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Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Happy Tuesday, Illinois! Looks like Mike Pence and Cornel West are in, and Chris Sununu is out of the race for president.
|  | TOP TALKER | | Kimberly Du Buclet’s appointment to the Illinois House sets the stage for Gov. JB Pritzker to appoint a new member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. His office is accepting applications and so far has two names that Democrats will like: Precious Brady-Davis, who works as the Sierra Club’s regional communications director, and Deborah Cosey-Lane, a former executive with the Amalgamated Transit Union in Chicago. Both women would bring strengths to the post as they understand government and politics. Along with her enviro credentials, Brady-Davis is a noted transgender activist and author. She ran for an open seat on the MWRD board last year but lost in the primary. Cosey-Lane managed the campaign of Congressman Jonathan Jackson last year before serving as an adviser to former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Musical chairs: The seat opened up when MWRD VP Du Buclet was appointed to fill the seat of former state Rep. Lamont Robinson, who was elected to the Chicago City Council. Pritzker isn’t just looking to fill the seat. He wants to find someone who can run in 2024 and again in 2026. Poop sheet: The MWRD is a government agency that oversees how the Chicago area treats poopy water, as well as dealing with flooding issues and backed-up basements. In recent years, it’s also addressed fresh water issues and climate change, which affects storms and lake levels. This is Pritzker’s second MRWD appointment in two years. He named community organizer Chakena Perry to replace Debra Shore after she was appointed to an EPA position in 2021. Perry ran for a full term in 2022 but lost in the primary. Perry, who now works on water quality issues for the NRDC, says she’s not putting her hat in the ring for the post.
| | | THE BUZZ | | | BEARS PLAYING THE FIELD: It looks like the Bears’ meeting last week with Naperville for a possible new stadium site is giving hope to Chicago that it might still be in the mix to keep the NFL franchise in town. “[It] opens up a window of hope for those of us who have always felt that we should still be having conversations about finding a deal that makes sense for both the city of Chicago and the Chicago Bears organization,” state Rep. Kam Buckner told WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky. “Mayor Johnson really does deserve the opportunity to broker that deal.” Talks between the mayor and the Bears could take place in the next few days, Vinicky reports. Back in Arlington Heights, the school districts that had been negotiating with the Bears are sticking to their guns but also hoping to resume conversations again. They say they negotiated in good faith and trust the county tax assessment of the former Arlington Park property for the 2022 tax year at $95 million for Churchill Downs Inc. The Bears aren’t satisfied with that number. The school districts say they’re taking the team’s word that it wants to pay its fair share of property taxes, according to a person familiar with the stalled negotiations. Read this school districts’ letter to the Bears. If you are Debra Shore, Playbook would like to know if you miss the Chicago political scene. Email skapos@politico.com.
| | WHERE'S JB | | At Blackhawk Elementary School in Freeport at 10 a.m. and Black Hawk College in Moline at 1:30 p.m. to talk about the state budget.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | At the Hyatt Chicago at noon for the Chicagoland Chamber annual meeting.
| | Where's Toni | | At Park Forest Village Green at 9:30 a.m. to announce the expansion of United Way's Neighborhood Network Initiative into south suburban Cook County — At Daley Plaza at noon for the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s “Live Healthy, Discover Nature” event. Thank you for reading Illinois Playbook! Drop me a line sometime: skapos@politico.com
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — BUDGET WATCH: Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign the $50.6 billion spending bill this week (as early as Wednesday). The budget measure, passed by the Illinois House and Senate, contains several new initiatives the governor asked for in February when he made his own budget proposal, including investments in pre-K through 12th-grade education, child welfare, increased state spending on higher education and combating poverty and homelessness. — POT POURRI | Cannabis farm among recipients of $12.6M Illinois grants for EV chargers, by Sun-Times’ Catherine Odom — Good news for Illinois drivers: Gas prices have declined since Memorial Day weekend, via Fox 32
| | CHICAGO | | — Johnson to Chicago police graduates: ‘I will have your back’: “Presiding over his first police graduation ceremony, the mayor thanked the new officers assembled at Navy Pier for answering the call to serve,” by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman. — Meeting with the mayor: COPA, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability met with Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday, via Twitter. — How Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa went from progressive agitator to City Council boss: “I think that over the past eight years, I have proven my ability to bring people together to move forward a progressive agenda,” says the once rabble-rousing Ramirez-Rosa after being named zoning committee chair and Mayor Brandon Johnson's floor leader. Block Club’s Mina Bloom reports. — A new high for Chicago's return-to-office numbers: “Kastle Systems, which analyzes building security card swipes and compares current figures to early 2020, says the number of building swipes reveals Chicago's return-to-office levels are 3 percent ahead of the national average,” by Crain’s Sophie Rodgers. — Parents ask Park District why park splash pads aren’t up yet, via Block Club’s Ariel Parrella-Aureli — Chicago Walgreens redesigned with only 2 aisles available for browsing, the rest behind counters, via Fox 32 — James Beard Awards: Chefs from Chicago’s Kasama and Virtue restaurants take home wins in gala ceremony, by Sun-Times’ Miriam Di Nunzio
