The new state team moves
from promise-making to governance
by Burney Simpson
STATE OF THE STATE
This year's partisan-busting inauguration all but begged Illinoisans to break into song. How's that tune go? "Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're going to do it together," or words to that effect.
In fact, the newly sworn-in Republican Gov. George H. Ryan used the phrase "work together" at least half a dozen times last month during his brief and eloquent inaugural address. He promised to work together with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to build a third metro-regional airport. He's going to work together with the National Rifle Association to increase penalties for using a gun during a felony. And he will work together with Democrats and Republicans alike, unions and businesses, clergy of all faiths, the Christian Coalition and gay activists to hash out the state's problems.
"There is too much pettiness, mean spiritedness and partisanship," he said. "My basic instinct is to be open to everyone, to listen, to learn and to help where I can. Compromise is not a bad word."
Indeed, Ryan's grace in saluting both Glenn Poshard, the former Democratic U.S. representative who ran against him last fall, and fellow Democrat Dan Hynes, the young new state comptroller, was a departure from the partisanship of recent years.
But, then, the real work starts this month. Ryan, in a combined State of the State and budget address, must begin shaping a policy and spending plan that is likely to be approved by a General Assembly split along party lines.
And Ryan made a lot of pledges during the campaign. Even he acknowledges he'll need all the help he can get just for the short list. Still, Ryan is a master of goodwill. The 64-year-old governor — he turns 65 on February 24 — has built his career on an ability to gauge the political measure of an issue. "Depending on your view," he told his inaugural crowd, "and certainly depending upon whether or not your issue prevailed, an advocate is either an 'old-time pol' and 'dealmaker' without principle or a skilled negotiator who reconciles divergent interests for the common good. In short, a hero. I've been on both sides of that, and I'm sure that I will be in the future. I'll be an advocate. I'll try to formulate compromise and a deal. And I hope very much to be a hero."
Ryan does have a track record for accomplishing agreement on politically sticky issues. As secretary of state, for instance, he convinced lawmakers to lower the blood alcohol limit for drivers from .10 to .08. They had balked at the idea for years.
Born and bred in rural Kankakee, Ryan was a product of the powerful Republican organization in that county. After getting a taste of politics in the early 1960s, he was elected to the Kankakee County Board in 1968 and moved on to the Illinois House five years later. As a young lawmaker, he tutored under two Republican mentors known for getting things done: Sen. Edward McBroom and House Speaker W. Robert Blair. Ryan's rise in the legislature was fairly fast. He became minority leader in 1977, then speaker in 1981. He served eight years as lieutenant governor with Gov. James R. Thompson, and another eight years as secretary of state.
Granted, pledges made in the heat of a campaign are always subject to the cold light of the governmental day. Nevertheless, throughout his 15- month run, he issued opinions on as many as 11 major topics, including education, transportation and crime.
What he promised not to do was raise general state taxes. And he should get plenty of cooperation from tax-shy lawmakers on this.
Ryan argued the economy is healthy enough to close the school spending gap between poor and rich districts. And he promised to commit 51 percent of all new general revenue funds to education.
Indeed, this may well be the pledge Ryan's administration is measured against four years hence. But he needs continued cooperation from the economy.
Further, while the idea sounded great on the campaign trail, a closer look suggests the dollars that might be generated may not have a significant impact on elementary and secondary school spending. For starters, the additional revenue would be spread across the entire educational spectrum: primary and secondary schools, colleges and job training programs.
Besides, outgoing Gov. Jim Edgar set the precedent by allocating 49 percent of new revenue funds to education in the current fiscal year, which extends through the first six months of Ryan's term.
Here are some calculations.
6 February 1999 Illinois Issues
General funds revenue — tax dollars
used for state operations — grew
from $12.1 billion in 1994 to an estimated $17.6 billion for the
current fiscal year, according to
budget figures. If the revenue funds
continue to grow annually at the $1
billion level, an optimistic forecast
according to economists and pontificators everywhere, then the new
funds would work out to a $510
million increase in Ryan's first
budget alone. Clearly a nice piece of
change.
