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VIEW FROM THE TOP RIGHT: Governor Quinn with his sons Patrick and David. BELOW: His desk in Springfield. 48 IN LIKE QUINN The governor shares some of his out-of-office inspirations. Chicago dining: "Tuscany; Greek Islands; Meli Café for oatmeal and pancakes; and the crabmeat quesadillas at Maria's, a Mexican restaurant on Cortland and Harlem. Maria is a very generous woman; we lost a soldier in Iraq, and she did the [meal after the funeral]. I like her." Play ball: "I was a catcher for seven years. I broke every finger in both hands." Heroic figures: "My doctor, Quentin Young, was a physician for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he lived in Chicago. Dr. Young and I walked across Illinois in 2001 for decent healthcare. He's going to be 90 this year, and he has a good sense of humor and a passion for social justice, so I certainly admire him." Good reads: "I just reread The Gift of Peace by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin—I highly recommend that to anybody. It's not very long; it's just a very thoughtful book about important things." Team spirit: "I was on the ice after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010. I know Rocky Wirtz, and I wore my Blackhawks stuff—I was still in Philadelphia, so you've got to be careful—and we won. That was great." PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM KLEIN continued from page 47 feels he has earned another term, expressing particular pride in both abolishing the death penalty in the state and signing the Illinois Jobs Now Bill to create jobs and invest $31 billion in the state's economy. "That particular law is transformational," boasts Quinn of the latter. "We'd been trying to pass it for 10 years; I became governor, and we passed it in 10 weeks." It's clear that Quinn considers himself a regular Joe, from his decidedly Midwestern accent and his admiration of straight-talking Chicago writers Mike Royko and Studs Terkel to the fact that he's the proud owner of White Sox season tickets—in the upper deck. "It's all I can afford," he jokes. "We have a community up there. Everyone takes care of each other." In chatting with Quinn, BELOW: When in that idea of community comes up again and again; ask him to talk about himself and his Springfield, the experiences as governor, and he focuses instead on the people he encounters daily on the governor plays basketball on job: the gay couples who approach him to thank him for passing Illinois' civil unions law local courts to in 2011; the active servicemen and women from Illinois he met during a trip to Kuwait, blow off steam. Iraq, and Afghanistan; and the everyday heroes across the state that he works to salute in some way, whether it's with a proclamation or a handshake and a picture. "The strength of Illinois is the men and women who may not be big shots or big celebrities, but they know how to do things right…. I like to find ways to make sure they're honored." To Quinn, that's ultimately what being governor is all about: ensuring that the people of Illinois are treated fairly and given their due, whether that's through the creation of jobs or the leveling of the marriage playing field. "Illinois is a family of 13 million people," he notes. "So let's treat everyone in our family with dignity and fairness." Asked what his greatest strengths as governor are, Quinn takes time to reflect. "You've got be honest," he states firmly. "Work hard all the time. Be down to earth. I think those who are elected should be humble personally, and proud of our people. That's what I try to do." Most important, Quinn says, "You've got to have somebody up there who's battling away. To me, that's the essence of the job: Fight hard for ordinary people who don't have champions." MA MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 046-048_MA_SP_VFT_MayJune13.indd 48 4/16/13 5:40 PM