As a practical matter, Illinois state Sen. Dale Fowler does not have a huge incentive to devote much time or attention to the struggles of Cairo, Illinois. While the small impoverished community is situated in his sprawling 59th Illinois Senate District, it is in one of the most depopulated counties in the country. It is not the locus of economic vitality, campaign funds or large numbers of voters.
A businessman, banker and Republican legislator, Fowler is not the most obvious ally of beleaguered Cairo. But he is one its most steadfast champions.
He believes the town is home to good people and sees a community that is in dire straits. Therefore, Fowler cares deeply about Cairo. He cares about the struggles of its residents, the unraveling of its economy, the potential of its port and its hopes for a better future.
Over the years, Fowler has made multiple trips and devoted countless hours to Cairo — inspecting the site where the port will be rebuilt and modernized, encouraging Cairo’s preservation society and even hosting a block party. He has tried to strengthen the town’s economy, heal its wounds and lift its spirit.
All political leaders must weigh the competing imperatives of public needs, personal goals and partisan responsibilities. One of the central measures of statesmanship, I believe, is placing the public good before personal and partisan considerations. Easy to say; hard to do. Fowler, far more than most political leaders, does it.
His leadership is rooted in a commitment to service, an insistence on civility and a passion for promoting the public interest. Statesmanship means building for the future, even when there are few tangible rewards.
Fowler is the opposite of what many of us think of as politicians. He is kind, self-effacing, modest and respectful. There are no traces of guile, cynicism, arrogance or duplicity. He has never run a negative campaign ad, assumes the best about his colleagues and works with anyone who wants to improve Illinois. “It’s such an honor to serve,” he says.
A native of Eldorado, a small, former coal mining town in deep southern Illinois, Fowler spent the bulk of his career working for the state of Illinois, first in the secretary of state’s office, then the Department of Corrections and then the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Prior to his current position, he served as a Saline County Board member, a Harrisburg city commissioner and then the town’s mayor.
Fowler was elected to the state Senate in 2016 and represents a district that stretches over 14 counties and 4,800 square miles. As a legislator, he has focused on economic development, veterans’ programs, tourism and poverty reduction.
Fowler works with problem solvers from either party. In 2018, then-Gov.-elect JB Pritzker appointed Fowler to his Job Creation and Economic Opportunity Committee.
Fowler is one of four members of the Illinois General Assembly serving on the governor’s Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security. The group is charged with finding ways to cut deep and persistent poverty in Illinois by 50% by 2026, lift all the state’s children from poverty by 2031 and eliminate poverty entirely in Illinois by 2036. It is a noble, but unrealistic, goal, yet Fowler is captivated by the ideal and wants to find practical ways to achieve it. He proudly announced his participation on the panel, pledging to be “a voice for people of this state currently confronting the daily realities and challenges of living in poverty. Sadly, even in the best of times, poverty remains a profoundly serious issue in our state, especially in southern Illinois.”
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For decades, Fowler has been haunted by an elementary school memory in which a brother and sister were ridiculed by classmates for wearing the same clothes every day because of their economic circumstances.
This memory propelled Fowler into action. In 2002, he created the Fowler Bonan Foundation that provides school clothes to poor children throughout southern Illinois. Last year, 900 youngsters received full or partial wardrobes through the foundation. It also provides weekly groceries to those in need in the Harrisburg area.
When Fowler first ran for the Illinois Senate, he pledged to only serve a decade. He quietly announced this summer that he will honor this pledge and retire from the Senate next year. However, he vowed to keep working to make his community better through his foundation and other activities.
I once asked Fowler how he relaxed. He recalled that as a young man, he loved to golf but has largely set aside his clubs. “I don’t play golf very much anymore,” he said. “I guess you can say that my pastime is helping others.”
John T. Shaw is director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Shaw’s columns, exclusive to the Tribune, appear the last Monday of each month. His most recent book is “The Education of a Statesman: How Global Leaders Can Repair a Fractured World.”
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