Illinois’ new governor, Pat Quinn, called himself “the cleanup guy” during a visit Saturday to Rock Island, saying his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, has left him with a big mess in Springfield.

Just 10 days into the job, it was Quinn’s first visit to the Quad-Cities as governor. But the former lieutenant governor is no stranger to the area, having visited the Quad-Cities numerous times as Blagojevich’s No. 2 man.

He took over his boss’ job after the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 Jan. 29 to impeach Blagojevich and strip him of his powers as chief executive. Quinn will serve out the remaining two years of Blagojevich’s term.

Blagojevich, 52, became the first Illinois governor to ever be booted out of office. His problems started Dec. 9 when he was arrested at his Chicago home on federal corruption charges.

Quinn, 60, was at Rock Island’s Martin Luther King Center to talk about how working families throughout Illinois can get free tax preparation when eligible and also receive the full Earned Income Tax Credit. The King Center is one place where residents can get assistance.

During the visit, Quinn addressed several subjects in a speech at the center, including the recession, the need for federal assistance to get over the economic doldrums and the “mess” he has to fix that he said was left by Blagojevich.

“(Blagojevich) disappointed us all,” he said. “I thought he got on the wrong track and he wouldn’t get off. But we got to look forward. God gave us two eyes on the front of our heads so we can look forward.

“Everybody knows we’ve had a tough eight weeks, but it is over. We have a great state.”

Quinn also talked about the $9 billion deficit the state faces with hopes that it can receive up to $3 billion as part of the federal stimulus package being debated on this weekend by the U.S. Senate.

“A $9 billion deficit, that has never happened in the state of Illinois,” he said. “My predecessor left that for me, along with other things.”

He told a group of people crowded in a small room at the center that the state “has taken some blows in the last eight weeks” since Blagojevich was arrested and the issue grabbed the national spotlight for almost two months. “But Illinois is alive and well,” he proclaimed to cheers.

He also applauded the residents of Illinois for being hard-working and patriotic folks who answer the call of duty, including the 3,000 National Guardsmen who currently are serving in Afghanistan.

He continued to hit home how the people of Illinois will face all challenges.

“We have hard work ahead of us,” he said, referring to the negative publicity and the need to find jobs for those now laid off because of the recession. “Our No. 1 priority in American and Illinois is to get people back to work,” he said.

The event was attended by several dignitaries and politicians, including Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline. He told the crowd that “there are high expectations for Gov. Quinn, but let him do his job.”

 Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, said he noticed a difference in the mood in Springfield this past week after those weeks of uncertainty. “I know (Quinn) is going to do a great job and I look forward to working with him,” he added.

Quinn discusses tax preparation

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn came to Rock Island on Saturday to encourage working families everywhere to get the help they need to file their income tax returns through free tax preparation help.

“Every eligible person in Illinois deserves to receive the full Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC),” Quinn said during a stop at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island. “The EITC is the best pro-job, pro-family and anti-poverty tax relief ever devised. In partnership with the Center for Economic Progress, our office is offering those eligible taxpayers free assistance to fill out their state and federal tax returns and get their full refunds quickly and painlessly.”

The Center for Economic Progress also administers the Tax Counseling Project statewide. This year, the state of Illinois is supporting free tax counseling at locations across the state. Most sites will open Jan. 24 and provide services through April 15. The services are provided free of charge to families with annual incomes less than $45,000 and to individuals with incomes less than $20,000.

The only local site for tax counseling is the King Center, which is open to do that from 5:30-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. It will be closed Wednesdays and Thursdays after Feb. 12.