MAYOR’s COMMS SHUFFLE NOW URLACHER SEEKS RE-ELECTION TEACHER TALKS STALL, KIDS STILL HOME
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Lori Lightfoot’s communications office for nearly 18 months, is leaving, and
Kate LeFurgy, deputy director of the office, is stepping up.
“Kate has played a critical part in navigating our city through the enormous challenges of the last year,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “She is fiercely committed to our mission of building a transparent, responsive city government that reflects the experience and needs of our residents, and I’m thrilled to have her stepping into this leadership role.”
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It’s a time of transition, both in Washington DC and in Springfield. Nationally, the Biden Administration is filling out its Cabinet and other appointments. In Springfield, newly-minted Speaker Welch is working through new House rules and committee chair appointments for the upcoming legislative session. All of these changes will have an impact on policy, and we are tracking them all.
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State Representative Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch Becomes Illinois House Speaker
State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch has been officially chosen to be the new Speaker of the Illinois House, ending Speaker Michael Madigan’s run as Illinois’ longest-serving House Speaker
COVID-19 in Illinois updates: Here s what s happening Thursday chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021 Mark Brown has an excellent column about Speaker Chris Welch’s rise to power. He reminds us that Welch stood up to be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against then-Comptroller Leslie Munger over her blatantly unconstitutional refusal to pay legislator salaries…
By taking the heat for them, Welch earned the appreciation of his fellow legislators, Democrats and Republicans.
As Michael J. Madigan proved over a nearly four-decade career as House speaker, the speakership doesn’t depend on popularity with the public but on the speaker’s standing among his members.
Welch’s ascendance was years in the making the result of thoughtful efforts to build relationships with other lawmakers while enhancing his profile as a leader.
Hours before a General Assembly was to be inaugurated and still short the votes he needed to be elected speaker, Emanuel “Chris” Welch intensified his campaign to persuade House Democrats he should be the one to lead them after Michael Madigan’s decadeslong tenure.
“I spent time going member by member, talking to each and every one of them, to try to address their concerns,” Welch said in a phone interview Thursday. “There were no specific promises made, but everything comes down to people knowing you and trusting you and believing in you. And the fact that I listened to them and heard what their concerns were, I think was extremely important. I know what everyone’s issues are.”