Having failed to win legislative approval for term limits, Gov. Bruce Rauner is running his own housecleaning operation. He’s appointed all three of Sangamon County’s veteran House members to staff jobs in his administration, clearing the way for him to appoint new legislators more likely to do his bidding. So far it seems the governor is a good talent scout; all three appointees are competent and conscientious. But as they prepare to go before voters for the first time next year, they will face the charge that they are Rauner clones. If the governor is as unpopular among Springfield-area state employees next November as he is now, one word could prove difficult for his freshman class: Beholden. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher
This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2015.
