THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Did Pritzker make the VP cut?...Bears still shooting for lakefront site...Fights intensify over water rates
August 5, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
The State Fair kicks off this week. Make your corn dog schedule today, but don’t be like our friend Brenden Moore of Lee Enterprises who advocates for ketchup on the corn meal blanketed sausage. Mustard only.
I’ll talk to State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark on WMAY this morning. Listen live to the show here.
Lots going on the next couple of weeks. There’s no better time to join us as a paid subscriber than now. You can get a free week by clicking below.
Governor Pritzker speaks at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting this morning. He won't take questions from the media.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker interviewed twice for Kamala Harris VP slot, source says (Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was interviewed twice this week by Vice President Kamala Harris’ vetting team as she nears an announcement on a running mate for her nascent presidential campaign, according to a source familiar with the conversations.
The most recent interview took place Wednesday, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details of the confidential process.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is expected to make the first public appearance with her running mate Tuesday in Philadelphia, kicking off a tour of battleground states that will include stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. Among those also reportedly in the running are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
Pritzker, a second-term Democrat, has not been among the most frequently mentioned candidates for the No. 2 spot. But he’s been a loyal surrogate for Harris and, prior to his withdrawal from the race, to President Joe Biden. The Hyatt Hotels heir, who will be de facto host of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, is also a potential financial asset to the campaign, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $3.5 billion.
While largely sidestepping direct questions about his role in the vetting process, Pritzker has stepped up his national media appearances in the past few weeks. His campaign operation on Thursday released a video, pegged to the upcoming DNC, touting his accomplishments as governor such as raising the minimum wage and enshrining protections for abortion access in state law.
We have not been able to confirm if Pritzker met with Harris this weekend as she appeared to be doing final interviews, but we haven’t seen any evidence of a Pritzker trip to DC.
Related: What are Gov. J.B. Pritzker's odds of becoming Kamala Harris' running mate? (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Republicans for Kamala Harris launches with Illinois GOPers Edgar, LaHood, Kinzinger, Walsh (Chicago Sun-Times)
Chicago biz leaders urge Harris to pick Pritzker as veep (Crain’s Chicago Business)
How the DNC intends to promote Chicago’s neighborhoods – not just downtown (WBEZ)
Plans for outside police officers to assist Chicago cops at DNC still fluid as convention month arrives (Chicago Tribune)
Will this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago be a repeat of 1968? (WBEZ)
At the 1944 Democratic convention in Chicago, an ailing FDR faced a difficult choice (Chicago Tribune)
Despite lakefront focus, Bears president leaves the door open to Arlington Heights stadium ‘opportunity’ (Daily Herald)
Chicago Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren reiterated his commitment this week to building a new stadium on the Chicago lakefront, but acknowledged the sprawling Arlington Heights property the team owns is an “opportunity.”
Warren’s latest comments — which came during the national TV broadcast of the Bears’ first preseason game Thursday night and in a local radio interview Tuesday — followed Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s declaration Monday that it would be “near impossible” for legislation providing public money for a new lakefront stadium to pass the legislature this fall.
“The focus is the Museum Campus downtown. I still think that’s the most beautiful piece of property in the country, where lake meets architecture downtown,” Warren said during the ABC/ESPN broadcast of the Bears’ Hall of Fame Game Thursday night. “We are the largest landowner in Arlington Heights. We own 326 acres. So that still is an opportunity cause we do own the land. But our focus right now is to do everything we can on the lakefront.”
Warren’s latest interview happened within the hour of a letter surfacing online from 40 Illinois business leaders — Warren and Bears Chairman George McCaskey among them — to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign that touted Pritzker as an ideal running mate. Also signing his name to the letter was Related Midwest developer Curt Bailey, who similarly has lobbied Pritzker and state lawmakers for stadium subsidies — this for a new Chicago White Sox ballpark at The 78 redevelopment in the South Loop.
During an interview on ESPN 1000 radio Tuesday, Warren name dropped several politicians — including Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes — as he expressed confidence that “at the appropriate time, we will be able to come together and work something out.”
When asked if the NFL franchise will have finalized the lakefront stadium location within the year, Warren said, “I am confident that the Chicago Bears will have a new stadium that we’ll be able to play in.”
Proposed Aqua rate increase reignites tensions between the company and its customers (Capitol News Illinois)
As state regulators consider whether to approve a proposed rate increase for the state’s second largest private water utility, its customers are criticizing it for poor service and high prices.
Aqua Illinois, which serves parts of 14 counties mostly in northern Illinois, requested an increase to its rates in January. Under the proposal, customers would see about a $30 increase in monthly bills, according to Citizens Utility Board, a consumer watchdog group involved in the case.
This comes at the same time as the state’s largest utility, Illinois American Water, is requesting a similar rate increase of its own – and facing its own criticisms.
The Illinois Commerce Commission is expected to rule on both cases by the end of the year. Regulators at the ICC can accept, reject or modify the proposals based on evidence presented to them from the companies, ICC staff, advocacy groups and municipalities.
Representatives of Aqua Illinois say the rate increase is necessary to maintain the infrastructure of its water systems, such as pump stations and water treatment plants, as well as to keep up with the cost of inflation. According to Aqua Illinois President David Carter, the cost of chemicals needed for making water safe to drink has more than doubled since the utility’s last rate case over six years ago.
Related: Opinion: Private water customers in Illinois are crying for help. Will the General Assembly listen? (Chicago Tribune)
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POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois House Speaker's staff continues attempt to unionize (State Journal-Register)
Illinois ranks last at keeping rich people from moving out (Crain’s Chicago Business)
In month since SCOTUS bribery decision, Madigan-related corruption cases forge ahead (Capitol News Illinois)
Editorial: Illinois is a leader in yet another dubious category — zombie boards and commissions (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: There's no excuse for opposing more gun safety to keep guns out of criminals' hands (Chicago Sun-Times)
Duckworth: It's time to make school buses safer for our children (State Journal-Register)
Martire: Why Illinois still isn't fully funding its schools: Breaking down the 'evidence-based formula' (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Growing the Quantum Prairie will take water-smart strategy (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Election math shows GOP still has big hill to climb to flip General Assembly (Shaw Media)
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