Chris Kaergard Journal Star political reporter @ChrisKaergardNick Vlahos Journal Star reporter @vlahosnick

For the first time in a long time, central Illinois has a seat at the head of the leadership table in the state Legislature.

That's courtesy of Bill Brady's ascension Friday to the head of the Senate Republican caucus. The Bloomington lawmaker, who has been in the Senate since 2002 and in the Legislature since 1993, succeeds Christine Radogno in the role and has enormous challenges ahead of him.

Previously he'd been a top deputy to Radogno, just as Rep. David Leitch had been a top deputy to his chamber's GOP leader, Jim Durkin. But someone representing our area in the top spot? Those are tough to find in the Legislature or in statewide elective office.

Brady is as well-positioned as anyone for the job, though.

He's more conservative than Radogno. That's a change, but one that will serve him in a caucus that is split between conservatives and more moderate suburbanites. In his years of experience, he has come to recognize politics as the art of the possible inevitably meaning compromises, if hard-fought ones. (His attempt to resurrect the "Grand Bargain" budget deal late in the spring proves it.)

This role is a chance for him to erase the impression many in the GOP have of him as "the guy who lost a totally winnable governor's race to Pat Quinn of all people." But that campaign (and failed quests for the gubernatorial nod in 2006 and 2014) have given him a better idea of the nuances of the state and of Republicans in Illinois than many others in the Legislature. That probably makes him a better leader for them.

Those runs also established him as tireless. One enduring memory we have is of him standing in the freezing cold outside Carver Arena before a Bradley game shaking every last hand as his ears went numb. He's pretty personable, so that probably accounted for a portion of his 193-vote primary victory over Sen. Kirk Dillard.

From our vantage point, he's been a bit on the periphery of Peoria affairs, but omnipresent whenever there were issues or political appearances in Tazewell County. He was a fixture and, we gather, a good resource for Washington during its post-tornado rebuilding efforts (even when that meant he shared the stage with onetime opponent Quinn). And during his statewide runs for office the guy never put on airs. We could still reach him on his cellphone with questions about local matters, even while he was bopping around the vast Land of Lincoln.

Good luck to him. If the last two and a half years are any indication, he'll need it. (C.K.)

She'll be missed

Brady has awful big shoes to fill.

Radogno was instantly recognizable as the adult in the room, someone who fought hard earlier this year to jump-start talks on a budget compromise alongside Senate President John Cullerton, with whom she had a far better rapport than, say, between House Speaker Michael Madigan and House GOP leader Jim Durkin let alone that between Madigan and Gov. Bruce Rauner.

She was knowledgeable during her visits here to speak to the paper's editorial board and got along well with folks more conservative like then-Sen. Darin LaHood, who didn't support her for the leadership position, but still respected her. And she was an independent thinker, something that had to chafe with the growing Rauner influence over lawmakers.

When your shorter columnist covered the Legislature a dozen years ago, Radogno was one of the budget experts for the Senate Republicans. And in her two decades in the chamber she had earned respect and affection across party lines as a straight-shooter, and as someone who understood the fundamentals of the legislative process.

To take but one example, state Rep. Ann Williams a pretty liberal Chicago Democrat noted Thursday on Facebook that "if we had a Christine leading each of our four caucuses, the budget impasse would have been over by now."

It's a pity for all of us that we didn't. (C.K.)

A national reminder of the local

A Bradley University political-science professor wrote an article that appeared last week on the website of a publication better known for its popular-music coverage.

Although not all of Ed Burmilas words might be music to some ears, we can advocate his nonpartisan point, at a minimum.

In The Case for Paying Less Attention to Donald Trump, Burmila suggested the public focus less on the Oval Office and more on state legislatures. That is where much of the policy that affects average Americans is made, he argues.

This being Rolling Stone, of course, Burmilas piece is heavy on gratuitious left-wing spin. It also is laden with apocalyptic rhetoric, which in spades these days comes from both sides of the partisan divide.

Burmila begins by calling Trumps five-month-old administration a disaster. He also suggests the Republicans elected to control the vast majority of governorships and state legislatures are the authors of Neanderthal education policies, ruthless legislative-district gerrymandering and brutal sentencing and policing reforms.

Donald Trump is not the problem with the GOP; he is the symptom of the party's top-to-bottom absence of principles and willingness to manipulate rules, Burmila wrote If progressives focus exclusively on Trump, that makes it easier ... for Republicans at other levels to push their loathsome agenda forward.

Lets set aside the hyperbole and focus on the gist of what Burmila is arguing.

The escapades in Washington, D.C., can be entertaining, certainly. Although the constant Blue-vs.-Red dynamic is better left for a football game.

But as a practical matter, what happens in Springfield is more relevant to Illinoisans than what happens along the Potomac River.

If the public was paying closer attention years ago to what was transpiring in the General Assembly, perhaps Illinois wouldnt be in the midst of a fiscal disaster. And our state is living proof gerrymandering is a bipartisan affliction.

Well take things a few steps further than Burmila did, at least as far as governmental levels are concerned.

Local government might be the most consequential government of all. How many times have you heard Peorians complain about potholes? Or public financing of private development projects? Or substantial increases in property taxes?

Then look at the pathetic voter-turnout rates for recent Peoria municipal elections. The disconnect is obvious. Just because CNN isnt yapping about something 24/7 doesnt mean it isnt important.

In smaller communities, also look at how many seats for city councils and village boards go uncontested or unfilled through the electoral process. Thats dangerous for democracy, not to mention public policy.

Burmilas screed might not appeal to some of our better instincts. But strip the partisan attacks and youll find an important message. All politics is local, after all. (N.V.)

Chris Kaergard (C.K.) covers politics and government. He can be reached at ckaergard@pjstar.com or 686-3255. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisKaergard. Nick Vlahos (N.V.) writes "Nick in the Morning." He can be reached at nvlahos@pjstar.com or 686-3285. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick.

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Word on the Street: With Bill Brady's ascension, central Illinois picks ... - Peoria Journal Star