LIGHTFOOT’s BIG WIN and HOT MIC — FAIR WORK WEEK passes — RODNEY DAVIS’ fake news

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Good Thursday morning, Illinois! Outside magazine — an actual publication people have heard of — just rated Chicago the best place to live in 2019.

TOP TALKER

A big question Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced upon taking office was whether she could wrangle a City Council leery of giving up any of its authority. On Wednesday, she proved she could. Lightfoot saw her package of ethics issues — a thorny subject among aldermen — pass 50-0.

It was a huge victory for the mayor, but it was overshadowed by a hot mic moment and a non-apology.

Before Patrick Murray, the first vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, began to speak during the public-comment period of Wednesday’s council meeting, Lightfoot was heard saying “Oh, back again. This is this FOP clown.”

Lightfoot later told reporters that “it was not appropriate for me to say that out loud.” Hummmm. Asked whether that was an apology, she said, “I think I just did. I think I said I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” Uh-huh. Asked again, Lightfoot replied, “I’m sorry that I said it out loud.”

The FOP shot back on Facebook, saying: “Mayor Lightfoot’s contemptuous remark is a misguided and dangerous thing to say to a 30-year veteran police officer and FOP representative, particularly at a time when the city is facing such chronic violent crime. It is also telling that the Mayor would not even apologize.”

The incident “could hamper her efforts to establish a dialogue” with the FOP as police contract negotiations approach, according to Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

But this is hardly the first run-in between Lightfoot and Murray. Last month, Murray aired frustrations that the mayor didn’t include the police union on her transition teams and made something of an ominous comment about her having “difficulty achieving your goals if you do not consult” the FOP. At the time, Lightfoot countered by saying she’d be willing to meet if the union “wants to do anything other than obstruct and object to reform.” So... no love lost this week.

But Lightfoot isn’t the first mayor to draw scrutiny for going off script. Remember former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s malapropisms? “I get scrootened every day,” he once told reporters who “scrutinized” his every move.

And former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was never one to mince words, got his own FOP pushback after comments he made once to former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “We have allowed our police department to get fetal and it is having a direct consequence,” Emanuel had said, referring to police fearing confrontations with members of the public. The FOP said that just wasn’t true — and media had a heyday reporting it.

There’s also a bit of irony here: In December 2016, the FOP had a different take about hot mics. Town Hall District Cmdr. Marc Buslik told reporters at a demonstration for new body cameras that police could get caught on a hot mic making rude or inappropriate remarks. “It’s not unusual for language to get colorful in encounters,” he said, adding the department would not punish officers recorded using “colorful language.”

RELATED:

Lightfoot’s ethics reform agenda passes council, by Tribune’s John Byrne, Juan Perez Jr. and Gregory Pratt.

THE BUZZ

City Council approves Chicago’s ‘fair workweek’ ordinance: Now many workers must get two weeks’ notice of their schedules: “The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill requiring large Chicago employers to give workers at least two weeks’ advance notice of their schedules and compensate them for last-minute changes,” Tribune’s Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz reports. “In development for more than two years, the ‘fair workweek’ ordinance reflects a compromise between representatives from labor and business, who have been working with the city on what kinds of employers and employees would be covered by the scheduling rules.”

Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman says there were cheers and bows: Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th), the Workforce Development Committee Chairman who “carried the ball over the political goal line,” offered congratulations to Lightfoot, saying: “I can’t give you a bottle of champagne, but I’m going to give you a bottle of South Side [Hienie’s] hot sauce.” Garza then held up a bottle of the stuff, prompting Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) to shout, “As long as it’s [worth] under $50.” (Always fun at City Council meetings!)

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: [email protected].


WHERE'S JB

In Salt Lake City, for the National Governors Association meeting.

WHERE'S LORI

No public events planned.

Where's Toni

Presiding over meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

EYE ON 2020

— FAKE NEWS: Rodney Davis campaign volunteer poses as reporter, by WCIA’s Mark Maxwell: “An unpaid volunteer working on behalf of the Davis campaign” crashed a press conference phone call organized by Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, a Democrat trying to unseat the Republican congressman from the 13th district. According to WCIA’s Mark Maxwell, the Davis volunteer “lied about his name to pose as reporter for a college newspaper, and ambushed Dirksen Londrigan with pointed arguments, including jabs at her husband’s career.”

— Gillibrand says Mueller presented rationale for Trump impeachment hearings, by Tribune’s Rick Pearson: “The New York senator, speaking to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, acknowledged Mueller did not provide any new information to anyone who has read the special counsel’s report on Russian involvement in the 2016 election, which was first released in April.”

TRANSITIONS

— LINDSEY LaPOINTE was appointed Wednesday as the 19th District House representative, replacing Robert Martwick — who recently was named state senator in the 10th District. LaPointe will serve out Martwick’s term and be up for election in 2020. LaPointe, who was sworn in by Judge Aurelia Pucinski, was named to the position by committee members, including former Ald. John Arena, who had the largest weighted vote. LaPointe worked as vice president of Arena’s 45th Ward Independent Democrats. The appointment drew praise from politicos, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who tweeted: “It’s great to see another progressive woman headed to Springfield!” Arena was up for the state rep job, too, so he will be headed to work for Lightfoot’s administration instead. Stay tuned on those details.

— Loren Harris has been named Chicago director for Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Harris was previously outreach director and also served as political coordinator of Duckworth’s 2016 campaign. In her new role, Harris will oversee outreach and constituent services for Duckworth in Cook and the collar counties. Harris also previously served on former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2015 run-off campaign and as chairman of the Cook County Young Democrats. She is a member of the Personal PAC Future Voices Council and is also the daughter of 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris.

