* Gov. Pritzker mentioned some Downstate communities as examples of what the state can be during his speech yesterday. He also said this…
As we enter Illinois’ third century, we must bring a renaissance to downstate Illinois which has been deprived of some basic resources for education and business building that are taken for granted elsewhere in our state. To begin, we will work to deliver high speed broadband internet coverage to everyone, in every corner of Illinois. Today every new job and every student is dependent upon connectivity, and no part of our state should be left out.
Broadband access is not just a Downstate concern, of course. It’s also an issue in poorer areas across the Chicagoland area.
* Pritzker seems to be reaching out to legislators in the region…
As Pritzker begins [the budget] process, Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, is confident he’ll keep Southern Illinois in mind.
“I’ve had numerous conversations with the governor about Southern Illinois,” said Fowler, who’s been named to Pritzker’s job creation and economic opportunity transition committee. “Projects in my district, like the Cairo river port terminal, I know he’s got that on his radar.”
The phone calls from Pritzker and his transition team have been frequent, Fowler said, and the governor has suggested he’ll tour Southern Illinois in March. […]
“Almost all of the policy proposals that he outlined are things I’ll probably be on the opposite side of,” Schimpf said, “But when he talks about listening to everybody, as long as you come to the table with good faith, I think that’s the way the process is supposed to work.”
Gov. Rauner traveled all over Illinois, but he didn’t actually do much for anyone and he listened to almost nobody. So even the appearance of giving a darn is naturally going to be met with welcoming arms. We’ll just have to wait and see how Pritzker follows through.
* Sen. Fowler even said he’s keeping an open mind about the graduated income tax…
Fowler said he’s willing to listen.
“There hasn’t been any numbers attached to those yet,” Fowler said. “We’ll be open-minded. If it’s a tax on the rich, we’ll take a good look at it, but if it’s going to a challenge or a detriment to the middle class, then I’m going to have an issue with that.”
* Meanwhile…
On the day that Democrat J.B. Pritzker was inaugurated as governor, the two Republican state representatives who live in Springfield sent him a letter highlighting the new state law that makes Sangamon County the default location for many new state jobs.
“As you begin the process of filling various positions across the agencies of state government, we hope you will keep this new law in mind as positions are filled,” wrote Reps. Tim Butler and Mike Murphy. “Springfield is a wonderful city to live, work, and raise a family. The contributions made to the economy of our area by state employees are tremendous. We hope that your administration will continue the work of prioritizing Sangamon County and recognizing the city of Springfield for being the capital of our great state.”
Monday’s letter, which also offered congratulations to Pritzker, referred to legislation signed in August by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner. Sponsored by then-state Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove, the bill makes Springfield and Sangamon County the default location for employees in most state agencies. The director of Central Management Services would have to establish a geographic location for each state job and specify why positions located outside the capital city need to be there. […]
At the Bank of Springfield Center Monday before the inauguration ceremony got underway, Butler characterized the letter as “just a reminder” and said he’s had “a few quick conversations” with Pritzker and looks forward to “sitting down with him and talking about the needs of not only Sangamon County but the 87th District.
“I’ve been impressed so far with the folks that he’s brought into the administration,” Butler said. “Hopefully, we’re going to have a good working relationship.”
Your thoughts on this law?
* Related…
* Champaign County State’s Attorney: Pritzker Should Take Downstate Concerns To Heart: “We have some different issues (than Chicago). We have some similarities. But we can’t just let what’s going on in Chicago with the Chicago Police Department, the issues that they face necessarily are not the same and shouldn’t entirely run the conversation,” Rietz said.
- Bull crap - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:06 am:
Yeah that’s the problem if you don’t live in or near Springfield you don’t have the same opportunities as others do that live in or near Springfield. If you live in Cairo you should have the same opportunities for high up positions as the Springfield people do. Just have Outpost to work from like the military. JMO
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:07 am:
–Your thoughts on this law?–
One, it’s the law, and two, Springfield’s the state capitol. No worries here.
Obviously, for service efficiencies, there are good reasons for having state employees in other parts of the state, including Chicago. I don’t read the CMS requirement for justification as onerous, at all.
- Chunga - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:08 am:
How about the jobs go where they’re the most cost-effective, needed and with the most available Talent. It’s 2019 not 1919
- Tomacci - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:12 am:
It makes perfect sense. Federal law requires a geographic location to be designated when crafting a position to be advertised. Also, the jobs designated as “HQ” or Headquarters, are all in Washington DC. You haven “regional” or field positions to cover the rest of the country.
The same should apply to state jobs. Even though Chicago is the largest city in the state, Springfield is the capital, and indeed a very nice place to live in. Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, East St. Louis and other major cities should be regarded as field or regional.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:12 am:
Can JB explain to downstate residents how raising taxes on successful businesses and having a minimum wage of $15 when the national rate is $7.25 will not lead to further population loss of people and businesses?
- Colin O'Scopy - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:14 am:
=Broadband access is not just a Downstate concern, of course. It’s also an issue in poorer areas across the Chicagoland area.=
Bingo!
