Public Access Counselor Cara Smith writes, "any right to privacy of applicants for aldermanic positions, however, does not outweigh the public's legitimate interest in obtaining information regarding the process for filling vacancies in the City Council."
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Robert Reich's Blog: What's Ahead for the Economy and Politics in 2010
Reich’s view that there is only a 30% chance of below 10% unemployment.
Dems have enough votes to enact health care -- the hurdle Bill Clinton failed to jump, contributing to the Republican takeover in 1994 -- but when it's enacted, expect the spin machines on both sides to be at full throttle
Foreign policy is just as unlikely to tip the scales….
Issue Number One -- the overriding concern that will determine more than anything how many seats the Dems lose next fall -- is jobs…
10 percent or more [unemployment] next November, the Dems are in danger of losing the House and will almost certainly be short of the 60 votes they need in the Senate.
Click on the following for all of the details: Robert Reich's Blog
Our View: More attacks on FOIA law | Daily Chronicle
FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] has been under attack from lawmakers. Some examples:
• The Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010, legislation designed to hold teachers and principals more accountable, included a nondisclosure provision prohibiting the release of performance evaluations for teachers, principals and superintendents.
• House Bill 5154 would exempt from FOIA performance evaluations for all public employees.
• Senate Bill 3040 would exempt from FOIA the performance evaluations of police officers.
• House Bill 5069 would increase the amount that public bodies can charge for copies by eliminating the limit of 15 cents a page, the $1 limit for certification, and the requirement that the first 50 pages be provided free.
• Senate Bill 2978 would allow agencies to withhold employee disciplinary records short of a criminal conviction, and expands governments’ ability to withhold records by citing ongoing investigations.
• House Bill 5143 would prohibit the release of “files and personal information” of any applicant for a professional license or any license holder facing discipline
Click on the following for this editorial: Our View: More attacks on FOIA law | Daily Chronicle
Bank of Illinois [Normal, Il] fails; Heartland takes over
Friday's closure capped months of speculation about the 96-year-old bank's future. Questions began when state and federal regulators last year found the bank was undercapitalized as a result of its recession-battered commercial real-estate loan portfolio. The bank had unsuccessfully sought a buyer in hopes of avoiding failure.
The Bank of Illinois had $211.7 million in assets, $198.5 million in deposits and about 45 employees at the end of 2009….Heartland's was one of seven bids submitted for the bank from a group of 394 potential bidders identified by the FDIC,
The failure cost the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund $53.7 million.
Click on the following for more details: Bank of Illinois fails; Heartland takes over
Slow income has Winnebago County considering loans
When will Boone County’s Board Chairman [Bob Walberg] start talking about the realities of our county’s finances? See http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/02/boone-county-revenues-fall-even-lower.html
a bit more than $800,000 in the red for the first quarter of its 2010 budget year, compared with estimates made last fall. Similarly, revenues in the county’s public safety sales tax fund are roughly $278,000 behind benchmarks set last fall.
For more on the Winnebago story click on the following: Slow income has Winnebago County considering loans - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
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