Results tagged “patquinn”

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.

Earlier this year, lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn decided, in the midst of a state budget crisis, to cut funding for the MAP grants financial aid program, and fund only half of the $440 million program, just enough to get the quarter of Illinois' college students that rely on MAP through the first half of the school year. If lawmakers don't restore the funds during their fall session in Springfield this week, the 137,000 undergraduates could find their educations at risk.

Yesterday Illinois State Congressman Mike Quigley threw his support behind Pat Quinn for a full term as governor in 2010. At a press conference Monday morning, Quigley said “Our state has been paying the cost of corruption for too long; now more than ever, we can't afford it.” With the state still reeling from the omnipresent punchline that is former Governor Rod Blagojevich, Quigley joked that “Hunting for corruption in Illinois is like hunting for cows. They come up to you and moo. It's hard to govern when people are laughing about this government instead of functioning.”

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:

The Service Employees International Union is expected to announce today it will endorse Gov. Pat Quinn in next year's gubernatorial election. The 180,000 member organization plans to join forces with the 110,000 member Teamsters to support Quinn. Both organizations are largely concentrated in Cook County. Meanwhile, both the carpenters and laborers unions have endorsed Quinn's primary opponent, state comptroller Dan Hynes. [Sun-Times]

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.

Governor Quinn and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis were among the democratic leaders at Federal Plaza Tuesday pumping up organized labor and liberal advocacy groups in support of President Obama’s health care reform proposal. Hundreds attended to unite against the current insurance system and build momentum for the president’s proposal. As no good rally is without counter-protestors, conservative activists like Eric Odom also made a showing, he told Chicago Breaking News: “We basically feel the legislation being pushed through (is) very dangerous”, and “We are really pushing for everybody to take a deep breath and really look at what we’re getting into and not just jump into something…that’s going to cost us for years to come”.

Severe thunderstorms across the Midwest on Friday and Saturday have left about 63,500 people without power in southern Illinois. Strong winds that reached up to 100 mph toppled hundreds of utility poles and downed electric wires in Carbondale, Marion and surrounding areas about 300 miles southwest of Chicago.

Stepping in to do what Governor Pat Quinn has been unwilling or unable to, House Speaker Mike Madigan introduced legislation Thursday that would, in one fell swoop, terminate all political appointments who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009. To wit, the Officials and Employees Termination Act of 2009, HB4450,

Provides that the terms of office or employment of all designated officials and employees are terminated, by operation of law, effective on the effective date of the Act. The designated officials and employees are (i) the heads, assistant heads, and deputy heads of executive State agencies who were nominated by the Governor between January 11, 1999 and January 29, 2009 for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (ii) members of executive boards or commissions who were nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate, (iii) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, whose employment in a Rutan exempt position began between those dates, (iv) employees of executive State agencies or executive boards or commissions, appointed to a term appointment between those dates, and (v) any other official or employee who was nominated by the Governor between those dates for a position that requires the advice and consent of the Senate.

Governor Quinn sat down with the St. Louis-Dispatch Editorial Board for an interview recently and he's raised $250,000 so far towards his 2010 reelection fund.

"Yeah," Quinn said, when asked whether he will run in November 2010 to keep the seat he assumed 12 weeks ago. "I think I've done a good job. I plan to do that (run for election). I see no reason not to."

The Sun-Times is reporting that Governor Pat Quinn will appoint Quentin Young to head the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board Friday. The Chicago-based physician is best known for his advocacy of a single-payer healthcare system in the United States. He's also been an outspoken activist for social-justice in healthcare policy, serving as Chairman of Medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago from 1972 to 1981, and as President of of the American Public Health Association. He's currently National Coordinator and CEO for Physicians for a National Health Program.

Somewhat lost amongst all the tax day Tea Parties yesterday was something that could actually have a direct action on how government works around here. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced the launch of a new state website, whistleblower.ilinois.gov, which gives the scoop on how citizens -- even government employees -- can spill the goods on known corruption in state and local government. The seed of this program started in 1991, when Quinn was a part of a team that helped enact a "state whistleblower protection act" to shield people from retaliation for coming forward. The Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act, introduced by Rep. John Fritchey, and which went into affect January 1, 2008, expanded those protections further and sweetened the pot -- the "whistleblower" now can get a reward of "up to 30% of the amount recovered as a reward upon completion of a successful whistleblower suit.."

