THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Are voters numb to corruption?...Chicago still can't get its act together on migrant response...GOP lawmaker says state spending too much
December 4, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
We sure hope you had a better weekend than Florida State or Georgia fans.
Today is the last day of petition filing for the March primary. You can follow along here. There will likely be a rush at the end of the day.
The General Assembly is gone until January. Governor Pritzker will be in Peoria at 10:30 to discuss the Bob Michel Bridge restoration. He’ll light the Gold Star families Christmas tree at 1pm at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield.
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YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
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How does corruption impact democracy? Take a look at Illinois. (WBEZ)
Once again, public corruption was on the docket in a wood-paneled courtroom in downtown Chicago’s historic federal building.
It was October, and newly convicted Chicago businessman James Weiss was about to learn how much time he’d have to serve for bribing two state legislators and lying to the FBI.
While not a household name, Weiss came with real machine clout. His father-in-law, who was not charged, is Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor, chair of the Cook County Democratic Party and friend of now-indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Before sentencing Weiss to five-plus years in prison, U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger scolded the defendant for helping “solidify the city of Chicago as the capital of corruption.”
The judge also embodied the frustrations of a whole state by asking in open court:
“Why does public corruption keep happening? … Why Chicago?”
To Seeger’s point, repeating the same mistake over and over again is, as the saying goes, the definition of insanity. And corruption-exhausted Illinoisans would be excused if they thought it was insane how the same kind of criminal graft keeps feasting on their government institutions, over and over again.
In 2012, a survey by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale found that more than three in four respondents believed corruption was widespread, and roughly three in five respondents thought Illinois was more corrupt than other states.
If voters were serious about corruption, Rod Blagojevich wouldn’t have been re-elected, Ed Burke, Emil Jones III, and Mike Hastings wouldn’t have won re-election while accused of corruption. Voters are numb to it. The question is: how do we change it?
Related: The one that got away? Burke comes up empty after yearslong pursuit of the ‘tuna,’ jurors hear (Chicago Sun-Times)
Ald. Ed Burke finally landed ‘the tuna.’ And then it got away, evidence in corruption trial shows. (Chicago Tribune)
State, food bank step in to keep migrants fed during December amid city contract delay (Chicago Tribune)
The state of Illinois and the Greater Chicago Food Depository are teaming up to ensure migrants living in the city’s shelter system are fed through the end of the year after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration pushed back a deadline to award a food contract.
The city in mid-October solicited bids for a new food vendor contract that was to begin Friday, but last week the Johnson administration pushed that start date back a month and a half to Jan. 15, according to city records. The delay raised questions about whether migrants would be fed throughout December. The new deadline for food vendors to submit proposals was noon Friday.
A spokeswoman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management & Communications said late Friday that the deadline was pushed back twice in order to answer numerous questions from potential bidders.
On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced the state would chip in $2 million and the food bank would contribute $2 million more raised through private philanthropy to close that gap and continue providing meals to the more than 13,000 migrants in city-run shelters and more than 1,000 sleeping at police stations and at O’Hare International Airport while awaiting placement.
The additional food funding comes roughly two weeks after the Pritzker administration, after months of deflecting questions about additional state funding for Chicago’s migrant crisis, promised $160 million in additional funding for several migrant-related projects. The new money is slated to set up a controversial tent encampment in Brighton Park and another bricks-and-mortar shelter for migrants, establish a centralized intake center for those arriving in the city, and provide legal and job assistance.
With each passing day, the Johnson administration is proving it is incapable of handling this crisis.
Related: Amid city delays, state pitching in additional $2M to feed migrants (Chicago Sun-Times)
Chemicals being removed from Brighton Park migrant camp, environmental report says; city concludes site safe for habitation (Chicago Tribune)
Brighton Park migrant tent site had mercury, arsenic, other contaminants — but city deems it ‘safe for temporary residential use’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Rose: State spending too much (Champaign News-Gazette)
As happy as state Sen. Chapin Rose said he is to see the University of Illinois requesting funding for the Prairie Research Institute, his outlook on the budget as a whole isn’t so positive.
His concerns don’t center around the UI, however.
Projections released by the state’s Office of Management and Budget indicate Illinois will likely be in a $891 million deficit next year, according to Rose.
“This is math. This is not politics,” Rose said. “This spring budget session is not shaping up to be a pretty one.”
Numbers for the state budget won’t be finalized for months yet, but Rose said that new immigration programs developed in the last few years are cutting into money needed for things like education.
In general, Rose said that the state of Illinois wasted the opportunity provided by federal funding during the pandemic to put the state on more solid footing.
The UI’s appropriations request described how, compared to inflation rates, state funding for the university has fallen behind.
“The problem is they’re not counting the amount of money that’s off-book for health care and pension benefits for U of I’s employees,” Rose said. “When you actually factor those dollars in, the state is making a massive investment — you’re just not seeing it because it’s not showing up in daily operational expenses.”
Rose said he doesn’t like to say “I told you so,” but that he’s been criticizing over-spending in the state for a long time.
“The time to pay the piper is finally here. When you go through three or four years of budgets that are based on chicanery as opposed to actual sound math, eventually that catches up to you,” Rose said. “Sadly, we’re moving into one of those periods.”
GOMB is also projecting a pretty big surplus this year, so take it for what it’s worth.
LAST WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois Supreme Court: FOID records exempt from public disclosure (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois State Police launch online tip line for public corruption allegations (Daily Herald)
Amid drug abuse crisis, state mounts effort to recruit and train more counselors (Chicago Tribune)
State high court finds medical personnel exemption to biometric information privacy law (Capitol News Illinois)
Two months in prison for retired Chicago firefighter who helped with ‘Tunnel’ siege at U.S. Capitol (Chicago Sun-Times)
Supreme Court rules teen bicyclist is covered by father’s auto insurance policy (Capitol News Illinois)
Champaign, Vermilion GOP chairs throw support behind retired Marine to succeed Marron in state legislature (Champaign News-Gazette)
A return to tradition: Why Illinois' primary election is moving back to March in 2024 (Daily Herald)
Editorial: State is failing its children (Danville Commercial-News)
Editorial: Law's registration deadline puts public under the gun (Champaign News-Gazette)
Opinion: Illinois counties have become less reliant on prison. How can we further improve that? (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: As 2024 campaign season kicks off in Illinois, a few more observations from Springfield (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Opinion: State Police looking to consolidate, triage corruption tips (Shaw Media)
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