Sun-Times endorses Valadez and Currin over higher tax-advocates Murphy and Simms

The Chicago Sun-Times issued two strong endorsements, and trip up on another.

In the 5th District (South Side, south suburbs) the Sun-Times endorsed Matteson trustee Sheila Y. Chalmers-Currin, a member of the ChangeCookCounty reform slate, over incumbent Deborah Sims, one of only four commissioners to vote with Stroger 90 percent or more of the time.
In the 6th District (south, southwest suburbs) the Sun-Times endorsed Nick Valadez, the leading reform-minded candidate with strong credentials challenging incumbent Joan Patricia Murphy. They picked Valadez over John Fairman, who some think is in the race to to help Murphy who wasn't satisfied with increasing the sales tax one percent as proposed by Stroger. Murphy proposed increasing the sales tax two percent. Yikes. Get her outta there!

In the 17th District, the Sun-Times gave an unenthusiastic endorsement to mudslinger Mark Thompson (with no mention of his mudslinging and ties to controversial county board members) over lower-tax champion Elizabeth "Liz"Doody Gorman. Gorman has won the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune, Daily Southtown, and even the Daily Herald which is based in Thompson's backyard and was disturbed by his mudslinging. Can't imagine what the Sun-Times was thinking, though. Of course, they also backed Peraica, who has been having a hard time as media after media pound him for his loner, him-first PR Strategy. Peraica's a decent person who knows how to make enemies from enemies and friends.

The big loser in endorsements, though, has been Patrick Maher, son of Orland Park Village Clerk David Maher. Maher was aced out in every newspaper by his Democratic rival Dr. Victor Forys. Must be his media and political advisers who stumbled badly. Nothing like bad advice to sink the campaign ship.

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

Fears that Stroger's demise undermines Blacks unwarranted

It tells you something about Cook County Board President Todd Stroger when his best defense on why he should be re-elected (if you consider his last minute swipe into office an "election") isn't that he's a great administrator or cares for the taxpayers, but instead is that it will result in the election of a "White Man."

Race always comes in for failed officials like Stroger when they can't seem to explain away their failed leadership. The fact is that Stroger isn't the best African American candidate in the race for the Cook County Board, but you wouldn't know that from listening to his tightly controlled public appearances. Stroger only goes where he has a friendly audience and doesn't have the courage to go anywhere where his failed policies will be challenged or where he has to defend them.

That is all reinforced by the release this week of a public opinion poll of voters that shows that the leading candidates to replace Stroger are NOT "White" as his allies are trying to assert but are in fact African American. Imagine that. The candidate likely to replace Stroger, the failure, is an African American, according to the survey. (Click HERE to read the Chicago tribune poll.)

The poll shows Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown, who is African American although you wouldn't know it from the way Stroger's people are screaming, is leading the pack of five major candidates with 29 percent, followed closely by Ald. Toni Preckwinkle with 24 percent, who is also African American. Stroger, the "incumbent" is in third place with an astonishing 14 percent, followed by Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien with 11 percent.

The Tribune poll was co-sponsored by WGN TV, the Tribune owned broadcasting media.

Stroger's problem is that he doesn't know how to lead. Instead of raising sales taxes as a quick answer to the blaoted and wasteful spending of the Cook County government, he should come up with good creative solutions to the county;s troubles. t's that reason, not that he is Black, that makes it imperative that he be removed and retired from office.

Don't feel so bad for Stroger. he'll probably get a legislative pension and a county pension based on his astronomical salary ... remember what commissioner Bobbie Steele got when she served as interim president for a few short weeks so her pension would be based not on her county salary but on the artificial county board president salary.

Tragic. Fortunately many members of the Cook County Board are working hard to expose his failings and fix the county, including Elizabeth Liz Doody Gorman (17th District) who has helped put the spotlight on the unfairness of the Stroger Sales tax and led the fight -- YES LED THE FIGHT -- to repeal or rollback the sales tax which has been undermining small businesses in Cook County.

Should we "fix" or "change" Cook County: the debate might miss the ball

Last march, Nick Valadez launched a group called "Fix Cook County." His web site is www.FixCookCounty.com and the group sought to encourage candidates to step up to the plate and run for public office.

Recently, another group has surfaced called "Change Cook County." But in the end, the two groups might cause Cook County to remain the same. Their web site is www.ChangeCookCounty.com.

Amazingly, Change is similar to Fix in wording especially on the issues of transparency, the accountability and sound financial management.

Valadez is challenging Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy in the 6th District. Murphy not only supported Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's repressive 1 percent sales tax, she wanted to go further and impose a sales tax increase of 2 percent.

Of the five commissioners who backed Stroger in the last vote to rollback the sales tax 5 percent, Murphy was one of its chief sponsors. She was matched only in audacity on the board by County Commissioner Deborah Sims in the 5th District -- Sims was the commissioner who flipped flop and couldn't make up her mind. Should she screw the taxpayers of Cook County by increasing the sales or should she stand by the people. Sims, like Murphy, chose to stand by Stroger and the taxpayers be damned!

Challenging Sims is Matteson Trustee Sheila Chalmers-Currin. Chalmers-Currin has a strong chance of unseating Sims, who is best known for the FOX News expose which showed her being driven around in an expensive Cadillac by her chief of staff, who is paid by the taxpayers, too.

But also on the Change Cook County unofficial slate is John Fairman, a Justice trustee. Now, Fairman seems to be a decent person. I don't know much about him because he has only lived in Illinois since 2003. But more surprisingly, Fairman just won a seat on the Village of Justice board as a trustee this past April.

For a guy who no one really knows, his ambitions are getting a head of themselves. Wouldn't you think you would spend time working for the people of Justice first as the newly elected trustee before throwing your hat in for a powerhouse job like Cook County Commissioner?

The candidate I think can beat Murphy is Valadez. And just because a bunch of candidates come together on a  web site doesn't mean much. Valadez has sent out two direct mail pieces that I have seen and is planning much more. I haven't see anything from Fairman in the 6th District except for a sign on an office in Homewood that I drive past often when I take my son to Hebrew School.

