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Roy F. McCampbell’s Blog is #16 on the Top 30 Political Satire Websites And Blogs in 2020 | Political Satire Blog
Roy F McCampbell’s Blog is #16 on the Top 30 Political Satire Websites and Blogs in 2020
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McCampbell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname McCampbell was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute. Researchers suggest a joint progenitor of both the Campbells and the MacArthurs.
A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname McCampbell. It is a name for a person with a crooked mouth, or crooked smile. This nickname surname is derived from the Gaelic words cam and beul, meaning crooked and mouth. Nicknames could be derived from various sources. In general, they came from the physical characteristics, behavior, mannerisms and other attributes of the bearer.
Early Origins of the McCampbell family
The surname McCampbell was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute. Researchers suggest a joint progenitor of both the Campbells and the MacArthurs. The MacArthurs were the ancient senior sept of the Campbells. Arthur derives from the son of King Aedan MacGabhran, the 9th century Scots King of Argyll. The Clan Campbell was known as the Siol Diarmaid an Tuirc or, alternatively, the Clan Duibhne, and in a Crown charter Duncan MacDuibhne was ancestor of the Lords of Lochow in 1368.
Sir Colin Campbell, son of Sir Archibald, was succeeded by Sir Duncan in 1427. Sir Duncan’s second son, Black Colin of Glenorchy founded the Campbells of Breadalbane. He built the castle of Caolchurn and married Margeret Stewart, heiress of the Lords of Lorn. After the Battle of Harlaw in 1411 in which the MacDonalds were badly defeated by the King, the Campbells, took advantage of the situation to acquire more territory from the MacDonalds.
In 1517 the Campbells and the MacLeans of Duart were called upon by the Crown to again suppress the Lord of the Isles, MacDonald of Lochalsh, who had seized two Royal Castles. Lochalsh went to the scaffold and the Campbells acquired more land. Their Chiefs were bestowed with knighthoods, baronies and Earldoms. The Earl of Argyll becoming Chancellor of Scotland to James IV, and through his influence achieved a measure of peace throughout the Highlands.
Early History of the McCampbell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCampbell research.
McCampbell Spelling Variations
Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. McCampbell has been spelled Campbell, Cambell, Cambel, Camble, Cammell and many more.
Early Notables of the McCampbell family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Duncan Campbell, the first Earl in 1437; Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquis of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, (1607-1661); and his son, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (1629-1685), a Scottish peer; Robert Campbell, 5th Laird of Glenlyon (1630-1696), Scottish noble, best known as one of the commanding officers at the Massacre of Glencoe; Sir Archibald Campbell, who became the first Duke of Argyll in 1701; John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (1636-1717), known as “Slippery John”, Scottish peer during the Glorious…
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCampbell
Migration of the McCampbell family to Ireland
Some of the McCampbell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this article . This is from whence I came and I will cover further later
Migration of the McCampbell family
For Scottish and Scottish-Irish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them: Neil Campbel, who was a “Scotch prisoner” sent to New Jersey in 1685 by order of the English government in 1651; Agnes Campbell, who arrived at New York in 1774 with her two children.
