If elected state senator, Eastern alumnus Dale Righter will face the challenge of getting to know the residents of his district in the same way he knows the constituency of his current House district.

Righter, a Republican who has represented Charleston and Mattoon in the State House of Representatives for more than four years, is running unopposed for state senator in the newly 15th District.

While Righter’s House district only included Coles, Edgar, Clark, and part of Douglas County, the 15th District covers eight counties, and parts of four others.

“I’ll get it done, but it will take some time,” he said.

Another problem facing Righter is explaining to people how Senate districts have been altered. Last year, the state legislature passed a redistricting plan that Righter says “does an excellent job of slicing and dicing Republican districts and pitting Republican congressmen against each other.”

Under the new plan, cities such as Altamont, Mt. Carmel and Shelbyville are divided between two separate districts, creating confusion among many voters, Righter said.

“Part of my job as a congressman is to educate voters where they’re at,” he said.

Righter, who was born and raised in Mattoon and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern in 1988, said it was important for him to do a good job.

“I think people around here do pay attention to the work their elected officials do,” he said.

After the election, Righter said the most important issue that the Illinois Senate will face is ensuring the fiscal health of the state.

“Most people’s first concern is to make sure our books are balanced,” he said.

Another important issue that will face the new legislature is how to fund education.

Downstaters favor the current program of general state aid for education, as it means lower taxes for them, Righter said.

Legislators from Chicago and the suburbs, however, do not like the system since it siphons money from their districts and sends it downstate, he said.

Currently, downstate schools educate 35 percent of Illinois students, but receive 48 percent of state education funding, Righter said.

“(If I was a Chicago legislator), why would I vote to raise income taxes on my residents, when most of that money would go downstate?” Righter asked.

While acknowledging that downstate legislators consistently bicker with Chicago-area legislators over education and other issues, Righter said it was not a matter of good versus bad.

“I don’t attribute this competition to some evil or bad interest on the part of legislators up north,” he said. “Everyone’s out to deepen their areas.

“Having said that, I think people in my position have to act not just in the best interest of their district, but in the best interest of the state,” he said.

The legislature is also divided on a partisan basis, Righter said.

“I’ve seen some measures go through the House on a purely partisan basis,” he said.

But, Righter said that a legislator’s primary job is to serve the residents of his or her district.

“I think the first most important job of someone in my position is to be a constituent servant.

“I’ll be an advocate for my constituents in a legislature increasingly dominated by the northern parts of the state. Whether that means cooperating with members of of parties or legislators from Chicago,” he said.

“Over the past four-and-a-half years, I think I’ve picked up a fair amount of knowledge of how to get things done in Springfield,” Righter said. “This is a chance for me to take that knowledge into a chamber where instead of a chamber of 118 (in the state House), it’s a chamber of 59.

“Hopefully, I will be a bigger voice for the people of Eastern Illinois,” he said.