THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Fallout from the Chicago Mayor race...No evidence ComEd lobbyists did any work for their money (and how Madigan laughed it off)
April 6, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
Thanks to the great Steve Cochran for having me on WLS yesterday. You can listen to the podcast here.
The legislature is out today. The Governor is in Edwardsville at 10 and Cahokia Heights at 1. He’s pitching his budget plan.
Lots to get to, so I’ll just ask that you consider trying our free trial to become a paid subscriber. It helps us keep the lights on and helps show your support for what we’re doing here. Just click to join us.
SOME TOP LINKS FROM THE WEEK SO FAR
Johnson Wins Chicago Mayoral Race in Progressive Takeover of City Politics
GOP-Backed Candidates Win Mayoral Races in Naperville, Joliet, and Springfield
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Brandon Johnson’s victory part of a ‘sea change’ in Midwestern politics (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that Brandon Johnson’s narrow victory in the Chicago mayoral race is emblematic of a Democratic “Blue Wall” in Illinois and surrounding states.
“I do believe that this is a change for the city, something new. But you know what? It’s a new generation of voters that came to the polls,” Pritzker said during an unrelated news conference on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. “I think he’s part of a kind of a sea change that’s going on in what I guess politically we’d all call ‘the Blue Wall.’ ”
Pritzker pointed to wins in recent years by Democrats in races for governor or the legislature in states including Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. In Wisconsin on Tuesday, a Democratic-backed judge won a state Supreme Court race that drew national attention, ensuring liberals will have majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years.
“People who believe in investing in workers, investing in families, investing in young people have come to leadership positions,” in those states, he said.
Johnson defeated Paul Vallas, who insisted he was a “lifelong Democrat” but faced repeated attacks during the campaign alleging he was Republican in disguise. Vallas was endorsed by the Chicago Police Department’s largest union and took in millions of dollars from GOP donors and business owners.
Pritzker never made an endorsement in the mayor’s race. But in a statement last month, one of his campaign spokespeople appeared to take a jab at Vallas for comments he made on a conservative radio show that were harshly critical of the governor’s COVID-19 mitigation mandates. The governor’s campaign said the city’s residents deserved to know whether the next mayor would listen to medical experts or “right-wing talk show hosts” when making life-or-death decisions.
Pritzker acknowledged that the victory for Johnson, arguably the most leftist Democratic politician in modern times who was elected to lead Chicago, represents something different for a city that has traditionally elected more centrist Democrats.
“Look, he’s younger than most of the mayors that have gotten elected. He’s somebody who comes out of an activist background. I think there’s a lot to admire about, and he’s a teacher, and I believe that he will bring a certain vibrancy to the city,” said Pritzker.
Related: How Johnson did it: Flawless execution of ‘smart typical playbook in Chicago politics’ won mayoral race (Chicago Sun-Times)
An inside look at how Brandon Johnson beat Paul Vallas to become mayor (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Long to-do list looms for new Mayor Johnson (Chicago Sun-Times)
How Brandon Johnson spent his first day as Chicago mayor-elect — and how he got there (Chicago Tribune)
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson says he wants to meet with Chicago Police (WBEZ)
Brandon Johnson is Chicago’s next mayor. So what’s next for CPS? (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Time for Johnson and the biz community to extend an olive branch (or two) (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Editorial: Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson found a place in his acceptance speech for God. But not Barack Obama. (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: After tight race for mayor, Black political establishment may face a ‘reckoning’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Buckner: After an intense election, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson must work to pick up the pieces (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago's mayor still matters in Springfield — but not like it used to (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Opinion: Thank God the Chicago mayoral campaign is finally over (Chicago Sun-Times)
FBI raids uncovered no evidence that Madigan allies did any work for ComEd salaries (Chicago Sun-Times)
After secretly recording then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and other political insiders for more than a year, FBI agents fanned out in dramatic fashion to raid the homes of various Madigan allies in May 2019.
They rummaged around in a long row of filing cabinets in the basement office of Michael McClain, a longtime Madigan friend and confidant. They found a glossy photo of “a young Mike Madigan” in the home of onetime Madigan staffer Shaw Decremer.
What they struggled to find in the many homes they visited May 14, 2019, is any evidence that Madigan allies Frank Olivo, Raymond Nice, Edward Moody, Michael R. Zalewski or Eddie Acevedo did any work for ComEd, jurors heard Tuesday.
And that’s despite $1.3 million in payments to the men that jurors also heard about Tuesday. The money came from ComEd, through various intermediaries, allegedly as part of a bribery conspiracy that lasted nearly a decade. The feds say it was aimed at swaying Madigan as legislation crucial to ComEd moved through Springfield.
A parade of FBI special agents revealed the details of the May 2019 raids during the ongoing trial of McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty.
Defense attorneys have argued that the four were engaged in legal real-world lobbying, which sometimes involves paying lobbyists for their ability to intervene in crucial “magic” moments.
But prosecutors continued to undermine that notion Tuesday, leaving jurors with the impression that not even a swarm of FBI agents could find any evidence that the five men — all Madigan allies — did any real work in return for the large sums they received.
Prosecutors have said the intent of the four defendants, who allegedly arranged for the payments, is the “primary issue in dispute” in the trial.
Related: In FBI raids on Madigan pals' homes, one in particular yields treasure (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Jurors in ComEd bribery trial won’t hear Madigan’s ‘bandits’ quip, judge rules (Chicago Sun-Times)
Jurors in ‘ComEd Four’ trial see evidence from FBI raid on City Club and Jay Doherty’s condo (Chicago Tribune)
'ComEd Four' trial showcases ease of evading bureaucratic checks against corruption (Crain’s Chicago Business)
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Illinois prisons obtained do-not-resuscitate orders from prisoners who were not of sound mind (WBEZ)
Wehrli tops White in Naperville mayoral race (Daily Herald)
D’Arcy has high hopes as Joliet mayor-elect (Shaw Media)
Misty Buscher is Springfield's next mayor (State Journal-Register)
Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark celebrates ‘vote of confidence’; University Park race too close to call (Daily Southtown)
Kaptain wins fourth term as Elgin mayor (Courier News)
Burress wins three-way race for Pekin mayor (Peoria Journal Star)
East St. Louis mayor loses reelection bid to city councilman. What happened? What’s next? (Belleville News-Democrat)
Apparent winners emerge as dust settles in unusually intense Lake County school board races; ‘Our community has some healing to do’ (Lake County News-Sun)
Three newly elected Waukegan aldermen plan to form Hispanic caucus; ‘More people will feel like they’re represented’ (Lake County News-Sun)
Opinion: Voters trounced extremists Tuesday. When will Republican Party strategists learn? (Daily Southtown)
Eastern Illinois University faculty and staff slated to strike Thursday: ‘We lose wages when we strike’ (Chicago Tribune)
Officials come to Rockford to tout safe, clean drinking water (Rockford Register Star)
Column: How Illinois has taken steps to lower prescription drug prices (Chicago Sun-Times)
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