23 Sep 2019

Lori Lightfoot Risks Being Seen as Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of a Horse Called Victory

By Rich Miller

Whatever else you may believe, you have to commend Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for trying to live up to her campaign promise of making sure that new economic development isn't concentrated in her city's downtown business district.

16 Sep 2019

The Revenue Gods Smiled Down upon Governor JB Pritzker and Said, “Do Not Squander This Gift — Winter is Coming”

By Rich Miller

The governor's top budget people sent a memo last week to agency directors giving them a heads-up about what will be required in their annual budget-request submissions. They are not easy-peasy asks.

09 Sep 2019

Illinois Republican Leadership Blindsided & Overjoyed Representative David McSweeney Will Not Seek District 52 Reelection

By Rich Miller

Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) announced last week that he will not seek reelection. Instead, he said he'll likely be making a 2022 statewide bid for either US Senate against Senator Tammy Duckworth or Secretary of State if Jesse White retires.

He may not be a household name, but Representative McSweeney has been a huge thorn in Republican leadership's side since he first ran for the Illinois House in the 2012 primary.

02 Sep 2019

Governor JB Pritzker Plays Passive-Aggressive Goalie to Keep Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot from Kicking the Ball into Her Own Net

By Rich Miller

The statement issued by Governor JB Pritzker's office last Thursday night had some good advice for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who gave what was billed as a "State of the City" address earlier that evening. Mayor Lightfoot had outlined the challenges facing the city, including an $838-million budget deficit and her need for Illinois government's help in changing some state laws to allow her to raise more tax revenues.

26 Aug 2019

Tim Mapes: The Indispensable Consigliere Whom Speaker Michael Madigan Wishes Would Take a Roman Bath

By Rich Miller

You don't have to read past the first sentence of Tim Mapes' statement last week to see one of the core problems with the way he ran the Illinois House Democratic operation. Mapes was responding to an investigative report commissioned by House Speaker Michael Madigan to get to the bottom of allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in his Statehouse operation.

19 Aug 2019

So Long, Michael Carrigan, It’s Been Good to Know You. Who’s Next?

By Rich Miller

The Illinois AFL-CIO hosted its annual State Fair reception last week. The highlight was probably a speech by Governor JB Pritzker, who thanked his audience of union leaders for their support in the 2018 campaign and for their help passing an enormous amount of legislation during his first session of the General Assembly.

But there was also some real news. The event was the last time Michael Carrigan attended as the organization's president.

05 Aug 2019

Godfathered: No Aide of Michael Madigan Need Ever Fear Sleeping with the Fishes

By Rich Miller

When Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan announced in February 2018 that he'd fired Kevin Quinn, the brother of Marty Quinn, Madigan's 13th-ward alderman and political general, he said he made the decision because of Quinn's "inappropriate conduct" with Alaina Hampton, a political consultant whom he called a "courageous woman." Hampton had come forward with allegations of sexual harassment by Quinn and retaliation by Madigan's organization.

29 Jul 2019

State Political Ecosystem a Lot More Symbiotic than Either Side Would Care to Admit

By Rich Miller

Most state legislators don't have to worry about next year's general election. The combination of gerrymandering and the simple fact that many of the state's regions are dominated by one party or the other pretty much guarantees that all but a handful of incumbents will sail through on the November ballot.

22 Jul 2019

Cancerous Gas-Issuing Plant in Willowbrook Makes State Power-Players Look like Chumps

By Rich Miller

"Sterigenics should be completely shut down until we determine it can operate safely," gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker tweeted last October.

15 Jul 2019

House GOP Leader Jim Durkin Tries to Keep the Party’s Eastern Bloc in Line as Rep Chris Miller Takes the Thrasher to His Own Caucus

By Rich Miller

For the second time this year, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin has stripped one of his Party members’ access to a House communications staffer.

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