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Big news.
Mayor Daley is shuffling the deck when it comes to new sources of revenue for the city. He says he will no longer push for a casino in Chicago.The mayor is folding his hand in the face of relentless opposition from Governor Rod Blagojevich who is threatening to veto any bill that includes new casinos in Chicago or anywhere else. Daley is saying for the first time a Chicago casino is no longer a priority or even something he cares much about. He is focusing his efforts on getting more money in virtually any other way for the CTA and the public schools.
“I want education in public transportation. That’s all we want. We want money for transportation and public education. Simple as that. If I don’t get a casino, so be it,” said Mayor Richard Daley. […]
Daley’s also willing to support virtually anything that will give the public schools more cash, including higher taxes or the governor’s plan to double the amount of gaming in the existing casinos to generate another $300 million this year.
“That would be up to him. He has to pass that. It’s a great idea. Everybody knew, nothing wrong with that. I mean, OK, he’s going to tax it. You know, just to get the money for education, public transportation, that’s what we want. Forget everything else,” said Daley.
Daley’s decision to stop pushing for a Chicago casino is bitterly disappointing to his partners in the lobbying effort. Jerry Roper from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce says you gotta swing for the fences if you want to hit a home run on the tough issues. Dennis Gannon from the Chicago Federation of Labor says the mayor should have had the courtesy to let him know he was pulling the plug.
In Springfield, Senate President Emil Jones is planning to push for a Chicago casino with or without the mayor’s help.
The mayor’s decision, if it holds, may breathe new life into the governor’s casino plan. The reason? It provides more money for the city. Still, it will probably have to be changed to pass.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 6:00 pm
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Will Angelo Torres be out in time to run the Casino Buses?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 6:53 pm
Everybody said that blago would be a daley schill if elected, yet, once again, blago has turned him down on a major initiative. its too bad that the folks downstate dont realize that blago really is interested in more than just chicago. he could actually be the governor for the entire state if they would just give up on the perception that blago is controlled by daley and out to take their guns. downstaters are their own worst enemy.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 10:00 pm
Hey Rich, you should post about Sen. John Cornyn’s defense of violence against judges and their families. I wonder what Judge Lefkow thinks about that. If you missed it, check the NYT’s lead editorial today.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 10:41 pm
Does this mean Ronald Krol will no longer be a pit boss?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 05 @ 10:50 pm
I agree with 10 p.m. Blago is showing progress throughout the state… from supporting coal to decentralizing economic development out of Chicago. He’s moderated on many social issues like gun control- and there’s nothing wrong with that. He realizes he has a wide and varied electorate to represent. He’s Governor for all the people in Illinois- not just a small sliver on Chicago’s north side.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 12:38 am
If Daley is caving on a Chicago casino, he has something up his sleeve, perhaps connected to his own re-election concerns. Something like, well, I tried to get a casino but Blago shot it down, so now I guess the state will have to bail us out up here.
Downstaters, hang on to your pocketbooks. Passive-aggressive politics on the rise.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 3:28 am
Isn’t it obvious that what Daley is telling Blago is that you can buy me out of pushing for a casino by sending me more money. Daley is doing his job. He found the direction he was taking was not working so he needs to try a different angle. Blago is becoming less and less popular south of I-80. If he didn’t hear the boo’s in Carbondale, surely he noticed in Champaign. And that is what people are willing to tell him publicly.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 7:30 am
Looks like John “WallFlower” Bradley’s casino extinction bill just took a GIANT leap forward. Chicago guys can say if City does not get a casino then let them all die. Bradley was already close, this should put him over the top.
And to ANON:10PM Check your meds. Blagoof’s “vision” ends right past the edge of the last campaign check
Comment by reddbyrd Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 8:54 am
I don’t deny Blago has made progress — but he still suffers from a serious image problem. And this will continue to dog him *despite* his progress.
Hiring 30 year top-guns doesn’t seem to work for him. Plus, he’s no Clinton. He thinks he’s Clinton — but he doesn’t have the smarts (apparently) to really work the Clinton magic on folks.
I think — and I speak as a voter here — he’s remarkably unappealing. He’s slick — used-car salesman slick — and he’s a “bandwagon” guy. He won’t get my vote a second time. I don’t know who will — but I can’t in good conscience vote for this guy again.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 9:19 am
To the Previous Anonymous Poster and Blago plant who said “Downstaters are thier own worst enemy” is obviously one of the many people who have no clue and must work for Rod because of that kind of arrogance displayed in thier post.
Maybe he is one of these Rod “wizkids” who are biding thier time here in the “flyover zone” because they are so full of themselves and actually think Rod will be president.
Ill tell you who Downstate’s “Worst Enemy” is… Rod ranks right up thier on the list.
Since you have no idea about downstate let me just say this, it hurts our partof the state most beacuse each year of Rod’s inacation or inability to govern:
Our schools crumble further
More jobs leave
Health Care is harder to acess
and thier is less and less hope for anything better.
Rod lied to downstate, promised he would make a diffrence and the only thing he has ever done for us is some feel good bus tour.
We demand more but its totally useless pleading for action with Rod and his imported staff cause they simply dont care
Comment by PrairieStateDem Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 10:13 am
Blagojevich has helped make Southern Illinois a pit. He drives up fees and taxes for every possible business in Southern Illinois, be it trucking, construction or manufacturing, and then he sets up massive development authorities that are too complex and waste too much taxpayer money. The SEIDA is a terrible idea and will more than likely fizzle out before it ever truly helps anyone. I just don’t see any logic to his policies for downstate.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 10:38 am
Thats a great point…
Rod’s solution for downstate is to have the goofy “opportunity returns” program.
Its so funny to look at these proposals because they are cut and paste jobs for each region of Illinois.
There certainly is one thing each of these 10 regions share… the continued economic devistation and a Governor and staff who dont care enough to make a difference.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:05 am
When will Dennis Gannon tire of being kicked to the curb like a two-bit Tiajuana trollop? How many times have the City Hall folks left him standing naked on Front Street?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:15 am
Yeah!
And Rod made it cold today, too!
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 2:36 pm
After Rod made it cold today, he issued a press release touting a new state web site that will raise the temperature by importing excess warmth from Europe.
No one signed up, and the importation of warmth was blocked by the US EPA. Comptroller Hynes refused to issue payment on the contract, and now Europe is suing us.
Meanwhile, Rod changed the subject and will claim that his plan worked during a heat wave in July.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 2:49 pm
Rumor is that only 400 additional people have been signed up for i-saveRX since Blago decided it was part of every agency’s duty to recruit all the elderly and enfeebled they could find.
Another winning initiative?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 3:17 pm
Interesting.
Since when has Blagojevich been lobbying the federal government to stop Wisconsin from building a casino? And why is this happening again if he will not support a new casino anywhere _ let alone Rockford?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 7:43 pm
Before you can criticize the gov’s business fees, you should look at what businesses are affected and at what cost. The cost is quite low when you consider the thousands of businesses across Illinois. Also, consider the millions of taxpayers who get to keep control of the hard money they work hard for each day.
I wonder how much money the IL Chamber pays their PR agency to post Gov. slander on this website…
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:02 pm
Maybe Watson and Cross’s staffers are putting in their hour’s worth each day as well!
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:05 pm
You’re kidding, right? Increased taxes and fees on businesses do impact regular taxpayers by resulting in lower benefits and pay increases. The Chamber works fairly diligently to attract businesses to this state, unlike our governor. Doug Whitley is a nice guy who is doing his job, unlike the governor.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Apr 7, 05 @ 11:16 pm