Latest news with #Crespo
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
How to complete the TOTS Hernán Crespo Exchange in EA FC Mobile
Team of the Season (TOTS) continues to bring the heat in EA FC Mobile, and the latest addition is a fan-favorite icon striker Hernán Crespo . Available through a direct exchange, this 109 OVR TOTS version of Crespo doesn't require any Star Pass purchases, making it one of the most accessible high-tier cards in the event so far. Players looking to equip their front line with a classic finisher, here's everything one needs to know to complete the TOTS Hernán Crespo Exchange. TOTS Hernán Crespo Exchange in EA FC Mobile: Requirements, tips and more Unlike earlier ICON exchanges like those for Hristo Stoichkov or Lothar Matthäus, that required specific Star Pass progress or milestone conditions, this exchange is more straightforward and completely free-to-play friendly. This ST card is a default version card and can be max ranked up to 114 OVR, making it a brilliant striker choice to boost your Club Team overall. To complete the exchange and unlock TOTS Crespo, you'll need to submit the following: 350x TOTS Shards 2x Players rated 107+ OVR 4x Players rated 106+ OVR 5x Players rated 105+ OVR To complete the TOTS Hernán Crespo exchange efficiently in EA FC Mobile, players need to be strategic with their resources. First and foremost, TOTS Shards are crucial. These shards can be earned through daily quests, completing TOTS match events, and securing bonus rewards from ongoing campaigns. To maximize your shard collection, make sure to focus on playing TOTS-specific challenges and logging in daily to complete objectives. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: House Speaker Chris Welch went too far. Rep. Fred Crespo is good for Illinois.
Springfield is confronting a $500 million-plus deficit, and Gov. JB Pritzker, the state's top Democrat, has pledged to balance the budget without raising taxes. So what is House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch doing with two weeks left in the spring session? He's excommunicated a long-time lawmaker, state Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, from his party's caucus. And the sin that Crespo supposedly committed to warrant banishment? He had the audacity to produce his own proposal aimed at addressing the immediate budget hole while also setting aside funds for what may be more shortfalls soon to come. Crespo's blueprint would freeze state government hiring and impose an across-the-board reduction in discretionary spending to ensure money is available for potential near-term negative surprises courtesy of the Trump administration. Under Crespo's approach, state agencies could see their budgets restored if the squirreled-away money isn't needed. Not exactly an outrageous idea. Welch told reporters that generating a budget plan deviating from whatever House leadership has in mind is a no-no in his caucus. We think you shouldn't give much credence to Welch's complaints by way of explanation that Crespo was uncommunicative with fellow Democratic leaders or that he failed to follow the 'processes' Welch had established at the outset of what everyone knew was going to be the toughest budget year in Springfield since Pritzker first took office in 2019. What Crespo really did wrong was to suggest something other than more revenues to address Illinois' fiscal woes. Even as we decry this turn of events, we acknowledge there are certain expectations that flow from appointments to leadership positions, like Crespo's chairmanship of the House General Services Appropriations Committee. It wasn't a surprise that Welch yanked that chairmanship from Crespo after the latter went public with his proposal. But Welch went much further, barring Crespo from Democratic caucus meetings. That's an absurd overreaction and a punishment far more harsh than the 'crime' deserved. So Crespo — who's served in Springfield for 18 years, six years longer than Welch himself — is now a Democratic Party member in exile for not being a 'team player.' The unmistakable message: in Welch's House of Representatives, Democratic moderates who think for themselves and question their own party's orthodoxies are unwelcome. Sound familiar? After Democrats lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress, one might have thought leaders such as Welch would have learned that imposing litmus tests and loyalty oaths and lessening the party's already-dwindling appeal to centrists and moderates was a losing strategy. Unlike in Washington, D.C., Democrats are in no immediate danger of losing power in Illinois, if for no other reason than they've gerrymandered state legislative districts so aggressively. A Republican voting surge in November 2024 meant only that Democrats failed to gain any seats in the state House thanks to those egregious maps. But make no mistake. Repudiating the moderate voters whom Crespo represents is a losing play and will lead eventually to diminishment of power. It doesn't convey strength; it communicates precisely the opposite. Democrats need to encourage more debate within their ranks, not less. Look at what came of the harsh admonishments of anyone who questioned President Joe Biden's mental fitness in the latter stages of his presidency. That did not age well. Moreover, muting moderate voices within the Democratic Party is bad for the state of Illinois. We've seen the results progressive hegemony is producing in Chicago and (to a lesser degree) in the state. That would be budgets that rise inexorably despite lack of revenue growth, taxes, fees and fines that keep rising. And an anemic economic performance. 'I have no regrets,' Crespo told us last week. 'I'm disappointed but not surprised.' But, he added, 'I'm going to continue speaking on the budget. That I can tell you.' Good. Illinois needs you, Rep. Crespo. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: House Speaker Chris Welch went too far. Rep. Fred Crespo is good for Illinois.
