Illinois voters won’t get a say this year on recalling elected officials. The state Senate this afternoon voted down an effort to change Illinois’ Constitution. From Springfield, Illinois Public Radio’s Sean Crawford reports.
Staring down a deadline to get the measure on the ballot this fall, Senate Democrats blocked it. It fell three votes shy of passing. The effort all along has been aimed at unpopular Governor Rod Blagojevich whose current term runs for nearly three more years.
Democratic Senator Mike Jacobs from the Quad Cities has had plenty of disagreements with Blagojevich, but says changing the Constitution for one person goes too far.
JACOBS: The notion of recall is better suited for cars than for the Governor. Forget recall, The Governor should do the right thing and that’s called resign.
Liuetenant Governor Pat Quinn was among the most vocal supporters of recall. He says he knows where to lay the blame.
QUINN: I thought the Governor was for recall. He told me and the whole population of Illinois that he was a recall supporter. But all I saw in the last couple of weeks was the Governor and his allies doing everything possible to keep the recall amendment off the ballot. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, starting with Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Several who voted against the measure say they disliked changes made in the Senate that would have allowed voters to also recall local officials and judges.