East Central Reporter

Chris Miller jokes that his new job in Springfield requires too many of the same tools he uses on his downstate farm.

“I came away thinking I need to take the same standard equipment down here that we have to use on the farm every day to deal with all the mess, gum boots included,” The newly elected Republican from Oakland told the East Central Reporter after a week of orientation for new members of the state legislature. “The so-called orientation was more like an indoctrination, because all you heard is talk about how we need more money when we all know that’s the last thing the people of the state want to hear.”

Miller, who knocked off his Democratic opponent, Shirley Bell, with 60 percent of the vote in the 110th District in the general election, added the business as usual theme to the event really hit him square on when he learned of Rep. Stephanie Kifowit’s (D-Aurora) rant against Republican colleague Peter Breen (R-Lombard) on the House floor after he expressed trepidation about a bill that would raise the amount of eligible damages to up to $2 million for families impacted by a recent deadly Legionnaires outbreak at a state-run veterans home in Quincy.

Chris Miller

“To the representative from Lombard, I would like to make him a broth of legionella and pump it into the water system of his loved ones so that they can be infected, they can be mistreated, they can sit and suffer by getting aspirin instead of being properly treated and ultimately die. We are talking about talking our nation's heroes. We are talking World War II veterans that survived combat, survived war, survived unthinkable situations that they were put in to sit back put their faith and trust in the state of Illinois and have that completely, unabashedly disregarded,” Kifowit said after Breen had spoken.

Though the Chicago Tribune later reported she claimed her words were “misinterpreted and mischaracterized,” Miller said the video doesn’t lie.

“Listen to it for yourself,” he said. “If she was a republican, news of it would now be national news, especially when you consider that there were other members of the democratic caucus applauding her for what she had to say. The double-standard just blows my mind.”

In all, 14 people died following the Legionnaires outbreak and nearly 70 others became ill.

The 110th House District includes Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar and Lawrence counties.