Author: Newsdesk

Posted by John Chase at 3:33 p.m.; updated at 4:44 p.m. with audio link

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias sought to blunt a potentially damaging political issue today about questions regarding his involvement in his family’s struggling bank, which he said he expects will likely fail in the coming months.

But questions were still left unanswered following a more than 70-minute meeting with the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board. Among them were exactly what Giannoulias knew about convicted bookmaker Michael Giorango’s criminal past when he received loans from Broadway Bank, and how many of the bank’s troubled loans were made while Giannoulias was working there.

Giannoulias also sought to explain nearly $70 million the bank paid out in dividends to him and his family in recent years, saying $29 million of that was taken out of the bank to diversify the family’s investments.

Giannoulias said he didn’t see the bank’s financial situation getting better as the election progresses.

“It’s quite likely that the bank will fail,” he said. “I hope I’m wrong. I hope they can raise the capital to keep the bank going and they’re fighting hard to do so but it’s tough out there for a lot of banks of which Broadway Bank is not immune to these same challenges.”

Listen to the audio, courtesy of WGN radio, by clicking here.

He said he would be willing to help the bank but also estimated that any money he could provide would be “under $1 million.” The bank must raise $85 million by April, according to a consent order with state and federal regulators.

The one-term state treasurer won the Democratic nomination last month and is facing U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk in the November election. The bank and its troubles have continued to follow Giannoulias since he first entered the political scene in 2006.

Giannoulias said he would accept “my share of the responsibility” for the bank’s failures while he served as a loan officer at Broadway between 2002 and 2006. He said while he was there he invested too much in loans involving commercial real estate, which has tanked in recent years.

Kirk and national Republicans have questioned why Giannoulias and his family accepted the nearly $70 million in dividend payouts in 2007 and 2008 – at the same time the economy was beginning to struggle. Giannoulias in November had said the payout was the result of helping settle his father’s estate. His father, Alexis Giannoulias, died in June 2006.

In his appearance today, Giannoulias added new details, saying that $40 million went to pay off income taxes for bank shareholders – which include him and his family members – and that $29 million was paid out so he and his family could better diversify their economic portfolios.

“As a way of helping to manage my father’s estate there was a diversification as per (financial) advisors,” he said. “This idea or notion that the bank would actually take $29 million out to put itself in a worse position doesn’t make any sense. It’s completely counter-intuitive.”

In answering questions about Broadway’s loans to Giorango, Giannoulias said Giorango had a relationship at the bank before he worked there full-time after his graduation from law school. But in offering his latest explanation of his contact with Giorango, Giannoulias today at first contended he was unaware of Giorango’s criminal history.

That contradicted Giannoulias’ comments in 2006 to the Tribune, in which he acknowledged knowing Giorango had a criminal background. When reminded today of his past comments, the treasurer said he would have to check his past statements before saying any more because he doesn’t want to give inconsistent answers.

Posted by Monique Garcia at 2:25 p.m.

A criminal defense attorney who represented former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese has joined the growing list of Democrats who want to succeed Scott Lee Cohen as the party’s lieutenant governor candidate.

Another 25 political newcomers submitted their names to the state Democratic Party, bringing the total to 69. Two potential candidates who submitted their names already have dropped out of consideration.

Among the names posted today at ildems.com is Leonard Goodman, who represented Loren-Maltese during the appeals process following her conviction on racketeering, conspiracy and fraud charges.

Another would-be running mate for Quinn is a 25-year-old from Chicago who says one of his strengths is that he "did not vote for Rod Blagojevich in 2006.”



Democrats are holding an open casting-call after troubled Chicago pawnbroker Cohen dropped out of the race following the Feb. 2 primary election. The party began soliciting applications last week and started posting them online Tuesday.



Other applicants include Patrick Arbor, the former chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade, and Bob Arya, a television reporter-turned-adviser to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.



The applicants will be reviewed by the Democratic State Central Committee, which ultimately will vote on who will be partnered with Quinn on the November ballot.



So far, none of the candidates who lost to Cohen during the primary election have submitted an application, though several have said they are lobbying committee members.