My ancestor was John McCampbell, arrived in the Great Valley of Virginia in 1753, and had seven children. John was born about 1688 at Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Contemporary Notables of the name McCampbell (post 1700)+
- Commander David McCampbell (1910-1996), American naval aviator and all-time leading Navy flying ace with 34 aerial victories, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944, eponym of the USS McCampbell (DDG-85), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and David McCampbell Terminal, Palm Beach International Airport
- Artis J. McCampbell (b. 1953), American politician, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives (2006-)
- Kennedy McCampbell Crockett (b. 1920), American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Nicaragua from 1967 to 1970
- Nancy McCampbell Grace (b. 1952), American Virginia Myers Professor of English at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio
The McCampbell Motto The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
One of the ten commonest surnames in Scotland, the name was taken to Ulster by galloglass and later, in much larger numbers, by settlers in the 17th century plantation schemes. It is now among the fifty commonest surnames in Ireland. Some of the name however, may be of ancient Irish origin, descended from a County Tyrone sept that bore the name Mac Cathmhaoil. CAMPBELL was known as the race of Diarmid, for centuries the most powerful influence in Argyll and the West of Scotland. In the 13th century Archibald Campbell obtained the Lordship of Lochlow through his marriage with the daughter of the King’s treasurer, and for a long period thereafter, the Campbells of Lochlow formed one of the chief branches of the clan. Early records of the name mention Gillespie Cambel, who held from the Crown, the lands of Menstrie and Sauchie in 1263, and he was also a witness to a charter by Alexander II erecting Newburgh in Fife into a burgh in favour of the monks of Lindores. The name in Ireland is Mac Cathmhaoil (battle chief). When the sparse Irish population began to increase it became necessary to broaden the base of personal identification by moving from single names to a more definite nomenclature. The prefix MAC was given to the father’s christian name, or O to that of a grandfather or even earlier ancestor. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped and flowing garment worn over the armour.
Motto: Ne obliviscaris
Motto Translation: Forget not
Can Governor Pritzker Place A Moratorium On Evictions Indefinitely in Illinois ?
The Governor has worried publicly about a pending flood of evictions, the landlords association has noted. That is a problem caused by the moratorium.
A state appeals court has been asked to step in and decide whether Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has the power to indefinitely continue issuing executive orders, prohibiting landlords, many of whom say they are approaching financial ruin, from forcing apartment and rental house tenants to either pay their rent or face eviction.
Attorneys for a group of owners of apartment buildings and rental homes confirmed they have appealed the ruling of a Will County judge, who determined Illinois law gives Pritzker the power to continue to impose a moratorium on evictions, which has been in place since March. The landlords had sued Pritzker, arguing his anti-eviction orders violated their constitutional property rights, and amounted to an illegal taking of their property, by forcing them to foot the bill for the tenants’ continued use of their property, even if the tenants took advantage of the situation by simply refusing to pay rent.
The order blocks landlords from even beginning the process of removing non-paying tenants from their properties, or continuing eviction processes that had begun before the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak and Pritzker’s use of emergency powers to combat the disease’s spread.
Even as the appeal moves forward, Pritzker renewed the eviction moratorium on Aug. 22, extending the tenant protection measures another 30 days, to Sept. 19, at least. The extension came a few days after Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, whose office enforces evictions in Chicago and suburban Cook, publicly asked Pritzker to prevent a “tsunami” of evictions that would follow the lifting of the eviction ban.
Pritzker has argued, and Dart has agreed, that lifting the eviction ban at this point in the pandemic would result in a new wave of homelessness and transience that would, in turn, make it harder to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
Landlords, however, had a different take on the extension of the order.
In a prepared statement, the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association said “there is no rent payment crisis” in Illinois or elsewhere.
They said unemployment benefits have “successfully supported renters” amid the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions imposed by governors, including Pritzker, to fight it, which contributed to an historic economic downturn.
The IRPOA pointed to data supplied by the National Multifamily Housing Council, which they said showed only 2% more tenants have not paid their rent to this point in 2020, compared to 2019.
Posted in eviction, Illinois, illinois politics, News, politics, Pritzker, Reopen Illinois, Roy F. McCampbell, Social Media
Tagged #city politics, Chicago, cook county, evictions, Illinois, politics, Roy F. McCampbell
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Rosemont Horizon Collapsed 41 Years Ago Today, 8/13/1979
On August 13, 1979, the uncompleted roof of the Rosemont Horizon collapsed, killing five construction workers and injuring 16 others.[5] The collapse was featured in the “Engineering Disasters” episode of Modern Marvels, first broadcast by The History Channel on April 20, 2006.
