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| By Shia Kapos |
Happy Thursday, Illinois. Thank you to summer for hanging on a little longer. We're in the 80s today. Happening today: Playbook live at the Hideout with CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. Details here
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 | TOP TALKER | |
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Lawmakers will return to the Illinois State Capitol in November. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO |
LOOKING AHEAD: Members of the Illinois General Assembly are focusing on their November campaigns, but some leaders in the Democratic-controlled legislature are looking ahead at what they might tackle in November when they meet again this year — and in January for the next legislative session. Three big issues have their attention: Chicago’s budget woes, the possible need to overhaul transit governance and the Sonya Massey killing. It’s still too early to say whether they'll adopt legislation to address any of these issues, but they're issues that concern some Democratic leaders, according to lawmakers and government leaders we spoke to. In talks with Da Mayor: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office has acknowledged it’s talking to state lawmakers about its budget concerns (See The BUZZ in Tuesday’s Playbook.). No one’s ready to write a check to City Hall, but lawmakers are taken aback by the city facing a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. Transportation troubles: State lawmakers are holding public hearings about Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority facing a $730 million shortfall in 2026 as a result of post-pandemic ridership declines. One proposal has the three agencies merging, though the agencies themselves aren’t on board with the idea. Before any decisions are made, or legislation is written, at least two more Senate Transportation Committee hearings will be held, including a meeting covering Lake County and the northern suburbs of Cook County and another in Springfield, according to Senate Transportation Chair Ram Villivalam. Police reform: Also, Democratic lawmakers who have made police reform a mantra in recent years are especially concerned about the Massey case and whether additional law-enforcement training is needed. She was shot and killed in her home by a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy near Springfield after she called 911 to report a possible prowler. Both House and Senate lawmakers are expected to address the case. A reprise: A measure that passed too late in the spring to get to the governor’s desk is also being discussed. It would phase out the subminimum wage for disabled workers. The six-day so-called veto session, when lawmakers take up new bills and whatever the governor has vetoed, starts Nov. 12 — after the elections. OFF THE GRID State Rep. Marty Moylan is taking a break from legislative work and campaigning. He’s traveling Route 66 with a few dozen motorcycle riders from across the country and as far as England, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. Pic!
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| THE BUZZ | |
Council war: The Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman is out with a scoop that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s preferred candidate for the Zoning Committee could fail to get City Council approval. The mayor wants Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) in the post, but business and labor leaders are pushing for Ald. Felix Cardona (31st). Cardona is feeling confident: “He’s the mayor. He’s gonna do whatever he wants. But, I don’t think he wants to put himself in a position that he might lose,” Cardona said, advising the mayor to back off, writes Spielman. Issuing a warning: Sigcho-Lopez is branding those who oppose his appointment as the “New Vrdolyak 29,” according to the story. He was referring to former City Council member Ed Vrdolyak who along with then Ald. Ed Burke pushed back at Mayor Harold Washington’s efforts to reform the council. That friction led, of course, to the famous “Council Wars.” Some background: This position to head one of the most powerful committees in the City Council has been open since November when Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) resigned as chair of the committee after he was accused of physically blocking Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) from entering Council chambers during a contentious vote. If you are Ed Burke, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@politico.com
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| WHERE'S JB | |
No official public events.
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| WHERE's BRANDON | |
| At the North Avenue Beach at 6 p.m. for the Jewel Osco 125th Anniversary Beach Volleyball Classic — at 1000 West Argyle Street at 7 p.m. for the Argyle Night Market.
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| | Where's Toni | |
| At the George Dunne National Golf Course at 10 a.m. to deliver opening remarks at the 13th Annual Conservation Cup. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email: skapos@politico.com
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| 2024 WATCH | |
— 52nd House District: Democratic candidate Maria Peterson has been endorsed by the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Political Action Committee in her race against incumbent Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin. — Jennifer Custer, running for the Chicago School Board District 1 seat, says she’s been endorsed by state Sen. Robert Martwick, Ald. Sam Nugent and Operating Engineers Local 150.
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| THE STATEWIDES | |
— U. of I. enters federal resolution agreement after allegations of antisemitism on campus, by WTTW’s Eunice Alpasan — East Moline mayor helps save veteran’s life after heart attack, by KWQC’s Joushua Blount — Downstate wants a divorce: “Statespeople to the south have a bone to pick — and they’re putting it to the ballot,” by Chicago magazine’s Ted McClelland.
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| | CHICAGO | |
| — City Council's Budget Committee chair to summon CPS CEO Martinez to explain pension defiance: “Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) called it borderline ‘malfeasance’ for Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to push through a $9.9 billion school budget that does not include the pension payment the city had absorbed until then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot shifted the cost to CPS,” by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Nader Issa. — Safe Passage workers honored for protecting CPS students on walks to and from school, by the Tribune’s Sylvan Lebrun — Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) explains the Open Space Ordinance that passed a City Council committee Wednesday and now heads to the full council later this month. — Superdawg’s iconic hot dog figures removed — but they’ll be back: “Maurie and Flaurie, named after the hot dog stand’s founders, are at a ‘SuperSpa’ getting much-needed touch-ups, owners said,” by Block Club’s Alex V. Hernandez. — Memory lane: A stretch of Greektown has been named after the late Leo Louchios, a longtime employee in the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office and community advocate. On hand for the naming: Ald. Bill Conway, who led the effort and represents Greektown (and is of Greek descent on his mom’s side), Ald. Walter Burnett, former Secretary of State Jesse White, current Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos, among other officials. Pics!
