Fritchey Confesses: Mea Maxima Culpa
Berkowitz: Solid B? I thought maybe you would give him [the Governor] a Gentleman’s C, but it is a solid B?
Rep. John Fritchey: Yes.
Berkowitz: Notwithstanding the fact that you apologized for supporting him on- would it be accurate to say—“his raid of the pension funds.”
Rep. John Fritchey: I do think that the pension raid vote is very ill considered. I think it is going to come back to haunt us in the future.
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This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago]. [See the end of this post for a detailed suburban airing schedule of “Public Affairs.”] Our show with State Rep. John Fritchey will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on next Monday night, August 29 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21 in Chicago.
Rep. Fritchey, 41, is in his 9th year in the Statehouse and is Of Counsel with the 400 attorney Detroit based [but largest office now in Chicago] law firm of Dykema Gossett. The centrist Democratic Leadership Council named Rep. Fritchey twice as “one of the 100 rising stars to watch” [2001 and 2003], and John notes that that constellation also includes Illinois’ brightest political star of all, it’s junior senator Barack Obama.
State Rep. Fritchey is Chairman of the House Civil Judiciary Committee and he has said he could be a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago, if and when Mayor Daley decides not to run for re-election. [See here for more about Rep. Fritchey, as well as a link to our April 10, 2005 discussion about a possible run by Fritchey for Mayor of Chicago].
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Next week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features David McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills], vying in the 8th Cong. Dist. Republican primary for the right to carry the Republican Party’s banner in its November, 2006 effort to win the seat back from Congresswoman Melissa Bean [D-Barrington, 8th Cong. Dist.]
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A partial transcript of the show with Rep. Fritchey is included, below.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Your Governor-- I should say our Governor…give him a grade [for his first] 2 ½ years as Governor…you [have] a University of Michigan undergrad [degree], Northwestern University Law School [degree], Latin School- couldn’t find a better prep school in the country—Attorney General Lisa Madigan also is an alum of that school, right?
State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago]: She is.
Berkowitz: You are a smart guy… Using that education…objectively, write us an essay and lead it off by saying, objectively, the grade that Rod Blagojevich gets for his first 2 ½ years [as Governor].
Rep. John Fritchey: Well, given my education, the first thing I want to do is avoid a question like that.
Berkowitz: …That’s not what they taught you at Northwestern…
Rep. John Fritchey: The Governor came in under very, very difficult circumstances-- from a lack of confidence in state government, from a budget deficit in the billions of dollars…at the same time, there have been some lapses of judgment…
Berkowitz: So, let’s give us a grade and then we’ll talk.
Rep. John Fritchey: I would put him at a solid B.
Berkowitz: Solid B? I thought maybe you would give him [the Governor] a Gentleman’s C, but it is a solid B?
Rep. John Fritchey: Yes.
Berkowitz: Notwithstanding the fact that you apologized for supporting him on- would it be accurate to say—“his raid of the pension funds.”
Rep. John Fritchey: I do think that the pension raid vote is very ill considered. I think it is going to come back to haunt us in the future.
Berkowitz: Pension raid vote? Now you voted for that and then you apologized about a week later on ABC 7 Newsviews with Alan Krashesky [Local ABC, Chicago 7 news]. You said—this is John Fritchey [speaking], on June 5 [2005], "I wish I hadn't voted for it. I'd like to apologize to the people of Illinois for voting for it. But again, the Democrats made a decision. The alternatives that were out there -- an income tax increase, an expansion of gaming, deep service cutbacks -- none of those would have set any better with the general public." So, it is kind of a non-apology, apology. Were you apologizing or—
Rep. John Fritchey: Let me reiterate it. I apologize for the pension vote. I wish I hadn’t voted for it. I think it is something that we are going to have to pay the price for—
Berkowitz: Each and every voter…or potential voter or our viewers, you are looking them in the eye and you are saying you apologize.
Rep. John Fritchey: I think it takes a lot more courage to admit that you made a mistake than it does to try to speciously defend a vote that you shouldn’t have cast. I understand where the leadership was coming from. The Governor has made a no tax pledge- a No Tax Increase pledge and I respect him for holding to that. I have never voted for a gaming expansion. I voted against Rosemont. I have been opposed to anything-- significant gaming expansion proposals out there, so I wouldn’t have supported that either. So, I respect that position. [People must be asking] Well, John, if you didn’t support raiding the [state government employee and teacher] pensions, what did you support?
