5 reasons to study Phil Rock

Presentation by Ed Wojcicki, April 3, 2013 – Illinois Politics

class

University of Illinois Springfield

IL Senate President, 1979-93

1. This isn’t ancient history

2. Some big stories and big issues never go away; the history of most issues is longer than you think

3. Relationships matter

Born in Chicago a Catholic, Democrat and Cubs fan

Catholic seminary for 10 years

Married in 1964

Illinois Senate President1979-93

Sheila Graber Rock with her brother

Phil Rock:

Tough,

principled,

decent,

generous,

warm-hearted,

and a good guy to have a beer with,maybe even two.”

James R. Thomspon

August 1, 2006

“Man for All Sessions”

My favorite Phil Rock story

The lucky

37th Ward

5 reasons

to study

Phil Rock.

What they

always say:

“Always tried to do the right thing”

He tried to make government work for the people it is supposed to serve

1.

© Chicago

Tribune

Thompson to Rock:

I’ll give you some more “right things” to do

“He held a fragile caucus together”:

… an “assemblage of 59 raging egos”Chicago Tribune

2.

Bipartisanshipworked:He gave everyone a chance to be heard

3.

People matter;

Relationships matter

4.

Springfield

Illinois Women in Government

©

Chicago

Tribune

People

1. Tax increase of 1983

2. Insurance for newborns

3. Mandatory reporting of abused, neglected children

4. Horse racing; riverboats

5.#1 role of governmentis to help people

7. RTA creation

8. Chrysler bailout

9. Illinois Domestic Violence Act

10. Respect for institutions of government

11. Insurance for newborns

•

#1 role: to help people

The school for deafand blind children

Now called

The Philip J. RockCenter and School,Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Rock’s top accomplishment

Why focus on Rock?

“Conventional wisdom might not predict that a loyal product of the Cook County Democratic organization could emerge as an ethical voice for the voiceless…

“Rock’s story makes it clear that one can be a loyal partisan and a highly principled public official.”

– Ed Wojcicki, Preface

Illinois Legends… Rock’s colleagues (1955 in political time-present)

Richard J. Daley (1955-1976, mayor)

James R. Thompson (1976-1991, governor)

Harold Washington as state senator and mayor

(1983-87, mayor)

Richard M. Daley as state senator and mayor

(1989-2012, mayor)

Michael J. Madigan

(1983-95, 1997-present, speaker)

Rock’s seven principles

1. Be fair and even-handed.

2. Care about what you’re doing and the people you serve. “You have to care,” he often said.

3. Remember that effective change can take years.

Rock’s seven principles

4. Choose to have a responsible and reasonable dialogue, especially with people with whom you disagree.

5. Take action to make government work for the people for whom it is supposed to work. Government is not self-executing.

6. Give everyone a chance to be heard.

7. Don’t be vindictive. No retaliation allowed.

The process of Nobody Calls…

a. Ask experts:

What would you expect to read?-- Charlie Wheeler-- Mike Lawrence

-- Rock’s confidantes from the 1980s

-- HJR 196 – January 1993

b. Twenty-eight interviews with Rock

c. And dozens of others

d.

VerifyFloor

transcripts, State

Archives, Chicag

o library, State

Historical

Library, LRU,

boxes of

clippings and

pictures and

letters

d.

Verify- Dates- Roll calls- Bill numbers- Substance

“Senate Journals”

“Legislative Synopsis”

Principled

decent,

generous,

warm-

hearted…

James R. Thomspon

August 1, 2006

What Rock said afterward

“I got so damn mad at Blagojevich that … I wanted the message to go out to all, including my 12 grandchildren, that Springfield was a wonderful place, the seat of our government, [it] deserved better respect than it was getting, and I was going to tell them about it.”

Contact

Ed Wojcicki

University of Illinois Springfield

ewojc1@uis.edu

217.206.7795

www.edwojcicki.com

At LinkedIn

On Facebook

This presentation is based on:

Nobody Calls Just to Say HelloPhilip J. Rock with Ed Wojcicki

© 2012, Southern Illinois University Press