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* House GOP Leader Tom Cross pretty much just guaranteed himself a big headline in the Tribune tomorrow. From a press release…
In response to a series of news reports in the Chicago Tribune on WGN-TV this week, uncovering huge pension hikes under the guise of public service, House Republican Leader Tom Cross will file a bill today that will end this practice in the future. […]
In 1991, as part of an omnibus pension bill, Chicago city workers were given the ability to leave their city job, go work for their labor union at a much higher salary and continue paying into their city pension at the same rate as they did when they were at the city. However, when they retire, they are collecting their pension at a much higher rate.
For example, a Chicago city worker making $40,000 could leave his or her city job and go work for a labor union at a $100,000. Under current state law, the former city worker could continue paying into the city pension according to his or her salary when he or she left—but upon retirement; the pension benefit will be figured according to the non-government $100,000 salary. […]
The Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV estimates that due to this perk 23 retired high level union officials stand to make a combined total of about $56 million from their public pension. Taxpayers will be forced to pay the majority of this bill as it was never adequately paid for.
According to the Civic Committee, the City of Chicago Municipal and Laborer’s Pension Funds will be depleted of their assets within 20 years.
“We are also further researching the possibility of legislation that fraudulent activity dealing with pension eligibility is properly enforced. This practice is already illegal under Illinois statute and my office is looking to ensure that any violators of this provision are properly punished for their actions,” said Cross.
*** UPDATE *** Statement from Jorge Ramirez, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor…
The Chicago Federation of Labor takes very seriously any situation that undermines the stability of public pension funds. Public pensions provide a safety net that allows public servants like nurses, fire fighters, teachers and others to retire with dignity after years of service. In Illinois, the average retired public employee collects a modest pension of just $32,000, and 80 percent of them do not get Social Security.
The individual cases described by the Chicago Tribune and WGN are not the cause of the state’s pension crisis. However, at a time when public employees and their benefits are under attack by those who want to strip away their retirement security, we should work to protect the integrity of the pension system.
The Chicago Federation of Labor and the entire labor movement continue to fight to protect the retirement security of our state, city and county workers. We will work with lawmakers to collectively address this issue and to further strengthen the retirement security for public employees and all working people.
* This opposition to some long overdue work on the Statehouse doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform says when the state is having trouble paying its bills, renovating the entire capitol instead of fixing just what is necessary sends the wrong message.
“Jobs could be saved, jobs could be created with this amount of money,” said Brian Gladstein of the Campaign for Political Reform. “If there’s a question about there about money being used to fix up their own house and not fix up the state, I think that people should be asking questions.”
“Why now? Is this what we need at this moment?” said Gladstein.
Um, Brian, unless they’re using magical faeries to do all the work (and I highly doubt it) jobs will be saved and created with this quite large construction project.
* Remember when the New York Times “reported” this weirdness the other day?…
Facing a budget deficit exceeding $11 billion, the State of Illinois in recent weeks has begun challenging the property tax exemptions of some of its best-known hospitals, saying they should pay more because they are not providing enough charity care.
We’ve already talked about why this was such a bogus lede. And now, the state is taking a pause from the pursuit…
A spokesman for the Illinois Hospital Association says the group is looking forward to working with Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration and other parties on a legislative solution on tax exemptions for nonprofit hospitals.
Quinn is directing state officials to pause their tougher rulings of which nonprofit hospitals get property tax exemptions.
Last month, the Illinois Department of Revenue denied tax exemptions to three hospitals. That signaled the state would get tough on hospitals it believes are operating more like businesses than charities.
Quinn’s move is intended to create breathing room during talks on new legislation that would clearly define how much charity care hospitals need to do to qualify for tax-exempt status.
In case you’re wondering, the IHA contributed $200K to Quinn last year.
* Cicero Town President Larry Dominick got whacked pretty hard this week in the Sun-Times…
How can you engage in a sex act without touching?
Cicero Town President Larry Dominick just may have the answer.
In a deposition in a court case in March 2009, Dominick was asked if he had ever touched Sharon Starzyk, the woman who ran the town’s animal shelter.
“No,” Dominick replied under oath.
In a deposition in a separate court case in February this year, though, Dominick testified under oath he would visit Starzyk’s home starting in 2005 when he was town president and “play with her dog and eat there and once in a while whatever came up sexually.”
* Dominick’s response…
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper is determined to go down in history as one of the most irresponsible, unprofessional and politically vicious publications in journalism.
In its political campaign to libel Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, and assist the campaigns of his political enemies, the Sun-Times has taken one sentence out of obvious context and turned it into one of the most ridiculous “scandals” ever published.
The story is maliciously headlined “Cicero’s Dominick swore he didn’t touch town worker - but had sex with her,” (Wednesday, Sept. 21). To justify this outrageous lie, the Sun-Times took six words on Page 193 of a 2009 depositio n that consists of 363 pages and 77,666 words and intentionally distorts it’s obvious meaning into malicious yellow journalism.
In the prior 192 pages, President Dominick was asked repeatedly if he sexually harassed employees and he repeatedly denied each and every false accusation. There is not one piece of evidence, not one corroborating witness, not one text message and not one record to back up the spurious claims that he sexually harassed Sharon Starzyk, a person with whom he once had a relationship but broke up with and later married his wife. The context of the discussion and question is clear.
Yet the Sun-Times ignored that context to distort the meaning of the question, “Did you ever touch Sharon Starzyk?” The context is not of touching but sexually harassing someone. He said “No.”
