Dupage Policy Journal

Republican state House candidate Michael Camerer believes Illinois' long-running fiscal problems could end in exactly the same place where they all begin.

“Our legislators could make considerable headway on this problem by fixing our state's inflated pension program,” Camerer, who is running against incumbent state Rep. Diane Pappas (D-Itasca) in the 45th District, told the DuPage Policy Journal. “As long as the pension system consumes more than 25% of the general fund revenues, our state will never free itself of the ongoing burden of debt.”

Camerer argues it’s no wonder that a new WalletHub.com survey finds that Illinois is now in need of more help than almost every other state stemming from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers concluded that Illinois ranks as the sixth-neediest state in the country, with part of its poor standing being attributed to its instability even before the pandemic broke out.

The state also ranked near the bottom in terms of state and local debt per capita, including on the metric of unfunded pension liabilities, which are estimated at more than $138 billion

Camerer, a Bartlett resident, adds the state’s newly passed $42 billion budget plan – formed exclusively by Democrats in a recent four-day special session and advanced to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk – does little to help the situation.

“A budget that inflates spending unnecessarily during a year of economic downfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic only reinforces why analysts have ranked Illinois last in the nation with regards to finances,” he said, adding that it’s all yet another example of just how much Springfield has lost its way.

“When our legislators show such disregard for the taxpayers of Illinois by voting themselves a pay raise it is obvious that they have lost sight of being advocates for the people they represent,” he said. “My objective in going to Springfield is to bring back some common sense practicality, cut spending, and be a voice for the people Illinois.”