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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform writes about judges not filing on time.
Diane of Respublica Blog has a post up about the Philip Morris case.
Jill Stanek on the mainstream media and blogs.
Jim Muir of the Southern Illinoisan has yet another very good post.
Go there.
- posted by Rich Miller Comment
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
Edwin Eisendrath has kept all details about his gubernatorial announcement pretty close to the vest. His secrecy has been kind of maddening, actually. But someone on his supporters’ list forwarded me this e-mail a few minutes ago.
We are hoping you can join us on Sunday, December 18th when Edwin formally announces he is running for Governor of the great State of Illinois. We need all of you there to cheer him on as he officially begins the fight to bring honesty, integrity and independence to our statehouse. It’s a family affair so please bring your kids! The press will be there, too, so be ready to show them how enthusiastic we are about Edwin’s campaign and what it means to our future.
What: Edwin Eisendrath Announces for Governor
Where: Kendall College- 6th floor
900 N North Branch Street (Chicago & Halsted)
When: 11am (guests need to arrive by 10:45)
- posted by Rich Miller 16 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
Apparently, somebody didn’t learn from Monday’s litte episode here.
Ric Klau busts out an astro-turf blogger today.
The reactions to my comments about Tammy Duckworth’s campaign sure have been interesting. As expected, some of the comments (and private e-mails, of which there have been a number) express support for Christine and dismay at the DCCC’s handling of the race, a few have expressed support for Major Duckworth, and a few even addressed the substance of what I was writing about: the ham-handed efforts by a couple of local party officials to restrict Duckworth’s ability to solicit support at party functions.
And then there was this comment left earlier today by “Lisaâ€, who says she lives in Melissa Bean’s district and lays out why she thinks Duckworth is the right candidate. Interestingly, the IP address associated with Lisa’s computer is owned by the Democratic National Committee headquarters
He adds this update:
The DCCC is located on the 2nd floor of the building, so it’s entirely likely that this comment is from the DCCC and not the DNC…
Idiots.
- posted by Rich Miller 8 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
We read some good advice here the other day about book buying, but I wonder what other Illinois-related Christmas gifts people might come up with today.
- posted by Rich Miller 22 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
I’m thinking, oh, I dunno…. somebody who has extensive Middle Eastern ties who provided ten percent of the Blagojevich family household income last year and has the initials “Tony Rezko” might be given just a little input into this venture?
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration wants to reopen an Illinois trade office in the Middle East, part of a new strategy to take advantage of business-friendly changes in the region.
Illinois had a trade office in Jerusalem for several years, but closed it last year. Now the administration plans to reopen an office, but perhaps not in Israel.
Even if the office remains there, it will pursue business aggressively with other countries, officials said, particularly oil-rich nations sending more investment money abroad.
“It’s hard to serve all of the Middle East from Israel, so we have been evaluating, should we try to have an office set up so that we can not only service Israel, but the rest of the Middle East?” said Jack Lavin, head of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Director Lavin, you may recall, once worked for Rezko.
I also don’t remember a big announcement about the closure of the Israeli office. Strange.
- posted by Rich Miller 14 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
Barring unforeseen circumstances (bad weather canceled yesterday’s fly-around) the announcement is today:
Judy Baar Topinka is recruiting an anti-abortion, tough-on-crime running mate in her campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.
Topinka has made clear for days that she was close to sealing a deal for DuPage County State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett to run for lieutenant governor.
She and Birkett have scheduled a series of news conferences around the state tomorrow where Birkett is expected to announce his candidacy.
Meanwhile, the governor will personally address the Illinois State Board of Education today. From a press release.
During the Illinois State Board of Education’s meeting tomorrow, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich will explain why he believes the board should vote to adopt new rules banning the sale of junk food and soda in elementary and middle schools.
Afterwards, he’ll award a $500,000 grant for educational programs at Chicago’s Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.
- posted by Rich Miller 18 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
This is a good example of how the Ryan trial is going.
The director of the computer department in the secretary of state’s office under George Ryan testified Wednesday that IBM lobbyists helped him get the job and he assured them that he thought the office should switch to a multimillion-dollar IBM computer.
Once hired, he played a major part in the conversion from an old, overloaded computer to a $25 million IBM model, Frank Cavallaro told jurors hearing the former governor’s racketeering and fraud trial.
