Results tagged “quinn”

Monday was the deadline for candidates to drop from races - a la Danny Davis in the Cook County Board President's race - and to file challenges to petitions. WBEZ is on top of the latest developments with an updated candidate list as is Chicago Current. Perhaps the most noteworthy challenges come in the aforementioned Cook Co. race as both Dorothy Brown and incumbent Todd Stroger have had their petitions challenged. Brown's challenge is no surprise given the recent accusations of shenanigans but we're a little surprised to see Stroger challenged but given the heated nature of this campaign, maybe we shouldn't be.

• A pair of area deaths related to H1N1 have been reported. In related news, a truck with 900 H1N1 vaccine doses was stolen in Milwaukee though police have apprehended a suspect.
• As the search continues for a hit & run driver responsible for the death of 25-year-old Rachel Gilliam, a surveillance tape is making the rounds that shows the alleged car that moments later hit Gilliam and her family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the driver.
• With 1,000 officers eligible to retire, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis admits he's "nervous" about retirements cutting into the CPD's already thinned ranks.

Even as the bill cutting free rides for seniors went down in flames, it seems the state legislature did manage to pass something as they sent the campaign finance reform bill to Gov. Quinn who is expected to sign it into law. Of course, the bill didn't come easy. While Democrats pushed the bill through, state Republicans have insisted that the bill doesn't go far enough in limiting donations. The bill, which passed by a 36-22 margin in the senate, marks the first time in the state's history limits have been imposed on campaign donations. For those late to the issue, the Tribune explains:

AFSCME workers in Illinois scored a victory yesterday when Judge Todd Lambert issued an injunction to put the proposed layoffs of nearly 2600 workers on hold. The layoffs were scheduled to begin Wednesday, with almost 500 state workers getting the ax. Judge Lambert ruled that the State of Illinois and AFSCME must enter negotiations or arbitration before layoffs can proceed. AFSCME Executive Director Henry Bayer said, “This is a real victory for our members - those impacted by the layoffs, their families and the well-being of their communities.”

As Governor Quinn struggles to find ways to balance the state budget without help from the General Assembly, an unlikely duo of litigants have filed separate suits to stop cuts in state spending and further tax hikes. AFSCME, the largest public employee union in the state filed suit in Johnson County earlier this week to prevent the 2,600 layoffs that Quinn has threatened to impose if an agreement can't be reached the cut the state's payroll obligations. And Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz has filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new video poker law as well as liquor, candy and a menu of other tax increases set to take effect September 1.

Governor Quinn and Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees met this week over ways that the state and the largest union representing state employees could work out ways to save Illinois money. But neither party had much to say about the conversation. Quinn termed the meeting "constructive", and said that his office will meet with members of the union's bargaining committee to discuss avoiding potential layoffs or furlough days.

State legislators may need more time to "warm up" to an income tax increase. Which is why Governor Pat Quinn will take a break from his 67 percent income tax rate hike proposal, giving legislators until the fall to make a decision. Quinn told the Tribune he would focus on passing a "bare bones budget" to meet government needs until the tax hike is reconsidered in the fall.

Despite threats he wouldn't do it, Governor Quinn is slated to sign a $29 billion public works bill on Monday. Quinn had supported the bill since the beginning but had threatened to not sign it in the wake of the failure to secure his desired state budget. Quinn also said yesterday that he'd be willing to work with legislators on a five-month budget to get the state through the end of the year and buy time to work on a more long-term spending plan. [Crain's, Tribune]

That's right, Illinois, it's an exciting day as the new Fiscal Year has begun and- what? There's no budget but rather a huge budget hole? Between $7 billion and $9 billion? Shit. Didn't we just boot a corrupt as all Hell governor so that the state government could right this sinking ship? Well...crap.

As time runs out for a new state budget, Governor Quinn is mulling over the possibility of calling a special session to hash it out. Quinn expressed a desire to have a new budget done in the next 10 days. He told WBEZ, "I plan to get together next week with the legislators, we'll talk tomorrow about how the mechanism is, but I think they understand they may have gone home for the summer-- summer vacation -- but their work isn't done." Yesterday, Quinn said up to 10,000 state workers could lose their jobs if the budget wasn't fixed from its current state.

State legislators approved a huge $29 billion public works program to create jobs and repair the state’s infrastructure, however roughly $500 million can be spent in legislator’s home districts on pet projects such as $50k for the Candlewick Lake Association, a gated lakefront community near Rockford with a 220-acre lake and a 9-hole golf course. The community did not ask for the money but according to Candlewick’s general manager, “We certainly will find good use for it,” he told WBBM. Other projects slated for grants include:

House Democrats passed a 50 percent income tax hike for the next two years today, but final approval is still questionable as the General Assembly moves one day closer to adjourning.The proposal was a move to get lawmakers who didn't approve of Quinn's permanent hike on board. Although Quinn has previously said he wouldn't stand for a permanent hike, he "backed off that position today," the Chicago Tribune reports. Republicans say they "aren't ready" to vote for a tax hike, noting it also includes increasing the cigarette tax and decreasing public pension plan payments.

