Jack Franks Not Being Mentioned for Governor

by Cal Skinner

State Comptroller Dan Hynes announced he was going to take on an "indecisive" Governor Pat Quinn in the Democratic Party primary election Thursday.

In the ABC-TV Six O'clock News report of Hynes' candidacy, McHenry County State Representative Jack Franks' name was not mentioned.

African-American Metro-East State Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr., was mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate.

As I have observed before, being ignored is one of the worst things that can happen to a politician.

That's been the rule, rather than the exception, since July.

Meanwhile, if you read McHenry County Blog carefully two days ago, you know where Franks was.

He and his buddies were probably discussing the options I suggest a month ago.

Franks did escape being named as the sponsor of his hopelessly compromised gubernatorial recall constitutional amendment in a Chicago Tribune editorial yesterday:

Quinn supports giving citizens the power to recall public officials, as do we. But the measure waiting in the Senate is just a bit of Hokum--it allows for the recall only of the governor, protecting every other elected official in the state.

But he did get a bill signed Friday.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

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The next governor may be a guy named Clayborne

Since local news organizations pretty much ignore state politics -- except trials and budget crises -- most Peorians probably have never heard of State Sen. James Clayborne. He's the Illinois Senate majority leader. And he's mulling over a run for governor.

Rich Miller predicts that Clayborn would make interesting candidate:

Sen. Clayborne is not the sort of Democrat that Chicago media types are accustomed to seeing. He’s a downstate attorney with a pretty solid pro-business voting record who is also regularly endorsed by organized labor.

He’s pro-gun, but he’s also pro-choice. He ran and lost for senate president last year, and the campaign exposed some rifts with his fellow black senators, partly over his strong rating from the National Rifle Association.

Gun owner rights are not usually very popular with Democratic primary voters, and particularly with Chicago blacks. Pro-gun southern white Glenn Poshard was able to win the Democratic nomination in 1998, although that issue was used against him in the fall by Republican George Ryan. Just about every likely Republican nominee strongly favors the National Rifle Association’s view of things, so that issue might not hurt Clayborne as much as it did Poshard if he manages to win the primary.

He would face the current holder of that office, Patrick Quinn, and Comptroller Dan Hynes.

How would Clayborne fair in Peoria in a primary? Quinn is liked as an honest guy. But he's been pretty ineffectual and voters really don't give a rat's ass about honesty, to be perfectly honest about it. Hynes is liked and respected. He picked up fans here due to his office's handing of the Springdale Cemetery mess, but that was many years ago. And Hynes' popularity didn't really help Allen Mayer, an attorney in Hynes' office, when Mayer ran for state house representative. He was beaten in the primary by Jehan Gordon.

While Peoria swings Democratic these days, it doesn't swing too far left. We sent Aaron Schock to Springfield twice, remember, before an Obama avalanche sent Gordan there to replace him. Remember, Schock positioned himself as a moderate then.

The pro gun thing will also really help Clayborne. So with the union support and so will the business support.

I predict Clayborne would do well in Peoria in the primary. If goes without saying that whoever wins the Democratic primary will win the governor's mansion. The Illinois GOP couldn't organize an ice cream social.

Cross posted to Peoria Pundit.

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Tax Cap Attack

by Cal Skinner

I am stimulated by Chicago Tribune now freelance (used to be Education) reporter Diane Rado's Thursday article about the impact of the one-tenth of one percent increase in the Consumer Price Index and, hence, in property tax revenues for school and other tax districts in tax capped counties.

McHenry County Blog has written extensively about the effects of that unheard of low CPI and you can find links to the articles here, if you are interested.

Next week four of the tax cap busting bills are scheduled for the House and Senate Revenue Committees.

Diana Rado, who used to be the Tribune's best education writer until she met one of those downsizing problems, writes that

the one-tenth of one percent increase in the Consumer Price Index “ means most taxpayers can expect only slight increases in their 2009 tax bills, which are paid in 2010.“

She points out that tax referendums “not a very viable possibility in the current recession.”

Rado reports,

"One bill filed in the General Assembly in February would prevent the cap from falling below 2 percent. Another bill would allow the use of a different inflation measure in the formula—an employment cost index that tracks changes in labor costs—which could benefit school districts.”

I find 110 bills designed to gut the tax cap.

Two concerning allowing a minimum of a two percent increase in what schools can get each year, even if the CPI is less, are

• Rep. Art Turner's House Bill 2502 and


• Sen. Lou Viverito's Senate Bill 2126

Turner's bill has joint sponsors—Frank Mautino, Linda Chapa LaVia, and William Davis—from each of the House Democratic Party caucuses in addition to long-time Republican tax cap buster advocate school superintendent Roger Eddy.

Viverito has no co-sponsors, but he is Chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee.

Both bills are posted for hearing next week. The House hearing is Nest Thursday at 9 AM. The Senate hearing is at 2 on Wednesday.

Members on the House Revenue Committee follow:

Chairperson John E. Bradley D

Vice-Chairperson: Frank J. Mautino D

Member: Bob Biggins R

Member: Suzanne Bassi R

Member: Mark H. Beaubien, Jr. R

Member: Linda Chapa LaVia D

Member: Barbara Flynn Currie D

Member: Roger L. Eddy R

Member: LaShawn K. Ford D

Member: Careen M Gordon D

Member: Ed Sullivan, Jr. R

Member: Arthur L. Turner D

Member: Michael J. Zalewski D

The Senate Revenue Committee members follow:

Chairperson Louis S. Viverito D

Vice-Chairperson: James T. Meeks D

Member: M. Maggie Crotty D

Member: Susan Garrett D

Member: Mike Jacobs D

Member: Jeffrey M. Schoenberg D

Minority Spokesperson : Chris Lauzen R

Member: Bill Brady R

Member: Randall M. Hultgren R

Member: Matt Murphy R

By clicking on their names, you can find their phone numbers, if you wish to call them.

Other bills to worry about are

• Aurora's Rep.Linda Chapa LaVia's HB 2237, which would take pension payments out from under the tax cap.

• SB 1513, sponsored by Sen. James Clayborne of East St. Louis. Both are Democrats.

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Cullterton and Clayborne Contribute to Gentes

Bill Gentes must be smiling today.

In fact, he may still be dancing the Snoopy happy dance.

Late yesterday afternoon, he reported receiving $75,000.

$50,000 came from The Senate Democratic Victory Fund, run by Chicago State Senator John Cullerton. Cullerton, generally considered an ally of House Speaker Mike Madigan on whose leadership team he used to serve, hopes to succeed retiring Senate President Emil Jones. Cullerton's PAC's web site announces an October 2nd fund raiser with sponsorships going to $5,000.

James Clayborne, of St. Clair County, another of the state senators who hopes to replace Emil Jones as Senate President, transferred $25,000 from his campaign fund.

It is intriguing that both would contribute to Gentes, considering, if elected, he can only vote for one person for Senate President.

Gentes is running against Dan Duffy, who cut his political teeth with the NFIB. Duffy's $500+ contributions can be found here.

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