Who doesn’t like a good flashback every now and then? In the first of an occasional series on this blog, we’re going to track down Illinois politicians of yesteryear and find out what they’ve been up to since they left (or were forced to leave) office.

Today’s guest belongs in the first of those categories. Former Illinois Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra not only left office on his own accord, but it wasn’t the first time he tried to get out of the game.

Kustra served as lieutenant governor from 1991 to 1998, during most of Governor Jim Edgar’s time in office. Prior to that, he was in the state legislature, and worked at several Illinois universities.

Kustra left office in 1999, a few months before his term ran out, to take a job as president of Eastern Kentucky University, a move he credits, in part, on his double duty work as chairman of the Illinois Board of Higher Ed in his final year or so as lieutenant governor.

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Kustra’s been president of Boise State University (and a proud Broncos football fan) since 2003. He says he’s happy with the direction his career has taken since leaving office. He says he was told his next step politically (Kustra lost a bid for U.S. Senate in 1996) would’ve been to run for secretary of state, a position he says he didn’t want. He points to some of the fundraising strategies that now-imprisoned former Governor George Ryan employed while serving as secretary of state.

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Kustra’s name popped up last month in a Chicago Tribune editorial. Opining about replacing the resigning University of Illinois President Joseph White, the Trib called Kustra a “strong candidate…a successful college president [who] navigated Illinois politics with extremely high integrity.” Of course, we can’t guarantee the gig in Illinois would come with his very own radio show.

We close this inaugural segment of “Whatever happened to THAT politician?” with this clip of Kustra talking about a somewhat-recent meeting he had with his old running mate, Jim Edgar.

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