A big-time labor leader is cooperating with federal agents. Our politics team of Carol Marin, Paris Schutz and Amanda Vinicky takes on that and more this week in Spotlight Politics.
It’s not clear what John Coli Sr. may share with federal agents, but it is clear that the former leader of the Teamsters Union has connections with politicians.
Under a plea deal reached this week in federal court, Coli has agreed to spill the beans in return for their recommending a shortened, 1.5-year sentence in his extortion case.
Meanwhile, more bookkeeping problems are plaguing former candidate for Chicago mayor Amara Enyia, who had the monetary and public support of Chance the Rapper and Kayne West.
Two dozen workers for Enyia’s campaign are suing the campaign, alleging they’re owed nearly $57,000 dollars in back pay. It also alleges that the campaign knowingly cut fraudulent checks to employees. In response, Enyia said the allegations were “unsettling,” that she had ended her campaign with significant debt and was raising money to make up for it.
In April, WTTW News reported on Enyia’s controversial campaign payments, including payments to groups that have no record of existing, and dozens of checks that were cut to the address of her sister’s apartment. Enyia at the time said the addresses were a placeholder as her campaign struggled to file mandatory paperwork with the State Board of Elections on time. She said that an amended form would fix the discrepancies. The campaign filed two amended forms on July 15, but the elections board said it didn’t fix the problem.
While her state campaign spending records are under scrutiny, Illinois government has gotten its finances in order – such that ratings company Fitch has moved the outlook of the state’s bonds from negative to stable.
“The Outlook revision to Stable reflects key developments over the last three months for the state including an unanticipated revenue surge in April 2019 that positioned the state to resolve a sizable fiscal 2019 mid-year budget gap and enact an on-time fiscal 2020 budget,” an analysis from Fitch reads.
Illinois still has the worst credit rating in the nation.
Follow us on Twitter: @wttw | @paschutz | @CarolMarin | @AmandaVinicky
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