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — No more red-light cameras on Route 83 in Oakbrook Terrace, judge rules, by Daily Herald’s Susan Sarkauskas — A plan to add lanes to gridlock-prone I-55 in Chicago and the suburbs has suddenly gained traction, by Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke — State’s Attorney finds no tampering in April election in Kane County, by Daily Herald’s James Fuller — After hit Frida Kahlo show, Glen Ellyn museum spotlights another star: Andy Warhol, by Kyle MacMillan in the Sun-Times
| | HIGHER-ED | | — This story grabs you: From Syrian refugee to DePaul Law graduate: How he survived torture during revolution before fleeing to Chicago: “Emad Mahou says he can’t really describe torture or the night terrors that still creep up on him years later, but he’ll try. He starts out with a picture: a prison cell the size of a rug and a creaky door that he couldn’t help but stare at. Every time it opened, he knew he’d either be released or tortured once again,” by Tribune’s Zareen Syed.
| | | | GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked how far you’d travel for a Bears home game, and the answers were point vs. counterpoint. Quinn Biever: “There’s no limit to how far I’d travel to see the Justin Fields-DJ Moore connection next year. More importantly, how’s the parking situation?” Warren Silver: “Let me get a tape measure to check the distance to the couch in front of our TV.” Who’s your favorite TV politician? Email skapos@politico.com
| | SPOTTED | | — LIPS SEALED: Sen. Dick Durbin said the magic formula for the debt deal being reached was about keeping lips sealed, not talking until both chambers had voted. He also credited White House negotiator Shalanda Young for understanding the programs being negotiated better than anyone else in the room. Durbin spoke at a fundraising event in Chicago for Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, hosted by Kevin Conlon of Conlon Public Strategies. Also in the room: former Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan, McGuire Woods Consulting’s Greg Bales, Access Community Healthcare’s Tariq Butt, former ambassador Ertharin Cousin, attorney Stephen Daday, TASC CEO Joel Johnson, Haymarket Center CEO Dan Lustig, Abundant Venture Partners General Counsel Lee Miller, Margaret Village Board Chair Nandita Pinisetti and Steve Patton from Kirkland & Ellis. — SHORT JOKES: Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza got the biggest laugh with some self-deprecating humor at a Democratic fundraiser in Deer Grove on Sunday. The diminutive Mendoza noted that the very tall Treasurer Michael Frerichs and his wife are expecting twins, who Mendoza expects will be taller than she is when they're born. Some 100 Democrats attended, including state Sen. Michael Halpin, who also served as MC, state Reps. Maurice West and Gregg Johnson, state Central Committeewomen Pam Davidson and Christine Benson and political insider Porter McNeil. The event was hosted by six northwestern Illinois county Democratic parties.
| | | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Biden campaign launches ad blitz capitalizing on debt ceiling deal, by POLITICO’s Holly Otterbein — Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis: Sworn enemies who need each other, by POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White — 55 things you need to know about Chris Christie, by POLITICO’s Michael Kruse and Ekaterina Pechenkina — Is this kidnapping? Florida officials mum as second migrant flight arrives in Sacramento, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury
| | TAKING NAMES | | — John Straus has been appointed by Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to the city's Commission on Aging and Disabled. Straus is a retired business consultant who had headed the late Gov. Jim Thompson’s Commission of Science on Science and Technology.
| | | IN MEMORIAM | | | — Robert Hanssen, ex-Chicago cop turned FBI agent who was convicted of spying for Russia, dead at 79, by The Associated Press’ Lindsay Whitehurst — J.J. Bittenbinder, colorful ex-Chicago police detective and crime-prevention guru, dead at 80, by Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo
| | TRIVIA | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Richmond, Va.’s flag features stars from states that were once part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, including Illinois. TODAY’s QUESTION: Where is famed labor organizer Mother Jones buried? Email skapos@politico.com
| | BIRTHDAYS | | Pritzker Organization Chair and CEO Thomas Pritzker, CPS CFO Miroslava Krug, Schuld Bushnell Tank’s Dave Stuaan, Secretary of State digital media director Martin Burciaga, Chicago Theological Seminary Rev. Brian Smith, Datasite account manager Luke Phelan and comms strategist Sally Duros. -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
