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Illinois Issues
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Editor's Notebook: Believe it or not, some Illinois governors showed leadership & political courage

Peggy Boyer Long
WUIS/Illinois Issues
"[T]he more I see and know of the politicians in this state, the less respect and confidence I have in them." Edward Coles Illinois ' second governor from Mostly Good and Competent Men by Robert P. Howard

A former governor has been sentenced. The current governor is under investigation. And, as we see in this month's issue, a recent poll shows voters aren't inspired by this year 's contenders.

When we read today's headlines and watch the late-night campaign ads, it's easy to assume Illinois lives under some kind of political dark star. History shows this assessment to be nearly as old as the state. 

Edward Coles, Illinois' second governor, served as chief executive from 1822 to 1826, and he had this to say about the leaders of his adopted home: "[T]he more I see and know of the politicians in this state, the less respect and confidence I have in them."

I ran across that quote a few weeks back while reviewing chapters in the late journalist and historian Robert Howard 's biographical book on Illinois governors. Illinois Issues published the first edition of The Illinois Governors: Mostly Good and Competent Men in 1988 and a revised and updated edition in 1999. 

Building again on Howard's work, Illinois Issues will publish The Illinois Governors: Mostly Good and Competent early next year with a new title and additional chapters on George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich by Illinois political biographer Taylor Pensoneau. (I 'm betting Howard would be happy with that choice.) 

Preparation for this latest book does remind me that Illinois has chosen its share of governors who could be called scoundrels. Two served time in prison after leaving executive office. Three beat the rap. And there's no telling how many of the 40 men who held the office could be charged by today's standards with, at a minimum, dereliction of duty. 

But history offers solace, too. By my lights, we also have chosen some visionary leaders. Among my choices in that category is Coles. When the former Virginian arrived in Illinois, he freed the slaves he had inherited, then went to work to ensure that the new state's constitution wouldn't legalize slavery. To do this, he had to out-maneuver and out-organize the legislature's pro-slavery majority. This was in 1824. 

As Howard wrote, Coles "assumed leadership in defining the issue, raised money for publicizing his views, and mobilized public sentiment against supporting the pro-slavery movement. In what had seemed to be a hopeless campaign, the cause of freedom triumphed — 6,640 to 4,972."

I also would choose the disciplined Thomas Ford, who served as Illinois governor in the 1840s. He found a way to guide the frontier state out of massive debt for infrastructure, including the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the effort to build state-owned railroads — despite opposition from within his party. 

Ford saw that repudiating the debt would hurt development of the state. Howard again: "He was convinced, as he stated in his inaugural message, that somehow principal and interest must be paid in full. He had confidence in the people and the future of Illinois, and he assured creditors that the money could be raised in due time by moderate taxation." 

Which brings me to my third choice in the category of visionary political leadership. Richard Ogilvie, Illinois' 35th governor, also sized up the state 's revenue gap and decided, as Howard wrote, that Illinois needed to tax corporate and personal incomes. As a result, Ogilvie pushed to modernize the state's tax system, along with the structure of state government.

For me, the definition of leadership is the ability to envision what would be best for Illinois' future and the energy to make it happen, despite opposition. 

Yet I would argue Illinois also has been led by colorful, complex characters who could be called sinner and saint in one, governors who combined personal failings with political courage. In this category, I would put John Peter Altgeld, who pardoned the Chicago anarchists, and George Ryan, who emptied the state's Death Row. 

But it's your call, too. Read the new book and decide for yourself. See page 2 in this issue for information on how to order your copy. 

 

Hall of Fame

Statehouse media interns to be honored Illinois Issues and WUIS public radio teamed up to establish an award honoring graduates of the University of Illinois' Public Affairs Reporting program.

The Bill Miller Public Affairs Reporting Hall of Fame Award will be given every other year to recognize PAR graduates who have distinguished careers in journalism. The Hall will be a testimony to its inductees and to the late Bill Miller, director of the PAR program for 19 years until his retirement in 1993.

The program, founded in 1972 by former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, continues to provide a unique learning experience for journalists seeking careers in public affairs reporting. The signature element distinguishing it from other journalism programs is a six-month internship in which PAR students work as full-time reporters for print and broadcast media outlets in the Illinois Statehouse Press Room. Through 2005, the program has awarded 522 master's degrees to its graduates. Roughly half of the members of the Illinois Statehouse press corps are now PAR alums.

Illinois Issues and WUIS are part of the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the university. Both maintain bureaus in the Illinois Statehouse and have helped train PAR interns for the past three decades. 

A special committee will select up to three individuals to be inducted in even-numbered years. They will be honored at a reception to be held in Springfield in the fall of those years. A permanent plaque honoring all inductees will hang in the Statehouse Press Room. 

This year's inductees will be named in October and honored at a reception to be held 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, November 13, at the Inn at 835. Tickets will cost $30 per person.

Peter Overby, a political correspondent for National Public Radio, has agreed to serve as the keynote speaker. In 2002, Overby received an Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, one of the highest honors in broadcast news, for reporting that "set the bar for stories about money, power and political influence." His byline has appeared inThe Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Monthly

For information on tickets, call 217-206-6084.


Peggy Boyer Long can be reached at Peggyboy@aol.com.

Illinois Issues, October 2006

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