Federal prosecutors say Ryan’s decision to buy the IBM computer shows how an elite circle of well-connected Ryan friends, including co-defendant Larry Warner, made money off state contracts and leases when Ryan was Illinois secretary of state.
And then at the bottom of the story we get this.
Questioned by Ryan attorney Julie Bauer, Cavallaro said that he genuinely believed the state was right to buy the IBM system. He said only a few states anywhere in the nation at the time were using anything other than IBM-compatible systems for driver records and the like.
Emphasis added.
- posted by Rich Miller 6 Comments
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Thursday, Dec 15, 2005
On the off chance that I might one day find myself in front of one of these judges, I won’t say that I have little to no sympathy for someone who doesn’t even know when to file.
Three Cook County judges face the potential loss of their seats after they missed a deadline last week to file for retention.
“She simply forgot to file,” said Mathias Delort, an election lawyer representing Judge Joan Margaret O’Brien. “She is crestfallen about the situation.”
Delort and Burt Odelson, a lawyer representing Judge Carole Kamin Bellows, who also failed to file on time, are asking a Cook County judge to rule unconstitutional the state statute setting the Dec. 5 deadline.
A hearing before Judge Patrick McGann, the presiding judge of the county division, has been set for Monday. […]
Delort said they need the courts to act quickly so attorneys don’t begin filing petitions to run for one of the three seats, which at the moment are technically open. A veteran election lawyer, Delort said this was the first time he knew of that a sitting judge had forgotten to file for retention.
Emphasis added.
- posted by Rich Miller 6 Comments
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Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
December trackers are online for US Senate.
Durbin: 46% approve, 39% disapprove.
Obama: 69% approve, 23% disapprove.
Discuss, if you’re at all interested.
- posted by Rich Miller 20 Comments
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Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
There are lots of rumors about how much money Edwin Eisendrath will spend in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. I talked to him about it yesterday and he flatly refused to comment.
How much do you think it will take to defeat Gov. Blagojevich in the primary? Is there any amount? What else will Eisendrath have to do to win?
- posted by Rich Miller 74 Comments
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Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
The Congressman isn’t happy.
Congress is expected to pass a defense bill this week that could indefinitely delay construction of the proposed Abraham Lincoln National Airport.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass overwhelmingly this week a bill supporting military personnel and their families, despite an amendment that would require all new airports be governed by a local airport commission.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., at a news conference Tuesday said Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2006 that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to approve only local airport commissions if the governing body is composed of a majority of local residents who live in the county where the airport is located.
The amendment would give Will County officials governing power over the proposed airport and the 4,200-acre footprint, essentially eliminating the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission or ALNAC, largely made up of municipalities in Cook County.
“Weller’s amendment is designed to kill the airport. This is bad legislation driven by politics,” Jackson said.
And this from the Sun-Times:
A spokesman for Weller (R-Ill.) refused to comment, answer any questions or even confirm that the proposal exists.
“All you’re getting is a big, fat no comment from us,” Weller spokesman Chris Kennedy said.
Open government at its finest.
- posted by Rich Miller 30 Comments
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Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
In the middle of a profile of the new head of the Chicago Crime Commission, James Wagner, we get this:
Because of state budget cuts and hiring freezes under Gov. Blagojevich, the Gaming Board has gone from 18 investigators when Wagner started there to just eight at present.
“That’s just not enough to do the job over there,” Wagner told me Tuesday, admitting that frustration with the situation at the Gaming Board was a major factor in his decision to leave after he was recruited for the Crime Commission opening.
There are 10,000 casino employees in Illinois, each of whom has to undergo a background check by the investigative staff before they can be licensed. Owners and managers are supposed to get more extensive background investigations. The Gaming Board also must investigate the companies that supply gaming equipment to the casinos.
“I really was not comfortable we had enough people to do a satisfactory job. We did the best we could, but I would strongly recommend that the state increase the manpower there,” said Wagner with the understatement one would expect from a career FBI agent.
I knew the numbers had dropped. But eight? Unreal.
- posted by Rich Miller 12 Comments
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Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
This seems kinda quaint, considering Illinois has a fleet of state planes and a Tollway helicopter.
Gov. Bill Richardson found a surefire way to bypass traffic while heading to a bill-signing ceremony in Albuquerque last spring: Instead of driving the 60 miles south, he hopped aboard a speedy state police helicopter.
