McGuire reflects on his Illinois Senate career as he prepares to leave office

Since 2012, state Sen. Pat McGuire has represented the 43rd District in Springfield.

The longtime public servant announced last year he would not seek reelection to his Senate seat in this past election. State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, will succeed him, as he was elected to the position earlier this month.

The district includes much of Bolingbrook, Channahon, Crest Hill, Elwood, Joliet, Lockport, Rockdale and Romeoville.

McGuire said he decided not to run again because eight years of service “feels like the right unit of time” for him.

As McGuire prepares to leave office, he spoke with the Herald-News to reflect on his time in the Senate and his efforts to address the myriad issues he’s worked on over the past several years.

McGuire began his career as an English teacher before getting into politics. He’s served on the Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Education and as the Will County treasurer before being appointed to fill an Illinois Senate seat.

He still remembers walking into the state Capitol on his first day and realizing the significance of his newfound responsibility for the people of Illinois.

“I was scared,” he said. “I was really nervous.”

Even back then, the challenges facing the state were formidable, but in 2014, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was elected. With divided government, McGuire said he wanted to give the multimillionaire a chance, but he soon realized the depth of his differences with the new governor.

McGuire described one conversation he had with Rauner and remembered feeling that “he and I came from different planets” on a number of issues facing middle-income workers.

Rauner and the Democratic-controlled legislature clashed on his “turn-around” agenda, and they oversaw a two-year budget impasse. McGuire described the Rauner administration as a “bleak four years.”

He also acknowledged the difficulties state Democrats have had in implementing reforms such as a progressive income tax. McGuire said structural issues like high property taxes have “poisoned the well” and have led to a mistrust among residents.

There also is the matter of the powerful but scandal-plagued Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan who has been linked to, but not charged in, a bribery scheme involving utility company ComEd. Several legislators, including Democrats, have called on him to resign or will vote against him if he runs again to be speaker next year.

McGuire said he agrees with the remarks made by Gov. JB Pritzker, who called on Madigan to directly answer questions on the matter, or else, resign.

“It looks like the tide is turning against [Madigan],” McGuire said.

Still, McGuire said he’s called Madigan the most effective legislator in Springfield. He said many have credited Madigan with stopping many of the conservative reforms Rauner wanted to install in Illinois.

Despite the struggles, McGuire highlighted the accomplishments he’s most proud of.

One was the law reconfiguring the state’s public school funding formula that aims to increase state funding to the vast majority of school districts. The hope, McGuire said, is that more state funding will allow for local school boards to rely less on property taxes and give their residents some relief.

After the 2017 death of Sema’j Crosby, a toddler from Joliet Township, McGuire also advocated for reforms to the state’s child welfare system. Since then, the state has made new investments and reworked procedures at the Department of Children and Family Services.

He said that securing the nearly $1 billion in funding to repair Interstate 80 likely is his biggest accomplishment. McGuire joked that if he and his colleagues had failed to get the money, he would “have had to leave town.”

To incoming members of the General Assembly, McGuire had two key pieces of advice.

First, he urges them to “give other legislators the benefit of the doubt.” He said his close friendships with Republican senators has been among the most surprising parts of his time in Springfield.

Second, he said legislators should accept all the invitations they can within their districts, whether it’s to attend church services or to speak with community organizations.

McGuire said that while he’s met many good people in Springfield, he’s met even more within his district.

“The kindness, the fairness, the generosity that residents of District 43 have given to me is just towering,” McGuire said.

“I hope that my time in the Senate has improved their lives a little bit.”