| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Happy Tuesday, Illinois. Congrats to the Wolverines and all those who support them.
|  | TOP TALKER | | DEVIL OF A JOB: Another Chicago alderman is bowing out of a ward committeeman race after failing to get enough signatures. Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) says he was in good shape with signatures before he moved residences within the ward. His attorney told him he needed to start the process over to list his current address and as a result he wasn’t able to gather the 937 names needed to get on the ballot. Next step: Now La Spata is weighing whether he’ll run as a write-in. La Spata is the third ward committeeman to not get enough signatures for the ballot. Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Ald. William Hall (6th) also didn’t gather enough signatures for the committeemember seats. Beale is running as a write-in. Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) is running as a write-in, too, after other candidates for the committeeman seat were knocked off the ballot. Head-turner: “This is the most sitting alderpersons that I’ve seen withdraw for insufficient signatures in my time at the party — almost 10 years,” Jacob Kaplan, executive director of the Cook County Democratic Party told Playbook. Not the old Chicago: “There’s no compensation. You can’t give out jobs. You have to have an office. You have to put up political signs. You’re supposed to rally the troops for the party. And what’s the quid pro quo? Aggravation,” said Burt Odelson, a noted government and election attorney. Clout-o-rama: There was a time back when a ward committeeman’s job was more powerful than the actual alderman. The committeeman created jobs that wielded power in City Hall. How it worked: Democratic committeemen who produced the most votes at the pulls, were awarded power to dole out city jobs to campaign workers who had helped on campaigns by ringing doorbells and handing out leaflets. It’s how patronage clout became synonymous with Chicago. Federal court decrees changed that, giving committeemen little authority to wield power. That’s left up to the Cook County Party chair, Toni Preckwinkle. It should be noted: The same can’t be said in the suburbs, where committeemen still wield some power. La Spata called the committeeman job “thrilling” and said he likes being part of the Democratic process. But he’s also happy to move to a new home: “I have a life where I have political obligations and family obligations. If I ever get to a point where I put political above my family, I’ve been living wrong,” he told Playbook.
| | THE BUZZ | | WHITE HOUSE IN CHICAGO: First lady Jill Biden hits town this week with actress Halle Berry to address women’s health issues, including menopause research. They’ll be at University of Illinois Chicago on Thursday as part of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. On the campaign trail … Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Chicago on Jan. 24 to host a Lawyers for Biden fundraiser. Details here If you are William Hall, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | No official public events. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (gasp!) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | CONVENTION ZONE | | — NEW THIS MORNING: The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) has picked the Marriott Marquis Chicago and Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place, both connected to McCormick convention center, as the official headquarter hotels for the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. The hotels will be ground zero for staff from the DNCC, Democratic National Committee and Biden for President campaign, as well as media organizations and key leaders from coalition groups, according to the convention committee. “We are confident each of these hotels will offer the best service, professionalism and home to our guests during such an important week,” DNCC Executive Director Alex Hornbrook said in a statement.
| | 2024 WATCH | | — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) is launching her re-election campaign today with a new video highlighting her accomplishments and her commitment to bipartisanship. Budzinski has been designated as a “frontliner” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and has two GOP opponents campaigning to take her on in this year’s election. Budzinski has raised more than $2 million for her reelection effort, according to her team. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Eileen O'Neill Burke has been endorsed by Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05) in her bid for Cook County state's attorney. "As a former defense attorney, Cook County commissioner, and now member of Congress, I enthusiastically endorse Justice Eileen O'Neill Burke for state's attorney," Quigley said in a statement. "In every community I visit throughout Chicago and Cook County, people tell me they're concerned about crime and eager for a change in direction. We are at a critical juncture, and Eileen O'Neill Burke has the unmatched experience and good judgment to get us back on track toward safety and justice for all." — Republican Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12) has announced that his re-election campaign has been endorsed by Congressman Max Miller, an Ohio Republican who was a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump.
| | | THE STATEWIDES | | — U.S. Supreme Court declines to review Illinois high court ruling upholding gun ban: “The U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of Republican state Rep. Dan Caulkins’ request for review was issued without comment and comes less than a month after Justice Amy Coney Barrett declined to put the law on hold ahead of a Jan. 1 deadline for gun owners to register banned weapons they owned before the law took effect on Jan. 10, 2023,” by the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella. — Illinois is one of several states suing the NCAA over its transfer guidelines, reports Capitol News’ Jennifer Fuller. Listen to her interview with SIU President Dan Mahony, who has a sports management background.
