Action Bulletin Fall 2017

IVI-IPO Awards College Scholarships

The South Chapter of IVI-IPO awarded scholarships to five neighborhood students at a ceremony hosted by Frances Jackson, Publisher of the Chicago Defender, this August.

The scholarship competition, open to CPS students graduating this year, was the initiative of IVI-IPO South Chapter Chair Marion Batey. Dr. Alva Batey-Stepancic chaired the committee which also included Dianna Thompson, Sheila Clay, William Scott III, Dr. Sandee Hickman, Monray Larry, Eric Horne, and Valarie Thomas-Mallory. Students were asked to write a 1000 word essay, choosing from five topical political questions and to also describe their involvement in community service or civic engagement.

The winners are:

Wallace Goode III, Alderman Pat Dowell ScholarshipGraduated Mount Carmel High School, accepted at University of Illinois, Chicago. His career aspiration is to be a movie actor

Morgan Payne, Hon. Toni Preckwinkle ScholarshipGraduated Marist High School, accepted at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She aspires to own her own business.

Pierre Anderson, Alderman Leslie Hairston ScholarshipGraduated South Shore Int’l. College Prep, accepted at Olivet Nazarene University. Pierre hopes to be a Football star and have a career in business.

Imani Sevier, Richard Gallion Entertainment ScholarshipGraduated M. L. King Jr. College Prep, accepted at North Carolina A & T State University. She aspires to own her own business.

Stephanie McCarty, Bishop Chester M. Batey & Elva Batey ScholarshipGraduated Kenwood High School, accepted at Northwestern University. Her career aspiration is to own and operate an Early Childhood Education Center.

(more on back page)

The Action Bulletin is published quarterly by theIndependent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization1325 S Wabash #105Chicago IL 60605

Stephen SternState Chair

Aviva Miriam PattEditor

Contents:

Page 1IVI-IPO Awards Scholarships

Page 2State Chair’s ReportBoard Election Results

Page 3 An Independent Thought

Page 4IDD Photos

Page 5National AffairsMunicipal Affairs

Page 6Book Review

Page 7Legislative ActionSouth Chapter Meeting

Page 8Political Action

(l-r) Dianna Thompson, Morgan Payne, Wallace Good III, Imani Sevier, Pierre Anderson, Stephanie McCartney, Marion Batey, Frances Jackson (Photo credit: Dawn R. Stephens)

by Stephen Stern

An overflow crowd filled the room at Hyde Park’s Chicago Lake Shore Hotel for IVI-IPO’s 73rd Annual Independents’ Day Dinner entitled “Decision 2018.” The Gubernatorial Candidates Forum which was moderated by Delmarie Cobb, well known public affairs, political consulting and media relations

professional, was a tremendous success and showcased our organization well. Ms Cobb fielded questions from the audience and directed questions on various topics to the six participating candidates ( Hon. Bob Daiber, State Rep Scott Drury, Ald. Ameya Pewar, Chris Kennedy, State Sen. Daniel Biss and JB Pritzker). The forum lasted for one and one-half hours and the feedback from the attendees of the dinner was that it was a very informative event which helped people frame their thoughts about whom to choose to support for Governor.

Also informative and interesting was the presentation of IVI-IPO’s annual Independents’ Day awards. The Whitford Legal Team, (consisting of a law professor at University of Chicago School of Law, two lawyers associated with two law firms in Wisconsin, a lawyer with Mayer Brown in Chicago and a team of lawyers and legal assistants associated with the Campaign Legal Center headquartered

in Washington D.C) received this year’s Legal Eagle Award for their historic winning decision establishing a legal basis for proving unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. The case, recently argued before the Supreme Court, has been noted by national media as potentially the most important decision involving the drawing of voting districts ever considered by the Court.

45th ward Alderman John Arena, a stalwart champion for progressive values and policy issues since he joined the Chicago City Council, a founding member of the Chicago City Council Progressive Reform Caucus, and a past winner of IVI-IPO’s Best Aldermanic Voting Record Award, was the recipient of the Leon Despres Award. The Barbara Merrill-Rudy Lozano Labor Award was presented to Jacquie Algee, Vice President and Director of External Relations for SEIU Illinois/Indiana/Missouri, and leader in numerous community and social justice organizations. Finally, the recipient of IVI-IPO’s Saul Mendelson Social Justice Award was Jamie Kalven, founder of the Invisible Institute, a prolific journalist and long time leading human rights activist who recently played a critical role in addressing the problem of police misconduct.

