Chicago is folding up the tent

Dec 12, 2023

Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. There’s a long list of objections to petitions seeking office in 2024. As they say: Politics ain’t bean bag.

TOP TALKER

The city of Chicago is pivoting from its controversial plan for a giant tent encampment for migrants in favor of brick and mortar units.

How things change: The move comes after a large tent in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side was scrapped because of environmental concerns. The city’s back-up location in the Morgan Park neighborhood at 115th and Halsted streets is now being reviewed for environmental feasibility, though it may not be used for a migrant tent after all. The environmental study is necessary either way since the location is also the site of a planned community development.

Instead of tents: The idea of putting migrants in big tents is on hold, at least for now. Instead, the city is relying on an organized effort by the faith community to take in asylum seekers — including help from the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese, which is offering up housing options. The governor’s office is also on track to transform a CVS pharmacy in the Little Village neighborhood into a 200-bed shelter.

From Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office: Spokesman Ronnie Reese says the city has “no immediate plans for Morgan Park” as shelters are opening up and taking in more migrants, he told Playbook.

Numbers tell the story: The city has been finding shelter for asylum seekers who at one point numbered more than 3,000 at police stations and O’Hare International Airport. As of Monday evening, there were 399 migrants in police stations and 201 at O’Hare — and 17 of 22 police districts have been cleared. Reese expects numbers to continue to decline as more shelters open up.

— RELATED: Mayor launches lawsuits against companies transporting 'rogue buses' of migrants to city, by Fox’s Alexander Hall

THE BUZZ

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is launching the “We Thrive” initiative focused on women’s financial health.

Economic strategy: “A major step toward financially empowering women across Illinois — half of our state’s population — to engage in the economy with confidence,” Stratton said in a statement.

The We Thrive initiative is about educating and calling attention to financial literacy and retirement. The program kicks off with a roundtable discussion hosted by Stratton to address economic “obstacles” and “opportunities” for women. The lieutenant governor will follow that up with conversations with women across the state.

The initiative is being embraced by the Illinois Department of Labor, which is working to increase outreach and education programs, according to Illinois Labor Department Director Jane Flanagan.

Also on board: The state Office of Minority Economic Empowerment, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and nonprofits such as Women Employed, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and the Bolhous Foundation for Women and Girls.

If you are Brandon Johnson, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com

WHERE'S JB

At mHUB Chicago at noon for its grand opening.

WHERE's BRANDON

No official public events.

Where's Toni

At the Cook County Building at 10 a.m. presiding over the Forest Preserves meeting.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job or, even, a complaint? Get in touch at: skapos@politico.com

CONVENTION ZONE

— Republicans promise delegates will stay in Wisconsin for GOP convention: Delegates don’t have to set foot in the blue state of Illinois — not even O’Hare — when Republicans meet next year to nominate their presidential candidate, organizers told your Playbook host.

2024 WATCH

— Endorsements in the Bost v. Bailey race: House Speaker Mike Johnson has endorsed fellow Republican Congressman Mike Bost’s re-election campaign in IL-12. The endorsement follows Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller backing Bost’s primary challenger, Darren Bailey, for the seat, via Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) hosted a fundraising reception in support of all the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Frontline Members,” who are considered the most vulnerable Democrats in the U.S. House. The event raised $200,000, and Illinois members Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Eric Sorensen (IL-17) were among the recipients.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) is getting an endorsement and financial funding from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Fight Like Hell Political Action Committee.

— Joseph Severino, who had planned to switch from Republican to Democrat to run for the 10th congressional seat, is now running as an independent against Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider. Republican Jim Carris is also in the 2024 contest.

— In state House District 45: Elmhurst Ald. Marti Deuter is running to succeed fellow Democrat Jenn Ladisch-Douglass, who decided not to run again after one term. The GOP candidate is Elmhurst resident Dennis Reboletti, who’s also supervisor of Addison Township, via David Giuliani.

— The Chicago Teachers Union is endorsing Clayton Harris III for Cook County state’s attorney and Mariyana Spyropolous for Cook County clerk of the court. Details here

SPOTLIGHT

Helping the Tar Heels: Gov. JB Pritzker is headlining a fundraiser tonight in Chicago for the North Carolina Democratic Party, which is headed by Anderson Clayton — who at 25 is the youngest state party leader in the country.

Looking at 2024: “Between the presidential, gubernatorial and other races, North Carolina is a critical state for Democrats,” the governor’s political spokeswoman, Christina Amestoy, told Playbook.

