advertisement

Brother of serving senator seeks his own seat

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Ken Burzynski hopes this election is a repeat of 1908.

Burzynski's great-grandfather was elected to the General Assembly that year.

"And we hope the voters will send his great-grandson to the General Assembly exactly 100 years later," the Benton Republican said during a stop in Harrisburg.

Burzynski, owner and owner and operator of the County Seat Antique Mall in Benton, faces state Sen. Gary Forby in the 59th Senate District General Election. He believes his experience in business and on the Franklin Regional Economic Development Corporation should convince voters to send him to Springfield in November.

"I'm a businessman, not a politician," Burzynski said.

Burzynski said Forby is attached to the hip to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones, who announced his retirement since the interview was conducted.

"We have to have someone who will stand up in the legislature and speak for Southern Illinois," Burzynski said.

Forby introduced Blagojevich a couple years ago in Marion as one of the best things that has ever happened to Southern Illinois.

One of the biggest differences between Burzynski and Forby can be summed up in the first vote taken in the Senate, Burzynski said.

"I would vote for a Southern Illinoisan, Frank Watson. His first vote would be to re-elect Emil Jones as president of the Senate," Burzynski said.

Watson is from Greenville, which is on Interstate 70 about halfway between Vandalia and the Metro East.

After he got a degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Burzynski moved to Texas to work on a master's degree. He ended up staying down there 30 years. Most of his business experience in Texas involved helping startup companies and struggling businesses with sales management. He also participated in "positive thinking rallies" with Norman Vincent Peale and Art Linkletter, Burzynski said.

"And for a while I hosted a home-shopping channel on national TV a few years ago," Burzynski said.

His business background has led Burzynski to believe attitude is key, he said.

"I think the first thing Southern Illinois has to do is create the mindset of a winner. We've been down so long," he said.

The region needs to come together as a group, bury old geographic differences and start thinking that we can accomplish things.

"In Texas, you never hear 'we can't do that,'" Burzynski said.

Instead, he said, people start exploring how to accomplish a goal rather than shooting it down first.

"We have to have unity of vision and an attitude. If we do that, money will come," Burzynski said.

Burzynski became director of FREDCO in 2005. In 2007, he convinced FedEx ground to build a distribution site in West Frankfort, Burzynski said. He also has served on the board of directors of the Southern Illinois Tourism Development Office.

Burzynski cited a few issues that he believes need special attention -- keeping doctors in Southern Illinois, taking care of teachers and cutting waste in government.

The state's fiscal crunch has led to Medicaid payments being late to doctors and nursing homes. Coupled with high medical malpractice rates for doctors, the atmosphere is leading doctors to relocate to other states, Burzynski said.

"And we have to take care of out teachers. They don't have time to teach. They have so many state-mandated forms they don't have time to teach," Burzynski said.

Cutting government waste can raise revenue for the state and help fund solutions to these issues, Burzynski said.

"I'm not in favor of selling our lotteries to raise revenue," Burzynski said.

An example of waste Burzynski cited is mowing alongside public roadways. When the budget is tight, it seems roadsides are mowed less often, if at all. Burzynski has observed most of the grass along roadsides is fescue -- the state could have farmers bid on the right to cut the fescue for hay, which would save the state money and raise hay for farmers.

If he is elected, Burzynski won't be the only Burzynski in the Senate. His brother, J. Bradley Burzynski, represents the DeKalb area.

"We believe we'd be the first brother duo in the state legislature," Burzynski said.