-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Former deputy governor of Illinois for education Jesse Ruiz, who has also served as vice president of the Chicago Board of Education; interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools; and chair of the Illinois State Board of Education: “Refusing to engage in open dialogue, scheduling last-minute special meetings during the holiday season and bypassing opportunities for collaborative problem-solving is an abdication of these board members’ duty and responsibility to serve our young people and all the stakeholders of CPS. It reflects a failure of leadership when it matters most …”
“Over the last decade, CPS has seen a revolving door of CEOs, creating a leadership vacuum that fosters uncertainty. … This instability weakens CPS’ ability to function effectively and erodes public trust. It also makes the job harder for those of us who advocate in Springfield on the district’s behalf. It’s difficult to make the case for increased funding when the system appears to be sinking further into instability rather than climbing out of it. “
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.1 percent higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November. The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in November, up +0.1 percent from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.6% from a year ago when it was 4.7 percent.
“The mayor came in with a budget that obviously didn’t meet the interests of almost anyone in the city council, and that made him look very weak,” said Northwestern University Professor of Law John McGinnis. He also noted that the Mayor did nothing to address the city’s structural deficit, meaning taxes will very likely have to be raised significantly next year.
Illinois is one of only a handful of states that requires individuals to have a specific permit or ID to purchase firearms and one of only two states that requires one to possess firearms or ammunition. Guns Save Life brought the case against the state, saying the law violates the Second Amendment. The Sangamon County court sided with the state. A three-judge panel of the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court heard the case Thursday.
“What’s really troubling with Illinois is that there is more than three times as much debt as there is assets at the state level,” said research director Geoffrey Lawrence.
The grant also funds two full-time ISBE employees to support the program’s implementation and work with districts on other “green energy” initiatives. Whether Lion Electric would be the supplier of such buses as part of the $19.9 million program wasn’t clear.
Several factors contribute to the concern over the grid’s future. A growing number of data centers in the U.S. and in Illinois are demanding massive amounts of energy. The state’s fossil fuel industry is – by design – in decline. The state also isn’t bringing renewable energy online quickly enough, according to a lead sponsor of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act – Gov. JB Pritzker’s marquee climate legislation that seeks to decarbonize the state’s electric grid by 2045.
While the bag tax paid by Chicago consumers will increases from seven cents to ten cents per bag, retailers will now only be able to keep one cent from each bag versus the current two cents.
Among them, Illinois will transition to destination-based sourcing for retailers that are responsible for remitting sales taxes on retail sales of tangible personal property that occur outside of Illinois but that are made by a business with a physical presence in Illinois.
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, who represents much of west central and northwestern Illinois, said he’s still reviewing the stop-gap bill that congressional leaders are trying to push through. He said there are several parts of the stopgap budget bill he supports, including measures to support Illinois farmers, like allowing year-round sales of E-15 gasoline
Erin Wilcox, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed the lawsuit against the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship on behalf of the American Alliance for Equal Rights, said the Supreme Court reasoned that “just general societal discrimination is not enough anymore. That’s the standard that we’re holding Illinois to.”
“New Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, elected on promises to take a harder line on accused criminals than her progressive predecessor, has said the office will prosecute more crimes. Cook County judges likely will see more defendants before them, which logic suggests will mean more people headed to Cook County Jail but also more defendants wearing ankle bracelets.”
“This fall, city officials began closing temporary migrant shelters, signaling an end to Chicago’s emergency response to the new arrivals. Yet the seemingly endless line outside the state resource center is a visible reminder of the daily struggles thousands of migrants still face in Chicago.”
The small business network Alignable reports that nearly half of the small business owners in Illinois (48 percent) said they could not pay their rent on time and in full. Only one other state, Arizona, had a higher percentage. Head researcher Chuck Casto said Illinois is an outlier because conditions improved nationwide.
Alderman Brendan Reilly said Mayor Brandon Johnson’s blend of gimmicks guarantees the need for a massive property tax hike next year. “Delaying a $40 million line of credit payment for a year to avoid a property tax isn’t savings. That payment is now going to cost us the same $40 million next year, plus interest penalties,” Reilly said.
Since their last referendum failed 10 years ago, more than half the counties in the state have created such sales taxes, including Sangamon, Peoria, Champaign, and Macon counties, Mouser said.
Jim Dey: “After presenting evidence for roughly three months, prosecutors who believe they’re doing the lord’s work Wednesday rested their corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, but not their bodies.”
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski says some may applaud the state’s increasing population after 10 years of losses, but the numbers paint an ominous picture. “I would call this the big illegal immigration census count,” Dabrowski said. “You had California, New York and Illinois, three big losers over the last decade, suddenly gain in population and it’s all due to the way they are counting now illegal immigrants.”
Leyden Township Supervisor Rocco Biscaglio said unfunded mandates put local governments in a tough spot. “When we have a mandate for more service without additional money, we have no choice but to raise taxes, cut other services or risk not complying with the law,” Biscaglio said.
A thoughtful look at the roots of Obama’s strategy in Illinois with David Axelrod.
Several proposals to increase the pension benefits of Tier 2 workers – government workers hired after 2010 – are being floated in Illinois. Considering so much is still unknown about the need for any changes, it would be political malpractice for lawmakers to pass any purported “fixes” to Tier 2.
Ted joined Dan and Amy to talk about how Chicago’s latest budget nickels and dimes residents and contains no real cuts, why next year’s budget problems will be even worse, how our politicians get away with lying about Illinois’ problems, and more.
While Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson scraped together enough votes to pass a 2025 budget with a patchwork of tax hikes, the city’s fiscal woes are far from over.
“He’s one big, fat projectionist,” he added. “For him to say that Trump is a congenital liar, he frankly ought to look in the mirror. That’s him.”
The schools chief’s ouster at a special meeting called for 5:45 p.m. Friday — with classes having been dismissed for winter break — would make for an extraordinary resolution to the battle between Martinez and Mayor Brandon Johnson. And it would come days before a deadline set by the Chicago Teachers Union to reach a contract agreement.
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