Feb. 04--Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.
Topspin
It's Thursday, Feb. 4, and the Democratic candidates for Cook County state's attorney are scheduled to appear at a forum, and you can watch it live on the Web.
State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and challengers Kim Foxx and Donna More will answer questions from the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board at a candidate endorsement session.
It's at 11 a.m. and will be streamed here (it'll go live closer to showtime). We'll be there in our separate newsgathering role.
A Tribune poll published Tuesday showed Alvarez with a single-digit lead over Foxx, but nearly a quarter of voters were undecided ahead of the March 15 primary.
Expect the Laquan McDonald case to dominate the discussion. The poll found that more than 7 in 10 Democratic voters didn't accept Alvarez's explanation for why it took her 13 months to announce charges against police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Foxx and More have been hammering Alvarez on the issue.
Alvarez is seeking a third term. Foxx is former chief of staff to County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. More is a former lawyer for the Illinois Gaming Board. Unopposed is Republican candidate Christopher E.K. Pfannkuche, a former Cook County assistant state's attorney whose website bio page features a picture of him with Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Looking ahead, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidates are scheduled to be in for an editorial board endorsement session at noon Monday. There are plans to stream that session as well.
What's on tap
*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public schedule once again today.
*Gov. Rauner will be out in the suburbs near La Grange to discuss a "managed lanes" transportation project on the Stevenson Expressway. Perhaps it will help with the brutal rush-hour congestion?
What we're writing
*No guarantees of transparency in Rauner executive order on new business recruitment arm.
*Aldermen to Emanuel: Step up mental health services.
*CPS borrows $725 million at extraordinarily high interest rate.
*Distrust of Chicago Police Department leads to low rating for Emanuel on crime.
*City panel to consider height guidelines for buildings on South Michigan Avenue.
What we're reading
*Who floated Lightfoot's name as new Chicago police superintendent to the gossip columnist?
*Is Kasich aware of Roger Waters' stance on Israel?
*Redevelopment plan for the Lathrop Homes site.
*Mob debt collector's recordings read like low-grade gangster script. He got 3+ years.
From the notebook
*Early voting delay: The State Board of Elections has certified the March 15 primary ballots, rejecting objections that had been filed over several presidential candidates, but it also is delaying the start of early voting.
Early voting is supposed to start Thursday, but voters may want to check with their local election authorities since ballots couldn't be printed until the ballot challenges had been decided.
In suburban Cook County, Clerk David Orr's office said it expects ballots to be available no later than Feb. 17. But his office also advises to check its website on whether it is able to start early voting before that date. The Chicago Board of Elections is advising the same.
In most cases, anyone who shows up and is unable to vote will be given an application to vote by mail. (Rick Pearson)
*New Rotering ad in IL-10 features Durbin: Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering is up with a new ad in her bid for the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District, a spot that features Illinois' senior Sen. Dick Durbin.
"In Congress, Nancy will have the courage to stand up for tougher gun laws to protect our families," Durbin says in the ad, which touts the Highland Park ordinance that bans assault weapons.
Rotering is running for the nomination along with former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield to take on re-election-seeking Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth in the North Shore district. (Rick Pearson)
*Chuy backs Foxx: Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia formally endorsed Foxx for state's attorney Wednesday. It was no surprise, considering Garcia's earlier call for incumbent Alvarez's resignation and his political alliance with County Board President Preckwinkle, who is backing Foxx, her former chief of staff.
The endorsement was announced at Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois Indiana headquarters. The union has made more than $220,000 in contributions to Preckwinkle campaigns, mostly by providing staff, according to state records. Last November, the union contributed $25,000 to Foxx's campaign. (Hal Dardick)
*New PAC backs Foxx: The head of a New York City-based nonprofit racial justice group has formed an independent political action committee to back Foxx for state's attorney.
The Illinois Safety and Justice PAC filed paperwork Tuesday with the Illinois State Board of Elections, listing Whitney Tymas as its chairman and treasurer. Tymas is director of the Prosecution and Racial Justice Program at the Vera Institute of Justice.
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Tymas said she was unable to answer questions at that time. She has yet to return the call.
Her group describes itself on line as "a groundbreaking Vera Initiative that is piloting internal assessment and management procedures to help chief prosecutors identify evidence of possible racial or ethnic bias in how their offices make decisions and respond appropriately when it is found."
The 55-year-old Vera Institute has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Los Angeles. The PAC's address listed on its state filing is the same as the Perkins Coie law firm, which also is listed as the PAC's lawyer.
As an independent expenditure PAC, Illinois Safety and Justice is not allowed to coordinate with Foxx's campaign. So far, according to its state filing, it has yet to raise a penny. (Hal Dardick)
*NOW backs only male candidate: In a bit of a twist, the National Organization of Women Political Action Committee on Wednesday endorsed the only male candidate in the three-way race March 15 Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court clerk.
The group is getting behind attorney Jacob Meister, choosing him over incumbent Dorothy Brown and Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th. (Hal Dardick)
Follow the money
*AFSCME contributed $25,000 to Democratic state Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison, a potential Republican target this fall who's being challenged by Anthony Airdo of Melrose Park. The union also gave $25,000 to Democratic state Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin, another potential target who so far has no Republican challenger.
*Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash
Beyond Chicago
*Presidential race, Republican side: The pressure on Bush in New Hampshire.
*Presidential race, Democratic side: More debates on tap.
*Record number of false convictions overturned last year.
*Syrian peace talks hardly started before halting.
