McHenry County Blog

Reading the post-veto do-over that Democrats want of campaign finance reform put State Rep. Lou Lang’s vision of the subject in a new light.

At last Wednesday night’s meeting of the McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee, Lang, state representative and Niles Township Central Committeeman, was the guest speaker.

The House Democratic Party Floor Leader talked about accomplishing “some ethical reforms, including strengthening the Freedom of Information Act and campaign finance limits.

“There too high there,” he said of the bill vetoed last week by Governor Pat Quinn, a bill he previously endorsed.

Then, Lang laid out his own idea of campaign finance reform:

“I’d put strong limits on expenditures, for example, $100,000 (on House campaigns).

“Each candidate would get exactly the same access to exactly the same voters.”

I hope that I was not the only one in the room who figured out such a restriction is a way to give incumbents even more of an advantage than they have now.

Incumbents already have so many advantages.

Because they have won at least one election and had the support of state-paid public relations persons for almost two years by the time they seek re-election, public officials have a huge name identification advantage, just to mention one benefit to being in office.

Another is that newspapers quote you. (Check out the number of times non-incumbents pry their way into articles during a campaign.) That makes the incumbent and his r her ideas seem more important than a challenger.

Want to keep the same people in office?

Enact Lang’s suggestion.

= = = = =
Greenwood Township’s Ed Riley greets Lou Lang at the McHenry County Farm Bureau building in Woodstock.

In he opening remarks McHenry County Democratic Central Committee Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt stressed the importance of the 2010 election year by pointing out that it would determine who would reapportion the General Assembly. Of course, congressional districts would also be up for grabs.

Speaker State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) also emphasized that importance of the coming elections.

At one point he said,

“Remap drawing is a very important process.”

Lake in the Hills McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy asked about county board reapportionment.

“That’s going to affect me because they’re (the Republican county board members are) going to be redrawing the district.”

“The Republicans control the county board,” Lang agreed, suggesting,

“Even the most Neanderthal will recognize that the two-party system is important.”

Democrats now have two seats in county board District 5 and one in District 3.

= = = = =
State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) is the man in the photograph. The map of McHenry County shows the six county board districts.

In Part 1 and Part 2 of looking at State Rep. Lou Lang’s view of what really happened in the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly, he talked about how not enough votes could be garnered from Democrats, but that there were sufficient Republicans willing to vote for a (50%, not mentioned by Lang) income tax hike had not Republican Leader Tom Cross intimidated them.

This article continues with the questioning of McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen.

“(I was) just trying to follow it in the newspaper and wonder why people could not be working together.

“The not-for-profits have made cuts for the last ten years. They’re five months, seven months in arrears in getting (state payments). Financial institutions are not lending (so they) can make payroll. I don’t think people fully understand.”

“I think they do understand,” Lang replied, “but when politics rules over common sense, you know where it’s at.

“There are elected officials who don’t give a dame. They’re looking at November 2, 2010.

“When a person gets most of his money from business interests…it won’t matter to that legislator.

“They’ll say it matters, but it doesn’t matter.

“Regular people can’t believe this. People say,

“But they don’t care.

“The not-for-profit community dropped the ball her,” Lang explained, pointing out that they came to Springfield for demonstrations, but that was not enough.

“But, how many of those thousands of people went to see their own legislator in their own offices?

“None, very few.”

Lang then explained, “The last time Illinois raised income taxes not one single legislator in either chamber or party lost his next election.”

Land did allow that people remember Republican Governor Richard Ogilvie losing to Dan Walker in 1972 after Ogilvie signed the bill imposing the income tax.

“If you explain to (constituents) why your doing what you’re doing, they will (support you).

“But when gutless wonders stroll the Capitol, (it won’t happen).”

= = = = =
At the Wednesday meeting you see above, from left to right, you see Marti Swanson in the foreground, Ed Riley, who ran for Greenwood Township Supervisor, former District 6 McHenry County Board candidate Robert Ludwig, District 5 McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen, Ed Rotchford, Bob Kaempfe, candidate for state representative against Mike Tryon, Nunda Township Trustee candidate Meredith Reid Sarkees, District 5 McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy and Mike Bisset.

At last Wednesday’s meeting of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) talked about “what really happened in Springfield.”

Let me skip to what he said Republicans did and didn’t do.

