This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 30, 2009 - Patrick Quinn, longtime political activist, formerly state treasurer and on Wednesday lieutenant governor of Illinois, today is governor. The Beacon posed 10 questions about the new governor and the overall state of the state to two longtime Quinn watchers: Political science professor Kent Redfield of the University of Illinois at Springfield and Phil Kadner, for 25 years a columnist with the Southtown Star newspaper in Chicago. On Jan. 11 Kadner wrote a column headlined "Can a political nerd be a great governor?"
Q. What has Pat Quinn's reputation been over the years?
Kent Redfield: At one point, he was referred to as "the gadfly reformer." At the time (mid 1970s), I worked for the legislature (research/appropriations staff for the speaker) and frankly (some) would refer to his Coalition for Political Honesty as the Coalition for Political Hypocrisy. The people I worked for were organization Democrats from Chicago for whom politics is a serious business; it's for people who have skin in the game, not for dilettante refomers. There were times when it seemed to be as much about Quinn as it was the issue.
Phil Kadner (in his Jan. 11 column): I've always felt that Quinn, in public office, was the nerdy kid in high school who suddenly got an invite to party with the other kids. He was so anxious to fit in ... so willing to demonstrate that he could get along well with others, that his voice of dissent nearly disappeared.
Q. Quinn has been notorious for what some have called stunts or crusades (heading the successful charge in 1980 to reduce the size of the House of Representatives, urging Illinoisans to mail tea bags to legislators to protest a pay increase). Recently he's been attending the funerals of service men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Political theater or acts of sincerity?
Kadner (in a Beacon interview): I have talked to veterans, and they think it's important. Maybe it's too much showmanship. But in talking to families, it means a lot to them to have a government official there paying respects. It's not just show. I think he knows how to use the news media. We can be used for good purpose. He's done that.
Q: Since being elected lieutenant governor twice, Quinn seems to have gained gravitas, stature. Is that true?
Redfield: I don't know that he's modified the basic things he's always been interested in. But he came to the realization that holding power was more effective than being on the outside. He (has) the office, so people are going to take him more seriously. He has won some fans in efforts in environmental areas and in veterans affairs. There is a body of opinion that feels like the weaker the governor got, the braver the lieutenant became in stepping away from him.
Kadner: I think he knows how to solve problems. He is effective at rallying public support; there is no doubt about it. He held several offices without ever being an insider. He has raised no large amounts of money advocating causes on behalf of the public.
Q: What questions do you have about how he will govern?
Redfield: We don't know much about him as a manager. He has to recruit really good people to manage agencies, get people who can implement policy so you don't ignore state government like Blagojevich. Or he can get on the other side and micro-manage. That is an unknown.
(Another question is) how good he will be in terms of negotiating policy, doing what needs to be done now versus getting re-elected in 2010. I think he will be effective (because) people are going to want him to succeed; they are going to want to rally around him in terms of getting things done.
Q: What are some of the major challenges Quinn will face?
Redfield: The pressures are huge. Revenue is down;, pension payments are up. There is pressure for education funding, all of those unpaid bills, an unbalanced budget, and there's no transition time at all. If he focuses on one thing he can do that does not cost money, it is ethics campaign reform. And there is a lot of sympathy for that.
Kadner: The budget situation is awful, problems are critical. We haven't really had a governor for two years.
Q: Can Quinn lead in turning around the state's financial plight? If so, how long might that take?
Redfield: If the world ended tomorrow, we could - pick a number - be $3 billion or $4 billion in the hole. We have a huge increase in our pension obligations coming. Revenues are down, the sales tax, the income tax. There's huge debt, and we need a revenue stream for capital. We might get some help from the feds, a matching stimulus package.
We have six months to kind of get this thing together. And the question is, does the 2010 election start tomorrow (today). Or does it start in the fall?
Q: What are Quinn's strengths?
Redfield: I think he has a vision of what state government should do. He's not unfamiliar with budgets. He has an economics degree (international economics from Georgetown University). So we are not putting in somebody who's the state's attorney from Ogle County.
Kadner: I have told him to his face that I do think of him as the first citizen of Illinois, and I say that with the highest regard for the office of citizen. Quinn has said it is the highest office in a democracy, higher than president. He has demonstrated that repeatedly, and he especially has shown people how you can impact government.
To me, what is most impressive is how he has (made an impact on) state government. He is a sort of disciple of Ralph Nader. He knows Ralph Nader, has had an association with him. That (idealism) is something (society has) lost, maybe it was unique to the '60s.
What I most respect is that I can't ever remember asking him a question where he said, "No comment." I can't remember when he didn't give a single, thoughtful and revealing reply. He's not a guy who says yes or no.
Q: What do you think Quinn's long-range political ambitions are?
Redfield: He has always been trying to position himself to be a player and have an impact on policy. It (being governor) could be such a horrendous experience that he'll want to head screaming for the exit. He could have primary opposition. Or he could have terrible poll numbers.
But, clearly this is what he's about. He wants to be a player in terms of public policy and now he's ... governor of Illinois. I don't think he'll want to walk away from that.
Q: What are the challenges in managing state agencies?
Redfield: Good people are going out the door. We've never recovered from the brain drain of early retirement after (former Gov.) George Ryan. It's not that we have incompetent people, it's that we don't have enough people. This is the sort of thing that does not get a lot of headlines. But in terms of the long term health of the state, bringing in new, competent people to boost foundering agencies needs to be done.
Kadner: He will find it hard to find qualified people to take a job for 18 months. There are people in key positions placed due to relationships with (Blagojevich) because of campaign contributions. He has to identify people who've gotten jobs that way, separate those who can't do the job from those hired for the wrong reasons but who can. That is going to be a massive job.
Q: Does Pat Quinn have the pedigree to be an effective governor?
Redfield: He was director of revenue for the city of Chicago for a while (and state treasurer) so he knows what he's getting into. This is not elevating Ralph Nader to be president. He's starting to get a staff and all that.
Kadner: I can't think of a better guy who's in elective office. He has the background for it. So, you hope that he is the right guy.
Q: Finally, can "a political nerd" be a great governor?
Redfield: I don't know whether he'll make the tough choices ... whether he'll perceive them and make them when it comes to revenue. I hope he comes in and makes the hard choices. You either have to pay for stuff, or you have to stop doing it.
Kadner: Once in office, he wants to show he is not the maverick, that he is a reasonable, sober-minded fellow other politicians can deal with, that he can get along with them. That's why he made remarks in favor of Blagojevich. He wanted to show people he can be a team player, but I am not sure that that is his most effective role.
He has been very anxious, when elected, to show he is not a flighty guy, not a rabble-rouser.