Ann Callis Lives In Missouri, But Is Running For Congress In Illinois?

Ann Callis and her husband.  Both residents of Missouri.

There are dozens of stories about a Congressional candidate running for office and living slightly outside the district.  

But, Ann Callis?  Who is running for Congress?  Her story isn't one of those.  Nope...her story is about living in an entire different State!

From the Post-Dispatch: (which you'll note is in St. Louis, MO)

A review of real estate records shows Illinois congressional candidate Ann Callis signed documents listing her as a resident of Missouri at the same time she was a judge in Illinois. 

According to copies of mortgage records obtained by the Lee Enterprises Springfield bureau, the former chief judge of Madison County signed multiple mortgage papers identifying her residence as a home on Forest Street in Kirkwood. 

It is not the first time Callis has faced questions about her real estate dealings. In November 2013, the Lee bureau reported the former chief circuit judge had previously failed to pay property taxes on her Troy home, as well as two homes owned by Holloran or the couple in Arizona. 

The records show her signature appearing on a notarized 2008 mortgage agreement for one of the couple’s Arizona homes, as well as a 2006 deed transfer for property in Laguna Beach, Calif. 

The latter includes a statement identifying Callis and Holloran as “residents of the County of St. Louis, State of Missouri.” A 2005 deed for a second home in Scottsdale, Ariz., also lists their address as in Kirkwood. 

In 2004, records show Callis was added to the Forest Street deed. The document begins, “I, Ann Callis, of the County of St. Louis, State of Missouri ...”

And she wants to be your representative in Congress???

Mike Frerichs Continues To Distance Himself From Governor Pat Quinn?

File this under: Mike Frerichs further distancing him from Pat Quinn this election.

First it was this tweet from Mike Frerichs - candidate for Illinois Treasurer - where he listed the "Winning Democrat Team" but failed to list Governor Pat Quinn.  Check out the photo he posted, too!

But...the Frerichs team continues with that same idea this weekend as they posted a photo of some of his fellow ticket-sharers on the Democrat side, but once again stays as far away as he can from Pat Quinn.

He shows himself (of course!) along side Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Senator Dick Durbin.    But...where's the Governor?  Nowhere to be found:

 
Is Pat Quinn that big of a drag on these down-ballot races?

Must be.

But...to be totally fair:  Governor Pat Quinn has some smart folks running his race.

They're thanking their lucky stars that Frerichs is avoiding him.

They've seen how the Frerichs Vortex took down Ann Callis already. They want to stay as far away from the Vortex as possible for fear it drags down the Governor!

Is Congressman Brad Schneider About To Be Embroiled In Plagiarism Problem?

We were just sent this screenshot: As posted by a political consultant over on Facebook you'll see what has been labeled a "John Walsh problem" for Congressman Brad Schneider.

Who's John Walsh and what is the problem?  Check out this CBS News story titled:  Sen. John Walsh retreats from campaign amid plagiarism charges.

Anyway...back to Brad Schneider and his race for re-election to Congress:  Check out the screenshot above that shows a copy/pasted (with a few name changes) email campaign that Congressman Schneider is putting out that looks identical John Foust, a politician from Virginia has been sending.

Now...this certainly isn't a research paper, but we think it is worth noting/discussing.

Do voters deserve to know that Brad Schneider is playing from someone else's playbook?  That he's clearly not in control of his own story?  In fact, he's wholesale copying - verbatim - pleas to voters from someone else in control?

We'd think so?

Wouldn't you?

10th Dems Organization Sends Unflattering Newsletter, Urges Voters To Just Vote For Party, Not Person

We here at the Truth Team totally *get* that the Illinois 10th Congressional District Democrats is a partisan organization, but leading your monthly newsletter with a piece titled: "Vote for the Party" is just pure folly and frankly casts an unflattering light on the group.

Guess this is how Barbara Altman and the rest of the leadership of the 10th Dems want to operate?  Just find some warm bodies, tell them to 'stick to the plan' and cast straight-party ballots.   Anyone who doesn't do just that is "naive"?!?

