Mayor’s Row……by Ned Mitchell

          It is always amusing to me and more than likely to most of you how those we elect to manage things in this country somehow get outside the realm of what is right and what is wrong.

          Illinois is in one huge budget mess and what started out to be a $4 billion dollar budget hole last fall is now said to be somewhere between $9 and $11 billion dollars.  There is banter back and forth about the amount of the deficit but we can safely assume we are in trouble in this state.  We rely on our elected representatives, senators, and other statewide elected officials to solve this problem.

          Gov. Quinn has sought out the advice of many experts in finance as well as some non political think tank groups.  Chief among those groups is the Civic Federation located in Chicago.  They released their recommendations over the weekend and it is probably the first dose of a bitter medicine that we will be facing in the next few months.

          The Federation recommends that the State of Illinois cut back on programs, lay off employees, and look for ways to increase revenue (tad increase) to get out of the budget mess we are in.   It is a foregone conclusion that some sort of tax increase is going to be promoted.  What is not so foregone in the conclusion category though is the question does this bunch of public servants have the testicular fortitude of the reformer/unreformer former Governor to cut programs and lay off employees?  Do they have the guts to go for a single day without creating a new program?  Put them on the doubtful list!

          Perception is a big part of any battle and the perception of those we send to Springfield to solve problems often ends up being a gateway to run away spending.

          Another AP story over the weekend points out that Illinois politicians in the House and Senate have set up a system of committee posts that allow members to be paid additional money to serve as chairman of a committee.  There is no doubt we need a committee system but is there a need to have all but 25 members out of 177 bringing home additional bacon to do a job that we elected them to do?  Is there a need to have these committee posts double in size in the last few years?  Some of these committees have done no work whatsoever in the last two years yet the chairman received an additional $10,327 in salary for doing nothing each year.

          There is another angle to this problem too.  Both parties hand out these committee chairmanships to keep members in line.  It appears that friends are rewarded and foes punished in this system.  The AP article pointed out that Representatives Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville) and Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) were not rewarded with additional money in their pay envelope.  Could this be because they were loyal supporters of former Gov. Blagojevich who was in a constant daily fight with House Speaker Mike Madigan?

          Both parties have used this system to hand out not only extra dollars to elected officials but to also give incumbents an advantage when they go home and tell the local folks they are now chairman of some impressive sounding committee.

          Republican Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) points out correctly that eliminating all committee chairmen posts will not alone solve the budget crisis in Illinois but that this is one example of how silently and behind the scenes government grows in Illinois.

          Moving on to Washington now we are faced with a budget fiasco of huge proportions.  Democrats are putting this legislation on the fast track to try and shore up the economy and make newly elected President Obama look good.  Republicans are saying hold on a minute democrats, are you sure you want to vote for this bill?

          Included in the latest budget amounting to $410 billion dollars just to get us to the end of this fiscal year in a couple of months are several questionable items.  Are we sure we want to spend $1.7 million dollars to study pig odor; or $6.6 million for New Orleans to study termites; or $2.1 million for New York to study grape genetics; or$200,000 for gang tattoo removal work in California; or $1.75 million for a fish hatchery visitor’s center in Arkansas; or how about $1.7 million dollars for Texans to study honey bees?

          This bill increases discretionary spending by 8 percent and has 8,570 earmarks amounting to over $7.7 billion dollars of our tax money.  Most of us have heard our parents advise us to sweep our own door steps before we criticize others or to clean up our own backyards before we look at the neighbors.  This might be a good time for those we send to Springfield and Washington to do just that!  There is no doubt we are in perilous financial times in this country and now would be a good time for some old fashioned belt tightening that would at least give us peons the perception that things are going to get better from the top to bottom!

          Speaking of elections we have our own local elections coming up in Illinois on April 7th.  Here in Sesser we have three Aldermen, Keith Kramer, Carroll Kelly, and Brenda Gobtop up for reelection as well as Clerk Marilyn Stacey and Treasurer Sue Travelstead.  All of those folks are running unopposed.  There is also a race for the Mayor’s position that finds challenger Sesser attorney Gary Szczeblewski taking on incumbent Mayor yours truly, Ned Mitchell.

 Goode Township has no opposition for any of their offices up for election this year.

          We do have a school board race finding candidates Tina Bauman, Mike Sulser, Donnie Robbins, Roger Hicks, and Jon Jones all running for a seat on that board with 4 to be elected.

          This is a great time for you to get involved no matter where you live in Illinois and to take part in one of the greatest rights we all enjoy in this country.  This right is brought to you and paid for by those who serve our country.  I would remind you that freedom is not free, a price is paid, and we should honor those who serve with the exercising of our right to vote on Election Day!

          Mae Merkel has been back in the hospital and needs our thoughts are prayers.  My aunt Marjorie Dame suffered a broken hip in a fall at her home Saturday and has undergone surgery to repair the damage.  Edna “Nonnie” Harle made a quick visit to the Franklin Hospital emergency room but was released and is at home.  Dorothy Dugger has been in the hospital in Mt. Vernon also.

          Our condolences go out to the family of Vince Kiselewski who passed away last week.  Vince was an area farmer who toiled the earth for many years before retiring to the city life in Sesser.  He was a quiet man and a good neighbor, father, grandfather, and husband who helped make Sesser a better place.