By Tony Scott
Republican candidates in two crowded March primary races, for the 25th and 49th State Senate districts, faced off against each other at a forum last Thursday sponsored by the Kendall County Young Republicans organization.
The newly redrawn 25th Senate District includes Bristol Township and portions of northern Kendall Township, western Oswego Township and eastern Little Rock Township in Kendall County, along with southern Kane County.
Incumbent State Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, who has served in the state legislature since 1993, has decided not to run for another term and is currently running for chairman of the Kane County Board in the GOP primary against Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns.
The newly formed 49th Senate District includes portions of Montgomery, Oswego and the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision east of Orchard Road in Kendall County, as well as a large portion of Will County.
The candidate forum was held at the Tap House Grill restaurant in downtown Oswego.
Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, Dave Richmond of Batavia and Richard Slocum of Sugar Grove are the three Republican candidates on the March 20 primary ballot for the 25th Senate District. The winner of that contest will go up against the winner of the Democratic Party primary, which features Corinne M. Pierog of St. Charles and Steven L. Hunter of Geneva, in the November general election.
The 49th Senate Republican Party primary contest will feature Brian Smith of Plainfield, Gary Fitzgerald of Shorewood, Garrett Peck of Plainfield and J. Anthony “Tony” Giles of Oswego. Peck was unable to attend last week’s forum. The winner of that election will oppose Democratic candidate Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant of Shorewood, who is unopposed in her party’s primary, in the November general election.
Oswego resident Brian Russell, secretary of the Young Republicans organization, moderated the forum.
Russell read prepared questions as well as those submitted by the audience during a question-and-answer session.
25th State Senate District
The first question posed to the candidates was whether they supported Senate Bill 600, or a newer version of that bill, which would change the way Republican Party state central committeemen are selected. Lauzen has championed such legislation in the past.
Slocum said he’d like to see the current version of the bill, while Richmond said he’d vote “the same way Sen. Lauzen voted” on the bill, and Oberweis said that as a precinct committeeman he supported a resolution in favor of that legislation.
The candidates were also asked about the liabilities for public pensions.
Oberweis said that negotiations in the past have been “sweetheart deals” where unions make contributions back to politicians. He wants Attorney General Lisa Madigan to look at the “legitimacy of those deals.”
“Some of those have been sweetheart deals, they are not fair to the taxpayers of this state,” he said. “And I will lead a fight to the greatest degree that the law will allow to re-examine those past deals and to open everything up.”
Slocum said the state should consider a later retirement age, and said he supports reform legislation like Senate Bill 512.
“The current system is unsustainable, everyone agrees on that,” he said. “Everybody has to participate in that change. Senate Bill 512 is a start. It changes the concept to more of what the rest of the population is aware of, a 401k-type system. It also goes to more of a defined contribution than a defined benefit.”
Richmond said the state needs to honor its obligations, and that the SB512 legislation “seems like a pretty good program.” He said that during his tenure as Blackberry Township (Kane County) supervisor, his staff’s pensions are 100 percent funded.
Richmond also took the opportunity to criticize Slocum for his tenure as president of the West Aurora School Board. He said that while Slocum was board president, there was a “clear pattern” of giving staff “huge raises the three years before they retired, which in turn spiked the pensions and added to the debt down in Springfield.”
However, Slocum said Richmond was “simply incorrect.”
“Keep in mind, Teacher Retirement System pensions are passed and approved through Springfield,” Slocum said. “They set what those limits are, and they set what the benefits are. Those are driven down to the school district. I’m proud of the work we did in West Aurora. Our salaries were below the neighboring districts.”
He added, “As you may also know, there are procedures under the pension plan, not local rules, that allow people to take things such as additional benefits and take those the year they retire.”
All three candidates said they would support repealing the two percent income tax hike approved last year.
“We have to take a hard look at the expenditure side, including Medicaid and pension reform,” Slocum said.
Richmond said he would support “zero-based” budgeting.
“We need to look at all programs,” he said.
He also said he wanted to reduce regulation, making the state more “business friendly.” He gave the example of Caterpillar deciding not to build a new plant in Illinois.
Oberweis said he has “signed a pledge that I will not vote for tax increases.”