Their message:  Listen...don't worry about who's name is on the ballot.  Just vote for the Democrat.  The Machine will take over from there.

From the newsletter:

It has become something of a cliché for North Shore voters to proclaim, “I vote for the individual, not the party.” The implication is that a thoughtful and intelligent voter will carefully examine the qualifications, positions, and—when available—records of competing candidates before deciding which one to support.

Well, this thoughtful and intelligent North Shore voter is here to tell you that she rejects that approach to politics as antiquated and naive.

Shame on you guys.  We should be looking at each and every candidate and vote based on what they stand for and what they want to deliver.

Dem Watch: Illinois Democrats Hosting 2nd "Day of Action" This Saturday Across Illinois

Lead by United States Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrats are hosting their 2nd (of this summer) "Day of Action" this weekend.  You can see the image/flyer below:

The tool is hosted on http://events.dickdurbin.com/events and allows folks to narrow their options for participating via their zip codes.

Did you had one of these folks come through your neighborhood last time?

As has been publicly noted, there's a HUGE enthusiasm gap between the Democrat faithful and the Republican rank and file members.  The Dems - in Illinois - have lots of ground to make up this cycle.

Be on the lookout for the Democrats in the communities listed above.  Will be interesting to see what the outputs for these "Days of Action" are for the party.

Dem Watch: How About That Benton Cook III?!?

Photo via the Sun-Times

Let's call it his third bit of bad luck, shall we?

First,  Benton Cook III - the husband of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown - got wrapped up in Governor Pat Quinn's Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.  You remember that crooked program, right?

Cook became a lightning rod for criticism of Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative following Chicago Sun-Times reports that he was hired to help supervise $2.1 million in anti-violence grants despite having a felony conviction for writing bad checks. Cook didn’t work directly for the state, but for a not-for-profit group that paid him $146,401 in salary and benefits over 22 months out of the state anti-violence funds.

His second bit of bad luck? Benton Cook III has been telling tall tales about his credentials:

Separately, state regulators filed a complaint against Cook last month accusing him of misrepresenting himself as a licensed clinical psychotherapist and offering psychotherapy services on a website. Cook is fighting that complaint, saying he never offered such services. 

On his resume, “Benton Cook III PH.D” says he did “doctoral studies in clinical psychology” at the Jacksonville Theological Seminary and was a “professor of psychology” there between May 1999 and May 2004. He also says he has a “masters of humanities in psychological counseling” and a bachelor’s degree in “religion and biblical studies” from Aspen Theological Seminary.

And now?  His third bit of bad luck?  He's been on the dime of his wife's campaign for years:

Before he was paid more than $146,000 for work on Gov. Pat Quinn’s scandal-plagued anti-violence initiative, Benton Cook III says he spent four years as a “media production director” for political candidates. 

His biggest client, as it turns out, was his wife, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, records show. 

Brown’s campaign fund paid the video production company based at her husband’s then-South Side home nearly $90,000 over a four-year period ending in 2010, according to Illinois State Board of Elections records. The business, Gideon Video Productions, doesn’t appear to have been licensed with the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago or Cook County.

Just a string of bad luck, right?  Those pesky reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times should stop digging around on him.  

Same as it ever was.

Sorry Guys. It's Not Going To Happen

We've said it before: Voters in Illinois are smart enough to not get caught up in all the distraction techniques being thrown at them from Democrat Boss Mike Madigan and his toadies Pat Quinn and Treasurer's Candidate Mike Frerichs.

We'll be doing our part to remind voters leading up to November.  But, we need your help.  Go "Like" our Facebook page right now and tell your friends to tune in.

Illinois Democrats Unite: Let's Talk About More Taxes, Baby!

Over the course of the past seven days, one thing has become clear:  Illinois Democrats, lead by Governor Pat Quinn, Speaker Mike Madigan, and Senator Mike Frerichs are absolutely possessed by one uniting factor:  the unquenchable need for more taxes.

