Conscious Choice: The Leading Man

October 2002

The Leading Man

Rod Blagojevich is set to lead Democrats to power in Illinois for the first time in twenty-six years.

by Jim Slama

Rod Blagojevich is a hard working man. He is a dedicated athlete and runner and has completed numerous marathons. His assorted jobs prior to graduating from college are indicative of his character: Shoe Shine boy, pizza delivery man, meat packer, and pots and pan washer on the Alaskan Pipeline. It’s likely that in January he will have the opportunity to bring the same type of perseverance to the State of Illinois as its newly elected governor.

Throughout his ten years as an elected official Blagojevich has been a consistent advocate for issues that resonate with Conscious Choice readers. His environmental voting record has been superb. As a member of the Illinois Legislature he consistently received high rankings from the Illinois Environmental Council and has been placed on their honor roll. For the past six years he has represented the 5th District of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives and has voted with the environment 93 percent of the time according to the League of Conservation Voters. His voting record on women’s rights, labor, campaign finance reform, and gay issues usually falls in line with progressive values.

His opponent, Republican State Attorney General Jim Ryan, has been stained by the "licenses for bribes" scandal plaguing current governor George Ryan. As the state’s top law enforcement officer, many feel that Ryan was negligent in rooting out corruption in the governor’s mansion. As a result, his popularity with Illinois voters is low with recent polls giving Blagojevich a double-digit lead in the race.

To better understand Blagojevich’s positions on issues important to Conscious Choice readers, we submitted some questions in advance for his response.

Environmental Issues

Conscious Choice: Where can your leadership substantially improve the environment in Illinois on issues such as land use, transportation, and energy?

Rod Blagojevich: I am proud of my environmental voting record and my proven accomplishments in this area. This is reflected in the fact that the Sierra Club has endorsed my candidacy in every election since I have held public office. This year, the club even endorsed me in the Democratic primary, the first time they have ever done such a thing in Illinois.

When asked to consider any project or any major policy that would impact the physical landscape or the environment, I have spoken frequently of my plan to incorporate the concept of "smart growth" into such planning. What I call smart growth means balancing the needs of communities and the environment while building economic opportunity. I look forward to making this philosophy a cornerstone of my administration. There are many ways in which it will be applied.

For example, Illinois currently ranks 46th out of 50 states in land that is preserved. As governor, I will have a strong commitment to preserving open space and will advocate for the reauthorization of the Open Lands Trust, which provides state money to fund the preservation of green spaces. My administration will also explore the creation of a Local Legacy Project to provide for local protection of important historical and cultural resources in need of protection.

I also recognize that parts of the state have particular challenges with auto congestion. I am committed to projects that will help alleviate congestion so that people can spend more time with families rather than in their cars. One solution to this will be a strong commitment to mass transit. My record of accomplishment in the U.S. House includes work-along with my colleagues to bring back crucial dollars to the Chicago area for public transit. One of the key projects secured authorization and appropriations for $240 million to improve the CTA’s Brown Line. This will improve service, increase ridership levels, and keep more people out of their cars and off the roads. In addition, in conjunction with the expansion of O’Hare International Airport, I have called for an extension of the CTA’s Blue Line toward Elgin.

Another key element of sustainable transportation policies is high-speed rail. My plan for Illinois’ future includes a bold commitment to bringing train service into the 21st century. I have been a long time advocate of high-speed rail and co-sponsored legislation in the U.S. House supporting the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.

On the energy front, I am excited about the opportunity for clean energy. Illinois is particularly well positioned to become a leader in promoting alternative energy solutions such as wind and solar. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory just identified huge potential for wind power in the state. Their report showed that 5 percent of Illinois power could be generated in state with wind turbines. Since farmers are paid up to $6,000 per turbine this could be a great cash crop for farmers and a way to diversify into clean energy.

Organic Farming

CC: Organic food is now a $12 billion sector of the U.S. food economy and has grown 20 percent annually for much of the past decade. The Chicago area consumes hundreds of millions of dollars of organic and natural food, yet very little of it is grown and processed locally. By supporting a regional organic food system, Illinois could promote significant economic development downstate and in the Chicago area, while supporting family farmers, and improving the environment. How would your administration support efforts to build such a system?

RB: Illinois is an important farming state and my administration will take steps to build the ag economy. Yet over the past forty years over 80,000 family farms in the state have disappeared. And declining commodity prices have had a devastating impact on farmers and rural communities. To stop this slide and to support rural communities, my administration will develop programs to support family farmers, organic farming, and economic development in rural communities.

Organic farming is an environmentally friendly and rapidly growing niche and the state needs to actively nurture its growth. Programs to train new and existing organic farmers can move Illinois into the forefront in this sector. As governor, my administration will make a $25 million investment in the development and marketing of value-added agricultural products. Such products may range from processed organic food to plastics made from soy products, and milk that is packaged to be stored at room temperature. We are also committed to fostering the growth of agricultural cooperatives that can provide needed infrastructure for farmers to pool their resources for manufacturing and distributing value-added products.

Pollution Prevention

CC: The Illinois environment suffers tremendous damage from poorly regulated industries that pollute our air and water. What will your administration do to cut down on this pollution and improve the health of our environment and residents?

RB: My administration will force big polluters to pay their fair share. Current state policies allow polluters to freely pollute Illinois rivers, lakes and streams. Rather than giving these rights away, the state should charge for Water Pollution Permits. These fees will encourage polluters to stop polluting and generate up to $12 million annually to enhance wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and support state programs to stop pollution.

