“You cannot spend more than you have,” Heidi Holan, the Republican candidate for the state House seat in District 46, said recently via her website as she summarized the bottom line regarding Springfield’s now yearlong revenue crisis.
Commenting on the state’s budget and spending patterns, she said that basic budgeting requires adherence to that one straightforward rule.
“[It] is a simple fact that we all acknowledge in our homes,” Holan said. “Springfield has overspent revenues for the past 15 years and taxpayers are dealing with the consequences.”
Those outcomes have become increasingly reflected in the number of residents who have left the state to work and live elsewhere, leaving a dearth of skills and a dent in the regional economy. The Glen Ellyn resident described how she recently experienced the loss of friends and neighbors due to businesses packing up and leaving, stating, “If I go back a few years, the count … is well into the double digits.”
Holan attributed the exodus to high property taxes, diminished job opportunities and the state’s debt burden, observing that legislators must confront those reasons if they hope to enact positive changes.
She said she supports a platform including reforms for Illinois’ workers’ compensation system, state purchasing practices and minimized oversight on businesses. Positive changes would include insurance premiums matching those in surrounding states; greater competition and transparency; and economic growth and job creation.
“By making a few key reforms, Illinois can reduce expenses and grow revenue without raising or creating new taxes,” Holan said.
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