Springfield is confronting a $500 million-plus deficit, and Gov. JB Pritzker, the state's top Democrat, has pledged to balance the budget without raising taxes. So what is House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch doing with two weeks left in the spring session? He's excommunicated a long-time lawmaker, state Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, from his party's caucus. And the sin that Crespo supposedly committed to warrant banishment? He had the audacity to produce his own proposal aimed at addressing the immediate budget hole while also setting aside funds for what may be more shortfalls soon to come. Crespo's blueprint would freeze state government hiring and impose an across-the-board reduction in discretionary spending to ensure money is available for potential near-term negative surprises courtesy of the Trump administration. Under Crespo's approach, state agencies could see their budgets restored if the squirreled-away money isn't needed. Not exactly an outrageous idea. Welch told reporters that generating a budget plan deviating from whatever House leadership has in mind is a no-no in his caucus. We think you shouldn't give much credence to Welch's complaints by way of explanation that Crespo was uncommunicative with fellow Democratic leaders or that he failed to follow the 'processes' Welch had established at the outset of what everyone knew was going to be the toughest budget year in Springfield since Pritzker first took office in 2019. What Crespo did wrong was to suggest something other than more revenues to address Illinois' fiscal woes. Even as we decry this turn of events, we acknowledge there are certain expectations that flow from appointments to leadership positions, like Crespo's chairmanship of the House General Services Appropriations Committee. It wasn't a surprise that Welch yanked that chairmanship from Crespo after the latter went public with his proposal. But Welch went much further, barring Crespo from Democratic caucus meetings. That's an absurd overreaction and a punishment far more harsh than the 'crime' deserved. So Crespo — who's served in Springfield for 18 years, six years longer than Welch himself — is now a Democratic Party member in exile for not being a 'team player.' The unmistakable message: in Welch's House of Representatives, Democratic moderates who think for themselves and question their own party's orthodoxies are unwelcome. Sound familiar? After Democrats lost the presidency and both chambers of Congress, one might have thought leaders such as Welch would have learned that imposing litmus tests and loyalty oaths and lessening the party's already-dwindling appeal to centrists and moderates was a losing strategy. Unlike in Washington, D.C., Democrats are in no immediate danger of losing power in Illinois, if for no other reason than they've gerrymandered state legislative districts so aggressively. A Republican voting surge in November 2024 meant only that Democrats failed to gain any seats in the state House thanks to those egregious maps. But make no mistake. Repudiating the moderate voters whom Crespo represents is a losing play and will lead eventually to diminishment of power. It doesn't convey strength; it communicates precisely the opposite. Democrats need to encourage more debate within their ranks, not less. Look at what came of the harsh admonishments of anyone who questioned President Joe Biden's mental fitness in the latter stages of his presidency. That did not age well. Moreover, muting moderate voices within the Democratic Party is bad for the state of Illinois. We've seen the results progressive hegemony is producing in Chicago and (to a lesser degree) in the state. That would be budgets that rise inexorably despite lack of revenue growth, taxes, fees and fines that keep rising. And an anemic economic performance. 'I have no regrets,' Crespo told us last week. 'I'm disappointed but not surprised.' But, he added, 'I'm going to continue speaking on the budget. That I can tell you.' Good. Illinois needs you, Rep. Crespo.