- Jamo - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:14 am:
This is nothing but a way to solidify her base, create an organization, and get jobs for her people. Just the same thing Mayor Daley did w/HDO and city employees
- Ex Pat - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:16 am:
I just wish that the default location would be DOWNTOWN Springfield. No need to fuel more sprawl while the heart of the capital city sits vastly underused
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:19 am:
===Can JB explain to downstate residents how raising taxes on successful businesses and having a minimum wage of $15 when the national rate is $7.25 will not lead to further population loss of people and businesses?===
Meh. Pritzker won with Rauner saying the same exact thing, and Pritzker did better downstate with that message too.
You can’t re-litigate points from an election where the loss is so historically lopsided.
It’s not like when Rauner said he was not going after all of labor then… Decatur.
Pritzker is known in these positions, now with a downstate Republican even being open-minded.
Recalibrate your talking points. Thanks.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:22 am:
Here’s the bizarre thing. I’m not hearing of or seeing a big hiring push anywhere. The Pritzker people are silent as the grave. A lot of my friends at Agencies haven’t seen a Pritzker person, heard of even who the Pritzker people are. This is immensely concerning to existing public servants. Rauners folks were rearranging the chair the week after Thanksgiving.
As an AFSMCE this is super concerning. With existing workers not being contacted, consulted, worked with, etc, this can only mean one thing.
Closed, non transparent, backroom deals
which inevitably lead to
Privatization.
Democratic Gov. Quinn brought in Maximus.
Doubling salaries for bigwigs
Not communicating at all with anyone else
No actual action on Steps, just attitudes
OW was warning the Pritzker campaign about the micro during the campaign lawsuit debacle.
well…….
Ummm…..Pritzker has started. Inaugurated
He’s still stuck at finding agency heads.
There aren’t even placeholders yet.
Micro has to happen fast
Before people jump off the ship of state
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:28 am:
==Recalibrate your talking points==
This x 10
LP, he won. And he was clear where he stood on those things. And he’s also been clear that he understands the potential effects a minimum wage increase might have and that’s why he’s continuing to discuss it and even talked about a phase in.
Indeed, get some new talking points already. Yours have been soundly rejected.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:33 am:
Lucky has not learned anything in the past 4 years.
- Smitty Irving - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:35 am:
Ex Pa
“DOWNTOWN” … take that up with the Procurement Policy Board, particularly Ed Bedore. He was the driving force in the Blago / Quinn years of moving State jobs from Downtown to Churchill Rd., IDOT, N Grand, S Grand … to save a nickle.
- Montrose - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:35 am:
“Can JB explain to downstate residents how raising taxes on successful businesses and having a minimum wage of $15 when the national rate is $7.25 will not lead to further population loss of people and businesses?”
I really hope that if your dire predictions don’t come to fruition, you own it and say you were wrong. I also hope your approach is not that you hope that JB fails.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:36 am:
Good on Sen. Fowler for having an open mind about progressive taxation. We need good ideas on this, from either party, like giving tax cuts to many while raising them on the highest incomes, particularly millionaires and higher.
- Chris Widger - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:37 am:
==Indeed, get some new talking points already. Yours have been soundly rejected.==
Surely there’s a distinction between “whether a policy will resonate with voters?” (which an increase in the minimum wage has) and “whether a policy is good policy?” (which is LP’s query). We shouldn’t do something just because everyone wants it, because that’s how you get bad outcomes like same-sex marriage being illegal for hundreds of years–there should also be good policy reasons to do things. Of course, LP is way off the mark here and hiking the minimum wage will be a good and not bad economic outcome, but “he won so it’s good policy” seems simplistic.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:39 am:
Wasn’t it Blago who started shifting positions to Chicago big time? The new law referred to by Butler and Murphy is locally known as the “Redono Nostorum Officium” law. Or, “Give us back our @&%#ing jobs”…
- Handle Bar Mustache - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:40 am:
Yes, the agency rank-and-file are crying out for new leadership even 1-2 levels down from the cabinet.
Good on JB for caring about information infrastructure/broadband. Promising for Illinois that this will be a priority. It’s indispensable infrastructure — as important as roads/bridges.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:41 am:
===Wasn’t it Blago who started shifting positions to Chicago===
Pretty sure that started under Thompson. I mean, they even named the state building he built after him.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:46 am:
===Surely there’s a distinction between “whether a policy will resonate with voters?” (which an increase in the minimum wage has) and “whether a policy is good policy?”===
Like, oh… term limits?
===We shouldn’t do something just because everyone wants it, because that’s how you get bad outcomes===
Like losing the institutional knowledge needed to good governing because you can’t beat someone at the ballot box?
===…but “he won so it’s good policy” seems simplistic.===
Yep. That term limits thingy falls into that.
- Number 9 - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 11:50 am:
-Thoughts on the law-
I agree Springfield is a nice town and imagine it would be a fine place to raise a family. A significant problem is convincing young recent law school graduates to take a position in Springfield rather than in Chicago, and to remain in Springfield once hired. Whether these young people are right or wrong about the merits of Springfield, the law limits the state’s ability to hire the best that its modest salaries can attract.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 12:05 pm:
=if you don’t live in or near Springfield you don’t have the same opportunities as others do that live in or near Springfield. =
I doubt there is a bias against people outside of Springfield. There is absolutely nothing preventing someone in Cairo from applying for any job anywhere.
