MANY of the task forces and study groups named by Gov. James R. Thompson have been designed to investigate ways to save money and better manage state government — thus reflecting his most basic concerns as identified during last year's campaign. For instance, the first study group he formed was the Illinois Fiscal Commission on January 24. It was charged with determining the state's fiscal condition. His second study group was the Panel to Conduct Public Hearings on Reorganization of State Government, formed in April to study ways of simplifying the state bureaucracy.
Other task forces looking into problems Gov. Thompson himself has singled out include: the Commission on State Mandated Programs (created April 24), the Cost Control Task Force (August), the Revenue Study Commission on Legalized Gambling (September 19) and the Senior Citizens Advisory Council to the Lieutenant Governor (September 2).
I The governor has also created task forces in response to issues which have gained sudden and widespread public I attention in the press. Thus he named a Task Force on Child Abuse (May 24) I soon after reports appeared in Chicago I papers of alleged cruelty and negligence I toward mentally retarded children living in a state-supported care facility called Windgate House in Woodstock. And he named a children's advocate after it was reported that a child had been beaten to death by another, older child in a foster home in Chicago. He appointed a Governor's Task Force on Welfare Fraud after it was revealed that a number of state employees were on welfare. And he formed the Kankakee River Task Force (June 28) soon after Indiana announced plans for rechanneling the river.
While it is probably not fair to say that the formation of such task forces came as a reaction to public pressures or events, they certainly had the appearance of being a response to highly visible issues. The difference is not Just semantics, but a question of viewpoint. On the one hand there is an implied criticism of the governor for a lack of leadership, while on the other hand there is an understanding that a definite form of leadership is being applied.
Looking ahead to the continual controversy of raising salaries for lawmakers, judges and top executive officers, Gov. Thompson said September 20 that a citizens' group would study the subject and named former Gov. Samuel Shapiro as chairman.
Other governors have used the method of appointing task forces to solve or to study large problems in state government. It remains to be seen whether this is just a means for Thompson to feel his way carefully through the learning process as a new governor or if it is a basic and continual style of management for Gov. Thompson. It also remains to be seen how closely the governor will follow the advice of all his task forces. In the case of the Illinois Fiscal Commission, which reported its short-run findings in February, the recommendations were followed almost to the letter.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of forming task forces to study fundamental problems facing the state? On the plus side, it is a good way to satisfy at least some of the demands of various government agencies asking for help and attention from the chief executive. This is especially true this year, when the amount of state spending did not give real budget boosts to most state agencies. And, while most of the task forces created by Thompson are not studying the problems of his agencies, he has also formed a number of interdepartmental committees where department heads meet on issues like energy and public aid.
Another advantage of the task forces is that they allow a governor to act on a subject of public concern without rushing into an unfortunate and irreversible mistake. The creation of a task force not only demonstrates that the governor is concerned, but allows the public to see a symbolic response. In that way there can be no possibility of angering a large number of voters.
It may also be seen as a smart method of learning about state government for a man new to the executive branch. By appointing people he trusts to study problems that might be politically sensitive, he can find out just where the pitfalls lie and where the hidden advantages are for various possible courses of action. Finally, even aside from political concerns, task forces may be a sound method of managing executive government with special appeal to those who, like Jefferson, believe that "he who governs best governs least."
The disadvantages of appointing task forces are fewer and less momentous. Since there already are a number of statutory commissions in existence, a governor may risk angering some of the important people on those commissions if he appoints a new group to study an issue which another standing groups already has the power to study.
Another disadvantage is the lack of public interest aroused by the formation of a new task force. The average person is not impressed; it's boring. But, weighing this against the possibility of angering some group of citizens for not doing anything, most political experts will prefer to bore. It is widely believed by today's pols that most people vote against candidates, not for them.
Appropriately, the final bill Gov. Thompson signed this September was one to create yet another task- force — this time a legislative one. Cleverly numbered H.B. 2000 (P.A. 80-1046), it creates a 17-member Futures Task Force to study long-range goals for Illinois and recommend a timetable for reaching them. Conceivably Thompson saved it for last because it was his favorite, as if to say, "May the Force be with you."
2 / November 1977 / Illinois Issues