The New Mexico governor has taken 40 trips on the sleek state-of-the-art chopper since December 2003, when the state bought it for $3.8 million.
There’s nothing illegal about the governor’s flights — which take place, according to his administration, only if the aircraft is not needed by police.
But some Republicans accused Richardson, who is often mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate, of showboating.
Showboating? What about this?
Bobby Rahal helped Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich open three new Open Road Tolling lanes on Dec. 11. The lanes allow drivers with I-PASS to get to their destinations faster on I-294 because they no longer have to slow down or stop at toll booths.
Rahal drove a red 2005 Indianapolis 500 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car through the new Touhy Avenue Plaza.
“Thanks to Bobby Rahal for coming out today to dramatize how Open Road Tolling lanes will allow motorists to get to their destinations faster,” Blagojevich said. “I’ve been coming out for each Open Road Tolling opening because I want drivers to know we are doing everything we can to reduce congestion.”
Now that’s showboating, my friends.
- posted by Rich Miller 18 Comments
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Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
And Roskam no longer has a primary opponent.
Iraq war veteran Ladda “Tammy†Duckworth is ready to run for the congressional seat held by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde. The question remains: will she be able to?
As of Monday afternoon, the Hoffman Estates helicopter pilot who lost both of her legs and severely injured her right arm in an insurgent attack, had not been released from active duty in the Army. And that means Duckworth can’t engage in any political activity or she risks a potential dishonorable discharge and loss of benefits.
With less than a week remaining to file for a spot on the March 21 Democratic primary ballot, Duckworth’s supporters do not appear worried yet. […]
On the Republican side of the 6th Congressional District race, state Sen. Peter Roskam of Wheaton found out he won’t have a primary opponent after all. John Vivoda, president of the Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 school board, dropped out Monday.
UPDATE: It appears that Duckworth will be cleared tonight. She plans an announcement Sunday on ABC’s This Week.
Turns out, the Hotline story that this was based on was wrong and has been amended (in my haste to get this up and get out the door to do some Christmas shopping, I neglected to include the link).
UPDATE: Sources clarify that it’s possible she will make her campaign announcement before the show’s taping, so the “This Week’ interview would not be an exclusive.
Update 2: A campaign source adds that while Duckworth will be on This Week she will not be volunteering a campaign announcement on the show. She is running for the seat, and will be making an announcement before Monday’s filing deadline.
- posted by Rich Miller 27 Comments
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Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
‘Tis the season for giving, so I’m curious what books you plan to give and what you’d like to receive. Extra credit for Illinois books or authors.
(Suggested by a commenter.)
- posted by Rich Miller 39 Comments
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Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
A gaggle of millionaires and a governor with a boatload of cash combine to make Cindi’s prediction fairly obvious.
As candidates formally began their march to the March 21 primary Monday, experts predicted the 2006 election season will be an expensive one.
With crowded primary races for governor, lieutenant governor and state treasurer, candidates likely will easily surpass records set in recent years.
“We will definitely see some big spending,” said Cindi Canary, executive director of the Campaign for Political Reform, which tracks campaign spending in Illinois.
Consider this your primary predictions open thread.
- posted by Rich Miller 27 Comments
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Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
Do you really think he’ll run?
Congressman Luis Gutierrez has big political plans that may include a run for mayor of Chicago.
On Monday night, Gutierrez appeared at a rally in Humboldt Park. He did not make any formal announcement, but CBS 2’s Rafael Romo reports the congressman sounded a lot like a candidate.
“I’m ready! Are you ready?†Gutierrez called out at the rally. He says he’s not running for mayor yet, but he looked like a candidate.
“Imagine just for a moment what we could do with all of those if they were spent on the mayor’s office on the fifth floor,†Gutierrez said.
According to the story, Ald. Ed Burke and First Lady Patti Blagojevich were both in attendance.
“Congressman Gutierrez is intelligent, he’s thoughtful, he’s caring, he’s also quite funny,†Mrs. Blagojevich was quoted as saying.
No word on whether the Congressman went all Joe Pesci on the First Lady for that “funny” remark.
- posted by Rich Miller 10 Comments
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Tuesday, Dec 13, 2005
A commenter pointed out yesterday that it almost seems as if Governor Blagojevich is deliberately trying to engage Jim Oberweis and provide him free publicity. I don’t know if that’s really the case or not, but I can see how some might feel that way.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis, who was widely criticized for his tough stand on illegal immigration when he ran for the U.S. Senate last year, suggested Monday he was ahead of the curve on the issue and voters now might agree with him.