From the ILGOP where they're calling it the "Democrat Tax Obsession":

In the past week alone, Illinois Democrats announced three separate tax hike proposals to increase the burden on Illinois families. The one common theme: soak the taxpayers. 

“It’s clear that the Democrats have one goal in mind – more government spending ahead of November’s election,” said Jack Dorgan, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. “For the sake of the people who actually have to pay these taxes, the need for Republican balance in Illinois has never been more clear.” 

“Illinois has two paths forward: a government controlled by Democrats that soaks the taxpayers as a first and only option, or electing Republican leaders who believe in truly reforming this broken system,” Dorgan said. “We need to create a business climate that creates good-paying jobs for working families, not simply raise taxes with no thought on the spending side or the impact on jobs.”

Don't Be Distracted By The Flailing About of Illinois Democrats

Last week, we told voters to not get distracted from the issues by Governor Pat Quinn's "class warfare" and Speaker Mike Madigan's "Millionaire's tax" and the Chicago Tribune agreed with us. 

Now the Morris Daily Herald is reminding voters the same thing.  In a piece called:  "Don't Get Distracted" they lay out the case against Governor Pat Quinn, Speaker Mike Madigan and Democrat State Senator Mike Frerichs:

Illinois’ dire fiscal situation is well-documented.

It’s public pension systems are underfunded by more than $1 billion.

The state ended its last fiscal year with more than $7 billion in unpaid bills.

Illinois has the nation’s second-highest property taxes, the fourth-highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, and the fourth-highest workers’ compensation costs in the nation.

It has the second highest unemployment rate in the country, and the worst credit rating of all 50 states. 

These are the facts, and they aren’t pretty. 

These also are the issues that voters must focus on as the campaign for governor now turns to two people – Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner. 

In the months leading up to the Nov. 4 general election, expect to hear tons of campaign rhetoric from both sides. A lot of it will be nothing but noise, meant to distract voters from the issues that matter. 

But don’t be distracted. Tune out the nonsense and focus on each candidate’s plans to return Illinois to a fiscally solvent state.

Take the advice, voters.

Sorry.  Just testing you...

Dem Watch: Federal Officials Wanted "Child Porn" from Democrat State Representative's Government Office

As we covered a few weeks ago in our "Dem Watch" column, Democrat State Representative Keith Farnham of Elgin, had an unexpected guest at his State of Illinois office and home.  And they weren't there there to appraise the place.  From the Chicago Tribune:

Federal agents sought evidence of child pornography last week when they seized computers from the Elgin district office of former state Rep. Keith Farnham, who resigned Wednesday, according to a search warrant released Friday. 

In addition, a federal agent on Thursday took a laptop computer that Farnham used in the Illinois House chamber, and last week agents removed a computer from a legislative office building next to the Capitol, according to the documents and an interview with a state technology official.

Used the machine on the House Floor?  Guess the pension bill wasn't interesting enough for him?  

Listen, we'll allow Representative Farnham the right of innocence until proven guilty.  And...the fact that he's a Democrat doesn't really matter.  But, now that he's gone, let's find a Republican who can win this seat.  Who's out there?  Steve Rauschenberger?  From a local report:

Farnham’s resignation means Democratic leaders now have to appoint someone to fill his seat and vote on someone to take his slot on the November ballot. 

Farnham ran unopposed this primary. His departure now has Elgin area Republicans poised to get back in the general election game.

“It gives us an opportunity if we can identify a candidate that has got leadership and community service,” said Elgin Township GOP Chairman David Rickert. 

Republican leaders in Elgin will hold a slating meeting on April first. Some have already expressed interest in running in November – including former Elgin State Senator Steve Rauschenberger.

Let's get after it Republicans.  

Illinois Democrats: Move Along, Illinois Voters. Nothing To See Here.

Illinois Democrats are trying to make this fall's election into a "Class War" where they're positioning the Republicans as being against the 'Middle Class'.

