Heather Steans Lies About Hubby's Blago Connections

Heather Steans, Liar

Illinois State Senator Heather Steans lies about her husband's relationship to disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich.

Three days ago, CNB looked at how Steans lied about her past work experience. A press release from Steans's Democrat opponent Jim Madigan (7th District IL State Senate) dated January 14, 2010 examined the fudged Steans resume, and that press release got some attention.

Surprisingly, only the first half of the Madigan release got any traction. It was, in fact, a two-part document that addressed not only Steans's resume exaggerations, but also some intentionally misleading statements about her husband Leo Smith's curriculum vitae and his friendship with Rod Blagojevich.

The Steans-Smith-Blago relationship is not news. Chicago News Bench and a few other bloggers have been screaming about Steans corruption for a long time. A year ago, we noted this: Steans and hubby Leo Smith have given Blago some $200,000 for his election campaigns. Unlike the questionable contractors, however, Steans will actually be one of those who will soon be judging Blago in his upcoming Illinois Senate trial. Full Post...

Let us turn, again, to the Madigan press release:

In [a] Sun Times questionnaire, Sen. Steans responded that [Leo] Smith “worked for the Governor’s Office from 1987-1990. No other family members have worked for government.” Sen. Steans’ response is blatantly inaccurate. Sen. Steans’ husband Leo Smith had multiple roles with the Blagojevich administration: 

 1. On December 3, 2002, Rod Blagojevich named Steans' husband Leo Smith as one of his Senior Policy Advisors on the transition team. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=111258&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=570076&highlight

The hapless Leo Smith

  2. On January 13, 2003, Rod Blagojevich named Steans' husband Leo Smith as a member of his Budget Advisory Board. http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=36&RecNum=2004 

 3. Rod Blagojevich appointed Steans' husband Leo Smith to the Illinois Early Learning Council, which met for the first time on January 12, 2004.[1] http://www.illinois.gov/gov/elc/minutes/JAN2004.pdf  The Steans’ campaign has engaged in a systematic pattern of deception about both the employment and qualifications of Sen. Steans and the ties of her husband to the Balgojevich Administration.
Additionally: Steans went on to protect Blagojevich just like her predecessor. A measure passed the Illinois House of Representatives in 2008 with a 60% majority to allow voters to recall the Governor. Both State Representatives Greg Harris and Harry Osterman voted in favor of the recall. The bill got a majority vote in the Illinois Senate, but fell just 3 votes short of the required 60% supermajority. Steans voted against recall. She is one of those few Senators who killed the measure.

Source: http://howtobuyasenateseat.com/
Leo Smith, you may recall, crashed one of Madigan's fundraisers and made a complete fool of himself. Steans later released a statement in which she said "While chivalry may not be dead, in this case it surely looks stupid. Leo should not have been at the back of the room of Jim Madigan's event, even if it was in a public place, and had no business talking to Jim at this event. I will continue to focus on presenting my legislative record and discussing the many critical issues facing the 7th District." 

So Leo Smith hides behind his wife's statements of explanation. When will he be man enough to issue his own apology?

RELATED:
Madigan Calls for Full Steans Investigation, Alleges Corruption
Steans' Campaign Engages in a Pattern of Deception - Jim Madigan
Politician's Husband Shows Up at Gay Bar to Drunkenly Heckle Opponent
Heather Steans' Husband Goes Nuts in a Gay Bar

Finally, We See Inside Block 37 (#fail)

Once known as "the world's most famous vacant block" and used as a public ice skating rink, Block 37 is now open for business. But it's a disappointing opening, apparently. YouTuber "YoChicago1" posted this inside view of the troubled "Block 37," a chunk of prime real estate in the middle of Chicago's downtown "Loop." Over the years, Block 37 has been profoundly screwed up as only Mayor Daley, the City Council and socialist meddling could. On Nov. 25, YoChicago1 visited Block 37 and writes: "The long-awaited opening of the shops at Block 37 has begun. Zara, Puma, Godiva and a few others have opened, but the mall was nearly barren of retail traffic when I visited at around noon the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I left thinking: Bleak 37; retail fail." Ah, and the drama continues as the Block 37 developer seeks investors as a receiver is appointed. Chicago: The city that works (kind of). Also See: Developer loses control of Block 37‎ Block 37 Mall opens…kind of Who's Daley supporting in the battle for Block 37? guest commentary: world's most famous vacant lot under development (2006) Leave a Comment Conservative T-Shirts Follow CNB on Twitter RSS Feed

