As candidates for governor, treasurer, U.S. senate, state legislature, etc… start to posture and preen for your vote, you should be prepared to vet them very thoroughly if you meet them or their supporters.  The lack of vetting by Illinois voters becomes apparent every time disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich is seen on a late night talk show.

This is going to be an interesting election because races are being aggressively challenged.  There are at least 10 candidates for Lt. Governor alone and that isn’t even a job with any real power.

But with considerable respect to all of the candidates who will be on the ballot in Illinois in 2010, the only three races with real power to impact the Chicago Tech Community are for Governor, Illinois Treasurer and, believe it or not, Cook County Board President.  Legislators, whether they are national or state, can provide a vote.  That’s it.  They can help shape an agenda.  They can lobby and twist their colleague’s arms.  But, at the end of the day, they have one vote. So, you need to look at the executive branch races to find a “difference maker” for the Chicago Tech Community.  (more…)

The 2010 election cycle has begun and it is time to start to focus on the state-wide political races that could impact the Chicago tech community.  So, between Labor Day and the primary election (February 2, 2010), expect a brilliant display of mud-slinging, half-truths and outright lies.

Although there are other races that could impact the Chicago tech community, it would take too much of your life to follow every U.S. Congressional race and every state legislative race.  So, for the sake of brevity and sanity, the two races to watch are for Illinois Governor and the U.S. Senate currently held by Roland Burris (aka the seat formerly held by President Obama that former Governor Rod Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell).  (more…)

To-date, ChicagoTechNews.com has provided articles on what is happening in the state and local government arenas as they pertain to the Chicago Tech Community.  But, we have not spent much time addressing who is involved in this.  Essentially, if a reader is new to Chicagoland, they may not know who the players are.  Another issue that has emerged is whether the players are effective.  So, now that the State of Illinois sort of has a budget and the City of Chicago is taking their typical summer break, we will provide some background.

There is a Chicago/Illinois Politico Network and it does extend to the tech industry.  One perspective considers this a negative, implying that insiders control everything.  The other school of thought is that it is not bad and it actually benefits the Chicago Tech Community.  The key may lie in the following three questions: (more…)

Initially, ChicagoTechNews.com planned on posting an article on the Illinois Politico Network and how it extends to the Chicago Tech Community this week.  But, the Illinois General Assembly would not let that happen.

As of today, July 1, 2009, the State of Illinois entered a new fiscal year without an operational budget.  Per the Illinois Constitution, the Governor is responsible for presenting a budget and the General Assembly is responsible for presenting and approving appropriations (via legislation) to fund that budget.  (more…)

Well, I guess the General Assembly took a page from the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks play-off runs and thought that going into overtime would make them more popular.  After this session, they may need all the help they can get.

After deliberating for five months to approve a fiscal year 2010 budget, the Illinois state legislature decided to punt on deadline day — May 31st.  They approved a maintenance budget that funds the operation of state government for approximately six months.  This effort, which will never be a candidate for a new edition of JFK’s Profiles in Courage, places the onus of paring state government on the shoulders of Governor Pat Quinn.  But, more importantly, their (in)action did not address the $4.3 billion in unpaid bills from this fiscal year or projected deficits of $7.3 billion for the upcoming fiscal year that starts July 1st. (more…)

We are nearing the End Game of the 96th General Assembly of the Illinois Legislature which is  scheduled to adjourn on May 31st.  But, just like the Chicago Bulls, we tend to go into overtime periods.  If the session does go past the scheduled end – date, it should be minor (as compared to the marathon over-time sessions during the Blagojevich years).

To understand what is getting ready to happen, imagine the spokes on a wheel.  The wheel has a variety of spokes that includes areas such as transportation, public health, public safety, education, social services and economic development.  Technology is included in the economic development spoke.   But, the axle of the wheel is the budget deficit.  Everything revolves around that.  As the session continues, the wheel starts to spin faster. (more…)