You may remember the $40,000 contribution from State Senator Pam Althoff to State Rep. candidate Carolyn Schofield about two weeks before the election.
Less than a week after the election, a Political Action Committee headed by James M. Sweeney, the
President-Business Manager of Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, donated $52,900 to Althoff’s campaign fund.
The other officer of the donating PAC is David Snelton.
When one Googles “David Snelton,” a female-owned business named “Snelton Inc.” comes up.
It is based in Lake in the Hills.
It moves dirt.
In any event, here’s what Althoff reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections today:
The $52,900 contribution from Chicago Land Operators Jt. Labor Management PAC is reported six days after the election.
For those that live in her district, where was her competition in the primary?
Kind of makes you want to take a shower with a strong antiseptic soap after reading that.
This was a round about way to get Schofield more union money with out broadcasting it until it was too late!
After $54K from the teachers union, another $40-50K of union money would have brazenly broadcasted the fraud that Carolyn Schofield is…
Better for ther that she get’s it from a liberal politician who then can get reimbursed by the union AFTER the election!
Thank You Paul Serwatka for saving us from that atrocity!
I’m sorry, but Cal you obviously haven’t done your research here.
Or one could say you obviously want to skew your readers in one direction.
The Chicaogland Operators PAC is one of the largest in Illinois.
It’s made up of Labor Management (which obviously leans left) and Private Industry Management (which decidedly leans right).
This PAC has a representative from both sides of Management serving as its officers (honestly, duh)
The goal of this bipartisan PAC, is industry advancement.
Which in case you were curious, the construction industry has a return of $3 for every $1 spent.
Far more than any other industry.
Please do your research.
This type of garbage perpetuates the myth that the construction industry is corrupt.
When in fact, this PAC is working to further provide jobs and economic growth in McHenry County.
What Senator Althoff does with her funds, of which countless other PAC’s have donated to her, is her business.
The Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management PAC is a political action committee run from the IUOE Local 150 compound in Countryside (Cook County) whose main overall and Labor contributor is the IUOE Local 150 Midwest Operating Engineers (MOE) Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund.
The management contributors are contractors and companies that use union labor.
The Illinois State Board of Elections Committee ID is 22986.
IUOE Local 150 is a building and construction trades union whose traditional membership is heavy equipment operators although it has a diversified membership.
The Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund is an hourly wage fringe benefit line item on IUOE Local 150 projects; some other IUOE Locals also have such a fund.
Here is some more information on the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC.
This from http://www.IllinoisSunshine.org.
The information does not reflect the $52,900 contribution listed above.
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Top 25 Donors (there are only 8):
Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Fund – $9,353,681
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 State County & Local Area PAC – $52,693
Engineers Political Education Cmte Separate Education fund – $50,000 (probably an IUOE contribution).
ComEd – $50,000
People’s Gas Lights and Coke Company – $26,600
AGL Resources – $20,000
AT&T Illinois Employee PAC – $5,000
AT&T Services Inc on behalf of AT&T IL – $5,000
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Top 25 Expenditures:
Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Fund – $1,222,463
Taxpayers for Quinn – $400,000 – Aug 19, 2014
Chicago For Rahm Emanuel – $250,000 – Mar 17, 2015
Friends of Michael J. Madigan – $209,100 – Nov 05, 2015
Democratic Party of Illinois – $209,100 – Nov 05, 2015
Coy Pugh & Associates – $189,000 – Dec 17, 2015
Democratic Majority – $171,500 – Nov 05, 2015
Citizens for Christine Radogno – $163,600 – Dec 18, 2015
Citizens for John Cullerton – $160,500 – Nov 05, 2015
Republican State Senate Campaign Committee – $160,200 – Dec 18, 2015
Committee To Support John Cullerton To State Central Committeman – $159,100 – Nov 05, 2015
House Republican Organization – $155,200 – Dec 18, 2015
NGP VAN – $150,000 – Dec 17, 2014
Citizens for Durkin – $111,600 – Dec 18, 2015
Senate Democratic Victory Fund – $106,500 – Nov 05, 2015
Intl Union of Operating Eng Local 150 State County & Local Area PAC – $105,200 – Feb 20, 2014
House Republican Leadership Committee – $102,600 – Dec 18, 2015
Capri Banquets – $86,950 – Dec 17, 2015
Friends of Don Harmon – $66,900 – Nov 05, 2015
Citizens to Elect Tom Cross – $58,000 – Aug 22, 2014
Watch below as local 150 members erupt into applause as Carolyn Schofield unsuccessfully attempts to table Governor Rauner’s Turn Around Agenda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-piXBQQwP7U
Below is an excerpt from Carolyn’s facebook page where she explains this maneuver as something entirely different, while stating that other county board members, including her good friend and county board chairman Joe Gottemoller, have no respect for the process and calls them hypocrites…
We avoided a disaster by stopping Carolyn Schofield from being elected to Springfield.
