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Unclear on the concept

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Illinois

* Ugh…

The Illinois Department of Human Services this week shuttered a public aid office in Illinois’s poorest county.

With the office closing Wednesday, Alexander County residents needing face-to-face assistance signing up for or with questions regarding medical, food and cash benefits will have to travel to nearby Mounds in Pulaski County.

Case managers at the resource centers are charged with reviewing applications and helping people apply for aid that includes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is for pregnant mothers and their young children; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, and state Medicaid benefits.

DHS spokeswoman Veronica Vera said the decision was not driven by the state’s budget fiasco, but rather because state officials noted slow traffic at the public aid office in Cairo. About 15 people per day visit the office, she said, and even fewer visit the office daily in Mounds. […]

She noted that the Mounds office was just a few miles away from the one in Cairo, and also said there was an office in the region in Decatur. “I don’t know how far that one is,” said Vera, whose DHS administrative office is located in Chicago, of the Decatur office.

Decatur is east of Springfield, about 3 hours and 40 minutes north of Cairo. There are other offices much closer than Decatur, including one in Anna and Marion, according to DHS’s office, though she did not mention those.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:08 pm

Comments

“I don’t know how far that one is,” -

CLASSIC!!

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:10 pm
===About 15 people per day visit the office, she said, and even fewer visit the office daily in Mounds.===

And yet they didn’t close Mounds, they closed Cairo. Got it.

Also, would someone please send Ms. Vera a map of the state of Illinois. Decatur? Really?

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:11 pm
That’s why everyone who is down on their luck should just buy a Harley.

Comment by Jorge Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:12 pm
Is Ms. Vera a very recent transplant to Illinois? Even I know that Decatur and Cairo are half a state apart.

Comment by Tournaround Agenda Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:13 pm
Rauner savings plan step #2
Start arresting people walking along the road between Cairo and Mounds trying to reach the office.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:13 pm
How did she pronounce Cairo?

Comment by Dave Dahl Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:14 pm
I think Vera is going to relieve a geographic lesson on Illinois from the Rauner administration. She might also receive a mathematics lesson insinuating how many days she has left with the current administration.

Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:15 pm
Not every day you see someone throw themselves under the bus. Better start hangin’ the big State maps in all the offices like in the old days.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:17 pm
Regardless Turnaround, can’t she LOOK at a map before making such an asinine statement? What is wrong with these top staffers (rhetorical, I know).

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:18 pm
Rich, are you insinuating that Decatur is just a “concept”? Like a modern-day version of Shangri-La or something? That could explain the Governor’s frequent anti-Union tour stops there I suppose.

Comment by Juice Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:19 pm
==About 15 people per day visit the office, she said, and even fewer visit the office daily in Mounds.==

Less than ten miles distance and fewer than 25 people combined daily, one office likely should be closed.

But why close Cairo instead of Mounds?

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:21 pm
Lady from Winnetka: “Look at that new Harley!”
“Like a bad neighbor, Rauner Poor Farm is there!”
“How much did my vote for Bruce Rauner save me as a taxpayer?”

Harley Salesman: “About $100,000, plenty for that new Harley!”

Lady from Cairo: “I didn’t vote for Rauner Poor Farm, I need help for my family!”

Bruce Rauner shows up with a fishing pole, wearing his Harley vest: “I got ya a dollar, Cairo Mom!”

She grabs at it as he yanks it away.

“Ooh, you almost had it - you gotta go to Mounds!”

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:22 pm
“DHS administrative office is located in Chicago” Based on that info alone, I’m not surprised she does not know how far Decatur is from southern IL. Geesh… Give her a break.

Comment by Mama Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:26 pm
Where in the world is Cairo, Illinois?

Comment by Tournaround Agenda Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:26 pm
@Anon221: But Decatur and Cairo are in the same “region”! Are you telling me that’s not a good enough reason to assume they’re close without consulting a map?

Comment by Tournaround Agenda Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:27 pm
Well, if they close the Chicago office, Ms. Vera could direct people to Oak Park or Quincy.