Some sentimentality, too: Before Pritzker became governor — or a force in the corporate world — he spent two years in the mid-1980s working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as a legislative assistant for North Carolina Democratic Sen. Terry Sanford. Details here

THE STATEWIDES

— Under proposed agreement, state would drop enforcement of law aimed at deterring deceptive anti-abortion practices: “A federal judge in August temporarily blocked the law from being enforced in a scathing opinion that called it ‘both stupid and very likely unconstitutional.’ The agreement [could] make the judge’s decision permanent would mark a rare victory for anti-abortion groups in a deep blue state with some of the nation’s strongest reproductive rights laws,” writes the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner.

— Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul will be in D.C. today with officials from the Biden-Harris administration and Congress and state to discuss the administration’s efforts to engage Black men nationwide, according to Raoul’s team. Others expected to attend: President Joe Biden’s senior adviser Steven Benjamin, U.S. Reps. James Clyburn (S.C.), Steven Horsford (Nev.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Under Secretary of Commerce Don Cravins and the U.S. Small Business Administration's Kendall Corley.

CHICAGO

— Inside the notorious gun shop linked to hundreds of Chicago guns: “The story of one Indiana store demonstrates how the more than 60,000 gun retailers in America have little financial incentive to say no to questionable buyers and face limited penalties for failing to prevent illegal transactions,” by ProPublica’s Vernal Coleman.

— Chicago Public Schools taps principal Joshua Long to lead its special education department, by Chalkbeat’s Samantha Smylie ,Reema Amin and Becky Vevea

— Chicago-area businesses close, dozens rally to call for cease-fire in Gaza, by the Sun-Times’ Kaitlin Washburn

DAY IN COURT

Trial date set for Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Crimo III, who will defend himself, by ABC 7’s John Garcia

The Trial of Edward Burke

— 100 secret recordings, 36 witnesses later, feds winding up case against Burke — but will defense call Solis as ‘hostile’ witness? “Burke’s defense team has promised to summon former Ald. Danny Solis to the witness stand — finally giving Burke the chance to confront the man who famously turned on him while wearing an FBI wire,” by the Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel and WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel.

Reader Digest

We asked what TV show you’d like to be featured in:

Michael Gascoigne: “Community.”

Andrew Hayes: “The Bear.”

Lucas Hawley: “Parks and Recreation,” playing Ben Wyatt.

Michael Kreloff: “West Wing,” playing Josh Lyman.

Ashvin Lad: “I would 1000 percent love to be the seventh friend on ‘Friends.’”

Kathy Posner: “The Simpsons,” as Lisa.

James Scalzitti: “A contestant on the Great British Baking Show. I don't know a choux from a boule, but I'd love to be in that tent creating fantastical cakes and pastries.”

John Straus: “West Wing,” playing President Josiah Bartlett.

Timothy Thomas Jr.: “Good Times,” playing James Evans.

Patricia Ann Watson: “Star Trek,” the original series.

For Wednesday, in a sentence, how would you change the way state government is run?

SPOTTED

— ILLINOIS REPRESENTS: Attending VP Kamala Harris’ holiday party in D.C. on Monday were Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, state Sen. Mattie Hunter and state Reps. Kam Buckner and Bob Morgan. Pic! The event also saw a protest, via POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels

FROM THE DELEGATION

— Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is calling for the repeal of Puerto Rico Act 22, which has been under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service for allowing wealthy Americans to allegedly take advantage of a generous tax incentive there. Watch the video.

TAKING NAMES

— SANTOS' CAMEO: Disgraced former congressman George Santos is now commanding $500 an hour on Cameo, the Chicago-based company that features personalized messages by quirky folks, including former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

THE NATIONAL TAKE

— Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure, attorneys say, by The Associated Press

— Pro-Israel group plans to take on Squad members, by POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy and Lisa Kashinsky

— Georgia election workers seek ‘tens of millions’ from Giuliani, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein

TRANSITIONS

— Madeline Norris has been named executive director of the Illinois Beverage Association. She remains the director of state government affairs at The Roosevelt Group and is taking the IBA position as a contract client.

— Julie Workman is now partner in the Saul Ewing law firm’s Chicago office. She was a partner at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

TRIVIA

MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Kim Morton for correctly answering that R. Sargent Shriver lived on Lakeview Avenue in Chicago, where he was a social worker for a time at the House of the Good Shepherd.

TODAY's QUESTION: What Illinois research institution has more than 200,000 living plants from 40 countries in its collection? Email skapos@politico.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Lindsay Huge, BGR Group CEO Bob Wood, Billy Goat Tavern owner Sam Sianis, businesswoman Kelly O’Brien, YWCA Chicago’s Inspired Giving VP Kathleen Jacob and Narrative Strategies Managing Director David Pasch.

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