How the Chicago guys operated

I was lobbying in Springfield for nursing home reform in the mid-80s and had to scrounge up votes for a bill in the State Senate, where we didn’t have a lot of support.

Then-State’s Attorney Rich Daley was backing the bill, so I thought I’d start my lobbying efforts with his guys. State Senator Timothy Degnan, who represented Daley’s district, said he’d support it. So, I decided to talk to the other Daley guy, State Senator Jerry Joyce, a former Chicago Alderman.

The way lobbying worked was you’d give your business card to the Sergeant-at-Arms in the hallway outside the chamber (only current and former legislators were allowed inside the Chamber). He’d take it to the legislator, and that person would come out and talk to you.

So, I gave him my card to take to Joyce and I waited … and waited and waited. I wondered why Joyce wasn’t coming out to talk to me. Then, the Sergeant-at-arms returned, still holding my business card, and said, “Joyce wants you to know that if it’s good enough for Degnan it’s good enough for him.”