We all know Illinois taxes are going up, but very little is paid attention to the exorbitant fees we're paying too. In fiscal year 2009 there were 1,394 fees imposed collecting $7.069 billion. These fees range from vehicle registration to fishing licenses. Oddly enough, fee imposition and collection is slightly down from years past. more ›

We all know about the Gordian Knot that is Illinois' budget deficit. But the Land of Lincoln is not alone in having to deal with a deficit. A "60 Minutes" segment last night focused on the current and looming financial meltdowns in Illinois and other states. more ›

Jerry Stermer, Governor Quinn’s chief of staff resigned yesterday in the face of possible ethics violations. The Sun-Times reports Stermer used a state email address for campaign business. Stermer reported the violation to former Executive Inspector General James A. Wright, who was removed from office the same day the Governor was briefed about Stermer’s emails. In a statement, Stermer said he “used my state email account to send three emails that the Office of Executive Inspector General later found to be prohibited under the state's Ethics Act.” He added “I do not want to be a distraction for the governor, the work of his administration and - most importantly - for the people of Illinois.” more ›

"If democracy means anything, it means that the campaign with the most votes win...It wasn't us." With those words, Dan Hynes officially conceded the Democratic Governor's nomination to Gov. Quinn. An emotional Hynes thanked his friends and family and also threw his support behind Gov. Quinn for the general election. Now all eyes turn to the GOP who have yet to hash out the votes to determine their nominee. more ›

Dan Hynes, the opponent to Gov. Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor, will make an announcement from his campaign headquarters at 10 a.m. this morning. Speculation is that he will concede the race to Gov. Quinn. As of last night, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Gov. Quinn held a lead of just over 8,000 votes. The margin, though, is still less than one percent, well within the range necessary to ask for a recount. Still, President Obama made a congratulatory phone call to Quinn yesterday and Quinn himself has declared victory, so all signs point to concession. more ›

The investigation at Burr Oak Cemetery became the focal point in the race for governor on Saturday as Governor Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes traded barbs about the scandal. The ABC7 I-Team revealed through memos and emails they obtained that top officials in Comptroller Hynes' office knew in 2003 that there were unearthed human remains at Burr Oak Cemetery. Hynes claims that neither he nor anyone in his office suspected that occupied burial plots were being emptied and reused. more ›

If you were following the Democratic gubernatorial primary last week, you saw the explosion of furor over an ad that Dan Hynes ran, using Harold Washington's words to smear Governor Pat Quinn. The ad made it seem like Washington had fired Quinn from his position as Washington's revenue director, and that Washington regarded Quinn with contempt and disgust. But like many things in politics (especially here in Illinois) there's often more to the story than what's being told. more ›

• Dan Hynes campaign for governor got a posthumous boost from the late Mayor Harold Washington -- who, it's worth noting, couldn't stand Hynes' father, Tom -- in a a new political ad which replays some not-so-glowing words Washington had for Gov. Pat Quinn, who Washington shitcanned in 1987.
• Two thousand Chicago Teamsters are gearing up to vote "yes" next week on authorizing a strike which would put an immediate stop to snow plowing and garbage pickup services. Sounds like a great plan since, you know, Mayor Daley doesn't want to privatize those services or anything.
• Weight loss specialist and constant talk radio advertising presence Dr. Gautum Gupta had his five Illinois clinics searched by the Feds yesterday.

It seems that the Andy McKenna campaign has riled both the Gov. Quinn campaign as well as the Chicago Tribune after using an alleged quote from a Tribune article that both the Trib and the Quinn says the McKenna folks made up. The ad continues to attempt to tie Quinn to our most recent corrupt ex-gov, Rod Blagojevich. more ›

The campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor is getting dirtier by the day as the Hynes campaign leaked a video showing Quinn falling asleep during a particularly "heart wrenching speech" about health care. We've all been there, we've all dozed off during a staff meeting or on a conference call. But we've been lucky enough to not have our campaign rival videotaping us before taking 40 winks. [via NBC 5] more ›

Though he wasn’t dressed in a flight suit, Governor Pat Quinn declared “missions accomplished” in today's debate with rival Democratic candidate Dan Hynes. The hour long debate took place at the Union League Club of Chicago, with Hynes and Quinn trading barbs over pension reform, personality traits and the state budget. Quinn reminded attendees that he took over in a very “dark hour” in Illinois history and that he “got missions accomplished whether it’s in ethics or getting things done for ordinary people in the budget or getting jobs.” more ›

Former state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka is back in the political spotlight. Topinka is expected to announce her candidacy today for state comptroller, a position vacated by Dan Hynes as he gets knee-deep in his run against Pat Quinn for Governor. We last heard from Topinka in 2006 when she challenged the then-incumbent governor, Rod Blagojevich, in that office's race. Other candidates include William J. Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and potentially state Rep. David Miller. more ›

