Subject: POLITICO Illinois Playbook, presented by Nuclear Matters: MELLODY HOBSON vs. Friends of the Parks -- DOROTHY BROWN's raise request -- ROSKAM, DOLD, HULTGREN blast Boeing
From: Natasha Korecki <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 May 2016 05:47:44 -0600

05/04/2016 07:45 AM EDT

By Natasha Korecki ([email-masked]; @natashakorecki) with Manuela Tobias ([email-masked]; @manuelatobiasm)  

Good Wednesday morning, Illinois. As most of you know by now, the Republican presidential primary transformed last night after Ted Cruz announced he would drop out. Over Twitter, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Donald Trump the presumptive nominee. John Kasich says he's sticking around until someone reaches the magic 1,237 delegates. 

In Chicago on Tuesday, businesswoman Mellody Hobson fumed at the Friends of the Parks, blaming the group for squandering plans for a lakefront museum in the name of her husband, Star Wars creator George Lucas. After the first plan faltered, the group opposed a second plan from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, which called for the state to approve $1.5 billion in new borrowing. 

The couple is now looking outside of Chicago after Friends of the Parks on Tuesday disclosed it wouldn't agree to any site that would include the city's lakefront. 

Hobson's statement: "From the beginning, this process has been co-opted and hijacked by a small special interest group. When the Friends of the Parks sued the city in order to preserve a parking lot, we were offered a different and feasible solution-the replacement of an underutilized and outdated convention space that would also add more than 12 acres of new parkland." 

'No friend to Chicago' -- "This is a city of big shoulders and a metropolis that is second to none. In refusing to accept the extraordinary public benefits of the museum, the Friends of the Parks has proven itself to be no friend of Chicago. We are now seriously pursuing locations outside of Chicago. If the museum is forced to leave, it will be because of the Friends of the Parks and that is no victory for anyone." 

SOME PEOPLE NOT SO TORN UP -- "So long George, don't let the door hit you on way out," by Chicago Sun-Times' Neil Steinberg: "If the mayor actually cared about the whole city, as he pretends to, he'd be leaning on Lucas to put his new museum in Pullman, and not using the lakefront downtown to draw people to it instead of using the museum to draw people elsewhere. Maybe because it can't, and they know it. Who's going to fly to Chicago to see a museum that Chicagoans won't get on a bus for 15 minutes to visit? ... the mayor hatched the scheme of tearing down McCormick Place and putting the Lucas structure - an ugly white carbuncle of a modern monstrosity that makes Frank Gehry's bandshell
 look like the Parthenon - there instead ... Let Lucas fob his museum off on Cleveland or Phoenix or one of those cities that will be genuinely delighted to have it. When that happens, how many of you would make plans to go to Cleveland or Phoenix or wherever the heck it ends up to see a mock-up of R2D2 and some framed comic strips? A show of hands. Anybody? I didn't think so." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93eb86cb19ea74c76078f614481c2a8112bd6c6c08a1bfbb13 

CHANCES AT SURVIVAL? 'SLIM AND NONE' -- "Lucas Museum 'seriously pursuing locations outside of Chicago,'" by Chicago Sun-Times' Fran Spielman: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Hail Mary plan to keep movie mogul George Lucas' museum in Chicago suffered a potential death blow Tuesday when Friends of the Parks declared its opposition to the McCormick Place site and threatened another lawsuit. 'Mr. Lucas and the city only wanted a lakefront site, and we do not believe that is acceptable ... On Tuesday, Irizarry argued that, no matter what Friends of the Parks does, the mayor's plan has two chances of passing: slim and none ... 

Questionable priorities -- "This is a very heavy lift for the mayor at a very difficult time for Chicago and Illinois. There are other priorities and very difficult financial realities. We are very concerned about the impact on taxes ... We should all question public policymakers' priorities," Irizarry said. "It is not highly likely that a deal of this complexity can be moved forward in the time frame and under the conditions presented ... there are lots of other needs in the city and state. We have gridlock as it is at state level." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93d6ca74fdf7caeced76a1f613408a32fcb6b675f633616785 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Providing 90 percent of Illinois' carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals. Illinois' nuclear energy fleet supports approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributes nearly $9 billion to the state's economy. Learn more at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

OTHER NEEDS IN STATE? LIKE WHAT? -- "Anna funeral home director says services for poor and disabled in question," by The Southern's Molly Parker: "Funeral home director Phil Hileman said he's absorbed thousands of dollars in expenses to provide a proper funeral and burial for people in Anna and surrounding communities since the state hasn't provided any reimbursements for indigent funerals since July 1, 2015. Many of these people are developmentally disabled and live in community group homes, he said, as there are a number of these Community Integrated Living Arrangement, or CILA homes, in Union County. There are cases where these individuals do not have any family members still living, or
 who are part of their lives and willing to pay for funeral costs." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9388247e32e783758e967c1a3b125c526def355395d2ce48ae 

TWITTERSPHERE REACTS -- @billvaccaro Bill Vaccaro: "So sad. Let's have a pity party for them." 

