Jim Edgar

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When longtime Governor Thompson declined to seek re-election in 1990, Edgar was the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to succeed him. He defeated conservative businessman Steven Baer in the primary [11] and Democrat Neil Hartigan in the general election.

In the general election, which Edgar won by just 1.6%, he focused on fiscal responsibility and was criticized for his support of making a 20% income tax increase permanent. He also struggled to overcome a general sense of a desire for change among the electorate. [12]

In 1994, Edgar easily defeated Democratic comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch to win re-election.

Second Term

During his second term, the relationship between his re-election campaign and Management Systems of Illinois (MSI) came under federal scrutiny. MSI, Edgar's largest campaign contributor, was granted a contract that cost an estimated $20 million in overcharges. Edgar was never accused of wrongdoing, but he testified twice, once in court and once by videotape, becoming the first sitting Illinois governor to take the witness stand in a criminal case in 75 years. In those appearances, the governor insisted political donations played no role in who received state contracts. [13] Convictions were obtained against Management Services of Illinois; Michael Martin, who had been a partner of Management Services of Illinois; and Ronald Lowder, who had been a state welfare administrator and later worked for Management Services of Illinois. [14]

"Edgar Ramp"

Prior to 1981, the State of Illinois funded pensions on an "as-you-go" basis, making benefit payouts as they came due, with employee contributions and investment income funding a reserve to cover future payouts. This approach was stopped in 1982 due to strains on the Illinois budget, and state contributions remained flat between 1982 and 1995, resulting in underfunding of pensions by approximately $20 billion. To address this shortfall, the Illinois legislature, in 1994, passed and then-Governor Edgar signed Public Act 88-593, which set payments by the State of Illinois into the pension funds at only 90 percent of liabilities, stretched this funding level over 50 years until 2045, and back-loaded payments with a 15-year ramp. [15] The underfunding of pension reserves over the first fifteen years was not fiscally sound, and was the major cause of a large gap between the State's obligations to pay pension benefits and the funds available to pay those benefits. As Governor, Edgar signed the pension legislation into law, and for this reason, the initial underfunding of pensions became known as the "Edgar Ramp." [16] The US Federal Securities and Exchange Commission described this analysis in a report. [17] Despite claims to the contrary, the gap in pension funding created by the Edgar Ramp had not been corrected as of June 2023, [18] with Illinois' public pensions being the worst-funded in the nation. [19]

Post-governorship

Edgar in 2013 JimEdgar2013.png
Edgar in 2013

Edgar is a distinguished fellow of the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. [20]

In 1999, Edgar was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. [21]

Edgar was named the honorary chairman of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration at Eureka College, President Reagan's alma mater. To open the Reagan Centennial year in January 2011, Governor Edgar delivered the keynote speech at the concluding dinner of the "Reagan and the Midwest" academic conference held at Eureka College. [22] In September 2011, Edgar helped dedicate the Mark R. Shenkman Reagan Research Center housed in the Eureka College library. [23]

As former chairman of the board of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, Edgar underwrote the costs of the traveling trophy for the annual Lincoln Bowl tradition started in 2012. The Lincoln Bowl celebrates the Lincoln connection with Knox College and Eureka College, two Illinois colleges where Lincoln spoke, and is awarded to the winning team each time the two schools play each other in football. [24]

In July 2016, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Illinois Financing Partners, a firm for which Edgar served as chairman, won approval by the state to advance money to state vendors who had been waiting for payments by the state. In turn, the firm would get to keep late payment fees when Illinois finally pays. [25]

Edgar was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1999 in the area of Government. [26]

He is a resident fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. [27]

Political opinions

A moderate Republican, Edgar supports abortion rights. [8]

In February 2008, Edgar endorsed Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona for President of the United States. [28]

Edgar supported Mitt Romney in 2012. [29] When Donald Trump won the Republican nomination in 2016, Edgar publicly announced that he would not be voting for the candidate. [30] After the President's second nomination, Edgar, along with other Illinois GOP moderates, announced their support of former United States Vice President and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. [31] Edgar told Peoria-area newspaper Peoria Journal Star, "I have been very disappointed. We’ve had chaos for four years we didn’t need to have. I mean, there’s always going to be some turmoil, but he stirs it up. He bullies. You can’t believe what he says because he’ll do the different thing the next day. ... He’s bungled the virus, there’s no doubt about that. He continued to stir up division in the country, (when) a president should be trying to bring people together. I mean, the list goes on and on." [32]

In the spring of 2016, Edgar said that he believed Governor Bruce Rauner should sign the Democratic budget and support the Democratic pension plan. [33] Edgar pushed for a pension bill to save $15 billion back in 1994. [34] "We had a time bomb in our retirement system that was going to go off in the first part of the 21st century," Edgar told The State Journal-Register in 1994. "This legislation defuses that time bomb." [34] The legislature passed Edgar's bill unanimously. [34]

Personal life

Edgar is married to Brenda Smith Edgar. They have two children, Brad and Elizabeth. [3]

Edgar is Baptist. [1]

