Mediaboss Marketing

A Republican congressional candidate has been removed from his seat on a suburban school board after he was accused of violating his oath of office by suing the district and state officials over the mask mandate in schools.

The Oak Lawn High School District 229 board voted Wednesday night to remove Rob Cruz from the panel. Cruz, an Oak Lawn resident who's running for the 6th House District seat now held by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove, was elected to the school board last year.

In an email Thursday, Cruz said he is disappointed by the board's actions and expressed concern that it didn't follow proper procedure -- although he acknowledged not knowing what the proper procedure might be.

As of Thursday morning, Cruz's name and photo had been removed from the Web page for the District 229 board.

Cruz had come under fire by his peers on the board and District 229 administrators for filing a lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state schools Superintendent Carmen Ayala in August over the state's mask order. The suit, filed in Cook County circuit court, noted Cruz was acting "in his official capacity as a Member of the Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 School Board."

Under state law, school board members cannot take action on their own or on behalf of the board or district. The school board has formally said it doesn't support litigation against Pritzker or Ayala and that District 229 will follow directives from the state.

The first lawsuit was dismissed. Cruz filed a second lawsuit in early September that added District 229 as a defendant. That case, filed in Sangamon County, has cost the district more than $25,000 to defend, documents indicate.

The second suit also violated a state law that states board members should protect their districts from lawsuits, District 229 officials said. The lawsuit created a conflict of interest for Cruz, too, officials alleged.

The second lawsuit was dismissed as well, officials said.

Additionally, officials said Cruz violated state law and board policy by speaking about government overreach at a Lyons Township High School District 204 board meeting in November, at which he identified himself as a District 229 board member despite not being previously authorized to speak on the board's behalf.

District 229 officials also accused Cruz of violating his oath and the board's code of conduct by using his status as a board member to promote his congressional campaign in a December news release.

The school board voted 6-1 to remove Cruz by declaring a vacancy on the panel. Cruz cast the lone dissenting vote. It'll be up to the board to appoint a successor.

Cruz is one of three GOP candidates running for Casten's congressional seat. The newly redrawn 6th District includes much of the western and southwestern suburbs.

The other Republicans in the contest are Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and first-time candidate Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn.

Casten is seeking reelection. Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Newman of La Grange, who now serves the 3rd District, also is running for the 6th District post.

See the original post:
Republican candidate for 6th Congressional seat removed from school board after suing over mask mandate - Daily Herald

When your home is infested with termites you are completely unaware of the damage they are doing to the foundation of your home. As the strength of the beams and basement diminishes you go happily about your life.

Republican termites are eating the foundation of our democracy one bite at a time. Voter suppression is a subtle means to make sure only the right candidates are elected. Gerrymandering is a process that takes place in the dark and destroys the democracy our founders imagined. Add to that the spread of conspiracy theories and lies, and the rot continues.

Free and fair elections are our only protection from the infestation of the people who would trade power for your freedom. Ignoring the infestation because the house is still standing is the fatal mistake that allows the termites to prosper and your home to collapse.

Mike Quinn lives in Bismarck.

This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.

Follow this link:
Letter: The Republican infestation - INFORUM

IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey talks about homicides in Indy

IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey talks about the complicated issues of homicide in Indianapolis, 'We didn't get here overnight. We're certainly not going to turn it around overnight.'

Kelly Wilkinson, Indianapolis Star

A package of five bills proposed by state Senate Republicans in response to rising violence in Indianapolis received pushback during a committee hearing Tuesday, with some questioning both the reach andconstitutionality of portions of the measures.

Nearly two dozen people spoke for and against the series of bills, whichwould reshape how bail is administered for those accused of violent crimes, increase oversight of pretrial monitoring andzero-in on high-crime areas in Indianapolis. Authors of the bills claimthe measures are aimed at "reducing crime in Marion County and the state as a whole."

More: Indiana Senate Republicans announce bills restricting bail and who can pay bonds

Several state senators, judges and a number of attorneys questionedthe restrictions the bills would place on bail during a passionate discussion that became tense at times.

