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2019年2月8日 星期五

Daley shuffle | Pritzker's budget woes | Chicago woos Amazon, again

A quick take on what's happening in local politics, delivered weekday afternoons.

Chicago Tribune

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February 8, 2019

chicagotribune.com

The Spin by Lisa Donovan

Let us spend this Friday afternoon in reflection: Bill Daley pulled out of Thursday night's mayoral debate saying something suddenly came up, the same day the Tribune unearths an unflattering story from his past. That controversy handed Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle some relief as candidates in recent debates have turned the cannons on her. Then, Daley showed up to a different debate on Friday.

Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez was hospitalized this week in Chicago for "high blood pressure and hypertension," his family says.

And early voting expands significantly on Monday, when polling places open in each of the city's wards.

Welcome to The Spin.

1

The Daley shuffle; early voting expands Monday in mayor's race

From the Tribune's John Byrne and Dan Petrella: "Mayoral candidate Bill Daley joined a mild-mannered televised debate Friday morning after avoiding what likely would have been a more hostile reception at a similar event he skipped the night before to attend an endorsement.

"While Daley fared a polite reception on the Friday panel, that didn't stop the hits from elsewhere in the mayoral field. State Comptroller Susana Mendoza held a City Hall news conference in order to rip Daley for skipping Thursday, comparing him to both a single-celled protoplasmic organism and a cartoon character with rage issues."

While Daley said the Thursday night debate conflicted with a union event, he also likely would have faced questions about a Tribune story about a 1970s scandal in which testimony and court records showed his licensing test to sell insurance was tampered with so he could pass an exam he previously flunked. As it turns out, that may have been a smart move on his part: Neither the moderator nor the other candidates gave him much grief about it Friday. You can read about Friday's debate here and Thursday's debate here.

Preckwinkle factor: The Daley development took some of the heat off of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who found herself facing a series of political attacks for accepting support from major public employee unions and her previous backing of ousted former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, the Tribune's Bill Ruthhart and Gregory Pratt point out.

Al — Bill's pal: Former Vice President Al Gore was in town Friday to endorse Daley's mayoral bid. The two served in the Clinton White House, and Daley ran Gore's historic but unsuccessful presidential bid in 2000. Gore's environmental work may give Daley a boost with liberal voters and could get him some national attention with out-of-town donors. Read Tribune reporter Lolly Bowean's full story here.

Fioretti and 'Burke Four': Ex-alderman and mayoral candidate Bob Fioretti has a new ad that calls on voters to ignore "the Ed Burke 4" — the candidates he says are either allied with the embattled alderman or are part of the insider political ruling class: Toni Preckwinkle, Bill Daley, Susana Mendoza and Gery Chico. You can watch the ad here. Fioretti's also been doing robocalls in the 45th Ward urging voters to go with "anyone but" his one-time Progressive Caucus colleague Ald. John Arena. Says Arena: "It's disappointing that Bob Fioretti has taken a hard right turn in recent years and has sold out the progressive values he once espoused. I'm proud to continue to fight against corruption and for ethics reform in City Hall."

Starting Monday, vote early — and close to home: Early voting in Chicago's upcoming mayoral election expands from the Loop Super Site at 175 W. Washington St. to locations in all 50 wards. Check out the hours for the Super Site as well as locations and operating hours for the ward sites here. And here's a little primer on early voting, including registering to vote and a stern warning that once you cast a ballot, there are no take-backs.

Amara Enyia, Chance the Rapper to launch party voter bus: Details are still coming together, but the mayoral candidate and her most famous backer plan to announce during an 11 a.m. Monday rally on Daley Plaza the launch of a "party to the polls" bus tour, in which voters can sign up for a ride over the next several weeks to the downtown early voting super site. The aim is for college and high school students of voting age to cast a ballot, a campaign spokesman said. For more details and to sign up for a ride, click here.

Chicago back in the Amazon game From the Tribune's Ally Marotti: "The City of Chicago reached out to Amazon on Friday in a renewed effort to win a 25,000-job campus that would serve as part of the tech behemoth's second headquarters, said a City Hall source. The move followed a report from the Washington Post, which Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns, that opposition from local politicians has caused Amazon to reconsider its plan to bring the campus to New York City." Read the story here.

2

Ex-Congressman Guitierrez hospitalized with 'extremely high blood pressure

Former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who just wrapped up a nearly 26-year stint in Congress, was hospitalized this week in Chicago with high blood pressure and hypertension.

Gutierrez, 65, a Humboldt Park resident who represented the 4th District, just left office last month after serving 13 terms. When he was elected in 1992, he became Illinois' first Hispanic congressman. He decided against running again in the 2018 election, endorsing Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who handily won. Read my story here.

3

Pritzker offers the old, 'things are worse than I thought' ahead of budget address

From the Tribune's Rick Pearson and Dan Petrella: "Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration on Friday set the stage for a low-expectations budget plan later this month, attacking former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner for driving Illinois 'into a financial ditch' that will take years to pull out of.

"Rebuilding a strong financial foundation for Illinois will take more than one year, or even one gubernatorial term," said a report from Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes, a former state comptroller. "The current administration is committed to working diligently and across party lines to put our state on a path to fiscal stability."

"As Pritzker prepares to deliver his first spending plan to lawmakers Feb. 20, his administration said it is facing a $3.2 billion hole for the budget year that begins July 1. That deficit is more than $400 million deeper than the Rauner administration estimated before leaving office." Full story here.

4

Up in smoke? First recreational pot bill emerges in Springfield

From the Tribune's Bob McCoppin and Dan Petrella: "A Democratic state lawmaker has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois that likely goes further than other legislators prefer, but it has officially started the debate over complex legislation that will need to serve many interests." Read the story here.

5

Lawmaker regrets her 'white supremacist' comments about Naperville

From Erin Hegarty of the Naperville Sun: "Nearly two weeks after Anne Stava-Murray said she stood by a statement accusing Naperville of having white supremacist policies, the state representative Wednesday revised that opinion, calling her comment "far from perfect" and saying she wishes she'd written it differently." Read the latest here.

Yes, the 2020 campaign season has begun: Those two-year terms come up fast in Congress. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Frontline Program" have made the re-elections of U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten a priority. That means they'll get some help with fundraising as they seek re-election in two years.

Underwood, 32, a registered nurse who served as a senior adviser in the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, is the youngest African-American woman to serve in Congress. And Casten is a clean-energy businessman from Downers Grove.

Casten defeated Republican Peter Roskam of Wheaton in the 6th Congressional District, and Underwood overcame Republican Randy Hultgren of Plano in the 14th District.

Beto O'Rourke's suburban fan club: Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, the Democrat thrust into the national spotlight after challenging and narrowly losing to Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, told Oprah Winfrey this week he'll decide by month's end whether he'll make a 2020 run for president. Urging him along is a group of St. Charles residents who have joined the national Draft Beto campaign.

ldonovan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @byldonovan

 

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