The fate of Illinois' budget impasse could be influenced by the leader of the free world. At least, that's what Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder is hoping for.
The state owes the city of Springfield more than $7 million in unpaid utility bills because there's no state budget. Langfelder says he hopes President Barack Obama's speech to state lawmakers Wednesday will help forge a budget compromise.
"Hopefully, his message will be one of coming together," Langfelder said, "but the other side of that is he does come from the federal government. You can provide influence over individual leaders to come together to find a resolution."
Langfelder says he will watch to see if the president's visit sparks any momentum on the state's budget impasse, now in its eighth month. If not, he says, he will continue to pursue payment through legislation in the General Assembly.
Obama himself owes a debt to Springfield. Langfelder has said recently that he wants to waive the $50,000 invoice that Obama's campaign owes for security when he kicked off his 2008 candidacy in the city.