The awardees’ comments were universally acclaimed as enlightening and inspiring. We encourage you to read up about our awardees and their activities, to join us in our upcoming endorsement events evaluating the gubernatorial candidates as well as other candidates down ballot, and to join us at our 74th Annual Independents’ Day Dinner next summer.

State Chair’s Report

IVI-IPO Board & Political Action Committee 2017-2018State ChairStephen Stern

Administrative Vice ChairC. Betty Magness

Program Vice ChairWillie Mack

SecretaryDavid K. Igasaki

TreasurerRich Whitehead

Political Action ChairAldolphus Kindle

Membership ChairHilda Frontany

Community Action ChairMarc Loveless

National Affairs ChairCharles Paidock

Legislative Action ChairMamie Rodgers

At Large DelegatesMarc LipinskiAviva PattWes Wagar

At Large AlternatesJesus Salazar (1st) Peter Donalek (2nd)Best Anaele (3rd)

South ChapterChapter ChairWendy Walker-Williams

Chapter Vice ChairAldolphus Kindle

DelegatesRobert CarrollAdrienne IrmerVacancy

AlternatesRichard Gallion (1st)Vacancy (2nd)Vacancy (3rd)

Political Action ChairRobert Carroll

Political Action RepresentativeMarc Lipinski

Near North ChapterChapter ChairPeter Donalek

Chapter Vice ChairWes Wagar

Political Action ChairDavid K. Igasaki

Political Action RepresentativeWes Wagar

Far North ChapterChapter ChairHerb Ziegeldorf

Chapter Vice ChairJane Bannor

Political Action ChairCraig Berryhill

Political Action RepresentativeHerb Ziegeldorf

Northwest ChapterChapter ChairKevin Wilhite

Chapter Vice ChairDaniel Pogorzelski

Political Action ChairJacob Kaplan

Political Action RepresentativeVacant

PAC Reps from UnorganizedAviva Patt (Chicago)Rich Whitehead (Suburbs)

With the Illinois gubernatorial general election now less than a year away, candidates on both sides of the aisle, combined, already have raised more than $100 million for their campaign war chests. By November 2018, they will have been campaigning for almost two years.

Why do these campaigns start so soon and go on so long? It’s simple: Because only wealthy candidates can afford to start a campaign and build a

financial firewall to ward off challengers. We have few rules limiting campaign spending, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and virtually no rules limiting the length of campaigns.

The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign is on track to be the most expensive in our nation’s history, with some expecting as much as $300 million to be spent — much of it through the candidates’ own checkbooks — by the time it’s over.

Now, it would be naive to think that anyone could campaign for elected office without raising money to pay for staff, ads and everything that goes into a campaign. But this piling up of money by a few candidates is turning political campaigning into a cold war, with each side stockpiling massive, and dangerous, arsenals.

It wasn’t always this bad.

Judy Baar Topinka entered the 2006 governor’s race less than five months before the primary election. That year, the Republican candidates began running their first television ads for the March primary just one month before the election.

A recent report by the Better Government Association showed that total spending by gubernatorial candidates during the 2002 general election was — wait for it – under $25 million. In 2010, the total was nearly $37 million. The 2014 election, by contrast, cost a whopping $91 million. If predictions are accurate that 2018 will see some $300 million in spending, it will be about 10 times the spending of the gubernatorial candidates in 2002.

The way the system works distorts the democratic process, with money dictating when campaigns begin and who is considered a serious contender. Voters are increasingly turned off, not only by campaigns but the entire political process.

It doesn’t need to be this way. Other countries avoid these problems by treating elections differently.

For instance, in the United Kingdom, national elections typically are held within four to six weeks of when they are announced. The U.K. bans advertisements by political parties on commercial radio or TV. It also places a moratorium on all Election Day news coverage. In France, all campaigning is prohibited beginning at midnight before Election Day.

In Canada, the maximum amount a candidate can contribute to his or her own campaign is CA$25,000 (about $20,000 in U.S. money). Canada is another country that bans Election Day advertising. That nation’s last national campaign cycle, in 2015, lasted only 78 days — the longest in the country’s history. That’s similar to the period we give candidates to collect signatures!