Berkowitz: What did you support?
Rep. John Fritchey: And the answer is, I don’t know. But, it is our job to figure that out. You know, for years, we had said this [a pension raid] was a bad idea. We shouldn’t do this. To do it as a way of getting us out of session or to balance a budget, you know- I don’t get it.
Berkowitz: But you hadn’t figured it out as of that time, by the end of May, as to what alternative you were suggesting to the Governor-- as an alternative to raiding the pension fund?
Rep. John Fritchey: At the end of the day, without having a better answer, I didn’t know that it was enough to dig my heels in and say, “This isn’t the answer. I am not going along with this.” [Instead, I said] I am going to respect the decision of the [Democrat] Party Leaders in this situation and they felt that this was the prudent course to take—I do feel however that it is a course that we are going to have to explain for years to come. [State Sen. Chris Lauzen [R-Aurora] joined State Rep. Fritchey on the June 5, 2005 Alan Krashesky Newsviews show [See here] and Senator Lauzen said, "Over the next 40 years, for every dollar of those $2.3 billion, it's going to take us $13-- according to the actuarial experts-- to pay it back." (Putting the payback cost to the state for the $2.3 billion pension raid at 30 billion dollars)].
Berkowitz: But, a week later, you decided that you should have dug in your heels and said it wasn’t the prudent course, even if it means giving the Republicans leverage because you would then need their votes to pass a budget. You were then essentially saying you should have said, “No,” and gone into oversession, right? [I mean] overtime.
Rep. John Fritchey: To me, it’s not a partisan issue. Whether education is getting cut back somewhere in the State, whether people’s taxes are getting raised, whether their neighborhoods are safe or not—is not a Democrat or Republican issue. We can’t always devolve everything [into politics]--
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State Rep. John Fritchey, recorded on August 14, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of Public Affairs this week [week of August 22] and as will be airing on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on this coming Monday night, August 29 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. See, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*******************************
State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago] debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz a grade for Gov. Blagojevich, Fritchey's political office aspirations, his assessment of likely primary challengers to Gov. Blagojevich and potential Republican gubernatorial candidates, his apology for supporting the pension raids, how possible match-ups between Gov. Blagojevich and Jim Edgar, Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and State Senator Steve Rauschenberger play out and much, much more.
************************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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Rep. John Fritchey: Yes.
Berkowitz: Notwithstanding the fact that you apologized for supporting him on- would it be accurate to say—“his raid of the pension funds.”
Rep. John Fritchey: I do think that the pension raid vote is very ill considered. I think it is going to come back to haunt us in the future.
***********************************************
This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago]. [See the end of this post for a detailed suburban airing schedule of “Public Affairs.”] Our show with State Rep. John Fritchey will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on next Monday night, August 29 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21 in Chicago.
Rep. Fritchey, 41, is in his 9th year in the Statehouse and is Of Counsel with the 400 attorney Detroit based [but largest office now in Chicago] law firm of Dykema Gossett. The centrist Democratic Leadership Council named Rep. Fritchey twice as “one of the 100 rising stars to watch” [2001 and 2003], and John notes that that constellation also includes Illinois’ brightest political star of all, it’s junior senator Barack Obama.
State Rep. Fritchey is Chairman of the House Civil Judiciary Committee and he has said he could be a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago, if and when Mayor Daley decides not to run for re-election. [See here for more about Rep. Fritchey, as well as a link to our April 10, 2005 discussion about a possible run by Fritchey for Mayor of Chicago].
********************************************
Next week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features David McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills], vying in the 8th Cong. Dist. Republican primary for the right to carry the Republican Party’s banner in its November, 2006 effort to win the seat back from Congresswoman Melissa Bean [D-Barrington, 8th Cong. Dist.]
**********************************************
A partial transcript of the show with Rep. Fritchey is included, below.
*************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: Your Governor-- I should say our Governor…give him a grade [for his first] 2 ½ years as Governor…you [have] a University of Michigan undergrad [degree], Northwestern University Law School [degree], Latin School- couldn’t find a better prep school in the country—Attorney General Lisa Madigan also is an alum of that school, right?
State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago]: She is.
Berkowitz: You are a smart guy… Using that education…objectively, write us an essay and lead it off by saying, objectively, the grade that Rod Blagojevich gets for his first 2 ½ years [as Governor].
Rep. John Fritchey: Well, given my education, the first thing I want to do is avoid a question like that.
