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News
Candidates push for less spending at forum : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisCandidates push for less spending at forum
| Hopefuls in Feb. 2 primary for Congress, General Assembly talk issues
| by Tony Scott
| 1/21/2010
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Candidates in contested races for the 14th Congressional District, 25th State Senate District and 50th State House District in the upcoming Feb. 2 primary election appeared at a candidates' forum Monday evening.
All candidates at the forum were Republican. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Batavia, is not facing a primary challenger, and Democrats Leslie Juby of Geneva and Linda Healy of Aurora are slated to take on the winners of the GOP primary for the 25th Senate and 50th House districts, respectively.
The forum, hosted by the Batavia, St. Charles, Geneva and Elgin Leagues of Women Voters, was held at the Dellora A. Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles.
Ethan Hastert of Elburn and State Senator Randy Hultgren of Winfield, both running for the GOP nomination for the 14th Congressional District; incumbent State Senator Chris Lauzen of Aurora and his challenger, Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels; and incumbent State Rep. Kay Hatcher of Yorkville, Bob McQuillan of Batavia and Keith Wheeler of Oswego all appeared at the forum.
During the congressional candidates' portion of the forum, reporters from two Kane County newspapers asked questions of Hastert and Hultgren. Following that portion of the forum, the five state candidates answered questions submitted by audience members and read by forum moderator Patti Lackman of the Batavia League of Women Voters.
During the congressional portion of the forum, Hultgren said he is "frustrated with the direction of Washington, D.C.," and is concerned about the national debt. He said he wants term limits for congressmen, and a "total ban" on lobbying by former congressmen and by family members of congressmen.
Hastert said he is also concerned about "passing on a mountain of debt" to future generations. He said he would stand up to Democratic leadership in Congress, and that he wants to create good-paying jobs and to focus on energy issues.
Asked about job growth, Hultgren said the current job growth policy of the Obama administration is a "house of cards" and that "the only thing that's growing is government." Hultgren said additional tax burdens cost the United States jobs. He said he supports a job-creation tax credit, and a ten-year extension on the research and development tax credit.
Hastert said the government "can't spend its way to prosperity." He said the federal stimulus web site states that the bill created or saved 286.8 jobs in the 14th District, costing $316 million, translating to a cost of $1.1 million per job created or saved. He disagreed with Hultgren on the tax credit issue, however, noting that the business owners he's talked to "aren't interested in more government; they don't want to fill out more tax forms in triplicate." He said we should "get government off people's backs ... so they can invest in job creation."
On the issue of health care reform, Hastert said people want "more choice and more competition" in the private sector to help "hold the line on cost and increase quality."
Hultgren said the health care system "needs work," and that he was "disappointed" that the Republicans didn't address the issue when they were the majority part in Congress. He said that he helped pass legislation in Illinois for tort reform, and that it helps bring down costs. He also said that, "as we create jobs, many more people will have health insurance."
Asked about tax credits for homebuyers, Hastert said government should get spending under control to send a message to the private sector that will spur job growth, while Hultgren said he supports the extension of tax credits, which he said would help with job creation.
Both candidates pledge to support each other no matter who wins the primary.
Hastert said he can take on the Democratic leadership in Washington and is the best of the candidates to win in November.
"I look forward, if elected, to leading on the issues that matter to you, issues like energy policy, health care policy, and getting back to common sense, market-based financial regulations," Hastert said.
Hultgren said he has legislative experience and can bring the Republican Party together. He said he has been endorsed by pro-life groups and the Illinois State Rifle Association.
"I'm running for Congress not to add another name or title on my mausoleum someday," he said. "I'm running for Congress because I'm passionate about public service."
State legislator candidates
address budget, schools
Hatcher outlined her years of service in local government, and said she is "concerned about the fiscal crisis we have in Illinois; I'm concerned about the taxes and lack of jobs, and the questions of ethics that continue to circle in this state."
McQuillan said he is not endorsed by "politicians." He said he wants to "stop the madness."
"I have real life experience, not political experience," he said. "I'm going to be endorsed by voters, not politicians."
Wheeler said he is running to "be your fiscally and socially conservative" state representative.
"We deserve better," he said. "I will take my 18 years of experience as a small business owner... to Springfield and help turn our state around. I'll help balance our state budget, and I have a plan to bring jobs that we need back here now."
Lauzen said he has voted consistent with the Republican platform, and that he wants to "restore trust in public institutions."
Michels said he has been endorsed by seven mayors and various other elected officials. He said the officials have told him the area needs a senator that will "better represent our district."
