Serving two terms as governor, Jim Edgar said compromise was the most important part of the job.

“The key is realizing that you’re not going to get everything you want, even if you’re the governor, and that you have to take part in a little give and take,” he said. “It seems like there’s not a whole lot of give and take right now.”

As governor from 1991-1999, Edgar described the school funding as the biggest compromise.

In 1996 and 1997, Edgar pushed for an increase to the income tax and the lowering of the property tax to create a minimal funding level for schools.

“In the end, I had to compromise,” he said. “I didn’t get an increase in the income tax or lowering of the property taxes. We did get some other substantial tax increases, so we could put money in for the poorer school districts.”

While Edgar did not get what he wanted, it was part of his duties.

“You like all these things, but you’re not going to get them all,” he said. “What is the most important, and if giving (in) on one allows me to get something else, is that worthwhile?

“In this case, we were able to get the amount I wanted for education – just wasn’t quite the tax structure I wanted. But overall, I think we got 75 percent of what I really wanted to do, so I felt really good about that.”

If Edgar held out for 100 percent, he wouldn’t have received it.

“In a state like Illinois that’s very diverse, you’re going to have different points of view and you’ve got to be able to recognize that if you can get more than half of what you wanted, you’re ahead of the game,” he said. “So, that’s not a bad compromise.”

Giving the inaugural speech of the Edgar Speaker Series titled “From Old Main to the Mansion: Lessons Learned Along the Way,” Edgar will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Buzzard Hall Auditorium.

The Charleston High School and Eastern graduate plans to speak about his journey from student body president at Eastern to the Executive Mansion.

“I’ll try to identify some lessons I’ve learned that I think are appropriate, whether you’re in government or just life in general,” he said.

As student body president his senior year, Edgar said he learned how to deal with media and constituents, lobby the Student Senate and negotiate with the administration. The people were the most important asset from his term, especially when he ran for governor.

“It seems every place I went I’d run into somebody who either, they had gone, their kids had gone or their nieces and nephews had gone to Eastern and they had mentioned me just because it was very novel to have somebody from Eastern that was a state-wide official when I was Secretary of State,” he said.

To start the speaking series, Edgar and his wife, Brenda, donated $150,000 to the university.

The series will feature one speaker during the fall and spring semesters. The focus of the series will be state government, addressing current issues and historical implications.

Edgar and his wife are the first two speakers in the series so the gift can collect interest to pay for future speakers.

Edgar graduated in 1968 with a degree in history and a minor in political science.

Before his governor election, Edgar served in the Illinois House and served as Secretary of State from 1981-1991.

“Hopefully the lecture series . will encourage other students to either take a very active interest or involvement or at least have an understanding of government, particularly state and local government,” he said.