Pressured to reject recall? No, they say

SPRINGFIELD -- Suburban lawmakers defended their opposition to a state recall proposal Friday, saying it was bad public policy and no political influence was involved.

"Absolutely not," said state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat.

"There was absolutely no pressure from the Senate president or anyone else," said state Sen. Michael Bond, a Grayslake Democrat. "Of any of the freshmen Democrats, I think I have a record that clearly stands on its own of not being afraid to go against the Senate president or the Lake County delegation."

On Thursday, both were among the handful of local lawmakers voting against a constitutional amendment that could have opened the door for the governor and other public officials to be recalled from office in the middle of their terms.

Other "no" votes included state Sens. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, and Michael Noland, an Elgin Democrat. Arthur "AJ" Wilhelmi, a Joliet Democrat, voted "present," which has the same practical effect as voting "no."

On Friday, word spread that the Blagojevich administration was backing off plans to shutter Stateville -- the massive state prison in Joliet. An announcement is planned Monday, but Wilhelmi said one has nothing to do with the other.

"Absolutely not," he said.

Wilhelmi said he considers the recall initiative a "political game" when far more important issues ranging from state construction spending to property tax relief to education funding remain unaddressed.

Asked why he didn't vote "no" if he felt so strongly, Wilhelmi said, "I didn't want to engage in what I think is a silly debate. It didn't deserve any of us engaging."

Messages left for Harmon, and Noland were not immediately returned.

The plan, which extended recall to remove judges along with village and city officials in addition to lawmakers and statewide officeholders, was narrowly defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate. It needed 36 votes in the 59-member Senate and received 33. Had it been approved and subsequently supported by the Illinois House, the question of recall would have been put to voters this fall.

Link and Bond said they'd heard next to nothing about recall from local constituents until the Chicago Tribune ran their -- and other senators' -- phone numbers as part of the paper's effort to get recall approved.

After that, Link said he received nearly 100 calls -- most for recall and most from outside his Lake County district.

"I'm not going to succumb to what newspapers think I should do or shouldn't do," Link said.

Bond also said most of his callers were from outside his district.

Key to his opposition, Bond said, was that two local judges contacted him to express their fears that judicial recall would have a "devastating chilling effect" in which judges rendering legal but unpopular decisions could result in recall efforts.

He said Lake County judges Mary Schostok and Fred Foreman were so opposed to recall that they drove to Springfield to personally explain why they thought it was a bad idea.

In addition, Bond said most of the people calling his office favoring recall focused solely on Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Bond, and other recall opponents, said it's a mistake to change the constitution because of one unpopular politician. The lawmakers can consider impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich if deemed necessary.

At the same time as the recall rejection, the Blagojevich administration was working with senators regarding funding for local programs and projects that has been put on hold because of the state's cash crunch. The current budget is nearly $750 million in the red.

Spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the projects had been held up because there isn't money. If senators decide the projects are a priority, the state would consider delaying payments to health-care providers and schools to get around budget constraints.

But she denied there was any connection between the local funding and the recall vote.

"No!" Ottenhoff insisted when asked the question.