A press release from Dave McSweeney’s campaign for State Representative:
Wauconda Township Republicans Endorse David McSweeney
The Wauconda Township Republican Organization has announced their official endorsement of David McSweeney’s campaign for State Representative in the 52nd District. McSweeney was chosen in a vote of the rank and file members of the club.
“We’re proud to endorse David McSweeney. He is a dynamic leader who will fight for lower taxes and real reform in Springfield,” said Bob Gottardo, Chairman of the Wauconda Township Republican Club.
Dave McSweeney
McSweeney has attended a number of events in the Wauconda area and has been received well with his message of cutting taxes and spending in Springfield. His top priority is to repeal the 67% increase in the state income tax that is killing jobs in Illinois. In addition, McSweeney has supported stopping property tax increases when property values are going down. The legislature in Springfield failed to approve bipartisan legislation providing tax relief to property owners.
“I am very proud to have the endorsement of the Wauconda Township Republican Club. These are the people who are in the trenches carrying the Republican banner and I look forward to working with them in the campaign and when I get to the legislature. I will be a fiscal hawk cutting taxes and spending and making sure that property tax payers get relief,” said McSweeney.
= = = = =
McSweeney is running against appointed incumbent State Rep. Kent Gaffney and Danielle Rowe.
DEFRAUDING U.S. FOOD STAMP AND NUTRITION PROGRAMS OF
MORE THAN $500,000
CHICAGO — A Waukegan couple who operate a small grocery were indicted for allegedly defrauding government food stamp and nutrition programs of more than $500,000 over the last two years following an undercover investigation, federal law enforcement officials announced today.
The defendants, Fatima and Khaled Saleh, who own and operate Sunset Food Market in Waukegan, allegedly illegally exchanged cash with customers who made falsely inflated purchases using food stamp cards and nutrition coupons.
They also allegedly purchased items, typically infant formula, that customers bought at other stores using their program benefits, paying customers approximately half of the value of the items in cash and then re-selling the same items in their store at a substantially higher price.
Khaled Saleh, 46, and Fatima Saleh, 35, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud government programs and one count of Agriculture Department program fraud in a two-count indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury yesterday, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, together with Joe Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and John Gullickson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, both in Chicago.
The Illinois Department of Human Services assisted in the investigation.
The charges followed an investigation in which a USDA-OIG agent, acting undercover, allegedly exchanged food stamp benefits for cash and used benefits to purchase formula at a discount store and then sold the formula cans for half the price in cash to the Salehs on several occasions.
Agents executed a federal search warrant at Sunset market on April 26, 2011, and the Salehs were arrested last month on a criminal complaint.
Both defendants remain free on bond and will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court.
After the search of the store, Fatima Saleh went to her apartment and agents observed her leaving a short time later with a suitcase and her mother.
After giving consent to search the suitcase, agents found more than $350,000 cash and more than 800 coupon vouchers for the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), a supplemental food program to provide a more nutritious diet to low-income infants, young children and pregnant and post-partum women.
Agents later discovered an additional $25,000 cash in the couple’s apartment.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of approximately $377,000 seized on April 26, as well as more than $14,500 seized from Sunset Food’s bank account.
According to the indictment, in addition to accepting WIC coupons, Sunset Foods also participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, and was authorized to accept LINK cards used by customers to purchase eligible food items.
Between August 2009 and April 2011, the defendants redeemed more than $1.175 million in LINK food stamp and WIC coupons, with more than $500,000 being obtained through the fraud, the indictment alleges.
The store’s participation in the programs has been suspended.
Court documents allege that Fatima Saleh had applied for and received LINK food stamp benefits and WIC coupons for herself.
In 2010, she last received WIC vouchers and as much as $952 a month in LINK card benefits, and a month ago she was receiving $738 a month in food stamp benefits.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. DeVooght.
Each count of the indictment carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, restitution is mandatory and the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the United States has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
And who is that friend who voted for a casino in Chicago and many other places?
State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills).
The 65-50-2 vote roll call is below:
The roll call on the massive expansion of gambling legislation, SB 744.
In McHenry County State Representatives Jack Franks and Mike Tryon voted, “No.” State Rep. Mark Beaubien voted, “Yes.”
This bill will put slot machines at O’Hare and Midway Airports, the State Fair Grounds in Springfield and Illinois racetracks. In addition there will be four new casinos:
You can bet the casinos approved by the Illinois House on Monday won't look like this one in a BP gas station in South Dakota.