Politico
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Crespo ‘disappointed' at his ouster
Presented by TGIF, Illinois. Welcome to Beyonce, who brought her rodeo to Chicago for the weekend! TOP TALKER CRESPO RESPONDS: Don't read too much into Democratic state Rep. Fred Crespo's absence today from the Illinois General Assembly. It's his birthday, and he promised his wife he'd spend the day with her. Asked about his ouster from leadership earlier this week, Crespo told Playbook, 'I'm disappointed but not surprised.' The veteran lawmaker was pushed out from the Democratic caucus for not communicating with House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch's team about working on a fiscally conservative budget bill — something he did last year, too, though the measure didn't go anywhere. Welch also removed Crespo as chair of the House appropriations committee and fired one of his top aides. 'They felt that I was working behind their backs, but as I told the speaker, in the 18 years I've been in office, we always work on bills and we never consult unless we have to,' Crespo said in an interview. Trying to trim the budget: The fiscally conservative Democrat from Hoffman Estates had been working on a plan to identify 'over $4 billion that we can set aside for next fiscal year' by 'withholding — not cutting' funds, he said. The plan 'protects Medicaid, protects all the programs that we care about.' Crespo worked on a similar proposal last year, but it was ignored, he said, in part because it wasn't in bill form. 'No one was interested.' This year, Crespo put his idea in bill form. 'I wanted a document that I can show people so they can better understand because it's complicated. It's easier when you have a document in front of you and can see' what the proposal is. So many meetings: One complaint Crespo got from Welch is that he didn't communicate the way the speaker has tasked chairs to do. Crespo acknowledges missing one meeting out of five, including one with House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, because he was tied up in another meeting. He said that shouldn't be the reason to bump him from his leadership role. Crespo also pushed back at speculation that he was working with Republicans. Not so, he said, though he's always been open to working across the aisle. 'I tell people I'm bilingual and not because I speak Spanish and English. It's because I can speak to Democrats and Republicans,' he said. 'People want us to work together.' The moves against Crespo indicate the challenge Illinois Democrats, who control the General Assembly, have in crafting a budget. Crespo's concern: 'I just hope people don't see this and shy away from speaking up. They have a responsibility and duty to do that,' he said, via the Tribune's Jeremy Gorner and Olivia Olander. RELATED: Lower revenue projections mean lawmakers must consider approving new revenue streams or cutting state programs, by Capitol News' Ben Szalinski THE BUZZ ENDORSEMENTS are rolling in for 2026 congressional candidates: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who's running for Senate, has secured support of more than 50 elected officials and LGBTQ+ community leaders, according to her team. Among them are state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden, MWRD Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis and Avon Township Clerk Kristal Larson. Here's a letter signed by supporters. State Sen. Robert Peters, who's running for Congress in the IL-02 District now held by Congresswoman Robin Kelly, was endorsed Thursday by David Hogg. He's the Democratic National Committee vice chair who has drawn criticism for calling some Democrats 'asleep at the wheel.' His post is here. Hanover Park Trustee Yasmeen Bankole has announced nearly 30 endorsements in her bid for the IL-08 seat now held by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. Among them: Glendale Heights Mayor Rebecca Giannelli, Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica and Roselle Mayor David Pileski. Here's the full list State Sen. Laura Fine, who's running for Congress in the IL-09 District now held by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, has been endorsed by state Rep. Marty Moylan, DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering. Here's the full list If you are David Hogg, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON At 3601 West Chicago Avenue at 11 a.m. for The Ave mixed-use development groundbreaking — At Daley Plaza at 1 p.m. for the Chi Food Truck Fest Where's Toni At South Suburban College at 1 p.m. to break ground on the new Household Hazardous Waste Facility Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will headline the Utah Democratic Party's convention on May 31, via the Deseret News — NEW TODAY: Ted Mason is running for Cook County commissioner in the 15th District, and he already has secured key endorsements. It's a position Mason knows well. He is chief of staff of current Commissioner Kevin Morrison, who's running for Congress. 