McHenry County Blog

It won’t be Ghostbusters.

The Senate roll call of override of Governor Pat Quinn’s Senate Bill 9. which overrides an Illinois Commerce Commission decision,  is below:

Besides two of three State Senators representing McHenry County–Pam Althoff and Karen McConnaughay–potential candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor–Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard–voted for the electric rate hike.

State Senator Dan Duffy voted to uphold the Governor’s veto.

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The House voted Wednesday to override the veto. You can see who voted in favor of raising electric rates in the roll call below:

Voting in favor were all local state reperesentatives:

• Jack Franks
• David McSweeney
• Tim Schmitz
• Mike Tryon
• Barbara Wheeler

Previously, McHenry County Blog has reported on the contributions from Commonwealth Edison, Ameren and others to State Senator Pam Althoff and State Rep. Jack Franks.

Both voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto, Franks a last minute switch.

State Senator Dan Duffy gave a scorching speech against the bill, addressing the

• business end, which he said required an outside audit to see how efficiently Com Ed is operating, and the
• ethics’ side, pointing out that the father of bill sponsor Mike Jacobs was a Com Ed lobbyist.

Newly-appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney also voted “No.”

I figure that balance requires me to look at the donations that State Rep. Mike Tryon, who supported the bill, received.

The figures you see below are taken from the Committee on Political Reform’s data base, a compilation of businesses and executives thereof who the Committee judged to have a financial interest in the Senate Bill 1652′s veto override.

The total is $5,750.

To put this in perspective, here are the totals of contributions Tryon reported to the State Board of Elections for the first three-fourths of the year:

• 1st Quarter – $1,754
• 2nd Quarter – $30,714
• 3rd Quarter – $21,690

Total – $54,158

So contributions that the Committee for Political Reform consider linked to companies supporting the electric rate hike bill total 10.6% of Tryon’s contributions for the first three-quarters of 2011.

The Campaign for Political Reform has a spreadsheet that shows how much each state legislator has taken from companies like Commonwealth Edison, Ameren and other entities which it thinks has a stake in the so-called “Smart Grid” electricity rate hike bill.

It’s not perfect. I found one State Senator who got a contribution from ComEd PAC that wasn’t on it, but it’s the best one-source document out there.

The donations shown are for this calenday year through October 18th. The Com Ed/Ameren electric rate hike veto override of Senate Bill 1652 occurred on October 19th, so there is some possibility additional, last minute contributions were made.

Below you see the contributions from 2011 for the 39 State senators who voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto of Senate Bill 1652:

• Senate Democratic Victory Fund – $89,250
• Republican State Campaign Committee – $42,650

The Democratic Party Senate campaign fund is controlled by Senate President John Cullerton.

The Republican Party Senate campaign fund is run by Minority Leader Christine Radogno.

In descending order, here’s what each of the 39 State Senators who voted to raise your electric rates got in contributions from Commonwealth Edison, Ameren, plus other companies and executives thereof which the Committee on Political Reform believes had an interest in the bill’s passage:

• 

  Mike Jacobs, sponsor of Senate Bill 1652

  Christine Radogno – $38,000

• Kirk Dillard – $19,000
• Mike Jacobs – $16,750
• Dale Richter – $13,930
• Antonio Munoz – $13,850
• Don Harmon – $11,500
• Toi Hutchinson – $11,000
• James Meeks – $11,000
• Bill Brady – $9,500
• Annezette Collins – $8,250
• A. J. Wilhemi – $7,700
• Mattie Hunter – $7,000
• Carole Pankau – $6,350
• John Millner – $6,050
• Donne Trotter – $6,000
• John Jones – $5,750
• Kimberly Lightford – $5,500
• William Haine – $5.450
• Terry Link – $5,000
  

  GOP Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno

• Michael Noland – $4,750
• Matt Murphy – $4,250
• Pam Althoff – $4,000
• David Leuchtefeld – $3,358
• Kwame Raoul – $2,500
• Sue Rezen – $2,000
• Maggie Crotty – $1,500
• John Cullerton – $1,500
• Linda Holmes – $1,250
• Iris Martinez – $1,250
• Emil Jones, III – $1,000
• William Delgado – $1,000
• David Koehler – $750
• Martin Sandoval – $500
• Thomas Johnson – 0
• Steven Landek – 0
• Ron Sandack – 0

State Senator Dan Duffy’s speech in opposition to the Com Ed/Ameren electric rate increase bill:

Business side of bill:

This “smart grid” technology does not prevent outages from Storms like we experienced in the recent past.

It is not going to stop “Acts of God” but what it will do, in theory, is reroute power quicker.

Even in the new trailer bill – the state is still guaranteeing profits for the power company.

What other company in the state gets such a sweet deal of guaranteed profits?

When I met with representatives from the power company, what I suggested is that there be a 3^rd Party Audit of the power company.

We should know – from somebody other than the company or the ICC – that the power companies are OPERATING the most EFFICIENT and COST EFFECTIVE way possible BEFORE we allow them to have another rate increase.

Why allow a rate increase if the company is not operating as EFFICIENTLY and EFFECTIVELY as possible?

Nobody has responded to me about my audit request nor has any representative of the company followed up with me about my request.

Regarding the “Ethic’s Side” of this bill:

I have – in the past before this bill was in play – accepted unsolicited donations from ComEd.

But I have a Rhetorical question for everyone:

Who is worse – the Drug User or the Drug Dealer?

Who is worse – legislators who accept unsolicited donations from companies who are pushing specific bills OR the CEO’s who write the big checks in order to gain votes.

