Quinn or Daley? Link isn't saying
Gov. Pat Quinn's campaign sent us a list of 70 Democratic Party county chairmen who he says support his re-election bid over former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley.
The suburban county names are largely all there: Bob Peickert in DuPage, Mark Guethle in Kane, Mike Bissett in McHenry and Scott Pyles in Will. And last week, the Cook County Democratic Party slated Quinn as its favored nominee.
Missing from the suburban list is just state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat and head of the Lake County party. Is he backing Daley?
He isn't. He's not backing Quinn, either.
“I'm staying neutral,” Link said. “I've got plenty of time.”
Potential conflict?
Link says the fact that he's a state lawmaker puts him in a unique and potentially tricky spot. Lawmakers still could vote this year on a contentious pensions proposal, among other things. And in the fall, lawmakers are supposed to weigh in on Quinn's vetoes.
Backing Quinn — or not — at this point might look bad, he said. Link said he might make a decision late in the year.
Do the endorsements matter? In the March primary, they could, Link said. A typical low-turnout primary heavy with party die-hards could be influenced by the opinions of local leaders.
“In a primary, it makes a considerable difference,” Link said.
All in
Last week, DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan said an entrance into the Illinois treasurer's race by House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego wouldn't upend his plans to run for treasurer in the GOP primary.
This week, Grogan says he's set to announce his candidacy for real, even though he's already been traveling the state talking about it.
“Next week during the Du Quoin State Fair, I'll be announcing my candidacy for state treasurer, details to follow,” Grogan posted on Facebook. “While others can talk about political money raised, I'll be talking about safeguarding the people's money.”
Former DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom also said he's seeking the GOP nomination for treasurer, but he's not said what competition from Cross would mean to him.
Little idea goes big
Since 2011, the Illinois legislature's Diabetes Caucus formed by state Rep. Mike Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican, has tested 2,000 people for free.
“It is very important to get tested for diabetes because the sooner you can get treatment the less chance an individual has to develop the harmful side effects of uncontrolled diabetes such as stroke, heart attack, blindness and amputation,” Tryon said in a statement.
Tryon found out he had Type 2 diabetes in 2006. Cross has a daughter with Type 1 diabetes, as does state Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs.
The testing is done throughout the state at health events and hospitals, and people can learn more at www.ilgadiabetes.com.
All told, the caucus is comprised of a bipartisan collection of 84 lawmakers, with five suburban members on its board, including Tryon, Cross, Durkin, and state Sens. Pamela Althoff and Kirk Dillard.
A good-government move
Former north suburban lawmakers Susan Garrett and Beth Coulson will serve as president and vice president of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Board.
The group is a top good-government advocacy organization.
Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, joined the board earlier this year and was put in charge this month. Coulson is a Northfield Republican.
“I have long appreciated ICPR's truly bipartisan agenda for making government more responsive,” Coulson said in a statement.
Coulson was a former member of the Illinois House until losing a 2010 primary bid for Congress to Republican Bob Dold, who went on to win that race.
Garrett is a former member of the Illinois Senate who did not seek re-election in 2012.