Four Illinois Reforms

The Illinois primary election has all but concluded and still there is not a declared victor in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor. As provisional and absentee ballots are fully counted, a winner between State Senator Bill Brady and State Senator Kirk Dillard will emerge. It is more than likely that this will be a Republican year and the new governor will have significant challenges before him. There are four reforms that he should work on to make a better Illinois.



Illinois Pension Fund Reform
During the Republican primary campaign much was said and written about Illinois pension fund reform. There are too many people that have wallowed in the public trough throughout their adult life only to retire with bountiful benefits on the taxpayer’s dime. This has to end. Double dipping and layering of pension benefits must end if Illinois is to get back to fiscal sanity. The system must be reformed. Beneficiaries should only get 75% of their average public earnings as a state employee. The politicians have gamed the system and are guilty of taxpayer abuse.


Forensic Audit of State Expenditures
A forensic audit of all state expenditures is needed. This was one of the hallmarks of Adam Andrzejewski’s terrific campaign for the Republican nomination for governor. The new governor ought to heed his advice. Taken a step further, he ought to appoint Mr. Andrzejewski as head of a commission that can study state spending and make recommendations on cuts that have to be made as well as finding greater efficiencies in state government. Think the Grace Commission during the Reagan era. It made thousands of recommendations to root out governmental waste and fraud on the federal level. An “Andrzejewski Commission” on the state level could do the same.


Citizen Legislature
This is an idea whose time has come. The great political columnist and talk show host, Thomas Roeser, floated this idea in a recent column. It makes superb sense. My political education was received in the tumbleweed landscape of New Mexico politics. In New Mexico they have a citizen legislature. That is to say that legislators serve part-time and have regular occupations. During election years (even numbered years) the legislature met for 30 days. In odd numbered years the legislature met for 60 days. The interesting facet to this was that if a piece of legislation did not gain passage by both chambers, it died. Prompting the bill sponsor to introduce it in the next year. At the time legislators received only $75 per Diem for legislative matters. Illinois ought to dump the full-time legislative process and begin anew with a part-time legislature. When it is not in session we will all be safe.


Judges Should Be Appointed
This past primary season we witnessed a number of television ads touting the judicial temperament of judges running for the appellate court. I found this demeaning. The Governor should appoint Judges at this level and above. Local judges could continue to run for office. This was a heated discussion during the founding of our nation. The new governor should engage our modern day aristocracy (the legal community) to figure out away this can be achieved. One only has to look at the election of the democrat’s Scott Lee Cohen to the nomination of Lieutenant Governor to see that the voters do not have the necessary time to study judicial nominations. Let the legal community provide judgeship recommendations to our Governor.


Aside from the tremendous budgetary issues a new Governor will have to face, he will need to move forward on a number of reforms to create a solid economic environment here in Illinois. Our new governor should also consider the four reforms above.

Schaumburg Succumbs to a Property Tax

It is with sadness that we all recently learned of The Village of Schaumburg’s decision to levy a property tax to meet the current budgetary shortfall. Schaumburg as not had a property tax since its formation in 1956. My family moved to Schaumburg in the early sixties and this is where I grew up. I still consider Schaumburg my hometown. Skokie is now the only major suburban Chicago community that does not levy a property tax.

 Village leaders say they had to implement this tax in large part because of a significant decline in retail revenues during this great recession. You see Schaumburg is considered the Retail Mecca of the Midwest. Woodfield Mall, one of the largest malls in North America, anchors its beautiful skyline. Rolling out from the mall are numerous shopping centers (that include big box retailers), car dealers, furniture retailers (IKEA comes to mind), and restaurants.
With a projected $17.6 million General Fund deficit, Schaumburg has decided to levy a tax of 8.1% of the 2009 property tax bill. The Village manager and his staff recommended the property tax levy to the full Village board. There are other ways for Schaumburg to get out of its budget quandary, some of which were ruled out because market conditions are not favorable. That is the arrogance of government.

 First, the Village should sell off the Convention Center and Hotel. Some consultant recommended that they build the Convention Center and that it would pay for itself. Baloney. The private sector does a much better job than any governmental entity at running hotel businesses. Government should not be involved in enterprise.

 Second, the Village should sell off the Schaumburg Flyers baseball stadium. Minor league baseball is much more profitable than the majors. Fans enjoy the natural play of the sport and any team ownership worth their salt is able to increase their fan base and profitability. Sell it to the baseball team owners, perhaps on a long-term contract. Ownership of a baseball stadium is not the role of government.

 Third, re-evaluate the village’s master plan and zoning laws around the Woodfield Mall area. The village should allow for high-rise residential development. This can provide a base of retail consumers for that area. The net effect of this would be greater support of the existing businesses and attraction of new business. In turn, tax revenues will increase. While the housing market is not yet fully recovered, in time it will improve. Demographic population changes will fuel the increase in popularity of condominium dwellings.

 Fourth, join the other five Northwest Suburban townships in forming a new county (Lincoln or Reagan) thereby telling Crook County to go stuff it. Cook County and its daddy, Chicago, are the most corrupt units of government in the State of Illinois. Its fair time that the municipal leaders of the Northwest Suburban region wake up and sever all ties to this unit of government. Not only has Crook county levied a large retail tax (part of which was recently rolled back), but its method of assessing commercial property makes these property taxes a huge burden on businesses in the Northwest Suburban region.

 Schaumburg can survive without a village property tax by taking the steps mentioned above. The community has a lot to offer. It has a solid library district, a strong park district, and quality schools, which are a part of elementary school district 54 and high school district 211. These government entities survive just fine with their tax revenue. Schaumburg should be able to do the same.

 A property tax levy will only hasten the departure of businesses in Schaumburg to more tax advantaged areas outside of Crook County. The Village should concentrate on providing basic services and not try to build a real estate fiefdom.