@BenBradleyABC7 Ben Bradley: "Many wounds self-inflicted. Lucas Museum folks never made their case, never told or showed us why we should want it." 

@Giannoulias Alexi Giannoulias: "Friends of Parks is doing major damage to Chicago on this one. Major." 

@helenbinchy: "Yeah. Chicago really needs a museum that looks like mashed potatoes on the lakefront." 

@stevewarmbir: "A rare thing happened in Chicago today: Insanely wealthy people, dripping with clout, were told, in sum, "No." 

@RonSandack "Given his enormous wealth, how come none of the proposals I've seen showed Lucas making a meaningful contribution?" 

@Lyndab08 "special interest group? FOTP wants to keep parkland for the public." 

Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook. Have a tip, event, announcement, endorsement? Send to [email-masked] or @natashakorecki 

SUBSCRIBE to Illinois Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9334b46ece559239751d60ecc4d71174d9adefde345a6ecc1b 

DOROTHY BROWN WANTS A PAY RAISE -- The Democratic party rescinded its support for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown. A former aide pleaded guilty last month to lying to a grand jury. A federal probe into Brown and her husband remains active. Brown's request now? She wants a raise. In a letter to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and provided to POLITICO, Brown argues that she has not had a pay increase in 16 years -- and this is the first time she's asked. 

Brown says she is paid $105,000 a year, among the lowest compensated officials at her level and, in some cases, she manages far more employees. She compares the "gross inequity" of her pay when compared to that of "criminal justice partners" like the county prosecutor and public defender. 

"There is no logical explanation for the significant inequity of the Clerk of the Court's salary in comparison to the salaries of other Public Safety partners, given that all of the positions are responsible for handling the same number of criminal cases," the letter states. 

Preckwinkle spokesman Frank Shuftan told POLITICO Tuesday night that he had not seen the letter but: "The salaries of electeds, like everyone else in the county, is a matter of the budget. The FY17 budget is under construction." Read Dorothy Brown's letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9387ccd0871c75f1ba8f2cd53c6465868044837767d113689a  

ROSKAM, DOLD, HULTGREN APPEAL TO BOEING ON IRAN -- "Congressmen: Boeing deal with Iran would turn airplanes into 'warplanes,'" by Fox News: "Any deal between Boeing and Iran ''would effectively subsidize the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism' and would turn American airplanes into Iranian 'warplanes,' according to three members of Congress in a strongly-worded letter sent to the aircraft giant Monday. The letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg implores the company to refrain from a reported deal with Tehran to supply planes and other services. Under the terms of the Iran nuke deal, commercial aircraft can be sold to Iran, a concession made 'at the behest of Tehran,' the letter
 said. The Islamic Republic's ruling regime holds a majority ownership stake in the country's national airline, Iran Air ..." 

The authors, Illinois Republican members of Congress Peter Roskam, Bob Dold and Randy Hultgren, repeatedly cite Iran's well-documented links to terror financing and allege that passenger air flights have played a particular role in Iran being able to supply deadly weapons - such as rockets or missiles - to notorious groups." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9392622ca3402e05a4eb44ed4f14157336b813b9f35b313551 

DART FOR MAYOR -- "Here Comes the Sheriff," by Chicago Magazine's Carol Felsenthal: "I met [Cook County Sheriff Tom] Dart recently for lunch at the Greek Islands, and he confirmed he's considering changing jobs ... 'I meet with a lot of mayors all the time; from big towns, small towns. They call me frequently to ask for help. But Rahm, no.' 

... Q: Are you going to run for mayor? 

A: I don't know. I'm interested in looking at it. Do I think I can be helpful? This isn't an ego trip for me. 

... Q: When will you decide? 

A: In about a year. 

Q: If you decide against a mayoral run in 2019, will you run in 2018 for another term as sheriff? 