The wooden roof of the 20,000-seat arena was 90 percent complete when it suddenly collapsed. Shortly after the collapse, officials speculated about a low-flying aircraft causing the collapse, and Rosemont Mayor Donald E. Stephens told the AP that it was probably a gust of wind. However, an Occupational Safety and Health
Administration investigation revealed, “The building was in such unstable condition that anything could have set off the collapse. You could have blown on it and knocked it down.”
According to an engineering case studies project, shoddy planning and missing bolts are what caused the unfinished roof to collapse.
A post-collapse investigation carried by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration revealed that the cause of the collapse was the unstable condition of the wood roof frame.
Over 53 percent of the required connection bolts were missing from the building’s roof. Of the 944 girder bolts required for the connections already installed, only 444 were in place. Of these, 338 had no nuts, and some of the nuts in place were only finger-tight. OSHA also discovered that only 27 percent of the “compensating steel plates” were properly installed. Although the missing bolts were found the triggering cause, it was proved that inadequate bracing and the stockpiling of materials in the roof contributed to the collapse. Several other violations were attributed to the roof erector, who was severely fined by OSHA. The project’s architect and other subcontractors were also fined for diverse irregularities. Even the independent engineering firm retained by the city to investigate the collapse was fined by OSHA for unnecessarily exposure of their employees to fall hazards during field inspection.
In an interesting note, one year after the roof collapse, concrete stands under construction also collapsed at the Rosemont Horizon, dumping 34 tons of concrete to the ground. No fatalities or major injuries resulted from this accident.
The tragedy was featured on the History Channel’s Engineering Disasters in 2004, if you’d like to learn more.
The facility, originally named Rosemont Horizon, was intended to be the home of the Chicago Horizons of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and was home of the 1980-1981 season but the franchise folded in 1982. It was also intended to be the home of the WHA’s Chicago Cougars, but the team folded in 1975, three years before construction on the arena started. The first concert held at the Horizon was Fleetwood Mac on May 15, 1980, as they cut a red ribbon on the stage during the opening of the show.
The Rosemont Horizon was featured in many music videos, including the 1985 music video “Big City Nights” by Scorpions.[6]
Insurance company Allstate signed a 10-year contract worth more than $10 million on June 9, 1999, to acquire naming rights to the arena and renovate it.[7]
On December 29, 2002, Creed had an infamous concert at the arena, where the lead singer Scott Stapp had a bad reaction with a combination of pills and alcohol, causing Stapp to be inebriated during the concert. After mumbling incoherently for 5 songs, he later fell asleep and after a few minutes woke up and continued to sing until the concert was ended early. This resulted in a $2 million lawsuit against the band.
On December 14, 2003, the floor at the Allstate Arena was named “Ray and Marge Meyer Court” in honor of Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Meyer and his wife. Meyer coached DePaul’s men’s team for 42 seasons and is the school’s all-time winningest coach.
St Maria Goretti to Merge with St Beatrice Parish in Schiller Park
I discussed this in 2017, see the link
https://royfmc.com/2017/01/30/what-is-the-future-of-the-catholic-parishes-in-schiller-park/
Two Catholic churches in west suburban Schiller Park are consolidating into one parish this fall, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Saturday.
Effective Oct. 1, the St. Maria Goretti parish, 10050 Ivanhoe Ave., will merge with St. Beatrice, 4157 Atlantic Ave.
The decision to combine the two parishes was made after a two-month “discernment process,” according to a statement from the archdiocese.
“The united parish community will embark on the next phase of the renewal process to become a stronger, more sustainable presence for the future, capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities and inspiring witness in the world around us,” the archdiocese said.
After the consolidation happens, St. Beatrice, located about a mile northeast of St. Maria Goretti, will be designated as the parish church, where the business office and sacramental records are kept, the archdiocese said.
The name of the new parish will be decided “at a later date.”
The suburban merger is the latest under the archdiocese’s “Renew My Church” initiative, which has focused on churches with shrinking congregations and school enrollments among its 97 parish groupings.