Comment by SAP Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:30 pm
And we get from Cairo to Anna or Marino ?
Uber

Comment by Anonin' Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:31 pm
A DHS spokesperson? Not knowing where Decatur is vis a vis Cairo (Care-O) is breathtaking. I have worked for a state agency for 25 years. Frequently in contact with the public. That lapse is major and should NOT pass the lips of any state employee. To do otherwise is an insult.

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:33 pm
=The Illinois Department of Human Services this week shuttered a public aid office in Illinois’s poorest county.=

This could be implementation of the Arduin “get a job” road map item left as work product.

Comment by Qui Tam Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:34 pm
Dear God, what is it with these young puppies that Rauner is hiring? She doesn’t even know where her own departments FCRC’s (Family Community Resource Center) are! And you all wonder what the big deal about losing older public servants is! What you get are cheap young pups, high off their state title.
Okay, that being said, combining small FCRC’s is probably a good idea. It will probably save a bit of money. Casework in general is moving away from in person service anyway. Trying to get most of it done over the phone does save a lot of money. Still, I went to several trainings with those caseworkers. I hate to see them have to move or find other jobs. St.Clair county sees about 150-200 people a day, depending on the time of the month. The call center handles several hundred calls. Seeing 15 people a day and it’s hard to justify the staff and overhead.

Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:34 pm
Having dealt directly with DHS, I can’t say that I’m surprised. They put the “dis” in dysfunctional.

Comment by train111 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:35 pm
I’m trying not to laugh, but I can’t help it. Truth is always stranger than fiction. That release read like an “Onion” news of the day blurb: “Area bureaucrat closes wrong office.”

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:35 pm
Ms. Vera: I think your foot moved…best shoot it.

To 47th Ward’s observation that Cairo was closed and not Mounds…hmm, maybe it was the population being served?

Mounds (2010 pop. 588) in Pulaski County (2010 pop. 6,161).
Cairo (2010 pop. 2,831) in Alexander County (2010 pop. 8,238).

Nope.

Alexander County is the poorest county in the State. But since *nothing* in Governor Rauner’s tenure suggests that he has it in for the poor of Illinois, that couldn’t possibly factor into the decision… /s

Comment by thunderspirit Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:35 pm
Looking at a map of the DHS offices, it makes sense to close the Cairo office and leave the Mounds office open.

Comment by Chicagonk Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:39 pm
“She noted that the Mounds office was just a few miles away from the one in Cairo, and also said there was an office in the region in Decatur.”

Looks like Rauner’s redistricting reform efforts can start with DHS.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:41 pm
If you shake up Illinois, some of these towns are just going to end up closer than they used to be.

Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:43 pm
———-But why close Cairo instead of Mounds? ———-

Could it be that Cairo’s lease was up and Mounds wasn’t? Could it be the lease prices or building situation? We don’t know but certainly that would make sense. I can’t defend the Decatur comment. I don’t like defending Vera at all having dealt with her in the past but this could simply be a real estate issue. If we can’t close an office that is only used by 10 - 15 people we aren’t going to get any budget reductions.

Comment by Name/Nickname/Anon Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:45 pm
Not knowing the geography is embarrassing.

Not having an actual plan to serve people affected by an office closure: complete and utter dereliction.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:49 pm
A “spokeswoman” who doesn’t know where DHS offices are, and does not know Illinois geography. Perfect.

Comment by Motambe Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:50 pm
Nearly half of Alexander County households were on food stamps as of June. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-regional-pain-points-revealed-in-county-data-on-food-stamp-dependency/

Comment by Kitelite Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:52 pm
== If we can’t close an office that is only used by 10 - 15 people we aren’t going to get any budget reductions. ==

I don’t think anyone is suggesting not closing one of the offices. I certainly wasn’t. The issue is closing the one that’s more busy, by DHS’ own admission, over one that’s less so, and what rationale made up that decision.

Comment by thunderspirit Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:53 pm
I’ve been in Mounds. Heck of a long way from Decatur (literally & figuratively)

Comment by Stones Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:54 pm
Amazing. She will learn sometimes it is better not to give too much information.

