Durbin endorses Vallas for Chicago mayor

By Shia Kapos

Good Monday morning, Illinois. Buckle up. It's eight days to Election Day.

Sen. Dick Durbin is endorsing Paul Vallas for mayor of Chicago. | Associated Press file photo

Sen. Dick Durbin endorsed Paul Vallas on Sunday, putting a stamp on the mayoral candidate’s Democratic credentials.

Durbin, who made the announcement in Greektown ahead of the annual Greek Independence Day Parade, called Vallas “a lifelong Democrat” who can be a “bridge” to the community and offer "support and straight talk" to law enforcement.

Durbin’s endorsement drew an outcry on Twitter from the left-leaning supporters of Vallas’ rival, Brandon Johnson, who has worked to portray Vallas as conservative.

The claim has been Vallas’ Achilles heel. His past appearances on conservative talk shows, where he dissed some revered Democrats, has been a persistent talking point during the campaign.

Durbin’s endorsement gives cover to moderate Democrats who have waivered on voting because they see Vallas as too far right or Johnson too far left.

The endorsement by the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate comes ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders headlining a pre-election rally for Johnson. The progressive Vermont senator doesn’t exactly have coattails in Illinois, but he can energize Johnson’s base.

Factoid: Durbin is an ally of President Joe Biden, who in the 2020 primary beat Sanders in Chicago, via Block Club.

Not endorsing: Gov. JB Pritzker, who’s butted heads with Durbin at times over Illinois Democratic Party politics, is staying out of the race.

The issue of race is dominating the final days of the election: “It’s playing out in one of the most segregated cities in the country, where a Black progressive is competing against a white moderate and where the course of the city’s next four years, including the safety of its residents, may very well turn on the coveted Black vote — a vote neither Johnson nor Vallas won in the first round,” by NBC’s Natasha Korecki.

Numbers to chew on: The Chicago Board of Elections crunched the citywide turnout totals from the Feb. 28 election by age group and sex. Chart here

About the polling: Neither candidate has “sparked interest” among Latino voters, says Rod McCulloch of Victory Research, whose recent polling shows “a dead heat” between Vallas and Johnson, via The Crisis Cast with Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin.

Vallas is out with a new ad.

‘TICKING TIME BOMB’: A 2021 state auditor general’s report warned the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office had problems in keeping its cyber security data safe.

“The lack of adequate cybersecurity programs and practices could result in unidentified risk and vulnerabilities, which could ultimately lead to the office’s confidential and personal information being susceptible to cyber-attacks and unauthorized disclosure,” according to the report obtained by Playbook.

Newly elected Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias described the assessment as having uncovered “dangerous levels of neglect when it comes to failing to update a prehistoric IT infrastructure held together by toothpicks and bubble gum.”

Giannoulias said the previous administration “neglected to make upgrades for the past quarter century and ignored alarm bells,” creating a “ticking time bomb” that puts personal information at risk.

The audit report also reveals the Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees license plates, vehicle registration and other data, “did not establish any guidance or protocols on how to store or access that data, nor had there been a risk assessment conducted to identify vulnerabilities.”

The report comes on the heels of a McKinsey and Co. assessment showing Illinois risks a “catastrophic” security breach of confidential personal data on millions of residents unless it upgrades its outmoded computer, according to Crain’s Greg Hinz. The McKinsey report estimates that replacing the old systems and training their operators would cost about $200 million.

Other takeaways from the 2021 audit report:

The recovery of sensitive data cannot be done in a reasonable time “in the event of a catastrophic event.”

There are no policies or procedures in place to maintain controls of financial transaction data.

System audits were not regularly conducted.

If you worked in IT at the Secretary of State’s Office, Playbook wants to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com.

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Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com

— Springfield frenzy: State lawmakers will be back at it this week, starting Tuesday, after a feverish effort to pass legislation out of their respective chambers by Friday, which was the deadline to keep bills alive. More than 440 bills passed the House and nearly 70 passed the Senate.

— Nutty: Illinois lawmakers pass bill to designate official state nut, via NBC 5

— Black Illinois Tollway employees outraged over rope hung in locker room: “A white co-worker said it was part of a joke having nothing to do with race. One complaint from a Black employee called it ‘an overt, poignant and intentional display of intimidation and harassment meant to impose terror,’” by Sun-Times’ Robert Herguth.

— DCFS placed troubled teen girl with 24-year-old pimp as foster parent, by CBS 2’s Dave Sivini and Michele Youngerman

JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE.

— ANALYSIS | ‘ComEd Four’ trial offering a fascinating and unprecedented look into the inner workings of Michael Madigan’s political power: “Jurors have so far heard an FBI wiretap of Madigan’s private “Sunday morning meeting” with his inner circle of advisers, and listened to other calls where the famously reclusive speaker — so cautious that he preferred to borrow cellphones rather than use one of his own — hashed out strategy, plotted the ouster of a key ally and complained of the follies of political friends and foes alike,” write Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Ray Long.