In February, the archdiocese announced a reshuffling plan that impacted 20 parishes across the city. Those mergers went into effect July 1.
Mayor Lightfoot Hosts Her Birthday Party at Chicago City Hall Rooftop Garden
Members of media tip——-Mayor Lightfoot hosted her birthday on the roof of the Chicago City Hall this past week
Free Media Tip – Again
Don’t expect much out of these “reporters” though:
- Maybe someone should investigate why the mayor had a private birthday shin dig including alcoholic beverages on the rooftop of city hall for her birthday during the time people are being slaughtered in the street yet again including the gold cost rap murder. How much did this cost the tax payers to prep the rooftop for her birthday celebration…. research that.
- the bigger question is did how many people (capacity limits there Larry), was everyone wearing a mask, and was there social distancing
But Groot and Fatass are about to shut down the city again, bankrupting the last of the small business that have scraped by so far.
Labels: scandals, un-fucking-believable
Is Leyden High School SD212 a Good Steward of Tax Payer Money ?
So this was just delivered to every Leyden High School parent’s mailbox.
This was clearly written and produced as if there was no pandemic. The information contained in this mailing was irrelevant before they mailed it. Each envelope cost $1.81 to mail.
We should all have a few questions few questions.
- How much was spent on the 8 1/2 x 11 magnet that will just be thrown in the garbage by a majority of Leyden Parents?
- Why couldn’t it just be posted on their webpage?
- How much was the total cost of the mailing ?
- Why do an individual mailing with identical duplicate information for each student in the same family ?
This is a complete waste of money!
Everyone has experienced tremendous real estate tax increases in their latest bills, with school districts constituting 65% of the bills.
This mailing didn’t even support the ill conceived now abandoned fantasy reopening of Leyden High School’s; while chaos now reigns as the District attempts to cobble together a total remote learning experience that they had 6 months to plan and failed to effectively use the time.
The District continues to demonstrate bad education management decisions and inept management of taxpayer money.
Posted in #taxation, Corona Virus, Covid-19, E Learning, East Leyden, Leyden, Leyden Area Special Education CoOp, Leyden High School Dostrict 212, political satire, politics, Reopen Illinois, Rosemont School District 78, Roy F. McCampbell, Social Media, Special Education, West Leyden
Tagged Chicago, cook county, East Leyden, education, Illinois, Leyden, Leyden 212, politics, Roy F. McCampbell, tax, West Leyden
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Leyden High School Marching Band 2019 Memories
A special thank you to Bobby Riesterer for all of the work that you put into the making of this video and the countless hours you have spent over the last 17 years supporting the Leyden High School Marching Band. Also a thank you to all of the parents and volunteers who have spent countless hours this last season as well as past years supporting and making this a special experience for all of the marching band members.
And an acknowledgment and thank you to Bryan Miller and Abby Kott for the superb skills and delivery of a tremendous educational experience for all of the instrumental and marching band students.
As we endure this pandemic we continue to look forward to great music opportunities going forward and offer our support and prayers for a future successful music experience for all of the current and future Leyden High School students.
Feds Subpoena Speaker Michael Madigan For Records About AT&T, Walgreens, And Rush In Widening Probe—-A Stunning Turn Of Events
After reading the Fed’s “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”(see below), I wasn’t surprised. I’ve known Individual A for a very long time, and never trusted him. What has always, and still remains a mystery to me … Why did Speaker Madigan trust him??? .
The legislative process is much more complicated than 98% of the public understands…Some lobbyists over sell themselves and their influence
If you want to understand the process — considered “corruption” by some … Read… “You’re the Boss – My Story of a Life in Practical Politics” by FDR’s political operative, Edward J. Flynn (see below link).
Federal investigators pursuing possible corruption within Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s orbit subpoenaed his state office Friday, seeking records involving AT&T, Walgreens, Rush University Medical Center and a host of political operatives and lobbyists.
