Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Obama to Build Presidential Library on Chicago’s South Side - WSJ

 

The nation’s third-largest city was the front-runner from the start and, although stumbling at points, emerged from a shortlist that included New York’s Columbia University, where Mr. Obama did his undergraduate studies, and the University of Hawaii, located in the state where Mr. Obama was born.

“All the strands of my life came together and I really became a man when I moved to Chicago,” Mr. Obama said in a statement Tuesday.

President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, speaks in the East Room of the White House. President Obama will build his presidential library on Chicago’s South Side, choosing the city where his political career was born. ENLARGE

President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, speaks in the East Room of the White House. President Obama will build his presidential library on Chicago’s South Side, choosing the city where his political career was born. Photo: Associated Press

The president worked as a community organizer in Chicago and later was elected to the Illinois state senate and U.S. Senate while a resident of the city’s South Side. His wife, Michelle Obama, grew up on the South Side and worked as an administrator at The University of Chicago, which spearheaded the winning bid. The children of the president and first lady also were born here.

The library spurred not only a national competition but one among Chicago neighborhoods, with bids coming from various sections of the city, including Bronzeville, the near West Side, and the far South Side. And while the winning proposal is tied to the University of Chicago, library organizers said they plan to work with the three finalists that weren’t selected, including establishing a presence at Columbia and collaborating with University of Illinois at Chicago.

The Barack Obama Foundation still has to decide on a final site, saying it will choose between land in Washington and Jackson parks in the coming months. Plans call for the library to be part of a larger facility known as the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which will include the library, a museum and offices, and activity space. The foundation will raise the money to build the center, and after its completion, the National Archives will take over operation of the library and museum like with other presidential libraries.

While Chicago was the leader from the start, the use of parkland drew criticism, raising concerns the city would lose out. But elected officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel who served as Mr. Obama’s first chief of staff, took steps to make the public land available, and in the end, the Obamas’ deep ties to the city won out.

“Every value, every memory, every important relationship to me exists in Chicago. I consider myself a South Sider,” Mrs. Obama said.

Tuesday’s decision is likely to renew speculation on where the Obamas will live after the White House, and whether they will return to Chicago or settle elsewhere such as New York City.

Attendance at presidential libraries vary with those of recent Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attracting large numbers of visitors and the libraries of Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy remaining popular. The lowest attendance last year came at the Herbert Hoover presidential library, which was the nation’s first such library. In total, 2.5 million people visited the 13 presidential libraries last year, according to the National Archives.

Part of what went into Tuesday’s decision is the potential economic boost the library could provide to Chicago’s South Side. The area is rich in history and remains the heart of the city’s black community, but has neighborhoods that have long struggled with high unemployment and violence.

Mr. Emanuel described the library as a once in a lifetime opportunity “that will bring tremendous cultural, economic, and educational benefits to the South Side.”

Read the entire story:  Obama to Build Presidential Library on Chicago’s South Side - WSJ

In Illinois Capitol, lobbying a growing business : News

 

SPRINGFIELD — When it comes to his pledge to grow business in Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner's presence in the Capitol has triggered an increase in one at least one sector.

According to a review of state records, the number of lobbyists patrolling the marble-floored statehouse is at its highest level in five years.

While some say the uptick is linked to having a Republican in the governor's office for the first time in 12 years, others believe a push by utility companies for favorable changes in state law is playing a role.

"With the new administration, there are those who do business with the state who feel the need to have more direct contact with executive branch employees," said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington.

In addition, the change in administration has left former members of Gov. Pat Quinn's inner circle and former lawmakers ready to cash in their connections working as lobbyists.

According to a review of state lobbying records requested by the The Southern's Springfield Bureau, 1,733 lobbyists registered with the Illinois Secretary of State's office from January through April.

The number is up from 1,700 during the same time period last year and up by nearly 100 lobbyists who registered in 2013.

It means there are nearly 10 lobbyists for each of the state's 177 members of the House and the Senate.

The numbers also show a move away from companies having their own, in-house lobbying teams. So far this year, there are 1,973 lobbying entities or organizations, up from 1,763 five years ago.

That's an indication that more businesses are outsourcing their lobbying efforts by contracting with specific lobbying companies, said David Weisbaum, director of the Illinois Secretary of State Index Department, which administers the state lobbying law.

Brady attributes some of the increase to the energy sector, in which major state utilities are looking to Springfield to help their profit margin.

"They are gearing up with more lobbyists to more effectively get their message out," Brady said.

Among businesses that have gone on a lobbyist hiring spree is Exelon Generation, which has assembled a team of 16 lobbyists this spring, up from eight last year.

The company is threatening to close nuclear power plants in Clinton, Cordova and Byron unless the General Assembly approves a plan that would guarantee utility power buys from low greenhouse gas sources such as its nuke plants.

The roster of Exelon hires includes lobbyists with strong ties to both Republicans and Democrats. Former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady is on board, as are Eric Madiar and Ron Holmes, both of whom were top aides to Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

AT&T and its subsidiaries have a similarly large contingent of lobbyists as the telecommunications giant seeks legislation that would allow it to spend less money on the upkeep of its older landline infrastructure.

Among its army of lobbyists is former state Sen. Denny Jacobs, D-East Moline, and a host of contractors with strong Republican connections.

A key lobbying observer says he's not so sure the increase can be linked to the push by Exelon and AT&T.

"There's always something like that going on," said Keith Sias, a Springfield-based lobbyists with the Illinois Credit Union League.

Sias, who is heading up the Illinois Third House this year, which is an organization for statehouse lobbyists, said he's not aware of any particular changes in state law that would have triggered more people to register.

When it comes to wining and dining lawmakers, the biggest spending lobbying organization so far in 2015 is the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which is headed by First Lady Diana Rauner. Reports show the group, which is a public-private partnership that prepares children for success in school and in life, has spent $132,415 to wine and dine lawmakers this year.

The Illinois Association of Park Districts has spent $87,151 this year on lawmakers and public officials as part of its lobbying efforts.

In Illinois Capitol, lobbying a growing business : News