EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

Is government here to solve the state's problems?
by Peggy Boyer Long

In a mood for reflection, Jim Edgar recounted to friends and colleagues gathered in the Illinois House chamber last month his most important lesson about state government.

Edgar, who began as a legislative intern for W. Russell Arrington in the state Senate, said the Republican leader once shared his disappointment that more hadn't been accomplished during one legislative session. When Edgar suggested it would have been politically risky for Arrington to push harder for legislation unpopular among his party's members, he said Arrington told him, "We're not here for political reasons. We're here to solve problems."

Edgar has cause for reflection. After two terms in the Executive Mansion, he'll leave government in January and assume a two-year renewable appointment with the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He told the story during a symposium the institute convened to examine events in state government during the 30 years spanning Edgar's career. Not surprising, Edgar used his moment to reminisce, and to underscore high points in his tenure: the responses to the economic recession during his first term as governor, for instance, and to the Great Flood of '93.

"Now I can't say that I've solved every problem that I've ever been confronted with," Edgar said. "But from that morning in 1970, I kind of got my marching orders."

Edgar shared the stage at his goodbye party. He invited some 200 current and former state legislators, officials, staff, civic leaders and journalists to join him in considering what has happened — for good or ill — and to reflect on lessons learned over three decades of Illinois political history. The guests fanned out in the Capitol to meet in smaller discussion groups, and some of their remarks were surprising.

A lot has happened, everyone agreed. In fact, between 1968 and 1998, Illinois changed, as citizens moved from country to city to suburb. According to data provided by the institute's James Nowlan, nearly a third of Illinoisans lived in Chicago at the beginning of that period. Today, fewer than a quarter do. At the same time, minorities make up a greater proportion of the population today: 27.6 percent. That's up from 11.9 percent in 1968. And our political boundaries have changed. The U.S. Supreme Court's one person, one vote ruling required representative districts to reflect such shifts in population.

The structure of government changed too. The state's 1970 Constitution broadened the governor's veto powers and definitively separated the legislative and executive branches. The creation of a professional staff helped modernize the legislature. Gov. Richard Ogilvie helped modernize state finance by creating an executive budget bureau. And, together with the legislature, he instituted the state income tax.

The culture of politics has changed as well. More women and minorities seek and win office. More lawmakers consider Springfield a full-time job. Court cases have reduced the practice of hiring and firing for political purposes. Basic disclosure laws have instituted some accounting of political cash.

Still, when asked whether state government is solving problems today, members of one group gave the edge to politics. They weren't alone. According to Nowlan, symposium participants expressed "exasperation" at increasing partisanship in the legislature and in the centralization of leadership power in the General Assembly. Many attributed that to the shift to single-member districts in the House and, ironically, to an increase in full-time legislators who are more focused on re-election. They revealed "deep frustration" with a declining quality in reporting on state government, arguing there are fewer stories that inform the public about what is at stake. And they worried about society's detachment from politics and government.

Yet there have been advancements. Setting aside the unintended consequences of citizen-backed changes in the House, the basic structure exists to enable government to accomplish what it must. The real lesson is that politics has always and will always be part and parcel of governance. What matters is the character of the participants: officials, media and the public. 

4 ¦ October 1998 Illinois Issues