| | | CHICAGO | | | — Mag Mile property owners want to tax themselves — but want more control of the revenue: “Legislation set to be introduced in Springfield would allow for the creation of Business Improvement Districts, or BIDs, across Illinois. The districts are similar to an existing economic development tool available to the city but could raise millions more in revenue and provide more control over how the money is spent to those who pay the local assessments added to their annual property tax bill. The legislation is sponsored by Chicago Democrats state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz,” by Crain’s Justin Laurence. — North suburban family lied to get into selective CPS schools, inspector general finds: “The watchdog office recommended CPS try to recoup $138,962 in non-resident tuition from the parents for the years the kids were enrolled at Decatur Classical,” by the Sun-Times’ By Nader Issa and WBEZ’s Sarah Karp. — Push to create permanent Chicago police oversight board begins, by WTTW’s Heather Cherone — MEDIA MATTERS: Radio operator Audacy, owner of WBBM Newsradio, WXRT, files for ‘reorganization’ bankruptcy, by the Sun-Times’ Violet Miller — Art Institute remains lone holdout in push to return disputed Holocaust-era artworks, by Crain’s Brandon Dupré — How did ‘dibs’ become a thing? Thank Chicago’s worst blizzard, by the Block Club’s Kayleigh Padar
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Why selection of new Schaumburg Township assessor remains in limbo: “John Lawson so far hasn’t stepped down despite moving out of the township,” by the Daily Herald’s Eric Peterson.
| | | DAY IN COURT | | | — Attorneys for Heather Mack ask for minimum sentence, credit for time served in ‘Bali suitcase’ murder of mother a decade ago, by the Tribune’s Jason Meisner — Appellate court upholds $3M jury award, rules Chicago police should have done more to protect slain domestic violence victim, reports the Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Tracy Kasper resigns as head of the National Association of Realtors, blames blackmail threat: She’s the latest leader to depart the embattled organization that represents 1.5 million members. President-elect Kevin Sears will replace her, by the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo. — Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot is among the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics winter-spring fellows. Also named: former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, former Republican Congressman and former White House aide Mick Mulvaney, former Congresswoman Jackie Speier, former congressional aide Gerardo Bonilla Chavez, former Nuns on the Bus leader Sister Simone Campbell, former comms director for the National Republican Congressional Committee Matt Gorman, and the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet. — Erika Harold has joined the teaching faculty for Harvard Law’s winter trial advocacy workshop, via the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism — Jennifer Karras, Susan Sailor Daly and John Trkla, all government and politics wonks, talk about the Lake Forest for Transparency group in the Lake Forest on Topic podcast. Listen here
| | Reader Digest | | We asked what kind of cult you’d start: Brian Bernardoni: “A cult of Svengoolie. Classic horror is family friendly.” Charles Keller: “A lakefront perch fishing cult that only uses fly rods with jigs, none of this crappie (that's a fish) two hook rig, Wolf River Rig, or powerline stuff.” Kathy Posner: “A cult for short people called ‘Elevate Vertically’ for individuals of shorter stature.” Alison Pure-Slovin: “One in which everyone respected each other — a place where hate truly ‘has no home here.’” Timothy Thomas Jr.: “The Chicago Political Diogenesians. Our symbol would be a lantern.” (Diogenes was a Greek philosopher known for his cynicism.) Pic! Whitley Works: “Cult of the dibs.” Next question: If you could have a lifetime supply of any one thing, what would it be?
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Trump returns to court in pivotal immunity showdown, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney — 5 ways the Supreme Court may try to defuse its newest Trump bomb, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein — Top Democrats join Republicans in critiquing Austin’s medical secrecy: by POLITICO’s Connor O’Brien and Joe Gould
| | Transitions | | — Chloe Grainger is now director of policy and advocacy at the National NeighborWorks Association. She was senior legislative assistant for Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. — Jose Lopez is now office managing partner at Perkins Coie’s Chicago office. He’s been with the firm since 2012 and has held leadership roles at the firm and within the legal community.
| | | TRIVIA | | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Michael Penicnak for correctly answering that Herbert Jamison, born in Peoria, won the Silver Medal in the 400 meters at the 1896 Summer Olympics on April 7, 1896. Three days later, Chicagoan Francis Lane won the Bronze in the 100 meters. Both were Princeton grads who returned to Peoria and Chicago respectively. Pic! TODAY's QUESTION: Who are the two former speakers of the Illinois House with counties named after them? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Former University Park Mayor Vivian Covington, Jasculca Terman public affairs’ Jim Terman and Chicago Area Public Affairs Group board president Matthew Serafin. -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 | | | | |
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