A: I think so. I'm pretty confident that I'll do that. The sheriff's job will be up first, so I have the ability to run for that and then decide whether I want to run for mayor.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d935035108bbeba39929d34b30486d528e920f4346cf7095320 

RAHM CONVENES CHAIRMEN -- "Emanuel wines, dines City Council allies," by Chicago Tribune's Hal Dardick: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to wine and dine his closest City Council allies at a downtown restaurant Tuesday night as he continues to struggle with a broad set of financial, public safety and educational dilemmas. It's not like there's a revolt going on at City Hall - the mayor hand-picked the council's committee chairmen ... putting a premium on whether they can be trusted to push his agenda and squelch proposals he doesn't back. But it does mark the first time since Emanuel took the helm in 2011 that he's convened a gathering of all 16 chairmen." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d938cb32a02eab8b6189ab1e436a86cab26e459b2d99bb4eafd 

SMALL BUSINESS, WEAK -- "Some small business owners upset with Rauner," by FOX's Dane Placko: "Governor Bruce Rauner has proclaimed this 'Small Business Week' in Illinois. But the owner of a south suburban company says the governor's words don't match the state's actions ... he and others are furious about a plan they believe could shutter hundreds of mom and pop businesses ... 'I'm looking at my end and looking at where my future goes from here,' said company owner Paul Marolda. Marolda says he may be forced to close because of a proposed change by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services ... the agency put out a bid request for a $50-million contract that would use one
 large company to provide all the incontinence supplies statewide rather than the 400 regional suppliers. Marolda says his frustration only grew when he heard Governor Rauner proclaim this 'Small Business Week' in the state of Illinois." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9306006601e7c62104d9795dd5456dce7b3013ddc789188cdb 

PRESSURE MOUNTING -- "Tribune Publishing No. 2 shareholder supports sale," by Reuters' Liana B. Baker and Greg Roumeliotis: "Oaktree Capital Group LLC (OAK.N), the second largest shareholder in Tribune Publishing Co (TPUB.N), wants the U.S. newspaper company to explore a sale, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Oaktree's support for a sale of Tribune, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel, could help Gannett Co Inc's (GCI.N) campaign to buy the company. Last month, Gannett made an unsolicited takeover offer for Tribune at $12.25 per share in cash, in a deal worth roughly $815 million. The proposed deal came at a challenging time for the
 newspaper industry, which is grappling with high costs, shrinking advertising dollars and a broad move toward digital content." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93547f80360449786c3606d08dbc3ff2a2c2281ffe89e5e53d 

YOUTH DETENTION CENTER OPEN FOR NOW -- "Legislative panel votes against plan to close Kewanee youth detention center," by The Associated Press' John O'Connor: "A bipartisan legislative oversight panel opposed Gov. Bruce Rauner's plan to shutter the youth detention center in Kewanee Tuesday, amid hopes for reprieve, repurposing or at least a plan for disposing of the 15-year-old facility. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability's 5-6 vote against closure is advisory, but lawmakers' comments reflected uneasiness with the delicate topic of housing and treating youthful offenders as well as the state's track record on mothballing obsolete sites." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93ee3b1943b889c023d052cbeaad923ff580df757b8636160f 

GRADUATED TAX STILL ALIVE -- "Graduated income tax proposal delayed in House, expected to come up Wednesday," by The Associated Press: "Illinois House Democrats delayed a measure to tax millionaires at higher rates if voters approved the plan in November. Democratic state Rep. Christian Mitchell, the bill's sponsor, says he plans to bring up the proposal Wednesday. Lawmakers were expected to consider the bill Tuesday but Mitchell says he's trying to get more support and give absent members a chance to vote. The proposal would change the Illinois Constitution so people would be taxed based on their earnings. A companion bill would set the rates." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93625813799332a4dfb462219323553b0d6a172ccadbec4669

DURBIN CALLS FOR HOUSING RULE CHANGE-UP -- "In Cairo, Durbin calls for changes to state law governing housing authorities," by The Southern's Molly Parker: "At the headquarters of the Alexander County Housing Authority, where a public housing scandal has brought federal authorities to town and prompted a criminal investigation, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Illinois lawmakers should rewrite the statute that governs the appointing process for local housing authority board members ... in the more rural parts of the state and Southern Illinois, including Alexander County, the appointing power for the board members rests with their respective county's board chairperson." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d930ff9ee23bba48ed33cfe46a67eeac8267d72abfaee0e5438 

RAUNER TALKS BIZ -- "Rauner Highlights Tech, Biz Startups During Stop in Peoria," by Peoria Public Radio's Cass Herrington: "Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner visited The Nest Coworking, a shared workspace for startups, in Peoria Tues. ... 'I was like you once.' 'I was a venture capitalist myself for 32 years ... I know firsthand how hard it is to start a business and build a business, how much risk and sacrifice and sweat and worry is involved in it,' Rauner said. Except, Rauner says, he was investing millions of dollars and getting hundreds of millions in return." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93b3e77cb52a8058d8b2bac6a08c45e94c6998603d6d402c4e 