“Twelve brave souls said they would (vote for the income tax increase.) We only needed five of those brave souls.

“Their leader Tom Cross said, ‘No.’”

Lang said he was told there were two arguments:

• It’s against our (Republican) philosophy
• We’re not helping Democrats

“Once is was June 1st, it made it impossible to pass the income tax,” Lang explained, pointing out that passing a bill took an extraordinary majority of 71 votes and the Democrats only have 70 House members.

“The leader of the Republican Party personally killed the income tax increase,” the House Democratic Party Floor Leader said.

“There was one woman on the Republican side of the aisle that I sat beside in a meeting in the Governor’s office after the vote,” Lang elaborated.

“She’s a person who actually cares about human services.

“She was sitting there crying real tears.

“Do you recall you voted ‘No?’” Lang said he asked.

“This is the kind of hypocrisy that go4s on in Springfield on a daily basis,” he added.

“So, the reason we did not pass the income tax was the Republican Party.”

In the question and answer question, McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen asked Lang to comment on what a not-for-profit lobbyist had told her:

“The reason Republicans wouldn’t cross over was because they wanted a greater say in reapportionment and wanted $2-3 billion more cut.”

“Cross was most interested in getting to June 1st (when an extraordinary majority higher than the number of Democrats in the Illinois House took effect),” Lang said.

“The idea that the Republican Party was protecting the taxpayer is a bunch of bull.

“Mr. Cross was protecting the Republican Party.”

Other articles in the series:

• Part 1.
• Part 3.

= = = = =
From left to right, those sitting at the table are Jeff Jenkins, BJ Rendine, Bill Nowaskey, Mark Freund, John Darger and John Farnick. Standing is Carolyn Quinn.

That’s what State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said he was going to tell McHenry County Democrats at their central committee meeting Wednesday night.

Lang is a 22-year member of the Illinois House and Mike Madigan’s floor leader.

“I’m involved in a lot of noise on the floor,” he said.

“We just got through five years of a governor who didn’t understand his job. I’m not just talking the criminal charges.”

Lang talked about the impeachment trial, observing that there had been a lot of talk about it in the back rooms for a long time.

“One who did not talk about it quietly in the back rooms was your own State Rep. Jack Franks.

“I’d prefer to have taken him out (in an election). Impeaching a governor isn’t too good for your party.

“Democrats were moving forces in cleaning up our own act, in cleaning up Springfield,” said one of the members of the House Impeachment Committee.

“While it looked like fun, it was not fun.

“This is the most important time I’ve spent in the legislature.

“Governor (Pat) Quinn takes over…at the worst possible time.

“(We are in) unprecedented fiscal crisis in the state. All fifty states (are in the same condition).”

Referring to Quinn, Lang said, “He’s been practicing for this job for a very long time. He wakes up as Lieutenant Governor and went to sleep as Governor.”

Lang praised the courage of Quinn for proposing an income tax increase.

“It took a significant amount of political courage.”

“We must do something to maintain the level of services,” was the way Lang characterized Quinn’s motivation.

Lang told how the Federal government made it impossible to use most of the stimulus money to fill the $6-11 billion budget hole. Congress wrote into the law that Medicaid payment cycles had to be lowered from Illinois’ 90-days to 30-days.

“All that was left was the human service programs.”

He pointed out that when human service agencies faced a 50% cut in subsidies that “doesn’t equal 50% of the cost because of fixed costs.”

“I voted for the income tax.”

Lang was one of 42 Democrats who voted for it.

“Jack Franks, my very good friend, didn’t vote for it. He had legitimate, thoughtful reasons.”

“Dozens who voted, ‘No,’ did so just to protect their next election.

“Jack Franks is my good friend, but at least he had a reason.

“There are so many who did not.

“We did have thirteen more people (Democrats) ready to vote for an income tax increase,” Lang added.

Doing the addition, that meant the Democrats had 55 of the needed 60 votes to pass an income tax. Lang said that those 13 saw no reason to expose themselves to political challenge, if the bill were not going to pass.

Tomorrow: “Twelve Brave Souls.”

The next day: “More About the Income Tax Fight.”

= = = = =
In the photograph of the three men during the question and answer session, you see, from left to right, Mark Freund, John Darger and Jonathan Farnick

This yard sign for Pat Quinn is fresh from Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

I found it at the Farm Bureau tonight where the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee was meeting.

