By David R. Kazak

As a newly-appointed senator to the Illinois legislature, Okawville high school basketball coach David Luechtefeld has two things to accomplish at the same time:Learning to be a new state politician and learning to be an incumbent politician running for re-election.

Luechtefeld was appointed by a GOP committee of county chairpersons in 58th District, of which SIUC is a part, to replace Sen. Ralph Dunn, who officially retired Friday. Luechtefeld now must learn the ins of outs of state politics, but because his seat will be up for re-election next year, he must campaign too.

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In addition to learning and campaigning, Luechtefeld said he will retain his coaching position. He said he made a commitment to his players and he does not see this as a problem, only a way to keep busy.

It does make for a very busy time, the 54-year-old coach said. But it has to be done. No matter what, it will be worked out.

Luechtefeld beat out eight other candidates for Dunn’s senate seat, including James Osberg, who works for SIUC’s Office for Economic Development. Osberg was out of town Monday and not available for comment.

Chris Grissom, GOP Chairman for Jackson County, said of all the candidates the Republican committee had to choose from, Luechtefeld was the one person everyone agreed upon.

All the candidates were great, but when asked, each committee member said Dave was their strong second choice, Grissom said. He was the one person everyone liked.

Luechtefeld has no political experience, but he has taught political science and history at Okawville High School for 33 years. He retired from teaching last year but kept his coaching position. It was this commitment that Grissom said impressed him the most about Luechtefeld.

I asked him about how he was going to handle being a senator and coaching at the same time, Grissom said. But he said he had made a commitment and he wasn’t going to back away from it. I knew right then that he was a dedicated man.

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Wanda Dethrow, GOP Chairwoman for Randolph County, said despite his lack of political experience, she feels his ability to work with people will help Luechtefeld fulfill the political position.

I think he can do it, Dethrow said. Yes, he will be a busy person, but I think he can do it.

Getting his feet wet is what Luechtefeld said will be his first priority as he settles into his new position as a state senator.

This is a big transition, he said. There are so many people to get to know. All I want to do right now is hit the ground running.

Luechtefeld said the issues facing him as a politician are the same facing any politician in the Southern Illinois region:Education and jobs. But he had no specific plan for tackling these problems. He said the issues are difficult and he will tackle them one day at a time.

It’s easy for politicians to come with promises and say they will solve everything, Luechtefeld said. I’m not going to do that. I will say you just have to use good judgment. Everyone says they will increase jobs, but if everyone did, we wouldn’t have the problem we have.

Dunn left the Illinois General Assembly as its most senior member, and Luechtefeld said Dunn’s shoes will be hard to fill.

I think he will be a difficult person to follow, Luechtefeld said. He was popular, experienced and a successful politician.

Next year, Luechtefeld must face SIUC Political Science Lecturer and Democrat Barbara Brown in the race for his seat in the Illinois Senate. Brown was not available for comment Monday but has previously said she is confident she will be able to defeat whoever was appointed to Dunn’s seat.

Grissom said he was not worried about Luechtefeld’s upcoming campaign battle and also said Luechtefeld was more than ready for the challenge.

Barb’s going to be a tough candidate, Grissom said. But Dave is well qualified to handle the race, and it will be a good race.