QUOTE OF THE DAY
Chicago Sun Times: Navy Pier’s private operator exempt from public records law
Chicago’s Navy Pier — touted as the biggest tourist attraction in Illinois — has long been a patronage haven where political insiders turned for jobs and lucrative deals to sell everything from expensive meals to gumballs.
Who was cashing in used to be a matter of public record. It no longer is, since the state of Illinois and City Hall turned over operation of the government-owned pier to a private, not-for-profit group three years ago for $1-a-year rent.
Navy Pier Inc. doesn’t have to explain how it’s spending $115 million in government bonds that were sold to pay for a face-lift for the 98-year-old pier, either.
Crain’s: The garbage clout list: Free pickup for thousands
You might call it a truly stinky clout list, one that provides a much nicer perk than a mere free garbage cart.
In a town where lots of people gets lots of favors at the public’s expense, thousands of nonprofit groups and small apartment buildings improperly have been getting free city garbage service in the past decade, costing taxpayers more than $6.5 million a year, Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson charged today.
A report released by the inspector general found that the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation provided free garbage pickup to at least 1,393 properties, many of them owned by churches, schools and other charities, and at least a few occupied by aldermanic ward offices. No law authorizes the free service, Mr. Ferguson said in his report.
Vermont News Source: Home Buyers Will Pay More To Live In Towns With School Choice, Study Shows
A new study co-authored by a former University of Vermont professor concludes that parents are willing to pay more for houses in towns that offer school choice than in towns where the public school is their only option.
But some public school advocates are skeptical about those findings.
About 90 Vermont towns pay tuition vouchers for students who choose to attend a private school or a public school in a different town. Of those towns, 20 have no schools of their own. David Harrison, a professor of finance at Texas Tech University, used to teach at the University of Vermont, and he wanted to know whether real estate values are higher in Vermont’s voucher towns than in areas that do not offer school choice.
Chicago Sun Times: Tourism agency won’t say how it spends government millions
Choose Chicago — the city’s convention and tourism bureau — gets half of its money from government agencies, but it won’t tell the public how it spends it.
And it doesn’t have to, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, because it’s a not-for-profit corporation.
Half of Choose Chicago’s funding comes from the city of Chicago and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the government agency known as McPier that also leases office space to the tourism group.
Crain’s: Bond market likes charter school scores
The charter school bond market is back, and even a Securities and Exchange Commission action against Chicago-based UNO Charter School Network Inc. this month for defrauding bondholders is unlikely to slow that growth.
Charter schools nationally raised $1.3 billion in bond offerings last year, the most since they were first issued in 1998. Investors eager for higher yields are fueling the market, which is dominated by junk bonds.
UNO’s problems are “typical of some charter schools, of growing pains and getting the management house in order,” says Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC analyst Carlotta Mills, whose agency gave that network a low investment grade rating with a “stable outlook.”
Daily Herald: Lawmaker signs most subpoenas for Quinn program
A key Democratic lawmaker has signed most of seven subpoenas for former state officials linked to Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2010 anti-violence program that state auditors have blasted for mismanagement.
State Rep. Frank Mautino is co-chair of the Legislative Audit Commission. He tells The Associated Press Tuesday that he’s signed five of seven subpoenas, including for Quinn’s former chief of staff. A subcommittee voted for the subpoenas Monday, but they needed Mautino’s signature.
The subpoenas compel the former officials to turn over documents and testify over two days next month.
Daily Herald: Quinn cuts some free parking for state employees
Gov. Pat Quinn says the state is going to cut about 35 percent of its paid parking spaces for state employees in downtown Chicago.
In a Tuesday news release, his office says eliminating 80 paid spots will save roughly $100,000 yearly. Quinn spokesman Grant Klinzman says the majority are spots for shared cars parked in garages that state employees can use. The move cuts the total number of paid spots from 226 to 146.
Quinn says the decision was part of an ongoing budget review.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
