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Too much “whereas this and whereas that”

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is no longer in danger of losing key programs that were set to be transferred to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, but according to an Executive Order that became effective on April 1, the Illinois Governor has transferred “certain media relations” functions from all of the state agencies he governs to the Department of Central Management Services.
I received, on Good Friday, April 9, from an anonymous source, a computer-scanned copy of said order, which was issued by Governor Blagojevich on March 31, 2004, and filed with the Secretary of State on April 1, 2004. I did receive confirmation from the Illinois Department of Agriculture that this Executive Order, is in fact, accurate.
Although there was a great deal of hoopla over the Governor’s “decision to keep the Department of Agriculture intact” he evidently has not decided FOR SURE to keep the Department of Agriculture intact.
The order reads, “EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REORGANIZE AGENCIES BY THE TRANSFER OF CERTAIN MEDIA RELATIONS FUNCTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CENTRAL MANGEMENT SERVICES. WHEREAS, Article V, Section 11 of the Illinois Constitution authorizes the Governor to reassign functions or reorganize executive agencies that are directly responsible to him by means of executive order . . .”
I do not understand why we were told there would not be transferring of divisions from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. I do not understand why we were told the Department of Agriculture is going to remain intact. Printed out from my computer, the order is 6 pages of “whereas this and whereas that,” but in my humble interpretation, it says that anybody who works in media relations for any government agency in Illinois could be affected. It is my interpretation that if it pleases the governor to transfer any functions performed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s public information staff to CMS, he will do so. This order went into effect on April 1, 2004.
The order also states “All books, records, papers, documents, property (real and personal), contracts, unexpended appropriations and pending business pertaining to the functions transferred by this Executive Order to the Department of Central Management Services . . . .shall be delivered to CMS pursuant to the CMS Director.”
So what does this mean to you and me? Well, first, I feel like someone has pulled a fast one on me. If indeed, all or part of the public information office at the Illinois Department of Agriculture is going to be transferred, this impacts all newspaper, radio, internet and television reporters who rely upon contacts in media relations at IDOA to get the information necessary to provide a factual news product to producers and consumers.
Most of us who specialize in covering agriculture have relationships with Bureau Chiefs and others at the department, but protocol is and always has been, to go through the public information office when possible. The “media relations” division at the Department of Agriculture is specialized to answer media questions about agriculture. If these media relations divisions are all thrown together into one single agency, despite every good intention, I believe that the information released could very well be an adulterated product. I know and understand agriculture as do others specialized in agriculture coverage. Most reporters do not possess the same skill set. I personally don’t want the more “liberal press” and activist groups such as PETA, Farm Sanctuary, Greenpeace, Environmental Working Group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and Waterkeepers Alliance talking to a P.R. person who doesn’t have a good handle on the food and fiber industry in Illinois. That could be devastating. It would be very easy for anti-agriculture groups to infiltrate the public information office if it is not directly associated with or headquartered within the Department of Agriculture!
The Public Information Office at the Illinois Department of Agriculture serves as the “mouthpiece” for the agency. With fewer farm broadcasters and print journalists specializing in agriculture, the value of the P.I.O. has increased ten-fold.
Maintaining a public information office at the Illinois Department of Agriculture could be as important to your business in the long run as keeping those divisions initially scheduled to be transferred to IDNR and IEPA intact.
You might want to mention this to your legislators. You will find a complete listing of members of the Illinois General Assembly on the Internet at