My name is Joe McCoy and I'm the Legislative Director for the Illinois Municipal League. I've been participating in and observing Illinois state government since 1997 in various capacities.
My intent is to use this blog to make Illinois politics, the General Assembly, state government, and important policy issues more understandable. And I'm going to do it from the perspective of a lobbyist that spends a great deal of time at the Illinois Statehouse. I hope to offer insights about how the Statehouse works, the contours of policy debates, and why things happen the way that they do. Providing commentary from a partisan perspective is not my intention. I aspire to provide insight to the extent that my abilities will allow.
I may frequently write about issues that concern municipal government. My position as an advocate for local government has made be a believer in the role that strong and independent local governments play in our democracy. There is no form of democracy more pure and basic than that which is closest and most responsive to the people. And that's local government. You won't run into the President of the United States at the grocery store, but you stand a fairly good chance of bumping into your mayor and having a good discussion about local issues. And he or she will remember your name.
From time-to-time I'll even deviate from politics and write about other interests such as leadership, technology, books, and sports.
I hope that readers will find the blog interesting, informative, and entertaining. I also desire for the blog to spark a community of readers and commenters so that we can have ongoing discussions about Illinois politics. I would appreciate any links or referrals to the blog that might increase traffic and bring about this kind of engagement. I will reciprocate in kind.
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