Lieutenant governor here to stay, for now

Posted on April 22, 2016

State Sen. Tom Cullerton said he’s heard bipartisan support to eliminate the Lt. Gov’s office. (Photo courtesy www.ilga.gov)

By WFMB/FarmWeekNow.com

SPRINGFIELD – A job once deemed so boring an elected official once quit less than halfway through his term is still important enough to lawmakers that they voted to keep it around.

The Illinois Senate voted down a proposal on Thursday to send a question the fall ballot if the Lieutenant Governor’s Office should be abolished. The savings is seen at $1.6 million a year.

Sen. Tom Cullerton a Villa Park Democrat, hears from all sides about the office.

“Truthfully, as I go around my district and as I have heard talking points, both Republican and Democratic groups that I talk to, everyone consistently still tells me ‘Why do we still have a lieutenant governor?,’ Cullerton asked.

Who would step up to fill the role of governor if something should happen to that individual while in office? The current proposal suggested that the attorney general be next in line.

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