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Universities Demand Late State Payments

A group of university presidents and chancellors are asking Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Hynes to set a schedule for the $735 million their schools are owed in late state payments.

Tue, 11:05am

Sneed: Duckworth Tops Quinn's Lt. Gov Wishlist

Tue, 09:40am

Turner, Boland Make Their Pitch For Lt. Gov Nomination (VIDEO)

Tue, 08:27am

General Assembly To Take Up Crime Lab Reforms

Tue, 08:23am

CTA, Union Reach Tentative Deal But Service Cuts Remain

Tue, 08:18am

Court Clears The Way For O'Hare Expansion

Quick Hits

Bite-sized updates from the PI staff »

Dumke On The Daley Record

You should read Mick Dumke's full post on Mayor Daley's newfound appetite for reform over at the Reader website.  But we just have to reprint this excerpt in which he lists the various reasons why Chicagoans might have lost confidence in City Hall:

Daley's complete co-opting of the City Council, his use of patronage workers to bully opponents and win elections, the Duff scandal, the Hired Truck scandal, the illegal hiring scandal, his support for the installation of Todd Stroger as county board president, the decline of city services, the festering murder problem, the deterioration of the CTA, the deterioration of the city parks, the privatization of public space, the privatization of the public schools, the sale of the parking meters, or the use of taxpayer money to subsidize profitable corporations while the rest of us are trying to pay our property taxes or rent.

It's good to be reminded of the big picture sometimes.

By Josh Kalven
Tuesday, February 9th 1:19pm

Number Of The Day: 141,843

As the recession lingers, food stamps have been a saving grace for Illinois families struggling to get back on their feet. But because of the state budget crisis, Illinois is still failing to extend food aid to families who need it most. In 2007 alone, $85 million worth of assistance went unclaimed in the Chicago area, according the the Food Research and Action Center's analysis of federal data.

The problem, the Illinois Hunger Coalition's Diane Doherty tells the Chicago Reporter, is that the Illinois Department of Human Services is increasingly "understaffed at the same time that the number of households who are seeking help has skyrocketed.” The stress on the agency only grew worse when they decided to shutter numerous field offices last year.  It's no wonder that 141,843 impoverished Illinoisans are missing out on this crucial subsidy.

By Angela Caputo
Tuesday, February 9th 12:35pm

Hutchison Asks: "What's The Cost Of Doing Nothing?"

With the primary election in the rearview mirror, Illinois lawmakers have found yet another excuse for punting on the state's budget crisis: the general election. Mind you, there's no shortage of academics, lawmakers, journalists, or policy wonks making the case that a tax hike is neccessary and inevitable. Still, State Sen. President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) says lawmakers are "unlikely" to pass an income tax increase in an election year. In an interview with the Illinois Statehouse News, State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) asks, "What’s the cost of doing nothing?” The word meltdown comes to mind.

By Angela Caputo
Tuesday, February 9th 11:29am

"Fraught With Peril"

In their Tribune article on the process of replacing the Democratic lieutenant governor candidate, Rick Pearson and Ray Long write: "The unusual selection process is fraught with peril for Democrats. They are essentially substituting their judgment for those of the voters."  That's exactly right -- and all the more reason why the Democratic leaders should explain to voters as soon as possible how they plan to carry out this decision.

By Josh Kalven
Tuesday, February 9th 10:28am

The Advisers

The State Journal-Register's Chris Wetterich makes an interesting point in a new blog post: "[Scott Lee] Cohen ought to be livid at whomever was advising him for letting him think, apparently from the start, that he could weather such a storm."  Those advisers would be the consulting firm Grainger Terry.  Political researcher Will Caskey noted yesterday that they earned $628,000 from Cohen's campaign in 2009 (and probably a bit more in January 2010).  He added, "It is not a wise gamble that someone's conscience will outweigh his paycheck." 

Indeed, the folks at Grainger Terry are probably the only ones to benefit from this whole debacle.  Excluding the Republicans, of course.

4 comments
By Josh Kalven
Tuesday, February 9th 9:36am

From the archives

2009: The Year In Quotes

It was a long, eventful, and not-always-productive year in Illinois.  We saw lots of good intentions, plenty of bad ones, and way too many of ugly realities.  Relive the year in politics through our collection of quotes.

The Showdown In Chicago: Our Full Coverage

On October 25, 2009, members of the American Bankers Association (ABA) descended on downtown Chicago for their annual conference. But local progressives didn't let the bankers party in peace, holding a string of events aimed at highlighting the growing public discontent with the banking industry.

Getting Creative With Daley's TIF Network

As the city of Chicago grappled with a $300 million budget shortfall, we proposed three potential changes to Mayor Daley's sprawling tax increment financing (TIF) system that could free up some much-needed funds for cash-starved local taxing bodies. 

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