Gov. Bruce Rauner has ‘congenial’ and ‘forthcoming’ meeting with four tops

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner is a “straight-forward, very intelligent person that wants to learn.”

And his first official meeting with the so-called “four tops” was “congenial” and “forthcoming” — but no specifics were discussed.

That was the take of the Legislature’s two top Democrats after Rauner summoned them and their GOP counterparts to his office for his first meeting with them as governor.

“Everything was very forthcoming in terms of exchanging information. Nothing specific, no hard decisions were made. I think we all agreed to work together to solve some problems,” House Speaker Michael Madigan told reporters afterward.

Will it be a rocky transition for the state’s first Republican governor in more than a decade?

“It’ll be difficult if somebody wants to make it difficult, but that’s not going to be me,” Madigan said. “I plan to commit to the people of the state of Illinois and to Gov. Rauner to work cooperatively to solve the problems of the state.”

The hour-long meeting was a signal that the “four tops” could be back in action.

Rauner called the meeting with Madigan, Democratic Senate President John Cullerton, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno on the governor’s first full day on the job.

Such meetings had fallen by the wayside in recent years.

Rauner described the meeting as very productive and positive. They discussed pathways of communication and joint sacrifice.

Cullerton said he’s optimistic after the meeting.

“The governor is straight-forward, very intelligent person that wants to learn,” the North Side Democrat said. “He indicated that he wants to be bipartisan, and so do we.”

Cullerton told reporters he urged the governor to do everything possible to get Republicans to pass a state budget.

He said he hopes Rauner persuades his party to participate in the budget process, something Republicans haven’t done in the six years he’s spent as Senate president.

“He’s got to tell his members, if he wants to blame it on the past Democrats that were in charge, that’s fine with me,” Cullerton said. “Whatever it takes for him to get his members to participate in the budget process, let him do it.”

Cullerton said Tuesday marked his fifth meeting with Rauner.

Cullerton also criticized former Gov. Pat Quinn, whom he said exceeded his authority in the executive orders he signed on Monday, just before leaving office.

“Yes he did [exceed his authority],” Cullerton said. “There was a couple he did on immigration that exceeded his authority so we’re going to put legislation in as we have done numerous times. We rejected Gov. Quinn’s executive orders three or four times in the last six years. What you do then is if it’s a good idea you put a new bill in and you pass the bill.”

Cullerton said his top priority will be passing the minimum wage.

“We’re going to try to pass a minimum wage increase because that’s one of the top priorities that I have for the next session.”

Radogno also painted the meeting in a positive light and said it set the tone of Rauner’s administration.

“I think we’re all in agreement that there’s going to have to be a bipartisan solution to the problems that we have,” Radogno said.

She also slipped in what sounded like a parting shot directed at Quinn.

“First off we have someone that was actually capable of running a meeting and moving the discourse forward in a productive manner,” she said.

Durkin said his party would work with both the governor and the Democrats: “That was the tone of the meeting.”

This was Durkin’s first meeting with the governor and three other legislative leaders since becoming the minority leader in 2013, he said.

Durkin said the four agreed to “get him [Rauner] up to speed” on a bevvy of issues, including education and energy concerns in the state.

Rauner is scheduled to address the Legislature on Wednesday.

He was seen in the Illinois Senate chambers on Tuesday practicing his speech to the incoming 99th General Assembly.