Voice of The Southern: Durbin’s visit vital for region to see

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin spent a busy April 21 in Southern Illinois.

The senior senator from Illinois spoke with Cairo residents about the impending closure of the Elmwood and McBride public housing complexes. He met with Carbondale mayor Mike Henry, SIU president Randy Dunn, Ray Lang of Amtrak and Doug Kimmel of Veterans Airport and then he held a town hall meeting for constituents at SIU.

That’s a busy day, and it was good to see Sen. Durbin in Southern Illinois.

There is a real reluctance to pat someone on the back for simply doing their job. But, this is Illinois, where governors frequently move from the statehouse to the big house, budgets are ignored for years at a time and the state’s credit ratings decline on a regular basis.

It’s also worth pointing out to other politicians that it is possible to hold, and survive, a town hall meeting for your constituents.

And, while we laud Sen. Durbin for his time in the region, it also seems fair to point out that he was late to the dance in Cairo. The deterioration of the Cairo housing facilities and the attendant malfeasance has been ongoing for decades.

Additionally, Durbin’s initial response in Molly Parker’s April 11 story in The Southern that outlined the deplorable conditions in Cairo seemed quite tepid.

“Elections make a difference at the election of Donald Trump, the appointment of his new Office of Management and Budget (director), tells me that I would be foolish to create an unrealistic scenario,” Durbin said.

We’re not taking issue with the substance of that comment, only the tone.

A measured statement of concern and a commitment to make the plight of Cairo residents a priority would have been welcome.

But, to his credit, Durbin has stepped up his game in the past two weeks – not just on the Cairo situation, but the many overriding issues facing the entire region.

In his meeting with Henry, Dunn, Lang and Kimmel, Durbin addressed President Trump’s proposed budget, a budget that could eliminate Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, an important link to Chicago and other metropolitan areas. The budget could also negatively impact the limited air travel now available in the region.

We wholeheartedly agree with Durbin’s assessment that the Trump budget seemingly put a target on Southern Illinois. We would expect our senator to notice that, but here in the hinterlands, it’s reassuring to know Sen. Durbin is paying close attention.

But, simply appearing in the region and listening to the concerns of officials and constituents is just the first step. Seeing action on the ground is now the expectation.

We don’t expect overnight success – the wheels of government turn slowly. But, hopefully Sen. Durbin’s significant influence in Washington will result in relief for the soon-to-be displaced residents of Cairo. Hopefully, he can advocate for continuing funding for Amtrak, an entity whose importance to the region can’t be overlooked.

We also hope that Sen. Durbin and State Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, will communicate about their ideas to help Cairo. If ever there was a situation that begged for bipartisanship, this is it.

Finally, we also hope Sen. Durbin urges newly-elected U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth to make a visit to Cairo and the rest of the region. The more voices advocating for Cairo, Southern Illinois University and the citizens of Southern Illinois the better.

Again, it’s important to note that Sen. Durbin was simply doing his job during his visit to Southern Illinois. Conversely, at times it is important to let public servants know their work is both vital to the region and appreciated.