| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Happy July, Illinois. It’s my five-year anniversary at POLITICO. What a privilege to write about government and politics in this age.
|  | TOP TALKER | | |  Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen Tammy Duckworth, both at left, and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, front and center, are among hundreds who remembered victims of last year's mass shooting. | AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh | The Fourth of July has always been about politics and the politicians who got this country rolling. In Highland Park on Tuesday, the holiday served as a reminder of a mass shooting that killed seven people and wounded dozens of others during the July 4th parade last year — and that the state passed legislation to ban assault weapons. (The asterisk is that the Illinois Supreme Court is examining challenges to the law.) Hundreds converged on the parade route for a memorial walk to honor the victims. And though fireworks are practically synonymous with July 4th, Highland Park took a pass this year on a tradition that sounds too much like gunfire. President Joe Biden gave a shoutout to Highland Park, praising Gov. JB Pritzker and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering for their roles in passing Illinois' assault weapons ban. "Their achievement will save lives," he said in a statement. POLITICAL FIREWORKS: Republican Darren Bailey, who lost his bid for governor last year, announced that he’s challenging Republican Congressman Mike Bost for his IL-12 seat. It’s going to be an epic downstate political battle. Details on POLITICO’s home page. And state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook Democrat, announced he won't seek reelection to a fourth full term next year. Carroll had come under scrutiny when a former staffer said she was fired after becoming pregnant. The Legislative Inspector General's office determined the claim was "unsubstantiated,” but the damage was done. Carroll’s fellow Democrats had already pivoted to support attorney Tracy Katz Muhl in her bid to challenge Carroll. "This was not an easy decision, but the right one for my family and our future," Carroll said in a statement. RELATED — A year after Highland Park, mass shootings remain a persistent issue in Illinois: “There have been 54 mass shootings in Illinois since that day, resulting in 50 deaths and 225 injuries, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive,” by Tribune’s Claire Malon. — Use of state’s ‘red flag’ gun laws jumps in wake of parade killings, by Tribune’s Dan Petrella, Jeremy Gorner and Megan Crepeau — Highland Park comes together a year after July 4th parade mass shooting, by Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo
| | THE BUZZ | | | | 
Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks during the Illinois Paid Leave bill signing ceremony on March 13, 2023, in Chicago. | AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is fundraising, though she’s not committing to running for any particular office. In a recent interview with your Playbook host, Stratton didn’t rule out a future run for office, adding she’s only focused on the job she already has. As lieutenant governor, Stratton would be a likely candidate to run for the state’s top job should Gov. JB Pritzker not seek a third term in 2026. For now: Stratton is making moves to build up her campaign fund, which has been virtually empty since she left the Illinois General Assembly to join Pritzker’s 2018 campaign. The big kahuna: Fred Eyechaner, who heads Newsweb Corp. and is a national Democratic megadonor, recently plunked $6,900 on Stratton, according to filings with the State Board of Elections. He’s one of a dozen big donors to donate to Stratton’s political campaign fund in recent weeks. Stratton is also raising her profile, headlining speaking events and serving as a surrogate for President Joe Biden. Also donating to her campaign fund: Former House Majority Leader Barbara Curry, Midway Broadcasting CEO Melody Spann Cooper, Salter Financial Management’s Toi Salter, lobbyist Barbara Staples King, activist Eileen Dordek, attorneys Tonya Primus, Fay Clayton and Benford, Brown & Associates’ Alyssia Benford and Kimi Brown Ellen. The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association PAC gave $10,000. Stratton’s union support: SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana PAC gave $13,700; Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor Management PAC, $10,000; IBEW Illinois, $5,000; Illinois AFL CIO, $5,000; Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois PAC, $5,000; West Suburban Teachers Union Local 571, $13,700. If you are Fred Eyechaner, Playbook would like to hear your take on the 2024 presidential race. Email skapos@politico.com.
| | | | JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | At UA-Resistance in Schiller Park to commemorate U.S. ambulances being sent to Ukraine.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | No official public events. If you're not worn out from the holiday, we’d love to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
| | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | — The Illinois State Board of Elections elected Casandra B. Watson as its new board chair and added two new members to its eight-member organization. Jack Vrett and Jennifer Ballard Croft were sworn in for four-year terms. Vrett, a Republican, and Croft, a Democrat. Sworn in to four-year terms: Current board members Laura Kent Donahue, a Republican from Quincy, and Tonya L. Genovese, a Democrat from the Metro East area. Donahue was also elected as the board’s vice chair. Cristina D. Cray was sworn in to complete the term of former member Ian Linnabary. Cray, a Republican from Springfield, served as the State Board of Elections’ director of legislation from 2003 to 2018.