'Having served as chief of staff' for the past six years, 'I am excited to continue the work of expanding access to mental health care, bringing resources to our small businesses in the northwest suburbs, and providing Cook County with balanced budgets,' Mason said in announcing his candidacy. Morrison and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have already endorsed Mason for the job, according to his launch statement. ILLINOIS' POPE — Dolton, the Chicago suburb that gave us a pope: 'Dolton was hit with economic hardship after the collapse of the steel industry on the Far South Side. But residents hope their new fame can spark opportunity,' by the Sun-Times' Lauren FitzPatrick and Violet Miller. — Pope Leo XIV's brother describes 'life-altering event' impacting family, by NBC 5's Natalie Martinez THE STATEWIDES — Safety reforms could be coming for Chicagoland transit, but funding still up in the air: 'Officials quiet on other reform plan details, funding options for transit agencies,' by Capitol News' Andrew Adams. — Illinois is the last state still unlawfully stripping wealth from homeowners in tax foreclosures: 'The law lets private investors take people's homes and equity over unpaid property taxes. Critics say Black homeowners are hurt most,' by Emeline Posner of the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and Carlos Ballesteros of Injustice Watch. — Plan to limit scope of 'crime-free housing' ordinances clears Illinois Senate committee: Housing advocates argue the crime-free ordinances 'have been used to evict people in instances where the actual residents of the homes in question committed petty offenses or no crimes at all,' by Jade Aubrey via Capitol News. — Illinois considers lowering scores students need to be considered proficient on state exams, by Chalkbeat's Samantha Smylie — A new study ranks Illinois 50th among 50 states in something called 'fiscal stability,' but it fares better in other categories, via U.S. News. CHICAGO — Chicago Teachers Union leaders face challengers in election today: 'A slate of four teachers is running to try to unseat the current union leadership, led by CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. Results are expected Saturday,' by the Sun-Times' Emmanuel Camarillo. — Chicago tourism inches up, but business travel still drags, by Crain's Danny Ecker — Hyde Park residents threatening lawsuit against city for planned permanent homeless shelter, by ABC 7's Sarah Schulte — Parking meter company could get $15.5M more from Chicago in settlement, by the Tribune's Jake Sheridan — Violent crime incidents in Chicago are down 22%, via CBS 2 — Of 20 best cities in the world for culture, Chicago is the only U.S. town on the list, via Time Out SPOTLIGHT — SCOOP: The National Museum of Mexican Art is returning a Maya frieze to its place of origin in Mexico, according to the Chicago museum. The repatriation came about after the museum worked with officials in Mexico. The artifact had been in a private collection and then displayed at The Brooklyn Museum in the 1960s and 1970s. The family of the late Chicago-area philanthropists Jeanne and Joseph Sullivan sought the National Museum of Mexican Art's help in returning the sculpture to Mexico. TAKING NAMES — Christian Perry has been named to the board of Cultivate Collective, an umbrella organization to oversee green job training and solar energy learning labs. By day, Perry is the political director for Chicago's mayor. — Hardik Bhatt has joined the board of Intersect Illinois. Bhatt is CEO of SDI Presence LLC. Reader Digest We asked what political battle you can't wait to see unfold: Mimi Cowan: The 'Sophie's Choice question' for the U.S. Senate race. Kirk Dillard, chair of the Regional Transportation Authority : 'Mass transit reform and funding. It impacts 1.2 million riders every workday and is responsible annually for $2.5 billion in regional economic growth.' Lucas Hawley: 'The state Senate race with Nick Uniejewski' going against incumbent state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz. Dennis Johnson: 'The open primary for Sen. Dick Durbin's seat and the possible resulting musical chairs.' Jim Lyons: 'The race for Sen. Dick Durbin's seat.' Dan Mattoon: 'The Democratic primary to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin.' Tomás E Revollo: 'Rahm Emanuel v. JB Pritzker for president. (JB all the way).' Timothy Thomas: 'It will be interesting to see who backs down first in the political standoff involving three black women (if Lauren Underwood jumps in) in the 2026 Senate race to avoid the spoiler label.' NEXT QUESTION: If Beyonce ran for president, what would her campaign slogan be? FROM THE DELEGATION — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) pressed Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday. Her