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Initially, Madigan released a statement saying his resignation would be effective at the end of February. But Madigan has since issued a letter saying his resignation was effective immediately.
A republication of our Wirepoints article.
Jim Dey: “…the list of 425 recipients who collectively receive a total of $2.1 million per month reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of state and regional political celebrities. The list includes spendthrift liberals, penny-pinching conservatives and schemers who worked assiduously to boost the sizes of their pensions while pursuing multiple pensions.”
How district officials and union leaders work through a new spate of complications — and whether they can reach an agreement to reopen high schools — will be closely watched as Chicago tries to mend wounds from a reopening battle that captured national attention and split school communities. Officials fear that lingering acrimony will drive families away from a district that reported worrisome enrollment losses already this year.
Lloyd Mitchell, 71, said Madigan was an example of why he distrusts many politicians. “You’re not supposed to use your office for personal gain,” Mitchell said while loading groceries outside Lots-4-Less in West Lawn. “I think for too long politicians have forgotten that they’re supposed to be serving the people.”
The Committee on Public Safety was set to consider two competing proposals. But now Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to introduce a third option — one that allows the mayor to decide disputes over changes in police policy.
ShawnTe Raines-Welch is among 246 lawyers going after 10 vacancies for associate judges, who are chosen by the circuit judges. Former Speaker Mike Madigan’s office asked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to give Raines-Welch a position at the Illinois Liquor Control Commission in 2019 at Chris Welch’s urging, but Pritzker did not appoint her.
“Madigan racked up successes for his party and built a solid supermajority in the House that is likely to remain for years to come. That will be part of his legacy. But he also leaves behind a state that is crippled with debt and unfunded pension liabilities, and a voting population that has grown apathetic and hopeless.”
“This huge increase in unfunded liabilities would necessarily mean another property tax hike for Chicagoans, which would regrettably add to the overwhelming economic duress that so many or our neighbors are facing,” wrote Lightfoot, whose $12.8 billion budget includes a $94 million property tax increase, followed by annual increases tied to the consumer price index.
Sangamon County Deputy Chief Sheriff Cheryllynn Williams said as a woman of color, she wishes there were more discussions before the bill passed. “We’ve been going out and recruiting and now with this bill, it makes it even harder to recruit people of color. But we still press on…I’m going to keep pushing in [recruiting] people of color because this is a great profession, this is a great livelihood.”
A main point of contention is the current 50-person limit for events. Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Hotel and Lodging Association, said, as a result, Illinois is losing business to other states.
In a statement, Gov. J.B. Pritzker praised Madigan for being a “bulwark against constant cruelty” during his Republican predecessor’s term. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner said Thursday that Madigan’s resignation was one of the best birthday gifts he’s ever received.
The industry had been one of the bright spots in the Illinois economy but COVID-19 and state-mandated mitigation efforts have decimated it.
David Greising: “A governor looking to fix the state’s long-term fiscal health might have seized this moment to aggressively attack a plenitude of structural budget troubles. The spending and hiring freezes in the new budget only go so far: Those deep cuts Pritzker threatened when his tax amendment failed deserved a closer look too.”
The amount that Berrios agreed to pay to end the litigation is far less than what the county spent representing him in his legal battle with the Ethics Board, court records show. The county’s taxpayers had to foot the bill, not only to represent the Ethics Board against Berrios, but for Berrios’ outside lawyers during part of the wrangling over the fundraising violations, because Berrios was represented by a specially-appointed attorney.
Police Supt. David Brown said it took too long and took time away from stopping people looting. Protesters said the raised bridges effectively trapped them just as Lightfoot imposed a curfew, especially because the city also shut down CTA service. And efforts to keep people from the Downtown area pushed people looting and vandalizing into more residential neighborhoods, where many locally-owned businesses were burglarized and damaged.
In one of the most recent arrests, CPD officers arrested a 15-year-old boy Wednesday morning for a Jan. 20 carjacking. The teen was charged with one felony count of vehicular hijacking for “forcibly” entering a 36-year-old woman’s Subaru sedan and demanding her vehicle before driving off.
