In 21st Century, Does It Matter Where Gov. Works?
I guess this story is continuing to gain traction. I'm sure people are tired of it, but let's think about it for a second. It being the question at hand posed by CBS2Chicago. The same people who gave us a piece about Blagojevich's work habits.
Anyway here's the current article at hand...
In the capital, bureaucrats connect by text message and cell phone and video conference. With that kind of technology available, does the governor's physical location really matter?This write-up puts things in perspective. I know there are people who had a problem with the fact that he chose not to live in Springfield, the state capital. Of course it seems plenty of people say this only because Springfield is that state's seat of government. But what some of these people might miss the building relationships aspect of the job. That's about as important as anything.
Yes, say government veterans.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich can summon his cabinet by video or call the National Guard from Chicago, they said, but running a government well also involves handshakes, smiles and pats on the back.
"A governor has to be present to move things along," said Larry Bomke, a Republican senator from Springfield. "You can't do that by teleconference."
Blagojevich, a second-term Democrat, and his wife chose to live in Chicago rather than the state capital, saying they thought that would be best for their two daughters. Even when it comes to business, Blagojevich prefers Chicago to Springfield.
His visits to the capitol are rare. When he does visit, he often flies back to Chicago at the end of the day so he can spend the night at home. A spokeswoman said last week that Blagojevich considers Chicago his base of operations.
Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, said the governor seems proud that he has not built a strong relationship with legislators in Springfield.
"You need relationships," she said. "My constituents believe he needs to be there when we're there."
People say he's unwilling to govern. Well he's unwilling to as this article says give "handshakes, smiles and pats on the back". Hmm after looking at his performance this year as he attempts to push thru his healthcare programs, gross receipts tax, and even CTA funding. That aspect of his lack of performance in that regards might for most of us be showing. I would wonder if the Governor sees it that way.
6 comments:
This IS the 21st century and gov. Rod IS our first 21st century govenor. He is absolutely correct. All we need do now is sell Springfield to the taxpayers to make a jail for corrupt politicians so they will not have to go someplace strange. Then, give all the State Congresspeople lap tops and tell them to stay home. Think of the money we could save
Yes, it does matter. Part of it is that if Blagojevich had superior interpersonal skills he could have deflected a fair amount of this criticism. When it is coupled with what is perceived as intentional disregard of central and southern Illinois (why in the world couldn't he have just said he'd live there part time, as other governors have, and not insulted people in this way?), however, it gets rolled up into a feeling of general disregard for what other people think or say.
Whatever happened to the in-person personal skills of asking after one's family? Whatever happened to asking what other people think, even if you don't really care about the answer? This guy has one pitch, the high-and-tight brushback fastball, and it's a good one, but he ends up thinking he doesn't need any other pitch at all. The in-your-face Chicago politics thing only goes so far, even in Chicago.
Well, it's Saturday a.m. 12/22/07 and it's official, according to our local rag and the Tribune. Of course, we downstaters told you this many months ago but for some reason, Chicago loves this man.
Most of us don't care where he lives but when the government is in session, his place is at his job site, which is NOT the JRTC, his campaign headquarters (why does he still need one???) or the Blagojevich bunker in Ravenswood. If he chooses to remain in Chicago during legislative sessions, he should find his own transportation back and forth, at his own expense.
Now we all know why he's in hiding.
It's a matter of protocol.
...not technology.
The real issue is whether the Governor even attends to business at the JRTC.
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