concern: Employees are being asked 'to do more with less' as a result of the department's reduction in force. Here's a clip. ... Budzinski also signed a letter urging the VA to continue health research focused on women veterans. Here's the letter — Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Commitee, joined in a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to reverse his firing of the head of the U.S. Copyright Office and his removal of the librarian of Congress. THE NATIONAL TAKE — Coastal Republicans express anger at red-state leaders who won't help them with SALT deductions, by POLITICO's Jonathan Martin — James Comey sparks Republican outrage with Trump social media post, by POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy — Some Republicans are angry about climate law cuts. Will they tank the GOP megabill? via POLITICO TRANSITIONS — Michael Negron has been named a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, where he'll work on policies 'to improve economic growth, equity and financial security,' according to an announcement. He was a policy fellow at Groundwork Collaborative, but playbookers know him as having worked for former President Joe Biden, Gov. JB Pritzker and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. — JR Patton is interim village administrator in Glenwood. He is a former City Council member and former city administrator of Calumet City. — Amica Nesbitt is now an associate at Blank Rome, where she'll work in the business litigation group. She was at Reed Smith. EVENTS — May 28: Wintrust and Conlon Public Strategies present 'Leading in the Face of Unprecedented Change,' the first of three breakfast discussions with nonprofit executives and board leaders. Panelists are from UCAN, Northwestern Settlement, Thresholds, The Night Ministry, Chinese American Service League and Erie Family Health Centers. RSVP here TRIVIA THURSDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Jarod Hitchings for correctly answering that Park Ridge was called Pennyville, then Brickton, before being incorporated in 1873. TODAY's QUESTION: Which public servant has a stretch of I-72 named in their honor? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today: Former Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore, state Rep. Fred Crespo, state Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, state Sen. Emil Jones III, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Danny Goldberg and FanDuel State Government Relations Director James Hartmann Saturday: Governor's Senior Policy Adviser Michael Elliott, state Treasurer's Office Assistant General Counsel Tory Horton, DuPage County Senior Adviser Jeremy Custer, Microsoft senior writer Rebecca Nelson Kay, journalist Robert Feder and Joe Moore Strategies and MLS Public Strategies 'chief everything officer' Barbara Moore Sunday: Former Corn Products CEO Sam Scott and Institute for Intergovernmental Research Training Consultant Carmen Navarro Gercone -30-
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Rep. Fred Crespo ousted as committee chair for working on a separate budget plan
SPRINGFIELD — A veteran Illinois lawmaker was ousted from his committee chairmanship post after apparently angering House Democratic leadership by working on a budget plan separately from his caucus during the final weeks of the spring legislative session, according to a Crespo staff member and legislative sources. State Rep. Fred Crespo, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, was removed on Wednesday from his position as head of the House General Services Appropriations Committee, which considers budget requests for the state's constitutional offices, according to Crespo's office and legislative sources. A state representative since 2007, Crespo is a fiscally moderate Democrat who voted against last year's budget, which included about $750 million in tax hikes. Crespo was also stripped of his position as co-chair of the Legislative Audit Commission and was disinvited from internal House Democratic caucus meetings, sources said. Additionally, Brady Burden, a budget analyst for Crespo told the Tribune he was put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into his conduct. Neither Crespo nor a spokesperson for House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch, who controls committee assignments, would comment on the situation. The moves under Welch could be seen as another indication of the difficulty Democrats face in crafting a final spending plan before the General Assembly's scheduled adjournment on May 31. Lowered state revenues and uncertainty about federal funding have made this one of the most challenging budgets in recent years, as lawmakers try to cover a shortfall estimated at about $1 billion. 