elderly execs). Most seniors likely don’t travel during rush hour and the trains and buses do look pretty empty during non-rush. It’s a good way to get to a lot of cultural, recreational and educational resources cheaply, reduces gasoline consumption, and provides a small bit of relief to a group that has taken a big whack in the economic downturn. But if you are going to take it away, why make such a big deal out of it. Take part of it back or phase it out gradually over the next 5 years. But no, the word from the transit supporters was this was a terrible injustice and it had to be done away with now, right now, or the CTA was doomed. Ridiculous.
Comment by cassandra Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 2:37 pm
So how much is the Mayor offering to pay the State for the casino licence? My guess is that an open bid would bring $800MM or so. A new license would be a State asset, and State taxpayers shouldn’t allow it to be given away.
Comment by Bobs yer Monday, Nov 2, 09 @ 7:44 pm