THE ILLINOIZE: Saturday special...Ammons spurned...Bennett replaces Barickman...Politician pay raises

January 7, 2022

Good afternoon, Illinois.

A few quick updates from a busy Saturday.

The Senate is back tomorrow. The Governor and other constitutional officers are sworn in Monday. The lame duck legislature will sprint to the finish line Tuesday before the new GA is sworn in at noon Wednesday.

Hold on to your hats.

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Let’s get to it.

DEMS PASS OVER AMMONS, SELECT BENNETT FRIEND FARACI

Champaign and Vermilion County Democrats selected City of Champaign Township Assessor Paul Faraci, a former Champaign City Council member, to replace the late-Sen. Scott Bennett for a two year term beginning Wednesday.

Faraci, one of the late Senator’s best friends, was recommended by a committee that included State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, who previously held the Senate seat and is also among Faraci’s closest friends.

Faraci

The appointment comes after weeks of infighting centering around Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), who was passed over for the appointment, though she was just elected to her fifth term in the House. Many liberal activists argued the appointment had to go to Ammons, a progressive who has been at the center of numerous controversies over her time in office. Others argued she would have a hard time keeping the seat over a well-funded Republican. Ammons’ House district is safely Democratic, but a Republican represents the other half of the district.

Faraci was one of three candidates endorsed publicly by Bennett’s widow, Stacy. Ammons was not among those recommended.

“This is obviously an incredibly bittersweet time,” Faraci said, fighting back tears. “I want to thank Stacy and her family, and, of course, Scott, for all he did for our communities in the 52nd district.”

Ammons changed her campaign committee from seeking a House seat to seeking a Senate seat last week, indicating Faraci could be up for a vicious primary if he seeks a full term next year.

Ammons has not issued a statement since the appointment Saturday. A call to Faraci has yet to be returned.

But, after his appointment, Faraci reflected on the significance replacing his friend in the Senate.

“This is an incredible honor and I take it very seriously.”

REP. BENNETT REPLACES BARICKMAN

While Democrats in Champaign-Urbana replaced a Bennett in the Senate Saturday, Republicans sent another Bennett to the Senate.

Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) was chosen to replace Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) who is resigning for the start of his new term Wednesday.

Bennett, 66, has represented half of Barickman’s district since 2015 after a nearly 30-year career at State Farm in Bloomington. He was chosen over four other applicants by chairmen from 13 counties that make up the district.

Bennett says he never had aspirations of serving in the Senate, but felt he wanted to continue the “good work” he and Barickman had been doing.

“I thought about it for a little bit and talked to my family and decided I have the experience, I have the relationships, I have the knowledge, and I have the skills to help me step up and help our Senate district,” Bennett said. “I’m very excited and ready to get to work.”

Tom Bennett is the uncle of the late-Sen. Scott Bennett.

Bennett will be sworn in Wednesday. His appointment to the Senate opens up a potential fight for Bennett’s 106th District seat. Likely candidates include Livingston County Board member Jason Bunting and former Iroquois County Board member Susan Wynn Bence. We’re told former Sen. Shane Cultra has also indicated he may want to seek the appointment as a placeholder.

PAY RAISE RACE AGAINST TIME

When the Senate comes back to Springfield tomorrow, expect this bill to get some more play.

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Illinois House voted late Friday to give pay raises to lawmakers starting with those sworn in for a new term next week, while also boosting the salaries of the governor and other statewide officials and the heads of agencies appointed by the governor.

The pay raises would boost the annual salary of rank-and-file lawmakers to $85,000 from the current rate of $72,906, a nearly 17% increase. The House approved the plan on a 63-35 vote without any Republican support.

The governor’s salary, which Pritzker, a billionaire entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotels heir does not collect, would be raised to $205,700 from $190,700, an 8% increase. The lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state — offices that all will remain filled by Democrats after Monday’s inauguration — also would get pay increases.

Secretary of State-elect Alexi Giannoulias, the lone newly elected official in that group, would be paid $183,300 — a 9% increase from the $168,300 salary paid to outgoing Secretary of State Jesse White, who’s held the office since 1999.

The proposal — part of a large budget bill that includes additional funding for a variety of state programs and puts an $850 million deposit into the state’s rainy-day fund — also would boost pay for agency heads appointed by the governor, something the Pritzker administration sought.

The head of the beleaguered Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, for example, would see a nearly 8% raise to an annual salary of $200,000.

The measure also would create two new paid leadership positions, which come with additional stipends on top of the base salary, for legislative caucuses that have supermajorities, which Democrats currently hold in the House and Senate.

Republican state Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield, who did not run for reelection for the new term, decried the raises as “Christmas in January for legislators.”

If this is going to happen, the Senate would have to adopt the bill Sunday and the Governor would have to sign it before noon Monday when constitutional officers are sworn in as state elected officials cannot have their salaries increased during their terms.

Republicans will likely raise cane about the pay raises, but Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers and can do whatever they want, essentially. It’s just a question of whether it’s a PR issue for Democrats when they’re on the ballot in two or four years.