McHenry County Blog

I have previously suggested that when one sees one's legislator being quoted by Chicago media, that's impressive.

I know I was impressed the first time I saw former Crystal Lake State Rep. (then, State Comptroller and Appellate Judge, now Federal District Judge) George Lindberg on Chicago TV.

So, State Rep. Jack Franks' constituents can be excused for being impressed with seeing Franks face on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.

He wasn't there because he won a great legislative victory.

Actually, he was there because he lost and the Chicago Tribune wanted to stick it to Governor Rod Blagojevich.

The Tribune has been campaigning without mercy to put a recall constitutional amendment on this fall's ballot.

No such luck.

The governor bought off too many Democrats in the state senate.

So, what does Franks do with this follow-up on his bulk purchase of prescription drug idea, which, incidentally, didn't seem to live up to its hype?

I figure Franks will run for a statewide office.

Of course, he would have the active opposition of Senate President Emil Jones in any such effort, but Franks is one who might be willing to role the dice.

You do notice that he has dumped the beard he was wearing the last time he was in the Chicago media spotlight.

Since the Democrats don't have any farm team in McHenry County, that means his district can probably be recaptured. So what Republican wants to drive 3½ to 4 hours each way to and from Springfield in return for virtually no influence?

Labels: 63rd District, Beard, Jack Franks, Recall

As the only state representative since the memory of anyone in the Legislative Reference Bureau, as of 1974, to file an impeachment resolution, I think it's time for another one.

The Ali Ata guilty plea agreement implicates the governor seriously enough to merit the filing of and serious hearings on an impeachment resolution, in my opinion.

Read the Impeachment article in the State Constitution yourself:

IMPEACHMENT

The House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct legislative investigations to determine the existence of cause for impeachment and, by the vote of a majority of the members elected, to impeach Executive and Judicial officers. Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, Senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law. If the Governor is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators elected. Judgment shall not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to hold any public office of this State. An impeached officer, whether convicted or acquitted, shall be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law. (emphasis added)

If selling a job is not sufficient reason for impeachment, what would be?

Read what Ata says happened:

“(Tony) Rezko, carrying the check, ushered the defendant into a conference room where he met with Rezko and Public Official A.

“Rezko placed the envelope containing the defendant's $25,000 check to Public Official A's campaign on the conference room table between himself and Public Official A and stated to Public Official A that the defendant had been a good supporter and a team player and that the defendant would be willing to join Public Official A's administration.

“Public Official A expressed his pleasure and acknowledged that the defendant had been a good supporter and good friend. Public Official A, in defendant's presence, asked Rezko if he (Rezko) had talked to the defendant about positions in the administration, and Rezko responded that he had.”

Rezko solicited and got another $25,000 from Ata.

“Thereafter, the defendant had a conversation with Public Official A at a large fund-raising event at Navy Pier. During this conversation, Public Official A told defendant that he had been a good supporter, indicated that Public Official A was aware that the defendant had made another substantial donation to Public Official A's campaign, and told the defendant that Public Official A understood that he was considering taking a position, and Public Official A stated that it had better be a job where the defendant could make some money.”

Don't tell me that Speaker Mike Madigan doesn't have access to skillful lawyers.

There is no reason to futz around with recall when state representatives can put some of these Rod Blagojevich sleaze bags under oath and replace the “Official A” of the plea agreement with the governor's name.

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The photo of the adoration of Rod Blagojevich comes from the Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2007.

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Trivia question: Which one of Governor Dan Walker's directors did I file an impeachment resolution against? Bonus question: What were the grounds?

Labels: Ali Ata, Impeachment, Mike Madigan, Recall, Rod Blagojevich, Tony Rezko

Most politicians have figured out that the public is less accepting of men with beards than those who are clean-shaven.

So, imagine my surprise to see a bearded State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) on television Tuesday night before last arguing for his constitutional amendment to allow the recall of statewide officers, plus state legislators.

