DILLARD'S IN State Sen. Kirk Dillard now is officially in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. Dillard, who was chief of staff to Gov. Jim Edgar and director of legislative affairs under Gov. Jim Thompson, lost the 2010 Republican primary by a mere 193 votes -- largely because the seven-candidate field so severely split the suburban GOP vote. "This time hopefully I won't have five people from my home county of DuPage running," Dillard told WGN in announcing his candidacy. Learn more on our Campaign 2014 blog.
HOLD THAT CROWN "In a sign that some truly awful publicity for her father may be hurting her possible gubernatorial bid, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's poll numbers have plunged in the past several months." So writes Capitol Fax publisher Rich Miller of a new poll that shows numbers tightening between Gov. Pat Quinn, Bill Daley and Madigan. Madigan, of course, has not announced whether she'll seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Concludes Miller: "Attorney General Madigan is still the favorite, but this may not be a coronation if she decides to run." Read Miller's column here.
LANGUAGE OF PENSION ABUSE Are you familiar with the terms "spiking," "tacking" and "double-dipping?" They are keywords in the lexicon of public pension abuse, and they need to be removed from the language of Illinois government, writes Better Government Association President Andy Shaw. One feat of pension sleight-of-hand helped boost a former Chicago fire commissioner's pension by $27,000 a year, Shaw writes.
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
MARKET WATCH What effect does Illinois' abysmal financial state have on the markets, and how does it cost you? We've teamed with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce for a panel discussion next week featuring three front-line players in financial markets: Laura Porter of Fitch Ratings, Cadmus Hicks of Nuveen Asset Management and Richard Ciccarone of McDonnell Investments. The event is at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 27, at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson, Chicago. Admission is free but seating is very limited. Get more information and register here.
TWEET OF THE DAY Some of the best Twitter accounts for Illinois government are the fake ones. This post-Father's Day tweet comes from IL Fakehouse News (Description: "Telling the real fake truth about Illinois news.")
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
DAILY TIP-OFF Here's a rundown of what's happening in Illinois news today. We've got a whole lot more links in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website.
- Gov. Pat Quinn wants Michael Madigan's far-reaching pension reform bill pushed through the Senate and sent to him (Chicago Tribune)
- Expectations among lawmakers are low for a resolution to the pension impasse at the special legislative session that convenes Wednesday (State Journal-Register)
- What does rock bottom look like? Check out Illinois' pension crisis and you'll know (NPR)
- Senate President John Cullerton supports a major reform plan for the State University Retirement System that was devised by academic pension experts (State Journal-Register)
- They call themselves fiscal conservatives, but they voted against the strongest pension reform bill. What gives? (Chicago Tribune)
- Lisa Madigan plays the role of Hamlet in the 2014 governor's race (Crain's Chicago Business)
- Bill Daley: “After I saw the debacle that happened at the end of the legislative session, I said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna get in.’” (State Journal-Register)
- More than 850 Chicago Public Schools teachers and staffers got pink slips Friday as the district prepares to close 50 schools (NBC 5)
Visit our website and make a difference.
What are we all about? Find out in our video!
