Gov. J.B. Pritzker is an optimist, befitting a man who rang up a lot of wins in his first year in office.
That optimism was on full display Wednesday as the Democrat delivered his State of the State address, and it felt nice. We believe in Illinois — its people and its future — and it was refreshing to hear from a governor who believes in it, too.
Pritzker’s predecessor, Republican Bruce Rauner, always seemed to struggle with that. His Illinois was going to hell in a handbasket unless ordinary working stiffs got out of the way of venture capitalists and other masters of the universe.
We also appreciate the political calculation in Pritzker’s upbeat address. Everything the governor does between now and Nov. 3 — General Election Day — will be part of a sales pitch for his one great goal in his second year in office: voter approval of a graduated state income tax. A good salesman keeps the customer happy.
Thin stuff
For all of that, the governor’s speech was on the thin side. He talked at length about what he’s done, spreading the credit, but not much about what he aims to do. When he did talk specifics, as in his proposals for countering political corruption, he left us thinking he might not go far enough.
On the very day that the front page of the Sun-Times reported that a former state senator, Martin Sandoval, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of public corruption, we had hoped the governor would lay out a bold anti-corruption agenda. But in about the time it takes to sneeze, he called for only the following: An end to legislators working as paid lobbyists, greater disclosure of conflicts of interests and an end to the “revolving door” that allows retired legislators to “immediately start lobbying their former colleagues.”
All three proposals are only as good as their details.
Should state legislators be banned for lobbying all levels of government or just the state? Calls for more transparency are easy. And how would the governor define that word “immediately?” Would a former legislator be prohibited from lobbying for months, a year or five years?
We’d like to see the governor call for beefing up the oversight powers of the state inspector general and prohibiting legislators from working specific second jobs — such as property tax appeals lawyers — that create blatant ethical conflicts. For that matter, we’d like to see Pritzker and Legislature work up a state law prohibiting members of all elected bodies, including city councils and county boards, from working as lobbyists.
The governor left open the door for backing further anti-corruption reforms. He noted that a bipartisan ethics commission is expected to issue a big report on the matter within a couple months.
Right priorities
Pritzker’s priorities — such as more affordable higher education, lower property taxes and a graduated income tax — feel right on the mark. And we definitely believe he got it right in calling for the phasing out of cash bail for poor people being held in jail while awaiting trial.
It’s just that the governor left so much more unsaid, obviously not wanting to rock the boat. He said nothing about finally making a Chicago casino happen.
All this will change beginning next month. That’s when Pritzker will present a state budget for the coming fiscal year.
Budgets, with their hard numbers, have a way of forcing issues.
Strategy worked before
We are witnessing a replay of the strategy Pritzker employed during his campaign for governor and early in his administration. Then, too, he was loath to be pinned down a minute sooner than necessary.
And then, too, his full agenda and ambitions became apparent only as the Legislature’s spring session played out.
That worked out well. After four years of public policy paralysis in Springfield, the governor and Legislature legalized recreational pot, approved a $45 billion capital construction program, bumped up the state’s minimum wage, increased education funding and put that fair tax proposal on this November’s ballot.
Pritzker on Wednesday mentioned those accomplishments and others. As they might say in downstate Cairo, he bragged on himself a bit.
Here’s hoping the governor has reason to brag again next year.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.
