Mayor’s Row……..by Ned Mitchell
One of the nation’s most famous columnists wrote recently that avoiding a particular subject or event is just a step away from denial. We as humans he points out, have a tendency to step away from controversial things and get busy with other things to the point we become numb to our own thoughts, ideas, and common every day worries about the subject at hand.
Interestingly I have had a few loyal readers and friends quiz me as to how this column would reflect on the tragic murder of Cindy Leggans, wife of federal prosecutor Tom Leggans last week in West City. When I first heard the news that her body had been found and the location where it was found, I like many others jumped to the conclusion that I or we knew who had committed this crime. We all have our own theories about what happened, but not one of us has any proof, only thoughts and feelings. Now that Brian Cockrum’s body has been discovered we still have questions.
Upon reflection of this tragedy my thoughts turned to Cindy’s husband and child and to the Cockrum family. Despite my deep disappointment in a lot of folks in charge in this county, for the time being I’ll just leave it at that. Actually I have been working on a column for future publication that expresses my feelings about the “system” we have not only in this county, this state, but in this country as well. Now is not the time to be raking people over the coals, but that will come in due time. Right now my thoughts and prayers go with the family of Cindy Leggans and the Cockrums as they will need strength during the coming days and months that many of us have never had to reach down and try to find. I’ll be back at some later date with more on this subject and as the saying goes, let the chips will fall where they will.
It is good to see that I am not the only democrat who questions the reformer/unreformer and some of his ideas. For a while there I thought I was all alone. Not really, I hear from too many people on a weekly basis to feel that way, but die hard party loyalists sometimes give the cold shoulder so it is interesting to hear some of them question the motives of the Governor.
The concept to sell or lease the state lottery is maybe not quite dead but it appears to be on life support among some key democrats. While Senate President Emil Jones immediately jumped on board for some strange reason Speaker of the House Mike Madigan was silent until last week.
First republican party officials wanted to see the plan that was presented by a well known Wall Street firm touting this idea. The Governor immediately declined to release that study with some flimsy excuse and at the same time tried to paint the request as politics as usual. Where have we heard that phrase before? Now Speaker Madigan has sent a letter to all members of the House with even more pointed questions than the republicans had asked for.
Here is a prediction. Look for more democrats, especially those who are up for re election this year downstate to run the opposite direction from this idea. Locally State Representative Kurt Granberg (D-Carlyle) and State Representative Brandon Phelps (D-Norris City) have hot races this fall and they both will run as far away from the reformer/unreformer and this idea as they possibly can. I have first hand information that downstate candidates on the democrat side are being told to avoid the Governor due to his deep unpopularity in their districts. The two polls I have seen conducted by downstate newspapers reveal so far that at least 80% of those polled do not like the idea of the sale or lease of the lottery. That is a pretty good indication of just how far out of touch this bunch in Chicago really is.
Speaker Madigan is probably the most astute politician in Springfield and I disagree with his methods and ideas much of the time but I have to admit he does think things through and is constantly looking to the future. The Speaker has one thing to be concerned about that others may not and that is the fact that his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan will probably want to run for governor some day, like in 2010. That election will be the first one to be held after the immediate proceeds of the lottery sale are gone. The plan calls for $1 billion dollars of the proceeds to be spent for every year beginning in 2007 and ending in 2011 or just as a new governor is taking office. Where will that new governor come up with that kind of money? The Speaker is looking for those answers among others but what his motives are nobody knows. Now we have the republicans with a lot of questions, downstate legislators with a lot of questions, and the Speaker with some very pointed questions. Thus far I have not seen any of the reformer/unreformer’s staff answer even the simplest of questions on any subject. Usually they complain those asking have no plan. I wonder if they will make that claim about Speaker Madigan who also happens to be the chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and also co-chairman of the Governor’s re election committee? It appears to me the reformer/unreformer should have had everybody on this train before it left the station. One thing about it though it has opened up the dialog on education funding.
Of course there are those out there and I am one of them that question if throwing more money at education will actually make education better. I notice that SIU-C is proposing a whopping 20% pay raise for the head basketball coach and he might very well be worth it. I would, however, like for someone down there to explain to me how raising any coach’s salary will make a degree from SIU be worth more to the student or how it will help a struggling college student achieve the goal of graduation. I am sure there is some answer that even a simple person like me could understand. Another group of folks, again including me, question whether we should be in the gambling business to fund education in the first place. Is it right to take money from folks who have some pie in the sky concept of getting something for nothing? I’m convinced this is all a hidden tax on poor people and I have serious reservations about that funding source as I believe it will dry up some day and then what? We need answers!
Sesser has lost two residents this past week that made a mark on those of us who knew them and at opposite ends of the spectrum. Howard “Montana” Bates died at his ranch south of Sesser Saturday asleep under a shade tree. What a way to go! Montana touched us in a unique way as he always had a smile and a wit about him that would be impossible to explain unless you knew him. He was truly a colorful character and one that we at city hall enjoyed talking to. I have a lot of personal stories about Montana to remember him. On the other side loving wife, mother, and grandmother Marjorie Daniels passed away. I knew Mrs. Daniels as the mother of some of my co-worker at Bracy’s Foodstore and also to a classmate and friend. Mrs. Daniels is the mother that we knew while growing up. She stayed home, fixed meals, did laundry, packed a lunch for her husband and was there at home doing her daily duty. That era sadly is going by the wayside as it now takes both parents holding down full time jobs to exist. I respected Mrs. Daniels then and more so today because I can see the fruits of her labors in her children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren. Both Mrs. Daniels and Montana had a story to tell and I am happy to have been able to read that story.
If you need us give us a call at 625-3611 or 625-5322 or write nedmitchell@verizon.net or www.sesser.org we enjoy your comments and suggestions!
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