Brady Calls for Public Disclosure of State’s Unpaid Bills

 Legislation would require Comptroller to make public who and what state owes

Illinois Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, unveiled legislation today that would require Illinois’ Comptroller to post the state’s bills from vendors online and pay them in the order in which they are received.  

“We need a clean break from the politics and policies of the past,” said Brady of Bloomington.  “Governor Quinn says he advocates open government but there is nothing open about the way our state currently pays its bills.”  

Under Brady’s proposal, state agencies would have ten days to submit a bill to the Comptroller for payment or return it to the vendor if corrections or adjustments are needed.  The Comptroller would then be required to pay the bill in the order in which it was received, except in emergency payment situations in which the Governor, Comptroller and Treasurer could agree to move a bill ahead in line.  

“We need to ensure the process for paying vendors is fair,” said Brady.  “We also need to safeguard against any potential favoritism in the payment system.  We are delaying payments and balancing the budget on the backs of vendors who provide essential state services, Many of the state’s vendors are being forced to borrow on their own to cover operating expenses because the state is lagging in meeting its fiscal obligations.  Those vendors deserve to know where they fall in the line of payments and have at least an estimate of when they will be paid.”

 
Furthermore, Brady’s proposal would require the Comptroller to post all state bills on its website within five days of receipt.  The bills would be posted in the order they are received, as well as searchable by date and name of vendor.  

“With $3 billion in unpaid bills, I believe Illinois residents have a right to know what the state owes, how much and to whom we owe it,” said Brady.  “On the same note, vendors are entitled to know when they will be paid and that the system for payment is fair.”

Brady will introduce the legislation to the General Assembly and is also calling on Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes to take action on his own.    

“I don’t think we should have to wait for legislation to be passed,” said Brady.  “I think the Comptroller should post this information on the internet today, because it is the right thing to do for the good of Illinois.”

GOP gov candidates go after black voters

Chicago Sun-Times

October 26, 2009

 

BY LAURA WASHINGTON

Republicans are landing in the most unlikely places. On the surface, Illinois’ 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary is shaping up as business as usual. The candidates are slinging brickbats at each other over taxes, competence and corruption. The he-said, he-said debate over how to fix Illinois’ broken budget, notorious political ethics and high taxes are the same tired running-in-place arguments we have heard for decades.

Two unusual suspects have stepped off the treadmill and caught my eye. Republican candidates Dan Proft and state Sen. Bill Brady are Going Where No Republicans Have Ever Gone Before (OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but still a good sign).

Proft, a communications operative and radio commentator, and Brady have landed in places such as Roseland and Chatham and are adopting causes like finding jobs for inner-city workers and boosting teacher quality in the Chicago Public Schools.

It’s not a moment too soon.

Proft is a hyper-conservative, hyper-garrulous bomb thrower who revels in calling out his fellow Republicans. He has been a top adviser to the wacky, right-wing Alan Keyes, Illinois’ 2004 Republican Senate nominee, and a well-paid flack for the squeaky-clean Town of Cicero.

Proft recently unveiled a statewide school voucher plan at two African-American churches: Triedstone Full Gospel Baptist Church in Roseland and Full Gospel Christian Assemblies Church in East Hazel Crest.

Brady, a home builder from Downstate Bloomington, gives Illinois’ Republican establishment the willies, according to Russ Stewart, a political writer for the Chicago Daily Observer Web site. Republican pols are “utterly paranoid about Brady. They think he is too conservative to win,” Stewart writes.

On Tuesday, Brady trekked to the proposed Wal-Mart site at 83rd and Stewart on Chicago’s South Side to launch his Illinois “jobs tour.” He’s pushing legislation that would end run the Chicago City Council’s opposition to a megastore that could bring 400 new jobs to Chatham. He’s also calling for tax credits for businesses that add jobs, as well as cutting other taxes and fees that he says stymie job growth.

Those are some traditional Republican moves in some untraditional places.

Last week at a Republican candidates forum, Proft argued that his party should “build nontraditional coalitions around issues of common interest. When I am out selling my school choice plan, I am doing it in low-income communities which are disproportionately minority and disproportionately deprived of the opportunity to access schools that will set their children on the path to be successful, independent adults.”

Brady is “infuriated” by the labor union-inspired resistance to opening a Wal-Mart near one of the city’s notorious “food deserts.” “It boggles my mind,” he told me, that the city is depriving South Siders from “an opportunity to buy good healthy produce at a reasonable price.”

On Feb. 2, as many as seven candidates will be scrambling for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. I asked Brady: Why bother pitching to folks who vote lockstep with the Democrats?

