McConchie Proposes Budget Balancing Bill, Plus Prohibition of Using Road Money to Pay RTA Bonds

From State Senator Dan McConchie: McConchie plan injects fiscal responsibility in budget-making process Would protect Road Fund, cap state spending, and provide better revenue estimates Springfield, IL… In an effort to promote fiscal responsibility in the budget-making process, State Senator … Continue reading

Advice for Cities: Embrace the Sububs

That’s what this column in Crain’s Chicago Business says: Rust Belt cities should try embracing the suburbs Merging aging urban centers with surrounding municipalities shows promise as a path to revival. READ MORE > Been there, done that. The RTA was created ti … Continue reading

Rauner Goes after Lottery Conflicts of Interest

A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner: Governor Rauner and Illinois Lottery Seek New Management Partner Signals transformation to ensure Lottery grows responsibly while providing better value for taxpayers CHICAGO — Governor Bruce Rauner and the Illinois Lottery today announced … Continue reading

The Contested GOP Precinct Committeemen Races in Grafton Township

What follows are the results from the only contested Republican Party Precinct Committeeman race in Grafton Township: Grafton 6 Blake Hobson – 150 John Otlewis – 119 Hobson is the county’s representative on the Regional Transportation Authority. … Continue reading

RTA’s Dillard Seeks Tax Hike – Part 2

Yesterday I vented at what current RTA Board Chairman Kirk Dillard did to raise our sales taxes one-half of one percent when he was State Senator. I’ll admit that really bothered me when he ran for Governor in 2010 and … Continue reading

Munaretto Fails to Get County Real Estate Contract

Former McHenry County Board member Marc Munaretto failed to get a contract to handle real estate deals with the County at Tuesday night’s meeting. This was the second time the resolution to approve him made it to the Board floor. … Continue reading

Rauner Wants Automatic RTA Subsidy Stopped

When the Regional Transportation Authority referendum passed, there was a subsidy assumed. I remember that is was about $60 million a year. That number came from a formula. It was some small percentage of the sales tax collected in the … Continue reading

Suburban Republicans, Led by Mike Tryon, Seek Re-Instatement of Mass Transit Committee

The following letter was sent to House Speaker Mike Madigan after he abolished the Mass Transit Committee.  It was signed by last year’s Republican Spokesman, Mike Tryon, plus members Patti Bellock, Mike Fortner, David Harris, Jeanne Ives, Ron Sandack, Ed Sullivan and … Continue reading

Ex-Crystal Laker Don Udsteun Surfaces in Latest RTA Report

Don Udstuen was a lobbyist for the Illinois State Medical Society, ultimately rising to the well-paid post of heading up the Society’s medical malpractice company. On the Metra Board representing McHenry County, he was caught up in a bribery scheme … Continue reading

“Public Transportation, When & Where You Need It”

Most of the 1974 campaign literature from the RTA Citizens Committee for Better Transportation was not stupid enough to make the promise you see in the headline. But at least one piece, now somewhere in my Regional Transportation Authority archives … Continue reading

Resumes of McHenry County RTA Board Applicants

The First Electric Newspaper was the first to find out the names of those wanting to represent McHenry County on the RTA Board. Whoever is selected will replace Al Jourdan, someone supportive of the almost successful efforts to defeat the … Continue reading

RTA’s Al Jourdan and Don Totten Remind Suburbanites What’s at Stake

It took Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown to point it out, but there are some high regional stakes in the fight over who controls mass transportation in the metropolitan area. The same fight occurred in 1974 and in the early … Continue reading

The Illinois Lottery Was Not Passed to Help Education

Every once in a while I’ll hear someone say that the lottery was passed to finance education. If I have time, I’ll correct that impression. When I attended my second New Members Conference put on by the Legislative Research Council, … Continue reading

The RTA Tax Hikers’ Mythical “Universal Pass” Promise

Since 1974 when Downtown Chicago business interests financed the referendum to impose taxes on the suburbs to subsidize the CTA, promises have been made that there would be a “Universal Pass.” If something was promised 38 years ago and has … Continue reading