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Politics & Government

Donuts, Coffee and Politics

State Rep. Carol Sente meets with constituents in Buffalo Grove.

Ten people sat at a table in the shop in Buffalo Grove Saturday.

A typical weekend morning coffee clutch?

Yes.

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And no.

One of those 10 was State Rep. Carol Sente (D-59th), smartly dressed in a brown sweater against the cold and snowy winter morning.

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The others were residents of Sente’s legislative district: one man wearing a grayish sport coat, a couple dressed in outdoor gear, an older gentleman in a cap and winter jacket.

They had gathered for one of Sente’s so-called Saturday morning coffee stops, sort of a mini-town hall gathering set amidst cups of coffee and bags of donuts, where Sente, elected to her first full term last November, learns about her constituents and her constituents learn about her.

“We were looking immediately for ways to get people to get to know me,” she said. “We tried a lot of different vehicles, we do coffee shop stops, we do town halls, we do citizen advisory committees and then just different types of subject matter forums.”

She likes the relaxed environment of a coffee shop.

“You can slip in and say ‘Oooh, State Representative Carol Sente happens to be there.’ You can come in, stay five minutes or stay the hour. They are really nice.”

The events have already attracted a group of familiar faces.

“Some people are regulars. We’ve come to know each other,” she said. “Some can come in if they have a question or an issue. Five, six or seven other people can hear it, so we can have a discussion. An hour in and out and you are on your way on a Saturday.”

Saturday’s event drew many questions about the state’s fiscal condition, pension reform and consolidation of services.

Sente said “how we budget ourselves” and reviews of ongoing programs will help improve the situation.

“We have to get our house in order to be well considered again,” she said.

Khalid Cosmo of Buffalo Grove questioned Sente on her death penalty stance.

She said she voted to abolish capital punishment because of the costs involved in keeping prisoners on death row, the “heart wrenching” emotions victims’ families often go through while cases are resolved in the courts, and “the state shouldn’t play God.”

“We are one of the only progressive countries to have the death penalty,” Sente said.

Ronald Stolberg of Vernon Hills called the coffee stop session “alright, pretty good” and said Sente answered most of his questions.

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