State Senator Mike Jacobs (D-East Moline) is seeking re-election in the 36th district of Illinois. He was appointed on February 9, 2005 as the state senator in this area replacing his popular father Senator Denny Jacobs. Mike Jacobs then went on to defeat Paul Rumler by 1,813 votes in the 2006 Democratic primary election. This year’s primary is Tuesday, February 5.
Jacobs became famous statewide last year for telling Governor Rod Blagojevich that he would have kicked his “tail end” if he saw him in an East Moline bar. However, Jacobs and the governor worked together to secure free bus passes for seniors just recently. “When the governor’s right, I’ll stand up with him,” he said.
Jacobs said that the comments were directed at a $2 billion tax increase that the governor wanted, at a time when gasoline is almost $4 a gallon and people are trying to make ends meet. “I didn’t come to stand with the governor, I came to elected office to stand up for the district I represent,” he said.
In his last term as state senator, Jacobs said his two biggest accomplishments were getting health care for children and raising the minimum wage in Illinois.
Jacobs said that Fed Ex coming to East Moline, the Triumph pork plant, and more revenue from the Rock Island casino would bring economic development to the Quad Cities. He said that the area needs to change their perception on how they see themselves. “I see a renaissance in the Midwest for manufacturing opportunities. We have a very low unemployment rate, I think there’s going to be a blue sky ahead,” he said.
On the Roadway Safety and Mandatory Insurance Act (HB 1100), which would have given the undocumented a driving certificate, Jacobs said that the bill would be presented in this year’s legislative session. He did not comment on whether he supported the bill or not but said that English should be spoken. Jacobs supports English as a Second Language programs (ESL) citing Jefferson pre-school as an example, “so that when they get to kindergarten, (they’re) not at a competitive disadvantage.”
Senator Jacobs is a frequent speaker at ceremonies for Hero Street Park in Silvis and for the Hero Street Monument.
For fun, Jacobs said that he likes to spend time with his son and family, watch football, and spend time riding his bike in the summer. His favorite book is “Catcher in the Rye”, favorite movie is “All the King’s Men”, and his favorite quote is “You can’t go through life with two catcher mitts. You’ve got to put one of those catcher mitts down and throw the ball back.”
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