Though not much new came out of Monday’s panel discussion at the Sangamo Club, sponsored by the Better Government Association, on the “Impact of the Impasse,” it was interesting to hear areas on which the panelists agree. A hospital executive, a nonprofit social services director, a university administrator, an educator and an NAACP officer, all said trimming agency budgets through starvation is no way to run a state – “not good strategic planning,” one said. Only one of the panelists singled out Gov. Bruce Rauner for blame, while the others, not wanting to bite the hand that might feed them again someday, said both sides are to blame. Two said they had contacted their elected officials about the problems the impasse is causing, but got “the runaround.” But when asked what citizens should do to get the impasse resolved, the panelists agreed: “Contact your elected officials.” –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher
This article appears in Jun 23-29, 2016.