Posted by Hal Dardick at 1:38 p.m.; last updated at 2:28 p.m.



Mayor Richard Daley today named longtime trusted aide Gery Chico to lead the board overseeing City Colleges of Chicago.

Chico, 53, is a former Daley chief of staff who is currently Chicago Park District board president. He’ll replace James Tyree, CEO of Mesirow Financial and one of the owners of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Daley said "now is time to bring the same sense of urgency to turning around Chicago City Colleges" that he brought to Chicago Public Schools 15 years ago.



Chico, an attorney, was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2004 Democratic U.S. Senate primary won by then-state Sen. Barack Obama.

Daley also named Cheryl Hyman, a vice president at ComEd, chancellor of City Colleges. Hyman, 40, will replace Wayne Watson, who left City Colleges last year to become president of Chicago State University.

"I believe they will bring fresh eyes to City Colleges," Daley said.

Posted by Hal Dardick at 1:20 p.m.



Mayor Richard Daley continued his census push today in Humboldt Park, where officials believe residents were undercounted in the last U.S. Census.



“It doesn’t matter what status you are, you have to be counted,” Daley said at Humboldt Park’s city library. “If the data is not correct, Chicago will be short-changed not for one year, but for 10 years.”



Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th, said it’s OK to be counted "because that means that we can get more federal funding for public health, public safety and for the schools of our children.”



Maldonado and Ald. George Cardenas, 12th — whose wards include large numbers of Latinos  —  said  immigrants sometimes fear taking part in the census, for fear of deportation, being arrested or even being penalized for having too many people living in a home.

The mayor stressed that all census data is confidential and cannot be used in those ways against folks who take part in the count. “It’s never been abused in the past,” he added.



“Historically, immigrants, because of fear — it’s the fear — have always been undercounted, and this is the year that we can show that we can count everyone,” Daley said.



Daley also announced a series of efforts to reach out to various groups — seniors, veterans, ex-offenders, immigrants, the homeless and students — historically undercounted in previous censuses.



Dozens of city libraries, including the branch Daley visited today, will provide census forms and assistance filling them out. For the first time, the city is working with groups to get former prisoners involved in filling out census forms.

Posted by John Byrne at 1:15 p.m.



Two September concerts at Wrigley Field got the go-ahead from a City Council panel today as the Cubs continue to look for a pinch hitter to step in for the canceled Elton John-Billy Joel show in July.

 

Though the Cubs have not announced who will play at the ballpark Friday, Sept. 17, and Saturday, Sept. 18, Ald. Tom Tunney pushed an ordinance to allow the team two additional night events beyond the 30 night baseball games allotted each year.
Last month, sources said the Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney and Phish were under consideration for the September shows.

 

"We have met with and have letters of support from various residential groups and also chambers of commerce," Tunney said.

 

Aldermen postponed action on a plan for a July 7 Wrigley concert after performing pianists John and Joel announced they would not be touring this summer.

 

Michael Lufrano, vice president of community affairs for the Cubs, said the team still hopes to find a group to play at the stadium in July.

 

"It highlights how difficult it is to find the right act to play in Wrigley Field," Lufrano said. "We work hard to find an act that can work with our schedule during the baseball season, that also is compatible with the community. We weren’t able to do that before today’s meeting."

 

Though neighborhood groups were unhappy the city allowed three concerts in 2009 — two by Joel and John and one by country act Rascal Flatts — nobody spoke in opposition to the two September concerts at today’s committee meeting.

 

The plan will next go to the full City Council for consideration.

Posted by John Byrne at 12:59 p.m.

Aldermen today questioned whether Chicago’s red light cameras are making drivers safer or simply filling city coffers during debate on a measure that would offer traffic school for drivers whose violations are caught on film.

Only about 35,000 of the 790,000 drivers who got red light tickets last year requested a hearing to challenge the $100 fine, according to Scott Bruner, director of the city’s Department of Administrative Hearings.

That prompted Ald. Ed Burke, 14th, wondered if the controversial cameras are having any deterrent effect.

"So I guess the myth that we apparently have held out that this is some kind of a great plan to create education and a plan to dissuade people from violating the law is more a myth than anything else," Burke said.



