At a time when Illinois Democrats control all six executive offices and hold strong majorities in the state House and Senate, it's ironic that Republicans could be poised to become power brokers. True, the ongoing legislative session caused at least a handful of Republican lawmakers to reassess their legislative careers and their personal lives. Yet, while that may bring bad news in the short term, there could be a silver lining in the Illinois GOP's future.
Five Republican members of the House and two in the Senate plan to retire when their current terms end in January 2009. And state Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria is vacating his seat in hopes of replacing retiring U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria. (State Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora is running to replace U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert of Plano, but Lauzen's state seat is not up for re-election this year.)
The number of Republicans leaving the Illinois General Assembly will affect the dynamic of the GOP, but the open seats could breathe new life into a party that has become used to serving in the minority.
A new optimism could be needed, though. Frustration mounted last year as the result of Democratic infighting when Gov. Rod Blagojevich teamed with Senate President Emil Jones Jr. against House Speaker Michael Madigan. The stalemate pulled rank-and-file lawmakers back to Springfield at least once a month to meet in overtime session, requiring them to break professional and personal commitments along the way. Most of the GOPretirees say they're leaving the legislature to spend more time with family, particularly after the seemingly never-ending session.
Losing veteran Republicans, four of whom serve leadership roles, will be especially difficult for that party.
"The disadvantage is that tried-and-true legislators who you could count on, who had developed some expertise, who were good people, decide not to run again," says former GOP lawmaker Tom Ryder, who retired in 2001 after 18 years in the House.
Ryder points to Danville Rep. Bill Black, the deputy minority leader and a passionate and tireless watchdog of the legislative process for nearly 22 years.
Black has served as floor leader since 1991, the longest tenure in GOP leadership. He told Champaign's WDWS-AM radio that being in the minority 19 of his nearly 22 years began to weigh on him. Case in point: He tried but failed last year to urge the Democratic leadership to release such GOP-backed legislation as a capital plan for road and school construction projects. And he tried to advance a measure that would have released money from the approved state budget for education.
"I have a passion about the process," Black told the station. He called the 2007 session "convoluted."
Bolingbrook Rep. Jim Meyer, a U.S. Air Force veteran, will have served 16 years by the end of a tenure that included recent duties as minority spokesman on the Telecommunications Committee, which drastically changed competition between cable and telephone industries.
Meyer, who spent 14 of his 16 years in the minority party, says he understands the difficulty of bringing home the bacon for his district when leaders of the opposite party run the state. He says he's not retiring because of frustration, although there was plenty.
"At times, we would be called to Springfield, and nothing would be done," he says. "The extra time spent in Springfield doesn't bother me as long as it's productive. And this year certainly was not productive."
But there's a difference between being cynical and being frustrated, he adds. "I probably am as frustrated as anybody else in that I realize we have massive problems in this state, but the [governor failed to engage] the legislature in a dialogue. He just doesn't do that. And if you refuse to do that, to me it's almost like a disdain for the legislative process in working with the legislative branch on anything."
Rep. Carolyn Krause, who is retiring after almost 15 years, has fought for many issues, including health care and medical insurance for the increasingly uninsured age group of 50 to 64. A moderate Republican, she supported a measure that would allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception without a prescription. Last year, she also became a leader in the debate over skyrocketing electricity rates.
Also stepping down is Rep. Patricia Reid Lindner, an Aurora Republican who has served since 1993 and recently helped lead an effort to separate the state's juvenile justice system from the adult correctional system. She also advocated for education and women's health issues.
Rep. Joe Dunn of Naperville, a certified public accountant and small-business advocate, also is retiring. He has served since 2003.
"These folks are the steady folks," Ryder says. "They're the ones who do their jobs and, with the exception of Bill Black, they're not necessarily the flashiest or the loudest, but they're just solid people. Losing those folks is always difficult."
House Minority Leader Tom Cross agrees. "From both the political and policy standpoint, it's going to be a loss."
Over in the Senate, Minority Leader Frank Watson says his GOP Caucus will miss the leadership, legislative experience and practical thinking of two more members, assistant minority leaders Todd Sieben and Bill Peterson.
Sieben is a 21-year legislator from Geneseo. The U.S. Navy veteran says he's retiring to spend more time with his three adult children and seven grandchildren and says he predicts more of the same when he's gone.
"I think the tension and the animosity among the three Democratic leaders is so great that very little progress will be made over the next few years," he says.
Sieben spent 10 years in the minority and 11 years in the majority as a strong voice for agriculture and small business.
That expertise brought him an extra level of respect in both political parties, says Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican and caucus whip.
"If you were to pick a handful of legislators who are most respected and admired, Todd Sieben would be on both political parties' lists," Dillard says. "He's very soft-spoken, but everybody drops what they're doing to listen to him."
Dillard says the Senate, especially the GOP Caucus, also will miss the institutional knowledge and mild-mannered approach of retiring Sen. Peterson of Long Grove.
Peterson is a U.S. Army veteran, teacher and elementary school principal. He has served 15 years in the Senate and 10 in the House. Notably, he worked to change the state's absentee voting laws to allow people to vote in person before an election. He also sponsored the earned income tax credit for low-income families and an affordable housing tax credit to benefit low-income seniors.
"Following this unbelievably volatile legislative year with tremendous infighting, the personalities of Sens. Peterson and Sieben are going to be greatly missed because they were common-sense men who had low-key but highly respected personalities," Dillard says.
Dillard adds himself to the list of veteran legislators — he has 14 years in office and many years before that on the staffs of former GOP Govs. Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar — who need to step up and fill the role of gentleman counselor. Their challenge is to bring bipartisanship and a sense of calm to "an unbelievably stormy legislature," he says.
"I've never seen the legislature this volatile or this polarized, or quite frankly, this inept."
The silver lining for the Republican Party is that the Democratic bungling actually could play to the GOP's advantage come Election Day.
"I think some of the frustration with the lack of progress by our current governor may lead some people, independents primarily, that may vote for Republicans this time," Sieben says.
The vacated seats also could give rise to new Republican stars, says Ryder.
"Maybe some of these empty slots will work. Maybe one of the openings will provide the next Kirk Dillard, or the next Dan Rutherford, or the next Tom Cross or Frank Watson to come in and emerge. The Republicans have a lot of bright young faces. Maybe this will add some more."
Rutherford is a Chenoa Republican who has been in the Senate since 2003 and served the previous 10 years in the House.
Watson adds Peru Sen. Gary Dahl to fill Sieben's role as agriculture advocate and sophomore Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine to fill Peterson's role as taxpayer advocate.
In the House, Cross looks to Rep. Chapin Rose, an attorney from Mahomet, to lead the GOP caucus on energy and downstate issues and Rep. Roger Eddy of Hutsonville, a downstate school superintendent, to continue leading on education issues. And, Cross says, Rep. Ruth Munson of Elgin specializes in women's issues. Rep. JoAnn Osmond of Antioch fulfills the leadership role of a "strong personality in a calm way," he says.
In the House, Ryder adds Rep. Jim Watson of Jacksonville to the potential leadership list. Watson has served in the legislature since 2001, and he re-enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves last year. He's the Republican spokesman on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
"There are lots of folks who just have to develop the patience to stick it out," Ryder says, "but this too can pass."
The number of Republicans leaving the Illinois General Assembly will affect the dynamic of the GOP, but the open seats could breathe new life into a party that has become used to serving in the minority.
Bethany Jaeger can be reached at capitolbureau@aol.com.
Illinois Issues, January 2008