Chicago
Rockford
Danville
Somewhere in the South Suburbs
Park City just north of Waukegan
Here’s a summary of what is in Senate Bill 744 as it left the Illinois House for Senate concurrence votes. (The State switchboard is 217-782-2000, if you wish to weigh in to McHenry County’s two state senators, Pam Althoff and Dan Duffy.)
House Amendment 1. Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Chicago Casino Development Authority Act. Provides for the creation of the Chicago Casino Development Authority, whose duties include promotion and maintenance of a casino. Creates the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority Act. Creates the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority to promote, operate, and maintain horse racing operations through a racing contractor in the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Makes corresponding changes in the State Fair Act. Amends the State Finance Act to create the State Fairgrounds Infrastructure Improvement Fund and the Future of Agriculture Fund. Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 and the Riverboat Gambling Act to authorize electronic gaming at race tracks (and makes conforming changes in various Acts). Further amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Makes various changes concerning Board members. Contains provisions concerning testing of horses at county fairs, payments from the Horse Racing Fund, and standardbred horses. Further amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. Changes the short title to the Illinois Gambling Act. Adds additional owners licenses, one of which authorizes the conduct of riverboat or land-based gambling in the City of Chicago. Makes changes in provisions concerning the admission tax and privilege tax. Makes other changes. Makes corresponding changes in other Acts. Amends the Video Gaming Act. Provides that the Illinois Gaming Board shall issue a provisional license to an applicant for licensure as a licensed establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, or licensed veterans establishment if the applicant meets certain criteria. Provides that the Board shall adopt emergency rules to administer the Act within 120 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.
House Amendment 2. In the Riverboat Gambling Act, provides that beginning on the effective date of the amendatory Act and ending July 1, 2014, from the tax revenue deposited in the State Gaming Fund, $2,000,000 shall be deposited annually into the Foreclosure Prevention Program Fund.
House Amendment 3. Removes new provisions from the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 concerning labor peace agreements.
House Amendment 4. In the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, makes changes to provisions concerning the Depressed Communities Economic Development Board.
House Amendment 5. In the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975, provides that upon application the Board may issue a license to the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority authorizing the pari-mutuel system of wagering on live harness races, inter-track wagering, and simulcast wagering through a racing contractor, as that term is defined in the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority Act, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Sangamon County. In a provision providing that organization licensees awarded standardbred dates shall run at least 3,500 races in total during that calendar year, provides that standardbred racing conducted in Sangamon County shall not be counted towards the total number of races. Provides that annually, from the purse account of an organization licensee racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, an amount equal to 14.33% shall be transferred to the thoroughbred purse accounts of each of the following: Arlington Park Racetrack, Hawthorne Racecourse, and Fairmount Park Racetrack. Provides that beginning on January 1, 2013, from the purse account of an organization licensee racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, an amount equal to $100,000 shall be transferred into the Illinois Racing Quarterhorse Breeders Fund. Makes other changes.
If you would like to read the entire bill with all the amendments in the right order, you can do it here.
Here’s a press release distributed by the Task Force to Oppose Gambling for Chicago:
House Passes Expansion, Including a Chicago Casino 65-50-2 House
(Chicago, IL…) The Illinois House passed SB744, the gambling expansion bill establishing casinos in Chicago, Park City (near Waukegan, Danville, Rockford and an undisclosed location in South Cook County).
The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence.
If the Senate concurs, it will go to Governor Quinn for a decision on approval or not.
Quinn has indicated the expansion is too large.
Task Force to Oppose Gambling for Chicago issued the following statement:
“We believe the passage of SB744 is a major mistake. If the bill moves ahead with Senate and Gubernatorial approvals, the nature and culture of Chicago will change forever.
“Citizens of this city have indicated they do not favor a casino. Instead a coalition of non-Chicagoans provided the leadership to pass the bill. It is a very sad day for Chicago that the coming years will prove what a mistake this bill is for Chicago and Illinois.”
is the title of an April 5, 2011, article by former Huntley School District 158 Board member Larry Snow. (The quote was in the Chicago Tribune Marcy 31, 2011. It is from Executive Director Dick Ingram of Teachers’ Retirement System.)
The article was published in “The Champion” with this teaser:
“82,981 of 132,502 Illinois Teachers Pay Nothing or Little into Their Pensions“
That’s 63% of all teachers in Illinois.