When I met with representatives from the power company, every time somebody mentioned how “ethically challenged” we are in this state and how bad our reputation is.

However – this same company has NO problem, when they want a bill to pass the legislature – to pull out their check book and pay out 1.3 Million dollars to legislators since this bill has been introduced. 1.3 Million DOLLARS in donations!

What is the point of this flurry of donations?

Is it just coincidence that all this money has been paid out to legislators SINCE this “smart grid” bill was introduced? Are these “donations” helping or hurting our states reputation? Is this typical “Pay to Play” politics in Illinois?

What about the SPONSOR of this bill. Is it coincidence that his close family member is the LOBBYIST for this bill and will benefit greatly from its passage? Is it right that this bill then in turn moved through the SPONSOR’s committee with lightening speed?

IF this is how business gets done in Illinois NO WONDER so Many companies have said NO THANKS and prefer to do business elsewhere!

I agree with the Governor and fully SUPPORT his veto of this bill.

Each year for the next ten years, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren, its Downstate counterpart will be increasing our electric rates, compliments of State Senator Pam Althoff and State Representatives

The State Senate voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto this afternoon by the slim margin of one vote. 36-20-2.  One of those “Yes” votes was that of McHenry County State Senator Pam Althoff.  Without that vote, the rate hiking process would not be able to go into effect.

Here is the House roll call on the veto override:

Reversing his vote on the original bill, State Rep. Jack Franks voted in favor this time around. Check out his contributions from some of his union supporters who wanted a “Yes” vote.

State Rep. Mike Tryon also supported the bill, as he did on original passage.

Newly-appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney voted in opposition to the bill hiking Com Ed electricity rates.

Readers by now have figured out that I think Com Ed’s and Ameren’s electricity rate hike “Smart Grid” bill is dumb.

Let me tell you why.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted monopoly status to electric utilities.

In return for these monopolies, the electric utilities were charged with delivering electricity.

Creating and maintaining an infrastructure, in other words.

Also being promoted are electric meters that don’t require meter readers to walk through your yard. They can be remotely read.

Algonquin has these for its water system.

If a utility finds they will save money, by all means install them.

Do the analysis and figure out how many years it will take to pay for them out of the meter readers’ salaries that will not have to be paid.

And, for goodness sake, don’t use the absurd argument that your customers will not call to tell you that they have no electricity.  The current system gets repairmen where they need to go.

Now Commonwealth Edison and Ameren, which has taken over pretty much all of Downstate Illinois’ electric companies, except those rural ones created with Federal subsidy, come moaning to the Illinois General Assembly that their infrastructure is inadequate.

The reason the ICC was created, according to an old man (to me in my 30′s) I met on the train to Springfield was that utility magnate Sam Insull, whose secretary this fellow rider said he was, decided it would be easier to bribe a majority of a regulatory commission than a majority of the Illinois General Assembly.

It appears the ICC Commissioners can no longer be bribed.

So, it’s off to the Illinois General Assembly.

Yesterday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill (House Bill 3036) which supposedly makes the electric rate hike bill betters.

Jack Franks, switching from opposing the rate increase to supporting it, flipped on the so-called “trailer bill.”

Maybe the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, just to name one of his union contributors, got through to him.

But he wasn’t the only local legislator to vote for the rate hike.  Mike Tryon did, too.

Interestingly, the only local State Representative to vote against the measure is the only one with a primary election opponent–Kent Gaffney.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog reproduced the Senate roll call on the trailer bill.  Senator Pam Althoff supported the bill, Senator Dan Duffy did not.

Below is the House roll call on the first Senate amendment to House Bill 3036:

The second amendment passed by the same 91-24 vote.

Next comes the vote on the main event, the override of Governor Pat Quinn’s Senate Bill 1652, first in the Senate and, then, assuming the override passes, which pretty much every observer thinks it will, in the House.

Here’s the roll call for the so-called trailer bill that supposed to make the Com Ed/Ameren rate hike bill better.

Governor Pat Quinn, who cut some of his community organizing teeth creating the Citizens Utility Board, doesn’t agree that it is enough of an improvement.

I found this press release from State Senator Shane Cultra, who voted against the bill:

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Shane Cultra (R-Onarga) offered comments on House Bill 3036, which was designated as a trailer bill containing “so-called” consumer protections to the controversial “smart grid” legislation vetoed by Gov. Pat Quinn this fall.

“I voted against the legislation because I am not comfortable with the level of assurances that have been offered up by the utility providers,” Cultra said. “Illinois citizens have been socked with massive tax increases and it is not a time to send them an additional charge on their Ameren or ComEd bill courtesy of the Illinois General Assembly.”

Senator Cultra does not plan on voting to override the veto, citing a need to protect consumers.

Little wonder that supporters don’t want their constituents to know how they voted.

And speaking of that, I can’t find a Senate roll call on SB 1652, the main electricity rate hike bill.

The Governor’s veto was overridden 37-20.

Senate bill 1652, the legislation that Commonwealth Edison and Downstate electric utility Ameeen promotes as a “Smart Grid” bill, passed the Illinois House this Memorial Day 67-47-1.

It previously passed the Senate, as you can see from the Senate roll call below:

Both state senators representing McHenry Count–Pam Althoff and Dan Duffy–voted for the legislation.

In the Illinois House, the vote was split on party lines.

Democrat Jack Franks opposed the bill, while Republicans Mark Beaubien and Mike Tryon voted, “Yes.”

The Senate still has to vote on House amendments before the bill can be sent to the Governor’s desk.

For those wishing to weigh in on the issue, the state switchboard number is 217-782-2000.