State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) was the main attraction. Only a couple of times did I wish I could give a rebuttal. One was when he was talking about property taxes. Being a Cook County Democrat, he naturally did not point out how McHenry County homeowners are assessed at about twice the percentage of their homes’ market value as are homeowners in Chicago. Chicagoans are assessed about 1% of their homes’ worth, while we in McHenry County are assessed about 2%. Since Chicago tax rates are not twice as high as those out here, it means Chicago homeowners pay lower taxes on the same valued home than we do.

McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Cathy Bergan Schmidt had gathered as many signs as she could when she went down to Springfield for the event, Quinn’s included. She stressed that display of the signs did not indicate an endorsement and that, indeed, the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee does not endorse candidates in primary elections.

McHenry County Democrats have sent out the following press release inviting the public to its Wednesday night meeting in Woodstock:

Crystal Lake—State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie) will share his views on this year’s political and legislative developments in Springfield, and what Illinois Democrats can do to move on and retain the State’s constitutional offices, majorities in the Illinois House and Senate, and continued strength in Washington, at the August 26th meeting of the Democratic Party of McHenry County.

Lang has served in the Illinois House from the 16th District since 1987. He now serves as Assistant Majority Leader in the House of Representatives. He has reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment in Springfield every year since the early 1990’s and is a recognized leader on education issues.

“As Lou Lang, who has served as State Representative for 22 years, has pointed out it has been a year like no other in Springfield,” said McHenry County Democratic Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt. “Illinois has impeached and removed from office a governor and has an unprecedented budget crisis to deal with.”

Lang will speak at the beginning of the Party meeting scheduled to begin at 7 PM, Wednesday, August 26 at the McHenry County Farm Bureau, 1102 McConnell Road in Woodstock.

The public is welcome and admission is free.

For more information contact the party at 815 788-9540 or e-mail info@mchenrydems.org .

= = = = =
The photograph of State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) comes from his web site.

That was the vote of the Illinois House Impeachment Committee about 5:40 this afternoon.

The committee report recommending the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich slid out of the committee faster than my feet on the driveway ice this afternoon as I was shoveling.

McHenry County Democrat Jack Franks, a long-time nemesis of the governor, said he was “sad” when Blagojevich was arrested, but “Today is a great day.”

“The only was Rod Blagojevich can communicate with the legislature is through his criminal attorney,” Franks noted.

The Marengo resident noted the flu vaccine purchased that was never used, the Ali Ata and Joe Cari guilty plea agreements, the Tony Rezko conviction.

Southern Illinois Republican Mike Bost pointed out that all but three of the items in the impeachment report occurred before his call for impeachment hearings to be held in July 2007.

He noted that he was criticized for that request.

Indeed, Bost makes an excellent point.

Why did the General Assembly wait a year and a half more before taking action?

Why did the Republican Party fail to follow Bost’s lead in a timely fashion?

Democrat Lou Lang pointed out that the Illinois Constitution only refers to “cause” as a reason for impeachment.

Lang said what had been uncovered was “well sufficient to meet any standard of evidence,” while adding that “we can’t hold people to competence.”

“We have been thorough. We have been fair,” Republican Jim Tracy, a Republican attorney from Brown County elected in 2006, avowed.

“We can hardly reach any other conclusion,” she said. “We have no other evidence brought before us.”

Previous to the vote, Roland Burris testified.

Republican state representatives didn’t lay a serious glove on him, it seems to me.

Pulled from him was a July conversation with former Blagojevich Chief of Staff Lon Monk, a fellow lobbyist at the time, about how Burris would appreciate Monk passing on a good word for him with regard to the Senate appointment.

And, it was interesting to watch Burris’ face when he was asked how he felt when he heard Blagojevich had been arrested.

Burris did reveal that he had already opened a Federal political action committee, something he all but announced in the rain the day he was turned away from the U.S. Senate door.

Left hanging was Blagojevich attorney Sam Adams’ side of the story of his visit to Burris to make the offer of the U.S. Senate seat.

That was the vote of the Illinois House Impeachment Committee about 5:40 this afternoon.

The committee report recommending the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich slid out of the committee faster than my feet on the driveway ice this afternoon as I was shoveling.

McHenry County Democrat Jack Franks, a long-time nemesis of the governor, said he was “sad” when Blagojevich was arrested, but “Today is a great day.”