The State Journal-Register is reporting that State Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) is promoting a bill where state and local governments would all pay six percent of payroll toward employee pensions.
In a revealing sentence in reporter Chris Wetterich’s article, he writes,
“What’s unclear is how much more employees themselves would have to pay.“
Because no one has done the research except, I believe, the Illinois Education Association and Snow, how much extra teachers would have to pay if their so-called contribution rate was raised from 9.4% to 13.77% is a really good question.
While not covering every school district in Illinois, Snow did research the teachers’ contracts for all of the large school districts (by law all are supposed to be on the internet) in order to find out how much teachers pay in order to get a “full 75 percent pension after working only 27 years.” He points out, “Most adults work for 27 years before they turn age 50.”
As way of background, Snow notes that teachers are not in the Social Security System and, therefore, are not forced to pay Social Security taxes.
“Ordinary workers get hit with a 6.2 percent deduction for Social Security,” Snow writes. “It’s a deduction they have to pay federal and state income taxes on.
“Democrats gave teachers a huge loophole of not paying income taxes on any of their pension deductions” he continues. “This enormous no-tax handout to teachers amounts to billions of dollars each year.”
Snow’s research leads him to this conclusion:
“Over 51,000 of the total 132,502 teachers in Illinois contribute nothing from their K-12 paychecks into their pensions. Illinois law says it is to be 9.4 percent.
“About an additional 32,000 teachers pay little into their pensions. It is 1.81 percent to be precise for these 31,956 teachers.“
How many teachers pay not a dime toward their retirement?
51,025 teachers in 186 school districts pay nothing for retirement benefits.
They “don’t pay a penny into the 9.4 percent called out by Illinois law.
“There are a total of 868 districts in Illinois.
“The pay-zero teachers listed are 39 percent of all teachers in Illinois,” Snow reveals.
No agency in state government seems to keep track of this information.
Not the Downstate Teachers Retirement Fund, which boldly and incorrectly claims,
“Active TRS members are required to contribute 9.4 percent of their creditable earnings each year…”
The State Board of Education doesn’t keep track either.
My guess is that only the Illinois Education Association has a matrix showing what school districts have given what benefits in contract negotiations.
The Board will pay the current level of retirement contribution to the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois.”
It is expressly understood that figures appearing on this salary schedule include a sum equal to the current level of TRS contribution of the base salary of each Teacher which is, in fact, payable to the Teachers’ Retirement System on the Teacher’s behalf.”
“The ISBE report shows this board paying nothing. A Democrat bureaucracy doesn’t check the teachers contracts to see if what is reported, matches what’s in writing.”
And, if legislation is passed requiring 4.37 percentage points more, how long do you think it will take Lockport taxpayers to pick up the difference?
Given that local teachers’ unions pretty much control school boards wherever they are elected (read everywhere but Chicago), my guess is will be on the top of the collective bargaining list.
Do you wonder if Rep. McCarthy knows that?
Is his proposal just a setting up local taxpayers for an even bigger fall?
Five years from now will 39% of teachers still be paying nothing for their pensions?
Even better for teachers is that this pension payment ups their pension payments.
Take a look at the chart below. Chances are your school district is on it.
Chart of Pension Contributions by 82,981 District Teachers of 132,502 Total Illinois K-12 Teachers
Denise Rotheimer, 2010 Chairperson of the Waukegan Township Legislative Breakfast has invited incumbent Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s Republican opponent, Joe Walsh, to replace her on the panel after Bean became “unavailable.”
Here’s Rotheimer’s missive:
To Whom It May Concern:
Melissa Bean
Joe Walsh
Since Congresswoman Melissa Bean is unavailable to attend the Legislative Breakfast on September 17, 2010 as a panelist, could you please ask Joe Walsh if he would consider attending this year’s event as a panelist instead of as an individual.
The Legislative Breakfast committee members want to provide our attendees with information about issues affecting them in their district, which I am confident Joe could address.
Please know that this opportunity will not equate to a candidate forum, but rather will provide a role for Joe to address Melissa’s constituents with the knowledge he has gained from speaking with 8th District constituents and the research he has gathered to offer them solutions.
After the panelists are introduced and have an opportunity to give a two-minute speech, the committee will open the floor to the attendees.
A moderator will call on attendees who have questions or comments. The questions or comments addressed by attendees will not be known ahead of time, nor will they be scripted.
Two of the investors in the Waukegan casino group showed up in Crystal Lake to make a pitch for and won the approximately $115 million Vulcan Lakes Tax Increment Financing district development.
