McKenna: State can close deficit in 5 years
January 28, 2010
Eric Timmons
Republican candidate for governor Andy McKenna says that if he’s elected and reforms he supports are implemented the state could close its estimated $13 billion deficit in five years’ time.
In an interview with The Register-Mail this week, McKenna promised to usher in a new era of fiscal discipline to close the state’s runaway deficit.
That would mean big cuts in state government and state-funded programs but no increase in taxes, McKenna said.
“We need responsible fiscal management in Illinois,” McKenna said.
He made a commitment to public bodies and non-profits in Knox County that if elected he would ensure the state catches up on late payments to those groups.
Knox County, local school districts, Bridgeway and KCCDD are among the area groups owed millions by the state in delayed funding promises.
There also is deep uncertainty about what level of funding the state will be able to support to those groups in the future. McKenna said the situation was unfair, both to the public bodies and to “the people of Illinois.”
McKenna was chairman of the Illinois Republican Party from 2005 to 2009. A native Illinoisian, he is president of Schwarz Supply Source, a business with more than 300 employees.
He said he wanted to focus on cutting state spending and lower costs for businesses.
“Illinois can become a high-growth state again,” McKenna said. “But we need to bring spending in line with receipts.”
He was insistent on his commitment not to raise taxes.
“It is our belief that raising taxes would slow our economy even further,” he said.
McKenna said the state had a $27 billion budget in 2006 and still managed to offer services to its citizens. Since then, he said, spending had ballooned. If elected, he said he would return spending to what he regards as more reasonable levels.
McKenna’s chosen running-mate is State Sen. Matt Murphy who represents the 27th state senate district, which covers the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Lieutenant governor nominees are chosen independently in the primary, however.
McKenna will contest the Republican primary next Tuesday to become the party’s candidate for the general election in November.
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