“That’s 10 more years of music, of arts, of support for the City of Chicago. “I’m here to tell you that Lolla, all the great work, all the fabulous music, will continue for 10 more years,” Lightfoot told the crowd. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took the stage Sunday night in Grant Park to announce that Lollapalooza’s production company C3 Presents and the City of Chicago have agreed on a deal that keeps the annual concert in the city through 2032 with an option to extend it another five years. Perry Farrell, who created Lollapalooza, performs at the festival Sunday, July 31, 2022, in Grant Park. Here’s Kelly’s farewell speech at Saturday’s meeting. The vote by the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee followed weeks of intense lobbying, report Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Rick Pearson And in return, Welch saves enough incumbents that he can hold on to his gavel in January when House lawmakers vote on whether to keep him as speaker. Helping fund Welch’s House Dems means Pritzker won’t ever have a problem getting legislation passed through the General Assembly. She won’t be making any staff changes soon.Īnother winner in this contest: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch endorsed Hernandez, likely assuring that Pritzker also will open his checkbook to help House Dems hold on to their super-majority.Įverything is reciprocal. What’s next: Hernandez will spend the coming weeks talking to Central Committee members and party staffers to “understand their needs,” according to a person close to Hernandez. “I vow to continue listening to voices of Democrats across the state and will focus on building a party as diverse as Illinois,” she said. Hernandez, the first Latina chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, isn’t giving interviews yet but read a statement after she was elected Saturday at a Democratic State Central Committee meeting in Springfield. Watch for big donations to the party from the billionaire governor. Up until Friday, the thinking among some political observers was that Garcia and Ramirez, who both are expected to win congressional seats in November, might support Kelly given she would be a fellow Democratic ally in Washington.īut money talks, and Pritzker - thanks to Garcia’s support - now has control of the Illinois Democratic Party after a campaign revealed racial tensions and infighting. Omar Aquino and Cristina Castro, and state Rep. The buzz is that Garcia negotiated with Pritzker and, after some additional coaxing, state Sens. Realizing she didn’t have the votes, Kelly dropped her bid to keep the chair. Garcia and three Latino lawmakers who sit on the Democratic Central Committee announced they would endorse Hernandez, who was Pritzker’s pick for the post over Congresswoman Robin Kelly. Lisa Hernandez to be elected party chair on Saturday. The combination of the two propelled state Rep. JB Pritzker’s wallet speaks volumes, and Congressman Chuy Garcia is a deal-maker set on expanding his power. Maybe we’re stating the obvious, but two revelations emerged in last week’s dramatic showdown for Illinois Democratic Party chair. JB Pritzker, standing at the center of the stage at an event with DNC officials, right, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Rep.