in Oak Park for a guest spot on the "Mike O'Connor Show," a 30-year mainstay of the station's all-Irish Saturday programming.

"He's a lovely kid and people like him and makes you proud to be Irish," O'Connor tells his listeners in an accent reminiscent of Dublin itself. But, he concludes kiddingly, "Don't start running for governor too soon, now. Wait until you have the third year in anyway.

To be fair, Hynes seems quite focused for now on the comptroller's job, where he has big plans. His first priority is for the state to create what he calls a Rainy Day Fund by banking part of its current budget surplus for some future date when the economy takes a tumble and cash flow runs short. "We can't expect these good times to last forever," he says everywhere to a chorus of knowing nods.

It's a catchy idea and logical enough on its face that Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, has offered his endorsement. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan signed on as the sponsor, enabling it to get through that chamber. But a dubious Senate President James "Pate" Philip and his Republican caucus looms as a possible roadblock in the Senate. Hynes is getting his first experience at counting legislative votes.

Hynes can also hold forth enthusiastically about other ways the comptroller "could impact fiscal policy in Illinois. " He hopes to fill the "huge void in the public's awareness of how their money is spent" by putting more information on the Internet.

He wants to "inject more honesty and integrity into the budgeting process." He plans to be a "voice of fiscal caution." One thing he doesn't plan to be, however, is a thorn in the side of Ryan, a departure from the traditional role of a comptroller who is from the opposite party of the sitting governor.

"I do believe the comptroller has the duty to be a watchdog," Hynes says, but he also believes there needs to be a good reason to start barking. "Until that reason appears, I believe in working together."

The relationship between Ryan and Hynes is one of the oddities of the new lineup in Springfield. Hynes is deferential to the governor, a contemporary of his father's in the legislature. Ryan seems to like the young fellow's respectful ways. Both men went out of their way to say good things about each other at the inauguration. "I just believe that he's a very decent person, Hynes says.

"To be honest, I think George Ryan is a lot like my dad, someone who enjoys people, who doesn't over-emphasize party affiliation, who just wants to work with people because he wants to get something done."

This is the highest praise from somebody who calls his father "probably my best friend." They touch base pretty much every day.

"I probably share more with my dad than any other person," Hynes says. "He knows more about my fears, my concerns, my hopes, because he is a very sensitive person - and he gives good advice.

"My father has influenced me in a lot of ways, really the person I am, the morals I have, certainly the career I've chosen, and I'm proud of that," Hynes says.

As a youngster, Hynes joined his dad in Springfield to work the floor of the Illinois Senate as a page, marched with him in Chicago's many political parades and helped deliver literature door-to-door in their Beverly neighborhood.

The people who were exposed to his outgoing personality at these father-son outings often had the same reaction: "So you're going to be the politician in the family." And yet the Hynes family insists this was not what any of them had in mind. Not only did Tom not intentionally groom Dan to follow in his footsteps as have so many other Chicago politicians, he tried to discourage him, both men say.

To understand how this is plausible, it's necessary to know a little about Tom Hynes, whose beginnings