"It’s a money machine, that’s all. Period," he added.



Burke has introduced an ordinance to mandate traffic school for drivers nabbed by red light cameras. He hopes teaching violators about the potential for a crash will do more than just a fine to convince them to stop.



Burke proposed charging an additional $25 per violation for the cost of traffic school. But during debate today, he talked about using it as an incentive, and lowering the $100 fine for those who complete a traffic safety class.



The committee did not vote on the proposal. But Ald. Bernard Stone, 50th, argued the city’s administrative hearings officers may already be in violation of the state law governing red light cameras because the law mentions traffic school as a possible sentence for drivers caught by a red light camera, yet the city currently doesn’t offer school.



"If a defendant appearing before an administrative hearing officer said ‘I choose under state law to attend a class as provided under state law,’ what would your hearing officer do?" Stone asked Bruner.



"We would have to see what we could do to accommodate that," Bruner said.



Ald. Ray Suarez, 31st, told Bruner the city should try to piggyback on the Cook County Circuit Court’s traffic school system in order to comply with state law.



"You’re not giving people options," Suarez said. "You’re just saying ‘This is it, take it or leave it. Good-bye.’"

Posted by John Byrne at 5 a.m.; updated at 9:20 a.m.

Update: The sponsoring aldermen put off consideration of the proposed ordinance today.

People caught selling their residential permits for on-street parking near Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field on game days could face jail time under a proposed ordinance slated for a hearing today.

The two Chicago aldermen who represent the neighborhood around both ballparks are co-sponsoring the plan to try to crack down on people who are turning a hefty profit by charging drivers from elsewhere in the city or suburbs for the one-day permits that allow them to legally park curbside on game days.

If approved, a judge could sentence anyone caught reselling a pass to a night in jail for a first offense, or 8 hours of community service, in addition to a fine, said Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, whose ward includes Wrigley. Under the plan, scheduled to be heard today by the City Council Traffic Committee, the amount of jail time or community service would increase with subsequent arrests, as would the fine, he said.

 

"We want to stop these sales," Tunney said, adding he does not favor jail time for those busted reselling the passes.

 

"I told (11th Ward Ald. James Balcer) I didn’t think (jail) was the right way to deal with it in my community," Tunney said, but agreed to sign on to the plan when the community service sentence was added as an alternative.

 

Balcer, whose ward includes the home of the White Sox, could not be reached for comment.

 

The black market in parking permits around the baseball stadiums has frustrated city officials for years.

 

In 2005, Tunney applauded an ordinance setting fines of between $200 and $500 for illegally selling or purchasing a parking permit.

 

"We want people to come to the park, but also respect our communities," Balcer said at the time.

 

Last fall, City Clerk Miguel del Valle singled out suburban Cubs fans using parking permits in Wrigleyville.

 

"I get very frustrated when I see people coming up, going to a Cubs game, for example, and parking with a residential parking zone by Cubs park, in effect saving $30 in parking and I see they don’t have a city sticker on their vehicle," del Valle told aldermen during City Council budget hearings.

 

Like one-day passes in other parking zones around the city, those near the ballparks are to be given to friends or family members who want to visit residents in the zones near the parks, but are not to be resold, according to city ordinance.

Posted by Hal Dardick at 5:28 p.m.

More than 600 new Cook County Jail guards would be hired by early next year under a plan the County Board approved today, about 18 months after the U.S. Justice Department released a scathing report on jail conditions.

It’s part of a plan to end federal court supervision of the county jail in two to four years, officials said. The hiring push is contained in a proposed 60-page order that the Justice Department would file in federal court in an agreement with the county, said Daniel Gallagher, an attorney for Sheriff Tom Dart.

Attorneys for jail detainees in two decades-old class-action suits also have agreed to end their cases if the order is entered, Gallagher said.



The July 2008 Justice Department report concluded a culture existed at Cook County Jail that led to systematic inmate beatings and medical care was so poor that some inmates had died.



Even before the report, however, County Board President Todd Stroger’s administration, some of Dart’s top brass and Health and Hospitals System officials had begun to work with federal authorities to come up with a plan to address the jail’s longstanding problems, said Patrick Driscoll, civil chief for the state’s attorney’s office.



