RAHM, RAUNER SHARE STAGE, NOT SOLUTIONS
Despite being at war politically, Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel shared a stage and a few pleasantries at a Southeast Side factory opening on Thursday, but it was far from a truce — or even a cease- fire.
Rauner used the rare joint appearance to accuse the mayor of not using enough of his “influence” on Democrats to push for a school funding formula change, blaming the mayor for the lack of progress.
They were once close friends, vacation buddies and business associates, but neither man would confirm when they’d last spoken or met about the Chicago Public Schools funding.
They appeared together Thursday at the opening of Flex- N- Gate, a manufacturing company that promises to create 286 jobs and invest nearly $ 30 million in the local economy.
The two shared a handshake. Then Emanuel asked Rauner about his family. The men were seated apart on stage at the unveiling and spoke separately to reporters afterward.
The state hasn’t had a full budget since July 2015. And the mayor’s office this week said CPS needs $ 596 million to keep schools open the rest of the school year.
“I’m very strong. I’ll work with anybody to advance the goal,” Emanuel told reporters when asked whether the two are talking and are any closer to a deal for CPS.
Rauner said the two are “working primarily through the General Assembly on education funding reform.”
And he urged the mayor to get more “involved directly” with the Democratic caucus to make sure the funding formula gets done.
“He has influence in the Democratic caucus. I hope he’ll get involved directly. He hasn’t been doing as much of that, I believe, as I would like to see him,” Rauner said. “I think we could get it done if he would.”
Emanuel last May became heavily involved in budget talks and was credited with winning legislative support for an increase in the property tax levy to get the Rauner administration on board with a CPS package.
The administration had agreed to give state money for Chicago teacher pensions in exchange for a pension reform bill.
If the pension parity bill hadn’t been tied to pension reform, it would have been viewed as a Chicago bailout.
But Rauner vetoed the CPS pension bill in December, saying it wasn’t tied to overall pension reform. The veto came after Illinois Senate President John Cullerton denied that the CPS and pension reform bills were tied.
Since then, Rauner and Emanuel have engaged in a war of words, each side blaming the other for CPS’ financial mess. City Hall has dubbed Rauner “Governor Gridlock.” And the governor’s office has dismissed Emanuel as “Madigan’s Mayor,” linking him to Rauner’s political nemesis, House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Sharing the same room on Thursday, the two avoided namecalling.
Rauner on Thursday said he sup- ports a school funding formula plan that would combine bills by state Sen. Jason Barickman, R- Bloomington, and Sen. Andy Manar, DBunker Hill.
And despite criticisms from Cullerton Wednesday, the governor said the two planned to speak again on Thursday regarding budget talks.
“We’re working 24/ 7, literally, to get a balanced budget with structural changes to make our economy more competitive,” Rauner said.