It’s been nearly five years since I’ve written a commentary.  Not that there haven’t been times when I wanted to, but my Public Service responsibilities took precedence.  Now that I’m no longer serving in that capacity, I have the time and the liberty to resume sharing my thoughts and opinions; and as I write this, I’m realizing how much I missed it! 
 
So, let me begin by saying I love what social media can do.  And I regret what it has done.  I like that it can connect and/or reconnect people and entertain with funny videos.  But I don’t like how it has changed our attention span.  We no longer must wait for what comes next.  We expect instant gratification.  If we don’t see what we want, we keep scrolling until we do.  Or we fast forward the video.

I think I’ve known that for a while, but I didn’t SEE it until last weekend.  You see, we don’t have grandchildren yet, but we have pleasurably accepted the title of Grandma and Grandpa given by two sisters, 9-year-old Averie and 10-year-old Ryleigh.  So, when we were asked if they could stay with us for a long weekend, we gladly said yes. 
 
At this juncture, I bet you are thinking, “did you just now figure out that iPads and tablets are used as babysitters?”  Well, no, that’s not what triggered my realization.  It was when I learned that neither of the girls had ever watched the Wizard of Oz! 
 
As we were talking about the upcoming school play, Averie said her class was singing the song, “If I only had a brain.”  And then she began her rendition.  Immediately after complimenting her singing, I said I recognized the song and asked her some questions about the movie.  When she looked confused, I asked if she had ever seen the Wizard of Oz.  Clearly, the answer was no. 
What came next?  You guessed it. Because it was important to me that they watch this classic, I searched on a streaming site for the Wizard of Oz, and we sat down to watch it.  And that’s when the realization hit. 
 
About three minutes in, the girls wanted to pause it.  Then, they wanted to get a snack.  Then, they asked if we could watch it later.  They were ready to watch something on Netflix or go play with a new doll.  And that was when the epiphany occurred.  They hadn’t asked to watch the Wizard of Oz.   It was MY idea. 
 
Instead of the storyline from which I thought they should learn, I was the one that got the lesson.  And how ironic is it, that the iconic line in the move, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” is exactly what they did! ​

Mercury is strengthening its Agriculture practice bringing on new hires with an extensive network in agriculture industry.
 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (May 10, 2023) – Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, will leverage its new Illinois hires to deepen its expertise in the agricultural industry and in the Midwest. The team, spearheaded by former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, an Illinois native and fervent ally of rural communities, is well equipped to leverage a strong network with decades of experience, serving the constituencies of farming communities and the agricultural industry.
 
During her decade in Congress, Bustos served on the House Agriculture Committee for the duration of her tenure, and she Chaired the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee. “Agriculture is the biggest economic driver in my home state of Illinois and is key to the success of the Midwest,” Bustos said. “My team and I at Mercury want to help build on that with our agricultural and rural business partners. We are built to help those we serve succeed.”
 
Mercury recently expanded its Illinois team with the addition of Nick Bustos and Michael Morthland, two leading names in Illinois politics and policy. Both come with a strong background in state government and politics, and both are lifelong Illinois residents. They join Mercury with an extensive network throughout the region and a firm understanding of Midwestern values and politics. 
 
Nick Bustos joined Mercury with strong ties to the agricultural manufacturing industry, where he served as a Vice President of Marketing. Overseeing all marketing, communication and reputation management, he brings a proven track record of leveraging out-of-the box, multi-channel marketing strategies to deliver revenue growth and elevate companies’ profiles and overall success.
 
Mercury-Illinois is advised by Colleen Callahan, who served in Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s cabinet as Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. She also served in the Obama Administration as the Illinois Director of Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agiculture. Callahan, a lifelong family farmer, was an agriculture broadcaster on television and radio for decades.
 
And Mercury is also served by Michael Morthland, a Decatur, Ill., native, who brings his vast knowledge and background in the Illinois State Government regulatory space to the practice. He is a lawyer and comes from a long line of Illinois judges.
 
Together, Mercury’s Illinois team complements the firms’ best-in-class public affairs capabilities with deep knowledge of politics, agriculture and business.
 
 
About Mercury 
 
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. The firm has 130+ professionals in 20 American offices. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group. 
 
About Omnicom Public Relations Group 
 
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, language strategy, global health strategy and change management. As the largest group of communications professionals in the world, our employees provide expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the Communications Consultancy Network, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC). ​