Among the proposals in question Tuesday was Senate Bill 6, whichwould effectively eliminate the use of surety bonds for people accused of violent crimes. The bill, proposed by Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, would require someone charged with a crimeto pay in full the minimum cash bail amount for "an offender's most serious offense."

Sen. Sue Glick, R-La Grange, during the hearing noted the legislation seems to be "zeroing in on the poor." Glick said the bill would mean only people with money would be able to afford bond, asking Young: "Only rich people with cash are going to get it, correct?

"No," Young answered,"because theres no rich people in Marion County thats committing these crimes.

The legislation, Young said, was driven in part by recent instances in which people serving a post-conviction sentence or out on pretrial release were later accused of committinga homicide.

There are 1,475 people on pretrial electronic monitoring in Marion County, according to court officials who spoke at the hearing. Of those, 85% have not committed a new offense while on pretrial release, and 92% appear for their court dates.

Data from Marion County Community Corrections, which oversees post-conviction monitoring, indicates that of the 238 homicide suspects identified between March 2018 and February 2020 by Indianapolis police, 12 about 5% were on post-conviction monitoring.

Some questioned the constitutionality of requiring those accused of violent crimes to pay only cash bond. Other states, like Ohio, have previously found similar measures unconstitutional, the director ofthe American Bail Coalition, a trade association that underwrites bail bonds, noted. And an Indiana judge said the provision raises "a constitutional concern" over the right to bail.

Glick also took issue with a portion of the bill that holds only close family members can post bail for someone accused of violent crimes. The measure alsowould prevent the courtfrom lowering bail past the amount laid out in a county's bail schedule. It seemed, Glick said, that legislators were taking their opinions and want to "substitute it for that of the judges and the prosecutors."

Others largely echoed those concerns, saying the bail regulations "create two classes of people." Representatives from the Indiana Public Defender Council and the VeraInstitute of Justice, which advocates for alternatives to jailing, noted spending time in jail also could make someone more likely to reoffend.

Judge Mark Spitzer, a circuit court judge in Grant County, said the Indiana Judges Associationis concerned the bill takes away judicial discretion. Judges "keep in mind the constitutional presumption of innocence" for those charged with crimes, Spitzer said, and consider the facts of different situations when deciding on bond. Mandating judges set a minimum bail, he suggested, limits them.

Senate Bill 8, authored by State Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, aims to restrict how charitable bail funds help low-income people who are in custody and awaiting trial.

More: Indiana Senate Republicans announce bills restricting bail and who can pay bonds

Notably, Freeman's bill prevents the nonprofit organizations from bailing out people accused of felonies limiting them to depositing bonds of up to $2,000 "for an indigent person charged with a misdemeanor."

Glick and Taylor, the Democratic senator, pushed back on the effort, with Glick asking why the bill targets charitable bail funds and does not include bail bondsmen, who also post bonds for people accused of violent crimes, and Taylor noting judges set the bonds that these organizations pay.

"I think all these bills are well intentioned," Glick said. "I just question some of the... you know, in the attempt to kill a gnat, I think we're using a cannon."

Freeman said the bill does nottarget "any one organization" but said he started working on the billwhen he learnedthat "public tax dollars were being given to charitable organizations for the purposes of bail."

The Bail Project, which began work in Marion County in 2018, received $150,000 in city grants between 2019 and 2021, according to the mayor's office. Those funds, however, "were not directed towards paying direct cash bail for individuals," the office told IndyStar, and rather used for daily operations and wraparound services, like transporting clients to hearings and referring people to other services.

Marion Superior Court last month suspended support for that fundand requested The Bail Project provide them with up-to-date data.Marion Superior Judge Amy Jones on Tuesday told the Senate committee the project had shared general data through 2021.

The project will meet with the court in March to discuss its future in Marion County, at which time they will share more data about how many of their clients had pretrial release violations and data on referrals to wraparound services.