Let’s call it corruption and make it illegal.
Serve the people for a term and move on before you catch it.
Here is a previous post with a comment (March 6, 2016 at 12:16PM) listing some area governments that have IOUE Local 150 bargaining units:
– Algonquin
– Crystal Lake
– East Dundee
– Huntley
– IDOT
– Lake County
– McHenry County
– McHenry County Conservation District
– Woodstock
McHenry County Blog
Barb Wheeler’s Big Contributions Since Jan. 1st
March 5, 2016
http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2016/03/05/90868
“What Senator Althoff does with her funds, of which countless other PAC’s have donated to her, is her business.”
What an appalling statement, Steve.
Your statement that,
” is ironic in that you obviously support the idea that there is no need for transparency.
As a voter in her district it is every bit my business, and the mandated reporting underscores its value to the citizenry.
Eminclake – I’m not saying there isn’t a need for transparency.
But for what?
And for who?
You are unfortunately missing the bigger point – There already is!!!!!
What do you think the PAC and Senator Althoff reporting their donations to the state board of elections is?
Do you expect them to explain the reasoning and logic behind every single donation or contribution they receive, while also doing their jobs?!
I’m also a constituent of Senator Althoff.
However, Paul, Cal and the rest of you kooks are out to create an issue that’s not there.
I get the sentiment that you’re upset with the system and you’re looking for someone to crucify, I’m angry too and trust me…I get it.
But this witch hunt is not what you guys need to be doing to solve problems.
Call Senator Althoff, go to her office and speak with her.
Change doesn’t come from a mob of angry people hiding behind keyboards, it comes from those that act to work together to create a solution.
Honestly, you guys are all here making a big stink about
1. Someone who didn’t even make it past the primary
2. A state senator of which donated her own campaign money LEGALLY and as she saw fit to do so and
3. A PAC that is contributed to but thousands of our members in our community. But I’d guess because those members have blue collar jobs instead of white collar, their voice doesn’t matter to you?
This blog makes me seriously sad that people that read it believe the large amount of half truths that are spread here by its authors, which decidedly have an agenda.
What’s your point, Steve?
Unions have v-e-r-y long memories.
Cindy – my point is this.
Cal didn’t do his research or maybe he did and he’s decided to skew the facts, so his readers can conclude what he wants them to.
He’s implying that Mr. Snelten and Mr. Sweeney along with the unions conspired to donate money to Senator Althoff, so she could in turn give that money to Carolyn Schofield?
I’m sorry, but do you really think that there’s a conspiracy by union members and a bunch of private business owners to elect a State Rep that I’m sure half of them have never heard of??
Has anyone, including the author, ever thought of the fact that Senator Althoff has been a friend to the transportation and construction industry because she sees it as a valuable investment in Illinois???
And that reason is why the PAC decided to donate money to her campaign?
I doubt very many readers of this blog know that 60% of bridges in this state are rated structurally deficient???
Is it going to take a school bus going down on a dilapidated bridge to realize that this is an important issue?
Or the fact that the construction and transportation legislation are bipartisan issues?
But Cindy, with all of the above state, maybe voters should have a longer memory then people would actually care about these issue and do something about them, instead of trolling a blog with inane comments and no actual arguments.
“do you really think that there’s a conspiracy by union members and a bunch of private business owners to elect a State Rep that I’m sure half of them have never heard of??”
If course not, Steve.. They know exactly who Schofield is.. She’s the one a hundred of them publicly applauded for her attempt to prevent the adoption of the Governor’s Turn Around agenda on MC board.