CHICAGO

— ‘DAMN ANGRY’ Lightfoot orders Police Board to stop conducting criminal background checks on speakers: “One day after the Chicago Tribune disclosed an alarming practice that hearkened back to the Chicago Police Department’s Red Squad spying days, Lightfoot called a halt to it and condemned the practice in the strongest of terms,” writes Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman.

— Unlikely education allies press Mayor Lori Lightfoot to reform Chicago school funding: “One of the many open questions facing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration is whether to rethink the way Chicago funds its schools. An unlikely group of allies, from a rebranded school choice group instrumental in charter school expansion to the Chicago Teachers Union, is ramping up lobbying efforts around the issue. Many of the groups submitted memos to Lightfoot’s education transition committee calling for a more equitable funding approach based on student needs,” by Chalkbeat’s Adeshina Emmanuel.

— New ethics rules put Burke on hot seat: to avoid hefty fines, choose law firm or City Council seat, by Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman: “Indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th) has a choice to make in 90 days now that the City Council has unanimously approved the latest in a seemingly endless string of ethics reforms. ... The language is tailored to prevent Burke from doing what he’s done for decades — and what got him in trouble with the feds.”

— Ald. Matt O’Shea: Put pot revenues toward pension gap: He’s “filed the first of what will likely be several proposals to ready Chicago for the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state... the ordinance would tax the sale of recreational marijuana at 3 percent and dedicate those revenues to filling the city’s pension gap,” writes Crain’s A.D. Quig.

— CPS school board targets early childhood education, teacher diversity:“The board held its 2nd straight marathon meeting with a revised format and more public access,” by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa.

— CPS watchdog received nearly 3 sexual misconduct allegations against adults per school day last school year: “Almost two dozen employees have been fired and nearly 100 pulled from schools in response to the hundreds of accusations,” by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa.


DAY IN COURT

— Two former CPD superintendents testify on ‘code of silence,’ by WBEZ’s Patrick Smith: “Former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy testified Wednesday that there was no ‘code of silence’ within the department when he was in charge. McCarthy’s testimony came as part of a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak. … Former Chicago Police Superintendent Terry Hillard also took the stand Wednesday and testified that Kubiak ‘is a decent, honorable individual who just happened to get caught up in the system.’”

— Woman convicted in killing of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ grandson in spat over gym shoes: “Dijae Banks leaned back in her chair with a downcast look after the foreman announced the jury had found her guilty of first-degree murder and three counts of home invasion. Jurors at the Leighton Criminal Court Building took less than two hours to deliberate,” by Tribune’s Megan Crepeau.

COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS

It took a village for Elk Grove to fight opioids, by Tribune’s John Keilman: “After 26 deaths in 4 years, Elk Grove Village turned to some unusual measures to fight opioid deaths — and it’s paying off.”

STATE

— More than a third of Illinois family planning funds go to administration, by Capitol News’ Rebecca Anzel: “Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced his administration had turned down millions in federal family planning dollars it usually receives due to new rules that are keeping funds ‘hostage’ from impoverished women. Instead, Illinois will provide that money to the clinics it oversees, though not all of it will be going to those groups.”

— Chairs still empty at Gaming Board a month after Pritzker raised the stakes on gambling, by Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout: “Nearly a month after signing the massive gambling package into law, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has yet to name a chairperson and fifth member to the gaming board, which soon will be responsible for scrutinizing a host of gambling interests licking their chops at a slew of new licenses. What’s the hold-up on Pritzker’s appointments? The process of ‘working to identify qualified candidates,’ the freshman Democrat’s office says. And insiders say the job is a tough sell.”

DELEGATION

— Quigley, Krishnamoorthi and the Mueller testimony,by Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet: “House Intelligence Committee members from Illinois, Democrats Reps. Mike Quigley and Raja Krishnamoorthi, each took stabs Wednesday at trying to extract new information from Special Counsel Robert Mueller relating to President Donald Trump, with some interesting, but limited results.”

— MOVE TO IMPEACH: After the hearings, Quigley tweeted: “Robert Mueller did his job. Now it’s time for Congress to do ours. It’s time to open an impeachment inquiry.”

NATION

— Top Video Highlights from Mueller’s testimony, by POLITICO’s Mary Newman

— Pelosi rebuffs Nadler on impeachment after Mueller flop, by POLITICO’s John Bresnahan, Heather Caygle and Kyle Cheney

— ‘Euphoria': White House, GOP exult after a flat Mueller performance, by POLITICO’s Eliana Johnson and Melanie Zanona

— Why Facebook should fear a Democratic win in 2020, by POLITICO’s Nancy Scola

MEDIA MATTERS

— Schakowsky joins protest over ‘Worldview’ cancellation at WBEZ, reports media writer Robert Feder: “U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has added her voice to protests over the cancellation of “Worldview,” the long-running international affairs talk show airing at noon Monday through Friday on WBEZ 91.5-FM.”

— Columnist Mary Mitchell is scaling back but not stepping back: “An award-winning ‘voice for the voiceless,’ Mitchell will still write periodically for the newspaper and serve as a consultant to its editorial board.”

— ProPublica Illinois has hired Haru Coryne as a data reporter. Coryne previously worked for The Real Deal, where he has covered the real estate industry in Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles.

EVENTS

The Dawn Clark Netsch Policy Forum on Voter Suppression at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is scheduled for Friday, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Details here

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca and Schwalb Realty Group Executive VP Joyce Wippman.