Mark Walker was in the state legislature from 2009 to 2011, and what everybody still remembers about his tenure is how it ended — with a lame duck vote to hike the state’s income tax by 66 percent.
At the time of that January 2011 vote, Walker had already lost his seat to incoming state Rep. David Harris, who, had they waited to vote until the new House was seated, would probably have voted with fellow Republicans to kill it. Walker alone didn’t cement the tax hike — he was one of seven lame-duck Democrats who were about to be replaced with Republicans, and they all voted for the increase.
He believed then and says he does now, that it was the right vote for Illinois.
Now, eight years later, Harris has declined to run for re-election after having voted for an income tax increase himself. Walker wants the seat back.
He is being challenged by Republican Eddie Corrigan, a smart, young conservative who has gained perspective on politics and public service as an outreach coordinator for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam.
But Walker has life experience and has made a point of being educated by it. He is a Vietnam vet (he volunteered), who works with veterans and led the drive to revive Memorial Park in Arlington Heights. He owned businesses for 30 years, some successful, some not. He is candid about his status as a recovering alcoholic.
The tax hike vote notwithstanding, Walker worked across party lines. And he’s a practical common-sense Democrat. He gets our endorsement.
WSIL — Engaged in one of the most hotly contested house races in the state, Democratic incumbent Natalie Phelps Finnie and Republican Patrick Windhorst are battling it out to represent Illinois’ 118th district.
Finnie has been running ads since August, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. But she’s also been on the receiving end of more than a million dollars in campaign contributions since she took office last year, mostly from state Democrats and affiliated groups.
The campaign committees for other Illinois Democrats have donated more than $280,000 to Finnie, including more than $55,000 each from Metro East Representative Jay Hoffman and Cook County Representative Robert Martwick.
House Speaker Mike Madigan has even jumped into the race, donating more than $750 to Finnie.
The Illinois Democratic Party and Democratic Majority PAC, both controlled by Madigan are also big players in the race, donating close to $100,000 combined.
Windhorst has run ads connecting Finnie to Madigan, who is widely unpopular in southern Illinois.
"Natalie Phelps Finnie votes with Madigan 95 percent of the time," Windhorst says in one of his ads, "I’ll vote with southern Illinois 100 percent of the time."
He says the donations show Finnie will be loyal to Madigan if reelected. "He supports my opponent and it’ll be clear if she’s elected that she will vote for him for Speaker," Windhorst said in a phone interview.
Finnie says she hasn’t decided who she’d support for House Speaker, "Nobody can buy my loyalty. My loyalty is with the people of southern Illinois and nothing less."
Finnie’s biggest contributor — unions — which have donated nearly $500,000 over the past year.
That includes tens of thousands of dollars from unions representing and electrical workers.
Groups affiliated with the Laborer’s International Union of North America are Finnie’s biggest donors, contributing just under $200,000.
Finnie says she’s proud of the union support because it mean’s she’s fighting for workers, "They’re what build people up, bring them out of poverty, make the middle class strong and I have been very clear and unapologetic about my support for them."
Finnie’s contributions also include more than $60,000 from special interest groups including coal and medical associations, and more than $80,000 from businesses.
"Follow the Money" is a new segment that will run through November’s election.
If there’s a politician whose finances you’d like us to profile, send an email to followthemoney@wsiltv.com.
COLLINSVILLE – Continuing their efforts to stand up against extreme attacks on workers’ rights, state Reps. Monica Bristow, D-Godfrey, and Katie Stuart, D-Collinsville, joined local labor leaders on Tuesday to sign a “Contract with the Middle Class” and publicly pledge their commitment to protect wages, workplace protections and collective bargaining rights for all.
“I am proud to stand with members of organized labor to pledge my commitment to protect workers’ rights and stand up to the recent attacks on middle-class families,” Stuart said. “Politicians like Dwight Kay and Bruce Rauner have sided with big corporations in an attempt to drive down wages and weaken the standard of living for working families. I strongly oppose these efforts and will continue working to put middle-class families first.”
Stuart and Bristow signed the Illinois AFL-CIO’s “Contract with the Middle Class” pledge to prioritize middle-class families ahead of Bruce Rauner’s special interest agenda. They committed to fight for real reforms that grow our economy by lifting up Illinois’ middle class which includes supporting fair wages, strengthening access to medical care for injured workers and protecting the right to collectively bargain. Stuart and Bristow both received endorsements from the Illinois AFL-CIO in the November General Election in recognition of their support on issues affecting working men and women across the state.
“Middle-class families are the backbone of the Metro East economy, but workers’ rights have come under attack from Bruce Rauner and his special interest agenda that pads the profits of big businesses at the expense of our families,” Bristow said. “While Mike Babcock stands in support of Bruce Rauner’s reckless anti-worker agenda, I stand with working families and am fighting to protect fair wages, safety in the workplace and collective bargaining rights for all.”
Though the count is still two years away, Elgin officials and civic leaders are concerned a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census could dissuade some residents from responding and hurt the tally’s accuracy.
Illinois State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) said one of the big concerns is a question the Donald Trump administration plans to have on the form that would ask for the citizenship status of household members.
“This is purely politically motivated, and the Census Bureau itself has said this is not good public policy,” Moeller said during a panel discussion this month at the Gail Borden Public Library.