“Sourced from WBEZ and other sources as listed below”
Madigan’s office July 17 received a grand jury subpoena for documents related to the ongoing federal investigation, according to WGN. According to Mark Maxwell of WCIA-TV, Capitol Police at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield saw men in suits enter the building Friday morning. One flashed an FBI badge.Madigan’s office issued a statement: “This morning the Speaker accepted subpoenas related to his various offices for documents, asking for, among other things, documents related to possible job recommendations. He will cooperate and respond to those requests for documents, which he believes will clearly demonstrate that he has done nothing criminal or improper.”
Chicago, IL. (ECWd) – The Federal Prosecutor for the Northern District of Illinois has published a charge sheet and deferred prosecution agreement with COMED in a bribery scheme. These documents paint the story of bribery, favors, payments, ghost payrolls, board appointments, and other things in order to obtain favorable legislation. The Speaker of the House is implicated as being involved. [ 929 more words ]
https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/federal-prosecutor-implicates-house-speaker-madigan-in-comed-bribery-probe/
Pritzker says he’s “furious” about the allegations surrounding Madigan, and says if they are true, then Madigan will have to resign.
JB should have a bill introduced that anyone that takes a bribe or is guilty of corruption in Illinois be sentenced to 25 yrs in prison. The citizens of Illinois deserve better.
Jack Franks Takes $66,915 from Campaign Fund for Legal Fees – McHenry County Blog
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2020/07/16/jack-franks-takes-66915-from-campaign-fund-for-legal-fees/
The stunning expansion of the federal probe came on the same day federal prosecutors in Chicago charged utility giant Commonwealth Edison with bribery and hit the company with a $200 million fine as part of a criminal legal settlement. The new areas of federal interest into some of the state’s most prominent corporations and one of its most noteworthy hospitals were identified in a sprawling request to Madigan’s office that also sought records about ComEd and its past executives.
Investigators also sought records pertaining to members of Madigan’s political organization, the speaker’s law firm, four former state lawmakers, four former or current Chicago alderman and a Chinatown land deal that was a cornerstone of a federal corruption probe that brought down former Ald. Danny Solis.
The level of corruption is beyond belief. From payoffs, to nepotism, to the typical democratic “pay for my cronies”. This probe and investigation is going to be very eye opening (one hopes) into the vast depth of why Illinois is in the shitter.
The subpoena also sought information from the Speaker’s office on some of his closest allies and operatives:
- Will Cousineau, a former top Madigan aide-turned-lobbyist for ComEd. He became a lobbyist in 2017 after nearly 18 years as a Madigan aide, including an eight-year run as political director for the speaker and the Madigan-led Democratic Party of Illinois. Cousineau’s lobbying firm stopped representing ComEd in Springfield in October 2019, WBEZ has reported.
- Frank Clark, who spent nearly five decades at ComEd, working his way up from the mailroom to become the company’s first Black chairman and CEO, from 2005 to 2012. In 2016, Clark and another ex-ComEd Exec, John Hooker, filed a lawsuit to block a legislative redistricting proposal that threatened Madigan’s grip on political power. Last year, WBEZ reported that Clark’s name appeared on a subpoena — along with Madigan’s — when federal agents raided the City Club of Chicago.
- Frank Olivo, the former alderman of Madigan’s 13th Ward power base on Chicago’s Southwest Side. After leaving the City Council, Olivo became a City Hall lobbyist for ComEd, records show. The subpoena also sought records relating to a “Frank Olivo Jr.”
- Ed Moody, a veteran precinct captain for Madigan who has been a Democratic Cook County commissioner and the county’s recorder of deeds. Moody has known Madigan since he was a boy and has referred to him as a father figure for him.
- Shaw Decremer, a former top political operative for Madigan. The speaker said he cut ties with Decremer over alleged “inappropriate behavior” in 2016 but Decremer continues to lobby in Springfield. His clients have included gambling companies, Major League Baseball and the NBA, state records show.