Asked about the possibility of a balanced budget, Hatcher said Illinois is an "unfriendly business state" that imposes too many taxes and fees on businesses. She said she sits on a state job creation task force that is holding hearings on the budget and job growth.
McQuillan said that the state should conduct a forensic audit, and a line-by-line review of the budget, "eliminating wasteful spending and patronage jobs."
Wheeler said the state "doesn't have a revenue problem; we have a very serious spending problem." He said reforms are needed to the Medicaid and pension systems, and that the state has borrowed too much.
Lauzen also promoted reform to the pension and Medicaid systems, as well as reducing "spending expansions" from the past six years, and to secure flexibility on the spending of federal stimulus funds.
Michels said, "We need to stop spending at the state level." He said the pension system should be moved to a defined contribution plan, from a defined benefit plan. He also said revenue from the gas tax and transportation fees should be used for the capital bill expenses.
The candidates were also asked about waiting lists for services for the developmentally disabled. McQuillan said the state is considering a managed care program, but he said the funds should be distributed at a county level and distributed to individual services.
Wheeler said the accountability should be "at the lowest level of government possible." He added, "The person closest to the problem is the most appropriate person to solve the problem."
Lauzen said he is a co-sponsor of "the blueprint plan that comes from the developmentally disabled community." He said the state should "pay its bills on time." He criticized the Quinn administration for threatening to cut funding for social services due to budget constraints. "They are holding the social service agencies hostage so they can get their tax increase," he said.
Michels said the funds should stay at the local and county level, but that the governments should also work with faith-based volunteer organizations that can help out on that issue.
Hatcher said one of the first bills she supported in the legislature was the "blueprint for growth" endorsed by the developmentally disabled community. She said she is especially concerned with those who have autism and those who are transitioning from large government-run institutions to smaller facilities.
Noting that the state ranks worst in per-pupil spending, the moderator asked what the candidates would do to ensure that education is more equitable. Wheeler said the state needs to get its budget "back on solid ground," reliance on property taxes is "an unethical way of funding our schools."
Lauzen, however, argued that the "premise of the question is inaccurate," and that the state is not at the bottom in per-pupil spending. He said there is a reliance on property taxes because local political leaders and educators "don't want to be at the mercy of the state government." He added, "as important as public education is... it is parents' responsibility to educate their kids."
Michels said there should be greater accountability and competition for public schools.
Hatcher said Gov. Jim Edgar appointed a blue ribbon committee in the 1990s that looked at public school funding, and that the committee determined that the City of Chicago assesses its property at a different rate than the rest of the state. "Unless Chicago starts sharing what it has taken from our state, we're never going to have a balanced system of education in the state of Illinois," she said. She also added that a bill supported by her allows a school district to recoup the funds it gained from its own referendum.
McQuillan said studies show that "more money is not the solution; better education does not come from throwing money at students." The school districts should also look at cutting non-education-related costs, he said. There should also be more accountability at the administrative level, he said.
Mixed responses on
death penalty, term limits
Asked about whether they support abolishing the death penalty, all of the candidates except McQuillan said they were in favor of the death penalty. McQuillan said it was a "tough question," and after a long pause said he is not in favor of the death penalty.
When asked about term limits for legislators, Lauzen said he was in favor of term limits. Lauzen is running for his sixth term in office. He said he sponsored legislation setting term limits, but that it never made it out of committee.
"I remember being embarrassed as I walked out, that I didn't even get a vote on that," he said. "But I thought... the shame of not taking a position on that really rests with the people who didn't have the courage to step up to it."
However, Michels seemed to mock Lauzen's response to that question.
"I guess I would ask Mr. Lauzen how long a term limit he's going to support," he said. "After 17 years in office, it would seem like he should step down."
Michels said he is not in favor of term limits, adding that "if a legislator is doing an appropriate job, they should stay in office, but if not, they should be challenged. And that's why I'm challenging Mr. Lauzen."
Hatcher said she has worked with organizations that encourage young women to get involved in business and politics. She said that, while 75 percent of men self-nominate for a political process, only 25 percent of women do. "In states where there are term limits, there are not enough women following other women to step up to a seat," she said. "The organization we have that runs the state needs to have input from both men and women."
Wheeler said he is in favor of term limits, specifically four terms in the state House and two terms in the state Senate.
McQuillan, noting that Hatcher is already running for re-election after starting her term in November of 2008, said the term for every state legislative office should be a minimum of four years. He said there should be a limit of three terms, adding, "12 years is enough."
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