Black and Latino voters, he said, are “working, churchgoing individuals that share my Republican values: school choice, family and marriage. Part of my agenda is to reach out. Somebody has to push on this issue.”

Pro-union Democrats, professional protesters and my cynical colleagues will all sneer that Brady and Proft are merely hustling for cheap photo-ops and pandering to voters they have long ignored.

Illinois’ black unemployment rate is in the double digits. The Chicago Public Schools are in crisis. If these strange bedfellows can get somewhere with this tactic, maybe it will catch on.

Brady Files First for Governor

Downstate Brady Collects Signatures From Every Illinois County

Springfield, IL – Republican Sen. Bill Brady was the first candidate to file candidate petitions for Governor Monday at the State Board of Elections in Springfield for the February 2nd Primary Election.

Filing the maximum 10,000 signatures candidates for Governor can file, Brady was pleased with his campaign’s performance.

“I’m proud to have collected signatures from every single county in this state,” said Brady. “I plan to be a Governor for all of Illinois, and having signatures from every county in Illinois reflects the work we’ve put into the campaign for the last several years and shows our strength as an organization.”

Brady emphasized his volunteer effort.

“Literally hundreds of volunteers across this state collected close to 15,000 signatures for our campaign, and that support continues to grow,” he added. “Voters are looking for a clean break from the politics of the past, and I am ecstatic that volunteers in every part of Illinois put me on the ballot.”

Brady Launches Statewide Tour to Bring Jobs Back to Illinois

Plan includes tax credits for businesses that create new jobs

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, launched a statewide jobs tour in Chicago today unveiling his plan to bring jobs back to Illinois and keep more jobs from leaving the state.

“We need a clean break from the anti-business mentality of the past,” said Brady, the only candidate with both business and legislative experience. “We need to reduce the cost of doing business in Illinois and make Illinois competitive again.”

Brady made the announcement today at 83rd and Stewart in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, the proposed site for the city’s second Wal-Mart. Sen. Brady introduced legislation in May that would allow the store, and other big box retailers like it, to be built despite roadblocks in the Chicago City Council. In addition to construction jobs, each mega-retailer location would generate an estimated 400 new jobs.

Brady’s jobs plan includes:
* Spurring job creation by allowing a new 10 percent tax credit, up to $2,100, for businesses that create new jobs in Illinois, supplementing Illinois’ EDGE tax credit.
* Retaining jobs in Illinois and attracting new investment by lowering the cost of doing business in Illinois, including cutting taxes and fees by a billion dollars by eliminating the sales tax on gasoline, rolling back the $300 million in business taxes and fees imposed by the Blagojevich administration and eliminating the state estate tax.
* Balancing Illinois’ budget and living within our means by implementing managed care for Medicaid recipients, abolishing the bureaucracy of the State Board of Education, eliminating high priced administrators and excessive overtime in the Department of Corrections and lowering the cost of workers compensation in Illinois.
* Dedicating the motor fuel tax to preserving and modernizing Illinois’ infrastructure in an on-going capital improvements program.

“Our unemployment rate is now the highest in the last quarter century. Illinois has lost 700,000 jobs in the last ten years,” said Brady. “Only Ohio and Michigan have lost more jobs than we have. Illinois ranks 48th in the nation in economic development. That is not a blueprint for success and prosperity for Illinois. I will bring jobs back for Illinois and Illinois families and make Illinois work again.”

The Illinois unemployment rate in September rose to 10.5 percent, the state’s highest rate since October 1983. Nationally, the September unemployment rate increased to 9.8 percent.

“The people of Illinois deserve a leader who understands the bottom line,” said Brady, a Bloomington businessman, “and they deserve a leader who will fight for their economic security.”

Brady Urges Vote on Fumigation Bill

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, today urged Democrats to call the “fumigation” bill for a vote during the fall session to restore integrity to Illinois government.”We need a clean break from politics of the past so that our government can move forward,” said Brady of Bloomington. “We must put an end to corruption at all levels of state government.”

The Employees Termination Act of 2009 is designed to weed out political appointees hired by former Governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan. The current legislation would affect approximately 750 state employees.

“We have an opportunity to show the people of Illinois that we really do want to clean up this state,” Brady said. “There are many good, hardworking employees in our agencies and government. But the Rezko/Blagojevich corruption still taints state government, and it is time to do what we can to ensure taxpayers are being best served by government. ”

Brady said as Governor he will ask for the resignations of all employees who fall under the direct appointment and hiring power of the Governor when he is sworn in. He would allow such appointees an opportunity to reapply for their position.

