Impeachment Hearing Begins

This will be a busy and interesting week in Springfield as the Illinois State Senate convenes the long awaited Impeachment Trial for our illustrious Governor Rod Blagojevich. I am sure that the proceedings will not be as interesting as the media blitz provided by Governor Blagojevich as he saturates the country with stories of his personal persecution by the Illinois General Assembly, all of the wonderful things has has done for the citizens of Illinois and how loyal citizens are being deprived of his leadership. I find it ironic for a man who has blatantly and consistently ignored rules and procedures such as JCAR, legislative authority and expanded executive authority with no statutory support for the past six years is now complaining about the lack of due process and rules for this legislative impeachment process. Nevertheless, I hope the trial moves quickly and he is sent home and banned from further participation in state government as soon as possible so that the General Assembly can move ahead and begin to deal with the crisis at hand. State government has come to a halt while the Governor jogs around Chicago proclaiming his “poor me” story.

Lets hope that this is behind us quickly so that we can begin to work our way out of the mess the Governor has left us. The proceedings will be covered extensively by all media outlets so you will no problem following the progress of the impeachment this week. Stay tuned!

A New Start?

As I sit here this morning in the cold, tired from all of the early starts this week. I am wondering and really hoping that this next week will be a new start for us as a state and country.

I was impressed with the rhetoric and demeanor of our new Senate President, John Cullerton and Minority Leader Christine Radogno and the talk of a new way of doing busy for our state that is centered on needs and action and not personal wishes and ego. We will have the opportunity to see if this is hollow talk or the real deal in the next couple of weeks as the they begin their work and conduct the impeachment hearing of Governor Blagojevich beginning January 26th. I think they need to deal with the Governor as quickly as possible and then focus on the many fiscal issues that have brought the state to a standstill. I heard Mr. Cullerton state that this is a time for action and that there are not many options to solve our problems. With Governor Blagojevich hopefully a bad memory within a few weeks the way may then be open for options that did not exist during his tenure. Could this mean a tax increase?

The inauguration of a new President also gives us a chance for a new start. Can the country come together under new leadership and begin to move forward? These are tough times in many ways for all of us. I hope we find unity and a common cause to once again unite us. Let's be hopeful and optimistic as we move forward.

Winter Is Really Here!

It is obvious that we are having a colder and snowier winter than we have had in past years. We have already missed one day of school and it appears this week may have the potential to miss another day between the snow and cold.

As a rule of thumb, we always try to keep the school open because to close is very disruptive to the educational process and also may disrupt the routine and lives of families where both parents work. The process for making the decision to close school has already begun. We continually monitor the weather forecast and the National Weather Service radio broadcasts, talk to area school districts about emergency plans as they relate to the weather. I will be out early in the morning (3:30 am) to monitor the road and weather conditions and to consult with area superintendents.

The timeline for any decision to close school should be made shortly after 5:00 am so there is adequate time to notify parents, employees and the media about school closing. The criteria for closing school is based primarily on the safety of the students and road conditions; snow, temperature, the availability of bus service, heat and electricity in the buildings and access to the schools. If there is a way to safely bring our students to school we will hold classes. The other variable that we face is the decision made by our high school. Generally if the high school is closed we have no choice but to close. There is a growing tendency in our area for all schools to close rather that let each district make an independent decision.

If school is closed this is the procedure: media is contacted to include District 66 in the area closing list, a phone call is made to employees and parents regarding the status of the school. While this is never an easy decision, please understand that whatever the decision, it is made with the safety of our students in mind.

Illinois School Funding Rank Now 49th

See attached link regarding Illinois funding of public schools.

http://www.aplusillinois.org/media/news.asp?pressReleaseID=471

What Next for Illinois????

How are you holding up with all of the Illinois bashing and jokes appearing across the country in various media? Isn't it great? Where do we go from here?

The Sunday newspapers are full of stories about the plight of Illinois in terms of a leadership void, the fiscal crisis that continues to grow and all of the distractions that surround our illustrious Governor. We need to find a way to move on. I think there will be a great deal of activity this week in various places to try and do just that.

I am sure that we will see increased activity with the impeachment issue this week. Speaker Madigan has called the Illinois House back to Springfield for a session on Wednesday. Could this mean that the impeachment committee is ready to render a finding? If so the House could vote this week which would then set up a hearing in the Senate. I think our legislators are feeling a good deal of pressure from citizens to deal with Governor Blagojevich in anyway they can. Stay tuned and be sure to follow the Impeachment Committee session on Tuesday. These sessions have be broadcast on the web at cnn.com and have been very interesting to watch. Check it out!

We will also be forced this week to follow the saga of Senate Appointee, Roland Burris and his quest to be seated in the seat held by President-elect Obama. This is another circus we did not need and only through the outlandish disregard for the public will did Governor Blagojevich make this appointment. There is plenty of blame to go around regarding this issue since Democratic legislators could have taken action to remove the appointment power from the Governor but did not do so fearing a Republican might win the seat if an election were held.
Roland Burris will present himself in Washington D. C. this week and more posturing, about whether or not he will be seated, will begin. Despite all of the rhetoric, I suspect that at sometime Mr. Burris will be seated since the Governor did appoint him. I think a precedent setting case involving the flamboyant Representative from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell in the late 1960's will force the Senate to seat Burris.

Stay tuned and enjoy this week and the history it may make!