STATE GOVERNMENT. NOT POPULAR -- "'Shame on you state of Illinois,'" by Aurora Beacon-News' Linda Girardi: "West Aurora School Board members Monday night vented their anger at the state for lack of funding for local schools. 'To the state legislature, I say shame on you,' West Aurora School Board member Allyson Herget said. 'Shame on you!' West Aurora School District Treasurer George Melina said that the state's money problems extend far beyond the current budget stalemate." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9349060af4dda7461f27c1e242cdb7a28a0ab75ed27942d56c 

RAUNER'S BUDGET 'UNDERFUNDED AND UNREALISTIC' -- "Civic Federation Opposes Rauner's 'Insufficiently Detailed' Budget," CBS Chicago: "A budget watchdog group has criticized Gov. Bruce Rauner's spending plan for this year as being underfunded and unrealistic. A report by the Civic Federation said Rauner's budget for Fiscal Year 2017 has a deficit of at least $3.5 billion, and Civic Federation president Laurence Msall said he believes the shortfall is even larger, because it doesn't fully account for the cost of state services ... Rauner administration's budget plan 'presents an insufficiently detailed plan for closing the gap.' 'The Civic Federation cannot support a plan that does not provide
 the State of Illinois with a detailed and sustainable path to reduce and alleviate its ongoing financial crisis,' Msall said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d934e1a3363c5684394dfdc108ea1889dbddcc6cafe0a3bf1f7 

LOOK OUT FOR HOGS ON THE ROAD -- "Rauner urges Illinois to 'Start Seeing Motorcycles'" by The Telegraph: "Gov. Bruce Rauner joined fellow motorcycle enthusiasts and safety advocates today to launch the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) latest 'Start Seeing Motorcycles' campaign. To call attention to the need for all roadway users to be especially vigilant these next few months, Gov. Rauner has proclaimed May as Motorcycle Awareness Month in Illinois for the 33rd consecutive year. 'I ride my motorcycle as often as possible, and many weeks between Chicago and Springfield, so I know the importance of sharing the road,' Gov. Rauner said." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d933dfa96c6f836a05ecd10c5afda45dff688cce9b1db8633a2 

BIGGER IOU FOR ISU -- "Board to consider 3 percent tuition hike for new ISU students," by The Pantagraph's Lenore Sobota: "Illinois State University administrators will ask the board of trustees to approve a tuition increase of 3 percent for new in-state undergraduate students from what incoming students paid last fall. The board will take up the matter at its quarterly meeting ... Under the state's truth-in-tuition law, the tuition rate will remain the same for those new students as they continue at ISU through summer 2020." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d9383fc4ad3d0708ef2f76e466923fdcff8e36a26dafb0fda9a 

TRUMP SHOULDN'T MESS(I) WITH US -- "Argentine TV station uses Trump to promote soccer match," by POLITICO's Nolan D. McCaskill: "An Argentine television station is using Donald Trump's immigration rhetoric in a promotional video for Argentina's national soccer team ahead of the U.S.-hosted Copa America Centenario tournament next month. The minute-plus ad begins by introducing the Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump as a businessman. 'Our country is in serious trouble. We're having people coming in through the border that are not people that we want,' Trump says over clips of the team exiting a plane." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93d80d7d7f496cf2e8d52f431fe87ca25332bb178bbeb2eaa4 

CIGARS ALL AROUND! -- "Cheering Cubans greet first cruise ship from U.S. in decades," by The Associated Press' Michael Weissenstein: "Greeted with rum drinks and salsa dancers, the first passengers to cruise from the U.S. to Cuba in nearly 40 years streamed Monday into a crowd cheering the rebirth of commercial travel on waters that served as a stage for a half-century of Cold War hostility. Many watching the festive arrival praised a Cuban government decision to drop a longstanding ban on Cuban-born people returning to their homeland by sea, a step that allowed 16 Cuban-Americans to make the journey from Miami." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1431a2cec5836d93560a3082766afd39ff2bd747cd0ec91ab1396020feade594 

JUST CALL HER SONIA -- Congratulations to Democratic U.S. Rep. nominee Raja Krishnamoorthi and his wife Priya on the birth of a baby girl. From the campaign: "Dear Friends, We are so proud to announce that our baby girl, Sonia, was born yesterday afternoon! Priya and baby are doing extremely well, and we are all thrilled beyond words. Thank you for all your well wishes. Kind regards, Raja." 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Some of America's existing nuclear energy plants face early closure due to current economic and policy conditions. Providing more than 62% of America's carbon-free electricity, existing, state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals.

In Illinois, nuclear energy plants provide 48 percent of the state's electricity and 90 percent of our carbon-free electricity. The existing nuclear energy plants in Illinois also support approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $9 billion to the state's economy.

If we want to keep Illinois working, we need policies that will keep Illinois' state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants working for all of us. Join us at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

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