CAIRO MAYOR ASSAILS CLOSURE OF BUREAU

CAIRO Ill. Closing the state Drivers License Bureau in Cairo is another example of state government's insensitivity to the economic needs of small communities, according to Cairo's Mayor Jim Wilson.

The Cairo facility is one of 33 full-time Illinois driver examination centers that will be closed Feb. 15. Each of the state's 19 part-time facilities will also be closed.

Secretary of State George Ryan has said the closures and dismissal of more than 200 state employees is necessary to compensate for the $3.4 million the state has to pay to 2,750 General Services Employees Union workers for union pay raises.

But Wilson maintains it is unfair for the state to close the facility in Cairo. He said it will mean people from Cairo and surrounding towns will be forced to drive to Anna for license services, about 40 miles away.

The office in Anna has not been designated by the state as one that will be closed. Wilson maintains that the facility in Anna should be closed before the one in Cairo because Anna residents are just 19 miles from another license office in Carbondale.

The mayor said it is yet another example of his town being overlooked and treated unfairly by state officials.

"There's no doubt about it," he said. "What it comes right down to is political clout. We just don't have it."

Cairo, because of its extreme southern location and high percentage of poor residents, is often discounted by state officials, the mayor said.

"Our community is one of the poorest in Southern Illinois, and the burden will be much greater for the people of Cairo to get to Anna than the people of Anna to get to Carbondale."

He said that in the past several years, other state offices have moved from his city as well, including the Illinois State Police headquarters and the weather service. With them go jobs and traffic that help boost the town's economy.

"I know the state's making cuts everywhere, but when you're in desperate shape, any cuts like this cause us undue hardship that we can't bear," Wilson said.

The Illinois General Assembly has also approved a $900,000 reduction in this year's spending plan, which state officials say is another reason for the layoffs. The reduction was signed by Gov. Jim Edgar on Friday.

Wilson said he and members of the Cairo City Council plan to draft a letter opposing the closure at a council meeting tonight. But he doesn't hold much hope that the letter will have any effect in Springfield.

"I honestly don't believe it will carry any weight whatsoever," he said. "We've done this in the past and I haven't seen where it's done much good."

But Wilson said he can't let the closure happen without some type of protest.

"Every little thing hurts in a community this size," he said. "The magnitude of this is greater than people realize."

The Cairo license office employs three people, Wilson said. It is not known if they will be transferred to another state office or lose their jobs. The office was closed Monday.

Statewide, in addition to the dismissal of 204 employees, 124 state workers will face layoffs. At least 100 more could have their jobs terminated later this week.

Additional sites that will close on Feb. 15 include the full-time drivers facilities in Aledo, Benton, Bethalto, Bridgeview, Carmi, Carthage, Chadwick, Charleston, Clinton, Dixon, Flora, Gibson City, Greenville, Havana, Hillsboro, Hoopeston, Lacon, LaSalle, Lawrenceville, Mendota, Monticello, Mount Carmel, Nashville, Pinckneyville, Rantoul, Salem, Shlelbyville, Streator, Tuscola, Vienna, Waterloo and Wyoming.

Part-time facilities that will be closed are currently located in Albion, Carlyle, Elizabethtown, Golconda, Greenup, Hardin, Hennepin, Marshall, McLeansboro, Mounds, Mount Sterling, Newton, Oquawka, Petersburg, Roodhouse, Rushville, Shawneetown, Sullivan and Winchester.