Cook County Blog

This is just plain odd.  From the Southwest News Herald-Casino related donations tied to video gaming ban sponsor

I had to read that title a few times and then read some of the text before that made sense.

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-10th) received at least $2,000 in campaign contributions from Illinois casino gaming interests three weeks before she publicly unveiled her campaign to block video gaming machines in Cook and DuPage Counties, her financial records show.

So, right there, we see some monetary incentive for Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer to campaign for Illinois casinos.  This isn't about what's best for Illinois; this is about who's lining who's pocket with cash.

Video gaming is the heart of Gov. Pat Quinn plan to fund a $31 billion capital improvements program for the state. It would allow up to 45,000 video machines to be placed in establishments with liquor licenses. As much as $500,000 annually could be raised by financially-strapped suburban communities through licensing.

Yes, it's something that the suburban communities have been fighting because of how it effects the areas -but that doesn't matter to Quinn.  Quinn has no scruples as you can tell from his Executive Order 2009-15 which in effect will force home healthcare workers who take care of their disabled relatives into unions.  Or the knowledge that Quinn gave the names and contact information of the 3,500 families of disabled people receiving funds - to the unions to apply pressure for them to join, and then send them thinly veiled threats if they resisted the unions' overtures.

This is a different subject than healthcare, but money is involved in it all.  The special interests pay them off, and then the politicians start doing the dirty work.  This is no different.  I saw some evidence that people thought banning video games was a smart move, but I doubt they knew that what was behind it was the casinos who don't want to be competing fairly for the money to be had in this racket.

But while the machines might help suburban municipalities, it would compete for dwindling gaming revenues with the state’s existing casinos. Illinois has nine riverboat casinos and recently approved a 10th license for a casino to be built in Des Plaines. The 10th License was awarded in December to Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, LLC, whose chairman is Neil Bluhm.

Gainer has taken the lead to block video gaming in Cook County where 40 percent of revenues are expected to be raised. On July 21, 2009, Gainer co-sponsored a campaign with DuPage Commissioner Brien Sheahan (R-2nd) to block video gaming machines in the two counties claiming the placement of the machines would gouge public paychecks and encourage illegal activity.

Their financial records, however, show ties to casino interests that raise questions about who the legislation benefits most.

 Well, we know of one politician that it's benefiting...a little stash of green in the campaign coffer makes everything a-okay.

On June 30, 2009, Gainer’s election campaign received $1,000 from Leslie Bluhm. Bluhm is listed on Gainer’s disclosure forms as working with “Lamb Partners.” On the same day, Gainer also received $1,000 from Gregory Carlin, who is also listed as an executive with at Lamb Partners.

Leslie Bluhm is the daughter of Midwest Gaming Chairman Neil Bluhm, and she is also a “partner” in Midwest Gaming. Gregory Carlin is President of Midwest Gaming. Neil Bluhm has many corporate interests in Illinois including Lamb Partners. He is also president of JMB Realty Corporation.

Sheahan received campaign contributions from Res Publica, an influential public affairs and lobbying firm familiar to Gainer and that has longstanding ties to casino gaming in and around Illinois.

A little bit of sneaky business is going on here, too, as they try to snake this one through...:

Gainer’s legislation was fast-tracked through the county board over the objections of several commissioners who asked that public hearings be held first. In fact, no "public hearings" were held on Gainer’s bill which sat dormant in the Finance Committee until Gainer asked Finance Committee Chairman John Daley to put the bill on an agenda for a vote. That vote was taken last Thursday, October 1, 2009 immediately after a few members of the public, last minute, were allowed to speak on the issue. It is scheduled to be voted on by the full board Tuesday (tomorrow, Oct. 6, 2009).

It will be intteresting to see what the result of that vote is.

Ironically, in announcing her campaign to block video gaming in Cook and DuPage Counties July 31, Gainer strongly denounced Quinn’s legislation arguing the video gaming machine law was “passed in a late-night legislative session, with no public hearings or debate.”

Gainer never disguised her goal to force the state legislature to replace the video gaming component of Quinn’s capital improvement plan. She told the Chicago Tribune last week, “We have time to bring all these other cities and communities along to ban it and basically make Springfield look at this differently and find a better way.”

The Gainer ban could directly benefit the state’s casinos and force the Illinois Legislature to remove video gaming from Quinn’s bill during the Fall session.

In the week before the vote, Bluhm made telephone calls urging county board members to pass Gainer’s video gaming machine ban, according to at least one commissioner.

That Gainer surfaced as the point person spearheading the anti-video gaming legislation is surprising to many. Gainer was never elected to office and was appointed to her seat by Chicago Democratic Ward Committeemen in May to succeed Commissioner Michael Quigley who was elected to congress to succeed U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

Raising more questions is that Gainer’s 10th District is in Chicago. It does not include any unincorporated areas of suburban Cook County which would be most affected by her video gaming ban. She is a candidate for re-election in the Feb. 2, 2010 Democratic Primary.

For the past eight years, Gainer worked as a lobbyist for AON Corporation, the insurance giant that also has ties to the casino gaming industry.

Read the rest of the article.  Gainer is just an appointee so it is odd that she is spearheading this...her website and twitter account are filled with items about the casino industry and video gaming-and there is a lot more that is disturbing about this - such as the observation that suburban representation on this went AWOL.

The Southtown Star Reported on October 2nd some other interesting tidbits about videogaming in Illinois - including some critics' claims that it is tied to the mob.

The Cook County Board's finance committee voted on Thursday (October 1) to ban video gambling in unincorporated areas of Cook County. A yes vote affirmed the ban. Here's how commissioners from the Southland voted:

• Jerry Butler (D-3rd), of Chicago: Yes

• John P. Daley (D-11th), of Chicago: Yes

• Elizabeth Doody Gorman (R-17th), of Orland Park: Yes

• Joan Patricia Murphy (D-6th), of Crestwood: Absent

• Deborah Sims (D-5th), of Chicago: Absent