Capitol Fax

Rich Miller’s commentary on State Government

I will never forget the night Paul Lis was fired.

My parents were at my house, but I refused to budge from my barstool because I couldn’t miss this. Not for them. Not for anybody.

Lis was a bigtime political fixer back then. He has known just about everybody who was anybody in Illinois and Chicago politics. He’s been an informal adviser to many of the old top dogs, and at the time he was fired he was working for Gov. George Ryan, Senate President Pate Philip and House Republican Leader Lee Daniels. Ryan was trying to pass a bill to toughen an assault weapons law, but Philip and Daniels were having none of it.

Lis was siding with Ryan, but Philip, a legendary conservative who loved his guns, was furious at both the governor and Lis, whom Philip falsely blamed for hatching the idea. When Pate strolled into the tavern, I figured things were about to explode. And then Pate stomped right up to Lis and after a brief and heated conversation announced that Lis was fired.

“You can’t fire me!” Lis roared back, adding that, technically, he reported to Philip’s chief of staff and campaign manager.

Pate insisted that he could, indeed, fire Lis, and a series of unprintable expletives were exchanged. The entire bar was silent as everyone watched this extraordinary event unfold. A Senate President is not often yelled at in public, at least not in Springfield.

Lis has always been well known in political circles for his sharp tongue. He loves his cigars and in the old days would play with his false teeth while he talked. He doesn’t care a whit what you think of him. And he loves humbling the haughty.

But Lis is also one of the brightest guys around. The truly smart people understand this, and they listen to him even when they totally disagree.

Lis tried to warn George Ryan over and over about the sort of people the doomed governor surrounded himself with. Ryan listened on every other topic but this one, probably to his undying chagrin.

A born contrarian, Lis would usually argue the other side of issues with Ryan just to make sure that the positions Ryan eventually took were well thought out. He describes his role as “the skeptic in the room who had to be persuaded.” Lis would also regularly burst into Ryan’s office when he thought the governor was making a mistake.

“Strength,” Lis says, “Is the ability to advance your agenda.” And when you fail to get things done, you look weak, no matter the reason.

Gov. Pat Quinn is a prime example. Quinn operated with huge Democratic majorities in both legislative chambers. But too often Quinn and his people tried to push proposals “and then were forced to abandon them because they had not done their homework,” Lis complains. He’s right. Rod Blagojevich had the same problem with surrounding himself with enabling know-nothings. They let him do whatever he wanted, right up until his arrest and impeachment.

Quinn, Lis says, never had the opportunity to really grow. He went from one low-level government job to another and then was suddenly thrust into the governorship. And the “people who enabled him in his lesser positions, continued to enable him,” Lis grumbles.

He has the same fears about lack of growth regarding Quinn’s Republican opponent Bill Brady, who has always been basically a backbench legislator without any real governmental responsibilities. To say the least, Lis is not optimistic about the future.

I always figured Pate Philip would hire Lis back, but he didn’t and as a result he was never quite the same leader he’d been. If George Ryan had listened to Lis more, he might not be in prison today.

The point is, whoever our new governor is (I’m writing this before election day), he needs to hire at least one crazy, brilliant, experienced, fearless contrarian like Paul Lis and then listen. He doesn’t have to agree, but he must listen.

Paul says he’s too old for the task, and he’s now married to a wonderful woman. If you’re going to do that job, Lis says, you have to be single. A spouse might not understand that your boss fired you after you called him a freaking half-wit at the top of your lungs while your false teeth fell to the barroom floor.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.

Morrison City Council Concerns

Dear Editor

Morrison City Council met Oct. 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm. Lots of residents attended the meeting. We had an agenda and 4 pages of bills amounting to $60,046.74 (not including salaries). There were no reports from department heads or the city lawyer. Of course, by now we are all aware the city administrator, Tim Long, is no longer working for the city. Only two residents had comments (me being one of them). There was much discussion on the Community Garden having a compost area or not…still thinking. It was a very short meeting, ending at 7:26 pm.

Whoo Hooo!! The route 30 bridge is open for two way traffic. It is far from finished but should be better travel with no stop lights there. I still have issues with the expense Morrison has incurred with this project.

