Residents of Livingston County and the surrounding area enjoyed coffee and conversation with State Senator Jason Barickman Friday morning at the Coffee Steamer in Forrest.
The informal forum gave attendees the chance to speak individually with the Senator about topics important to them.
“My approach is to get out in the community and not go with an agenda but go to really interact with my constituents,” Barickman said.
Barickman chatted about the direction of the state and headlines which are in the news at the moment. He acknowledges there are many questions about the state’s new gas tax and where the money is going.
“There is certainly controversy on the tax side of it,” Barickman explained. “We do have a lot of infrastructure needs and once you set aside all the controversy of how those can get fixed, I think people do recognize the need that is there.”
Barickman often hears from those who don’t like the tax but still want the roads repaired. Since road and bridge improvements are needed in Illinois, Barickman said a big priority is making sure the governor hears the residents and that dollars are being spent for the needs of Central Illinois.
The Senator also spoke about the legalization of cannabis in Illinois and how many folks are split on the idea.
“There are some who take a very Libertarian approach of I don’t really care what happens as long as it’s not in my back yard. Then you have others who are wildly opposed to it.”
Questions remain about the timing and logistics of how all of this will work. The new law takes effect January 1.
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