“The only was Rod Blagojevich can communicate with the legislature is through his criminal attorney,” Franks noted.

The Marengo resident noted the flu vaccine purchased that was never used, the Ali Ata and Joe Cari guilty plea agreements, the Tony Rezko conviction.

Southern Illinois Republican Mike Bost pointed out that all but three of the items in the impeachment report occurred before his call for impeachment hearings to be held in July 2007.

He noted that he was criticized for that request.

Indeed, Bost makes an excellent point.

Why did the General Assembly wait a year and a half more before taking action?

Why did the Republican Party fail to follow Bost’s lead in a timely fashion?

Democrat Lou Lang pointed out that the Illinois Constitution only refers to “cause” as a reason for impeachment.

Lang said what had been uncovered was “well sufficient to meet any standard of evidence,” while adding that “we can’t hold people to competence.”

“We have been thorough. We have been fair,” Republican Jim Tracy, a Republican attorney from Brown County elected in 2006, avowed.

“We can hardly reach any other conclusion,” she said. “We have no other evidence brought before us.”

Previous to the vote, Roland Burris testified.

Republican state representatives didn’t lay a serious glove on him, it seems to me.

Pulled from him was a July conversation with former Blagojevich Chief of Staff Lon Monk, a fellow lobbyist at the time, about how Burris would appreciate Monk passing on a good word for him with regard to the Senate appointment.

And, it was interesting to watch Burris’ face when he was asked how he felt when he heard Blagojevich had been arrested.

Burris did reveal that he had already opened a Federal political action committee, something he all but announced in the rain the day he was turned away from the U.S. Senate door.

Left hanging was Blagojevich attorney Sam Adams’ side of the story of his visit to Burris to make the offer of the U.S. Senate seat.

It’s been a long time since I looked at a couple of hundred page bill, but I decided to look at the one expanding gambling, House Bill 4194. I didn’t look at the headline stuff–where most of the money would go. I looked at the gambling side.

Besides the fact that the law will no longer has “riverboat” in its title, the most significant thing I found that would likely affect McHenry County is that it appears that betting would be allowed at county fairs. (Page 255.)

At least there’s $7,500 a year available for each county fair to be used for a totalizator system for conducting pari-mutual wagering.

A financial institution’s branch would no longer have to be 1,000 feet from a casino. It just can’t be inside.

Something called “electronic gaming” is added to horse racing and casinos to be considered part of the “gaming industry.” (Page 149.)

And, what’s it mean?

“’Electronic gaming’ means slot machine gambling, video games of chance, and electronic games as defined in the Illinois Gambling Act, that is conducted at a race track pursuant to an electronic gaming license.” (Page 152.)

Wagers may be placed via any method or at any location authorized under this Act.” (Page 151.)

Here’s an interesting definition. Is it talking about the current off-track betting parlors?

“Advance deposit wagering. ‘Advance deposit wagering’ means a method of pari-mutuel wagering in which an individual may establish an account, deposit money into the account, and use the account balance to pay for pari-mutuel wagering authorized by this Act. An advance deposit wager may be placed in person at a wagering facility or from any other location via a telephone-type device or any other electronic means.”

Probably not or we would have read about it in the newspapers.

Any race track cutting back racing dates more than 10% loses its electronic gaming license. (Page 172)

The Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders Fund is taken out from under the requirement to be appropriated by the General Assembly. (Page 254, among other places.)

And what’s this all about?

“’Electronic poker’ is not considered a gambling game as defined by this Act.” (Page 278.)

In addition to any allocated gaming spots, each race track can have another 100 electronic poker machines. (Page 354.)

Looks like competitive bidding as a way to decides who gets a license will be gone:

”If, after reviewing each application for a new or re-issued gaming license, the Board determines that it is in the best interest of the people of the State of Illinois for the the highest prospective total revenue to the State would be derived from State to conduct gambling operations conduct of the gambling operation in lieu of issuing or re-issuing the gaming license…” (Page 337.)

”Competitive Bidding. When the Board issues or re-issues an owners license authorized under Section 7 or determines that it will re-issue an owners license pursuant to an open and competitive bidding process, as set forth in Section 7.1… (Page 341.)

Competitive bidding was an idea that State Senator Peter Fitzgerald brought back from Greece.

Chicago is given eminent domain authority to acquire property by condemnation.