They're desperate to NOT have to talk about or deal with their failed leadership.  

With the actions of the past 24 hours the message from Illinois Democrats is clear:  "Move along, Illinois voters.  There's nothing to see here."

Let's not let that happen.  Don't be fooled, Illinois.  Let's focus on what got us here in the first place:  wasteful spending and job killing regulations brought to you by Speaker Mike Madigan, Governor Pat Quinn, and State Senator Mike Frerichs.

Dem Watch: State Representative Keith Farnham's State of Illinois Office Searched by Feds

This is Illinois, Baby!  We're used to this kind of stuff by now, right?

Well...the *truth* of the matter is:  we shouldn't be.  Voters should demand better.

This morning, the Daily Herald reported that another elected official - Democrat State Representative Keith Farnham - is in potentially hot water.

From the story:

Federal officials searched state Rep. Keith Farnham’s Elgin legislative office and home Thursday, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys office in Chicago said. 

Spokesman Randall Samborn said a search warrant was executed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations officials as part of an “ongoing investigation.”

Some of the chatter going on around the web, it seems that the investigation might (that's a big might!) center on the ownership of some material on his computers.  

A Look at How Voters Feel About IL Treasuer's Candidate Mike Frerichs And His Prattling On

Funny how people can perceive things differently.  Especially in politics.

Let's look at our first this is/this is post here on the Truth Team.

This is how Democrat (Union Stooge) Candidate for Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs MUST think (based on his actions) that the voters in Illinois who follow his Facebook page feel about his constant prattling on with his whereabouts and what-have-yous.

And...this is how they actually feel about having to read the endless supply of his self-important-puffery and photos of his stumping here-and-there...

Democrat Mike Frerichs Doesn't Care About You

Those of you who have been following the Truth Team probably remember this #ThrowbackThursday post where we showed how Democrat candidate for Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs was so bad at actually representing people in his district that one prominent business owner took to his own sign to try to get "Tax Hike Mike's" attention.

If you haven't read the piece, head over here to check it out.  We'll wait for you.

Ok...you're back?

Well...get this:  apparently the good Democrat State Senator doesn't want any constituents to leave him messages on voicemail.  He must not want to be bothered with representing the people of Illinois when he has 'big important things to do' (that he can post on his Facebook wall).

We were sent this exchange that was posted on Mike's Wall.   Speaks pretty strongly to how Mike Frerichs thinks about the people of Illinois, doesn't it?  He doesn't want to talk to you.  Only wants a website form submission.  Must be too tough to actually deal with people, eh Mike?

And he wants to be our State Treasurer?

Dem Watch: Democrat Treasurer's Candidate Mike Frerichs and Money Laundering

It didn't take the readers of the Illinois Truth Team long to submit some LULZ around Democrat Mike Frerichs and his alleged involvement in what seems to be a money laundering scheme involving Democrats at various levels of the Party.

You can read the original story about Mike Frerichs being involved with a scandal at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources here on our site.

Enjoy!

Congressman Mike Quigley Gets Visit from Roosevelt University

Turns out, Paul Green isn't the only thing that Roosevelt University is known for when it comes to Illinois Politics.  (Although..he's a pretty great person to be 'known for' if you ask us!)

You may know Paul Green from being the Director of the Institute for Politics and Arthur Rubloff Professor of Policy Studies at Roosevelt University. He is also the Political Analyst for WGN Radio and guest columnist for CCB.

Congressman Mike Quigley just posted on his Facebook wall a proud photo of himself and Roosevelt President Chuck Middleton.  The Congressman is holding a Roosevelt University t-shirt that includes the phrase:  GO FORTH. DO WELL. DO GOOD.

Post by Mike Quigley.

We've been watching Congressman Quigley a bit closer now that his district has creeped out into the Western Suburbs.  A few members of the Truth Team reside out there - close to his district.  To date, we're pleased to report that he's - from what we have seen/heard - gone out of his way to make himself available in the far flung areas of his District.  Good on him.  We sure hope he keeps it up. 

