Springfield city council member and Illinois comptroller official Cory Jobe has been picked to be the state's new director of tourism, the ( Springfield ) State Journal-Register reported Jan. 21.
Jobe, who is openly gay, was deputy chief of staff under the late Judy Baar Topinka and has continued in that capacity under the state's new comptroller, Leslie Munger. He will divide his time between the comptroller and tourism offices through the current legislative session, scheduled to end May 31, then take on the tourism post full-time.
Jobe has represented Ward 6 for the Springfield City Council since 2011, and was that city's first gay alderman. Shortly after his election, he told Windy City Times that he was fiscally conservative but "leans left" on social issues, noting that he was pro-choice and "obviously pro-gay."
He added that he didn't think that his stance on those issues conflicted with being a Republican: "I'm the kind of guy who wants to bring people together."
Jobe had close ties to Topinka, who passed away in December. "She is really my political mentor," Jobe said in 2011, adding that he learned from her "ability to cross party lines and work with constituents to get things done."
In 2013, Jobe organized an committee to explore the possibility of his running for mayor of Springfield, but he announced in August 2014 that he would be seeking a second term as alderman instead.
The State Journal-Register's story is at bit.ly/15CIOYZ.
