10 Jun 2018

Mapes Out Despite the Trains Running on Time

By Rich Miller

If you ask anyone at the Statehouse about House Speaker Michael Madigan’s former chief of staff Tim Mapes, they'll all say he "made the trains run on time.”

03 Jun 2018

Separating the Possible from the Improbable in Loncar's Claims

By Rich Miller

Pointing out the holes in Maryann Loncar’s allegations against Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie) is like shooting fish in a barrel. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that absolutely everything she said was untrue.

27 May 2018

Pritzker's Blue Wave to Make a $5-Million Splash

By Rich Miller

For weeks now, some Democrats have been wondering if their party intends to run a “coordinated campaign” this year and have asked what it might look like. A coordinated campaign means all the party’s candidates are working together under one umbrella group.

22 May 2018

House farm bill fails Young farmers call for new approach after defeat of partisan bill

By Andrew Bahrenburg

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 18, 2018) – After today’s stunning defeat of the House farm bill, H.R. 2, in a 198 - 213 vote, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) called on Members of Congress to repair the bipartisan farm bill coalition and deliver a farm bill that works for everyone.

20 May 2018

Rauner's New Campaign Issue May Be a Whole Loaf, a Couple of Slices, or Just an Empty Plate

By Rich Miller

Last week’s press conference announcing his latest amendatory veto was, without a doubt, the best press pop Governor Bruce Rauner has had since he fired his top staff last July and brought in that Illinois Policy Institute crowd (whom he also fired).

13 May 2018

Can a Workable Budget Also Be a “Good” Budget?

By Rich Miller

“Nothing’s more important for a governor than having a good budget because that allows you to manage the state to do your job.”

Let that recent quote from former Governor Jim Edgar, as reported by the State Journal-Register, sink in for a bit.

06 May 2018

Higher Education Requires Building, Not Blowing Up

By Rich Miller

Eastern Illinois University’s legislative liaison Katie Anselment had some strong words for legislators during an Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee hearing last week.

01 May 2018

Scott County Supervisors Record Meetings but Deny Public Access by Refusing to Post Audio Files Online

By Kathleen McCarthy

On April 19, 2018, the Scott County Board of Supervisors (SCBS) voted 3-2 against posting the Board's audio-recorded meetings at both the Board and Auditor Web sites (audio: rcreader.com/y/scbs1). Supervisors Carole Earnhardt-R, Tony Knobbe-R, and Ken Beck-R voted against, while Diane Holst-R and Brinsen Kinzer-D voted in favor of this fundamental public good.

29 Apr 2018

Early May Be Too Early for General-Election Ads

By Rich Miller

Four years ago, I mistakenly believed candidate Bruce Rauner would take a page from Governor Rod Blagojevich’s 2014 reelection playbook and immediately bury Governor Pat Quinn under a mountain of negative advertising. Instead, Rauner waited until July 11 to air his first general-election TV ad.

So what’s it gonna be this year?

22 Apr 2018

Weirdness in the Gubernatorial Race Just Beginning

By Rich Miller

Several months ago, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief of staff Tim Mapes made copies of candidate nominating petitions for what appeared to be every single candidate in the state, regardless of party or office sought. Madigan’s spokesperson was mum when asked why.

It turns out that a database was constructed of the names of all the petition circulators who worked during the primary.

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