Trotter Stalls Recall Bill in Senate

By Kevin Robinson in News on Apr 17, 2008 3:16PM

Amid heated debate and personal invective, the proposed recall amendment stalled in the state senate yesterday. Rep. Jack Franks, the House Democrat who drafted the bill, said that it was aimed at Blagojevich. "I wouldn't have drafted it if I thought things were going well," Franks said. Along with Franks, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who supports recall, urged senators to pass the bill before May 4, the deadline to get the amendment before voters on the November ballot. "This Senate has to have the fortitude not to duck the issue," Quinn said. Jones said it was unfair to give the senate so little time to consider such a bill. "You waited all that time to force us at that deadline," Jones said. "We have an obligation over here as well."

Senator Donne Trotter claims that he's not stalling, however. He's the sponsor of the bill in the senate, which means that he gets to say how it advances. Trotter, an ally of Emil Jones (who is a Blagojevich ally), delayed a vote on the measure, saying it needs improvement. Senate Democrats say that if the amendment included provisions to recall all elected officials and judges, it might gain some traction in the Senate. Others argue that voters already have the means to remove officials they are unhappy with: elections. "Too often we bend because of perception," said Trotter, who also said that he expects to call a revised version of the measure to a vote on Thursday.