Ald. Stone Campaign Committee Paying Defendant's Legal Fees

Leave it to Lorraine Swanson to turn this up: "Attorney fees for one of the co-defendants in the 50th Ward vote fraud trial are being picked up by the Bernard L. Stone Campaign Committee." Stone is the 50th Ward alderman in Chicago, lording over a neighborhood known both as "West Ridge" and as "West Rogers Park." Stone, legendary in part for falling asleep at City Council meetings and for yelling at constituents, would not return the phone calls of Swanson, who publishes the Lake Effect News web site. As Swanson reported on November 13, two of Stone's political workers, Anish Eapen, the former ward superintendent and campaign worker Armando Ramos, are accused of multiple felony charges "that they allegedly tampered with absentee ballots of mostly immigrant voters in the 2007 municipal election and aldermanic runoff in the 50th Ward." Stone is a Democrat and well entrenched in the local Machine politics. Yes, yes, it's shocking that a Democrat in Chicago would be mixed up with a couple of guys who are, allegedly, scumbags and paying their legal fees to boot. Shocking. I know that you're shocked, too. There's a whole lot more to this story, which Swanson has been covering since its beginning. See her related stories: Trial Date Set For Stone Political Workers and Witnesses Offer Chilling Testimony of Voting ‘Chicago Style’. Conservative Caps, Shirt and more! Leave a Comment - Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Visit us on Twitter!

Video "Why We Fight" from Cook County GOP

Cook County is a seething cesspool of Democrat corruption. Who presides over that cesspool? Who has nurtured and benefitted from the cesspool? The Democrats. Now, the Republicans are fighting back, harder than they have in a long time. Will the sheeple of Cook County wake up and smell the cesspool? Frankly, I doubt it. But the new video below give a little hope that the til-now-ineffectual GOP has regrown a set of testicles. Maybe. (Hat tip to Marathon Pundit.) As described by the Cook County GOP, "Republicans across Cook County are mobilizing like never before to take their county back. This video was unveiled at the 2009 Cook County Republican Convention in Rosemont."
Related: 10 Governors I Wish We Had in Illinois by Jerry Agar.



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Mayor Daley is Shiller's Shill on High

The video below shows Mayor Daley praising 46th Ward Ald. Helen Shiller for her ability to "bring people together." Most residents of Shiller's ward, however, know that "Shiller" and "bring people together" do not belong in the same sentence. Or paragraph, bor that matter. Hizzoner is either a great liar, or simply deluded, or a mealy-mouthed liar protecting a crappy alderman only because she sucks up to him so well. Either way, the man who ripped up Meigs Field without anybody's permission needs to be voted out of office. Unless, of course, the federal investigators get to him before the next election. Cool Hats & Shirts for Cool Conservatives Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Kicking Helen Shiller's Political Corpse

Chicago News Bench pronounced Helen Shiller's political career as dead in July, 2008. A recent video (below) seems to shovel dirt onto her figurative grave.

Shiller cannot win re-election in 2011. Okay, it might not be impossible. Maybe her dead career could be revived, but as unlikely as that is, it just seems less likely every day. Shiller has long been slow to respond to residents' questions, needs and safety concerns.

She has actively resisted police cameras at dangerous intersections, and she is known for her anti-CAPS attitude. The police in her ward can't stand Shiller, a fact that they conceal thinly. The following video was posted on August 13, 2009. It shows a street fight, something all too common in Uptown, but this video brings it home so frighteningly well that is has stirred an amazing groundswell reaction from residents of Shiller's ward. Shiller was booed at an open meeting on July 23, 2009.

