By Shia Kapos

Happy September, Illinois. Great to be back after not publishing for a week. That freed up some time for reporting.

Election season kicks off today with candidates starting to circulate petitions to appear on the March 19 Illinois primary ballot. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is visiting Israel with some of his top House lieutenants. A letter detailing ethics violations in the Chicago Treasurer’s office has been released. And Gov. JB Pritzker is butting heads with unions. Let’s zero in on that.

The governor’s recent vetoes related to nuclear energy so angered union leaders that one labor group uninvited Pritzker to speak at its national conference in Chicago last week.

Two bills are at issue. One would have ended the state’s moratorium on building new nuclear plants. The other would have given Ameren Illinois the right of first refusal for transmission line construction. Both bills passed through the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support, and both were pitched as helping create jobs, lower utility costs and promote clean energy. Labor is most upset about the transmission-line veto.

Double-takes: Supporters of the measures say they were taken by surprise, though the governor’s office says that shouldn’t be the case. Pritzker’s team says the governor was clear that the “right of first refusal” bill in particular would be vetoed if it passed the General Assembly because he sees it as “a sweetheart deal” for one utility company.

According to Pritzker: “This is about Springfield having learned absolutely nothing from the trials that were taking place as they passed it,” Jordan Abudayyeh, the governor's deputy chief of staff for communications told Playbook. “When the governor said the days of backroom deals for utility companies are over, he meant it.”

Now there’s buzz that Welch won’t call the legislation for a vote during the fall veto session, which would allow the vetoes to stick. A spokeswoman for the speaker told Playbook that no decision has been made on what bills will be called. And Pritzker’s team says it isn’t aware of what vetoed bills will be addressed.

Governor gets the brushoff: Pritzker’s vetoes so enraged the Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, that the labor union uninvited him to a national union conference in Chicago last week at the Hyatt Hotel. Pritzker was supposed to headline the event. His name was even on the program, which confused some of the 2,0000 attendees when he was a no-show. Welch and Senate President Don Harmon took the stage instead, along with Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“Both of these bills deal with IBEW’s core industries and tens of thousands of our workers throughout the state of Illinois, …There’s obviously some sort of communications issue,” said Michael Clemmons, IBEW’s international VP in the Sixth District, which includes Illinois. IBEW was most upset about the “right of first refusal” bill. IBEW has a statement here. And Utility Dive has a good take here.

The big question: Will friction with unions jeopardize the governor’s ability to work with labor down the road? Pritzker, who’s listed on the Forbes billionaire list, doesn’t need union cash the way other candidates do, though he has relied on labor support to help candidates on the ground.

Now all eyes are on the veto session: If the General Assembly skirts a vote, a veto would stay in effect, creating a huge power play. The veto session runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 9.

Meanwhile …

Welch has labor woes, too. His staffers say the speaker won’t recognize their efforts to unionize. “Despite his outspoken pro-labor rhetoric and vocal support for the right of all employees in Illinois to unionize, [Welch] is apparently intent on denying this right to his own staff,” union organizers said in a release, adding the speaker hasn’t met with them on the issue.

Welch’s spokeswoman declined to comment. But House and Senate officials are looking at how other states legislatures operate and are expected to address the Illinois union effort. Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner has more.

In spite of the friction: ‘Surge’ in organization efforts has labor leaders optimistic for the future, by Capitol News’ Peter Hancock

MIGRANT MOVES: City Hall says it will house some 150 asylum seekers in the Parthenon Guest House in Greektown, where immigrants of another era found refuge when they immigrated to Chicago.

The city is circling back to the hostel, which had housed some migrants a few months ago.

Ald. Bill Conway (34th), whose ward includes the Parthenon, is holding a public hearing on the plan this week. Conway is pushing for a centralized approach to coordinate all health-care and job training for migrants. More details via CBS 2’s Shardaa Gray.

It’s an incremental but important move as the city tries to live up to its Sanctuary City status. No one envisioned the constant influx of new residents to Chicago when Mayor Harold Washington issued an executive order in 1985 prohibiting the city from enforcing federal immigration laws.

