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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF GOV. JIM EDGAR
WHEREAS, As the 38th Governor of Illinois, Jim Edgar inherited what was then the largest deficit in the state's history. He eliminated a backlog of $1 billion of unpaid health care bills. He provided income tax relief and left an unprecedented $1.5 billion in the treasury for his successor;
WHEREAS, Edgar started his state government career in 1968 as a top aide to leaders in the Illinois House and Senate. From 1975 until 1976, he was director of state services for the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver. He was then elected to the Illinois House from Charleston in 1976 and 1978. In 1979 and 1980, he was director of legislative affairs for Gov. Jim Thompson, who appointed him as secretary of state when a vacancy occurred. Edgar was elected in 1982 and re-elected in 1986 by the largest plurality ever amassed by a statewide candidate;
WHEREAS, Edgar was elected governor in 1990 and re-elected by the widest plurality of any incumbent Illinois chief executive has received, carrying 101 of the state's 102 counties, including Cook. His announcement that he would not seek a third term surprised the Illinois media and political insiders who cited poll numbers that indicated he had earned the highest approval rating of any Illinois chief executive and was in a strong position to win again;
WHEREAS, his record as governor built on his accomplishments as secretary of state, where he led a crackdown on drunk drivers, developed an adult literacy program that became a national model and won a hard-fought battle to win General Assembly approval of legislation requiring motorists to carry insurance;
WHEREAS, Edgar also reformed welfare through innovative initiatives to move recipients from dependence to independence. He saved homeowners billions of dollars by proposing and winning legislative approval for caps on property taxes. He fought for - and won -- legislation to establish...
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