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Question of the day - Golden Horseshoe Awards

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Illinois

* The 2016 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State House Staffer - Non Political, Democrat goes to Justin Cox…

Hands down Justin Cox is deserving of this award. He is one of the hardest working staffers under the dome, and one of the go-to staffers for huge projects as evidenced by his tremendous work on the recent Exelon legislation. He is a top notch performer, a definitive leader, and a great person on top of it all. I don’t think you could find anyone who would say a bad word about Justin and his work.

Yep. Keep an eye on that guy.

* The 2016 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Senate Staffer - Non Political, Democrat goes to Mike Hoffman…

Mike has put in hundreds of hours on school funding reform, staffing several statewide commissions on the matter and both drafting and analyzing giant bills changing how the state spends a big chunk of money. He’s a solid, hard-working guy.

I couldn’t agree more.

* On to today’s categories…

* Best State House Staffer - Non Political, Republican

* Best State Senate Staffer - Non Political, Republican

Remember, if you don’t explain your vote, it won’t count. So give us your best pitches in both categories, please. Thanks!

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 1:16 pm

Comments

House GOP Staff- Nathan Mansfield. He is extremely knowledgeable on Transportation issues and is always willing to put in the time and effort to research the topic and provide sound analysis for members. He does a great job for the House GOP caucus.

Senate Staff- Matt Zimmerman. Understands his issue area very well and can explain the budget in an easy to understand manner.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 1:59 pm
of course, Jo Johnson. Jo is one of the smartest, most talented persons under the dome. The irony is that both caucuses know that if Jo is cream of the crop!

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:02 pm
I could not more enthusiastically agree about Jo Johnson: super-helpful, going above & beyond the call of duty & really making a difference.

Comment by Anon For Now Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:08 pm
House GOP - I send the nomination of Nathan Mansfield. Nathan is a pleasant guy who is hard working and very affable under any circumstance.

Senate GOP - I gotta go with Nicole Besse. Nicole has done a lot of heavy lifting on education reform and has done a great job pushing Senator Barickman’s plans and counters to Senator Manar’s ideas.

Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:10 pm
Sorry - that should be “I second the nomination”.

Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:10 pm
House GOP- Nathan Mansfield. Calm and collective, he was a walking encyclopedia when discussing the Safe Roads Amendment and what would happen if it passes. He also is extremely polite and professional to all parties involved.

Senate GOP- Matt Pickett. Goes above and beyond every session day.

Comment by LemonShakeUpSpringfield Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:17 pm
James Sherwood on HGOP Staff. Always an open door and a fair arbiter. Plus did a fantastic job balancing the constant BS during the energy debate this fall.

(Forgive the duplicate post from yesterday, I didn’t read that yesterday’s contest was for the Dems)

Comment by Senator Clay Davis Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 2:30 pm
C’mon, people. We need more nominations!

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 4:08 pm
I, too, missed the “dem” in yesterday’s post!
House GOP: Frank Straus. Walking encyclopedia. Always takes the time to call you back and follows up with you at times when others wouldn’t bother.

Senate GOP: Nicole Besse. She’s brilliant at education reform AND dealing with difficult members.

Comment by Absolutely Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 4:13 pm
HGOP - James Sherwood. Lot’s of staffers are smart. James is that but also a genuinely good guy whose head isn’t so big it will explode. He proves that you can be a good staffer without sacrificing a pleasant personality.

Comment by Dude McDude Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 5:23 pm
Nominating Joe Sculley on HGOP staff. Super competent and helpful to his members, younger staffers and others in pensions, education and other complex areas. He’s one of the most well-respected veterans around the Dome. As a bonus — he’s very nice guy!
Also joining the chorus on Nicole Besse on SGOP staff. Before doing Education substantive committee work, she did education approps for years. Knowing the budget implications of changes to the school aid formula is critical to analyzing the onslaught of funding reform leg, and she is one of the few folks that have that breadth of knowledge. She also has a delightful sense of snark!

Comment by Leg Watcher Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 5:23 pm
HGOP: Ditto on Mannsfield. A calm, polite guy that will tell you what’s going on in an easy to grasp way.

SGOP: Jo Johnson. She believes in getting to the bottom of issues and not just telling people what they want to hear–there’s no BS or schmoozing with her. She’s tries to find the best solutions to problems and isn’t about the ideological warfare.

Comment by 'lectric guitar Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 5:25 pm
I support Jo Johnson’s nomination. Jo is always willing to sit down and work through an issue - even when we don’t always agree. She’s talented, smart, creative, and works hard. I really appreciate whenever I get to work with Jo. Jo is truly an asset to the Senate.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 6:16 pm
HGOP: I’ll second Nate Mansfield. He is very friendly, relaxed, and is great at explaining things in simple way that you will understand. Great example for the younger staffers.

SGOP: Hard to beat Jo Johnson. Jo is very detail oriented and is a straight shooter. You may not always get the answer you want from Jo but it’ll be the best answer you will get–there’s no schmoozing with her. She is solution minded–it’s not about ideological warfare to her.

Comment by 'lectric guitar Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 7:04 pm
I also posted in error yesterday not realizing that you were only asking for Democratic staffers. I second Jo Johnson for best Senate staffer. Pragmatic, smart & experienced. Wish that there were more Springfield types like her.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 7:45 pm
house GOP: James Sherwood is without a doubt one of the rising stars of the GOP staff. He handles all of the big issues and has the extreme pleasure of advising his members on ethics issues. He’s top notch.

Senate GOP: Jo Johnson without a doubt. She does it all and knows how to get along with people on both sides of the aisle.

Comment by Interesting Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 8:47 pm
Sherwood hands down. Top staffer who handles complex issues like energy and work comp. Plus the guy knows how to handle his old fashioneds and mahattens like a champ. Winning the golden shoe would be his second best accomplishment this year after his wedding!

Comment by 4 percent Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 9:35 pm
Frank Straus, I am always amazed by his knowledge and insight, and willingness to help anyone who asks for it. I think of him as the Dumbledore of the General Assembly.

Comment by Just Me Thursday, Dec 8, 16 @ 10:51 pm
HGOP: James Sherwood. Talented and easy-going and manages to understand all aspects of some very complex issues. Always polite and willing to hear you out.

Comment by that user name is taken Friday, Dec 9, 16 @ 8:25 am