Since August 2022, more than 13,500 asylum seekers have arrived in the city. About 6,700 of them have been provided housing at 16 city-run shelters, but another nearly 1,600 are sleeping in police stations and some 400 are camped at O’Hare airport, according to a behind-the-scenes story by the Tribune.

Block Club takes a deep dive, too, saying the city is still unprepared to tackle the crisis.

Calling on Joe: Illinois Democrats came together last week to urge President Joe Biden to allow the migrants to secure work permits to help them get on their feet. ABC’s Mark Rivera has more.

If you are Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, playbook would like to hear from you. Email [email protected]

No official public events.

No official public events.

No official public events.

Election season has begun, so send me a line: [email protected]

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— Dem convention delegates will stay within city limits: “It’s a big f-ing deal,” Ken Martin, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, told your Playbook host.

— Becoming a delegate: The Illinois Democratic Party is distributing a Delegate Selection Toolkit for those interested in applying to be a delegate for the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

— GOP picks Houston for Republican National Convention in 2028, by POLITICO’s Natalie Allison

— Illinois is solidly blue. So why did President Joe Biden’s reelection effort spend so much time here this summer? There’s an effort “to build enthusiasm amid signs that the Democratic base has become blase. … And if enthusiasm for Biden is problematic in Illinois, it also portends problems in the rest of the nation,” writes Tribune’s Rick Pearson.

— Donald Trump Jr. headlines a fundraiser in Addison next month to benefit McHenry County Conservative Political Action Committee. Details here.

— Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-4) kicks off the 2024 election season today by greeting riders and collecting signatures for his re-election petitions at the CTA Pulaski Orange Line Station in Chicago.

— State Sen. Win Stoller won’t seek re-election for a third term, reports WCBU’s Tim Shelley.

— Tom Demmer, the former state representative, is considering running for Win Stoller’s seat. Demmer told Playbook he’ll decide in the next few days about whether to jump in the race.

— Graciela Guzmán has launched her Democratic campaign for state Senate in the 20th District. And Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (3rd) has endorsed her.

— Liam Kelly, Democratic Candidate for Cook County Judge in the 10th Subcircuit, has been endorsed by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th).

— New Illinois law protects money children earn as social media influencers, by PBS’ Lisa Desjardins and Kyle Midura

— Dying and disabled Illinois prisoners kept behind bars, despite new medical release law, by Injustice Watch’s Carlos Ballesteros and WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan and Amy Qin

— Illinois becomes magnet for transgender students seeking protections in school, health care, by Chalkbeat’s Max Lubbers with data analysis by Kae Petrin and Thomas Wilburn

— Illinois sees ‘substantial’ spike in Covid hospitalizations, CDC says, by CIProud’s Alix Martichoux and Mike Smith

— The Illinois Secretary of State Office now requires appointments, though the Loop office still takes walk-ins, via NBC 5.

— Fruit bowls, omelet stands among interesting things included in State Fair Grandstand performer contracts, by State Journal-Register’s Zach Roth

— SCOOP: Chicago treasurer accused of misconduct and ethical violations in letter city kept secret for years: “Melissa Conyears-Ervin used government workers to plan her daughter’s birthday party and be her personal bodyguard [and] misused taxpayer resources, two former top aides alleged in a recently released letter the city fought for years to keep confidential,” by Tribune’s Gregory Royal Pratt.

— Chicago Trump Tower’s pollution fines don’t have to be covered by insurers, court rules, by Sun-Times’ Cindy Hernandez.

— Now it's Messi, not Taylor Swift, driving up ticket prices at Soldier Field, by Daily Herald’s Dave Oberhelman

— There are no nude beaches here, per Ald. Maria Hadden

— SCOOP: Ousted Urban Prep founder Tim King breaks his silence, via WGN 9’s Ben Bradley

— Professor Lori Lightfoot is teaching Harvard students how to deal with a pandemic — and reporters, by WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel

— Tim Butler, president of the Illinois Railroad Association and a former state lawmaker, has been elected vice chair of the Illinois High-Speed Rail Commission.

