The longest serving legislative leader of the Illinois Lege is stepping down.
On the one hand, he won’t be missed. He is a back-slapping deal maker who thinks middle class American suburbanites are all that matter and has little real interest beyond pork for DuPage County. On the other hand, he said such spectacularly stupid things, it will be less fun having him around to quote.
While discussing problems in the Department of Family Services he once said a big part of the problem was that minority social workers don’t have the same work ethic as ‘you and I’. That Philip thought this was no surprise. That he said it was a surprise. Especially who he said it to: the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. He was then surprised when it ended up on the front page. I believe he apologized at least.
More later on the race to replace him.
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DATE: ThePost-Dispatch has the quote. I missed the end
He once said of minorities: “It’s probably a terrible thing to say but I’ll say it — some of them do not have the work ethic we have.”