You will remember that last week he stripped out recall of judges.

When I looked at the black and white version in the Chicago Tribune, he resembled Roger Stanley, the former GOP state representative who admitting bribing Crystal Lake Illinois State Medical Society super lobbyist Don Udstuen in Udstuen's role as a member of the Metra board.

But Roger Stanley had bigger hair though.

Could the beard have been grown with a premonition that Franks would have no fall opponent?

Regardless, the deadline has passed and the McHenry County Republican Party has again failed to field an opponent for Franks.

Even though its new chairman is State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake).

This is the second election in a row that the McHenry County Republican Party has given Franks a free ride.

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The picture of a broadly smiling State Rep. Jack Franks was taken at a budget hearing on March 19, 2008. The one of State Rep. Mike Tryon was taken at the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee candidates' night before the February 5th primary election. Tryon was the McHenry County Republican Central Committee's presumptive chairman at that point.

Labels: 63rd District, Beard, Jack Franks, McHenry County Republican Central Committee, Mike Tryon, Recall

The constitutional amendment sparked by dissatisfaction with Governor Rod Blagojevich's performance in office passed the Illinois House today 75-33 with 3 voting “Present.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin McDermott reported the following, which certainly adds flavor to the soup:

"'Our last governor is sitting in a federal penitentiary. Our current governor is mired in a number of federal and state investigations,' Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, the measure’s sponsor, reminded House members."

Sponsored by Marengo's Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks, the measure faces an uncertain future in the state senate because Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) is pretty much locked at the hip with Governor Blagojevich.

It's hard to find someone who thinks the proposed change in the Illinois State Constitution will be called for a vote. If called, however, it would go directly to the voters, because Illinois governors have no role in the approval process.

Click to enlarge the roll call vote.

Labels: Emil Jones, Jack Franks, Recall, Rod Blagojevich

Reading my Chicago Sun-Times at breakfast I noticed two stories about Springfield.

One was of about State Rep. Jack Franks' committee hearing about the $1 million promised to Pilgrim Baptist Church after the landmark building burned down.

The million went to the unrelated private Loop Lab School run by convicted felon Chandra Gill, it turns out, which Governor Rod Blagojevich had to pardon for the school to get the money.

Franks got his name in the paper on page 4, but appears in the headline only as “Rep.”

A second article on the same page tells of Franks' amending his recall constitutional amendment to exclude judges.

But no headline credit for Franks again.

He deserves one and there it is right on top.

Franks and his father Herb go fishing with judges and retired judges.

Labels: Headline, Herb Franks, Illinios General Assembly, Jack Franks, Recall

Two people who attended the Thursday press conference where State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Bull Valley) continued his “trash the governor” campaign wrote what they saw.

Bethany Jaeger, who writes for Illinois Issues, a monthly magazine on things political and governmental in Illinois, wrote this about the Thursday press conference held by Franks and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn.

Franks is quoted as saying,

“I don’t think I would have written it but for what’s going on in Illinois this year. You talk about the perfect storm. It’s like this governor is the poster child for recall.”

As the press conference was going on, blogger Dan Johnson-Weinberger put up two posts on Illinoize, a statewide aggregator blog to which I contribute, as the press conference was being held.

In his first post, the part of which is about Franks follows (used with permission of the author):

“A ton of press. More Chicago cameras than I've seen in a while.

“Jack Franks says that this empowers the electorate and the issue isn't about partisan politics since the Governor supports the provision (is that true, at least conceptually?). Jack's thought process, as he is sharing it, is his disappointments with the Blagojevich Administration (executive order 1 setting up a hiring freeze moving over to scandals in hiring).

”Andy Shaw interrupts to say, 'Jack, can you wrap it up?'"

”Jack's getting a little angry talking about the lack of good government.

“Carol Marin interrupts to say it's about Rod Blagojevich.