I’m sure you’re not that ignorant, but what makes you believe that others are?
A structurally deficient bridge is a safe bridge that needs work.
It’s very bad publicity when a bridge fails, and the government hates negative publicity, so they are diligent about bridge safety.
If a bridge gets to the point where the engineers believe the bridge is unsafe, the bridge is closed, or sometimes a weight or speed limit is imposed.
About 8% of bridges in Illinois have the structurally deficient designation.
There is another category, Functionally Obsolete, that is also safe, reasons for the classification include narrow lanes, narrow shoulder, low height (ever see a semi truck stuck under a bridge, the bridge probably had a height restriction), more.
Bridges sometimes do fail, prominent examples, one in Minnesota, one in Washington, but such occurrences are rare, the odds of getting hurt due to bridge failure are very low.
You are much more likely to get in a traffic accident.
A variety of entities track structurally deficient bridges.
– Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (NBI)
– Federal Highway Administration, Bridges & Structures
– US Department of Transportation, Conditions & Performance Reports to Congress
– Illinois Department of Transportation
– McHenry County Department of Transportation
– American Road and Transportation Builders Association
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Steve? Just because you are not smart enough to understand the direction intended by comments does not give you license to negate anyone. I take umbrage at your stating that my comments are trolling or inane. Shame on you, you petulant prevaricator. (And to think that I was actually going to help your cause!) Your condescending statements above tell me that you are the person with an agenda here. The others here are right on the money with their comments.
There are at least 13 IUOE PACs in Illinois.
They are listed below.
Union Name – Union City – PAC name – PAC Committee ID – PAC City (If different from Union City)
———–
IUOE Downstate LMCC – Springfield – Downstate Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC – 25996
IUOE Leadership Council Illinios State Council – Springfield – Illinois State Branch of Operating Engineers PAC – 21628
IUOE Local 143 – Chicago – Local 143 IUOE PAC – 929
IUOE Local 148 – St. Louis – Local 148 International Union of Operating Engineers Il PAC – 1530 – Vandalia
IUOE Local 150 Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor Management PAC – Countryside – Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC (COJLM PAC) – 22986
IUOE Local 150 District 1 & HQ – Countryside – Intl Union of Operating Eng Local 150 State County & Local Area PAC – 507
IUOE Local 318 – Marion – Operators Action Fund – 12188
IUOE Local 399 – Chicago – IUOE Local 399 Political Education Fund – 1157
IUOE Local 520 – Granite City – Operating Engineers Local 520 Voluntary Political & Educ Fund – 1421
IUOE Local 649 – Peoria – IUOE Local #649 PAC (Engineers Political Education Committee) – 1155
IUOE Local 841 – Oakwood – Local 841 Illinois PAC (Operating Engineers) – 20921 – Terre Haute, IN
IUOE Local 965 – Springfield – Operating Engineers’ Local 965 Political Education Committee – 15528
IUOE National Headquarters – Washington DC – Intl Union of Operating Engineers/Engineers – 23247
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There are a number of weaknesses with the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
The D-1 organization form does not have a location for the name of the entity (union for example) backing the PAC.
The Contributor PAC ID is not included on the A-1 Contributions Received Form, and Contributor PAC names are not standardized / normalized, so it can be difficult to track down the PAC that made the contribution.
Contributions Received are not required to be itemized on the D-2 Quarterly Form, so for instance, the IEA PAC IPACE lists $876,000 in non-itemized contributions received for the three month period October 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015; it’s not known how much in contributions were received by the IPACE PAC from whom; contributions $1,000 and up should be required to be itemized.
In the Expenditures section of the D-2 Quarterly Form, the Committee ID of the PAC receiving the contribution is not listed, so it can be difficult to track down the PAC receiving the contribution.
In the “Expenditures Search” feature, using the “By Committee” tab, look up a PAC by inputting the Committee ID, in the results, the “Received By” field does not include the PAC ID, it can be difficult to track down the PAC that Received the Contribution.
So while the data is in the database, it’s not all that user friendly in that it can be difficult to track the flow from contributor PAC to recipient PAC, and vice-versa.