Berkowitz: …That’s not what they taught you at Northwestern…
Rep. John Fritchey: The Governor came in under very, very difficult circumstances-- from a lack of confidence in state government, from a budget deficit in the billions of dollars…at the same time, there have been some lapses of judgment…
Berkowitz: So, let’s give us a grade and then we’ll talk.
Rep. John Fritchey: I would put him at a solid B.
Berkowitz: Solid B? I thought maybe you would give him [the Governor] a Gentleman’s C, but it is a solid B?
Rep. John Fritchey: Yes.
Berkowitz: Notwithstanding the fact that you apologized for supporting him on- would it be accurate to say—“his raid of the pension funds.”
Rep. John Fritchey: I do think that the pension raid vote is very ill considered. I think it is going to come back to haunt us in the future.
Berkowitz: Pension raid vote? Now you voted for that and then you apologized about a week later on ABC 7 Newsviews with Alan Krashesky [Local ABC, Chicago 7 news]. You said—this is John Fritchey [speaking], on June 5 [2005], "I wish I hadn't voted for it. I'd like to apologize to the people of Illinois for voting for it. But again, the Democrats made a decision. The alternatives that were out there -- an income tax increase, an expansion of gaming, deep service cutbacks -- none of those would have set any better with the general public." So, it is kind of a non-apology, apology. Were you apologizing or—
Rep. John Fritchey: Let me reiterate it. I apologize for the pension vote. I wish I hadn’t voted for it. I think it is something that we are going to have to pay the price for—
Berkowitz: Each and every voter…or potential voter or our viewers, you are looking them in the eye and you are saying you apologize.
Rep. John Fritchey: I think it takes a lot more courage to admit that you made a mistake than it does to try to speciously defend a vote that you shouldn’t have cast. I understand where the leadership was coming from. The Governor has made a no tax pledge- a No Tax Increase pledge and I respect him for holding to that. I have never voted for a gaming expansion. I voted against Rosemont. I have been opposed to anything-- significant gaming expansion proposals out there, so I wouldn’t have supported that either. So, I respect that position. [People must be asking] Well, John, if you didn’t support raiding the [state government employee and teacher] pensions, what did you support?
Berkowitz: What did you support?
Rep. John Fritchey: And the answer is, I don’t know. But, it is our job to figure that out. You know, for years, we had said this [a pension raid] was a bad idea. We shouldn’t do this. To do it as a way of getting us out of session or to balance a budget, you know- I don’t get it.
Berkowitz: But you hadn’t figured it out as of that time, by the end of May, as to what alternative you were suggesting to the Governor-- as an alternative to raiding the pension fund?
Rep. John Fritchey: At the end of the day, without having a better answer, I didn’t know that it was enough to dig my heels in and say, “This isn’t the answer. I am not going along with this.” [Instead, I said] I am going to respect the decision of the [Democrat] Party Leaders in this situation and they felt that this was the prudent course to take—I do feel however that it is a course that we are going to have to explain for years to come. [State Sen. Chris Lauzen [R-Aurora] joined State Rep. Fritchey on the June 5, 2005 Alan Krashesky Newsviews show [See here] and Senator Lauzen said, "Over the next 40 years, for every dollar of those $2.3 billion, it's going to take us $13-- according to the actuarial experts-- to pay it back." (Putting the payback cost to the state for the $2.3 billion pension raid at 30 billion dollars)].
Berkowitz: But, a week later, you decided that you should have dug in your heels and said it wasn’t the prudent course, even if it means giving the Republicans leverage because you would then need their votes to pass a budget. You were then essentially saying you should have said, “No,” and gone into oversession, right? [I mean] overtime.
Rep. John Fritchey: To me, it’s not a partisan issue. Whether education is getting cut back somewhere in the State, whether people’s taxes are getting raised, whether their neighborhoods are safe or not—is not a Democrat or Republican issue. We can’t always devolve everything [into politics]--
****************************************
State Rep. John Fritchey, recorded on August 14, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of Public Affairs this week [week of August 22] and as will be airing on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on this coming Monday night, August 29 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. See, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*******************************
State Rep. John Fritchey [D-Chicago] debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz a grade for Gov. Blagojevich, Fritchey's political office aspirations, his assessment of likely primary challengers to Gov. Blagojevich and potential Republican gubernatorial candidates, his apology for supporting the pension raids, how possible match-ups between Gov. Blagojevich and Jim Edgar, Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and State Senator Steve Rauschenberger play out and much, much more.
************************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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