But that half billion dollar
increase would add a modest 7
percent to the $7.3 billion of general
funds that went to education this
fiscal year.
And what if a recession hits and
revenue slows? An August 1998
report from the Illinois Economic
and Fiscal Commission looked at
several possible revenue projections
through fiscal year 2003. The
agency's most pessimistic scenario
estimated a yearlong recession in
fiscal year 2000 that would dampen
growth to $245 million, meaning an
additional $125 million would go to
education that year.
• Ryan also wants to reduce the
number of students in each class,
especially from kindergarten
through third grade.
He would like to limit classes to 18
students. But he has a way to go
before he can accomplish that. The
1997 state's "report card" of school
districts found that more than a
third of the districts average class
sizes of 25 students or more.
Meanwhile, the State Board of
Education estimates there will be
another 300,000 students in the
system by 2005. In order to keep up,
Ryan promotes hiring more teachers
— as many as 10,000 — and building new classrooms. But he's looking
to the federal government to foot the
bill. He pinned his hopes on getting
the state's share of the $7.3 billion
President Bill Clinton wanted for
recruiting and training teachers
nationwide in the next 10 years. But
Clinton only got $1.2 billion for
fiscal year 1999. Ryan also said he'd
get a share of the $19.4 billion
Clinton wanted for building and
repairing schools. But the U.S.
House shot that down entirely.
To get any money, he'd better put
the telephone numbers of the state's
congressional delegation on speeddial, especially those of the newly
elected Speaker of the U.S. House, J.
Dennis Hastert of Yorkville, and
Illinois' U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin,
who now serves on his chamber's
Appropriations Committee.
• Ryan has named teacher union
official Hazel Loucks his deputy
governor for education and workforce development. She will serve as
a liaison with the State Board of
Education. She is also charged with
developing a four-year budget plan
for schools.
• He would encourage vocational
training by providing $ 1,000
vouchers for Illinois high school
graduates who go to vocational
school. The vouchers could be used
at community colleges, trade
schools, or workplace training
programs. And he supports a $500
tax credit for families with a schoolage child, whether that child goes to
public or parochial school.
Meanwhile, Ryan's ideas on
transportation reveal a conflict
between George-the-politician and
George-the-fiscal-conservative. He says there's no need to increase the
state gas tax, but he pledges to build
roads, extend and repair the Chicago
Transit Authority, buy land for a
third major airport near Chicago,
keep Amtrak running and prepare
for high speed rail.
One potential source for additional transportation revenue would be
an increase in the $48 annual vehicle
registration fee. A recent task force
report on transportation led by State
Sen. Dick Klemm, a Crystal Lake
Republican, suggested that very
idea. But Ryan hasn't signed on --
yet.
George Ryan is this
state's 39th governor.
A Republican, he
has been House speaker,
lieutenant governor and
secretary of state.
Corinne Wood is the
state's first female
lieutenant governor. The
Republican pledged to
address women's health
issues. "This lieutenant
governor won't he sitting
by the phone waiting for
the call," she says.
Jesse White is Illinois'
first black secretary of
state. The Democrat
pledged to create a
cabinet-level post to
oversee school bus safety.
Jim Ryan, a Republican,
will serve his second term
as attorney general. He
pledged to focus on
children's issues.
Judy Baar Topinka, a
Republican, will serve
her second term as state
treasurer. She pledged
to expand a program
of low-interest loans to day-care center
developers.
Dan Hynes is the
youngest statewide
official in more than 40
years. The 30-year-old
Democrat is the new
state comptroller.
He pledged to prohibit
state contracts to people
who owe child support.
Meanwhile, Ryan wants "Smart
Growth" to limit sprawl in the
suburbs, but promises no less than
seven projects in the Chicago-area
alone that will expand or repair
congested roads and expressways.
