From in front of the scenes on the Senate floor to far behind the scenes as deputy governor responsible for the state budget, Andy Manar says things are more partisan than ever.
“I was stunned, frankly, that there wasn’t a single Republican in the legislature – not one – that voted for a $4 billion-plus debt payoff bill, and the Republicans got on the House and Senate floor and used ‘fiscal conservatism’ as their reason for not voting to pay off the state’s debt, which is counterintuitive, of course.”
He adds that he suspects Republicans voted against their own wishes when they did not sign onto the budget, tax relief, or other financial measures.
And Manar, the former state senator representing part of the Springfield area, says what you saw and heard at the governor’s budget address in early February was not even close to the beginning.
“Leading up to that day, there was an incredible amount of work on the front end, working with the House and Senate which was a break from the past, and that set up a cooperative tone and very much a can-do approach to budgeting this year.”
In a career which has covered Bunker Hill, Macoupin County, Senate staff, senator, and now deputy governor, Manar would not speculate as to what is next for himself.