CapFax: (state senate president) Harmon still waiting for “clear direction” from mayor on elected school board

What's going on with that fully-elected schoolboard & what is that Chicago Teacher Union activist Mayor's position on this issue? Why won't he make a clear position on an elected schoolboard?

Harmon still waiting for “clear direction” from mayor on elected school board https://t.co/cWftLG4IqJ

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) January 17, 2024

 

Michael Madigan gives up his ward committeeman position

 Not exactly huge news, but worth sharing I suppose.

The base of Michael Madigan's power as Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party is being the committeeman for the 13th Ward. There was a reason that he had been the longest serving speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives since about 1983 until he resigned in early 2021.

Well he resigned from his seat in the Illinois General Assembly, he dropped out of the running for his Speakership as his continued leadership was said to be toxic in Democrat races around the state. It came out that there was a sexual harassment scandal involving people on his staff.

And then of course there is this ComEd bribery business. People connected with his organization have faced trial and he will have his federal trial next year on April 1, 2024 - sorry to note this it's April Fool's Day '24.

However for a man who had been so powerful and I respect some aspects of his cunning and political acumen it's amazing how far he has fallen from power. He gave up his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, his speakership, the chairmanship of the state party, and now his Democratic ward committeeman spot.

Times have truly changed.

Now petitions are circulating for next year. We vote for among other offices for President. In next years party primary one of those offices up for election is ward committeperson.

Frederick Walls for District 34 State Rep

 

[VIDEO] I just became aware of this candidate for state representative recently. He's a Republican who is running against incumbent Democrat state Rep. Nick Smith in the 34th District. You see what he is running on in this election. Mr. Walls holds very socially conservative views.

Here's a Q & A he did with the Kankakee Times as the 34th district goes into Kankakee County.

Capitol Fax: About that SAFE-T Act meme…

 This below meme is getting around with regards to the SAFE-T Act which is recently making the rounds. Have you seen this meme on Facebook or Instagram.

Rich Miller discusses the misinformation regarding the SAFE-T act especially "non-detainable" offenses.

BTW, how many of you have heard of The Purge franchise? You may have seen the movies where in a future America a "holiday" was created where most crimes are legal for a period of up to 12 hrs. So I'm mentioning this because those who share the above meme would call this the "Purge Law"

Springfield's response to the Chicago teacher's strike #twill

It's interesting to not only see some news about negotiation, especially about trying to negotiation issues that don't belong in a collective bargaining contract. However, the all powerful speaker of the state house of representatives is demonstrating that while he support CTU he won't attempt to advance any bills for them during this strike. Via Capitol Fax

Madigan defers consideration of CTU-backed bills until spring session https://t.co/fOlMBzNKzM

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 30, 2019

BTW, I do have to add I had no idea the mayor opposes an elected school board. It was noted in the post linked above.

Meanwhile today marks 10 days out of school for CPS students.

Chicago Teacher's strike updates

I haven't done a great job at keeping up with the strike so far on this blog. Classes have been cancelled all week for CPS students due to this impasse between the city and the teacher's union. Here are some items that might interest you from during the week via CapFax.


This first item from earlier this week involved the negotiations between the Mayor and the teachers. Funny thing about this is the notion that if you want to frustrate the process just bring more people to the table. Main thing is there is a real strategy to doing so if you know the other side has something to lose in this.

Pick a lane, please https://t.co/dUIUxtQn1C

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 22, 2019

This other item is from yesterday which aside from any mention of civil disobedience training also notes that there is some progress in recent negotiations. Perhaps students will be able to return to class soon, although it appears that student athletes who hope to go the their respective playoffs might have lost that opportunity.

Pressure intensifies on both sides as legislators stand with CTU https://t.co/bW3ySccRUx

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 24, 2019

Also in noting the title of that last post, some state politicians and city alderman have sided with the teacher's union publicly. It is hardly of any surprise that this needs to be a consideration, especially if the mayor has something to lose if this strike drags on and could affect her objectives with the General Assembly in Springfield.

Finally here are a couple of Instagram posts shared on Thursday from CPS with regards to their teachers union offer.

View this post on Instagram

In addition to raising the average teacher’s salary to $100K, we’re making significant investments to support students and schools.

