Senator Vince Demuzio died today.

This is sad news. The most senior member of the Illinois Senate, Vince Demuzio, died early today.

He was first elected in 1974, about a month after I was born. And I didn't know he was one of the "Crazy Eight" -- 8 senators who pushed hard to open up the state senate (like the Watergate class of Democrats in D.C. doing the same thing at the time). I found that out in this CBS 2 article.

They have already shifted his name to inactive on this Senate website.

I didn't realize how sick he was. I went into his Senate office last week while lobbying, and the secretary told me that he wasn't feeling well. He was only 62. Too, too young.