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| By Shia Kapos |
Happy Thursday, Illinois. We’re a week away from Thanksgiving. Do you have your menu set?
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 | TOP TALKER | |
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, that the city will ramp up how it handles the migrant crisis. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO |
HEAD-TURNER: Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Wednesday that Chicago will start imposing 60-day limits on migrants staying in city shelters as his administration tries to manage the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The goal is to move them through the system “to self-sufficiency and economic stability,” Johnson told reporters after the City Council passed a $16.6 billion budget, his first budget since becoming mayor. It includes $150 million to care for migrants, a pittance of what’s needed for the year. Sending in cavalry: Johnson also revealed that the state of Illinois and Cook County will kick in more support. He didn’t offer specifics, but a source familiar says the state could beef up services by as much as $150 million. Illinois has already contributed more than $450 million to helping with wrap-around services since migrants started arriving last year. “Part of the investments that the state will be providing is to expand a more expedited process for them to be resettled,” Johnson told reporters after the budget vote. Details coming today: Gov. JB Pritzker is scheduled to announce details of the state’s support this morning. Cook County is considering adding $100 million for “disaster response and recovery” to assist migrants and asylum seekers — $70 million of that would provide medical care, scooped WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch. Nearly 25,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since August of 2022. About 12,300 are living in city shelters and another 1,800 are huddled on the floors of police stations and at O’Hare airport. It’s that group that will be moved to the winterized base camps that the city is also working to prop up. Big Apple did it first: New York City, which has had an influx of 118,000 migrants, also instituted a 60-day limit on shelter stays — first for adult migrants without children and then, later, for families, too. RELATED Johnson’s budget sails through City Council: “The $16.77 billion plan, approved 41-8, holds the line on taxes and increases spending for an array of popular programs. But it also relies on one-time revenues and budgets far too little for the migrant crisis,” explains the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.
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| THE BUZZ | |
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A woman-owned Chicago company will direct the design and construction of the United Center and its surroundings for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. The players: K + P Advisory, LLC, led by Ayse Kalaycioglu and Anthony Pascente, has been selected by the Chicago Host Committee and Democratic National Convention Committee to serve as “owner’s representative” for the convention. That’s the group that will oversee design and construction of the event space and its surroundings. Kalaycioglu and Pascente are familiar names in architecture, having led the efforts on the sale of James R. Thompson Center and relocation of more than 4,500 State employees in downtown Chicago. Their firm also worked on logistics for the NASCAR Chicago street race earlier this year and the new State of Illinois Headquarters on Monroe Street, an $80 million project. Props from the Host Committee: Executive Director Christy George praised Kalaycioglu’s firm for having “significant experience developing and integrating measurable and impactful engagement strategies with the minority business community and I know they will be a trusted asset to our convention team.” George’s team says K + P was chosen in part because its subcontracting work will be done by minority and women-owned firms. If you are Christy George, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
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| WHERE'S JB | |
At the state office press room at 10 a.m. to announce new state investments in services for asylum seekers. — At the UIC Forum at 6:15 p.m. to give remarks at the Chicago Innovation Awards.
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| WHERE's BRANDON | |
| At Navy Pier at 8:45 a.m. for the Chicago Fire Department firefighter, EMT and paramedic swearing in. — At Daley Plaza at 5 p.m. to kick off Christkindlmarket. — At UIC Forum at 6 p.m. for the Chicago Innovation Awards.
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| Where's Toni | |
At the Cook County Building at 9 a.m. for a Board of Commissioners meeting to vote on the FY24 budget. — At UIC Forum at 5 p.m. for the Chicago Innovation Awards. While you’re enjoying the sunshine, take time to email at skapos@politico.com
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| THE STATEWIDES | |
— Chicago judge rules federal statute barring felons from possessing guns is unconstitutional but says it’s a ‘close question,’ by the Tribune’s Jason Meisner — Pritzker highlights trade jobs, workforce development during Apprenticeship Week, by WAND-TV’s Mike Miletich — State Supreme Court weighs constitutionality of lifetime restrictions on child sex offenders, by Capitol News Peter Hancock — Earthquake rattles, shakes and wakes Putnam County — about 110 miles from Chicago, by the Sun-Times’ Sophie Sherry — RTA Chairman Kirk Dillard discusses the state of transit post-pandemic on the new Engineer Works podcast.
