Illinois
Chris Welch and the fight for control of Illinois Democratic Party
One of many greatest unsung winners within the battle for management of the Democratic Get together of Illinois is Home Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
The brand new state celebration chair is Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, a member of Welch’s management group. Hernandez dealt with the fragile process of overseeing the redistricting effort in her chamber final 12 months.
She is sort of fashionable in her caucus, together with amongst Latino progressives, who notice Hernandez has been with them on essential votes regardless of her background as a “common” Cicero Democrat.
That voting report helped seal the deal when progressive U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia determined to flip from supporting U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly for celebration chair final 12 months to backing Hernandez this time round, taking the opposite Latino state central committee members with him within the course of.
It’s no huge secret that Welch has labored arduous to develop shut ties to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Welch has eschewed the kind of political video games Senate President Don Harmon has sometimes performed with the governor.
Because of this, the governor may very well be assured Welch wouldn’t attempt to pull Hernandez’s strings. And Welch helped deliver votes to Hernandez’s bid, which put her excessive. Pritzker couldn’t have performed this with out Welch.
Kelly usually boasted of the celebration’s hefty $2 million checking account, however she by no means talked about the $2 million had been moved by former Home Speaker Michael Madigan to the state celebration from the now-defunct Home Democratic Majority committee shortly after he resigned as Home speaker. Welch has been attempting to get that $2 million launched by the celebration ever since, to no avail.
Welch was additionally reportedly annoyed with the state celebration’s calls for over the celebration’s postage low cost fee, which may very well be price as a lot as $3 million to the Home Democrats within the upcoming fall marketing campaign.
It additionally most likely didn’t assist issues a lot that the state celebration’s normal counsel, Michael Dorf, carried out some marketing campaign authorized work for Abdelnasser Rashid throughout his profitable main bid towards sitting state Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside.
Due to Kelly’s very actual federal authorized limitations on her state campaign-related actions, Dorf had been listed because the state celebration’s chair in its official filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Evidently, it wasn’t search for him to be doing authorized work towards a Democratic incumbent.
So, there was virtually no draw back for Welch to throw in with Pritzker within the battle over who would lead the state celebration.
The Hernandez win is extensively seen as a giant victory for Pritzker. However it’ll additionally hopefully assist normalize the celebration down the highway. Governors have a tendency to manage their respective state events, for good or in poor health. Illinois Democrats have for years been a notable exception to that rule. Republican governors right here have all the time run their state celebration organizations, however not the Dems.
A part of the rationale for that’s as a result of the Republicans managed the governor’s workplace for 26 straight years, which created an infinite Democratic Get together energy vacuum that was stuffed by whomever may muster the votes.
When Madigan discovered the state celebration may save him tons of cash on marketing campaign postage, he put his personal individual in after which lastly changed that individual with himself. The celebration equipment finally turned little greater than a car for sending reduced-cost Home marketing campaign mailers and an influence heart for a politician who usually defied governors of his personal celebration.
Kelly promised to alter all that, however in doing so she uncared for to contemplate the affect on the legislative caucuses.
Kelly was backed from the beginning by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who arrange a profitable shadow celebration operation years in the past as a counterbalance to Madigan. Durbin has performed rather a lot to construct his celebration over time, together with recruiting quite a few congressional candidates and an early insistence on turning the previously solidly Republican Will County right into a Democratic powerhouse.
However Durbin overreached by grabbing on the state celebration mantle, alienating the governor and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, each of whom are on the poll this 12 months. Kelly’s choice to run a scorched-earth marketing campaign late within the sport, by claiming via surrogates that the governor and his allies had been someway racists, injected much more hostility into the connection between Pritzker and Durbin that has by no means been something near good.
Level being, as soon as Pritzker leaves workplace (every time that’s), the following Democratic governor will probably profit from the precedent set by this intra-party battle.
Wealthy Miller additionally publishes Capitol Fax, a each day political e-newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
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Illinois
Former Illinois Department of Public Health director fined $150K for ethics violation
CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois’ former top doctor has been fined by the state ethics commission.
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Dr. Ngozi Ezike lead the Illinois Department of Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. She later became president and CEO of Sinai Chicago, which has contracts with the department.
Since she took on the new role within a year of leaving IDPH, there was an ethics violation, according to the state ethic commission.
Dr. Ezike has agreed to pay a $150,000 dollar fine.
Dr. Ezike released the following statement Friday evening:
“As a public servant and physician, I have always been guided by integrity, ethics and justice, and I have dedicated my career to advancing health equity, particularly in underserved communities. I proudly accepted a position as President of Sinai Chicago, which shares my personal mission to improve public health outcomes of those most in need. I look forward to continuing our important work with my fellow caregivers, as well as partners in the communities and beyond, to help the people we serve live better, healthier lives.”
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Illinois
Here’s how much snow Springfield got — and when it’ll melt
Aerial video above Dallas captures rare snowfall
Drone footage shows a winter storm that brought rare snow and ice to Dallas and other parts of Northern Texas.
A blanket of snow covered Springfield late Thursday and early Friday, closing Springfield schools and some offices for a snow day.
Morning traffic appeared to be moving slowly but steadily. Cameras covering major roads in the city showed snow and slush remaining on many city roads but no major slowdowns.
How much snow did Springfield get?
As of 10 a.m., Springfield had seen around 6 to 6.5 inches of snow, according to Angelica Soria, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Springfield office. Southwest Missouri in general got slightly less snow, with reports of 5 to 6 inches.
About another inch of snow was possible in Springfield, according to the National Weather Service, but new accumulation was expected to taper off by noon.
When will the snow melt?
The snow likely won’t stick around long, with a high of 40 expected Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing again Monday before returning to daytime highs in the high-30s and 40s later next week.
While the weather is predicted to warm up this weekend, folks should take care driving when the sun goes down, even if all the snow melts.
“(The snow) will probably start melting during the day tomorrow, but we are worried about the re-freezing on the road, because it will probably get kind of slushy as the plows keep going around trying to get it off the road,” Soria said. “We definitely want to urge people to be careful while traveling … when the sun goes down, it’s harder to see black ice, things like that.”
Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois city workers suffer electric shock from power lines
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) — Two city workers from Waukegan were rushed to the hospital Thursday morning after they were shocked by power lines.
Firefighters said the workers were trimming trees at Pershing Road and Greenwood Avenue near the Waukegan Generating Station, a now-shuttered coal-fired power plant.
The workers’ crane touched a power line, which energized the truck and gave the workers an electric shock.
A helicopter took one man to the hospital with electrical burns. The other was taken away by ambulance.
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