I have some concerns that I wanted addressed, imagine that! Jim Dubois was not at the meeting. I have asked repeatedly for an income/expense report on the Sport Complex. Every meeting we pay out money toward the concession stand and we don’t get a written report on what the concession stand has taken in. It should be fairly easy to know if you paid X amount of dollars for something and sold it at a higher rate you could figure out the net income. That should be part of the budget for the Sport Complex. Also, the cement near the concession stand is cracking. I asked if it was under warranty and if anyone was bringing the problem to the attention of whoever laid the concrete so the replacement cost would fall on the provider not the purchaser. Gary Tresenriter is checking on this issue. Hopefully there will be a report at the next council meeting.

Not discussed tonight, but still on the table is the East End water loop. The city has spent thousands of dollars on engineering, etc. We can’t just let it just set. According to Tim Long all the easements were in place, all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed. So we should be getting that work done BEFORE the engineering has to be redone.I would also like to know when the water tower was inspected and cleaned. I have noticed that many neighboring towns and cities have had to replace their water towers in the past few years. When will Morrison have to consider replacing ours? Have we saved enough with the raises on our water bills to pay for these projects? Maybe Gary could have that information for the next meeting also.

The ComEd bill was for $3,823.20. I guess motor fuel tax can go for street lighting, road work, bridge maintenance and repair. (Not sure what else.) It would be good to know since we paid $1,029.03 out of the general fund for street patching done by Twin City Construction Company. How does that work?

Then there is McDonald’s or not??? No one really knows what is going on there.

Terry Wilkens asked if the council could show a cash flow for the city. Having an income/expense report done monthly would be great. That way the council would have an actual financial statement in hand so they could make educated decisions on spending. Where will Morrison be at the end of the fiscal year? Another thought he brought up was having Ernie Huling fill the temporary position for City Administration since he is the city treasurer and is familiar with Morrison’s information and issues. The mayor and city council could take their time to find someone suitable for the position with no rush! (Also save the city money without housing and retraining two people.) Mayor Drey said they would consider his suggestions.

I did request a “purchase order” at city hall for the bike racks we paid for at the beginning of the month (that no one seemed to know how many, where, when or by whom they were ordered). City hall DID NOT have any of that information. So I went to Schroeder’s Welding and asked those questions. Six bike racks (not 4 as we were told at the council meeting) were ordered by Tim Long on Sept. 15, 2010. They were delivered to the city storage shed by the cemetery on Sept. 28, 2010 and signed for by Mike Garland. The purchase may have been in the city budget two years ago, but this year there is no money to spare so why was a $1920 purchase made this year?

Thought for the day: The important thing is not to stop questioning. (Albert Einstein)

A Morrison taxpayer, Marti Wood

Earth Angels Wanted

Please help bring a little Joy into the life of a child in need this Holiday. Earn your “Earth Angel” wings by sponsoring a child for Christmas. With your contribution of a toy or donation, he or she will know Santa didn’t forget them after all. Our goal is to reach out to families currently residing in Ogle County (but no family in need will be rejected) that has “fallen through the system” somehow, and is unable to receive any kind of assistance, but really could use an Earth Angel assigned to them to make this a special Christmas after all. If you know of a family who “really” needs an Earth Angel, even if it’s your own family, please come forward and let us know, all the information is kept confidential.

What is most important is gender and ages so gifts can be purchased and distributed accordingly. You can still earn your wings by volunteering to help wrap, pick up or deliver when the time comes, even if it is for only an hour or two. Remember, the names being gathered need your help, generosity & opened hearts for toys & donations to make this a success.

We will again be doing ”Granny’s Mail Bag.” Heaven sent letters, Christmas cards, etc. from a sponsoring “Earth Angel”, filled with loving thoughts and prayers to our deployed servicemen & woman. No fruit cakes please!

Deadline for all correspondence is Dec.1st. Deadline for toys is Dec.17th. Distribution is done until all the toys have been delivered in time for Christmas. Last

year the majority of the presents already wrapped, were greatly appreciated.

