Full Disclosure w/ the Better Government Association - 03/12/25
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Shining a light on Illinois state government. Well, you know what time it is because it is, of course, that time.

It's that time of the day of the week where we speak with our wonderful friend, David Greising. He is the CEO and the president of the Better Government Association. And, well, that means that this is full disclosure with the Better Government Association. And this is, of course, your host, Trent R. Nelson. And, well, you know what we get up to.

to hear when we have these weekly chats. We're talking all of the stuff going on across our wonderful state of Illinois, whether it's up in Chicago, down here in Springfield, further down in Carbondale. There's a lot going on everywhere, west to east, north to south, all of those northwesterns in between. Sir, good morning. How are you today? Good. How about you, Trent? Doing really well. Thank you for asking. You know, it seems like we just spoke the other day, and it's because we speak every week, but...

You know, the ComEd circumstance, sort of on the heels of the Madigan circumstance, and of course we've been talking about sort of how the culture of corruption, as it's been called, interfaces with recent Supreme Court rulings, which are, to say the least, corrupt.

reshaping what we might consider corruption to be. What can you tell us about how all of this is unfolding? Well, this is a case that just won't go away as much as the defendants in the case may have wished that it would go away. These were the four people associated with Mike Madigan, his good friend Michael McClain, along with Jay Doherty, who used to run the City Club of Chicago.

and a comment person by the name of John Hooker and then the former CEO of the company, Ann Primagiore. They had been found guilty on a number of counts. A federal judge Monday granted a new trial on some of the counts in the case but left intact some of the others. And Judge Manish Shah said the convictions on the lead conspirator

and other charges alleging the scheme are still intact, but is allowing the defendants to appeal some of the other counts, the four bribery counts. I would say it's somewhat likely that maybe the U.S. Attorney's Office

in the northern district of illinois might just say we've got about these other counts this is good enough but perhaps they'll have a point to prove and decide they're going to appeal the judge's ruling and take it to the seventh circuit court of appeals what's most interesting on a legal basis is

that there were arguments in this case that because of a ruling a couple summers ago in a case called the Snyder case about the bribery, so-called bribery needs to take place before any payoff needs to be agreed to before any payoff happens.

otherwise it's a legal gratuity. These defendants had challenged that, and that's why the judge did rule that those particular convictions could be dismissed. So it's an interesting point, but there was plenty yet left to stay intact, and these people now likely will be facing sentencing. Well, again, as you noted, sir, the story that simply will not go away

We will have to see how this all plays out with the new rules considered. And, well, again, hopefully we can put this behind us once and for all, but we suspect we'll have to hear about it for several more months. Before that, maybe longer. We'll keep

on this to be sure. Well, sir, we've got so much to work on. Yesterday in Springfield, there was a lot going on at the Capitol building, a lot of discussions. Let's first talk about what the farmers had to say with tariff threats and all sorts of strange innovations being

being done and on the horizon. What can you tell us about what the farmers have to say? Yeah, well, there was a very interesting hearing yesterday with regard to the impact of some of the Trump administration cuts to various services in the agricultural sector, and specifically a program by which the federal government purchases farm produce, grain and soybeans, most likely here in Illinois. And

uh... distributed to local food pantries essentially and the the uh... administration is cutting that back arguing that these were pandemic era programs and are no longer necessary uh... this hearing gave farmers in illinois the opportunity to argue that this

These cuts would have a devastating effect on the farm economy, both on their farms, but also on their communities, etc. This is far from over. It's a conversation that will continue. This was not a hearing on a particular bill, but it certainly sets the stage for a continuing struggle over resistance to agriculture.

Trump administration cuts to federal programs really across the board, not just in the farm economy. Absolutely. Ryan McCready, who runs the Springfield Segment Growth Alliance down here, noted, I'll paraphrase it to be sure, that when you pull one brick, you've got to make sure that it's not holding up some other bricks. Everything is interconnected to some degree. And well,

There are lots of ways for the Jenga blocks to fall, as we know. But that wasn't the only discussion yesterday. The transportation merger also continues that discussion. Well, what can you tell us? Well, the discussion I think we're about to talk about happened in Chicago. And it was, I should say, it happened in Chicago yesterday.