In an effort to tackle the $11.6 billion budget deficit, Gov. Quinn proposed a pension reform plan that, according to Fox Chicago, would cut in half the amount of money put into retirement systems for state employees over the next five years.

Governor Pat Quinn selected Michael P. Randle to head the state's Department of Corrections. Randle. Randle served as the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and will replace Director Roger Walker, a Blagojevich appointment. Prior to naming Randle, Quinn announced that he would make reviewing Tamms Correctional Center, the state's supermax prison, a priority.

Governor Quinn said Tuesday that he would soon name a new state corrections director, and that one of his top priorities for that post is a review of conditions at the state's Tamms Correctional Center, the state's supermax prison downstate. The facility, which keeps male prisoners in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, was designed to be a one-year "shock treatment" facility, a place to house the worst of the worst for short periods. According to human rights groups, however, over one-third of the inmates in Tamms have been there for over ten years. The regimen of long-term isolation, however, has been criticized by prisoner and human rights groups.

Mayor Daley put on his judging pants yesterday and spoke out about a few things, though none of it was like Shakespeare. First, he took to the defense of our new governor, Pat Quinn. During a recording of WLS' "Connected to Chicago," set to air Sunday afternoon, Daley said of Quinn:

Eleven state historic sites previously closed by former governor Rod Blagojevich - thanks to the budget - are now reopening. There was a public outcry when Blago shut the sites down on December 1, according to David Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Per the Trib:

Smokers in Illinois just can't seem to catch a break.

Gov. Quinn finally dug into a long list of pardon requests that date as far back as 2003, just after Governor Blagojevich took office. There are nearly 2,500 requests awaiting decision, and Quinn began by granting pardons to 11 of 31 requests dated January 2003. Said Quinn, "My administration is fully committed to erasing this shameful logjam of cases in a methodical manner and with all deliberate speed." According to the Tribune, the pardons were issued to Victor Cervantes, Dion Taylor, Jocelyn Stafford, Dann Bailey, Ronald Brown, Michael Cramer, Jeffrey Gordy, Valerie Hampton, Alan Huff, Charles Roach and Una Moore. [Tribune]

At a press conference yesterday, Gov. Quinn mentioned that he still supports a recall amendment and hopes to get state lawmakers to consider a proposal when they return from their current break. Then-governor Rod Blagojevich was able to (barely) block the last proposal in the state assembly last May, but Quinn remains cautiously optimistic about his chances of getting a recall amendment approved. Said Quinn, “When we get back…[it's] one of my goals—to try just as quickly as we can to put this before the people of Illinois...I think it’s the ultimate way to get ethics in government-- if the voters and taxpayers feel the incumbent is failing them and betraying the public trust." Quinn says his proposal would be limited to only elected officials instead of the last proposal, which included a wider scope of public officials. [WGN 720 AM]

Governor Quinn said in a press conference yesterday that he supports the proposal of the newly-minted reform commission that would put caps on personal campaign contributions. Quinn stopped short of supporting the specifics of the proposal - limiting contributions to $2,400 per person - but did embrace the idea. Quinn added he'll speak before the commission later this week to discuss some of his own reform ideas. [WBBM]

Gov. Quinn and Mayor Daley announced yesterday that the city of Chicago will be receiving $200 million to repair potholes and make street repairs. The money will be enough for 100 miles of street and bridge repairs. The state is pitching in $40 million, which the City can leverage to get another $150 from the federal government.

Expressing displeasure with the amount of money Chicago (and other cities) would get, Mayor Daley attacked Governor Quinn's proposed budget two weeks after the Governor first made his budget public. Said the Mayor, "We get no benefit. Then why should anybody be for it?" But Daley's complaints didn't stop there: he chided Quinn for a budget that lacked sufficient funding for things like transportation and education, claiming the Chicago Public School system would only get $54 million as opposed to the $200 million it needs. He also complained about the need to fund local governments as revenues drastically decrease:

While he won't reveal any details until a budget address on March 18, it seems Governor Quinn is looking to spend a lot of money in the coming year: $25 billion, to be precise. Quinn wants to spend the money, according to the Trib, on "a statewide construction program to improve schools, roads and bridges and create jobs." Said Quinn, “We hope to have a $25 billion… Illinois economic recovery investment program that invests in rail as well as highway and bridges and water and everything else. I think it’s imperative… but we have to get it passed. I’d like to see it passed by April 3, and we’re going to work very hard in that direction.”

Amid heated debate and personal invective, the proposed recall amendment stalled in the state senate yesterday. Rep. Jack Franks, the House Democrat who drafted the bill, said that it was aimed at Blagojevich. "I wouldn't have drafted it if I thought things were going well," Franks said. Along with Franks, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who supports recall, urged senators to pass the bill before May 4, the deadline to get the amendment before voters on the November ballot. "This Senate has to have the fortitude not to duck the issue," Quinn said. Jones said it was unfair to give the senate so little time to consider such a bill. "You waited all that time to force us at that deadline," Jones said. "We have an obligation over here as well."