The Change Cook County slate has some strong candidates among its ranks, though, including Dr. Victor Forys who many believe is the lead candidate in the Democratic Primary battle in the 17th Cook County District. Forys is facing-off with Patrick Maher, the president of the Orland Fire Protection District and son of a longtime Village Clerk, David Maher. Patrick is a decent person pushed, I think, by a 19th Ward family that insists that every son become a Chicago mayor -- none have by the way. but that kind of pressure takes the nicest people and throws them into losing causes all the time.

The winner of the Democratic primary will then find themselves on the butcher's block facing off against Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman who is an anti-sales tax powerhouse. Gorman, working with a handful of county commissioner, literally shoved the sales tax fight into Stroger's lap refusing to allow him to brush it away. Gorman kept bringing the sales tax fight back every time Stroger so arrogantly slapped it down until last month when the county board voted to roll back the sales tax by half of one percent.

Gorman is a certainty to win re-election despite some strong issues being raised by Forys. Maher can take this experience back to the Orland Fire Protection District where a good leader would trim the fat and bring the district to par with other Fire Protection Districts, or maybe even embrace my idea to do away with the fire protection district as a separate taxing body (one of the highest taxed in Orland Township) and merge it in with the village, cutting at least $15 million in costs and saving the taxpayers a bundle.

Of course, politicians don't listen to the public until it's too late.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

2nd Maher throws hat in for Cook County board ... and Orland Township committeeman

Gerald Maher, who was soundly defeated in a bid to unseat Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin last Spring, has turned his sights against his own Republican Party and is soliciting signatures to challenge Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman both as Cook County Commissioner and the GOP Committeeman.

Maher, a Republican, believes he didn’t get enough support from Gorman and the Orland Township Republican Party in his bid to unseat McLaughlin and even alleged that Gorman backed McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, a union communications director, is also the Democratic Committeeman of Orland Park. Here's how Maher and McLaughlin did in the past three elections:

2001

Dan McLaughlin      6771 votes

Gerald Maher          2704 votes

2005

Dan McLaughlin      9248 (unopposed)

2009

Dan McLaughlin      5427

Gerald Maher         3049

Gerald Maher denied his candidacy is intended to help the candidacy of Patrick Maher, the Orland Fire Protection District president and the son of Orland Park Village Clerk David Maher, a McLaughlin ally.

“I am running because I want to make a difference in the 17^th Cook County District,” Maher said Tuesday during a telephone interview while soliciting signatures for his petitions. “Liz Gorman has been in office eight years and what has she done? Nothing. But absolutely, this has to do with her not supporting me and not doing what a committeeman is supposed to do when I ran for office.”

Maher said he is running for both positions that Gorman holds including Republican Committeeman for Orland Township.

Gorman, who has been leading the effort to repeal Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s oppressive 1 percent Sales Tax, scoffed at Gerald Maher’s assertions.

“He’s a stalking horse,” she said. “I put out a mailer for every one who ran for office and the only group I endorsed who lost was Gerald Maher’s slate. The highest vote getter came from the Republican side and I am proud of that. I had him in the endorsement sheet and he didn’t even have a mailer,” Gorman said.

“At the end of the day, everyone will figure out that Gerald Maher is a disgruntled wannabe public official who is upset not because I and the Republican Party did not help him. He is upset because has tried repeatedly to win office and has been consistently rejected by the voters. ‘Liz Gorman’ didn’t make him lose. We didt everything for him. He lost because the voters don’t like him. He did it to himself.”

Gorman also said that she finds it ironic that Gerald Maher and David Maher got into a high profile battle over who was using whose name to win votes. (Read the story on the Maher vs Maher name controversy?) She is referring to the letter that was published in the Orland Pairie newspaper just before the village election in which David Maher, the village clerk, blasted Gerald Maher for using their good name.

Gerald Maher said he despises the tactics David Maher used in the last election and he insisted his own candidacy is not an effort to boost David Maher’s son’s chances next year. He also denied that Gorman endorsed his candidacy, but Gorman showed me her Township GOP brochure that in fact did include Maher's Ad, discounted..

“Is my candidacy a plus or minus for Pat Maher. I see it as an absolute minus. Contrary to what his father claims, I have been to Tipperary, Ireland and that is where the Maher name originates,” Gerald Maher said.

“They don’t pronounce it Mah-her there. They pronounce it ‘Maer.’ That name belongs to me as much as it does anyone else. For them to think they have the ownership of that name is naïve at best. Is it helping Pat Maher? Absolutely not. It is just the opposite.”

In an unexpected move, Gerald Maher's brother Robert Maher announced his unequivocal support for Gorman, blasting his brother and blaming him for his own election defeat. Robert Maher served as Orland Township Supervisor and was ousted in the April 7 elections by Democrat Paul O'Grady.

"I lost the election to Paul O'Grady mainly because my brother Gerald ran against Mayor McLaughlin and that caused a lot of confusion. But I think worst of all is my brother Gerald ran a terrible race," Robert Maher said in a telephone interview.

"I want to make it clear that I wholeheartedly support Liz Gorman's re-election for the Cook County Board and for Republican Committeeman. She has led the fight to repeal the 1 percent sales tax and to challenge County Board President Todd Stroger. She could not have done more for me in my election bid and I believe she is one of the most effective Republican leaders and county commissioners we have."

Patrick Maher is expected to file next week for the office of County Board in the Democratic Primary. He is expected to face Dr. Victor Forys in the February primary election. The winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will face-off in the November 2010 general elections.

end

Reading the election fine print in the 17th Cook County District

A friend went to Randy's Market Monday in the Mall that the Village has been trying to shut down for the past year at 143rd and LaGrange when a woman came up to him and said, "Can you sign this petition? We want to get rid of Todd Stroger."

Now, my friend is no big fan of Todd Stroger, the Cook County Board President who shoved a 1 percent sales tax hike down our throats forcing businesses in Orland Park and other communities on the county's western borders to flee. So he said he stopped to sign and saw that it was actually a petition to Put Patrick Maher, the Democratic candidate for the Cook County 17th District on the ballot.