David Gaspar, the national director of operations for The Bail Project, noted he lived in Indianapolis and is "anchored" in the community. Senate Bill 8, he said, would "severely limit" the project's ability to help low-income Hoosiers.

"Like loved ones and churches, charitable bail funds rally to support your constituents when they're at risk of losing everything," Gaspar said.

Data from The Bail Project provided to the court and obtained by IndyStar indicatethe project has posted bail for 980 Hoosiers. Of those, 94.7% of people appeared for their court dates, and 84% served no additional jail time. One in five people supported by The Bail Fund had their cases dismissed or were found not guilty at trial.

Nearly 70% of The Bail Projects clients were accused of misdemeanors and low-level felonies, the data show.The group only intervenes, Gaspar said, once they have assessed a person's needs "and determined we can meet them," providing court reminders and, sometimes, transportation.

Still, the bills saw support from a number oflaw enforcement officials, who emphasized Indianapolis' staggering crime statistics, which included a record 271 homicides in 2021.

Senators will consider amendments to the bills next week.

Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 orlandrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.

See the rest here:
Republican worries crime bills package targeting Indianapolis is zeroing in on the poor - IndyStar

As a 15-year-old kid, I raked leaves, mowed grass and was part of the grounds crew at the Capitol, paid $1.25 an hour. We navigated all those underground tunnels and hideaways where last January they took the vice president, the speaker and members of Congress to keep them safe.

As a 17-year-old, with a newly-broken leg and a walking cast, I was a page in the U.S. Senate. It was 1965, and we witnessed the passage and signing by President Lyndon Johnson of the Voting Rights Act and we watched as opposition began to build against the war in Vietnam.

Years later, I served on the Church Committee, the select Senate Committee investigating our intelligence agencies. I worked in the Senate for five more years as a top aide to Sen. Frank Church of Idaho.

And for the decades since, I have spent countless hours in the House and Senate office buildings, and in the Capitol, as a political consultant to many members.

Never, in all those nearly 60 years, have I not been in awe of the Capitol, its beauty and grandeur, and what it stands for, the rights and responsibilities of a free people.

Always, as I gazed up at the rotunda as the light shone through, saw the paintings, Statuary Hall, the floor of the Senate and House, I felt lucky to be there. I never took that building or its meaning for granted.

Like so many others, I took the Jan. 6, 2021, attack personally.

As I watched on television those familiar staircases, passageways, people who were so violently attacked hour after hour, I was beyond emotional. I couldnt believe it was happening; it was surreal people from Trump rallies gone berserk, like something out of Game of Thrones.

This was more than a political event more than a demonstration gone violent. It was, in a real sense, the culmination of a sitting president and his friends and advisors having rejected our system of government, representative democracy, fairness and any sense of propriety.

The fact that over the past year the vast majority of rank-and-file Republicans have continued to embrace a president with no moral compass, willing to say anything or do anything to stay in power, is truly despicable. Even those who were initially shocked and who denounced Trump, like Sen. Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to vote on consolidated election bill Thursday, Pelosi says Black Democrats hammer Manchin for backing filibuster on voting rights Durbin says Biden may have gone 'a little too far' in Georgia speech MORE (R-Ky.), Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamHillicon Valley: Amazon's Alabama union fight take two McConnell will run for another term as leaderdespite Trump's attacks Senate Judiciary Committee to debate key antitrust bill MORE (R-S.C.) and Rep. Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthyMcCarthy says he won't cooperate with 'illegitimate' Jan. 6 probe Jan. 6 panel asks McCarthy to cooperate The Hill's Morning Report - Biden to make voting rights play in Atlanta MORE (R-Calif.), have now embraced him or gone silent. This is also despicable. What message does it send?

That violence is the wave of the future as increasing numbers of Americans seem to believe? That power by any means is, and will be, the future of the Republican Party?