Comment by pool boy Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:55 pm
==The issue is closing the one that’s more busy==

thuderspirit, the reasoning is in the article.

Comment by A Lowly LA Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:57 pm
===But why close Cairo instead of Mounds?===

Although Mounds has a population of 763 to Cairo’s 2576, Cairo is also the furthest point away from any other point in either Alexander or Pulaski county (combined population 13,307). So I am guessing that Mounds is closer to a greater population than Cairo.

In other words, better to make 15 people travel 8 miles than make 12 people already traveling 12 miles go an additional 8 miles.

Not saying that was their logic or that their logic makes sense, but that could explain it.

Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:57 pm
“Ms. Vera? I’m calling from the Governor’s office. Effective immediately, DHS needs to stop telling the poor residents of Alexander County to drive up to Decatur. Start telling them to drive south into Missouri or Kentucky.”

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 2:59 pm
No problem, since everyone on SNAP and TANF has access to autos, plenty of gas money, and broadband Internet at home. Geez.

Comment by stateandlake Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:06 pm
there has to be some better service model than people having to head into a physical location to get benefits.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:11 pm
Cairo and Decatur are in the same region. It’s called, Not Chicago.

Comment by Sir Reel Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:13 pm
==there has to be some better service model than people having to head into a physical location to get benefits.==

Ha. Amalia, my perception is that we enjoy disincentiviing poor people from accessing subsistence resources by spending massive quantities of their time and resources to travel and get childcare and sit in waiting rooms for appointments that might never materialize.

If the state ever got around to doing customer satisfaction surveys, anything above a “1″ rating would be an area to cut more and decrease service.

There are agencies that simply won’t pick up the phone during regular business hours. That’s partly budget cuts, I know. But the fact that it’s not a news story speaks poorly of us all.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:20 pm
Amalia-

Here’s the current coverage map for broadband in that area:

http://www.broadbandillinois.org/Get-it/Southern-Regional-eTeam0/Broadband-Maps.html

In some parts of the state, the person-to-person (face-to-face) is still the best and most efficient way to provide services.

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:21 pm
Guys, from what I hear the building in Cairo was a disaster and one manager had to supervise both offices. It made more sense to close the office in Cairo than do the necessary repairs and hire another manager.
As far as the Decatur statement, Im sure the reporter set her up to get that statement..

Comment by Roti Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:24 pm
Yup, you know reporters. Always tricking government officials into thinking cities hundreds of miles apart are right next door…

Comment by Tournaround Agenda Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:26 pm
Vera was definitely a Quinn or Blago holdover hire.

Comment by anon Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:28 pm
What’s Vera doing in Chicago? I thought Rauner was moving the state government back to Springfield. Maybe she just got lost on her way to work

Comment by Truthteller Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:30 pm
You folks are being a little rough on Veronica. To cut costs the Rauner administration is hiring inexperienced folks and then put them through the Lance Trove academy of PIO training.

The curriculum is:

Lance 101: Rauner Lexicon. You’re taught the Rauner buzz words and must be able to put at least three of them together in a sentence, such as corrupt union bosses protecting the political class.

Lance 201: Obfuscation. You’re taught how to avoid giving reporters accurate information. Always direct them to our enemies list using the Rauner lexicon. You will also be taught how to deny FOIA requests or to refer those requests to a lawyer expert in denials.

Lance 300: Evasion. Learn how to avoid reporter calls. Develop standard excuses for not returning phone calls.

Goldberg 580: Snark. You too can insult people in an amusing way.

Unfortunately, Lance’s training doesn’t involve reading maps or planning ahead for possible questions when making major announcements.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:31 pm
Isn’t that in Lincoln County?