The friend was smart enough to ask what was up considering Pat Maher's father is in fact David Maher, the clerk of the Village of Orland Park, the very same village trying to shut down Randy's Market. And of course, he also knows that those "Mahers" are related to the powerful 19th Ward family of Tom and Dan Hynes, who both, by the way, have been big political backers of the Strogers, Todd and his late father John, for years.

I emailed Pat Maher (earlier today) asking him if in fact he is campaigning to oust Todd Stroger, because that would be a good story. It's especially a good story since Maher and Stroger are both Democrats and he is trying to unseat Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman, the Republican incumbent from the 17th District who has been a serious pain in Stroger's ass this past year. It was Gorman who wouldn't relent on the campaign to repeal Stroger's sales tax. Although the effort fell short several times, her efforts have made the Sales Tax repeal the most talked about issue for voters in Cook County. Maher, by the way, is the president of the Orland Fire Protection District.

Maher must face-off first with Victor Forys, who has a penchant for raising huge campaign contributions, in the Democratic primary. It's not a certainty that Maher will win and Forys has lined up significant Democratic backing for his campaign from Gov. Pat Quinn and many Democratic commissioners and party leaders in the bowling alley district that stretches from Orland Park to the northwest suburbs.

When asked about the incident, a manager at Randy's Market told my friend that he thought the petitions were for the Mahers (Gerald and Robert) who opposed the closing of the mall but who are not related to the David and Patrick Mahers. Ironically, David Maher published a letter in the local paper blasting the "other" Mahers claiming they were telling people they were "related" and abusing their "good name."

(I emailed Maher asking for his response and comments and also also Gorman and Forys. I'll post their comments in an update if and when they come in.)

Candidates turn in their signatures for the February election beginning Monday October 26 and have until Monday Nov. 2, which is another story I'll be writing about called "coincidences." (There are no coincidences in politics.)

Aaah. Politics! Nothing changes whether its in Chicago's Machine backyard or in the mini-19th Ward called Orland Park.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Analysis of Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer's sponsorship of the video gaming machine ban

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer's pro-Casino ban on video gaming machines

By Ray Hanania

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-10^th) received at least $2,000 in campaign contributions from Illinois casino gaming interests three weeks before she publicly unveiled her campaign to block video gaming machines in Cook and DuPage Counties, her financial records show. 

She then rammed through the Cook County Board an ordinance that broadens the Cook County ban on video gaming machines to include all of the unincorporated areas of the suburbs, places her district up north in Chicago does not represent.

She says she did this because Gov. Pat Quinn pushed through a law to permit video gaming machines as a means of funding the state's $31 million capital improvement plan. She accused the governor of approving the ban in the dead of night and with no public debate. Gainer also denounced video gaming machines and said they would cause trouble for law enforcement and for our troubled society which is suffering through a terrible economy.

What a phony!

Here are some facts Gainer doesn't want you to focus on.

1 - Gainer's family comes from the 19th Ward and is close to the powers there who are behind the gubernatorial candidacy of of now state Comptroller Dan Hynes. This bill helps Hynes and hurts Quinn.

2 - Gainer comes from the city of Chicago and her district doesn't even represent the unincorporated areas of the county. She was anointed by the Chicago Machine Committeemen and doesn't represent the suburban communities and she wasn't even elected to any office.

3 - Gainer blasts Quinn for pushing through his law to legalize video gaming machines in Illinois, but the fact is Gainer did the same thing that she accuses Quinn of doing:“passed in a late-night legislative session, with no public hearings or debate.” 

Suburban commissioners like Liz Gorman and Joan Patricia Murphy urged that the Gainer bill be deferred so that more discussion could take place. Gainer said no and pushed it through using mostly Chicago votes. Communities throughout the state and county are discussing this law and weighing the benefits of Quinn's capital improvement plan against the so-called scoured of "expanding gambling."

4 - Gainer says legalizing video gaming machines is bad for society, but says nothing about the fact that we now have 10 casinos in Illinois, we legalized the lottery and fraternal organizations and churches rely on Bingo for most of their free cash. Those are okay, but not an option that literally means no change for the state's gaming balance.

So the question is why? Why did Bridget Gainer, a 19th Ward political princess and former lobbyist for the past 8 years for the AON Insurance Corporation, decide to make legalizing video gaming machines a major issue?

FOLLOW THE MONEY

1 - AON, the Insurance giant headed by Patrick Ryan, has longstanding ties to the gaming industry.

2 - Gainer received at least $2,000 from the principles of the newest casino license, the first to be built in Cook County. 

Gainer told the Chicago Tribune -- she won't answer questions put to her with a hard edge and refuses to talk to me -- that she didn't know the $2,000 came from gaming interests. She told a Chicago TV reporter that the money came from two women she met socially.

Fact, the money came in two donations to her election campaign committee on June 30, just three weeks before she decided to push the video gaming ban in Cook County. The contributors are far from socialites from the wine and cheese circuit. They are:

Leslie Bluhm, a partner in Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, and the daughter of Neil Bluhm, the chairman of Midwest Gaming. Leslie Bluhm, I presume, gave Gainer $1,000.

The second $1,000 donation came the same day on June 30, quite a coincidence even for a wine and cheese diva, from Gregory Carlin, who happens to be the president of Midwest Gaming.

Gainer told the Chicago Tribune that she will return the $2,000. (Actually, returning conflicted donations is not unusual for Gainer. If you check her campaign finance report, you find she returned about $4,000 in donations from a major Cook County contractor, yet kept thousands more from interests directly tied to that same county contractor.)

Gainer’s campaign contribution lists also show she received many more donations from other companies and groups that have received thousands from Bluhm or Bluhm-related interests.

Why rush it through and reject a delay on the county vote? Why not give the people of Cook County, especially in the suburbs, time to weigh Gainer's ban more time?

GAINER COULDN'T WAIT

On the morning that Gainer's bill was rushed through the dead of night at the Cook County board over the objections of suburban county commissioners who were pleading for more time to consider the legislation, Neil Bluhm was before the Illinois Gaming Board agreeing to commit his $540 million to the new Cook County Casino that will soon be built in Cook County's suburbs.

Not so ironically, legalized video gaming machines DO rival casinos and especially would "harm" a casino in Cook County because that is where the largest concentration of video gaming devices would be placed. In Cook County, in the backyard of Midwest Gaming.