But, once again, he's relying on the
Illinois Issues February 1999 7
George Ryan supports the controversial proposal for a third Chicago-area airport. But he's unlikely to get cooperation from Chicago's mayor, Richard Daley. Ryan pledged to begin buying land for an airport in south suburban Peotone anyway. |
generosity of Uncle Sam to get it done. Under Ryan's vision, the bucks to shore up the state's transportation infrastructure would come from the $203 billion federal transportation bill passed last summer. Ryan estimates that TEA-21 will raise the state's annual share of federal road funds from $682 million to $885 million. And Ryan promised to step up efforts to get more of Illinois' tax dollars back from Washington.
His first priority, though, is to "put a noose around the neck of the 'Hillside Strangler' bottleneck, where seven lanes converge into one in the Chicago area."
Ryan supports the more controversial proposal for a third major Chicago-area airport. On that one, he's unlikely to get cooperation from Chicago's mayor, Richard M. Daley. Ryan pledged to begin buying land for an airport near south suburban Peotone anyway.
"The concept of a third airport presents us with the greatest opportunity to build an economic engine that will bring a whole new era of prosperity," Ryan said during his inaugural address, as Daley sat nearby on the stage. "It will create tens of thousands of jobs. I'm not kidding myself, or you. This project won't be easy to bring to life. But do you know what? This third airport will be built."
As for mass transit, Ryan suggests what he calls "transportation-oriented development," a noble idea that entails encouraging businesses to open or expand around central transport hubs like Chicago Transit Authority stops. That idea would require cooperation from commuters who would have to climb out of their cars and onto trains and buses.
Health care is also on Ryan's agenda. During the campaign, he raised concerns about premium costs for managed care, though overall he believes the system works pretty well.
The former pharmacist proposed a Managed Care Patient's Bill of Rights to address fears that some providers work more on the bottom line than on patient's health. He
The freshmen state legislators settle in For new lawmakers, it helps to know powerful people in powerful places. And the 91st General Assembly's freshman class has a couple of potentially mighty individuals who have long had an up-close view of the workings of the legislature. New Democratic Sen. Lisa Madigan from Chicago's North Side 17th District has drawn considerable attention because she's the daughter of House Speaker Michael Madigan. "There's been a lot of hype and it's all because of my last name," says Sen. Madigan. "It's a double-edged sword. In some ways, it will help. But in other ways it will hurt. I'll be under more scrutiny." Despite the hype and scrutiny, a name can be an undeniably powerful political tool. So can familiarity with the process. Rep. Julie Hamos of the 18th District can claim more than 20 years of experience making laws in Springfield, though she was just sworn into office. The Chicago Democrat came to Illinois in the early '70s to establish the first legislative advocacy office for low-income families. Later, she drafted the state's first domestic violence laws. And as an adviser to then-Cook County State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, she was an architect of laws on sexual assault and child abuse. Her interest in fighting for the powerless comes out of her immigrant background, says Hamos, who was 7 when she fled Hungary with her parents during the 1956 revolution. "This whole notion of reaching for the American dream is a reality in my family. I was raised to believe you can change the world around us. Because we did." Hamos also is married to former state representative andcurrent Appellate Court Judge Alan Greiman. "In some ways, I hope to follow in his footsteps," she says, noting his style as a "coalition builder." Rep. Randall Hultgren, a Wheaton Republican who represents the 40th District, knows people in important places, too. Hultgren, who, like Madigan and Hamos, is a lawyer by trade, was a member of U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's staff from 1988 to 1990. Hultgren says he wants to focus on getting constituent services going. The DuPage County Board member, who specializes in estate planning law, says he has experience in privatization of government services. Madigan wants dollars for transportation, the arts and recovery from the loss of hundreds of trees in her district that were infested with the |
8 February 1999 Illinois Issues