One of them, sitting before the Crystal Lake City Council was Bill Cellini. He is reported to have sold his share in the Waukegan enterprise a year and half ago.
Cellini is known by Gaming Board Chairman and former State Rep. Aaron Jaffe from Jaffe’s time in the General Assembly.
That left Richard Stein, another guy sitting at the table with Cellini.
The Chicago Tribune reported Cellini and
“…others with Blagojevich ties have connections to the businessman he sold it to: Michael Pizzuto, a Hinsdale real estate developer who was once director of finance for Cellini’s New Frontier Development.
“Cellini was indicted this year on charges that he extorted campaign contributions to Blagojevich from a Hollywood producer whose investment firm was seeking state business.
“Blagojevich appointed Pizzuto to the State Universities Retirement System in 2004, and a “clout list” released in the trial of convicted (Rod) Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko suggested that he was sponsored by fellow fundraiser Chris Kelly.”
Board members also pointed to the $1,000 apiece that Pizzuto and Stein donated to Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde as a negative.
Three days after Cellini and Stein’s group won the Vulcan Lakes TIF business, Cellini was named as Individual A in Blagojevich’s buddy Tony Rezko’s indictment.
He personally withdrew from the project. Subsequently, the rest of the consortium dropped out.
As I wrote on March 3, 2008,
“The question that remains unanswered is how a Springfield-based Republican developer in business with a Democratic Party developer described by Kass as Mayor ‘Daley’s favorite’ found out about this Crystal Lake TIF opportunity, let alone captured it from local developer Bo Strom of Charles River Development.“
Just in case you haven’t seen the YouTube postings of Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley questioning Cellini, you can link to them below, first the very short version, then the longer on that puts the shorter one in context.
Here’s the one that puts the short one into context, which follows.
= = = = = In the blurry photo in the middle of the story, you can see a broadly smiling Bill Cellini leaving the Crystal Lake City Council meeting after winning the rights to develop Vulcan Lakes using TIF subsidy money. Behind him Richard Stein can be seen scratching his head.
Two of the investors in the Waukegan casino group showed up in Crystal Lake to make a pitch for and won the approximately $115 million Vulcan Lakes Tax Increment Financing district development.
One of them, sitting before the Crystal Lake City Council was Bill Cellini. He is reported to have sold his share in the Waukegan enterprise a year and half ago.
Cellini is known by Gaming Board Chairman and former State Rep. Aaron Jaffe from Jaffe’s time in the General Assembly.
That left Richard Stein, another guy sitting at the table with Cellini.
The Chicago Tribune reported Cellini and
“…others with Blagojevich ties have connections to the businessman he sold it to: Michael Pizzuto, a Hinsdale real estate developer who was once director of finance for Cellini’s New Frontier Development.
“Cellini was indicted this year on charges that he extorted campaign contributions to Blagojevich from a Hollywood producer whose investment firm was seeking state business.
“Blagojevich appointed Pizzuto to the State Universities Retirement System in 2004, and a “clout list” released in the trial of convicted (Rod) Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko suggested that he was sponsored by fellow fundraiser Chris Kelly.”
Board members also pointed to the $1,000 apiece that Pizzuto and Stein donated to Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde as a negative.
Three days after Cellini and Stein’s group won the Vulcan Lakes TIF business, Cellini was named as Individual A in Blagojevich’s buddy Tony Rezko’s indictment.
He personally withdrew from the project. Subsequently, the rest of the consortium dropped out.
As I wrote on March 3, 2008,
“The question that remains unanswered is how a Springfield-based Republican developer in business with a Democratic Party developer described by Kass as Mayor ‘Daley’s favorite’ found out about this Crystal Lake TIF opportunity, let alone captured it from local developer Bo Strom of Charles River Development.“
Just in case you haven’t seen the YouTube postings of Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley questioning Cellini, you can link to them below, first the very short version, then the longer on that puts the shorter one in context.
Here’s the one that puts the short one into context, which follows.
= = = = = In the blurry photo in the middle of the story, you can see a broadly smiling Bill Cellini leaving the Crystal Lake City Council meeting after winning the rights to develop Vulcan Lakes using TIF subsidy money. Behind him Richard Stein can be seen scratching his head.
This is a journal of news and opinion designed to bring to light matters of public interest and to encourage public participation in the governmental process.
Emphasis will be on McHenry County, but Illinois state news will be covered. Articles and photos are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without explicit written permission.
