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Hoffman gearing up? Unknowns mulling

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Illinois

* I’ve heard that Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman is mulling a run for mayor or attorney general, but we’ll just have to wait and see…

Hoffman’s four-year term as the city’s watchdog expires this fall. He took a long pause Monday when asked by reporters if wants another term.

HOFFMAN: I’m still making a decision about what I want to do, and I’m in the midst of making that decision now.

A decision that could include elected office.

HOFFMAN: Not sure. That’s some of the things I’m thinking about, talking about with my wife.

* Meanwhile, Mark Brown takes a look at an almost unknown candidate who has a ton of personal cash to spend…

Adam Andrzejewski, an announced Republican candidate for governor, sent out a press release Monday to inform everyone that he had made public his income tax returns in the interest of transparency.

My first thought was “Adam who?”

But then I decided that if Andrzejewski was taking this campaign seriously enough to release his tax returns, then I could at least take him seriously enough to look them over.

And that’s when I noticed Andrzejewski had filed this year for a federal tax refund of $632,110, plus a state refund of $51,579.

* Speaking of unknowns, a pal forwarded me this e-mail from Justin Ishbia, who is Kip Kilpatrick’s finance manager. I don’t know either of them, but perhaps you do….

Dear Friends,

Kip Kirkpatrick asked me to reach out to you in my capacity as his campaign treasurer. We’re so grateful for all the early support our campaign has received and now we face a critical early milestone.

Today is the deadline to receive contributions for the first-half reporting period. This reporting period is crucial because it really is the only measure that media and insiders have to judge the viability of a new candidate. It determines whether Kip’s campaign to bring real business acumen to the Treasurer’s office will receive media attention and whether Democrats around the state should consider supporting his candidacy.

From the e-mail, he appears to be a Democrat, but you wouldn’t know that by checking out his campaign site, which, at the moment, is just a one-page contribution generator. The contribution link goes to Act Blue, but a search of that site shows nothing.

* IR reports that Peorian Demetra DeMonte may run for LG…

Seems several individuals have encouraged Illinois’ National Committeewoman, Demetra DeMonte, to run for Lieutenant Governor in 2010.

* And in news about more well-known candidates, Bill Brady reiterated his stance yesterday that the governor should sign the budget that Brady voted against…

A Republican candidate for governor says Gov. Pat Quinn should sign a budget approved by lawmakers that Quinn says has a $9.2 billion deficit.

GOP state Sen. Bill Brady said at a Monday press conference that lawmakers shouldn’t pass the income tax increase Quinn’s pushing. Instead, the Bloomington Republican says Quinn should make work a budget the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed.

* Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias wrote a post recently for Daily Kos…

As the State Treasurer of Illinois and a former vice-president of a community bank, I know a thing or two about banking and, make no mistake, the defeat of the bankruptcy provision known as “cram-down,” is yet another example of Washington putting corporate wishes ahead of citizen needs.

* Related…

* Dan Lipinski addresses airlines’ baggage policies

* Lipinski Calls For Size Limits On Carry-On Luggage

* Olympics an opportunity for Chicago and Illinois to repair reputation, inspector general says

* Chicago investigator urges reform before Olympics

* Chicago personnel chief says inspector general ‘reckless’ in calling for his dismissal

* How about some compassion for those stuck with the bill?

* Daley: City to develop back-up system to protect taxpayers on Olympics deal

* Chicago Alderman Tries to Cap Olympic Spending

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:05 am

Comments

Great to see Lipinski stepping up and tackling the tough issues. What a fighter!

Comment by Nobody Sent Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:12 am
After Hoffman’s term expires, does someone else fill it? Does the office cease to exist?

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:17 am
I would think The Mayor will have to negotiate with a number of suburban venues as well for several of the Olympic events, like soccer, that require multiple sites for preliminary competitions, or maybe he’ll level a few neighborhoods to make space. In any case, the reality is he will be putting the entire state’s taxpayer base on the hook for these games.

Comment by Captain Flume Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:22 am
Where is Bill’s announcement? he should run for Senate and Govenor at the same time, as a GOP canidate, its the current in thing to do in Illinois politics after all.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:30 am
Hoffman’s analysis of the parking meter deal now makes some sense. Are he and Patrick Collins going to form their own party, or are they GOP?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 11:39 am
Wordslinger, I would agree that Hoffman has been, shall we say, opportunistic with his pressers and comments to the City Club, et al. But he’s been nowhere near as rigid and unrelenting as Collins with his criticisms.

If the mayoral election was today, I would gladly vote for him over the incumbent, despite knowing little about his ideology or policy positions. That’s more an indictment of Rich Daley than an endorsement of Hoffman.

Comment by The Doc Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 12:00 pm
Kirkpatrick was my camp counselor at northwestern basketball camp in the early 1990s. He’s a former star there (if one can be a star at the only major d1 hoops program that’s never made the ncaa tournament) and if memory serves from a recent tribune article is close with pat ryan, the aon/northwestern /olympic donor.

Hoffman went to the same hs as rahm,rumsfeld, mark kirk and the south carolinas guvs wife who got cheated on!

Finally as I said on team americas blog where I post as foklaes, adam and proft to me while nuts, are a lot better than the establishment gop. Our party needs a MAJOR brawl right now to shake lose what has been defeat after defeat without any sort of energy. Ethan hastert to me running for congress is a slap in our partys face after what happened in 06. I’m sick of watching people like kirk (and I’m his biggest fan here) and romney and our dc and illinois leadership pretend like nothing needs to change in our party.

Comment by shore Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 12:26 pm
Kirkpatrick was my camp counselor at northwestern. He’s a former player there.

Comment by shore Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 12:28 pm
Brady is fooling nobody with his shilling for Walmart.

Comment by Gregor Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 12:36 pm
Talk to former AUSA’s and current defense attorneys and they will tell you how un-remarkable Hoffman was at US Attorneys Office. Total backbencher. He has stepped out a bit in the last 6 months that is for sure but I think he has been hanging around with Pat Collins too much. Daley would absolutely pulverize him and my guess is he would not make it out of the primary for AG, regardless of what political party he joins. He has received a lot of good press lately but so would anyone who would be willing to publicly stick it to the Mayor. That does not equal success at the ballot box.

Comment by Cosmic Charlie Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 1:44 pm
I’m in SF right now. Lipinski has a point. But the bad guys aren’t necessarily the flying customers. The airlines make things so miserable that folks start doing crazy things in self-defense. I elected to check my bag and paid $15.00 for the privilege of doing so, then waiting an hour for it to arrive at baggage. I had a small bag with my laptop which fit under the seat. Good citizen? Or a sap? I felt like a sap at the end of the flight.

Stuffed in a small seat like a sardine. Nearly 5 hour flight. Would have to pay for a meal if I wanted one ($6.00 to $8.00) but no cash accepted, only credit cards. People bringing food onto the plane, from pizza slices, sandwiches, Big Macs, water bottles. Now I see why.

The plane was delayed 45 minutes because it had a flat tire. You would think they would have taken the extra time to vacuum and try to clean the interior, which was filthy.

I’m really tempted to rent a car and drive home instead of flying.

I fly maybe once a year, but flying right now just plain sucks.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 3:27 pm
Pretty funny note about Bill Brady. What a profile in courage. Not.

Comment by Just sayin Tuesday, Jun 30, 09 @ 6:35 pm