— Jonathan McGee has been appointed to the board of directors of Reading Power Inc., a Lake County nonprofit focused on early literacy. In his day job, McGee is a senior public sector advisory consultant at Baker Tilly US.

— Dan Johnson and Tom Suffredin, both Illinois lobbyists, have launched the Improving Our Laws podcast featuring state lawmakers. State Rep. La Shawn Ford addresses state drug policies in episode one.

— Ty Warner, the Illinois billionaire and Beanie Babies founder, breaks decades of silence after harsh portrayal in ‘The Beanie Bubble,’ by New York Post’s Josh Kosman

— Why O'Hare is a unique airport for pilots, by Jack Herstam for Simple Flying

— Norfolk Southern funding will help bring railcars to Pullman National Park and State Historic Site, via Trains.com

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.

We asked what high school class changed your life.

State Sen. Bill Cunningham: “Chicago Studies during my junior year at Mt. Carmel. We read ‘Native Son,’ ‘Man with the Golden Arm’ and ‘Boss’ and learned historical facts, including the Illinois representatives featured in Statuary Hall.”

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering: “AP U.S. History.”

Raymond Busch, Graham Grady and Ray Sendejas all credit “typing class” with helping them in their careers.

Ted Cox: “The two-year writers’ workshop class taught by Mort Castle at Crete-Monee high school.”

Marilynn Miller: "American history with Sherman Krauth, who would assign us to read newspaper stories."

Myrna Mazur and Gail Morse: English classes.

Patricia Ann Watson: English literature.

What band do you always try to catch when they’re in town? Email [email protected]

— Trump’s co-defendants are already starting to turn against him, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney

— Jill Biden tests positive for Covid-19. President Joe Biden has tested negative, by POLITICO’s Katherine Long

— Pence vs. Ramaswamy is quickly becoming the hottest undercard feud of 2024, by POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky and Adam Wren

— SMART TAKE: It’s time for ordinary CFO Barbie, writes Chicago business journalist Maura Webber Sadovi in CFO Dive

— Gia Biagi is principal at Studio Gang Architects, where she worked before joining then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration in 2019. Her new role focuses on civic engagement, equity and ecology, via Crain’s Leigh Giangreco.

— Quintin L. King and Amy J. Kent have joined Strategia Consulting as senior strategists. King is a lobbyist and lawyer, and Kent was comms manager for the Village of Flossmoor.

— Carol J. Sharp is president and CEO of The Night Ministry, a nonprofit that focuses on poverty and the unhoused. She was an educational consultant with Marybeth Kravets & Associates.

— Maggie O’Keefe, Chicago’s 40th Ward committeewoman, tied the knot with Justin Thomas, senior UX designer at Oak Street Health, over the Labor Day weekend. Their second date was collecting signatures to win her race four years ago.

Judge Sanjay Tailor officiated the wedding and celebrated along with politicos galore, including Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega, Committeeman Sean Tenner, Elections Board comms director Max Bever, aldermanic candidate Jessica Gutiérrez, Cook County Assessor’s project director Erik Wallenius, radio host Patti Vasquez, Lake County Board member Sara Knizhnik, county commissioner’s chief of staff Michilla Blaise and Judges Tracie Porter and Brad Trowbridge. Pic and pic!

— Saturday: Smash Mouth, whose former lead singer Steve Harwell died of liver cancer this week, performs in Mount Carroll.

— Sept. 28: New York Times investigative reporter Megan Twohey headlines the Chicago Headline Club Foundation’s fall fundraiser to benefit scholarships and journalism internships. Details here.

Aug. 25 ANSWER: Congrats to Jarod Hitchings for correctly answering that Frances Willard and James Shields are the Illinoisans represented in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the University of Chicago faculty member who also served in four different presidential Cabinet positions? Email [email protected]

Former state Comptroller Leslie Munger, Winston Strawn Co-executive Chair Dan Webb, Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon, M. Harris & Co. CEO and former Tribune columnist Melissa Harris an