- Michael Zalewski, a former alderman from the 23rd Ward whose home was raided last year in the ComEd probe. Zalewski’s son is an important member of Madigan’s House Democratic caucus and his son’s wife, Carrie Zalewski, heads the state agency that regulates ComEd. WBEZ reported last monththat Madigan recommended Carrie Zalewski to head the Illinois Commerce Commision before Gov. JB Pritzker appointed her to the post.
- Ray Nice, another longtime Madigan precinct captain from the Southwest Side. WBEZ reported last year that Nice worked for ComEd.
- Eddie Acevedo, a former Democratic state representative from Chicago who recently told the Chicago a Tribune that he did consulting work for ComEd.
- The Reyes Kurson law firm and the Roosevelt Group, a lobbying company. Both those entities involve Victor Reyes, who once headed a scandal-scarred Hispanic political group in Chicago that was allied to Madigan and to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Springfield, IL. (ECWd) – According to a tweet by Mark Maxwell, WCIA, “Capitol police saw men in suits at the statehouse today. One officer said one of them flashed an FBI credential. Now, per @BenBradleyTV, @WGNNews is reporting that Mike Madigan’s office was served grand jury subpoenas for documents.” Illinois Policy is also reporting on the subpoena: [
https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/07/speaker-madigans-office-served-with-grand-jury-subpoena/
Amid a global pandemic and mass protests against police brutality, it’s easy to forget Illinois government remains the target of the largest federal corruption probe in the history of the most corrupt state.
The feds have raided, questioned, indicted or jailed dozens of Illinois political figures during the past two years. These are the symptoms of the state’s toxic political culture. Public servants expect special And Gov. J.B. Pritzker is happy to oblige, according to a new investigation by WBEZ.The report found Pritzker filled at least 35 state jobs with individuals on House Speaker Mike Madigan’s “clout list.” A Madigan aide sent the list to Pritzker chief of staff Anne Caprara in December 2018. The speaker’s office then updated the list 17 times.“The speaker’s vast efforts to influence the personnel decisions of the new administration provides a sharp contrast to Pritzker’s repeated campaign promises to be his own man once elected to the Governor’s Mansion,” wrote reporter Dan Mihalopoulos.
Perhaps most notable is what WBEZ could not find amid thousands of emails: a Pritzker staffer telling the speaker to stop.While Madigan put his stamp of approval on 35 Pritzker hires, recommendations from the three other legislative leaders combined yielded two paid positions from the governor’s office, according to the report.
Those taxpayer-funded appointments paid off for the governor.
Madigan greenlit Pritzker’s full legislative agenda in Spring 2019, including 20 tax and fee hikes totaling $4.6 billion and placing the governor’s progressive income tax constitutional amendment on the November 2020 ballot.
Beyond the speaker’s picks, the investigation showed Democratic state Rep. Luis Arroyo and state Sen. Martin Sandoval each secured key transportation appointments from Pritzker for their allies before being indicted on corruption charges. Both lawmakers were critical to passing Pritzker’s $45 billion infrastructure package and doubled gas tax hike.
Additional emails obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute show close communication between Madigan bagman Mike McClain and senior Pritzker staff about hiring decisions and other issues throughout 2019. Federal agents raided McClain’s Quincy home last year amid a continuing investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s relationship with the speaker’s office.On Feb. 22, 2019, McClain sent an email to Pritzker’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs Tiffany Newbern.“Tiffany, I understand that there are still quite a few liaison jobs open for your departments,” McClain wrote. “Have you looked at [redacted]. She is ‘young’ to the dark side but is impressive.”
“Thank you for sharing … I would be happy to bring her in for an interview,” Newbern replied.
