Stoller listens, makes connections in expanded 37th District

DIXON — State Sen. Win Stoller, a Republican from Peoria, thinks there’s evidence that the ice is thawing between his caucus and the majority Democrats on some issues.

But he’s yet to see progress on making the state appear attractive to investment and that anticipated tax revenue doesn’t match the governor’s budget plan, which “is setting us up for future tax increases, otherwise we’re going to have ongoing deficits.”

Stoller, reelected to the 37th District seat in November, was in Dixon as part of a listening tour on Tuesday. He visited with business and government officials, in addition to being interviewed by representatives of Shaw Local News Network.

Under redistricting for the last election cycle, the 37th was reconfigured to add some northern counties, including Lee.

Dixon Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said he was gratified Stoller’s visit included contacts with the Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Main Street, as well as the city and county governments.

“He was very keen on listening and connecting with Dixon and Sauk Valley,” said Arellano, who emphasized that Dixon has had good relationships with its state representatives in the past and was glad to see that Stoller is establishing an office at 121 E. First Street in Dixon.

“It’s a priority for him, this dedication to the region,” Arellano added. “Especially with how far this district was mapped and him being in Peoria. There’s clearly a commitment by him to the region after the election is over. That’s important, because all of us are interconnected up here.”

He was very keen on listening and connecting with Dixon and Sauk Valley.”

—  Dixon Mayor Li Arellano Jr.

It was a chance for Arellano to share a vision that the Sauk Valley is part of what is potentially a tourism and recreation hub for communities along the Rock River. He also said they discussed Stoller’s initiative to exempt enterprise zones from new rules governing siting for solar and wind projects so they don’t overlap.

“That’s a serious challenge,” said Arellano. “For Rochelle, that’s a huge issue. The municipality, county and state have invested in and targeted that for industrial development. It’s made it harder for the state to execute its own growth plan.”

Stoller says the rules “took away local control from counties to establish their own regulations” and is concerned it could compromise a Rochelle development that’s had about $70 million in investment over the past decade.

Stoller will be following up with the issue as it pertains to agriculture when he meets with the state’s Agriculture Department director Jerry Costello II and local growers in an upcoming meeting in Sterling.

With respect to the state’s partisan divide, Stoller said that leadership’s decision to have co-chairs for the two committees with oversight for state government and higher education.

“I think that’s just a good sign,” said Stoller, who credited Republican leader John Curran for presenting himself as someone that can work with both sides of the aisle.

While the makeup of those committees clearly favor the majority, Stoller said it was a nice gesture to encourage minority party participation.

Stoller mentioned his willingness to find policy issues where he can work across the aisle, such as his bill that passed in the previous session that allowed small businesses to opt into a federal tax deduction. It had as co-sponsors 14 Democrats and 17 Republicans.

“I had everyone from Senator Darren Bailey to some of the most progressive Democrats all co-sponsoring the same bill,” Stoller said. “Now, when do you ever see that, right?”

For his part, Stoller said he spent time this past summer accompanying Democratic senators in a tour of their Chicago districts so he could gain an appreciation of issues those districts are dealing with.

Twice in his discussion with Shaw Local News Network, Stoller mentioned the importance of Illinois fulfilling its obligation to people with developmental disabilities in terms of care and spending before the state develops additional programs, as outlined in the governor’s budget.

“Illinois ranks 51st out of 50 states and District of Columbia in taking care of this population,” Stoller said. “That’s horrendous. We are completely shirking our responsibility.”

In recounting regional connections, Stoller mentioned that he’d discussed with Princeton Mayor Joel Quiram about the plans for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet to build a $68 million distribution center but also pointed out that parts of Bureau County are coping with the ramifications of a hospital closure in nearby in Peru. “We’re in touch with people in the community about what could happen,” Stoller said.

Based on immediate concern to constituents throughout the 37th District, is the rising cost of energy for homes. Stoller said it is a result of the state, once an exporter of energy, is now importing it. That has complicated the transition to cleaner energy, he said.

“So we’re not really working at accomplishing our green energy goals,” he said.