“I was too early. People weren’t ready for that issue,'’ he said after a news conference in which he criticized Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s plan to launch a new mortgage loan program designed to help poor and immigrant families buy homes. “But it’s a serious issue. People are starting to understand how serious it is.'’
On Sunday, Blagojevich’s office outlined his proposed Opportunity I-Loan program that would allow Illinois to provide state-guaranteed mortgages to people without traditional credit histories.
But Oberweis characterized the program as little more than an effort to assist illegal immigrants. “Break our laws and we’ll reward you with a home. That’s the message Rod Blagojevich is sending out,'’ he said.
- posted by Rich Miller 19 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
Well, that didn’t last long. From a press release:
Mundelein, Illinois - Kathy Salvi issued the following statement in response to the request by Jim Oberweis that she consider running for Lt Governor:
“I am very flattered that Jim Oberweis thought I should consider running for Lt Governor. He is a principled conservative who wants to make Illinois a better place. But my first priority and passion is to represent the people of the 8th Congressional District of Illinois. They need someone who will stand up for them in Washington, DC. That is why I am running and that is why I will defeat liberal Melissa Bean next November.”
Kathy Salvi filed her petition to run for Congress this morning at the State Board of Elections in Springfield.
Can’t anybody play this game?
UPDATE: More bad news for Obi:
In his bid for governor, Republican Jim Oberweis says he’s the best choice to clean up state government.
But the North Aurora dairy owner has received $20,000 in campaign contributions from a conservative businessman whose political action committees have violated state election laws.
According to state records, two PACs run by John O. “Jack” Roeser of Carpentersville have been fined more than $61,000 by state regulators.
The fines against Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network and Renew Illinois PAC, both of which have funneled money to Oberweis, remain unpaid, and state officials are preparing to ask a collection agency to help recoup the money.
Oberweis campaign manager Joe Wiegand called the violations minor, and said he was not bothered by the penalties levied against Roeser’s groups.
(Hat tip: Illinois Pundit)
- posted by Rich Miller 25 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
I’ve been monitoring the latest candidate filings and noticed that Ron Gidwitz hadn’t filed his petitions for governor yet.
I called the Gidwitz campaign and was told that both he and running mate Steve Rauschenberger would file together - most likely next Monday, the last day of filing.
That would put them on the bottom of the ticket, unless someone else files at the end of business Monday as well.
Use this as a candidate filing open thread. What interesting tidbits have you gleaned from today’s petition filings?
UPDATE: I’m told that statewide Republican candidates who don’t have primary opponents will all be filing at the end of the filing week.
- posted by Rich Miller 25 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
As I wrote in this morning’s Capitol Fax, Governor Rod Blagojevich’s campaign has apparently been posting comments here. That’s no big deal in and of itself, and not all that surprising, either.
What is surprising is what those Blagojevich campaign office commenters have been saying.
As I explained this morning, my new blog site allows me to track commenters by their IP addresses. I thought long and hard about whether I should reveal the fact that the guv’s HQ is posting here, and I wouldn’t have done so if they were playing it straight. Instead, they are posting as a right-wing Jim Oberweis supporter and attacking at least one journalist.
As an addendum to this morning’s Fax, here are some of the posts from the guv’s campaign:
Name: right of right | IP: 69.215.36.54
I think all the conervatives should drop excepot for Obie. He3 can beat JBT one on one. Thats the race we need to get the governors office back in republican control
Posted Dec 5, 5:54 PM
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Name: Your Neighbor | IP: 69.215.36.54
[ABC-7 reporter and Daily Herald columnist Chuck] Goudie clearly has it in for the governor. He is a bottom feeder who hasnt done a worthwhile bit of journalism in his life. He is a talentless hack.
Posted Dec 6, 1:26 PM
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Name: right if right | IP: 69.215.36.54
To “A long time MC employee†if I had my way, you would all be at will employees. I think that anything that protects do nothing employees of the state is a disservice to the taxpayers. And in response to your criticism of blago balancing the budget, I would rather have the debt refinanced as he did, then to pass on record low interest rates and continue to pay more towards interest than principal. He didnt create the unfunded bond obligation — he is paying more into it than past governors. What you fail to mention is that the refinance saved millions in state paid interest. […]
Posted Dec 6, 1:41 PM
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Name: your neighbor | IP: 69.215.36.54
Goudie has never exposed anything. He takes garbagethat nobody else sees as newsworthy and sensationalizes it. By the way, I hardly think that Goudie exposed GRyan.
