For Illinois, a decade of missed opportunities

By JEFF BRODY

[This column was originally published December 1, 1988. Reprinted by permission.]

Copyright 1988, The State Journal-Register

Ten years of Illinois state government.

In normal times, that would mean two or three administrations, perhaps major shifts in the approach to state services.

But the last 10 years have not been normal times in Illinois. They have seen the longest tenure of any governor in the state's history. Things have changed in Illinois since 1979, but in the most basic sense, most things have stayed the same.

Gov. James Thompson has exerted strong control over both the executive and legislative branches of government. He would be expected to control his own administration, but the degree to which patronage has been used to fill the wide range of jobs in state government has allowed that control to become almost ironclad.

To a great extent, he has co-opted the unions that represent rank-and-file workers in the government, silencing the most likely source of inside criticism.

He has gained great power over legislation through his use of the amendatory veto. That has allowed the governor to remain above the fray of legislative politics in many key issues and still impose his will over the final outcome.

Thompson has shown good instincts in his tenure as Illinois' chief executive. But all too often those instincts were for the political rather than the governmental ramifications of his position.

He has called for tax increases when the state needed them to provide services the citizens had come to expect. But in both cases, he called for them after disdaining opportunities to win public support for the argument. In 1983, that meant the legislature was willing to approve only a temporary tax hike; in 1987, it meant the legislature was willing to approve no tax hike at all.

This year [1988], the political instincts took over, and Thompson failed to use the November election to build support for a possible tax hike next session. As a result, the state's education programs probably will continue to languish relative to those in other states.

Thompson seems to remain not as concerned about governing as about being governor. Because of his appointments, his administration has been competent, but the story of the Thompson years will be one of missed opportunities.

The story in the legislature is not so different.

Ten years ago, the General Assembly failed in its last real chance to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the federal Constitution. In the ensuing years, Illinois lawmakers have pretty much failed to set an agenda to address the human needs of the state.

What could be more telling than the fact that lawmakers allowed payments to families with dependent children to be held up so they could scoop up the last morsels of pork contained in the Build Illinois program?

The assembly has a short attention span. Problems "solved" by legislation are quickly forgotten, with little follow-up to assure that programs put in place are having the intended effect.

For example, the 1985 education reforms were hailed as landmark legislation, but the General Assembly has failed to back up that commitment with the dollars needed to carry out the reforms.

In many ways, the legislature is a poorer institution than it was in 1979. The House is no longer as representative of the interests of Illinoisans as it was then. Citizens approved the Cutback Amendment in part because they were led to believe it would result in a more responsive House of Representatives.

If Patrick Quinn's campaign for a constitutional amendment proved anything, it proved that the new legislature created by the cutback in 1982 has been no better at addressing the "reform" agenda than the old legislature was. At least in the larger House, there were people willing to buck the leadership. An unfortunate sense of orchestration pervades the House chambers today.

The Senate remains somewhat unpredictable, but is still a basically staid chamber that does not push to the limits of the possible.

Illinois does have some excellent lawmakers, people who work hard to represent their constituents and the needs of the state. But there are not enough of them in the General Assembly to force consideration of most of the issues that need to be addressed.

It would be nice to say that Illinois used the past 10 years to take strong steps to prepare for the future. The last 10 years were difficult, but a time tailor-made to regroup, reassess and plan. Other states seem to have done this better than Illinois.

This has made the past 10 years a frustrating time to cover Illinois government. I had hopes that I would see the transition begin. Nothing can be more exciting to a reporter than to be covering an institution at a time of dynamic change; but there has been little dynamism here.

The change will come, inevitably, but it may be more difficult because of decisions that have been deferred or policies that took Illinois in the wrong direction.□

Jeff Brody covered state government for the State Journal-Register in Springfield since 1979. This was his 184th and last column on state issues. He is now city editor of the Sun in Bremerton, Wash.

March 1989 | Illinois Issues | 33