Shiller is openly mocked for her bizarre desire to create an indoor fish farm. Combine this video with Shiller's humiliation on August 17, 2009 when she was chased by screaming constituents from Truman College to her car. If her career wasn't already dead, it most certainly is now. Uptown has a long memory.


Video: What a riot! from Joe Gray on Vimeo.

Steans Faces New Competition for 7th Dist IL State Senate Seat

Heather Steans won that election, and now serves in the Illinois State Senate. 2008 Challenger Suzanne Elder lobbed serious charges against Steans in back then (see video below). Steans will faces another challenger in February 2010. Equality Illinois Interim Executive Director Jim Madigan plans to run for her State Senate. He would be wise to consult with Suzanne Elder, who is still fond of telling people that Steans got into office in a less than ethical manner (to put it politely). With the backing of thousands of activist homosexuals, Madigan will surely do better against Steans than did Elder. Whether he can actually beat Steans, who is backed by the corrupt local Democrat Machine and its scummiest players, remains to be seen.

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Tony Peraica Says Stroger "Unelectable"

Another hard-hitting segment of our exclusive interview with Tony Peraica, Cook County Board Commissioner. He doesn't mince his words as he talks about Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's chances of winning re-election, the hypocrisy of fellow Cook County commissioners and the local Democrat Party, and much more. I interviewed Peraica on May 29, 2009 at his law office on Chicago's South Side. Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Nutroots Dished It Out, Now They Can't Take It

The political Left in the US has a long tradition of viciously defaming conservatives, and even their own apostates, when they have no legitimate way of arguing a point. The constant portrayal or comparison of President Bush, for example, as a Nazi or even as the second coming of Adolf Hitler. So, I say, why not portray Nancy Pelosi (right) in Third Reich attire? Oh, that was always good for a laugh at a Democrat ward meeting, wasn't it? Ha ha ha. But post a doctored photo of a Democrat as Hitler and suddenly, Whoa! That's just wrong! The tables are turning folks, and speaking for myself I love poking them with their own pitchfork. Michelle Malkin has a great post about this, titled "Nutroots suddenly hypersensitive about Nazi/president comparisons." Chicago Alderman Joe Moore is a good example of a nutroot. He hates it when I post this picture of him (right); I know for a fact that he's got it in the dossier he keeps on me (yes, Joe Moore has an enemies list a la Richard Nixon). 49th Ward Democrat Kommitteekommissar David Fagus (below) is not too keen on this treatment, either. For those of you who aren't hip to the lingo, "nutroot" is a fanatically hypocritical, overly sensitive Leftist for whom politically correct speech applies only to his/her opponents. Okay, yes, there are conservative nutroots too, but they seem to be fewer in number. Or, at least, they're less visible and don't whine quite as loudly and, when they do whine, they get less front page coverage than the conservative whiners do. (See another definition of "nutroot" at Urban Dictionary.) The next four years will be fun as conservative pundits go at the Left, and we'll have more fun than they did. Why? Simple: Because the Lefty nutroots squirm so much squirmier, and we won't feel overly guilty about being politically incorrect. One thing I will not do, however, is the kind of racist crap that the Leftist nutroots do so well themselves. MORE NUTROOT FUN: The Liberal LexiconA Conservative's Dictionary of Libberish The Jawa Report: Democrat Nutroot Smear Machine Goes Into Overdrive The Nutroot Liberals Are Out in Force — Liberal Quicksand A Professor Who Wants To Be Dangerous Michelle Malkin's Nutroots Archives Noted Democratic Shill Begs Nutroots Not To Viciously Attack Emanuel For Being Too Jewish Nutroots // BlogCatalog Topic // BlogCatalog CNB RSS Feed