After WBEZ released its investigation, top Pritzker staff members fired off dozens of tweets complaining about the coverage, while failing to note any inaccuracies.Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh suggested the investigation was insulting to women and minorities who were hired on merit, not clout. But 24 of the 35 Pritzker hires from Madigan’s list were men, according to the WBEZ reporter. And a majority of the women hired were McClain sent an email to Abudayyeh in April 2019 expressing his sympathies following news that Pritzker was the subject of a federal investigation for removing toilets from his Chicago mansion in order to secure a property tax break. The Cook County inspector general called it a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers.“I hope you had some time to relax and breathe during the Easter/Passover break. (I am deeply sorry about the alleged federal investigation),” McClain wrote.Pritzker has not apologized for the clouted hires. More importantly, he has not yet signed into law a single significant anti-corruption Pritzker was lying on the campaign trail when he tried to distance himself from the speaker’s influence. In the absence of reform, he’s lying about corruption, too.
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.
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Column: Boss Madigan can see what’s coming and like Chicago’s top fed says, ‘It’s not good’
By JOHN KASSCHICAGO TRIBUNEJUL 17, 2020 AT 7:06 PM
When the U.S. Department of Justice dropped that federal hammer on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Friday, I thought of the shock waves spreading out to Democratic bosses across the country, and the sound of Illinois political rats scurrying for cover they won’t find.
But mostly I thought of Boss Madigan’s eyes, blue stones made flat and cold from 50 years as the political boss of the most politically corrupt state in the country.ADVERTISEMENThttps://9ffcdab42b131bd2d7200e78c3ade37d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlabout:blank
In my mind I could see Madigan’s eyes widening, as he concentrated on the federal documents filed Friday that are the road map to his end game, like the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, the oculist in “The Great Gatsby,” blue, unblinking, omniscient.
Madigan can see what’s coming and he can see the past. For five decades he’s held the tribes together, with his iron will, and his word, his discipline, and expert use of fear and power
“We told him years ago he should retire,” a Madigan friend said Friday, as the federal hammer came down. “We’d say, ‘You made enough money. You had all that power. It’s time to go.’
“And you know what he’d say? He’d say, ‘Yeah, but if I retire, what am I going to do?’ ”
What is Madigan going to do? How about trying to stay out of federal prison? That’s something to do.
Madigan wasn’t charged with any crimes, but that wasn’t the point when U.S. Attorney John Lausch pulled that big federal bus out Friday — the one with a driver named RICO — and outlined how Commonwealth Edison would cooperate in the federal investigation.
The giant utility agreed to pay $200 million in fines for assisting in a bribery and corruption scheme to benefit “Public Official A” that cost electric rate payers across Illinois real money in rate increases.
In exchange — though it wasn’t explicitly stated except as “cooperation” — ComEd turned over its intelligence and its people will testify.
Implicated are Madigan’s Democratic precinct captains with those do-nothing jobs, and Madigan-friendly contractors and Madigan-approved political lobbyists.
Reporters kept asking Lausch to identify Public Official A, but he refused. In the government filing, Public Official A is defined as the “Speaker of the Illinois House.”
There is only one: Madigan.
All of Madigan’s toadies, from the politicos to friendly internet gossipmongers, must be washing themselves in holy water right about now. Some will shout they’re not part of it. Some have already tried distancing themselves. Others will tell their lawyers to cut a deal.
But there won’t be any deal for Madigan. He’s the target. Targets don’t make deals. Targets see their families on visitors day.
Say what you want about Mike Madigan, and I have, he’s no hypocrite.
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Schiller Park Fire Chief, Peter Chiodo, Walk Off——Congratulations !
Congratulations to Fire Chief Peter Chiodo as he retired yesterday from 31 years of service to the Village of Schiller Park.
Chief Chiodo has been a skilled Chief, compassionate and brave firefighter, and a decent human being. He has dedicated dedicated to the people of Schiller Park and the people he worked with at the SPFD. He will be greatly missed, but he has inspired many firefighters in his career to follow his good example.
Good luck in your future endeavors, Chief Chiodo !
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