Only 10 days before the Finance Committee hearing, Gainer also surfaced at a high profile press conference with Cook County Clerk David Orr to announce a new Lobbying and Ethics “Sunshine Law”.

At the press conference, Gainer was quoted in the Arlington Heights Daily Herald vowing, "The time to know all this information is when you are awarding the contract and when the vote happens."

The newspaper added “Lobbying information would be included on agenda items. In effect, it would cast light on the sometimes-shady elements of awarding county contracts.”

Gainer did not respond to two requests for information regarding her ties to the casino gaming industry and to Chicago firms that have engaged in lobbying on behalf of the state’s riverboat casinos.

But Gainer’s web page (www.BridgetGainer.com) reflects an obsession with casino related issues. Her Twitter account is filled with dozens and dozens of postings on the video ban and the casino industry.

(Ray Hanania is a veteran Chicago political reporter and radio talk show host. Read his past columns on this issue at www.RadioChicagoland.com)

Gainer's pro-casino video gaming machine ban approved at today's Cook County board

Cook County Commissioners bowed to the only casino gaming interests in the county and backed casino Commissioner Bridget Gainer's pro-casino legislation to ban video gaming devices in suburban unincorporated areas of the county. Amazingly, two controversial suburban commissioners, Deborah Sims and Joan Patricia Murphy, decided to do the right thing during the final effort to delay the legislation, but it still wasn't enough.

The first vote was 9 to 5 to defer. The final vote was 10 to 4 to pass Gainer's pro-casino legislation.

Commissioners Sims and Murphy joined Commissioner Liz Gorman and Commissioners Edwin Reyes and Joseph Mario Moreno to support the deferral of the ban to give taxpayers and voters a chance to express their views and wishes on the issue. Commissioners Tim Schneider voted "present" and Larry Suffredin, a full time casino lobbyist, was out of town and did not vote. Both are suburbanites and that's two suburban votes down the drain.

Does anyone care about the taxpayers? Gainer just wants to be Cook County Board President or maybe congressman. She has high aspirations, apparently.

Most of the county votes were driven by selfish interests, not the best interests of the taxpayers, like the case of County Commissioner William Beavers who backed Gainer's casino legislation all the way. The Cook County casino wants this video gaming machine banned in Cook County so the machines won't compete with them. The unions supported fighting the video gaming machine ban and Beavers had it in for the unions.

The unions supported Sandi Jackson against Darcel Beavers, who was appointed alderman in the 7th Ward to succeed her father, Commissioner Beavers. And Beavers has a long memory and voted to support Gainer's pro-casino video gaming machine ban.

If any two of the nine commissioners who supported Gainer, including Commissioners Gregg Goslin, who moved to defer Gainer's pro-casino ban on video gaming machines at the Finance Committee hearing last week, had switched to defer, the taxpayers would have had a chance to more closely weigh this bill. What's that all about?

Commissioner John Daley's vote to support Gainer's pro-casino legislation is odd because his brother, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has suggested he might reverse the city ban and permit video gaming machines as a revenue source.

Commissioner Peter Silvestri left the meeting early. Silvestri is mayor of Elmwood Park which voted to ban video gaming machines, although he voted for deferral last week.

If Silvestri and Goslin had stuck to their guns, the interests of the taxpayers would have been defended.

Tragedy for taxpayers, tragedy for unions, tragedy for the state's $31 billion capital improvements plan, but not so un-lucractive to Gainer who told a TV reporter than the donations from the casinos came from "two women" she met at a wine and cheese party.

Ahh, Leslie Bluhm, the daughter of Neil Bluhm the chairman of Midwest Gaming and Entertainment LLC which is getting the 10th license is a woman. But Gregory Carlin, the president of Midwest Gaming who gave Gainer $1,000 -- not chump change by any stretch of Gainer's imagination -- is, I believe, a man.

A win and cheese party? Hosted by who? The county's milk contractor? Stay tuned ...

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

More fallout from Gainer's sloppy campaign disclosure forms

Leaders from Cook County and several unions decried Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer's proposed ban on video gaming machines that comes up for a fast-tracked vote this morning before the full board, citing possible conflicts of interest and the damage the legislation could do to local and state economies and job losses.

Visit www.SuburbanChicagoland.com for more on the story this morning.

County and Union leaders react to Gainer's conflicted video gaming ban plan

Union officials urge County Board to delay today’s vote

By Ray Hanania

A proposal by newly appointed Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer to ban video gaming machines is bad for taxpayers, bad for the county and questionable because of her financial ties to the state’s casino industry, county officials and industry leaders said.

Officials of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association called on the county board to delay a vote on the ban which is scheduled for this morning (Tuesday Oct. 6) based on disclosures that Gainer received financial donations from casino related interests and concern for the county budget and state jobs.

Gainer, who was appointed by Chicago Machine committeemen to succeed Mike Quigley in the 10^th district in Chicago, received at least $2,000 from casino-related interests to her election campaign committee three weeks before proposing the video gaming machine ban.

Video gaming is the heart of Gov. Pat Quinn plan to fund a $31 billion capital improvements program for the state. It would allow up to 45,000 video machines to be placed in establishments with liquor licenses. As much as $500,000 annually could be raised by financially-strapped suburban communities through licensing.

A spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Association, which represents 7 of the state’s 10 licensed casinos, added said the bill would siphon some revenues from casinos in the state, but that the IGA has not taken a stand against the legislation.

Chris Geovanis, a spokesman for Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, said Gainer’s bill would also take away funds needed for county expenses. She said banning the video machines could cost Cook County millions of dollars in lost state discretionary funds. Geovanis said that while Stroger has no comment on funds Gainer, the sponsor of the video gaming legislation, has received from casino related interested, the county is “concerned by the money that taxpayers will lose” if video gaming machines are banned.

“There is a concern the ban will have a revenue impact. The state has been pushing very hard on the counties not to ban video gaming because it is revenue for them,” Geovanis said.