How much honor and dignity and civility will these Republican leaders give up to stay in power or to gain it? At what point do they say enough is enough, count me out as Lindsey Graham did on the Senate floor a year ago before he flipped and went to Mar-a-Lago to play golf with Trump?

Sadly, most of the Republicans who have spent much of their lives in that Capitol have forsaken the impact of Jan. 6 and all it meant for them and our system of government and instead have embraced a treacherous political calculation: They have decided that they would rather for the sake of re-election cozy up to Donald TrumpDonald TrumpMcCarthy says he won't cooperate with 'illegitimate' Jan. 6 probe McEnany sits down with Jan. 6 investigators Hillicon Valley YouTube takes some heat MORE and the cabal peddling the Big Lie than do the right thing. History will judge them.

The Republican Party of Lincoln and Eisenhower and Reagan and the Bushes is on life support, if not already dead all because these Republicans didnt take Jan. 6 personally and seriously.

The mob did their best to destroy what the building stands for; these Republican leaders might just finish the job for them.

Peter Fenn is a long-time Democratic political strategist who served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, was a top aide to Sen. Frank Church and was the first director of Democrats for the 80s, founded by Pamela Harriman. He also co-founded the Center for Responsive Politics/Open Secrets. He serves on the board of the Frank Church Institute. Follow him on Twitter@peterhfenn.

See original here:
Republicans' true failure since the last election | TheHill - The Hill

WASHINGTON Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, announced on Saturday that he would seek re-election, after an aggressive lobbying campaign by colleagues prompted him to put aside concerns about the future of his party and pursue a fourth term.

Im asking South Dakotans for the opportunity to continue serving them in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Thune, the minority whip, said in a statement, adding that he could deliver for his state.

I am uniquely positioned to get that job done, he said.

The South Dakotan, who turned 61 on Friday, had recently told associates that he was considering retirement, complaining about the strain of congressional service and privately expressing concern about former President Donald J. Trumps continuing grip on the Republican Party.

But by seeking re-election in a heavily conservative state, Mr. Thune is well positioned to win again and potentially succeed Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, as the Senates top Republican.

A host of Senate Republicans leaned on Mr. Thune in recent weeks to run again, but Mr. McConnell was especially aggressive and met privately with him this past week. The Kentucky Republican turns 80 next month and has made clear that he wants to remain his partys Senate leader into 2023, when he would become the longest-serving party leader in the chambers history.

It is unclear how long Mr. McConnell will serve beyond then, though, an open question that helped lure Mr. Thune to seek another term. Mr. Thune has told associates he is confident he would have the support to succeed Mr. McConnell when the leader exits.

The South Dakotan would face competition for the post, however. Senator John Cornyn of Texas preceded Mr. Thune as the party whip and has indicated his interest in succeeding Mr. McConnell, as has Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, currently the No. 3 Republican.

For now, Mr. Thune will have to navigate re-election in South Dakota, which rejected its two most famous senators, George S. McGovern and Tom Daschle, both Democrats, in their bids for fourth terms.

Mr. Thunes only real obstacle, though, would be a primary. He put off a decision on running until the new year because he wanted to minimize the time a potential Republican rival would have to mount a primary challenge and to limit Mr. Trumps window for mischief-making.

The former president lashed out at Mr. Thune at the end of 2020 after the senator said Mr. Trumps unfounded election objections would go down like a shot dog in the Senate.

That prompted the former president, who maintains an iron grip on the Republican Party and has already intervened in a series of 2022 primaries to consolidate his power even further, to deride Mr. Thune as Mitchs boy and a RINO, or a Republican in name only.

He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!! Mr. Trump warned at the time.

But no major primary challenger has emerged. And Mr. Trumps allies in the Senate said last month that the former president would be unlikely to oppose Mr. Thune if the senator appeared likely to win renomination.

Once a hub of prairie populism, South Dakota has turned deeply red in the last two decades, a transition that began with Mr. Thunes defeat of Mr. Daschle in 2004.

More:
John Thune, No. 2 Senate Republican, Will Seek Re-election - The New York Times