Feds Target Chicago Alderman Carothers

Former Chicago Alderman Arenda Troutman (Democrat) was just sentenced to four years in prison for corruption. This morning, we noted that Troutman is just one more "long parade of Illinois and Chicago politicians" (as American Thinker put it) who have shamed Chicago and Illinois. The parade of clowns continues with 29th Ward Ald. Isaac Carothers, and his act promises to be even more entertaining than Troutman's. From today's Chicago Sun-Times (emphasis added): Last year, the Chicago Sun-Times disclosed that federal investigators had requested city records on four West Side zoning changes pushed by Carothers. He had received campaign contributions from two of the businesses seeking the changes. Now, a 2007 federal subpoena -- released in response to a Freedom of Information request -- reveals a demand for documents including seven years worth of aldermanic expense records; 29th Ward zoning changes; ordinances introduced by Carothers, and correspondence between Carothers and the mayor's office regarding zoning changes. This will be interesting to watch. In the meantime, when will Mr. Fitzpatrick please consider investigating 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore for similar alleged offenses? CNB RSS Feed

Arenda Troutman, Clown in a Long Parade

No "Get Out of Jail Free" card for Alderwhore Arenda Troutman (Democrat). The former member of Chicago's City Clowncil, Troutman was sentenced on Feb. 17, 2009 to a well-deserved four-year prison term for mail fraud and tax fraud. She "admitted that for several years she had solicited cash from developers to back their projects in her South Side ward." (Source) Troutman is just another corrupt Democrat who has brought shame to Chicago and to Illinois. We're a laughing stock around the world, folks, thanks to the political party that so very many of you blindly continue to vote into office. Don't blame Troutman. Don't blame Blago. Don't blame Burris. Blame the Voters of Illinois, one of the dumbest class of human beings on the planet. American Thinker has the best line about Troutman and the continuing Democrat Embarassment: Ho hum! Another day, another Chicago politician sentenced to prison , this time for mail and tax fraud. No, not former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D). Or recently appointed President Barack Hussein Obama's (D) replacement senator, Roland Burris. (D). Oh maybe they'll eventually join the long parade of Illinois and Chicago politicians marching off to the Big House but this was a more common occurrence. Full Column at American Thinker... Yep, a "long parade of Illinois and Chicago politicians...off to the Big House," and the overwhelming vast majority of them are Democrats. But that won't stop idiot voters in Illinois from refusing to bring real change to state and local government, though. "Change?" Illinois voters are afraid of change. They will continue to put their blindfolds on, pinch their noses and vote Democratic. Masochists. CNB RSS Feed

Joe Moore Laughfest Continues

John Ruberry goes after Chicago Alderman Joe Moore (49th Ward) in a scathing post today. His angle: The recent, ridiculous naming of Moore as "Most Valuable Local Official" by The Nation magazine. From John's blog, Marathon Pundit: Laughs were made at Chicago's expense before impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich became a national punchline. Someone needs to inform the far-Left magazine The Nation, which named Chicago Alderman Joe Moore it's Most Valuable Local Official, that Chicago has more than one joke. Full Post.... Indeed. While the Democrats of Chicago and Illinois have provided bitter laughs for decades, Joe Moore has been a consistent belly laugh for 17 years. People who know Joe Moore best - his constituents - read The Nation's piece and collectively mumbled, "Are you shitting me?" Actually, The Nation and Joe Moore are shitting on you. RELATED: Joe Moore, The Nation and Walter Duranty Moore Constituent's Letter to "The Nation" Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Updated: 5th Cong District: Schulter Out, Fritchey In

UPDATED 23 March 2009: About Rosanna Pulido's Trouble Campaign 

Ald. Eugene Schulter
(Huffington Post)

UPDATE: by Dan Mihalopoulos, Clout City, Jan. 12, 2009 Four Democrats today formally joined the field for the March 3 special primary to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress. Dozens of local politicians have expressed interest in the opening. At the start of candidate filing today, the four who first submitted signature petitions to get on the ballot were state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), former federal transportation security official Justin Oberman and University of Chicago lecturer Charles Wheelan. (Continue...) 

We suspected this would happen. Chicago Alderman Eugene Schulter (47th Ward) has dropped out of the race to fill Rahm Emanuel's vacated Congressional seat. Ah, but the real fun now begins, as local Democrats beat each other up in a virtual wrestling match to select the heir to Emanuel's formerly held office. A Chicago Sun-Times report on Jan. 11 gives some juicy insight into the ongoing fracas. 

