Jack Hickman of Fairview Heights waited more than a year and a half for the state of Illinois to renew the identification card that allows him to possess a firearm.
鈥淚 like to keep things above board, cross those t鈥檚 and dot those i鈥檚,鈥� said Hickman, a 71-year-old veteran who worked in information technology for the military.
Bureaucracy didn鈥檛 stump him, but Hickman said he can see how people would get frustrated and reach out to their member of Congress for help.
鈥淎n elected official who is not responsive to voters鈥� needs is somebody who does not need to be in office,鈥� Hickman said. 鈥淭hey are our representatives. They represent our attempts to participate in the governmental process.鈥�
Hickman managed to renew his card on his own earlier this year, but problems such as his are some of the most common members of Congress from Illinois hear about through their local offices.
Two members of Congress from to become the GOP nominee for the newly drawn .
The television ads are heated and the tweets are flying in the race between Republican U.S. Reps. and . It鈥檚 an unusual race in that both candidates are incumbents. the district to force one of the Republicans out of the Illinois GOP delegation.
But how well have Davis and Miller served constituents in their current terms?
To evaluate their constituent services, the BND reviewed data for each lawmaker on local office hours, constituent cases resolved, constituent service staff and how much they spent on those personnel. The BND evaluated office hours open to the public, though members of Congress also hold private meetings with constituents regularly.
Davis, 52, has served in Congress since 2012.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 call a member of Congress when they first have a problem,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hey call their member of Congress when they鈥檙e at their wits鈥� end and they are frustrated. They come to us because they have no other recourse. That鈥檚 why I tell my team it鈥檚 so imperative to provide assistance.鈥�
A spokesperson for Miller, a 62-year-old first-term congresswoman, did not respond to requests for an interview with the representative.
Miller has dodged news reporters at public events and avoided interviews with them, while Davis said he believes working with the press is 鈥減art of the job of being a public official.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e always talked to members of the media and frankly some of those conversations aren鈥檛 comfortable, but that鈥檚 what the constituents I represent expect out of me,鈥� Davis said.
Take a look, in alphabetical order, at how each candidate served constituents in 2021 and 2022.
Take a look, in alphabetical order, at how each candidate served constituents in 2021 and 2022.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, 13th Congressional District
Offices:
Davis has district offices in Champaign, Decatur, Edwardsville, Taylorville, Normal and Springfield. The list of office hour events does not include any hours held at permanent offices.
Constituent services staff:
Federal data shows Davis鈥� office employs two constituent service representatives, but a spokesman for the congressman said five full-time employees handle casework daily.
His office spent $382,077 on the two caseworkers from 2021 through March 2022, according to the most recent federal data. That represents 36% of the office鈥檚 total personnel costs.
Davis鈥� office spent a total of $1.4 million in 2021. The budget for each member of Congress is slightly different and depends on the number of constituents, how far they have to travel to get to D.C., and other factors.
Office hours and traveling help desks:
The congressman has two types of events meant to serve the public in-person. Davis personally attends office hours to get face-time with constituents, and they typically happen in the summer when Congress is in recess.
Traveling help desks happen when Davis is in D.C. Staffers travel around the district, mainly to rural areas to provide services to people who can鈥檛 easily access the representative鈥檚 permanent offices.
The congressman鈥檚 staff held 19 help desks throughout the district in June, July and October last year. So far in 2022, his office has held 17 in May and June. Two more are planned for June 16 in Hardin and Worden.
Davis held 14 office hours in August and September last year, one in each of the 14 counties in the district. He was not personally present for three of them because of a change in the U.S. House voting schedule, a spokesman said.
Davis plans to host office hours again this summer. Overall, the congressman鈥檚 office held 52 office hour events.
Cases resolved:
As of mid-June, Davis鈥� office had resolved 2,978 cases addressing constituent issues, according to his office:
- 688 passport and visa cases
- 603 tax filers experiencing delays or other issues 410 constituents with state government issues such as unemployment or firearm owner identification cards
- 297 seniors or individuals with disabilities with benefits and healthcare
- 143 veterans with healthcare and service-connected disabilities
- 90 mail customers who had postal delivery or service issues
- 71 small business owners with loans and grants
Davis鈥� office had roughly 400 cases pending.
U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, 15th Congressional District
Offices:
Miller has district offices in Danville, Effingham and Harrisburg. The list of office hour events does not include any hours held at permanent offices.
Constituent services staff:
Miller鈥檚 office employs two full-time staff who work only on constituent casework.
From 2021 through March 2022, Miller鈥檚 office spent $435,876 in personnel costs on the two caseworkers, according to the most recent federal data available. That represents 49% of all the office鈥檚 personnel costs.
Miller鈥檚 office spent a total of $1.3 million in 2021.
Office hours:
Miller鈥檚 office held 51 office hours in 2021 and 2022, according to a list provided by a spokesperson for the representative. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about which events Miller attended personally and which were hosted only by staff.
Miller鈥檚 office held events open to the public in each of the 33 counties in the 15th District throughout February and March 2021 shortly after she took office.
Three additional office hour events took place in Edwardsville in December following a deadly tornado there. In 2022, Miller鈥檚 office held eight events in January, one in March and one in June.
Four office hours were 鈥渢hemed鈥� events designed to serve specific constituents. Miller鈥檚 office held 鈥渓aw enforcement鈥� and 鈥渁griculture鈥� hours in June and August last year. Her office also hosted an event in May this year in Mahomet to connect students, parents and others to military representatives.
Cases resolved:
As of mid-June, has resolved 1,258 constituent cases, according to Miller鈥檚 spokesperson. A news release from earlier this year said the office completed roughly 460 in 2021. Miller鈥檚 office did not provide the number of total cases opened this term.
Kelsey Landis is a reporter with the , a news partner of 漏 2024 外网天堂.
