Page 26 - August 2016 Newsletter

Election projections
There has finally been some progress in Illinois government but a real solution con- tinues to elude the General Assembly and Governor. A six-month “stop-gap” budget was passed at the end of June. It is generally a half-year budget but it does include a full year for K-12 education. In addition, there are judicial court orders that mandate some other payments to some so-
cial service providers. The “grand bargain” that many hope for is still just a hope.
What this means is that the General Assembly
will not be in session until after the November elections, and is scheduled to be in session the week before and the week after Thanksgiving. Hope springs eternal, but I would not hold your breath waiting for a Thanksgiving miracle coming out of the State Capitol.
While the anticipation of the November elections grows, there already have been a few changes in the General Assembly. Chicago Democrat Senator Wil- lie Delgado has retired and has been replaced by new Senator Omar Aquino. Aquino won the democratic primary with the backing of Delgado.
In the House, Representative John Anthony has tak-
en a position with the Illinois Department of Correc- tions, and has been replaced by new Representative David Welter from the Morris area. A republican, An- thony is a former county deputy sheriff and has been a huge supporter of the police. Democrat Representa- tive Frank Mautino has left the House to become Illi-
nois Auditor General, and has been replaced by new Representative Andrew Skoog from the Peru area. Both Welter and Skoog will have tough general
election campaigns.
Democrat Jack Franks from McHenry County
has decided not to seek re-election. Instead, he is running for McHenry County Board Chairman. While there are 118 state representatives, more than 80 of them do not have a general election opponent, and only a couple dozen of the races might actually be competitive. A lot of time, money and other resources will be spent on a handful of races. In the Senate, of the
59 senators, only a few have actual races this fall. While the legislative part of Springfield will be rela- tively quiet until after the November elections, the po- litical side will be hopping. We shall see what impact the outcome of the election will have on future govern-
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CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2016 25