”Jack says yes, because I am hearing this from my constituents and they want to know why these things are happening.

”Mike Flannery says but we have elections.

"Jack says that new information comes to light after elections, where he promised James Meeks to put 10 billion into education and campaigned on that but after election, tries to put the money into universal health care. Where's the accountability?

"That's a fair point..."

And, from the second post, which is mainly about Lt. Governor Pat Quinn:

“Franks said this would be on the top of his legislative agenda next year.”

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The picture of State Rep. Jack Franks and WBBM-TV political reporter Mike Flannery was taken at McHenry County College before the 8th congressional district debate, held before Labor Day. It was the last debate in which Congresswoman Melissa Bean particpated.

Dan Johnson-Weinberger is a University of Chicago Law School graduate who is a lobbyist, among other things, including being a blogger.

I did note that the proposed constitutional amendment treats legislators differently from statewide officials. To obtain a recall vote on a governor, for instance, one has to obtain signatures equal to 12% of the people who voted for the office. For state legislators an judges, the percentage is 20%.

Do I sense a lack of equal protection under the law?

Labels: Dan Johnson-Weinberger, Illinois Issues, Jack Franks, Pat Quinn, Recall

I see that Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks is taking up the cause I lost in the 1970's.

Back when I was young and naive, I introduced a bill to allow voters to recall their public officials.

Of course, it didn't get out of committee.

I've often said since that Illinois voters should consider themselves lucky because they get a periodic vote. When elections were consolidated, the township schedule had to be changed. The choice was either to cut the terms off after two years or extend them by two years.

You can guess what happened.

I was so perturbed that I had a bill drafted to make the office of township supervisor hereditary. I didn't have the guts to introduce it, though.

Franks has gone me one better by introducing a constitutional amendment. It's probably just to taunt Governor Rod Blagojevich. It will receive a fate similar to my bill.

Incumbent politicians just have too much at stake in the status quo.

Can you imagine how much more responsive McHenry County College trustees would be if they could be threatened with recall?

Enough rambling. Here's the press release:

Franks Proposes Amending
Illinois Constitution to Allow Recall Elections

SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Jack Franks on Wednesday afternoon filed a resolution for an amendment to the Illinois constitution to allow recall elections for state officials. House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 is similar to California’s constitutional procedure for a recall election that led to the removal of Gov. Gray Davis from office in 2003.

“The current situation in this state is unacceptable. I would be letting down the citizens of the state of Illinois if I did not confront this problem,” Franks said. “The governor’s inability to lead has proven that the citizens of our state need a way to remove incompetent officials from office, even when an election is still years away.”

Franks’ amendment would allow for elections to recall the state’s executive branch officers, members of the General Assembly, and supreme, appellate and circuit court judges. To initiate the process, a petition alleging a reason for recall would be filed with the secretary of state. The proponents of the petition would have 160 days to collect signatures. For members of the General Assembly and judges, the petition would require a number of signatures equal to 20 percent of the last vote for office in their districts, while a petition to remove an executive branch officer would require 12 percent. If a petition was filed to recall the current governor, for example, it would require 418,559 signatures, based on the 2006 gubernatorial vote.

An election would be held between 60 and 80 days after the sufficient number of signatures are certified to determine if an official should be recalled and, if necessary, select a replacement.

Gov. Blagojevich has not participated in the most recent legislative leaders’ meetings during the record-breaking overtime session. Blagojevich’s latest comments indicate that he will shut down state government if all of his budget demands are not met.

“The governor’s actions will have real consequences for the people of this state,” Franks said. “This extraordinary effort is necessary to protect the public from abuses of governmental power and to reinforce our system of checks and balances. Eighteen other states already have similar legislation in place. Illinoisans should also have the right to recall elected officials.”

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 was referred to the Rules Committee on Wednesday. For more information, please contact Franks’ constituent service office at 815-334-0063.

Labels: Jack Franks, Recall