Comment by D.P.Gumby Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:33 pm
Norseman:

To be fair, this PIO nonsense didn’t start under Rauner. This started when a guy name Blagojevich consolidated all of them under CMS. It’s hard to know what you are talking about when you don’t actually work for the agencies you are charged with speaking about.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:36 pm
@Anon 221, well, sounds like a perfect opportunity for a company/companies/government types who are business advocates that wants purchases from people in general (hello Amazon) to change the broadband picture down there, but I’m not necessarily advocating for the poor to have to own and operate a computer to get service. and yes, @crazy bleeding heart, I do think that there is a horrible attitude towards the poor.

government is stuck in the box of this department needs to operate this office, and not just at the state level. people need service of many kinds. they don’t want to go from place to place. the more on line the better for those who don’t have to have some sort of qualifier, but for the rest, think synergy, governments!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:37 pm
The statewide closing/consolidation of DHS offices has been going on for quite some time. There’s been a number closed in Chicago alone. One office was closed due to ties to Blago’s friend, Tony Rezko.

Comment by Emily Booth Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:37 pm
What kind of know-nothing bureaucrats does Bruce Rauner have working for him?

Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Oh those Chicago Democrats so dismissive of downstate……
Well now it’s the Chicago Republicans turn I am sure she is a nice young campaign worker who now has an IDOT map on her office wall with some push colored pushpins or at least she printed one off the net….

Comment by Annon3 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:41 pm
She is not a holdover hire. She is a Rauner hire.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:42 pm
i thought Mounds was a suburb of Cairo. Like Springfield is to the Windy City.

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:46 pm
D.P.Gumby-

Isn’t “what” in Lincoln County. There is no Lincoln County in Illinois.

*****

You know, this is something I’ve always wondered about. We teach our kids in school so much about other areas of the US and the world, but rarely (ever?) do we teach them about how their own state is organized and where what is (I know- very poor grammar). Maybe more local history/geography/geology would make for a more informed populous in future times. I can dream, can’t I?

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:47 pm
Illinois–a “region” in the State of Chicago. /s/

I try not to denigrate Chicago all the time like a lot of my fellow rural folk do, and feed the stereotype…then this happens.

Comment by South Central Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:49 pm
Anon221, lighten up Francis. Lincoln County is an old joke used around Springfield, often to catch uninformed candidates with their lack of knowledge about the state.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:51 pm
So every D downstate legislator got a good campaign piece today.
“The new Governor and his people don’t know who we are, what our problems are or even where we live!”

Comment by DuPage Bard Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:52 pm
Norseman-

Sorry, I have never heard that reference. Apologies to DP.

I have, honestly, heard people refer to a Lincoln County in Illinois thinking that we really DID have such a county. That’s where I was coming from:)

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:59 pm
There is no Lincoln County in Illinois

Oddly enough, there is one in Mississippi (the last place you’d expect it, and named for who you’d think). And Cairo is closer to the MS state line than it is to Decatur. Fun facts on a Monday afternoon.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 3:59 pm
Demoralized, other than the topic at hand, I don’t know what “PIO nonsense” is going on during the Rauner admin. I assume they’re maintaining the centralized concept given their obsession for control, but Quinn had loosened up a little and allowed several of the agencies to have their own dedicated PIO’s.

Beyond the snark, I don’t know if Vera is a holdover or a new hire. With an exception or two, IMHO, the quality of the PIO’s declined after the Blago consolidation. Like Rauner, they were more intent on controlling message than in providing accurate information to the public.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:01 pm
Does anybody know if Rauners staff reads any of this?

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:11 pm
Meant to say “well intended” in my post.

Comment by kitty Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:13 pm
the person who took my job at DNR has no college degree and the last job held by said person was sales at Best Buy…highly qualified…Bruce surely has hired the best and the brightest…

Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:14 pm
To follow up on Blue Dog: Does anyone know if Rauner’s staff can read, or is the ability to drop your g’s the only job requirement?

Comment by Truthteller Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:18 pm
Yes, I thought this office closing had been going on under the Democrats as well.

I know I’m going to annoy folks now by saying that I don’t see why people have to get govt social services in a particular govt building as opposed to a wider array of options. You should be able to go to the local library where DHS sends a caseworker once a week to take applications for these various govt services. Or the local clinic or food pantry. Or the library should be able to help you do a remote connection via Skype. And so on. In Fla, last year, the post office I used was in a store in the mall. Convenience matters. The 20th is over. I believe now even Medicare and SS applicants can apply on line. And many applying for unemployment benefits.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:19 pm
=Isn’t that in Lincoln County?=

Comment of the day hands down.

Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:21 pm
Cassandra, you and I are thinking exactly alike! must think late 20th century, not Roosevelt era service model.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:27 pm
The Repub PIO program is definitely inferior to the Dem program–consider the presidential forerunners—Hillary has a great defensive team–Trump not much.

Comment by Ed Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:30 pm
“Sometimes you feel like a nut,
sometimes you don’t.
Cairo office will close.
Mounds won’t.”

Comment by IllinoisBoi Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:30 pm
Since the devastating flood a couple of years ago, I didn’t know anyone still lived in Cairo. Not at all surprised that’s the office they chose to close.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:40 pm
I don’t think anyone is suggesting not closing one of the offices. I certainly wasn’t. The issue is closing the one that’s more busy, by DHS’ own admission, over one that’s less so, and what rationale made up that decision.

Well, since those are both leased properties, and both the leases have expired, and the Cairo lease was cheaper (according to the procurement bulletin)….wonder what the rationale was, hmm?

Comment by cynical downstater Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:44 pm
Close the Chicago DHS offices and move them to Lombard. If you really need the services you will find a way there. If not then the services were not really important to you and the state will save money.

Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 4:45 pm
She was born and raised in Chicago. What do you expect? Anything outside of Cook County is all “in the region.”

Comment by Insider Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 5:23 pm
== Does anybody know if Rauners staff reads any of this? ==

Yes, but they think we’re talking about the Springfield in the Simpsons. Or Massachusetts (if they know about it).

Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 5:37 pm
IT IS IL. One would hope AND expect that an agency spokesflack @ over $50K per year ($2500 current gross on the 9/14 payperiod) would be better informed, or AT LEAST aware of IL geography. But alas, no. Wouldn’t be a post January hire would it?

And, what IS this agency thinking about choosing THIS location to close?

Comment by sal-says Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 5:44 pm
“wonder what the rationale was, hmm?”

Call me cynical, but I often wonder why people take the time to type out a question as a comment that is easily answered by eother the linked article or.. Google.

Comment by Shark Sandwich Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 6:47 pm
The more time I have spent rereading the original and the subsequent comments the more incensed I am with the games this administration is playing and with their total lack of knowledge about the geography and the socio-economic dynamics of the Southern Illinois area. OR maybe they do understand, yet choose to be obtuse or unfeeling and cynical when making these kinds of announcements.

Comment by illini Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 7:44 pm
If DHS is being run from Chicago, this example is what you get when you run a large statewide agency from a location remote from the agency’s primary operating center. The people in charge don’t know the agency unless they are spending 3 or 4 days a week where the agency actually operates, in which case their headquarters should be there, not Chicago. I spent a long time at this, and the only large agencies that actually operated (as opposed to being “run”) out of Chicago, in my mind were always Lottery and Unemployment. The move by Governor Blagojevich, and followed by Governor Quinn, of hiring high-ranking administrators from the Chicago area and not requiring them to re-locate to where there agency had its major operating center if they wanted the job, began a serious decline in the care with which agencies were run. I would like to say “fire this woman. or demote her”, but I’m guessing that before she was put in this job, no one ever asked her, “By the way, do you know where all of our offices are? If you don’t, learn them and understand their geographic relationship to the state and their area” At the very least couldn’t she have asked someone at her agency who did know before she answered the question?

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 8:19 pm
For years and many administrations, I have worked with the downstate bureau of a division of an agency which is not DHS. That dysfunctional, disinterested, and disengaged downstate bureau is located in Chicago. Its employees make jokes about the hayseeds they purportedly “serve.” If Rauner truly wants to shake things up, I dare him to make systems changes designed to better the lives of all Illinois citizens rather than focusing on changes designed to aid only businesses and the wealthy.

