S.
WELCOME BACK TO THE
REPUBLICAN AND FISCAL HAWK.
DAY, HILLS, THANKS FOR JOINING
US.
OF COURSE, I WANT TO START HERE
WITH LOCAL PENSION CONSOLATION
DAYS FOR POLICE FIRE.
IT INCLUDES THE SUBURBS, DOES
NOT INCLUDE CHICAGO.
BEFORE WE DO THAT, I WANT TO
BACK UP AND GET BACKGROUND ABOUT
YOUR VIEW OF THIS LOCAL
GOVERNMENT CONSOLIDATION ISSUE.
THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT YOU
PUSHED FOR A WHILE.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT A
REPRESENTATIVE FROM YOUR PART OF
THE STATE, WHERE THERE'S A LOT
OF OVERLAP COUNTIES AND
TOWNSHIPS AND CITIES THAT ALL
TOUCH EACH OTHER, THERE'S A LOT
OF POPULATION THERE, WHY DO YOU
THINK THAT YOU ARE THE PERSON TO
PUSH LOCAL GOVERNMENT
CONSOLIDATION.
I RAN IN 2012.
IT'S STILL MY NUMBER ONE
OBJECTIVE, WE'RE LOSING PEOPLE
IN THE STATE EVERY DAY.
WE HAVE THE LEAST FRIENDLY
ENVIRONMENT IN THE COUNTRY AND
WE NEED TO REDUCE PROPERTY
TAXES.
I THINK CONSOLIDATION IS THE KEY
TO DOING THAT.
WE HAVE 7,000 UNITS OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.
I AUTHORED A BILL AS A START, AS
A FIRST STEP THAT WILL ALLOW
TOWNSHIPS TO CONSOLIDATE.
WE ALSO NEED TO ALLOW SCHOOL
DISTRICTS TO CONSOLIDATE WITH
VOTER APPROVAL.
WE SHOULD HAVE ALL UNIT SCHOOL
DISTRICTS BUT WE HAVE HIGH
SCHOOLS THAT ARE DOUBLE THE
BUREAUCRACY AND I BELIEVE THAT
WE NEED REDUCE THE
ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND SIMPLY
I THINK CONSOLIDATION LAW IF
THEY HAPPEN WITH VOTER APPROVAL.
WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT
THE OP PLACE CENTERS THAT EXIST
IN THE SUBURBS AND CHICAGO WHERE
THERE'S JUST PEOPLE LIVING ON
TOP OF PEOPLE AND THEY'RE
EVERYWHERE, CONTRAST THAT WITH
THE WORLD DOWNSTATE IN ILLINOIS,
SOMETIMES YOU DRIVE THROUGH AS
YOU COME DOWN HERE.
DO YOU THINK THAT THERE'S A "ONE
SIZE FITS ALL" SOLUTION WHERE
YOU WOULD JUST SAY LET'S
CONSOLIDATE ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS
OR UNITS OF GOVERNMENT STATEWIDE
OR DO YOU THINK IN THE RURAL
PARTS OF THE STATE, SOME OF
THOSE PHYSICAL BRICK AND MORTAR
PLACES HAVE TO EXIST TO SERVE
THOSE SMALLER COMMUNITY AS SOON
AS.
IT HAS TO BE SUBJECT TO VOTER
APPROVAL, THERE IS NO SOLUTION
STATEWIDE.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS GIVE EVERY
TOWNSHIP CITIZEN, EVERY SCHOOL
DISTRICT THE TAXPAYER AND VOTER,
THE ABILITY TO VOTE ON.
SO I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE
AN ELIMINATION OF TOWNSHIPS I DO
THINK THERE SHOULD BE THE
ABILITY.
THE ABILITY EXIST.
IT DOES NOT TO BE ABLE TO
DISSOLVE IT.
WELL, IT'S A MERGE.
WELL, WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT
IN MONTGOMERIE COUNTY WHAT WE'RE
DOING WE'RE ELIMINATING THE
TOWNSHIP AND TRANSFERRING THE
AUTHORITY TO THE COUNTIES.
IS QUESTION HAD TO PASS SPECIAL
LEGISLATION TO ALLOW THAT TO
HAPPEN IN THE 17 TOWNSHIPS IN
MONTGOMERIE COUNTY.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN BRING THAT
STATEWIDE.
WE SHOULD GIVE VOTERS THE
APPROVAL RIGHT ON CONSOLIDATION.
IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN
AUTOMATICALLY.
ALL I WANT TO DO IS GIVE THE
ABILITY TO CITIZENS TO MAKE THAT
DECISION.
YOU THINK IF YOU DO THAT,
YOU'LL BE ABLE TO REDUCE THE
PROPERTY TAXES?
MANY AREAS, YEAH.
IN SOME OF THE AREAS NO.
IN SOME OF THE RURAL AREAS IT
MAKES SENSE AND OTHER FORMS OF
GO.
IT MAKES SENSE.
BUT I THINK IN FOALGT WE'RE ABLE
TO CONSOLIDATE I THINK IT WILL
SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG TERM AND
RESULT IN LOWER PROPERTY TAXES.
