Robert F. Flider

Robert F. Flider (born October 22, 1957) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives.[1]

Robert F. Flider
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 101st district
In office
January 2003 (2003-Jan) – January 2011 (2011-Jan)
Preceded byJulie Curry
Succeeded byAdam Brown
Personal details
Born (1957-10-22) October 22, 1957
Mattoon, Illinois
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Jean
ChildrenThree children
ResidenceMt. Zion, Illinois
Alma materEastern Illinois University

Early life

Robert F. Flider was born October 22, 1957 in Mattoon, Illinois and graduated from their local high school in 1975.[2] He then attended the nearby Eastern Illinois University where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.[3] After college, he began work as a newspaper report in the Charleston–Mattoon region before being employed by the electric and gas industry, including time as the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Illinois Power.[1]

In 1991, Flider was elected to the Mt. Zion City Council where he served for one term before being elected the Mayor of Mt. Zion in 1995. During his time as mayor he was involved as a board member for the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, the Downtown Decatur Council, Decatur Rotary Club, United Way of Decatur and Macon County and Seniorama Committee.[2] In that same period he also earned a Certificate of Business Administration from the University of Illinois and attended the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation (1997).

Illinois House of Representatives

In January 2003, Flider stepped down as Mayor of Mt. Zion in order to accept an appointment to fill the vacancy left by Julie Curry, who resigned in order to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Governor Rod Blagojevich.[3][4] The district that Flider inherited included Macon, Moultrie and Shelby counties in Central Illinois.[5]

Over the course of his tenure in the Illinois House of Representatives, his committee assignments included Agriculture & Conservation, Elections & Campaign Reform, Elementary & Secondary Education, Environment & Energy, Ethanol Production Oversight, Veterans Affairs, Local Government and Renewable Energy. He served as the Vice Chairman for the latter two committees. He also served as the chairman for two committees; Least Cost Power Procurement and Electric Generation & Commerce.

Some of the legislation that Flider served as the primary sponsor on that became laws include provisions that extended penalties for driving under the influence to persons driving under the influence of methamphetamine,[6] insured members of the public were able to comment at meetings of the Illinois Commerce Commission,[7] prevented gas and utility services from cutting off an individual’s service if the forecast was to be below freezing in an upcoming period.[8]

In 2004, Flider won election in his own right defeating radio personality Scot England of Sullivan, Illinois by a margin of 53% to 46%.[9] He won by a similar margin in 2006 and was unopposed in 2008. However, in 2010 he was defeated by 599 votes for re-election by Decatur City Council member Adam Brown.[10][11]

Flider famously campaigned against an increase in the Illinois income tax during the 2010 election campaign. After losing the election, Flider voted in favor of increasing the Illinois income tax by 67% during the January 2011 lame duck session. One year later, Flider was appointed by Governor Quinn as director of the Department of Agriculture with a salary of $133,000.[12]

Post-political career

After leaving the Illinois House of Representatives, Flider was employed by Partnership for a Connected Illinois as the Director for Broadband Impact beginning in March 2011.[1] In February 2012, Governor Quinn appointed Flider to serve as the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.[13] Upon appointment, Flider set three goals for the department: achieve Governor Quinn's goal of doubling Illinois exports by 2014, maximize every opportunity to strengthen rural development in Illinois, and partner with the agriculture community in ongoing efforts to ensure our food is safe.

References
  1. "Director Robert F. Flider Biography". Illinois Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  2. "Representative Robert F. Flider (D) - Previous General Assembly (95th) - 101st District". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  3. Jones, Dianna (2004-11-30). Miller, David R. (ed.). "LRU First Reading" (PDF). Illinois General Assembly Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  4. Jones, Dianna (2004-11-30). Miller, David R. (ed.). "The revolving door: Moves from the Statehouse floor to the hallways of the Capitol spark questions about whose interest is being served". Illinois Issues. University of Illinois at Springfield. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  5. Veeneman, Drew. "House District 101 Map (Prepared by The Center For Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University)" (PDF). PrecicntMaps.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  6. "Bill Status of HB0736 (98th General Assembly)". Illinois General Assembly. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  7. "Bill Status of HB0736 (98th General Assembly)". Illinois General Assembly. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  8. "Bill Status of HB5086 (98th General Assembly)". Illinois General Assembly. 2007-02-13. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. "General Election - 11/2/2004 101st Representative". Illinois State Board of Elections. 2004-11-02. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  10. "General Election - 11/2/2010 101st Representative". Illinois State Board of Elections. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  11. Jones, Dianna (2004-11-30). Miller, David R. (ed.). "LRU First Reading" (PDF). Illinois General Assembly Legislative Research Unit. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  12. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-15/news/chi-quinn-names-tax-hike-lawmaker-to-lead-agriculture-agency-20120215_1_tax-hike-state-lawmaker-agriculture-and-conservation-committee
  13. Schoenburg, Bernard (2012-02-15). "Ex-legislator Flider named Dept. of Agriculture director". The State-Journal Registrar. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
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