Morning Spin: Willie Wilson pushes bail reform with new TV ad

March 06--Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

Former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson is following up on his personal efforts to bond nonviolent offenders out of Cook County Jail, launching a cable TV ad buy backing legislation in Springfield aimed at abolishing cash bond for those charged with low-level offenses.

Based on cable ad data, the ads are supposed to begin Monday and run for about a month on cable systems primarily on Chicago's South Side. Wilson's foundation is paying $8,235 to run more than 1,300 spots on the BET Network, CNN and OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, the cable data show.

The spots weren't available to be previewed, but Wilson has bailed out at least 110 defendants charged with nonviolent misdemeanors who couldn't post cash bond.

Wilson, a gospel music TV host and distributor of plastic gloves, made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2015 and followed it up with an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

He has said his personal efforts to post cash bond for alleged offenders in the Cook County Jail would help spur efforts on behalf of the legislation, which is pending in Springfield, calling it "discrimination."

Last week, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced that prosecutors in her office would no longer oppose the release of some detainees held on nonviolent offenses simply because they cannot afford to pay cash bonds of up to $1,000 at a time.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is backing Foxx's move and has supported Wilson's efforts as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce the county jail's population. (Rick Pearson)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be at the Museum of Modern Art Moderne in New York to announce the lineup for the second Chicago Architecture Biennial.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will attend a Pulaski Day event in Chicago.

*Attorney General Lisa Madigan will hold a news conference to discuss consumer complaints.

*Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam is set to give a lunchtime speech to the City Club of Chicago. (See "From the notebook" for a preview.)

*It's Casimir Pulaski Day. City and county offices are closed, but some school districts are open. It's not a state or federal holiday.

*The week ahead: The Illinois House and Senate resume meeting Tuesday, the first time they've been in Springfield at the same time since Rauner presented his budget plan. The City Club on Tuesday hosts a program called "Our Great Rivers: What's Next for the Chicago and Calumet." On Wednesday, the Cook County Board and a couple of city committees meet.

From the notebook

*Duckworth gets subcommittee leadership slot: Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been named the ranking member of the subcommittee that deals with fisheries, water and wildlife.

The Environment and Public Works subcommittee deals with clean water legislation as well as with lead contamination of water systems. She will be the top Democrat on the Republican-controlled panel.

"We have a moral obligation to make sure our children's drinking water is clean and safe, and as the top-ranking Democrat on this subcommittee I will do everything I can to ensure our water systems aren't poisoning our children," Duckworth said in a statement.

"I'm also looking forward to serving as a voice for the hardworking people of Illinois by advocating for infrastructure investments that create good-paying jobs and by protecting the Great Lakes from pollution and invasive species like the Asian carp."

Duckworth also was assigned membership to the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. (Rick Pearson)

*Roskam to visit City Club: Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, under fire from Democrats for refusing to hold a public "town hall"-style meeting, is scheduled to be the featured speaker Monday at the City Club of Chicago.

Last month, speaking on WGN-720 AM, Roskam likened town hall meetings to a circus. He said, "Town hall meetings tend to be platforms for people to shout at one another and get angry at one another and leave more upset and disappointed and bent out of shape than when people came. And the proof of that is just look at the national news."

Instead, Roskam held a telephone town hall meeting but received complaints that the platform was too controlled for people to truly voice their concerns about such issues as Donald Trump's presidency and the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Roskam is a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and is the panel's tax policy chair.

Democrats have stepped up their criticism of Roskam, who easily won re-election despite seeing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton win the balloting in his west and northwest suburban congressional district. (Rick Pearson)

*Big gig for Roskam staffer: Rep. Peter Roskam's legislative director, Aaron Krejci, has emailed friends to say this week he will join Vice President Mike Pence as a deputy assistant to the vice president and deputy director of House legislative affairs.

With a rollback -- or repeal -- of the Affordable Care Act on the House's near-term agenda, it stands to be a formidable assignment.

In his email last week, Krejci saluted Roskam, a Republican from Wheaton. "It has been an honor to work for such a dedicated and driven member," he wrote, "and I will be forever grateful for the faith, guidance, and trust he placed in me."

Hannah Schiller assumes the "health portfolio" for Roskam and Joe Fawell takes over as legislative director, the departing aide said. (Katherine Skiba)

*The Sunday Spin: Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests this week were Constance Brewer, chief external affairs officer, Noble Network of Charter Schools; retired national political columnist Roger Simon; and Tom Cross, chairman of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and former Illinois House Republican leader. Listen to the full show here.

What we're writing

*Chance the Rapper, Bruce the Governor finally meet.

*De Blasio defends Emanuel on crime, slams Trump during Chicago visit.

*ICE agents, Chicago-area sanctuary status at odds as Trump pushes deportations.

*ATF sting operation accused of using racial bias in finding targets -- the majority of them being minorities.

*Chicago State spends $1.2 million on a temporary maintenance fix.

*Fed Chair Janet Yellen signals interest rate hike during Chicago speech.

*Stakes high in Illinois as Congress rethinks Medicaid.

*Trump reversal of Obama transgender rule puts landmark local case in limbo.

What we're reading

*After winning a legal fight to keep a bag of moon dust, a suburban woman doesn't know what to do with it next.

*The 100 greatest Illinois high school basketball players of all time.

*Mystery about Drew Peterson's new prison conditions.

Follow the money

*The weekly update from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform looks at last week's top mayoral races.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*Trump seeks congressional probe into alleged investigation during 2016 presidential campaign.

*Lawmakers stunned, baffled by Trump wiretap allegations.

*Trump inherits cyberwar against North Korea missiles.

*U.S. strengthens forces in crowded Syrian battlefield, NYT reports.

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