“But there is a concern that if the discretionary funds they would normally provide to home rule entities like Cook County will be withheld. There is concern that if the board does move to ban video gaming under Gainer’s terms, the board should take into consideration the revenue impact that might run from tens of millions of lost dollars to hundreds of millions of lost dollars.”

ICMOA officials said that they plan to protest at Tuesday’s board meeting.

“Video gaming is critical to funding the Illinois Capital Bill, which was finally pushed through after a decade of debate over how to pay for improvements to our state’s deteriorating infrastructure,” said Tom Fiedler, president of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association, Morris, Ill.

“The idea that kicking the gaming act back to the General Assembly will force a more palatable funding solution is laughable  … It’s taken 10 years to get this far. In a state that has lost nearly 325,000 jobs since the start of the recession, can the thousands who would be put back to work by the capital bill afford to wait?

Mike Pappas, ICMOA executive director said, “This bill was fast-tracked and introduced even before the Illinois Gaming Board could come out with the rules and regulations about the video gaming machine legislation,” said Mike Pappas, executive director of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association.

“The Illinois Gaming Board is the most respected board in the country and they haven’t even finished detailing how this law will be applied. Before they even can act, the county has moved to ban it. It doesn’t sound right.”

Pappas made his comments Monday during an interview on Radio Chicagoland WJJG 1530 AM. He called the board’s intention to ban the video gaming machines “a rush to judgment.”

Pappas said he first heard about Gainer’s bill only six days before it was brought before the Cook County Finance Committee.

“This ordinance hurts the suburban community but it also hurts everyone in Cook County no matter what district you represent as a commissioner,” Pappas said.

Pappas said studies show that Quinn’s Capital Improvement Plan, which depends on the video machine gaming component to generate the $31 billion, would create 439,000 jobs in Illinois and provide some $3.58 billion in transportation, $3.6 billion for lower education improvement and help impoverished areas of Cook County.

“The video gaming act is going to fund significant improvements and create more jobs, jobs, jobs to quote Governor Quinn,” Pappas said.

Asked about Gainer receiving funds from two executive of the 10^th Casino licensee, Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, Pappas said that the vote might have been different at the Finance Committee if other commissioners knew.

Tom Swoik, the executive director of the Illinois Gaming Association, which represents seven of the state’s 10 casino gaming licensees, said that Gainer’s bill would siphon money from the casino industry at a time when the economy is at its worst.

But, he said that when Quinn introduced the legislation, the IGA did not oppose it.

“When [Quinn’s] legislation went through, the association and its members did not oppose this legislation. But this is probably the strongest we have seen. It has more regulations in it. It will be administered by the Illinois Gaming Board. The problem is there is no money in the bill to get this up and running,” Swoik said.

Swoik also questioned the county’s motives saying that Quinn’s bill gives voters in municipalities and unincorporated areas the option to ban the machines in their communities.

But Swoik acknowledged that a prior cigarette ban in the state has dramatically impacted the revenues paid by the seven casino members of the IGA.

“The cigarette ban impacted our casino revenues dramatically and what we returned to the state and to local communities,” Swiok said.

He said prior to the cigarette ban, casinos paid $718 million to state and $116 million to local communities. After the ban was approved, casino revenues dropped and they only paid $473 million to the state and $93 million to communities.

“It was a 20percent drop in revenues,” Swoik said, noting the economy has also dragged down casino revenues 8 percent this year.

In a Sept. 24 letter to Cook County Commissioner Earlean Collins, Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis J. Gannon said: “Without collecting revenue from video gaming, the capital program will fall short of the necessary funding to improve our communities and put hundreds of thousands  of men and women to work.”

In an earlier letter to the Kane County Board, the Transportation for Illinois Coalition stated, “Despite the political momentum behind local ordinances to ban video poker, [we] remain supportive of video poker as a revenue source for capital construction.”  

Gainer has refused to respond to repeated queries to comment about the donations she has received.

On June 30, 2009, Gainer’s election campaign received $1,000 from Leslie Bluhm. Bluhm is listed on Gainer’s disclosure forms as working with “Lamb Partners.” On the same day, Gainer also received $1,000 from Gregory Carlin, who is also listed as an executive with at Lamb Partners.

Leslie Bluhm is the daughter of Midwest Gaming Chairman Neil Bluhm, and she is also a “partner” in Midwest Gaming. Gregory Carlin is President of Midwest Gaming. Neil Bluhm has many corporate interests in Illinois including Lamb Partners. He is also president of JMB Realty Corporation.

Gainer’s legislation was fast-tracked through the county board over the objections of several commissioners who asked that public hearings be held first. In fact, no "public hearings" were held on Gainer’s bill which sat dormant in the Finance Committee until Gainer asked Finance Committee Chairman John Daley to put the bill on an agenda for a vote. That vote was taken last Thursday, October 1, 2009 immediately after a few members of the public, last minute, were allowed to speak on the issue. It is scheduled to be voted on by the full board Tuesday (Oct. 6, 2009).

Click here to read yesterday’s story on casino gaming donations to Gainer.

http://swnewsherald.com/online_content/2009/10/100509rh_ties.php

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

SCOOP: Drive to ban video gaming in Cook County has ties to casino industry

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-10^th) received at least $2,000 in campaign contributions from Illinois casino gaming interests three weeks before she publicly unveiled her campaign to block video gaming machines in Cook and DuPage Counties, her financial records show.

Video gaming is the heart of Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to fund a $31 billion capital improvements program for the state. It would allow up to 45,000 video machines to be placed in establishments with liquor licenses. As much as $500,000 annually could be raised by financially-strapped suburban communities through licensing.

But while the machines might help suburban municipalities, it would compete for dwindling gaming revenues with the state’s existing casinos. Illinois has nine riverboat casinos and recently approved a 10^th license for a casino to be built in Des Plaines. The 10th License was awarded in December to Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, LLC, whose chairman is Neil Bluhm.

Gainer has taken the lead to block video gaming in Cook County where 40 percent of revenues are expected to be raised. On July 21, 2009, Gainer co-sponsored a campaign with DuPage Commissioner Brien Sheahan (R-2^nd) to block video gaming machines in the two counties claiming the placement of the machines would gouge public paychecks and encourage illegal activity.

