New kid in town: Incumbent congressman Johnson runs in Madison County

EDWARDSVILLE — If you live in Glen Carbon, Maryville, Edwardsville or parts of Collinsville and you get a phone call from a guy who says he’s a congressman, but his name isn’t familiar, it’s not a prank.

It’s U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, a Republican from Champaign who’s running in some new territory because of redistricting, including parts of Madison County.

Johnson is known in his current district, an area around Champaign, Decatur, Bloomington and Danville, for his relentless phone calls to constituents. It’s something he began in the 1980s, while serving as a state representative. In the Illinois House, between votes, he’d randomly cold-call constituents to ask what was on their minds.

He estimates that he makes about 200 constituent calls a day. A congressman since 2001, he’s not sure how many calls he’s made over the years.

“Oh, hundreds of thousands,” he said during a stop Friday at the Sacred Grounds coffee shop in Edwardsville. “Hundreds of thousands. It’s amazing, the wisdom of ordinary people.”

Johnson was touting his proposed Citizen Legislature Act, which he said would make it easier for ordinary people to serve in Congress and would cut what the country spends on Congress by up to $3 billion per year.

The plan also calls for Congress members’ $174,000-per-year salaries to be cut in half, along with their office expense allowances. In addition, congressmen would be allowed to hold outside jobs, as long as they don’t profit from being congressmen, such as by being a lobbyist or consultant.

Congress would be allowed to be in session five days per month, according to the plan. For every five days Congress is in session over that limit, Congress members’ salaries would be cut another 10 percent.

Johnson said he knows the proposal isn’t likely to go anywhere, but it’s the principle of the matter.

“I certainly don’t think it’s going to be passed,” he said. “Too many people’s oxes would be gored by it.”

Matt Goetten, the state’s attorney of Greene County and one of two Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in the district, says Johnson is just playing political games. Goetten’s message for Johnson essentially is: Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

“Congressman Johnson is part of the problem in Washington, and it’s clear he’ll do to anything to stay in Congress,” Goetten said. “When Congressman Tim Johnson first ran for Congress more than 10 years ago, he supported term limits. Now Congressman Johnson is trying to hide his failed record of supporting job-killing trade agreements and ending Medicare as we know it by introducing bogus reform initiatives so he can get re-elected.”

The other Democratic candidate is Bloomington physician David Gill. Republicans running against Johnson in the primary election March 20 are Michael Firsching, a veterinarian from Moro, and Frank Metzger, a retired ironworker and Navy veteran from Glen Carbon.

The new 13th Congressional District also takes in Godfrey, Jerseyville, Carlinville, Litchfield, Hillsboro, Taylorville, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign and part of Bloomington.