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* The 2016 Golden Horsehoe Award for Best Democratic State Senator goes to Sen. Donne Trotter. He didn’t get as many votes as others, but this nomination by Steve Schnorf won the day for him…
Anyone who knows me knows what I think on Sen Ds. There are some great people in that caucus, like Sens Raoul and Steans and Forby and Munoz. But my vote today tomorrow and always goes to Sen Donne Trotter. Very bright, very well educated, a gentleman, not a mean spirited bone in his body. He is a master of the processes of government and the Senate, but also of the subject matter of a huge range of programmatic areas. Whether you are a player, a powerhouse, or pawn you will receive a respectful hearing in his office. Donne is a problem solver not a show horse (except for his wardrobe of course). I have been involved in this stuff for 40 years now. Donne is one of the best ever.
Honorable mention to Sen. Gary Forby, a truly good guy.
* The 2016 Golden Horsehoe Award for Best Republican State Senator goes to Sen. Karen McConnaughay…
A truly thoughtful legislator, who has been able to straddle the line of Rauner loyalty and independent thinking. She is another one who really wants to accomplish wins for her district and the State, and is engaging in real conversations to try and help us get out of this mess.
Honorable mention to Sen. Sam McCann, the crowd favorite.
* We’re going to skip a couple of categories this year and do three of them today because we’re simply running out of time…
* Best Statewide Officeholder
* Best Illinois Congresscritter
* Best State Agency Director
Please do your very best to nominate in all three categories. And, of course, make sure to explain your nominations or they won’t count.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 1:22 pm
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Since it’s (most likely) his last term I’d like to suggest naming the Best Statewide Office holder category after Jesse White. He’s a one of a kind person and did one heck of a job to make that office more effective.
Congress: Durbin - pushed Duckworth along every step of the way and now they’re in the Senate together. Impressive.
Agency Director - Nuding for moving all that money around to keep some of this place from capsizing. Tough vote to make because on balance they’re not doing a good job but he deserves some praise.
Comment by Bedlam Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 1:28 pm
Statewide: Jesse White, simply because he’s the least toxic these days
Congress: Rodney Davis. He’s turned a lean Dem district into a R stronghold mainly due to the way he’s run his office and constituent contacts.
Agency Director: Leo Schmitz, State Police. With everything that’s gone on this year, from budget woes to police shooting controversy, I have to say State Police has stayed the course in what must have been a very rough year to do so for law enforcement. To top it off, he kept the ship righted while having to deal with losing a son to cancer in the middle of all of it. That takes a pretty strong dude.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 1:51 pm
Statewide: Munger. Used her megaphone to highlight budget/bill backlog mess. Strong advocate for social services. Didn’t steal anything even though Mendoza said she did. The people of this state will miss having Leslie in the comptroller’s office.
Congress: Durbin. Not sure that needs much explanation.
Agency Director: Tim Nuding. Did a good job trying to keep the ship of state afloat with no budget.
Comment by Tron Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 1:56 pm
John Baldwin IDOC
Comment by John Rawl Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 2:10 pm
Statewide: Munger, for putting up with the backlash that came along with pissing off legislators in Springfield; something that should be done much more often.
Congress: the 10th’s Dold. While he may have lost this year he outperformed his party’s presidential nominee by nearly 20%. He had a thoughtful, common sense message and that mirrored his record in the House.
Comment by North Shore Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 2:44 pm
State-wide- Jesse White, he has been the SOS since I could drive and always heard horrible things about DMV in pop culture and those issues don’t exist in IL. Plus the other functions of his office such as business registration and such are pretty seamless and his staff are always willing to help.
Congress: Lipinski not the most popular among the progressive wing in the party but still manages to bring stuff home in a R congress while passing legislation and runs a great constituent service shop. Hon. Mention goes to Davis. Same reasons as Lipinski.
Agency Director: Greg Bedalov, ED for the Tollway. A rare party of IL government that works well and is getting stuff done. They have taken on massive infrastructure improvements and everything is going well. Greg has also done a good job of staying of above the political fray as there have been some seriously partisan moves done at the Tollway.
Comment by Come on Man! Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 2:52 pm
Jesse White turned an embarrassment of an office around into a place I actually want to visit.
Dick Durbin’s office is always the place I always send constituents with problems not solved by other offices. He is a first class public servant of veterans. When he says he will do everything possible for somebody, he does it.
Nuding for holding it together, and not politically posturing, in a chaotic environment.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 3:06 pm
Statewide- hands down Jesse White. No more reasons to give in addition to what has been already said and what everyone already knows about him.
Congress- Mike Bost. No other State or Federal Rep, of either party, has worked as hard for this District than Mike has. Based on what he did for his District during, and after the New Years Flood Mike deserves special recognition alone. During the flood Mike was the only one to be on the ground working with County Officials, as well as in constant contact and touring with the Corps of Engineers from both St Louis and Memphis Districts. Including some technical things involving Kentucky and Barkley Dams that could have made the flood worse if Mike had not intervened at the request of County Officials. And after the flood, thru recovery phase and the damage assesments Mike was involved. Recently he had language added to the House version of the WRDA act which would have helped small levee districts all along the river rebuild, which passed the House unanimously. This language was taken out in the Senate version, but neither one of our Senators knows anything about it. Sorry for being long winded, but what it boils down to is Mike works harder than anyone for his Southern Illinois District, when others wont even answer calls, which is why he had widespread bipertisan support to win reelection.
Agency Director-Nuding for his work keeping the wheels on the train
Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 4:06 pm
Jesse White. He’s loveable and his agency respects the public he serves.
Durbin. We are lucky to have this intelligent important man representing us.