Their financial records, however, show ties to casino interests that raise questions about who the legislation benefits most.

On June 30, 2009, Gainer’s election campaign received $1,000 from Leslie Bluhm. Bluhm is listed on Gainer’s disclosure forms as working with “Lamb Partners.” On the same day, Gainer also received $1,000 from Gregory Carlin, who is also listed as an executive with at Lamb Partners.

Leslie Bluhm is the daughter of Midwest Gaming Chairman Neil Bluhm, and she is also a “partner” in Midwest Gaming. Gregory Carlin is President of Midwest Gaming. Neil Bluhm has many corporate interests in Illinois including Lamb Partners. He is also president of JMB Realty Corporation.

Sheahan received campaign contributions from Res Publica, an influential public affairs and lobbying firm familiar to Gainer and that has longstanding ties to casino gaming in and around Illinois.

Gainer’s legislation was fast-tracked through the county board over the objections of several commissioners who asked that public hearings be held first. In fact, no "public hearings" were held on Gainer’s bill which sat dormant in the Finance Committee until Gainer asked Finance Committee Chairman John Daley to put the bill on an agenda for a vote. That vote was taken last Thursday, October 1, 2009 immediately after a few members of the public, last minute, were allowed to speak on the issue. It is scheduled to be voted on by the full board Tuesday (tomorrow, Oct. 6, 2009).

IRONIES OVERSHADOW VOTE

Ironically, in announcing her campaign to block video gaming in Cook and DuPage Counties July 31, Gainer strongly denounced Quinn’s legislation arguing the video gaming machine law was “passed in a late-night legislative session, with no public hearings or debate.”

Gainer never disguised her goal to force the state legislature to replace the video gaming component of Quinn’s capital improvement plan. She told the Chicago Tribune last week, “We have time to bring all these other cities and communities along to ban it and basically make Springfield look at this differently and find a better way.”

The Gainer ban could directly benefit the state’s casinos and force the Illinois Legislature to remove video gaming from Quinn’s bill during the Fall session.

In the week before the vote, Bluhm made telephone calls urging county board members to pass Gainer’s video gaming machine ban, according to at least one commissioner.

That Gainer surfaced as the point person spearheading the anti-video gaming legislation is surprising to many. Gainer was never elected to office and was appointed to her seat by Chicago Democratic Ward Committeemen in May to succeed Commissioner Michael Quigley who was elected to congress to succeed U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

Raising more questions is that Gainer’s 10^th District is in Chicago. It does not include any unincorporated areas of suburban Cook County which would be most affected by her video gaming ban. She is a candidate for re-election in the Feb. 2, 2010 Democratic Primary.

For the past eight years, Gainer worked as a lobbyist for AON Corporation, the insurance giant that also has ties to the casino gaming industry.

Only 10 days before the Finance Committee hearing, Gainer also surfaced at a high profile press conference with Cook County Clerk David Orr to announce a new Lobbying and Ethics “Sunshine Law”.

At the press conference, Gainer was quoted in the Arlington Heights Daily Herald vowing, "The time to know all this information is when you are awarding the contract and when the vote happens."

The newspaper added “Lobbying information would be included on agenda items. In effect, it would cast light on the sometimes-shady elements of awarding county contracts.”

Yet both Gainer and Sheahan have huge holes and unanswered questions about the record funds they each received and listed on their disclosure forms. Gainer returned $4,000, according to her disclosure forms, linked to a Cook County contractor, but kept thousands more from contributors also tied to the same contractor.

Most unusual was Sheahan who listed a $50,000 campaign contribution from Edward Heil on June 18, 2009. Sheahan doesn’t list Heil’s interests and instead writes “Good Faith Effort Made” to identify Heil’s “occupation” and “employer.”

Yet, details on Edward Heil are included on an earlier Sheahan campaign disclosure form as being the prominent Oak Brook land developer. "Edward F. Heil" is identified in public records as a resident of Fisher Island, Florida and Oak Brook. He’s the former owner of American Environmental Construction Company and remains active in the construction and land development industries.

QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED

Gainer did not respond to two requests for information regarding her ties to the casino gaming industry and to Chicago firms that have engaged in lobbying on behalf of the state’s riverboat casinos. Sheahan also did not return requests for comment.

But Gainer’s web page (www.BridgetGainer.com) reflects an obsession with casino related issues. Her Twitter account is filled with dozens and dozens of postings on the video ban and the casino industry.

Gainer’s campaign contribution lists also show she received many more donations from other companies and groups that have received thousands from Bluhm or Bluhm-related interests.

Casino-related conflicts-of-interests are not unusual on the Cook County Board. But two commissioners, Larry Suffredin (D-13^th) and Timothy Schneider (R-15^th), who do have such ties, have both reportedly refrained from voting on casino-related legislation.

Schneider owns Rolling Knolls C.C., Golf Club of Illinois which could possibly benefit from the legislation by offering the video gaming machines. Suffredin is a partner in the law firm of Shefsky & Froelich which does casino related business. He is listed as handling gaming related interests.

Asked about the growing controversy, several county commissioners speculated Sunday that Daley should delay the vote on Gainer’s legislation and permit a real public hearing to sort through the controversy.

SUBURBAN REPRESENTATION AWOL

Several suburban commissioners whose districts represent unincorporated areas of the county most affected by the legislation have been put on the spot by the ban.

Suburban communities stand to gain much from the video game machine licensing to off-set their own revenue shortfalls. But an effort to delay the vote was scuttled by Gainer’s full-court press.

Comr. Daley said he was surprised the bill moved so quickly. He said he expected a compromise introduced by Commissioner Gregg Goslin giving Townships authority over video game machine placement to have been approved. “There were not enough votes,” Daley said.

Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri (D-9^th) said he supported a delay explaining, “I thought more input was needed from those 53 businesses and the local townships across suburban townships.  Although the ban in unincorporated areas will not hurt funding the capital bill, I thought it would be useful to solicit more business input. Unfortunately, there were insufficient votes to delay the deferral. I did not think waiting a couple of weeks would have caused a problem, especially since the state is far from implementation of the program.”