Asian long-horned beetle. And she would like to see a share of the state's tobacco settlement to create a "rainy day fund" for the state's budget. Hamos has several items on her agenda: economic development, tax policy and job-training. She says she's asking "millions" of procedural questions now that she's on the "other side." These three new lawmakers take their seats in a legislature that will seem familiar to longtime observers. Democrats retained control of the House, 62-56. The Republicans retained the Senate, 32-27. And all four legislative leaders were returned to their posts. Michael Madigan of Chicago will be House speaker again. He says he'll stress reforms in managed health care. Lee Daniels of Elmhurst was returned as minority leader. James "Pate" Philip returned as
president of the new Senate. He says he'll stress transportation issues. Emil Jones is minority leader again. This year's freshman legislative class is relatively small. There are five new senators, and one of them, N. Duane Noland, a Blue Mound Republican, is moving over from the House. In the November election, Noland defeated Kevin Kehoe, who was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the death of Penny Severns. The other Senate newcomers are all Democrats: Chicago police officer Antonio "Tony" Munoz, Maywood trustee Kimberly A. Lightford and Chicago attorney Ira I. Silverstein, who is the successor to longtime Sen. Howard Carroll. Among the 14 new representatives are William "Willie" Delgado, a Chicago Democrat who served as communications director for Sen. Miguel del Valle; Republican Sidney Mathias, the village president of Buffalo Grove; and DuPage County board member Patricia R. "Patti" Bellock, a Republican who was elected to fill the seat formerly held by U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert. New or not, lawmakers may be hesitant to do any boat-rocking. They are taking office in the session that proceeds the year 2000 redistricting. "The remap is going to make everyone more cautious and solicitous," says John Jackson, a Southern Illinois University political science professor. |
supports the right to emergency care without prior approval from insurers;an independent appeal process when there are disagreements over treatment; and a ban on gag rules that prevent physicians from discussing treatment options with patients.
However, this issue has been a politically contentious one in Congress and in the Illinois legislature, where Republican and Democrat versions have stalled for the past couple of years.
An unscientific review shows that Ryan made more promises regarding agriculture and rural development than he did in other programs combined. Yet he took the middle road on the controversial mega-hog farm issue, advocating local review of such operations while leaving ultimate siting authority to the state.
To get all the grain and hogs to market, Ryan wants to modernize the lock-and-dam system on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. He'll need the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade the 60-year-old system.
But Ryan didn't wait to call on lawmakers to approve the top item on his anti-gun agenda. The proposal, dubbed "15-20-Life," is modeled on a 1 -year-old California law setting tough sentences for crimes committed with a gun. It would add 15 years to the sentence of anyone over the age of 14 who commits a felony with a gun and 20 years for criminals who fire a gun while committing certain felonies. And it would require a life sentence for anyone who intentionally injures someone with a gun while committing a felony.
California prosecutors believe the law has helped reduce crime in their state, though the law is too new to be sure.
Ryan says he expects "all the handgun groups, the domestic violence prevention people and, yes, the NRA to join me in this fight."
At the same time, the recent high profile killings in schools by young students spurred Ryan to call for a lifetime ban on gun ownership for those under 18 who are convicted of a violent crime. Currently, such offenders can buy a gun after they turn 21.
Ryan also wants a law that would fine parents $1,000 if an unsecured handgun is within reach of children under age 18. Parents would be required to use a trigger lock, container or other device to secure the gun. The National Rifle Association has argued such laws are often unenforceable because parents are fined after a child has been injured or killed while playing with an unsecured gun.
Though he promised much while on the campaign trail, Ryan was realistic during his inaugural address.
"During the course of the campaign, I campaigned on a variety of issues and pledges to do certain things. Some of those pledges are totally within my power and ability as governor to fulfill. Some of the other pledges are going to need your help," Ryan said.
"There is not much that happens just by wishing for it. It takes work and it takes compromise."
Illinois Issues February 1999 9