The Forreston Library, Forreston is a confirmed drop site. ”Earth Angel” headquarters will once again be at the Mt. Morris Seniors Center.

Monetary Donations Can Be Mailed to:

Earth Angel Fund
c/o Forreston State Bank
200 Main Street/P.O.Box 278
Forreston, IL 61030-0278

Look for continuing updates in the Prairie Advocate Newspaper. Website address: earthangelsoglecounty.spaces.live.com.

I believe in Santa, don’t you? Questions? Want to volunteer? Need a pick up? Call: and ask for “Granny.”

Thank You

We at Leap of Faith Music Ministries would like to thank everyone who helped make the Labor Day weekend Go Fish concert in Shannon a success. Without the many sponsors, willing volunteers, auxiliary police, fire department and community workers, we could not have handled all the challenges of bringing this group to our small town. Extra effort in setting up, managing the crowd, parking, and clean- up was made easier with the help of so many. To be able to share this music so families could attend for free was a true leap of faith for us. For a complete list of our wonderful sponsors, or to help by sponsoring a future event, check out our website at www.leapoffaithmusic.com. It was exciting to see so many kids having such a great time celebrating music that helps them learn about God.

Our next concert will be Christmas with David Phelps on November 27 at the Freeport Masonic Temple. Tickets are on sale now at itickets.com for credit card orders or by calling Mary at for cash and check orders. It has been three years since David last performed in Freeport and we are bringing him back by popular demand.

Again, sincere thanks and many blessings to all who support this ministry and to all who made the GO FISH concert a great night for Christians of all ages!

Deb Endress,

Leap of Faith Music Ministries, Inc, nfp

 

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

If we eliminated just fifty percent of the fraud and waste in Illinois Government, we could run our state with a balanced budget and eliminate our deficit without a tax increase. Bold statement, you bet! Can it be done, absolutely!

Some government boondoggles you should be aware of:

Currently a state agency located in our district needs a specific construction project completed. The agency accepted the contractor’s proposal for a total cost of less than $30,000. The State’s Capital Development Board demanded that the project have a

“Project Labor Agreement”, you know, prevailing wage must be paid. Project Labor Agreement contractors rebid the project. You got it! The best bid received, nearly $240,000. That’s your tax dollars at work folks. Nearly ten times the original bid where that contractor had a profit built in.

I’ve shared with you previously our 2009 expenses for the All Kids Program costing you over $76 million. Per Auditor General Bill Holland, $56 million cannot be documented. An example of CMS’s (Central Management Services) waste: a state trooper blows an engine in a squad car. His local mechanic will install one for just over $2,000. He must go through CMS, cost of the engine alone, before installation, is over $4,000.

Our Inspector General Program in Illinois is a joke. Yes, there are some that are credible and do a good job. My anger is over the significant number who are political appointees who know little or nothing of investigating crime. I am drafting legislation to require an Inspector General to have at least five years criminal investigation experience. I have little doubt it will have support.

You see folks, a forensic audit of each agency of Illinois Government is so important. No, we cannot leave it to the Inspector General of each agency. It must be conducted by professional investigators from the Illinois State Police or Attorney General’s Office.

My good friend and colleague Senator Tim Bivins came up with some fascinating information on states that conducted forensic audits. Kansas saved over $1 billion and Texas saved over $7 billion. Tim believes Illinois will save over $6 billion. Let it begin.

I must share an issue that, in my opinion, is a travesty. Federal law requires that our soldiers be mailed their absentee ballots by September 19. Thirty five Illinois counties missed the deadline, some not mailing until into October. Yes, you get the picture. Those fighting for our freedom in far off Afghanistan and Iraq might not get their ballots back in time. Thankfully, through the efforts of the Illinois Board of Elections, the deadline for returns has been extended to November 19 for those ballots. Yes, they will be counted.

The Chicago Board of Elections (not to be confused with the Illinois Board of Elections) hand delivered ballots to the Cook County jail for inmates (not yet convicted or adjudicated). They even brought applications for those not registered. So far over 2,600 have voted. You just have to love Chicago. Sure hope all those soldiers had a chance to register.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at or e-mail us at . You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.