A Q&A with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White recently sat down with the Daily Herald for a far-ranging discussion that touched on everything from organ donation to Cubs' predictions.
Here are excerpts from that interview:
Hopes for the General Assembly this session:
WHITE: I hope that the bitterness and the heated discussions between the various chambers, the Senate and the House, will be ... cooler heads can prevail. As well as the governor stepping into the fray, being a team player. We want the office to function ... I'm trying to find the word for it ... in a manner in which all of us can be proud. We want them to work together. We have a capital (construction) bill that I think they should move forward on.
On expanding gambling to finance construction:
WHITE: They should look at the casino piece, considering the fact that here in Illinois, when you drive around the various states like Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, and you go to the parking lots of where these casinos are located, you see a lot of Illinois plates. I mean, either one-third or one-fourth or one-half of the cars in the lot belong to Illinoisans.
We spend millions of dollars promoting tourism in Illinois. We have McCormick Place in Chicago and we have a lot of wonderful sights around the state. I think that when you have this captive audience, you should keep them here. Other states benefit from our resources. Someone says, 'Well this will encourage a lot of Illinoisans to gamble.' Well, they're gambling anyway.
You're not coming forth with anything new other than the fact that you're just making it more convenient for them. Because they are going to go to Wisconsin, or you're going to go to Indiana, Michigan or Iowa anyway. So, I think that they should have a capital bill, they should look at, look at, expanding the casinos, those three (new) licenses.
On state's new driving restrictions for teens:
WHITE: Every parent that I met applauded me for my efforts. Only a handful of kids didn't like the new driving restrictions. And I said to them then, 'but once you reach the age of 21 and you're alive and well, you'll love me.'
On organ donation registration:
WHITE: There are a lot of heroes out there. We want you to become a hero. Extracting someone from an automobile crash - he's a hero. A person who saved someone from a fire - hero. Saved someone from drowning - hero. But, at the same time, when you give someone a second chance of life, you fall into the category of hero.
On sports (White was once a minor league prospect for the Cubs):
Q: Your favorite baseball team?
WHITE: I have three - Cubs, Cardinals and White Sox, and not necessarily in that order. Because I was born in Alton, Illinois, and when I was seven years of age we moved from Alton to Chicago. But I was raised up right across the river from St. Louis. And you know, Whitey Kurowski, Stan Musial - St. Louis Cardinals, that was it.
And then when I moved up north, I signed a contract to play baseball for the Cubs and four days before going to spring training, I was drafted so instead of going to spring training, I'm going to basic training ... and then two years later I began my baseball career.
Q: Where do you see the Cubs going this year?
WHITE: Normally, we would say wait until next year, but I think that this may be the year for them. I'm very optimistic.
Q: Did you say that last year?
WHITE: No, I didn't. Last year, I said, 'Wait until next year.' But I think that they have the right stuff, they have a good manager. I think that they have a solid ball club. I think their pitching is good. I think the hitting is going to be there. And, last year the hitting kind of fell apart, especially at a crucial time and that was at the end of the season.