Dart would have to hire 448 new guards by the end of this year, according to the proposed order, obtained by the Tribune. He would have to hire another 174 by the end of March 2011.



The proposed order also carefully delineates other measures aimed at improving conditions. For example, it requires that photographs or video be taken of all injuries allegedly caused by use of force.

Posted by Hal Dardick at 3:40 p.m.



The Cook County Board today agreed to pay $525,000 to a former Death Row inmate already given $5.5 million by the city to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit.



The money due under the settlement approved by the board will be paid to Leroy Orange in five equal installments, the last of which is due in January 2014. He spent 19 years behind bars until former Gov. George Ryan pardoned him in 2003.

Like several other former murder defendants, Orange alleged that former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge used torture to force his murder confession. Neither the city nor the county admitted wrongdoing in settling the cases.



The city portion of the suit, settled two years ago, alleged wrongdoing by police officers. The county portion deal with alleged wrongdoing by a Dennis Dernbach, a onetime assistant state’s attorney who went on to become a judge before retiring.



“It’s really a good deal for everyone,” Commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston, said of the settlement. “It gets us out from under this, and it ends all litigation. There will be no appeal. This settles everything.”

Posted by Hal Dardick at 2:07 p.m.

Commissioners today approved a $108 million plan to renovate the former Cook County Hospital, an architecturally significant building frequently featured on the popular television series “ER.”

The County Board’s plan calls for converting convert the historic Beaux-Arts structure on the Near West Side into an office complex for the public Health and Hospitals System.

About $24 million of the tab would come from a special Chicago taxing district.

The old hospital, at 1835 W. Harrison St., is in a 2nd Ward tax increment financing district that also includes Rush University Medical Center.

Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, said that he does not favor using the special taxing district money, absent proof that the hospital building renovation has some significant benefit for both his ward and the city as a whole.



“It’s a great idea for the re-use, but who is going to pay for it?” he asked. “They have to show this brings something that’s of overwhelming benefit to the community and, by community, I mean not just the ward but the entire city.”

Meanwhile, Patricia Scudiero, commissioner of the city’s Zoning and Land Use Department, expressed general support for the preservation plan. “We are committed to working with you on historic preservation, zoning and other issues in support of the building’s reuse,” she wrote in a letter to Bruce Washington, the county’s director of capital, planning and facilities management.



The plan, drafted for the county by Jones Lang LaSalle consultants, envisions a three-year rehabilitation effort that would commence upon the City Council’s approval of the special taxing district money, Washington said.



To launch the rehab effort, the county will need to set aside about $5 million to hire various consultants, including architects, Washington said. Bonds would be issued to pay for the overall project, he said.



The old hospital, replaced in late 2002 by the newly built Stroger Hospital, opened in 1914. It was initially slated for demolition, but preservation groups opposed that plan and convinced county commissioners to save the structure.



“Cook County Hospital is a landmark in every sense of the word,” said James Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, which in 2001 placed the old hospital on its list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. “Cook County Hospital is important for both architecture and history. It’s that rare landmark.



“It’s one of the best examples in the city, if not the Midwest or the country, of Beaux-Arts classical architecture. It’s also a pre-eminent building in development of medical history, both in Chicago and in the United States.”

Posted by Rick Pearson and Monique Garcia at 12:30 p.m.; last updated at 3:56 p.m.

An eclectic group of 46 names were unveiled today as the first applicants seeking to be Gov. Pat Quinn’s second banana in the state Democratic Party’s open casting call for the lieutenant governor nomination.



The applicants range from Patrick Arbor, the former chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade, to Bob Arya, a television reporter-turned-adviser to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Others include Dean Koldenhoven, the former Palos Heights mayor and father-in-law of former governor candidate Paul Vallas; former suburban schools superintendent Patrick Patt; as well as a biochemical engineer at Argonne National Lab and a college student who interned with Chicago Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th.



One applicant, asked to describe any previous experience in elected office, responded: “Nope.”

The application asks why the potential candidate is a Democrat. “Who said I was?” answered one applicant. Said another, “I am a democrat out of the necessity of the job requirement.”