Democrat Will Guzzardi Does an "Ask Me Anything"

Yesterday, Will Guzzardi, candidate for State Representative (he's running against Toni Berrios!) took to the Chicago Sub-Reddit for an "Ask me Anything" where he fielded questions from the Redditors on topics ranging from why he's qualified to the type of boots he prefers to where he gets his pizza.

Will did a pretty good job rolling with some of the questions and speaking to the audience there on Reddit.  There were a few planted questions, but for the most part, it seems like this took on a pretty natural Reddit life.

The strangest part?  He compared what he wants to do in Springfield with the Tea Party.  He "hopes" to emulate the Tea Party tactics when he gets to elected.    Really?  

As for the AMA, we here at the Truth Team have to hand it to candidate Guzzardi.  While we aren't going to vote for him, we applaud him for using the tool to engage with potential voters and perhaps persuade a few, too.

Some other highlights including the most important question about who he'd rather fight:

Dem Watch: UniteBlueIL says Illinois "Too Red" for Democrats Liking?

This is rich. No excuses. MT @UniteBlueIL: IL still very red in terms of counties. Needs to turn around if there's hope for reform in ILGA
— John Bambenek (@bambenek) January 18, 2014

As John Bambenek points out, the fact that @uniteblueIL says that the reason why we can't get Illinois

on the right track and to produce real reform and results is because there are still way too many Republican counties.

I guess the fact that the Democrats have super majorities in both the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House - AS WELL AS - the Governor's mansion isn't enough?  

Far easier to blame the Republicans than actually to look in the mirror and see what your own problems might be first.  

Lisa Madigan Can't Help Herself With the Passing of Nelson Mandela

A tipster just forwarded an email they received from the Lisa Madigan campaign regarding Attorney General Madigan's take on the passing of Nelson Mandela.

Man...we sure hope Lisa doesn't injure herself too bad.  All that patting she's doing on her own back can't be good for her health.  

We mean...come on.  People - even Lisa Madigan supporters - can see right through this stuff, right?  How self-important can one be to have the courage to order staffers around to get "her" Nelson Mandela story up on the web.  

How very out of touch.

How very...."Fill it up with petroleum distillate, and re-vulcanize my tires post haste."

She didn't stop with the email.  She posted it on her site:

And she couldn't resist posting her congratulatory message on her Facebook.  I mean...come on guys...what else is Facebook for but selfies and stuff you want people to see to make them think more highly of you, right?

But, our Attorney General wasn't the only one to glom on to the passing of Nelson Mandela.  Treasurer's candidate Mike Frerichs took some time away from pimping out his website to everybody he could to do a little bit of glomming-on to the Mandela newshole, too.

Some Republicans even got in on the game.  Congressional candidate Erika Harold took the Mandela-plunge with this Facebook post.  

Throwback Thursday: "Tax Hike Mike Frerichs"

While we're on the topic of Mike Frerichs, we were tipped this hilarious video about "Tax Hike Mike" Frerichs.  As the video says, Illinois Treasurer Candidate Mike Frerichs voted to "raise a lot of taxes"...

There's a compaion #throwbackthursday piece that you should revisit if you want to know more about Mike Frerichs here on the Prairie State Report courtesy of John Bambenek.  The video goes on to say (and source) the fact that Illinois Treasurer Candidate Mike Frerichs voted to tax:

• Cable Television Service (HB 174)
• Internet Service (HB 174)
• Laundry Service (HB 174)
• Bicycles (HB 174)
• Wheelchairs. Really?!?!  Too much, isn't it?  
• Diapers (HB 174)
• Bowling Alleys (HB 174)
• Movie Theatres (HB 174)
• Agricultural Fairs (HB 174)
• Youth Clubs (HB 174)
• Camps (HB 174)
• School Buses (HB 174)
• Special Needs Services (HB 174)

State Senator Mike Frerichs is now running for Illinois Treasurer.  On this #ThrowbackThursday let's not forget his past.