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Pat Quinn in visiting Andrew Jackson Elementary School on Chicago's West side Tuesday. Duncan discussed the $3 billion in funding that the state would get as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. $2 billion of those funds will go to the state's Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which Quinn wants to use to make general aid payments to the state's school districts. The remaining $1 billion in funding will go to support programs and operations in public schools around Illinois. "These funds allow Illinois to pay its bills to schools quickly, which keeps our teachers teaching and protects our children," Quinn said.

2010 may be a wild election year in Illinois. That is, if anyone can make up their minds about what they want to do. 7th District Congressman Danny Davis hopes Roland Burris will make up his mind already about running for re-election. Davis told Chicago Public Radio on Monday that Burris's decision will affect his decision about whether to run for Senate next year. "That would play seriously in the thinking of any African American who may be interested," he said. "I'm hoping that the senator will hurry up and publicly let people know whether he intends to run for election." Well, we already know how Burris is leaning.

Governor Pat Quinn was in Chicago's West Lawn neighborhood this weekend to sign into law a bill that extends a 90 day grace period to homeowners facing foreclosure. The bill, which passed the state legislature in late January, prohibits lenders from beginning foreclosure proceedings during the first 30 days of delinquency. After that, lenders are required to tell homeowners that they have 30 days after that period to seek credit counseling. Homeowners who get counseling from a HUD-approved credit counselor then have an additional 30 days to work out a plan to begin making payments on their home loan again.

Just in time for the International Olympic Committee's visit to Chicago to evaluate the city's bid to host the games in 2016, the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee has reached an agreement with several community groups on affordable housing, contracting opportunities and jobs. The City Council’s Finance Committee is expected to vote on the legally binding agreement this morning. Some community have been threatening to embarrass the city with pickets and protests next week when the IOC arrives if the city doesn't agree to benefits for residents if the Olympics comes to Chicago in 2016. "The (agreement) they've come up with is a really good deal," 4th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle told Crain's. "We're a long way down the road from where we were in December. They met us more than halfway."

Governor Quinn said Wednesday that he plans to reopen several state historic sites that former governor Rod Blagojevich closed late last year. At the time, Blagojevich said that cutting nearly $3 million from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency was necessary to plug a hole in the state budget. Quinn has already reopened several state parks that Blagojevich closed along with the historic sites. Although the state is facing an unprecedented budget crisis this year, the governor says that merging state agencies will offset the cost of the reopenings.

For two hours this morning on WLS 890 AM*, it was wall-to-wall Rod Blagojevich as he sat his impeached ass in the host's chair normally filled by Don Wade & Roma. Acting as fill-in talk show host for the vacationing morning duo, the former Governor and current presumable Mr. Mom held court over the 50k watt blowtorch that is the WLS radio signal.

Just days after giving his budget address to state legislators, Governor Pat Quinn challenged critics to come up with some solutions of their own. "It's easy to chirp about making a budget better," the governor told the Tribune editorial board. "If you've got a better plan, you'd better lay it out now because we are in a crisis." Quinn acknowledged that his plan to raise taxes and cut state spending may cost him politically, but he's also counting on honesty paying off at the ballot box. "My hunch is that people will rather have a governor that levels with them and sometimes delivers information that may not be easy to hear about, but is absolutely essential for the well-being of our state and the common good," Quinn said. "Most political consultants would say don't do what we're doing, I suppose, if you're just interested in your personal election future. But here I am."

As state lawmakers began to contemplate the hard decisions they faced with the governor's new budget proposal, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton indicated he was willing to entertain an approach that has been used during previous economic downturns: a temporary state income tax hike. Twice in the 1980s Governor Jim Thompson signed temporary tax increases into law, although the second increase, passed in 1989, became permanent under Governor Jim Edgar. "So that's something which could be suggested, if people were actually willing to vote for it, if that's the condition that helps get the 30 votes we need to pass it too," Cullerton told the Tribune, referring to the number of votes needed to pass the state senate.

