Working for solutions

Public service is defined by our challenges and opportunities. This lesson has resounded for us in recent months as Illinois aims to turn its most trying times into its most triumphant.

As members of the Illinois House of Representatives from different parties and different parts of Illinois, our differences can define our relationship, and our service in Springfield. In this time of polarizing political rhetoric on both sides, the party identifier of Democrat and Republican carries significant weight.

But we recently had the pleasure of joining former Gov. Jim Edgar, top political leaders and advocates and more than three dozen other emerging leaders in Illinois for the Edgar Fellows program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Gov. Edgar created the program a few years ago to foster leadership, cooperation and mutual understanding - three attributes we could definitely use more of at the state Capitol these days.

Earlier this year, we led more than 30 House colleagues from both parties to push for a better budget solution than stalemate. We didn't always agree, but we didn't let our disagreements define us. We took an important step toward compromise and cooperation with the first state budget in two years. We saw that same spirit of compromise in the bipartisan passage this week of a new school funding formula.

We sincerely thank Gov. Edgar for creating the Edgar Fellows program and for sharing his wisdom and commitment to working together to solve problems. Many challenges are ahead for Illinois. Our responsibility is to address them head on, and to turn our differences in geography, ideology and political philosophy into powerful catalysts for solving problems. We can and will do better when all of us in public service commit to being part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Rep. Carol Sente, Democrat

Vernon Hills

Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, Republican

Springfield