Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 1-6

6 I BEAC0NNEWS0NLINE.COM TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 StateNews 'Illinois can be great again M- juHsH Rauner, sworn in as governor, says business as usual would be 'morally corrupt' BY RICK PEARSON, MONIQUE GARCIA AND KIM GEIGER Chicago Tribune Bruce Rauner was inaugurated Monday as Illinois' 42nd governor in a pomp-filled ceremony, promising to restore a state suffering from financial, moral and ethical crises. "If we work together, Illinois can be great again," Rauner said in his inaugural address delivered at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. "Together, let's do the hard work to rebuild our home. I'm ready to get to work for you. I'm ready to fight for you," he said.

Rauner enters his first public office as the first Republican to serve as governor since 2003. He said fixing the state's financial problems would require sacrifice. "Sacrifice by all of us politicians and interest groups, business and labor, those who pay for government and those who depend on government's services and need us and who we need to support," Rauner said. "Each person here today and all those throughout the state will be called upon to share in the sacrifice so that one day we can again share in Illinois' prosperity." Rauner said his actions would be guided "based on the next generation, not the next election" and pledged to work on a "bipartisan basis." Rauner faces a Democrat-dominated General Assembly in trying to advance his agenda. Reviving many phrases from his successful cam- Bruce Rauner waves to the crowd of supporters before taking the oath of office as Illinois' 42nd governor Monday in Springfield, (ap photoseth perlman) "Together, let's do the hard work to rebuild our home.

I'm ready to get to work for you. I'm ready to fight for you." GOV. BRUCE RAUNER And I've come to work for you." Among those in attendance were members of Illinois' congressional delegation and state legislators. Not in attendance was the man Rauner replaced as governor Pat Quinn, who remained in Chicago to finish his work, said one aide to the Democrat. Rauner took the oath of office at 12:10 p.m.

It was administered by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman of the Northern District of Illinois. Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis led a moment of paign for governor, Rauner contended the state also suffered from "moral" and "ethical" crises that must be repaired to restore trust between government and its citizens.

"They see lobbyists writing bills for special interests and taxpayers being left with the tab," he said. "They see government union bosses negotiating sweetheart deals across the table from governors they've spent tens of millions of dollars to help elect. That's a corrupt bargain and the people of Illinois are left to wonder where they fit in." er's criticism of existing powers in Illinois as immoral and corrupt might set a bad tone with lawmakers. Durkin said he found Rauner's approach "refreshing." "We don't need a rosy picture that's going to be portrayed about the state of Illinois," Durkin said. "The problems are deep, they're serious, they're not political.

We have to have a bipartisan solution to these major problems." Rauner, who spent millions of his personal wealth as a successful equity investor to get elected, said, "I'm nobody that nobody sent. Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago said the new governor has a lot to learn. "I look forward to working with him. The election's over, so he's going to have to learn though about state government. He hasn't had an opportunity to serve in state government, and so he's go ing to learn about the budget.

It's only about 38 more days when he's got to give a budget for the next fiscal year and we look forward to hearing how he wants to balance it and what the priorities are." House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs was asked if Raun-.