Burris confident third time a charm in governor’s run.

Roland Burris stood at the end of the pedestrian overpass Wednesday morning to meet students who were walking from Brush Towers to campus.

It is the same place where students are often handed invites to a weekend party or a free T-shirt for filling out a credit card application.

But Burris wasn’t offering a night of drunken bliss or a life of credit card debt. He just wanted to pocket a few more votes to launch his campaign for governor. And what better place than the school he called his home 42 years ago.

Hello students. Roland Burris running for governor. SIU class of 59, Burris said on the SIUC campus early Wednesday morning during the third day of his statewide tour to announce his Democratic candidacy for governor.

Good to see you, he told students such as Crystal Gardner with a voice so energized you couldn’t tell he was defeated twice before in his quest to rise to the top of Illinois government.

Maybe the third time will prove to be a charm. Gardner, at least, said she will vote for him.

He seems like he’s a nice guy, said the SIUC sophomore. [We should give] everybody an equal opportunity and see how he runs things.

Burris, 63, said he hopes to energize young people’s interest in government with a platform aimed at people ages 18-40. He said college students should become more involved in government.

[College students] have just put one foot in adulthood and they don’t know where to put the other foot down. They’re scared, Burris said.

Burris is traveling the state in a rented two-tone brown Bounder motor home plastered with Burris for governor’ signs. He is hopeful to win the Democrat nomination for governor in the March 19 primary.

Burris outlined his three major platforms:human resources, fiscal resources and natural resources. He said he would work to make sure every young adult had the opportunity to go to college and said he would continue to allocate 51 percent of all new revenue to education.

Burris said he would not raise property taxes as a method to equal the funding level in public schools. He said the state did not need new taxes and criticized Gov. George Ryan for spending too much of the fragile state budget.

We will not have the candy store or the Christmas tree as we had back in the George Ryan days, said Burris.

The Centralia native also said he would work to provide jobs and energy by ensuring the coal industry will once again thrive in Southern Illinois. Burris’ message was competing with the roaring of crane engines across the sidewalk at Anthony Hall.

Also, Burris has suffered a string of losses, including a run for Chicago Mayor against Richard Daley in 1995. However, he has been elected to statewide office four times and is the first black man to be elected to statewide office.

He served as state comptroller in 1978, and was elected to this position for three terms before defeating Jim Ryan in 1990 for the attorney general’s position.

Ryan, who is also running for governor, is considered the front-runner for the Republican primary and Burris is currently on top of the polls for the Democratic nomination. Burris said the two talked about the possible face-off in Washington when Ryan, a former boxer, put up his fists and told Burris he wanted a rematch.

Burris said he is the only Democrat candidate that can beat Jim Ryan. There are four other Democrat hopefuls in the race.

Glenn Poshard, the 1998 Democratic nominee, stopped by to give Burris a hug and said to Burris, this is your territory. Poshard, now vice chancellor for Administration at SIUC decided not to run again in early August.

Burris later agreed and said he was the candidate for downstate Illinois and the candidate for all of Illinois.

This is where my roots are, he said. I also have roots in Chicago.

Reporter Molly Parker can be reached at [email protected]