Another would-be running mate said Democratic leaders should have asked candidates about possible weaknesses. “While I don’t view it as a weakness, many would see my sexual orientation as a problem,” said the applicant, according to the application posted on the Democrats’ Web site.



Arbor is a major Democratic fundraiser and donor who sits on several boards of directors, including First Chicago Bank and Trust, and was a former Harwood Heights mayor, according to his resume. Since 1994, federal and state campaign finance records show he’s contributed more than $136,000 to candidates, primarily to Democrats.



His contributions include more than $24,000 to Dorothy Brown for her initial 2000 run for Cook County circuit clerk, $18,000 to Blagojevich and $15,000 to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, records show.



Asked in his application to list his strengths, the response from Arbor posted on the state Democratic Party’s Web site said: “(G)overnance, banking, business and political experience. In addition, I am experienced in balancing budgets, advising and running business’s. (sic) Of course, my record is impeccable and I have a good reputation.”



Arya, a former CLTV reporter and anchor, joined Blagojevich’s administration in November 2006. A copy of Arya’s resume posed at ildems.com touted him as an "intrepid, intelligent, hard-working, respected and reliable political advisor with strong journalism background and outstanding communication skills." He listed his work as a senior adviser to the governor of Illinois but didn’t name Blagojevich.



So far, none of the candidates who lost the Feb. 2 primary to ill-fated pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen have yet surfaced. Cohen dropped the nomination amid controversy about disclosures involving his personal life.



Today is the first day Democrats started listing applicants; chairman and House Speaker Michael Madigan has said the applicants will be reviewed by the Democratic State Central Committee, which will make the ultimate decision on Quinn’s November running mate.

Posted by Hal Dardick at 4:28 p.m.

Chicago Children’s Museum officials said they plan to amend the museum’s federal tax filings to reveal its City Council lobbyists and how much they were paid in recent years after the Tribune asked why it had failed to do so.

According to council members, several professionals were hired to lobby aldermen — who in June 2008 sided with Mayor Richard Daley and approved a controversial plan to build a museum in Grant Park.

But those lobbyists weren’t disclosed, as required, on the museum’s Internal Revenue Service reports for a two-year period ending June 30, 2008, according to recent not-for-profit filings at the Illinois attorney general’s office.

“It was an administrative error, and we are currently amending those tax returns,” said museum spokesman Natalie Kreiger.

Aldermen said zoning attorneys, public relations specialists and even a pollster worked to sway the council on the move. Some argued the new site would violate a long-standing prohibition on building in the lakefront park.

Kreiger said she did not immediately know who the lobbyists were or how much they had been paid. “That will all be detailed in the amendments to the 2008 returns and the 2007 returns,” she said.

In September 2007, Daley’s nephew, Patrick Thompson, withdrew as an attorney for the museum after a Chicago Sun-Times report noted he had yet to file as a lobbyist for the museum. At the time, Daley had just come out in support of the museum’s proposal to move from Navy Pier to Daley Bicentennial Plaza at the North End of the city’s most prominent public space.

The museum has yet to start the move, which faces legal challenges and has yet to be fully funded. Officials at the facility, meanwhile, have been discussing a short-term lease extension at the pier.

See the Chicago Children’s Museum’s tax returns for July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007 here. The museum’s tax returns for July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 are here.

UPDATED by Rick Pearson at 3:40 p.m. – Giannoulias camp calls Kirk criticism "outlandish"; originally posted by Rick Pearson at 1:25 p.m.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk said today the fate of his Democratic rival’s family bank should be an issue of concern for voters in November.

“I think there’s no question that Alexi Giannoulias bears direct personal responsibility for reckless loans that could bankrupt the Broadway Bank,” Kirk said of the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. “I also worry that the possible collapse of the Broadway Bank will leave taxpayers left paying for Alexi’s reckless loans.”

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which covers individual depositors up to $250,000, is financed by fees on the banking industry. Though the FDIC’s finances have been strained by a wave of bank failures in the recession, agency officials said last month they believed they had enough cash on hand and would not need to borrow taxpayer dollars from the Treasury.

