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Archive for the ‘Big Red’ Category

Union Label

(Scott Stantis/ For the Chicago Tribune)

By The Editorial Board Wall Street Journal

The alliance between Democrats and public unions is a dominant feature of modern politics, and the mutual love is growing. That’s the message of a new report by the Commonwealth Foundation, which dug into how government unions fund politics through direct campaign spending and political action committees.

The four largest government unions are the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Afscme). In the 2021-2022 election cycle, they spent more than $708 million combined on politics. Since 2012 union spending on federal elections has nearly tripled.

Democrats and their causes receive 95.7% of the cash from unions’ political action committees. In 2021-22 the Big Four gave more than $29 million to the SEIU’s United We Can super PAC and the NEA Advocacy Fund super PAC which support federal candidates for office. Another $16 million went to wealthy climate crusader Tom Steyer’s leftwing For Our Future Pac. Some $3 million went to Fair Share Massachusetts which supports a state wealth tax.

Big money also flows at the state level, where public unions all but run many state capitals. In 2021-2022, the four largest government unions spent $27.9 million in Illinois, $24.9 million in California, $13.2 million in Minnesota and $12.1 million in Pennsylvania.

Unions accounted for almost 83% of current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign funds, and teacher’s unions were the lion’s share. They are getting their money’s worth. Mr. Johnson will be renegotiating the Chicago Teachers Union contract in 2024 and unions will be on both sides of the negotiating table.

Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch received $1.25 million in union PAC cash in the 2021-22 election cycle, more than any other state legislator in the country. Mr. Welch recently let an Illinois school-choice program for low-income children die because it was opposed by the unions.

Read more here.

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11.16.23 BOT Graphic

11.16.23 BOT Audio

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • ENGINEERING PRESENTATION – Trotter and Associates, Inc.
  • Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023 and Ending December 31, 2023 – Draft
  • [Vote] A Resolution Adopting a Regular Meeting Calendar for 2024 Resolution 2 23 –, and
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Regarding the Illinois Paid Leave For All Workers Act Ordinance 23 –

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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11.13.23 RB

11.13.23 Zoom

The Village Roads & Bridges Committee meets this afternoon at 3 PM. The topics on the agenda include:

  • [Vote] Minutes – September 20, 2023 Special Meeting
  • [Vote] Minutes – November 8, 2022 Special Meeting (tabled from May 9, 2023 Special Meeting)
  • Road Program: 2024 Planning

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

The Committee did not meet in October.  Perhaps this was intentional to allow a cooling off period after the Chair seemingly lost her composure during the September meeting. The recording of that meeting can be found here.

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madigan

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributor

For the fourth year in a row, Chicago ranks as the country’s most corrupt city. Illinois stands as the third-most corrupt state in a University of Illinois at Chicago study.

To arrive at the findings, researchers analyzed 2021 public corruption statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice. In all, there were 32 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois that includes Chicago in 2021, nearly a 33% increase from the 22 convictions that were reported the year before.

State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, isn’t surprised.

“It’s an awful shame, and goes to show you what happens when we have one party controlling everything,” Ugaste told The Center Square. “It gets to people, and they think they can do as they please instead of doing what is required of them under the law and required of them ethically.”

A solution to the long-running problem doesn’t have to be that difficult, Ugaste said.

We have extremely weak ethics laws,” he added. “If we fixed those within the House and Senate and gave our Legislative Inspector General more authority, I think it would go a long way in helping all of it. On the Republican side, we file bills every year to strengthen the legislative inspector general and the ethics laws but they never get hearings.”

Read more here.

(Very) Related: Better (decades) late than never

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RCBH-logo-4-830x455The Barrington Hills Park District Board will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 7:00 PM. The only item of note on their agenda is a, “Truth in Taxation Ordinance,” and, of course, no further information is provided. Truth without transparency is worthless.

A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.

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VBH Entrance

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance of a Quote for Repair of the Cement Driveway on the Grounds of the Village Hall for the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Resolution Adopting the 2017 McHenry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan by the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Remote Participation Rules (Primarily applies to Strauss and Hills)

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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VBH Entrance

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Contract With Corrective Asphalt Materials LLC (CAM) For Pavement Rejuvenation and CRF Application on Select Village Maintained Roads Resolution 23 –
  • [Vote] Ordinance Amending the Village Code to Provide for Regulations Related to the Village’s System of Administrative Adjudication Ordinance 23 –
  • [Vote] An Ordinance Adopting by Reference of the Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance 23 –
  • [Vote] Resolution Honoring Barbara P. Hansen for her Contribution to the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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RCBH-logo-4-768x421

The Equestrian Commission will hold a meeting this evening at 6:30 PM.  Though scheduled to meet quarterly, this will be their first meeting in a year.

Topics on this evening’s agenda are:

  • Equestrian Trail Subdivision Easements, and
  • Equestrian Trail Licenses

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

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Chappel Road

The Board will be discussing the repair of damage possibly caused by burrowing rodents on Chapel Road among other things tonight.

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. Tonight’s 685-page agenda includes:

  • [Vote] Conduct Village Banking with Barrington Bank and Trust – A Wintrust Community Bank
  • [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance of Quotes for Repair of a Section of Chapel Road in the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • Notice of Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance Amendments – July
  • [Vote] Resolution Adopting the 2022 Lake County All Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan by the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
  • The Hills Are Alive Fall Heritage Fest – Sunday, September 17th

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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7.23 BOT Meet

Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 PM. A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

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