Sometimes, if you want a job you have to go where the job is.
- S of I 70 - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 12:38 pm:
A huge challenge for the new administration with regard to Downstate Illinois will be replacing all of those Downstate jobs that will be displaced or altered greatly by movement away from fossil fuels.
Not just oil, gas and coal extraction, but oil refining, coal fired power plants, trucking, farming, auto dealerships and repair shops to name a few. These jobs appear to be either on their way out or radically altered as the transition to renewable energy, electric transportation and other green technologies are brought forward.
I suspect this is a primary reason certain parts of Downstate Illinois have gotten so red. Those earning six figures in these industries, and there are many, are not seeing opportunities outside of these industries where they live.
For example, look at Franklin County. Cannot believe how quickly it has flipped from D to R. Ten years ago, all elected officials were D. Now practically none are.
It has to do with economic uncertainty in a rapidly changing economy, more than any other factor IMO.
This will be a challenging issue for Governor Pritzker for sure.
- Anon - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 1:26 pm:
Broadband needs to be completely overhauled period. Not only are we spending massive amounts of money getting connectivity to all the far corners of the state, but as mentioned, even those in places like Chicago have issues. Heck, even in towns where this shouldn’t be a problem - think Oak Park, Northbrook, Norridge… Almost all of these places have a single-vendor monopoly. Because of this, the competition has stopped. Only when a phone carrier steps up and starts to offer gig service do the incumbents step up and do stuff like “hey - guess what? we now offer gig!” It’s a joke. Between that and bandwidth caps, lack of net neutrality a la FCC the USA in general is becoming a third-world web-wise. So @JB, you have been involved with people at 1871. Take some of those lessons learned and couple that with all the spare capacity in the Illinois Century Network and build the first state-level municipal broadband network. It will create jobs, generate revenue, give reason for competition to the incumbent providers and make residents happy. Also by spreading the size of this network (which connects to Internet2 and leading educational institutions) you will attract research and other, Internet-reliant, business to Illinois. Not a quick fix, but game changer if done right. Frankly the preceding IL CIO blew it by not expanding on this amazing resource we already have.
- Just A Dude - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 1:29 pm:
Honeybear, you really expect a big hiring push? Perhaps some in the field eventually. I have seen some commenters hoping for the elimination of DoIT. Parting Illinois CIO told the legislature of the direction of the state’s IT direction. Consolidation of applications and reassigning remaining IT staff. I don’t see this trend reversing.
http://www.govtech.com/computing/Outgoing-Illinois-CIO-Details-Progress-of-IT-Consolidation.html?AMP
- striketoo - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 1:33 pm:
The day he moves to ban semi-automatic rifles will be the day he loses southern Illinois.
- regnaD kciN - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 1:48 pm:
–Your thoughts on this law?–
–One, it’s the law, and two, Springfield’s the state capitol. No worries here.
Obviously, for service efficiencies, there are good reasons for having state employees in other parts of the state, including Chicago. I don’t read the CMS requirement for justification as onerous, at all.–
Wordslinger I’m usually in agreement with your observations however I would say it depends on if the statute is administered properly by CMS. As one who has previous experience with them, they are the poster child for a bureaucratic response.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 2:01 pm:
–The day he moves to ban semi-automatic rifles will be the day he loses southern Illinois.–
Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they’ll still take the state money and jobs.
- Sunshyne40 - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 2:30 pm:
What’s the percentage of non-whites in Springfield? How would requiring positions be located in Springfield change the diversity numbers?? If the position is a statewide position it shouldn’t matter where people are housed when the people they supervise are spread out all over Illinois.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Jan 15, 19 @ 4:16 pm:
Just a Dude, yeah, there has to be a big hiring push. Has to be. We are down probably 30% from 2015 and we were already the smallest workforce per capita. Nearly every agency has a ton of vacancies. I told folks about my office before. 812 to 1 customer to caseworker ratio. We need to hire people bad. So many functions, necessary functions aren’t happening. People just don’t realize it.
- Anon - Wednesday, Jan 16, 19 @ 12:50 am:
===Your thoughts on this law?===
In general I think it’s fine to centralize certain functions, however over the years the other downstate counties have lost a significant number of satellite offices that allowed folks to be able to more easily interact with their state government.
Similarly, there are facilities that exist that are significantly understaffed.
The legislation is basically Springfield protectionism and represents yet another barrier for entry for the state to recruit and retain a talented workforce.
Sure, Springfield is a nice town but I’d like to see some statistics for the amount if ‘in migration’ that occurs to fill state positions vs the positions that are filled by folks already living close to the capital city.
Explaining why a position shouldn’t be in Springfield is fine, but legislators sending a letter to a new governor that’s like “remember to follow the law” and presumes that all state jobs belong in Springfield is pretty short sighted and rude.