A recent study just ranked Illinois amongst the states with the most pollution from coal-fired power plants. Since much of the power in the state is produced by such means, we have a solution that will clean up much of the pollution and provide badly needed economic development for downstate Illinois. This will be done by mandating old, polluting, coal burning power plants to switch to clean coal technology that can utilize Illinois coal. Such a system would cut pollution emissions by as much as two-thirds at each plant and even cut the emissions of carbon dioxide-the primary greenhouse gas-by 20 percent. And by using Illinois coal, it could bring 20,000 new jobs downstate.

Economic Development

CC: While the Chicago area has enjoyed significant prosperity in recent years, other parts of the state have suffered. Tell us about your economic development program for downstate.

RB: My father came to the U.S. after World War II as a refugee without a penny in his pocket. Despite the fact that he couldn’t speak a word of English, he didn’t complain. He just worked hard every day of his life knowing that he was building a better life for his family.

People deserve an opportunity and a chance to improve their lives. The goal of my Partnership for a New Economy is to create a quarter million new jobs in Illinois, with many of them coming downstate. The cornerstone of this program will be the "Illinois Opportunity Fund." This private/public partnership will become a catalyst for local economic development by providing $200 million in investment capital for local entrepreneurs to create or expand businesses that will have lasting benefits for the Illinois economy. In addition, we will create twenty entrepreneurship centers across the state to provide business development and technical assistance.

Women’s Issues

CC: If Sandra Day O’Connor or another pro-choice Supreme Court Justice leaves the Court and President Bush’s appointment is anti-choice, Roe vs. Wade may be overturned. This will make state laws the defining statement on whether or not abortion is legal. What is your platform on abortion rights and how does it differ from your opponent?

What can you do on other issues important to women such as equal pay and child support collection?

RB: Quite simply, I am pro-choice and my opponent is not. The Blagojevich administration will protect a woman’s right to choose in Illinois. My voting record in this area has been exemplary and as a result, Planned Parenthood and Personal PAC have given my campaign their endorsement.

I am a firm believer of equal pay for equal work and would support an Illinois Equal Pay Act to ensure that women are paid the same amount as men when doing similar quality work. On the child support issue, I have deep concern over Illinois’ poor ranking in child support collection. Currently our state ranks dead last — $2.3 billion in child support is due to mothers and children. To rectify this, I will support reforms in our laws to make it harder for deadbeat parents to avoid support payments.

In addition, my administration will take a strong stand against domestic violence in Illinois. When I was a Cook County prosecutor I worked on many domestic violence cases and as a legislator authored the first law in Illinois banning the possession of firearms by domestic abusers. Currently 16,000 women and children are denied lodging or services from shelters every year in Illinois. To support those who have suffered from domestic violence, my administration will increase funding for the state’s network of domestic violence shelters. We will also expand the number of shelters and services available so that all residents in the state have access to such services.

Education

CC: For the past twenty-five years, Republican governors have shrunk the state’s share of education funding from 48 percent to 38 percent. As a result, Illinois school systems are chronically underfunded. This has caused problems such as teacher shortages, crumbling school infrastructure, and skyrocketing property taxes in cities where they have to make up for state shortfalls. How will you address this?

RB: Illinois ranks 49th in the share of state money used to fund public schools. My administration will reverse this decline by pushing for legislation that mandates 51 percent of new revenues to be spent on education. We will ensure that this money is used to help reduce class size, improve teacher quality, and to improve the overall quality of education. As a member of Congress, I was a strong advocate for Illinois during the recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which will bring over $190 annually to Illinois public schools. We will aggressively seek to increase Illinois’ share of federal education dollars and provide grant-writing assistance to local school districts to help them secure additional funds.

Campaign Finance Reform

CC: Illinois has an arcane system of financing elections, which allows unlimited campaign contributions from individuals to candidates. How would you reform this system?

RB: As a member of Congress I was a strong supporter of the new law banning soft money for federal candidates. In Illinois, our system of financing elections is even more flawed than on the national level. Since corporations and individuals can give unlimited contributions to political campaigns, they have undue power over the political process. Such a climate has created a breeding ground for the corruption that has afflicted the state during the Ryan administration. To usher in a political system with integrity, I favor limits to the amount of money entities are able to give. This will ensure that candidates receive support from a broad constituency, rather than a few special interests.

Family Issues

CC: We have tens of thousands of uninsured families in Illinois. Tell us about your program to insure them.

RB: We need a system to make sure that everyone in the state has health insurance. My administration will push legislation to create a Family Care program to provide health insurance to 200,000 working parents in Illinois. In addition, we will expand the income threshold for the state’s Kid Care program to give eligibility to even more uninsured children.

The State Budget

CC: You have an ambitious agenda to promote many programs that sound like positive additions to public policy. Yet the state budget is running in the red. How will you deal with the deficits and pay for your agenda?

RB: The key to balancing the budget will be twofold: economic development and fiscal responsibility. I believe that over the next four years my Partnership for a New Economy will boost jobs and therefore state tax revenues substantially. In addition, I vow to fight the misplaced spending priorities that have burdened the state in recent years. Just look at the state budgets. In the past two years, $431 million was spent on unspecified projects — many of which were political pork. This was in addition to the $38 million committed by Governor Ryan to subsidize the horse racing industry. I also believe the state can use some serious belt tightening. My administration will take a hard look at administrative spending. The Illinois State School Board recently analyzed its needs and cut senior administrative staff by a third. This is a great example of the type of savings that may be available in other state agencies.

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