'This is certainly a tough year, but I will remind you that if you look around the country, every state is facing this challenge right now,' Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday at an unrelated event. 'It's partly because of the slowdown, the expected slowdown, of the overall economy since the new administration came into office' Pritzker said Thursday that he had heard about Crespo's ouster but 'I don't know a lot of the details of why that occurred.' A source close to Welch, who spoke on a condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the situation, said every appropriation committee was given tasks that included analyzing and identifying their budgetary priorities, but that Crespo had not kept in touch with the House's chief budget negotiator. The source said Crespo was the only appropriations committee chair to not complete these tasks. The source also said Crespo was trying to put together a budget without collaboration from his Democratic colleagues. Burden defended Crespo's efforts to craft a budget plan separate from that of House Democratic leadership. 'He has valid concerns and he's trying to provide solutions,' Burden said. Burden said he alerted the appropriate staffers about what the lawmaker was doing. 'There was no secrecy to the fact that he had been expressing interest in doing that,' he said. Crespo was spurred to work on his own spending plan, which among other things called for the state to withhold some funds that could be restored if revenue estimates brighten, by the threat of reduced federal funding under Trump, Burden said. Burden has previously run afoul of Welch. In 2023, he led an effort for him and about 20 other House staffers to be recognized as a union. Under pressure from that effort, Welch introduced and pushed through legislation in the House to allow General Assembly employees to be unionized but the bill never made it through the Senate. Burden and other staffers later sued Welch, alleging he deprived them of their rights to organize as a union. That suit is pending. Lawmakers have until a scheduled May 31 adjournment to pass a budget, although that deadline is not absolute. Pritzker in February introduced a $55.2 billion budget that kept spending flat in many areas and cut some programs favored by the governor, including healthcare insurance for immigrants under 65. But an April report from the legislature's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability projected that state revenue growth fell $471 million short of the figure Pritzker used in his proposal. And this week, Pritzker's budget office projected that revenues were short of more than $500 million compared to the revenue figures in the governor's February plan. Testifying about projected revenue before a House committee early Thursday, Alexis Sturm, who heads the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, said the office has had to deal with uncertainty at the federal level as it has made its recent revenue projections. 'Every year comes with a new challenge. This year's challenge that we've been struggling to try to assess the impact of is the ongoing and shifting federal landscape that's currently negatively impacting the national economic outlook,' she said. The office has not made specific adjustments to the proposed budget from February, she added. 'A lot of the revenues are flattening out, but there's obviously obligations to fund — pensions and health care costs, those things are increasing — and we did try to do it in a balanced way in the introduced budget. But we are reassessing, obviously, some of the numbers,' Sturm said. Pritzker's budget proposed no new taxes. But his plan includes increased tax rates on table games at casinos outside Chicago, putting blackjack and roulette on the higher rate used for slot machines. The proposal also calls for a pause in the final shift of state sales taxes on motor fuel purchases to the state's road construction fund, as well as an amnesty program for delinquent taxpayers. Together, those three changes would generate an estimated $469 million, the governor's office has said. On Thursday, lawmakers and labor interests held a news conference to discuss another budget pressure: A fiscal cliff facing Chicago-area public transit and much needed transit infrastructure and operations improvements. Advocates have been trying to come up with a solution in Springfield to plug a deficit for Chicago-area transit systems estimated at more than $700 million. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat who is one of the leaders of the transit reform efforts, said conversations on that issue are continuing. 'No matter what, whether it's health care, public safety, education and other issues, we need to be able to make the case that there are programs and services that will be provided for our residents,' he said. 'People want safe, reliable and affordable transit, period.' Olander reported from Chicago. Tribune reporters Dan Petrella and Addison Wright contributed.
