Nov. 12--State Rep. Ken Dunkin, the Chicago Democrat who denied House Speaker Michael Madigan crucial votes against Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in Springfield this week, is defending his decision to break from his party, saying Democrats were being "vindictive" and trying to embarrass the rookie governor.
Dunkin, a supporter of imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, also said he got something for his non-votes, with Rauner agreeing to turn on the spigot of lucrative tax credits for filmmakers, which have been on hold during the budget impasse.
The 13-year lawmaker spoke a day after he twice refused to cast votes during Democratic attempts to overrule Rauner on spending for child care and services for the elderly and disabled.
Those votes stemmed from a monthslong struggle over Rauner's decision to use executive authority to force the cuts to the programs while the two sides have been locked in a stalemate over a spending plan for state government. Rauner contended for months that the state didn't have the money to pay.
Dunkin says that while Democrats were preparing to use their supermajorities to overrule Rauner on the cuts, he was working behind the scenes to strike a deal. By his telling, Rauner agreed to roll back the cuts as long as any override attempts were assured to fail.
"Part of the compromise that politicians do is we make deals to move forward," Dunkin said in an interview Wednesday with the Chicago Tribune. "What was successful about this here, by not embarrassing him or really being provocative or being sort of vindictive towards him, was he immediately did an about-face."
Rauner's team telegraphed their deal with Dunkin on Monday, as lawmakers were preparing to return to Springfield and floor votes at the statehouse were imminent. But Madigan wasn't moved by the offer and decided to call the measures for a vote anyway. Advocates for the social service programs argued that Rauner's offers would still leave the programs at risk for future cuts and that legislation was needed to strip Rauner of his ability to slash the programs unilaterally. Both attempts failed by one vote; Dunkin did not vote along with his 70 House Democratic colleagues.
Dunkin said Madigan's decision was more about playing politics than serving constituents.
"There was no need for the bill to be run, other than to be vindictive towards (Rauner)," Dunkin said. "We reached an agreement where he would restore the program to some semblance of what it was before July 1. And he did that, and the sponsors agreed to it. So how is that a loss?"
This is not the first time Dunkin has denied his caucus an important vote. In September, Dunkin was in New York on the day that Democrats tried to override Rauner's veto on a union-backed measure that would have tied Rauner's hands in contract negotiations with state workers. That effort also failed.
"I'm down there to not be some robotic Democrat," Dunkin said. "I'm down there to be a person to work with Republicans, to work with Democrats."
Madigan responded to Dunkin's maneuvers by having a news conference Tuesday afternoon at which a group of child care provider advocates accused Dunkin of betraying the legacy of former Rep. Esther Golar, whose last act before she died in September was to travel to the Capitol to join Democrats in taking votes to stop service cuts for the elderly, disabled and low-income families, and to attempt to override Rauner's veto on the union-backed bill. Advocates also said Dunkin had gone back on a pledge to vote in favor of the child care bill.
"Today, Rep. Dunkin betrayed (Golar's) legacy and betrayed the constituency that he now serves," said Jaquie Algee, vice president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois. "If we learned one thing today, we learned that we cannot trust his promise, we cannot trust his word."
Madigan, asked if Dunkin should be blamed for the failed votes, would say only this: "Mr. Dunkin has now missed three votes where he apparently supported the governor's position and I really think you ought to direct all of your questions to Mr. Dunkin."