We must call for reasonable restrictions on campaign funding and duration here in the United States.

Take small-donor matching, for instance. It could level the playing field by amplifying the power of small donations, giving candidates the incentive to spend time listening to voters rather than courting big donors. Small-donor match is already in place in New York City, and Seattle has a “democracy voucher” program that directs public money to residents to use for small campaign contributions. This is how campaigns are supposed to work.

Let’s impose a “campaign calendar” on federal and statewide races — if we cannot stop the flow of money, at least we can limit voters’ exposure to the onslaught of ads.

People across the political spectrum have gotten more and more fed up with the unending campaigns. We cannot accept this as the new normal.

This article was previously published in the Chicago Tribune and is reprinted with the author’s permission.

An Independent Thoughtby Cook County Clerk David Orr

SAVE THE DATEMonday, December 11, 2017

IVI-IPO Meet the Candidates ReceptionThis event is free for members of IVI-IPO - watch your mail for more information

73rd Annual Independents Day Dinner

National Affairs Committee ReportBy Charles Paidock, Chair

Pro-Gun Bill on the Move in the House of Representatives Re: H.R. 38, The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017

Position“IVI-IPO favors gun control and the right of municipalities to ban sales or possession of handguns and assault weapons.”

IssuesThe House is expected to move this fall on legislation that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in any state if it is allowed in the state where they live.

The bill would undermine regulations in states that require applicants for such a permit to demonstrate a need and submit to background checks. A dozen states have no permit requirement for carrying a concealed weapon.

The Illinois State Police Department issues licenses for the concealed carry of handguns to qualified applicants age 21 or older who pass a 16-hour training course, the longest of any state.

With concealed-carry reciprocity you’d have a situation where somebody could come from Arizona, where there is no permit required at all to carry a gun, and that person’s Arizona residency would override Illinois law, and allow anybody with an Arizona driver’s license or resident card to carry a loaded gun in the state.

A spokesman for House would not say when the bill would come to the floor, but lobbyists on both sides said a vote on another gun law, the Share Act, regarding silencers, is imminent. With committee passage, a House vote could come at any time.

Some of Chicago’s previously tough gun laws, though, have been struck down in court. But they’ve been considerably watered down after the Supreme Court ruled that cities can’t ban handguns, and has overturned the city’s ban on gun stores.

Additionally, the state at one time didn’t allow concealed carry, and now it does. Its rules for allowing concealed carry are more relaxed than in California or New York — states that allow local jurisdictions to regulate concealed carry within their boundaries.

For more information: The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) is the oldest and largest statewide organization in the U.S. working to prevent the devastation caused by firearms.

IVI-IPO On the Issues

Community Action/Municipal Affairs Committee ReportBy Marc Loveless, Chair

On October 11, 2017 both the Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners met. Four matters of interest to IVI-IPO were considered during the meetings. The county matters addressed newly adopted IVI-IPO policy.

The first matter was Ordinance 17-4704, repeal of the Sweetened Beverage Tax. IVI-IPO testified against repeal, objecting to the fiscal irresponsibility of repealing a tax without proposing new revenue to compensate. Repeal passed 15-2, leaving a sizable budget shortfall that is expected to have dire consequences on funding for county-provided health care and the courts.

The other Cook County matter was Ordinance 17-4245, sponsored by Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, amending the Social Enterprise Ordinance to define the terms “Social Enterprise,” “County Marketplace,” and “Disadvantaged” to better ensure that businesses have a majority of its regular, full-time work force located within the metro area and that benefits accrue to those

who are mentally, physically, economically, or educationally disadvantaged, specifically mentioning people with arrest or conviction records. It also adds a section requiring contracts to go to the lowest Responsible and Responsive Bidder which is a Social Enterprise. The ordinance passed unanimously and will go into effect on January 1.

At the City Council, a resolution to seek damages on behalf of Chicago residents harmed by Equifax’s consumer fraud and deceptive business practices passed unanimously. The other item of interest was a proposal to create a special purpose entity to refinance $3 billion of current and future city debt using $661 million in sales tax revenue to secure the loan. This reckless plan, which some aldermen compared to the infamous parking meter deal which IVI-IPO opposed, would tie up the sales tax revenue until the debt was retired. The ordinance passed 43- 5 (with one absence and Ald. Burke recusing himself). The nay votes were cast by Leslie Hairston (5), David Moore (17), Scott Waguespack (32), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), and John Arena (45), who deserve our thanks.