Right now, the smart money is on State Rep. John Fritchey as the one who will have the royal sword placed gently on his shoulder. On Saturday, January 10, 19 Democratic ward and township committeemen got together on Chicago's northwest side to decide the future holder of the 5th Congressional seat. Like micro-scale Bilderbergers at a retreat, the local poobahs were deciding the political future of five key individuals. According to Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times, Schulter "said he decided as he drove to Saturday morning's meeting to fold his campaign and instead throw his support behind Fritchey." 

"Schulter denied cutting a deal," reports the Sun-Times, "to get another one of his guys a statehouse seat, saying he already has a good state rep, Greg Harris, who represents the other half of hs ward." (Harris has been an enabler of impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich. Harris also campaigned against a constitutional convention.) 

Emanuel resigned his congressional seat to become Barack Obama's White House chief of staff. (Curiously, Sweet only referred it as "Emanuel's district" or "the district." It's the 5th Congressional District that is up for grabs.) The Sun-Times notes that "none of the five would-be grooms could quite muster the 50 percent-plus-1 of the weighted vote to be officially joined to the Democratic Party of Cook County as slated candidate to replace former Rep. Rahm Emanuel." 

So, the wrestling continues, but only among the Chosen. If you, friend, are interested in running that seat, forget about it unless you're an entrenched soldier of the local Democrat Political Machine. 

To his credit, Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th), favors an "open primary." State Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, also wants that. But don't be fooled - the person chosen will probably be anointed in the same way that State Senator Heather Steans was chosen to replace Carol Ronen. That is, they'd like an "open primary" but only so long as those in the primary are first vetted, selected, and patted down by the power structure. What the voters will get, again, is a pre-chewed wad of cud spat up for them to lick off the floor. 

Related: 

• No slating in the 5th Democratic leaders can't agree who to back for Emanuel seat 
• John Fritchey Is In Senate showdown heats up 
• Breaking Down the 5th Conservative Woman Runs to Fill Rahm Emanuel's ... 
• More about Alderman Eugene Schulter