Kirk’s comments came after the Tribune reported in its Sunday editions that the bank’s chief executive, Demetris Giannoulias, said the family must raise at least $85 million by the end of April to prevent a government seizure of the financial institution. Demetris Giannoulias is the older brother of Alexi Giannoulias.

Alexi Giannoulias has said his family’s bank is no different than others that have tried to weather the recession. He has said he has had no involvement with the bank since becoming Illinois state treasurer nearly four years ago and that the bank was prospering then.

The family has said that of Broadway’s more than $240 million in seriously delinquent loans and foreclosed real estate, 9 percent of the value of those deals originated during Alexi’s tenure at the bank. He was previously the bank’s senior loan officer.

Kathleen Strand, a Giannoulias spokeswoman, called Kirk’s criticism “outlandish” and labeled him a “wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street.”

“While Alexi hasn’t been at the bank for four years, Mark Kirk has been in Washington for a decade supporting the failed and reckless Bush policies that got us into this economic mess,” Strand said.

Kirk, a five-term North Shore Republican congressman, also told reporters at a news conference today that he believed President Obama should have brought Democratic and Republican legislative negotiators to Camp David for a week to hash out an agreed upon healthcare reform bill. Democrats are looking at using a process to avoid a Republican Senate filibuster to pass their plan with a simple majority.

Kirk noted that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California enjoys great power among the majority, though he questioned whether some Democrats might break ranks with leadership in an election year.

Still, he said: “There’s often a mistake people make that members of Congress only vote in their political self-interest. But many times, Congress is a lot like high school student council. It’s more important for people to be with their friends and supportive of the leadership than with the people who voted for them.”

Posted by Hal Dardick at 1:05 p.m.

Mayor Richard Daley defended the city’s handgun ban today on the eve of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments about whether to strike down Chicago’s prohibition.

"The outcome of this case could determine whether or not local governments around the nation have the legal authority to enact reasonable, common sense gun laws to protect our residents," Daley said.

The mayor was surrounded by clergy members and other public officials, including aldermen, congressmen and representatives of the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Daley frequently decries the toll of handgun violence and contends federal government does too little to address the issue for fear of the powerful gun lobby. He echoed that theme today.

"We’ve turned our backs on common sense gun laws in America and we continuously, unfortunately, continue shooting each other on a daily basis," Daley said. "This is one issue where Americans must come together in regards to common sense gun laws."

He added, "You would think there would be a wake-up call in America. But we’re silent. We’re not doing anything."

The Supreme Court nearly two years ago overturned a gun registration law in Washington D.C. that effectively banned handgun ownership there. Justices determined the 2nd Amendment did apply to handguns kept for self defense.

The D.C. law was much like what is known as Chicago’s “handgun ban,” which is a 1982 city ordinance that barred registration of additional handguns but allowed residents who already had those weapons to keep them.

The June 2008 ruling applied only to D.C., which is under federal jurisdiction. Chicago, like other cities with bans, falls under the jurisdiction of state government, and arguments Tuesday will focus on whether the handgun ban ruling should extend to other states and municipalities.

Many legal experts say Chicago is fighting an uphill battle. The nation’s top court has typically determined that the Bill of Rights applies to states and municipalities — not just the federal government. A decision is expected in June.

If Chicago’s law is overturned, that won’t be the end of the debate. In the D.C case, justices did not close the door on all gun regulation, and D.C. later enacted a law requiring gun owners to go through five hours of safety training, register their firearms every three years and undergo criminal background checks every six years.

Posted by John Byrne at 2:27 p.m.

Mayor Richard Daley today defended White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, who’s leaving the job after being criticized for an incident where two uninvited guests crashed a state dinner in November.

It wasn’t Rogers’ job to keep President Barack Obama safe, Daley said.

"There’s only one group responsible for the security of the White House and the president. There’s only one person, that’s the Secret Service," the mayor said. "Let’s stop blaming her for anybody walking in there, because no one can stop anyone with the exception of the Secret Service," he said.

While the Secret Service accepted much of the blame after a Virginia couple made their way into a Nov. 24 dinner for the prime minister of India, Rogers was criticized because her staff failed to keep a checklist of guests entering the White House.