At the next Community Action Committee, we have invited Alderman Ramirez-Rosa to discuss this and other matters in the Chicago City Council.

www.ichv.org or www.facebook.com/ILGVP

Interested in working on legislative issues? Email iviipo@gmail.com to volunteer for the National Affairs (Congress), Legislative Affairs (Illinois General Assembly) or Community Action/Municipal Affairs (Cook County and Chicago) committeesPhoto Credit:

Deborah McCoy

By Bonnie McGrath

In the beginning of the book Shattered, “the story of how it all unraveled again for Hillary,” Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, two experienced and very solid Washington, DC journalists set the stage for readers: “We expect that it will generate a feeling of righteousness, and perhaps a touch of sympathy, in those of you who don’t like her. For many of Hillary’s millions of supporters, we know that it will leave you feeling shattered all over again.”

I am in the former category and I did have a feeling of righteousness—glee, perhaps?—because I was a steadfast Bernie supporter and still am. But I was surprised that as I was ushered right into Clinton’s campaign by these two interesting writers, that I felt a tad sorry for her, too.

This book was able to reinforce not only disgust for Clinton’s oft-displayed arrogance and personal entitlement, but sorrow for her, as well.

Hillary isn’t as smart as she thinks she is. It may be that simple.

Allen and Parnes were given free reign to interview campaign operatives in real time during the long slog, all the way to the end—as long as they didn’t breathe a word until after the election, win or lose. They found out about the infighting, and the mistakes galore, and the elitism.

They tell credible stories about Hillary’s over the top debate prep, as well as the disdain Hillary felt for Joe Biden when he contemplated running against her.

In the end, Allen and Parnes got the whole story. They zipped their lips for the time being, and were able to recreate it all in their post mortem. They tell it in a way that isn’t hard to understand, but they never talk down to readers hungry to learn not “What Happened,” but what really happened.

As I read Shattered, I suspected the authors also used the infamous WikiLeaks as source material, as well. But I didn’t know for sure until I got to the notes at the end and saw WikiLeaks listed numerous times.

What a thrill they must have had to be able to match up the hacked emails with what they were told in their interviews contemporaneously. They were able to tell a much richer story.

Most of what shattered Hillary’s campaign—and Hillary—is now well known. Not only from what’s compiled in this best seller—

but from every political talking head, silly season columnist, pollster/analyst/strategist and drunk uncle. However, there are certain things that stand out in Shattered that are particularly well explained.

For example, Robby Mook—in his mid-30s—ran Hillary’s campaign, but didn’t believe in using polls. He didn’t believe in changing minds. He didn’t have enough time, and didn’t want to spend money trying to convince voters to vote for Hillary Clinton.

What he did believe in was analytics—a way of identifying Hillary’s likely voters and then targeting the bejesus out of them with messaging that was supposed to make them turn out in record numbers and vote for her where they were most needed: in the states that could possibly go for Trump—but weren’t supposed to.

Mook nixed sending Hillary anywhere to get voters to like her. We now know how wrongheaded it was for her to never go to states that were (wrongly) taken for granted—not even once, like Wisconsin. And how going too much to other states like California (mostly to raise money) unnecessarily ran up her blue state totals.

One of the well-known and well-covered aspects of Hillary’s campaign in the book is the sad fact that she never, ever articulated a good reason for running. And neither did any member of her staff figure it out—nor her closest confidantes. Her 2016 presidential campaign, in the end, was merely this: she wasn’t Donald

Trump. And it was her turn!! Bernie be damned! And good riddance to anyone else who might stand in her way (like Joe Biden).

I used to joke with my friends that if/when Hillary won, she’d sit down on the couch with Bill in the private quarters of the White House after the inauguration and say, “Well, Bill, we did it! We both did it! Just like we planned way back when….” And that, I speculated, would be the last we’d hear from her. She had no reason for running. And, perhaps, no plan for when she won either.

That may be the most gripping message of Shattered, and the most pitiable aspect of Hillary Clinton’s whole campaign. There was no reason to run and win other than being able to say she did it.

