The Spin: Chicago’s coronavirus task force report out | Madigan wants Obama portrait to replace Douglas at Illinois statehouse | Ald. Lopez says his home was targeted by gangs
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s coronavirus task force came out with its plan for the city’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic today.
The 100-plus-page document calls for long- and short-term policies to help Chicago, including more investment in mental health services, the city’s South and West Side neighborhoods and attempting to land more film projects. What’s unclear, still, is how the city — which lost $900 million from event cancellations through April alone — will pay for the plan.
House Speaker Michael Madigan is looking to replace a portrait in the state House of the late U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas with one of former President Barack Obama. Madigan also wants to remove Douglas’ statue on the Illinois State Capitol grounds as well as one of Pierre Menard.
And, 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez says gang members threw bricks through his window and set fire to his neighbor’s garage in an attempt to intimidate him.
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From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: “Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Thursday called for a portrait of the late U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas that hangs in the Capitol’s House chamber to be removed and replaced with one of former President Barack Obama, whom he called ‘a more fitting representation of the modern-day Democratic Party.’
“Madigan also called for the removal of statues on the Illinois State Capitol grounds in Springfield of both Douglas, a staunch defender of slavery, and Pierre Menard, the state’s first lieutenant governor and a slaveholder. ...
“The speaker’s call to take down the portrait and statues is part of a movement to remove memorials of historical figures with ties to the Confederacy and slavery that has picked up momentum following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.” Read the rest here.
From the Tribune’s Gregory Pratt: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s task force on Chicago’s COVID-19 recovery recommends the city accelerate spending on the South and West sides to address inequities deepened by the coronavirus, though it’s unclear how the city would pay for it amid significant financial woes.
“The 104-page document released Thursday, assembled by a task force chaired by Lightfoot and former President George H.W. Bush’s onetime chief of staff, Sam Skinner, recommends the city pursue a series of big goals that have long eluded Chicago leaders.
“Chief among them is a series of recommendations aimed at fighting poverty and entrenched racism. The group’s report notes that COVID-19 has hit Black and Latino communities harder than white counterparts ‘and laid bare structural disparities in health outcomes, underlying health conditions, access to basic necessities, and safety net support.’
“Unveiling the report Thursday at the South Shore Cultural Center, Lightfoot said the city lost $900 million from canceled events as of April 20 and a third of Chicago jobs were at risk.
“But she said the economic and public health crisis gives Chicago a chance to reinvent itself as a stronger, more equitable city — a transformation she said could be ‘the second Chicago renaissance.‘” Read more here.
* Read: The Chicago Recovery Task Force Advisory Report
*Chicago celebs combine to help raise money for the arts by belting out a blues chestnut
Bricks thrown at alderman’s home, neighbor’s garage set on fire: ‘This is gang intimidation’
From the Tribune’s Laura Rodríguez Presa: “Security cameras caught people throwing bricks at the Brighton Park home of 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez and his neighbor’s garage was set on fire early Thursday, according to the alderman, who blamed the attacks on ‘gang intimidation.’
“A brick was thrown through the window of a city’s employee home in the 4300 block of South Artesian Avenue about 1:20 a.m. and approximately an hour later the garage of the home next door was set on fire, according to Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman. Chicago Fire Department crews responded to the fire, but there were no injuries.
“Police said that no one was in custody.
“Lopez shared photos and videos of the attacks on Twitter early Thursday and blamed the attacks on gang members retaliating against him because of his attempts to dismantle gangs.
“‘This is gang intimidation, this is meant to send a message and it failed,‘” the alderman said in a news conference Thursday morning in front of his home.” Read more here.
From the Tribune’s Jamie Munks: “The Illinois Municipal League is calling on the state to change a new rule governing how federal coronavirus aid money is distributed, arguing it’s burdensome and unnecessary and could result in federal funding being stripped from local governments in Illinois.
“The rule, filed last week by the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, is more restrictive than federal guidelines on the relief money and would allow the state to reallocate local funds, which would ‘strip local governments of much-needed federal dollars,’ Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole said Thursday.
“The rule allows local governments to recoup federal dollars for medical expenses, including establishing temporary medical facilities to increase the treatment and testing capacity for COVID-19; public health and payroll expenses; and other coronavirus-related expenses that are ‘reasonably necessary to the function of government.'
“Local governments have until Nov. 1 to submit all reimbursement requests to the department, and any funds that were allotted but not claimed by that date ‘may be reallocated to other units of local government based on need,' the rule states.” Read the rest here.
* More than 1,000 new known COVID-19 cases reported for first time in more than a month
Illinois announced 1,018 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the first time the state’s new daily cases topped 1,000 since June 5. The tally brought the total number of confirmed cases in Illinois to 150,450.
The high number of cases came with a record high number of test results released: 36,180.
Also announced Thursday were 20 deaths from COVID-19. — Chicago Tribune staff
* Pritzker brings in new director at Illinois Department of Employment Security
The state’s embattled Illinois Department of Employment Security has a new director. It’s Kristin Richards, a Springfield veteran who since 2016 has been chief of staff to the state Senate president. Richards takes over from acting Director Thomas Chan.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the appointment as he continues to face criticism over the department’s handling of a flood of unemployment claims amid the coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown.
“As Illinoisans have faced unimaginable hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Employment Security has processed a historic number of claims,” Pritzker said in a statement. “These are not normal times, and I remain committed to doing everything in my power to support our residents when they need it most.”
Richards served as chief of staff to former Senate President John Cullerton, and stayed on in the role when Senate President Don Harmon took the helm in January. Richards has worked in public service for 18 years and was previously a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office.— Chicago Tribune staff
* Recipient named for scholarship memorializing political consultant
A recent Whitney Young high school graduate who’s going to Yale University in the fall will receive the 2020 Sleet Memorial Fellowship honoring Brian Sleet, the political consultant best known for his work with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
Friends of Sleet unveiled the 2020 Sleet Memorial Fellow, Caleb Dunson, earlier this week. The fellowship is an 18-week program.
As part of the fellowship, Dunson will work with the group Chicago Votes to educate, register and turnout young people in the November election.
Dunson “has a passion for increasing civic engagement,” which led him to help organize a 2019 mayoral forum.
You can read the Tribune’s obituary on Sleet here. — Gregory Pratt
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