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* Golden Horseshoe for best commenter was pretty easy to choose. Wordslinger gets it. Even Bill, who generally hates everybody, nominated him…
He remembers great stories I haven’t thought about in decades. He seems to have been everywhere when everything happened (or he has a great Wiki link). Plus he plays it straight most of the time and calls them like he sees them.
Honorable mention goes to my old friend Steve Schnorf. Here is Yellow Dog Democrat’s nomination…
Schnorf brings a gravitas to the discussion that no one else does. Amidst the ad hominem arguments, the rhetoric, spin, flakiness, and on-up-manship, Schnorf stands out as a reminder that the issues we debate here are important and that the outcome of the public debate in Springfield has real consequences for real people.
* Best non-political legislative staffer is Jessica Handy of the Senate Democratic staff. Jessica told me she was taking herself out of the running because she left staff last week for another job, but this isn’t a prospective award, it’s for the past year, so she wins…
Jess gets both the policy and the politics and, in an environment where it’s easy to become jaded quickly, she never forgets that what she’s doing affects real people. She’s so invested it’s almost unhealthy.
Tasked with education and pensions over the last few years, she handled a huge workload–not just a large number of bills, but some of the most complicated and controversial bills to come before the GA in recent memory (HB 174, pensions reform, and vouchers, to name a few). President Cullerton has had enough faith in her to call her in to brief not just his own caucus but the House Dems, as well. She’s completely top notch, and the caucus is losing a huge asset.
Honorable mention goes to John Hollman…
John Hollman on House Democratic staff is indispensable! He is organized and works well under pressure, making him a perfect candidate to have his hands in many of the big projects House Democrats deal with each session. His understanding of and familiarity with the legislative process is incredible. He works hard not only on his own committees but staffs the all important rules process as well.
* A roundup of all our winners, with honorable mentions in parentheses…
* Best political bar in Springfield: The Globe
* Best political restaurant in Springfield: Saputo’s
* Best Springfield hotel: Statehouse Inn
* Best campaign staffer - state legislative: Shaw Decremer (Heather Weir Vaught)
* Best campaign staffer - constitutional office or congressional: Eric Elk (Mary Morrissey)
* Best campaign spokesperson: Aaron Chambers (Patty Schuh)
* Best government spokesperson: Steve Brown (Ashley Cross)
* Best Senate secretary/admin assistant: Nancy Beaty (Robin Gragg)
* Best House secretary/admin assistant: : Beth Hamilton (Kristin Milligin)
* Best Illinois state Representative: Bill Black and Greg Harris (tie)
* Best Illinois state Senator: Don Harmon (Gary Dahl)
* Best Statehouse contract lobbyist: Dave Sullivan (Mike Kasper)
* Best in-house lobbyist: Eileen Mitchell (Pat Devaney)
* Best “do-gooder” lobbyist: Jonathan Goldman (Dick Lockhart)
* Best Statehouse “insider”: Mike McClain (Bill Luking)
* Best Illinois state agency director: Julie Hamos (Gary Hannig)
* Best Illinois congresscritter: Dick Durbin (Peter Roskam)
* Best Illinois statewide elected official: Dan Hynes (Bill Holland)
* Best state legislative staffer - non-political: Jessica Handy (John Hollman)
* Best CapitolFax.com commenter: Wordslinger (Steve Schnorf)
Congratulations to all!
* Anyone up for a holiday party? It’ll probably have to be in Springfield, unless we do it the week between Christmas and New Years Eve.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 10:41 am
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As a relative outsider to all this, I’ll put in my happy two cents that Greg Harris won. Something else about him not everyone may know: he is extraordinarily generous with his time speaking to student groups, even outside his district, teaching them about the legislative process and how to be effective. A classy guy.
Comment by ZC Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 10:57 am
“Anyone up for a holiday party?”
Yes, please, have a Springpatch blogger bash and I will be there… I still owe you and Barton drinks, remember?
Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:06 am
I am always up for a party! (Could you have one in Spi and one in Chi?)
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:32 am
Many congrats to Elkman. The results speak for themselves.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:36 am
Elkman congrats were mine, sorry.
