| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | | Presented by |  | | | Happy Tuesday, Illinois. A week later, and we’re still on election watch.
|  | TOP TALKER | | | | 
Bob Clark, center, the founder and board chair of Chicago-based Clayco, is helping employees reduce student debt. | Clayco photo | BOB CLARK, a Chicago businessman and Democratic donor, thinks the corporate world needs to step in to help eliminate student debt. He’s started a new program at his Clayco real estate development and construction firm to help employees clear their student bills. Ripple effect: “Student debt impacts our overall economy because the money is really flowing to these predatory lenders. These students can't even file bankruptcy,” Clark said in an interview with Playbook. Clark, the executive chair and founder of Clayco, has started a program to reduce the repayment time frame. How it started: Clark was prompted to do something after talking to an employee a few years out of college with an architecture degree. “She was hanging outside my office, so we started talking. She said she had these student loans. She said, ‘They're taking all of my money,’” Clark said of their conversation and ticking off the fees and interest rates that make paying back debt so difficult. The young architect estimated she owed $120,000 and would be tackling the debt for years. Clark comes from humble beginnings, unable to go to college himself because of the price. He built his company into a powerhouse and has since become a noted philanthropist and political donor. He took a sabbatical to travel on the campaign trail with former President Barack Obama. After talking to the young architect, Clark surveyed current Clayco employees and discovered 10 percent of some 3,000 workers are dealing with debt. He was stunned and concerned knowing that it can affect credit and well-being, which in turn hurts employee productivity. ‘It’s terrifying’: “We have a 38-year-old architect, whose debt is higher than it was when she started because of penalties and interest. her credit is ruined. It’s just really a terrifying experience for these people,” Clark said. How the debt repayment program works: Clark pushed to create a program to help employees, and his team came up with the Clayco Student Loan Repayment Plan. The only requirement for participation is that the employee makes at least the minimum payment each month toward their debt. Clayco starts by paying $100 per month to directly reduce the principal balance on employees’ student loans. After participating for 12-months, Clayco increases the monthly payments by $50 per month and continues increasing the monthly payments each subsequent 12-month period to a maximum of $250 per month. The impact: Clark says the program is projected to reduce the repayment time frame by almost 40 percent. What’s happening in Washington: Clayco’s debt repayment program comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower. The Biden administration has remained committed to cutting student debt. Fresh start: On Monday, Illinois Atty. Gen. Kwame Raoul issued a statement urging residents whose eligible federal student loans have gone into default to enroll in the U.S. Department of Education’s Fresh Start program before the Sept. 30 deadline to apply. That’s a good start, says Clark, but he still wants to see corporate America do more. “I don’t know why more companies aren’t doing this,” he said, ticking off the benefits for Clayco, from employee well-being to company retention. “We’ve noticed a difference.”
| | THE BUZZ | | TIGHT AS A TICK | Eileen O’Neill Burke keeps razor-thin lead in State’s Attorney primary: “Clayton Harris III slightly shrank O’Neill Burke’s lead to 1,643 votes as of Monday evening. About 5,200 mail ballots from Chicago and suburban Cook County were counted in the race on Monday,” by the Block Club’s Quinn Myers. If you are Kwame Raoul, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | A message from Amazon: When Nadia started expanding her small business beyond her hometown, she turned to Amazon to help with shipping. “Fulfillment by Amazon makes shipping our products so easy,” she said. Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. Learn how Amazon innovates for sellers. | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | In California on an economic mission.
| | | WHERE's BRANDON | | | No official public events.
| | | Where's Toni | | No official public events. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | Access New York bill updates and Congressional activity in areas that matter to you, and use our exclusive insights to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more. | | | | | | | CONVENTION ZONE | | — Navy Pier will be a party hot spot for the Democratic National Convention: “There’s a thirst and there’s a hunger for coming together again,” said Mickey Ibarra, the founder and chairman of the Latino Leaders Network, who has hosted a convention luncheon honoring Latino leaders since 2004. Ibarra already booked Chicago’s Navy Pier, which has emerged as one of the most sought-after venues this convention cycle. The DNC used it for an event with state Democratic parties in September. And party planners hired to put together large events the week of the convention say there’s a lot of excitement to throw a blow-out event this year,” via POLITICO's West Wing Playbook.
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — Illinois’ top parole official quits amid controversy over release of man accused of killing boy, 11, and attacking mother: Illinois Prisoner Review Board’s Donald Shelton quits amid controversy over release of man accused of killing an 11-year-old boy and attacking his mother, by the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner. — Library turmoil: Illinois' Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias criticized the recent firing of three Metropolis Public Library Board District Trustees. Last month, the Metropolis Public Library board fired director Rosemary Baxter for violating library policy … including failing to “separate personal convictions” from her job. From his statement: “Parents have the right and the responsibility to restrict their children’s access to library resources — not anyone else’s children. This inflammatory rhetoric employed by certain individuals in Metropolis — which has included referring to book-banning opponents as ‘Evil,’ ‘the Enemy’ and even ‘Satan’ and warnings of violence and moral corruption – has been harmful, divisive and dangerous.” Here’s the full statement.