| | | CHICAGO | | | — Chicago pension debt rises to $35B as Mayor Brandon Johnson hunts for a fix: The net pension liability across the city’s four retirement funds rose about 5 percent from $33.7 billion a year earlier, according to Chicago’s annual financial report. “The amount the city owes to its four pensions that pay benefits to retired firefighters, police officers, municipal workers and laborers increased ‘due to the short-term impact of the global market volatility on recognized investment income,’ the report said,” via Bloomberg’s Shruti Singh. — NASCAR praises weekend in Chicago: “It invested $50 million in the festival, which debuted this year, but heavy rain curtailed activities and spending,” by Sun-Times’ David Roeder. — ‘Hyde Park is back’ at annual ‘4th on 53rd Parade’ on South Side, Brandon Johnson’s first as mayor, by Sun-Times’ Michael Loria. — Battle for the Blacktops: “Faced with a growing shortage of usable courts, hoopers are fighting to preserve streetball in America’s basketball city,” by South Side Weekly’s Kit Ginzky. — A 30-feet tall mural of Congressman Danny Davis honors his work helping citizens returning from incarceration, by Austin Weekly’s Francia Garcia Hernandez — OPINION: If Johnson aims to overhaul institutional taxation, why limit it to business? Veteran business journalist Robert Reed writes in Crain’s.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Bears stadium critic to try to recall Arlington Heights mayor and trustee: “Tom Svoboda, a longtime village resident and owner of a Rockford-based brick salvaging business, submitted written statements at village hall Friday indicating his intent to file recall petitions against Mayor Tom Hayes and Trustee Jim Bertucci,” reports Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek. — Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough seeks end to historic anti-patronage case despite charges that she ‘stonewalls’: “As Chicago, state and even other Cook County officials have been freed in recent years of federal court oversight to ensure hiring is done properly in their offices, Yarbrough has been the final holdout in the more-than-half-century struggle by attorney Michael Shakman to wring politics out of hiring, firing and promotions in government,” by Tribune’s Ray Long and A.D. Quig. — Among those protesting Starbucks in Evanston is Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, by Evanston Now’s Desiree Shannon.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked about your first minimum wage job. Former Ald. James Cappleman: Worked part-time at a grocery store produce department while going to college in 1972. Vincent Brandys: Working at his family’s auto shop. William Crowder: Washed dishes and bussed tables at a hotel restaurant Michael Gascoigne and Jeff Lande worked at movie theaters. Lucas Hawley: Manned the layaway counter at Kmart. Michael Kreloff: Loaded trucks in a Bridgeport warehouse. Robert Kartheiser: Made pharmacy deliveries. Jim LaCognata: Worked at Dee’s drive-in in Stone Park. John McCabe and Steve Smith: Bagged groceries Gail Purkey: Was a summer school teachers’ aide. Stephen J. Rosenblat: Worked at Wolfy’s on Peterson Ave. Patricia Ann Watson: Worked at McDonald’s. Steve Weiss: Watered lawns at Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge. Have you ever protested a business? Email skapos@politico.com
| | DELEGATION | | — Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-04) led a letter calling on Lockheed Martin and 23 other contractors to address diversity in hiring. The contractors have more than $3 billion in federal contracts. Also signing are Reps. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) and Sean Casten (IL-06).
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Inside the House GOP’s plan to go after FBI and DOJ, by POLITICO’s Jordain Carney — Americans haven’t bought Biden’s economic message. Wall Street might, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton — THE FIFTY: The push for legal weed faces hostile ground in red states, by POLITICO’s Mona Zhang, Paul Demko and Natalie Fertig
| | TRANSITIONS | | — Amy E. Crawford is now first assistant to the City of Chicago’s corporation counsel. She’s previously served as deputy chief of the Civil Actions Bureau for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and was deputy director for the Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics. — Jessica M. Scheller will serve as deputy chief of the Civil Actions Bureau for the Cook County State’s Attorney. — Pablo Celnik, MD, has been appointed to serve as the next CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He begins mid-October. Celnik currently is physiatrist-in-chief and chair of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Johns Hopkins University.
| | | IN MEMORIAM | | | — Edwin Frank, former Hoffman Estates trustee and founder of children's memorial, has died, by Daily Herald’s Eric Peterson
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — Jeanne Ives, a former Republican state rep who ran for governor and Congress a few years back, will host a live show on AM560 on Sundays from 7 to 9 p.m. starting July 16. — The Tribune has launched a new newsletter that pulls together opinion pieces — WTTW has launched "A Safer City" feature on Mondays about issues related to violence and public safety.
| | TRIVIA | | FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Ted McClelland and Andy Shaw for correctly answering that in 1967 Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen beat out actor Hal Holbrook for a Grammy Award. TODAY’s QUESTION: Where did Abraham Lincoln deliver his last speech in Illinois? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Congressman Darin LaHood, former state Rep. James Brosnahan, O’Keeffe Shahmoradi Strategies VP Mark Copeland, Thinkinc public affairs CEO Laurie Glenn, Progressive TurnOut Project’s Julio Guzman, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz’s Kelley Merwin, Baird & Warner senior broker Helen Jaeger Roth and filmmaker Gregory Quarles. -30- | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