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| CHICAGO | |
— Mayor Brandon Johnson deflects questions over proposal tying homeless tent removal to City Council votes: First the mayor said he’s “not necessarily privy to every single conversation that happens throughout the city of Chicago.” Later, he called the report about the conversation “a mischaracterization.” The Tribune’s Gregory Royal Pratt and Alice Yin report. — EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Brandon Johnson reflects on first 6 months in office: “He discusses the victories his administration has seen so far, the rise of robberies and his response to crime and the migrant crisis as well as the city budget and the city’s business community,” reports WGN’s Tahman Bradley, who scored the lengthy interview. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Northern Trust has donated $1 million to Chicago-based Nourishing Hope, an organization that tackles food insecurity by providing 4 million meals every year to about 50,000 households in Chicago. It was founded in 1970 as Lakeview Pantry. The donation is being given as the Anchor Award, a new philanthropic effort provided by Northern Trust. “Transformative,” is how Nourishing Hope CEO Kellie O’Connell described the gift, saying it will allow the nonprofit to serve more young people on the city’s South and West sides. — One year before Chicago’s first school board election, key details remain unresolved: “Lawmakers agreed on a voting map but are considering a last-minute proposal to accelerate moving to a fully elected board. Here’s a primer for you,” by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp and the Sun-Times’ Nader Issa. — Quincy Jones, Jennifer Hudson and Chance the Rapper new owners of Bridgeport’s Ramova Theatre, by the Sun-Times’ Miriam Di Nunzio — The stars of the high school concert? A rock band of migrant teens, by Elly Fishman with photography by Jamie Kelter Davis for WBEZ
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| DAY IN COURT | |
— Father of man charged in Highland Park shooting makes statement with T-shirt before starting jail sentence: His shirt read: "I'm A Political Pawn" on the front and "LAWS FACTS REALITY" on the back. “Judge George Strickland ordered Crimo Jr. to turn the shirt inside out before the hearing, according to county officials,” reports the Daily Herald’s Doug T. Graham. — Federal prosecutors may seek to put ‘ComEd Four’ behind bars for life, defense attorney says, by WTTW’s Matt Masterson
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| Reader Digest | |
We asked when you were kicked out of a gathering: Elizabeth Grisanzio: “I was asked to leave/excuse myself from a meeting while on a political campaign early in my career as I was not ‘privy’ to the topic of conversation.” Ed Mazur: “At an academic labor union meeting, I wanted to raise some questions but was ruled out of order — and thrown out.” Reid McCollum: “I was removed from a healthcare event with then-Rep. Peter Roskam in 2018 for ‘bird dogging’ him — one of several times I confronted him in public.” Gail Purkey: “I was asked to leave Gov. Jim Edgar’s press briefing about education funding.” Bob Skolnik: “I was thrown out of college political philosophy class when I admitted that I had not done the reading.” Patrica Ann Watson: “Every organized religion I’ve tried to join. I ask too many questions.” For tomorrow: What trial have you found most captivating?
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| THE NATIONAL TAKE | |
— Congressman Sean Casten, other Dems evacuated from DNC headquarters during protest calling for ceasefire in Gaza: “Democratic members of Congress were attending a reception at party headquarters on Capitol Hill when demonstrators surrounded the building,” by the Sun-Times’ Mary Norkol. — Nevada attorney general is investigating false electors who aided Trump in 2020, by POLITICO’s Betsy Woodruff Swan — Speaker’s resume includes being a board member of a Christian group that called ‘monkeypox’ a penalty for being gay, by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman
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| TRANSITIONS | |
— Christina Amestoy is now comms director of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Think Big America. She previously worked at the Democratic Governors Association, where she handled competitive governor's campaigns in Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada and Illinois. NBC News’s Natasha Korecki has more. — Matt Hill is senior comms director for the Democratic National Convention Committee. He’s a Chicago-area native who’s spent the past three years working for the Biden administration and before that on the president’s 2020 campaign. Fun fact: Hill was a student at U. of I. Champaign when he first met Biden. — Naomi Meria Lake is now legislative director for Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04). She was preiously a senior legislative assistant. — Megan Seymour is also on Team Chuy as legislative assistant for the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. She was a committee staffer.
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| | WELCOME TO THE WORLD | |
| Sarah Kammerer and Adam Hitchcock welcomed Madeleine Rose Hitchcock to the world Nov. 7. She has already tagged along at Pops for Champagne, lunch at Gibsons and a meeting with former Mayor Richard M. Daley, which, besides being born, has been the highlight of Madeleine's first week, according to her parents. Hitchcock is an investor and former adviser in the Obama administration. Kammerer is a recently elected district police representative. Pic, pic and pic!
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| EVENTS | |
Nov. 27: Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL-17) will be feted at a fundraiser. Details here
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| TRIVIA | |
WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Mark McCombs for correctly answering that the Illinois Constitution has been adjusted four times: 1818, 1848, 1870 and 1970. TODAY's QUESTION: Who’s the First Lady of Sports? Email skapos@politico.com
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | |
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Executive Director Jim Collins, CTA chief equity and engagement officer Denise Barreto, UNITE HERE Local 1 research director Elliott Mallen, executive search exec Doug Seville, financial consultant Linda Shuman and Dayco business development manager Beth Conlon. -30- |
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