on Tuesday and this was a hearing held by the Senate Transportation Committee that took a look at two different proposals for merging or reforming the regional transportation system

up in northeastern illinois that includes the regional transit authority which is currently sort of an umbrella agency along with the chicago transportation authority that metro or commuter rail service and then the the pace buses from those organizations faces seven hundred and seventy one million dollar fiscal shortfall uh... in when the met new fiscal year begins to life first and uh... bigger deficits going forward

Because for the last couple of years, they've paid their bills largely with pandemic relief funding, and that money is going away. And these agencies, these transport agencies, are really struggling, and they need major maintenance. And also, they've seen ridership plummet due to the pandemic and not –

nearly recover to prior levels. There's one proposal that's backed by a group of unions that is seeking to prevent a merger of the authorities and instead use kind of combined fair sharing and

other operational efficiencies plus new revenues including revenue from an alternative to the fuel tax uh... to help beat the agencies pay their bills the other the other proposal which would combine the agencies into it under the umbrella of a new metropolitan mobility authority

It wouldn't preserve as many jobs, which is what the unions are trying to do with their proposal, but it would probably produce a more efficient transportation system in northeastern Illinois. This is a huge, huge issue in part because Governor Pritzker has made no allowance for covering that $771 million fiscal cliff in his 2026 proposed budget, leaving the

these agencies to sort things out for themselves, at least for now. It's likely that the General Assembly will find some money somewhere to try to help out the transit systems, but Governor Pritzker in his budget did not find such funds. Well, funds are going to have to be found because...

That's just how the government tends to work. And they find them, as we saw with the Chicago circumstance. Of course, people watching Netflix know that. We shall see how this works as well. Sir, well, we've got a couple other topics to get to when we come back from our commercial break. And they include more about federal spending on transportation,

about Governor Pritzker speaking in New Hampshire, and of course what Brandon Johnson said at the congressional testimony that he was at recently regarding immigrants and so much else. Sir, what do you say? Will you stick around for our commercial break and we'll come back and talk about all that? I'll be here when you get back.

You are the best. You heard it here first, folks. David Greising is not going anywhere. You should not either, within reason. Why don't you grab something lovely to eat? Ensure that your drink is nice and cool because it's a little warmer than it has been. And ensure that your favorite seat is as comfortable as when you last left and get ready because, well, we'll be right back in just a hot second.

Shining a light on Illinois state government? Well, you are correct, we have returned. This is Full Disclosure with the Better Government Association, and this is, of course, your host, Trent R. Nelson. And, well, we are still here with David Greising of the Better Government Association, of course, president and CEO. And during our first segment, we got boogieing about all sorts of interesting stuff. The ComEd 4 case that just won't leave us be.

We talked about what the Illinois farmers had to say down in Springfield, and we also spoke about a transportation merger discussion, which happened in Chicago this past Tuesday. Sir, well, we've got to continue talking about transport. What is the state saying, what are folks saying over the concerns as it regards federal funding on such items like transportations?

Well, the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy a few weeks back issued an order that threatened to shift federal transportation spending away from local governments that don't cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and also cities that so-called sanctuary cities, as well as those that have a lower than average birth rate.

apparently in an effort to sort of protect the nuclear family, which is a social objective of the Trump administration, and now, I guess, part of their transportation policy. The governor of Illinois and some congressional leaders have pushed back to, first of all, challenge the legality of

of some of these measures and also have asked for some accountability in terms of proofs that they have the right to withdraw these funds, etc. This is quite a political contest, high stakes, given that the federal government already is committed to spend billions on an expansion of the

CTA, the Chicago Transit Authority, Redline, one of the main public transport arteries in Illinois, and also has commitments, although they're not binding commitments yet, but federal commitments toward an expansion of Chicago's O'Hare Airport. So there's a lot on the line here, and it's something that merits close consideration, given that there is a likely threat to withhold federal spending.

