Illinois Insights: An Update from Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies (4/3)

PUBLIC HEALTH 

— IDPH Reports 13 Illinois Counties at an Elevated Community Level for COVID-19, from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

ILLINOIS

Pritzker issues disaster proclamation for areas hit by tornadoes 

Gov. JB Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation Saturday after more than a dozen tornadoes tore across Illinois Friday night, killing four and injuring dozens more.

The proclamation, which includes Boone, Crawford, DuPage, Sangamon, and Marion counties, unlocks immediate assistance to local governments most impacted by Friday’s severe weather and prioritizes response and recovery operations for those areas.

Pritzker also tasked the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) with surveying the damage and creating a statewide recovery plan in coordination with various state agencies, local governments, and other public safety and nonprofit organizations. The disaster proclamation may be expanded to include additional areas pending further damage assessments.

More inclement weather is forecasted for Tuesday afternoon and evening, including high winds, hail, and potential tornadoes.

AROUND THE STATE 

— Mary Gill, involved in Mount Greenwood community organization, tapped to fill 35th District statehouse vacancy: “Mary Gill, executive director of the Mount Greenwood Community and Business Association, has been tapped to replace Fran Hurley as state representative in the 35th House District following a vote Tuesday by Democratic Party leaders,” by the Chicago Tribune.

— Senate Democrats approve controversial bill targeting ‘crisis pregnancy centers:’ “The Senate passed SB1909 by Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) on a 36-19 partisan vote Friday. The bill would prohibit crisis pregnancy centers, defined in the bill as ’limited services pregnancy centers’ which don’t provide abortion or other forms of birth control, from ‘deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation, or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact’ on how to have abortions, receive contraception, or advertise or practice services. It would give the attorney general power to investigate and impose penalties on the pregnancy centers and allows anyone to take civil action against the pregnancy centers,” by The Daily Line.

— DoIT Celebrates April as Innovation and Technology Month in Illinois: “Governor JB Pritzker has proclaimed the month of April as Innovation and Technology Month in Illinois, highlighting the value of IT and the efforts made to build the state into an innovation and technology hub, delivering statewide IT and telecommunication services to state agencies, boards, and commissions,” from the Office of Gov. JB Pritzker.

CHICAGO 

Chicago municipal runoff elections to take place tomorrow, April 4^th 

Tomorrow’s municipal runoff elections will mark the end of a months-long campaign season to determine Chicago’s next mayor and to decide the fate of 14 City Council races.

With six incumbents fighting to retain their posts and newcomers vying for a seat across the city’s eight open races, the results will surely influence the 50-seat makeup of City Council for the next four years.

In the race for mayor, the latest independent poll conducted by Victory Research shows Paul Vallas with a slight lead over opponent Brandon Johnson – 49.6 percent to 45.4 percent, with 5 percent undecided and a +/-3.27 margin of error.

Voter turnout is up from the city’s previous two election cycles – a total 249,915 ballots have been cast so far compared to 135,887 in 2019 and 158,517 in 2015 at this time in the election cycle, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

With the threat of severe weather forecasted for tomorrow afternoon, election officials are urging residents to vote early. Voter information, including polling locations, can be found here.

MORE FROM CITY HALL 

— Johnson, Vallas tour South Side churches in final weekend campaign push before mayoral runoff: “The mayoral campaign trails crossed each other Sunday as Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas visited a series of South Side churches with 48 hours to go before Election Day, taking stages before especially large congregations for the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

— Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson pays off more than $3,000 in water bill debts to the city: “Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson paid off more than $3,000 in water and sewer bills to the city after facing criticism over his handling of his personal finances,” by the Chicago Tribune.

— As city’s most active voting precinct, Cook County inmates vote with help from jail and advocates: “Voting at the Cook County Jail has risen sharply since the jail added pioneering in-person polling places in 2020. Incarcerated voters say they feel more heard as voting rights groups work to educate and register inmates, and politicians are taking note of the increasingly involved voters,” by the Chicago Tribune.

— Chicago State University faculty to strike Monday over compensation, workload: “Faculty members at Illinois’ only majority-Black public university plan to strike Monday after a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement with their employers over compensation and workload fell through Saturday,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

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