Comment by illinoised Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 8:52 pm
== But why close Cairo instead of Mounds? ==

In the past Several years, quite a few agency offices have been either closed or moved / co-located with other state agencies where it made sense in terms of space / cost / complimentary services. I don’t know the specific details on this one, but I suspect a consolidation / co-location plan drove the decision of which office to close.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 9:15 pm
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 9:15 pm was I. Using a different computer today.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 9:16 pm
Steve Schnorf,

The only agency that ever made a lot of sense to be headquartered in Chicago was Unemployment back in the day when you had to physically walk the “payroll” tapes over to the big Chicago banks for the nightly check runs.

Back then, the other two Chicago agencies were the Illinois Scholarship Commission and the Illinois Industrial Commission. Admittedly, there could be a case made for both those also, but it wasn’t as strong as for Unemployment.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 9:21 pm
In my 28 years with my agency, we never had a director based in Springfield.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 9:38 pm
If I’m the Rauner administration I tell her she’s going to a vacation/conference to see how other exotic lands deal with social services. The trips destinations include Brussels, Milan, Vienna, San Jose, Havana, and Marseilles. I hope she has her passport!

Comment by Almost the Weekend Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 11:01 pm
@Almost the weekend–

Good one! Wonder if she’ll have to exchange currencies, and what souvenirs will she bring back? /s

Comment by Lynn S, Tuesday, Sep 8, 15 @ 11:19 pm
While I absolutely agree with Rich and others who are slamming a $50,000+/year PIO who appears to lack any knowledge of Illinois geography, this jumped out at me when I read the original article:

“Vera said the consolidation will save the state about $65,000 annually in leasing costs. The Mounds location was chosen over Cairo, she said, because the building where the Cairo office was located has structural problems related to sink holes. No employees will lose their jobs; all five employees in the Cairo office are being transferred to Mounds, she said. ”

I’m operating on the assumption this was a triple net lease (meaning, the tenant pays rent, all utilities, and all taxes due on the building).

But the State of Illinois was paying $65,000/year, for who knows how many years, for a building in a town that has been economically depressed for almost a century, if not longer!! Why? (as someone who followed the Ryan scandals, I am well aware the person collecting the rent payments may well have been a big player in Alexander County politics, or a relative of the big player. Or was this lease being approved by someone in Chicago, with no knowledge of the significantly lower property values in Southern Illinois, and no authority or willingness to say, “nope, sorry, costs too much, come back with a lower price”?)

How much money would have been saved if all State of Illinois offices (DHS, Unemployment, Secretary of State) had been consolidated in one building the State owned in Cairo? And how much more would have been saved if that building had had one receptionist? (5 people!!–I am assuming this office was staffed with a manager, a receptionist, and at least one caseworker; don’t know what the job classifications would have been for the other 2 workers–in an office serving 15 people per day? Are you freaking kidding me? That would not be tolerated in the private sector!!)

Comment by Lynn S, Wednesday, Sep 9, 15 @ 12:59 am
@Name/Nickname/Anon and @thechampaignlife - well said in both replies. Thanks.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Wednesday, Sep 9, 15 @ 1:03 am
Cairo, Milan, Paris, Vienna — I’m tired of my tax dollars supporting these foreigners on the welfares.

Are we certain this story wasn’t picked up from The Onion? Someone called “Veronica Vera” telling the poor people of Cairo to visit their friendly state office in nearby Decatur?

How is that not a gag?

Who wakes up in the morning, goes to work and dreams up ways to kick Cairo in the old testicular virility, anyway? That’s useful employment?

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 9, 15 @ 8:36 am
After having read the proposed rules changes coming recently from DHS, I’m very clear on the concept. The proposed changes anticipate that citizens statewide will only have two physical locations at which to make an appeal: Chicago or Decatur. This was no slip of the tongue that Vera made. I believe that the Rauner administration plans a massive office closure and that, indeed, every elderly, poor, and disabled citizen will have to learn to ride a Harley. How hard could it be to transition from a wheelchair to a Harley? A piece of let-them-eat cake!

Comment by Dome Gnome Wednesday, Sep 9, 15 @ 9:44 am
28% of Cairo households do not have access to a vehicle. Is there public transportation from Cairo to Mounds?

Comment by Lil Bit Original Wednesday, Sep 9, 15 @ 5:54 pm

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