A Conversation With Our Readers

A CONVERSATION WITH OUR READERS

A conversation with our readers

Readers:
News of the 1994 political campaigns is likely to fall into one of four categories:
• Serious discussion and analysis of issues: Inquiring minds always say this is what they want, and this is what the candidates always promise. But there is probably less of this than what emerges from the other three categories.
Horse races: Who's ahead and by how much? Can the one who is trailing possibly catch up? These stories are increasingly common, despite the fact that conventional wisdom declares we see too many of them already.

Advertising and photo ops: Not only do political ads generate much discussion, but they also become the subject of many news stories - a fact that gives the candidates a lot more attention than they pay for. The photo opportunities staged by the politicians are usually more important for the pictures they generate on television than for the "words" the candidates use to describe what they're doing. Political observers say they know a photo op when they see one, but the media often cover them anyway.

Mud slinging: All intelligent people say they decry this type of campaigning, and candidates vow to avoid it, but when they're "forced" to do it anyway, they say they didn't start it but they must to respond to their opponents' outrageous charges.

So what can Illinois Issues contribute to the mix, with the November 8 election a few weeks away? For starters, we have a guest column ("Your Turn," page 11) from the Illinois League of Women Voters, which has done extensive research to find out what issues Illinois voters want the candidates to discuss this fall. The league has learned, after listening to 13 focus groups, that Illinoisans want the candidates to go way beyond their sloganeering and discuss solutions that acknowledge the interconnectedness of major issues such as crime and education. This kind of sophisticated discussion seems like a direct contradiction to the simplified, slogan-filled campaigns that now dominate the airwaves and printed pages.

Besides the guest column, in this issue we have a couple of in-depth reports about the two highest-profile statewide races - for governor and secretary of state. Written by our Statehouse Bureau Chief Jennifer Halperm, these articles explore not so much what kinds of campaigns the candidates are running - the horse-racing angle - but much more what kind of leadership the candidates would likely provide in Illinois. This is the kind of information we know you have come to expect from us. If you want to know "who's likely to win" the statewide races, see your daily paper, and recall how often the polls and experts have been wrong before.

I'd like to thank all of you who submitted nominations for the Illinois Issues Award for Extraordinary Public Service. We will honor 10 individuals with this distinction on the occasion of our 20th anniversary next year. We have so many nominations that narrowing the list to 10 will be difficult. We have assembled a blue-ribbon Selection Committee of distinguished Illinoisans who will decide who wins. I look forward to this process, and I have another reason to thank you: Your nominations provided us with a number of leads for articles featuring people whose active, passionate contributions to Illinois would be of great interest to our readers. More to follow in the months to come.

What our readers want to ask Edgar, Netsch

In August our Question of the Month dealt with this fall's governor's race. The question was:

What two questions do you want gubernatorial candidates Jim Edgar and Dawn dark Netsch to answer with specifics and substance this fall? Why?

The range of responses was somewhat predictable, though I admit getting a kick out of the Hillsboro reader's concern about roads and bridge repairs. This reader especially wanted the candidates to know that Illinois 16 at Hillsboro and Litchfield "is a mess."

Several readers want Gov. Edgar to be clear about whether he would support a tax increase during a second term. Here is how two readers worded their question: "If a person were to wager $1 million with me that the income tax rate in Illinois would be increased during your new term, should I take the wager?" Another reader said, "I would like to ask Gov. Edgar specifically to tell us yes or no if he will support or sign a tax increase if re-elected, and not dance around the issue by saying he will do so only as a last resort."

Not surprisingly, the biggest issue raised dealt with education funding. Our readers want to know how the candidates plan to provide the funding for public education, a subject long debated but still not resolved. As one reader put it, "What do you propose for ensuring that our children, all of our children, will receive a good education to prepare them for the future?"

An economic development official from southern Illinois had a number of questions related to workers' compensation. "What has the Governor's Task Force on Workers' Compensation accomplished since being formed last year? (e.g., meetings held?) How will the task force be utilized during the next term?"

A few isolated questions dealt with well-known issues, such as the people's "right" to vote on gambling expansion into

Not surprisingly, the biggest issue raised dealt with education funding. Our readers want to know how the candidates plan to provide funding for public education, a subject long debated but still not resolved

their communities, tort reform, adoption rights, pay raises for lawmakers during times of fiscal crises, job training and property taxes.

Perhaps one of the most thoughtful questions encourages the candidates to look well beyond the next four years to discuss what is truly best for Illinois: "What are the 10 most important priorities you see for the state of Illinois in the next five years and how do you intend to fund and complete the priorities?"

October 1994/Illinois Issue/3