Pat Quinn gave his first State of the State address Wednesday, addressing directly the gaping budget hole Illinois faces, and making his case for raising taxes and cutting the budget in what is quite possibly the biggest economic crisis the state has faced in generations. “Our state is staggering to pay an $11.5 billion deficit, and we have a mountain of unpaid bills. The Illinois economy is also in crisis. Unemployment is rising. Our people are hurting,” Quinn said Wednesday. As Quinn talked about a mix of tax increases, budget cuts and changed in the benefits that state employees enjoy, legislative leaders acknowledged that tax hikes were likely. "It's very likely that we'll have to have an income-tax [increase], but the form that it takes, the amount the exemptions would be, are all negotiable—and only after we've done the cutting the governor's talked about," Senate President John Cullerton said. But those increases won't happen until the general assembly sees both the budget cuts and government reforms that Quinn has promised.

Even before Gov. Pat Quinn releases details on his proposed income tax hike which he calls "the least bad option," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has already taken a jab at a tax increase, which folks are saying is the "opening shot" in her bid for the governor's office next year:

Worried that financial guarantees don't match those of rival 2016 Olympic candidates Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio, Chicago 2016 is asking the state to increase its financial guarantee of taxpayer money from $150 million to $250 million. The $150 million was originally set by former governor Rod Blagojevich, but current gov Pat Quinn supports giving the extra money. Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky said, "We've always anticipated working with the state on a guarantee and that's the start of that process." [Trib, ABC 7]

The Doomsday Clock for Roland "The Lord's Senator" Burris just clicked closer to midnight. A recently released Zogby International poll [.pdf] shows that support for Burris in the 2010 senatorial race stands tall at 5.3 percent. In most elections, we're pretty sure Snoopy gets more voter support than that. Alexi Giannoulias is the frontrunner in the senate race with both Dems and independent voters - although Giannoulias leads with independent voters by only 0.3% over Mark Kirk.

In another episode of the ongoing Roland Burris drama, the embattled Senator addressed supporters Sunday at New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church. Although he made no mention of recent calls for his resignation, he promised supporters that he's been working hard to represent them in congress. Noting his support for the recently passed economic stimulus package, Burris went on to point to a voting rights bill he voted for and legislation he introduced to recognize the slaves who helped build the Capitol. "Let me assure you that I will continue to serve you with the fullest of my ability, and that I will never, ever let you down. I will continue to serve you with honesty and integrity. That's all I know," Burris told congregants, community residents and clergy.

The governor is scheduled to make an announcement this morning that several state parks, closed by Rod Blagojevich as a cost cutting measure in response to state budget pressures, will be re-opened. The announcement, to be held at at the Department of Natural Resources headquarters in Springfield, will be "good news because that was just a huge economic loss to our district and the rest of the state,” said Dixon Democrat Sen. Tim Bivins. “I think anybody who likes the state parks of Illinois will like what we have to say,” Quinn spokesman Robert Reed told the Peoria Journal Star.

In an interview with the Sun-Times's Lynn Sweet on Tuesday, Governor Pat Quinn affirmed that he'll run for re-election in 2010. "I have no reason not to run," Quinn said. "I think I am doing a good job today. I anticipate I will continue to do that. Stabilizing the ship of Illinois is vitally necessary. I think even in the first three-and-a-half weeks we've done a decent job of turning a page in an unhappy chapter in the state's history," he told her.

While Washington was busy trying to figure out how to leverage the federal government's largess to kick the economy back into a normal business cycle, our new governor Pat Quinn was busy restricting state spending. Facing a $9 billion deficit, Quinn has ordered state agencies to cut spending by one percent, exempting education, has ordered that job vacancies not be filled, and is curtailing spending on travel and equipment. "Nobody likes to cut back, but sometimes that's what's necessary," Quinn said. "We have to make sure that state government is lean and cuts cost wherever it can."

The last six weeks have been pretty wild for us here in Illinois. We've seen the appointment of a new U.S. Senator (Roland Burris) and the promotion of the Lt. Governor (Pat Quinn). The Tribune recently conducted a poll seeking favorability ratings for Quinn and Burris. The poll was taken from 500 registered voters in early February with a 4.4 percent margin of error. And what did the poll find?

Shortly after meeting with President Barack Obama and the other big wigs in D.C. today, Governor Pat Quinn announced that he will focus on passing the much needed, (and much delayed) capital spending bill. Setting April 3 as the date, Quinn told the press that "it will give us a target to shoot at and keep an urgent approach," and mentioned that while he planned to present the date to the legislature Wednesday, he had already discussed it privately with some members of the General Assembly. "We will (pass a capital bill)," said Quinn, adding that he will present the bill, along with the rest of his budget, to the public and the legislature on March 18.