The census, taken every 10 years, helps determine how federal dollars are allocated at the local level.
“It is critical that every voice is heard, so that the count can truly capture the demographic representation of Elgin. Any misrepresentation could mean fewer federal dollars to support essential programs, including but not limited to housing, mental health and infrastructure,” Elgin Communications Specialist Molly Center said.
Jaime Garcia, executive director of Elgin’s Centro de Informacion, said there is a growing fear among immigrants and other groups about answering the citizenship question.
To that point, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is part of a coalition of 18 states, the District of Columbia, nine cities, four counties, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors that filed a lawsuit to block the citizenship question from being included with the 2020 census.
In a prepared statement, Madigan said, “The Census is critical to ensuring immigrants in Illinois and across the country are represented fairly and accurately.”
The lawsuit contends the federal government’s intent to ask for citizenship would depress census responses in states with large immigrant populations and threaten the fair representation of those states in Congress and the Electoral College, as well as cost those states federal funds.
Illinois lost one congressional seat after the 2010 census, bringing the state’s count to 18. The 2020 census could cost Illinois another seat or possibly two, some experts have speculated.
With funding on the line, Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain said he wants to make sure everyone is counted. Participation in neighborhoods with a high number of Latino residents went from 50 percent in 2000 to 68 percent in 2010, Kaptain said.
“People felt more comfortable answering in 2010, but I’m afraid we might be taking a step backward this time,” Kaptain said.
Other challenges include getting a handle on the number of homeless and senior citizens, Kaptain said. Seniors are another group that might be reluctant to open the door to a census-taker or to answer a phone call.
Seniors might also be less tech-savvy, Kaptain said. The Census Bureau is hopeful most households will fill out the 2020 document online.
Kaptain said he recently attended a discussion with Census Bureau staff and believes cities will need to publicize the census and its importance. Kaptain said that could mean Elgin spending money out of its own budget on the effort.
City staff already is looking into providing city-issued lanyards to census-takers so residents know people coming to their doors are legitimate.
In 2010, the Gail Borden Public Library received a grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation to help coordinate the community census effort. Staff worked with city staff, schools and community organizations to get out the message about the census and has held discussions already about the library’s role in 2020.
“We do not know exactly what the next effort will look like yet, but we hope to contribute to making the count accurate, helping to ensure appropriate federal funding that is necessary for the community,” library public relations and communications chief Denise Raleigh said.
Though the count is still two years away, Elgin officials and civic leaders are concerned a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census could dissuade some residents from responding and hurt the tally’s accuracy.
Illinois State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) said one of the big concerns is a question the Donald Trump administration plans to have on the form that would ask for the citizenship status of household members.
“This is purely politically motivated, and the Census Bureau itself has said this is not good public policy,” Moeller said during a panel discussion this month at the Gail Borden Public Library.
The census, taken every 10 years, helps determine how federal dollars are allocated at the local level.
“It is critical that every voice is heard, so that the count can truly capture the demographic representation of Elgin. Any misrepresentation could mean fewer federal dollars to support essential programs, including but not limited to housing, mental health and infrastructure,” Elgin Communications Specialist Molly Center said.
Jaime Garcia, executive director of Elgin’s Centro de Informacion, said there is a growing fear among immigrants and other groups about answering the citizenship question.
To that point, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is part of a coalition of 18 states, the District of Columbia, nine cities, four counties, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors that filed a lawsuit to block the citizenship question from being included with the 2020 census.
In a prepared statement, Madigan said, “The Census is critical to ensuring immigrants in Illinois and across the country are represented fairly and accurately.”
The lawsuit contends the federal government’s intent to ask for citizenship would depress census responses in states with large immigrant populations and threaten the fair representation of those states in Congress and the Electoral College, as well as cost those states federal funds.
Illinois lost one congressional seat after the 2010 census, bringing the state’s count to 18. The 2020 census could cost Illinois another seat or possibly two, some experts have speculated.
With funding on the line, Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain said he wants to make sure everyone is counted. Participation in neighborhoods with a high number of Latino residents went from 50 percent in 2000 to 68 percent in 2010, Kaptain said.
“People felt more comfortable answering in 2010, but I’m afraid we might be taking a step backward this time,” Kaptain said.
Other challenges include getting a handle on the number of homeless and senior citizens, Kaptain said. Seniors are another group that might be reluctant to open the door to a census-taker or to answer a phone call.
Seniors might also be less tech-savvy, Kaptain said. The Census Bureau is hopeful most households will fill out the 2020 document online.
Kaptain said he recently attended a discussion with Census Bureau staff and believes cities will need to publicize the census and its importance. Kaptain said that could mean Elgin spending money out of its own budget on the effort.
City staff already is looking into providing city-issued lanyards to census-takers so residents know people coming to their doors are legitimate.
In 2010, the Gail Borden Public Library received a grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation to help coordinate the community census effort. Staff worked with city staff, schools and community organizations to get out the message about the census and has held discussions already about the library’s role in 2020.
“We do not know exactly what the next effort will look like yet, but we hope to contribute to making the count accurate, helping to ensure appropriate federal funding that is necessary for the community,” library public relations and communications chief Denise Raleigh said.
Working for Illinois Caucus 