Mayor's Row

by Mayor Ned Mitchell

As we enter into the umpteenth overtime session for the state legislature in Springfield I have stumbled on to a novel idea. This idea is so grand that even I did not think of it, but a friend of mine who is a contractor did. It is a simple concept and one that we both agreed would work perfectly to end the stalemate and stop a complete shutdown of our state. My contractor friend explains to me that if he does not work, he does not get paid. How novel is that? He suggests that until the legislators do their work, they should not draw a pay check.

It is getting tiring to me to watch this mess year after year. It all boils down to leadership or lack thereof. Democrats control everything in Springfield. We have every state wide office, a super majority in the Senate and only one vote short of a super majority in the House. So what is the problem, you ask?

The problem here is the average Jane and Joe, (me and you) have no three piece suit lobbyists taking up our cause. We are supposed to be represented, yet we are often lost in the shuffle and our legislators become pawns of the leadership of their party. Both parties are guilty of it and both parties are wrong. There is no such thing as an individual legislator having an original thought or idea and I am not blaming them. I played that game and it simply won’t work here in Illinois. If a legislator is not a go along kind of guy or gal, they get ostracized from the pack and are defeated at the next election. Both parties elect leaders who control campaign cash and who dole out projects for individual legislators in their districts. If you don’t play ball you not only do not get campaign money for your election, they will seek out and pay someone else to run against you. Then to drive the proverbial wooden stake in your heart, they will not approve any funding for projects in your district making your constituents think you are a do nothing sort of legislator. Oh, it is an evil system, but it’s the system we have so we have to make the best of it for now. I would just not heap too much scorn on individual legislators for trying to preserve their job. Until enough legislators can band together to just say “no” to their leader we are going to see more of the same.

So who is the culprit this time around? Last year it was old Governor reformer/unreformer and his sidekick Senate President Emil Jones who got the blame. This year we don’t have those two to blame and that leaves the spotlight on Speaker of the House Mike Madigan who is beyond a doubt the most powerful politician in the state and has held that title for decades. He is one ruthless dude and I can politically understand why his flock dares not to cross him, especially if you want a career in the state legislature. Of all the things said about Madigan, I have yet to hear anyone say the guy has a dishonest bone in his body and for some strange reason in Illinois that is refreshing. While we watch democrats blame republicans and vice versa and the whole state stands a chance of shutting down we are the ones who will bear the brunt of the shutdown. Back to my contractor friend, just don’t pay them until they do their job. Its’ so simple why didn’t I think of that?

Two things stood out about the 54th Annual Sesser Homecoming this year. Of course we had the usual mix of Homecoming Association VOLUNTEERS in a mix with city workers, booster club members, kids and candidates for political office who did the actual work. They were flawless this year and we have come to expect that performance. We were not disappointed!

One thing that hit me was on Sunday morning when I ventured to the park and that was the vast amount of trash on the ground. There were dumpsters full of litter that someone had to pick up and dispose of. Our summer youth program workers did the job every morning and for them we are grateful. This year we have four or five girls and one boy supervised by Danny Miller and I personally am real proud of the job they do every day for us in Sesser as they learn about life and work. My goal is that each of them will continue their education!

The more serious thing that stood out was the activity surrounding the Coal Miners’ Memorial that was dedicated by UMWA President Cecil Roberts. Roberts made a rare visit to our area and I say rare because I can only think of one union mine we have in Illinois and that is in the central part of the state. He impressed the crowd with his style and the history of the labor movement including the 8 hour day and 40 hour week, health care, pensions, and safety. He was captivating and easy to listen to.

After the queen had been crowned and the crowd dispersed though I saw a rather large man in bib overalls sitting on one of the benches surrounding the monument. I walked over just as the man became overcome by emotion and the tears from his face hit the bricks below him. He relayed to me how impressive the memorial is and how he had worked 40 years in the coal mines and had actually worked alongside two of the miners that had died on the job.

I took a seat beside him for just a minute and believe it or not, I was speechless. Out of respect and reverence for men and women just like him I sat and reflected on my own life and what coal mining has meant to our family. My dad, Amos, was honored this year as “Coal Miner of the Year” and I thought about his struggles as a miner and union member. I thought about how he always insisted that my brother and I get a good education. I did not need to stay long, there will be other days and nights for reflection, I wanted this retired miner sitting next to me to find the peace he was looking for in his own way. I hope you will take time to visit the memorial as it truly sits on hallowed ground due to the sacrifices made by those who provide energy to all of us, even on hot days like today!