John Maki. This do-nothing agency was transformed into an entity that actually studies the state criminal justice system, plays a huge role in justice reform, hosts meaningful thoughtful commissions and task forces, and generally gives a damn.
Comment by State worker Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 4:18 pm
Agency Director I have to nominate Jeff Mays at IDES. Unemployment insurance is a highly technical area of the statute and in addition requires the ability to work with business and labor leaders. Jeff Mays is able to do that, plus has been moving the agency into the next generation. He has earned the GH for 2016.
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 4:19 pm
Statewide-Leslie Munger-took a thankless job, made it into the spotlight, highlighted an issue (unconstitutional as it was) and ran on it. It was a such a good issue, that her opponent took it and ran on the exact same one (still not constitutional though)
Congresscritter-Davis for being thoughtful and growing into the job. He’s conservative but no so much as someone who refuses to acknowledge the other side and that they have ideas that can be worked on together.
Agency Director-Nuding for doing the best he could.
Comment by OurMagician Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 5:27 pm
I like Frerichs. He’s staying out of the nonsense and doing his job.
Comment by Flyer Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 10:10 pm
Statewide- SOS White- DMV runs well no complaints, libraries keep moving along and winning referendums, 80+ years old and can still get in there with the Tumblers during parades..gotta love it.
Congresscritter- Davis- solid guy, does his job and doesn’t put on the Congressional airs like some of his counterparts. Some of his colleagues would do well to try and remember who they are and where they came from.
Dept Head- I’d have to go with Bedalov as well. The tollway runs smoothly. So many other agencies are under fire for multiple mistakes it’s nice to just see an agency do its job.
Comment by DuPage Bard Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 12:28 am
I second the nomination for ISP. This has been an incredibly difficult year for ISP, with both unique challenges in law enforcement and evolving crime trends statewide (heroin epidemic and drug trade) and locally (Chicago expressway shootings, for example). He has been able to stabilize the agency, collaborate with partners, and plan for the future, even while dealing with unimaginable personal loss.
Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 12:47 am
Rauner. Completely changing Illinois’ political dynamics.
LaHood. Intelligent, hard working.
Mays. Making serious departmental reforms while managing a flood of bad news.
Comment by These guys Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:45 am
Constitutional Officer - Former Comptroller Munger….. She ran the office with practical business principles, while prioritizing health care and social services providers for payment based upon their important roles in the State safety net. Traveled the State from north to south in an effort to see, feel, and touch those who received State services and reimbursement. Almost won a race during an era when Republicans, with the exception of Judy Baar Topinka, have been shut out of Constitutional offices outside of the Executive Mansion. Her street smarts were evidenced by the CMS audits performed before assuming office, and prior to leaving office. She now has the evidence and backing to refute the allegations made by the newly elected Comptroller. Classy individual who made a difference in just two, short years.
Congress - Mike Bost….. Saving the military boot contract for a district manufacturer is dramatic evidence of getting results for his constituents. In just his first term in D.C., he made an impact as a Congressman just as he did as a leader in the Illinois General Assembly. Facing a strong, local candidate with family name recognition, he won re - election because of his hard work and effectiveness over the past two years.
Agency Director - Wayne Rosenthal….. As Director of DNR, he stretched resources to keep state parks and outdoor recreational sites operational. Brought common sense strategies to the department based upon his experience in the military, as a family farmer, and his tenure in the General Assembly. In any conversation with him, it is apparent he has both short and long - term goals for the department. Director Rosenthal is more than a caretaker. He is combining administrative strategies with planning for the future.
Comment by Central Guy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 10:16 am
Constitutional Officer - Former Comptroller Munger….. She brought business principles to the office, while prioritizing health care and human services providers for payment based upon their important roles in the State’s safety net. Traveled the state from north to south in an effort to see, touch, and feel the real life stories of those who receive state services. Her street smarts were evident with the CMS audits performed before assuming office and prior to leaving office. The documentation from the audits refutes the allegations made by the newly elected Comptroller. A classy individual who made a difference in just two, short years.
Congress - Mike Bost….. Saving the military boot contract for his district reflects the many positive results he accomplished for his constituents during his first term in D.C. His efforts in Congress mirror his effectiveness as a leader in the Illinois General Assembly. Facing a local challenger with family name recognition, he won re - election based upon his hard work and ability to sincerely connect with voters.
Agency Director - Wayne Rosenthal….. As Director of DNR, he kept State parks and recreational sites open on limited resources. Using his experience in the military, as a family farmer, and former State Representative, he brings practical solutions to the management challenges of this agency. While talking with him, it is apparent he has both short and long - term goals for the department. Director Rosenthal is more than a caretaker. He is an administrator with a vision for the future.
Comment by Central Guy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 10:33 am
Statewide-Governor Rauner- Bruce Rauner and his team have completly changed the political environment in Illinois. It still amazes me that the Republicans picked up seats during a presidential year, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is because of team Rauner. He has given Illinois something that has never existed before: an equal to Madigan who can fight for every inch of ground. His influence as a constitutional officer is unparalleled in my mind.
Congresscritter-Davis for excellent constituent services and a commitment to independence.
Agency Director- Connie Beard- Director Beard inherited an IDOR with a lot of underlying issues, and has systematically worked at addressing them over the past two years. Her poise and candor is the peak of professionalism and she is a role model for any public servant.
Comment by O.W.L. Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 12:39 pm
I’d be in for Jesse White. He is and continues to be a guy who cares about people and cares about service. No friendlier guy you’ll ever meet.
I’d toss one to Mark Kirk as he leaves too. He wasn’t my favorite guy, but his office was always efficient and friendly. He came back from a devastating event. He’s earned it.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 1:30 pm