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Friday, January 28, 2005

Ind. Gov't. - State government cutbacks in Illinois . . .

"State takes man's job --and his wheelchair" is the headline to a story today in the Chicago Tribune. Some quotes:

When the state laid off Arthur "Red" Burchyett a few weeks ago from his $47,000-a-year state park mechanic's job, he didn't just have to turn in his ID. Bureaucrats also repossessed the custom-designed, state-owned wheelchair that Burchyett, a paraplegic, had been using for more than a decade.

Since 1982, Burchyett had been repairing farm equipment and other vehicles at a wildlife refuge in far southern Illinois. Eleven years ago, after he lost the use of his legs in a tractor accident, the state paid $25,000 for a motorized chair specifically outfitted to help Burchyett perform his mechanic's duties.

Now it has been placed in a state pool where officials of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration say it will sit idle until either Burchyett gets recalled to work or another state employee can make use of its special features that can elevate someone to a standing position.

"The wheelchair that was designed for his accommodation as a mechanic has to remain state property," said Gayle Simpson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, the state agency that cut Burchyett's job. "He can't use it. It has to stay."

Apparently, no sooner did the paper hit the streets, however, than the Tribune was able to publish this update on its website:
UPDATE: Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office this morning announced the governor has ordered the Department of Natural Resources to return Arthur Burchyett's wheelchair and give him back his job. "Yes, these are tough times and we have to make tough decisions, but that has to be balanced with compassion and common sense," Blagojevich said in a prepared statement.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 28, 2005 03:12 PM
Posted to Indiana Government