Daley called Rogers, a Chicagoan who has worked as the Illinois Lottery director and People’s Gas, "a great
friend of mine."

The mayor’s remarks came at as he joined U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, state Treasurer Alexi
Giannoulias and others to dedicate a new community health center in the
South Austin neighborhood. 

Responding to Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman’s announcement this week that the system will face a deficit of up to $1 billion next year, Daley also called on the school system’s employees to be prepared to make sacrifices like those forced on the private sector and workers in other areas of government.

 

Though Daley cited his own acceptance of 24 unpaid furlough days this year as an example of that sacrifice, he insisted he was not suggesting unionized Chicago teachers make similar concessions.

 

"I’m not talking about that. I’m just talking about in general. We have negotiations in regards to the teachers," he said. "But I’ll tell you one thing. All over America this is happening, every community in America. This is not the exception."

 

An increase in the state income tax to cope with the yawning state budget deficit is only acceptable if it is coupled with a reduction in real estate taxes, the primary funding source for schools, the mayor said.

 

"You can’t one way increase the income tax and then not help real estate taxes," he said.

 

Daley also said it makes sense to end blanket free rides for seniors on the CTA, a proposal Gov. Pat Quinn said this week has little chance of making it out of the General Assembly.

 

"Seniors who are struggling, yes, need help. But those who are not struggling, they have to be part of the solution, and that’s part of the cost," Daley said.

Posted by Monique Garcia at 9:52 a.m.

Dog-owning Gov. Pat Quinn will stop by the International Kennel Club dog show today, just days after his Republican rival came under fire for supporting legislation that would allow multiple animals to be euthanized at the same time.

Illinois law requires that companion animals be euthanized one at a time. State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, the presumptive Republican governor nominee, wanted to change that to allow multiple animals to be put down at once.



Animal rights groups said that’s because a business in Brady’s state Senate district operates an animal gas chamber, which they argue is cruel because it can take up to 30 minutes for animals to die.



Brady has since dropped the legislation, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Quinn seizes on the matter when he appears at the dog show event at McCormick Place today. Quinn’s campaign pushed the issue this week.

UPDATED AT 3:10 p.m. — where to apply for lt. governor job.; originally posted by Monique Garcia at 12:50 p.m.

Gov. Pat Quinn says the public will have a chance to vet his potential lieutenant governor running mates via a web site that will feature biographies and background information of those interested in the state’s number two post.

The state Democratic Party, led by chairman and House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, announced a short time later that applicants for the job could download an application from the party’s Web site and send it back for posting.

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said anyone who answers the short questionnaire can have their information posted to the site, but the Democratic State Central Committee will decide who to interview for the job.

"We intend for this to be an open and transparent process," Madigan said in a news release. "Anyone that believes he or she has strengths to bring to the ticket is encouraged to submit their name for consideration."

While the decision of who will be paired with Quinn on the November ticket is ultimately up to the ruling central committee, Quinn said today posting information online about those who want the spot will ensure there’s an “open process.”

The lieutenant governor’s spot is up for grabs after embattled Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen stepped down shortly after winning the primary election.

Quinn’s comments came at a morning event at Navy Pier honoring Dutchie Caray, wife of the late sports announcer Harry Caray. She joked she would like to be considered for the post.

Quinn said any interested Democrats can submit their name, but that he wants a running mate who is “a progressive person. Somebody who understands we can use the power of government, we the people, to make lives better for everyday people.”

Brown said details are still being worked out but that information will be posted online for “a period of time” before the committee votes.

“Everybody will be able to look at it,” Brown said. “The Average Joe and all of our stalwart friends in the news media who did such a pristine job during the primary.”

Brown said the committee is scheduled to meet March 15, though a vote could take place later.

The form asks for basic contact information and lists five questions, including why the applicant is a Democrat and what they believe are the greatest challenges facing the state.

Posted by Monique Garcia at 12:43 p.m.

Gov. Pat Quinn today dismissed an Illinois House vote to scale back free train and bus rides for senior citizens, saying he doesn’t think the plan will make it to his desk.

