Jim Dey: Not a pay raise, but a 'cost-of-living increase'

Jun. 3—It's time once again to dive into another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past week:

No pay raise

When is a pay raise not a pay raise?

When the recipient is a member of the Illinois General Assembly.

It may seem like a pay raise because legislators' pay goes up.

But it's really not.

It's actually, as its proponents say, a "cost-of-living increase."

That's the official line in Springfield, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his supermajority recently signed off on a $50 billion-plus budget that includes greater remunerations — but not a pay raise — for members of the Illinois House and Senate.

Under the new salary schedule, Illinois legislators will continue to be among the highest paid in the nation.

Their base pay has been bumped up 5.5 percent to nearly $90,000 a year.

But even that figure is misleading because most legislators — Republicans and Democrats — also receive generous stipends for holding various leadership positions — ranking member or chairman positions on committees or some other party leadership positions.

As a consequence of the stipends, almost all legislators are in the $100,000 salary range, some much higher.

Legislators didn't have to vote on the latest increases.

That's been a problem in the past, one that has sparked voter ire.

So now the cost-of-living increases are automatic.

That's somewhat akin to the automatic July 1 increases in the state's gasoline tax.

In both cases, lawmakers are able to evade political accountability because of the automatic nature of the increases.

Not a love story

If it hadn't have been for Alice Palmer, there might never have been a President Barack Obama.

Their political paths crossed in Chicago, setting the stage for Obama's meteoric rise to the White House.

But his good fortune was her misfortune.

So don't believe any of those gooey obituaries that suggest she was a "mentor" to the aspiring Obama.

Palmer, who was 93, died May 25 in Chicago.

CBS News there reported that she was a seasoned pol who "helped launched former President Barack Obama's political career."

That's one way of putting it.

Here's another: Obama began his political career by ending her political career.

What happened? Chalk it up to good old-fashioned, Illinois-style corruption.

Palmer, a member of the Illinois Senate, decided to run for the U.S. House seat when that became vacant following the corruption conviction of U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds.

Obama planned to run, with her backing, for Palmer's Illinois Senate seat.

But after losing in the primary to Jesse Jackson Jr., who, like Reynolds, would someday go to prison on corruption charges, Palmer changed her mind about leaving the state Senate and decided to seek re-election.

She wanted Obama to drop out.

In the face of heavy party pressure to step aside for the more senior Democrat, Obama refused.

That set up a potential primary contest between Obama and Palmer that Obama was certain to lose.

Obama's campaign team knew it, so it worked to get her name removed from the ballot by successfully challenging Palmer's petition as well as those of three other lesser candidates.

Running unopposed in both the primary and general elections, Obama was elected to his first public office.

Palmer definitely sent Obama on his way, but not by her design or to her satisfaction.

When all was said and done, Palmer and Obama were no longer political friends.

In David Garrow's exhaustive and widely praised Obama biography — "Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama" — he quoted Obama as saying his skirmish with Palmer "left a bitter taste in his mouth."

But he also quoted Obama saying that he learned "if you're going to be involved in this process that you end up having to play hardball and battle it out."

Years later, when Obama ran for president in 2008, Palmer was among the few Chicago Democrats who backed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's nomination.

When Obama and Clinton debated in Iowa that year, the Clinton campaign made it a point to invite Palmer to the debate and have her sit where Obama could see her.

That moved was reportedly "intended to rattle Obama."

It didn't.

Palmer served in the Illinois Senate from 1991 to 1997 and would have stayed longer if fate — and hardball politics — had not intervened.

Bad news

Political insiders in Springfield got a shock this week with the news that Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, died Friday at 57.

The chamber announced in mid-May that Maisch had "stepped away from his job, at least for the time being."

Maisch was a 1988 University of Illinois graduate who majored in food science.

He later got an MBA from Illinois State.

He joined the chamber in 1994 and became president/CEO in 2013.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

Illinois politicians were quick to issue statements expressing their condolences.

Among the most heartfelt was that of state Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

She said "his departure leaves such a void in Illinois. He worked so hard to find bipartisan approaches to grow Illinois businesses. He understood we are all in this together. I treasure the time I spent with him, listening to him, speaking to his board. Democrats and Republicans around the state should all take a moment to honor Todd Maisch today for his advocacy for Illinois businesses. Our condolences go out to his wife and sons. May he rest in God's peace and eternal glory."

Friday night lightsNow that the warm weather has arrived, downtown Champaign will feature live music on Friday nights from 6 to 8 p.m.

City officials said there will be "food, music, and fun all summer long," and performances will feature "an eclectic mix of music and street performances including bluegrass, jazz, folk, soul, rock, country, and blues, along with free kids' activities every week."

Performances, which began June 2, will be held at the intersections of Neil and Church, Neil and Park and Market and Taylor.

The series runs through August.

In addition to the Friday night music are Tuesday farmers' markets.

The farmers' market started May 16 and will run through Oct. 31.

Promoters said the event will include "fruits and veggies, meat, eggs, baked goods, bread, desserts, flowers" and be held from 3 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot at Neil and Washington streets.

Illinois votes aye

Illinois' federal legislators, mostly, supported passage of the federal debt ceiling deal negotiated by Democratic President Biden and Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

In the Senate, Illinois Democrats Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth voted in favor.

The measure passed on a 63-36 vote.

In the House, where the proposal passed 317-117, Illinois' three GOP members — Mike Bost, Mary Miller and Darin LaHood — voted no along with Democrats Reps. Jesus "Chuy" Garci, Delia Ramirez and Jan Schakowsky.

Illinois Democrats voting yes were Reps. Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Danny K. Davis, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Brad Schneider, Bill Foster, Nikki Budzinski, Lauren Underwood and Eric Sorensen.