An Open Letter to Ben Wikler

Hello friends, and welcome back to Sunshine Strategies Radio!  I’m Jen McMillin, your host and founder of Sunshine Strategies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping solve problems in central Illinois.

If you are a new listener - hi there!  I’m going to start today with a bit of an introduction because, for some reason, I start every conversation as if you are my best friend, when in actuality you may not know me very well.

So, who the heck am I, and why am I qualified for this job of podcasting and yelling at the government, in the nicest way possible?

Jen walking in the woods

Well, I’m a part of a pretty awesome family and a mom to three kids - 21, 11, and 3.  My oldest is super smart and in college - my stepson.  My middle is a 5th grader in Macon County, and my youngest is my daughter who attends a local, nonprofit daycare center.

I have degrees in political studies and public administration from the University of Illinois - Springfield where I still visit regularly as the NPR Illinois Community Advisory Board president.

I’ve worked for over twenty (ugh) years in public policy, education, and organizing, most recently as the executive director at our local crisis nursery. 

I got into politics in 2015, running for Illinois state representative as a working mom against a member of our Freedom Caucus - losing but having a lot of fun.

When our county Democratic chair took a new job, moving to DC - I became a chair for about two months, only serving long enough to elect a new chair and help appoint a vacancy for the Illinois senate.

I’m also the woman who has had many conversations with my employers about keeping politics out of the workplace.  The party member who was told to sit down and shut up by older, more established members.  And the one that has MANY thoughts about President Biden’s remarks the other night

All of these experiences have led me here to create Sunshine Strategies and this podcast.  It is the most effective way for me to do the work I love, the work that is desperately needed in central Illinois, and provide a buffer for my political work.

Because all work is political, it’s just whether or not we acknowledge it.

These podcast episodes, if you are new - follow along to what my family is talking about in current events, the projects I’m working on, and a bit of history and Lincoln thrown in.  And usually - I prepare these episodes as letters to friends helping on the projects.  After writing to that day’s person, I’ll edit a bit and then post them here and on Substack.

So, I hope you’ll humor me a bit if today I pull back the curtain and make a personal appeal.

I’ve been trying to write about my sorrow for the passing of Jimmy Carter, the disappointment in the behavior of the upcoming administration, and the void I feel at the lack of true leadership in the Democratic party.  And as I think and write - I realize that most of you aren’t going to care about my musings.  But you might be interested in what I’d like to say to a few people I’d LIKE to make as new friends.

Today’s episode was originally written specifically to Ben Wikler - whom I do not know.  But this message is applicable to anyone who is interested in helping organize honest-to-gods progressive politics in downstate Illinois.

________

Hello, Mr. Wikler!

You don’t know me, but I’m a big fan of the work you’ve done in Wisconsin, and your approach to politics in general.  I also apologize for my forwardness, but honestly, I’m already exhausted and this seemed to be the best way to catch your attention.  

Did you know you’re kind of a big deal right now?

Anyway, I made a decision a while back, and honestly, I need your help. You were actually one of the people I thought about as I made my decision, mainly because you might be one of the few people who would take me seriously.

I want to be the first female Governor of Illinois.

Now, if you did know me - this wouldn’t be a surprise to you.  I’ve been joking about it for years, in fact since I was on the campaign trail with JB Pritzker in 2018.  And while it is a bit tongue in cheek - it’s not a lie.  I love this state, its people, and its history and I’m willing to fight for them.

But.

I refuse to play by the rules that political leaders have created in our country and my state.  And I’ve been kicked down at many turns because of it.

I started fighting eight years ago because I was tired of watching my favorite small towns slowly deteriorate and die.  I fought like a demon against the leadership of Michael Madigan, our state party chair, and I’m pretty sure he made me pay for it.  Even if I’m wrong, they sure as hell made sure to try and put me back in my place.  

Even now though, I know that while Democrats are a mess, they are the only shot we have to create a democratic future right now.  

That’s why I write to you, Ben, and hope to reach anyone else who shares our values for a progressive future for America.

While I refuse to run as a candidate for either party, I’m willing to stand with the Democrats if they are willing to actually change for the better of us all.  Even the rural voters who’ve left in the past since President Carter.

In the meantime, as I wait for the political mess to shake out, I’ve simply gotten back to work.  By creating Sunshine Strategies, I’ve got a nonprofit organization that I can consult, support, and connect with downstate communities to help them solve problems, like my poor Finley Cemetery and the people incarcerated in in Illinois correctional facilities.  This includes at-cost services like grant writing, lobbying, and marketing based in values, not politics.  

I’d like your help to add organizing and amplify my impact.

Regardless of your response to this message, I plan to help support your run for DNC chair.  And I’ll still be down here, talking to real people, getting stuck in snowdrifts, and asking a lot of polite yet important questions.

I know you are already on the stump, and probably won’t respond at all, but I wanted to put it on the record that I want to help, I want to offer this model to you and anyone wanting to put in the work to be “keepers of the flame.”  Those of us who are putting some skin in the game to bring actual populism to our country, not just the performative kind that Donald Trump’s friends yell about.

I just wanted to let you, and anyone else that is interested in helping me, that I’m ready to build the next generation of public servants in our country.  Even if they aren’t labeled Democrats or Republicans.  I’m ready to support whatever democratic solution comes out of our current mess while working now to capture the anger and activism at the current state of things.

Please - my contact information is on SunshineStrategies.org - tell us how to help you, or tell me how to make Sunshine Strategies more successful in the current climate.  Hell, I’ll even cook you dinner in exchange for 2 hours of your time.

And if you are still with me, and you AREN”T Ben Wikler…  I’d still love your help.  It will cost me about $5,000 a month to continue working on issues like Project Taphophile and grant writing for local nonprofits.  If my work, including this podcast, is valuable to you, I hope you’ll consider sending over a donation to help cover our first year full-time.

In closing, many words have been spoken lately about presidents, alive and past during this time of American turmoil.  So, instead of waxing poetic myself, I’ll end with a prayer that both a heathen like myself and Presidents Jimmy Carter and Abe Lincoln could all agree on.

Let us continue to grow as citizens of our communities, our nation, and our world. Let us work to build the common good, for ourselves and the generations to come. May it be so.

Thank you for listening or reading and I’ll share more soon.

Have a great week!

J