Illinois Insights: An update from Cozen O’Connor (11/8)

ILLINOIS

AROUND THE STATE

Pritzker looking into possible policy response to Trump’s proposals  

“Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday and could begin lining up legislative responses to proposals made by incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s administration,” by The Daily Line.

Democrats maintain control of state legislature, while GOP sees hope in not losing ground

“Democrats will maintain their historic supermajorities in the Illinois General Assembly after Tuesday’s election, but legislative Republicans tried to take a positive view of the outcome by noting the opposition party appeared to be unable to expand its advantage, according to preliminary results,” by the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois voters OK advisory referendum seeking higher taxes on income over $1 million

“A 3% tax on individual income over $1 million would be used to reduce the property tax burden,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

3 Cook County judges close to losing seats after scrutiny

“One Cook County judge was losing his bid to keep his job and two more were in peril as vote counting continued after Tuesday’s election,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

CHICAGO

Chicago held its first CPS School Board elections 

This election was the first phase of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board’s transition to a fully elected school board. 10 new members to the CPS school board were elected and will be seated in January. The mayor will continue to appoint 11 members, until the board becomes fully elected in 2027.

There were over 30 candidates that participated in the school board elections. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) endorsed candidates in each of the 10 districts. Four of the CTU endorsed candidates won their respective elections.

District 1: CTU-endorsed candidate Jennifer Custer, a former assistant principal, won over Michelle Pierre, also a former educator.

District 2: CTU-endorsed candidate Ebony DeBerry won over three opponents in this heavily contested race. Over $1.1 million was spent in this election.

District 3: Carlos Rivas, endorsed by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools won against the CTU-endorsed Jason Dones.

District 4: Ellen Rosenfield won against former CTU member Karen Zaccor in a heavily contested race. There were six candidates running for this seat.

District 5:  CTU-endorsed candidate Aaron “Jitu” Brown did not have a challenger in this election.

District 6: Former CPS teacher and principal Jessica Biggs won against CTU-endorsed candidate Anusha Thotakura and Andre Smith.

District 7: CTU-endorsed candidate Yesenia Lopez won against Raquel Don. Lopez. Lopez is a community organizer and executive assistant in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.

District 8:  Angel Guiterrez, endorsed by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools won against CTU-endorsed candidate Felix Ponce.

District 9: Therese Boyle won against the CTU-endorsed candidate Lanetta Thomas. Boyle is a CTU member and a retired school psychologist.

District 10: Rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith won against Karin Norrington Reaves.

MORE FROM CITY HALL

29 City Council members call special meeting to reject Johnson’s $300 million property tax increase

“The increase would be Chicago’s largest in a decade, but alderpersons hope to force the mayor back to the bargaining table to find other revenue sources, budget cuts, or both,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointed CPS board members could stay on past January

“All six board members the mayor selected last month are eligible to remain on the 21-seat board that will take office in January. Johnson could appoint one as president,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Three city-run shelters for newly arrived immigrants to merge into unified system

“Under the One System Initiative an estimated 3,800 beds designated for immigrants — funded by the city and state — will be added to the existing 3,000 beds for anyone experiencing homelessness in Chicago,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Health department budget will see nearly $140M drop next year driven by decline in grant funding

“The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has a glut of pandemic-era grant dollars funding multiple programs and hundreds of positions but is still figuring out how to keep some of those programs and positions going once that funding runs out, alderpeople heard during a budget hearing Thursday,” by The Daily Line. 

FEDERAL

Cozen Currents: The Most Likely Election Outcomes

If Vice President Harris wins, she will most likely preside over a divided government, limiting her ambitious agenda and setting the stage for a lengthy bipartisan negotiation over tax reform.

A Republican sweep would set the stage for the realization of a partisan legislative agenda by unlocking access to budget reconciliation.

These two base cases may be the likeliest ones, but they aren’t guarantees — other splits could result given how close the margins are in both chambers of Congress.

Read the Cozen Currents here.

Beltway Briefing: 2024 Election Forecast: Divided Government on the Horizon? 

With the election just days away, the Public Strategies team predicts key race outcomes and discusses whether a divided government will continue. Featuring Public Strategies’ Howard Schweitzer, Mark Alderman, Towner French, and Kyle Anderson.

Listen to the Beltway Briefing here.

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