Posted Dec 6, 4:54 PM
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Name: right of right | IP: 69.215.36.54
The only one who can bring reform, and who represents the true conservative values of the republican party is Jim Oberweis! He has no connections to the old guard, and his personal wealth ensures that he will not be beholden ot anybody. If Brady stays in, he will split the conservative vote and allow the gay loving, gun hating, tax raising insider Judy Baar Topinka, who is being investigated by the feds to steal this election. She cannot beat Blago in the general — only Obie can. Brady needs to step aside and leave this to a man who can get the job done — Oberweis!
Posted Dec 8, 9:12 AM
And on and on and on.
As I also noted, it appears that Illinoize commenter “The Dude” may somehow be involved in this. The Dude has apparently posted as both “Right of Right” and “Your Neighbor” here, although from a different IP address. I’ve sent him an e-mail about this, but he hasn’t responded yet. Until he does, I’ve suspended him from the Illinoize blog.
Here is a link that shows the identity of the IP address 69.215.36.54.
- posted by Rich Miller 80 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
What do you think of this?
Republican candidate for governor Jim Oberweis said Sunday that he has asked Kathy Salvi, a conservative intending to run for Congress in the north suburbs, to be his running mate.
Salvi, the wife of former state representative and attorney Al Salvi, is “honored and flattered” by Oberweis’ invitation to be his lieutenant governor candidate, her husband said. She still plans to file election papers this week to run for the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), Al Salvi said, but she is not discouraging Oberweis’ efforts to include her as his partner.
“She plans to continue filing for congressman, but she’ll have a week during this filing period to decide,” he said. “She does not object to the effort to file petitions on her behalf for lieutenant governor.”
The move by Oberweis comes as his more moderate opponents in the primary race are attempting to line up conservatives as their running mates for the March 21 primary.
- posted by Rich Miller 18 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
Lynn Sweet fills us in.
In a move with deep implications for local politics, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) has decided to run for only one more term in Congress as he explores a bid for mayor of Chicago and forms a Hispanic political organization designed to influence city, regional and national elections.
Gutierrez will file nominating petitions today for his eighth term as he launches a new chapter in a political career coming as Mayor Daley’s City Hall — and the Hispanic Democratic Organization Daley’s operation nurtured — are the subjects of federal corruption probes. […]
For now, Gutierrez has no plans to anoint a successor, which will touch off a free-for-all 2008 Democratic primary battle for the seat in the heavily Democratic district. Daley’s ability to influence the election will be limited with the meltdown of the scandalized HDO.
- posted by Rich Miller 11 Comments
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Monday, Dec 12, 2005
This incinerator, and others like it, was a huge political issue several years ago
An unpopular tire incinerator is scheduled to reopen Jan. 1 in Ford Heights, worrying some residents who fear their children’s health will worsen and the plant again will fail to meet environmental standards.
The new owners say the plant, one of only two such facilities operating in the country, will convert about 6 million tires a year into energy. Geneva 7 Energy bought the incinerator out of bankruptcy in March and received a permit Oct. 20 from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The incinerator, idle since early 2004, received permission to restart in a year when Gov. Rod Blagojevich has made a public effort to shut down the state’s remaining medical-waste incinerators, citing concerns about the cancer-causing dioxins they emit.
The Illinois EPA says the two types of incinerators should not be compared, but environmentalists said Blagojevich is backing away from his promise to limit air pollution.
“His administration is busy permitting a giant tire incinerator that collectively dwarfs the pollution from these hospital incinerators … at a time when we need to be reducing air pollution and protecting public health, and reducing the number of asthma attacks and associated health problems,” said Bruce Nilles, the Sierra Club’s Midwest representative
A trash-to-energy incinerator in the southwest suburbs caused at least one incumbent House Democrat (Terry Steczo) to lose his re-election bid in 1994 and was a hot issue all over the region.
Back then, Illinois encouraged the construction of the incinerators by forcing utility companies to pay the plants retail rates for the electricity they produced. That law was repealed after the ‘94 campaign.
- posted by Rich Miller 4 Comments
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