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Good Monday morning, Illinois. Fire up the corn dogs. Congress has wrapped up, and all the Illinois politicos are heading to Springfield this week for unity days at the State Fair.
They say the Bud Billiken Parade is about the kids, but the not-so-secret secret is it’s really about politics. The annual event kicking off the school year brought out all the political candidates and their crews working toward the November General Election. There were subtle and not-so-subtle messages about party unity among Democrats who have struggled to show that in recent weeks.
And you couldn’t help read into the little digs at Republicans, who were slotted Saturday at the end of the parade on the city’s South Side, the heart of Chicago Democrats.
Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor, drew mostly polite applause as he marched and worked the crowd, though you couldn’t miss a few “boos.” During the primary season a few months ago, Bailey famously described Chicago as a crime-ridden “hellhole,” and folks haven’t forgotten.
Hellhole sidestep: Your Playbook host stopped Bailey during the parade to ask if he’d revisit the comment, and he declined, saying, “We’re here to celebrate the parade and have fun. And we’re going to get Chicago back on track.”
Strategic parade move: You didn’t hear any boos aimed at Gov. JB Pritzker or Mayor Lori Lightfoot during the parade, most likely because boisterous bands marched directly ahead of them. The music pretty much drowned out everything.
Lightfoot seemed to take special delight in dancing with the King College Prep band. “There’s nothing more fun than high school band,” the mayor told Playbook, recalling how she started playing trumpet in 4th grade and continued through high school.
We are family: Democrats, who recently held a contentious inter-party battle for the new party chair, showed a unified front for the Bud Billiken Parade, known as the largest African-American parade in the United States.
State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, who won the post, marched right next to the governor in his big entourage. Also in the front row marching with the governor were Cook County Board Chair Toni Preckwinkle, who heads the Cook County Democrats, and Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who had backed previous party chair Congresswoman Robin Kelly for the top party job. The message: Democrats are moving past the divisiveness and coming together for November.
We also caught Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic secretary of state candidate, greeting Pritzker and his team with hugs on the parade route. Pritzker had endorsed Giannoulias’ primary opponent, Anna Valencia.
Message received: Democrats are united. Check out your Playbook host’s twitter feed on all the other notable names we spotted at the parade.
— Spotted by readers:Posing in the sunshine are City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado, Rep. Danny Davis, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Thresholds CEO Mark Ishaug.
Parade wave by Dorri McWhorter, president and CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and an honorary grand marshal for the parade.
— How Hernandez came to lead the Illinois Democratic Party, by Derrick Blakley for Center for Illinois Politics
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Ald. Pat Dowell is in. The veteran Chicago 3rd Ward alderwoman who lost a bid for Congress in the June primary said she plans to run for reelection in the 2023 municipal elections.
“There’s more I want to do in the ward. I’ve got some unfinished projects,” Dowell told Playbook. “It will definitely be my last term.” Dowell, the chair of the City Council’s Budget Committee, was first elected in 2007 in a high-profile runoff race against longtime former Ald. Dorothy Tillman.
After the June primary, Dowell kept her cards close to her vest about her next political move, fueling speculation she might join the exodus that’s already occurring on the City Council.
Nearly a fifth of the council’s 50 incumbents have already decided it’s time to leave, reports WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel
Saying bye-bye in 2023: Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), Ald. James Cappleman (46th) and Ald. Carrie Austin (34th). Ald. Sophia King (4th), Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) are giving up their aldermanic seats to run for mayor. And Ald. George Cardenas (12th) is leaving after winning his bid for Cook County Board of Review.
Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: [email protected]
At the State Fairgrounds at 10:30 a.m. to kick off 2022 Senior Day and announce a new senior community support program — At Alton Works at 1 p.m. to announce new Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets grants — At the former Lindenwood University-Belleville Campus at 2:45 p.m. to announce a new Southwestern Illinois Justice and Workforce Development Campus.
No official public events.
No official public events.
Elvis fan and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich drew applause Saturday after singing “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Jailhouse Rock” at a private garden party put on by his attorney, Len Goodman – who’s also a guitar player for The Drawers, a local band that headlined the event.
After Blagojevich performed, your Playbook host asked for his thoughts about his ally, former President Donald Trump, who commuted the former governor’s prison term over corruption charges, including attempting to sell a Senate seat.
“It’s a weaponized Justice Department, and the FBI is acting like the KGB,” Blagojevich said, based on a bird’s-eye view of Trump reportedly holding on to national security secrets that belonged to the government.
Blagojevich said he’s “heart-sick” for Trump: “They’re doing to this [former] Republican president what they did to a Democratic governor. I fear for our country.”
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sen. Tammy Duckworth is out with a digital ad targeting Republican opponent Kathy Salvi on abortion. The spot is part of a paid media campaign that will be rolled out in the coming weeks focusing on Salvi’s anti-abortion views. The ad features Salvi in her own words saying “I am pro-life.”
— IL-08 POLL: A recent poll by RMG Research in the 8th Congressional District shows Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi leading Republican Chris Dargis 45 percent to 39 percent with 12 percent undecided. The 400 respondents in the poll also favored term limits and disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance.
— Paul Lange is the man of La Mancha looking for financial help in race against Rep. Mary Miller, by Muddy River News’ J. Robert Gough
— Tom Demmer, who’s running for state treasurer, reflects on his nearly 10 years in the Illinois House, radio interview on WSPYNews.com
How a former staffer for Congressman Brad Sneider faked being an FBI agent and became a fugitive: “It took four different law enforcement agencies three months to eventually catch up with Sterling Devion Carter 500 miles away. And it was only after a Secret Service agent managed to track down the online shops that sold the staffer mock “federal agent” gear and a bogus license plate for his fake police car—decked out with a siren and flashing lights—that authorities were able to arrest him,” by the Daily Beast’s Jose Pagliery.
— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Famous Friends” country star Chris Young will perform Wednesday afternoon for Illinois Democrats’ unity gathering at the BOS Center in Springfield.
— As partisan hostility grows, signs of frustration with the two-party system: “Perhaps the most striking change is the extent to which partisans view those in the opposing party as immoral. In 2016, about half of Republicans (47 percent) and slightly more than a third of Democrats (35 percent) said those in the other party were a lot or somewhat more immoral than other Americans. Today, 72 percent of Republicans regard Democrats as more immoral, and 63 percent of Democrats say the same about Republicans,” via Pew Research Center.
— New state bill calls for timely support for families of fallen first responders, by WREX’s Kelsey Anderson
— Comptroller honors Springfield police officers, by WCIA’s Danny Connolly
— Another Chicago parking meter twist: 1,800 meters added since Lightfoot took office, by Tribune’s John Byrne
— K-12 enrollment in Chicago Public Schools could drop by as much as 15,000 students this fall: “Researchers are predicting the drop but stress lower enrollment could benefit the remaining students by allowing CPS to spend more per child,” by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp.
— Analysis suggests Chicago police deployment doesn’t match up with when most shootings take place, by Tribune’s Annie Sweeney
— NFL players union president blasts Soldier Field conditions, via The Associated Press
— 2 ex-employees are banned from working again for the Chicago Park District, by WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.
— 2 years ago, Lightfoot vowed to confront city’s racist monuments. Nothing has happened, reports WTTW’s Heather Cherone
— When it comes to athletic trainers, most Chicago Public Schools athletes miss out, by Lane Tech College Prep’s Alex Burstein for Chalkbeat
— Census says volunteering declined in Chicago, but new report highlights community organizing work, by WTTW’s Brandis Friedman and Blair Paddock
— Rideshare and delivery drivers demand better wages and working conditions, join national movement, by Tribune’s Adriana Pérez
— Police say shooting in Six Flags Great America parking lot wasn’t random: “Three people were injured Sunday night in a parking lot shooting at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, and police said the victims appear to have been targeted,” via Daily Herald
— Highland Park Hospital doesn’t see many victims of gun violence. Then July Fourth happened: Here’s how the day unfolded, by Tribune’s Lisa Schencker
— How Mundelein stormwater basin became a thriving habitat, by Daily Herald’s Russell Lissau
R. Kelly’s new Chicago trial to take jurors back to peak of star’s career, early allegations: “Kelly’s defense attorney calls the trial starting Monday “total and complete overkill.” But legal experts say it could help vindicate other accusers and ensure the superstar remains in prison,” by Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel
R. Kelly’s trial to put spotlight on brawling ‘26th & Cal’ legal tactics, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Megan Crepeau
We asked for your memorable Bud Billiken Parade moments:
Andy Shaw: “Big smiles and pure joy as my kids and I waved to loyal viewers from our ABC 7 float and they waved back.”
What was your favorite concert at the BOS Center? Email [email protected]
— FBI warns of heightened threats as Hill Republicans demand more from Garland on Mar-a-Lago search, by POLITICO’s Nick Niedzwiadek and Betsy Woodruff Swan
— The facts behind Trump’s garbage claim that Obama ‘kept’ 33 million documents, by Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet.
— Cheney’s next mission: Keeping her anti-Trump megaphone after her likely loss Tuesday, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers and Nicholas Wu
— Some Capitol rioters try to profit from their Jan. 6 crimes, by The Associated Press
— Attack on Salman Rushdie felt unreal, his host says, by POLITICO’s David Cohen
— The medical crisis that finally convinced Republicans in North Carolina to expand Medicaid, by Lisa Rab for POLITICO Magazine
— Monkeypox may be here to stay, by POLITICO’s Krista Mahr, Megan Messerly and Katherine Ellen Foley
Cristina Villarreal has joined Planned Parenthood of Illinois as the chief of external affairs. She was the chief of external affairs for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Earlier, Villarreal served in leadership roles in Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, Family and Support Services, and Public Health.
State Rep. Daniel Didech and Jen Didech are the proud parents of Violet Bree Didech, who was born Friday. Big brother Theo can’t wait to show her the ropes, says dad. Pic!
Sept. 14: The Congressional Women’s Softball game will see Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet competing in lawmakers vs. media game. Here’s the roster
The War of 1812 and the bloody battle of Fort Dearborn: At the confluence of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan once sat Fort Dearborn, where a bloody battle between the Potawatomi and federal troops occurred on Aug. 15, 1812.” The Battle of Fort Dearborn was once referred to as the Fort Dearborn Massacre.
FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Jon Maxson, senior adviser to the Illinois House speaker, for correctly answering that Illinois townships are charged with three basic functions: general assistance for the indigent, the assessment of real property for the basis of local taxation and maintenance of all roads and bridges outside federal, state and other local jurisdictions.
TODAY’s QUESTION: Who’s the federal judge who wrote a novel about a judge knocking over the Federal Reserve Bank? Email [email protected]
Former Congresswoman Judy Biggert, former state Rep. Steven Andersson, CME Group Chair and CEO Terry Duffy, ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones, ComEd area operator and Chicago history promoter Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas and grassroots activist and loyal Playbooker Bill Hogan.
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