A post shared by Chicago Public Schools (@chipubschools) on Oct 24, 2019 at 7:11am PDT

This other post is a video

View this post on Instagram

Our latest offer will raise the average teacher’s salary to nearly $100K, offers support staff double-digit raises, and provide a full-time nurse and social worker for every school, every day.

A post shared by Chicago Public Schools (@chipubschools) on Oct 24, 2019 at 10:20am PDT

Governor's mansion history from Curbed...

I liked this history of the state's Governor's Mansion and of all the work done to that Springfield house since it was first built. Of course all is noted in light of the renovations that will start this month and end just in time for the holidays. Via Curbed Chicago

After $15 million update in 2018, the Governor’s Mansion will close for more renovations. https://t.co/ktq0b7Th5o pic.twitter.com/Iqjcl1NPJ0

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) October 4, 2019

One thing to remember is that Gov. J.B. Pritzker will pay for these renovations out of his pocket!

When I visit Springfield, Illinois

410 E Jackson Street Springfield, IL

Another stop when I finally pay a visit to Springfield, the governor's mansion which just last year was finally reopened after a period of rehabilitation.

Here's some recent news about the mansion courtesy of Capitol Fax. More renovations are coming so if you plan to visit soon be advised that the mansion is closed

Mansion to close for more renovations https://t.co/kHpQBgCZ2i

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 3, 2019

From the state's Governor's Mansion page you can learn most about visiting our state's equivalent of the White House.

Open House 34th District Office #twill

If you live in the 34th state house district, you can visit the open house for the 34th District Office located at 113 E. 95th Street, Suite A on Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM.

Want to learn more about state Rep. Nick Smith visit his website at RepSmith34.com

17th District Legislative Resource Fair

The flyer below you might have seen in an e-mail blast however more details are contained on state senate Elgie Sims' official webpage. On the agenda according to a flyer you'd see on his webpage are resources that includes youth employment & summer programming, senior & veteran services, wellness checks, property ownership, job readiness and more.

When:

• Thursday June 7, 2018
  6:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Where:

• South Central Community Services
  1021 East 83rd Street

Call Elgie Sims' office in Chicago @ 773.933.7715 or his Springfield office @ 217.782.3201

Nick Smith is coming the Chesterfield Community Council #Ward09

You're new 34th District State Representation Nicholas Smith is coming to a meeting of the Chesterfield Community Council next Tuesday.

When: Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Time: 6:30 PM
Where: Tuley Park 90th & King Drive

If you want addition information or to contact the Chesterfield organization I will refer you to their website at www.chesterfieldcommunitycouncil.org. Also a posted is embedded from the FB page below.

 

Capitol Fax: Emil Jones explodes at Pritzker, “safe blacks”; Bishop Trotter disinvites; Staffer quits

In this campaign with the wealthy JB Pritzker as a front runner seeking to be the Democrat nominee for Governor against the also wealth incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner some long ago wiretaps have been heard from in campaign ads. This time however another wiretap from what I can tell never heard in a campaign commercial so far has caused a different more racial controversy.

On Tuesday at the CapFax the comments made in this wiretap where JB Pritzker calls then Gov. Rod Blagojevich - shortly before his arrest by the FBI on corruption charges that would see him removed from the office of governor. Pritzker & Blagojevich discusses who to appoint to Obama's US Senate seat & yes this probably wasn't long after Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. The comments Pritzker made offends one of Obama's mentors former state Senate President Emil Jones Jr.

As you'll see when you click the tweet below, Jones isn't happy - it's also noted that Jones in fact supports another wealthy candidate Chris Kennedy for governor. I could attribute this to hurt feelings and even if it was only that Jones definitely plays the race card.

Fallout: Emil Jones explodes at Pritzker, “safe blacks”; Bishop Trotter disinvites; Rally canceled; Staffer quits https://t.co/SnhSX8FIyV

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) February 7, 2018

Of course there is more to this. The chairman of the city council Black caucus Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward) offers a statement:

Finally let's get to this ABC 7 story further discussing this. At about 2:15 into this video Ald. Anthony Beale (9th ward) he absolutely takes umbrage to Pritzker's statements with regards to the Black community.

