State Rep. Raymond Poe named new Illinois agriculture director

Posted on November 13, 2015

Raymond Poe. (Photo courtesy the Illinois House of Representatives/ILGA.gov)

By Joe Ragusa

SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Raymond Poe has been named the new director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Governor Rauner announced the appointment Friday. Poe has served in the general assembly since 1995 as a Republican representative from Springfield. Republican party leaders in the counties that make up Illinois’ 99th district are in charge of picking a successor to Poe in the Illinois House.

Poe replaces former Department of Agriculture director Philip Nelson, who resigned in late September.

Rauner said in a statement that Poe’s experience as a lifelong farmer, businessman and legislator makes him the ideal candidate for the job.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…