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| DAY IN COURT | |
— Madigan’s attorneys cry foul over ‘unfair’ media coverage, ask judge for more leeway to question jury pool: “The pretrial publicity has presented unsupported, negative spin on the exact information at issue in this case and spread speculation and misinformation that will likely not be admissible at trial,” the court filing states, by the Tribune’s Jason Meisner, Megan Crepeau and Ray Long. — He boasted on social media about paying strangers to take pictures of his children and ex-partner. Now he’s under arrest, by the Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair and Joe Mahr
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| COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | |
— Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter announced his retirement Wednesday. “After serving as your mayor for the past 12 years, I have decided that it is time for me to retire and pass the torch to new leadership,” he said in a statement, adding, he'll endorse Steve Nero for the seat. — DuPage County clerk sued in dispute over how her bills are paid, by the Daily Herald’s Susan Sarkauskas — Fox River to flow freely through Carpentersville with dam removal, by the Daily Herald’s Alicia Fabbre
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| TAKING NAMES | |
— Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has been selected among 15 leaders to join the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), a selective national network of Democratic state and local elected officials. Illinois state Treasurer Mike Frerichs and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss were named in previous cohorts. The group’s honorary co-chairs are Sen. Chris Coons and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. And previous members have included U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who joined as a mayor, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who joined as a county commissioner. — Applause, applause: State Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and Xylem Senior VP and General Counsel Dorothy Capers are being honored by the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation for their work. Details here — Suzanne Yoon, founder and managing partner of Chicago-based private equity firm Kinzie Capital Partners, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of ADT. — World Business Chicago has named Microsoft CTO Tony Surma and PsiQuantum CEO and co-founder Professor Jeremy O’Brien to its board. — Intersect Illinois has named AT&T Midwest States President Eileen Mitchell and Zurich North America CEO Kristof Terryn to its board.
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| Reader Digest | |
We asked when you knew you had turned a corner after having surgery. Jim Lyons: “When I went back to work after my double knee replacement. Three weeks after the second surgery.” Kathy Posner: “I recently had cataract surgery, and knew I had turned a corner in my recovery because I was able to see the corner.” Omari Prince: “Last summer, I ruptured my achilles playing basketball. It took me 10 months to recover rather than 13. I will never take walking for granted.” Josh Witkowski: “When I stood for the first time after being confined to a wheelchair for three months and started learning how to walk again. It was nine years ago after a bad motorcycle wreck. Multiple surgeries to my left leg. Three months in a wheelchair, 10 days on a walker, and a few months with a foldable cane (which I carried on my trike and eventually my motorcycle again, can't stop me from riding. LOL) Next question: When is summer over for you? Email skapos@politico.com
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| THE NATIONAL TAKE | |
— Liz Cheney says she’s voting for Harris because of the ‘danger’ Trump poses, by POLITICO’s Megan Messerly — Trump pivoted on Florida’s abortion ban. Here’s what anti-abortion leaders want next, by POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Meridith McGraw — New Hampshire is the latest sign of Donald Trump’s shrinking map, by POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky — Vulnerable Republicans worry Johnson’s spending plan increases shutdown risk, by POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney
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| IN MEMORIAM | |
— Brent Alan Hassert, a former Illinois General Assembly member, has died. He was 71. His obit is here.
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| TRANSITIONS | |
— U. of C. tech bigwig Juan de Pablo is leaving for NYU, by Crain’s John Pletz — Angela Johnson Reier is now a partner at Honigman, where she's part of the Chicago office’s Transactions and Counseling Practice Group. She was assistant general counsel at Collins Aerospace. — Joshua Levin is a senior attorney with the Civil Rights team at Romanucci & Blandin in Chicago. He was a staff attorney with the ACLU.
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| | EVENTS | |
| — Today: A City Club discussion on “Tackling Chicago’s Property Value Reassessments” with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and Northern Trust Executive VP and CFO Jason Tyler. Details here — Oct. 17-19: The MCA features artist Edgar Arceneaux restaging Broadway legend Ben Vereen’s infamous 1981 blackface performance at Ronald Reagan’s inaugural gala — and its aftermath. Details here
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| TRIVIA | |
WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Roger Flahaven for correctly answering that Ogden Avenue was the only diagonal street actually built from the 1909 Plan of Chicago. TODAY’s QUESTION: What Illinois village is named after a member of Congress who also served as a director of the Illinois Central Railroad? Email skapos@politico.com
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | |
Cook County Commission Commissioner Monica Gordon, former state Comptroller Leslie Munger, Winston Strawn Co-executive Chair Dan Webb, M. Harris & Co. CEO and former Tribune columnist Melissa Harris and Comcast Government Affairs Manager Joshua Smyser-De Leon. -30- |
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