— Conservatives are targeting suburban school boards. And the elections are becoming political battlegrounds: “Tens of thousands of dollars are pouring into several ostensibly nonpartisan races ahead of the April 4 balloting as what have historically been low-interest elections are roiled by debates where Republican talking points such as ‘parental rights,’ ‘gender ideology’ and ‘critical race theory’ are taking center stage. It’s a national playbook, written primarily by conservatives and the GOP, aimed at gaining a political foothold, particularly in increasingly Democratic suburbia,” by Tribune’s Dan Petrella and Rick Pearson.

— Palos Park mayoral candidates share their plans to increase community engagement, by Daily Southtown’s Alexandra Kukulka

— 4th and 5th Wards: Development, gentrification focus of aldermanic runoffs in South Side lakefront wards, by Tribune’s A.D. Quig and Hank Sanders

— 11th Ward: It’s one more round for the Daleys in this Bridgeport neighborhood runoff, by Sun-Times’ Matthew Hendrickson

— 29th Ward: Corey Dooley, who lost his bid for alderman, is endorsing former rival and incumbent Ald. Chris Taliaferro.

— 43rd Ward: Ald. Timmy Knudsen got an endorsement with the works — from The Wieners Circle.

A message from American Beverage Association:

— Chicago’s next mayor will face deep financial problems, massive deficits and a pension hole: “Under defeated Mayor Lori Lightfoot, City Hall has made real strides to shore up the city’s finances, but its financial health remains precarious — a familiar story in a city where mayors rarely enter the fifth floor with the fiscal house in order,” by Tribune’s A.D. Quig, Alice Yin and Gregory Pratt.

— Vallas promises ‘hundreds’ will rejoin Chicago Police Department, but others say there’s no evidence to support that hope, reports WTTW’s Heather Cherone

— Chan Zuckerberg lab coming to Fulton Market: “The Chicago biomedical lab funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan is leasing 25,698 square feet in the Fulton Labs building at 1375 W. Fulton Street,” reports Crain’s John Pletz.

— Chicago firefighter charged with running prostitution business from his apartment, by Sun-Times’ Matthew Hendrickson

— Lincoln Park residents fighting over pickleball, by Tribune’s Shanzeh Ahmad

— Laura Ricketts, a Cubs co-owner and finance co-chair of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign, was appointed to President Joe Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

— Adam Kinzinger, the former Illinois congressman who is now a senior commentator at CNN, will headline the 2023 Rudolf G. Schade Lecture on History, Ethics and Law at Elmhurst University on April 20. His title: “Where Do We Go From Here.” Your Playbook host will moderate. Details here

— Matthew Beaudet, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings, was spotted at the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. talking with John Podesta, “a fellow neighborhood guy from St. Ed’s parish and the old 39th Ward.”

— How a controversial law allows local governments to recapture refunded property taxes: “Proponents argue local governments are entitled to the tax revenue that was forfeited when refunds were issued, but critics complain it amounts to a backdoor tax increase,” by Daily Herald’s Jake Griffin.

— Why tax expert, former state rep says Arlington grandstand's days could be numbered: “Clearing the property of structures — including the towering grandstand — would be a key consideration amid the proposed financing mechanism the Bears are pushing at the state Capitol,” by Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek.

GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat.

We asked what you watch on Tik-Tok.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy are all on the site, but we heard crickets about what they watch.

What’s stopped you from running for office? Email skapos@politico.com

— Working together: Republican Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05) have teamed up to introduce the Classified Documents Accountability Act, which would implement “stronger enforcement for mishandling of classified documents,” they said in a statement. Quigley is founder of the Congressional Transparency Caucus, and LaHood is a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

— Israel’s leaders must find compromise on legislation that is tearing country apart, White House says, by POLITICO’s David Cohen and Nahal Toosi

— Harris seeks to reset U.S.-Africa relations on 3-nation tour, by POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels

— Trump’s first ’24 rally has a familiar feel: Anger and attacks on his tormentors, by POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw and Alex Isenstadt

A message from American Beverage Association:

America’s leading beverage companies - The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo - are working together to reduce our industry’s plastic footprint through our Every Bottle Back initiative. We’re investing in efforts to get our bottles back so we can remake them into new bottles and use less new plastic.

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— Anne Klingeberger is global communications manager at Cisco, where she’ll focus on the firm’s Country Digital Acceleration and Networking Academy programs. Cisco's Chicago office is based out of the Old Post Office. Klingeberger comes to Cisco after seven years at Kivvit.

FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Clem Balanoff for correctly answering that Albert Abraham Michelson was the first Illinoisan awarded a Nobel Prize. It was in physics in 1907 for his work measuring light speed while on the faculty and head of the physics department of the University of Chicago. He also was the second American to win a Nobel Prize (Teddy Roosevelt was first in 1906.) and the first American scientist to win a Nobel Prize.

TODAY’s QUESTION: What famous speech was once described as full of “silly, flat and dishwatery utterances”? Email skapos@politico.com

State Rep. Fran Hurley, Cook County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, civic leader Michelle Collins, Mag Mile Association CEO Kimberly Bares, Invenergy government affairs Midwest director Colleen Smith, Northwestern University Education and Social Policy School comms director Julie Deardorff, Point of Difference Strategies President Lisa Duarte, Northwestern University clinical associate professor of comms Suzanne Muchin, Hy-Vee Financial Reporting Director Tyler Power, comms consultant Mara Vandlik and Tribune Digital Editor Tina Akouris.

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