Allow me to pull this quote:

"This is a slap in our face, taking our community for granted, playing our community against each other, this is not the kind of leadership we need at this time," said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale.

Now I wonder who Beale supports in the Democrat primary for Governor.

Community meet & greet on Saturday

Sorry for the late notice - and late crosspost from sixthward.us - on this as I just got wind of this on Friday night. Meet not only your new state Senator Elgie Sims, and state Rep. Nicholas Smith also county Commissioner Stanley Moore at their offices.

• 8658 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
  Suite 404
  Chicago, IL 60619
  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
  Phone: 773.933.7715

Flyer is below.

Nick Smith succeeds Elgie Sims for 34th district state representative

On Wednesday with Elgie Sims moving up to his mentor's - Donne Trotter - state senate seat there was now a vacancy in Sims' 34th state house district. In a meeting with Democratic bosses Nick Smith was named Sen. Sims successor in this state house seat. Smith is the current 9th ward Streets and Sanitation superintendent and was at one point a former President of the Roseland Heights Community Association.

Though I said I was going to step back from Nextdoor it was interesting the see the names who presented their credentials for this vacancy. Michael Lafargue of West Chesterfield, Richard Wooten a former police officer who actually ran for this seat in 2012, Jahmal Cole of My Block My Hood My City, Eli Washington of Chesterfield. These are all names many of us have heard of in the public as leaders of community or youth organizations.

It let's you know that even though many of us didn't get to vote on any of these names, you can have an impact in your community and you can forward your name for any political position. And of course the possibility is there that you can become a person state official using in part that experience.

Congrats to state Rep. Smith!

Thank you Sen. Donne Trotter

Illinois state capitol - Springfield

In portions of Chicago's 9th Ward Donne Trotter's 34 state senate district covers and area north and easy of the Bishop Ford/Calumet Expressway. So that means he covers Chatham, Chesterfield, West Chesterfield, Roseland Heights, & Pullman.

On Friday he announced his retirement from the Illinois state senate effective immediately. Rich Miller who writes the Capitol Fax blog and newsletter wrote this for the Sun-Times yesterday:

He was the Senate Democrats’ top point person on appropriations for years, and that “budgeteer” status gave him the access and the power to help shape the government in incremental measures with every new state budget. His contributions cannot be minimized. From KidCare, to things like clean needle exchanges, mental health programs, HIV programs – pretty much anything whatsoever to do with improving the health of people in Illinois – Trotter (who has a master’s degree in Health Policy of Jurisprudence from Loyola Law School and was an administrator at Cook County Hospital) has been part of it.

Trotter is also well known for his mentorship of young African Americans. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched him stop a conversation among older people to make sure a young black person’s voice was heard.

Rep. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) is probably one of his most successful mentorships. Sims served on the Senate appropriations staff under Trotter, then became the caucus’ budget director and, after law school, became a state representative who is now chairman of the House Judiciary Criminal Law Committee.

As reported over at Concerned Citizens of Chatham, there is an expectation that Elgie Sims may be Trotter successor to the 34th district seat in the state senate. Continuing:

Sen. Trotter got his political start with Congressman Ralph Metcalfe’s 1974 campaign. Later, Trotter helped register tens of thousands of voters for Harold Washington’s 1983 mayoral campaign. The late Chicago political expert Paul Green used to tell the story about how Mayor Washington was duly impressed when only two voters in Trotter’s assigned precinct cast their ballots for one of the other mayoral candidates.

Trotter thought his big move to the Illinois General Assembly would happen in 1986, when then-Rep. Carol Moseley-Braun decided to run for lieutenant governor. He backed out of the race when the future U.S. senator decided not to run statewide. Instead, Trotter wound up being elected to the House in 1988, after Moseley-Braun was elected Cook County recorder of deeds.

The new legislative district map in 1991 forced him to run for the Senate the following year, where he has served ever since. Trotter turned out to be far more suited to the Senate (he often chafed under House Speaker Michael Madigan’s rule) and quickly became an indispensable member of Senate Democratic Leader Emil Jones’ team. When Jones was elected Senate president, Trotter’s power increased exponentially.

Below is the post from Concerned Citizens of Chatham and we have at least 30 days for Democrat bosses in 34th district to determine who will succeed Trotter.