 For 15 years, the Republican candidate for Illinois governor has
followed a less-is-more philosophy at the state Capitol. He hasn't
pushed sweeping legislative schemes. He rarely introduces bills
promising to cure the latest headline-grabbing problem.The result
is a legislative record that offers voters little help judging
whether Brady, 49, is prepared to run a state government struggling
with the largest budget deficit in Illinois history.
Brady, a Bloomington high school football star who married his
college sweetheart and went into the family business before entering
local politics, now wants to be the state's chief executive. It
wouldn't be his first time facing a financial crisis.
Twenty-five years ago, his father's construction business went
bankrupt. Brady and his brothers stepped in to help, eventually
putting it on sound footing and turning it into one of the largest
home-builders in central Illinois.
Today, the company is struggling again as the recession takes its
toll. The Brady family real estate firm has laid off about half its
employees. Their construction business cut staff by two-thirds.
Brady plays down questions about whether he's prepared to govern
Illinois. He says what Illinois needs in a governor is the right mix
of useful experience and sound policies -- in this case, someone who
knows business and is committed to holding taxes down.
"There are some jobs you never prove (you're ready for) until
you've done it," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.
His rival, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, scoffs at the idea that
Brady is ready to be governor.
"I have a record of accomplishment," Quinn said recently. "He
talks about great things, but he doesn't deliver when it comes to
the actual record."
The record shows that Brady has spent most of his time in
Springfield trying to fine-tune the laws on a few select topics,
particularly insurance -- a reflection of Brady representing
Bloomington, the headquarters for at least two insurance companies.
People who have worked with him say Brady doesn't believe a new
law is the answer to every new problem. They describe him as a firm
believer in the idea that the best way to help Illinois families is
to help business grow and create new jobs.
"I don't think he would put the needs of business ahead of the
needs of college students, the developmentally disabled, the
mentally ill, but I think he does have a clear focus that if there
are no jobs, he's not going to meet those needs anyway," said Rep.
Bill Black, a Danville Republican who is retiring this year.
Brady helped pass legislation letting banks sell insurance. He
pushed to bar companies from denying coverage to domestic-violence
victims and to let them sell stripped-down policies that offered
little coverage.
Denny Jacobs is now an insurance lobbyist but used to be a
Democratic legislator and chairman of the Senate Insurance
Committee. He recalls being able to work well with Brady, who was
generally open to compromises with the Democratic majority.
"Of course, we had the gavel, so he had to be in a position to
compromise," Jacobs said.
Jacobs added that he and Brady generally opposed requiring
insurance companies to offer specific types of coverage, because
they drive up costs.
Jim Duffett, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for
Better Health Care, said Brady is consistently on the side of
insurance companies. He particularly criticizes Brady's efforts to
allow bare-bones insurance policies. Duffett called them "snake-oil
plans" that offer consumers almost nothing for their money.
Brady's work in Springfield also reflects his experience as a
real estate developer. He has worked to standardize building codes,
spell out requirements for home mortgages and settle such mundane
issues as the rules for installing home sprinkler systems.
Several people described him as a legislator who listens to the
other side and asks sharp questions about proposals -- including
whether government really needs to take any action at all.
"He generally looks at it not from 'How can government solve
this?' but 'Why should government be involved in this?’" said
lobbyist Zack Stamp.
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One area where Brady has displayed a more activist streak is on
conservative social issues.
He has backed legislation allowing discrimination against gay
people by groups with religious affiliations, barring any state
involvement in embryonic stem cell research, letting pharmacists
refuse to dispense emergency contraception and banning civil unions
between gay couples.
None of the measures became law. In fact, relatively few of
Brady's bills have ever become law, partly because he has spent
virtually his entire career in the legislative minority.
When Brady is asked about his accomplishments, he often mentions
helping create Bloomington's Heartland Community College. But
Heartland was established before Brady took office. (Brady says he
helped push for the college as a private citizen and then made sure
it got funding after he was elected.) He also cites helping to
guarantee health insurance for retired teachers, which took place in
1995.
"In very nice terms, I don't think he has a legislative record.
He never really did anything," said Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan
Democrat who has served with Brady on the Senate Revenue Committee.
Critics can't make the same allegation about Brady's record in
business.
Brady's father filed for bankruptcy in 1984, when Brady was in
his early 20s. Brady and his two brothers stepped in to help and
eventually turned the ailing company into a string of about two
dozen businesses.
They build homes, buy and sell property, and own a motel, a radio
station and even an indoor football team, the Bloomington Extreme.
William Ward, executive vice president of Home Builders
Association of Illinois, said that at their peak the Bradys were
probably building 200 homes a year throughout central Illinois.
Jesse Smart was mayor of Bloomington from 1985 to 1997, when the
city and the Bradys were growing rapidly. He says Bill Brady, the
eldest brother, tends to be the personality of the team, while Ed is
the brains and youngest brother, Bobby, is the workhorse.
"It's a good combination," Smart said. "They all seem to have
their role."
Smart said the family's bankruptcy left a deep impression on
Brady.
Brady's wife, Nancy, once told Smart that he watches every penny
-- an attitude that Smart thinks would help in the governor's
office.
"He'd have a different outlook on that than some silver-spoon
kid," Smart said.
Like many companies involved in property and home sales, the
Brady businesses are struggling now. In 2002, their company got 160
permits to build homes worth $7.4 million in Bloomington and Normal.
By 2009, that had fallen to 32 permits for $3.6 million in homes.
Brady's personal income has fallen, too -- to the point that his
business losses outweighed his legislative salary and he wound up
paying no federal income taxes last year. Quinn has criticized him
for that.
But Brady argues that his business struggles, including having to
lay off employees, prepare him for dealing with the state's much
larger financial problems.
"Our challenges are so difficult we're going to have to think
beyond the box," Brady said.
[Associated Press;
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS] Associated Press
Political Writer John O'Connor contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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