Comment by Team America Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:36 am
Since I was obviously ineligible to be nominated..I agree with Wordslinger’s win. He makes me think and lol.
Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:49 am
I’m with soccermom — what’s wrong with Springfield AND Chicago?
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:53 am
I usually do just one a year. Actually, I used to do one a year. Then I started going somewhere warm in December a couple years ago.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:54 am
I would be happy to contribute to the refreshments for a Chicago party.
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:55 am
Maybe we could rent the rotunda at the Thompson Center? So cozy…
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 11:55 am
Meet you at the Billy Goat tavern on lower Michigan, how about Wednesday the 29th?
Comment by 312 Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 12:15 pm
The Goat? I love the place, but a holiday party?
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 12:16 pm
Party!!! Depending on the day, I’ll come–even though it means I’ll probably have to change my handle, again.
Comment by The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 12:27 pm
Why bother with Springpatch? Everbody’s north of I-80 this time of year anyway.
Comment by Robo Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 12:39 pm
Robo, because I live in Spfld.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 12:54 pm
>>>Robo, because I live in Spfld.
Oh. Sorry.
Comment by Robo Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 1:25 pm
I must say, I am not crazy about the Goat for parties.
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 1:52 pm
Definitely in Chicago…it’s where most of the readers are!
Comment by Jeff Wartman Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:13 pm
Jeff - Rich is in Spfld. One party upstate wouldn’t be too fair…
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:14 pm
I’m in if it’s in Chicago — I’ll even promise not to say the word “Madigan” until the third beer.
Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:25 pm
===I’m with soccermom — what’s wrong with Springfield AND Chicago? ===
I like the idea of two parties and look forward to attending both.
Comment by Been There Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:32 pm
Interesting that two agency directors are former legislators
Comment by Joe Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:35 pm
We will all chip in and buy Rich a train ticket!
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 2:46 pm
Rich, this is your blog, so you do what is best for you and the other readers.
That being said, I think you’d agree that Patch residents and state employees (and those who are both) could use some holiday cheer right about now.
Comment by Secret Square Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 3:29 pm
I’m in for Springfield any old time. Chicago–depends on the date. Congrats to Wordslinger. Very well deserved.
Comment by Way Way Down Here Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 3:50 pm
This has got to be one of the shortest threads since Barton posted that one “Morning Shorts”.
It’s because I’m a Republican, isn’t it?
Comment by The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 15, 10 @ 10:09 pm
I wish to thank everyone for their kind words.
I try. I really do. I try to say something that hasn’t been said. I try to play Devil’s Advocate against the grain, just to make some of our regular blogging friends take a moment and consider something outside their little staid world.
I do get awfully tired of the same arguments, from me, and from others. After years of doing this I have reached a point where it seems that our state is in a death spiral of incompetence, and we just endlessly debate just how much we suck.
I don’t see sunshine ahead for us. And it gets tiring debating just how rain has to fall before we all agree we are getting wet. Some of you people refuse to open your minds, while all the time claiming you have open minds. I have discovered that those who claim to have open minds to have the closest minds of anyone.
I am awfully tired of having some blogger hog every posting and make ridiculous claims that as a state employee I have no right to spend anytime before 5 PM at Capitolfax.com. It reminds me of a bunch of old geezers angry with the comments from a working guy so they just tell the working guy to get back to work and stop bothering them without their realizations that having a working guy contributes to their conversations. If these hecklers want to just to turn this blog into a cracker barrel for old Masons, they are going to eventually discover that only other old Masons join them.
Everyone contributes. Not CircularFiringSquad or BoredNow, but everyone else - that’s almost a joke, kinda.
Thanks Cincinnatus for what you do. Concerned Observer is a genius. Loop Lady is a gem. So many bloggers make our conversations great. But the past couple of months have really - REALLY sucked.
Enjoy this Christmas folks! Enjoy what you can get out of our current fiascos. Also, please remember that when you do, you also anger all those who prefer Schadenfreude to success.
Oh, and Wordslinger, congrats - when Jacob Marley’s ghost visits you on Christmas Eve, the two of you can have something to celebrate this year.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 16, 10 @ 10:17 pm