It seems as though federal spending in various different ways is being curtailed if certain states do not toe a certain line. And we've heard about it as it concerns California and their wildfires, those threats. And, well, we'll just have to see how it continues to unfurl across Illinois and, of course, across the rest of our nation. We're all interconnected, as you know, sir. Sir, well, speaking of interconnected, well, our...

illinois governor j_b_ pretzel he's gonna be speaking unit new hampshire and what you can be talking about well do we have your courses of famous launchpad over many many years for presidential candidates and governor pritzker has accepted an invitation to speak next month it was called the democratic party's mcintyre shaheen one hundred club dinner which is one of the places that people aspire to become president often go to speak prior to

actually running for the job governor picture so far is not said what it whether he plans to run for a third term as governor uh... that announcement is expected within the next few weeks nor is he indicated that he plans to run for president but he certainly by accepting an invitation like this

Some will see it as an indication of an intent to run. It can at least, at the very least, be seen as an indication that a governor who has staked out his role as one of President Trump's leading critics intends to do so. You might remember from his budget address a few weeks back when he said, "My oath is to the Constitution of our state and our country.

We don't have kings in America, and I don't intend to bend the knee to one. He's clearly not bending the knee by going to New Hampshire, and he evidently is expecting to talk about threats of Medicaid cut, the impact of other of the Doge, Elon Musk's bureaucratic budget cutting, and their impact on everyday Americans.

Well, he's going to go talk about it, but certainly if these innovations become what is instead of just propositions, well, many people will feel it intimately. It is a

Shame to suspect, and we hope that it is not true to be sure. Sir, we know that you're busy, and we know that we've got to let you go because you've got a lot to do keeping us abreast of all of the innovations going on across our state and, of course, the intersection with Israel.

the rest of the world. Well, what can you tell us about what Brandon Johnson had to say last week in Washington at the House of Representatives? Well, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing of four big city mayors, mayors from Boston, New York City, Denver, and Chicago, all of them sanctuary cities. In other words,

cities that have welcomed immigrants and have refused to cooperate with the immigration services efforts to deport many people, whether here illegally or in some cases legally. And it was a very high stakes appearance for Mayor Brandon Johnson, whose popularity, according to polling, is quite low.

And in fact, one of the Republicans who was questioning him pointed out that he has very low ratings. That said, Brandon Johnson did a fairly decent job of defending the immigration policies

of the city of chicago he pushed back hard and the implication that some of the republicans were making that these immigrants are leading to a rise in crime and johnson shot back and said that scapegoating communities is misleading unjust and beneath the dignity of congress

and some people read Johnson's appearance as being mostly scripted lines. He probably did do a lot of rehearsing. In fact, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was a political nemesis whom Johnson defeated in her bid for reelection, she actually counseled Johnson on his appearance, helping prepare him for this. And based on expectation,

He probably exceeded what were very low expectations. He didn't hit any home runs either, but nevertheless, he didn't damage his reputation nor do any damage to the city, it appears, in his particular appearance.

Absolutely. And, you know, the Boston mayor did a lot of the home run hitting. So as long as you get non-base, that's what baseball is all about, is it not, sir? We will continue to track, of course, how the discussion concerning immigration and individuals who come to this country, how it continues to evolve.

And there'll be a lot to talk about, we are sure. Sir, we'd love to talk more, but we know that you've got a boogie. And so we will start winding down. We appreciate you so much, all the education you provide us with. Before we let you go, could you remind our listeners where they could learn more similar information like that, which we've just been chatting about here today, when we're not chatting about it here today.

Yes, you can reach the BGA's news coverage at IllinoisAnswers.org, and our policy content at BGAPolicy is at BetterGov.org. You heard it here first, folks. There are a lot of ways to learn with the Better Government Association. You should start here and then go to all those other ones, too.

And it'll be a real good deal. Or start at those other ones and finish up here and then restart the process. It's a secular type deal. And certainly our chats, well, they never repeat, but they always are marvelous and new and full of nice innovations that we get to learn about and talk about with Mr. David Greising, the president and CEO of the Better Government Association. So we hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

We'll catch you real soon, all right? You too, Trent. Thanks very much. Bye-bye. Absolutely. Shining a light on Illinois state government. Well, you've just been listening to Full Disclosure with the Better Government Association, and this is, of course, your host, Trent R. Nelson. And, well, we just got all over. During this discussion, we were talking about how the farmers feel. We were talking about...

about the ComEd 4 potential, well, likely retrial or to some degree, relitigation. We spoke about fear over federal funding for transportation across the state, up in Chicago, to be sure. We also spoke about what J.B. Pritzker is going to be speaking about in New Hampshire, and of course, what Brandon Johnson already did speak about over...

the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. So until we do this thing all over again, we hope that all of our listeners have a wonderful rest of their day and week, and we'll catch them all real soon, too.