“One pot of money that we had that was flexible funding; the one pot of money that could have been used for small business support, for housing relief for our neighbors, to help prevent violence in our communities, that’s what we’re talking about. And of that $470 million, $284 million of it went directly to the Chicago Police Department,” said Ald. Daniel La Spata.
The city’s Office of Inspector General’s 152-page report found, “The challenges in responding to large-scale protests and unrest amidst a global pandemic were daunting, but the efforts of CPD and the City to stem unrest were marked, almost without exception, by confusion and lack of coordination in the field, emanating from failures of intelligence assessment, major event planning, field communication and operation, administrative systems and, most significantly, leadership from CPD’s highest ranks.”
Rush’s demand comes at the conclusion of a months-long audit from the office of inspector general that focused on the four worst performing post offices in the Congressman’s South Side district:Auburn Park, Henry McGee, Ashburn and James E Worsham. Auditors found more than 60,000 pieces of delayed mail and inaccurate reporting of that delayed mail.
“Many of the problems claimants were experiencing during the spring and summer of last year were the result of years of disinvestment in IDES, as we’ve seen in multiple other state agencies that provide valuable services to those who need them the most,” said Pat Devaney, secretary-treasurer with the Illinois AFL-CIO.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin’s office said the news “comes as no surprise” and that he’s been looking forward to it. “Rep. Madigan’s autocratic rule over the decades has not made Illinois a more prosperous nor competitive state. Our state is in shambles – financially, structurally and ethically. New ideas and sincere collaboration between the parties is the only pathway forward.”
While the nation gets back to work, Illinois unemployment claims rose again. The past week ranked Illinois 50th out of 51, including Washington, D.C.
His resignation comes just more than a month after he was ousted as Illinois House speaker. He has served 36 years as speaker, and 50 years as a state representative.
Illinois’ estimated claims make up nearly 8% of the estimated 861,000 filed across the country this week.
“While recent economic gains helped shrink the fiscal 2022 gap from an earlier estimate of $5.5 billion, the state’s finances are still stressed. Unpaid bills of $5.2 billion and an unfunded pension liability of about $141 billion weigh on Illinois’ credit rating, keeping its ranking only one notch above junk and the lowest of all U.S. states. Illinois has been faced with higher borrowing costs than its peers and is the only state that tapped the Federal Reserve’s Municipal Liquidity Facility last year.”
When asked what’s going on, a USPS spokesman issued a generic statement about a disruption in service because of staff shortages related to the pandemic. Replied South Shore resident Ruth Yarborough, “They didn’t have a backup plan? They can’t keep using that over and over and over again forever. When is it going to stop?”
“Every Chicagoan I’ve talked with says they want the OPC here and thinks it should be on the south side. But some of those to whom it occurred—even before that sweaty day in 2016—that the presidential complex shouldn’t be planted on parkland, haven’t changed their opinion. A half-billion dollar project planned for a future when people will once again gather? Sure, but they’re still talking about an alternate site. “
“The 2017 rewrite of the state school aid funding formula calls for an increase of $350 million each year over the next several years to reach adequate funding by 2027. Since the current state budget held education funding flat from the prior year, another year without an increase would put the state $700 million behind its goal.”
Despair, as best as we can tell, is the emotion growing most rapidly in Illinois, and yesterday, February 17, was particularly dispiriting. We hope, however, that conviction, courage and resiliency remain dominant and prevail against a government so estranged from so many of its own people.
Ted Dabrowski was on the Illinois Channel talking about Pritzker’s proposed 2022 budget and how it fails ordinary Illinoisans. Gov. Pritzker needed to deliver the most bold, dynamic proposal he’s ever given. Instead, he delivered the same failed budget ideas.
While agreeing that diversity is something everyone should be behind, Rep. Andrew Chesney says these standards are too far reaching. “We just need to get back to the basics. We need to focus on improving reading, writing and arithmetic first…I would argue that this has political undertones in it’s language and I would have less push back if there was that same consideration for conversation view points.”
Said State Rep. Brad Halbrook, “…It’s time to get Illinois’ fiscal house in order. The house is on fire, the governor’s boarding up the windows and doors, turning the fire department away all the while suggesting he has it all under control and there’s nothing to see here.”
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