Visit my blog: http://www.chicagonow.com/mom-think-poignant

BOOK REVIEW Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign

Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes Legislative Action - Report from the Responsible Budget Coalition

IVI-IPO is a member of RBC, a diverse coalition of more than 300 organizations concerned about state budget and tax issues.

Keep it up! Build Support for those who Voted for the Bipartisan Budget and Tax Increase!The RBC encourages organizations to meet with their legislators who voted for a balanced budget to say, “thank you.” Building relationships with the legislators who voted for a bipartisan, responsible, year-long budget is instrumental in creating momentum and inoculating members against push back. We have already held meetings in Springfield, Metro East, and the Chicago region with members who had the courage to vote for the needed tax increase. RBC can provide sample agendas, materials, coaching and outreach to other local partners to assist you.

Candidate Support for Fair Tax is GrowingA year out from the election, support for a progressive, fair tax in Illinois has been a talking point for Democratic candidates running for governor. We’re excited that every leading Democratic candidate has expressed support for a fair tax.

State restores funding to Butterfly ProjectWith reinstated funding, the Butterfly Project of Children’s Home + Aid will resume services for up to 30 children at a time. RBC member Children’s Home + Aid provides aid to children who have been exposed to violence. During the budget crisis, their normal capacity to serve a larger number of children was lost and reduced funding only allowed for as few as three children to receive services from the program. They expect services to be fully restored this month. A local health department, city, and medical transportation company sees effects of budget impasse.

The Christian County Health Department is still waiting on payments from the last fiscal year and, although they have been able to stay afloat by drawing on their reserves, not all counties, businesses, and organizations have reserve funds large enough to sustain operations without borrowing or shutting down services. For example, a medical transportation company in Decatur, Alpha & Omega, closed in September, citing “delayed payments from the state over the last two years” as a contributing factor to the financial stress experienced by the organization. Meanwhile, in Mount Sterling, city officials have expressed that they can’t wait forever for payments from the state to arrive. The state still owes Mount Sterling $411,047 for water and sewer bills generated at the Western Illinois Correctional Center.

IVI-IPO On the Issues

JOIN US FOR AN ALL MEMBER MEETINGIVI-IPO SOUTH CHAPTER

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, 6-8 PM1516 E. 53RD STREET, 2ND FLOOR

Join us for the swearing in ceremony of our incoming Executive Board Members, a special thank you to last years’ Executive Board members, and important dis-cussions about this

years’ major event planning and execution.

“Chapter leadership looks forward to seeing you there to kick off the 2017-2018 year. The upcoming election cycle is an extensive and critical one— an opportunity for our membership

to really dig in on the issues we care about.”— Wendy Walker Williams, South Chapter Chairwoman

Wendy Walker Williams, South Chapter ChairwomanAl Kindle, Chapter Vice Chairman and State PAC Chair

Dianna Thompson, Chapter TreasurerRobert Carroll, Chapter PAC ChairAdrienne Irmer, Chapter Secretary

Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization1325 S Wabash #105Chicago IL 60605

IVI-IPO Scholarship Ceremony

Special Thanks to our Supporters

IVI-IPO South Chapter MembersChicago Defender Newspaper

Aniniaus Grainger - A & D PropertiesAttorney Illona Sheffey-Rawlings

Chris Scott - Opulent Credit BuildersCarl West - Truth BTold

Sandtricia Strickland - Essential Creations

Photo credit: Dawn R. Stephens

The 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election is March 20thand the IVI-IPO Endorsement process is underway! Please mark your calendars to attend the “IVI-IPO Members Historic Meet and Greet Candidates Night”.

• Contact PAC Chair Al Kindle to volunteer foro the “Meet and Greet,”o the State Endorsement Sessiono your Local Chapter Endorsement session.

• Help us get the word to candidates: Candidates may use the following URL to sign-up for endorsement information announcements: http://tiny.cc/6s0soy• Attend

o the “IVI-IPO Members Meet and Greet Candidates Night” in early Decembero the State endorsement session in late January.o Your local endorsement session: stay-in-touch with your section chair for local endorsement session details.

• Questions?

Contact PAC Chair Al Kindle: aldophus@gmail.com or 313-434-3851.