Mayor's Row..by Ned Mitchell
The phone rang while I was sitting in the basement office I share with the house cat Sophie. I had just finished some work and was heading out to the post office to mail it and then head to the 3:00 afternoon session of the local Liar's Club at the historic Sesser Opera House. The call came from City Hall and asked where I was at. I responded that I was on the way out the door headed that way. "Good said Water Superintendent Jerome Kopec, because Congressman Costello is here and wants to visit with you for a few minutes."
It is always good to have people stop by City Hall and visit but a Congressman? Once I arrived at City Hall Congressman Costello explained that he was just passing through Sesser and thought he would stop by and visit. As you all know by now I think Congressman Costello is the best Congressman in Washington. You also know by now that if I did not think that I would also tell readers that. There is just not enough space here or time for me to tell you in great detail how impressed I am with our Congressman. He is on the right side of issues that I believe in so you could maybe say he has a conservative streak in him when it comes to right to life issues and such topics. I've compared him in this column to the late. Senator Paul Douglas but I'm not even sure that does the Congressman justice.
We had a ten or fifteen minute discussion about how things are in this state and in Washington. He asked about Sesser and how he could be of help to us. We agreed that Democrats both in Illinois and nationally have an awesome responsibility now that we control everything in Illinois and both the House and the Senate in Washington. It is my hope and prayer that wisdom will prevail at both places and that we as Democrats will have leaders rise up among us who simply do the right thing and put this state and this country on the right track. The Congressman and I agreed that they have their work cut out for them.
After that conversation we parted ways, the Congressman off to a funeral visitation of an old friend and me to the all important Liar's Club. One thing about it if things get off track too far we can always rely on the experts at the coffee shop to offer up some wise advice on how to run things. We appreciate Congressman Costello and his taking the time to drop in City Hall and check on us. My feeling is that if we had more like him, taking time to pay attention and staying in touch with people, this country would be a whole lot better off than it is now. If there ever is a Congressman Costello fan club I want to be a member!
The Springfield news media is finally catching on. I could hardly believe my eyes when I read in a week end paper about how some of the talking heads had figured out that legislation regulating electricity rates in Illinois was going nowhere. The House will pass an extension to the 10 year rate freeze while the Senate has already passed their own version of a phased in rate increase over a 3 year period of time. Folks this is real simple and I'll be glad to explain what is going on one more time. When we have a hot button issue in this state we simply do not have the legislators in place to make the tough decisions. They take turns convincing voters they are on their side. This time it is the House members who are adamantly opposed to the rate increase. They have press conference after press conference telling us they are on our side. Over in the Senate they are not convinced a freeze needs to be extended for 3 years. Senators claim utility companies will be bankrupt and we will all be out of power if the increases are not approved.
Of course Senators have trouble justifying utility executives who make anywhere from $5 to $7 million dollars a year and get hauled around in chauffer driven limos while the rest of us rely on Fords, Chevrolets and Dodges. They also have trouble justifying huge rate increases when utilities are recording profits unheard of before. Add all of this into what is called a reverse auction that has been ruled unconstitutional in every other state where it has been tried and one can easily see why we are in the mess we are in. As always there is a bottom line and one of my favorite things to do is to follow the money. When you get around a group of legislators who have strong opinions one way or another on just about any subject, follow the money and you will find the answer. Research campaign cash contributions and you will readily see just how unimportant the average Joe is. We don't stand a chance with this system of government but as long as we keep buying into the way things are we really have no room to complain. We have an opportunity every two years to elect people who represent us and from the looks of the last election we must all be really happy with things as they are.
How do I know so much about this you ask? Lets just say I have been there and done that! I may not be an expert on anything, but I have been in the legislature and can tell you from an insider point of view that things in Springfield are a mess. We could not get by with that on a local level under any circumstances. It really is a joke how we hold local elected officials to a much stricter set of standards than we do the Governor and legislators. The ball, as they say, is in your court!
There is a bit of good news though out of Springfield. A new group has been formed to try and change how the legislature operates. Claiming they want to restore democracy, this group wants to pass a constitutional amendment that would require the General Assembly to allow bills under consideration to be posted for public review before lawmakers could vote on them. The new group is headed up by Springfield resident Jim Broadway. Broadway has extensive background in news reporting and was a former staff member to U. S. Senator Paul Simon.
How strange I thought when I read the news release. Here we have a group of individuals who want to restore democracy to this state. This same General Assembly is the same group of individuals who have passed laws that require cities, townships, counties, and schools to advertise and post publicly any ordinances that we are going to consider voting on. I wonder if this is a good place to say "what is good for the goose is good for the gander."? We all know that we have to have public notice and public hearings on most things we do in city government so what would be so foreign about having our legislature operate under the same guidelines? Sounds like a reasonable idea to me and petitions will be out soon if you are interested in becoming a part in changing "business as usual" in Springfield. Now where have I heard that line before?
Sesser resident Beverly Basso is home recuperating from knee surgery and husband Don is also home after a brief hospital stay. Both were down at the same time but I am happy to report they are on the road to recovery. A call or card would be appreciated by these two fine Sesserites.
We were saddened to hear the news of the tragic accident that claimed the life of Sesser booster Marge Earley. Marge was one of my favorite residents who lived life to the fullest and worked hard at keeping her home neat and tidy. She also made great fudge and cookies that she shared with me and my kids. The day Marge was killed she waiting on the water meter readers from the city and took them a plate of cookies and fudge. She was a great wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to us all here in Sesser and she will be missed.
If you need us give us a call at 625-3611 or 625-5322 or write nedmitchell@verizon.net or www.sesser.org or P. O. Box 277, Sesser, Illinois 62884.
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