Sharon Starzyk is a serial litigator. She filed numerous lawsuits and criminal complaints against many people outside of her work at the Town of Cicero, including alleging sexual harassment. That is what she does.
Harsh.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:19 pm
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magical faeries can have sex without touching
Comment by True Fact..... Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:27 pm
I read Dominick’s deposition, right here I think, and somehow this sex without touching thing has taken on a life of its own. IIRC, Dominick had a consensual sexual relationship with Starzyk that ended. Dominick remarried (someone else) and continued a platonic, work relationship with Starzyk. At some point after their romantic relationship ended, Starzyk accused him of inappropriate touching, thus the “I didn’t touch her” but also “we had sex” concept.
I didn’t find it that hard to understand from the deposition.
—
20 years after the horse left the barn, Tom Cross is going to close the door. Hooray!
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:33 pm
Is Dan Proft still the spokesman of Cicero?
Comment by moderate downstater Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:39 pm
Larry got caught with his pants down (pun intended).
Comment by Stones Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:49 pm
I believe Ray Hanania is the town spokesman of Cicero.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:52 pm
Hardly “fun with the media” in my mind. The ST’s account of Dominic’s situation is blatantly irresponsible reporting. If I didn’t hold the First Amendment in such high regard, I would say it should be sanctionable.
BTW thanks Rich for your report on the conference committee excesses that resulted in this ridiculous pension scam. Now that’s responsible journalism.
Comment by Easily Entertained Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 1:58 pm
We can only hope Leader Cross has better luck getting this pension reform through his House GOP caucus.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 2:05 pm
How can The Civic Committee claim that both the Municipal and Laborers City Pension funds will be depleted within 20 years when the former is about 45% funded and the latter is about 75% funded?
Mr. Msall should hire an actuary with all of that Pritzker money he gets to play with.
Comment by chi Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 2:13 pm
The ICPR complaint about the Capitol is penny-wise and pound-foolish. You can’t maintain a functional grand old building like that without a strict capital program.
Otherwise, you end up with a building that is so run-down it’s almost cost-prohibitive to keep, like the governor’s mansion.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 2:16 pm
I do not think we would have democracy in Chicago without that newspaper. I also like Rich Miller at that newspaper, him and Fran Spielman.
Comment by Patrick McDonough Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 2:19 pm
“Good government” groups are more about making news and raising money to pay their own salaries than they are about good public policy. ie: Has anything Andy Shaw done in the past two years been about good policy? It is all about getting headlines, which he is good at since he is a former reporter.
Comment by Its Just Me Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:16 pm
Tom Cross has been in there a long time, how hard has he ever really pushed any of this pension reform stuff while he’s been trying to collect as much campaign cash as he can from the unions?
More unseriousness.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:17 pm
btw, a 1991 law that allowed the practice would have been signed by Jim Edgar right? Mr. Fiscal Responsibility and best Republican to walk the face of the earth since Lincoln?
Let’s see if anyone from Edgar’s adoring press fan club asks him about this.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:22 pm
===would have been signed by Jim Edgar right? ===
As I wrote yesterday, the bill was signed into law by Thompson just hours before Edgar was sworn in.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:30 pm
Thanks! My bad.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:35 pm
‘Faeries wear boots, yeah you gotta believe me…’
Comment by Happy Returns Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:49 pm
That is pension reform we should all get behind. It is a shame there hasn’t been a movement to halt that practice. Of course, maybe there has been some bluster in the past or even a bill or two, but I’m not old enough to remember the end of the Thompson years and the beginning of the Edgar years. The sad thing is that this type of expose causes the foaming at the mouth which many Cap Fax commenters despise. I can understand why someone in Chicago would be upset about this type of game. I know it’s legal, but when someone in Chicago is already paying higher property and sales tax as well as tolls and fees for public transportation, such abuses are ridiculous.
Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:53 pm
Happy, nice Sabbath reference.
Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:54 pm
Civic committee or federation?
Comment by Soccermom Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 3:57 pm
It’s not a reference. I saw it with my own two eyes!
Comment by Happy Returns Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 4:23 pm
‘Cuz smokin’ and drinkin’ is all that you do…yeah!
That song has one of Tony Iommi’s better guitar riffs.
Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 4:32 pm
Cross’s bill is already on the General Assembly web site.
Comment by JustMe Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 4:52 pm
JustMe,
What’s the bill number?
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 5:27 pm
I hope it all pensions and not just Chicago. AFSCME staff reps get a state job and then get a state pension. It should be all Pensions under the states reciprocal act. What would stop a Union Rep from working for the Union for 25 years, retire from the state working for the Union. And then go back to work for the Union.
Comment by BOB Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 5:28 pm
JustMe, if you’re referring to HB149, that’s the big pension reform bill that seeks to test the constitution’s pension clause by reducing existing employee’s pension benefits going forward.
It would seem difficult for Cross, or anyone else, to actually file legislation today given that the General Assembly is not in session.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 5:32 pm
I wonder if Tom can get Skip to be his chief co-sponsor?
Comment by reformer Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 7:17 pm
HB 3813. Most recent bill introduced.
Comment by JustMe Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 8:41 pm
The GA is not is session, but looks like the clerk is on duty!! Filing date of 9/22/11.
Comment by TimB Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 9:58 pm
Well, I stand corrected.
Nice to see the Leader’s off the golf course.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Sep 22, 11 @ 10:44 pm
You smoke a cigar!
Comment by SouthernIL Friday, Sep 23, 11 @ 8:46 am