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Here we go again…

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Illinois

* Sunday, Feb. 28…

To the Editor:

I wrote a few days ago to share my opposition to a proposed bailout of the Chicago public schools.

On Thursday morning, I read a response by state Rep. Ron Sandack, who defended his bailout legislation. I will again repeat my opposition to bailing out Chicago Public Schools and putting at risk taxpayer dollars. These attempts to draw attention and resources away from the classrooms in our area are simply wrong. We send millions of our tax dollars to Chicago schools every year, and I believe less of our money needs to be going to Chicago, not more.

Rep. Sandack has never spoken to the taxpayers I represent, so I can excuse him for not realizing that when we hear politicians promise that their proposals “won’t cost taxpayers a dime,” we instinctively guard our wallets.

The truth is, the approach Rauner and his allies are proposing would put state officials in charge of the Chicago Public Schools while offering no legal assurance that taxpayers in our area will not be on the hook for the Chicago Public Schools’ billion dollar deficit. We cannot afford to bail out Chicago, and I am going to make our voices heard.

Since Rep. Sandack says he shares my belief that local taxpayers should not be forced to bail out Chicago, I invite him to join me and the people I represent by signing my petition at www.nochicagobailout.com/Cloonen.

Kate Cloonen

D-Kankakee

state representative for the 79th District

* Tuesday, March 1st…

To the Editor:

John Adams once said “facts are stubborn things.” And so they are with state Rep. Kate Cloonen who is entitled to her own opinions … but not her own facts.

Fact: Representative Cloonen voted to put House Speaker Mike Madigan in charge – and now he and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton are publicly rejecting the governor’s call to protect taxpayers from a Chicago bailout.

Fact: Cloonen’s leaders – Madigan and Cullerton – are actually demanding a bailout for Chicago, to the tune of about $500 million, while Governor Rauner and Republican leaders refuse to support one.

Fact: Cullerton has threatened to hold up money for your local school districts until Springfield changes the school funding formula to take money away from suburban schools and give it to Chicago.

Those are the inconvenient facts; the very facts Rep. Cloonen has been silent about it while her political bosses demand a $500 million Chicago bailout, oppose giving CPS the ability to go bankrupt and threaten to hijack funding for your local schools.

So I would ask Rep. Cloonen to answer two simple questions if she truly stands with Governor Rauner and Republican leaders in opposing a Chicago bailout:

1) Will you support legislation to give Chicago Public Schools the authority to declare bankruptcy and restructure its finances, to ensure no one outside Chicago pays for Chicago’s mistakes?

2) Will you support and urge your leaders to swiftly approve Governor Rauner’s K-12 school funding proposal with no strings attached, ensuring we keep schools open in the fall and don’t hold them hostage to Chicago’s financial schemes?

If Rep. Cloonen answers yes to both questions, we look forward to joining in her in a bipartisan effort to prevent a Chicago bailout. If she dodges either of these questions, we will know what she’s really up to.

Ron Sandack

R-Downers Grove, state representative, 81st District

Sigh.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:29 pm

Comments

Wonder what Sandack has to gain here?

Comment by Austin Blvd Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:32 pm
===Fact: Cullerton has threatened to hold up money for your local school districts until Springfield changes the school funding formula to take money away from suburban schools and give it to Chicago.===

The Cullerton Mistake.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:39 pm
This is the most relevant the Joliet Herald-News has been since it became a morning newspaper in, like, 1990.

Comment by Concerned Observer Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:43 pm
The Owl, Ron Sandack, has become Dan Proft with a voting key…

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:47 pm
Fourth grade taunts are not the best way to solve big big problems.

But, if that is all you have in the playbook-

Comment by Touré's Latte Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:48 pm
Like two children arguing in the back seat of the car.

“Are to!”

“Am not!”

“Uh huh.”

“Nuh uh!”

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:53 pm
Didn’t Proft work on behalf of Sandack’s opponent last election? Now they’re best buds?

Comment by Johnnie F. Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:58 pm
Ron Sandack is very good at Ron Sandack things

Kate Cloonen is not very good at Jack Frank things

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 12:58 pm
I have no idea why Cloonen started this nonsense a week or two ago. Sandack is entirely correct to respond to clarify the issue for the area voters.

Comment by phocion Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:00 pm
Saying Ron Sandack is good at being Ron Sandack isn’t a very positive thing to say about the Owl.

Comment by Austin Blvd Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:00 pm
Can somebody inform Sandack that the Kankakee school district would get almost $3 million more under Manar’s change to the funding formula?

Ugh, those pesky numbers again!

Comment by Juice Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:04 pm
==I have no idea why Cloonen started this nonsense a week or two ago. Sandack is entirely correct to respond to clarify the issue for the area voters.==

That’s the equivalent of saying “she started it.” Everyone really needs to grow up. Absolute NONE of these people should EVER be defended right now for their actions. The fact that some of you still try to defend one side or the other is just ridiculous. Everyone grow the heck up already, including these two representatives.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:04 pm
Demo, in this particular case, she teed it up. As you well know, he’s always walking around with a Driver.
(Golf analogy pays homage to Willy)

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:17 pm
Sandack sure is writin’ a lot of letters these days.

The Boss must have bought him a box of 64 with the built-in sharpener.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:22 pm
Oh please A guy. You really want to get in on this “she started it” nonsense too? Don’t you want these people to grow up? Because I’ll tell you that neither one of them are acting like adults. Furthermore, it’s absolutely ridiculous that this back and forth is going on through editorials. They are state representatives for pete’s sake. Can’t they talk to each other in person? Must we continue to endure these juvenile games? I’m tired and I’m tired of these sorts of games. I think they both should be ashamed of themselves. The state is burning while they are having a little hissy fit with each other via the newspaper.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:22 pm
- A Guy -

Lots of great courses I’ve plsyed in DuPage, I’ll look for you out there.

Wouldn’t a letter like Sandack’s make more sense as maybe an intro letter thingy that someone running against Cloonen might *cough* crib *cough* write on their own?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 1:51 pm
I respectfully disagree, Demoralized. If someone puts out patently false or misleading information, it should be corrected. If a politician attacks the other side and there is no rebuttal, the reader may be excused to believe the one side. That’s politics. And, frankly, that’s life.

Comment by phocion Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 2:18 pm
==I respectfully disagree==

You disagree that they should both grow up? Because that’s my argument.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 2:41 pm
The perfect storm of an unforced Cullerton error + Rauner’s divide and conquer/fight amongst yourselves strategy + all of IL vs. Chicago.

Comment by TD Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 2:51 pm
I had the distinct pleasure of listening to Sandack bloviate one night at Celtic Mist. He was loud and extolling the virtues of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. I wanted very badly to engage him but instead I just sat there and drank my beer.

Comment by IAFFMIKE Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 2:55 pm
Rep. Cloonen:

Don’t

Feed

The

Troll!

Comment by Politix Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 3:37 pm
I agree Politix - Sandack is less powerful when less people call him out. He lives for the snark/childishness.

Comment by RunBikeSwim Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 5:24 pm
Fact: If Rep.Sandack wants to fret about wasteful overspending, he should start closer to home. The average bureaucrat at Downers Grove high school makes $118,000 a year. Those are our hard-earned state tax dollars being spent padding the pockets of some gold-plated pencil pushers in DuPage County, money that I believe could be better spent teaching children in our area.

Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Mar 2, 16 @ 10:56 pm