An End to Taxpayer-Funded Advertising for Politicians?
by Brian Costin One of my biggest pet peeves of all times is how some politicians have an insatiable need to put their name on things at the expense of the taxpayers. The open road tolling signs with former Governor Blagojevich’s name and the Richard M. Daley signs at O’Hare Airport come to mind. However, a...
by Brian Costin
One of my biggest pet peeves of all times is how some politicians have an insatiable need to put their name on things at the expense of the taxpayers. The open road tolling signs with former Governor Blagojevich’s name and the Richard M. Daley signs at O’Hare Airport come to mind.
Senate Bill 1344, “Prohibits a public service announcement on behalf of a State administered program that contains the proper name, image, or voice of a State executive branch constitutional officer or legislator from being displayed on a billboard or electronic message board.”
SB 1344 passed the Illinois Senate on April 13 with a vote of 59-0 and awaits action by the Illinois House.
Sorry Chicago residents, the new law doesn’t apply to units of local government. Hopefully, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel will refrain from the shameless self promotion persona of other legislators.
Some politicians refrain from such perks of office. Gov. Quinn refused to have his name on the controversial tollway signs, calling them an example of “pompous government”, and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, recent speaker at an Illinois Policy Institute event and now a Presidential candidate, had a this refreshing perspective on the issue while Governor of New Mexico.
When his term in New Mexico began, his staff told him, “All the highway signs in the state say, ‘Welcome To New Mexico From Governor Bruce King.’ How do you want them to read when your name is on there?”
“Don’t put my name on those signs,” Johnson said. “If we change them it should be, ‘Welcome to New Mexico from the citizens of New Mexico’.”
Let’s hope this common sense law co-sponsored by Sen. Matt Murphy and Sen. Mike Noland gets passed.
Next, we can work on getting rid of those annoying “Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, which cost the State of Illinois at least $650,000 for just 950 signs by July of last year.