| | SPOTLIGHT | | — WORLD VIEWS: Chicago is so much more than “deep dish pizza, Al Capone and Michael Jordan,” Glenn Eden, board chair of Choose Chicago told a group of Francophiles gathered to meet Laurent Bili, the French ambassador to the United States on Monday. Bili was in town to learn more about Chicago and its deep connections to France. “We are a city of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. We are a region explored by [Jacques] Marquette, Juliette [Kinzie] and [René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur] de La Salle,” Eden told the crowd gathered at the Chicago History Museum. In an interview with the Tribune, the French ambassador warned that freedom is at stake in stalemate over Ukraine aid, by Rick Pearson It was a day of cultural awareness: The consul general of Israel to the Midwest, Yinam Cohen, hosted leaders of Chicago’s Indian and Jewish communities for an interfaith celebration of Holi and Purim. And the consul general of Greece in Chicago, Emmanuel Koubarakis and his spouse, Georgia Tasiopoulou, hosted a reception at the Union League Club to mark Greek Independence Day, which commemorates the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821. Special guest: Greek basketball great Nikos Galis and former Bulls star Dennis Rodman (maybe, because we’re a basketball town, too).
| | | | A message from Amazon:   | | | | | CHICAGO | | — CTU negotiations will feature a new battleground this year: Springfield: “While the mayor and union appear in lockstep on their vision for the school system, the city likely won’t have the money for more staffing and resources in schools. So the CTU says it’s shifting its target from City Hall to Springfield,” by the Sun-Times’ Nader Issa and WBEZ’s Sarah Karp. — City Council’s Progressive Caucus responds to ‘Bring Chicago Home’ defeat with ‘we heard you’ humility: “The caucus’ statement Monday was in stark contrast to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s defiant tone after Chicago voters rejected a referendum last week to combat homelessness,” by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman. — Some City Council members call for censuring Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez who attended rally where U.S. flag was burned, by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman. … The Marine veteran who burned the flag at City Hall speaks out, by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel — Migrants to be moved out of five Chicago Park District sites, by CBS 2’s Todd Feurer and Sabrina Franza — Former Ald. Ed Burke retires on his own terms as a lawyer after the Illinois Supreme Court refused to pull his law license, by WBEZ’s Dave McKinney and the Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel — Inside two Ccassic Chicago Italian restaurants: Italian Village and Coco Pazzo, by Tom Hyland for Forbes — Steppenwolf’s “Purpose” skewers the Jesse Jackson Jr. story: “‘Purpose,’ is fictional. But the show, directed by Phylicia Rashad, is set in what looks like Chicago’s Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood when an iconic civil rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., Solomon ‘Sonny’ Jasper, played by Harry Lennix, and his enabling wife Claudine (Tamara Tunie) are celebrating their son’s ‘homecoming’ from prison,” writes the Tribune’s Chris Jones, adding it’s a “not to be missed” production.
| | | DAY IN COURT | | | — Illinois federal judges rescind diversity policies after conservatives complain: “Three federal judges in Illinois have rescinded policies giving women and minority lawyers early in their careers more opportunities to argue cases in court that had become the subject of misconduct complaints by two conservative legal groups,” by Reuters’ Nate Raymond.
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) has been honored with the annual AIDS Foundation Chicago Impact Award for her work to promote health equity in federal policies, and her efforts to protect funding for HIV care and prevention services for Illinoisans.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked if the company let you choose your work hours, what would they be? Charles Keller: “Ten hours a day four days a week. Then I could get on the golf course at least one day a week without paying the weekend rates and would miss experiencing those five-hour weekend rounds.” Timothy Thomas Jr.: “In as much as I am gainfully employed as C.R.O. of my own company (chief retirement officer), I would not change a thing However, during my working years, an 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. four-days-a week schedule would have been nice.” Michael Marsh: “I would work 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The end time would allow me enough time to travel to events after work.” Wayne Williams: “10 a.m. to 6 p.m. so you miss the morning and evening rush hours and get a few hours in the morning to work out.” NEXT QUESTION: If you had an unlimited budget, where would you throw a party?
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), alongside state and local elected officials, has sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Region 5 Regional Administrator Debra Shore supporting the EPA’s ongoing investigation into pollution in the Collateral Channel. Read the letter here — Sen. Dick Durbin took part in an “informational picket” during U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s visit to Downers Grove on Monday. The picketers object to DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan. — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) will host the White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young in East St. Louis and Alton today.
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Harris finds herself, often, a half step further than Biden on Israel, by POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels, Alexander Ward and Jonathan Lemire — RFK Jr.'s family trust earns thousands from an oil and gas company, by POLITICO’s Brittany Gibson — Why Chuck Todd’s scorcher against NBC matters, by POLITICO’s Jack Shafer
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See how Amazon fosters growth. | | | | | TRANSITIONS | | — Sam Royko is now senior counsel at Dykema, an Am Law 200 firm. He was with the L&G Law Group.
| | | IN MEMORIAM | | — Frank Cicero Jr., attorney and historian who helped draft Illinois’ constitution, dies at 88, by Bob Goldsborough for the Tribune
| | TRIVIA | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, Bridget Hatch and Leo Driscoll for correctly answering that former Illinois Gov. John Henry Stelle was known as the father of the GI Bill. TODAY's QUESTION: What downstate town is the birthplace of Miracle Whip salad dressing? Email skapos@politico.com
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