Sangamon County politics: Area's Number 1 industry

Sangamon ranks 12th in population among Illinois counties, but ranks 1st among larger counties in percentage of registered voters. Springfield, the state capital and county seat, is 'the second most politically sophisticated city in the world,' according to a former national chairman of the Democratic Party EVELYN worked as a tour guide for the Illinois secretary of state. Her friend, Meredith, was employed as a clerk for the comptroller. One day, with the approval of their bosses, they traded jobs. Why? Politics, pure and simple. When the election changed the control of their offices from one political party to the other, the women decided they wanted to swap jobs. In Springfield, it's not uncommon for an employee to want to work exclusively for a boss of the same political faith, even though there is nothing political about the actual work they perform for the state of Illinois. In this particular case, Evelyn's boss, John W. Lewis, a Republican, who had been appointed to fill a vacancy, did not seek election in 1972. The office was won by Michael J. Howlett, a Democrat. Evelyn wanted to work for George W. Lindberg, a Republican, who had been elected comptroller.

"Springfield is the second most politically sophisticated city in the nation," the late Stephen Mitchell, a former national chairman of the Democratic Party used to say. "Washington is first."

Court decisions have reduced the influence of patronage in recent years, but government remains the No. 1 industry in Springfield and Sangamon County. And a number of people still think they are more inclined to be hired or promoted if they do political work for the officeholder or political party of their choice.

Although Sangamon County ranks 12th in the state in population (161,335 according to the latest census), it ranks first among large counties in terms of the percentage of registered voters. More than 63 per cent of the population is registered to vote. Statistics compiled by the State Board of Elections in 1974 showed Sangamon had 101,000 registered voters. Sangamon thus outnumbers Champaign and Rock Island counties, even though they have more total population. Champaign (where students at the University of Illinois are counted for census purposes) had 69,016 registered and Rock Island 94,228.

Sangamon County also has a higher percentage of registered voters that go to the polls than the rest of the state. In the 1974 general election, for example, 60 per cent of those registered in Sangamon voted, compared to the statewide average of 51 per cent. Sangamon had 50 per cent more voters than Champaign and 33 per cent more than Rock Island in that election.

Incumbent governors don't win
The vote totals in the county which houses the Capitol, however, don't influence the outcome of the elections. Incumbent governors usually win reelection, for example, but only once in the last 30 years have the voters of Sangamon given a plurality to an incumbent governor — and he lost. Richard Ogilvie carried Sangamon by 56 to 43 per cent in his 1972 reelection bid only to lose to Dan Walker. Paul Simon, the former lieutenant governor who now serves in Congress, defeated Walker by a two to one margin in the county in the 1972 primary, only to be upset when the statewide results were tabulated. (One theory is that Walker's "non-political" style may be popular elsewhere in the state, but in the capital, too many people are politicians.)

Although both of the political parties are active in Sangamon County, the Republican candidates are more successful at winning elections. The GOP, for example, controls seven of the nine county offices. John Short of Springfield has served as the chairman of the Sangamon County Republican Central Committee since 1970 when he defeated State Rep. J. David Jones for that unsalaried position.

16 / May 1976 / Illinois Issues

No Republican county organization is more tightly bound to the state organization than Sangamon County. Don Adams, chairman of the state GOP central committee, and William Cellini, the former secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, both of Springfield, are influential statewide as well as county-wide.

The Cellini-Adams-Short wing of the party, however, is facing a serious threat from some of the local rank and file members. Their choice for chairman of the Sangamon County Board was defeated early in 1975 by an insurgent Republican, Paul Bitschenauer, It was a bitter defeat, rivaling in intensity the contest for speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.

With the local organization split into two distinct factions, fund-raising efforts have been hindered. Money plays an important role in the organization of the party: many government employees regularly contribute two per cent of their salaries to the party's fund raising arm, the Lincoln Club. One of the major reasons for the division in the party was a dispute on how the money should be spent. Much to the chagrin of the Republican candidates not endorsed by the committee in the primary, the organization offered $2,000 in cash prizes to be divided among the precinct committeemen who carried their precinct for the endorsed candidates. It is the only committee in the state known to offer cash prizes to committeemen.

The Republicans
Although local Republicans have been active in statewide politics, only one has ever been elected governor. He was Shelby Moore Cullom who served from 1877 to 1883. The last Republican from Sangamon to hold a major statewide office was Ray Page, who served two terms as superintendent of public instruction. Page was a Springfield High School history teacher and coach of a state champion basketball team when he talked to political leaders about the possibility of becoming a candidate for school superintendent. The post he sought, however, was county superintendent of schools. But the incumbent Republican, L. W. "Scotty" Hinton, said he planned to seek another term, so the party leaders suggested Page run for the state office. He was elected in 1962 and reelected in 1966 before being defeated for a third term.

Page's brother, Harry, also an educator, was a candidate for state office in 1974. The terms of his candidacy were also unusual. When he announced his intentions to run for state treasurer, he did so in Freeport in northern Illinois because the local GOP organization in Sangamon County had not agreed to support him. Eventually, he was endorsed by the Sangamon County commit tee and he defeated Jeannette Mullen in the primary. He lost to Democrat Alan Dixon in the general election.

Do the county chairmen have much influence when it comes to selecting state candidates? Or are they ignored? "The county chairmen on their own don't have much to say about it," Short says. "The state central committee and the state chairman usually come up with the candidates. They don't really ignore the county chairmen though, especially if they have a heavyweight candidate. Today, it's hard enough to get anybody to run, you know."

The Democrats
R. Todd Renfrow, the chairman of the Sangamon County Democratic Central Committee, agrees with Short's assessment. "They do contact us to some degree," Renfrow says. "The state central committee generally picks the candidates. They seek some things from us, but not as much as we would like. I am hoping the[Democratic] County Chairmen's Association [of which he is a vice president] will work closer with the State Central Committee so we can have more input on state matters."

Unlike his Democratic predecessor, Thomas Owens of Pleasant Plains, Renfrow does not hold a government job. Republican Short served as superintendent of buildings and grounds for Secretary of State Lewis, the same position held by Owens when Paul Powell, a Democrat, was secretary of state. Short currently serves under Springfield Commissioner Frank Madonia as the superintendent of streets, a post Madonia left vacant while Short worked for the state. Renfrow is the owner of the Uptown Garage and an auto parts firm; both do some business with the state. He succeeded Owens as chairman last year, but Owens remains active in party affairs.

The last Democrat from Sangamon County to seek a major statewide office was also a former county chairman, Don Forsyth. He unsuccessfully challenged William Stratton for state treasurer in 1942. Forsyth's son, William, is a member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, which is also a statewide elected office but not considered a major office in political terms (Republican Ralph Hahn of Springfield is also on the board).

The local Democratic organization made a major breakthrough in 1974 when two Democrats, James Londrigan and Douglas Kane of Springfield, were both elected to the legislature. It was the first time since 1912 that the legislative district encompassing Sangamon County had sent two Democrats to the House of Representatives.

May 1976 / Illinois Issues / 17