BCR-10-08-2015

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Thursday, October 8, 2015

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Mautino wins recommendation State representative selected to serve as next auditor general By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com

SPRING VALLEY — Longtime state Rep. Frank Mautino received a strong recommendation from a bipartisan legislative panel on Tuesday, Oct. 6, to serve as Illinois’ next auditor general. The Legislative Audit Commission voted 11-1 to recommend Mautino for the job.

“I was honored to receive such a strong recommendation from the audit commission. It was near unanimous, which means I have the support of the House members, the Senate members of both the Democrat and Republican parties and of that I’m very proud,” he said on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The Spring Valley Democrat and deputy majority leader was selected from a group of four finalists for the position, which oversees audits of state agencies. The other finalists were Democratic state Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook; attorney Larry Sanders of Marion and attorney Mary Modelski, a division chief for an audit division of California’s Alameda County.

The full General Assembly still must approve the appointment by a threefifths vote of both the House and the Senate. The legislature is scheduled to meet next in Springfield on Tuesday, Oct. 20. If approved, Mautino will replace William Holland, who has been in the position since 1992. Holland announced in June he would retire, effective Dec. 31. Mautino admitted he’s had his eye on the position of auditor general for a while. He served on the audit commission for 18 years — 12 of those years as its chairman. During this time, Mautino worked with Holland. He said the position of auditor general is a big honor as it’s a statewide constitutional executive officer, equal to the gov-

ernor, secretary of state and lieutenant governor. It’s the only seat not elected by voters, rather the post is elected by the Senate and House of Representatives. “It’s a big honor and comes around only once every 10 years,” Mautino said. “Eventually someday I had hoped to be the auditor general.” Mautino said when Holland announced his retirement earlier this year, it forced a difficult decision to give up his seat as state representative in the event he earned the auditor general position. “My dad served that district, I served that district. I walked into the House of Representatives in January 1975 and never

Mautino Page 3A

Water and sewer project behind schedule Claude Bailey Subdivision residents granted remedies because of the delay By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com

PRINCETON — The city of Princeton is addressing frustrations coming from Claude Bailey Subdivision residents. The ongoing, sometimes invasive, project of installing water and sewer city hook-ups to residents in the neighborhood has caused some aggravation. At the council meeting Monday, Oct. 5, Mayor Joel Quiram confirmed the project is nearing completion, but there is still road work to be done that will extend until next spring. Quiram said the annexation agreement stated the city would have the project complete within a five-year period. “We’re in year six. We’re a year behind,” Quiram said, adding there are always going to be challenges with a substantial construction project like this one. Homeowners have attended meetings to voice their frustrations with the project and now have written a letter to the city requesting remedies to the dissatisfaction they’ve dealt with since the project began in 2009 — which is when the subdivision was annexed into the city. In their letter to the city, the homeowners requested the city

Project Page 4A Year 169 No. 120 Tw0 Sections - 28 Pages

BCR photo/Mike Vaughn

Farmers in the field Seeing farm machinery in the fields is a familiar sight this time of year in Bureau County. With farmers working long hours in the fields, keep an eye out for slow-moving farm machinery on the roads.

Connecting the classrooms State superintendent offers fundamental academic strategies for community growth By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com

SPRING VALLEY — Illinois State Superintendent Tony Smith believes the public school system is the cornerstone and fundamental part of the public good,

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and he has a groundbreaking idea: Let’s stop measuring academic success by how much time a student spends in a classroom, but rather by how much knowledge they inherit while they are there. Smith joined a multitude of area school superintendents and board members Tuesday, Oct. 6, at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Spring Valley for the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Starved Rock Division Fall 2015 dinner. He addressed the crowd with a hopeful and authentic approach to the correlation between academic structure and community growth. “I really believe deeply in the power of

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schools to create community and hold us together,” said Smith, who began his journey as Illinois’ pinnacle superintendent in May 2015. “We have a chance to be engaged in a conversation about the well-being of children in a way we haven’t in a while, and we have an incredible opportunity in Illinois to lead some pretty transformative outcomes.” Smith, a relative newcomer to the state, wants to reevaluate the financial formula and build toward more adequate and equitable funding for Illinois, relying on an evidence-based model area superin-

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