All three said they supported ending the legislative scholarship program. However, when pressed, Richmond said that if the program were still in place if he gets elected, he would consider having a third party panel determine the scholarship winners in his district.
Oberweis said he would ensure that the legislation is passed to do away with the program, and Slocum said he would not participate in the program even if it still existed if he were elected, noting that it was “unfair, inappropriate” and “sends the wrong message.”
All three candidates said they were in favor of term limits for legislators.
Richmond said he signed a pledge that would favor a limit of eight years in the legislature. Oberweis said he was in favor of four, two-year terms in the House and two, four-year terms in the Senate.
“We need to get back to citizen legislators, not career politicians,” he said.
Slocum said that term limits should be 12 years maximum.
“What we have now are legislators that start running for re-election the day after they’re elected,” he said.
49th State Senate District
During the question-and-answer session for the 49th Senate District candidates, all three said they were in favor of reform of the system.
“It’s one thing to say we need pension reform – which we do – but it’s another thing to ignore how we’re spending our money,” Giles said. “So if everything is going to be ‘on the table,’ we need to not only look at how much money is being spent, but how that money is being spent.”
Fitzgerald said the state needs to change from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan, and supports a bill sponsored by State Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego, on the issue.
“The fact is, these pensions aren’t going to be here for the young people starting their careers in state government,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not sustainable the way it is now. There has to be change, there’s no question about it.”
Smith said the state should look at “loopholes” in the system, and change to a defined contribution plan. He said bringing businesses back to Illinois would begin “natural funding” of the state’s pensions.
Giles said he disagreed with Cross’s legislation, suggesting that the General Assembly needs to make sacrifices along with workers.
“We have elected officials who are fully pensioned out and they are running for races that will give them an increase in their pension,” he said.
Also, all three were in favor of repealing the income tax increase.
“It needs immediate repeal,” Fitzgerald said. “We have to send a strong signal to the business community. They don’t want to wait two or three years down the road for some promise that probably won’t come true. If it was wrong to pass it in the first place, it’s wrong to keep it in place now.”
The candidates said they were opposed to legislative scholarships, although Giles said he was only opposed to it if it doesn’t have a clear revenue stream.
“If it can be funded without increasing taxes, then that’s fine,” he said.
However, Fitzgerald said the program “should be abolished.”
“It’s a perk to a legislator so he can put his name on it and go out there and give some candy away, and that’s wrong,” he said.
Smith said he was “absolutely” against it.
When asked by Russell if they would sign a pledge promising to conduct a positive campaign, Fitzgerald said he had signed a code of fair campaign practices from the State Board of Elections.
Smith said he would be “fair” in campaigning.
“There’s a difference between mudslinging and telling the truth,” he said.
Giles also said he would conduct a “fair” campaign.
“My goal is just to inform the voters of who I am and where I am on policy,” he said.
On the issue of abortion, Giles and Smith said they were pro-life, while Fitzgerald said he was opposed to abortion unless the life or health of the mother were in danger.
“I’m so pro-life, I asked my wife if it’s between you and the baby, who are you going to pick?” Smith said. “I let her make that decision, though, but I know the decision I’d want to make.”
Giles added, “I’m pro-life, I’m not pro-death.”
When asked about gay marriage, Giles said he was opposed to it, while Smith suggested that he didn’t have an issue with civil unions but with gay marriage. He said marriage “is between a man and a woman.”
However, Fitzgerald said he was not opposed to gay marriage.
“The reason is, and this has evolved over time for me, if you think about it, as a conservative, this is one area where I don’t believe government should regulate personal relationships,” he said. “If someone wants to define themselves as married or in a civil union, I don’t know why the government should stand in the way. Until somebody can show me that there is a threat to society or an actual danger posed to any one of us or anybody here because of gay marriage, I’m not opposed to it.”
“Until somebody can show me that there is a threat to society or an actual danger posed to any one of us or anybody here because of gay marriage, I’m not opposed to it.”
Gary Fitzgerald
State Senate Candidate
49th District
“So if everything is going to be ‘on the table,’ we need to not only look at how much money is being spent, but how that money is being spent.”
Tony Giles
State Senate Candidate
49th District