Goslin also said, "I supported the video ban but felt that it was flawed because it did not fully embrace the local government op-out provision that was part of the original state legislation." 

Suburban Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy (D-6^th) did not attend last week’s committee hearing. Fellow suburban commissioner Deborah Sims (D-5^th) attended the hearing only long enough to give the hearing a quorum to make the meeting legal. Daley said Sims left immediately after the quorum vote was taken for another meeting.

The vote to delay, led by Comr. Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman, was defeated 7 to 5.

Had suburban commissioners Sims and Murphy attended the Finance Committee hearing, Daley conceded, the motion to delay the ban would have been passed. Both Sims and Murphy also declined requests for comment.

-- Ray Hanania

(I'll post updates if some of those I reached out to finally do respond.)

www.RadioChicagoland.com

Cook County rush to reinforce video gaming undermines suburban communities

The Bridget Gainer rush to reinforce Cook County's questionable ban on video gaming machines raises some real questions.

Who is really behind the effort?

Casino lobbyists -- including one Cook County board member and several who have received Casino industry related donations -- want the video gaming measure killed but buried before the public can understand the issues.

Here are some facts:

A-Local Villages should have the power to decide on their own whether or not they should be able to permit video gaming in their communities. Why should Gainer, a former executive at the politically connected insurance giant AON, and the Cook County Board decide that for them?

Video Gaming could generate, through licensing options, as much as $500,000 a year for suburban communities. Each establishment could install 5 machines, and licensing costs would be about $5,000 a year. And each village could see as many as 15-20 establishments installing the devices.

B-Right now, there are about 60,000 illegal video gaming devices being managed by organized crime and independents who are breaking the law. These machines exist but the county is incapable of cracking down on them. The way to undermine the illegal criminal activity is to put the reality under legal parameters and bring them out into the sunshine.

Gov. Pat Quinn's legislation allowing video gaming, would permit 75,000 machines to be installed in the state. Statewide fees and taxes from the machine profits would fund a longterm and badly needed $31 billion state capital improvement plan.

Gainer's drive to help the Illinois Casino lobby push through the bill will undermine that capital improvements plan.

C-The real victims in this are people and businesses living in the Unincorporated portions of Cook County that are not living under suburban municipal rule and have to suffer through the oppression of Cook County Government.

Gainer's law prevents those businesses in unincorporated communities from installing the video gaming devices. Yet, Gainer's district has how much unincorporated area? Zilch!

In fact, most of the commissioners on the Cook County board who pushed this through have no unincorporated areas or negligible unincorporated areas in their districts. The vote to "delay" the vote -- which was reasonable -- failed 7 to 5. That's how energetic the Casino lobbyists are to have this bill killed. With the delay measure defeated, the remaining members of the board had no choice but to support the restrictive measure.

Commissioner Forrest Claypool -- Mr. phony reform politician whose sole purpose in life was to move to higher office (fortunately that failed) -- denounced the delay vote as a vote to "kill" the Gainer measure.

If you wonder why County Board President Todd Stroger is able to impose a 1 percent sales tax on the county, you need only look at the pathetic leadership on the Cook County Board from some of the commissioners whose sole interest is their own political careers boosted by powerful lobbies.

The vote on the measure comes up Tuesday. But you can bet that this won't stop video gaming from coming to Cook County. It only means that the suburban communities are going to get the shaft, denied profits from the venture while Chicago -- where most of the leaders who pushed the bill are from, could still benefit from the gaming devices.

That's why Gainer rushed this through, so the public would not be able to discuss or debate this issues. And that's why she refused to respond to my email inquiry asking her about some of the known casino lobbyists who are behind the bill.

This morning (Friday Oct. 2, 2009) Andy Shaw of the Better Government Association will discuss why opposition to the video gaming bill is so important. Although we disagree on the significance of video gaming, I trust Andy Shaw more than I trust Gainer, AON and all the Illinois casino lobbyists out there to make a buck.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Big Democratic guns turnout for Forys in 17th Democratic race

It's not the highest profile political battle in the news media but it is the one with most twist, turns and political pedigree issues. People are lining up in the 17th Cook County Board District, a seat held by Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman who over the past few years has risen to become one of the county's most aggressive champions of taxpayer rights.


Gorman, a Republican, is being challenge by two Democrats who will duke it out in the February 2 Democratic Primary before facing the Gorman juggernaut. They are Pat Maher and Dr. Victor Forys. Maher and Gorman are local rivals from Orland Township. Gorman is the Orland Township Republican Committeewoman and Maher is the President of the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD). He is also the son of Orland Village Clerk Dave Maher, who is a $75,000-a-year employee of the Cook County Court system, under Stroger's watchful political patronage (Administrative Assistant Level V for the county courts). Forys comes from the northern part of the 17th District.


Forys, who raised large sums of money in the congressional race to succeed Rahm Emanuel in the 5th District, lost to former Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley. But next week, Quigley will join Gov. Pat Quinn and County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who has worked closely with Gorman to fight Todd Stroger's repressive 1 percent sales tax, will come out swinging to endorse Forys, not Maher, in the Democratic Primary. What happens after that primary is anyone's guess.


FIGHTING FOR TAXPAYERS


There are a lot of big issues in the 17th District. Gorman has been on the right side of most during her two terms in the office. She has distinguished herself as a persistent champion of taxpayer rights, winning three major battles for taxpayers.


The first was last year when Gorman was the only county commissioner to challenge a $190,000 county loan to controversial Regional Schools Superintendent Charles Flowers. Flowers budget has since come under scrutiny. A report by the auditor general shows that Flowers has since mismanaged millions of dollars in funds. His office has an annual budget of about $1 million and is reportedly more than $1 million in debt. The audit shows that Flowers has borrowed money to pay for all kinds of expenses, without proper records, but he insisted he has repaid everything.


Gorman was the only voice to challenge Flowers' poor leadership. But this past June, the entire County board joined Gorman to repudiate Flowers and reject the loan and acknowledge Gorman's leadership.