About Heather's Stains

No she didn't, yes she did. Illinois State Sen. Heather Steans (actually pronounced "stains") has a bit of a stink about her. Something doesn't smell right. Steans (actually pronounced "stains") claims that she was never really interested in political office until Carol Ronen resigned her 7th District Illinois Senate seat in January, 2008. However, Steans' own poorly managed, badly written web site contradicts her claims of political innocence. As the Illinois State Senate, of which Steans is a member, gets ready to try Gov. Blagojevich for high offenses, Steans is doing back flips in an effort to convince us that she - like all the others in that cesspool - were surprised and dismayed to learn about Blago's bad behavior when he was arrested on December 9. Like Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes, Heather Steans professes to know nothing. Steans knows a lot, however, and for her to sit in judgment of Rod Blagojevich is the height of ironic hypocrisy. Let's pause here for a brief backgrounder. Ask Heather Steans and she'll insist that she was not thinking about running for state senate until sometime in 2007. Steans (actually pronounced "stains") was essentially selected - hand picked - by the local Democrat Machine to fill the 7th Senatorial District seat after it was vacated by Ronen upon her retirement (that's a whole bowl of potpourri by itself). It was Ronen, in fact, who personally asked Steans to run to replace her. Steans, it is said, was "very flattered." Carol Ronen's resignation took effect Jan. 7, 2008. The Chicago Reader summed up the events leading to Ronen's resignation: On October 22, [2007] Seventh District state senator Carol Ronen sent out an e-mail with word that she was retiring from her seat on January 7 [2008]. "I am announcing this now so that anyone who wishes to run for the office will be able to file petitions for the February 5, 2008 primary election by the November 5th deadline," she wrote. (Source) Too late, really, because by the time that e-mail went out Steans was already the Chosen One. In fact, Steans was appointed on February 10, 2008 to replace retiring Senator Ronen. Source: Cook-Witter Report, Vol. 23, No. 2, March 2008 (PDF) Everybody else, anyone without connections, that is, was effectively locked out of the process. The Reader nicely presented the evidence of that (emphasis added): Within a day, Heather Steans, a prominent north-side Democratic fund-raiser, announced that she was running and had canvassers rounding up the 1,000 signatures needed to make the ballot. Ronen, who did not return calls for comment, quickly endorsed her. Jan Schakowsky--who plays a curiously active role in the 48th Ward, where Ronen is Democratic committeeman--chimed in with her support. Within a day! That's a pretty quick decision, and a big one at that, for a self-proclaimed political innocent to have made. Nevermind the roughly 348 contributions, totaling over $750,000 that Steans husban Smith have made, $200,000 of which went to Blagojevich's campaigns. Furthermore, to already have a small army of a thousand people gathering signatures for her asks us to suspend our disbelief and pretend that they just appeared out of nowhere, as though none of them were contacted and heavily coordinated for days or weeks by Steans and her supposedly yet-to-be-formed campaign committee. I've worked on campaigns, and it's difficult enough to find a dozen people to pass out flyers let alone a thousnd to patiently get ballot signatures. As for Schakowsky, she shares office space at 5533 N. Broadway with Steans, Ronen (who is now Democrat State Central Committeeman), 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith and State Rep. Harry Osterman. It's a one-stop shop for influence. It should be noted that Schakowsky shares another one-stop influence shop (photo), up in the 49th Ward, with Alderman Joe Moore, Democrat Committeeman David Fagus, and Cook County Commish Larry Suffredin. Schakowsky's tentacles are long are far reaching. Now, finally, we get to the coup de grace. A full page on the Steans (pronounced "stains") web site, titled "About Heather," is devoted to piece of public relations fluff, dated October 9, 2006 and written by "Administrator," telling us that "Heather Steans brings outstanding experience to her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for 7th District State Senator." What an odd thing to write for somebody who was "surprised" to be invited to run for that position a year later. Perhaps it was a Freudian slip for Steans to post it. October 9, 2006, the date of "About Heather," was posted a full year before Carol Ronen supposedly surprised Steans (pronounced "stains") with the flattering suggestion of running for her soon-to-be-vacated seat. To cut to the chase, Steans (pronounced "stains") was lusting after the senate seat for a long, long time. Well before Ronen publicly announced her intentions to resign, Steans had probably been fully briefed on what was to be by her chum Carol Ronen. Did Steans' huge campaign contributions play any part in her sudden selection? Patrick Fitzgerald might know the answer to that, but we can only speculate. The full text, then, of the Freudian web page: Written by Administrator Monday, 09 October 2006 07:49 Heather Steans brings outstanding experience to her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for 7th District State Senator. An advocate for good public policy, Heather’s professional career has focused on government finance, economic development and education reform efforts. She has: Managed the budgets of state agencies in Illinois and Wisconsin where she improved customer service and reduced costs. Developed the Chicago Public Schools’ multi-year strategic plan that produced education reforms. Directed urban economic development initiatives for the Civic Committee. Successfully launched programs to increase housing and asset development and promote job growth in Chicago. In addition, Heather promotes strong community forums and child development initiatives as a member of the Boards of WBEZ Public Radio and the Erickson Institute. She also is a past chair of the Donor’s Forum. Heather received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Urban Studies from Princeton University and earned a Masters degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government where she serves on the Dean’s Alumni Leadership Council. Heather and her husband, Leo Smith moved to the Lakewood-Balmoral neighborhood 14 years ago to raise their three children, Ryan, Sam and Abby. It is curious, by the way, that Ronen's Illinois General Assembly bio still shows her as a member. "Years served: 1993 - 2000 (House); 2000 - Present (Senate)" hardly indicates that she resigned nearly a year ago. RELATED: Chicago Reader The Works: The resignation of state senator Carol ... Uptown Update: State Senator Carol Ronen Gets 'Golden Parachute' Steans swamps Elder for Carol Ronen's senate seat Subscribe to Chicago News Bench