“We need a clean start toward greater service for the public good,” he said.

Brady Statement on Edgar Endorsement

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, today released the following statement regarding Governor Jim Edgar’s endorsement of his former chief of staff, Sen. Kirk Dillard:I have respect and admiration for the service Governor Jim Edgar gave the people of Illinois as Governor a decade ago.

My campaign is about tomorrow, not yesterday. The people of Illinois are looking for a candidate for Governor who represents a clean break from politics of the past.

I believe that voters are looking for a candidate who has created jobs in the private sector and knows what it takes to create more. I believe that the people of Illinois want a leader who has a consistent record on core issues important to them and will avoid the temptation to compromise on taxes and reform, just because it may be politically convenient to do so.

I believe the people want a leader who can and will stand up to the political insiders and power brokers so their votes count.

My campaign is about Illinois’ future, a future with more jobs, more integrity and a greater voice in their government for all Illinois citizens. In this spirit, my campaign continues to grow stronger every day with grass-roots endorsements from voters who are seeking a clean break, decisive leadership and a new direction for all of Illinois.

As Governor, I will need all of Illinois working with me for greater opportunity for all Illinoisans and a future of promise and prosperity for our children and grandchildren.

Brady Momentum Grows with Barrington GOP Endorsement

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, continued to gain momentum in Cook County with the unanimous endorsement of the Barrington Township Republican Organization for Governor in the 2010 elections.

The official endorsement Saturday marked the second consecutive endorsement for Brady by a Cook County Republican township organization. The Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township endorsed Brady last Saturday, a week after Brady scored a near win in the straw poll at the Cook County Republican Party Convention.

“I want to thank Committeeman Gene Dawson and the entire Barrington Township organization for this encouraging show of grass roots support,” said Brady, a Bloomington Republican.

“This endorsement continues to show that Republicans in Cook County, like Illinois citizens throughout the state, want a candidate for Governor who represents a clean break from politics of the past. My campaign is about Illinois’ future, a future with more jobs, more integrity and a greater voice in their government for all Illinois citizens. In this spirit, my campaign continues to grow stronger every day with endorsements from voters who are seeking decisive leadership and a new direction for all of Illinois.”

“As Governor, I will need all of Illinois working with me for greater opportunity for all Illinoisans and a future of promise and prosperity for our children and grandchildren,” Brady said.

Brady is the only candidate for Governor with both business and legislative experience. A lifelong resident of Bloomington, Brady and his brothers for more than a quarter century have operated successful home building and real estate marketing and development businesses throughout Central Illinois. Brady, 48, has served in the Senate since 2002 and previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 27 years and have three children.

Chicago political analyst Russ Stewart: “Brady will win the Republican nomination.”

Chicago political commentator Russ Stewart’s prediction: “Brady looks like Illinois’ next governor.”

Read Stewart’s analysis of why Bill Brady will win.

Brady Wins Endorsement of Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township

Senator Bill Brady, Republican candidate for Governor, continued to gain momentum in Cook County with the nod of the first township in the county to endorse a candidate for Governor in the 2010 elections. 

The official endorsement of the Republican Organization of Elk Grove Township Saturday came a week after Brady scored a near win in the straw poll at the Cook County Republican Party Convention.

“I want to thank Committeeman Mike Sweeney and the entire Elk Grove Township organization for this early and encouraging show of support,” said Brady, a Bloomington Republican. “We are campaigning in every county in Illinois, and clearly we are not taking any votes for granted. This endorsement today is evidence of the growing enthusiasm for my campaign in the Chicago metropolitan area.”

“As Governor, I will need all of Illinois working with me to build a New Illinois that ensures greater opportunity for all Illinoisans and a future of promise and prosperity for our children and grandchildren,” Brady said.

Brady has been endorsed by a number of his legislative colleagues, including Senator Tim Bivins, Dixon; Assistant Senate Republican Leader John O. Jones, Mt. Vernon; Assistant Senate Republican Leader David Luechtefeld, Okawville; Senator Dale Risinger, Peoria; Representative Mike Bost, Murphysboro; Representative John Cavaletto, Salem; Representative Shane Cultra, Onarga; Representative Don Moffitt, Gilson; Representative Rich Myers, Colchester; Representative David Reis, Willow Hill; Representative Keith Sommer, Morton; and Assistant House Republican Leader Ron Stephens, Greenville.

A lifelong resident of Bloomington, Brady and his brothers for more than a quarter century have operated successful home building and real estate marketing and development businesses throughout Central Illinois. Brady, 48, has served in the Senate since 2002 and previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 27 years and have three children.