In 1994, Edgar underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery and was hospitalized in 1998 for chest pains. [35]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Illinois Governor Jim Edgar". Governor's Information. National Governors Association. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Jim Edgar". National Governors Association. January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Jim Edgar, Illinois' 38th governor". www.lib.niu.edu. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Illinois State Library Heritage Project (January 20, 2023). "Jim Edgar". The Official Website for the Illinois Secretary of State. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Our Campaigns - IL State House 053 Race - Nov 02, 1976".
  6. ↑ "Our Campaigns - IL State House 053 Race - Nov 07, 1978".
  7. ↑ "Illinois blue book, 1997-1998 :: Illinois Blue Books". Idaillinois.org. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "The Jim Edgar Interview: Illinois' former governor looks back on his legacy, offers advice to GOP hopefuls". WCIA.com. November 29, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Washingtonpost.com: Gephardt, Still Leading With His Left". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/nationalgovernorsassociation (January 12, 2015). "George H. Ryan". National Governors Association. Retrieved May 26, 2023.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |last= (help)
  11. ↑ Schmidt, William E.; Times, Special To the New York (March 12, 1990). "New Faces in Primary For Governor of Illinois". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Jim Edgar, Illinois' 38th governor". www.lib.niu.edu. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Msi Scandal Link To Aides Of Edgar, Philip Revealed - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. August 24, 2000. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Illinois Campaign Donor Is Convicted of Bribery". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 17, 1997 – via NYTimes.com.
  15. ↑ Brown, Jeffrey R; Dye, Richard F (June 1, 2015). "Illinois Pensions in a Fiscal Context: A (Basket) Case Study". Working Paper Series. doi:10.3386/w21293 – via National Bureau of Economic Research.
  16. ↑ Zorn, Eric (June 14, 2016). "The 'Edgar Ramp' took Illinois downhill, but many share the blame". chicagotribune.com.
  17. ↑ "Administrative proceeding" (PDF). www.sec.gov. March 11, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  18. ↑ https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/sp-ratings-says-illinois-still-shortchanges-pensions.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ Nates-Perez, Alex (August 24, 2023). "Unfunded Liabilities for State Pension Plans in 2023". Equable.
  20. ↑ "Jim Edgar". Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois: Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  21. ↑ Incorporated, Prime. "National Academy of Public Administration". National Academy of Public Administration. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  22. ↑ Steinbacher, Michele (November 23, 2010). "Edgar, Meese to appear at Reagan conference in Eureka". Pantagraph.com. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ Chris Kaergard (September 26, 2011). "Edgar dedicates Mark R. Shenkman Reagan Research Center - News - Woodford Times - Peoria, IL - Metamora, IL". Woodford Times. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Lincoln Bowl". Pantagraph.com. September 2, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  25. ↑ Fusco, Chris; Novak, Tim (July 2, 2016). "WATCHDOGS: Ex-Gov. Jim Edgar aims to cash in on state's cash woes". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Laureates by Year - The Lincoln Academy of Illinois". The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Edgar Fellow Program – IGPA" . Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  28. ↑ Tackett, Michael (February 1, 2008). "Former Ill. Gov. Edgar endorses McCain". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Edgar: GOP Campaign Has Gone On Too Long « CBS Chicago". Chicago.cbslocal.com. March 21, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  30. ↑ Petrella, Dan (September 28, 2016). "Edgar: Trump candidacy, Rauner money make 2016 unpredictable". pantagraph.com.
  31. ↑ McKinney, Dave (August 24, 2020). "Former Gov. Edgar And Other Moderate Illinois Republicans Say They'll Vote For Joe Biden". WBEZ. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  32. ↑ Schoenburg, Bernard. "Former GOP Gov. Edgar says he'll vote for Biden". PJ Star.
  33. ↑ Glennon, Mark (October 20, 2015). "Why Jim Edgar Has Zero Credibility on Illinois Budget, Pensions: It's Not Just the 'Edgar Ramp' – WP Original | Wirepoints".
  34. 1 2 3 "The Edgar ramp – the 'reform' that unleashed Illinois' pension crisis". Illinois Policy. October 27, 2015.
  35. ↑ "GOV. EDGAR'S HEART SURGERY SUCCESSFUL". Chicago Tribune. July 8, 1994. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
Jim Edgar
Jim Edgar (Illinois Blue Book Portrait 1993-1994).jpg
Edgar in 1993
38th Governor of Illinois
In office
January 14, 1991 –January 11, 1999
Illinois House of Representatives
Preceded by
Max E. Coffey
Robert "Bob" Craig
 Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 53rd district
1977–1979
Served alongside: Charles M. "Chuck" Campbell, Larry Stuffle 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Illinois
1981–1991		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Illinois
1991–1999
Party political offices
Preceded by
Sharon Sharp
 Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Illinois
1982, 1986 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican Party nominee for Governor of Illinois
1990, 1994
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Senator Order of precedence of the United States
Within Illinois		Succeeded byas Former Governor
Preceded byas Former Governor Order of precedence of the United States
Outside Illinois
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