The day after he was elected Morrison, IL, Mayor-Elect, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, R. Everett Pannier received a pleasant phone call from Ilinois 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. She became a Legislator five months ago, and now serves on the House of Representatives Transportation Committtee. Her call-to-a-new-collegue was designed “to congratulate me with the win and touch bases. We can use all political contacts,” commented Pannier on Saturday, April 13, after meeting Congresswoman Bustos face to face in the grocery store.
Sullivan’s Foods, 300 N. Madison Street, Morrison, hosted the community stop-in from 11:00 a.m. to noon. This was one of a series of visits Bustos has made to chat with her constituents. District Director Heidi Schultz assisted by writing names of those waiting in line to speak with their Congresswoman, noting questions they wished to pose.
Instead, Bustos posed the questions to Pannier. “When will you take over?”
“May 13, I think.”
“What are the main issues the City needs to work on?” she asked.
“Communication, [so] everybody is informed.” He added, we haven’t had the best communication.
“That’s always the case,” she replied.
The Mayor-Elect mentioned City street funding. Bustos offered to “facilitate with any difficulties with IDOT on the State level, to move the community forward with collaboration,” regarding roads, bridges, and Routes 78 and 30 through town.
He asked her to “do what you can to keep money in the budget, so we can get that [Thomson Correctional Facilty] open.”
She discussed her collaboration with Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, who will meet with Congressman Frank Wolf. The latter serves on the Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction for the funding of the Federal government.
Two veterans were next in line. Bob Yarbough, left, of Morrison, served in the Navy on a submarine. Donald Blair of Sterling, IL, was a Marine serving in Korea.
