From the Southern:

Statehouse roster won't change much

In a year dominated by gridlock, stalemate and indecision in the Statehouse, the refrain "throw the bums out" has become commonplace among the electorate.

Talk of recalling the governor has become a topic of public debate. Outrage has been expressed at the ability of lawmakers to give themselves pay raises while at the same time failing to approve a job-creating statewide construction program.


Against this backdrop, the filing period for the 2008 election ended last week. The governor is not up for re-election, but nearly 160 seats in the House and Senate are up for grabs.

Was there a groundswell of people lining up to "throw the bums out?"

Not according to our count.

With the February 5 election coming in just over 12 weeks, the majority of lawmakers face no opposition at the primary level.

Of 40 open seats in the Senate, inter-party races are set in just 11 districts.

In the House, just 31 of 118 races will be contested in February.

Of course, there will be more contested races in the November 2008 general election, but the way district boundaries have been drawn to favor Democrats or Republicans, the primary election is often the one that will determine who represents a particular area.


No urgency

Legislative leaders and Gov. Rod Blagojevich earlier said they'd try to put together a statewide construction program within seven to 10 days.

Monday marks the 10-day point and it appears highly unlikely that their self-imposed deadline will be met. There is still widespread disagreement over a casino expansion plan that would finance the construction program.

Last week, there were only two meetings scheduled to discuss the plan. One of them was in Springfield. The other was via phone, apparently because Blagojevich was busy talking up his universal health care plan during a trip to Washington D.C.


Campaign break

There is a tiny chance lawmakers could return to Springfield before the end of the year to deal with a statewide construction program, but after that, they'll likely get a lengthy break.

The reason: With the primary election set for February 5, legislative leaders are apt to give their members time to hit the campaign trail in January.

"I don't think there will be many or any session days in January," said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

Usually, the calendar for each legislative session is agreed upon by this time of year, but bickering between Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, over myriad other issues have apparently kept them from putting one together.

Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer agreed that the schedule would likely be very light in January.

But as for any actual calendar, Davidsmeyer said, "I haven't heard anything definite."


New car smell

Last week we mentioned some of the new cars lawmakers had begun driving this year.

We also mentioned how they'd just voted themselves pay raises, not that there is any connection whatsoever between the two.

In the course of naming names, we mentioned that state Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill, had begun driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe this year, based on records provided to us from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's office.

The list compiled by White's office, however, was wrong, he said.

Reis acknowledged that he did indeed trade in a seven-year-old Chevy Venture with 211,000-plus miles on it for a 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan that already had 17,000 miles on it.

"The old Venture made it through three campaigns in nine counties and was well past its normal life expectancy," Reis wrote. "The Uplander gets great gas mileage, holds lots of signs and stuff and seats seven passengers comfortably."

And, he notes, it is a far cry from a Tahoe.

"Anyone who knows me knows I'm cheap," Reis noted.

Kentucky connection

Make that two in a row for Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz.

After losing last year in his bid to become Illinois Attorney General, the Republican prosecutor hit the stump earlier this year for Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

Umholtz appeared in a TV ad for Fletcher talking about the ills of legalized gambling.

On Tuesday, about a year after he was trounced by Lisa Madigan in his own race, Umholtz watched as Fletcher went down in flames after one term in office.