Already looked in a heated battle with fellow Democrat Dan Hynes for the Democratic primary, Gov. Pat Quinn - who replaced ex-governor Rod Blagojevich when Blago was impeached and removed from office last winter - went through the formality this morning of officially announcing his run for governor in 2010. The announcement comes in the wake of one poll that puts Quinn's approval rating at only 45 percent. The primary is February 2, 2010. Be sure to check out Kevin's 2007 interview with Gov. Quinn. more ›

With the recent announcement by Republican Andrew McKenna that he's entering the fray for Governor in next year's election, the Illinois gubernatorial election is heating up. With the primary election on February 2nd 2010 quickly approaching, plenty of candidates have stepped up to fight for the right to lead Illinois. Here is a quick run down of some of the major candidates: more ›

Things got a little heated today at a panel hearing regarding the Burr Oak Cemetery desecration case. Specifically, State Rep. Ken Dunkin and State Comptroller Dan Hynes had a heated exchange over who was responsible for overseeing and regulating cemeteries. WBEZ has more, including audio. more ›

Even though he formally announced his bid for Governor almost a month ago, Comptroller Dan Hynes has finally launched his full campaign and unveiled his tax plan for battling the state's budget crunch. CBS 2 has more on Hynes' plan and The Reader has some more info as well. more ›

State Comptroller Dan Hynes has announced he's taking on Gov. Pat Quinn in next year's gubernatorial race. As a fellow Dem, if he wants to nomination, he'll have to first knock of Quinn in the party's primary. We'll have more on this later, but for now, The Reader's Mick Dumke has a solid look at Hynes. more ›

State Comptroller Dan Hynes is saying there's still time to save payments to state workers in spite of the fact there's no budget and state lawmakers are waiting until July 14 to return to Springfield, one day before the next checks are scheduled to go out. Hynes says the payroll will be ready to go in case a budget is finalized. In addition, Hynes told WBEZ that social services won't be hurt until later in the summer since money is not immediately delivered, even when the state has a working budget: "If they provided services today, by the time they got their paperwork into the agency and it's submitted to our office, and with the cashflow delays we're having, we're talking several months. So that's why the day-to-day social services don't have a real, hard-and-fast deadline like a payroll does." It's the first time we've heard a "Don't Panic" from a state official, but it's being drowned out by the political posturing of those in charge of putting together the budget. more ›

Talk about awkward. Governor Rod Blagojevich will be in Springfield tomorrow to preside over the state senate to swear in new senators for the new legislative session. And the second item on the senate's agenda after swearing in the newbies? Finalizing rules for Blago's impeachment trial which begins January 26. So what kind of reception will the embattled governor receive. Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes said, "I would say that he would be lucky to just get silence as opposed to outright boos," and Rep. Susana Mendoza added, "I think he should just stay away." Ouch. We imagine it'll probably go something like this: more ›

Looks like the Thompson Center may see a mob of repo-men pretty soon. That’s because Comptroller Dan Hynes says the state’s backlog of unpaid bills could reach $5 billion by next year. According to the AP, Hynes sent out a letter to state leaders warning them of the fiscal crisis. “While it may have become a habit to dismiss my pronouncements as more of the same gloom and doom, the consequences of inaction are very real and potentially catastrophic,” Hynes said in the statement. He cautioned lawmakers that if nothing is done, state troopers might not be able to buy gasoline and food suppliers to state prisons will stop making deliveries. more ›

Our Esteemed Governor, Rod Blagojevich, has announced a press conference this afternoon to discuss the possibility of a commission to discuss who might possibly take over for YESHECAN when he takes office in January. Rather than handicap all the possibilities for the vacant seat, here's a quick list of "maybes" and we'll leave it to you to virtually wager your digital matchsticks or Halloween candy miniatures on who's going to get the nod. Here's some of the people who've been mentioned: more ›

As the Democratic National Convention got underway last night, much of focus has been on the ongoing Clinton-Obama struggle and an appearance by stricken Senator Ted Kennedy. But Monday night, with the theme of "One Nation" focusing on Barack's background, featured a plethora of Chicago and Illinois politicians stumping for Candidate Obama, including the ladies of the Obama family. Amongst the Chicago politicians who spoke yesterday (though you wouldn't know it given the way Wolf Blitzer talked incessantly over the speeches - viva la C-SPAN!) was Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who used old-school baseball analogies for Obama and the Clintons:

“Barack Obama has the capacity to hit,” Jackson said a breakfast panel just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention. “But he is in the situation where he can’t hit back, which Jackie Robinson could not do…He had to be able to run the bases, even though the crowd was jeering the first African-American on the field...He has to keep smiling, because no one wants an angry African-American man in the White House.” more ›

While several of his rivals have been given speaking engagements at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, it seems there's no room for Governor Blagojevich on stage. We already know Mayor Mumbles is speaking and new speakers recently added to list include state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Comptroller Dan Hynes, and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan. But is Balgo's exclusion that big of a surprise? Given that Obama's campaign gets final say-so in choosing speakers, it shouldn't come as a shock, in spite of Obama and G-Rod's former ties (coughRezkocough). more ›