Gorman also has been a key leader in the fight to repeal Stroger's repressive 1 percent sales tax that is chasing Cook County businesses into neighboring counties. Although Stroger prevailed when Deborah "The Hack" Sims flip-flopped supporting the repeal and then denying the repeal the 14 votes needed to override Stroger's anti-taxpayer veto, the fight has become a voter mantra that is expected to drum Todd Stroger out of office in February when he faces off with Congressman Danny K. Davis, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle and Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown among many others.


Normally, so many challengers benefit the incumbent, but a recent Chicago Tribune poll shows that Stroger has an approval rating of only 10 percent, lower than the 13 percent for impeached former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

But Gorman's determination to set the county right for taxpayers doesn't end with that high profile sales tax fight. This week, the county board approved an ethics ordinance hailed by the Arlington Heights Daily Herald that forces lobbyists (and candidates for public office who lobby) to disclose the jobs of their relatives on government payrolls to help shine light on insider sweetheart deals that are often the heart of the county's government practices.

19th WARD TIES CAUSE TURMOIL


Stroger's plight and the race for governor are impacting this race directly. Stroger is the son for former Cook County Board President John H. Stroger, who often received huge campaign donations from the nation's top bond counsel, Chapman & Cutler. It so happens that Tom Hynes, the patriarch of 19th Ward politics, is of counsel to the firm, one strong link between the 19th Ward and Stroger, and a reason for the Hynes' family to dislike Gorman, who also has some strong ties to the 19th Ward.


Tom Hynes is a close relative of Patrick Maher through his father, Dave. And, of course, Tom Hynes is the father of  Dan Hynes, the Illinois Comptroller who threw his hat in fast to challenge beleaguered Gov. Pat Quinn.


It's the 19th Ward Hynes honchos who have been working hard over the past several years to install Pat Maher at the OFPD and to take control of Orland Park, which is distinguishing itself as one of the southwest suburbs more monied and affluent communities. They back another Democrat, Paul O'Grady, who took over as Orland Township Supervisor. O'Grady relied heavily on his 19th Ward ties and had 19th ward precinct captains working the election polls this past Spring.


Quinn, Quigley and Suffredin will make their endorsement of Forys at a Forys fundraiser Sept. 29 at White Eagles in Chicago, 6839 N. Milwaukee Ave. Maher just had his own fundraiser at O'Callaghan's, at 29 West Hubbard Street in downtown Chicago, too. The keynote celebrity there was, of course, Tom Hynes. 


I reached out to Maher, who was surprised when I informed him is colleague on the OFPD James Hickey is circulating petitions to challenge State Rep. Kevin McCarthy in the 37th House District. McCarthy is a staunch ally of House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who is backing Quinn. Hickey told me he'll discuss his candidacy with me when he gets all his signatures. (Maher says he's supporting McCarthy and he's not supporting Hickey, though many say they are very close.) 

When asked if  Tom Hynes was his "keynote speaker," Maher emailed me back, saying: "Tom Hynes was not my keynote speaker.  He did show up and it was greatly appreciated.  I don’t have all the details but I am quite sure that the guy Liz had go spy on my event (which we all saw) could concur that I had about 70 to 75 coming in and out, not counting staff. Not too bad for something I put together about two or three [weeks] ago downtown where I don’t live or work.  I did not collect the money so I really have no idea how much was collected plus some was mailed in which I did not see either."

(I asked Liz Gorman and she said she had no idea and didn't care.)

Gorman will toast her fundraiser this week Thursday (Sept. 17) at Sam McGuire's, which is in the 17th District. Maher has another fundraiser planned for Oct. 9 at Fox's in Orland Park. he's expected to have the backing of Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin, the Orland Township Democratic Committeeman.

Gorman is already leading the pack with donations. Maher's campaign disclosures include many contractors who do business with Orland Park and the OFPD, friends of his father and the mayor, no doubt. Forys has funds from his professional contacts and past election supporters. I'll have a detailed analysis of everyone's recent disclosures in an upcoming post.                                                      

In the meantime, the cross-dynamics of this battle reflect the complex lines that crisscross some of the biggest races in the news, for county board president and for Illinois governor, and intersect with some big family and Chicago political names.

-- Ray Hanania

Deborah Sims doesn't mind using taxpayer money for her own comfort

Deborah Sims, the do-nothing member of the Cook County Board who gave County Board President Todd Stroger the vote he needed to protect his repressive 1 percent sales tax on Cook County taxpayers, doesn't mind spending the taxpayer's hard-earned cash on her own comforts.

FOX Chicago news reporter Dane Placko did a report Thursday night detailing how Sims uses her $95,000-a-year salaried chief of staff to drive her around, not just to and from work but to and from political events and publicity events, and, even shopping?

Sims even uses county taxpayer money to pay to lease her big, fancy late model red Cadillac. her chief of staff drives to her home, parks his car at her house and then gets behind the wheel like a high-priced chauffeur and drives her everywhere.

It's not illegal for government officials to waste the taxpayer money on their own comforts and excessive luxuries. They get a fortune every year to pay for everything from staff, to offices, to cars (luxury cars apparently), and anything else their little hearts desire. They get the best healthcare taxpayer money can buy and they apparently don't feel they have to be accountable to the public, like when Placko asked Sims to answer some questions about her office practices and she responded saying whether she answers or not depends on the questions.

What's the issue? The Taxpayers have the right to know how their elected officials spend the taxpayer's hard earned money.

Get more information on the Sims' scandal at www.MyFoxChicago.com.

Now, while Sims is chauffeured to and from work in luxury, at the taxpayer's expense, other commissioners told Placko that they drive themselves to and from work. Well, not everyone drives. A few conscientious Cook County Board members know what it's like to be public servants and to respect the rights of taxpayers.

Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman (R-17th) doesn't drive. She takes public transportation to and from her home to the County Board meetings and her office. I know because several times in the morning when she would appear on my radio show on WJJG 1530 AM (www.RadioChicagoland.com) she did the interviews while on the METRA train.

That's the kind of dedication that Sims doesn't understand. Gorman led the fight to repeal the repressive sales tax which is chasing businesses out of Cook County.

Let's hope Sims and Stroger are both thrown out of office on their asses and are forced to find real jobs where they have to do the work, for a change. Maybe they would come to respect the taxpayer's hard earned money if they had to worry about paying their own bills.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com