Politics Today: Sen. Dave Sullivan (R-Park Ridge)

By: Krystle Russin

Sen. Dave Sullivan has only served as a state senator for five years, but he has already had a strong influence on Illinois politics. Something he most remembers from his experience in the Senate is being a part of rewriting the Higher Telecommunications Law.

"It’s not often that a couple years later, you can say that you sponsored a bill that’s already saved Illinois consumers over $100 million, but that is the case with that bill, and I’m obviously very pleased," says Sullivan of his efforts when working on the legislation.

He also shared his views of the new Senate President, Emil Jones, who took over after last session.

"I had a conversation just a couple hours ago with the Senate President, and his comment to me was, ‘We’re trying to be fair in this process,’ and I believe that he is. Emil Jones has been in Springfield a long time. He knows how to get things done," Sullivan thought. "He will be partisan, but he will also work with us. He’s a man who I think will be a force. No one should underestimate him down here in Springfield."

While that may seem enough to keep him in Springfield, the State Senator was leaving for home for a very special occasion the next day: a surprise party for his wife, Dru, celebrating her 40th birthday. He puts his feelings best by explaining how he places his family above all other political commitments.

"If I have to miss a political function or two that I probably should be at as a Senator, I will miss them...My family is number one every day of my life. I miss them when I’m down in Springfield, and I rush back to be with them...I’ve known my wife since I was in seventh grade. She still likes me, and I still like her. I’m quite the lucky Irishman - I love my wife and kids."

Q: Illinois is in the middle of many problems, such as the budget and trying to prevent more corruption in office, as well as facing usual issues. What did you do today in session?
A: Today, we were on the Senate floor for third readings, which is final passage for legislation out of the Senate, and then it goes over to the House. The most controversial legislation on partisan lines we voted on today was an exemption to the tax cap that the Democrats were sponsoring and the Democrats passed, which most Republicans, including myself, voted against.

Q: When not in session, you are often visiting schools in your district. What do you tell students? Do you think we need more young people interested in politics?
A: I love going to schools in my district. I sent each principal a letter saying I’d love to come in and talk about important issues with the kids. I really talk to them about what the job is, what I do when I’m in the district, meeting with local officials and dealing with local issues, and what we do when we’re down in Springfield, and all the various issues that come up in the big state of Illinois. Then, I love the questions from kids, because they’ll ask you anything. We’ll have lively discussions about anything from Iraq to how old my kids are and what sports I play with my kids, what are we going to do about the environment? It’s a wide ranging discussion; I enjoy it.

Young people should most assuredly get involved in politics and government because we’re making decisions that are going to affect their future. It’s going to affect our future, but it’s going to affect their future. They’re younger, they have a much longer future ahead of them, so I hope kids of whatever age get involved. My four children are certainly involved. They watch precincts with us, they’re instrumental in our campaigns, and I actually ask their opinion on a lot of different issues. They’re a pretty smart group.

Q: You served as Executive Assistant for Inter-governmental Affairs to the Secretary of State from 1992 to 1998. What have you taken from your experience in that position that has helped you as state senator?
A: That gave me a great viewpoint on how Illinois government works, so I came into the Senate seat with a lot of government and political experience. It’s really helped. I felt before I came into this office that I knew what it was it was to be a Senator and I really, four years into office, know that I have a very good grasp of it, and you don’t always know. You may think you have an idea of what you’re getting into, but you don’t always know until you’re actually there. Now that I’m actually there, I love the job, and I know all the good and the bad of it, but it’s very exciting. My experience in government really helped me to do that, to just hit the ground running when I became Senator.

Q: The budget is one of many issues that Illinoisans are concerned with this year. What are the current options? Are there any ideas being debated in Springfield that you strongly agree with?
A: The budget is, without question, the most important issue we’re going to be dealing with. There is a budget crisis...There are a lot of ideas floating out there, many of them bad. There’s talk of different tax increases, which is a bad idea, and I hope that our government does not decide to go down that road. There’s talk of really hurting Illinois business by taking away some of the employment incentives that have made Illinois a pro-business state, and I hope we don’t do that. We need to encourage business to come to the state, not discourage it. Hopefully, we will not do that either. There are cuts that can be made. The leader of those cuts has to be the Governor, whomever the Governor is, and right now it’s Rod Blagojevich. He is certainly talking like he wants to be fiscally responsible. Hopefully, he w

Q: How did you become interested in politics?
A: The first person I worked for in politics was Don Rumsfeld. When I was a kid, he was Secretary of Defense, and he is once again, Secretary of Defense. When I was graduating from Marquette University - I was a senior there, my oldest son is about to be a freshman there - Don Rumsfeld came to Milwaukee. I was student body president at the time at Marquette, and I was asked to escort him around town while he was there and began working for him part time during my senior year in college while he was considering running for President in 1988, and this was in 1987 when this all happened. I think we’re all very lucky today to have Don Rumsfeld as our Secretary of Defense, probably the most intelligent man I’ve ever been associated with. He’s got a brilliant mind, and I know he is a terrific advisor to President Bush at a very difficult time. That’s the first guy I worked for, and I’m very proud of that.

Q: You mentioned much about your Committee on Environment and Energy meeting a few days ago. What did you discuss? How does it have an impact on Illinoisans?
A: What we deal with in the Environment and Energy Committee has a direct impact on everyone in Illinois. This week’s discussion was primarily focused on telecommunications. You and I are speaking by phone, and we all use telephones, so it’s something that affects us directly. A couple years ago, we rewrote the Higher Telecommunications Law for Illinois how telephones are regulated, and I was the lead negotiator on those discussions and the lead sponsor on the bill. It’s not often that a couple years later, you can say that you sponsored a bill that’s already saved Illinois consumers over $100 million, but that is the case with that bill, and I'm obviously very pleased. All that hard work that we put together in that legislation - we had the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats working on it for a year - we came out with something great

We were doing a follow-up on that this past committee hearing dealing with telecommunications. There’s this big battle between the big companies like FSC and AT&T, and that’s what this was, just going through how different technologies are regulated. That was the discussion this week, but it was really a follow-up to the big rewrite to save consumers over $100 million.

Q: You have served in the Senate since 1998, the same year Gov. Ryan took office. What do you think we should expect from the new governor, Rod Blagojevich? What issues do you believe he will be working with, and as many are still wondering what his views are, where do you think he will stand on them?
A: Gov. Blagojevich is a very energetic man. I believe he really wants to do the best for Illinois, and we’ll see how successful he can be. We, in the Republican Caucus, the Senate, and the House, have reached out and said, "We want to work with you to try to solve some problems." I have very high expectations for the Governor. I think he sets a very high standard for himself, he expects a lot from himself, so I think it’s fair that the rest of us do too. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to agree on every issue, we won’t. But he is a man who is dedicated to getting a great job done. I think he’s had some frustrations, since it’s been so long that a Democrat was in the governor’s mansion, but maybe sonot new legislators, but they’re new Senators - Dan Rutherford, Rick Winkel, Bill Brady, John Jones - they’re a solid group of downstate legislators who we’re very fortunate to have in the Senate with us now. On the other side, Rev. Meeks, who is an independent. He’s siding on the Democrats, but he ran as an independent. He’s certainly a sharp legislator. They’re going to make their impact. Right now, they’re bringing out the system, and they will do well.

Krystle Russin writes for The State Journal-Register(IL) and contributes political articles/interviews to several publications including PurePolitics.com.