YOU BROUGHT THAT FORTH TO THE
GOVERNOR AT ONE POINT, RIGHT?
AND HE VETOED IT.
HE WOULD SAY ONE THING ABOUT
CONSOLIDATION AND VETO IT AT THE
END.
GOVERNOR PRITSKER SIGNED THE
CONSOLIDATION BILL AND I'M VERY
HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW AND
EARLIEST VOCAL CRITICS, A
REPUBLICAN, THAT'S OPPOSED TO
GOVERNOR REINER.
DO YOU THINK THAT CARVED OUT
ROADS FOR YOU?
IT'S NO.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENED IS I SPOKE
THE TRUTH ABOUT ROUNDER.
HE WAS A PHONY GOVERNOR --
REINER.
HE NEVER USED THE LINE ITEM
VETO.
HE PASSED A BILL THAT HE SIGNED
THAT HE WAS INVOLVED WITH THAT
ALLOWS UNLIMITED TAXPAYER MONEY
FOR ABORTION.
AND FRANKLY ONE OF THE MOST
DISGUSTING THINGS I SAW WAS HIS
CONTROL OVER JIM DERK KIN, THE
LEADERSHIP, BUT PAID FOR BY
BRUCE REINER, PRODUCED CAMPAIGN
MONEY, PROVIDED SUPPORT.
DERKEN, BILL BRADY NEVER STOOD
UP TO BRUCE ROWNER, HE WASN'T A
REPUBLICAN.
HE WAS A ROUNDER-RIGHT AND
REJECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE
STATE.
I VOTED FOR HIM BECAUSE HE WAS
THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE OVER
PRITSKER.
BUT HE WAS A PHONY.
I OPPOSED HIM IN THE PRIMARY.
ALL RIGHT, THE GOVERNOR GOT
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING HE WANTED
FROM HIS INITIAL INAUGURATE
INAUGURAL ADDRESS DONE, ALL
THOSE THINGS THIS FIRST YEAR.
HOW WOULD YOU GREAT HIM IN
OFFICE SO FAR?
IT'S I WOULD GIVE HIM A GOOD
SOLID B BECAUSE OF THE FOCUS ON
TAXES AND SPENDING.
LET ME BREAK THIS UP INTO A
COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PARTS.
PERSONALLY I THINK HE IS A GOOD
PERSON.
I LIKE HIM PERSONALLY.
BUT ON POLICY, I ABSOLUTELY
DISAGREE WITH HIM.
WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT'S
THOROUGHLY UNBALANCED THAT NEVER
HAD REVENUE ESTIMATE ATTACHED TO
IT.
SPENDING ALMOST $40 BILLION IN
THIS STATE.
HE'S RELYING ON MASSIVE TAX
INCREASES GOING FORWARD.
HE PASSED SOME RADICAL
LEGISLATION WITH WHAT HE CALLS
THE MOST RESPITE LAW IN THE
COUNTRY ON ABORTION AND OTHER
ISSUES.
I BELIEVE HE HAS BEEN VERY
EFFECTIVE IN PASSING HIS AGENDA.
AND THE REASON I GIVE HIM THE
LOW GRADE IS BASE DISAGREE WITH
HIS POLICY.
THERE'S NO DENYING THAT HE HAS
BEEN EFFECTIVE IN PASSING HIS
AGENDA.
BUT I DISAGREE WITH MOST OF THE
AGENDA.
GIVE US AN IDEA OF YOUR
FUTURE POLITICAL PLANS BECAUSE
YOU SAID YOU MIGHT STEP AWAY BUT
ALSO HAVE HINTED A POTENTIAL RUN
FOR THE U.S. SENATE PERHAPS IN
2022.
THAT'S CORRECT.
THAT'S SOMETHING I'M LOOKING AT
VERY SERIOUSLY.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I'M
NOT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION.
I WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TRAVEL
THE STATE.
I AM GOING TO FOCUS
ON OPPOSITION OF THE PROGRESSIVE
TAX.
IT'LL BE ON THE BALLOT NEXT
YEAR.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST
FIGHTS BESIDES THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION AND WANT TO LOOK
CAREFULLY AT RUNNING FOR U.S.
SENATE 200022 OR POTENTIALLY THE
SECRETARY OF STATE.
I KNOW IT'S TOO EARLY BECAUSE
NOT 2022 AND THE CAMPAIGN OF
2020 IS NOT OVER, BARELY JUST
COMING DOWN UPON US AT THIS
MOMENT.
BUT IF THERE WAS GOING TO BE A
MOTTO FOR McSWEENEY 2022, A
MOTTO THAT ENCAPSULATES YOU OF
WHAT YOU ARE TO OFFER THE
VOTERS, GIVE US A PEEK BEHIND
THE CURTAIN IN THE
BRAINSTORMING.
WHAT'S THE MOTTO LOOK LIKE?
IT'S STANDING UP FOR
TAXPAYERS.
THERE IT IS.
REPRESENTATIVE McSWEENEY FROM
BARRINGTON HILLS, THANK YOU FOR