Downstate Spotlight: Illinois Inauguration 2015

     People from all across Illinois descended upon Springfield this past Monday for the 2015 Inauguration. While the big draw was Governor Bruce Rauner, the other constitutional officers got their moment in the spotlight as well. The festivities at the Prairie Capital Convention Canter started off with a musical prelude. After the presentation of the colors, Jim Cornelison dropped by to get things going by singing the Star-Spangled Banner. After his usual rafters-shaking performance, Lisa Madigan, Leslie Munger, Jesse White, Mike Frerichs, Evelyn Sanguinetti, and Bruce Rauner were all introduced to the crowd, at which point they were sworn in. After each one of them were sworn in, they would give a speech. Obviously, Governor Rauner gave an address that touched heavily on many of the same topics from his campaign, and the speech was well received. But of all the other speeches, the one that impressed me(and many other audience members) the most was the one given by Jesse White. His speech outlined how he had come into the office of Secretary of State in 1999 amid chronic corruption, poor customer service, and a department in shambles. Over the next 15 years, he succeeded in cleaning up the Secretary of State office, as well as improving the DMV experience greatly. Given the enormity of Governor Rauner's task ahead of him, he should take heed of White's words. After the speeches, there was a benediction and two more musical numbers, and the ceremony was over, at which point attendees could choose from a number of different activities to fill out their day.

     Right next to the Convention Center, the Illinois Is Back Expo was taking place in a heated tent(you heard me right, a heated tent). This was a place for many Illinois companies to come together and show off what's new, and to potentially find employees. Some of the highlights included free samples of Goose Island beer, an earth mover that was under the tent, and an Abe Lincoln character(because of course they'd do something like that), standing right next to a motorcycle. Once the expo wrapped up, the newly sworn-in officers held open houses where the citizens could greet them. White, Munger, and Frerichs were in the State Capitol, Madigan was in her office, and Sanguinetti and the entire Rauner family were receiving guests in the Old State Capitol(the site of Lincoln's famous "House Divided" speech, which actually had nothing to do with the Civil War[it was really about the divisions in the Republican Party during the 1858 election]). I ended up meeting the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and the pictures are attached at the end of the article. After all the receptions, it was time to party back at the Convention Center, with the Inaugural Concert(held in place of the traditional Ball) featuring Buddy Guy, Toby Keith, and all the refreshment you could desire. All in all, the 2015 Illinois Inauguration was a great way to kick off the new governmental terms, as well as serving notice that Illinois Is indeed Back.

     Myself and Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti

     Governor Bruce Rauner and I