Quinn has opposed the idea of taking back the freebies championed by his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, but wouldn’t say when asked today whether he would veto the plan.

"I don’t think it’s going to get to my desk," Quinn said. "It won’t pass."

Asked why he thought the bill would not make it through the Senate after passing the House 83-27 on Wednesday, Quinn said he didn’t think a majority of lawmakers support the idea.

"The legislature made a decision on this a year or two ago, I think once you make a decision and people, you know, expect some predictability in life, I think that’s the way to go," Quinn said.

Under the bill, senior citizens 65 and older would keep riding for free if they qualify for the state’s Circuit Breaker program, which sets income guidelines for seniors to get tax breaks and help buying prescription drugs. A one-person household with an income of $27,610 would be eligible under the guidelines. A two-person household could have a maximum income of $34,635.

Seniors with higher incomes would ride at half-price on the CTA, Metra and Pace. That’s the same discount seniors got before Blagojevich demanded the free-ride program in return for signing a sales tax increase to bail out the bus and rail agencies two years ago.

Sponsoring Rep. Suzanne Bassi, R-Palatine, said the bill prevents further disastrous cuts at the Regional Transportation Authority in the immediate future, like those CTA riders have faced this year, which included eliminating routes and laying off bus drivers.

"They’ve got a violin out on that one," Quinn said. "That is not going to get the job done. I sat down with all the transit agencies, we worked out a plan last fall, let’s get that plan going."

Posted by Todd Lighty and Robert Becker at 4:21 p.m.; updated at 6:42 p.m.

A developer accused of bribing a Chicago alderman has subpoenaed Mayor Richard Daley to testify at his upcoming criminal trial, City Hall disclosed today.

Daley was subpoenaed on Tuesday, according to a statement from Mara Georges, the city’s corporation counsel.



“If the court finds that the mayor’s testimony is relevant and required, he will testify,” Georges said.



Why indicted developer Calvin Boender is seeking Daley’s testimony is unknown, said Jenny Hoyle, a Law Department spokeswoman. Boender’s lawyer, Robert Sanger, declined to comment today.

Hoyle said Georges could not recall any other time Daley had been subpoenaed for a criminal trial.



“It happens more frequently in civil cases — we don’t have a total number of times — but we usually are able to quash” the subpoena, she said.



Boender previously subpoenaed 10 current and former aldermen as witnesses for his defense. The city tried to block the aldermen’s testimony claiming “legislative immunity.” Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Robert M Dow Jr. ruled there was no legislative immunity protection for the aldermen in a criminal trial, but he was still considering whether their testimony is relevant.



Boender is scheduled to go on trial March 8 on federal corruption charges. Authorities say Boender bribed then-Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers in exchange for Carothers’ support of Boender’s controversial residential and commercial development in the 29th Ward. Carothers pleaded guilty to bribery and tax charges earlier this month and agreed to testify against Boender.



The project, known as Galewood Yards, received City Council approval in 2006 over the objections of planning department staff, who argued the 50-acre parcel on the Far West Side should be preserved for industrial use.



The Tribune previously chronicled how Boender overrode opposition to the project after enlisting the support of Carothers and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. Gutierrez, who had just received a $200,000 loan from Boender for his own real estate investments, personally lobbied Daley.



Gutierrez, who has insisted that his support for Galewood Yards and the loan from the developer were unrelated, has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 5:55 p.m.

 

SPRINGFIELD — The Senate today approved pushing Illinois primary elections back to March following an experiment that first helped Barack Obama clear a path to the presidency in 2008 and then left Democrats with the Scott Lee Cohen debacle for lieutenant governor earlier this month.



The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville, would make the statewide primary election the third Tuesday in March, where it had been for decades.



House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, pushed the primary date to February so that Obama would get the benefit of racking up a victory in a populous Midwestern state early in the national primary season. That worked. But the short campaign season backfired for Democrats this year when primary voters chose Cohen as the lieutenant governor one day and tawdry details about his past emerged and caused him to drop out.



The move to March would be in even-numbered years, covering both presidential campaigns and the alternating period when statewide races for governor and other offices take place. The measure now goes to the House for consideration.