'Walker gives the people of the community something to talk about: the Governor came to town'

number of people living there."

Ask about reduction of personnel budget
The reduction of the State's personnel budget is another common subject. When discussing these budget cuts, the Governor points out that he has saved money by reducing the number of employees under his control by nearly I0 percent (more than 5,000 were laid off). The trouble is, some of these angry exworkers sometimes show up for a confrontation. They may seek an explanation for their dismissal when they thought they were protected by civil service, or they may try to blame their former boss by saying he is not doing his job.

In many of the smaller communities, people ask about the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pollution Control Board. These communities often depend on State and federal grants for their local sewage treatment plants, and the red tape is confusing. By contrast, in one Chicago session the majority of questions dealt with land use, primarily the effects of tall buildings and the lack of parks.

Walker is also asked questions about national issues — inflation, Watergate, the resignation of Agnew and Nixon — and his own ambitions for national of fice. Of course, the mere fact that he holds these sessions helps further his ambitions. If and when he seeks public office again, filmed shots of the sessions will undoubtedly make excellent television commercials.

According to the Council on State Governments, several other governors also hold regular accountability sessions. Wisconsin Gov. Patrick Lucey holds a town hall meeting twice a week; former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter held a "Speak Up Day" at least once a month when anyone could visit him without an appointment; and former South Carolina Gov. John West used the state educational television network to conduct meetings in which residents could call in questions tollfree.

About two sessions a month
Walker has conducted an average of slightly less than two sessions a month since he took office. His aide, Jim Dunn, said between 400 and I,000 persons have attended each of these sessions and that total attendance exceeds 20,000. Why does Walker do it? Why does he take the time to fly into a town, answer questions for an hour and fly back? Why does he run the risk of being grilled for a mistake he has made?

"I want to be able to talk with as many people from the area as possible," he says in press statements. "I want to hear firsthand how the State of Illinois affects them in their daily lives. Only with the help of an active community can we hope to remedy some of the problems of our government." He has added: "There is a feeling that government cares only about the powerful and not about the ordinary guy. I want to change that."

In OIney, the Governor ended the session by saying: "I would just like to say a word to close the session out. I'd be willing to keep on going but I have done enough of these sessions to know people come and make babysitting plans and other plans, and they plan it will be for a particular period of time. So for my sake and yours I try to stick to a schedule. I want to say this to you — you have seen an accountability session. My staff told me after I was elected [regarding] that promise to hold accountability sessions — 'Governor, don't do it because all you're going to do is go out there and everybody that doesn't like what you are doing is going to show up and give you a bad time about it. Also, you are going to say something and you'll answer fast and you are going to put your foot in the mud and they will have a headline in the

newspaper the next day. It would be much better,' they said, 'to stay in that 'office and compose your answers carefully and put them in writing and control whom you see and whom you don't see. That is what most governors around the country do and everybody knows that has been the practice of our President.' 'I took some heat tonight'

"Well, I rejected that advice ... I took some heat tonight and I will take heat at every one of these account ability sessions, and I'll take more with each one, because the longer you are in this office the more decisions you have to make and the more people you are going to get irritated, because every time you are going to make a decision you decide for somebody and against somebody else. And the people you usually decide for stay at home, and the people you usually decide against — why they are the ones that most frequently come out. Well, I am going to keep it up. I enjoyed it and I hope you enjoyed it. I didn't get elected Governor and I didn't come here tonight to try to satisfy everyone. I did listen to what you had to say. I learned and I'll learn in the future. I'll continue to listen and I'll keep myself accountable to the good people of this State."

When Walker strides out of the meeting to another standing ovation, he leaves behind a battery of public relations specialists. They record questions from persons who did not have a chance to speak in the time allotted, and they are promised a per sonal reply from the Governor within two weeks.

Regardless of what he had to say; regardless of whether he acts on the problems; regardless of whether he is truly being held accountable; Walker gives the people of the community something to talk about: the Governor came to town.

14/Illinois Issues/January 1975